Chapter 629


    The gaze of all the knights in the vicinity of the [Divine Staff] shifted. A user who suddenly levitated into the sky, with an immense presence, remained perfectly still as he aimed forward. His name was known by most here.


    Is that Leeha?


    Really?


    Must be the sound of a gun, right? But was it possible from this distance?


    Tales of sniping a manticore from a distance of 300 meters were well-known, but seeing it in person had apletely different impact.


    ~


    Below the standard, Leeha continued his unwavering stance. Even after finishing his shot, he remained still, fixating on what was ahead.


    Swoosh!


    A ugrunn waiting on the ground leapt into the air, approaching Leeha hastily.


    Leeha-nim? Are you alright?


    ugrunn saw Leehas face.


    It was only then that Leeha took his eyes off the scope.


    Sigh


    There was no smile on Leehas face as he breathed a sigh of relief.


    Seeing him like this, ugrunn swallowed hard. Whenever Leeha had this look, even he, a dragon, felt an unbearable sense of pressure looming.


    Still, it must have been difficult to take the shot. Dont worry. Next time


    No, ugrunn-ssi.


    Leeha gently shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face.


    Toon is no more.


    What?


    ugrunn couldnt fully grasp what Leeha was saying.


    Is he dead?


    There had been no fluctuation in mana. For a monster of Toons caliber to have died without any change was strange. Yet, Leeha said he was gone.


    Not dead, not vanished, but gone?


    Its a bit hard to exin. If he had died, there would surely be some sign


    So then-


    Finally, ugrunn understood what Leeha meant.


    Yes. Right in the middle of Toons head. Bang.


    Leeha-nim! Youve finally done it! Congrattions! I congratte you!


    ugrunn jumped joyously in the air. It was only now that Leeha could fully feel it.


    Atst, the fear towards Toon had beenpletely ovee.


    Thank you, captain.


    Leeha could smile again at the sight of the cheerful ugrunn. The first thought afterpleting a difficult mission was not of joy or triumph. It was relief and peace.


    Theforting feeling stemming from knowing they wouldnt have to face this again.


    Ah truly, lets not go through this again, seriously.


    Leehas body then gently descended from the air.


    People who hadnt fully grasped the situation looked at Leeha, bewildered.


    Theyve stopped! The monsters have halted their movement!


    Dust scattering has ceased! No more dust scattering!


    The flying monsters are not moving either!


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    Possible enemy charge imminent! Maintain formation as is!


    Reports from scouts followed. The movement of the monsters, which had been circling the Divine Staff to form arge ring, stopped.


    The encirclement was nowplete.


    Soon, they would begin their assault towards the Divine Staff, facing head-on the formidable firepower.


    -Prepare for the charge!


    Prepare for the charge!


    Tanks and knights raised their shields and stepped forward, followed by close and long-range attackers taking positions.


    Magic from buffers resonated, and war cries from warlocks to boost morale burst forth without end. As tension tightly gripped the frontline, another shout rose from the sky.


    Come on! They will stop!


    The attention of the knights turned in that direction as a member of the Sacred Knights halted with the g and looked at him.


    A little one?


    Its over! Those guys will stop. Leeha-ssi there has opened Toon!


    ugrunn conveyed the joyful news with a bright smile.


    However, both the members and the onlookers took quite a while to grasp what ugrunn had said. A buzz of confusion spread quickly among the people who were momentarily dazed trying toprehend his words.


    What does that mean?


    He opened Toon?


    Toon is dead?


    Thats impossible. How could Toon be eliminated? I mean  not that I think the child would lie, but


    ugrunn grumbled.


    Believe it. Believe it. Itsing from a dragon, after all!


    Yet, the murmurs among the people did not subside.


    ugrunn-ssi.


    -Yes?


    Could you amplify my voice, please?


    Oh, of course.


    ugrunn cast a spell of amplification on Leeha.


    Leeha cleared his throat and methodically exined the feat he had aplished.


    [A moment ago, I finished firing. I might have startled some of you due to the loud noise; for that, I sincerely apologize in advance.]


    Leeha gave a bow, leaving some unsettled, while those familiar with him began to chuckle.


    Despite not all reports being finished, the yful tone in Leehas beginning hinted at how he would wrap up his story.


    [As youve just heard, I fired at Toon. The bullet hit its target. I aimed for Toons head, choosing to shoot at the most lethal point, and the result surpassed my expectations.]


    Leeha cleared his throat again, the concentrated gaze from everyone feeling quite burdensome, yet he wasnt nervous.


    [Toon has vanished. It is presumed that the monsters have stopped moving for this reason.]


    Wow! Does this mean Toon is dead?


    The quiet ambiance once again flipped.


    It was hard not to believe since the sniper was the one providing the narrative, and since the monsters hadnt dispersed, it wasnt easy to lower the defenses just yet.


    However, right before the noise could escte further, Leeha hurriedly spoke up, having anticipated such a response when he asked ugrunn for the amplification magic.


    [No! Please listen to me once more. Toon has vanished.


    But its hard to say died.


    If he had died, there would have been an achievement or a system message, but sadly there was none.]


    This was the reason behind Leehas ambiguous expression.


    It was clear that Toon had vanished. Even with the scope zoomed in to its maximum, not even his shadow was visible.


    Now, with the dust settled and a clearer view, there was no sign of Toons body anywhere. So, where did Toon go? What effect did the bullet that hit him squarely have?


    Not even Leeha could answer these questions definitively, let alone the knights.


    Fortunately, their focus shifted more toward the reality in front of them.


    So, the monsters arenting then?


    Without Toon, we might stand a chance against them.


    Lets stay on guard a little longer, just in case.


    After all, they had gathered here to protect the Divine Staff.


    Toons fate was crucial, but they had to concentrate on the imminent battle.


    Kijung: So? What happened,-hyung? Toon?


    Of course, those most interested in Leehas action were his acquaintances.


    Leeha bit his lip as he read a whisper from Kijung.


    He couldnt answer whether Toon was dead, but the sudden disappearance suggested an expectation.


    Leeha: Kind of I think I understand.


    Kijung: What is it?


    Leeha: It was an illusion.


    Kijung: An illusion? Of Toon?


    Leeha: Yes. Remember how Toon escapedst time? You know whos out there, right?


    Kijung:Prea. Hyein hyung saidst time that a spirit mage could create illusions.


    Hyein of Byulcho had simr thoughts as Leeha.


    Leeha, too, had considered this, which is why he could formte such a hypothesis now.


    Leeha: Right. Thats what I think. And that Prea created the illusion of Toon.


    This was where Leehas spection reached. However, the reason why this couldnt be made public was because it was difficult to exin.


    Kijung: Why would she do such a thing?


    Why?


    There had to be a clear reason for Prea to engage in such an act.


    Why would she simply summon the illusion of Toon and dismiss monsters without any visible benefits or concrete results?


    Leeha: Well, I dont know either.


    Leeha was also unable to provide an answer to that question.


    That was one of the reasons why they didnt bother informing the other knights.


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    Leeha: Lets just observe for now. I might as well go hunting while Im at it. Id appreciate it if those bastards could go a bit further away.


    Kijung: Uh, what? Hyung?


    Leeha: It feels like it should be at least 3,500 meters away.


    Leehas voice became yful, catching Kijung off guard.


    The previously serious contemtor had vanished.


    Grasping at unknowable answers is also a meaningless act.


    Leeha pulled the trigger. A heavy shot was loaded.


    Toon disappeared. So what? Thanks to Toon disappearing, the monsters stop moving.


    The farthest Toon was about 3,300 meters away.


    Inside that range, a group of monsters that had stopped?


    This ispletely like practice targets, dont you think, ugrunn-ssi?


    Yes. Yes??


    Puhahaha, Toon bastard, no, Prea! Whatever youre trying to do!


    Leeha adjusted the click.


    What was clearly visible beyond the scope was a giant elephant-shaped monster he once faced as a kid!


    Thanks to you, I can level up!


    Baaaaaang!!


    [Your level has increased.]


    A white light burst out of Leehas body.


    About an hourter.


    The monsters were still stationary, facing off against the defense forces. The constant gunfire thatsted for the hour had finally quieted down.


    It wasnt because all the monsters were killed.


    Ah, Ive already used up all my magazines.


    Leeha clicked his tongue in disappointment. Typically, he carried a bag full of magazines with him. The number of magazines he emptied in an hour was, in fact, countless. In that context, Leehas expression of disappointment was essentially nothing more than excessive greed.


    The level Leeha had gained until he ceased firing was a whopping three levels.


    A user exceeding level 220 leveling up this quickly was unbelievable.


    Considering every shot was expensive ammunition, it was as if he had poured money into leveling up in a very short time.


    At least you had fun, hyung. We dont even know what were doing here, really.


    Kijung, who had been levitated by ugrunns [Levitation], was floating around Leeha. In reality, there were many users capable of long-distance attacks, but none had the range Leeha possessed. And what about the close-range users?


    The users and knights gathered here had no choice but to continuously listen to Leehas gunfire for an entire hour.


    Kijung fiddled with his ears as he looked at Leeha.


    That gunfire is real torture, man. Hyung, cant you turn down the volume?


    If I could reduce the noise, buddy, do you think I would be doing this?


    Right. Only hyung wouldnt have thought of that.


    I did think about making a silencer


    Leeha grumbled as he wrapped the barrel of ck Bass with a rag stuffed into his bag.


    Therger the gun, the louder the noise.


    Therger the bullet, the more gunpowder used, thus louder the shot.


    You thought about it?


    Silencers arent that simple.


    Not simple? Isnt it just about attaching it to the front and shooting? Ah! Is it because of a decrease in range, something like that?


    Listening to Kijung, Leeha chuckled.


    The level of knowledge one might have from general FPS games.


    The range doesnt really get affected that much. Its more about how difficult it is to achieve proper sound dampening.


    Attaching a silencer to the barrel isnt difficult.


    However, getting a silencer to effectively silence the sound is quite challenging with just the simple structure of a silencer.


    A silencer based on the baffle system could be quickly made, but with the size of a ck Bass bullet, expecting significant noise reduction from a simple baffle silencer would be difficult. If suppressors worked like they do in movies, emitting nothing but a soft pop, pop, Leeha would have prioritized their creation over scopes.