I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 261
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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 261
Ep. 261
Breathe… breathe…
‘No, even accounting for everything, isn’t this change far too dramatic?’
Even the breathing was docile itself.
The horns that had adorned its face vanished as if they were never there.
Even its mane drooped softly, like a hedgehog laying down its spines.
Purung—! Purung—!
Then it began nuzzling Suyeon’s face affectionately, as if they were the closest of friends.
“Uh? Hehe! Stop, that tickles!”
Suyeon had let out a startled sound at first, but soon she was laughing and gently stroking Purung all over.
“Is that the effect of the Baikhon Bow?”
“Remarkable! That’s Purung’s peaceful stance that appears when meeting a true companion, and to show it to someone you’ve just met!”
The Vice Captain applauded far more enthusiastically than she had for Ihyeon earlier.
Other squad members who had been lingering nearby began gathering one by one.
“Hmm.”
“Hmmm.”
Hwi-yeong and Erubein, who spoke different languages, were also expressing their amazement with long, drawn-out sounds.
Beyond simply a fierce monster acting friendly, there was a profound emotion in witnessing humans and monsters who had been enemies all this time rubbing their faces together!
While everyone basked in this warm emotion, Ihyeon spoke up.
“Come to think of it, the Knights were monsters too—wouldn’t that be even more moving?”
“….”
Everyone—people, spirits, and knights alike—turned to look at him with expressions asking if he was serious.
Ihyeon, flustered, elaborated.
“Ah, no, the Knights were on a completely different side from the start, right? Of course, it’s impressive that Suyeon tamed Purung too, but…”
“What, you’re jealous of something you have no reason to be jealous of? Master?”
“Indeed, Master. This does appear to be Suyeon’s remarkable achievement.”
Ihyeon’s jealousy, making a rare appearance!
As even the Spirits completely turned against him, Ihyeon launched into an impassioned defense to salvage the situation.
“Ah, of course it’s an amazing feat, I’m saying! It’s not that she didn’t show me this peaceful stance or whatever. Suyeon is kind, and yes, she has an S-rank item too, so…”
“Bow Fox, let’s go see Number Two as well.”
“Yes, Sister!”
Remarkably, no one was listening to his passionate speech.
People cheering and rushing into the stable to witness the warm miracle between Suyeon and Purung.
‘Come to think of it, taming a horse monster was only possible because of my name!’
The Baikhon Bow originally didn’t have such an effect.
It gained this ability after Ihyeon’s epithet was attached to it.
Ihyeon grumbled inwardly and followed the others inside.
After that, Suyeon succeeded in putting Numbers Two, Three, Four, and Five into a perfectly peaceful stance!
“It’s said that once Purung shows a peaceful stance to a person, they’re truly completely tamed. Now even the Master’s parents will be able to rest assured.”
“That’s a relief!”
“Can you even trust that? You said it was safe to begin with.”
“Really now, Master. You should trust the expert’s word.”
“Ah, no, Elsiya. As a son, I need to be certain about my parents’ safety….”
Ihyeon, whose position had somehow become quite precarious, was a secondary concern.
In the stable, besides the five Purungs, there were other familiar creatures.
Specifically, the headless phantom horses.
After defeating the Centaur last time, the phantom horses I had obtained were huddled together in one corner of the stable.
“Are we raising these here too?”
Ihyeon asked the Vice Captain.
The phantom horses could be summoned whenever needed without necessarily keeping them outside.
The Vice Captain then answered with a wounded expression.
“The phantom horses are legitimate members of our family too… yet they must remain in a subspace without a single ray of sunlight or a blade of grass to graze on… sniff!”
“Ugh, Master is too much.”
“Brother, you should guarantee animal rights.”
“Mm.”
“Um.”
‘I can’t say anything!’
After his earlier statement, Ihyeon glared at the people who seemed determined to corner him whenever he spoke.
He felt especially wronged by Suyeon, who was teasing him with her arm linked through Elsie’s armpit.
Of course, they were all just joking.
But when you really thought about it, there wasn’t a single flaw in what Ihyeon had said!
Phantom horses were Undead, so they were better off not seeing sunlight anyway, and why would headless creatures need grass to graze on!
The Vice Captain chuckled and spoke.
“Actually, the phantom horses are excellent resources. They don’t tire as easily as the Purungs, and they work without resistance, so I’ve stationed them here to deploy whenever needed. Since we’ve already built the stable anyway. They don’t take up much space either.”
“That makes sense.”
Ihyeon nodded.
The phantom horses appeared much smaller compared to the Purungs, but they were still quite large compared to Earth horses.
Yet the space they occupied in the stable was only one-third of what the Purungs took up.
Since they were spirits, they could overlap with each other and pass through translucently.
It was convenient in many ways—you could materialize them and put bridles on them whenever needed.
Whoosh—
“So the Bow of Angles works on phantom horses too.”
“…Yeah, it seems that way.”
The phantom horses had gathered around Suyeon and were expressing their own form of affection.
It wasn’t as dramatic as with the Purungs due to their nature as spirits.
And so the mysterious stable tour came to an end.
“That was fun. Thanks, brother~”
“I’ve rested well.”
“Yes, goodbye. You’re always welcome.”
“Take care, Hwi-yeong~”
Suyeon and Hwi-yeong departed in a vehicle sent by the Management Bureau.
Meanwhile, Erubein’s departure was set for early tomorrow morning.
Minjeong insisted she couldn’t simply let a foreigner leave without a proper send-off, so she showcased her culinary skills at every meal.
“Oh. Bibimbap.”
“You know bibimbap too~”
Mountain vegetables freshly picked from the hills, a perfectly runny fried egg, and seasoned with gochujang that Minjeong had fermented herself—a mountain vegetable bibimbap masterpiece!
“Oh. Galbi-jjim.”
“You know galbi-jjim as well~”
“Well, the internet is so advanced these days. Foreigners know everything there is to know.”
Braised short ribs made from the complimentary meat she’d received from the butcher shop yesterday!
“Oh. Agui-jjim.”
“Ah, you know monkfish stew too?”
“Ah, monkfish stew appears on video sites….”
“Oh. Sujungua.”
“Cinnamon punch too?”
Erubein’s knowledge of Korean cuisine—from monkfish stew to cinnamon punch—was suspiciously thorough.
At this point, Minjeong’s competitive spirit began to awaken.
“Ah-ha. Ssukgaeddeok.”
“You know mugwort rice cakes too….”
“Um, Mom? I think this is getting dangerous.”
“Um. Red ginseng jelly, white ginseng jelly, red date jelly, white date jelly. Yammy snack.”
“You even know traditional Korean confectionery sets?”
“Mom, I think you should stop here… Should we just make some ramen for dinner?”
“Hmm. Sinseollo?”
“Ha! I won! Sinseollo is just the name of the dish, but the proper name is actually yeongujaatang! Since you’re a foreigner, you don’t know Korean food that well after all~”
“Oh. Very interesting.”
“See? I was right, wasn’t I, Ihyeon’s dad?”
“….”
Watching Minjeong and Donghoo practically leap with joy, I couldn’t bring myself to share the truth that most Koreans don’t actually know that either.
Well, in any case, for Erubein—who had already sampled all manner of delicious Korean cuisine and even imperial court dishes—every meal and snack must have been a delightful experience.
“Though I already knew this, your mother is truly exceptional at cooking. In another world, she would have been treated as the greatest chef and lived in the imperial palace.”
“Hehe, Jia. I appreciate the kind words, but I’m just an ordinary Korean housewife.”
“No, Mom. I saw you frantically flipping through cookbooks on the shelf earlier.”
“Shh!”
The Spirits also appeared thoroughly satisfied with the unfamiliar style of cuisine they’d never experienced before.
And so, the night before Erubein’s departure grew deeper.
As we savored the dishes Minjeong prepared, Ihyeon, Erubein, and the Spirits found themselves lingering in the yard.
Since Erubein had always taken considerable interest in me, the conversation flowed naturally as he asked various questions.
How I came to use a gun, what I did before entering the Tower, how I obtained the Spirits, and so on.
Since he wasn’t specifically asking about skills or stats, I answered honestly.
Even Erubein, with his taciturn nature, seemed quite surprised at several points, and when he heard about the Special Forces, he empathized deeply from the heart.
America also operated military units with a Special Forces concept.
However, with so many Hunters there and plenty of vacant land unlike Korea where there was no urgent need to fortify defensive lines, they only managed to hold back weak monsters that crossed the lines without knowing better.
“I’m also curious about your characteristic.”
“Me too! Me too!”
Once the conversation had progressed to a certain point, I asked Erubein as well.
His characteristic was naturally top-secret in America too.
Moreover, the impact of the Turtle Ship and Tiger I’d witnessed this time was so overwhelming that I simply couldn’t pass without asking.
Erubein readily nodded and answered.
“A superior characteristic—Great Man.”
“Great Man?”
It wasn’t a characteristic that immediately made sense.
But at the same time, I began to understand….
It was similar to Hanryeol’s Dragon’s Assassin characteristic, for instance.
If you set a role model, you could obtain skills to some degree that matched that great man’s achievements and plausibility.
Of course, ordinary skills that regular Hunters used would also appear as options, but I knew better than anyone how much power a single special skill could wield.
I carefully asked to confirm my thoughts were correct.
“Then, the great man you chose as your role model is perhaps?”
“King god majesty the general Chungmugong Lee sunshin.”
My goodness.
I honestly felt a bit of admiration.
‘Hearing it in the original language like this is surprisingly impressive.’
To think I’d hear that expression, which only circulated as a joke on Korean internet, spoken directly from an American’s mouth!
“Well, he was certainly a great man.”
“Elsie, do you know who General Yi Sun-sin is?”
“Of course. I saw him on the history channel. With Jia.”
The name of General Yi Sun-sin, the Chungmugong, had spread far and wide not just in America but even to this other world!
‘Ah, the East Sea waters and Mount Baekdu….’
I felt an inexplicable sense of pride, though I set that aside for now.
“But why did you choose General Yi Sun-sin as your great man, Erubein?”
Then Erubein asked with a rather disappointed expression.
“Are you saying that Koreans don’t respect General Yi Sun-sin?”
That’s not what I meant at all!
I jumped up at Erubein’s question, which suddenly tried to paint me as a strange person.
Didn’t our country also have numerous great generals like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Eisenhower, and so on?
‘Well, admittedly, great generals of modern warfare feel somewhat different, but by that logic, Western commanders would be far more familiar.’
In any case, Erubein briefly explained why his characteristic was related to General Yi Sun-sin.
Actually, Erubein hadn’t directly chosen the name himself; when he first awakened, it was a format where he chose one of three options.
As it happened, Erubein had served as a naval officer before his awakening and was very interested in world naval history, and since General Yi Sun-sin was popular enough in America to be made into comics, he chose him.
‘For someone like that, isn’t he far too fond of Korea?’
Of course, even if I heard such reasons, it wouldn’t explain why Erubein wore a crimson double-layered armor or knew more about Korean cuisine than Koreans themselves, but I decided to simply regard him as just another eccentric high-tier Hunter.
Regardless of the circumstances, the world’s strongest Hunter from America and beyond was a Hunter who took Admiral Yi Sun-sin as his defining characteristic.
As a Korean, wasn’t it something to take considerable pride in?
“Once this crisis is all resolved, I wish to become an honorary Korean.”
Erubein gazed up at the stars embroidered across the night sky, his expression deeply sentimental.
“That’s already….”
Ihyeon questioned whether such a thing wasn’t already entirely possible even now.
Korea was a more open-minded nation than one might think.
After all, weren’t the Spirits readily acknowledged as citizens?
Actually, it seemed like becoming Korean altogether wouldn’t be a problem either.
But Elsie nudged him in the ribs from beside him.
“Just empathize with him, Master. Yeah?”
“Y-yeah.”
Ihyeon nodded and glanced up at the sky himself.
As I gazed at the twinkling stars, I suddenly felt the reality of breathing in the same place as a Hero.
‘I never thought I’d end up like this.’
Choi Ihyeon, who despite possessing exceptional marksmanship, had been limited by his innate mana ceiling and never received proper treatment even in the special forces.
Yet now, each time I entered the Tower, I had become a mysterious Hunter who shook the world, and here I was, gazing at the stars and chatting idly with Chris Erubein.
‘…Except for the fact that Chris Erubein is a rather strange person.’
Perhaps I hadn’t merely climbed the floors of the Main Tower all this time.
A Watchman who climbs the Tower to see the stars, and an Overlord who climbs the Tower to possess them.
I couldn’t say one was necessarily wrong over the other, but I was beginning to understand why I was climbing the Tower.
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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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