Matan's Shooter

Chapter 459

TL: xLordFifth

ED:

“Shwaaak…!”

Rubini kneeled down beside Leeha, appearing in a flash of vermilion light. Treading precariously on the branches, she immediately reached out to Leeha.

“Ha Leeha-nim!”

“Rubini-nim! Why didn’t you leave-“

“-Euk?!”

“Kkak!”

“Kuoooooo!”

[Mongmongmong…]

And just as Leeha was about to grab her with joy, a roar echoed throughout the entire Redwood, shaking it as if a giant beast had roared.

Koma instinctively let out a trembling cry, not a scream of pain. It wasn’t a scream filled with agony.

This bastard—- how dare you—!

It was a cry filled with so much anger that it couldn’t contain.

“Hudid…”

“Yes. It seems like he retained the memory before his mind was tainted.”

Rubini anxiously looked up at the sky, but Leeha felt more relieved. Knowing what he did, it was expected for him to be furious.

When Leeha and the group, including Koma, finally stood on the ground, the black cranes and Hudid, started to flutter down with their wings.

There was no change in their appearance.

Hudid still had a body adorned with red marks, a fiery blue head, and only one leg.

“…Are we safe now?”

“Yes?”

“Now that I think about it, I…”

Didn’t Leeha blow off the toes of Hudid’s leg? Leeha was worried for a moment if they were really safe.

With the ominous possibility that Hudid and the black cranes might try to kill him(?), Leeha whispered to his imprisoned comrades in the red goat paleos.

Leeha: Mission complete! Please prepare mana relay towers as soon as we return!

“Ugh!”

“What happened?”

“Ah, nothing. It’s just that suddenly too many whispers came in.”

Leeha blocked his ears and frowned for a moment. Meanwhile, the black cranes completely surrounded Leeha and Rubini, and in the midst of them, Hudid landed slowly.

Leeha couldn’t tell if he was uneasy because he had been riding on Koma’s back or if it was due to his remorse for Koma. Probably both.

“Are you a human?”

“Yes. We are a species from another continent across the sea, looking to deal with the Bluebeard Le that crossed over. I came at the request of Aibex-nim.”

Hudid was enormous. Each time he opened his massive beak, Leeha flinched. The plan to wedge the huge beak under his armpits and use Jellypong to bind it felt reckless, especially now that he realized the beak could open wide enough to make him uncomfortable.

Rubini kneeled behind Leeha, and her hand tightened, probably around the time when he began to feel the plan was too audacious.

“Um, well, about the toe incident, I apologize. By any chance, is there a way for it to regrow or something? If you’re okay with it, we have an incredible healer on our side… Shall I introduce you?”

Of course, the force applied to Rubini’s hand was clearly intended to prevent Leeha’s rambling. Hudid’s beak opened widely, and what followed might be close to laughter. The wind ruffled through Leeha and Rubini’s hair. When Rubini’s body trembled, Leeha smiled and spoke to her.

***

“Are you okay?”

“Well, this is my first time…”

“You can feel at ease. Just think of it as riding a patrol plane?.”

“Is Ha Leeha-nim used to this?”

“Well, it’s better than being held by Jin Gonggong-ssi’s eagle talons. Um, Bailephus’s back was definitely more reassuring. Ah, compared to when I hung onto the ‘beak’ earlier, this is heaven.”

Leeha chuckled, and Rubini looked momentarily puzzled.

Of course, Leeha couldn’t see her eyes, so he could only guess from the movement of her mouth.

“How dare you chatter on the back of guardian deity-nim, a sor- no, a human!” contemporary romance

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

Leeha replied with a shout.

The surrounding paleos still looked displeased as they glanced at Leeha and Rubini, but Leeha thought it was understandable.

‘We are sitting on the back of their guardian deity, so they can’t help but be annoyed.’

The large black crane paleos, the eldest, flew towards Leeha and Rubini, who were sitting on Hudid’s back and made a sound. As it flew away, Leeha pouted.

“I have the achievement and the intimacy is at 100%, and yet still so prickly.”

“Huh, to them, having a ‘guardian deity’ is that important. Ah, by the way, I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“Thanks?”

“The quest. I also leveled up by one. I got an achievement too.”

“Oh, oh! Congratulations! Thank God. Hehe, right. We practically became the first achievement holders in this ‘New Continent.’”

Rubini sounded a bit apologetic, but Leeha didn’t care.

Ultimately, Leeha was the one who removed Bluebeard’s hat, but Rubini’s role in helping him reach there and assisting in its removal was not insignificant.

[Achievement: Red Wood’s Red Goat (A-)]

Congratulations! You have successfully gained complete intimacy with Aibex and his paleos on the Erica Continent. Your outstanding achievement of fostering trust with the spirits in a continent with scarce interaction among paleos will be widely known.

Reward:

Strength +10,

Agility +6,

Erika Continent Continental Reputation +20

You are the first registrant for the achievement [Red Wood’s Red Goat.] The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and an additional 200% of the existing effect will be applied.

Effect:

Strength +20,

Agility +12,

Erika Continent Common Fame +40

[Achievement: Red Wood’s black crane (A-)]

Congratulations! You have successfully gained complete intimacy with Hudid and his paleos on the Erica Continent. Your outstanding achievement of fostering trust with the spirits in a continent with scarce interaction among paleos will be widely known.

Reward:

Strength +3,

Agility +13,

Erica Continent Continental Reputation +20

You are the first registrant for the achievement [Red Wood’s black crane.] The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and an additional 200% of the existing effect will be applied.

Effect:

Strength +6,

Agility +26,

Erika Continent Continental Reputation +40

Leeha chuckled as he looked at the achievement window. Rubini would likely be recorded as the ‘second registrant.’

‘With the opening of the Erika Continent, it makes sense that the ‘Continental Reputation’ I have accumulated so far will be split into two… Erica Continent now requires only fame specific to it. The nearly 9,000 Common Fame Leeha accumulated on the previous continent will have no effect here.

However, in this primitive land where even the concept of ‘human’ is unknown to the paleos, this was only natural.

Even though the reward for achieving an A-rank achievement was only 20 points of Continental Reputation, it made sense. The description of the achievement hinted at it.

‘There is limited interaction between paleos. Even if a name is well-known in one place, spreading it to another is difficult. I vaguely knew this from interacting with Aibex, but in the Erika Continent, there are evidently more mystical creatures and paleos, making it harder for a name to spread.’

The structure of future achievements’ names would likely be clear, combining the ‘region names’ of the mystical creatures and paleos living in the new continent with their ‘animalistic base.’

‘Ah! Speaking of which, my level… Character window!’

Name: Haeeha / Race: Human

Job: Musketeer / Level: 190 (0%)

Title: Fearless / Achievements: 113

HP: 6,360 (4,452)

MP: 1,550

Stats:

Strength 373 (+288)

Agility 2,959 (+1,017)

Intelligence 160 (+109)

Vitality 228 (+135)

Mental Power 65 (+55)

Remaining Stat Points: 40

‘Hehehe… Finally reached level 190.’ Only 10 levels remained until the coveted 200. After arriving in the new continent, Leeha gained six levels, reaching 189. Completing the quest just now pushed him to level 190.

Of course, amid the level-ups, Leeha’s handling of stats remained somewhat unrefined, but he felt overflowing with confidence.

‘With the change in the 10-level units, I gained a bonus of 5 points… Well, nothing to see here. Let’s max out Agility!’

Leeha invested points into Agility. From 2,959, an additional 40 points made Leeha’s smirk involuntarily rise.

“Why are you laughing?”

‘Oh, well, hehe, heh-heh-heh… Now my Agility is an impressive 2,999! How absurd would it be for Rubini and other players to know this fact? If I had a stat level of 3,000, I would no longer be a subject for discussion as to whether I’m an expert or not. It’s a high stat level that requires consideration of whether I’m a ranker or not. However, the subject is only a user who hasn’t even reached level 190!’

“What’s so amusing?”

“Oh, Hudid-nim.”

“We’re about to arrive; get ready. I have a lot to talk about with Aibex.”

“Of course. If the red goat paleos see me and Rubini-nim riding on Hudid-nim’s back-“

“Riding?”

Hudid’s voice sank. Perhaps carrying a human was something he disliked. Leeha hastily corrected himself.

“Oh, no, not riding-“

“If you don’t want to ride, just keep your face quiet.”

“Got it!”

Whoosh!

Flames rose from Hudid’s head. Leeha could now truly appreciate the abilities of the mystical creatures.

‘The one who generates fire: Hudid… and the one who prevents fire: Aibex.’

What other abilities did other spirits and paleos possess?

“Black crane! The goat guys have spotted us!”

“Oh! I’ll shake my hands; just a moment-“

When the large black crane paleo reported, Leeha crawled, gripping the feather on Hudid’s back, and waved his arms vigorously.

Every time the feather was pinched, Hudid’s eyes squinted, and the large black crane Paleo glared at Leeha and Rubini as if they were about to be killed. Rubini was the only one who knew this.

“The goats are coming down the tree! No signs of attack!”

“Good. Let’s get ready to land.”

“Black crane!”

Hudid and the black crane paleos’ altitude gradually decreased. At this point, they were near the Redwood’s red goat gathering, and Leeha was busy looking for a candidate location for the Mana Relay Tower’s construction.

Aibex and the red goat paleos were already gathered in the village square. It was natural for the black crane paleos to be on various Redwood trees to be ready to suppress any disturbance they might cause.

In this critical situation, Leeha replaced the magazine of the Black Bass. Given the unpredictability of the situation, they might need to move again.

Shuuuu…!

Finally, Hudid’s leg touched the ground. Leeha and Rubini quickly jumped off his back. The black crane paleos landed beside Hudid, ready for any confrontation with the surrounding red goat paleos.

“Aibex.”

“Hudid.”

The gazes of the two spirits collided in the air. Leeha could once again feel the enormity and intimidation of the mystical creatures.

“They are huge. If both of them use skills from this distance, it’ll be chaos.” After this exchange, Hudid and Aibex remained silent. The flames erupted from Hudid’s head.

Phwsuuuuuuu…!

However, the flames soon extinguished. It happened right after a flash of light from Aibex’s horn.

The two spirits showcased their respective skills! Someone gulped nervously, but there was nothing to worry about. Hudid bowed his head towards Aibex after witnessing her skill.

“Forgive me.”

Supporting himself with his only leg, Hudid’s long neck gracefully lowered towards the ground. The black crane paleos, who considered him their guardian, flinched.

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