An Wi's Hwando

Yi Taejun, the 2nd Team Leader of Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa, had struck a deal with the Chinese Communist Party to reclaim his former glory. In exchange for handing over Yi Sun-sin's artifacts from Noryang Gate, he would receive their support. Of course, Yi Taejun hadn't made the deal without careful thought. He believed no more of Yi Sun-sin's relics remained in Noryang Gate. After all, this wasn't the first time the gate had gone berserk, and it had already been cleared in the past. The Korean government had concluded that every possible artifact had already been extracted. Noryang Gate was nothing more than an empty house that would yield only dust if searched again. Therefore, the Chinese offer to assist him in return for the artifacts was an opportunity he had no reason to refuse. In fact, even if Yi Sun-sin's artifacts did appear, Yi Taejun had every intention of turning them over to China. After all, they were items he could never claim for himself. Such top-tier relics were always prioritized for S-class Hunters.

"If the conditions don't match, you can't even use them anyway."

Artifacts of ancient grade or higher chose their own masters. Without their recognition, possessing them only made them burdensome treasures. Yi Taejun knew his chances of being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chosen by Yi Sun-sin's relics were slim. More than anything, reclaiming his past fame mattered far more. Ever since Kim Hayun appeared, Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa had been treating him like yesterday's leftovers.

Those bastards.

Yi Taejun ground his teeth. His goal was to sabotage Kim Hayun and claim the benefits for himself. And that goal was about to be realized. The Chinese side had already secured every resource needed for the Noryang Gate raid.

"Haha! The guild must be in funeral mode by now."

Imagining the depressed atmosphere after the failed raid, Yi Taejun chuckled to himself. He should head over and pretend to offer condolences while enjoying the show.

"Heh heh."

The thought of Kim Hayun's stiff face kept making him laugh. Grinning as he entered the guild headquarters, he was approached by 1st Team Leader Ha Jinwu.

"Yi Taejun, where have you been until now?"

Yi Taejun quickly hid his smirk and lowered his head with a somber expression.

"My apologies. I was trying to obtain a water-attribute artifact but failed."

His gloomy face looked convincingly sincere to anyone watching. However...

"Ah, if that's what you're worried about, don't be. We already got one."

"...Excuse me?"

Yi Taejun looked up in surprise, forgetting his act entirely.

"You mean you obtained a rare-grade water-attribute artifact?"

"Haha, it's not rare-grade."

"?"

Not rare-grade? Then what was it?

"It's an Imjin War water-attribute artifact."

"!"

Yi Taejun's eyes widened.

"An Imjin War water-attribute artifact? Isn't that a relic of the Joseon navy?"

"That's right. It's General An Wi's hwando."

"!!!!"

Yi Taejun was so shocked he nearly cursed out loud.

Shit!

An Wi? Wasn't that the name of Yi Sun-sin's right-hand general? And they had obtained that general's artifact?

"A-are you certain it's General An Wi's artifact?"

"We just finished appraisal with the appraisers. It's confirmed. No doubt it's the real thing."

"W-where on earth did you find something like that...?"

"Haha, someone contacted us from Yeoksam-dong saying they wanted to sell it, and it turned out to be genuine."

Ha Jinwu, in high spirits, even shared the minor details without noticing Yi Taejun's face hardening.

No, shit!

An Wi's artifact? Why had something like that suddenly appeared!?

While screaming internally, Yi Taejun forced a bright smile as if relieved.

"H-haha! W-well, that's great!"

His voice trembled, unable to hide his emotions. Just then, he spotted Kim Hayun following behind Ha Jinwu and offered his congratulations.

"Congratulations, Hayun. I just heard the news. The Noryang Gate raid shouldn't be a problem now."

"Yes. Thank you."

"By the way, Taejun. Perfect timing. You don't have anything to do, right? Contact all the major broadcast reporters. Tell them we're holding a Noryang Gate briefing this evening."

"......Understood."

As Yi Taejun turned away, his face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠twisted in rage.

Shit!

The general public communities were in an uproar, and the sentiment on Hunter Web wasn't much better. Whether they liked it or not, it seemed obvious that the Noryang Gate berserk state couldn't be stopped. Public opinion toward Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa was extremely hostile. Amid this tense atmosphere, a single exclusive report spread like wildfire.

Just that morning, the boards had been filled with curses toward Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa. Now they were flooded with posts praising the guild and Kim Hayun. Considering the Imjin War period, An Wi was one of the standout heroes. The hwando he had used couldn't possibly be an ordinary artifact.

"By the way, what grade is An Wi's artifact?"

"I don't know exactly, but it should be at least epic-grade."

"If we're lucky, it might even reach ancient-grade..."

"Whoa, I'm jealous."

Criticism toward Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa vanished completely. Major broadcasts and YouTube channels flooded with videos explaining who An Wi was. The entire nation felt like it was celebrating. However, there was one place that didn't share the festive mood—the Chinese Embassy.

"Mr. Wang Wei! What is the meaning of this? You said not to worry because you couldn't obtain the artifact!?"

"Kuh... How could I have known General An Wi's artifact would suddenly appear? I'm just as flustered as you are."

Wang Wei's face twisted at Yi Taejun's rude tone.

This incompetent bastard...

From the start, it was a miracle that someone of Yi Taejun's caliber had even become 2nd Team Leader of Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa. He was worlds apart from Kim Hayun in both talent and character. Instead of being grateful for the support, he had the audacity to come complaining the moment things went slightly wrong? Anger surged, but Wang Wei suppressed it. To obtain "that artifact" in Noryang Gate, Yi Taejun's cooperation was absolutely necessary.

"It doesn't matter if the gate is cleared. The Koreans don't know about Yi Sun-sin's artifact anyway."

While the Koreans had concluded there were no Yi Sun-sin artifacts in Noryang Gate, Wang Wei knew the truth. There was indeed an artifact of Yi Sun-sin in Noryang Gate—the very helmet he had used during the Battle of Noryang. The one who had discovered Yi Sun-sin's helmet and hidden it in Noryang Gate was none other than Wang Wei's ancestor. Why hadn't he taken it at the time?

"Because it wasn't an artifact back then!"

Wang Wei's ancestor was Jin Bong, known as the greatest tomb raider of the Ming Dynasty. He had plundered every tomb in China and was eventually executed by beheading after disturbing the emperor's great-grandfather's tomb. People believed he had only raided Chinese ruins, but in reality, Jin Bong had also targeted Joseon relics. During that process, he discovered Yi Sun-sin's helmet in Noryang Gate. However, at the time, it wasn't yet an artifact. He had been a contemporary of Yi Sun-sin. Convinced that Yi Sun-sin's helmet would eventually become an artifact, Jin Bong hid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it deep within Noryang Gate using a formation. Only by leaving it in Noryang Gate, which was closely tied to the helmet, for a long time would it have a high chance of becoming an artifact.

"It's about time to retrieve it."

As Jin Bong's descendant, Wang Wei knew exactly where Yi Sun-sin's helmet was hidden thanks to the records his ancestor had left behind. Until recently, he had even confirmed through Yi Taejun that the formation hiding the helmet was still intact.

"As long as the formation is fine, the helmet will still be in the same place."

The problem was that it was difficult for a Chinese person to enter Noryang Gate, which was under Korean control. That was why Wang Wei had planned to use Yi Taejun's help to enter the gate.

"I need to retrieve it quickly."

There was no way the formation would be discovered, but if Yi Taejun kept pressing him, Wang Wei couldn't just sit still. He needed to at least pretend to help if he wanted the man's cooperation. Wang Wei put on a friendly smile and spoke.

"If Mr. Taejun brings Chinese support, Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa will welcome it."

"Oh, you'll do that for me?"

"Of course. Don't worry too much."

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

Like hell he could count on him.

Pathetic fool.

Cursing Yi Taejun inwardly, Wang Wei stood up.

"Let's go, Mr. Taejun."

Wang Wei's heart raced with anticipation of obtaining Yi Sun-sin's helmet.

At the same moment Wang Wei headed toward Noryang, I was testing Amyeongbo.

"Oh, this is pretty good."

The quick, fluid movements seemed perfect for emergencies.

"Kiiik!"

The goblin warrior swung its baseball bat at me, striking only empty air before huffing in frustration. Enraged, it swung wildly again, but none of its attacks reached me while I was using Amyeongbo. I dodged backward with a whoosh, then—bang! A headshot with Napoleon's Rifle.

I was reading the status window messages without much excitement when it appeared.

"Yi Sun-sin's helmet?"

My eyes widened as I confirmed the reward for the second quest triggered by the Twin Dragon Sword.