Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Ch 51

“Oh!”

‘Yes!’

Browless’ exclamation and Leeha’s thoughts came out simultaneously. Leeha looked at him in surprise

‘He was able to see it? When he wasn’t even shooting himself?’

Leeha looked at Browless. His eyes were still fixed to the wall 55m away.

‘Although ever so slightly, he spoke faster than me.’

The feather attached to the wall 55m away was the size of a millet.

Whether the feather was hit or not was not something that can be judged just by concentration and ordinary eyesight. Leeha admired Browless once again.

“Don’t you want to check it first?”

“Haha, you’re funny. A pretty funny kid came after a while.”

Browless snorted, but it was the funniest expression he had ever heard in the academy.

The corners of his mouth were raised by about 2mm.

“The test…?”

“Do I have to tell you?”

Browless put on his hat and walked towards the academy.

“Follow me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Pabam-! A sound rang out. A notification window appeared in front of Leeha.

[You have completed the quest ‘Let’s take a look.’]

[Intimacy with Brown Bess Academy’s director, Browless, increased by 30%.]

[Achievement: Three musketeers (B+)]

Congratulations! You passed Browless’ test. The academy was co-founded by the three most famous musketeers in the history of Fibiel Kingdom. You will get recognition just by passing the test of one of its founders, Browless.

Maybe you can become one of the Three Musketeers of the next generation?

Reward: Agility +15, Continental Reputation +20

You are the third registrant of the achievement [Three Musketeers].

The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and an additional 200% of the existing effect is applied.

Effect: Agility +30, Continental Reputation +40

“Amazing.”

Leeha couldn’t move while looking at the notification window.

What kind of achievement is this great? Agility + 15? Reputation + 20?

‘Besides Hall of fame…’

Third registrant. Leeha immediately understood.

‘Two more people have passed the exam. Those two and me. There are three people who passed this? By the way, what does the next generation of the Three Musketeers mean?’

Could it have something to do with the name of the achievement, the Three Musketeers?

However, Leeha did not have the time to think about it. It didn’t even matter whether he was first or third.

In any case, the effect of the achievement was increased by 200%.

Leeha was ecstatic.

Besides, this is something that only musketeers can get. Because it can only be cleared by receiving a quest from Browless.

The passing rate of 0.04% is definitely abysmal.

‘So, is that the reason the reward was hidden? Well, if it said that they would have given such a great reward, everyone would have tried, even though most of them would have failed. If so, they would not have been able to enter the academy and they would have great difficulty playing the game.

Wasn’t the reward hidden for the beginners?

“What are you spacing out for? Come in.”

“Yes! I’m coming now!” Leeha quickly grabbed his musket and ramrod.

Then he quickly ran into the academy, chasing one of the three most famous musketeers in Fibiel Kingdom, Browless.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes, it was really fun.”

Leeha followed Browless back into the room and could stop laughing.

If he was in the army he would have been reprimanded, however, this was not the army and above all, it seemed that Browless was also in a good mood.

Even his treatment changed.

A cup of hot steaming tea was placed in front of Leeha.

“You have talent. You deserve to be arrogant.”

“No. I just got lucky.”

Now he understood everything. He thought the Browless was a scary instructor.

However, wasn’t he one of the founders of the Musket Academy?

Above all else, he should have a tremendous reputation.

The achievement also described it. It said that he was one of the ‘most famous’ musketeers in the history of Fibiel Kingdom.

‘If I think about it, it made sense. He would know much sooner than I do if I hit the target 55m away.’

Leeha was an army sniper in reality, but in Middle Earth, Browless would be better than him.

Of course, when it came to handling muskets, he had to be better than Leeha.

“Luck is also a skill. You have to be calm enough to be lucky.”

“Is that so?”

“Maintaining a calm mind can make you think flexibly, and flexible thinking can lead-.”

“It leads to agility.”

“…Haha.”

Browless just laughed. The basic skill of a marksman is agility.

When and how to shoot.

In order to have agility, one had to be calm. It’s not agile to rush, it’s stupid.

“If you came even a year earlier, you would have been worth raising as one of the Three Musketeers who succeeded us… It’s a shame.”

“Three Musketeers?”

Browless did not answer Leeha’s question. He quietly shook his head and took a sip of tea.

“It’s a long story for a rookie.”

“Okay. I understand.”

Leeha did not ask any other question. Seeing that the corner of Browless’ lips returned to their original state, he decided that it was not a story to be touched in the current situation.

Whether it was intimacy or level, once certain conditions are met, he would willingly tell the story. Perhaps it was a story related to the Three Musketeers who founded the Brown Bess Musket Academy, like Leeha’s achievement since it said ‘us’.

“Right, I don’t have to teach you the basics of reloading a musket.”

Browless opened the drawer, took out a bag and threw it at Leeha.

Catch, Leeha lightly caught the leather bag that flew in the air. He felt a stronger force than expected.

“What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

[You have acquired 200 Black Powder.]

[You have acquired 200 Iron Bead Bullets.]

“Amazing…”

200 sets of gunpowder and bullets. He got the authority to purchase from Bob for 4 coppers for a bag of gunpowder and 1 copper for a bullet. If he bought 200 sets from Bob, it would cost 10 silver. He got 2 gold from Kijeong, but for Leeha 10 silver was still a lot of money.

“Why so suddenly…?”

“Didn’t I just tell you? You don’t need any basic training.”

Only after he heard Browless’ words did Leeha realize.

It was a basic training quest reward!

He did not need to do the basic training quest, so the basic training quest was automatically passed and the quest reward was given.

“Thank you, Director-nim.”

“There is no need to thank me. From now on, you will have more work to do as a member of the academy. You can start with spider hunting.”

[Lightless Forest – 1]

Description: No light enters the forest west of the capital, Aelstock. Get rid of the spiders that block the light from entering the forest.

Description: Red Spider (0 / 30)

Reward: Increased intimacy with Browless by 10%,

Fibiel Kingdom National Contribution +10, 30 Copper.

‘Of course.’

It was only the start of the quest. Because he had a hard time coming to the academy, although not something grand like an entrance ceremony, Leeha imagined that he would be congratulated or something similar…

Even if it wasn’t grandiose, he had thought that way.

‘Well, passing a test is just passing it. Thinking about it, he is the kind of person that put a gun to the back of my head when I first entered the academy…’

Leeha looked at the quest content. It was one of the monsters he tried hunting while on the way to the capital.

‘But now, I am required to hunt it…’

It was a monster that could be caught around level 15. Leeha is now at a whopping level 25.

He had to go and catch a spider? It’s a linked quest, but it would be a waste of time.

However, he could not abandon the quest. He just needed to increase his efficiency a bit.

And Leeha knew how to.

‘Activate Bargaining.’

[Bargaining skill has been activated.]

“Aren’t bats also living in that forest?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, what if I catch spiders and bats at the same time while I’m there?”

“…Aren’t you getting a little cocky because I praise you a little?”

“No, not at all. I am not being cocky. I am not that young to confuse arrogance and confidence. However, if you ask me, I should be able to do it in one day.”

Leeha’s eyes shone as he looked at Browless.

He actually had a higher level than recommended for hunting spiders, so it wasn’t arrogance. Browless looked at Leeha’s eyes.

“Okay- then.”

Browless nodded. And Leeha did not miss that momentary gap.

“I just want to ask you something.”

He did not use Bargaining just to get a couple of quests at the same time. Leeha wanted to go one step further.

However, if he said ‘But there’s a condition’, he knew that the cynical director would not like it…

Leeha carefully selected his words.

“What.”

Browless had a cold expression.

“If I succeed, can you teach me a skill?”

It would have been a shame to not bring up getting a skill from one of the most famous musketeers in Fibiel Kingdom while Bargaining skill was activated.

Above all, skills are not something that can be learned for free.

As he had already seen in the community, even if the job is the same, the method for acquisition would be different.

There were cases where users are left behind for having the mindset that they can simply buy a skill book.

‘Kijeong gave me money and I can do anything with it. Armor is not a problem at the moment. The problem is skill.’

After Leeha finished speaking, Browless did not speak for a long time. What kind of expression did he make under his hat?

Was he proud of the new musketeer that just joined the academy or did he think of him as arrogant?

Leeha did not repeat his words.

There was no way that Browless did not hear him or that he misunderstood. It was frivolous to repeat your words just because you cannot stand the quiet atmosphere.

He quietly drank his tea and waited for Browless’ reply.

Gulp, while he was sipping and enjoying the taste of black tea. Trrrng- A notification window popped up and the contents of the quest changed.

[Quest content has been changed.]

[Quest conditions have been changed.]

[Lightless Forest]

Description: Exterminate the spiders that block the light from entering the forest and the vampire bats that have no day and night restrictions due to the spiders. ‘He’s an interesting kid. Will he be able to do it? With his reload speed right now, he might just barely make it. I can test if he has the qualities to be one of the next generation of the Three Musketeers.

Content: Red Spider’s leg  (0 / 30), Vampire Bat’s tooth (0 / 30)

Reward: 30% Increase in Intimacy with Browless, 1 Silver, Fibiel Kingdom National Contribution +20, Skill: Precise Hand Technique.

Time Limit: 12 Hours.

Penalty for failure: 50% Decrease Intimacy with Browless, Continental Reputation -20.

“How about this? Hunt spiders and bats within 12 hours and give me evidence of it.”

Browless did not make eye contact with Leeha. Leeha quickly read the quest window.

‘Damn! He’s not even giving me a whole day? Besides, he’s giving me Fibiel Kingdom’s National Contribution but it will decrease Continental Reputation.

I would need to travel for 2 to 3 hours to get to the hunting ground. If I exclude the round trip time, I only have around 6 hours of hunting time. He only had 6 hours to reorganize and hunt and no time to do anything else.

‘And it’s dinner time now. In other words, I would need to finish hunting tonight and return tomorrow morning.’

Additionally, the previous quest was only hunting. But this time?

I need to collect items that drop through hunting. I have to hunt more than  30 bats and 30 spiders.

In a forest where no light enters.

However, the skill reward is pretty enticing.

Anyway, it was the result of using a high risk high return skill.

The curiosity and expectation Browless put on him, and the phrase that he could be one of the next generation of the “Three Musketeers” motivated Leeha.

– Would you like to accept?

“I’ll be back.”

Leeha stood up while holding his musket. From the moment he pressed yes, the clock started running.

Browless smiled as he stared at Leeha’s back leaving the room.

(To be continued…)