Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

ROOOOOAAAR———!

Three Cyclops swung their weapons simultaneously.

Classified as large monsters, each swing of their clubs exponentially increased the number of users stitching through the air.

While tank-type job classes could survive a critical hit without dying instantly, those in close-range assassin job classes often turned to ash.

“Those injured, retreat to the back! Recover and get your buffs reapplied! [SANCTUS]!”

FWOOSH-!

As if a spotlight had shone down from the sky, sunlight focused towards the direction of the woman’s voice. At the same time, the sound of angelic trumpets caused users’ ears to twitch.

“This voice-“

“It’s the Saintess! Raphaela is behind us!”

SHRIEK!

Raphaela, the Saintess from the expedition to the New Continent, had cast a wide-range holy magic skill that astounded the users.

“H, How is the HP recovery speed so fast?!” “That’s not all, just being under this light applies an additional five kinds of buffs.”

“Truly, the Saintess!”

Her magic definitively proved the concept that a single healer could change the battlefield, as it empowered the users to rally against the monster wave once more.

“Stay strong, everyone!”

“Of course, Saintess!”

“With Lady Raphaela here, how could we possibly die!”

Hearing the users’ vigorous shouts, Raphaela smiled, though it was to mask her anxious expression.

‘For now, morale has been boosted, so it should be fine…’

But the third wave wasn’t as easy.

She had participated in the first and second waves as well. Despite a significant increase in the quality and quantity of users for this third wave, the pressure from the monsters was twice as strong as before.

“Bobae! Have we really been overcoming these all along? [Contre-Attaque]!”

“[Gigantic Arrow]! No, this—this level wasn’t like this before. They’ve become too strong!”

Bobaefired arrow expanded rapidly as soon as it left the bowstring.

An ogre staggered as it was hit by the arrow, now comparable in size to a human cannonball, and its throat was slit by a coordinated attack from the Sacred Knights and the Fibiel Knights united.

“Gasp!” “Ha!”

With nothing but their vigorous shouts and movements, which required no orders or special commands, they greatly supported the users.

“We would have been in danger without the knights this time.”

“Phew… The hypothesis that the knights have become stronger since joining us is gaining ground.”

WHOOSH!

A flaming sword instantly struck eight critical points.

The target was a High-Troll, a large monster known for its medium attack power but extraordinary healing capabilities, making it a dreaded opponent, especially for sword-wielding users.

Cutting, slicing, and stabbing, the High-Troll, which usually healed its wounds quickly, now screamed in panic.

“Kyat?! KYAAAAAAAH-!”

“Fearful because you cannot heal, monster?”

“Wow… What did that person just do?”

“Seems like he burnt the wound areas so it can’t heal?”

Of course, avoiding High-Trolls was typical for ordinary users. However, to those users who knew the ‘technique’ to block the monster’s healing ability, it was a valuable source of experience.

As Tale leaped to behead the High-Troll with his flaming sword, another monster revealed itself from his side.

A monster that looked as if different species were hastily stitched together, its grotesque form intimidating the users—it was a 10-meter class large-type!

“A patchwork! A patchwork monster beside us!”

“Oh no, [Wind–”

“Yikes! Tale oppa! [Explosion–”Tale and Bobae hastily tried to react, but it was already too late.

“Karararara!”

The arm of the ragged monster, thrown back, was about to tear through Tale just before it could stretch out.

“Wind Barrier!”

“Explosion Arrow!”

Swoosh…

Whoosh!

In mid-air, Tale’s wind barrier was created, and Bobae’s explosive arrow was fired, but both skills proved to be of no use.

The wind barrier merely fluttered in the air, and Bobae’s arrow pierced through an empty space and flew away.

“Huh?”

“What just happened?”

Woosh…

The ragged monster, in the midst of swinging its arm, fell backwards.

A large hole was present in the head of the monster, which already turned ash-gray.

“Could it be-“

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot, cutting through the chaos of the battlefield, provided a refreshing relief to Tale, Bobae, and a few other players.

“Finally!”

“Always the last minute, huh!”

“Where, where did the attack come from, bro!”

They looked around for Leeha but could not find him.

The distance between Leeha and their location was roughly 1.5km!

Above the gates of Juma City, on the city walls, the players manning the defensive weapons looked up in the air in astonishment.

“Oh, sorry. Was it too loud?”

“What exactly did you do?”

“Isn’t that Leeha?”

“No, no, I was a bit late. Ha-ha, I just ‘saw’ it since my friend seemed in danger and went a bit overboard. Cheer up, everyone!”

Leeha, with an awkward smile, waved at the players. He tried to swim through the air like a frog doing breaststroke, but his body wouldn’t move.

“Ahh… I really can’t move on my own.”

“That so? Levitation is nice but inconvenient.”

“Let’s go.”

Blaugrunn snapped his fingers and Leeha’s body began to slowly move. Like a boy carrying a giant balloon, it was Blaugrunn who made it happen.

“There seems to be nobody on this side of the wall.”

“It’s good but too conspicuous.”

Only when they reached almost the outer edge of the lined city walls did Leeha finally relax.

“Leeha, you asked for it and now you complain.”

“No, it’s not a complaint? It’s nice though~”

Leeha flirted with Blaugrunn in mid-air.

The combination of Levitation and sniping they experienced while hunting the ice ostriches, essentially a “Mobile Sniping Tower”, proved to be immediately effective.

‘There’s nothing in the way upfront, no terrain interference… This is totally amazing.’

However, the regret was that the monster wave battlefield was not the best place to appreciate this ‘amazing’ discovery.

“It feels like all the humans from the old continent are gathered here. There seem to be more people than in the human capital city we went to with Leeha.”

“Well, that place is a city so it’s hidden, but here it’s an open plain, so it feels like that. But, you’re not entirely wrong.”

“The terrifying thing about humans must come from this enormous number.”

Blaugrunn murmured in amazement at how many users were present in front of Juma City. With a total registered user count of 100 million, one could wonder about the number of concurrent users.

‘Didn’t an article last time mention the highest concurrent users exceeded 20 million? Maybe now it’s at least 10 million?

Especially since this wave, being the 1st and 2nd one, had spread its fame far and wide.
To play smoothly in the new continent, the minimum requirement is said to be at least level 230. However, isn’t this time just a special case?

Literally, even those who have passed level 200, or are around level 190, would have gathered, risking danger, just to gain some experience points. Countless players would have done so.

“If we say that’s about 5% of the simultaneous online users… That’s 500,000 people. Although, in reality, it wouldn’t reach that number.”

Leeha, having joined from the second wave, could not estimate precisely, but it was said that the number of participants in the second wave had nearly doubled compared to the first wave.

As many benefited from the second wave, it was clear that the current third wave had increased by tens of percent more than before.

“Having been in the military, I got pretty used to counting in group units… But counting this is simply impossible, not in company or battalion terms at least.”

Leeha didn’t even dare to attempt counting, however, seeing the mass of people that filled the plains black, and the likewise numerous monsters, made his head spin.

“Still, it feels rewarding to have gone hunting those Ice Ostriches.”

“Definitely! Blaugrunn-ssi, do you wanna see this too? It’s incredible!”

“That’s okay. What would change if I looked? I will just focus on providing proper support.”

As Leeha excitedly offered Black Bass, Blaugrunn shook his head. In reality, now was not the time to be amazed by the scope when so many were struggling to protect this city.

“But I do want to brag a bit.”

Leeha put his eye to the scope and surveyed the frontlines. It was a battle that dyed the land black, but even amidst this, some areas stood out.

The first was a combat zone where white light flashed incessantly. Leeha could immediately tell who were there.

With a slender long sword, Shin Nara effortlessly moved among giant monsters and coordinated with the Sacred Knights to slaughter these beasts!

“As expected of Miss Shin Nara. Even after such a long time, her movements are no joke. Huh, has she changed her armor? The engraving on the plate mail looks different?”

Even with his old scope, he could make out such details, but the clarity was on another level now.

The magnification?

For the dispatched Sacred Knights, it was a scope high enough in magnification to detail the design and form of their new armor.

“From a distance of 1.5km, you could even see the hairs in their noses,” Leeha chuckled as he targeted a large monster approaching Shin Nara and fired.

Seeing the ogre’s head explode and die, she turned around.

As if she could see where Leeha was, she smiled back at him.

There was no need for trivial whispers like “I’m here to help.”

Because their trust in each other’s capabilities was unshaken.

Suddenly, Leeha’s eyes caught a shimmer of lavender.

Quickly adjusting the scope’s magnification towards it, a familiar face appeared in Leeha’s view.

“Oh, Hyein! What’s that beside you? It doesn’t seem like a monster. New friends?”

“Huh? Leeha? Where—where are you watching from?”

In the moment Hyein appeared confused, “new friends” he was asked about unleashed various kinds of fire magic.

Thirteen ogres and trolls were incinerated in an instant, and Hyein, not one to wait around, used Mass Teleport to vanish from the battlefield.

Those accompanying Hyein were, of course, the magicians dispatched from the Mage Squad of Fibiel.

“Leeha! Where are you speaking from!”

“Well, if I tell you where I am, it seems like those friends of yours might come here, so I’d rather not say. Just, don’t die! If it’s dangerous, shoot a flare into the sky, I’ll come to support immediately.”

No need to say “I’m watching from somewhere, let me know if it’s dangerous.”

Hyein was smart enough not to misinterpret Leeha’s clear intention.

“Haha, really, got it!”

Hyein’s cheerful laughter confirmed over the scope made Leeha smile too. Alexander’s exploits, the support from Lee Jiwon, and Ram Hwajung’s actions—their efforts were well enough without Leeha’s direct involvement.

Still, maintaining the frontline with such vast numbers of players proved challenging for them.

Leeha, observing from the walls of Juma City, could clearly see where the frontlines were breaking. Of course, he couldn’t just stand by and watch.