Chapter 07
[Remaining Time: 49 hours 12 minutes]
“There’s still way too much time left.”
Almost half the time remained, yet I had lost my weapon.
I still had my old rifle in the inventory, but compared to the one I’d been using, its performance was far inferior.
—You should be able to survive until time runs out. You’ve cleared out all the monsters nearby, so none are coming close.
“I can’t hunt rare monsters.”
—At first you were scared of rare monsters. Now you’re disappointed you can’t hunt them.
When was I ever scared?
“I confirmed I can kill them. So I should kill them.”
—Shall we develop a combat support protocol? Your mana has increased enough to compensate for your lack of defensive power.
“That’s pointless. Even with my current weapon, I can manage that much.”
Modifying an existing system didn’t require much learning.
But creating an entirely new one required full focus.
That meant constant mana consumption and Lucy wouldn’t be able to handle other tasks.
Right now, Lucy was covering a radius of nearly 1 kilometer.
Scanning consumed mana too, but she had optimized it so well that it wasn’t a problem.
—I can construct it quickly using the data we already have.
“Really?”
—I can maintain area scanning while building it.
Then there was no reason not to.
—You remember all the mana points I taught you, right?
“Of course.”
Since I had to move my own body again, we needed a pre-arranged way to transmit instructions.
‘Shooting really is much easier.’
Unlike shooting, where everything is visually processed, close combat had too many variables.
“Can’t I use something like magic instead of hand-to-hand? Something long-range, like sniping.”
—That’s possible. It’s just less efficient than using bullets.
“That’s fine.”
—Wait. Someone is approaching.
“A monster?”
—No. Climbers. The ones who fought the boss earlier.
‘What should I do?’
Until now, no climbers had approached this area.
Not because I fired warning shots.
But because there were no regular or rare monsters here anymore.
There was no reason to come.
—Shall I drive them away?
“They fought with me. Wouldn’t it be cold to chase them off?”
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I could chase them away.
I didn’t have a weapon.
—Then shall we approach them first?
“Why bother?”
At first, my shelter barely hid my body.
But after clearing out the surrounding monsters, I had relocated it to the top of the thickest, tallest tree nearby.
Climbing down was troublesome.
Climbing back up was even worse.
‘They’re the ones coming. They can climb up themselves.’
“This way.”
“Are you sure? I only see trees.”
“The shots definitely came from here.”
Dozens of bullets had rained down during the battle.
If she couldn’t estimate even a rough direction, she wouldn’t deserve to be called an elven hunter.
“But do we really need to find him? What if we get shot?”
“If he wanted to shoot, he would’ve already done so.”
“Why are we even going?”
“I want to receive guidance.”
Even learning half of the skill required to hit only the eyes from nearly 1 kilometer away would elevate her hunting ability to a new level.
“Will he teach us just because we ask?”
“Negative thinking is useless. We try first. If it fails, we deal with it then.”
Soon, they reached the tree where the Black Reaper was presumed to be.
Other areas were densely packed with trees.
But here, a single tree stood tall and straight.
“Convenient. No confusion.”
They only knew the general direction, not the exact location.
But this one tree made it obvious.
“Can you hear us!”
Narsa’s voice carried all the way to the top.
‘This elf feels very different from the ones I imagined.’
Earth was the only modern-like world in the Tower.
But there were countless fantasy worlds.
Each had slight racial differences.
Narsa was less noble and more warrior-like.
“You’ve come a long way.”
‘His voice sounds younger than expected.’
She had imagined a stern sniper’s voice.
Instead, it sounded about the same age as Kim Taehyun.
“Thanks to you, defeating the boss was easier. I’m grateful.”
‘He’s more humble than I expected.’
Kim Taehyun’s contribution to the boss was 4%.
Narsa’s was also 4%.
That meant this man alone held 92%.
With that level, he might have killed the boss alone.
“May we come up and speak?”
“Do as you wish.”
They climbed the tall tree.
—Activating facial analysis protocol. Both individuals show reverence.
‘I can tell that without analysis.’
The two climbers stared at me with sparkling eyes.
—Maintaining mystery would be beneficial. Speak less. Act impressive. Be careful not to slip into polite speech.
Since I didn’t know their intentions, I had set traps and purchased a mask.
“It is an honor to meet the Black Reaper.”
“Black Reaper?”
“That is what the nearby climbers call you.”
An elf treating me this respectfully?
‘Aren’t elves usually arrogant?’
—Judging by her features, she’s likely from the Ertline lineage. Those elves value martial strength and respect the powerful.
“Why? I’m not black, nor am I a reaper.”
“You eliminated all nearby rare monsters with gunfire alone. The nickname arose naturally.”
Black Reaper.
—It fits. You were created to kill dark figures.
‘Was that supposed to be a joke?’
“That’s not funny.”
“Are you perhaps from Earth?”
The human man asked.
—He’s an Earth-born male.
Lucy’s recognition ability could distinguish even subtle world differences.
‘I know. He feels Korean.’
The only difference was that he was quite handsome.
—You’re not ugly either, Master.
‘Not ugly and handsome are different.’
—Directly answering would be unwise.
I simply shrugged.
They could interpret it however they wanted.
“Why have you come? Killing me wouldn’t transfer contribution, you know.”
“We wish to learn your hunting method.”
The elf spoke seriously.
‘Learn what?’
My accuracy came from Lucy.
And bows and guns are different.
Even if Koreans are known as a people of archers, training still matters.
“I don’t think there’s anything I can teach.”
“Even something trivial would be appreciated.”
—They have high expectations.
What should I even say?
Should I tell them to carry around an AI that calculates for them?
“I should at least see your skill.”
The elf immediately grabbed her bow.
‘She carries both a sword and a bow.’
“See that red fruit?”
“Yes.”
“Hit it.”
—Ziiiiing!
The powerful bowstring drew tight.
—Her skill is high even among elves.
“If possible, aim for the exact center.”
“Understood.”
—Whoosh!
The arrow flew.
—Slightly off center. Wind deviation.
‘Ertline elves can summon spirits, right?’
—Yes. Even the lowest-ranked spirit at minimum.
Good.
That would work.
“You’re from Ertline, correct?”
“…You know our world?”
“You can use spirits. Use everything available. In extreme long-range shooting, even the smallest deviation is unacceptable. Ask the spirits to calculate wind speed.”
“I understand!”
“As for further advice… perhaps another time, if we meet again.”
“Thank you!”
She bowed deeply.
“Oh, we didn’t introduce ourselves. I’m Kim Taehyun. From Earth. Korean.”
“I am Narsa of the Blue Wind Tribe.”
“I… just call me the Black Reaper.”
Now that I chose the mysterious route, giving my name would ruin the image.
[Remaining Time: 37 hours]
After sending Narsa and Kim Taehyun away and taking a nap, there was still plenty of time left.
“No approaching enemies?”
—None. Rare monsters are wandering nearby, but none have crossed the boundary.
If I still had my rifle, I would’ve shot them all.
—While you were sleeping, I ran several simulations. We can’t let all rare monsters go unclaimed.
“That’s true.”
—I ran simulations for about three hours and found an efficient method.
“What method?”
—If you have no teeth, you chew with your gums. I simulated creating a temporary gun from mana and firing mana projectiles. It requires significantly more mana for the same power, but since mana isn’t an issue for you, it will suffice as a temporary measure.
Following Lucy’s guidance, I formed a rifle out of mana.
Manipulating mana outside my body was easier with Lucy’s visual assistance.
—Since it’s fixed by mana, you don’t need to shoulder it. The sound can also be almost completely suppressed.
I aimed at a rare monster wandering nearby.
‘Still feels more comfortable to shoulder a real rifle.’
After stabilizing my posture, I aimed at its eye.
—Pyoop!
With a sound barely noticeable compared to before,
the rare monster’s eye was pierced.
