Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Ah, no. I wasn’t underestimating-” The White Reaper extended a hand as he spoke.

『This is the name you’ll need to remember from now on.』

Leeha stared at the semi-transparent spirit’s outstretched hand for a moment before grasping it.

“Gah! But I can’t grab it!”

He was startled as his hand passed through thin air, causing the White Reaper and Blaugrunn to burst into laughter.

『Ha, hahaha!』

“Pffft! Ha Leeha-nim can’t touch spirits! Only spirits can touch Ha Leeha-nim!”

“Seriously, teasing me at a time like this?”

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Leeha looked at the spirit and the dragon with a puzzled expression.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even tried using that fixed wind terrain.’

It was certainly an absurd and chaotic quest.

However, he could distinctly feel that the quest related to his second job change had reached a conclusion.

I have reported everything to the President.

Great! When should I come?

You can come now. By the way, Ha Leeha-nim, 6,541 Giants were killed by you and the White Reaper. Since our initial participants were around 28,000, you fought nearly 25% of our forces.

Hearing Karelin’s whisper, Leeha was once again astonished.

He estimated that he had dealt with about 3,000 Giants himself.

Then the remaining 3,000?

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“The , … indeed. You’ve earned nicknames comparable to the Black Death.”

Leeha, with a perplexed look, ruffled Blaugrunn’s head and pulled out an orb.

“Then, lord Blaugrunn, I’ll be back. Since we won the war, we must hold the defeated nation accountable.”

『Understood.』

“Ha Leeha-nim, I told you not to touch my head! My head- my head-”

Swoosh! ꙼ Leeha and Blaugrunn teleported simultaneously.

In front of the main gate of Larin Palace.

They were just two, but the dignified march of the victorious side left countless Giant guards unable to lift their heads.

“Can I… go inside?”

Leeha asked the Giant guards with a wide smile. The same guards who once gave him a near-dismissive treatment when he came to meet Karelin.

“Of course! I mean, ah-”

“His Excellency is waiting for you, Ha Leeha-nim. Lord Karelin will be out soon, so please wait here for a moment!”

The Giant guards, fumbling over their words, barely managed to convey their intentions. Leeha chuckled upon hearing this.

‘Indeed. Even though my public reputation is negative… the quest completion results are already reflecting positively?’

These were not users, but 1448s.

The reason why the national guards of another country were so nervous was a reflection of Leeha’s risen prestige.

Shortly after, Karelin, looking exhausted, walked out through the main gate. Leeha waved at him cheerfully.

“No need to act so friendly. It’s not like we’re long-time friends.”

“Of course I’m glad to see you, lord Karelin. You’re the one who’s going to help me complete my quest! Isn’t that right?”

Leeha playfully tapped Karelin’s arm. Karelin sighed and shook his head.

They hadn’t known each other’s names and faces for very long.

Moreover, they hadn’t even suffered or hunted together.

In fact, they had tried to kill each other like mortal enemies during that short period.

Even so, both Leeha and Karelin felt that the barriers between them had somewhat crumbled.

“Is it because you resemble Kijung Gyeong-gyeong… No, not in looks, but- do men really bond through fighting?”

Perhaps it was because Karelin’s personality reminded him of Kijung and Hwan in some peculiar way.

“Then this side is…”

“This side?”

“The, dragon-”

“Yes, a dragon.”

Karelin glanced at Blaugrunn and spoke, but Blaugrunn’s response was cold.

“Technically, a giant-”

“In my eyes, there’s no difference between humans and your species. Do you call yourselves ‘giants’ just because of such slight size differences?”

Blaugrunn, being in his current boyish form, was less than half the size of Karelin, making his remark amusing. Although Leeha chuckled, Karelin earnestly nodded.

“I see. Understood, dragon.”

Leeha wanted to laugh more at this scene straight out of a comedy, but he barely managed to suppress it, knowing it would ruin the atmosphere.

The guards standing in the palace corridors couldn’t even properly look at Leeha and Blaugrunn.

Even though Leeha was grinning, he was already a famous figure across the entire Shazrashian Federation.

Moreover, Blaugrunn, following Karelin, was ready to obliterate everyone on a moment’s notice.

‘I made the right choice in bringing him. Initially as insurance, but now it feels like the best decision.’

Bringing Blaugrunn as a deterrent to prevent a bloody situation turned out to be the wisest choice.

After passing by a reception room they had visited once before and a corridor where he had used the multi-headed shot, Leeha finally arrived at a door.

The decorations on this door were far more splendid than any he had seen before. Karelin took a deep breath in front of it.

“Your Excellency, Ha Leeha-nim has arrived.”

Karelin didn’t wait for a response. As if everything had been prearranged, he opened the door immediately.

Creaaaak…

Finally, the door opened, and Leeha saw him.

A 48 vastly different from the Giant he had seen in a secret meeting room at the Ezwen Papal.

“Welcome, Ha Leeha-nim.”

The highest authority in the Shazrashian Federation, and one of the other of Middle Earth whom Leeha met for the first time, except for the King of Fibiel.

The Giant, with a cold glint in his eyes and a crooked smile, extended a hand toward Leeha.

The negotiation table was filled with a palpable tension.

Attending as a representative of the ‘victorious nation’ to hold them accountable for the war.

But hadn’t the negotiation already been scrapped once?

Leeha didn’t intend to unconditionally suppress them with power.

“So… what is it that you seek to demand?”

“Yes, it’s something I couldn’t demand last time. I hope His Excellency the President will pay attention to the discrimination and human rights protection within the Shazrashian Federation.”

The phrase ‘couldn’t demand last time’ itself was intended to provoke the President.

At that time, Leeha had conveyed his intentions perfectly to Karelin, who then communicated it to the President. The President, however, ignored it and tried to suppress it with force.

The result was ‘this mess,’ as implied.

“Oh, I see. I didn’t realize you were so concerned about our Federation. It seems I did not fully grasp your intentions.”

The President rolled his eyes to look at Karelin.

Karelin was doing his best not to meet the President’s gaze, staring straight ahead instead.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Leeha remained silent afterward. The President already knew what Leeha wanted. The hope was that the other side would ‘act accordingly.’

Blaugrunn, displaying the patience typical of a dragon, remained silent and didn’t make any movements. Leeha also refrained from tapping his fingers on the table or shaking his legs, simply maintaining eye contact with the President.

“So… from our side…”

How many minutes had passed during this silent standoff? Nothing could be achieved at a negotiation table where no one spoke. And it was always the ‘loser’ who had to back down first.

Not knowing what else Leeha might demand, or what more he might ask for, was the most frightening thing for someone in a position of uncertainty.

“I believe it would be wise to accept Ha Leeha-nim’s… ‘suggested compromises.’”

Eventually, the President spoke first.

“Drafting it into a legal document would likely be a helpful measure.”

“We will gratefully accept that… advice as well.”

Crack!

The sound of teeth grinding came from somewhere, but Leeha pretended not to hear it.

Karelin glanced at the President in surprise, but soon lifted his head and stared straight ahead.

“And regarding the matter of reparations… I don’t know how to put this…”

“Reparations? What do you mean, reparations?”

“As you may know, a large number of Shazrashian Giants swarmed in and caused some waste of surrounding resources. In terms of environmental protection, I tried to mitigate this with a ‘light touch’… which resulted in some damage on my side. How should we resolve this?”

Leeha rubbed his shoulder, pretending to be hurt.

The President, as well as Karelin, looked bewildered.

“What, what nonsense are you talking about? We’re now dealing with-”

“Nothing happened between Fibiel and Shazrashian. President, I’ll say it again… this is not about Fibiel and Shazrashian. You know that, right?”

It was not a war between Fibiel and Shazrashian.

Isn’t it about maintaining the alliance?

This is an issue between individuals and groups, purely addressing the damage caused by the group to the responsible party.

“Such…”

The President’s face twisted. Karelin’s did too.

Both Karelin, as a legislator, and the President, at the L80 level, surely understood such indirect and tactful expressions.

Only Blaugrunn, who had no interest in human conflicts, sat there indifferently.

“I haven’t had an exact diagnosis yet… but once I do, I’ll send an appropriate invoice. That would be the cleanest solution, right? If you distrust ‘the invoice I send,’ I could reluctantly utilize a royal physician from Fibiel for the documentation.”

It would be wise to end this as a matter between individuals and groups.

Otherwise, we can escalate it to a national issue.

Leeha’s words bordered on a threat, and veins began to bulge on the President’s forehead.

Rumble!

Once again, a sound echoed throughout the room.

Leeha could tell it was the President’s chair scraping against the floor, but he pretended not to notice.

“If you promise to uphold what I’ve said so far, protecting the environment is essential, but I’m willing to assist Shazrashian in resource development.”

There was no need to defer to the President’s will.

Showing their desired negotiation card briefly from the start was enough. With those words, the rumbling sound stopped.

The President looked at Leeha with surprised eyes.

The highest authority in Shazrashian? He was already in the palm of Leeha’s hand.

“Very well. Then let’s draft the agreement immediately-”

“Oh right! By the way, I heard that there were originally Panlinde people on that land? I am now acting as a representative for some Panlinde people… should we also discuss the of the profits from the mines developed in the northern part of that land?”

Leeha spoke with a sly smile. The President’s expression twisted once again.

His face began to change rapidly in response to Leeha’s approach of giving a cure after a blow then striking again.

Without concern, Leeha continued.

“Since the natives have been managing the land during the period it was abandoned by the nation… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’ve been looking after it, right? Of course, they may not care much about that, but as their ‘representative,’ I am here to discuss the contractual matters-”

Kaboom!

“What are you talking about! Damn Fibiel brat-”

Finally, the President exploded.

As his fist smashed down, the table shattered completely, and before Karelin could restrain him, the President charged towards Leeha.

Mana had already gathered in Blaugrunn’s hand. However, Leeha didn’t request his assistance.

It was as if he had been waiting for the President to burst, and then he calmly said just one phrase.

“.”

From the tip of Leeha’s pointing finger, an ‘Uncanny’ emerged.

Though it was not visible to Karelin and Blaugrunn, the President could see it clearly as he charged at Leeha.

“How are you here…”

The President’s rage, intent on tearing Leeha’s throat, was momentarily suppressed by the presence of the familiar entity.

But the Uncanny immediately spoke.

“Do I still look like 『that』 to you?”

At that moment, the President screamed.

“W-White Reaper—!”

That was the last thing he said before collapsing forward in a faint.

“Your Excellency! Ha Leeha-nim, what is-”

“He just fainted.”

Karelin rushed to lift him up, glaring at Leeha. Leeha answered calmly, though he himself was a little surprised.

“Turning the most familiar entity into the most terrifying one… The President’s greatest fear was the White Reaper?”

Upon reflection, it made sense.

The location of the White Reaper’s vengeful spirit had been kept secret, known only to a very few.

Even after deploying large troops several times, they couldn’t retrieve it, eventually building massive fences and iron gates to ensure the spirit didn’t escape.

From the perspective of the highest authority, especially in a nation governed by the logic of power, the existence of something ‘stronger than the highest authority’ would naturally be a subject of fear.