I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 77

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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 77
Ep. 77
“Just yesterday you said, ‘I’ve never seen someone as hopeless as you,’ ‘If you keep doing that, the Shadow Tiger will eat you and no one will know,’ ‘If you’re going to do it like that, go play with skeletons instead of me.’ You said all that, didn’t you?”
Elsie tilted her head as if she had no idea what Minjeong was talking about.
“When did I?”
Then Claude suddenly interjected from beside her.
“Ah, now that you mention it, I did see something like that in the report I reviewed, but my memory….”
*Crunch—*
“Mm.”
He was about to join in, but when he saw the sofa right next to him suddenly split in half, he quietly closed his mouth.
“I’ve always cherished you. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”
“That’s such a lie….”
“Ah, fine! I get it! I’ll leave my sword behind!”
“Your sword?”
Minjeong tilted her head at the unexpected words.
Elsie was a sword spirit.
Could she go beyond the 40th floor alone without leaving her main body?
Of course, that wasn’t it.
「Item ‘Legendary Sword’ is being manifested.
You have obtained Legendary Sword (A).
Check your inventory.」
To be precise, she meant she would leave a replica of herself with Minjeong.
Even so, it was clearly A-rank equipment.
For ordinary Hunters, it was an item beyond their wildest dreams.
To exaggerate a bit, even a Hunter who had only used axes until now would immediately switch to an A-rank spear if they found one.
Of course, unlike Minjeong, who completely changed her class from Dark Mage to Swordmaster, she did have her accumulated training, so this was indeed a stroke of fortune.
“With this, you’ll be able to keep up just fine by combining it with your dark magic. Of course, assuming you continue training like you did with me.”
“Sister… No, I mean….”
Minjeong’s eyes grew misty as she looked at Elsie.
‘Actually, it’s better that I don’t have to see that spirit’s face anymore!’
Serving such a temperamental spirit had been nothing but difficult, but now she was actually relieved!
Claude, watching this touching(?) farewell, smiled brightly and made a proposal to Minjeong.
“Excellent. We actually had a proposal for Tarak Dwaeji… as well.”
“Just call me by my name.”
“We would like to officially recruit Minjeong to Frontier.”
“Yes, yes?!”
Minjeong, who thought there was nothing left to surprise her, was startled once more.
To Frontier?
An ordinary Hunter like her?
Minjeong then furrowed her brow and asked.
“You’re not really con artists, are you?”
“Well… I’m aware that many imposters claim to be us, but you can trust us. And the Tarak Dwaeji… Minjeong isn’t as ordinary as you might think. After all, the Dark Mage alone has already surpassed the 30th Floor, and with Elsie’s training, she’s even developed some skill with the blade.”
Claude then pulled a document from the desk as if to completely dispel Minjeong’s suspicions.
Frontier’s recruitment contract.
‘This is just something you can print out, right?’
Minjeong had always received lectures from her mother about being careful when signing contracts and always suspecting people who treated you too well.
But then.
“…How much is this?”
The amount written at the end of the contract was far too large to be a scam.
Actually, it was so large it seemed even more like a scam…
Claude then turned on his phone, manipulated something, and showed it to Minjeong.
“Just sign, and I’ll deposit it immediately.”
The balance displayed was several digits higher than the signing bonus that had made Minjeong’s eyes bulge.
Scratch scratch—
Minjeong didn’t hesitate any longer and signed.
‘Why not?’
At this level, it’s worth getting scammed once!
Pat pat—
“Hey, well done, well done. See? When you listen to me, even dreams come true, right?”
Elsie patted Minjeong’s shoulder as if she’d predicted everything all along.
Minjeong stared blankly back and forth between Claude and Elsie’s faces.
She couldn’t believe her luck.
‘And… if I join Frontier, Ilgyeok won’t be able to ignore me anymore, right?!’
That was an added bonus.
When no response came from Minjeong, Claude spoke with a playful tone.
“Oh my, the Tarak Dwaeji… it seems Minjeong doesn’t quite approve. In that case, my proposal is…”
“Just call me by my name, Captain!!!”
And so, Minjeong became an Agent of Frontier, quite unexpectedly.
* * *
The next day, 46th Floor.
“From the 46th Floor onward, we can clear it the same way as before with other people, right?”
“Yes, Master. There should be no problems for a while.”
Ihyeon and Jia were conducting a final check in the Entrance Area.
Like the 45th Floor, they would eventually need to go Outside the Tower.
Since Ihyeon needed time to find a sniper position, there was no need for Jia to draw attention immediately.
But then.
Whoosh—
“?”
Ihyeon suddenly noticed something very out of place.
In the distance, a Red-Haired Girl was staring directly at where he and Jia stood, smiling brightly.
After all, only Jia had concealed her presence, so it wasn’t strange that the girl kept watching me.
Slip—
I tried to avert my gaze and resume my conversation with Jia.
But then.
Whoosh—
The girl shifted to where I’d looked and started laughing as she watched me again.
Slip—
Dash— Whoosh—
Slip—
Dash— Whoosh—
“Master, what’s wrong?”
Jia asked in bewilderment as I practically circled around her.
I couldn’t answer, cold sweat dripping down my face as I thought.
‘They’re even deploying children now? I know the military is short-staffed, but these cruel Defense Ministry bastards….’
Shouldn’t this be reported to the Labor Board?
Or does it not matter since they’re the same government agency?
By anyone’s measure, she clearly knew my identity.
And besides the Defense Ministry, who else would approach me knowing what I am?
I finally grasped just how terrifying the Defense Ministry could be.
“??”
While Jia still wore a confused expression.
Thud-thud-thud—!
Finally, the red-haired girl came running toward me.
“Master!”
“Huh?”
“Master?”
Everyone’s attention turned toward us.
Without hesitation, the girl who’d come running.
Bounce— Crash—!
Leaped onto my torso and clung to me.
The moment the surrounding people saw this, their expressions turned vicious.
“That scumbag….”
“Bringing a child into the Tower on top of everything else….”
I screamed internally.
‘What is this!’
Was this the Defense Ministry’s latest technique for catching draft dodgers?
It was undoubtedly a cunning and terrible method refined through countless iterations.
Forcing someone to return to the military through public humiliation!
“I… there’s been a misunderstanding. This child and I have never met before.”
“That’s what all criminals say!”
“A criminal?!”
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
“Let’s run. Now.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Run? Why?”
The girl tilted her head in confusion, but Jia and I threw our cloaks over ourselves and fled from the crowd’s gaze regardless.
“Wait, they’re running!”
“Stop right there, you bastard!”
The people tried to chase after me, but with my Stealth stat at 105 plus the concealing cloak, they couldn’t possibly catch me.
This is so unfair!
I’m Ilgyeok, the hero of the 43rd Floor, not some criminal!
We finally arrived at a quiet alley.
“What on earth is happening here…”
I set the girl down from where she’d been clinging to my chest.
Only then did Jia get a proper look at the girl’s face and gasped in surprise.
“Elsie? How did you…?”
“Oh, you know her?”
If that’s the case, shouldn’t she have clung to Jia instead of me?!
Jia nodded with an awkward expression.
“Yes. It’s just that…”
But before Jia could explain, the girl grinned and introduced herself.
“Master. I am the Legendary Sword, Elsie!”
“…”
Only then could I understand what was happening.
The New Recruit I’d sent back last time had somehow found a way to track me down and come all this way.
It was unsettling, but she hadn’t been officially assigned to my unit either.
I spoke in a cold tone.
“I didn’t choose you. Why am I your master?”
“Cough—cough—!”
Clearly not expecting such a response, Elsie’s face crumpled as if the world were ending, and she stumbled backward.
Jia also quietly wedged herself between me and Elsie, adding her support.
“The Master is right. Elsie, I never thought you’d actually leave the Tower despite its restrictions…”
“J-Jia, you too…?”
Elsie, who had never experienced rejection anywhere she went, was dealt a devastating blow.
Seeing that expression on a child’s face didn’t sit well with me.
‘…Can items really just wander around on their own like this?’
Curious about the circumstances, I asked with a more lenient tone.
“Just out of curiosity… why did you follow me?”
Elsie answered immediately with a firm tone, as if I’d asked something obvious.
“To climb the Tower with you, Master!”
If she called me her master one more time, I felt like I’d be dragged straight to the Ministry of Defense.
I shook my head and spoke.
“That’s exactly why I’m not your master.”
“Oh, am I wrong?”
Elsie stepped back with a deeply wounded expression, asking in return.
Looking at her, one might think we’d formed some grand master-servant bond.
Elsie pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Had she finally understood?
“You’re right when you think about it. Then Ilgy— Ughhhh!”
‘This insane sword spirit!’
Elsie, who was about to drop a bombshell revelation, was suddenly grabbed from both sides by me and Jia.
I whispered urgently to Elsie.
I asked her to understand that I was hiding my true identity for reasons of great importance.
When Elsie nodded and I released her, she spat and grumbled.
“Is this how someone who asks for understanding acts—by gagging people?”
“I apologize for that. As I said, it’s a matter of utmost importance.”
When I expressed my regret, Elsie made a few sulky sounds before brightening up again.
“Anyway, I want to climb up with you from now on!”
Her voice and expression were genuinely cheerful.
Since Jia already knew her, there seemed to be no reason to suspect ulterior motives.
I asked Jia.
“Jia, what do you think?”
Jia pondered briefly before answering.
“It would certainly be beneficial to you, Master.”
“See! Even that dark-hearted fox admits it!”
Dark-hearted fox?
Who?
I stared blankly at Jia.
I could accept the dark-hearted part, but if Jia was a dark-hearted fox, then every person in the world would be a con artist.
But that wasn’t what I meant when I asked Jia.
“I mean, is it possible to ascend with an item? I’ll accept it for you since you’re under my command, but…”
“Yes, it’s possible. Of course, it wouldn’t be a subordinate relationship like mine with you, but we could form a party structure.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded.
So she’d be classified as a different Hunter rather than master and item.
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
After all, my relationship with Jia had become almost that anyway by now.
Since I was rarely in danger, Jia didn’t play an important role as an item.
It was convenient and I quite liked it.
But then Jia added one more thing.
“But items alone cannot transcend a floor.”
“Transcend a floor?”
“Even if you clear the 50th Floor, you cannot advance to the 51st Floor unless you enter together from Outside the Tower.”
“I see?”
Ihyeon regarded Elsie with a distinctly intrigued expression.
Elsie yelped defensively, as though caught red-handed.
“You cunning fox! Why are you saying such pointless things?”
“Why? It’s rather crucial information.”
So in other words, without me escorting her directly, she couldn’t follow beyond the 50th Floor range?
Yet as Ihyeon processed this thought, his expression hardened into stone.
There was one ominous premonition this revelation suggested.
“…How did you climb up here?”

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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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