Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“See, this is what I’m talking about. Why don’t those who can, do this all the time? It would be great if they were dispatched earlier to block the Waves together.”

Leeha laughed as he strolled through the streets. He thought that finding the loudest place would lead him to where conflicts were happening, but surprisingly, most of the streets were crowded, making it hard to pinpoint exactly.

As he walked, memorizing the changed buildings and locations, he eventually sent a whisper to Kijung.

Leeha: Kijung? Where are you? Should I head to somewhere like the Sacred Knight’s office?

Kijung: Eh? Why go there, just Chain Call me. It’s the Red Goat paleo Tribe, hurry!

Leeha: Red Goat? Got it.

Though confused, Leeha didn’t ask further and activated his crystal sphere. The tribe of the Red Goats was a saved point, so it wasn’t difficult.

When his body teleported with a flash of lavender light, Leeha could sense Kijung’s urgency.

“…What’s going on?”

“Leeha!”

“Hyung!”

“Where have you been?”

Not only Kijung and Nara, but also the members of the Sacred Knights Order, senior members from the Stars, and those from the paleo tribe who had already transformed into Red Goats, were growling towards the exterior, weapons drawn in aggression.

“It’s been a while, Eldest hyung Youngblood.”

“Leeha…”

“Luckily you’ve arrived. Let’s save the joy of reunion for later. Now is not the time.”

“Hmm, seems like it. But…”

Loading his Kentucky Musket quickly, Leeha gestured towards the people outside the Red Goat tribe with his chin.

“Who are they? They don’t look like friends, that’s for sure.”

Youngblood, looking in the direction Leeha had nodded, replied with a gulp, “…Our mistake to think all humans were like you.”

“What’s that supposed to-”

“Hyung! These bastards came here to loot!”

Kijung cut off Leeha.

To loot? The paleo tribe? A place guarded by beings close to dragons, each tribe?

As Leeha looked confused, one of the people from outside stepped forward, waving his hand.

“You’re Leeha? Nice to meet you! We’re from Minis’s Virtuous Knight Order! We wanted to greet you during the national war, but it ended so unfortunately.”

Leeha had no idea who he was. Naturally, he couldn’t recall what role Minis’s Virtuous Knight Order had played or even grasp exactly what it meant that they were here to loot the paleo tribe.

“But one thing’s for sure-”

This pretentious man was clearly not on his side.

“-What are you?”

Even as Leeha’s voice turned aggressive, the man from the Virtuous Knight Order still had a relaxed expression, appearing utterly baffled by the question.

“Whatever do you mean? We’re just here to achieve some deeds. I mean, Fibiel took everything before we even got here—nothing left for us. So, we came to greet you, coincidentally. Talking about looting and whatnot… that’ll make our knights upset, wouldn’t it?”

As he shrugged, another person stepped forward.

“That’s right, that’s right! We even came here with a letter from the papacy! Is it so distasteful to want to boost our stats before facing a common enemy? If it were me, I’d be leading the way in showing which tribe’s achievements to target. Isn’t that a win-win?”

Leeha could tell this wasn’t their first rodeo. However, the idea that Minis’s Knight Order would act like street thugs was utterly preposterous.

‘Compared to the Sacred Knights, these guys are…’With disciplined movements and strict regulations, the pride of Sacred Knights!

Compared to the Sacred Knights, they seemed no different than a band of thieves.

Of course, he had no intention of getting offended by such remarks, nor did he have the desire to educate them.

“If all you were after were achievements, the Byulcho or Sacred Knights wouldn’t have bothered coming here. What exactly were you thinking?”

His voice was calm and composed.

The musket he calmly raised was already aiming at the knight at the forefront.

Before the joint operation of the four nations to find the Divine Staff even started, the first conflict had arisen.

“Didn’t I just say it’s about achievements? The Papacy called us on urgent dispatch, pushing us into a corner. We came bearing aid even for the savage NPCs, along with relief supplies.”

“Relief supplies? Seriously!”

Kijung exclaimed.

“A knight of the order, and a user at that, not ashamed to say such things? Unless set as beggars, NPCs capable of self-sustenance—”

“Hey.”

A user from the Virtue Knights cut off Kijung, nodding his head, prompting the knights standing behind to make way.

Hidden from view by the knights, there were indeed wagons loaded with supplies.

The wagons, not just one or two, were piled high with boxes containing food and various items.

“Don’t you know? It’s the easiest way to increase affinity—throw quantity at them. And it’s much quicker to raise it on behalf of our nation, our organization, rather than individually.”

He had a point.

But as everyone needed to gain affinity, the quantity dumped increased significantly.

Eventually, considering ‘cost-effectiveness,’ it would make more sense for individuals to work on their affinity and achievements.

Under normal circumstances, that is.

The user smirked at Leeha who was deep in thought, and spoke up again.

“I can’t imagine you didn’t understand… Great. Maybe you could clear up the misunderstandings some have about us. With Leeha-nim’s reputation, it should be easy, right?”

Given the urgency, the nation had supported them with relief supplies to be used all at once, offering a near-effortless and quick way for individuals to gain achievements.

Naturally, this displeased other users.

Thus, the Virtue Knights’ user was implying that the other nations and the Sacred Knights of Starfall and Shin Nara were ‘jealous,’ hence the interference.

It was almost akin to crafty framing.

“No. I have no reason to persuade them, and above all, I too want to misunderstand you. What I heard was ‘plunder.’ What does that mean?”

Leeha asked, still with a calm tone.

They had no intention to respond, so it was Shin Nara who answered.

“This isn’t a donation. They demanded land from the paleos in exchange for the resources they provided.”

“Land?”

Leeha glared, prompting the Virtue Knights’ user to shrug again.

“The New Continent is overflowing with land. We just thought it’d be nice to have a place near this forest for our training grounds and barracks. Are we to be accused of ‘plunder’ for that, putting us in a bad mood! Really, do you think we could all reside in Juma City? In that cramped city? As if the knights from four nations could live there, all snug and cozy?”

While their justification seemed sound, it was undoubtedly an unacceptable condition.

That very condition was what Leeha had worried about since setting foot on the New Continent for the first time.

“If the Knights of Minis start this…

Other nations won’t stay silent.

Even Fibiel, Leeha’s homeland, might issue a royal command. Then, naturally, Shin Nara of the Sacred Knights would have no choice but to comply.

Above all, indiscriminate territorial expansion inevitably leads to war.

Having studied this in the military, Leeha couldn’t take their words at face value, knowing their intentions weren’t pure. Leeha pulled the trigger.

Click!

As a light friction sound was heard, the face of a Virtuous Knight Order user turned fierce.

“You have no authority, Leeha. You know that, right? Yet, we ‘respect’ you. Leeha, one of the users with the highest reputation in the New Continent, and Shin Nara, the first user to join a knight order among users. We simply don’t want to be on bad terms with you, nor do we wish to cause friction here.”

“Seems like you’re not aware that you’re already causing it. And I may not have authority, but what do you think will happen if this gets to the papacy?”

His demeanor was as fierce as his face. The entire Virtuous Knight Order was ready for battle in an instant, which alone was enough to gauge their strength.

Kijug: Hyung-ah, are they serious?

Leeha: Fibiel’s Sacred, Minis’s Virtue. Equal rank, equal status. Selected purely based on skill.

He regretted asking, but it was too late. The muzzle of the Kentucky Musket was already aimed precisely at the forehead of the knight in front.

‘So it’s selection based on skill, huh? That’s why assholes and robbers like him can get in?’

Yet no one stopped such talk. It occurred to him that this rude person might hold the highest position among the Virtue Knights present.

‘But he’s not a tank anyway. He can’t dodge my shot.’ In the worst-case scenario, shoot to kill immediately and subdue the Virtitude Knight Order. If a mediation request is sent to the papacy afterwards, it could be resolved without further issues. After all, they were the ones looking for trouble.

Leeha exchanged glances with him. Although the words were aggressive, there was logic, reason, and status behind them. Such a user would not be easy to handle.

‘Their stance, their proficiency in combat… Could it be similar to the Sacred, possibly even the Capital Defense Knights?’

It was surprising how familiar they seemed with war and skirmishes.

For a moment, it felt like facing a wild beast.

‘But he’s not a beast. No, even if he is, it doesn’t matter. You’re not Toon.’ Therefore, I can shoot.

Leeha felt no hesitation after sorting out his thoughts. It seemed there was no other way, as the other side showed no sign of backing down.

Both Leeha’s side and the Virtuous Knight Order’s side seemed to be holding their breath, getting ready with their skills. It felt like they would clash instantly if no one intervened. Leeha was confident. At the very least, he could blow the head off the unlucky guy standing in front of him with a single shot. But what came after was the problem.

‘But is it really okay to fight here? We have the Sacred Knights on our side, but they outnumber us by far.’

Even with Red Goat paleo and Byulcho combined with some members of the Sacred Knight Order, their numbers were more than 50% greater. A battle here would result in severe casualties.

‘No, if they don’t back down anyway, the answer is clear. I need to shoot. If we don’t strike first, our chances of winning drop even further.’ Convincing himself, Leeha swallowed his saliva. Among the sentences he thought, as if casting a spell, one thought crossed his mind before any other.

[Can you really shoot? Can you really pull the trigger?]