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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 09
It happened just as Yi Sunsin took a step toward Bae Seol.
—Yi Sunsin...
A voice, like metal scraping against metal, echoed from the darkness of the cave.
Then, hundreds of shadowy hands, shaped like human hands, surged out.
A chill ran down my spine at the sight of those grotesque hands.
‘This thing is at least A-Rank.’
The classification of monsters follows the same ranking system as Hunters.
However, being an A-Rank Hunter did not necessarily mean one could hunt an A-Rank monster.
The defining trait of an A-Rank Hunter was not whether they could defeat an A-Rank monster.
but whether they could survive encountering one.
Hunting was an entirely different matter.
Even a strong B-Rank monster could pose a serious challenge to an A-Rank Hunter.
For reference, the Udamhwa I exterminated at Hangang Park was a C-Rank threat.
But the corrupted, monstrous version of Bae Seol standing before us now was an entire two ranks higher A-Rank.
A creature with the power to erase an entire metropolis.
Once an A-Rank monster appeared, catastrophe was inevitable.
This was why, in foreign countries, such beings were referred to as City Destroyers walking calamities.
Like a black tidal wave, hundreds of shadowy hands surged toward Yi Sunsin.
The valley, bright in daylight just moments ago, was swallowed in darkness.
Yi Sunsin seemed as though he would be consumed at any moment.
It was already too late to evade.
And then, his sword was drawn.
Sssh—
A massive ring-pommel sword, twice the size of an ordinary blade, was revealed.
It was the legendary Twin Dragon Sword, the cherished blade of Admiral Yi Sunsin
Woom.
The Twin Dragon Sword let out a low, resonant cry in his grip.
Yi Sunsin swung the blade from left to right in a single, decisive motion.
A colossal wave of energy burst forth, instantly evaporating the swarming shadowy hands.
KUAANG—!
As the darkness was swept away, the blue sky reappeared,
while an ear-shattering explosion echoed through the valley.
Rumble...
The cave, now half-destroyed, began collapsing, sending boulders tumbling down.
With just a single swing, Yi Sunsin had erased the A-Rank monster’s threat.
It wasn’t just overwhelming, it was outright absurd.
"Let’s go in."
Speaking as if this was nothing unusual, Yi Sunsin calmly stepped into the cave where Bae Seol was hiding.
‘That’s terrifying.’
I clicked my tongue as I took in the ruins left behind the valley, now resembling the aftermath of a bombardment.
The stories recorded in history books about Yi Sunsin weren't exaggerations. They weren’t myths.
They were real.
It was a brilliantly recorded truth, expressed with stunning realism.
I could almost feel the struggles of the historians of that era, the effort they must have poured into documenting such feats in writing.
There was a reason King Seonjo had been so desperate to reinstate Yi Sunsin, even after demoting him and forcing him to serve in disgrace.
Because there was no substitute for him.
***
The cave where Bae Seol was hiding was pitch-black so dark that not even a single step ahead was visible.
But this wasn’t just the natural darkness of a cave.
This was the darkness of a Geuseundae.
The proof was clear: even though the surroundings were completely obscured, both Yi Sunsin and Ahn Wi remained perfectly visible.
A Geuseundae’s specialty was hiding within the darkness it created, striking from the shadows where its prey couldn’t see it.
But that strategy was utterly useless against Yi Sunsin.
This astonishing man relied on nothing but raw instinct to evade and block the Geuseundae’s attacks.
And each time he swung his sword, the sheer power behind it was beyond reason.
A man who could launch cannon fire with a sword swing was Yi Sunsin.
‘Compared to Baek Seorin…’
I found myself comparing Yi Sunsin to the strongest Hunter I knew.
Baek Seorin, the Black Witch, the sole S-Rank Magician in South Korea, Guild master of Samdocheon and the Guardian of Incheon.
The result was unexpected.
‘I don’t know.’
Even after ten years of watching Baek Seorin from the shadows witnessing firsthand how terrifying an Awakened being she was I still couldn’t say for sure that she surpassed Yi Sunsin.
And it wasn’t just her.
None of Korea’s top-tier Hunters came to mind as his equal.
But raw strength alone wasn’t enough to defeat the monster
‘He’s incredible, but… this is still the past.’
Watching Yi Sunsin blindly attack into the darkness,
I was once again reminded that this was 15th-century Joseon.
A 21st-century Hunter wouldn’t fight like this.
Of course, that wasn’t to say Yi Sunsin’s approach was wrong.
‘It’s just inefficient.’
In the 21st century, humans have access to countless databases, and we've learned how to deal with monsters more efficiently.
And we've developed techniques for dealing with monsters like the Geuseundae in the dark.
I closed my eyes and channeled a thin stream of magic towards the ground.
Ssssssss—
Like a web, my mana spread outward, feeding spatial information back to my mind in a three-dimensional map.
The rough terrain, the jagged cave walls and the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
And there hidden in a crevice is the Geuseundae.
My senses, honed by hundreds of repetitions, picked out the Geuseundae in the darkness.
"Top right."
I opened my eyes and raised a hand, pointing directly at the Geuseundae’s hiding spot.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yi Sunsin swung his sword toward it.
—!!
The Geuseundae, startled, leapt away, barely dodging as Yi Sunsin’s energy slash was swallowed by the void.
But it didn’t matter as I had already mapped the space.
I could see exactly where it had moved.
"It’s climbing along the ceiling, moving lower left."
—Damn it…!
Fwoooosh!
"Now it’s on the left wall."
I became Yi Sunsin’s eyes, continuously relaying the Geuseundae’s position.
—Kraaaaagh!
Bae Seol’s monstrous scream echoed through the darkness.
—Yi Sunsin, Yi Sunsin, Yi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi SunsinYi Sunsin, Yi Sun-siiiiiiiin!
The darkness warped and collapsed inward, as if trying to crush us.
But I believed in Yi Sunsin.
His methods for dealing with them were outdated, lacking in refinement or modern tactics but he was a monstrous force of nature.
Woom—
The Twin Dragon Sword in Yi Sunsin’s hands emitted a deep-blue radiance, pushing back the encroaching shadows.
And in that moment, a verse surfaced in my mind:
"Swearing to the heavens with a three-foot blade, the mountains and rivers change color.
With a single sweep, all is eradicated; blood stains the mountains and rivers.”
***
As the shadows receded, the interior of the cave was revealed.
And with a soft thud, a single scroll dropped to the ground.
Yi Sunsin stepped forward, picked it up and unrolled it.
"…This is His Majesty’s decree."
"What does it say?"
"It states that I am to be reinstated as the Supreme Naval Commander of the Three Provinces."
"Congratulations, Admiral."
For some reason, the decree for Yi Sunsin’s reinstatement had been in Bae Seol’s possession.
‘Jealousy, no doubt.’
Judging by how much it had been screaming, it must have been seething with envy.
As Yi Sunsin and Ahn Wi left the cave, I remained behind.
For them, the matter was settled but my business was just beginning.
Step. Step.
I walked deeper into the cave.
The cool shadows untouched by sunlight.
There, in a dark corner, something small and writhing.
"Bae Seol."
—How did you…?!
"What do you mean, ‘how’? I could see you the whole time."
When I had spread my mana earlier to map the cave, I had noticed something.
Bae Seol’s true body was separated from the main fight.
The moment it had sensed Yi Sunsin’s strength, it had immediately begun calculating its chances and preparing to flee.
For me, that was good news.
Bae Seol may have been an A-Rank monster, but right now, it is utterly weakened.
So much so that even an E-Rank Hunter like me could deal with it effortlessly.
"Going somewhere?"
CRACK—!
I brought the butt of my Napoleon rifle down onto Bae Seol’s head, slamming it into the ground.
Before its form completely disintegrated,
I pulled a Snowflower Stone from my pouch
and pressed it against the fading mass.
[The Snowflower Stone is absorbing mana.]
Ssssss—
Bae Seol’s remaining essence was drawn into the stone.
Not only could a Snowflower Stone store mana, it could grow by consuming it.
Ding!
[Snowflower Stone’s mana has increased by 1,500.]
==
「Snowflower Stone」
Mana Capacity: 4000 / 4000
==
"Damn, that was profitable."
A Commander-turned-Monster was a valuable mana source.
—Choi Seojun! Are you not coming out?
"Coming!"
At Ahn Wi’s voice calling from outside,
I secured the Snowflower Stone and exited the cave.
With Bae Seol dealt with it was time to set off for Jangheung, where Yi Sunsin’s twelve warships awaited.
The real preparations for the Battle of Myeongnyang were about to begin.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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