I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 369

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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 369
Ep. 369
Rumble——
The final thunderbolt.
The surroundings remained as dark as before.
The only difference was that the clouds had parted slightly, and the eclipse was now becoming clearly visible.
The walls of the Minister’s Temple, no different from a fortress.
And surrounding it, my Expedition Team was buried under such tension that one could never believe they had just achieved a great victory.
“Really… We have to fight again?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“But the cult is all dead, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps the twilight hasn’t lifted yet….”
“Come to think of it, the sun still hasn’t risen.”
They had rushed this far believing the battle at the Minister’s Temple would be the final confrontation.
But what was this.
Right after achieving victory, the One-Strike Knight Order had barked orders to regroup, and immediately after, they had to assume combat positions.
Their king, Ilgyeok, was also surveying the surroundings from the highest level of the Minister’s Temple.
‘I’m sorry, but no one could have predicted things would unfold like this.’
I had anticipated that there would be a force behind the High Priest.
But who could have predicted that it would go even further, granting no time at all, and that the 100th Floor would begin almost immediately in succession?
However, once matters had begun, there was no way to turn back.
Whoever it was, however they appeared, I had no choice but to proceed with the conquest.
The number of deaths within the Expedition Team was minimal, but excluding the wounded who couldn’t be deployed in combat, roughly 80,000 remained.
Jia, Elsie, and Blue had scattered to various locations, each leading their forces.
The Vice Captain was also preparing strategies at the command center established where I was, ready for all contingencies.
I gazed down at the now-quiet Land of Storms, which belied its name.
Hunters were already an unrealistic profession operating within a tower, but what was about to unfold felt even more absurd than that.
My prediction was not wrong.
Fwooooaaaaahhhhh———!!!
“What, what is this?”
“Stay sharp, everyone!”
The anomaly occurred everywhere around the Minister’s Temple, in every direction the eye could reach.
Suddenly, fountains of sand erupted from the ground that had been made of solid earth and rock.
The warriors were considerably flustered by this sudden phenomenon.
The columns of sand shooting upward to the height of the temple’s walls were enough to instill a sense of oppression, even in warriors who had endured war with the cult.
Witnessing the sand churning as if heaven and earth were being torn asunder, everyone sensed it instinctively.
If this was not the work of divinity, then what else could it be?
It would be strange if a mere mortal did not feel fear.
‘Come on.’
Except for me, calmly observing everything unfold.
Sand swept across the grassland like a tidal wave, claiming the solid earth as its own.
Sand dunes formed around the fountains of sand, and soon the deluge crashed down upon the Expedition Team encamped around the Divine Minister’s Temple.
What had unmistakably been grassland—the Storm Lands—had transformed into a desert before anyone’s eyes.
“We’re being buried! Watch out!”
“Mind your footing!”
Fortunately, the Nomadic Warriors were formidable enough that the chaos didn’t spiral into complete disorder.
The real problem came next.
“Lord! Over there!”
“I see it.”
Rumble—rumble—rumble—
The desert began collapsing at angles in multiple places.
Hollow gaps opened up, and from them emanated an aura so sinister it chilled the soul merely to behold.
Those who witnessed such a sight would surely speak in unison:
‘A passage connecting to the afterlife has opened.’
Dozens, hundreds of such holes.
Confronted with such a grand and terrifying spectacle, even Ihyeon found himself clenching his jaw firmly.
Ihyeon recalled the form of the divine statue he had seen in the depths beneath the Divine Minister’s Temple.
In truth, that statue had made abundantly clear what enemy he would face on the 100th floor.
‘So it truly is the Death God. It seems I’ll have a proper match after all.’
Why else would they create slanted holes like this, rather than simply digging traps beneath one’s feet?
Boom—boom—boom—boom—!
Soon, a drum sound as ominous as the holes themselves echoed up from the depths below.
“Wh-what is that?”
Fear flickered in the eyes of the Nomadic Warriors, who still had lives to lose.
“It’s been a long time since I felt this way, Vice Captain.”
“I thought we’d never experience it again.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
Even the One-Strike Knight Order, having caught the familiar scent, felt their entire bodies tingling with sensation.
They were Undead who had already lost their lives.
So among all those present here, they understood best of all.
What would come bursting forth from those gaping holes.
Thud—thud—thud—thud—
Footsteps fell in perfect synchronization.
Then the Emissaries of the God of Death revealed their true forms.
Below the neck they bore the shape of a robust human, but their heads resembled that of a dog.
In some ways they recalled the Kobolds faced in the lower floors of the Main Tower, yet they radiated a strength of an entirely different dimension.
They bore a resemblance to Anubis from Egyptian mythology.
‘The stone statue that lay underground spoke no falsehood.’
Even so, to think I would actually face a true god in combat.
They made no sound at all.
It surges forth like a tidal wave, directed solely at the living.
“Oh! Death God, we beseech you…!”
“You come to save us… Kugh!”
Thwack—! Crack—!
The Saedos of the cult, who had survived the sudden reorganization order with nothing but breath remaining in their bodies, beheld the approaching Emissaries of the God of Death and broke into smiles of rapture.
But the divine shows no favoritism.
The Death God merely presides over death itself.
Even the faithful who recognized their god’s descent and rejoiced were trampled without hesitation, crushed beneath an indifferent onslaught.
“Ugh….”
Witnessing this spectacle, the Nomadic Warriors faltered, retreating half a step backward.
It was the One-Strike Knight Order, positioned throughout the battlefield, who steadied the resolve of these wavering warriors.
“Do not yield to fear!”
“That’s right—what’s so special about divine servants? They all fall to steel!”
“Sir Knight, have you truly faced such creatures before?”
“No?”
“???”
Even the One-Strike Knight Order had never engaged the Emissaries of the Death God directly.
Yet what difference would that make?
If battle was necessary, then we would simply fight.
Moreover, the One-Strike Knight Order themselves were servants of an unnamed dark god, so their circumstances were scarcely different from these creatures.
A savage smile crossed the lips of the One-Strike Knights as they beheld the approaching Emissaries—the same fierce grin that adorned Ihyeon’s face.
“Now these are my subordinates.”
Ihyeon, observing from the heights of the temple, nodded in approval.
Though he could not hear every word they exchanged, the subtle shift in atmosphere was enough for him to discern their intent.
Ihyeon spoke to the Vice Captain.
“Jia, Elsie, Blue—send them all into battle.”
“Yes, my Lord!”
An assault launched without proper preparation or regrouping.
Moreover, this was no ordinary floor—it was the 100th.
A domain rightfully occupied by the Floor Master.
Conserving strength would be nothing short of recklessness.
‘If the god himself has descended to capture me, then I too must pour forth every ounce of my power.’
At Ihyeon’s command, the flag rose, and simultaneously three groups burst forth from the temple.
Thud-thud-thud-thud———
The Spirit and Golem, responding to Ihyeon’s orders.
Blue ran of his own accord as always, while Jia and Elsie each rode upon a Purung.
“Follow the commanders!”
“Right! What else can we do but die trying?!”
“Sir Knight! Of course you knights would say such things!”
Behind them, the knights of the Order and the Nomadic Warriors joined the charge.
The three units’ performance was beyond question.
Crash—!
A collision in an instant.
A tremendous shock rippled through the Emissaries of the God of Death’s army, which had been advancing steadily and inexorably toward the temple.
No, it couldn’t even be called a collision.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!
The three Advance Parties broke through with such dazzling speed that it hardly seemed they were facing a divine army.
The Emissaries tried to attack and defend with their long spears, but it was insufficient.
Attacks against the Ghost Horses proved ineffective, and Purung charged forward without even acknowledging the spear blades.
“To the left.”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Sweep them away! That’s our role!”
“Hoo-ah! Follow the Sword Infantry Captain!”
“Beep beep beep. Guerrilla tactics activated. Calculating optimal route.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but let’s go!”
And the vanguard led by Jia, Elsie, and Blue needed no further mention.
An indiscriminate charge.
Every Emissary struck by their assault crumbled into sand and vanished into the desert.
It was truly a dazzling display of prowess.
And yet.
“Vice Captain.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“How much longer can we hold?”
“That… I fear we cannot last much longer.”
The situation had been disadvantageous from the start.
The Expedition Team had shifted from offense to defense.
Moreover, Emissaries continued pouring from hundreds of holes, and there was no guarantee their numbers would end.
Though the three Advance Parties were buying time by moving freely through enemy lines, the Emissaries of the God of Death showed no emotional disturbance.
They simply advanced with robotic persistence, and the moment they met the main force, the situation would deteriorate rapidly.
The only hope was for the Death God’s true form to manifest as quickly as possible.
I had never faced a god before, but at least that would be better than being forced into a war of attrition against an endless tide.
‘I created this opportunity by stacking nine consecutive S+ grades. There’s no way I would have let it be wasted.’
Of course, such thoughts were merely my hopes.
The 90s weren’t some game with a predetermined scenario, and things wouldn’t necessarily unfold according to my wishes.
The only reason I could even entertain such thoughts was the S+ grades I had accumulated thus far, as I had said.
Then it happened.
Boom, boom, boom—!!!!
“My Lord, look there!”
The Vice Captain urgently pointed ahead.
Among the Emissaries, a sand fountain incomparably larger than before erupted skyward.
The sheer volume of sand alone would be staggering, but what defied reality was that the sand rising into the air never fell back to the ground.
Instead, the sand scattered in all directions gradually began to form a shape.
It resembled the upper body of a Giant I had witnessed before attacking the Minister’s Palace.
But unlike that time when only the upper body existed, now a complete form was taking shape.
A human body, the head of a canine, and a long spear that resembled a staff in some ways.
‘That is the Death God.’
The Death God had arrived.
To be precise, rather than the Death God itself, it would be more accurate to call it a Divine Incarnation manifested through sand.
Yet even that was sufficient to reveal an overwhelming presence that could hardly be called an existence of this world.
Ihyeon and the Expedition Team, who had witnessed countless things that seemed to exist between fantasy and legend—the Eodukshin, the Manticore, the Thunderbird—found themselves intimidated as never before.
Gooooooo——
The weight of existence was different.
Merely appearing was enough to press down the air of the entire vicinity with crushing heaviness.
My grip tightened on the sniper rifle.
Had I really wished for the Death God to come directly rather than face an army of Emissaries?
It was absurd arrogance and the words of someone who knew nothing.
It would have been better to meet death at the hands of the Emissaries than to ever face the Death God directly.
Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—
The army of Emissaries continued to advance at the same pace as before.
“Ugh….”
The Expedition Team could only watch in stunned silence, unable to utter a single word.
Whoosh—
The Divine Incarnation’s gaze swept across the surroundings.
Then it opened one hand that was not holding the spear.
BOOM——!!!!
“Kyaaaah!”
“What the—?!”
The Advance Party, who had rushed into the army of Emissaries to buy time, were struck down in an instant.
Skillfully avoiding the Emissaries, only the Expedition Team was swept up by the surging sand and sent flying high into the air.
That was the beginning.
Each time the Divine Incarnation swung its hand and moved its spear, the heavens and earth were torn asunder by sand.
Sharp spears of sand intercepted Squad Members, and dozens of Warriors were flung away like whips.
The power was so overwhelming that calling it a Divine Incarnation seemed no exaggeration.
It was absolute devastation.

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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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