I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 290
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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 290
Ep. 290
On that peculiar day, the once-clear sky darkened like night itself, and the blazing sun was consumed by an ominous black shadow.
The eclipse was no mere natural phenomenon.
“It was the beginning of the ‘Twilight Corruption.'”
The world turned black.
The prairie monsters that had occasionally attacked people but never rampaged indiscriminately, and even ordinary animals that had never truly clashed with humanity—all were consumed by the Twilight Corruption and transformed into grotesque beasts.
Because their forms defied any semblance of order or pattern, people began calling these abominations Duobuxini.
“Duobuxini, then….”
Ihyeon nodded, recalling the black monsters he had witnessed upon first entering the 91st floor.
If such creatures had swarmed in hordes, it was entirely plausible that Kaez’s tribe—once among the strongest in that prairie—had been annihilated without recourse.
My uncle exhaled a heavy sigh before speaking.
“A handful of them, and you or the valiant warriors of the tribe could have dispatched them easily enough. But that day, dozens attacked the encampment simultaneously.”
“You mean to say…?”
Ihyeon trailed off, turning to face my uncle.
My uncle nodded as if to say there was no point in concealing it any longer, and continued.
“Now that you’re undergoing your coming-of-age ceremony, what good is hiding it further? The eclipse and the Twilight Corruption spared no one—not even humans.”
The Twilight Corruption, which had unleashed mad Duobuxini across the prairie, had affected humanity as well.
Though their numbers were far fewer than the monsters, from a certain point onward, beings whose sclera had turned black and whose faces were marked with dark veins—the ‘Apostles’—appeared, along with the ‘Cult’ to which they belonged.
“Strangely, the Apostles not only avoid attacks from Duobuxini, but they even command them. You hunted down and slew every one you encountered in the prairie out of hatred, but that very act brought calamity upon us.”
“I see.”
Ihyeon nodded in understanding.
Duobuxini and Apostles.
And the Cult.
‘The structure of the 90s floors truly aligns now.’
On the 91st floor, Thunderbirds and Harpies had appeared, but the true adversary of the 90s floors would be the Cult itself.
‘Even for the 90s floors, they wouldn’t demand I wander this vast prairie endlessly, clearing it without purpose.’
Though Duobuxini lose all reason and lash out indiscriminately, these creatures remain under the Cult’s control.
The real question was whether I could amass both the power and strength necessary to obliterate the Cult’s headquarters in a single decisive strike before reaching the 99th or 100th floor.
That was the condition for ‘conquering the 90s floors’ that Erubein had spoken of—the ultimate proof of qualification.
“M-Manticores!!!”
“The calamity still hasn’t ended!!!”
Boom—! Crash-crash-crash——!!!!
“????”
“D-Did he just annihilate the Manticores with a staff…?”
“From now on, your name is One-Strike! One-Strike!”
“Wahhhhh!!! One-Strike! One-Strike!”
Having traversed the 91st floor so many times, the summary was brief.
Obtaining Purung and a sniper rifle during the coming-of-age ceremony, then dealing with the Thunderbirds and Harpies that appeared.
Since I had already achieved S+ rank, I skipped the performance of riding Purung and firing while charging forward like it was my first attempt.
I had reached a state where I could intercept the Thunderbird simply by observing the shadow cast beneath the clouds from that very spot.
And what this optimized strategy signified was straightforward.
‘It’s time to move on to floor 92.’
Now it was time for Ihyeon to challenge the next floor.
* * *
[ Pohang Steel Guild, One-Strike Trading Company Seals Deal… Regional Coexistence Case No. 25 ]
[ How Did One-Strike Trading Company Achieve 20% Market Share? ]
One-Strike Trading Company, achieving brilliant growth under the leadership of Seongcheol(?) and Deokhuun!
Though they hadn’t yet secured guilds in the capital region, and their efforts primarily focused on rescuing struggling provincial guilds, the accumulated cases had become quite a powerful portfolio.
Moreover, provincial guilds that had previously suffered disadvantages in transactions due to being overshadowed by capital region guilds no longer hesitated to conduct business with One-Strike Trading Company, even when operations ran smoothly.
[ Tower Industry Association Decides on 10% Fee Reduction for Provincial Guilds! Chairman Park Wungdo’s Bold Decision!
└ Yeah, even with that reduction, One-Strike Trading Company is still way cheaper, right?
└ Losing market share and now scrambling to win hearts—legendary damage control lmaooo
└ You guys above don’t even understand One-Strike’s real intentions, just licking the surface lmao If a megacorp like the Tower Association collapses, you think you’ll be safe? The situation is more serious than you think;;;
└ Heard Tower Association is laying off staff these days. Seriously, nobody actually thinks like that, right? ]
Chairman Park Wungdo, leveraging the overwhelming capital he’d accumulated over the years, waged a public opinion campaign while attempting to defend market share, but so far had seen little effect.
After all, competing on price with One-Strike Trading Company, which showed no concern for profit margins, was simply impossible.
That said, One-Strike Trading Company wasn’t exactly operating at a loss either.
[ Title: (Notice) We’ve Made Far Too Much Profit This Month Thanks to Your Donations. Our Sincere Apologies!
Author: Bong Jangseondal
Content: The title says it all. One-Strike Trading Company earned far too much money this time, so we’ve prepared an event as an apology to all of you.
If you participate in our 1,000 Draw Event on the One-Strike Trading Company app right now, we’ll distribute all the byproducts you win.
Drop rates are Troll Hide 0.14%, Troll Blood 0.14%….
└ ??????? What is this?
└ There’s a company that returns profits when they have surplus?!?!?!
└ lmaooo 0.14? Let’s goooo~~~
└ If I donate more, won’t you give more draw tickets? Urgent;
└ Dude, then the event wouldn’t make sense;; But I’m desperate too
└ Now THIS is a real event ]
Unlike the Tower Association’s operations, which focused on inter-corporate transactions, One-Strike Trading Company maintained a purely consumer-friendly approach.
Thanks to the enormous donations, they weren’t just breaking even—they had so much surplus that they could run events like this.
Incidentally, during this event, user requests became so overwhelming that they opened a feature granting one additional draw ticket per 1,000 won donated, which apparently required extending the event period by roughly three times the original duration….
In any case, One-Strike Trading Company was growing like a tiger with wings, riding on the overwhelming support of the people.
“Well then, guild leaders, thank you all for attending this celebration gathering for Steel Guild’s first transaction. I’m Jang Deokhun, CEO of One-Strike Trading Company.”
“Wooooooow!!!”
“You seem about our age—please speak comfortably with us.”
“I’m twenty-three this year.”
“Ah….”
The guild leaders, gazing at the face of young Deokhuun—someone who seemed no different from themselves, having experienced everything the tower had to offer—couldn’t hide their sympathetic hearts.
How much must a young person have suffered to look like that(!)?
‘True, his characteristic is that of a merchant, so entering the tower and engaging in combat with such a trait must have been no simple feat….’
Though the gathering had been opened with congratulations and gratitude in mind, the atmosphere swiftly grew solemn.
It was the sort of story that would have deeply wounded Deokhuun, who had never set foot in the tower beyond the first floor.
In any case, that was how it began, but the mood that followed quickly became warm and convivial.
Most of the guilds currently conducting trade with One-Strike Commerce had been in difficult circumstances, so their loyalty ran particularly deep.
And that was hardly all.
“Hehe, I cannot express how grateful we are that One-Strike Commerce has helped promote our guilds as well.”
“That’s right, it’s been ages since our guild’s recruitment numbers started trending upward!”
“When the guild leaders speak so kindly, I, Jang Deokhuun, feel a tremendous sense of purpose!”
“Haha, the young president has such an excellent personality, and his business acumen is beyond reproach.”
“Guffaw guffaw guffaw!”
One-Strike Commerce did not merely stop at providing financial assistance to these guilds.
From the outset, One-Strike Commerce’s outreach to regional guilds was also meant to cultivate an image of local mutual prosperity.
They even handled guild advertising on their behalf, and reaping such benefits, the guilds naturally came to regard them as saviors.
Conventionally, if a Hunter emerged from the provinces, they would typically ascend to the capital and join a guild there.
But now, if there was a guild affiliated with One-Strike Commerce in one’s own region, the thought arose: ‘Hmm? Should I give that place a try?’
The guilds themselves actively promoted their dealings with One-Strike Commerce as well.
“However, this also means the burden on your shoulders as guild leaders grows heavier, yes? No exploitation of power! No excessive fees! Not just family-like, but truly family! You all understand, don’t you?”
“Of course, President!”
“Let us recite the One-Strike Spirit together!”
“First, we do not torment the weak. Second, we live with honesty always and do not betray others. Third, we strive to contribute to this society!”
“One-Strike! One-Strike! One-Strike!”
Of course, the One-Strike Foundation did scrutinize each guild’s operational practices rigorously, yet the atmosphere was one where both guilds and their members were satisfied.
However, amidst this mutually beneficial harmony—where everyone prospered—there was one soul who felt nothing but lament.
‘Ah! Another victim has been added!’
It was none other than Director Seongcheol, who knew the hidden darkness of the One-Strike Foundation!
Though One-Strike Commerce displayed miraculous growth, what did that truly mean?
Digging into the truth revealed nothing more than another person entangled in the One-Strike Foundation—a den of embezzlement, money laundering, and criminal enterprise.
As director, Seongcheol could only feel the pangs of conscience and shed tears in silence.
Why not simply expose all the facts publicly right now and file a report with the authorities directly?
Seongcheol had indeed entertained such thoughts.
But there was a reason he could not.
“Brother, what are you doing here?”
“…Ah, Jonggeon.”
“Oh, I heard there was a gathering today—is it here, Brother?”
“You fool, it’s not a gathering, it’s a drinking session. Are you drinking? Don’t call it a gathering.”
“Read what’s written on that banner over there.”
“That’s a typo.”
It was because of Jonggeon and the other original members, who watched him with eyes wide as saucers, fearing he might do something suspicious.
The moment Seongcheol tried to head to the police station or the prosecutor’s office, they would surely go whoosh from behind!
Of course, Jonggeon and the original members weren’t actively monitoring Seongcheol, and he’d visited investigative agencies countless times to receive commendation plaques and certificates, but regardless, their anxiety remained proportionally immense.
Surrounded by a faction insisting that Seongcheol should let Deokhuun handle everything anyway, he was practically kidnapped into the office.
“More importantly, hyung, there’s something to celebrate!”
“…What is it?”
Seongcheol took his seat and looked up at Jonggeon with eyes that conveyed skepticism.
What, did the prosecutor’s office launch an investigation into embezzlement or corruption?
‘That wouldn’t exactly be good news.’
But Jonggeon, completely oblivious to Seongcheol’s inner thoughts, chuckled and spoke.
“In one week, the One-Strike Foundation’s New York branch finally opens. Of course, the One-Strike Service Corps branch comes as part of the package!”
“Already?”
“Hahaha! Now we can bring in dollars too, hyung!”
Separate from the original members who were excitedly celebrating, Seongcheol nearly jumped from his seat at this unexpected report.
It hadn’t even been three weeks since the New York branch was first mentioned, yet how could it already be established?
Setting aside the matter of finding office space, America has its own procedures, doesn’t it?
As if he’d heard these very thoughts, Jonggeon elaborated.
“Well, you see, when the Hero visited Korea to meet with Ilgyeok last time, we received what you might call a buff afterward? In any case, the American authorities have been providing us with considerable convenience.”
‘Damn this Hero!’
How could coincidence align so perfectly?
Why did the Hero have to come to Korea at that exact moment and make things easier for us?
But that wasn’t all.
“Hyung, they say we’re also establishing a branch in the German Battlecruiser?”
“Berlin, you fool.”
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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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