Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 17: Yi Sun-sin’s Three Gates (5)

Lee Tae-jun, the second team leader of Yeomyeong Constellation, made a deal with the Chinese Communist Party to regain his past fame.

He agreed to hand over Yi Sun-sin’s artifacts from the Noryang Gate to China in exchange for support from the Communist Party.

Of course, Lee Tae-jun did not enter into this deal recklessly.

He believed that there were no more Yi Sun-sin artifacts left in the Noryang Gate.

This was because the Noryang Gate was not the first time it had gone out of control, and it had already been cleared in the past.

The Korean government had judged that all the artifacts that could have appeared had already been found.

Noryang Gate was considered a “vacant house” that only dust would come out of if it was searched.

Therefore, the offer from China to help him in exchange for the artifacts was seen as a stroke of luck for Lee Tae-jun.

No, even if Yi Sun-sin’s artifacts appeared, Lee Tae-jun was planning to give them to China.

After all, they were items he couldn’t even claim for himself.

Such rare artifacts were prioritized for S-rank hunters.

‘If the conditions aren’t right, they’re useless to me.’

Artifacts above ancient grade choose their owners.

If the artifact doesn’t recognize its owner, having it is nothing but a nuisance.

Lee Tae-jun knew that he had little chance of being chosen by the Yi Sun-sin artifact.

Above all, regaining his past fame was far more important to him.

Since Kim Ha-yoon had come into the picture, Yeomyeong Constellation had treated him like chopped liver.

‘Damn them.’

Lee Tae-jun gritted his teeth.

His goal was to undermine Kim Ha-yoon and enjoy the benefits for himself.

And that goal would be achieved soon.

The resources needed to clear Noryang Gate had already been secured by China.

“Haha! By now, the atmosphere at the guild must be like a funeral.”

Lee Tae-jun chuckled as he imagined the guild’s mood, dampened by the failure to clear /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Noryang Gate.

He thought he’d go over there and pretend to comfort them while observing. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

“Heh.”

The thought of Kim Ha-yoon’s face looking grim made him laugh even more.

As he was walking into the guild headquarters with a smug grin, Team Leader Hajinwoo approached him.

“Lee Tae-jun, where have you been? Why are you just coming now?”

Lee Tae-jun hid his grin and lowered his head, putting on a solemn expression.

“I’m sorry. I tried to get the Imjin War artifacts, but I failed.”

His dark expression was a perfect performance that would make anyone believe he was genuinely upset.

But...

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I got them.”

“...What?”

Lee Tae-jun, flustered, forgot to continue his act and raised his head in surprise.

“You got the rare-grade Imjin War artifacts?”

“Haha, not rare-grade.”

“?”

Not rare-grade? Then what is it?

“It’s an Imjin War artifact.”

“!”

Lee Tae-jun’s eyes widened.

“Imjin War artifact? That’s from the Joseon navy, isn’t it?”

“Yep, it’s General Anwi’s artifact.”

“!!!!”

Lee Tae-jun was so shocked that he almost cursed out loud.

‘What the hell!’

Anwi?

Isn’t that the name of Yi Sun-sin’s right-hand general?

And now he’s saying he got that general’s artifact?

“Are you sure it’s General Anwi’s artifact?”

“I’m currently bringing in the appraisers to authenticate it. It’s for sure. It’s definitely a genuine artifact.”

“Where the hell did you...?”

“Haha, I got a call from Yeoksam-dong saying they were selling it, and when I went to check, it was really there.”

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Hajinwoo, in a good mood, continued to talk about the details.

Lee Tae-jun’s face turned stiff, but Hajinwoo didn’t notice.

‘No, damn it!’

General Anwi’s artifact!?

Why the hell did it suddenly appear now!?

Even while silently screaming inside, Lee Tae-jun forced a bright smile.

“Haha! Well, that’s good news!”

His voice trembled, betraying his emotions.

At that moment, Lee Tae-jun, spotting Kim Ha-yoon following Hajinwoo, greeted her.

“Congratulations, Ha-yoon. I just heard the news. Now, the Noryang Gate clear should be no problem.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“By the way, Tae-jun, it’s perfect timing. You have nothing to do, right? Contact the broadcast reporters. We’re going to do a briefing about Noryang Gate tonight.”

“...Understood.”

As Lee Tae-jun turned around, his face soured.

‘Damn it!’

The Noryang Gate crisis was causing South Korea to continuously criticize Yeomyeong Constellation.

└ These guys, when did they ever succeed at anything they tried? └ It’s my Noryang, do I have to die? └ Hurry up and run. They say the monsters will start pouring out soon. └ Kim Ha-yoon, no skills, huh? Just a water rocket. └ Seriously, lol. Udamhwa one-shot seems like a fluke.

The general public was in an uproar, and the sentiment on Huntweb was also sour.

No matter what excuses were made, it was becoming obvious that the Noryang Gate explosion was unstoppable.

The public sentiment against Yeomyeong Constellation was at an all-time low.

Amidst this atmosphere, one big scoop was released.

[Yeomyeong Constellation! Anwi General’s Helmet Secured!]

It was just a simple sentence, but it was enough to turn public opinion upside down.

└ Yeomyeong Constellation, showing off like this?? └ I believed in them. └ Wow, crazy. Anwi’s artifact is legendary. Did they purposely wait for criticism to surprise us with this? └ Where did all the people who were slamming Kim Ha-yoon earlier go? └ Ha-yoon-nuna is protecting our house? └ Kim Ha-yoon, Kim Ha-yoon, Kim Ha-yoon, Kim Ha-yoon, Kim Ha-yoon.

Just hours earlier, the forums were full of insults toward Yeomyeong Constellation, but now they were flooded with posts praising Yeomyeong Constellation and Kim Ha-yoon.

Looking at the Imjin War alone, Anwi was one of the greatest heroes.

The helmet he used could never be just an ordinary artifact.

└ But what’s the grade of Anwi’s artifact? └ I’m not sure, but it must be at least Epic grade. └ If it’s lucky, it might even be Ancient...

└ Wow, I’m jealous.

The criticism against Yeomyeong Constellation faded, and videos about who Anwi was started flooding TV and YouTube.

The entire country was in a festive mood. On the other hand, there were places that weren’t so lucky.

The Chinese embassy was one of them.

“Wang Wei! What’s going on? You told us not to worry about getting the artifact!”

“Hmph, how could I have known that General Anwi’s artifact would suddenly appear? I’m just as surprised as you are.”

Wang Wei’s face twisted in displeasure at Lee Tae-jun’s rude behavior.

‘This idiot...’

It was a miracle that Lee Tae-jun even became the second team leader of Yeomyeong Constellation.

He was worlds apart from Kim Ha-yoon in terms of talent and character.

Yet, rather than being grateful for the push, Lee Tae-jun had the audacity to come and complain about things going slightly wrong?

Anger surged inside Wang Wei, but he suppressed it.

To get the ‘artifact’ from Noryang Gate, Lee Tae-jun’s help was absolutely necessary.

‘The gate can be cleared, I don’t care. The Koreans don’t know about Yi Sun-sin’s artifact.’

The Koreans had already dismissed the idea that Yi Sun-sin’s artifact was in Noryang Gate, but Wang Wei knew better.

He knew that Yi Sun-sin’s artifact was indeed in Noryang Gate.

And it was the helmet Yi Sun-sin used in the Battle of Noryang.

The one who had hidden Yi Sun-sin’s helmet in Noryang Gate was none other than Wang Wei’s ancestor.

Why didn’t they take it back then?

‘It wasn’t considered an artifact back then!’

Wang Wei’s ancestor, Jin Bong, was known as the greatest tomb robber of the Ming Dynasty.

He had plundered every tomb in China and eventually was caught for digging into the tomb of the emperor’s great-grandfather.

People thought he only plundered Chinese relics, but in truth, Jin Bong had also stolen from Joseon’s ruins.

During this process, Jin Bong had discovered Yi Sun-sin’s helmet in Noryang Gate.

But back then, the helmet wasn’t considered an artifact.

He had been a contemporary of Yi Sun-sin, after all.

Later, when Jin Bong was sure the helmet would become an artifact, he hid it deep in Noryang Gate, using a special technique to protect it.

He knew that the helmet’s value would only be recognized if it remained in Noryang Gate for a long time.

‘It’s time to retrieve it.’

Though the technique may never be discovered, Wang Wei couldn’t afford to sit idly by as Lee Tae-jun pressured him.

He had to pretend to help so that Lee Tae-jun would cooperate.

Wang Wei smiled warmly and spoke.

“If you bring in China’s support, Yeomyeong Constellation will be thrilled, Tae-jun.”

“Oh, so you’re helping with that?”

“Of course. Don’t worry too much.”

“Haha! I knew I could count on you, Ambassador Wang Wei.”

Of course, he didn’t trust him at all.

‘What a pathetic guy.’

Internally cursing Lee Tae-jun, Wang Wei stood up.

“Let’s go, Tae-jun.”

Wang Wei’s heart raced in anticipation of getting Yi Sun-sin’s helmet.

At the same time that Wang Wei moved toward Noryang, I was testing out the Shadow Cloak.

“Oh, this is good.”

It seemed like a great tool for emergencies, moving quickly in tight situations.

“Creeeak!”

The goblin warrior swung a baseball bat at me, but hit nothing but air as it breathed heavily.

The angry goblin swung the bat recklessly, but the Shadow Cloak made sure it didn’t touch me at all.

Whoosh-

I dodged backward and—

Bam!

A headshot with Napoleon’s Rifle!

[You have defeated the Furious Goblin Warrior.]

[D-8 Gate cleared.]

[Clearance Rating: SSS]

The status messages appeared, confirming that the D-8 Gate had been cleared.

As I read them indifferently, a new quest popped up.

Double Dragon Sword’s Line (2)

─Retrieve Yi Sun-sin’s helmet hidden somewhere in the Noryang Gate.

[Difficulty: E] [Clearance Condition: Double Dragon Sword] [Reward: Yi Sun-sin’s Helmet]

“Yi Sun-sin’s helmet?”

I was stunned when I saw the reward for the second quest triggered by the Double Dragon Sword.