I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 54

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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 54
Episode 54
As for Jia, she simply honored Ihyeon’s instruction that his identity must never be exposed.
Jia waited silently for Ihyeon’s response to return.
That wait was not a long one.
“You need not know.”
“Ah….”
The Hunter from the Management Bureau finally lowered his head in disappointment.
An unprecedented attack on a public floor.
And it had occurred on the 30th Floor range, where quite many Hunters frequented.
This incident would certainly deal a significant blow to the image of the Management Bureau and the government.
After all, what amounted to terrorism presumed to be the work of a foreign power had occurred in broad daylight.
Moreover, the sharp-eyed media would likely soon begin reporting by linking Ilgyeok’s clear and the incident together.
Criticism such as “What were the Management Bureau and government doing while the targeted Ilgyeok resolved everything alone?” was as predictable as fire.
Because of this, information about Ilgyeok was needed to reverse even slightly the worst atmosphere, but it fell through.
After that cold first message from Ilgyeok came forth.
Whoosh—
The Deputy Manager, Jia, vanished like a mirage.
“Whoa!”
The Vigilante Members were startled by that mysterious movement.
She must have been a Tanker or Goblin Warrior, yet it seemed as though she had used a movement skill.
What could possibly be different about Ilgyeok’s Deputy Manager, even as a Deputy Manager?
…In reality, it was simply that Ihyeon had casually canceled the summon.
‘Sigh, I’m exhausted, truly exhausted.’
After summoning Jia back, Ihyeon watched the amazed Vigilante Members and let out a deep sigh.
I had simply wanted to climb the Tower normally and grow stronger, yet this had to happen.
If I had been careless, innocent people would have died before my eyes once more.
Not by monsters, but by the hands of fellow humans.
“Whoever they are.”
Strength gathered in Ihyeon’s fists.
They would certainly pay a price.
If no one else thought to hold them accountable, I would do so myself.
* * *
From the Management Bureau to the Tower Administration, the National Intelligence Service, and even the Presidential Office.
The institutions related to the incident that suddenly struck the public village on the 30th Floor range were in a state of utter shock.
A situation where no one dared utter a single word carelessly.
Moreover, when word came that an individual had concluded the matter before even the government’s reinforcements, who were obligated to protect Hunters, could arrive, the atmosphere grew even more somber.
Of course, that individual was Ilgyeok, but what did that matter.
Rather, it was only a counterproductive blow to the government’s image.
Still, what was fortunate was that nearly all the criminals who participated in the terrorism could be captured alive.
After casting a location tracking spell, I would slip out of the Tower and make the actual arrest. That would be the end of it.
Since they already had limbs severed, the arrest wasn’t particularly difficult.
There was only one fatality.
It was the Specter, known to have been dealt with last.
[ Around 2 PM today, the perpetrators of the worst tragedy in history that occurred near the public village on the 30th Floor are being transferred to the National Intelligence Service…. ]
“Have you ever seen such insane bastards?”
Seongnyun raged while listening to news he couldn’t help but hear.
The internet across not just Korea but the entire world was already being flooded with this information.
It remained to be seen which nation was responsible, but the objective was obvious.
The fact that they targeted the moment right after Ilgyeok’s clear record announcement made that evident.
Since they couldn’t identify who Ilgyeok was, their intention to simply eradicate the bloodline was unmistakable.
It was a monstrous thought that no human could harbor.
Had rolling around with monsters transformed even their thinking into something monstrous?
‘This is why we need to at least know Ilgyeok’s identity.’
Cooperation?
He hadn’t expected that from the start.
It would be enough if the state could provide protection and assistance at a national level.
Seongnyun asked the Employees.
“What happened?”
“Deputy Manager, you mean the Hunter named Jia?”
Nod—
As Seongnyun nodded, the Employees showed signs of difficulty.
“Well, it’s a bit problematic. We can’t search if they don’t register their ID themselves, so there’s nothing we can do about that, but there’s no way someone with that level of skill wouldn’t have entered our intelligence network by now.”
“I suppose so.”
Seongnyun agreed with that assessment.
From what the Vigilantes at the scene said, the unidentified attacks presumed to be from Ilgyeok were extraordinary.
But the Goblin Warrior with the ID ‘Jia’ also displayed skill that transcended imagination.
And for good reason—the Vigilantes said she casually dispatched Assassins they couldn’t even touch, and even demonstrated formidable offensive power.
The Vigilantes’ conjecture was merely ‘Perhaps a Hunter who temporarily descended from a higher floor?’
However, Hunters from the 40th Floor and above were quite a minority among all Hunters.
With such conspicuous skill, the Management Bureau should have been aware of them.
Yet she seemed unfamiliar, as if she’d simply dropped from the sky.
“What do you think about the claim that she’s Ilgyeok’s representative?”
“That… we should probably believe it for now.”
It was the consensus of the Employees.
Otherwise, it would be far too coincidental.
And there would be no reason to claim to be ‘Ilgyeok’s representative’ in the first place.
What kind of connection did they have?
In Seongnyun’s mind, a precarious chain of deductions continued, barely within grasp yet slipping away.
“Ah!”
The Storm Manager suddenly exclaimed and jumped to his feet.
My mind told me I should dismiss it, yet for some inexplicable reason, I felt compelled to hear him out—a peculiar conflict.
“Do you know what it is?”
When Seongnyun asked, the Deputy Manager answered with a very serious expression.
“Frontier.”
“Frontier?”
At the familiar name, Seongnyun repeated it in his mouth.
A voluntary collective of Hunters unaffiliated with any nation.
While the organization’s members weren’t transparently disclosed, its existence was undeniably real.
“Ah!”
“If it’s Frontier, then surely!”
And the reason the Employees’ faces brightened.
Frontier had established itself with an exceptionally positive image in the public eye.
They primarily operated in developing nations lacking sufficient Tower and Gate response capabilities.
They would intercept monster swarms before civilian casualties could mount.
They even had an impressive track record of dramatically naturalizing and updating the highest floors before the Main Tower’s time limit expired.
Frontier itself had been revealed to the world precisely when some of its members’ identities were exposed during these operations.
One might say it stood at the opposite end of the spectrum from Crews—organizations of Villains.
However, since Frontier was primarily formed around Western powers, it was known that no Koreans were included.
“Ilgyeok is affiliated with Frontier?”
“I’m not certain about that, but at minimum, there seems to be some connection.”
Having found this new puzzle piece called Frontier, Seongnyun began fitting together the unsolved puzzle in his mind.
And it was reasonably plausible.
Though some members had been inadvertently exposed, Frontier remained fundamentally a secret organization.
What if those belonging to it deliberately concealed their identities and were secretly clearing Towers to gain entry?
“You’re saying he might not be a criminal….”
“Yes, that ‘good person’ from last time turned out to be pure garbage too, didn’t he?”
An Employee shuddered, recalling Sunddeuk, Gwangju, and Bonghyeon.
Thinking it might be Ilgyeok, they had brought him to the Management Bureau and treated him well, only to discover he was a complete punk and petty criminal.
He had completely lost his mind, spouting only things like “Mom!” and “Black armor!” so they ran a background check and found his record was riddled with priors and wanted notices….
“Black armor!”
Seongnyun clapped his hands and shouted.
This Ilgyeok’s proxy was also a Goblin Warrior clad in black armor.
Moreover, the timing of Sunddeuk’s discovery was right around when Ilgyeok had finished clearing the Tower.
The faces of the talent search division and Employees, already on edge from the terror incident, twisted into demonic grimaces.
“Connect me with the prosecutor’s office.”
“Yes!”
“How dare they lay a hand on Ilgyeok? Slap them with aggravated charges and maximum sentencing so they never see daylight again. Tell them to forget about any diminished capacity nonsense.”
“Of course! When was diminished capacity ever an excuse anyway?”
It was the moment Sunddeuk, Gwangju, and Bonghyeon’s futures plummeted into a thousand-fathom abyss.
“Anyway, if we assume that proxy was also sent by Frontier, it does make some sense.”
“Yes, Frontier might have sent a high-level Hunter to protect Ilgyeok.”
Seongnyun nodded after roughly aligning his story with the Employees.
“Still, if it’s Frontier, that’s actually a relief. The communication channel is still active?”
“Yes, it is.”
There existed a limited communication channel between Frontier and various governments.
Whether they responded was Frontier’s choice, but having it was better than nothing.
“Let’s start by submitting an inquiry about Ilgyeok through that channel.”
“Understood. But… do you think they’ll tell us anything even if it’s related to Ilgyeok?”
“Probably not.”
This much was an obvious conclusion.
It was merely a formality.
Seongnyun had something else he’d specially proposed to his superiors.
“But now, Ilgyeok’s identity doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
The subordinate Employee tilted his head in confusion.
It was understandable to be bewildered when the person who had been most obsessed with Ilgyeok’s identity suddenly said it was unnecessary.
‘Whoever they are, I learned a lesson.’
Seongnyun forcefully suppressed the anger boiling inside him.
The absurd thought of killing everyone since they couldn’t be found anyway.
Seongnyun decided to twist that very idea and use it.
“From now on, we’ll proactively protect Ilgyeok.”
“Uh… what do you mean by that?”
“If we can’t find them anyway, we just need to guard the entire floor. Right?”
Wherever Ilgyeok would need to conquer next, an enormous security force would follow.
Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to bother Ilgyeok, who had asked not to be found.
He wouldn’t conduct any inquiries or searches to find Ilgyeok.
He was simply deploying personnel to more thoroughly protect his own country’s Hunters—who could possibly object to that?
It was clearly the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea.
Until Ilgyeok grew to a level where everyone gave up, making the protection meaningless.
No matter what happened, he would ensure this tragedy never repeated itself.
Meanwhile, the Prosecution, having received a request from the Management Bureau, was already conducting intensive investigations into Sunddeuk, Gwangju, and Bonghyeon.
Then, when they received Jia’s composite sketch from the Management Bureau and casually showed it to them…
“KYAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
“Mom! Mom!!!”
…all hell broke loose.
The investigator who witnessed this spoke to the prosecutor in charge with a troubled expression.
“This looks like a genuine case of diminished capacity, doesn’t it?”
“W-well, what can we do? Orders are orders. Seriously, why did they have to touch Ilgyeok of all people?”
* * *
A remote village somewhere in Africa.
Several tents were pitched across the barren wasteland where thick dust swirled through the air on the wind.
Vroom—!
“Claude! Claude!”
An off-road jeep skidded between the tents and came to a halt, and a red-haired woman in a form-fitting gray short-sleeved shirt, baggy and durable pants, and suspenders burst out and rushed toward the largest tent.
Inside was the man she sought.
“I told her to be careful since this is a dangerous area….”
His light brown hair was caked with dust, as if it hadn’t been properly maintained in some time.
His soft beard was equally unkempt.
Yet even in these harsh conditions, his bright expression somehow radiated warmth to those who beheld him.
Laurent Claude, the leader of Frontier.
This was his true self—unknown to the world, yet commanding countless admirers.
“What is it, Jenny?”
Claude regarded the red-haired woman, Jenny, with a gentle smile.
At his gaze, Jenny faltered, stopped, and her face flushed slightly before she stammered out her words.
“It’s just… we received contact from South Korea.”
“South Korea?”
Claude’s expression stiffened slightly.
The terrorist attack on the common village of the 30th Floor that had occurred in South Korea not long ago was something Frontier was well aware of.
It was truly a tragic disaster, but strictly speaking, it was not something Frontier should involve itself in—merely something to take note of.
It was clearly an international conflict, not a situation where South Korea itself had become endangered.
“Jenny, you know as well as I do that Frontier doesn’t intervene unless the danger stems from monsters or the Tower.”
“That’s not it, Claude.”
“That’s not it?”
“Right. The South Korean government was asking if Ilgyeok has any connection to us.”
“Huh?”
Claude tilted his head at a question he hadn’t expected at all.
They were asking if he knew about Ilgyeok?
But soon Claude began to laugh.
“Ha, that’s an interesting assumption.”
It was certainly understandable to make such a mistake.
Ilgyeok’s actions—having awakened not long ago and already handling three Gates, practically single-handedly—had made quite an impression on Claude as well.
It wasn’t because of a contract or compensation.
Though the truth remained unknown, at least on the surface, he didn’t seem to desire anything.
Because of this, Frontier, like other organizations, had attempted to make contact with Ilgyeok.
Claude asked Jenny.
“Is it possible there was some achievement I’m unaware of? That you’ve been secretly communicating with Ilgyeok on your own?”
At that, Jenny jumped up and waved her hand frantically.
“What are you talking about! What secrets could I possibly keep from you?”
“Just joking.”
But Frontier was equally disregarded.
And while I would be grateful if someone became my ally, forcing myself upon those who refused didn’t align with Frontier’s principles.
“Tch, don’t make jokes like that.”
Jenny huffed indignantly.
“Hmm.”
Claude smiled faintly while looking at Jenny, then retrieved one of the files resting on the makeshift desk.
Ilgyeok’s file, which continued to be updated even now.
From among them, Claude unfolded the most recently added information.
Surprisingly, it contained a remarkably detailed composite sketch of Jia.
Frontier, unaffiliated with any government and operating independently.
To maintain maximum neutrality in their operations, Frontier invested considerable effort in establishing information networks across various nations.
Though, even calling it a composite sketch, the appearance was so unrealistic it was impossible to tell whether it was genuine or had simply sprung from a manga.
“So, has there been any mention of this so-called proxy? The one with the ID ‘Jia’?”
“Ah, yes. It seems the Republic of Korea probably thinks that person is an assistant we sent.”
“I have to say, if I weren’t part of Frontier, I might have found that plausible.”
“My thoughts exactly. Who on earth are they?”
Ilgyeok’s proxy, who appeared so suddenly.
Not only was Ilgyeok’s identity unknown to everyone, but no one had any idea who this so-called proxy was either.
Tap—
Claude shook his head and closed the file before speaking to Jenny.
“In any case, let’s continue tracking them. Actually, since we’re on the subject, should I go myself?”
“Yes, that would be… Wait? You’re going directly?!”
Jenny jumped up in surprise.
While he was certainly unpredictable, she never expected him to suddenly suggest flying all the way to Korea on the other side of the globe.
If he were an ordinary person, she would have dismissed it as a joke, but Claude was not that sort of person.
“Yes, I have a feeling, though I can’t be sure…”
That person seems quite interesting.
Claude merely smiled and said nothing more.
“Hey, Claude! You’re not planning to dump all the work on me and leave, are you?!”
Jenny bristled with irritation watching Claude’s demeanor.

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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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