Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 18: Yi Sun-sin’s Three Gates (6)

"Iseonshin's Helmet?"

After checking the quest completion reward, I widened my eyes.

If it's a helmet used by General Iseonshin, it surely wouldn't be an ordinary artifact.

It might not be as well-known as the Ssangryong Sword, so it might not be considered legendary, but it was certainly going to be an artifact of greater importance than just a common one.

Moreover, the difficulty of the quest was incredibly low.

It wasn't even a D difficulty; it was E.

Considering that the difficulty of the Battle of Myeongnyang was rated as D, an E difficulty quest practically felt like a freebie.

‘I like that the reward is a helmet too.’

With the Ssangryong Sword and Napoleon’s Rifle, I could easily wipe out even C-rank monsters in a single blow. I could even move quickly using the Shadowstep.

However, my physical abilities were far from impressive.

Using Shadowstep left bruises on my legs, and my defense could barely be compared to a sheet of paper.

Even though I had legendary artifacts, the reason I didn’t challenge gates above D-rank was because a single wrong hit from a monster would be fatal.

In that sense, Iseonshin's helmet, a defensive artifact, was something I really needed.

I was tempted, but I didn’t immediately jump into the quest.

The situation was different from when I had to enter the Myeongnyang Gate unarmed.

I had just earned a massive sum of 5 billion from selling the Anwi’s Scimitar.

With that kind of money, I could afford the finest magic tools with plenty left to spare.

There was no reason not to buy them.

Considering that unexpected situations might arise inside the gate, thorough preparation was essential.

“Should I go shopping?”

I took a taxi and headed to a high-end magic equipment shop in Cheongdam-dong.

We did have magic tools in our junk shop, but what I wanted was much more expensive equipment.

It was time to flex.

“Welcome, can I help you find something?”

“I came to buy a Mithril Armor Vest.”

‘Mithril’ was the preferred material for defensive gear among hunters.

It was sturdy, had excellent mana conductivity, and, most importantly, could block attacks from monsters.

Blocking a monster's attack meant having an extra life.

“You’re in luck. We happen to have only a few Mithril Armor Vests left.”

“How much?”

“The price depends on the Mithril content. The lower grade is 500 million, mid-grade is 1.5 billion, and the high-grade Mithril vest is 2 billion.”

“...”

For just a vest, 2 billion? I wondered if it was even real, but considering it's for life protection, it wasn't that expensive.

If I felt it was too much, I could always resell it later.

Mithril was a high-demand item, and it was hard to come by.

“I’ll take the high-grade one.”

I shut my eyes and splurged on the 2-billion-won vest.

When it comes to protecting your life, money should never be spared.

“Would you like to pay in full or in installments?”

“Are there any installment fees?”

“There are no fees for up to 24 months.”

“I’ll go for 24 months installments.”

After purchising the Mithril vest at the shop, I returned and immediately entered the Noryang Gate.

Entering special gate Noryang.

Whoosh—

A wave of intense heat engulfed my body.

While Myeongnyang Gate had been filled with water, Noryang Gate was surrounded by an ocean of flames.

Crackle, crackle.

The burning Japanese fleet brightly lit up the night sea, and the ground was ablaze.

‘I’m glad I wore the Mithril vest.’

The coolness of Mithril prevented the heat from searing my skin.

Creeek— Creeek—

On the burning ground, different soldiers wearing two kinds of naval uniforms wandered around.

They seemed to be the Ming and Joseon navy, not the Japanese side.

I had heard that Ming had participated in the Battle of Noryang.

Woong.

The Ssangryong Sword howled.

‘Does it want me to go that way?’

I followed the direction of the Ssangryong Sword, walking leisurely.

Whoosh─!

The raging flames were pushed aside by the energy from the Ssangryong Sword.

Creeek—

As a flaming soldier neared me, I raised the Ssangryong Sword.

The soldier then moved away, returning to its previous path.

Once was difficult, but twice was easy.

‘It seems there’s no soul in these soldiers.’

This was a spatial distortion created by the Noryang Battle’s memory.

The flaming soldiers had no souls from the beginning, or they had been purified during the initial attack.

They simply avoided the path instinctively when they saw the Ssangryong Sword.

I followed the Ssangryong Sword’s guidance and crossed the sea of flames, stepping onto the submerged Panokseon.

Upon entering the ship, I was greeted with a vast interior.

At the center, I saw a flaming general, the Black General, and stopped in surprise.

Creeek—

The skull’s eye sockets glowed with a dark flame, and it glanced at me for a moment before turning away, uninterested.

“...That startled me.”

The general seemed to be from the Ming navy, judging by the uniform.

Upon seeing me holding the Ssangryong Sword, it likely assumed I was an allied Joseon general.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I continued walking.

The Ssangryong Sword was pointing beyond the Black General.

I walked in the direction the sword indicated and tilted my head.

“What’s over there?”

There was nothing but an empty wall.

Curious, I reached out, and my hand passed through the wall and entered inside.

“Hmm?”

Surprised, I reached out with my other hand, and it also passed through the wall.

“Oh, is this a formation? Interesting.”

I had heard that ancient Chinese formation masters used bizarre techniques like this.

Though after the Tiananmen incident, most of these techniques were lost, and very few could still use them.

Beyond the wall, I found a dusty little shelf.

On that shelf lay an old helmet.

I picked it up, and a status window popped up.

Ding!

─You have acquired Iseonshin's Helmet.

Iseonshin’s Helmet

Artifact Rank: Ancient

─The helmet used by General Iseonshin during the Battle of Noryang.

Defense: 1800

“Wow.”

My eyes lit up upon seeing that it was an Ancient-grade helmet, but then my expression quickly soured.

“Ugh, this thing needs a wash.”

It smelled awful, likely because it was so old.

The day after the news of Anwi’s Scimitar’s discovery made waves across South Korea.

“Are you ready, Ha-yoon?”

“Yes, I’m ready to go at any time.”

Kim Ha-yoon stood at the entrance of the Noryang Gate.

In her hands, she held Anwi’s Scimitar, a legendary artifact.

“You don’t have to rush the conquest. Don’t overdo it.”

“I’ll clear it and come out.”

Ha-jinwoo’s words of encouragement were answered by Kim Ha-yoon, who entered the Noryang Gate with ten skilled hunters.

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

Whoosh─

As soon # Nоvеlight # as they entered, the searing heat overwhelmed Kim Ha-yoon.

Though the heat couldn’t penetrate her mana shield, the time she could endure it was no longer than three hours.

In that time, they had to conquer Noryang Gate.

With a total of twelve zones, there was no need to clear them all at once, but it was necessary to push through as many zones as possible.

‘It has to be effective.’

Although Anwi’s Scimitar was a legendary artifact, it was not something one could blindly trust.

Her water-based attacks hadn’t been very effective against the flaming skeletons.

The only way to know for sure was to use it herself.

Kim Ha-yoon gripped the scimitar’s hilt tightly and raised her head.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Kim Ha-yoon and the ten hunters entered the burning land of Noryang.

Creeek─

The flaming soldiers, wandering in the fire, spotted Kim Ha-yoon and charged at her.

It felt as if a burning boulder was charging toward her.

But something was off.

The flames surrounding the soldier weren’t hot at all.

It was just like a normal skeleton rushing at her.

‘Is this the effect of the scimitar?’

Surprised, Kim Ha-yoon ran toward the flaming soldier.

Whooosh...

Her water-based A-rank skill was activated, and the scimitar whipped up a spray of water.

Kim Ha-yoon swung the scimitar, now a torrent of water, down on the flaming soldier.

Ssshhh!

As the water met the fire, a cloud of vapor rose.

And then...

Splash!

The flames surrounding the flaming soldier were extinguished effortlessly.

Crack─!

The soldier’s skull shattered, and it collapsed.

[You have defeated a Flaming Soldier.]

“!”

Kim Ha-yoon stared at the fallen flaming soldier in astonishment.

The bone fragments were soaked with water.

‘It’s this easy?’

She couldn’t believe it.

She had struggled for so long to defeat a single flaming soldier.

It had taken a lot of mana to extinguish the flames that reignited after being put out.

And still, she had to retreat without defeating more than a few.

But with the Anwi’s Scimitar, the flames were extinguished with ease.

The flames didn’t even seem real anymore.

‘This is an incredible artifact.’

Anwi’s Scimitar, given to her by Choi Seo-jun, was an absurdly overpowered item.

With this, breaking through the Noryang Gate would be easy.

‘Alright.’

Gaining confidence, Kim Ha-yoon charged into the flames, gripping the scimitar tightly.

And...

[You have cleared Noryang Gate 1-1 Zone.]

Within 10 minutes, the conquest success message echoed.

[You have cleared Noryang Gate 1-1 Zone.]

[You have cleared Noryang Gate 1-2 Zone.]

[You have cleared Noryang Gate 1-3 Zone.]

[You have cleared Noryang Gate 1-4 Zone.]

The consecutive success messages echoed in the Noryang Gate control room.

“This is it!”

“We did it! We did it!”

The hunters, who had been watching the conquest nervously, erupted into cheers.

The hunters, fists clenched, could only stare at the large screen.

On the other side of the screen, Kim Ha-yoon was sweeping through the Noryang Gate like a hot knife through butter.

─Crack!

─Crack!

Every time she swung the scimitar, the flaming soldiers fell apart effortlessly.

“Haha! Ha-yoon, as expected!”

Ha-jinwoo laughed brightly.

Kim Ha-yoon’s gate conquest was being filmed by a body cam and streamed live to the whole country.

“The community is going crazy about Team Leader Ha-yoon! There are five million concurrent viewers on YouTube!”

“Haha! That’s what I like to hear!”

The control room was in a festive mood, almost like the nation was celebrating.

It felt like everyone was watching Kim Ha-yoon’s conquest of Noryang Gate, like watching a World Cup final.

Of course, amidst this, there were some who were nervous.

Specifically, it was Lee Tae-jun, who had aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.

‘When is Wang Wei coming?!’

Every time Kim Ha-yoon’s success message rang out, Lee Tae-jun’s face soured.

If a little more time passed, he would have no role to play in the matter.

Kim Ha-yoon would clear all the zones.

At least the good news was that Kim Ha-yoon had cleared the 1-5 zone and exited the gate.

It was around this time that Wang Wei appeared, accompanied by Chinese hunters.

Lee Tae-jun, who had been pacing back and forth, suddenly jumped to his feet.

“Ambassador Wang Wei! You’re late!”

However, unlike Lee Tae-jun’s anxiousness, Wang Wei casually offered his congratulations to Ha-jinwoo first.

To Wang Wei, what mattered was Iseonshin’s Helmet, not the gate conquest.

The gate conquest could be left to Kim Ha-yoon, and Wang Wei was only interested in grabbing the spoils.

So, he had all the time in the world.

When Wang Wei offered help at the Constellation Guild’s entrance, he had no reason to decline.

Had Kim Ha-yoon cleared the gate this easily, he would have turned him down, though.

“Let’s go in, Tae-jun.”

Wang Wei, bringing in Chinese hunters with water attributes, leisurely entered Noryang Gate.

Since Kim Ha-yoon had already cleared it, the gate was now empty.

“Ugh, it’s hot. Let’s finish quickly and get out of here.”

Wang Wei sweated profusely.

Though both he and Lee Tae-jun had water attributes, it wasn’t their specialty, so enduring the flames of Noryang was quite challenging.

“If we take down the semi-boss general inside the sunken ship, Tae-jun, you’ll have something to show for it.”

“Though I’m not happy about it, I have no choice.”

Lee Tae-jun wasn’t thrilled, but since his plans had fallen apart, he had to at least grab whatever crumbs he could.

For Wang Wei, capturing the general didn’t matter.

His true goal was the helmet behind the Black General.

A few days ago, when Lee Tae-jun entered the gate, he confirmed that the formation was still intact, so Wang Wei was relaxed.

As expected, once they entered the ship, the formation-covered wall appeared.

“There it is! There it is!”

Wang Wei grinned and moved toward it.

Creeek─

“Hold him down.”

Wang Wei left the Black General to his subordinates and approached the formation.

He stretched out his hand, crossing the wall.

‘Hehe.’

Wang Wei’s heart raced with excitement, as if he were a child about to unwrap a gift.

But then...

“?”

There was nothing in his grasp.

Whip— Whip—

He waved both hands around, but still, nothing but empty air.

Finally, Wang Wei shoved his body into the formation.

And then, a dusty empty shelf was revealed.

The shelf in the middle was eerily clean, as if someone had just taken the helmet and left.

It didn’t seem like much time had passed since the last visitor.

Wang Wei, his fingers trembling, screamed in rage.

“Who the hell took it?!”