I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 342

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 342
Ep. 342
“Yes, what is it, Ilgyeok?”
Yunjung brushed the dirt from her gloves and approached Ihyeon.
Ihyeon asked lightly, as though it were a trivial matter.
“I noticed last time that you seem to use short swords.”
“Ah, that’s right. Short swords suit me well in many ways.”
Yunjung nodded.
After all, she had essentially declared war on Ihyeon’s garden at this point.
While helping with household chores was one thing, she was constantly training her skills whenever she came and went.
Though the period was relatively short, she had made considerable progress during that time.
In any case, there was no way Ihyeon wouldn’t know what weapon Yunjung was using as she trained diligently in his home.
A pair of short swords—one red and one blue.
It was a rare case, but those short swords were what was known as a ‘set item.’
When Ihyeon asked about the basic specifications of the weapon, Yunjung pondered for a moment before nodding cheerfully with a bright laugh.
“Well, I did gather information about you without your knowledge, so I’ll tell you as an apology!”
In truth, one couldn’t compare simple personal preferences to the primary weapon information of a Hunter of Yunjung’s caliber.
Still, Yunjung was trying in her own way to restore Ihyeon’s trust through this.
Yunjung retrieved two short swords from her inventory and handed them to Ihyeon.
「Phoenix: Crimson Short Sword (A)」
「Phoenix: Azure Short Sword (A)」
Since each was individually A-grade, they were certainly impressive items in their own right.
「Phoenix: Crimson-Azure Short Sword Set (A+)」
When both were used together, they possessed a set effect that raised the grade by half a tier to A+.
The crimson short sword, originally possessed by the United States, had been given to Yunjung as a mission reward.
As for the azure short sword, Yunjung had the opportunity to obtain it by chance while traveling around the world—though admittedly not through entirely legal means—allowing her to complete the set effect.
Since Yunjung’s trait was ‘Phoenix’s Assassin,’ the weapons suited her well, and she continued to favor them.
Even by Ihyeon’s standards, they were quite impressive items.
“I’ve heard that set items are truly rare. That’s remarkable.”
“Hehe, it’s merely keeping up appearances. I’m the type of person who survives on my face and charm rather than weapon grades.”
Yunjung laughed brightly as she said this.
Zing——!!
The gazes of Suyeon and Elsie watching her were far from pleasant.
In any case, Ihyeon nodded and returned the two short swords to her, then retrieved a single short sword from his own inventory.
“I also obtained a short sword from a recent conquest.”
“Oh, is that so? But you don’t use short swords, do you, Ilgyeok?”
“No.”
Yunjung still did not know Ihyeon’s true nature.
…To be honest, the closer she grew to Ihyeon, the more she came to understand the terror of the One-Strike Knight Order, that undead collective.
It seemed reasonable to conclude that the One-Strike Knight Order alone was more than sufficient to produce the current level of performance, so it wasn’t strange to suspect further: ‘Perhaps those are merely summoned minions, and the real Ilgyeok uses a sniper rifle?’
I simply held the firm belief that Ilgyeok was a remarkable Dark Mage.
Since snipers and Dark Mages alike didn’t use daggers, Ihyeon nodded in agreement.
“If it weren’t for the set effect, I would have given it to Yunjung, but that’s unfortunate.”
“Huh? To me?”
Yunjung’s eyes widened at the utterly unexpected remark.
She could understand Ihyeon obtaining the dagger and showing it to her.
After all, she would naturally know more about items than he would, and daggers were hardly worth mentioning.
But he was actually planning to give it to her?
Though Yunjung was currently helping Ihyeon with his work, their relationship had been tangled from their very first meeting.
Honestly, it wouldn’t be unfair if Ihyeon spent his entire life half-suspecting her.
Yet the mere thought that he would give her any item at all was astonishing.
Gulp—!
‘M-moreover… if he obtained it recently, that means it’s at least a 90th Floor item….’
Yunjung stared at the black dagger in Ihyeon’s hand and swallowed hard.
The 90th Floors were so classified that even Yunjung had no information about them.
With no knowledge of what monsters even appeared there, how extraordinary must that item be?
“C-could I… just take a look at it?”
“Of course, please do.”
Ihyeon readily handed the Demon Dagger to Yunjung’s trembling hands.
「Demon Dagger (S)」
That said, the name and effects of the Demon Dagger wouldn’t change.
“S… S, S???”
“Not triple S, just S-rank.”
“Eeeek?!”
Despite Ihyeon’s composed response, Yunjung’s composure completely crumbled.
Honestly, she could barely read the letter properly with her own eyes.
For S-rank items, even in the United States, the exact number that existed and how many were in use remained unknown.
Unless one was a Hero or Superstar, most Rankers primarily used A+ rank items, and at best, they would deposit their own acquired S-rank items with their guild and use them under government authorization.
She had heard that Suyeon received an S-rank bow from Ihyeon, but she’d assumed that was the result of some political calculation.
Though she’d recently dropped to 2nd place in the rankings, Suyeon was still the highest-ranked publicly known Hunter.
For the nation’s prestige, it would certainly help if she wielded an S-rank weapon.
Of course, in exchange for handing over Baikhon’s bow, Ihyeon must have received an enormous reward.
But then.
“Then… could it be that Suyeon Hunter’s Baikhon bow is also…?”
“Ah, yes, I gave it to her.”
“No, that’s not what I mean… did you just give it to her like this?”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
‘Does he mean I should have it sent by express delivery?’
He just gave it to her.
Just like this, as calmly and naturally as if plucking a wildflower from the roadside and handing it over.
If it had been a different Hunter from a different nation, the transfer of ownership for an S-rank item would have proceeded through multiple layers of security in an underground bunker dug roughly ten floors deep.
“Uh… uh…”
“I’m… I’m going to collapse!”
The story was so distant and unreal that Yunjung felt her legs give out, nearly toppling sideways.
Fortunately, Elsie and Suyeon, who had their eyes wide open, immediately caught her, preventing any serious mishap.
‘Is one S-rank item really something to be so shocked about?’
…Ihyeon thought without concern that he’d be stoned if he said that anywhere else.
However, since Ihyeon was the type to casually distribute several S-rank items to others as mere favors, it wasn’t particularly special to him.
Yunjung, supported by both of them, finally stood up with tears glistening in her eyes.
It wasn’t the fabricated face of an intelligence operative or black agent.
Just the true face of the human Han Yunjeong.
Her genuine emotions from so long ago that even Yunjung no longer remembered them.
“Surely… you’re not giving this to me?”
“I was planning to, but you’re already using a set item.”
Ihyeon shrugged as if genuinely disappointed.
Changing weapons wasn’t an easy matter.
Unless there was a difference of several grades, the Phoenix Dagger and Demon Dagger, both A+ rank with set effects, didn’t have such a large gap.
“I’ll use it!!!!”
…Of course, only Ihyeon thought that way.
Just half a grade difference?
The gap between A+ rank and S-rank was far too vast to describe it that way.
To be honest, compared to the Demon Dagger, the Phoenix Dagger felt like nothing more than a pretty kitchen knife you could commonly find in the market.
It meant that even sacrificing the set effect, using the Demon Dagger would be far more beneficial.
Ihyeon smiled softly and pushed the hand of Yunjung, who was gripping the Demon Dagger tightly, toward her.
The meaning was far too clear.
Drip— drip—
“Hey, you, you spy fox, are you crying?”
“A-are you?”
Thick tears streamed down Yunjung’s pale cheeks without pause.
But what was flowing wasn’t only Yunjung’s tears.
Drip drip drip drip drip———
“Spy fox! You’re bleeding from your hand! Blood!”
“Kyaaah! What do I do if you grip the blade that tightly!!!”
“…Let’s treat it first.”
“Oh, uh, when?!”
Having unconsciously gripped the Demon Dagger that came into her hand, blood was now pouring from Yunjung’s grip far more fiercely than her tears…
* * *
Yunjung lived a life of envy, maintaining a glamorous appearance and lifestyle.
With just one mission completed, an amount of money that ordinary people could never dream of in their lifetime would be deposited into her account.
Naturally, given the nature of such missions, it was all paid in cash, tax-free.
Yet behind that glittering life lay her shadowed past.
A fourth-generation Korean-American, her parents had lost their lives during the chaos that followed the Tower’s emergence.
In a society growing ever harsher, even the smallest flaw became grounds for relentless torment.
Yunjung learned to act in order to survive.
Not merely the performances seen in dramas and films.
But a grand performance that concealed her entire life and the wounds buried deep within.
Even as larger children at the orphanage beat her in groups, Yunjung gradually learned not to cry.
With bruises darkening her face and neck, she would smile to the orphanage staff and claim she had fallen down the stairs.
Only then could she avoid being beaten by the staff themselves.
As time passed and society stabilized, the profession of Hunter transformed from a symbol of humanity’s survival into one representing personal wealth and glory.
“You have awakened.
The system is now linked.”
For her, awakening as a Hunter held a different meaning.
A superior trait—the Phoenix Assassin.
A paradoxical trait: brilliant yet destined to dwell in darkness.
It suited her life perfectly.
Rather than climbing the Tower like other Hunters to amass wealth, she suddenly chose to enlist in a special forces unit.
Immigrant-born Hunters, no matter how skilled, faced subtle discrimination and contempt.
It was the finest way to prove her loyalty.
“Han, would you be interested in taking on work more suited to you?”
“Anything would be fine!”
It also became the foundation for her to step into a world that could better express her life.
Taking the name Phoenix and operating as a black operative, Yunjung finally bloomed.
Acting was as natural to her as breathing.
She would deliberately flaunt herself, employ coquetry, and wrap others around her finger.
The difference from the past was that she no longer acted to survive, but for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Wearing the mask of Phoenix, Yunjung’s life grew ever more dazzling.
Yet there remained a shadow that could not be erased—one that only deepened with time.
This was why Yunjung insisted on maintaining freelancer status, refusing to remain bound to any government agency.
‘I will never die.’
An endless obsession with survival.
The fundamental premise that had driven every action since her parents’ death in the orphanage.
That premise operated without fail even when she met Ihyeon.
Everyone wanted something from Yunjung, and she fulfilled those desires.
Everything was a clean transaction.
Give and Take.
She strove desperately to build an ever more magnificent tower of splendor, yet its foundation remained hollow.
That had been Yunjung’s life until now.
Yet the demon dagger Ihyeon had given her somehow pierced through that emptiness at her core.
After the atmosphere had settled somewhat, Yunjung approached Ihyeon hesitantly as he sat on the wooden platform in the courtyard.
“Has the bleeding on your hand stopped now?”
“Ah, yes. Fortunately, the healing potion took care of it….”
…The demon dagger had cut Yunjung’s palm as well.
Yunjung spread out her now-healed palm to show me.
The demon dagger still rested peacefully beside me on the bed.
Whether an S-rank item sitting on a bed could truly be called “resting peacefully” was debatable.
But somehow, being near Ilgyeok made it feel like everything would be fine.
It felt like there would be no problems whatsoever.
Yunjung asked me in a voice that grew increasingly timid.
“Why… are you giving me this dagger?”
I answered casually.
“As you know, it’s not an item I use.”
Just for that reason?
‘If I kept obtaining items I never use twice, the world’s market economy would completely collapse.’
But Yunjung didn’t know this.
Judging by the fact that the market economy hadn’t collapsed yet, the world’s economic system was far more resilient than she imagined.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————