I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

[Kyle]

Lv : 15  

Race: Human  

Gender: Male  

Title: The Most Notorious Scoundrel, Demon Slayer  

Mana: 1500/1500  

Karma: 5  

Unique Trait: Sniping Master 

Traits: Perfect Accuracy, Crisis Detection, Rapid Fire, Touch of Death, Iron Man, Indomitable Spirit  

[Stat Details]

Invested Stat Points: 0  

Strength: 16  

Stamina: 12  

Endurance: 1  

Intelligence: 1  

Perception: 10  

Mana Perception: 10  

Spirit Perception: 1  

[Talent Details]

Element: Multiple  

Class: Multiple  

Growth Efficiency: A+  

[Active Skills Details]

Liberation, Ignition, Water Control, Gust

[ Passive Skills ]

Shooting Proficiency: D+  

Mana Efficiency: F  

Firepower: D  

Firepower Control: F  

Crafting: D-  

Butchering: D  

[You have acquired the active skill: Water Control!]  

[You have acquired the active skill: Gust!]  

[Overall skill comprehension has improved!]  

[Your stamina has increased by 3 through intense training!]  

A week had passed since then.  

“Is it already the end of March?”

I looked at the forest view, which had grown much warmer. The late winter, once filled with the sounds of insects, seemed to have completely faded.

When I woke up in the morning, the chirping of sparrows greeted me, and as the day went on, the chilly air would warm up under the sun’s rays.

With no humidity and sunlight like this, it felt like the pleasant start of spring. When I went out hunting, I even saw animals I hadn’t seen before.

“I guess I’m finally getting on track.”

It wasn’t just the weather that was changing; my growth had also accelerated remarkably.

I conjured a flame in my hand.

Whoosh—

What once seemed like a fragile little flame had now developed into a proper fire. Living in nature, I frequently found myself needing fire, so even without dedicated practice, my skill level quickly increased.

The casting motion for the ignition spell became faster, and my firepower ranked up to D, improving its output.

Satisfied with the progress, I tried other magic.

Shhhh—

Whoooosh—

Water summoned from thin air met with the wind, and soon, rain drizzled down into the forest. 

The water and wind spells were still on the weaker side since I hadn’t used them often.

Still, being able to produce refreshing water and cool breezes whenever I wanted was a great advantage.

Magic was steadily evolving. To go deeper into it, though, I needed to raise my mana perception to 20.

It was a costly investment with little immediate benefit.

“My stamina’s looking good, though.”

On the other hand, my stamina had been naturally increasing. A week ago, it was at 7, but constantly walking to and from the academy every day pushed it up to 12.

With that level, I’d surpassed the average person, comparable to a squire with good stamina. A bit more, and I’d be at the lowest rank of the academy’s Knight Department.

I was considering either increasing my stamina and strength or focusing on endurance, which improved durability and combat ability.

Intelligence enhanced magic efficiency, but no matter how much I thought about it, raising it wouldn’t help much with basic magic, so I put that idea aside.

“My lack of endurance… That’s the real drawback.”

I opened the beginner’s noble swordsmanship manual, the ‘Laurent Guide’. 

Over the past week, the book had accumulated noticeable signs of use.

No matter how many times I read the book, mimicked the movements, or practiced with the wooden sword I made myself, it was still difficult. 

It felt like the guide was telling me to raise my endurance before coming back. So lately, I’d been learning at a slower pace.

After all, my real weapon was the sniper rifle.

The sword was only meant for brief self-defense in case an enemy sneaked closer.

“The real deal is the anti-materiel sniper rifle.”

I glanced at the sniper rifle leaning against the wall next to me. Although it had looked impressive at first, after a week of use, it had become a familiar part of my daily life.

The silencer was particularly satisfying, making the shots feel deep and clean.

Even if I handled it roughly, weapons tagged as ‘unique’ wouldn’t break—whether I hit them with a hammer or tossed them into a furnace.

I was using it as intended.

“I did look into the next evolution requirements, though.”

Ah! Those requirements were just ridiculous.

[Silent Eclipse]

[Next Evolution: Sufficient mana, 5 Intermediate Mana Stones, 30 Karma.]

That’s the issue with this game. 

For example, the Demon Slayer title required me to defeat 10 demons at first, but suddenly the threshold jumped to 50.

While accumulating mana consistently was feasible, getting intermediate mana stones would mean venturing into dungeons. And collecting karma? That’d take ages.

Of course, the reward would be worth it, but it’s like shopping at Co**co and being forced to buy meat in 1-2 kg portions that you can’t finish.

Still, considering how slow progression usually was in this kind of game, I was actually leveling up pretty quickly. 

It was all part of the choices made for the Nightmare difficulty.

“Hah…”

In the early morning, I sat on a log, staring at the dew-covered leaves around me.

Turning my gaze to the left, I saw jerky hanging from where it had finished drying. Below it was the lunchbox I’d made.

Personally, I’d say I spent the past week productively even if there were no significant events.

But now it was time to face the end of that calm.

It was time to dive back into the storm of the original storyline.

“There was an announcement yesterday, right?”

— “Tomorrow, there will be a practical combat training session with magical beasts. Please prepare accordingly.”

Beast Combat Training. 

Today marked the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2.

According to the original story, we would fight magical beasts captured by the faculty, in a man-made, natural-like environment, organized in teams of four.

And of course, an incident happened. 

The player and Ciel encounter a beast that was connected to a demon, causing a disaster.

Even just hearing that, you know it’s going to be rough. 

But don’t forget the context—I was living in a world set to the ‘Nightmare’ difficulty. 

It was far more challenging than the original.

From my previous experience, a high-defense demon would appear. 

There wasn’t much of a way to defeat it; when I played the game, the key was surviving against that demon.

As long as the academy realized that a demon had shown up, victory was ours. The goal was to drag it out until the end of the trial period.

Once the faculty noticed the demon, they’d be scrambling, saying, “How did the alarm not go off?” and rush to resolve the situation.

But what’s the point by then? The demon would already be gone.

Their routine was always the same. Even so, without any proper countermeasures, the faculty must find it frustrating.

But—

“I’m frustrated too.”

Back then, when I played, my character was a knight, with amazing movement and parrying skills.

That allowed me to barely hold a defensive position against the demon and survive.

But now that I was a sniper?

How was I supposed to withstand it?

Reality was different from the game. With my low endurance, I hadn’t even managed to learn proper swordsmanship, so there was no way I’d be able to move like I did in the game.

So, without parrying skills or slick maneuvers, I was just an all-out attack-focused damage dealer, a puny sniper facing this ordeal.

“I guess I’ll just have to take it down.”

Surviving was out of the question.

I’s decided to take the demon down.

And this time, since the exam location was quite enclosed, there was a risk of my identity being exposed.

I packed the remaining silver coins with the intention of buying black camouflage clothing and a mask.

“Well, it’s about time to head out.”

Having made my decision, I got up. 

I took a few bites of the dried jerky and started walking toward the academy.

———

The 21st floor of the Mage Tower.

Equipped with illusion magic, it looked like a vast grassland.

Hundreds of mages stood in their uniforms and robes, waiting for Professor Mason.

I casually stood in line.

It was then that Professor Mason entered the space.

“Welcome, everyone. As I mentioned either 5 days ago or in yesterday’s announcement, today is the scheduled practical combat session against magical beasts.”

Professor Mason didn’t have a proper microphone. So he picked up a megaphone and calmly began his briefing.

“You are currently in an expansive space. This is the largest area within the Magic Tower, capable of accommodating thousands of people. Think of it as a space imbued with illusion magic.”

The 30th floor of the Magic Tower was like a backroom with different environments. The space was chaotically structured with various interconnected patterns. Of course, during exams, each team was placed in a separate section of this space.

“You will be divided into teams of four and placed randomly in various locations. In these areas, you will find a species that falls between a low-grade and a mid-grade magical beast. Your objective is to find and exterminate these creatures. The entire exam will be recorded, and your performance will be graded by the faculty of the Magic Department.”

Woong—

Using telekinesis, Professor Mason distributed basic protective magical devices.

“If all devices for one team are destroyed, you will receive a failing grade. Once they are all broken, the beast will be teleported away, so you don’t have to worry about safety. If you think you’re going to lose, it would be wise to forfeit voluntarily. Now, observe.”

Flash—

Professor Mason raised his hand to the sky. The clear, sunny sky instantly darkened. 

Then, as he moved his fingers, the expansive grassland transformed into an isolated island surrounded by a blue sea.

“As you can see, the environment to which you’ll be sent is entirely random, and you’ll only find out the identity of your teammates once you arrive. They will also be random. Don’t ask, ‘What if I get paired with someone with bad grades?’ It’s a comparative evaluation.”

Basically, no matter how poorly your teammates performed, just focus on your own part. After all, the faculty would be grading you individually.

Those who struggled would need to understand that it was better to voluntarily withdraw before failing.

“Now, let’s begin the practical combat session with magical beasts.”

With Professor Mason’s voice echoing, Act 1, Scene 2 commenced. 

I closed my eyes and then slowly opened them.

I saw Ciel and the rest of my team.

The setting was—

“Hoo…”

An icy expanse of nothing but white.

A frozen wasteland where the wind cut like blades.