“They say Yi Sun-sin showed up riding a Turtle Ship in the Goyad Strait.”

“...That bastard’s doing this again. Not long ago he went to Yeosu, ate turtle-ship bread, and said tears came to his eyes because memories of his past life were getting blurry.”

“Turns out he was Nakamura, who died on a Turtle Ship in his past life lol”

“Lmfao”

That was the story spreading through the community.

People did not believe it.

Because there were many who played jokes like this.

But then testimony from fishing users who were out catching fish from their boats kept pouring in.

“It’s real.”

“Wow, this is my first time seeing the real Yi Sun-sin.”

“Yi Sun-sin is cool as hell. Our General is heading out alone to protect our sea, the Asgan Continent!”

“(Screenshot.)”

“......???”

“G-General!?”

Once screenshots were secured, people began flooding into the Battle of the Goyad Strait at an exponential rate.

Watching the clash between one majestic Turtle Ship and more than nine hundred enemy ships, they trembled.

“General...!”

Among Korean users, there was no one who did not know Yi Sun-sin.

And it was the greatest war story of all, which was why the ratings rose exponentially and reached the astonishing figure of thirty-eight percent.

That alone proved how much Koreans loved him.

And the scene of him destroying two hundred and fifty ships at sea with the White Flame Cannon and Dragon Harpoons became the highlight, sending everyone into a frenzy.

The commentators were practically spitting as they shouted, veins bulging in their necks, and the viewers were overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of the General being broadcast, starting from their toes.

“Boss!!!!!!!!”

“My chest is burning up.”

But when the next figure was revealed, the viewers were bewildered.

“Why is Hyun there?”

What shocked them was the fact that the one operating the ship, the one riding aboard the Turtle Ship, was also Hyun.

And the scenes that followed left the viewers even more confused.

Because he was firing arrows in a perfect trinity.

“I’m telling you, he really was Yi Sun-sin in his past life. General, I’m glad you look happy in this life....”

“He looks miserable as hell though... lol”

“Hey, show us the General!”

“Why’s that bastard standing there doing his own thing by himself?”

“Ugh, the Imperial Army already crossed into the Asgan Continent and I’m already pissed off because there’s a war quest popping every single day.”

“Seriously. That punk should be over there preparing for the territory war to defend Atlas, but instead he’s ruining our excitement when we came to see the General!?”

“...You guys are idiots, huh?”

“......???”

“......???”

“The Imperial Army crossed into the Asgan Continent, right? And you remember the territory where you first started the game, or the NPCs and quests you each had good memories with, right?”

“...Well, yeah.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t have something like that?”

“That’s the reason.”

“......?”

“......?”

“Even now, the Imperial Army forces that entered all over the Asgan Continent aren’t massacring people yet, but they’re still passing through territories and villages and advancing toward the capital, toward Atlas.”

“The problem is this Goyad Strait. The Goyad Strait is the fastest shortcut to the kingdom’s capital and to Atlas. If they land and march for just half a day, they’ll reach Goyad’s strategic stronghold, and the moment the soldiers and knights on those ships push in, Goyad will begin to fall. And the ships that turn back will have already opened a route once, so they’ll start continuously ferrying more soldiers and knights into Asgan. And the moment Goyad starts getting pushed back, the Parion Empire will start massacring the villagers and NPCs in the occupied settlements to make an example out of Goyad.”

“Isn’t that way too much of a stretch?”

“It’s not a stretch. That’s exactly what happened on multiple continents that resisted the Parion Empire.”

“Uh... then does that mean the bakery guy I met when I was a beginner dies too? He used to give me stale bread for free when I had no money.”

“Then does that mean the territory of Itre out on the frontier gets wiped out too...?”

“If they really push into the capital, they’ll massacre people...? I mean... this is a medieval setting....”

“I don’t want that.”

Only then did the users realize it.

Something one user had said.

That was the reason.

“There’s no such thing in this world as something appearing out of nowhere.”

And what he said was true.

It was impossible for Yi Sun-sin to suddenly appear and for a Turtle Ship to suddenly show up.

The hearts of the community users who had come to know that truth changed.

They came to realize that the one who had brought forth Yi Sun-sin—the one they had all been anticipating—was Hyun.

That was right.

Now, those who had been waiting for Yi Sun-sin were made to understand that the one who had made him appear was Hyun.

And then—

RUMBLE—!

One Aegisal Arrow that had cleaved through the sea.

KRAAAASH—!

It struck Pirate King Akao dead on, and the moment the commander directing all the ships collapsed,

Yi Sun-sin appeared at the rear of the fleet.

*****

[You have dealt 175,313 damage.]

[Status effect: Confusion is inflicted.]

[It will not be easy to regain composure.]

The moment Pirate King Akao collapsed after being hit by the Aegisal Arrow, the Yi Sun-sin the Korean viewers had been waiting for appeared at the rear of the fleet.

“It appears to have been a feint. Most of the Turtle Ship’s power seems to be exhausted at this point.”

“Both the Dragon Harpoons and the White Flame Cannon were Legendary-grade powers, so it’s fair to say there’s practically no strength left now.”

“And even if he was an NPC hidden until now, the moment he reveals himself, information about him naturally starts to come loose.”

“According to data we obtained on our side...”

The commentators rapidly explained the Story King.

“In the past, he protected Story Island with greatness like that, but it seems that after a long time has passed, he has lost much of his power—”

But the commentator saying that widened his eyes.

Because Yi Sun-sin, floating above the sea and looking down at the more than seven hundred ships, drew his sword.

“T-the Twin Dragon Sword...!?”

“It’s definitely Master Blacksmith Hyun’s Twin Dragon Sword.”

As if trying to test it, Yi Sun-sin gripped it in both hands and slashed downward from above at a ship that was trying to turn its prow.

At that moment—

RUMBLE—!

“...!?”

“...He split a ship in a single blow? Ships are different from NPCs and users. They’re far sturdier and aren’t affected by normal magic either.”

Looking at the ship that had been split in half, Yi Sun-sin then drew the Twin Dragon Sword back with all his strength.

“Hyun.”

Then he gazed calmly at the more than seven hundred ships.

He knew.

That the one who had made the Turtle Ship, the one who had used it to lead him out onto the sea,

the one who had temporarily let an aged legend of old recover his former strength using the Twin Dragon Sword—

“All of it... is thanks to you.”

—was the beginning of the story, a small hero.

And so the great hero could only repay him.

That power was familiar to viewers all over the world, and yet once Yi Sun-sin held it, its level had surged enormously.

[Twin Dragon Sword.]

[When the Twin Dragon Sword is forged, its spirit is magnificent through all ages.]

[Its will is sworn to mountain and sea....]

As they saw the brilliant golden patterns shining from the blade, they realized it.

“It’s a power that destroys artifacts.”

“If they’re artifacts, then the siege weapons aboard the ships would qualify.”

The global ratings had now reached seventeen percent.

And in Korea, the ratings had climbed to the absurd figure of forty-one percent.

[Loyal righteous anger is the same now as it was in ancient days.]

The moment Yi Sun-sin swung down the Twin Dragon Sword he had drawn back—

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAK—!

[Parion Empire Ship No. 312 is destroyed.]

[Parion Empire Ship No. 135 is destroyed.]

[Parion Empire Ship No. 131 is destroyed.]

The ships at the rear twisted like sheets of paper and broke apart with endless thunderous noise.

That was right. Just as the notice had said, the moment Yi Sun-sin held it, the Twin Dragon Sword changed to suit him.

[151 enemy ships are destroyed.]

[The enemy begins to lose morale.]

The viewers and commentators were overcome with awe.

And then he chained that into a power we had already seen—and his own power as well.

“Gathering.”

“......!?”

“......!?”

“......!?!??”

“......!?!?!?!”

Gathering had originally been a power contained within the profound mystery of the Twin Dragon Sword.

In an instant, more than a hundred ships were dragged right in front of him once again.

Layer upon layer, piled atop each other—and then the power everyone had gone mad for was forged by our legend.

“Cut them in two.”

KRAAAAAASH—!

With a single swing of the Twin Dragon Sword, the ships formed severed cross-sections and sank.

[213 enemy ships are destroyed.]

And then, he who stepped on empty air as though it were the ground—

though the ships stood dozens of meters high, while he himself was not even two meters tall—

this time unleashed the power that had once long ago allowed him to protect the sea.

That power was the one that represented him, one of the powers that had engraved him as one of the kings who led an era.

“Annihilation.”

KABOOOOOM—!

An absurd crushing pressure poured down from him as he rose into the sky.

He had merely thrust out a single sword, yet the impossible pressure unleashed by that power literally crushed everything.

KRAAAAAK—!

The ships crumpled like sheets of paper, as though being fed into a compactor, and the people inside them were smashed flat against the decks like tomatoes.

Then—

BOOOOOM—!

With an enormous explosion of water, the ships sank.

The commentators stared at that scene for a moment, unable to continue speaking.

“The Yi Sun-sin we had all been hoping for... really possesses that much power.”

“No, you have to remember that the information says he’s definitely weakened.”

And at that very moment—

PFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFTPFFT—!

Pirate King Akao regained his senses and took command, and hundreds of shells poured toward Yi Sun-sin.

SLAAAAASH, SLASHSLASHSLASHSLASH—!

It was divine movement itself.

While ordinary users could hardly even swing a greatsword properly, he destroyed the incoming shells while swinging his greatsword seven times per second.

However—

PFFTPFFTPFFTPFFT—

after taking a few hits, he was knocked backward, and it looked like another barrage of shells was about to follow, but—

“No one crosses this strait!”

From far off, the White Tiger Cannons began bombarding them like mad.

It was Hyunsoo.

That momentum continued, and after the barrage of shells subsided, Yi Sun-sin swung his sword once more, having exhausted most of his Mana.

But those single sword-strokes defied all common sense.

[The ship’s durability drops below 43%!]

[The ship has been heavily damaged!]

[The ship’s durability drops ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) below 32%!]

[The ship has been heavily damaged!]

In raw damage—

[You have dealt 513,311 damage.]

[You have dealt 613,221 damage.]

And Yi Sun-sin knew better than anyone where a ship was weak and exactly where to strike to sink it.

When the fierce close battle between him and the remaining ships had continued for over fifty minutes—

BWOOOOOOOOOO—!

—the world finally witnessed something impossible.

“The more than nine hundred ships of the great Parion Empire...”

“...have declared surrender...!”

Before overwhelming power, they had decided further battle was unnecessary.

And what they did next, as it was captured on camera, sent shock through the viewers.

To show true surrender, they themselves began throwing all the weapons loaded on their ships into the sea.

And throughout the ships, those who had received Akao’s declaration of surrender were dropping to their knees and pleading for submission.

“...This is the first time.”

“The Parion Empire has never declared surrender in any war.”

“And yet they have been forced to submit before the overwhelming Story King—and the power of our nation’s legend!”

The Korean commentators’ voices rose, and the viewers erupted in heated cheers.

And the number of searches for “Yi Sun-sin” exploded by thousands of times over, as people held only him in their hearts and went wild for him.

In the midst of that fervor—

“Where is he going?”

Viewers around the world looked on in confusion as Yi Sun-sin started walking.

And where he headed was the Turtle Ship, which had been broken, wrecked, and pushed to the brink of total destruction.

And there, off to one side—

“......”

—was Hyunsoo, leaning back, covered in blood, twitching faintly from time to time.

Only then did the viewers understand.

The reason Yi Sun-sin had been able to unleash that power amid the bombardment—

was because Hyunsoo had been using the White Tiger Cannons from the rear.

And also—

“...Looking at the other broadcast feed, he was up on another ship by himself fighting with a sword.”

That result had come because he had protected Yi Sun-sin’s back.

And Hyunsoo—

[Stamina has reached its limit.]

[It is not easy to move.]

—truly did not have the strength left to so much as twitch a finger. The moment he heard the sounds of surrender, he collapsed, then looked on in admiration and shock.

“General... you’re truly incredible. You’re amazing.”

On the other hand, Hyunsoo grew embarrassed by how pathetic he looked.

“H-hehe, this is embarrassing.”

He could not help it.

Yi Sun-sin looked perfectly fine, while he himself was nowhere near that strong, nor could he cut a whole ship in half in a single blow like that.

Of course, he too was extremely strong among users.

But he could not compare to one who had been a king leading an era, strengthened further by the Twin Dragon Sword.

And on top of that, he had now reached the point where his Stamina had bottomed out from accumulated exhaustion over a long period.

That was why he was showing such a wretched sight now, and he felt ashamed. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Yi Sun-sin dropped to one knee and looked at him.

There was affection and respect in his expression.

“That is how heroes are born.”