I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 6

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

Episode 6
Episode 6
After all five Goblins on the 4th Floor—three Goblin Warriors and two Goblin Archers—had fallen.
I examined the notification window that had appeared before me.
「Item, ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’ has reached Level 5.
Please select a skill.」
Hunters gain one skill for every five levels.
Of course, leveling up doesn’t mean you accumulate hundreds of skills.
If you’ve already selected a skill, skill enhancement may appear as an option instead.
So typically, Hunters grow by enhancing their main skills.
However, this was my first skill.
To exaggerate slightly, how your first skill manifests can determine the entire trajectory of your Hunter career.
I opened the selection menu with a slightly trembling heart.
「1. Refined Rifling (D)
Improves the quality of the rifling.
Slightly increases range and penetration power.
2. Kindred Spirit (D)
Links 10% of the item’s stats to the bound owner.
Firepower and range apply to Strength, precision and stability to Vitality, stealth and rapid fire to Agility.
The effect applies even when the item is in your inventory.
3. Flame Shot (D)
Grants a flame attribute to mana bullets.
Slightly increases firepower and slightly decreases precision.
Currently limited to 1 shot.」
“…Huh?”
I was greatly surprised as I glanced over the skills.
The letter ‘D’ next to each skill name.
It naturally meant D-rank.
‘Already D-rank?’
From what I’d learned, other Hunters typically obtained F-rank for their first skill.
If they were lucky, an E-rank might appear.
Yet I had jumped two entire ranks and received D-rank skills instead.
And not just one—all three of them were D-rank.
“Well, I did receive 15 stat points across the board, so thinking about it that way….”
In my case, nothing had been ordinary.
Starting from the item’s awakening to my stats themselves.
So if I considered the skills in that same context, there was probably no real problem.
Besides, what did it matter if there was a problem?
As long as it benefited me, that was all that mattered.
Was this the power of tears, after all?
I gently patted my sniper rifle while carefully reading through the descriptions of the three skills, line by line.
However, I didn’t find the choice particularly difficult.
‘Of course it’s this one.’
I smiled and selected one skill.
「You have acquired Soul’s Best Friend (D).」
It was Soul’s Best Friend, without a doubt.
The other two skills weren’t bad, but they weren’t what I needed right now.
As I said, my firepower was already sufficient, and increasing it further would only be overkill.
But what if I could share the rifle’s stats with myself?
So far, I could only feel the rifle’s stats indirectly, but even that was incredible.
Every time I raised each stat, I felt a tangible difference related to it.
Even if it’s only 10%, my stats will continue to rise, and the higher the skill grade, the better the efficiency will become.
So there was no reason not to choose it.
‘Most importantly, with this, I myself grow stronger step by step.’
My fist clenched tightly.
To be precise, what has truly awakened is my sniper rifle.
I myself remain unchanged from my time in the military—just a simple Awakened One.
But with Soul’s Best Friend, I can become stronger in my own right.
For me, it was an absolutely necessary skill.
Indeed, as the stats took effect, I could feel my strength and senses improving.
“It said the effect applies even when it’s in the inventory, right?”
The same applied even when I put the sniper rifle in my inventory.
The system truly seemed to honor its initial notification about synchronization, handling these details carefully.
The journey between the open field and home would feel a bit more comfortable now.
「Will you be exiting from the 4th Floor?」
“Yes.”
I left the Tower and returned home.
Of course, the sniper rifle was stored in my inventory.
Even though I couldn’t feel its weight, the mere thought of carrying the sniper rifle gave me a sense of solidity.
I opened the front door with a firm hand.
“You’re back?”
“Yes, Mom.”
Minjeong greeted me warmly.
I returned her greeting and tried to head straight to my room, but Minjeong stopped me.
“Where do you think you’re going? You came at just the right time. Help me with the store. Let’s go together.”
I showed obvious reluctance.
The next floor, the 5th Floor, had a notorious reputation and required considerable preparation.
If that was the case, I needed to start preparing from now.
“Mom.”
“…What are you trying to say now?”
“Though it may appear that my son isn’t doing anything particularly noteworthy, he’s actually shouldering a tremendous responsibility. Of course, he needs considerable time to prepare.”
I tried to convince Minjeong with a very serious expression.
I felt apologetic for not being able to explain the details.
But, Mother!
Your son is Ilgyeok!
The world’s first S+ rank, and I cleared all the way through the 4th Floor in one straight run!
There’s no mother who can’t sense her son’s feelings.
Minjeong reluctantly released my sleeve and nodded.
“I see. Then there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Minjeong headed back to the kitchen, muttering to herself.
“I made doenjang-jjigae, but I’ll have to throw it all away. I can’t serve something like doenjang-jjigae to a son who’s shouldering such an important responsibility.”
Then I grabbed Minjeong with the desperation of someone utilizing every stat point shared from the sniper rifle.
“But as the saying goes, one must cultivate oneself before managing the family, and manage the family before bringing peace to the world. A peaceful home allows the world to be at peace. I’ll have lunch and then help you with the shop.”
“Oh, you will? Then Mom’s grateful.”
Minjeong nodded eagerly, delighted.
I couldn’t resist the doenjang-jjigae!
After finishing the meal deliciously, on the way to the shop.
“So, you know how Seongho’s mom came to the shop and kept insisting on something?”
I was manipulating my status window while responding appropriately to Minjeong’s chatter.
「Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle
Lv.5
Firepower: 13
Range: 3
Precision: 10
Stability: 10
Concealment: 7
Rapid Fire: 7
Mana: 30
Distributable Stats: 5」
‘I’ve invested quite a lot…’
Raising it to level 5 earned me a total of 75 stat points.
On top of that, I increased mana by an additional 7 by investing the 6 mana stones from up to the 3rd Floor and 1 from the 4th Floor.
However, after mana reached 30, it became impossible to raise it with F-rank mana stones, so I had to keep 2 of them in storage.
Since F-rank Hunters had a level cap of 29, this might be related to that.
If I’d known this beforehand, I could have just raised mana using only mana stones.
My mana stat is already on track to some degree, and since the S+ rank privilege that only I obtain should provide sufficient mana stone supply, it wouldn’t have been a problem.
That was slightly regrettable, but
‘Well, I can just do it with E-rank mana stones then.’
Since I was still in the very early stages of growth, I didn’t particularly regret it.
Besides, I was in no position to blame anyone for such things right now.
Either way, being able to raise my stats with Mana Stones is honestly broken.
Whether I boost them with Mana Stones or distributed stat points, the stat gains per level are clearly different, giving me overwhelmingly superior stats compared to other Hunters on the same floor.
But even with stats this high, can I really achieve S+ all the way to the 5th Floor?
To be honest, even for me, there was no avoiding some tension.
That’s because the 5th Floor is where I’ll encounter the mid-boss for the first time—the Goblin Warrior Captain.
I’d encountered a Goblin Warrior Captain once during an operation, and its armor was too much even for a Mana Stone Gun, so I had to aim for the exposed face, specifically the weakest point—its eyes.
Of course, taking that into account, I’ve invested heavily in my firepower stat, so things should be different now.
However.
I’m clearing the Tower alone.
Unlike operations conducted at the squad level, Tower clearance is entirely my responsibility.
There are no squad members to cover my movements, no reliable fire support.
That’s also why I’ve kept five reserve stat points.
To invest in whatever field becomes critical if something goes wrong.
With my status window closed, I thought quietly.
I need to move like a true sniper for once.
Simply crawling and picking decent sniper positions—even FPS game players can do that.
I don’t know the exact conditions for an S+ grade clear, but my objective was crystal clear.
One shot.
To take down the 5th Floor’s mid-boss, the Goblin Warrior Captain, with just one shot, I’d need to move with far more precision.
Just then, Minjeong glanced at me sideways and spoke.
“Ihyeon, are you listening?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean Auntie Minju came by with a three-day-old mushroom and asked you to exchange it? Why would someone you know do that?”
“Uh, yes. So you were listening?”
Minjeong nodded, looking a bit surprised.
She could have sworn I was lost in thought, yet I answered so immediately.
I chuckled at Minjeong’s surprised expression.
Mother!
Your son is Ilgyeok, after all!
A true sniper must be able to pick out the sounds necessary for survival even in the noise-filled chaos of a battlefield.
* * *
Management Bureau, Talent Search Department.
Seongnyun and the other employees had completely given up.
Even after sending official notices nationwide, no one was bringing in Mana Stones from the 1st Floor.
What, is someone climbing up from some remote island or something?
Meanwhile, Ilgyeok steadily climbed one floor per day and had already cleared the 4th Floor.
“The fact that he’s not settling accounts on Mana Stones suggests he’s likely selling them on the black market, which means…”
Even the suspicions that Ilgyeok might be a villain went unchallenged now.
Everyone had at least some doubt: “Could it really be true?”
The higher-ups kept pressuring them to quickly identify and bring in Ilgyeok to do something about him.
The public cheers for Ilgyeok’s exploits, but simultaneously mocks the government’s incompetence for failing to uncover his identity.
Seongnyun and the Talent Search Department were caught in the crossfire.
“Nothing particularly noteworthy to report today, right?”
“Yes… Actually, there was one person who received compensation from the First Floor.”
“What? Who?”
“It’s been confirmed that they sustained a significant wound from a Goblin.”
“Sigh.”
Seongnyun shook his head slowly.
Of course, it was deeply unfortunate that a Hunter had been wounded.
However, separately from that, anyone capable of wounding a Goblin would be far from achieving an S+ rating—even clearing the First Floor at B-grade would be impossible.
It was a matter of regret, not a decisive blow.
‘What on earth is he thinking about…’
As Seongnyun fell silent again, the Employees began whispering among themselves.
“What’s Korea’s record looking like right now?”
“The top-ranked Archer Hunter got S all the way to the 4th Floor.”
“The 4th Floor? What about the 5th?”
“That was A+. Well, they say she hit S again starting from the 6th Floor and maintained S for quite a while after that. So practically speaking, the Archer Hunter holds Korea’s record.”
“Is the 5th Floor really that brutal?”
The Employee answering the uninformed question shook his head slowly.
“Still, someone working at the Management Bureau… The 5th Floor is a mid-boss stage, you know. A Goblin Warrior Captain appears there!”
“A Goblin Warrior Captain?”
“Yes! Ordinary Hunters can barely scratch its armor, they say. That’s why the standard approach is to level up a few more times on the 4th Floor before entering. The Archer Hunter only got A+ because she’s that skilled—otherwise, she’d just have to clear it and move to the next floor.”
“It’s that difficult, then.”
“Absolutely. I mean, no matter how exceptional Ilgyeok is, do you think an S+ rating is even possible all the way to the 5th Floor?”
Even the Employee who had been enthusiastically explaining seemed to lose heart as he spoke.
Ilgyeok, who had been setting consecutive records with an S+ streak, had become the hope of the Republic of Korea.
But if the streak broke on the 5th Floor, it would certainly feel like a disappointment.
It would have been nice if he could go just a little further.
“Still, at least… he should manage an S, right?”
“True, that alone would surpass the Archer Hunter’s record. Though the 5th Floor S was achieved in the United States, so it won’t be announced here.”
The atmosphere in the Talent Search Department grew even more subdued.
More than the possibility that Ilgyeok might be a villain, the thought that the S+ streak could end was what truly dampened their spirits.
Even though they were caught between pressures, the daily news had been encouraging.
* * *
A sharp whistling sound——
Main Tower 5th Floor.
Ihyeon observed calmly, waiting for his opportunity.
The 5th Floor was certainly more difficult than the other floors.
The Goblin Warrior Captain lived up to its notorious reputation, operating on an entirely different level from the other Goblins.
But Ihyeon was a sniper.
Eventually, a single massive Goblin came squarely into his scope.
Ihyeon twisted one corner of his mouth upward as he thought.
‘Got it.’

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