The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

59. Arsen’s Hero (2)

I finished my examination and returned to the guest house.

Although not much time had passed, it felt like I had spent a month in the dungeon.

“……How long has it been since you came back?”

The scenery of the guest house, which I saw again, felt unfamiliar.

I had been called out for three days straight after completing the dungeon conquest. A proper leisure life was nowhere to be found.

It was because the mine that had been hiding in the dungeon was a demon.

In the unprecedented crisis, the authorities were in an uproar, the professors were investigating the truth, and voices were growing louder about the effectiveness of using mock dungeons for training,

I, who had fought against Ma-in, and Rebecca were summoned to all sorts of places.

When we returned to the dorm, it was almost dawn. I simply collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

After tossing and turning for a while, I woke up to find it was morning. The schedule for the next day had begun.

And when all those schedules were over, it was today.

I lay on the bed and checked the system.

+

[Sharp Shooter] [Lv. 2]

[Rank: Unique] [Proficiency: Intermediate]

▶ Receives accuracy correction for all activities including shooting.

-25% increase in critical hit rate

-19.2% increase in accuracy

-20.25% additional damage upon successful sniping

-Damage increases proportionally to magic power (up to 2 stacks) (1 stack up)

*Additional Traits

-[Thousand-Mile Eye] [Rare]

▶ Can clearly see distant objects.

-[Watcher’s Eye] [Mid-High Grade]

▶ Can read the flow of low to mid-grade magic power and penetrate up to mid-grade barriers.

-[Bullet of Magic] [Rare]

▶ Creates bullets with magic power. Minimum magic power required (500)

▶ Reduces recoil by 20% when using firearms.

*The destructive power of the bullet is proportional to the consumed magic power.

-[???]

▶ Acquired a new additional trait….

1/2

+

My talent level rose by one rank while capturing Ma-in. As a result, a new additional trait was unlocked.

It was a chain reaction, and now even the system was divided into two pages, but I couldn’t help but smile when checking the new trait. As I grew stronger, the weaknesses of the Sharp Shooter were disappearing one by one.

+

-[Hunter’s Intuition] [High Grade]

▶ Consumes magic power to detect the target’s weakness.

▶ Allows for more agile movement.

▶ Can use the Faith Bullet skill. Minimum magic power required (1,000)

*Faith Bullet is limited to once a day.

+

As I gazed with tired eyes, my instincts responded. I felt it was time, so I closed the system and got out of bed.

Ding-ding-

“Si-on, sir.”

“Please come in.”

The door creaked open.

I thought it was closed, but I knocked anyway, only to find it had been open from the start.

The visitor was Isabelle, a priestess from the Shinseong Academy. She peeked through the door, surveyed the room, and then approached me cautiously.

“This is different from the other dorms.”

“It’s a guest house, after all.”

“The room I was assigned on the lower floor was smaller and had less furniture. Your room, Seon-nim, is like a luxury hotel suite.”

“Uh… yeah…”

To be precise, this wasn’t my room, but rather a temporary loan. Rebecca had invested in me, so it wasn’t like I had a choice.

Isabelle approached me, carrying a shopping bag. She rummaged through it, pulling out an item and placing it on the table.

“I heard you’ve been having trouble sleeping. I brought something to help you with that.”

“…Do you remember that?”

“Of course.”

It was something I mentioned in passing when I met Isabelle a few days ago. I didn’t think she’d remember it.

Upon closer inspection, the item resembled an hourglass. Given the faint magical reaction visible to the observer’s eye, it was likely an artifact.

Artifacts weren’t only used for combat. Any magical tool used in daily life could be classified as an artifact, so it wasn’t unusual for her to give me such a gift.

“And this is what we discussed last time.”

The shopping bag was now empty, and Isabelle’s hand movements slowed to a halt.

She turned to me, her hand still in the bag, and asked, “So, where do you plan to use it?”

“It’s difficult to say right now.”

My response seemed to convince her, and her expression softened slightly.

“I heard you fought against the Ma-in. Is this related to that?”

Her follow-up question was quite sharp.

I sensed a deep concern in Isabelle’s gaze, unlike the hostility or suspicion she showed before.

I had little to say, but if I had to force out a response, it would be a single phrase.

“Maybe so.”

From now on, as we approach the midpoint of the first act, all sorts of unsavory characters will start to appear.

The Ma-in ‘Ohnin De Shantus’ we caught in the dungeon earlier was brought in by the Esperando Duke himself, but that was just the beginning. It’s only a matter of time before more ruthless and cruel individuals emerge.

Still, Isabelle, who had willingly provided me with a restricted item from the Shinseong Academy, was someone I could trust.

“Going forward, we’ll have to face even more unsavory characters. I asked you to prepare something in advance, just in case.”

“…….”

“It’s better to minimize damage, don’t you think? If we can prevent it beforehand, that’s even better.”

If we had let the Ma-in escape in the dungeon, it would have led to an uncontrollable disaster. Fortunately, Rebecca and I were able to catch it early on.

So, my words carried weight when speaking to Isabelle.

However, Isabelle’s expression suggested she was thinking of something else.

“Are you worried that another Ma-in might come seeking revenge for its companion?”

That was half true, half false.

“It’s possible, but the Mains are almost all divided into factions, you know. And it’s not like they have a special camaraderie towards each other either.”

“…I’ve heard rumors about the factions.”

Isabelle nodded quietly.

While staying at the Holy Temple, she must have dealt with all sorts of Mains, and in some ways, she might know more about them than I do.

That’s why I hastened my meeting with the Holy Temple. As this recent Main incident has proven, you never know when or where you’ll encounter a Main.

If you’re not prepared to deal with them, you’ll end up dead. Even if it’s a main quest, you’ll still get a buff, but you have to be prepared for any situation.

Especially with this recent Main incident, it’s been widely reported outside.

First, a Main invaded the dungeon.

That Main was defeated by a single student, and Arsen, who’s working with the Hunter Association, is actively promoting it as a good example.

Originally, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, but this time, I had no choice.

Rather than letting the incident escalate and revealing the fact that there’s an Esperand conspiracy behind it, it’s better to just take the hit and move on.

Thanks to that, I’ve been getting chased by the student journalist group and other minor troubles, but if I can just cover up this incident, it’s a small price to pay.

The problem is, there’s a group that takes this incident very seriously.

“Sir, do you think the Main Association won’t take this lying down?”

“I don’t think so.”

The Main Association.

When the second act begins, those guys will start to get serious, and as their name suggests, they’re a group composed of Mains.

They were established to counter the Hunter Association, and they’re an evil organization that’s behind various malicious incidents in this world.

“If I were the Main Association, I’d choose to cut ties. There’s no need to provoke Arsen excessively.”

The Mains in the Main Association basically don’t have camaraderie.

They’re similar to Esperand, but a bit more ruthless. The Main Association is divided by hierarchy, unlike the Hunter Association.

…The high-ranking officials among them are what you’d call the ‘Single Number’ guys.

The ones with a single-digit ranking decide the Main Association’s will.

The lower-ranking Mains always dream of rising in status.

The easiest way is to take down someone above you and take their place. The Main Association doesn’t care even if their high-ranking officials change, as long as it’s not a problem.

No, they even encourage it. If a stronger Main appears, they welcome them with open arms, those Single Number guys.

That’s the kind of place the Main Association is.

“Anyway, that’s what I wanted to say.”

From now on, most of the main villains I’ll be facing are deeply connected to the Main Association. In Arsen, Professor Bierne is a representative example.

He’s even taken over the professor’s position, so the number of insiders who have infiltrated Arsen must be in the dozens.

Right now, they’re hiding and lying low, but when the time comes, they’ll turn Arsen upside down from the inside.

I need Isabelle’s help to deal with those guys.

“I’m borrowing the priest’s power to counter those who will oppose me in the future.”

“In return, I’ll… reform the Holy Temple later on…”

“That’s still not something we can discuss.”

I added a gesture, as if to say, “Let’s just keep it quiet for now.”

I promised to help Isabelle with her temple reform later on, but honestly, it’s still a far-off goal. We don’t even have a concrete plan yet.

“…”.

“It’s not that I won’t help, but I’m waiting for the right time.”

I have a past history of recklessly issuing IOUs to Ailee without hesitation.

The current situation is uncertain, and I’m the one who’s most worried, not Isabelle or Ailee, but me.

Of course, I didn’t lie during that process, so Isabelle will believe and wait for me.

Isabelle, who trusted me and provided the sacred artifacts of the Holy Church without hesitation, is someone I feel indebted to and sorry for.

“Just wait, and the time will come. When that time comes, I’ll be the first to visit you, Father. No matter what, it’s a promise.”

So, I asked her to trust and wait.

I held Isabelle’s hand and emphasized once again.

The day when the current Pope, Benedict 2nd’s, true nature will be revealed is approaching. When that day comes, Isabelle will be able to take real action.

In the process, she’ll work with key figures like Kyle to uncover the corruption within the Holy Church.

But for now, it’s not the time.

It’s not something that can be rushed.

“…You’re making it difficult every time.”

“Yes?”

“…”

In the sudden silence, I let go of the hand I was holding. Isabelle’s face was filled with concern.

From noble mtl dot com

Anyway, I think my intention was conveyed. Conveying a sincere heart, that’s enough for now.

However, at that moment, my entire nervous system was strongly stimulated. It was a [sense] reaction without any prior warning.

Kkiiik—

The soundless opening of the guest room door.

This door automatically locks, and not just anyone can open it with a loud creak. So, the only person who can open this door, aside from me, is the original owner of this room.

The student council president, Rebecca von Anastasia Grandeur.

“…There was a guest, wasn’t there?”

“I apologize.”

But there was no response.

The half-opened door closed again. Before it fully closed, I rushed out like I was being pushed.

Isabelle looked puzzled, but it was not the time to answer.