I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 29
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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 29
Episode 29
That was the moment.
Clatter— clatter—
Ihyeon was engulfed helplessly into the pallid wave of Undead.
Torn to shreds and destroyed.
Within a 1km radius, the aura of any living being could no longer be sensed.
Within a 1km radius.
The Death Magician’s head turned.
The creature hadn’t realized it, but by sheer coincidence, there was one person whose eyes met those rotting eyes.
‘Did you see me now?’
It was Ihyeon.
Ihyeon, who had used the skill Perfect Target to create a duplicate of himself and send it charging at the Death Magician.
Meanwhile, he himself had completely changed direction by switching his sniper position, then threw on his concealment cloak and bolted away.
The key was to put distance between them with everything he had.
His target distance was 1.5km.
[ Title: Hey guys, here’s the crazy story about getting away from the Death Magician lol
Content: When I saw the Undead rising from the ground, the rewards just weren’t worth it, so I ran. Anyone else here who bailed? lol
I ran so hard that the Death Magician couldn’t even detect me. About 1km away?
└ This is real. It can’t detect you if you run far enough
└ Isn’t that obvious? You have to make it give up lol ]
However, to be precise, the Death Magician’s detection range wasn’t exactly 1km.
Rather, the basic summoning range of Undead was 1km.
It simply didn’t bother with those who fled beyond that range.
This is why other Dark Mages opted for the strategy of creating summons to buy time while projecting ranged magic from a safe distance.
Ihyeon had derived his strategy from such approaches.
First, exhaust every resource to secure distance.
Second, maintain control of the Dummy and draw its attention as much as possible.
And now.
‘The distance is 1.5km….’
Ihyeon had executed his plan flawlessly.
Now it was a matter of a single shot.
Now that the Death Magician had seen through the Dummy’s deception, it was only a matter of time before it located Ihyeon’s position.
It was far too sensitive to living beings, and besides, the concealment stat that had been amplified while the Dummy was active would return to normal.
But even if he was discovered, the Death Magician wouldn’t have room to summon more creatures.
No Dark Mage would leave room for additional summons when there was an enemy charging at their throat.
Of course, this shot was far from easy for Ihyeon either.
Just considering the distance alone, it was similar to the Dark Orc incident at Gaecheon Intersection.
‘At least back then, I had firmly secured high ground and had a clear line of sight.’
Now, Ihyeon and the Death Magician were at the exact same eye level.
Moreover, countless Undead blocked the space between them, making visibility absolutely abysmal.
The Death Magician was concentrating the Undead toward the direction where Ihyeon was located.
Click—
Once I activated the Thermal Scope, the Death Magician with a different body temperature appeared far in the distance, like a reef standing alone in an endless sea, only to vanish and reappear repeatedly.
Could I succeed with a sniper shot?
Even if it was the optimal method to finish it with a single shot, doubt naturally crept in.
Nevertheless.
‘This is enough.’
Clack— Click—!
I grasped the bolt handle without hesitation and pulled it back.
A crisp vibration stimulated my hand with a tingling sensation once more.
That vibration pulled me up onto a line of endless concentration.
I had also invested stat points I’d been saving for this floor clear.
「Firepower: 50 → 65
Stealth: 45 → 60」
Firepower and Stealth both now in the 60s.
On top of that, I would use Orc Bone Bullets to further boost my firepower.
‘You can do this, Choi Ihyeon.’
I aimed at the spot where I had briefly glimpsed traces of the Death Magician.
Even as I watched the Undead approaching me sway and stumble, my crosshairs didn’t move an inch.
I was aiming for only a single moment.
‘The instant I confirm that creature is definitely there.’
A very long moment passed.
Sway—
By pure chance, the hundreds of Undead approaching me swayed to both sides as if the sea itself were parting.
At the end of that gap, an orange silhouette appeared.
The Death Magician.
I didn’t miss that opening.
Breath held.
Fire.
Boom——!!!
A sound unimaginable from a bolt-action sniper rifle tore across the dark wasteland.
A heavy recoil struck my shoulder.
But I continued to track the trajectory of my bullet as it flew.
More precisely, I followed the massive trail the bullet carved through the air.
The Undead that had briefly swayed to both sides quickly filled the gap that had opened.
But the bullet already fired cared nothing for whatever stood in its path.
Thud—!
The skeleton’s skull that first met the bullet shattered.
Next, a ghoul’s head.
The skeleton’s skull again.
Skull, cranium, skull, skull, cranium, cranium, skull….
The bullet forged from orc bone surged forward like a wild stallion racing across the wide plain, piercing through everything in its path.
Before the overwhelming force of the projectile, the sea of undead numbering in the hundreds offered no resistance whatsoever.
And in its wake, a pristine white path carved through the darkness.
It was, in truth.
The path that guided the Death Magician.
To death itself.
Click—
When I adjusted the thermal scope back to its normal setting, the Death Magician became clearly visible, unlike before.
Whether it understood what was happening or not, it simply stared at me with an unwavering gaze.
For just a moment, its eyes seemed to widen slightly….
Boom—!
Yet the bullet’s trajectory did not miss its mark.
In the next instant, the Death Magician found itself in a state no different from the undead it had commanded.
It had lost its life.
But there was no one to resurrect it.
「Death Magician Kobold defeated.
You have cleared the 25th Floor.
Rank: S+」
A notification window confirming the clear.
Crash—
At the same time, the summoned creatures the Death Magician had called forth returned to their state of death, just like their master.
「Item ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’ has leveled up.
Check your status window.」
Another notification of a level increase.
「25th Floor reward.
You have obtained 3 D-grade Magic Stones.
Check your inventory.」
「S+ Rank Clear bonus.
Item ‘Reinforcement Stone’ acquired.
Check your inventory.」
The rewards for clearing this floor.
Upon seeing one of them, I let out a delighted exclamation.
“A Reinforcement Stone!”
It was the remarkable item that had transformed my plain Maesek Gun into one with a bolt action mechanism.
Moreover, I was quite pleased with its performance.
Would this one have the same effect?
“Last time, the options I couldn’t choose were semi-automatic and anti-material.”
Both had been quite attractive choices, as I recalled.
In particular, anti-material rifles would be exceptionally efficient on floors like this one, while semi-automatic weapons would excel on floors requiring the elimination of all enemies.
The mere thought filled me with anticipation.
“I’ll need to head to the makeshift shooting range to handle this first.”
But I was a sniper among snipers—capable of resisting temptation even when it stood directly before my eyes.
「Would you like to exit the 25th Floor?」
That was why I decided to collect only the bones and hides I could fully extract from among the Undead before making my exit.
Rumors had already spread through the public floors of the 20s that Ilgyeok had entered the 25th Floor, and quite a crowd had gathered.
When I appeared in the access area, all eyes turned toward me.
“Huh?! Is that Ilgyeok?”
“W-well, the timing does match, but….”
People’s attention focused on me for a moment.
But such interest didn’t last long.
“But wasn’t Ilgyeok supposed to be a woman?”
“Right. And this person is an Assassin. They said she was a Mage-type.”
“Ah, what~ Then it’s not her?”
“Why show up at this timing anyway….”
‘…There’s no need to say all that, is there?’
Everyone was quite disappointed by my appearance, which differed so drastically from the known characteristics of Ilgyeok.
I felt relieved that I no longer needed to wear a cloak to avoid having my identity exposed so easily, yet on the other hand, I felt slightly disappointed.
Whoosh—
“Oh? A Mage!”
“A woman!”
“I-isn’t that a bit strange?”
“Either way, it’s Ilgyeok!”
At that moment, a female Mage who had just completed a party clear and returned happened to appear, and the area erupted into chaos.
“W-what’s going on?”
“Ilgyeok! Please give me an autograph!”
“I’m a fan!”
“You’re even cuter than I heard!”
“What on earth are you all talking about…?”
I shook my head as I watched the crowd swarm toward the unlucky Mage.
‘Yes, be satisfied with reality and be grateful.’
I was human too—not entirely free from the desire to become famous, to be recognized.
It was simply not the right time.
If my identity were exposed through a careless mistake, I might face an extension of my Military service by five years on the spot.
With such thoughts, I slipped away from the public floor.
* * *
The makeshift shooting range.
I stood quietly, gazing down at the enhancement stones and Maesek Gun gleaming like jewels before me.
“Let me start with a prayer.”
Just as with gacha games, in these crucial moments, I had to pray for fortune from the heavens and my ancestors.
‘Mom, Dad, please grant me luck. I promise to be a dutiful son very soon.’
Of course, I prayed far more earnestly to my living parents than to the distant heavens and ancestors.
Though I couldn’t reveal my ID or even the fact that I was a Hunter right now, I truly intended to tell my parents very soon.
They were the kind of people who would be more tight-lipped about their son’s affairs than any special agent.
My hands, which hadn’t trembled even when I caught the Death Magician, now quivered slightly as I carefully brought the enhancement stone toward my gun.
「Would you like to use an enhancement stone on the item ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’?」
“I haven’t used it yet?”
Along with the notification window I’d seen before, the enhancement stone smoothly melted into the gun.
「The item ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’ has been enhanced.
The effects of each stat are slightly amplified.
The stat values themselves do not change.」
Always a pleasant notification—that my gun had grown stronger.
「Please select a modification path for the item ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’.」
And just like last time, three options appeared before my eyes.
「1. Semi-Automatic
Rate of fire increases significantly.
Firepower, stability, and stealth decrease.
2. Anti-Material
Firepower increases significantly.
Range increases.
Stealth decreases.
Rate of fire decreases significantly.」
The first two options were no different from last time.
“Huh?”
But I tilted my head once.
“Three options?”
Well, I could certainly predict semi-automatic and anti-material.
But the existence of a third option meant a new path had been presented, different from last time.
I hurriedly began reading the next option.
「3. Healing
Grants a healing effect to the precisely shot target.
The healing effect is proportional to the firepower stat.」
“What is this…?”
I doubted my own eyes.
What am I looking at right now?
A gun and healing.
Two words that seemed most incompatible had just met, so it was only natural to be confused.
But incompatible meant, in other words…
“Is it even allowed to have such a broken enhancement?”
If other Hunters had heard this, it would have meant an element so filthy that they’d naturally cry out, “I can’t even climb the Tower like this!”
I had already proven my offensive power more than sufficiently by solo clearing the 25th Floor with just a single strike.
And now I had acquired a Healer effect, something so rare that people were already in an uproar over its scarcity?
It seemed that heaven and earth, my ancestors, my parents, and even the neighbors passing by had all lent their aid.
Moreover, that option written as “3. Healing” was shimmering with a peculiar, sparkling light.
I had never even heard of such an effect being applied to the usually bland system window, making it all the more wondrous.
My deliberation was brief.
I spoke without hesitation.
“Number three… Healing.”
My voice was uncertain even as I made the choice, as if asking, “Will this actually work?”
Honestly, I was prepared to humbly accept even if a notification appeared saying something like “Will this even work?”
Or if the healing effect merely managed to cure surface wounds, I would have been satisfied.
After all, firepower was a stat I would need to invest in consistently going forward.
Eventually, it would become useful enough.
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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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