Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

That was precisely the trap of this incident.

Players who merely thought of hiding and ambushing—what could they possibly do?

“Uh, uuh― there’s something in front, a space―”

“There’s something slimy― something squirming!”

If a transparent cloth were placed in front, could they see what’s on the other side? The knights, who were leading the envoy and walking ahead, raised their heads in bewilderment.

Zziing–!

And as if a curtain were being pulled away, the space began to tear apart.

“Mana barrier!”

“Space confinement!”

“Communication disruption!”

Afflicted with the status effect “Mana Barrier.”

Cannot pass outside the restricted area for 30 minutes.

(Can be dispelled if the caster has a higher-level ability)

Afflicted with the status effect “Space Confinement.”

All spatial movements within the range are restricted for 15 minutes.

Afflicted with the status effect “Communication Disruption.”

All group chats, including whispers, are prohibited for 15 minutes.

“Ugh―! It’s an ambush! An ambush―”

“What’s their identity?!”

“I can’t tell! I can’t see their nicks!”

The ones tearing through space were three masked individuals.

Unlike usual PK magic, their nicknames did not appear. However, nobody could pay attention to such details anymore.

During that momentary gap when players were bewildered, sticky masses were crawling in from behind the three people.

“Kruuuruuurrr───!”

“…Could it be―”

Only then did the players realize. It was already too late.

“Chimeraaaahhhh───!”

The vanguards of the Demon King’s army had already completed all preparations.

* * *

Unfortunate but fortunate, Faust and Crowley were not there.

Unable to classify a specific location with Chie’s information, Faust ultimately chose a dispersed deployment.

Faust was assigned to the upper route of the marching plain, and Crowley took the lower route. Of course, there were dozens of chimeras on each route.

And in the central area, there were three slightly less capable players compared to Faust and Crowley and ten more chimeras.

“Can we lift the restrictions?!”

“It’s not possible! The enemies are of a higher level!”

Naturally, both Faust, who was one of the Top 10 rankers, and Crowley, who was renowned among the outsiders, were not to be taken lightly.

They were players with significant strength, enough for Faust to scout them personally.

“Contact the capital! Send an emergency message―”

“Contact isn’t possible! Communications have been blocked!”

One of the knight NPCs shouted.

The fact that their identities were not evident in itself was enough to prove that the enemies were formidable.

No, there was no need to go that far, as these guys were causing turmoil in Mini’s outskirts by wandering around with the chimeras.

They were well aware of the rumors about them. However, those guys who were only roaming the Mini’s outskirts were now waiting on the marching plain?

The knights couldn’t even begin to imagine what was happening.

“Damn it― then― defend! Protect our lives! Just protect the Marquis of Avangard! Just hold on for 30 minutes, no, just 15 minutes!”

The first one to step forward was Garde. After all, what they needed to protect was clear. The priority was clear.

“Kruuuruuu, Kruuuhh―”

“Krrgh, Cruel Bash!”

Swinging a powerful force-filled sword, but it merely slipped on the chimeras’ slime and didn’t achieve anything. Moreover, the vapor rose from the blade that briefly touched the slippery slime.

“…Poison? The chimera’s slime isn’t―”

“Kruuruurp!”

One chimera with five faces spat out goo as it wriggled around.

Five liquid blobs shot out from its five mouths. While four of them were avoided, one hit a knight player who immediately got poisoned.

“Gurk― It’s poison, I’ve been―”

Is it poison or acid? It was neither.

Chimeras were artificially synthesized monsters, embodying the traits of both. Players and NPCs alike had never experienced battling chimeras.

“You fool! Come back! Tornado Shield!”

Whoa!

A whirlwind enveloped the knight player’s shield. It was a magic wind powerful enough to blow away the bodily fluids spewed by the chimeras!

The chimeras shuddered for a moment, but there were vanguards ready for that moment.

“Black Fire!”

“Dark Chains!”

Fiery black fireballs and mana chains with a nasty odor were directed towards the user holding the shield’s legs.

“What the―”

“Hallucination.”

And followed by Warlock’s Illusion magic. The two flying spells split into thirty-three suddenly.

“What, what is this?!”

Did the magic multiply? Which one is real?

“Up front― upfront―!”

“What are you doing, you fool! Raise your shield!”

The teammates standing behind him scolded, but he could no longer see the truth.

Upfront? Among the twelve projectiles coming at him, which one―

Kwaaahhhh───!

“Kuugh!”

The knight’s body holding the shield collapsed. He wasn’t instantly killed, but it was practically a death sentence.

“Kruuruurt?”

“H-help me― help―”

If the magic wind disappeared, they would become the chimeras’ meal once again!

The synergy between the chimeras and the three users of dark magic was exquisite.

The user holding the shield used their magic, while the NPCs charging with swords utilized the chimeras’ traits.

It was truly a complementary assault that took advantage of the opposing forces.

The envoy’s escort was gradually crumbling against this attack with a reinforcement agreement.

“Help! Run away, run! We can’t handle them!”

“Leeha, that easy? Dune.”

“Whaat?!”

Kuguuguguuk…..

The flat plain that had nothing was gradually rising.

Could their magic even change the terrain? The plain rose, forming hills with a sandy texture.

“This can’t be― we can’t use such magic! Even Ji Won can’t cast something like this!”

Feeling himself sinking into a massive sand dune, the knight user threw away his sword and struggled.

Seeing this, Warlock, who had cast Dune, chuckled.

Of course, the situation was infuriating to the other knight users around him.

“What is this idiot blabbering about?! Why is he struggling! Pick up your sword, you idiot! Defend against the chimeras!”

“He’s wrong! He’s already lost his mind!”

The attacks of the three users themselves weren’t particularly powerful. After all, they weren’t a profession that excelled in attack magic, and their number was small too.

As a result, their magic more effectively assisted the chimeras.

In a reality similar to Middle Earth, illusions, hallucinations, and fear-related magic didn’t just restrict actions but also provided fear beyond reality.

If they lost their minds like that, they would only be absorbed by the chimeras, and their bodies would gradually dissolve.

The knight user who perceived himself to be “buried in a massive sand dune” was sucked into the chimera’s body, struggling.

One person was burned to death, one was killed by a whip, and one was devoured by a chimera.

They couldn’t resist, nor could they escape. They couldn’t even inform the capital of their situation.

Over forty of the escort team had already died, leaving only about thirty knights and the Marquis of Avangard.

“Ah, it’s no use! You bastards won’t step back! I am a special envoy heading to Pufiel on His Majesty’s orders, the Marquis of Mini’s! If you kill me, you guys will be pursued in the name of the future King of Mini’s!”

“Leeha, what a foolish inspiration. We’re already being pursued; what else is there to be chased for?”

Kruuuruurt, Kruuuruuu…..

The three dark magic users and the chimeras gradually encircled them.

“It’s absurd! Don’t you know how crucial the reinforcement agreement with Pufiel is!”

“Yeah, we know. That’s why we came.”

Garde’s shouting was also futile. If such an attack was going to work, they wouldn’t have shown up in the first place.

They had used every means to endure the 15 minutes when communication disruption and spatial confinement would be lifted, but there was no hope left for the envoy’s team.

“We hold no grudges, but we’re sorry. Hehe, but we have a job to do too. To raise our level, we have to kill you.”

Flash―!

“Hm?”

At the end of the slow footsteps of the Warlock, something sparkled.

‘What is that―’

Puaaak─────!

The thought of ‘Ge?’ was beyond comprehension.

Something flew through the sluggish bodies of the chimeras and had already blown off the head of the black wizard.

The sound reached their ears 2.5 seconds later—Tuaaaang!

“Minisuuu! It’s the Minis embassy team, right?!”

Amidst the gunfire, a faint voice carried by the wind could be heard.

The surviving members of Minis were relieved by the familiar voice, though it sounded rather reckless.

Leeha was running frantically while gripping Black Ves tightly.

* * *

News of Minis’ embassy team’s arrival had been constantly relayed through the sacred grill and the inner palace’s Lam Hwayeon.

They had already positioned themselves on the marching plain, but Leeha was still lost, unsure of the exact route.

“This could have been a huge disaster! When I saw that black dot, I had a hunch and came to check…”

Leeha wiped away his sweat.

Though the answer to who these people from Minis were had not reached him yet, the situation was quite clear.

Above all, the fact that the attackers were controlling chimeras was certain.

“Darn it, what if the Bluebeard is among them? If I fight that guy, I’ll most likely end up dead…”

Fortunately, the quest’s failure condition did not include Leeha’s death. He had prepared himself for the worst.

In the worst-case scenario, he would save the embassy representative while sacrificing himself alongside Bluebeard.

“Even sacrificing myself together doesn’t seem possible… But still, I can’t give up! Lam Hwayeon taught me valuable information, and I can’t let it go to waste!”

Clack—!

Leeha pulled the trigger.

The sensation of a solid bullet loading, and the posture of taking aim on one knee, but now it was different.

Stretching out from Leeha’s waist, the Stabilizer’s bar supported Black Ves firmly.

The processes of loading, aiming, and firing were compressed into two stages.

Naturally, Leeha’s reaction speed had increased by more than 1.5 times compared to before.

Tuaaaang─────!

Through the scope, he saw one of the chimeras’ arms falling off entirely.

The fact that it still had four more arms left was horrifying, but Leeha didn’t let that daunt him.

“There are two targets. Bluebeard and Faust, right? No, before that, who was the one I blew off earlier? Who’s the new ally that joined them?”

The name didn’t come to mind, so he couldn’t tell.

Though he could see the people clearly through the scope, identifying them with their masks and dark clothes wasn’t easy.

As for Bluebeard, his distinctive blue beard and Leeha’s quite damaged Silver Cane might have been visible, but nothing of the sort could be seen.

“Above all… their rapid approach towards me, which I can’t chase with my eyes, is their expected first response. But it hasn’t happened yet. Is it because the distance is still far?”

The distance between Leeha and them was approximately 1,400 meters.

If it were Black Ves’ bullets, it would take around 1.7 seconds for the bullet to reach them, and about 4.2 seconds for the gunshot sound to reach them.

After the bullet hit, it would take another 2.5 seconds for the sound to catch up.