Fixed setting error –
The protagonist’s starting rank is changed from ‘C’ to ‘E’.
E-grade – Lowest rank Hunter
D-grade – Low rank Hunter
C-grade – Mid rank Hunter
B-grade – High rank Hunter’s starting point
A-grade – High rank Hunter
S-grade – Measurable
Sorry for the confusion.
It was right after Yi Sun-sin started walking toward the excrement.
Yi Sun-sin..
A voice that sounded like metal scraping echoed in the darkness of the cave, and hundreds of shadows in the shape of human hands poured out.
I shuddered at the sight of those disgusting hands.
‘A-grade should be possible.’
The grade of monsters is divided in the same way as the Hunter rank system.
But being an A-grade Hunter didn’t mean you could hunt A-grade monsters.
What determined an A-grade Hunter was whether they could survive against A-grade monsters.
Hunting was a completely separate domain.
Even in B-grade, there were times when strong monsters would make it hard for an A-grade Hunter to succeed.
For reference, the grade of the Udamhwa I defeated in Han River Park was C-grade.
However, the excrement, which had turned into a monster, was a much more dangerous A-grade, two levels higher.
A monster with the destructive power to erase an entire big city.
When it appeared, it inevitably caused tremendous disasters, and overseas, it was called a city destroyer.
This was an A-grade monster.
Hundreds of black hands, like a disaster, rushed toward Yi Sun-sin like a wave.
The valley, which had been daylight, became night due to the black tidal wave in the sky.
Yi Sun-sin looked like he was about to be swallowed by the darkness. It was too late to avoid it.
It was at that moment that Yi Sun-sin’s sword was drawn.
Sreung –
A massive sword, much larger than an ordinary one, emerged.
It was the double dragon sword, the weapon of Yi Sun-sin mentioned in Park Jong-gyeong’s Donamjiip Won-yung swordplay.
Wooong.
The double dragon sword in Yi Sun-sin’s hand began to cry out.
Yi Sun-sin swung the double dragon sword strongly from left to right.
A huge sword energy burst forth, instantly disintegrating the black hands rushing toward him.
Kuuaanng!
As if the darkness was lifting, the blue sky appeared, and a deafening noise echoed through the valley.
From the cave, partially destroyed by the sword energy, rocks tumbled down.
With a single swing, Yi Sun-sin wiped out the threat of an A-grade monster.
It was an overwhelming power that was hard to describe as irrational.
“Let’s go in.”
Yi Sun-sin calmly walked toward the cave where the excrement was hiding, as if it was nothing.
‘Incredible.’
I clicked my tongue at the ruined valley, which seemed to have been hit by artillery fire.
The anecdotes about Yi Sun-sin in the history books weren’t exaggerations or fabrications.
In fact, they were remarkably accurate, capturing the true essence of history.
I could feel the historians of that time, who must have struggled to write such accounts.
This was why King Seonjo tried to reinstate Yi Sun-sin after he was dismissed from his position.
There was simply no substitute for him.
The cave where the excrement was hiding was pitch-black, with no way to distinguish even a step ahead.
It wasn’t just because the cave was dark. This was the darkness created by the ‘Geuseundae’.
As proof, although nothing could be seen around them, both Anwi and Yi Sun-sin were clearly identifiable.
The Geuseundae specialized in attacking while hiding in the darkness they created.
However, their attacks had no effect on Yi Sun-sin.
This incredible man relied purely on his instinctual senses to dodge and block the Geuseundae’s attacks.
And every time he swung his sword, he unleashed impossible power.
Yi Sun-sin was the kind of person who could make artillery fire appear with a sword swing.
‘Compared to Baek Seo-rin………..?
I compared Yi Sun-sin to the strongest Hunter I knew.
Baek Seo-rin, the only S-grade sorcerer in Korea, known as the leader of the Three-Do River and the protector of Incheon.
The result was surprising.
‘I don’t know.’
I couldn’t tell.
Even after watching Baek Seo-rin for ten years and clearly experiencing how terrifying she was as an awakened being, I couldn’t say for sure that she was superior to Yi Sun-sin.
The top Hunters in Korea, who were on the same level as her, couldn’t make that claim either.
No one in modern times seemed capable of surpassing Yi Sun-sin.
However, monsters couldn’t simply be eliminated just because one had great strength.
If that were the case, they would have been called monsters, not ‘monsters’.
‘Impressive, but still from the past.’
Watching Yi Sun-sin attacking in the pitch-black darkness, I realized once again that this was the 15th century Joseon.
A 21st-century Hunter wouldn’t use the same method.
Of course, this didn’t mean that Yi Sun-sin’s method was wrong.
‘It’s just less efficient.’
In the 21st century, humanity has researched more efficient ways to deal with monsters based on numerous databases.
And they developed a technique to identify monsters like the Geuseundae in the darkness.
I closed my eyes and sent a thin stream of magical power toward the ground.
Ssssss.
The magical power, spreading tightly like a spider’s web, sent three-dimensional spatial information to my brain.
The uneven ground, the cave walls, the stalactites hanging from the ceiling… and the Geuseundae hiding in that corner.
The sense I had honed hundreds of times identified the Geuseundae in the darkness.
“It’s to the upper right.”
I opened my eyes and pointed in the direction where the Geuseundae was located.
Yi Sun-sin swung his sword in that direction without any doubt.
-!!
The startled Geuseundae retreated, and Yi Sun-sin’s sword energy devoured the useless darkness.
But already, in my mind, which had recognized the space, I knew exactly where the Geuseundae had moved.
“It’s on the ceiling, moving down to the left”
Hooaang!
“It’s on the left wall.”
I continued to relay the Geuseundae’s location as Yi Sun-sin’s eyes.
Kraaak!
The monster’s shriek echoed in the darkness.
The deep blue sword energy gathered on the double dragon sword raised by Yi Sun-sin, pushing away the darkness.
A phrase suddenly came to my mind.
“I swear to the heavens with a three-foot sword, the mountains and rivers tremble.”
“With a single swing, I sweep it away, and blood stains the land.”
As the sword was swung, the darkness shattered.
The darkness cleared, revealing the scenery of the cave.
And then, a scroll fell with a soft thud.
Yi Sun-sin approached and picked up the fallen scroll, unfolding it.
“…This is the royal decree, Your Majesty’s command.”
“What does it say?”
“It says that they will reinstate me as the Commander of the Three-Do Navy.”
“Congratulations, General.”
For some reason, the royal decree of General Yi Sun-sin’s reinstatement was in Baesol’s possession.
‘It must be jealousy.’
From the way he was shouting, it seemed like he was deeply jealous.
I didn’t leave the cave even after Yi Sun-sin and Anwi went outside.
By the time the decree was obtained, their business was over, but mine was just beginning.
I walked deeper into the cave.
The cool, shaded interior of the cave where no sunlight reached.
There, a small darkness was wriggling.
“Baesol.”
How…!
“How? What do you mean how, I could see everything.”
When I spread my magical power to check the cave earlier, I confirmed that Baesol’s main body was separated from the darkness.
This guy, sensing Yi Sun-sin’s power, had immediately calculated his escape and was preparing to flee.
This was good news for me.
Although Baesol was an A-grade monster, he was now in a very weakened state.
He was so weak that even I, an E-grade Hunter, could easily overpower him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Kwah-dak!
I finished him off by striking his escaping form with the buttstock of my Napoleon rifle.
Then, before he completely vanished, I took the SnowStone from my pocket and pressed it against him.
[The Snow Stone absorbs magical power.]
Baesol’s energy was sucked into the Snow Stone.
The Snow Stone not only replenished magical power, but it also grew by absorbing it.
Ding!
[The Snow Stone’s magical power increased by 1500.]
===
「Snow Stone
Magical Power: 4000/4000
“Wow, that’s pretty sweet.”
A considerable amount of magical power had been absorbed from the corrupted monster, the general.
─Choi Jeosun! Aren’t you coming out?
“I’m coming!”
At Anwi’s voice calling from outside, I grabbed the Snow Stone and left the cave.
Now that I had captured Baesol, it was time to head to Jangheung, where the 12 warships would be.
It was time to prepare for the real Battle of Myeongnyang.