MTLNOVEL Chapter 12
As I watched the Japanese warship shatter instantly, I was left speechless.
‘Is this cannon really that powerful?’
No way.
While I don’t know much about cannons, I knew there’s no way a 15th century cannon could perform like a modern self-propelled howitzer.
Just look at the Joseon navy’s cannons firing alongside me – their shots weren’t even reaching the Japanese ships, instead plopping harmlessly into the water.
‘It must be because of Napoleon’s Rifle.’
A new status window had popped up for Napoleon’s Rifle unlike anything I’d seen before.
==
【General Napoleon of Cannonballs】
-French Revolutionary hero Napoleon dominated battlefields with his cannons. No one can match Napoleon’s artillery mastery on the battlefield.
Power: 500
Accuracy: +60%
==
Artifacts carry deep connections to the lives of those who wielded them.
Artifacts of warriors reveal martial prowess, while those tied to the sea unlock abilities in maritime settings.
Napoleon was a conqueror emperor obsessed with war and cannons.
And the Battle of Myeongnyang IS war, while the Chija-Po I’m holding IS a cannon.
Meaning, when I hold a cannon on the battlefield, it becomes an artifact.
Pwoooosh─!
The Japanese warship I hit disintegrated like a cookie and sank.
“Whoa, this is insane.”
Though it sounds psychopathic, there’s an oddly satisfying sensation each time I fire.
Every shot makes the cannon violently recoil, and watching enemy ships sink provides an intense thrill.
‘I need to calm down, Sejun. This isn’t the place for such feelings.’
This is a battlefield where people are dying.
I tried to mentally reset myself as my mind started going astray.
“Kisamaaaa─!”
From the sinking Japanese ship flew a topknot-wearing samurai in full Sengoku armor heading straight for me.
His gleaming katana was aimed directly at me.
“Whaaaaaaat!?”
In panic, I instinctively fired the cannon at the samurai.
Pwoooosh─!
“Aaaaaagh!”
The airborne samurai was blasted into the sea.
“Phew, that was close.”
Are these kamikaze attacks some kind of Japanese tradition?
As I clutched my chest trying to calm my racing heart, something happened.
“H-Holy shi-, Shiromasakiage…!”
The general who had randomly handed me the cannon stared in shock at the samurai falling into the sea.
“Is he someone important?”
“He’s a samurai of daimyo-class ranking!”
“Pretty high-ranking, huh.”
“Not ‘pretty’ – extremely high ranking!”
We both stammered nervously.
It seems I accidentally took out quite an important samurai.
‘Definitely not an ordinary person – an Awakened.’
He was still swimming on the surface so probably alive, but definitely out of commission.
“Should I fire again?”
“Yes, keep firing! We’ll supply as many cannonballs as you need!”
The general, who had been speaking casually to me earlier, suddenly became very respectful.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard any cannon fire recently.
All the soldiers operating cannons were standing in line behind me, holding cannonballs in their hands.
‘Hmm, maybe I should practice a bit.’
Pwoooosh─!
I began firing the cannon at Japanese warships to my heart’s content.
*
Even hearing about 133 warships sounds intimidating, but seeing them with your own eyes creates an oppressive atmosphere that makes even brave generals shrink back.
With a numerical disadvantage of 10 to 1, the Joseon warships were hesitating, with no one willing to take the lead.
But someone needs to guide these men forward. Yi Sun-sin understood this well.
Just as Admiral Yi was about to order a charge toward the enemy lines…
Pwoooosh─!
Suddenly, an enormous cannon blast echoed across the battlefield.
Followed by a Japanese warship sinking.
Pwoooosh! Pwoooosh!
The cannon fire continued, each shot sinking another Japanese ship.
“S-Sankai Shiro!”
Frightened Japanese warships began scattering to avoid the cannon fire.
Yi Sun-sin turned to see where the shots were coming from, spotting Choi Seo-Joon firing the Chija-Po.
“Of course…”
Amazing.
So even an ordinary cannon becomes divine in the hands of a sage, huh?
‘Choi Seonin’s abilities seem limitless.’
Whether it’s opening mystical portals or tracking strange movements in the dark… not to mention that pre-dawn mobilization story.
Choi Seo-Joon was like a bottomless well that kept producing water endlessly.
Almost like a heaven-sent individual.
“Advance!”
Yi Sun-sin’s flagship charged toward the center of the scattering Japanese fleet.
*
‘I need to be more careful with my shots.’
Through firing the cannon, I realized this wasn’t something I could recklessly spam.
==
「Blizzard Stone」
Mana Reserve: 1100 / 4000
==
With each shot, massive amounts of mana were being drained from the Blizzard Stone.
Turns out Napoleon’s cannon was a mana hog, consuming 500 per shot.
Meaning I had two shots left before needing to rest until the Blizzard Stone recharged.
‘Perhaps I should aim for kamikazes.’
Kamikazes.
My nickname for the Japanese samurai using Awakening abilities to recklessly charge in.
Truly fitting for a nation that sent soldiers charging with swords instead of guns during World War II.
As I was scanning the Japanese fleet for incoming kamikazes…
“Captain, warships are approaching!”
The lookout atop the mast urgently shouted.
“Thirty ships! No, eighty ships!”
The number of incoming ships reported by the lookout kept increasing. The final confirmed count was…
“It’s two hundred ships!”
“!”
The announcement of two hundred ships froze the atmosphere aboard our ship.
“Are you sure of what you’re seeing?”
The general asked, and the lookout double-checked before shouting:
“Confirmed! Over two hundred ships!”
Initially, we had counted 133 Japanese warships.
But now over 200 new ships had appeared, bringing the total to an overwhelming 327 ships, minus the six we had already sunk.
Worse, some of these ships emanated unusual mana signatures.
‘They must be Awakeneds.’
Unlike Joseon which looked down on superhumans, in Japan possessing extraordinary abilities was a sign of success.
I had heard stories that all Japanese generals of the past were Awakeneds – apparently true.
Meanwhile, most of the Joseon navy commanders were regular humans.
Not to mention our 13 ships versus their 327.
We were inferior in both numbers and quality.
As despair filled the ship, Yi Sun-sin gave his command:
“Advance! Raise the signal flag!”
The signal flag was raised on the admiral’s ship, but none of the twelve Joseon ships followed.
Some hesitated, others ignored the orders completely. There were even commanders choosing to sit out and observe.
Facing thirtyfold numerical disadvantage, no one was willing to step forward.
That’s when Yi Sun-sin’s roar echoed across the battlefield.
-Anui! Do you really think running will save you?
The powerful roar shook the waters of Myeongnyang.
Afterward, the hesitant Anui’s ship began moving toward the admiral’s ship.
Just as the Japanese fleet was riding the tide to overwhelm us.
In that life-or-death situation, Yi Sun-sin suddenly stepped forward.
Thud, thud.
His heavy footsteps stopped in front of me.
“What is the matter?”
“I know you are not from this world.”
“…”
Yi Sun-sin looked up at the sky and smiled faintly.
“This day was why heaven sent you to me. I understand now.”
“Admiral.”
“Please take my sword.”
Yi Sun-sin unsheathed the Twin Dragon Sword from his waist and offered it to me.
“Why give me your sword…”
“A blade for slaying monsters. It is no longer needed by an old man retired from chasing ghosts.”
Saying this, Yi pointed to his waist.
“These two swords are enough for me.”
There hung Yi Sun-sin’s other famous blades, inscribed with the famous poem:
Three feet sworn to heaven shakes mountains and rivers,
One swing clears all, blood staining the land.
“Though I’m just an ordinary man unfamiliar with the Dao, I can tell the divine energy in this artifact has run its course.”
Yi gestured toward the Blizzard Stone in my pocket.
“At most, you have two shots left.”
“…”
Yi Sun-sin fully understood how much mana I had consumed firing the cannon earlier.
And that I only had two shots remaining.
“Commander Kim, escort Seonin Choi to the scout ship.”
“Yes! Seonin Choi, this way please.”
Strangely reluctant to move, I called out to Yi.
“Together…”
“This is not your battlefield.”
Yi shook his head.
“It’s mine to fight.”
Saying this, Yi gazed toward somewhere in the distance.
At that moment,
“Yi Sun-shiiiin───!”
With a roar that split the heavens, a fully armored samurai wielding Awakening power comparable to an A-rank Hunter charged at Yi.
Yi’s Twin Dragon Swords clashed against the charging samurai.
Clang! Clang!
Blue ki met red ki in a brief struggle before Yi’s began to dominate.
“B-Bakemonomegami! Kuaaaaah!”
From the scout ship, I watched the battle unfold.
The sight of a single supernaturally powered warrior cutting through countless Awakeneds aboard enemy ships.
Miraculously crossing through the fleet of 233 ships.
That day, among the over 300 Japanese warships, 30 were sunk by Yi’s sword and over 200 were heavily damaged.
-God of Naval Battles.
The legend of Myeongnyang was being written.
*
“Groggy…”
I woke up at the counter.
Looking down at the sudden heaviness in my arms, I found a monstrous 3-meter long greatsword.
==
「Twin Dragon Sword」
Artifact Rank: Legendary
– The sword used by the great Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin to slay monsters.
Attack Power: 3200 ~ ???
==
Yi Sun-sin’s beloved Twin Dragon Sword.
“Whoa, those stats are killer.”
First, I pushed the incredibly heavy sword off my chest.
Having experienced this once with Napoleon, I wasn’t as disoriented as before.
Still, the afterglow lingered.
‘Really was amazing.’
Both Yi dominating numerous Japanese Awakeneds alone, and the Joseon navy surrounding the Japanese fleet afterward were spectacular.
Never imagined I’d get to witness Yeon Heungjin’s formation with my own eyes.
Too bad I couldn’t record it.
By the way,
“How do I even use this thing?”
I stuck out my tongue at the ridiculous weight.
What Yi swung around like cotton candy felt like carrying a steel beam to me.
“Guess I need to join a gym or something.”
Lifting the absurdly heavy sword with both hands, I muttered.
“Wow, heavy.”
Looks like I don’t need a gym membership.
Just lifting the Twin Dragon Sword counts as weight training.
“I should rest first.”
After wildly spamming cannons, my whole body aches.
Technically the mana was used by the Blizzard Stone, but I was standing for a while too.
Putting away the Twin Dragon Sword, I went to rest in my room.
A few days later,
A strange figure dragging a giant sword appeared near Seoul’s Gate.