Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

Near the mana relay tower, only three men and three women remained: Leeha, Kidd, Luger, Shin Nara, Ram Hwajung, and Rubini. The group gathering, which had 41 users and numerous paleos NPCs, had dispersed in an instant.

“What are you going to do, Leeha-ssi?”

“Well… What about you, Nara-ssi? Got anything to do?”

“I was thinking of getting friendly with the paleos. There’s even an achievement for reaching 100% affinity.”

“Only one spot left in the Hall of Fame from now on. There will be a lot of competition,” added Kidd, reacting to Shin Nara’s words.

A considerable number of the scattered members of the original New Continent Expedition are aiming for the achievement of 100% affinity with paleos. This is because not only has the achievement been confirmed, but there is also one spot left in the Hall of Fame, excluding Leeha and Rubini. However, Shin Nara remained confident even after hearing Kidd’s words.

“Huhu, Kidd, you do know my nickname, right?”

“Of course. In fact, when I was imprisoned, I already reached 25% affinity with a few guards.”

Shin Nara expressed confidence with a slight squint of the eyes.

Kidd and even Luger, who usually remained silent, found this achievement notable.

“If it were Luger, it would have taken a year to achieve 25%.”

“Well, don’t make me laugh! I do well when I want to!”

“Hahaha! That joke is quite amusing; please use it often.”

“You little…”

While Kidd and Luger were bantering, Ram Hwajung approached Leeha.

“Oppa. Hunting.”

“Hunting? Well, no, I’d rather explore a bit than hunt.”

“Tsk.”

Ram Hwajung’s cheeks puffed up.

However, she, too, was unwilling to give up the advantage of the ‘5 days in the New Continent,’ untouched by anyone’s influence. An unexpected person made her a proposal.

“Ram Hwajung, would you like to accompany me? I know you usually prefer solo play, but it could be quite helpful.”

“…map woman.”

Is Rubini’s decision to accompany Ram Hwajung a conscious choice? Leeha looked at her with quite a surprised expression, but Rubini responded with an awkward smile.

‘Even though we rarely talk. Suddenly a hunting proposal? What could be on her mind?’ 

Leeha couldn’t guess why Rubini chose Ram Hwajung. Throughout their hunting together, he wondered what conversations might be happening between them. It was unpredictable. Interestingly, the sight of the two together made Shin Nara briefly show a hint of vigilance.

“You can call me Rubini.”

“I don’t want to. But… let’s go together. map woman.”

Although it was an indirect request to call her Rubini, Leeha understood that getting to know each other better was necessary to hear her proper title.

“Well then, Ha Leeha-nim. Until next time.”

“Oh, yes… Right. With Rubini-ssi, Ram Hwajung should be safe. Take care.” Leeha offered a polite farewell, but those words only seemed to irk Ram Hwajung even more.

“It’s not dangerous even without map woman. Hmph.”

Her blue hair swayed as she turned around and lay down. Rubini followed behind her with light footsteps.

“Alright then, I’ll be going too.”

“Yes. Well, it might be a bit easier if I meet those red goat paleos and use my name.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle increasing NPC familiarity better than you, Leeha-ssi. If anything comes up, contact me! ‘See you next time.’”

“Oh! Yes. Until next time… Outside.” Shin Nara emphasized ‘next’ in a way that made Leeha understand its significance. As Leeha nodded in response, Shin Nara headed towards the red goat paleos’ village with a satisfied expression.

Even the giant NPCs had left the red goat paleos’ village on ships, exchanging food and other materials. Now, only three remained.

Leeha, Kidd, and Luger formed a triangle, casting occasional glances at each other. It seemed like a standoff.

“Not going to shoot?”

“If it’s your wish, I can shoot anytime.”

“Wishful thinking. What are you two up to? Since you stayed behind, you must have something to say?”

Ignoring Leeha, Kidd and Luger exchanged glances, revealing their intentions to Leeha.

“If you’re not dating, speak up quickly. What are you waiting for?”

Although Leeha was all pumped up, Kidd and Luger remained nonchalant.

“You idiot. Why did we stay here? What could three people have to do?”

“Whether you’re quick-witted or slow, I don’t know…”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“We couldn’t find any more traces on the Lope Continent. Naturally, we doubted if it would be on the New Continent.”

“What are you suspecting? What traces?”

“The person the Three Musketeers need to find.” Kidd muttered.

“No, have you already forgotten that there’s a ‘race’ we’re looking for?”

When Kidd dropped another hint, Leeha finally realized. The presence the Three Musketeers needed to find—an NPC who might have the information and data they wanted.

“…Kaztor!” A member of the Dark Elf village, who escaped a hundred years ago.

[Retrieve the Lost Records of the Dark Elves]

Content: Retrieval and return of Dark Elf material, including the journal of “Matan’s Shooter.”

‘That’s right, the quest… I even found number 6.” 

Kidd and Luger had already found 1-5, and Leeha had found number 6 in an unexplored area. However, despite Leeha’s efforts, they couldn’t find any information about number 7.

“From 1 to 6, my guess is that they all contain different information. We can try combining them to trace the clues for number 7.”

“I found the most, so I don’t need to share with empty-headed bastards like you. Run around like dogs and find number 7 for me.”

Luger dismissed Kidd’s reasonable suggestion.

Knowing that cooperation might not be forthcoming after the grand expedition of the New Continent, Leeha was somewhat prepared for this. However, this time was different. There were items to control Luger.

“Alright, the most difficult to find, number 6! Logically, the most important information should be where I found it, right? I already confirmed with Fernand. The achievement grades varied for each number. Number 6 was B+, but you don’t have anything higher than that, right?”

As other research labs of Kaztor were below B-grade, Luger had nothing to say. Kidd chuckled, adjusting his hat.

“We don’t know anything about ‘Matan’s Shooter’ or Kaztor. What’s clear is that it’s impossible to progress to the next stage without clearing this quest.”

So just spill it. Though Kidd didn’t explicitly say it, both Luger and Leeha understood. Luger, fiddling with his cobalt-blue python, exchanged glances with Leeha.

‘I don’t know what was written in Kidd and Luger’s labs, but I can make a rough guess.’

While Luger hesitated, Leeha revisited his memories. At least, he remembered all the facts mentioned about “Matan’s Shooter.”

[Matan’s Shooter, or Matan, is something that one of the Three Musketeers can become, and only one person among them can have the qualification. Luger thought that there might be something – perhaps a title – that could take it away.]

The combination of fragmentary information they found while exploring Lab #5. However, even that was far from being confirmed. As Leeha already knew, the lab had only “speculative” information.

Although there were various speculations, at the current moment, the confirmed facts about Matan’s Shooter for the Three Musketeers were zero, just like before.

‘It’s a pity. Among the hints for No. 6, the keyword was ‘human’.’ 

So, following the rule that the area under the lamp is dark, Leeha thought it might be somewhere near a human village, but that wasn’t the case. Thinking about it again, Leeha agreed with Kidd and Luger’s speculations. The paleos here are different from any race on the Lope Continent, having unique appearances and transformation abilities.

‘Human strength… It might be the need for human form. The original Matan’s Shooter was human, as the Dark Elf elder mentioned.’

Then, what about the Dark Elf Kaztor? He might have pursued the ability to ‘transform’ to obtain the appearance of a human.

As the creatures here knew about dragons, Kaztor could have heard or speculated about the existence of the new continent through ancient studies.

‘No, this is just a practical reason. It makes sense even if you think purely from a gaming perspective. Since there were no research labs on the old continent, he would have naturally set it up on the new continent.’

From all perspectives, Leeha’s reasons for moving made sense. Moreover, he would enjoy the advantage of the 5 days when other users wouldn’t come. There was no way that Kaztor’s research lab would be near the village.

“Still, I can’t tell you.”

“Ay, you’re really stubborn-“

“But I’ll move with you.”

Clank-!

Luger turned his body, holding the cobalt-blue python, and walked towards the Redwood Forest. His resolute attitude, signaling no more backtracking, left Leeha and Kidd sighing, shaking their heads in resignation.

“Well, that’s fortunate in itself.”

“In not resorting to pointing a gun to our heads… That too, in this journey, he feels somewhat closer to being ‘human.’”

“Haha, that makes sense. Luger, let’s go!”

Leeha and Kidd followed Luger. Finally, all members of the expedition had completely dispersed.

“But, is it okay to move so recklessly? Shouldn’t we at least catch some clues?”

Leeha replaced the Black Bass’s magazine, casually throwing a remark while grinding the barrel.

“It’s reasonable.”

Kidd nodded in agreement. Whether it was Leeha or Kidd, their situations were similar.

Since they hadn’t been to the Lope Continent, both were on the verge of running out of bullets. It wasn’t just about wasting time but also conserving ammunition. They naturally wanted to move based on reliable information, even if it was just to save bullets.

“Do you think I wouldn’t know what even you little newcomers know?”

“Huh? Know about information? That’s impossible. This is the New Continent, right?”

“While there were partial testimonies about Matan’s Shooter in different labs, it’s not to the extent of being confident, is it?”

“Just shut up and follow.”

Luger confidently moved forward. Leeha and Kidd were left bewildered. If he was so confident, why bother moving with them? 

‘Considering Luger’s personality, it would be more like him to secretly go alone. Anyway, he thinks he’s the best…’ 

Yet, why did Leeha and Kidd feel like he needed something?

Moreover, this is the New Continent.

The mention of Kaztor’s Research Lab No. 7 was intriguing to Leeha, but he agreed that it wasn’t conclusive. Moreover, he considered it unlikely that there would be information available that could make him so confident.

Kidd shared a similar thought with Leeha. The gazes of the two, following behind Luger, exchanged a moment.

“Indeed, he might be the one who has explored the most labs. Suddenly looks cool.”

“Yeah, there’s a vibe of the original Three Musketeers.”

“Hmph, saying something that is obvious.”

Luger, who was walking ahead, turned his head and let out a snort. However, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised compared to before.

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