Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

As the storm of explosion swept over, players wrapped their heads and scrambled in confusion to escape. A moment later, amidst the roar of the storm, the voices of several people grew louder.

“Hey, where did that person who was just here go? Kidd, right? It was Kidd! Where did that person go?”

“What? That person is Kidd? Sleeping – no, [Rapidfire] Kidd? The one that the Wood Elves were sharpening their knives for?”

Meanwhile, there were those who recognized Kidd. However, where Kidd had been standing, there was nothing but an empty space on the ground.

“Oh my god! Kidd is dead!”

“What? Kidd is dead? That Kidd!”

“Whoa! Kidd must have been facing a monster strong enough to kill him!”

“Run like your life depends on it! The World Tree Forest is right ahead!”

Then a voice cut through the chaos.

“It’s noisy. Who said someone died?”

“Aggrieved”

As the fleeing players suddenly collided with a shadow appearing in front of them, they stumbled on the ground. When they got back up, they could clearly see the player who had blocked their path.

Kidd frowned, pressing down on his hat.

“Kidd! You’re not dead-“

“I said it’s noisy. Quickly tell me what you know. Where did you find that, and what is it.”

With movements much faster than a well-ranked, he could evade the monster’s shelling, but even then, it was not a complete escape. Burn marks were clearly visible on the coat’s hem. There was no time to relax.

“I-I don’t know! Towards the eastern part of the New Continent.

I received a quest to find the Forgotten Tribe and was on my way! Suddenly, those monsters sprang out of nowhere-“

“We were planning to hunt down a few Manticores! Our hunting team is quite efficient in the western part of the New Continent, you know? But as soon as those monsters jumped out from the other Manticore herd, the situation suddenly changed! That strange Manticore-“

“Have you seen the Gryphons?”

“Gryphons?”

“Amidst the chimeras approaching intently from the mainland, did you not see any other monsters?”

“Damn it! How could I have noticed that! Dealing with the one in the air right now-“

“Oh no! Please dodge!”

Kidd gathered all his strength in his calves and leaped backward. What was seen from afar had once again come into view, moving!

“Gahhhhhhhhh!”

Thud.

“Crap!”

Kidd covered his face to block the heat pouring out along with the aftermath. But before covering his face, he could see, as if frozen in jet light, the figures of users turning into smithereens unable to escape the explosion radius.

‘The attack power is equal to or greater than usual Luger… If Ghibrid is a Demon King’s Fragment creating Chimeras, then Luger probably is…’

There were no more users to provide information. However, with just fragments of information about Luger’s whereabouts and the fragmented mentions made by the users, Kidd could infer the situation.

“I haven’a heard any stories about Ghibrid flying. Then even with Ghibrid present, it is assumed that they would be at least 2.56 meters away from the center of the Chimeras herd. Judging by the speed, it will take a considerable amount of time to reach here. Above all, there is hope.”

Blinking, Kidd ran away, passing by three users, without turning back. Out of 25 members of an attack unit, only three people survived. Kidd thought of it as unlucky luck. One of the three must surely go to Juma and report what happened, then the likelihood of reinforcements arriving was high.

“Then I only have one thing to do.”

Drenching his burnt coat, Kidd swiftly drew out the “Crimson Geckos”. Not only the Manticores combined with Luger but also the regular Manticores were flying towards Kidd.

Just the number of regular Manticores exceeded twenty. From Kidd’s point of view, who had never battled with a Manticore before, that alone was burdensome enough.

Not to mention, including Manticores-Luger altogether? It would be incomparable to the total combat power of twenty Manticores.

However, Kidd did not retreat. Under the firmly pressed fedora, Kidd’s grin was, in fact, rising.

“No, perhaps this is what I wished for. Luger, you have already logged out, I presume…”

Luger was aggressive. Moreover, he had the skills to back up that aggression. Furthermore, despite seeming somewhat flaky, the person charging at the opponent more shrewdly than the opponent is none other than Luger.

But what about only Luger?

Kidd knew better than anyone the power of [Pierce] and how difficult it is to deal with it. In some ways, it is not an exaggeration to say that Kidd understood the [Pierce] power more shrewdly than Luger. The reason he has been stepping back until now is that he did not pay much attention to proving his strength through fighting.

His nickname up to now has been ‘Sleeping,’ after all. When did he start to change like that?

“However, you’re not my rival, Luger.”

Despite his sly face and childish attitude, he exuded charisma that gripped those around him or played Middle Earth in unconventional ways that others hadn’t considered. Kidd knew himself. Something had changed within him since he recognized his rapid growth and acknowledged Luger as a rival.

At some point, Kidd started to genuinely want to compete against Luger. Of course, in Middle Earth, it was almost impossible to do so. Even for the consistency of future quests, Kidd decided that it was better not to attack each other sincerely, even if they growled at each other.

But what about now?

One of the Three Musketeers transformen into a monster?

Kidd raised his hand, fiddling with the brim of his hat. His eyes sparkled beneath the hat. In an instant, the barrel of Luger’s rifle gleamed.

“I too have been waiting for the day to cross swords with you!”

Grrrrr—

As the thunderous boom and dust started to scatter, Kidd’s figure was no longer visible.

The battle of the Three Musketeers, ready to kill each other with all their might, had just begun.

“Is that really true?”

“Y-yes! If we don’t dispatch the paladins quickly – no, Kidd must have already died!”

It was natural for chaos to erupt within the Papacy.

The three surviving users protected by Kidd teleported to the Papacy of Ezwen together. Armed with the urgent information of Manticores and Chimeras appearing, they had already entered the Pope’s inner sanctum.

Phew…

“Do not wait for my command. Has the current location of [Exorcism Cardinal] been identified?”

“W-We are currently locating it. It is presumed to be on the New Continent…”

The formerly known as Romero, the present Pope Urban II, nodded as he listened to the report from the accompanying Exorcism Cardinal.

“Immediately dispatch troops, including paladins, to assist the Exorcism Cardinal. If necessary, mobilize all the forces, including the Pope’s guards.”

“T-That cannot be done! At this moment, shortly after the conclusion of the Conclave, the Pope’s safety is above all else-“

“Cardinal Giovanni.”

“Y-Yes, Your Holiness.”

“I trust you know what is important. There are no enemies within the Papacy anymore. Isn’t it the Exorcism Cardinal who has also kept me safe?”

The Pope smiled. Who was the threat to the Pope’s safety within the Papacy, and what has happened now?

Urban II vividly remembered the incident where he had discovered Tuscullani’s electoral fraud and effectively buried him socially. Naturally, bishop Giovanni, assisting the Pope, was also present in the room.”

Understood. I will immediately dispatch three hundred Paladins, including the Papal Guard, to the Excorcism Cardinal.”

“Excellent. And please do not forget the resting place for the esteemed guests who brought important news.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Being appointed as the Pope did not change 80’s personality.

The three users listening to the conversation between the Pope and Cardinal couldn’a help but show a touched expression.

Meanwhile, Kijung was clearing out monsters near the village that Ram Hwayeon was newly constructing.

It was part of the [Balchisan 885198ㅁ Project] for Mwabielle, involving a collaboration with Hwahong, but the situation completely changed due to the urgent summons from the Vatican.

“A Manticore and a Chimera!?”

“Kijung, you need to go now!”

Bobae strongly insisted, “Even though it’s Demon King’s Fragment, just looking at Kijung now, he can’a do anything.”

The sentiments of the other team members were not much different.

When a Manticore and a Chimera appear, it means Ghibrid has appeared. Despite this, they, including Hyein, Tale, Biyemi, showed no particular signs of worry.

They remembered that Kijung had defeated Ghibrid twice before.

‘Oh no, this is bad. Is it going to happen again this time?’

However, Kijung, the main character, had to quickly send a message without showing his panic.

Kijung: Hey, are you fooling around with Ghibrid again?

Leeha: What? What are you talking about?

Kijung: Ah, nevermind. Manticore and Chimeras appeared near the Forest of the Corrupted World Tree, thought you might be Ghibrid. If you can help–Wait, no, you are really busy and doing something important right now! Don’t bother coming out and take care of your own body! I’ll guard [Divine Staff] well!”

‘If he could help, would I have to ask my hyung for it…?’

Kijung had to swallow his bitter words while listening to the response. It was disappointing that his hyung gave such a cruel answer. Of course, it was because Kijung had no idea about his hyung’s current situation.

“Kijung, are you not going?”

“I-I have to go. I have to…go.”

Kijung swallowed hard. In a way, this encounter with Ghibrid could be considered Kijung’s “true first battle.”

“The first was Leeha’s dragon. And the second… even now, it sends shivers down my spine to think about it. We fought playfully like that.”

Kijung vividly remembered the battle that day when he joked around with Leeha, laughing while chatting.

Ghibrid’s attacks were definitely more ferocious than the first. In reality, there was a significant decrease in damage too. But wasn’a his heart as cold as ice?

“If on that day… you hadn’t suddenly retreated to a higher position, I would have died.”

Turning away from Kijung, Ghibrid spoke after syncing his movements with Kijung. There was no allied forces, no unusual circumstances at that moment. Thanks to that action, Kijung could have even stronger faith in Blaugrunn.

“That day was all just my misunderstanding. This is real now. Fighting the real Ghibrid.”

“Shwaaaa…!”

At that moment, a holy amber light flickered before Kijung’s eyes.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a message from His Holiness the Pope.”

Ezwen, who had located Kijung, sent the message from the Vatican. The moment he placed his hand on that light, he would be transported to the location designated by the Pope.

“Phew… please focus on clearing out the monsters around this area.”

“Haha, you don’t need our power to deal with Ghibrid, do you?”

“It’s not that-“

“Biyemi, isn’t Kay in trouble? Haha. Alright, have a safe trip, Kay. Don’t forget to record.”

Listening to Biyemi’s words, Kijung, who had planned not to say a word, had to shut his mouth due to Hyein’s natural flow of the conversation. He wanted to ask for help. However, since it was hard to predict how bad the situation would be if they were to face the real Ghibrid and a pack of Chimeras, Kijung decided to firm up his heart for now.

“First, let’s assess the situation.”

Kijung adjusted his expression. With a smile that could fully demonstrate the Guild Master’s trust, he placed his hand on the light.

“Well then, I’ll be off!”

Poof!

Kijung was immediately teleported near the Forest of the Corrupted World Tree. There, the Paladins and Papal Guards who had been dispatched were already waiting for him.

“Total of 555 members, in accordance with His Holiness’s will, I am once again appointed as the Holy Knight’s aide! Towards the Exorcist Adjunct… salute!”

“Did even the Papal Guard come? Ah, no need to be so formal right now.”