I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 93

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

Episode 93
Ep. 93
Meanwhile, Ihyeon was absorbed in enthusiastically dispersing smoke screens, oblivious to what the Spirits were saying about him.
“Ilgyeok is the best!”
Just then, the person standing beside Ihyeon called out to him with a puzzled expression.
“Oh? When did you arrive?”
“Huh?”
Ihyeon flinched involuntarily but responded without letting it show naturally.
However, the Hunter pressed him with questions, looking extremely suspicious.
“You weren’t the one standing next to me until just now… Did you come in after the clear notification appeared?”
It was a reasonable observation.
After all, Ihyeon was Ilgyeok himself—he couldn’t have left before the clear notification appeared!
“Well, that is…”
As Ihyeon’s mind raced, trying to think of a plausible explanation.
The Hunter who had spoken to him broke into a wide smile and said.
“That’s possible, right? What does it matter if you came in late? The important thing is the spirit of congratulations, isn’t it?”
“…Haha, that’s right! I’m actually someone who comes in at night and sleeps during the day.”
Ihyeon sheepishly scratched the back of his head and agreed with the Hunter’s words.
Rather than suspecting him of being Ilgyeok, the Hunter was treating him as someone who had lazily arrived after the notification instead of coming in early.
‘Well, everyone thinks Jia is Ilgyeok anyway, so why would they suspect me?’
Ihyeon was being overly cautious, but the image of Ilgyeok that had already solidified in people’s minds was completely different from him, so there was no reason for suspicion.
Moreover, with so many fans of Ilgyeok, black armor similar to Jia’s was selling like hotcakes—now even with a premium, it was impossible to find any in stock!
Whenever Jia showed herself even moderately, people would just think, “Oh, another person cosplaying as Ilgyeok,” and move on.
In any case, seeing Ihyeon’s reaction, the Hunter became even more convinced his assumption was correct, and his laughter grew louder.
“Haha, actually I used to be like that too. I changed my schedule because of Ilgyeok.”
“I see~”
“Ilgyeok really makes so many people change their lives. My parents are really happy about it.”
“I’m actually in a similar situation.”
This time, Ihyeon agreed without any guilt whatsoever.
Though he smiled outwardly, Ihyeon had been living like a walking corpse back in the Military.
What had transformed him into someone so vibrant now was the unexpected awakening of Gun.
And the identity of ‘Ilgyeok.’
“Haha.”
“Hehehe!”
Ihyeon and the Hunter shared hearty laughter together.
As they continued their banter, the celebratory mood among the people was drawing to a close.
“Alright, everyone! Let’s start dispersing now!”
“Don’t forget sustainable fan activities!”
Members of the Hanmang Cafe voluntarily stepped forward to manage the crowd!
Since everyone had gathered with good intentions, they followed the instructions very well.
The crowd rapidly thinned out, soon reaching a population density indistinguishable from an ordinary 50th Floor Public Area.
It was a exemplary case of “sustainable fan activity” that foreign media outlets found remarkable enough to introduce.
‘Hmm, I wonder whose fans those are. How gratifying.’
Ihyeon nodded with satisfaction as he observed the scene.
Though I hadn’t directly contributed to fan culture, there was something to be said about heart-to-heart connection—a sentiment and spirit transmitted from one soul to another, wasn’t there?
While I was still basking in this satisfaction, I suddenly—
Whoosh—
noticed two spirits standing motionless behind me, staring in my direction.
Embarrassment had always been my burden.
Just then, Elsie approached me and gently tapped my arm in encouragement.
“Master, I heard everything. You work so hard.”
“…?”
It would have been better if she’d made a cutting remark in her usual character, asking why I was being so dramatic. This encouragement only made me feel more ashamed.
I deliberately averted my gaze and spoke.
“L-let’s head home. I need to check the rewards.”
“Understood, Master.”
“Right, right. Let’s check the rewards.”
Elsie had become surprisingly obedient.
But somehow, it felt less like the absolute loyalty Jia displayed and more like spontaneous sympathy.
‘If I asked, she’d probably blame it on the Tower’s restrictions.’
Thinking thoughts reminiscent of the fable of the sour grapes and the fox, I promptly returned home.
* * *
My smokescreen operation was one thing.
But checking rewards was always thrilling and delightful.
‘Especially when it’s a mid-boss clear reward.’
Particularly this time—it was the reward from the 55th Floor, no less.
With the Maesek Gun placed in the center of the room, the two spirits and I huddled together cozily.
With trembling anticipation, I began checking the notifications one by one.
「55th Floor Clear Reward.
You have obtained 10 C-Grade Mana Stones.
Check your inventory.」
‘Right, let’s start with this.’
Befitting a mid-boss, the mana stone reward was far greater than from ordinary floors.
C-Grade mana stones went for around 400 to 500 per piece.
This was precisely why Hunters pushed themselves to their limits, desperately trying to camp at higher floors.
The saying that changing one’s mana stone grade changes one’s entire life wasn’t mere exaggeration.
My mana stat was now approaching 200, the threshold limit for upgrading to C-Grade.
Everything beyond that could be converted to cash, so mana stones were incredibly important to me as well.
But the true core of this reward wasn’t these ordinary mana stones.
‘The S+ privilege. That’s what matters most.’
From my experience, every 5 floors, the S+ rank privilege granted exceptionally special rewards.
Gulp—
I swallowed hard.
Gulp—
The Spirits beside me also swallowed in unison, as if they were sharing in my tension.
The moment I moved to the next notification window.
“!!!!!!”
My jaw dropped without my realizing it.
I wasn’t the only one shocked by this absurd reward.
“…Did this really appear?”
When I dazedly revealed what the privilege reward was.
“J-Jia, does that even make sense?”
“…I’ve never seen this before.”
Even the Spirits seemed unable to believe what they were hearing with their own ears.
And for good reason, because from the 55th Floor’s rewards.
「S+ Rank Clear Privilege.
An additional item, ‘Distributable Stat +5 Ticket,’ has been granted.」
This was why something so ridiculous had suddenly appeared.
As I relayed the name of this item to the Spirits, I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
‘No way, it’s giving me additional distributable stats? Does that even make sense?’
In truth, how many stats a Hunter receives per level up serves as a strict measure of ‘tier’ among Hunters.
No matter how hard they try, a Hunter who receives 5 per level can never ultimately defeat a Hunter who receives 7.
It’s no coincidence that Hunters who receive 10 per level are called ‘Transcendents,’ and even among those Transcendents, an implicit hierarchy exists.
Yet here was an item that would inflate the number ‘5’—something a Hunter normally needs a full level up to obtain—with just a single ticket. How destructive could that be?
Especially when it was distributable stats that I could allocate directly myself, making it even more broken.
“Wow… Wow….”
Even Elsie, who always acted like a tomboy, could only repeat “wow” with her mouth agape at this moment.
I pulled the ticket from my inventory and held it carefully in both hands as if it were treasure itself.
So carefully, as if it might tear at any moment.
‘…Right, I’ll have to tear it to use it anyway.’
That’s how other ticket-type items had worked so far.
But could I really tear it?
What if I tear it and they say “it’s invalid because you tore it”?
If that happened, I was fully prepared to shed one of the three tears I’m only allowed in my lifetime.
With a pale face, I asked the Spirits.
“The ticket activates when you tear it, right?”
I’d used a few before, but you always have to test the bridge before crossing it!
Especially when distributable stat +5 is on the other side of that bridge.
I should kick it, hit it with a hammer, and test it every way possible.
At my question, Jia and Elsie nodded simultaneously.
However, they too seemed unable to bring themselves to tear up such a precious ticket.
But I quickly made a firm decision.
‘It’s also the conductor’s responsibility to make bold decisions when everyone else hesitates!’
Strictly speaking, it was I who led Jia and Elsie.
Jia, who served me with unwavering strictness, went without saying.
Elsie had also defied even the Tower’s restrictions and rushed out following only me, so accepting her was my responsibility as well.
The Sergeant was merely in a position to follow the officers’ commands.
But now that I had left the Military and commanded the Spirits, I was the one in complete charge!
I forced my trembling hands to steady themselves.
Riiiiip—
“W-wait! Master, are you really tearing it up?!”
Crrrunch—
“N-no! It’s really tearing!”
“Be quiet, Elsie. I’m already anxious enough.”
“O-okay, Master.”
Shreeeeek—!
I boldly tore up the Stat Distribution Ticket!
Then a notification window appeared before my eyes.
「The item ‘Stat Distribution +5 Ticket’ has been destroyed.
Its effect disappears.」
It was naturally not some ridiculous notification like that.
「Your Stat Distribution permanently increases by 5.
The Spirits held in your possession permanently increase by 2.」
“Wow…!”
The content was overwhelming with emotion.
First, my own stats rose by 5 as the ticket stated.
‘And it’s not a one-time use—it’s permanent!’
Honestly, even if it had been one-time use, the effect would have been substantial enough to accept, so I had been somewhat anxious.
But the system made it clear that it wasn’t being stingy about this.
And that wasn’t all.
It wasn’t only applied to me.
The Spirits in my possession—Jia and Elsie—also received an increase of 2.
Now for me, it was 20 per level.
The two Spirits would receive exactly 15 per level in Stat Distribution.
I asked with a trembling voice.
“Jia, Elsie. Did you both get notifications too?”
The two Spirits didn’t share all my notifications, but they seemed to see things related to themselves, so I asked.
But the two Spirits’ reaction was strange.
Plink— plop—
Jia and Elsie, who had been quietly looking at me, suddenly began shedding tears!
‘It’s certainly something worth crying tears of joy over….’
I could understand her feelings to some extent.
I was also curious whether there might be other reasons I didn’t know about.
But then Jia, who had been crying, suddenly sprang to her feet.
“I have received a debt of gratitude I can never repay. From now on, I shall devote my body and soul to serving you, Master.”
She said this while bowing deeply at the waist.
Ihyeon waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t make such a big deal out of it. What you’re doing now is more than enough.”
If she pledged her loyalty two more times like that, I wouldn’t have any items left.
However, unlike usual when she would mock Jia by calling her an “armored fox,” Elsie didn’t do so this time.
“No, this is completely different. I’m going to pledge my loyalty to Master from now on too.”
“Elsie, you too?”
When Ihyeon asked in bewilderment, Elsie nodded seriously.
“Master still doesn’t quite understand the meaning of stats yet… but anyway, that’s how it is! It’s very precious to us, so stop asking questions and just accept it!”
“That doesn’t really sound like the tone of someone pledging loyalty….”
Ihyeon thought that while she spoke that way, nothing would actually change in substance, but he didn’t pay it much mind.
In fact, if Elsie became as docile as Jia while pledging her loyalty, he might actually miss her current attitude more.
Meanwhile, unlike Elsie, Jia explained the meaning of stats to the extent she could.
“The stats you receive per level are, to put it very roughly, a measure of your standing.”
“Standing?”
“Yes. Of course, the difference between 4 and 5 wouldn’t be that large… but as the numbers increase, the gap becomes unimaginably vast. However, Master, you have already been receiving a stat of 15.”
“Hmm. I see. I understand roughly.”
Ihyeon nodded as if that was sufficient.
Then it certainly made sense.
Why I was stronger than Hunters of the same level, or even those at much higher levels.
For instance, it seemed that stats per level weren’t simply numbers, but were also connected to their quality.
‘Well, there was that mention before about stat effects increasing, so it’s not entirely impossible.’
And if there were certain stats in between where the gap in standing suddenly widened?
Then the reason those who received 10 stats are classified as “superhuman” wouldn’t be solely due to people’s perception.
In other words, thanks to this opportunity, not only my stats but my standing itself had skyrocketed by five levels.
“In any case, it’ll soon be time for a level up, so I should be able to see the effects from then on.”
“Yes, thank you for your understanding.”
Even 15, which I had been receiving until now, could be called unprecedented, but 20?
That was certainly unique and unparalleled.
Ihyeon called up the status windows of himself, Jia, and Elsie while thinking such thoughts.
The meaningful smile he wore was a bonus.
“Why, why are you smiling like that, Master?”
“Since things have come to this….”
Though he didn’t speak like Elsie, Jia also seemed puzzled by Ihyeon’s sudden change in demeanor.
But Ihyeon paid no attention and stated his business.
“Should I go ahead and clean out the remaining stat points?”

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