I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - GLSR Chapter 13 (Part 1)

One Shot had resolved a Gate alone in the middle of downtown Seoul.

That news spread like wildfire, fueled by the gasoline of the internet, setting the world ablaze.

[ Juniboss: Kyaa! That’s our One Shot-nim!
└ KSK: Hey, weren’t you the guy who said One Shot died on the 8th Floor a few days ago?
└ Juniboss: What BS… Got any proof?
└ KSK: Here’s a screenshot.
IlIIlliIl: LOL, he went quiet for days and now he’s like “I always believed~”
OneShotLover: They say a Dark Orc showed up and he blew it up in one shot.
└ IlIIlliIl: Wasn’t that thing a 15th Floor mid-boss? Damn, that’s some 7th Floor power;;
└ TambourineShaker: If he popped a Dark Orc’s head with one shot, isn’t it a free pass up to Floor 15 now?
└ OneShotLover: Nah nah, One Shot-nim gets a free pass to Floor 100. ]

Hot topics on HunterNow and trending search terms were all about One Shot.

The so-called “One Shot Hype Bubble” and “One Shot is Dead” theories that had surfaced during his three-day silence disappeared like they were never there.

[ HowManyCharsCanAUsernameHave: At this point, the only way to stop One Shot is to shoot him…
└ FriedRiceKiller: Nah, just destroy him with a love confession.
└ Hunter77: That applies to you too, dumbass. No BS.
└ FriedRiceKiller: Huh?
└ Hunter77: Uh…? ]

It was nothing but praise now.

Even the media that had declared his S+ streak over on Floor 7 quickly flipped their stance, now saying he probably just hadn’t attempted Floor 8 yet.

What really stoked the flames was the fact that Korea’s #1-ranked Hunter, Divine Archer Seo Suyeon, had been at the scene.

[ Divine Archer was there at the Gaecheon-dong Gate. One Shot just got there first!
└ Wow;; Is Divine Archer about to get overtaken?
└ Hey, let’s not badmouth Divine Archer. She’s not your buddy. ]

Of course, some people drew comparisons, but because Suyeon had such a positive public image, only a few extreme fans took it too far.

[ What matters is that the Gate was cleared safely.
Regardless of who arrived first, I believe both fulfilled their duties as Hunters.
I hope One Shot-nim climbs to the higher floors safely. ]

After one media outlet published that brief statement from Suyeon, others applauded the wholesome “mutual respect” between the current #1 and a rising star.

There were also cynical voices questioning whether it was too early to start calling One Shot a hero who’d save Korea or the Divine Archer’s successor when no one even knew who he really was.

And as Lee Hyun browsed through those reactions—

“…She’s not mad, is she?”

—he felt a bit uneasy about an unexpected secret he hadn’t meant to reveal.

Who could’ve known Korea’s #1 would rush over to an E-rank Gate?

If he’d known, he would’ve just minded his own business and not gotten involved.

Someone like Divine Archer wouldn’t show up without a reason.

She might be annoyed, thinking he had interfered with her moment to shine.

‘See? See? She didn’t even offer a proper comment. If she really didn’t mind, she could’ve said “Nice job” at least… Even saying she hopes I reach the higher floors safely sounds more like “Alright, let’s see how far you get,” if you think about it…’

After being ostracized harshly for a year in the military, Hyun’s paranoia was only natural.

Even if Divine Archer was known for her kind personality, she was still a person.

‘…I really need to keep my identity hidden.’

If she caught wind of him and metaphorically fired a blind arrow his way, he’d be in real trouble. That thought solidified his resolve to tighten information security even more.

Even if he lifted the block on personal messages later, he would never accept a message from Divine Archer.

“Anyway.”

Hyun opened his status window to check his current stats.

〈Choi Hyun’s Sniper Rifle〉
Lv. 9
Firepower: 25
Range: 8
Precision: 14
Stability: 13
Stealth: 30
Rapid Fire: 13
Mana: 31
Unallocated Stat Points: 12

Already at Level 9.

He’d used quite a few points during the Gate clearance.

Even so, he still had enough left for the equivalent of two full levels for an average Hunter.

〈Range: 8 → 10〉

He spent 2 points to raise his Range slightly.

He had learned how important Range was during the last Gate.

To remain unseen, he had to maintain distance.

And he’d also figured out a bit of the stat’s mechanics.

‘The higher the Range, the greater the scope magnification, and it even feels like bullet velocity increases.’

The Range stat improved every factor related to effective shooting distance.

For instance, the scope would automatically scale its magnification to suit long distances.

And bullet speed would increase, letting the shot hit in the same amount of time regardless of distance.

Just like the other stats, it was essential for a sniper.

As Hyun felt pride swelling from his steadily growing stats—

“Son, you’re still home?”

Minjeong, who had stopped by the house from the store, spoke as she spotted Hyun in the living room.

“Yes. I was just about to head out.”

“So listen, this Hunter named One Shot—he’s really something.”

“Y-Yeah?”

Minjeong immediately brought up One Shot the moment she got home.

“The neighborhood ladies are all talking about it! That Gate incident at the intersection nearby—turns out he handled it. Alone!”

“T-That’s what I heard too…”

Mother.

That “One Shot” is your son, Choi Hyun!

You’re allowed to be proud of me!

Hyun suppressed the swelling in his chest, forcing himself to stay composed.

Even if she didn’t know his identity, what son wouldn’t be happy to hear his mom singing his praises?

At that moment, Minjeong glanced at her bashful son, who couldn’t make eye contact, and clicked her tongue.

“Tsk…”

The kind of tongue-click that practically broadcasted a subtitle:

“Someone else’s son is out there doing all that, and what about you, huh?”

I’m not someone else’s son, I’m your son!

“Alright, I made cheonggukjang,* so eat when you’re ready. And stop by the store if you’ve got time.”
(*Cheonggukjang: a traditional Korean fermented soybean stew.)

“Ooh, yes! Cheonggukjang!”

Hyun was about to say something, but the word cheonggukjang made him bolt for the kitchen.

Cheonggukjang was irresistible!

Minjeong’s cooking was on a whole different level from army mess halls—this wasn’t something he could pass up.

***

Translatin_Otaku

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