Matan’s Shooter - Chapter 262
[Don’t get off the boat, commander!!! Draaaaaaake! If anything happens to the commander, Fibiel’s army will never forgive you! There will be countless graves in this sea!!!]
Another shout was heard from 2nd Fleet admiral Scott from afar.
Burke knew how much Scott cared about him, but his expression wasn’t bright.
“That’s why I didn’t want him to be an admiral.”
“What are you talking about when you were the one who appointed him?”
“But that’s not what I taught him. I thought him to run away whenever he is hit and lost, especially when Drake pulls out a large fleet.”
Burke shrugged quietly. He knew the motivations of his subordinates well enough, but it won’t be easy to get stuck. Even in a situation where Burke himself was not present, and Drake is in the enemy’s army.
“Shall we get off the ship?”
“S-Shouldn’t you be stopping at this point?”
“Between us. I know the captain’s personality.”
Burke frowned as he listened to the NPC navigator’s words. It was a conversation between a superior and subordinate that could only be understood by users around them who had been in the navy for a long time.
Click-!
Soon after, a small wooden box was thrown into the sea from the Sailfish.
[The boat is off! I will now go down! Promise on this sea!]
[I promise. In the name of the mother of the sea. After taking Burke’s head, Kraven’s ship will retreat without bombarding.]
[Good. And Scooooott! You guys go back too! You know who will become the commander after me, and be the captain of the Sailfish, right?!]
[Caaaaaaaaaaptaaaaaaain-!]
It was almost a cry.
“The boat is moving, Commander Drake.”
“And the passenger?”
“There’s only one sailor rowing other than Burke.”
As Burke expected, Drake wore the uniform of a regular naval officer. The commander’s sword and the captain’s hat had already been removed. Drake and the captain, standing next to him, did not take their eyes off the approaching boat.
“Okay. They were our enemy, but they are a great navy. Be polite.”
It wasn’t just them. The situation, which was nothing more than a new wave, drew the attention of not only the former Fibiel navy but also the Kraven navy.
There, no user nor NPC could predict anything. No, it was Leeha’s order from the beginning.
Make as much noise as they could to distract the enemy’s nerves.
Additionally, talk to Drake as much as one can!
If they wanted to see the enemy commander who was hiding, they had to watch his mouth move and hear the sound of his voice.
Only then will be able to find out who the hidden Drake is.
“Okay- hmm? W-who are you!”
The Kraven navy, who bowed toward Drake, was startled.
A face he had never seen before stood on the tail of the Sea Serpent and the ship’s stern, which had no one but himself and the commander.
“Pheeew, so this is where you were? Now, raise your hand, Drake. If you lift one finger, I will blast your head.”
The unknown man lifted a black rifle that did not reflect even sunlight.
*****
“This sea, how does it flow?”
“What?”
“The way it flows. How does it flow? Where does the current go?”
Before getting into contact with the Sea Snake, Leeha was able to think of an idea from one of the Sailfish’s sailors, what the flow of the tide was. What if it was Drake who was feared and acknowledged by the brilliant NPC Burke?’
‘Even if they didn’t know about the Black Bass, one shouldn’t give your identity and distance to an unknown enemy.’
One had to approach. And he could not get near the Sailfish. Unlike in Marching Plains, there is no such thing as a ‘bypass’.
There was only one way left. Leave his body to the flow of the sea. To be precise, it wasn’t about swimming in the sea, but getting on “something floating in the water”.
‘Could I avoid the enemy’s detection when I ride on a wooden plank like a drifter?’
That was the first gamble.
Therefore, Leeha and Burke threw all sorts of ancillary items into the sea, pretending to lighten up the Sailfish’s weight in order to increase speed.
In the meantime, Leeha was thrown into the sea.
That fact was so secret that no one noticed it. Of course, that wasn’t all. In any case, there were a lot of ships around Sailfish, and many eyes were concentrated on them. Leeha couldn’t deceive people’s eyes just by laying on his face.
So, naturally, a second gamble was necessary.
Trying to take advantage of the loopholes in the skill description. Leeha held his breath while casting the skill.
‘Camouflage!’
Camouflage is canceled when Leeha moved for more than 1m per minute. Or he could release it on his own.
Then what if he didn’t move his ‘body’? What if he didn’t move his ‘body’ while laying flat on his stomach?! Will it be released?
Or not?
Will it work?! Please!
Leeha begged and prayed again and again. Please don’t get released. Whoever said that the universe helps those who are desperate? Middle Earth heard Leeha’s wishes.
‘Okay, the camouflage didn’t come off! With this, we have passed the second hurdle !’
While Burke, Drake, and Fibiel’s admiral were on a stand-off, the oak barrel containing Leeha floated along the current naturally toward the Sea Serpent Fleet.
The next step was to climb up by grabbing the emergency rope of the Sea Serpent.
As soon as he got on the stern, Leeha discovered Drake, who had changed into ordinary clothes.
There was no gap at all.
Leeha immediately took out Black Bass and aimed at Drake.
“Hands up, Drake. If you lift even one finger, I will blast your head.”
“…. hmmm?”
“H-How did you get through the detect-”
“Tsk. You there, shut up and step back. One wrong move and your commander’s head will be blasted.”
Leeha made a hoarse sound.
Hearing the shuddering snake-like voice, the Kraven user was not able to come to his senses.
What happened? How is a Fibiel unit on this ship?
He wanted to ask something in a mixture of confusion and bewilderment, but his words didn’t come out properly. What if he opened his mouth prematurely and the intruder shoots Drake?
‘Kraven’s loss would be confirmed! T-the contribution-’
It wouldn’t just be zero, it would become negative.
Of course, Leeha’s threat would naturally work.
All of the crews of Sea Serpent who turned their heads to see what was happening as the use backed away and suddenly retreated were astonished.
“F-F-Fibiel!”
“What?! What happened?”
“Co- Commander! Commander Drake-”
The Sea Serpent became noisy in an instant. Leeha stood calmly despite the commotion. It was just right. To get people to focus.
Baaaaaang—–!
The Black Bass’ muzzle pointed toward the sky, and then it shot out an explosion comparable to that of a Culverin cannon.
Before they could even react, the rifle was already aimed at Drake again.
“What is that?”
“It came from the commander’s ship.”
“In the Sea Serpent? Did they shoot a cannon?”
“That- I don’t know. What happened…?”
“Who’s that? Who is it?! Our commander!?”
“A-ah, the Sailfish is still far away. The sound- where did it come from? We can’t confirm anything!”
“How about Commander Burke?”
“Maybe he is in the boat….”
The boat seemed to have stopped on its way to Sea Serpent.
Neither Kraven nor Fibiel’s navy could understand the situation. There were only three people who had fully grasped the situation at the moment.
“Indeed…… You are the thing that Burke believed in. If my memory is correct, you are using the weapon of one of the Three Musketeers.”
“NPC talking about memory. Now, what are you going to do, Drake? I’m fine whichever you choose, but I think it’s better for you to back off.”
And out of the three people, only Leeha was in control of the situation.
The situation had been reversed in an instant.
Not Kraven Navy encircling the Sailfish, but Fibiel Navy encircling the Sea Serpent. However, Leeha couldn’t pull the trigger right away either.
‘When Drake dies, the Naval battle against Kraven would be over. However…’
Will Kraven’s forces retreat?
That was Leeha’s concern. What if the Admiral NPCs come to avenge Drake? In the end, the dogfight he is trying to avoid would happen.
If the total of more than 700 ships of Fibiel-Kraven had a dogfight, the damage is unimaginable.
That is why Drake and Burke acted this way in order to conserve their strength as much as possible.
“Get all the ships off now. If you promise to return to your country, I will spare your life, Drake.”
Leeha’s voice was low and heavy. However, loud enough to spread around.
“C-commander-nim!”
“Haa, damn, let’s wrap it up like this! Musket! Where did the musketeers go!?”
“Loading! Loading!”
Click, click.
The users and NPCs of the Sea Serpent began to move in a hurry. The commander was taken hostage, but knowing that there was only one enemy, it was natural that they would somehow try to solve the situation.
“What to do? The one who inherited the musket of the Three Musketeers. I don’t think you can shoot me. You will not be able to come back alive.”
“Why do you think I won’t be able to shoot?”
“Wat?”
Drake’s eyebrows twitched.
“You and I are just exchanging lives. One stranger from Fibiel dies, and the commander-in-chief of Kraven will die, and your defeat would be confirmed. Do you think Kraven naval force will be able to get out of this water without you?”
Leeha calmly spoke to Drake.
Then, gradually raised his voice. For everyone to hear. Especially for the ‘users’.
“And when the defeat is confirmed! Users! Your contribution will immediately become negative. Can you handle it? You will all die in this sea for nothing! Shouldn’t you avoid the damage? But what do you think the damage will be to your navy, having lost three admirals and a commander-in-chief? Even if we take 10 damage, you will take 150, no 200 damage! You could not even use the Culverin because the ship’s distance is getting narrower! You know, right? There! If you don’t lower your musket within 3 seconds, it will all be over. Drake’s head will be gone! 3, 2-”
The Kraven users lowered their muskets after getting pressured by Leeha.
They couldn’t do anything because they were out of the effective range anyway, but they didn’t even have the guts to maintain their position.
Leeha spoke quietly again while Kraven users were calculating on their heads.
“We still have commander Burke. Don’t forget that, Drake. What do you think will happen to Kraven kingdom if you don’t completely destroy us in this naval battle? Can the Kraven navy survive our Fibiel fleet without you there? After all, I’m a stranger.”
“..Hmmm.”
Leeha did not miss the subtle changes in Drake’s expression.
What came out was Kraven’s main forces That included Drake, one of Kraven’s most important figures.
What if Kraven lost it all?
It is as if a pillar of the country has been pulled out. If Fibiel took a lot of damage, it would mean that Kraven would be more than seriously injured The fate of the country might be divided. Even if the opponent wasn’t Fibiel….
“If you die losing the battle! Your level will go down, your item will drop, and your contribution would be negative! If you don’t want to give up playing Middle Earth in a completely ruined Kraven country, users should stand down and cooperate with me! That’s the best way for you!”
Leeha exclaimed in a loud voice again.
And to a large extent, his threat was paying off.
“What are you saying? Did anyone contact you?”
“Right now, commander- hmmm……. Not yet. I…… I haven’t been contacted yet.”
The admiral of Kraven’s 6th fleet asked, but the navigator user had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. If what he had been hearing via whisper was true, there was no need to tell.
‘The NPC bastard would 100% go out to fight. Then, I won’t be the only one to get fucked.’
Level down, item drop, negative contribution, and being unable to log in for 48 hours.
He couldn’t afford to get those penalties.
(To be continued…)
