I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 246
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 246
Ep. 246
Interpreting my silence in her own way, Jia spoke from beside me.
“He’s asking if you’d be willing to meet outside the tower, saying he has something to discuss. He says the location doesn’t matter.”
“Outside the tower, then.”
I understood perfectly well, of course.
I paused briefly to consider Erubein’s proposal.
I couldn’t fathom why he was so insistent on meeting outside the tower.
‘That would be dangerous for me.’
Unlike the common floors where mutual attacks were impossible, anything could happen in the real world.
Considering that, I should have refused his proposal outright.
“Tell him I’ll agree if we meet at the Management Bureau. But I have a condition.”
I attached the condition that Suyeon and Hwi-yeong, who were here with me, would join us at the same table.
It was a precaution—a way to ensure that the three of us could at least hold the line if anything went wrong.
‘But if he’s coming to share some information about the tower, it’s better that the two of them hear it together.’
I reasoned that there was no harm in the three of us hearing whatever he had to say about the tower.
When Jia relayed my counter-proposal to Erubein in English, both he and Hwi-yeong nodded simultaneously.
“Hmm.”
“Mm.”
I’d noticed it from the moment I first saw them together, but they really were a well-matched pair.
Their attire, their demeanor—everything complemented each other.
‘They probably didn’t know each other before this.’
I found it rather curious and asked Suyeon.
“Suyeon, are you okay with this? You don’t have to go if it feels like too much.”
Suyeon, who had been too flustered by the sudden appearance of a real hero to say anything until now, finally collected herself and nodded.
“Huh? Oh, y-yes. It’s an honor, really.”
Being with me helped somewhat, but truthfully, Suyeon, Jia, Elsie, and the Knights all seemed slightly overwhelmed by Erubein’s presence.
That’s simply how it was.
Just as all the world’s attention had focused on my identity after Ilgyeok first appeared,
before that, it had been the Hero—Chris Erubein.
Seeing Erubein in person, whom I’d only heard about in rumors, was one thing, but his stature was truly formidable even by my standards.
The sheer momentum radiating from his entire being, despite showing no hostility whatsoever.
A vague sense of dread that made one hesitant to obstruct his path under any circumstances—such was his imposing presence.
‘…In fact, it’s strange that I’m not feeling any discomfort at all.’
And here I was, standing before such a hero, yet feeling not the slightest unease.
I decided it was best to wrap up this unexpected encounter on the common floor quickly, for everyone’s sake.
“Then I’ll see you at the Management Bureau. Do you know how to find it?”
“….”
“Your assigned manager should be at the Management Bureau.”
So it seemed his manager had been accompanying him all along.
‘So the Manager approved the Hero’s naturalization into Korea? It must be American generosity after all….’
Ihyeon nodded, recalling how the American soldiers had eagerly exchanged their combat rations with those of the Korean military during the joint training exercises.
Indeed, large nations had correspondingly large spending habits.
But Ihyeon had no way of knowing.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap——
“Y-you still haven’t found where the Hero is?”
“Y-yes… We’ve been making inquiries through every possible channel, but we can’t exactly announce that we’re searching for the Hero… Please give us a bit more time.”
“Th-th-this is really… A-ah, I understand….”
What Ihyeon didn’t know was that Erubein’s Manager was currently at the Bureau, trembling like an aspen leaf, his teeth chattering uncontrollably as he urged the Bureau’s employees onward.
* * *
The Hero who had secretly entered Korea to find Ilgyeok—Chris Erubein.
He had willingly endured a month of waiting and gone through the naturalization process, eager to meet Ilgyeok quickly.
Upon obtaining Korean citizenship and gaining access to Korea’s Main Tower, he vanished!
Naturally, both Erubein’s Manager and Korea’s Bureau were in a state of panic.
Seongnyun was no exception.
‘Considering the timing and his purpose, it certainly seems like he went to find Ilgyeok, but still. Ilgyeok says he hasn’t met him yet either….’
Since they couldn’t publicly issue a manhunt, frustrating days had passed until today.
Seongnyun was certain that if anything were to happen, today—when Ilgyeok entered the Tower to conquer the 87th floor—would be the turning point.
Since Ihyeon had been unable to enter the Tower due to various matters until now, if they were to meet, today was highly likely.
While he was thinking such thoughts.
「The 87th Floor clear record has been updated.
Location: Republic of Korea Tower
ID: Ilgyeok, Baekbalbaegjung
Rank: S+」
The clear notification for Ilgyeok and Suyeon appeared, and simultaneously, Korea’s timer was extended by 100 days.
‘What happens next is crucial. I really hope to hear from him.’
When Seongnyun first heard that Erubein wanted to meet Ihyeon, he honestly opposed it.
While two massive storms could potentially blend well together, the image of surrounding areas suffering great damage came to mind first.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks when both were climbing the Tower well on their own.
But after Erubein obtained Korean citizenship and went missing, the problem had completely reversed.
It could potentially escalate into a serious diplomatic dispute between Korea and America, or worse, an actual conflict.
The situation had to be resolved quickly by any means, and the key to it was….
‘Ilgyeok. I can only hope that Ilgyeok will resolve this situation as well.’
Naturally, Ilgyeok held that key.
Seongnyun sat in his office, waiting with his employees, their expressions tense.
– Love, find it~ Life, find it~
Then, Seongnyun’s phone rang loudly.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Seongnyun.
– King God General Emperor Archangel
…A rather explicit caller ID appeared on the screen.
Upon confirming this, Seongnyun shot up from his seat with a shout of triumph.
“We did it!!!!”
The other employees also threw down their documents and miscellaneous papers, cheering.
“We did it!!!!”
“…Pick up those documents right now. Civil servants, honestly. Print them on recycled paper for the next three days.”
“…Yes, Manager.”
After giving the employees a light warning, Seongnyun moved to a location where others couldn’t hear the conversation and quickly answered the incoming call.
“Yes, Hunter. I’ve got the call.”
– I’m heading to the Bureau right now.
“Pardon?”
Seongnyun tilted his head in confusion at Ihyeon’s sudden statement, not quite understanding at first.
– Pardon?
“Ah, did I mishear you?”
The memories from his active duty days came flooding back unbidden, but why the Bureau all of a sudden?
– …Manager, if something like this happened, you should have told me in advance.
Ihyeon’s voice was distinctly different from usual.
Seongnyun asked with a trembling voice.
“Did you really… meet them?”
The Hero and Ilgyeok.
Was this combination—one that stirred the heart merely to hear it—truly coming to pass?
Of course it was.
On the other end of the phone, Ihyeon, who had called Seongnyun.
He answered with a furrowed brow.
“Yes, I met them.”
– My God. Thank you….
He hadn’t said who he’d met, but in this situation, the identity was obvious.
Hearing Seongnyun express his gratitude almost tearfully, Ihyeon realized he too had been carrying considerable emotional burden all this time.
But that was that, and what Ihyeon experienced was what Ihyeon experienced.
You might call it Ihyeon’s own modest form of revenge.
“So we’ve arranged to meet at the Bureau now. Four of us together—myself, Suyeon Hunter, and Hwiryeong Hunter.”
– ?!?!?!?! Yes, yes?!
Seongnyun reacted as if an actual bomb had burst from the phone.
– All four of you are coming to the Bureau?
“Wouldn’t it be strange to meet anywhere else?”
– Well, that’s true, isn’t it?
‘What?’
Ihyeon glanced at his phone screen briefly, surprised at how readily Seongnyun agreed.
But Seongnyun had thought the same thing.
There was no way you could ask the top-ranked hunter from America and the top three from Korea to meet at some neighborhood café.
Of course, Ihyeon had also proposed the four-person meeting partly to catch Seongnyun off guard.
“According to the Hero, the Manager should be at the Bureau. Is that correct?”
– Yes, that’s right. For about two weeks now… I’ve been staying up all night waiting.
“Hmm…”
Ihyeon realized that the situation had been far more serious than he’d thought.
Indeed, it was rare for the Bureau to ask him twice separately if there was anything unusual.
That meant the situation had been unfolding urgently in places he didn’t know about.
– Then I’ll end the call here. If the four of you come to the Bureau, we have preparations to make as well.
“Yes, I’ll see you in a moment.”
With that, the call between Ihyeon and Seongnyun ended.
Seongnyun’s expression as he returned to the office was rigid as a statue itself.
“D-Director, what happened?”
“Did you find him?”
“Oh, I really feel sorry for the Manager.”
The talent search team and employees were talking about the Hero as if searching for a lost child at an amusement park!
…Though in reality, it wasn’t much different from that.
Seongnyun spoke to the employees with his statue-like expression intact.
“The world is ending.”
“!!!!!!!”
The four heavy and massive words “the world is ending” left the employees aghast.
The Storm Manager cried out.
“W-Was he found as a corpse?!”
“? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, wasn’t he?”
Seongnyun frowned and asked back at the unexpected remark, and the Storm Manager sat down sheepishly.
Of all people, the Hero couldn’t possibly be found as a corpse.
Seongnyun clicked his tongue a few times, then sighed and spoke.
“The Hero, and our country’s top-ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Hunters are gathering at the Bureau right now. To be precise, the 1st isn’t officially ranked yet.”
“!??!!!?!!”
“T-The world is ending!!!!”
The employees fully understood why Seongnyun had said something so ominous.
Even if not the world’s end, at least the Bureau’s end was imminent.
From that point on, things truly began.
Seongnyun immediately went up to the Bureau Chief’s office and reported on the current situation.
“We’ve found the Hero.”
—Snap!
“R-Really?! Where?!”
“Ilgyeok contacted us directly.”
“Kyaa! Of course it’s Ilgyeok! Korea’s Hero! The Admiral Yi of this age!”
“And the Hero, Ilgyeok, Shin Gung, and Hwi-yeong Hunter are on their way here now. It seems to be for the purpose of the Hero’s visit to Korea.”
“T-The world is ending…”
“Our department has already handled all of that, Bureau Chief.”
“Ah, I see. If anything, why not go through the Tower Safety Division instead of….”
“Bureau Chief.”
When Seongnyun called out to me with such gravity, the Bureau Chief swallowed hard and nodded in acknowledgment.
The emergency response protocol invoked by the Bureau Chief’s direct authority—something that had rarely been activated since the Management Bureau’s inception.
The Bureau Chief reached for the receiver on his desk.
Through the direct line to his secretary, the Bureau Chief spoke with solemn resolve.
“Code Black. Invoking direct authority.”
Weeee-ooooo———!!!
Simultaneously, a deafening siren began wailing throughout the Management Bureau.
The massive tempest that had begun with the meeting between Ilgyeok and the Hero did not end here.
The Management Bureau immediately reported to its superior agency, the Tower Safety Division.
Upon hearing that Code Black had been issued, the Minister of the Tower Safety Division asked:
“What happened? Did three Gates suddenly appear?”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
“Then?”
“Right now at the Management Bureau….”
“?!?! This time, I should d-declare one Crane alert…!”
The Crane alert was the Tower Safety Division’s equivalent to the Defense Ministry’s Jindo Dog protocol.
Among those levels, one represented the highest tier of alert.
Just as when he’d heard that Ilgyeok had made contact with the Management Bureau, the Minister of the Tower Safety Division, gripped by panic and about to declare a Crane alert, was barely able to regain his composure thanks to his secretary’s vigorous intervention.
“Send full support to the Management Bureau as a precaution against any unforeseen situation. And… connect me to the Presidential Office.”
“Yes, Minister!”
And Ihyeon Dong, the Tower Secretary, received the Minister’s call.
“W-wait, all those people are gathering at the Management Bureau?”
– Yes, sir. I just received the report myself.
“I-I should inform V right away…!”
– Secretary! W-what are you trying to declare!
“? We should concentrate all support on the Management Bureau, of course. What were you thinking?”
– Ah, no, sir.
And so, in mere moments, news of the four-way meeting had spread to the highest echelons of the Korean government.
In this instant, virtually every eye of the Korean government was fixed upon the Management Bureau.
Yet even they remained unaware of one crucial fact.
「…Crackle.」
No—not just them, but no one in the world knew.
That the moment Ihyeon and Erubein met, a hairline fracture had appeared in the System itself, accompanied by the faintest of sparks.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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