Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“That’s right. Its tail does just that. If you’re pricked by its scorpion-shaped tail, you automatically become fused with the objects around you… And if it’s the snake-headed form, those swallowed by it become one single entity.”

Blaugrunn furrowed his brow in confusion.

Although almost completely ignorant about Chimeras, he found the discussion somewhat fascinating.

“Weren’t Chimeras originally created through alchemy or in a laboratory, or something like that?”

“That’s true for novice mages. Ghibrid, and his offspring, on the other hand, are not like that. The Manticore with the scorpion tail generates random Chimeras, while the Manticore with the snake head creates selective Chimeras. These two are virtually nests for creating Chimeras.”

Leeha recalled the mass of Chimeras he had once hunted alongside Kuzgunak’sh. They were a haphazard mix, so blended together that their original forms were unrecognizable.

‘Manticore… Ghibrid created those too, huh.’

He had thought Chimeras were just haphazardly put together. But then, the Chimeras he had slain might have been created by the scorpion-tailed Manticore.

‘And he mentioned “offspring.”

So, besides Manticores, are there other monsters performing the same role?’

While Leeha was ruminating on Blaugrunn’s words, a member of the knighthood approached them.

Lifting his visor revealed a middle-aged face filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“Leeha-ssi, the battle is over.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Should we scout for other monsters in the vicinity?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ve already confirmed it.”

While the knighthood had been engaging in battle, Leeha, using Blaugrunn’s magic and his own scope, had completed all the reconnaissance.

“Indeed… You’re as prepared as the rumors say. My name is Ethan, and I serve as the deputy commander of Kraven’s Third Maritime Defense. During the national conflict, Drake launched from my area of responsibility.”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Leeha was taken aback by the hand suddenly offered to him. Given the reverence for Drake, it clearly had to be an NPC, but why this sudden show of friendship?

‘I’m sorry, I told him not to bother you with a whisper, but he insisted that he must see Leeha-ssi -‘

‘This NPC?’

‘Yes. It seems Cardinal Romero and the Bishop have been talking a lot about Leeha-ssi behind the scenes.’

Fernand, standing behind Ethan, had a sheepish expression.

‘I suppose I hadn’t asked him not to tell. But considering he doesn’t know about our distance, he must only have mentioned the sniping. Luckily for me.’

Leeha, not one to boast about her strength, was puzzled by the cordial approach by Cardinal Romero and the Bishop NPCs.

However, turning away a guest who had come all this way would be rude. Especially since Kraven was closer to Minis, a friendly nation, rather than Fibiel. It couldn’t hurt to know more.

“Pleasure to meet you, Deputy Commander Ethan. I’ve seen Drake a few times, but the next time I meet him, I’ll pass along your regards.”

“Do you really mean that? You still have contact with Commander Drake?”

Ethan’s mustache seemed to bristle at the question.

“Ah, yes. Well, occasionally.”

“Could you possibly tell me where he is? His Majesty has been asking-“

“Now, now, Deputy Commander Ethan. I understand your enthusiasm, but we have other priorities to attend to first, don’t we? Let’s get back into formation so we can retrieve the Holy Staff.”

Ethan, almost yanking Leeha’s shoulder in his eagerness, was halted by Fernand.

Fernand continued to apologize to Leeha, though it was unclear what for.

“Greetings, Leeha-ssi.”

“I’ve heard much about you.”

“Did we perhaps meet in Minis? Just after the national conflict ended, I caught a glimpse of you from afar during your visit to the southern part of Minis.”

“W-wait, hold on, just a moment-“

Like Ethan, other knights with sparkling eyes began to crowd around Leeha continuously. It was due to the throngs that were coming. The knights, originally NPCs with a relatively well-established command system, showed such a strong gaze of respect and desire toward Leeha that they refused to follow Fernand’s orders.

“It feels like something I’ve experienced before, yet again!?”

Leeha felt both pleased and somewhat annoyed as he had to endure their attention while moving forward to secure the [Divine Staff]. The atmosphere among the [Divine Staff] occupation team had indeed improved and turned more positive after Leeha’s manticore hunting incident spread, with Blaugrunn chuckling among them. The group, which had been tense despite its competence, now found itself able to afford a modicum of ease. Even as various large monsters continued to appear, they were no match for the elite users and NPCs gathered. In fact, the severely injured that appeared in the first battle ceased to emerge in the second and third battles altogether.

“We’ve made it…”

How many hours had it been since they had been advancing? Within Leeha’s scope, a long object was spotted.

“It’s visible ahead! We’ll arrive in about 1 hour! The [Divine Staff] is in sight!”

It was the [Divine Staff], located beyond the source of the fifth demon, previously cleared by the [Leeha Squadron].

“Have we finally arrived?!”

“Yes, it seems so. It’ll take about an hour’s brisk walk from here, but…”

“But what?”

“Wasn’t this place the source of the demons?”

“Right. And what issue does that pose?”

“Well, just saying.”

Leeha awkwardly chuckled and scratched his head. Had the source of the demons weakened since the past? Unlikely. More monsters than ever were blocking the path to the [Divine Staff].

“We expected this, didn’t we?”

Blaugrunn snorted. With his enhanced [Object Recognition], Leeha could see fine mana gathering around his body.

“Right. That’s why we came together.”

Leeha responded and looked back.

“Fernand-ssi! Please relay the message to each of the knight commanders. I will report to the Cardinal.”

“Will you be staying back, Leeha-ssi?”

“I’m not going to be leading the battle, and there’s not much for me to do at the forefront anyway. I’ll provide support from the back.”

Leeha smiled at Fernand. Indeed, as the leader and vanguard, there was no need for Leeha to take the lead once the battle involving all forces began.

“Understood! I’ll relay the message right away.”

After hearing Leeha’s words, Fernand ran back. Leeha then whispered to Kijung.

Leeha: Kijung, we’re entering battle. It’s a full-scale battle.

Kijung: Okay. I’ve been waiting for this! I wonder if Fernand-ssi is being considerate, since I’ve never been deployed in battle before, it’s been boring.

Leeha: Keek, acting as if you’re desperate to fight. Anyway, the number of enemies is not small, so be careful! And-

Leeha swallowed and continued speaking to Kijung. Leeha’s reason for staying back was not only to protect Cardinal Romero.

Leeha: [Knight of the Rainbow] Lark. Try to keep an eye on him as much as possible. It’s even better if you can watch him fight from nearby. Just in case, observe his patterns and skills too.

Kijung: Hmm. Got it. You’ll be watching from behind too, right?

Leeha: Of course. If anything happens, I’ll be ready to crack some heads, so don’t worry. It was necessary to identify and, if needed, eliminate potential threats in advance. As Leeha wore a serious face, Blaugrunn tugged at his sleeve.

“Am I going to play with the bear again this time?”

“Heh, I’m grateful to have someone like you, Blaugrunn, who describes it as ‘playing’. Can you do it? The conditions are the same. If you need the dragon form, I’ll let you know.”

“Understood.”

How strong could the [Knight of the Rainbow] be? If one were to mobilize all the resources at their disposal, not just Lark alone, but

“It might even be possible to compete with the entire Virtuous knights!”

Leeha regained his composure and approached Cardinal Romero once again.

Ever since the Manticore sniper incident, the bishop NPC would always make a startled face upon seeing Leeha, but Leeha didn’t care.

After all, the most important person here wasn’t some bishop NPC, but Cardinal Romero himself.

“The preparations are complete, cardinal,” Leeha reported to Romero.

He informed Romero that the [Divine Staff] was practically within arm’s reach, and, importantly, between them and it lay a colossal horde of monsters.

Quietly, there in the spot, Romero knelt down.

“Cardinal! To do this here-“

A flustered bishop NPC tried to approach, but Leeha blocked his path with the Black Bast, held horizontally.

“How dare you block me, insolent fool!”

“Shh. Hey, old man, don’t you notice anything?”

“What- what are you talking about? What do you know!”

“Even if you look at me, I’m ex-military. Normally, it would be the soldiers, no, isn’t this man essentially a military officer? Giggle, it’s only natural for him to offer a prayer before battle.”

As Leeha had anticipated, Romero quietly began murmuring his prayers.

“In the name of Lord Ahlo, I bless you all. May you have the courage and strength to confront the demonic hoards, and may you return with smiles, offering thanks for His grace.”

With that prayer, Romero slowly raised his hands toward the sky.

Whooooosh

It happened in an instant.

“Wha-!?”

A bright yellow wave of light emanated from the tips of his fingers, quickly absorbed by the bodies of all three thousand knights.

“…It’s a buff.”

“A stackable buff? What’s happening, why are my health and mana like this?”

“My attributes increased, too. This is insane…?”

Even Saint Raphaella couldn’t dare attempt such a widespread buff.

Leeha couldn’t help but keep his mouth shut as he observed both his character screen and the reactions of the knight order around him.

‘Indeed… the Cardinal is of a different calibre!’

Leeha admired purely.

Furthermore, the morale of the knight order was instantly boosted by Cardinal Romero’s tremendous abilities.

“Alright! Then let’s start the assault with the ready knight order! Our goal is the [Divine Staff], let’s secure it by the end of today!”

As the sun moved towards the afternoon, Leeha raised his voice.

With about 3 hours until sunset, the elite knight orders from the four nations of the Lope Continent shouted their own cries as they began their charge.

“Elite indeed. I thought the wave event participant users, including tough ones like Alexander and Lee Jiwon, being absent might make a difference, but it was an unnecessary worry.”

Leeha admired as he watched the knight order engage in battle.

There were average players involved in the wave event, but clearly, there were also many experts among them.

But now?

Both the users part of the knight order and even the NPCs were overpowering the monsters as they fought.

‘Well, they have been coordinating continuously thus far; it makes sense that they would have an advantage in team battles like this.’

Even the regular experts who are used to camping at major hunting grounds or participating in raids would naturally be less coordinated in large-scale battles.

Especially compared to users who have grown through group activities as a basic condition.

“Are you really going to send them all like this?!”

“Why not?”

“Cough! To think that this is all we have to protect Cardinal Romero! That’s what I’m concerned about!”

The bishop NPC, though angered, unquestionably felt different from before.

‘Initially, I thought he was an incredible person since the ‘dignity’ buff wasn’t effective.’