Matan’s Shooter

Chapter 780

Matan’s Shooter 780

He had experience fighting against hundreds of opponents. He had even unleashed Blaugrunn, Koma, and Jellypong against thousands of monsters before.

“Dealing with tens of thousands for the first time, huh?”

And it wasn’t just a simple NPCs or monsters, but facing a colossal group that included players was a first for him.

He barely suppressed the roaring of his own heart.

“First of all, it’s the first defense line.”

This battle wasn’t about confronting the White Reaper’s Ghost. So, why did Shimo and the others draw up this massive plan?

“There are no restrictions on battlefield absorption.”

To defend the occupied territories, should they just sit and wait in one place? Leeha wasn’t that foolish.

He didn’t boast that just two people along with a dragon, bear, and an unknown jelly(?) could withstand tens of thousands. In order to crush the enemy in the initial clash and to capture their first momentum, the method Shimo had chosen was precisely this: “Pre-emptive Attack.”

Leeha left the town where the White Reaper had been executed through the iron gate.

: ※ ※

“Knights of Kravost, assemble everyone!”

“Knights of Trin-Orrel, never fall! Check your equipment, everyone!”

“Wild Grizzly guild members, we must take the lead! Don’t fall behind!”

The northern exit of Hamina Castle was in chaos with overflowing giants.

It wasn’t just because of President Shazrashian’s declaration of honor. All giants who had accepted the quest offered with a deadline had the right to participate in this quest.

Then, how would the rewards be distributed?

It was a quest that would end if only five out of ten thousand participants reached the destination within 100 days.

If we assume the current number of participants is ten thousand, would the rewards be the same for the five who reached there and the 9,995 who did not?

“That would never happen.”

“After all, there’s hardly anyone you can call enemies. No, most of them wouldn’t even know there are enemies. The information about a guy named Ha Leeha is top-grade information. Since there are few who know about it, if we prepare for that alone-”

“Our guild-”

“We-”

They’re eating.

The reason why the giants gathered here were jostling each other like horny bears trying to claim their territory was exactly that. Of course, it was no surprise to anticipate such movements, and currently, a few giants in the north of Hamina Castle were controlling them.

“Bantal-nim, are you really okay?”

“Hahaha! Who else but me and the Amunsan Trio should be at the vanguard? If not us, would Karelin-nim come forward himself?”

“It’s still okay. I have faced Leeha myself, so…”

“Such a joke. You still don’t know the real power of Leeha. If that guy had called someone else as a helper, it would have been even more chaotic. That’s why we-”

Kuung Woong…!

The surrounding giants suddenly started to growl.

The reason was that something was appearing with a dazzling light around Bantal, which was empty just moments ago.

“Indeed… Are you trying to summon even that?”

Karelin looked astonished as he gazed at the item brought by the Amunsan Trio and other giants, barbarian heroes.

“Wow-!”

“W-what is that!? That thing can’t be…!”

“Bantal! It’s an item created by the barbarian hero profession, ‘Hero’s Legacy’ Bantal!”

“Insane, where are you seeing that it’s barbaric? It’s the civilization’s state-of-the-art!”

“A tank?! And three of them?”

Having experienced the expedition to the New Continent, Bantal had conducted a lot of research on Kraven’s ships.

The title of barbarian hero is just part of the profession after all! There’s no way they were ignorant just because of the title. Just by the title of the Hero’s Legacy, it’s been proven how rough of a play can be made, and conversely, how capable refined play can be.

He focused on the reinforced pontoon that was attached to Kraven’s galleon and other ships and pondered how it could be useful in the mountainous and icy structures of Shazrashian.

“Actually, hahaha! It’s our 『Faction』 guild’s custom-made ‘Assault-Type Armored Vehicle’!”

It was a custom-made assault-type armored vehicle with an infinite track, skis added to the bottom, propelled by the skills of the barbarian heroes, allowing it to move forward. It had a giant ram attached to the front, hence the name “Assault-Type Armored Vehicle.”

It had the appearance of its name, extremely large, and thick.

Above all, it was sturdy and sophisticated. The masterpiece crafted by Bantal was on a different level from makeshift carts made roughly from wood.

It was much larger than a real-life armored vehicle and could carry many people while gaining speed, functioning as a super-sized war machine.

“We can’t spend a hundred days on this! Let’s focus on this one thing and finish before the sunset!”

When Bantal shouted at the giants, a huge cheer erupted. Watching the scene, Karelin nodded his head. He didn’t want to drag it out for a long time either.

“There are 27,783 total gunfighters. There’s no need to waste all our time on something as trivial as this event.”

With NPC knights participating in this quest and a total of around 30,000 users, Karelin found it absurd to waste 100 days dealing with so many giants as the Quest Manager himself.

“Then I’ll trust you with it.”

“Good! Once the supplies are ready, everyone grab your weapons! Charge at full speed! Don’t even let those weaklings who are too weak to fight it out among themselves near us!”

He didn’t particularly want any special formations. He didn’t bother polishing up their front line.

Trusting in the profession of barbarian warriors and assault armored vehicles, they pushed forward as is. The over 30,000 giants stared back like angered beasts, particularly eyeing the land beyond the front wall, the territory of the Hamina Castle in the north.

“As soon as you’re ready-”

Bantal raised both hands, riling up their morale.

His loud voice suddenly stopped. By that time, the powerful sound of something collapsing was heard.

“… Huh?”

“Huh?”

“What- what’s happening?”

Even the Amunsan Trio standing beside Bantal was momentarily taken aback. Bantal, who had been about to give a speech just a moment ago, was now collapsing forward.

Thud.

His body collapsed, transforming into light. There was nothing on his neck. The first to notice the situation was Karelin.

“Everyone, move back! Ha Leeha-”

Bang bang bang…!

Gunshots were heard in the distance. With only three seconds left until the command to advance from the Hamina Castle, a high-ranking figure from the Shazarsian Federation Quest Assault Team was dead.

“Hyung!”

“Don’t go out! You’ll die if you go out!”

“Where are they shooting from?! Check it out! Start with the investigation of Leeha’s movement!”

The Amunsan Trio urgently hid behind the Assault-Type Armored Vehicle, directing towards their surroundings.

Just a moment of confusion passed when they didn’t know what was happening, but they were users who had also participated in the expedition to the New Continent. The loss of Bantal was heartbreaking, but they couldn’t dwell on it for too long.

“Find cover! Leeha is nearby!”

“『Detect』!”

“『The piercing gaze of a bird aiming its prey』!”

“『Hunter’s scent』!”

Various giant specialized job classes, including barbarian warriors, used their respective skills. However, their expressions stiffened.

“He’s not here!”

“T-There’s no one around! Attacker’s location not confirmed!”

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This was just an open field right in front of the north gate of Hamina Castle. Even the monsters nearby were repressed by the imposing presence of the giant army, they didn’t dare to reveal themselves, and the terrain itself wasn’t even flat. And yet, they couldn’t be seen? Not even affected by the skills.

“More than during the expedition to the New Continent.”

“It has increased significantly. Much… increased.”

The Amunsan Trio bit their lips while looking at each other’s faces. Regrets were best dealt with at the earliest moment.

Karelin, who was the first to hide, looked at them and shouted, “Amunsan Trio! Is the armored vehicle operational?! Even without Bantal—”

“Whether it’s operational or not! Our strength is what drives it, even if the eldest hyung only gives orders.”

“Then, charge ahead! Transport as many giants as possible and charge!”

Fortunately, after the first attack, there were no casualties. Karelin thought of this as a stroke of luck.

“It was the same when fighting Human Flesh Hunter. He shot at a distance just a little over 1 kilometer. If I couldn’t see them with my Detect… If we think backwards, where would Leeha be now?”

Probably waiting around a point about 1.4 km away from here, still using a skill that couldn’t be detected even with transparent removal.

If so, would it not be more practical to rush towards that village where the Human Flesh Hunter were from here in a reckless manner? That was Karelin’s conclusion, and the Amunsan Trio understood his brief instructions.

“The 『Beggars』 guild is all aboard! Keep moving forward, don’t hesitate, even without the Amunsan Trio, we will operate as we practiced!”

“What in the world is this, damn it!? Listen up, everyone! Stick together at the back! Form a sturdy shield formation around the shield bearers, and stick to the rear of the armored vehicles!”

These were the giants who belonged to the guild led by the descendants of barbarian heroes. They demonstrated formidable firepower not only in individual combat but also in group battles, immediately ordering a defense-oriented formation and issuing commands to the giants at the forefront.

Karelin also crouched down and ran towards the rear, shouting, “All the NPC Knights of Shazrashian, remember! Deploy the strongest shield possible to the front and run until you reach a point where you are certain that Ha Leeha’s attack is over!”

While using Teleport Crystals would have been the best option, the place was a secret within Shazrashian, so only a few had stored them. Also, with over 30,000 people potentially teleporting at the same time, there was a risk of overlapping and manpower loss, so ultimately, running was the only answer.

“Tanks, forward! Shields!”

“Raise the shields, you bastards!”

“What sudden nonsense is this!?”

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“But, didn’t they say there was nothing? Then who’s that?”

The giants in the middle and rear were bewildered. Especially since the true identity of the ‘enemies’ was not clearly defined in this quest or the President’s speech, it was as good as being struck by lightning for users who didn’t know about Leeha or the White Reaper.

“Is Middle Earth an ordinary game! Naturally, there must be something, that’s why the President told us to charge in no matter what the ‘something’ is! Get a grip, and run!”

If it were Fibiel or Minis, it would have been different. They would have scrutinized the quest a bit more. But Shazrashian didn’t do that. With a clear goal in sight, they ran.

“Engine 1 started.”

“Engine 2 ready.”

“Boarding Engine 3!”

The Amunsan Trio were ready. They simultaneously used a skill, “『Titan’s Legs』!”

Their mana-enriched thighs swelled explosively. Each giant armored vehicle could carry around two hundred giants, including the personnel who could fit behind the massive chassis and escape safely.

When three such vehicles advanced simultaneously, those watching from a distance of about 440 meters away couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised. Even though it was a distance where the giants were barely visible, the awe-inspiring presence of the armored vehicles stood out clearly inside the scopes.

“Wow… that’s impressive. It doesn’t seem like something you can just crush, does it?”

The bystander marveled, munching on a sandwich. It was a feeling similar to seeing Kraven’s fleet during the national war.

“There is no need to shoot anyone at this point; it’s unnecessary.”

There was no intention to target the giants, who were hiding and wriggling around.