Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter] - Chapter 937

Chapter 937

When they first met as a couple, they immediately began acting like one.

“Who else is there?!”

Their first meeting, filled with misunderstandings and quarrels, didn’t change just because they had become lovers.

Leeha had to endure Ram Hwayeon’s attacks without knowing the reason.

– Hey, Kijung! What’s going on, man! Why the sudden— What did you just say and leave!
– Hyung… fighting.

– You brat! What’s with the ‘fighting’— Ow! I’ve been hit!
– Ah, the weather is nice. Middle Earth usually has good weather, though.

Kijung muttered into Leeha’s ear, masking his words.

“Keke. Just understand that this peace is not necessarily a good sign, guild master.”

Biyemi spoke as he stretched and looked toward the eastern part of the New Continent.

“Y-yes, I know that too. I was just saying. Hehe.”

What were the Chromatic Dragon and Tiamat preparing that they were stalling so long?

They had no choice but to prepare as best they could, writing scenarios based on various assumptions.

It was 20 minutes later when Leeha finally managed to calm down Ram Hwayeon.

* * *

“You really don’t know, do you?”

“Y-yes, I really don’t know!”

The situation settling down meant that the hitting had stopped, but Ram Hwayeon still glared daggers at Leeha.

He had barely managed to find out that this was a misunderstanding from the scroll that recorded Rubini’s skills after being repeatedly struck on the shoulder with the scroll.

“I don’t even remember the last time I talked to Rubini. She wouldn’t have given it because of me. Maybe we talked during the New Continent voyage? Ram Hwayeon, you know this too.”

“Th-that’s true. Ha— Ahem, and I also know you’re not the kind of person who’s skilled at things like this.”

How much time had passed before she accepted his feelings?

Ram Hwayeon had subtly let her feelings for Leeha show, so much so that Kijung had noticed everything.

It was just recently that Leeha fully realized it.

‘Unless Rubini confesses outright, no, even if she confesses outright, this guy would just think it’s a joke.’

Her expressions for referring to Leeha naturally softened over time.

Once her anger subsided, Ram Hwayeon’s eyes saw Leeha in a different light.

“Hehe, yes! Although calling you unskilled feels a bit off, at least the misunderstanding is cleared?”

How could that laughing face look so charming?

‘Or rather, is it natural for it to look charming?’

After all, he is her boyfriend.

Ram Hwayeon’s shoulders momentarily lifted with pride.

To the outside world, she was known as a fierce woman, handling all kinds of business transactions with fiery passion, managing vast sums that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. But she was still in her 20s.

Her perfectionist nature, the early noble education from the Ram Long Group, and the survival of the fittest among siblings had made her who she was today, but even such a person couldn’t suppress the primal stirrings of emotion.

“So, what have you been up to so far?”

“Ah! Hehe, I almost forgot. Recently, I got something interesting. I was testing it out.”

“Something interesting? An item? A skill?”

At Ram Hwayeon’s questions, Leeha nodded.

Until Kijung contacted him, he had been engaging in mock battles with Prea and testing his skills, and the results were very satisfying.

“What’s making you laugh so much? Ha, I haven’t seen you this satisfied in a long time.”

“Well, difficult things are indeed difficult, I must say. Even though P—”

Leeha clamped his mouth shut before he could say Prea’s name.

It was none other than Ram Hwayeon, who hadn’t even properly conversed with Rubini but was fussing about the fact that she had given him a skill scroll.

Would she take it lightly if she heard that he had done something with Prea ‘alone’?

Fortunately, Leeha was perceptive enough to avoid saying her name. He managed to swallow it with some effort, navigating the situation smoothly.

Ram Hwayeon, too, didn’t pry into such trivial details.

She felt strangely reassured just seeing Leeha’s satisfied smile.

“Are you saying you can deal with Tiamat?”

Did he find some method, she wondered?

Leeha’s smile faded at Ram Hwayeon’s cautious question.

“Hmm, if it works… if it only works, it will undoubtedly be quite powerful.”

Leeha was pondering seriously.

It wasn’t just his own skills. Prea’s spirits also needed to assist.

If both attacks could be carried out simultaneously, there was a chance that dealing with Tiamat might end surprisingly easily.

‘But… she’s the queen of the Chromatic Dragons. Even if Prea has outstanding abilities to make high and top-level contracts instantly, it wouldn’t be enough. Maybe if it’s a contract strong enough to summon spirit kings, but Prea’s spirits can’t exert 100% of their power.’

Even if it’s not 100%, as long as it’s 50%!

While harboring hopeful expectations, Leeha’s expression didn’t lighten. He had past experiences that proved similar.

‘The terror spirit didn’t work on Faust. Undead creatures have an innate resistance to fear… Naturally, it would be the same for Pyrot-Cocri. Certain NPCs and monsters above a specific level come with inherent abilities.’

So, what about Tiamat?

The queen of the Chromatic Dragons, who instilled cosmic fear just by looking at her—would the spirits of anger, destruction, chaos, and impotence be able to exert their power?

Leeha had not yet discussed this with Prea, but he negatively assessed this aspect.

One always had to consider the possibility that it wouldn’t work.

As Leeha fell momentarily into thought, Ram Hwayeon, who had been watching his face, asked.

“If it works? Are you worried the skill might not hit? That’s impossible.”

“Huh? Why is that impossible?”

Leeha blinked and asked.

Ram Hwayeon looked at Leeha with a rather bewildered expression.

“It’s impossible for Ha Leeha to miss a target! Anyone else, maybe, but not you.”

Before Leeha could say anything, Ram Hwayeon continued speaking without hesitation.

“Luger is impressive. Kidd’s reputation as an outsider is just as significant as Luger’s. But despite starting later, you’re already standing shoulder to shoulder with them. No, you’ve even surpassed them, right? Isn’t that so, Ha Leeha?”

“Le… really?”

Leeha nodded as if entranced, discovering for the first time what Ram Hwayeon truly thought of him.

“Absolutely. You almost assassinated the king of Fibiel. You’re accomplishing things no user in Middle Earth can. You’ve even met a GM, so what are you so scared of?”

Ram Hwayeon moved closer to Leeha. The sound of her heels clicking on the floor echoed hazily in Leeha’s ears.

Her red hair fluttered gently as she stood before him, looking him straight in the eyes.

“The boyfriend I know never misses a target he’s set. Did I get that wrong?”

Her face started to blush, similar to the color of her hair.

Putting all her courage into cheering for her boyfriend, Ram Hwayeon was relieved that this was just a game. Because if this were reality and not Middle Earth, Leeha would have heard her heart pounding out loud.

Leeha felt the same.

What was this overwhelming emotion bubbling up inside?

If this were reality and not Middle Earth, his eyes would have surely been hot and flushed.

“Say something, anything! After I barely managed to speak, and you’re just sitting there silently! How embarrassing― Ah!”

Leeha hugged Ram Hwayeon tightly.

He decided to put aside his embarrassment for the moment; right now, he just wanted to express his love for his girlfriend, who believed in and supported him even more than he believed in himself.

They held each other in silence, sharing only their warmth, for what felt like several minutes.

“… Tiamat. We need. A plan. To capture.”

It wasn’t until Ram Hwajung, who had been crouching in the corner of Ram Hwayeon’s office and observing the entire conversation, muttered something that they finally pulled away from each other.

“Ahem! Oh, that’s right, Ram Hwajung is still here.”

“Hwa… Hwajung, aren’t you leaving?”

“Where. Would I go. Planning. Against. Tiamat.”

She was implying that there was no reason for her to leave when they still had to discuss strategies and tactics against Tiamat.

Ram Hwayeon found it difficult even to raise her head upon hearing Ram Hwajung’s brief words.

In a flurry, Leeha pulled up a chair and began rapidly scanning the scattered maps and documents.

“Let’s see, so to face Tiamat and the Chromatic Dragons at our defense line… huh?”

Amidst his frantic reading due to the embarrassment, something caught Leeha’s eye.

“This.”

With Leeha’s hand and eyes fixed on one spot, Ram Hwajung scurried over to his side.

She already knew what the drawing and explanatory notes next to it were.

“〈Ice of the Abyss〉. Keep. Using. It.”

“Keep, ah, right. We haven’t been able to use it for an extended period in the videos―Keep, keep using it.”

Leeha pondered over Ram Hwajung’s words.

What was written here wasn’t an impossible idea. They had already used it a few times, hadn’t they? All it needed was to be executed on a larger and grander scale.

“Oh, that? There shouldn’t be any major issues. But why?”

Having finally regained her composure, Ram Hwayeon also approached Leeha. As she glanced at the document Leeha was holding, she asked nonchalantly.

Leeha’s gaze slowly turned towards Ram Hwayeon.

“I think we can do it.”

“What?”

“If we do it right, we can do it.”

Though she couldn’t grasp the exact meaning of Leeha’s halting words, Ram Hwayeon understood.

Leeha’s eyes started to shine again.

She was one of the people who knew best what that meant.

Leeha grabbed a blank piece of paper and began writing something down. Ram Hwayeon quickly realized what Leeha was scribbling.

“This…”

“Yeah.”

Their eyes met, and they began sharing their thoughts swiftly.

Through their back-and-forth feedback, Leeha’s rough idea slowly began to take shape.

“If we change this number like this, wouldn’t it be possible?”

“Um, but we have to consider the ongoing battle scenario. There’s a high chance it won’t reach that much.”

“Ugh, it would be great to test this out for real.”

“This one task is impossible even with my current power. Even with our entire Hwahong Guild, we can’t achieve this output.”

“I know, I know. That’s what’s frustrating.”

But an idea was just an idea; there was no way to test it in practice.

Ram Hwajung peeked her head between them and glanced at the paper on the table. Late into the night, the light in Ram Hwayeon’s temporary office stayed on.

Perhaps through this meeting, they were crafting the Sacred Alliance’s last bastion that could aim to take down Tiamat or even beyond.