I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 49

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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 49
Episode 49
The era of the Tower and Hunters brought advancement and prosperity to humanity, yet it undeniably carried a dark shadow as well.
It wasn’t merely systemic issues like the Tower’s opening or the emergence of Gates.
Countless wars waged beneath the surface, hidden from public view.
Some driven by individual greed.
Others fighting for the groups and nations they belonged to.
Countless clashes unfolded as people pursued their own safety at the expense of others’.
Jang Hwayun, belonging to China’s National Tower Management Bureau’s Recruitment Division 14, was not a publicly known figure, yet he was one of the key players in these hidden conflicts.
“Still no word?”
“No, sir. We’re investigating every avenue, but I apologize for the lack of progress.”
“This is getting tedious.”
Hwayun’s expression hardened slightly.
I had anticipated this wouldn’t be an easy mission, but even so, time was slipping away far too quickly.
I needed to at least uncover some clue to report back to headquarters, or my reputation would suffer.
“Damn it… anyway, what about that Hunter?”
Lee Hongju, who had infiltrated the Management Bureau, answered promptly.
“It appears to have been a smokescreen by the Management Bureau. We’ve been monitoring their frequent meetings, but Ilgyeok’s cleared floors differ slightly from theirs.”
“What the hell…”
Moreover, the South Korean government itself seemed unable to properly identify Ilgyeok’s true identity, yet they were still conducting deception operations to confuse his pursuers.
Their strategy was simple: if they couldn’t have it, no one would.
It was the kind of thing that would make anyone who heard it cry foul, but at least that’s how Hwayun saw it.
Then it happened.
「33rd Floor clear record has been updated.
Location: Tower of South Korea.
ID: Ilgyeok
Rank: S+」
“Tch!”
Hwayun and his subordinates let out a collective sigh.
They could do nothing but watch helplessly as Ilgyeok climbed the Tower.
If headquarters sent a reprimand over this…
The mere thought was so dreadful that several of them shook their heads.
Then, at that very moment.
*Whoosh—*
“Wh-what the—?!”
A figure suddenly materialized among them, startling everyone.
Logically, such a thing was impossible, leaving only one explanation: the illogical.
A Hunter.
The members of Recruitment Division 14, regardless of their individual levels, were Hunters themselves and instinctively assessed their opponent.
*Tense—*
And instinctively, I took a step back.
A Mysterious Assailant wearing a black hood and a balaclava emblazoned with a skull.
In truth, that eerie appearance was the least of it.
The small, crimson skull floating above his head.
A Hunter who had killed another Hunter.
The mark of a villain.
Shink—!
Hwayun and his subordinates, recognizing the threat, immediately drew their weapons from their holsters.
….
The Mysterious Assailant, who had been watching silently, tilted his head and stared directly at Hwayun.
What would his first move be?
Conversation?
Or an attack?
The tension was so extreme that a single drop of sweat falling from anyone would snap the taut string of silence.
Then, suddenly, the Mysterious Assailant raised both hands slightly and let out a laugh.
“Haha, why are you all acting like amateurs?”
His low, gruff voice carried an unexpected playfulness.
The Management Bureau’s agents exchanged glances.
It was still difficult to discern his intentions.
“If I’d meant to attack you, would I show up like this in broad daylight? This is a gesture of dialogue, a gesture of dialogue.”
His voice remained composed and relaxed.
Yet as the Mysterious Assailant met each agent’s gaze with eyes hidden between his hood and balaclava, those with weaker resolve couldn’t withstand the contact and dropped their eyes.
Beneath the composure and playfulness, his eyes gleamed with a ferocity that stirred primal fear in the human heart—the gaze of a predator.
Meanwhile, having completed his observation, the Mysterious Assailant now fixed his gaze directly on Jang Hwayun and asked.
“Are you Jang Hwayun?”
“…Are you Russian?”
Hwayun asked in a tone as if swallowing something bitter.
Making no attempt to conceal his affiliation, he had been speaking Russian since the Mysterious Assailant’s first appearance.
Hwayun, who had learned some Russian during executive training, narrowed his eyes.
Just as with other nations, Korea was naturally infiltrated by numerous countries’ secret organizations through various channels.
As the Management Bureau stood at the forefront of national conflict, Hwayun was aware of some of them and had made considerable efforts to learn more.
Whether Russian or Chinese, those who engaged in this work were not ordinary civil servants but soldiers.
Likely belonging to the Special Operations Command’s TGF—Tower Guard Force.
Having grasped the opponent’s identity to some degree, Hwayun’s expression twisted.
No matter how non-hostile the relationship between Russia and China might be, one could not brazenly intrude upon another nation’s intelligence agency like this.
“This matter will certainly be reported to my government….”
“Tch. Just as I thought—a bunch of soft-spined fools.”
“What did you say?”
Hwayun’s expression grew even darker.
Wasn’t this going beyond rudeness—wasn’t he actively looking for a fight?
But the Skull Balaclava Assailant paid no mind and continued speaking.
“What you’re doing is obvious. You’re all searching for Ilgyeok, just like us, aren’t you?”
“…Is there anyone here who isn’t doing that right now?”
“Well, you have a point.”
The Assailant nodded readily.
At minimum, every intelligence operative who had infiltrated Korea would share the same objective.
However.
“We’ve changed our target.”
“Changed it?”
Eyes gleaming beneath the hood.
A chill ran down Hwayun’s spine.
“Not a single photograph has surfaced of him up to the 33rd Floor. Yet he can’t conquer the Tower without entering it.”
“That’s obvious… wait, you don’t mean to say—?”
Hwayun could instantly grasp what this mysterious Assailant was thinking.
No, he’d already done it.
‘This madman….’
Reading Hwayun’s expression, the Assailant let out another scoff.
“I hear there are a few capable ones under your command.”
“….”
“Call those who can speak Korean. I’m giving you until midnight today.”
It was a chilling request that no amount of playfulness or composure could conceal.
The Assailant turned to disappear.
“Your headquarters would never approve of such a thing! Doing this in a foreign Tower!”
Hwayun grabbed him, as if he’d heard every insane word possible.
Swish—
The hood turned back toward Hwayun.
Unlike before, his voice had settled into a deep, measured tone that revealed his true baritone.
“It’s already done.”
“….”
Hwayun bit his lower lip.
The meaning was simple.
His own superiors had already approved this plan.
Without Hwayun even knowing.
Hwayun’s voice emerged somewhat subdued.
“What should I call you?”
The Skull Balaclava Assailant regarded Hwayun briefly before answering simply.
“Specter.”
In the next moment, only Hwayun and his subordinates remained standing dazed in the safe house, as if a nightmare had swept through and vanished.
* * *
“Today’s lunch was delicious too, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, your mother’s cooking skills are truly fantastic.”
Ihyeon and Jia were walking through the common village again today.
Though Jia always maintained a blunt and cold expression, she became surprisingly talkative whenever they finished eating at home.
It was proof of her satisfaction, so I engaged her in casual conversation with a cheerful heart.
This time, it was the 34th Floor’s turn to be conquered.
On the 34th Floor, I had to hunt monsters called “Atom Hawks.”
Absurdly enough, they dive sharply from the sky and explode upon reaching their target—that’s how they attack.
However, I wasn’t particularly worried.
‘I just need to shoot them dead before they explode, right?’
They don’t hurl stones from a distance like Muscle Apes, nor do they possess tremendous strength like Giga Bears.
Furthermore, unlike the Rock Hounds that were the targets on the 33rd Floor, they don’t swarm together in packs.
If the mission was to snipe creatures hovering alone in the sky, there was no way I could fail.
The common village on the 30th Floor was bustling, though less crowded than the 10th or 20th Floors.
I deliberately mixed in with other people when they left the village.
Moreover, due to the structure of the 30th Floor, a notification appeared when Ilgyeok entered at the moment I received the mission, so I just had to accept it after hiding myself appropriately.
‘There’s certainly no law saying I must die soon.’
For me, who needed to hide my identity in many ways, this structure was a breath of fresh air.
Just as I was about to leave the village.
“Hmm….”
I paused my steps slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
Jia asked.
In a very brief moment.
My eyes swept sharply across the surroundings once.
‘I’ve felt the atmosphere was strange for a while now.’
Clear hostility directed at me?
No, that wasn’t it.
I couldn’t sense any raw emotions like hostility or killing intent.
Yet something was definitely suspicious.
For instance, there was a scent.
A scent suggesting that those concealing their identities were lurking nearby.
I keenly detected that sense of incongruity.
It was a sense that came from recognizing one’s own kind.
‘Soldiers?’
They were soldiers.
Moreover, they moved like those who had received specialized training like I had.
To an untrained eye, it would seem perfectly natural.
Only small habits leaked out from very minor details.
Like a foul stench.
Such a stench was difficult for even Hunters engaged in fierce battles with monsters to detect.
That movement was entirely different from the logic of Hunters.
Had the Hunters noticed it, I—with my pathetically low ability stats—would have been completely oblivious.
‘Did they come to retrieve me?’
That was my first suspicion.
The Ministry of Defense discovering my true identity and making a covert contact, or perhaps an arrest.
But such a foolish thought quickly vanished from my mind.
‘If that were the case… I’d almost prefer it.’
Though we were all soldiers, the formal protocols and minor mannerisms subtly differed depending on where we trained and even which instructors taught us.
Given this level of incongruity…
‘They’re foreign.’
Having quickly assessed the situation, I resumed walking as naturally as before.
Why would foreign soldiers enter Korea’s Tower?
Even granting them the benefit of the doubt regarding their purpose, but how?
And it didn’t seem like there were just one or two of them.
I spoke to Jia in my usual casual tone.
First, I needed to leave the village as naturally as possible without revealing that I’d noticed anything.
“You work so hard every time. I thought I’d buy you some ice cream after we finish clearing today.”
Normally, Jia would have answered composedly with something like “It’s only natural” or “I couldn’t possibly accept such praise,” but the allure of ice cream was powerful.
Her expression brightened slightly, and this reply came back.
“I prefer vanilla.”
“Right, that’s the safest choice.”
“Chocolate is also good.”
“Mm-hmm, chocolate’s never a bad call either.”
“If it wouldn’t be presumptuous, strawberry as well…”
“Strawberry?”
“Ah, and the tartness of yogurt is also pleasant.”
She seemed to like ice cream far more than I’d expected.
Her varied preferences made me momentarily forget the tension that had gripped every muscle in my body.
I let out a soft chuckle and stepped outside the village.

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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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