Napoleon's Rifle

I wondered what kind of rifle I had brought back. With Napoleon's permission, I was allowed to observe the siege of Toulon Port. It seemed that even back then, one could spectate a battle if a high-ranking officer granted approval.

"As expected, a firepower fanatic." I clicked my tongue as I gazed at the three hundred cannons lined up along the hill. Napoleon had not been satisfied with the artillery assigned to him. He had scoured every armory in the vicinity of Toulon and gathered every single cannon he could find. It was exactly the sort of move one would expect from the man known as the original firepower fanatic. After all, it was Napoleon who had conquered Europe with nothing but artillery.

"What are you drinking?"

"Cola."

"Give me a sip as well."

I handed my canteen to Napoleon, who had approached without my noticing. As a regular at the general store, he had already tasted cola and now sought it out the moment he visited. I never gave him much, since my own supply was limited.

"It is magnificent no matter when I drink it."

"You must be busy. What brings you here?"

When I asked while watching him praise the cola, he handed me the musket slung at his side.

"Even as an observer, there may be danger. Keep it with you."

"Thank you for your concern."

I gladly accepted Napoleon's goodwill. Though the high ground should have been safe, one never knew what could happen. Before leaving, Napoleon finished a quick lesson on handling the musket and asked,

"Do you have any advice for me?"

"Good luck."

I had never hesitated to offer Napoleon advice on his campaigns, but today I had nothing to say. My role had ended the moment he arrived here. There was no strategic counsel I could give to Napoleon, the genius of war. All that remained was to watch his victory unfold.

The third general to take command at Toulon was a professional soldier. He understood Napoleon's tactics perfectly and executed them without deviation. The strategy Napoleon had devised shone brilliantly, living up to its reputation.

He's a genius, all right.

Napoleon divided his formidable force of three hundred cannons into three directions, encircling the enemy fortress. 'Jacobin,' 'Those Who Know No Fear,' and 'Expulsion of the Troublemakers.' He advanced ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠three batteries and began pressuring the stronghold. It was the same strategy used by the human faction in the famous Korean online game War of the Stars, where players slowly advanced by building bunkers to squeeze their opponents. Commonly known as 'the squeeze.'

In War of the Stars, when the human faction applied the squeeze, the alien species, unable to endure the pressure, would usually charge out to destroy the tanks. The royalist coalition forces were no different.

— Recapture the gun emplacements!

— Destroy the cannons!

The fortress gates opened and the royalist coalition charged toward the batteries. It was easy prey for Napoleon's artillery.

"Fire!"

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

"Aaaargh!"

The coalition troops that abandoned the fortress were swept away by concentrated cannon fire. After heavy losses, they managed to seize one battery, but the tide of battle had long since turned in favor of the revolutionary army. And then—

"General O'Hara has been captured!"

"Waaaaah!"

News of the enemy commander's capture echoed across Toulon Port. The revolutionary army erupted in cheers, forgetting they were still at war.

"It's done! It's done!"

Even the usually composed Napoleon could not contain himself and shouted aloud. As he celebrated with unrestrained joy, he suddenly turned his head, searching for Choi Seojun. The next moment—

"!"

Napoleon's blue eyes widened in a daze. The figure of Choi Seojun standing on the hill gradually faded until it vanished completely, as though he had never existed at all. Napoleon, who had been watching in a stupor, murmured softly.

"…So he truly was a messenger of God."

"Commander, is something the matter?"

"It is nothing."

Napoleon shook his head at his adjutant's question and looked up at the clear blue sky.

"I hope we meet again someday."

He lowered his gaze and bellowed in a resounding voice.

"All forces, charge!"

"Charge!"

Thus ended the long battle of Toulon Port.

"Mmm."

When I opened my eyes, the familiar sight of the general store greeted me.

"What? Did I fall asleep?"

I rubbed my eyes and stood up from where I had been slumped over the counter. I had clearly been watching Napoleon's battle at Toulon, yet at some point my vision had begun to blur and sleep had overtaken me. And when I awoke, I was back at the store.

Was it a dream?

While I was still reeling from how vividly real the memory felt for something that had supposedly been a dream, my eyes caught on a single musket leaning against the wall. The moment I saw it, I knew what I had experienced had not been a dream.

— Even as an observer, there may be danger. Keep it with you.

That was the musket Napoleon had given me. Yet…

"What is this?"

I stared wide-eyed at the status window that had appeared upon looking at the rifle. The ordinary musket had transformed into a relic. But what puzzled me even more was its grade.

"Unique?"

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar classification. It was understandable—until now, eight grades of relics had been identified: Transcendent, Mythic, Legendary, Ancient, Epic, Rare, and Common. Lower-grade relics existed as well, but they were deemed worthless and left unclassified. In practice, Legendary was considered the highest grade among all known relics. Transcendent and Mythic relics belonged to the divine age before recorded human history—Zeus's lightning spear, Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang, and the like. Because the authenticity of divine-age relics was uncertain, they remained a controversial classification. The standard relic management system divided relics into six grades based on Legendary as the pinnacle.

Yet Napoleon's Rifle did not fit into any of those six grades. That said, it could hardly be an ordinary relic either. Napoleon was one of the greatest heroes in all of human history. Any relic he left behind carried immense value.

"Shall I test it?"

Carrying Napoleon's Rifle, I stepped out of the general store. Beyond the door lay not eighteenth-century Europe, but the Seoul of the twenty-first century. The moment the city's smog-laden air filled my lungs, I truly felt I had returned.

"…Only a day has passed."

When I checked the date on my previously unresponsive phone, I was left dazed. Nearly three months had passed with Napoleon, yet in reality only a single day had gone by. The fact that I had not even said a proper farewell lingered in my mind, but it was already in the past. There was nothing to do but leave it as regret.

"Let's go."

With the rifle slung over my shoulder, I began walking. My destination was Hangang Park. Once famous as a dating spot for couples, it had now become a ruined paradise for monsters.

Appraisers were not meant to stay cooped up indoors evaluating relics all day. Their primary duty was to follow gates, collect byproducts, and appraise them. For appraisers belonging to a major guild like Samdocheon, the workload was brutal. Having endured that workload, I possessed far more knowledge about monsters than the average hunter. As the saying went, even a dog at a private school would learn poetry after three years—I had spent a full ten. One could call me a walking encyclopedia of low-grade monsters.

From my perspective, Hangang Park today looked quite dangerous.

"Kyaaah!"

"Run!"

"It's an Udambara!"

No, it looked dangerous to anyone who saw it.

"Did I pick the wrong day?"

A massive red lotus flower floated serenely in the middle of the Han River. At first glance it seemed beautiful and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠auspicious, but it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a man-eating flower that used humans as nourishment. An Udambara. It had been named for its resemblance to the legendary flower from Buddhist mythology. Though Hangang Park usually only spawned relatively weak monsters, occasionally bizarre ones like this appeared.

A boss monster spawn?

With the Udambara's appearance, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠SUVs began converging along the riverside.

"Look over there! Kim Hayun is here!"

"Waaah—!"

"Seo Arin is here too!"

When the named hunters from the major guild disembarked, the crowd erupted as though they were seeing idols.

"Everyone, please stay calm! Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa will eliminate the Udambara!"

The named hunter who appeared was a high school girl so striking it was hard to tell whether she was an idol or a hunter. It was Kim Hayun, third team leader of Yeomyeong-ui Seongjwa, one of Gangnam's major guilds. Azure mana flames rose from the sword in her hand—the blade of General Kim Yu-sin, the legendary commander who symbolized Silla. As his direct descendant, Kim Hayun was the relic's rightful owner.

This really is a gacha game with bloodline advantages. Disgusting.

In a world where awakening abilities were determined by gacha and bloodlines, there was nothing to be done. Someone like me, an E-class, had no business getting involved, so I decided not to even look. Still, since I'm already here… I had come to test the performance of Napoleon's Rifle, so I could not simply turn back. Scanning the park, I saw writhing red flowers in full bloom—the Udambara's 'offspring.' They shared a neural connection with the main body; destroying them would damage the Udambara itself. Though how much damage remained to be seen.

Let's give it a shot.

I aimed Napoleon's Rifle at the largest-looking flower among the offspring, targeting the center of the petals where the stamen was located.

"Hey! That's dangerous!"

A female hunter who spotted me aiming shouted in alarm. But by then, my mana had already infused the rifle.

Bang—!

The rifle spat fire, and a blue mana bullet streaked forth in an instant, striking the stamen of the offspring dead center.

Boom!

The offspring Udambara exploded and vanished without a trace. While I stood stunned by the sheer power—

—Kyeeeeeeeek!

A piercing shriek tore through the air above the Han River. It was the Udambara's scream.

"Ugh!"

"What's wrong with that thing!?"

The sudden scream left the hunters bewildered, clutching their ears. In that very moment—

Boom—!

The Udambara exploded. Its scattered remains painted the riverside red. I stared blankly at the spectacular display. A single line of text appeared in my vision.

……This is only ten percent?

What kind of rifle had I brought back?

"F-film it!"

The gathered citizens began recording the Han River with their phones.