I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 304
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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 304
Ep. 304
In any case, far more time had elapsed since the tower’s conquest than I had anticipated.
I spoke to Jia and the Vice Captain in a voice low enough that my uncle and the Shaman couldn’t hear.
“I’ll say it once more—you’ve both worked incredibly hard. Let’s head outside now.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two of them had likely faced considerable hardships being trapped in this world all this time.
They seemed genuinely delighted at my suggestion to leave, but—
“Master, perhaps we should keep the Knights here for a while longer. Once we exit, there are matters I should report to you first.”
“Ah, is that so? Then that works too.”
The Vice Captain’s joy was brief before concern took its place, and he spoke thus.
Though I and those close to me often dismissed and belittled the seemingly incompetent Knights, they were nonetheless a formidable combat force with exceptional capabilities.
No matter how paralyzed the command structure had been, they wouldn’t have simply been idle all this time.
“…But wait.”
“What is it, sir?”
“Can they remain inside the tower?”
“Of course.”
Come to think of it, while I was outside, the Knights had diligently spent sixteen years here by this world’s time.
When scattered, this had acted as a penalty, but after the command structure was restored, it was instead utilized as a loophole.
Even while I was outside the tower, the Knights could establish their foundation here as if through automatic hunting.
“That would be an enormous help indeed.”
“We must fill the gap left by our inability to serve you, even if only partially.”
At my surprised expression, the Vice Captain beamed with great joy.
「Will you exit at Floor 93?」
‘Yes.’
For the first time in ages, I felt the sensation of properly leaving the tower.
I closed my eyes once, then opened them—and there was the familiar front yard of my home, though far too expansive to truly be called that.
And beside it—
“Phew, so I can escape after all?”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to you, Master.”
Just as before, Jia stood there steadily at my side.
Though her face still bore traces of fatigue, a few days of rest would remedy that.
The moment I returned to reality alongside Jia, I felt confident that I could soon reclaim Elsie and Blue as well.
Jia wasn’t the only one welcoming me back.
“Huh? Captain?”
“It’s the Captain!”
“The Captain has returned!”
The one squad that hadn’t managed to enter the 90s floors and had been guarding my house all this time also rushed forward to greet Jia’s return with unbridled enthusiasm.
Thump—! Thud—!
“Captain! We’ve missed you so much!”
“Where on earth have you been all this time?!”
…No, actually, they really did run.
Some of them were doing cartwheels, somersaults—it was absolute chaos.
In an instant, the courtyard transformed into a fantastical circus performance.
Jia responded with a faint smile.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
It was brief, but given how stoic Jia normally was, the Knights seemed thoroughly satisfied.
Afterward, the Vice Captain, who had been pulled aside by Jia.
Ihyeon gathered them both with a serious expression.
“I’m glad to have you back, but there’s still much to understand about the 90s floors. You said you had a report for me too, didn’t you, Vice Captain?”
“Yes. It’s the information we’ve gathered during this time.”
“Good, let’s move.”
The location was the annex living room.
The three of them huddled together across the table.
“First, I have a question. Are you completely back to how you were before?”
As Ihyeon asked to confirm, Jia answered immediately.
“Yes, Master. Now the Black Robes, as well as the Knights, will move according to your will.”
Indeed, checking my inventory, the Black Robes that had disappeared had returned.
If I left them in the 90s floors, they would live in that world completely as before, but I could summon them whenever I wished.
“However, regarding that matter, it would be best if the existing forces don’t move significantly.”
“Why is that?”
I knew how much the Knights loved this place.
After being unable to move for 16 years, they’d need to be let outside at least once to relieve stress.
“We’ve already established sufficient footing with the Nomads there. If our forces suddenly vanish all at once, the people will certainly find it suspicious.”
“Hmm… that’s true. But won’t you feel frustrated?”
As I asked, the Vice Captain chuckled and replied.
“Don’t worry, sir. Aren’t there those who’ve been lounging around here? I’ll arrange rotating shifts so those people don’t notice.”
“That’s my man!”
“Hehehehe!”
As I clapped my hands in admiration at the Vice Captain’s clever scheme, he laughed heartily.
As for Jia, since the Nomads didn’t even know of her existence, we decided she would continue moving outside with me as before.
For now, the urgent matter was settled.
“But did you really have to wait for me for over 15 years? That’s quite a long time.”
“It’s similar, in a sense.”
“Similar?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Jia answered with a subtle smile.
“We were originally sleeping in our own space, waiting for our Master. No one knows how long that time truly was. Fifteen years is nothing in comparison.”
“I see….”
I nodded, understanding roughly.
It’s true that S+ rank Spirits and the Knights of the Evil God didn’t always have a Master to serve at every moment.
They weren’t common enough to frequently serve a Master either.
According to Jia, during that period they were in something like hibernation, so this is far better by comparison.
The Vice Captain agreed as well.
“Yes, my lord. In fact, in that world we saved people, fought enemies worth fighting, and had plenty to keep us occupied. As the Captain said, you truly need not carry any burden about it.”
“Good, then I’m relieved.”
Only then could I fully shed the weight of debt I’d been carrying toward them.
“…But what if I hadn’t made it to the 93rd floor? What would have happened then?”
“Kahahaha! Then we’d simply have to wait until the next Master arrived—what else could we do?”
The Vice Captain laughed with such hearty abandon.
I decided to keep a small portion of the debt I’d been about to fully repay.
It was only because I possessed absurdly overwhelming power that things worked out—otherwise, what on earth would have become of them?
I let out a soft clicking sound and moved the conversation forward.
“Anyway, what matters is what comes next.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
“Do you know anything about Elsie and Blue?”
When the topic turned to the two I still hadn’t found, Jia’s and the Vice Captain’s expressions darkened slightly.
It seemed they too had nothing to grasp onto.
“My apologies. The moment we entered the 91st floor, we were scattered in all directions.”
At least the One-Strike Knight Order could be summoned by Jia at any time, so we remained together, but Elsie and Blue were essentially unrelated to that.
I nodded in understanding.
Finding them would likely be one of the requirements for the 90s floors anyway.
Instead, the Vice Captain pulled out a large map from his chest and spread it across the wide table.
Speaking with confident conviction, he said:
“But we weren’t simply idle for these 15 years!”
“You weren’t?”
….
The Vice Captain’s expression became deeply wounded.
“No, I was joking. You looked so apologetic about not knowing anything about Elsie.”
As I offered this excuse, the Vice Captain nodded and continued his explanation of the map.
“During this time, we’ve been consistently moving small forces to conduct reconnaissance of the surrounding regions.”
“Interesting.”
I examined the map with keen interest.
Certainly, because it was drawn by those trained in knightly cartography, it was incomparable to the crude scrawls the Former Apostles had made.
A proper map with directional markers, contour lines, and various symbols all meticulously recorded.
There, the Vice Captain pointed with his finger toward the central area and said:
“This is our fortress.”
“I see.”
It was a location marked with fortress symbols within a canyon formation.
“If we continue westward from here, we’ll reach the sea. The Duogsinis haven’t crossed the fortress yet, so this area can be considered safe. In fact, the Nomads we’ve accepted have benefited greatly from this region’s protection.”
I’d heard similar stories even within the 93rd floor.
The western section was indeed narrower in area compared to other directions.
“So the Great Steppe was closer to the western edge than I expected. How long would it take to reach the sea from the fortress?”
“Well….”
The Vice Captain seemed to ponder my question for a moment.
‘The knights’ horsemanship is certainly worth acknowledging, so roughly four days should suffice? No, the scouts probably moved much faster, so it might be shorter than that.’
As I was roughly estimating the distance myself, the Vice Captain’s answer came.
“Riding Ghost Horses, it would take approximately two weeks.”
“…What?”
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard something.
Two weeks?
Even riding Ghost Horses?
“The distance is really that short?”
“Yes. Because it’s the Great Steppe.”
“I, I see…. It is the Great Steppe, after all.”
When the Vice Captain asked as if questioning what was wrong, I shook my head reluctantly.
From where I originally stayed to the fortress took less than a week, so that location was….
‘I need to conquer all this land from the 90s floors?’
Time seemed more pressing than I’d anticipated.
In fact, the original campsite on this map was essentially right in front of the fortress!
Only then did I notice the scale in the corner of the map.
…It displayed a scale I’d never seen before.
At that moment, Jia spoke up.
“Please don’t worry too much, Master. Now that we can move freely, there will be no problem expanding our territory.”
Of course, I trust Jia and the One-Strike Knight Order’s abilities.
Once they build momentum, sweeping through an entire region is practically instantaneous.
Still, the steppe’s area was far wider than my expectations, which was the problem.
Even so, the analysis suggested that if they moved diligently while I was away from the tower, there would be no major issues.
The Vice Captain’s report continued.
“You should see the area marked in red here.”
“Yes, is that the Duobuxini’s territory?”
“Exactly correct.”
“Hmm….”
Considering the steppe’s enormous area, the territory already occupied by the Duogsinis and Saedos was equally vast and boundless.
According to the Vice Captain, even the knights’ reconnaissance squads found it difficult to venture into that region carelessly.
He said the Nomads remaining inside were essentially annihilated.
“It seems there’s more work to do than I thought.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Most likely, such places were under the jurisdiction of Bishop-rank personnel.
I had to reclaim those domains one by one and hunt down the High Priest.
Normally, Ihyeon would need to personally enter each floor to expand his territory or create comparable conditions for it.
‘But I don’t necessarily have to do that.’
Ihyeon possessed a special advantage.
If time within the 90s floors continued independently even while he was outside,
“Since the Knights are already moving on their own right now, I should make full use of this opportunity.”
“Of course.”
Ihyeon, Jia, and the Vice Captain’s thoughts aligned perfectly.
All three of their mouths curved upward simultaneously in smiles.
Immediately after, Ihyeon’s command fell.
“Operation ‘Sunrise’ begins now. This is our counteroffensive.”
If the eclipse had swallowed the great steppe in twilight, then Ihyeon intended to cast sunlight from the western horizon in reverse.
「Firepower : 315 → 345
Range : 105 → 130
Precision : 120 → 150
Stability : 110 → 135
Concealment : 280 → 335
Rapid Fire : 115 → 150」
The original plan was to distribute points only after recovering all the Spirits and Blue, but Ihyeon exhausted all 200 accumulated stat points at once.
Considering the scale of the 90s floors, what lay ahead was an all-out war in the truest sense.
Ihyeon was prepared to pour everything he had into responding to it.
At the same time, Jia’s stats received the same treatment.
The 136 accumulated stat points were allocated this time—70 to defense and 66 to mobility.
“I am grateful for your grace, Master.”
This allocation held significance beyond merely strengthening Jia.
“How many more Knights can I summon now?”
“Yes, allow me to show you.”
Jia’s stat increase directly translated to an increase in the number of summoned Knights.
“Oh, Hans! You can come out now too?”
“Haha~ Dvor, even a runt like you gets summoned now? The world really has changed!”
“Senior, I’ve been a member of the Knight Order for 500 years already….”
“W-already?”
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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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