Matan’s Shooter

During the brief moment Leeha was in the outside world, another uproar erupted near the [Divine Staff], where the monsters’ standoff had ended.

“… It’s Toon.”

“Toon, it’s Toon! Toon has appeared again!”

A dinosaur with a height of 440 units caught by the scout team members.

Monsters, including Toon, revealed themselves once more near the [Divine Staff].

It had only been six hours since Leeha had eliminated the illusion of Toon.

“Damn it, what’s this?”

“Ah! Ahhh! We barely recovered from a failed quest, and now it looks like we’re doomed for real!”

“Are you kidding me? We just went back three hours ago, why is it here again?”

It was only natural for the various knight orders to become noisy once more.

This time, they didn’t unnecessarily run somewhere or hide the appearance of Toon.

Toon, leading a group of monsters, revealed itself at an approximate distance of 260 meters, visible enough to flutter in the eyes of the scout team members.

“Where is the bishop?”

“He went back to Juma City to report to the Archbishop after the situation ended!”

“Call him back right now! We might need to summon bishop again!”

“Understood!”

Even the most trained knight orders were naturally flustered.

Without understanding the enemy’s intent, there was no preparation beyond conventional defense formations.

Among the chaos, one of the few groups not causing a commotion was the Virtuous Knight Order.

“This is strange.”

“What’s strange, captain.”

As Lark wobbled his head, Knight 1480, who was nearby, asked.

Amidst the surrounding hustle, he leisurely hummed, maintaining a relaxed demeanor.

“It doesn’t add up no matter how I think about it. This… Ah, could it be?”

“Is there something bothering you?”

Despite Knight 1480’s inquiry, Lark’s expression began to clear up. He nodded.

“Think about it. The one we thought was killed by Leeha’s gun was a fake… And now you’re telling me the real one just popped up? That’s what this Demon King’s Army is suggesting?”

He hadn’t even drawn his sword from its scabbard.

Without scouting skills or a scope, he couldn’t see Toon and the group of monsters, yet that wasn’t the reason for his relaxed state.

The form of the enemy he envisioned was precisely why he felt no need to prepare for battle.

“But then, Bluebeard is ranked number one among the Demon King’s Army’s elites. With such a figure involved, they wouldn’t resort to such a shabby strategy. Heh, yes, that’s it.”

“How do you analyze the situation then?”

“Why bother saying? It’s not even certain.”

Lark held a conviction about his thought. Yet, he dismissed 1480’s question.

There was one reason for his refusal to answer.

It’s simply not fun to just tell.

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If Leeha had seen this scene, he would’ve adequately said, ‘What a twisted person.’

Hearing this, a user who was standing beside chimed in.

“If you have thoughts, why not share? It’s not for nothing that you were given the command authority over a hundred people, captain.”

The user, donning the knight order’s armor but appearing somewhat slack, was someone who had vented frustrations along with Lark upon their first arrival in the New Continent.

“Ah! If you want to use my brain, then properly pay up. I clearly remember there being a bonus for securing the [Divine Staff], right, Financial Officer Pung?”

“Financial Officer, my foot. Only in the New Continent am I a Financial Officer. Back home, I’m just a commoner. Compensation is determined based on contribution, so wait a bit longer. It’s been only 4 days,” responded Pung, the financial officer of the Virtuous Knight Order in the New Continent, tasked with overseeing the financials of the dispatched knight order.

The surrounding knight order members swallowed their saliva, eagerly watching the two.

“I thought they said they don’t entrust the Financial Officer role to a user.”

“What on earth do we have to do to push through 1400 and receive the financial statement?”

“Even if it’s just limited authority in the New Continent, we’re talking about the Virtue Knights… There’s a reason we can’t ignore what these two are saying. If they are users assined roles within the meritocracy of the Virtue Knights, they can’t be underestimated.

“So, what’s the captain thinking?”

“It’s just a hypothesis for now. But I do have a rough idea.”

As if answering Pung’s question, Lark gestured around them with his chin. Everywhere, groups of light were endlessly twinkling, indicating users and 480 gathering through teleportation; in no time, their number had swelled enormously.

“It’s just a trick.”

“A trick?”

“They have no real intention to attack, those fellows.”

“What do you mean by that? Why play such a trick?”

At Pung’s question, Lark yawned. The other knights of the Virtue Knights could not fully grasp what Lark meant.

“I had a bit of a showdown with that bastard. It’s not their style to just scout us like this. So, that leaves only one thing. If it’s as Leeha said, not knowing if what’s showing is real or fake….”

Lark said, smiling slyly as he looked towards where Toon was.

“It’s all just a show.”

“But, seriously! Why do this-“

“Whether it’s fake or real! ‘If Toon shows itself, what kind of situation will unfold! Ah, geez! Think about it, Financial Officer. I’m off to Juma City, so call me if anything urgent comes up.”

Lark then immediately used a crystal ball and disappeared.

Pung and the 48 knights of the order exchanged glances where Lark had vanished.

“If Toon ‘shows itself, what then…? What kind of situation will-… Ah! Ah-ha!”

Pung’s expression brightened as he repeated Lark’s words. He was also not one to be outdone when it came to quick thinking.

“Did you get what it means, Financial Officer Pung?”

“Ah! Yes, yes. That’s right. So, this is an opportunity for us, isn’t it?”

“Opportunity, you say…”

“Bring everyone to Juma. Let’s discuss it there.”

Pung activated his crystal ball without hesitation.

With Toon and monsters swarming, commanding to head to Juma City with the [Divine Staff] so close at hand was perplexing.

Fortunately, the knights of the order, all 140[5 of them, lacked the ability to judge such matters.

The entire Virtue Knights vanished from the vicinity of the [Divine Staff] in less than ten minutes.

“Yawn. It likely seems a trick considering how much they’re dragging out time.”

Kijung yawned dramatically pointing at Toon. The personnel around weren’t as relaxed as Kijung, but their thoughts were similar.

“Kijung-ssi! Watch your mouth! The Sacred Knights are right next to us, what an embarrassment!”

“Embarrassment? I was just exercising my jaw for a bit.”

Bobae elbowed Kijung’s side. The Sacred Knights and they were closely allied, forming linked magic formations.

Shin Nara laughed seeing Kijung and Bobae.

“Kijung-ssi does have a point. It would be good if Leeha logs in and shoots once more.”

“Hm. I also judge it to be similar to the illusion Leeha fired.”

Nara and Tale agreed. And they weren’t the only ones.

Kijung, seeing the two agreeing with his insight(?), nodded and asked Hyein.

“How about it,Hyein hyung?”

“I also agree with that opinion. It’s not just similar to an illusion; it’s an illusion itself. There’s nothing good for the Demon Army by dragging out time. Then, the problem is the enemy’s intention…”

Hyein hummed thoughtfully, supporting his chin. To even Hyein, considered one of the highest brains in the group, the enemy’s intention wasn’t completely clear yet.

“Why show themselves and lead to a standoff… The most likely possibility is diversion.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any other forces near [Divine Staff]. Leeha would see more clearly, but my eyes are pretty good too.”

“Indeed. As Bobae mentioned, we can’t see the forces from the fake operation. It must mean that’s not it either.”

Hearing Bobae’s addition, Hyein smiled gently. Admitting what one did not know was also a form of clear situation assessment. Pointlessly spreading various thoughts would not help at this moment.

“If it’s not a feint, and they aren’t planning a real attack… then why do you think they showed themselves?”

It was Nara who approached and asked Hyein. When it came to understanding Shin Nara’s situation, the judgment was quite superior thanks to years of dealing with all kinds of smear campaigns and political operations within the royal palace, especially against top-level monsters that possessed judgment skills.

Her asking for advice began after hearing Hyein’s statement in Juma City last time.

Hyein looked troubled, but it was hard to ignore Nara’s keen interest, who asked with shining eyes, “A diversion.”

“Hmm- You mean, instead of [Divine Staff], they wanted to attack another area, tying down our troops here?”

Nara quickly came up with another idea as if she had been waiting, just by Hyein mentioning a new hypothesis.

“Exactly, it’s highly possible, isn’t it? You knew this, didn’t you? I thought you might have known from the time when about thirty members of the Sacred Knights were absent. That remaining personnel might be waiting somewhere at-“

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“Juma City.”

“-Juma City.”

As Hyein mentioned the location, Nara spoke of it in unison.

As if they had arranged it beforehand, both of them burst out with the name.

Hyein looked at her and grinned. Nara too, smiled warmly and nodded.

“Good. Then we just have to wait and see if our prediction is correct or not.”

“That’s sensible.”

Nara had been splitting and using the Sacred Knights into two groups already. And Hyein had already grasped the number of the knights!

Feeling a new joy in realizing that Nara was playing along with her new hypothesis, knowing it beforehand, the conversation itself was exhilarating.

Both were not only quick in their thoughts but also agile in their beliefs and actions based on those beliefs.

“What are they talking about, stationing troops in Juma City?”

“Is that right, Kijung?”

“Huh?”

Kijung, hearing the conversation between Hyein and Nara, swung his head slightly. It looked hard for him to catch up with their advanced conversation, and he tried to ask Bobae for an opinion. However, Bobae’s attention was elsewhere.

“If you can contact Leeha, tell him to act accordingly, will you?”

“Leeha? Act? Why all of a sudden?”

“Tell him to quickly make a move or stamp something before Nara gets distracted.”

Kijung couldn’t quite read Bobae’s cryptic expression.

Yet, soon he could guess what she meant. Kijung’s eyes began to widen.

“Could it be! Nara- Oh!”

“Kijung? Did you call me?”

Having shouted so loudly, both Nara and Hyein turned their heads towards Kijung simultaneously. Bobae quickly covered Kijung’s mouth and showed an awkward smile.

“Uh, yeah~ Nara. We were talking about Juma City. Hahaha, we’ll go do some reconnaissance elsewhere.”

“Uh, um!”

Forced into muteness like a frozen ostrich, Kijung was sneakily led away by Bobae.

Even during that, Bobae managed to wink at Nara.

Only after receiving Bobae’s look did Nara realize her own state.

“Scouting now, why all this fuss.”

“That, that’s what I’m saying. Hahah, then, Hyein-ssi, I shall take my leave as well.”

“Ah, yes. I’m always in awe of your insight, Madam Nara. Should you grasp the true intention behind the diversionary operation, or discover anything special near Juma City, let’s discuss it again.”

“Then, okay! Yes, that sounds good.”

Nara, unable to speak properly out of embarrassment, coughed incessantly and headed towards the Sacred Knights. Watching her hastily walk away, Hyein tilted his head in wonder.

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