I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

“You! Yes, you! You can’t do a single thing right!”

The team leader lashed out while hitting me on the head with the report. 

The surrounding people appeared used to this scene and continued their work without even bothering to spare a glance.

Even so, I silently took his scolding. 

I looked at his shiny bald spot and responded.

“I’ll correct it.”

“Take responsibility for this and finish it today! Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

Without a word, I moved back to my seat. 

Should I quit this job? 

A myriad of thoughts raced through my mind, but I held them back.

Roadmoon Game Company. 

My first workplace and the place I’d been working at for three years.

It was a company well-known in the gaming industry and a place that served as a stepping stone in one’s career. Just its name smudged on your resume was enough to make a difference.

It’s not like I was putting up with it for nothing…

‘Even if I try to console myself…’

It was just an excuse really.

‘Because I’m an extraordinary man.’

My parents, friends from school, and fellow soldiers in the military.

Everyone said I had a ‘hardcore man’ side to me.

Isn’t that an insult?

You might think that, but no. 

In fact, I agreed.

Rather than assert my own opinions, I found it easier to follow what others said.

When I won a game, that was the end of it. 

Provocations like ‘Are you scared?’ never worked on me.

Water sliding, human hamburger, parkour, and all the other things boys do at least once in their lives.

“That’s a really stupid idea! Let’s do it right now!” — I never did any of that.

That was the trajectory of my life, and here I am, still living this way.

Even though I’d perfectly completed the tasks my boss assigned, I couldn’t say a word.

‘It was you who gave me the wrong task. Why are you telling me to do all of it?’

Manly trait.

I could only suppress my grievances inside.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t done anything until now. I made efforts, but for some reason, things always got in my way, and the world seemed to unfairly oppose me, so I had no choice but to revert to my old ways.

I tilted my wristwatch.

“If I really push myself, I could probably get it done.”

I was about to start typing on the keyboard.

“Lee Hyun, how long are you going to live like this?”

A fellow employee rested his arm on my chair. 

He was Park Sang-Hyun. 

Unlike me, he played office politics well and was on his way to success.

He often shared various pieces of advice about company politics with me, and how to make a good impression on the higher-ups.

There was no secret tip.

He suggested that I join him in this office power struggle, but I refused. I had no confidence in getting involved in that sort of company conflict.

Still, we were friends who would have a drink together. 

Even though he seemed to be speaking harshly, it was probably out of concern.

I replied briefly.

“Go. I have to do this.”

“He told you to do all of this? That guy?”

“Yeah. Suddenly, he wants to add another job class…”

Roadmoon Game Company’s ambitious project. 

An open-world game based on RPG.

‘Artena Academy.’

It was the game I was developing. 

Originally, there were only five job classes players could choose from.

Knight, Mage, Archer, Priest, Bandits.

These were the quintessential job classes in a fantasy game. But that bald guy told me to add one more job class.

“What is it?”

“Sniper…”

“Wow. Seriously?”

Park Sang-Hyun clicked his tongue, looking bewildered.

“Who suggested that? Was it him? Or was it an order from higher up? Does that person even play games? Who would put firearms into a fantasy RPG?”

Exactly. He nailed it.

“I asked him directly, and he said, ‘Oh, what do you know? The game story is set somewhere between medieval fantasy and the modern era. If you don’t know, don’t talk. Just do your job.’”

There was no such content in the initial design document. It was clear that he overlooked it.

Moreover, my job was to implement the features desired by them.

Still, since the company regularly conducted game tests among the employees, I had a general sense of the context.

“Fine. Let’s say I didn’t know.”

Even so, what I couldn’t understand is, ‘If they’re adding a ‘Sniper’ class, why not include a bolt-action class like ‘Outlaw’ as well?’

If you’re going to add something, do it fairly. 

There was also the issue of historical accuracy. 

Was there even a usable sniper rifle between the medieval and modern eras?

‘Oh well, let’s just get to work.’

If they tell me to do it, I have to do it. 

He was the designer, and I was the builder who had to assemble things according to the blueprint.

I gestured to Park Sang-Hyun.

“Just go. I need to get to work.”

“A drink after work?”

“By the time I finish, it’ll be dawn.”

“Hang in there.”

Step. Step.

Park Sang-Hyun quickly walked out of the office. He was in charge of character modeling, and honestly, I was a bit jealous.

That part was mostly finished. 

Only our department was still working…

I focused on the monitor.

“A sniper, huh…”

First, the part that must be designed before making it selectable is the difficult part. 

Players were granted unique abilities and traits according to their job class.

Everything else had been made and was running, but the sniper didn’t even have such a database. 

Normally, I would proceed while getting feedback from the staff and that guy, but…

An order echoed in my mind.

— You take responsibility for this and finish it by today! Got it?

This hardcore man DNA was binding me. 

Well, I had to take responsibility. 

Just seeing that guy’s face again was stressful, and I didn’t want to cause concern among the staff.

“Then, for now…”

So I put in everything I wanted to include. Later, the bald guy could fix it himself.

“Since it’s a sniper…”

What comes to mind when you think of a sniper?

Powerful penetration, significant long-range, stealth.

First, I decided to set these three as the ‘unique ability.’

Isn’t a unique ability supposed to be just one?

Well, if you combine them all, it’s still one.

That’s how I set it up.

“Next are the traits…”

I couldn’t hold back on this.

I included all the romantic notions of a sniper: perfect accuracy, rapid fire, damage amplification under certain conditions, etc.

On top of that, I maxed out physical stamina, physical abilities, mental strength, and innate talent so that there would be no shortcomings.

“It’s completely overpowered…”

I completed a character that made me chuckle. If I submitted it like this, the team leader would smack me and tell me to fix it.

But after finishing all the work, it was easier to delete something than to add.

“Shall I get started now…”

I began to ‘implement’ my imagination while tweaking the code. I started to create a character called the sniper with those overpowered abilities.

For now, it was just a shapeless piece of data. The modeling team would work hard to produce one. I assigned some fallen noble as the character target.

They’d figure it out and make it.

Like that, I was absorbed in the monitor as if possessed, and the time passed 3 a.m.

“Whew.”

I sighed and looked out the window; it was dark. 

A round moon was scattering light high in the sky.

It appeared to have finished faster than I thought.

I smiled as I looked at the completed code. I planned to check if it worked properly and then go home.

“Alright, let’s see…”

I pressed ‘Start Operation.’

All I needed to do was check if the character could be selected; if the skills could be used, and if there were any bugs.

Creak.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, the office lights flickered. At first, they blinked once or twice, then began to convulse more and more.

Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak.

The lights were flashing rapidly. The moment I sensed something was wrong and stood up from my seat—

Click.

The lights went out. 

The darkness from outside the window enveloped the office in an instant. 

Nothing could be heard except the ticking sound of the clock’s second hand.

I tilted my head at the strange phenomenon. I shrank back a little.

‘No. Is this a power outage? But it doesn’t seem like it…’

It didn’t seem like a power outage since my monitor screen was very bright.

‘It’s not a ghost, right?’

Typical hardcore man trait: scared of ghosts. Doesn’t believe in such things.

I sat back down. 

The game was loading. 

But some unfamiliar text was displayed.

[Initiating the test. Searching for the target. Target ‘Kim Lee-Hyun’ confirmed.]

Words I had never seen before despite testing hundreds of times. 

Did some other employee put this in as a joke?

What a prank. 

I was the developer here.

I opened the code to forcefully terminate it.

It was then.

[Preparation complete. Good job ^.^]

With that cheeky message, the monitor’s light flooded in. 

The entire world turned white.

The final words clung to my pupils.

[Difficulty: ‘Nightmare.’ Good luck ^o^]

‘What the he—’

That was the last thing.

My consciousness was cut off as if someone had severed a power line.