The Hwando of An Wi

The Constellation of Dawn Guild was in a funereal atmosphere three days before the Noryang Strait Gate went into overdrive. They had attempted the raid four times, yet every single run had ended in failure. There was no visible path to success. The problem lay in the unique fire attribute possessed by the bizarre creatures inside the Noryang Gate.

'Ordinary water-attribute artifacts won't work.'

The flames cloaking those monsters could evaporate the water produced by average water-attribute artifacts in an instant. They needed at least a Rare-grade water-attribute artifact or higher. But Rare-grade artifacts were not items one could simply acquire on demand. While a few existed overseas, borrowing them was difficult, and even if they managed it, syncing the timeline with the gate's impending rampage was impossible.

So their next-best solution had been Imjin War relics. The monsters connected to that era responded well to artifacts from the same period. It would have been perfect if they could find an Imjin War relic that also carried a water attribute, but… 'There's no way such an artifact exists for us to obtain.'

The reality was that even Imjin War relics were extremely difficult to find within Korea. Nearly all artifacts from that time had been spirited overseas, leaving only a handful behind. 'If only the person who cleared the Myeongnyang Strait Gate would appear right now, it would solve everything.'

The Myeongnyang Gate was intimately tied to Yi Sun-sin. And Yi Sun-sin himself was a hero who embodied both water and Imjin War attributes. A relic of his would be the perfect 'key' to conquering the Noryang Gate. If someone had truly broken through Myeongnyang, they might have obtained such a relic. Yet the individual who had supposedly cleared it never surfaced.

Whether he had ascended to the heavens or sunk into the earth, no one could find him. Despite the entire nation keeping the gate's entrance under strict surveillance, he had vanished without a trace. Ha Jinwu didn't even need the man himself; he simply wanted Yi Sun-sin's relic by any means necessary. He wasn't even daring to hope for the Twin Dragon Sword the admiral had supposedly wielded. That artifact's very existence remained uncertain.

Just a fragment, any relic connected to Yi Sun-sin, would be enough. Ha Jinwu firmly believed that Kim Hayun could clear the Noryang Gate with even that much. 'The problem is that we don't even have that…'

He had posted an advertisement seeking relics just in case, but the odds of success were slim. There was virtually no chance that an individual would possess an artifact the state itself had failed to locate. It was while Ha Jinwu sat sighing that his phone began to ring.

Wiiiing.

Ha Jinwu answered without much expectation. Then the voice on the other end shouted:

"What?! Where?!"

Ha Jinwu shot to his feet. His loud voice drew every eye in the guild hall. With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a radiant expression, he yelled back, "Hayun! They found it! An Imjin War water-attribute artifact!"

"Really?! Where is it?!"

"The general store in Yeoksam-dong!"

"!"

At the words general store, Kim Hayun's eyes flew wide open.

Ha Jinwu ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Kim Hayun headed straight for Seojun's General Store in Yeoksam-dong the moment they received the tip. A young shopkeeper stepped out to greet them.

"Are you Choi Seojun, the one who called?"

"Yes, that's me."

"We're from the Constellation of Dawn. Where is the artifact you mentioned?"

"This is it."

"…Hmm."

Ha Jinwu felt a wave of internal disappointment the instant he saw what Choi Seojun held out. The artifact was a heavily rusted old sword with multiple chips along its edge. As expected. There was no way they could obtain something the entire country had failed to find in a random neighborhood shop. Even if it truly dated back to the Imjin War, its condition was abysmal.

Choi Seojun seemed aware of this, because he scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile. "Is it too worn out?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure it can even be used. Still, we'll have it appraised."

Ha Jinwu instructed the appraiser he had brought along. Inwardly, he had already written the item off as useless and lost all interest. We'll have to abandon the clear and focus on minimizing the damage from the rampage. His mind was already overwhelmed just thinking about how to handle the Noryang Strait crisis.

"Hayun, stay here and talk with him. I'll step outside and call the guild master."

"Understood."

It was the exact moment Ha Jinwu turned to leave the store.

"I-it's authentic!"

The appraiser examining the sword cried out in a trembling voice. "This is definitely an Imjin War artifact!"

Ha Jinwu stopped in his tracks. "Water-attribute?"

"Yes, water-attribute! But that's not all. This is a hwando used by the Joseon navy!"

"“!!”"

Good heavens! A hwando from the Joseon navy!

Both Kim Hayun and Ha Jinwu were stunned. It made perfect sense. The Joseon navy had been the central force that helped Yi Sun-sin bring the Imjin War to an end. Even an ordinary sailor's hwando would qualify as a near-Rare-grade treasure. But if the user had not been an ordinary sailor?

Jackpot.

Ha Jinwu swallowed hard and asked, voice thick with anticipation, "Who was the user?"

"The user is… Haaak!"

The appraiser, who had been scrutinizing the blade while activating his appraisal skill, suddenly gasped. When he fell silent, the impatient Kim Hayun pressed him. "Who on earth used it to make you react like that?"

"It's An Wi!"

"An Wi?" Kim Hayun asked, startled. "You mean General An Wi, Yi Sun-sin's right-hand man?"

"Yes! General An Wi himself!"

Ha Jinwu's mouth fell open. An Wi? The man had been Yi Sun-sin's trusted subordinate, a pivotal figure who helped decide the outcome of the Battle of Myeongnyang. He later rose to the rank of Second Minister of Peaceful Defense and commanded naval forces on equal footing with the Three Provinces Naval Commander.

An Wi's hwando? This rusty old sword?

No, the rust isn't the issue. Who cared if it was old? It belonged to An Wi. Artifacts were supposed to look ancient and worn. A pristine one would have been more suspicious. We can just polish it up and use it.

It probably wouldn't last long, but even that was a tremendous blessing. The mere possibility of overcoming the Noryang crisis made Ha Jinwu feel as though he had met a savior. With a bright expression, he asked, "What is its grade?"

"L-Legendary!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Laughter burst from his lips before he could stop it. Jackpot. Absolute jackpot.

Why is he laughing like that?

I stared at Ha Jinwu, who was cackling over a rusty old sword, with a strange look. Even if An Wi's hwando was Legendary-grade, its durability was clearly exhausted. It wouldn't last long in combat. Since I had no idea what conditions awaited inside the Noryang Gate, I couldn't understand his joy.

But the next words left even me ecstatic.

"We'll purchase it for four billion won."

"…Four billion?"

My eyes widened at the unimaginable number.

"Is that too low?" Ha Jinwu asked, misreading my reaction and looking embarrassed. From his expression, it seemed I could push the price higher. Maybe go bold and say ten billion? Should I?

No. If I overreached and he walked away, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would be a disaster. "H-how about five billion?"

"Perfect. We'll buy it immediately."

"?"

It actually worked? Should I have asked for more? I was just starting to regret quoting too low when Ha Jinwu added, "Since it likely can't be used more than a few times, please understand that this is the highest we can go."

"Of course, I understand completely."

I could understand it a hundred times over. A thousand times over. Ha Jinwu transferred the money to my account on the spot.

Crazy. It's… it's real.

My mouth fell open at the amount now displayed in my account. I never imagined selling a single one-time-use sword would bring in five billion won. The hand holding my phone began to tremble.

At that moment, Kim Hayun, who had accompanied Ha Jinwu, spoke to me. "You don't happen to use firearms, do you?"

"No, I've never used a gun."

My heart nearly stopped, but I answered with a perfectly calm face.

"Hmm." Kim Hayun gave me a meaningful smile. "I'll take your word for it."

What? Does she already know?

I felt a chill. After all, we had run into each other once at Han River Park. Everyone believed Kim Hayun was the one who had taken down the udama that I had actually killed with Napoleon's Rifle. If she knew the truth, things would become incredibly awkward. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠No matter how well I hid my face with a mask during hunter activities, as long as I carried Napoleon's Rifle, she would recognize me.

"You were expelled from Samdocheon, correct?"

"You knew. Yes, I left after receiving a resignation recommendation not long ago."

"You're not trying to make me believe that, are you?"

"Pardon?"

"Never mind." Kim Hayun shook her head and smiled brightly. "Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, we survived. I'll put it to good use."

With those words, she took An Wi's hwando and left the general store.

"?"

What was that about? Is she just a strange woman?