The Sage Cannon
Hyunja Chongtong. Hyejin closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. Where on earth had this pure-minded young man come from?
She could chalk up the ghost story to some wild exaggeration, but the tales he'd just shared were serious matters she couldn't simply gloss over.
"...So the Colorblind Man taught you about gunpowder and firearm techniques."
"Yep, that's right."
"... ."
He wasn't hiding any of the big, juicy details that could sway this judgment—in fact, he laid them all out raw and unfiltered. She had no idea how to process it.
"...Sorry to cut you off. Please continue."
How many more problematic bits were lurking in the rest of his story? Unease was already creeping in.
Forget the thrilling adventure tale straight out of a storybook—Hyejin was on edge, wondering what other bombshells might drop.
The winter in the southern lands was mild. Thanks to that, life went on much as before, peaceful and unchanged.
Bang! Bang!
Every few seconds, the cannon spat flames.
The explosion was incomparably cleaner than the crude bamboo cannon from before, echoing far and wide.
Startled by the unnatural roar, seabirds flapped away in a frenzy, fleeing the scene.
Thud. The fired shot pierced the heart of a bull-headed humanoid monster, dropping it dead on the spot.
"Full bloom."
The twin-barreled hand cannon resembled a musket but was bulkier and more primal, almost like a modern shotgun.
Its hallmark was the two barrels fused together without a trigger, allowing rapid fire as long as it was loaded.
Gunpowder smoke drifted on the sea breeze.
Subquest: [Classic of Mountains and Seas Beasts 4: Defeat Unok] cleared.
Reward: Ally 'Hendrick's activity radius expanded.
Through trial and error—and gaining knowledge he hadn't known before—many things had changed. Weapons like swords and spears, common in the martial world, relied heavily on stats like Power and Agility.
Firearms, however, while still needing Power, depended far more on Dexterity, or 'handiwork'—a truth he'd learned after dozens of shots.
Paired perfectly with the Heavenly Engineer constellation, every shot was a bullseye. With decent weapon quality now, mowing down monsters was a breeze.
Unlike the bamboo cannon, proper maintenance let him reuse them indefinitely, so his arsenal kept growing.
The most basic pistol form: three-barreled hand cannon. The victory hand cannon, akin to a musket but distinct. The unique twin-barreled twin hand cannon, and more.
Not just numbers—his crafting skills and firearm know-how improved too, pushing his combat power upward.
Slaying the monster 'Unok' would've been impossible with his original martial skills, even if he died and revived a hundred times. He'd have just died for good.
"Even if lovers betray me, you'll never betray me. Let's make this last."
Civilization's tools were amazing—they enforced equality. Aigoo, pretty thing. He jammed a rod into the barrel to clean powder residue for his hardworking babies. Feels good, right?
My disciple, but what a total lunatic.
Even Hendrick shut up and fled in horror whenever Yujin got affectionate with his guns. Ignoring the shivering ghost, he stowed the maintained weapons in his arsenal one by one.
Thus, he'd wrapped up the fourth subquest. It took time, but he felt closer to his goal.
Not comparable to regular army precision firearms, but crafting these on a barren island was satisfying enough.
All thanks to the constellation—without Heavenly Engineer, he'd have died in the first subquest.
'Still, something feels off.'
A sense of dissonance nagged him. How to put it? Things didn't add up.
Even with the constellation's blessing, these makeshift weapons handled monsters fine.
So why had Hendrick and his crew—better armed and more numerous—fallen? The sealed powder on the ship and lack of bodies didn't scream monster attack.
Starvation or plague? No traces anywhere. Did that even make sense?
If they died, bodies should be somewhere. And why was Hendrick's soul alone, lingering?
Your skills have improved greatly... It's about time I compile and teach you everything I can. Let's move from small cannons to mid-size ones.
He glanced at Hendrick, chatting about future plans.
Once, probing about the forest, Hendrick had dodged. It fueled suspicions.
That night he'd asked, Hendrick vanished sometimes. Tracking him now...
"Hendrick, what're you doing there?"
At the beach entrance, Hendrick stared blankly at the island's heart—the forest where monsters gathered at night.
For the 15 minutes Yujin watched—or maybe longer.
He'd suspected secrets, but this seemed big.
'Never go into the island's center. Absolutely.'
Hendrick's dire warning echoed.
He'd explored everywhere else: ship beach, coastal bamboo, west paths, even the traumatic northern cliffs from Namgung Yeona's betrayal.
Only the center remained untouched.
Gamer instincts said he'd head there soon—for the opportunity's endgame, breaking his promise to Hendrick.
Opportunity [Wreck of the Lost Ship] Chapter 5: 'Hendrick's Trial'
Hendrick takes great pride in his skilled disciple. Though he sees himself as mere technician, he firmly believes you'll surpass him.
Pass his trial and repay his faith.
📍 Story Clear: Raise Hendrick's favor (79/100), Master Basic Blacksmithing.
📍 Ch. 5 Clear: Craft weapon per Hendrick's instructions (Mid-size Cannon 0/1)
🎁 Rewards: ???, ??? Bond
Unlike early quests rushing to the next, this one dragged on for a reason—not some grand mastery or enlightenment.
Just two simple facts.
Utterly realistic ones.
First: material gathering.
Mid-size cannons needed absurd quantities—nothing like bamboo or victory hand cannons. Heavenly Engineer's passive ate extras, delaying endlessly.
"One, two, three, four."
Thus, grind mode: zero inefficiency allowed.
Melting rusted sailor weapons minimized waste; dismantling the ship carefully yielded nails, brass.
No coal? Endless high-purity charcoal production. Forest hauls meant endless treks.
Sweat-drenched routine finally gathered everything.
Choosing a fine day, he hauled materials to the forge.
Mountain clay and beach sand for molds; mixed metals poured slowly.
Tiny furnace forced segmented forging, risks be damned. No blaming conditions—just maximize.
Keep the temperature steady. If the metal's color changes, it's a failure.
Too focused to reply. Failure meant back to grinding—do or die.
"No, shit."
Disaster: uneven heat, color off. Checking the casting—
Major error in casting process.
Heavenly Engineer blessing activates.
Correcting failed heat balance.
Heavenly Engineer saved him from despair. Bow a thousand times to the stars.
Pouring into segments, finishing up. Hot metal met cooled parts, contracting and expanding.
Extracted barrel, fitted iron hoops, reheated to mend cracks.
Faster! Don't just watch the material warp!
Clang! Clang! Fierce hammering on the glowing barrel refined it smoother.
Arms aching, sweat pouring—near collapse. How much time passed?
Finally, last ring fitted. Segments unified. Imperfect due to conditions, but best effort done.
◈ Bamboo-like joints impressive. Produced in worst conditions, but master's skill under constellation blessing made it a high-quality masterpiece.
◈ It should function properly.
Durability:60/60 | Range:7-8 | Attack: 1080-1400