Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Could it suddenly leap and increase its speed? Would it not unleash a massive swing attack like Toon, or reveal a secret technique by fully unwrapping its bandages?

Even amidst a slight moment of carelessness, Kijung, who was responsible for protecting everyone, remained sharply attentive to the mummy’s movements.

“Tale-hyungnim, I’m counting on you to land the first punch!”

Consequently, Kijung’s primary move was to deploy Tale.

“Hmph, a preemptive strike. But, taking the initiative is a long-established formula for victory, [Flash Strike]!”

With a swift, sliding step to circle to the mummy’s flank, his sword momentarily gleamed.

No one managed to catch the swift action of him drawing his sword and slicing through the mummy’s forearm tendon.

Only after Tale retreated did the severed bandages flutter down from the cut.

“Umm-gah”

“Hey, no reaction-“

“Kwooooar!”

“Keke, go wild, crazy bear!”

Interrupting Tale, the one to charge at the mummy was Jin Gonggong, the bear.

Biyemi, who had been riding atop Jin Gonggong, quickly jumped down and sprinkled something onto his claws.

“Ku, Kwoar!”

With a hissing sound, Jin Gonggong’s claws immediately turned a violent shade of black, and he began to swipe ferociously.

This was a newly practiced joint attack pattern between the physically fragile venom mage Biyemi and the physically robust druid Jin Gonggong!

“Kwoar, Kwoar, Kwoar!”

Whoosh, Jin Gonggong’s paws seemed to ravage the mummy, grabbing at the bandages, seemingly about to rip off its arm, and finally flinging it away with a powerful chest thump.

“Kit, nice one, bear! Come get your antidote!”

“Kwaaaa, hurry, please, Biyemi!”

With each hit, a significant amount of poison effect was applied, enough to neutralize even the most formidable monsters with a single touch. The unfortunate thing was that besides Biyemi, all targets were susceptible to the poison effect, meaning even Jin Gonggong couldn’t last long.

Having reverted to his human form, Jin Gonggong rushed to Biyemi, looking at the downed mummy as if everything was over.

“Hmm… But, this seems… too easy?”

Kijung felt the same way.

The fallen mummy tried to stir, attempting to rise, but even that motion seemed pitifully unstable.

“It, it’s still not dead…? But, being a mummy, it’s classified under the undead attribute, right?”

“Um, so it can only be killed by a ‘Turn Undead’ or a divine skill hitting it,” he pondered.

This was understood by Biyemi and Tale, who had made successful attacks.

Given the level of damage, it should have been critical. Yet, the fact it could still move indicated their attacks weren’t fully effective.

“Phew, easy yet tricky,” sighed Bobae, as she released another arrow.

The arrow lodged into the head of the just-rising creature.

“Wait… what just happened?”

That’s when the remarkable occurred.

“Bobae, what kind of arrow was that? A skill?”

“Huh? What arrow? It was just an attack,” she replied.

“No, that thing—it’s absorbing the energy from the attack!”

In some cases, an elemental skill can be absorbed, but that usually requires the caster to be of a significantly higher level, making it a rare sight. Moreover, Bobae’s attack was classified as a ‘physical attack.’

To absorb that?

“Paladins, holy Shield!”

Haaaah!

At Kijung’s command, the paladins’ swords simultaneously flashed.

Having already buffed and encircled the mummy, they were ready to strike.

“Let’s go all at once! Chargeeee!”

With Kijung’s lead, fifteen elite paladins charged forward together. In a place with no escape, surrounded from all directions, even from 16 points around, their swords, coated with divine power, pierced through the air! Did the mummy anticipate their attack?

It didn’t move. However, its gaze was unmistakably fixed on Kijung.

“Ugh, what a creepy creature! Just die already!”

Kijung scowled, forcefully thrusting his sword. As Kijung’s sword dug into the mummy, so did the swords of fifteen paladins, making the mummy resemble a pitiful thing skewered by sixteen swords in total.

Yet, it remained motionless, not even turning to ash or falling to the ground. The only thing that moved was its face, as bandages unwound with a whispering sound.

Whoosh, whoosh!

As if being undone by someone, the bandages began to unravel automatically, revealing the form beneath.

The paladins frowned; what lay beneath the bandages was so decayed it was beyond recognition. Its face, devoid of hair, ears barely discernible, oozed pus and ichor, with eyes, nose, and mouth indiscernible.

It was just possible to tell that these features had once been there. Kijung was looking directly at it. Despite wanting to turn away from the stench gnawing at his nose, the mummy did not permit him.

“[Mas…ter…]”

It began to speak. Although the hole that could be presumed its mouth didn’t move, Kijung and the paladins clearly heard it.

“Found…”

A shiver ran down Kijung from head to toe. He could just make out the few words it managed to utter, filling in the gap himself: Master Kay, found.

“Ahhhh, ahhhh! What the hell is this! Attack! Everyone, attack!”

“[Holy Strike]”

“[Light of Ahlo]”

On Kijung’s command, the paladins launched a renewed attack. Their swords flashed, plunging into the mummy’s body once more, yet the mummy remained utterly unaffected. Despite the strong impact, the various sounds and movements of swords piercing through, the mummy displayed no reaction. Even a straw dummy at a training school for beginners would have shown more impact.

“Damn, what is this!”

Kijung tried to withdraw his sword, but in that moment, the mummy’s bandages twined around it.

“Damn it – cut the bandages!”

“[Flaming Ascension Sword Technique]!”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Tale’s sword sliced through the gap between Kijung’s sword and the mummy’s bandages. A thick ball of flame far larger than the swung sword burned the bandages away.

Despite the complex and difficult situation, Tale managed with no great difficulty.

“Kijung, are you okay!”

“Ta, Tale! It… it mentioned my name!”

“Your name?”

Hyein was also quick to act.

“[Reverse Gravity]!”

Gravity reversal magic! Hyein promptly finished casting, planting her staff into the ground. The mummy briefly writhed, stopping its movements as a pale violet light rippled in all directions.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Normally, the reversed gravity would have the mummy flailing in the air. But this one…

“The skill…”

“The skill seems ineffective. Damn, I have no idea what’s happening.”

Kijung instinctively knew.

“This is no ordinary monster.”

It absorbed Bobae’s Arrow.

Even the paladins, using their skills to attack after the initial strike, could not halt the creature advancing towards Kijung.

The same was true for Tale’s flaming sword, dancing through the air.

Unperturbed by the flames, as if the fire scarcely bothered it, the creature continued its advance towards Kijung, paying no heed to the bandages wrapped around its body, even as they caught fire.

And Hyein’s skill didn’t affect it either!

What did this mean?

“Everyone, fall back! Retreat!”

Kijung shouted loudly.

However, there was no one quick to step back from the monster, despite it offering no counterattack.

By their very nature, they were more comfortable with charging in! Orders to retreat were inevitably met with reluctance.

Yet, that changed momentarily when Tale’s flaming sword revealed the mummy’s full form, causing everyone, down to every last person, to halt their movements.

“This is…”

Tale himself stepped back. Inside the bandages was not the body of a grown man.

Eyes and noses mashed together haphazardly, a twitching mouth; an indescribable entity’s head, arms, legs…

Kijung thought.

It seemed as though countless creatures had been killed, burned, melted, and then melded together to form one entity, as if this mass had been shaped into a form resembling that of a human.

“Look,”

“Ugh, that’s, the smell-“

“Quits… indeed.”

Suddenly, eyes appeared on the human torso-shaped ‘thing’, indiscernible whether it was a body or something else.

“Eyes?!”

Upon seeing it, Kijung felt: this was not a monster they could oppose.

“Run, everyone! [Sacrifice]!”

~

It was a matter of milliseconds. No sooner had a light burst from Kijung’s body than a dark mass began to swell from the creature’s body.

The players nearby all witnessed the massive dark mass, seemingly trying to break free from ‘it’, suddenly swell explosively.

“What is that…?”

“Quick! Hyein, take everyone to Juma City now! Bobae, don’t look back and use the crystal ball!”

“Kijung?”

“We can’t last long—this one’s stronger than Toon! No, it’s incomparable to Toon, Rubini-nim! Run now!”

Unable to look back, Kijung had surrendered everything to a skill that prevented the enemy from performing any action—[Sacrifice].

Thanks to that, the unidentified creature had paused its actions momentarily.

“Quickly! Once Sacrifice ends, we’re all done for—! It’s over the moment that explodes—!”

“Could it be, Kay… That thing?”

“If you’ve noticed, then run, Hyein hyung, you idiot! All paladins, return to the Vatican immediately! Issue a first-class emergency!”

Kijung shouted at the top of his lungs. The paladins did not wait any longer.

With Kijung’s command, they all activated their crystal balls.

Tale, Biyemi, Jin Gonggong, and the other members from Byulcho also hurried their preparations to return.

As Kijung shouted, they too realized something.

However, only two people besides Kijung had completely understood the identity of ‘it’ here.

Rubini, who had glimpsed the true nature of ‘it’ from the start.

And Hyein, who had logically deduced the identity of ‘it.’

“Kay, I’m taking you with us.”

“You’re wrong. I have to die once. I absolutely can’t run away. If I stay, everyone dies! Just run—run away to the Vatican! Hurry!”

“No, but that’s not-“

“Kijung-ssi! If we die like this-“