Matan’s Shooter

“So, you just stood there and watched?”

“Oh my goodness! What else was I supposed to do? Ha Leeha-ssi, you know how hard it is to get this kind of information in the first place!”

Prea scoffed as she spoke.

Leeha had grumbled out of frustration, but thanks to the information Prea had brought, he could draw a rough map in his mind of what would happen next.

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know that either. Didn’t I tell you before? It’s difficult to decide ‘which side to attach to’.”

“This is troubling.”

Chiyou left with Pyro and Igor.

Even Leeha, who had hoped to use Prea as a spy to extract information from them, faced a quandary.

If Bluebeard and Chiyou were setting up an intense rivalry, making it seem like they would kill each other, it would be hard to find a user trusted by both sides, Leeha thought.

So a question arose.

‘Can one not decide on that?’

How did Prea obtain such high-level information while she was still ‘pondering’?

Leeha turned his head and looked at Prea.

“Why? What else do you want to know?”

“How did you know that?”

“Know what?”

“That Chiyou fought with Bluebeard. And that Pyro and Igor sided with Chiyou at that moment. If you were there at the scene, wouldn’t you have had to choose a side? Just like how Faust remained with the Demon King’s army. But you said you were still ‘pondering’ which side to take. How is that possible?”

“What’s so difficult about that? Pretend to side with Bluebeard, and after sharing concerns with Ha Leeha, approach Chiyou and—”

“They would never accept you.”

“—W-What?”

“Chiyou isn’t that kind of person. They would never accept you.”

It would be different if you were someone who had newly joined the Demon King’s army. Or if you were recruited through someone like Sasuke from the Shinobi Gumi.

But Prea was not one of them.

Leeha had already heard from Prea herself that Chiyou had been suspicious of her. Being with Chiyou before Toon had fully awakened was almost like being a ‘founding contributor’ to the Demon King’s army.

Chiyou would not give time for someone who had already built a certain level of familiarity with Bluebeard to ponder their choice.

At that moment, anyone who did not immediately choose a side would be considered an enemy.

‘Just like how Faust remained. Tsk, as a necromancer, that was an inevitable choice. Pyrot-Cocri can control all undead. But to refuse Chiyou— no, hold on. Refuse?’

Another thought hit Leeha at that moment.

Faust did not go with Chiyou?

He was a necromancer. The Lizardia race. But he was also a vampire.

‘Chiyou has absolute authority over vampires! As long as Chiyou has that— Faust can’t escape!’

As a vampire belonging to the Demon King’s army, if Bluebeard and Chiyou imposed a specific restriction or command on Faust simultaneously, how would he react?

Would it cancel each other out?

“What about Faust?”

“What? Didn’t I tell you?”

“Is it certain that Bluebeard didn’t kill Faust?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

Prea’s answer prompted Leeha to think.

‘Bluebeard could transfer the vampire’s aura to other users, not just through Chiyou’s bites. He had also transferred the vampire’s blood. That’s how Igor and Faust became vampires.’

Bluebeard couldn’t be unaware of Faust’s condition. If Bluebeard hadn’t killed Faust, then?

‘Is there a way to control them? Maybe there’s a way to control the vampires created by his power instead of Chiyou’s bites… Or can he eliminate the vampire’s power altogether?’

If the vampire’s authority were nullified, might Faust have returned to his first job class, necromancer, from his second job class, ‘Death Bringer’?

At least at this point, only one person would know for sure: Faust himself.

After listening to Prea’s answers about Faust, Leeha made his decision.

Such information could never be obtained unless one was ‘on the scene.’

How did she gather such information?

“Prea, let me ask you again. How did you know this?”

“I don’t know what other answer I should give apart from what I’ve already told you.”

Leeha continuously questioned her, but Prea wasn’t easily forthcoming. Leeha sighed.

If she acted like this, he only had one option left.

Standstill.

“Is this the place? Hmm, I don’t feel much here. I’ve been to the area around the pioneer base before, but… I’ve never been this far. Anyway, there’s no spirit energy here—”

Leeha stopped walking, prompting Prea to glance around. However, her expression wasn’t entirely cheerful.

Turning around, Leeha looked back at Prea.

The originally boisterous white-eyed Spiritualist now fell silent.

Her whites moved left and right for a moment before she started feigning innocence.

“Oh my~ Why did you bring me to such a secluded place? I didn’t realize Ha Leeha could be so audacious.”

“Stop joking and answer me. How did you get that information?”

Leeha’s voice lowered, causing Prea, who had been about to brush it off with a joke, to become serious.

“You seem confident that I wasn’t there, which, of course, is a secret.”

“I’m not a Spiritualist, so I wouldn’t know. I might’ve believed it if it were just using spirits. But… not now.”

In the past, perhaps he could have. But now?

He had received a direct warning from GM about. Chiyou.

At the very least, Leeha couldn’t overlook anything related to Chiyou lightly.

Not addressing everything clearly might come back to bite him later.

Would a sniper behave like that?

‘How many times have I been ambushed like this? If this were actual combat, if this were a battlefield.’

He had lost in the sniper duel with Chiyou.

Chiyou’s bullet would have already split his head open.

He had no intention of admitting defeat. But denying it would be an error of objectivity.

Subjective judgment, strategies and tactics swayed by emotions, lead to only one result.

‘Continued failure.’

That wasn’t an option.

To prevent that, Leeha had to ensure everything.

As Leeha steadied his breath with a determined expression, Prea’s fingers twitched. Leeha took a deep breath slowly.

His gaze was focused on the Spiritualist’s white eyes.

“Prea.”

Leeha straightened his shoulders and looked at Prea.

For dealing with Chiyou in the future, and what was needed now. No matter how he thought about it, only one thing was necessary in the current situation.

Sincerity.

Leeha locked eyes with Prea and spoke clearly.

“I plan to eradicate Chiyou from Middle Earth. Not by killing her, but by destroying all the foundations she has built.”

The thoughts and plans Leeha had since losing the 《Arcane Sniper》.

While not concrete, on the matter of his resolve, Leeha was voicing this for the first time.

And not to Kijung, not to Ram Hwayeon, not to his comrades in the Three Musketeers, but to Prea.

It was, so to speak, another form of awakening different in essence from secondary job changes, stat-ups, and skill upgrades in the game.

Not simply the resolve to kill Chiyou, capture the Demon King’s Fragment, or become the Arcane Sniper, but an awakening.

As a player receiving vast attention both within the game and from external figures like GM and Ram Long, as someone who had received a lot from Middle Earth.

Leeha felt a sense of responsibility.

And at this moment, he wanted to make Prea completely his ally.

* * *

“You are a top-ranking player. The most famous and strongest in the Spiritualist job class. But isn’t it boring to grow strong alone?”

“I’m just casually enjoying the game—”

“You can’t maintain the rank of Middle Earth’s top player with a light heart. Prea, you need to set a direction if you want to immerse yourself fully. If you truly play Middle Earth just for fun, even that will have a good impact. It’ll be more enjoyable.”

Though presently acting as Leeha’s confidante, Leeha didn’t know Prea’s true feelings.

Prea’s position was one where she could betray him and leave at any moment. If he could solidify that, it would be a powerful card for Leeha.

Leeha focused even more on Prea.

For a moment, the Spiritualist’s white eyes were at a loss.

She was a player who had insisted on solo play. Conversing and playing with spirits, handling NPCs; hence, even when encountering other players, she treated them similarly.

Arrogantly and recklessly.

‘That’s what people mean when they say she lacks social skills. She must have been enjoying Middle Earth as a single-player game.’

Thus, she wouldn’t be used to such an approach.

Judging by her reaction, Leeha could tell.

Unknowingly, Prea took a step back and spoke.

“Even so… do you really think that’s possible? Chiyou isn’t an NPC. It’d be impossible to erase her from this game.”

Leeha approached her.

“No. We can do it. Have you forgotten about the spirits?”

It can be done.

It wasn’t just words, Prea had experienced it several times.

She was the first to discover the spirit of darkness. She even made a pact with the terror spirit.

And now?

Prea bit her lips and asked.

“… Are you sure there is a Spirit of Wrath?”

She was talking about the dark attribute spirit, which even the Spirit Master Prea didn’t fully understand.

“With a very high probability. I am certain.”

Having already adapted to Middle Earth’s system, Leeha nodded with confidence.

Prea and Leeha looked into each other’s eyes in silence for a long time.

She exhaled lightly, but it wasn’t a sigh of resignation. Rather, it was close to a sigh of relief from someone who had returned from a long adventure.

“Guys, want to come out?”

Prea snapped her fingers.

In an instant, Leeha’s whole body felt a prickle as the spirits’ energies abruptly surged around them.

“This is―”

“Kishishit, it’s a human!”

“It’s a familiar scent!”

“It’s Ha Leeha, right?”

Thanks to the skill 〈Spirit Detection〉, Leeha could also clearly tell.

But only to the extent of knowing. Even with Leeha’s 〈Distorted Vision〉, the spirits could not be detected properly.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that they were invisible, but they seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness itself.

“Creatures like Bluebeard always reek of dark magic. The spirits of darkness won’t fall for it. Users who can’t properly sense spirits won’t even have a clue. On the contrary―”

Snap―!

Prea snapped her fingers again.

Through the rays of light filtering through the leaves, Leeha could feel something but still couldn’t see anything.

“They can be known through Will-o’-the-Wisp.”

If you were looking at the light, you were seeing it right. The Will-o’-the-Wisp had blended into the sunlight itself.

It wasn’t hiding or covering, it had become one with nature!

And having summoned such forms of spirits, what was Prea trying to say now?

“… You mean, you can know exactly what the spirits see and hear?”

“Hehe, don’t you know why I insist on solo play yet?”

“Ah— Aah!?”

Leeha had to reconsider his earlier thoughts.

It wasn’t that she lacked social skills. She played solo because there was no need to travel with many people.

“I naturally need various types of spirits. That way, I can move, hunt, and grow without being restricted by any environment.”

She could easily gather all the information coming from all directions!

A slight shift in thinking made it obvious. Not only when Prea met Leeha, but whenever she met any user, she spoke assertively in a clear voice.

Some may have called it ‘lack of social skills,’ but on the contrary, it could be said that it was because she had already grasped the other person!

‘In some ways, she might be even more—’

She might possess more exceptional espionage abilities than Chiyou.

Leeha thought again.

If she displayed anxious behavior or spoke in untrustworthy words, he would have wished for her to stop the espionage and stand by his side instead.

But given the current situation, there was no longer a reason for that.

‘If I can trust Prea 100%. If Prea acts 100% on my side—’

He could see more.

He could get the information from Bluebeard’s side with even firmer trust.

Even achieving that to perfection would allow them to catch some of Chiyou’s movements.

Leeha barely managed to hold back his trembling body.

He could tell for sure that his sincerity had been conveyed. Prea demonstrated her abilities, which she called ‘trade secrets.’

Now it was Leeha’s turn.

“Prea?”

To show his abilities.

Prea was also looking at Leeha with a slightly relaxed face.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go to the Dark Elf’s village.”

Leeha spoke confidently as he took the lead.