I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 302

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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 302

Ep. 302
“Ooooh…!”
The Uncle, the Shaman, and the Former Apostle all gasped in wonder at a sight entirely different from when the eclipse had shattered.
With just one step, the spring water had become crystal clear, as if returning to its former pristine state.
At the same time, Jia, who had been submerged beneath the spring,
Glimmered—
opened her eyes, which had been closed for so long.
Beneath the rippling surface like a dream, Jia blinked and blinked, meeting Ihyeon’s gaze.
Ihyeon spoke with a smile.
“You’re awake?”
Whoooosh—————!!!!!
‘What’s this? An attack?!’
The moment Ihyeon spoke, he was startled by a water bomb that suddenly erupted and surged upward.
Judging by how clean her neck had become and how she had opened her eyes again, it seemed the Earthworm had been completely healed, but?
Shhhhhhh———
“Ugh! It’s hot!”
The Vice Captain, who had taken an unexpected counter, ran about here and there with a hissing, sizzling body.
Where the surging water had fallen back to the surface, Jia, who had clearly been lying down, was now standing upright.
Splash—!
“I greet you, Master.”
At the same time, Jia knelt on one knee and bowed with more formality than usual.
“So you are awake.”
Ihyeon brushed the water from Jia’s shoulders as he spoke.
Though his true thoughts were somewhat different.
‘I was terrified thinking the Earthworm was still there….’
Honestly, when that water burst forth, Ihyeon had thought of everything.
Had I been too careless?
This place is too close.
I’m not confident I could win in a fistfight with Jia.
If the Earthworm took hold, wouldn’t her strength increase that much more?
And so on.
Of course, deep down Ihyeon was certain that Jia would never rebel against him, but still, as an excellent marksman, it was his habit to consider every possible worst-case scenario.
…It was a thought that would have deeply hurt Jia had she heard it.
In any case, it turned out to be Ihyeon’s needless worry.
Jia, whom Ihyeon was trying to help up, looked somewhat more fatigued than usual, but otherwise much the same.
Well, there was one small difference.
“I have caused you trouble, Master! Please, end my life!”
“Ah, no, what trouble…. It’s fine, you can get up.”
“No, sir! I abandoned my duty to serve you, and for a whole sixteen years at that… I am truly sorry!”
“It’s, it’s fine, really.”
“Grrrrrowl—! Grrrrrowwwwl——!!”
“First, let me wipe off the water and figure out what to say…”
Ihyeon watched as Jia suddenly rejected his hand in front of all these people and prostrated herself again like a condemned criminal from a historical drama, and he found himself quite at a loss.
In truth, he felt no particular emotion toward Jia, but rather, thinking of how he had neglected her and the Knights for so long made him feel apologetic instead.
“Tribal Chief, it appears that woman was originally under Kaez’s command.”
“So it would seem. She appears to be quite loyal, in fact.”
“Was Kaez a frightening person when he was riding on the comet?”
“Can’t you tell from how he caught Duobuxini? I mean, he blasted that Eodukshin and the Bishop away in a single strike.”
“Well, it seems he collapsed from illness, yet here she is pleading so earnestly about it…”
Hearing the Shaman, his Uncle, and the Sado speaking in turn behind him made Ihyeon feel even more embarrassed.
There was a method for times like this.
“That’s enough, just get up.”
“Yes, Master.”
Whenever he lowered his voice as if angry, they would move according to his wishes without question.
This time too, Jia did not plead further and immediately stood up.
Ihyeon looked her over here and there as he asked.
In truth, since she was covered in armor from head to toe, there was nothing to see regardless.
“You’re alright, aren’t you?”
“Thanks to you, I feel refreshed. Truly, Master, your power is such that it could split the heavens and shatter the earth.”
Jia smiled faintly and nodded.
Her increased talkativeness was proof of how long it had been since she last saw Ihyeon.
Ihyeon and Jia walked out together from the spring.
The Vice Captain, who had been relatively quiet until now, made his blue eyes glisten the moment he saw Jia walking out like that.
And then.
“T-t-the Captain has awakened!!!!!!!!!!!”
He shouted so loudly that the entire cave resonated with a deafening ring.
“Oof!”
Even the steppes people, who rarely flinched at anything, covered their ears in surprise.
Such a cry naturally spread without fail to the other Squad Members outside.
Soon, a loud crash echoed from outside, and dark-armored Knights came pouring in like a flood.
“Captain!”
“Captain!”
“You’ve awakened?!”
They all seemed to have been longing for Jia’s return.
The Squad Members, who had practically crawled in on all fours as they passed through the entrance, positioned themselves almost prostrate before Jia and Ihyeon.
When Jia merely smiled without saying anything, Ihyeon understood her intent and stepped forward instead.
“Yes. Your captain has returned. As has your lord.”
For sixteen long years, having lost the two who were the head of the Knights, they had to withstand countless attacks from monsters, and he wished to commend their efforts…
“Finally, I can escape this dreary spring!”
“Ah, my joints ache every morning, and I’ve been wanting to—”
“You brought quite a few horses with you. Shall we prepare to depart immediately?”
“Excellent! Now that my lord has arrived, we can bring the Ghost Horses and Purung along!”
“….”
—or so they said.
The smiles that had lingered on Ihyeon’s and Jia’s lips vanished in an instant.
‘These bastards… they don’t even care that Jia and I have returned. All they can think about is escaping this spring.’
Seething—
At this point, it could hardly be called the loyalty of the Knights. It was betrayal.
Glancing sideways at Jia standing beside him, I could see that her thoughts were even darker than mine, if anything.
Fortunately, the Vice Captain, who had been observing every scene until now, stepped forward and began kicking the knights in the front row, berating them harshly.
“You worthless fools! Is that really what matters right now?”
“Ow! Vice Captain, why are you hitting us!”
“Ugh, we need to improve the violence in this camp!”
Some of them continued to complain even after the beating, but fortunately, most of them still had enough sense to quickly change their tune.
“Hehe, still, the most important thing is that our lord and captain have returned.”
“Yes, after all, there is still much work to be done here, is there not?”
“This narrow place is insufficient for achieving such grand ambitions—that is what you meant, is it not?”
Despite their massive frames and the formidable aura they emanated, they stood frozen before Ihyeon and Jia.
Only after managing the situation did I finally have the chance to reveal my plans ahead.
“Yes, I also recognize the efforts you have all made.”
“Ohhh…!”
For soldiers, nothing is more moving than knowing their lord remembers their hardship.
The Great Spring, the grand designs—the Knights’ emotions surged like waves.
And I made eye contact with not just the Knights, but also my uncle and the Shaman, the leaders of the nomads, as I spoke.
“Here, we shall drive out Duobuxini and the wicked Saedos, and claim dominion over the steppes.”
“!!!!”
It was the moment when the grand ambition of One-Strike—the child of the comet, the one who drove out calamity and washed away the shadow of the earth—was revealed to the world.
My uncle and the Shaman widened their eyes as if they never expected such words to be spoken here.
The Former Apostle was even shedding tears.
“Wooahhh!!”
“Truly our lord!”
“How magnificent!”
The Knights, who loved nothing more than battle and war, clapped their hands in joy.
Of course, what these people of this world heard and what I truly meant were entirely different things.
Unlike the nomads, who were a realistic threat in the world I lived in, this was merely a process to pass through the 90s floors.
‘Eliminating the High Priest, and perhaps whoever might be behind him. Reaching that far is the goal of the 90s floors.’
I still don’t know who I’ll meet at the 100th floor, where the Floor Master stands guard.
But before that.
Floors 91 through 99 were ultimately a process of gathering forces to defeat that Floor Master.
Erubein must have judged that he hadn’t assembled sufficient forces.
But what of Ihyeon?
I had already restored my tribe to nearly the level it held before its collapse.
Moreover, I had discovered the legendary Great Spring that lived on in the tales of the nomads.
I had seized in one stroke both the alliance of the One-Strike Knight Order—whose equal was scarcely found across the steppes—and the formidable stronghold they had built.
‘This is worth doing.’
Two S+ grades obtained so far, and now—
「Main: Secure a safe stronghold.
Sub: Eliminate the Bishop.
Discover the legendary Great Spring.
Eliminate Eodukshin.
Destroy the partial eclipse.
Recruit the mysterious warrior group.
Integrate the ruling factions.
Floor 93 cleared.
Grade: S+」
If Ilgyeok, having obtained yet another S+ grade, could not advance beyond the 90s, then who in the world could?
‘Perhaps the fact that I defeated the Bishop at merely floor 93 means my progress is considerably faster than expected.’
Ihyeon’s conjecture was almost certainty.
From what the former Apostles had said, the Bishop held a remarkable high position among them.
The skills alone that he wielded—summoning partial eclipses and monsters like Eodukshin—demonstrated abilities scarcely different from those of a superhuman.
Had I conquered him through ordinary means at an ordinary grade, encountering him at floor 95 would not have been surprising.
And that was not all.
Had I not obtained the name Ilgyeok at floor 91 and thus avoided the attacks of the former Apostles—
Had I not repelled the Saedos’ attacks at floor 92 and healed their wounded to obtain the clue to the Great Spring—
Then the conquest of this floor 93 would have unfolded entirely differently.
Another secret of the 90s.
I must elevate my grade by any means, then swiftly dispatch the enemies that lay ahead.
Those who heard Ihyeon’s words—appropriately summarized and condensed from his thoughts—were awash in emotion.
“Kaez….”
“My lord…!”
Yet among them, there were those who noticed something amiss.
“Wait, wait.”
“You’ve seized the stronghold?”
“This place?”
“What do you mean…?”
The One-Strike Knight Order, who for sixteen years had been filled with hope of escaping this place.
Ihyeon smiled faintly and spoke.
“Yes. Now my kingdom shall make this place its capital and conquer the steppes.”
“!!!!!”
It was the same shock as before, yet the content was unmistakably different.
“Uuuuggghhhh!!!”
“Oh, what a fate!”
The Knights couldn’t even maintain their composure and began throwing themselves to the ground, wailing uncontrollably.
My uncle gazed at the sight with satisfaction and nodded approvingly.
“Truly loyal subordinates indeed. Even the most brilliant leader would find it difficult for those who follow him to resonate so deeply with his ambitions.”
‘That’s… not quite the feeling of it.’
I realized my uncle was thoroughly mistaken, but well, what’s good is good.
In any case, the thoughts of those inside the tower and those outside are bound to differ.
Yet somehow, I found myself…
‘…genuinely wanting to liberate this steppe.’
At some point, I had begun to feel genuine concern for the stability of this world, beyond mere conquest.
Perhaps it was because of Kaez’s memories I witnessed right after entering the 91st floor.
Or perhaps it was because of his life that had subtly seeped into me ever since.
Just as I, Jia, and the Knights were reuniting after our separation.
“By the way, Shaman, may I also enter this Great Spring?”
The Former Apostle showed interest in the spring water and peered over it.
The Shaman let out a scoff.
“Hmph! Does the Great Spring discriminate against those who bathe in it? The legend clearly states it grants powerful strength and eternal life to all who immerse themselves.”
“Oh, truly? Well, that warrior did immerse himself for all those long years, after all.”
He seemed particularly interested in the fact that Jia had slowed the progression of the Twilight by immersing herself here.
After a moment of hesitation, the Former Apostle closed his eyes tightly and stepped into the Great Spring.
Then something remarkable happened.
Whoooosh——!!
“Oh, oh! I can feel my strength growing!”
“Wh, what?!”
“…Isn’t that something you shouldn’t be saying, Shaman?”
“Ahem.”

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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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