I was stunned as I watched the Japanese battleship instantly shattered.
‘Was the Jizapo this strong?’
It couldn’t be.
Though I didn’t know much about cannons, I knew that a 15th-century cannon couldn’t fire like a modern self-propelled gun.
The cannons fired by the navy alongside me couldn’t even reach the Japanese battleship, instead splashing into the water.
‘It must be because of Napoleon’s rifle.’
A new status bar appeared in my mind, one I had never seen before.
==
[General Cannon Napoleon]
- Napoleon, the hero of the French Revolution, dominated the battlefield with cannons. No one could match Napoleon’s artillery on the battlefield.
Firepower: 500
Accuracy: +60%
==
Relics are deeply connected to the life of the person who used them.
A relic from someone who excelled in war unlocks their abilities in battle, and a relic from someone related to the sea unlocks abilities related to the sea.
Napoleon was a conqueror obsessed with war and cannons more than anyone else.
And the Battle of Myeongnyang is a ‘battle,’ and the Jizapo I hold is a ‘cannon.’
When I carry a cannon on the battlefield, it becomes a relic.
Bwooosh─!
The Japanese warship I hit with the Jizapo shattered like a cracker and sank.
‘Wow, this is crazy.’
Saying this might make me sound like a psychopath, but there was a subtle thrill to it.
Every time I fired, the fierce roar of the Jizapo and the sight of the sinking enemy ship gave an adrenaline rush like no other.
‘Calm down, Choi Jeosun. You can’t enjoy the thrill here.’
This is a battlefield.
A battlefield where people die.
I mentally reminded myself, holding onto my sanity. Then, it happened.
“Kitsamaaahh!”
A samurai from the Sengoku period, dressed in armor and sporting a topknot, flew toward me from the sinking Japanese warship.
His sword, glowing blue, was aimed directly at me.
“Oops!”
Startled, I reflexively shot a cannon at the samurai.
Bwooosh!
“Kraaaack!”
The samurai flying toward me was hit by the cannonball and fell into the sea.
“Phew, that was a surprise.”
What was that? A kamikaze?
Is suicide attack a long-standing Japanese tradition?
While I clutched my chest, trying to calm my startled heart, I heard a voice.
“Hah! Shiro Masakage…!”
The general who had recklessly handed me the cannon stared, horrified, at the samurai who had fallen into the sea.
“Is he someone famous?”
“He’s a lower-ranking samurai under a daimyo!”
“He must be pretty high up.”
“Not just pretty high, he’s very high!”
We both stammered in shock.
I wasn’t sure, but it seemed I had captured a high-ranking samurai.
‘Definitely not an ordinary person, but an awakened one.’
Although he wasn’t dead and was swimming in the sea, he was out of the fight.
“Shall I shoot again?”
“Yes, please continue! We’ll bring as many cannonballs as you need!”
The general, who had been speaking casually before, suddenly became very polite.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard cannon fire in a while.
The soldiers who had been operating the cannons were now lined up behind me, each holding a cannonball.
‘Hmm, maybe I should practice a bit.’
Bwooosh—!
I began to fire the cannons freely at the Japanese warships.
Although the number of 133 ships sounded intimidating, seeing them with my own eyes gave off an oppressive feeling that would make even the bravest general hesitate.
The Korean ships, with their numbers a fraction of the enemy’s, were sluggish, none wanting to take the lead.
But someone had to lead them forward. Admiral Yi Sun-sin knew this well.
Just as Yi Sun-sin was about to order the charge, it happened.
Bwooosh!
Suddenly, an enormous cannon blast echoed.
And the Japanese warship sank.
Bwooosh! Bwooosh!
The bombardment didn’t stop with just one shot; it kept coming, and each time, the Japanese warship sank beneath the waves.
“Sa, Sancai Shiro!”
The Japanese warships, startled, began to scatter to avoid the cannon fire.
When Yi Sun-sin turned to look at where the shots were coming from, he saw me, Choi Jeosun, firing the Jizapo.
“Just as expected…”
It was amazing.
Could it be that even an ordinary Jizapo becomes a divine weapon in the hands of a sage?
‘Choi Jeosun’s abilities seem limitless.’
He opens portals that lead anywhere, tracks movements of the monstrous in the darkness… and what about the dawn march?
Choi Jeosun was like an unending spring, with water flowing out no matter how much you stirred it.
It was as if he were a person sent from the heavens.
“Advance!”
The panokseon carrying Yi Sun-sin began charging toward the heart of the scattering Japanese forces.
Bwooosh!
‘I need to be careful with my shots.’
As I fired the Jizapo, I realized this wasn’t something I could just indiscriminately fire.
===
[Snow Stone]
Mana: 1100/4000
Every time I fired, an enormous amount of mana drained from the Snow Stone.
Napoleon’s cannon was a beast that consumed 500 mana.
That meant I could only fire two more shots.
After two shots, I would need to rest until the mana in the Snow Stone replenished.
‘Should I target the kamikazes?’
Kamikaze.
It was the nickname I gave to the Japanese samurai.
Samurai with awakening abilities would throw themselves into the fray, disregarding their own lives.
It was the same spirit as during World War II, where they charged with swords instead of rifles.
As I nervously scanned the Japanese warships, looking for any samurai flying toward me, I heard a shout.
“The, the warships are gathering!”
A soldier on the mast shouted urgently, his voice shaking.
“Thirty ships! No, eighty ships!”
The number of warships the soldier reported continued to rise. Finally, the total number of warships confirmed was…
“Two hundred ships!”
The mood inside the ship froze at the mention of two hundred ships.
“Are you sure you saw that right?”
When a general questioned, the soldier quickly looked back at the sea and cried out again.
“I’m sure! There are more than two hundred ships!”
The number of Japanese warships I had first seen was 133.
But now, over 200 more had appeared.
Even excluding the six ships I had sunk earlier, it was a massive fleet of 327 ships.
Moreover, the mana radiating from some of the ships felt unusual.
‘They must be awakened ones.’
Unlike Korea, where people looked down upon those with superhuman strength, in Japan, monstrous strength was a symbol of success.
I had heard that in the past, all Japanese generals were awakened, and it seemed that was true.
In contrast, most of the generals commanding the Korean navy were ordinary people without such abilities.
To make matters worse, it was 13 ships versus 327.
The differences in both quantity and quality were overwhelming.
In the midst of this hopeless situation, a cold silence hung over the ship.
“Advance! Raise the flag of the generals!”
At Yi Sun-sin’s command, the flag calling the soldiers to the general’s ship was raised.
However, even though the flag was up on the general’s ship, none of the 12 Korean ships followed.
The captain hesitated, the deputy general ignored the signal, and even some of the generals chose to stand by, not wanting to engage.
Faced with the numerical disadvantage of thirty ships, no one wanted to take the lead.
It was then that Yi Sun-sin’s voice rang out.
Anwi! Do you really think you can survive by running away!?
A mighty lion’s roar filled the seas of Myeongnyang.
Immediately after, the hesitant Anwi’s warship began moving toward the general’s ship.
It was the moment when the massive Japanese fleet, riding the tide, was pushing forward.
In this dire situation, Yi Sun-sin suddenly began to move.
Thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps pounding the deck stopped right in front of me.
“What’s the matter?”
“I know you are not from here.”
Yi Sun-sin looked up at the sky and gave a faint smile.
“So, the heavens have sent you to me for this day. Now I understand.”
“General…”
“Take my sword.”
Yi Sun-sin drew the twin dragon sword from his waist and handed it to me.
“Why give me your sword?”
“This is a sword to slay the monstrous. For me, who has retired from the battle, this sword is no longer necessary.”
As he spoke, Yi Sun-sin pointed to his waist.
“These two swords are enough for me.”
At his waist, there was another sword, one of his favorites.
Swearing to the heavens with a three-foot blade, the mountains and rivers trembled,
Once swung, it swept away blood, staining the land.
Yi Sun-sin’s two long swords, engraved with the poem he himself wrote, were famous.
“I may not fully understand, as I am no sage, but I can tell that the power of this relic is nearly depleted.”
Yi Sun-sin pointed to the Snow Stone in my pocket.
“Perhaps only two more shots will be possible.”
Yi Sun-sin had seen through how much mana I had consumed while firing the cannon.
The fact that I could only fire two more shots didn’t escape him.
“Kim Man-ho, escort Choi Jeosun to the scout ship.”
“Yes! Choi Jeosun, this way please.”
With strange, unfalling steps, I called out to Yi Sun-sin.
“Together…”
“This is not your battlefield.”
Yi Sun-sin shook his head.
“This is my battlefield.”
Saying that, Yi Sun-sin gazed into the distance.
And in that very moment…
“Yi Sun-sin!!”
With a roar that pierced the eardrums, a samurai equipped with weapons from the Warring States period flew toward Yi Sun-sin.
An awakened one, releasing an enormous amount of mana, close to an S-rank hunter.
Yi Sun-sin’s twin swords swung at the incoming samurai.
Clang! Clang!
The blue energy clashed briefly with the red energy before beginning to overwhelm it.
“B-Bakemono!”
I watched the battle from the scout ship.
A single ship, carrying a monstrous warrior, charged right into the middle of the enemy’s forces, filled with numerous awakened ones.
A miracle, crossing through the 233 ships of the enemy.
That day, 30 of the 300 Japanese warships sank under Yi Sun-sin’s swords, and more than 200 others were heavily damaged.
The Sea Battle God.
It was the moment when the legend of Myeongnyang was written.
“Hmm.”
I opened my eyes from the counter.
Suddenly, feeling a weight on my chest, I looked down to find a terrifying sword, over 3 meters long, resting in my arms.
==
[Twin Dragon Sword]
Relic Rank: Legendary
- The sword used by Yi Sun-sin, the great general of Joseon, to slay the monstrous Geuseundae.
Attack Power: 3200 ~ ???
Yi Sun-sin’s favorite sword, the Twin Dragon Sword.
==
“Wow, the stats are amazing.”
I pushed the Twin Dragon Sword, which was pressing down on my chest, aside.
Since I had gone through something similar during the Napoleon event, it wasn’t as confusing as it was before.
However, the aftereffect lingered.
‘It was truly incredible.’
While Yi Sun-sin alone overwhelmed the many Japanese awakened ones, the Korean navy surrounding the Japanese warships was spectacular.
I never imagined I would witness the Haeikjin formation with my own eyes.
It was a shame I couldn’t record it.
By the way…
“How do I even use this?”
I marveled at the incredibly heavy weight of the Twin Dragon Sword.
Yi Sun-sin had swung it lightly, like some sort of cotton swab, but now that I was holding it, it felt like I was wielding a chunk of steel.
“Maybe I should join a gym?”
I happily pondered as I tried to lift the Twin Dragon Sword with both hands.
“Ugh, it’s heavy.”
I guess I don’t need to go to the gym after all.
Just lifting the Twin Dragon Sword is a strength workout.
“I think I need a break.”
After spending mana by firing the cannons, my whole body felt sore.
Though the Snow Stone had been the one using the mana, I had been standing for quite a while.
I put the Twin Dragon Sword away and entered my room to rest.
Then, a few days later,
A monstrous figure, dragging a sword longer than itself, appeared at the gate in Seoul.