Matan’s Shooter

“… Yes. The Chairman invited you.”

“Me? Why? I think I’ve received more than enough gratitude for rescuing Ram Hwajung—”

“I don’t know! Idiot!”

Ram Hwayeon yelled at Leeha and took out her crystal ball.

“Come to the partisan headquarters as soon as you’re done with work! Got it?”

“Y-Yes, I understand.”

Leeha couldn’t understand why Ram Hwayeon suddenly got angry.

Even Ram Hwayeon herself wasn’t able to grasp the true intentions of the Ram Long Group’s Chairman.

‘Ugh, why did Father suddenly— and what was with that laugh!’

She hadn’t received any special instructions from her father in a while. What did he want to know, and what did he want to see, for inviting Leeha?

While Leeha hurriedly finished his tasks and took out his crystal ball, a strategic battle was unfolding in the eastern part of the New Continent.

* * *

– And so right now, he’s in the Old Continent?

“Yes, that’s correct.”

– Are you sure there were no other members besides Ha Leeha?

“According to the vampire, yes. Even if there was someone else, the attacker was just one person. And that was—”

– Ha Leeha?

Sasuke nodded slightly. It was more than just a simple whisper.

Before leaving with Kaztor, Chiyou had prepared a crystal ball used during the national war.

The crystal ball had the capacity to capture even the battle scenes of Alexander and Lee Jiwon, acting as a necessary ingredient for a long-distance observation skill. However, it had its limits and was now only used as a reporting communication device.

Because whispers didn’t always reveal the expressions and nuances of the ‘reporter’, using the crystal ball was essential for full comprehension.

– Describe it again.

As Chiyou’s voice echoed, the vampire next to Sasuke trembled and stepped forward.

“It was a big black gun. As soon as we were hit by the first shot, all mana disappeared, making it impossible to transform into mist. Then, when dozens of bullets fired simultaneously, there was no way to avoid it—”

– Useless fools… Is there any other place besides there that was attacked?

“No, there isn’t, I swear by my blood, my queen.”

The vampire cut his left wrist with the nails of his right hand.

He reported to Chiyou, bleeding as if self-harming.

Chiyou watched the scene and smiled.

“You don’t know when Ha Leeha will appear again, so be on high alert. It’s possible someone might have been tracking us. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Sasuke watched the scene without thinking it was excessive. He vaguely understood the authority of the Vampire Queen.

‘With a single word, she could make this vampire vomit all his blood or force him to face the sunlight tomorrow morning…’

The authority held by the pinnacle of a species was immense.

At present, Chiyou could exercise the most influence over specific groups among all Middle Earth users.

– Sasuke?

“Yes, oka-san.”

– What about Igor, Pyro, and Faust?

“Ahem, well… Igor and Pyro are being cared for personally by Bluebeard. Although Bluebeard muttered something strange a few hours ago, for now, he’s focused on completely reviving Ghibrid with them. Their recovery speed has indeed accelerated significantly.”

– Hmm, I see. What did Bluebeard say exactly?

“I couldn’t comprehend the exact meaning, but it was something about ‘someone tickling him’.”

– Tickling?

“Yes.”

When Sasuke lowered his head to show affirmation, Chiyou tilted her head in puzzlement.

She was irked by the expression ‘someone’ rather than the question of whether the Demon King’s Fragment could be ticklish.

When she fell silent in thought, Sasuke showed a faint smile of relief.

Chiyou didn’t miss it.

She quickly snapped back to reality.

– Faust.

The story about Faust was not over, so being relieved only meant that Sasuke’s information was insufficient.

“Ah! I have… nothing more to say.”

Sasuke bowed his head again, but Chiyou clicked her tongue and urged him.

―No, spit it out. Where was the last tracking location?

“It was near the capital of Kraven. Someone claimed to have finished the Dragon Raid in 18 minutes, but― when I got there, it was empty.”

―… I will make sure that this will reach Otto-san.

“Okasan! I, I am sorry!”

Sasuke knelt in front of the crystal ball.

Chiyou’s voice was far from gentle, and Sasuke knew how important it was that he had missed Faust.

As Sasuke banged his head repeatedly in apology, Chiyou waved her hand as if she understood.

―Alright, just this once… I’ll let it slide.

“I will devote myself fully!”

―Finish tracking Faust and Prea, and investigating the whereabouts of Ha Leeha and the Three Musketeers quickly. Also, don’t forget to set up the vampire surveillance network.

“Yes!”

As Sasuke nodded, the light from the crystal ball went out.

The vampire, who was about to leave the cave, looked at Sasuke and smiled.

“Are you that terrified of our queen even though you’re not a vampire?”

“It’s none of your concern, fool. To you, this place is reality, but…”

Sasuke sighed as he looked out of the cave.

―One of the reasons he had to hide his feelings for Chiyou.

Normally, he wouldn’t talk about such things, but he felt a kinship with the vampire, allowing him to speak his mind to the NPC.

‘If Otosan found out…’

He didn’t interfere with the game.

However, Chiyou’s desire was ‘his’ desire.

‘I almost became fish food in Tokyo in real life.’

Sasuke shook his head and went out to perform his duty.

Chiyou, meanwhile, organized her information and assisted Kaztor.

“How much farther do we have to go, sensei?”

“Are you tired?”

“Of course not! I’m fine, but I worry about you, sensei.”

Chiyou glided smoothly, massaging Kaztor’s shoulders.

She didn’t care whether an NPC could feel relief; her actions were well-calculated, knowing it would work given her experience managing a high-class fairy in Minis.

“We’ve come a long way.”

“Does that mean we’ll catch up soon? Where are they?”

“… I can’t say. Or rather, I think I know, but I’m not certain.”

Chiyou had already achieved more than half her goal by acting cute to extract even the tiniest bit of information.

‘I must never lose track of Ha Leeha and the Three Musketeers… heh.’

The incidental knowledge she gained about 《Arcane Bullet》 and 《Arcane Sniper》 alone was invaluable.

“Oh, there you go again. I have no clue what’s in the east of the New Continent… If I am to assist you and prepare for dangers, shouldn’t I know something too?”

“They are there.”

“… They?”

“Heh, that was the most absurd part. You who bicker among yourselves and believe your race is the most advanced on the Lope continent…”

“What?”

Chiyou couldn’t fully grasp what Kaztor was talking about. Kaztor grinned, baring his teeth.

His sneer was filled with derision, the kind only a race like the Dark Elves, who despised the entire human race, could muster.

Yet, Chiyou maintained the ability to smile back at that sneer.

The rewards for such patience were immense.

As Chiyou beamed without showing her discomfort, Kaztor continued.

“There is the nation of Toon. It’s far more advanced than your civilization. They’ll try to hide there.”

Chiyou was unsure how to respond.

* * *

“Toon’s… country?”

Even Chiyou, who was usually well-informed, had never heard this story before.

In fact, only two people in Middle Earth had ever heard the term “Saurus race” or any mention of “Toon’s Tribe.”

Just as Leeha and Freyha had been when they first heard it, Chiyou found it challenging to maintain her composure.

“Didn’t know, did you? Ha! It’s evident that to Le, you mean nothing. The authority you hold in the Army of Bluebeard doesn’t even reach that extent.”

Kaztor remarked, not missing the opportunity to capitalize on Chiyou’s ignorance.

Chiyou momentarily felt a surge of anger but quickly changed her expression.

“What do you mean! I just hadn’t heard it put that way before. I knew about it, of course. That’s why the Count sent us together, isn’t it?”

“Laughable, simply laughable.”

Kaztor retorted coldly, not swayed by Chiyou’s words.

The NPC, designed to trust no one but himself, wasn’t taken in by Chiyou’s silver tongue. Instead, Chiyou’s anger began to rise.

“So, you’re saying the 〈Arcane Sniper〉 is hiding in Toon’s country… a place with advanced civilization? A being that can end anything in this world with just one bullet?”

Kaztor smirked.

“Escaping my grip would require nothing less. Whether 〈Arcane Sniper〉 has reached there or not is uncertain, but heading towards it is a definite direction.”

“Mana tracing?”

“Who knows. I thought you would be more formidable. But if even Le doesn’t trust you, there’s no reason for me to share any more.”

Chiyou tried to pry further, but Kaztor remained silent.

Although she wanted to tear at Kaztor’s throat, Chiyou knew too well she couldn’t.

‘The old man never even sleeps. Bluebeard at least had vulnerable moments when he was asleep… incredibly frustrating old man.’

Kaztor, the dark elf, was always on high alert, at levels unattainable even for Chiyou.

— Sasuke! Toon’s Tribe, Toon’s country! Far East of the New Continent! Contact me as soon as you find any information!

— Ha, huh? Understood, oka-san!

Other than hysterically complaining to Sasuke, there wasn’t much she could do at the moment. It wasn’t that she directly expected this information.

How long had it been since she instructed Sasuke to gather information about Arcane Bullet?

Ever since she first learned about the existence of Arcane Bullet, she had tasked him, but he had yet to achieve it.

‘That just means Arcane Bullet is that rare. Fine… fine. I still need your strength to find Arcane Sniper, so I’ll wait and see for now.’

She looked at Kaztor, who had turned his back on her again.

The whereabouts of the vanished Faust, information related to Arcane Sniper, and the nation inhabited by Toon’s Tribe.

‘If it were Minis’ Dancer, she would never have sensed it.’

Chiyou shivered in anticipation.

‘In the end, it will all… all be mine. But first, Ha Leeha, you’re up next. I’ll pinpoint your location at dawn.’

Her lips curled with joy, nearly a drool-inducing grin of delight.

* * *

“Well then, I’ll be off! Goodbye, Koba, Hudid, and Harhei! See you next time!”

“Owk! Next time! Until next time!” Harhei, the divine guardian of the Gorilla paleo tribe, waved enthusiastically at Leeha.

Koba and Hudid also showed expressions of reluctant farewell, which made Leeha feel quite pleased.

“I’ll send you the wedding invitation via email. Just coordinate the date and time, and I’ll arrange for a flight.”

“No need to go that far. I’ll take care of it. Thanks for the consideration.”

Ram Hwayeon, who stood among the massive Mythical Creatures, now seemed naturally at ease. The discussions around Rampeng’s wedding and the promise of a future meeting in Hong Kong concluded as Leeha left the Partisan Headquarters and headed towards the center of the New Continent.

He had moved from Gaza City to the Partisan Headquarters last night, and now it was already past noon.

‘Trust. Now I must trust.’

The fear of taking the next step was genuine.

What if Chiyou had not yet used her tracking skill on him?

What if she used it precisely when he was crossing from the central to the eastern part of the New Continent?

Without Ram Hwayeon’s advice, Leeha would have been plagued by such burdens. But now, things were different.

Leeha teleported near the forest of the Corrupted World Tree and skillfully avoided the “Byulcho’s” gaze while heading east of the New Continent.