I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 357
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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 357
Ep. 357
Ihyeon returned after clearing the 98th floor.
At his side were Jia, Elsie, and Blue, whom he had reunited with this time.
The Vice Captain remained behind in the tower to handle administrative matters, and for safety reasons, since the Land of Storms was enemy territory.
The people waiting outside greeted Ihyeon’s return with joy.
“I saw the notice about clearing the 98th floor! You finished well again this time?”
“Ilgyeok, that’s amazing!”
Suyeon and Yunjung, who had been waiting at Ihyeon’s house, were thrilled that a new floor had been cleared in just one month.
“Ihyeon, you must be exhausted.”
“Haha, was it manageable this time? Oh, Blue has finally returned as well?”
Minjeong and Donghoo would have felt left out if they weren’t here.
The Knights who had remained at the house cheered in celebration.
Seeing Blue join them doubled their joy!
In truth, clearing the 98th floor carried a distinctly different significance from the previous floors.
[(Urgent) Ilgyeok successfully clears 98th floor. Ascends to world rank 1.
└ Yes!!!!
└ Finally he’s moved up!
└ Yeah~ you Americans are slow at clearing your main tower~ ]
Ihyeon had finally surpassed the Hero Erubein, who had steadfastly maintained the highest position in the world until now.
That wasn’t all.
Expanding the timeframe slightly, Korea had essentially defeated America, which had never relinquished the top spot since the tower’s inception.
Of course, considering the overall level of Hunters, it remained true that Korea still had to concede several ranks to America.
Suyeon, ranked 2nd, had yet to enter the 90s, while America, aside from Erubein, possessed quite a few Hunters in the 90s.
But human hearts don’t work that way.
When discussing the world’s greatest, it ultimately came down to one question: “So who is your country’s best Hunter?”
Despite inferior overall strength, simply possessing the world’s number one ranked Hunter made Korea’s atmosphere a festival itself.
Of course, such fervor hadn’t yet reached Ihyeon’s isolated house with barely a neighbor in sight.
Before they could even properly share in the joy—
Boom—!
“???”
Roooaarrr—
“?!??!?!?!!”
They couldn’t help but be shocked seeing the massive creature reveal itself behind Ihyeon.
Though its appearance was quite familiar, it was hard to imagine seeing it this close in reality.
The people rushing toward Ihyeon instinctively froze in place.
Those fortunate enough to merely stop were gripping their weapons tightly.
“Mom, Dad, I don’t think we’ll need the farm tools….”
Minjeong and Donghoo bravely gripped the hoes and spades they were holding.
“W-what is that?”
“A, a tiger?!”
Of course, I had no intention of scolding them for doing something unnecessary.
The 98th floor S+ rank privilege.
It was precisely.
「Guardian Great Tiger Summoning (S)
Summons a Great Tiger to protect the owner.
If the owner sustains a fatal wound, the Great Tiger can be resummoned after a certain time has passed.
The Great Tiger’s stats are proportional to the owner’s stats.」
Just as the straightforward and certain item description indicated, it was the Great Tiger that the Lawkeeper used to ride.
To exaggerate slightly, a tiger the size of the annex where I stayed had suddenly appeared, so it would have been stranger not to be surprised.
I responded with an awkward voice to the people who were sending me looks demanding an explanation for the source of this beast.
“Well… I picked it up?”
At first, I wondered why this was being given as a reward.
Grrrrrowwwl…
But seeing the pitiful gaze of the Great Tiger, which hadn’t properly recovered from the aftereffects of the Earthworm and was whimpering, I simply couldn’t overlook it.
The activation of compassion, one of humanity’s four cardinal virtues!
The Great Tiger could summon and unsummon itself through the Guardian Skill, but I had summoned and brought it along with the intention of introducing it to everyone first.
Based on my experience so far, I had come to realize that for most surprising matters, simply showing them and stubbornly insisting it was no big deal worked better.
“Does that even make sense?!”
“What are you talking about!”
…Of course, ordinary people still couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“See, Master? I told you not to just bring things like this home.”
“True, even adopting a single pet requires considerable thought and grave responsibility.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
People were horrified at the conversation between me and Elsie, as if I had just picked up a stray cat.
I spoke with a serious expression.
“Mother, Father. In the past, tigers that well represented the spirit of our Korean people lived on this peninsula, but sadly they are now extinct. We should honor that legacy…”
“Is this some kind of zoo?!”
‘It’s not going to work, is it.’
My parents usually understood when I said things like this, but this time the situation was indeed quite serious.
“This creature is a Great Tiger I received as a reward for clearing this floor, and despite appearances, it’s quite docile. Its very name is Guardian Great Tiger.”
“Is, is that so?”
Still, once I began explaining calmly, both Minjeong and Donghoo seemed suspicious but willing to listen.
It would be absurd if it were a wild tiger, but if it’s a creature guaranteed by the system, couldn’t it really be quite docile?
“Still, it’s a tiger though…”
“I’ve traveled around quite a bit, but I’ve never seen a tiger this size before.”
Meanwhile, Suyeon and Yunjung seemed to have greater wariness.
Then Deokhuun came hurrying over from the warehouse direction, waving his hand.
“Brother! I heard you cleared the 98th floor! We should have a party this evening too!”
It had become customary for everyone to gather at Deokhuun’s warehouse and have a celebration party every time I cleared a floor.
Of course, Deokhuun also froze for a moment upon seeing the Great Tiger standing majestically behind me.
“A, a tiger? Did you bring it back, hyung?”
“Yeah. I received it as compensation this time.”
“Oh!”
Rather than being frightened like the others, Deokhuun approached the Great Tiger with curious eyes.
‘People who love companion animals truly have beautiful hearts!’
I watched with satisfaction, thinking I had a truly decent younger brother.
As each person gradually became accustomed to the Great Tiger, it would naturally integrate into my family.
“You brought it knowing tiger hides from the tower are expensive, didn’t you? Wow, capturing it alive—you’re truly impressive, hyung. The quality must be incredible. How about we store it in my warehouse….”
“Deokhuun!”
“Boss!”
But at Deokhuun’s next words, everyone present burst out in protest.
“Wait, why are you all like that? Surely you’re not planning to keep this massive beast at home?”
“….”
And just like that, their words caught in their throats.
To say we’d keep it reminded them of their own images just moments before.
But to simply go along with Deokhuun’s suggestion would be too pitiful for the Great Tiger.
Kyiing—
As if understanding human speech, the Great Tiger’s soccer ball-sized eyes seemed to glisten with moisture….
“L, let’s just wait and see for now….”
“Y, yes. Since we got it as compensation anyway, the hide…ugh.”
“No, how are you all planning to keep this massive beast?”
Deokhuun stared at the people whose attitudes had suddenly changed with a bewildered expression, but the tide had already turned!
‘Logically, Deokhuun’s words make perfect sense, but there are some things in this world that simply can’t be helped.’
I felt sympathy for this rare situation where the person speaking truth was being ignored.
“Still, this Great Tiger is an S-rank item in its own right, so it shouldn’t cause too much trouble.”
“?!”
“What?!”
But at my casual remark, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.
“S… isn’t that incredibly rare?”
“Why didn’t you say that from the start!”
“No, what does that have to do with….”
“If it was an S-rank item, you should have mentioned that first!”
Suyeon and Yunjung, who spent time by my side, had dulled their senses regarding S-rank items considerably, but they still hadn’t crossed that final line.
‘What if they suggest skinning an S-rank item!?’
Sharp gazes from Minjeong and Donghoo, the absolute powers of this region, as well as Shin Gung, ranked 2nd in Korea, and Phoenix, the legendary Black Agent, pierced through Deokhuun.
Deokhuun broke into a cold sweat as he stammered an excuse.
“I, I didn’t know either, that it was such a high rank….”
In any case, the final nail seemed to have been driven firmly into place.
The Great Tiger could do whatever it wanted!
The moment Ihyeon heard the item’s grade, he fixed the people with a deeply disappointed gaze as their attitudes shifted.
“I’m quite disappointed in all of you. Life is what matters—what does an item’s grade have to do with anything?”
“Well….”
“I’m sorry, oppa….”
And so the people, reminded of the ethics and morality they had momentarily forgotten, flushed with shame.
Just as compassion was one of humanity’s four virtues, so too was the sense of shame and righteousness.
Meanwhile, once the misunderstanding had largely cleared, the Ilgyeok Knights found the Great Tiger quite fascinating.
“Wow, so this tiger will be living with us from now on, my lord?”
“Yes, just make sure to feed it properly.”
“Of course, we will!”
As evidenced by how they raised creatures like Purung, these squad members found all manner of bizarre lifeforms genuinely interesting.
Some of them even approached the placidly sitting Great Tiger and began teasing it.
“In the video the Sword Infantry Captain showed us before, I saw people from Earth sparring with tigers too.”
“Ah~ you mean that common sparring partner from the Bear Nation video?”
‘…This tiger is probably a bit different from those.’
Ihyeon watched the situation unfold with a somewhat worried expression.
Of course, an ordinary tiger would be no match for the squad members, but the Great Tiger was unmistakably an S-grade item.
Moreover, it was an absurdly powerful creature that grew stronger in proportion to Ihyeon’s own abilities.
“It will make for an excellent sparring partner, Master.”
“Right, besides, the Knights already have an S-grade item from the Armor Fox anyway.”
“That’s true enough.”
However, the two spirits, as if they’d found an entertaining spectacle, actually encouraged Ihyeon to let it happen.
“Hans! You go first!”
“Fine, I was even called the Nuclear Fist back at the temple!”
“…They have nuclear fists there too?”
Ihyeon tilted his head, finding something odd about this.
Regardless, the squad member named Hans stood before the leisurely Great Tiger and rapidly swung his fists, making sharp whistling sounds.
“Come on! Try me! Even if you’re bigger, once my nuclear fist connects….”
Thud— CRASH——!!!
“?????”
In the next instant, he was driven into the ground far away and immediately unsummoned.
It was difficult to even properly see what had happened.
“Hey, hey, the nuclear fist…!”
“But what even is a nuclear fist?”
“What did that thing even do?”
Kyaong—
In stark contrast to the bewildered squad members, the Great Tiger yawned with such composure, its mouth gaping wide.
It seemed far too serene for having just sent one undead flying—not quite a living being, but close enough.
Yet the squad members who continued charging forward even after seeing their comrade get sent flying were hardly ordinary themselves.
“Move aside, move aside. Tch, can’t even beat a stray cat.”
Boom—!!!
“Ugh, you idiots.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed!”
“It’s fine, I won’t die.”
Boom—!!!
“Pathetic weaklings like you should go do more PT exercises.”
“If you die too…!”
“Then I’ll just die.”
Boom—!!!
“He’s really dead!”
The Ilgyeok Knights, each spouting grandiose final words, were summoned back one after another!
Of course, they weren’t actually dying—it was merely an unsummoning—but it was still quite a pathetic sight.
In the end, the last remaining squad member hesitantly stepped forward before the Great Tiger, following his comrades.
Thud—!
“Ack! Phew, I almost died.”
Boom—!
And total annihilation.
The Ilgyeok Knights, who had soared through the 90s and demonstrated fantastic feats, were utterly helpless before Ihyeon’s Great Tiger.
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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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