Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods

Today, I realized something could be both icy cold and blazing hot at the same time.

Hwarrak……

Flames flickered inside a transparent magic stone, looking like an ice crystal.

Blizzard Stone.

This beautiful magic stone, which seems to be useful as a decoration, appeared before me when I emerged from the trial chamber.

Although it looks good visually, more importantly, I was delighted to find that it could compensate for my insufficient mana.

==

“Blizzard Stone”

Mana Capacity: 2500 / 2500

==

“This is really great!”

It was very satisfying to see that its mana capacity was five times greater than my own.

‘I won’t have to worry about running out of mana anymore.’

If I adjusted properly, I wouldn’t fall after using Napoleon’s rifle.

By the way,

“I’m hungry.”

I’ve been walking all day and now I’m starving.

I brought a gas stove, boiled water in a pot and mixed in some ramen soup.

“Ah, this is it.”

As soon as the soup dissolved, a pleasant aroma filled the air.

While waiting for the noodles to cook in boiling water, there came a sound of a bell ringing.

Ding-

The door to the “Myriad Things Shop” opened with a tinkling sound.

‘Oops, I forgot to lock the door.’

Today, I planned to close early and test the Blizzard Stone, so I apologized to the incoming customer.

“Sorry, but we are closing today…”

However,

“Excuse me, I got lost in the heavy rain.”

…

Outside, where the door opened, heavy rain was pouring down.

“Could I take shelter here from the rain for a moment?”

Upon seeing the middle-aged man speaking, I momentarily lost my words.

Kurrrng─!

The face illuminated by the lightning striking outside was so familiar.

His massive build, reddish beard, and bulging eyes.

He was a figure no Korean could ever fail to recognize.

A great commander who built up the myth of invincibility, and a national hero who saved a crumbling nation on the verge of collapse.

“Yi Sun-sin… General?”

“Do you recognize me?”

-Encountered Yi Sun-sin from the failed world-line.

My Myriad Things Shop’s second customer.

He was none other than Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

*

“I’ve seen you from afar.”

“So you have.”

Though in reality, my encounters had only been through history books, statues, or one-won coins, metaphorically speaking, it could count as from afar.

‘You look quite emaciated.’

Admiral Yi Sun-sin didn’t resemble the gentle and benevolent image portrayed in modern depictions.

His face was gaunt, his cheekbones protruding, his lips thick, and his eyes sharp like those of a bull.

Yet, one glance was enough to instantly recognize him as Admiral Yi Sun-sin! It was uncanny.

“General.”

“Withdraw your words. How can one use the title of general for someone who has been dismissed?”

“Did you get dismissed?”

“Her Majesty the Empress dismissed me for reporting a falsehood and ordered me to serve as a common soldier. I am currently doing just that.”

Indeed, Yi Sun-sin was wearing a pure white garment.

‘Now I understand why he looks so thin.’

According to history, Yi Sun-sin received multiple orders from King Seonjo to eliminate the Japanese forces controlling Busan.

But to Yi Sun-sin, this was a battle destined for failure.

In the end, Yi Sun-sin disobeyed the order, leading to King Seonjo’s anger, who seized on the excuse of false reporting to dismiss Yi Sun-sin from his post as general and command him to serve as a common soldier.

Thus, the king ordered the 52-year-old general to walk from Seoul to Hadong—a distance of 670km.

Which meant Admiral Yi Sun-sin had knocked on the door of my Myriad Things Shop to seek refuge from the rain while serving as a common soldier.

And this meant…

‘The Battle of Myeongnyang is coming.’

The great naval battle that turned the tide of history, where Yi Sun-sin defeated an overwhelming force of 133 Japanese ships with only 13 of his own.

The battle that earned Yi Sun-sin the title of national hero.

-Help Yi Sun-sin lead the Battle of Myeongnyang to victory.

As soon as the situation was clear, the status window popped up with a quest.

‘Oh, what is this…’

I nearly fainted at the sight of the worst possible quest since Napoleon’s time.

Realizing my confusion, the status window message continued.

-Reward: Legendary Artifact

‘…Is this real?’

*

There was someone accompanying Yi Sun-sin during his exile.

“My name is An Ui.”

He was none other than Yi Sun-sin’s right-hand man and key player in the victory at Myeongnyang—An Ui.

‘Wasn’t An Ui also part of the exile?’

It was curious, but perhaps something different happened in this failed timeline.

“The rain doesn’t seem to be letting up.”

Even late into the night, thunder, lightning, and torrential rain continued to pour outside the window.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I stay here for the night?”

“Yes, please do.”

“Thank you. I will make sure to repay your kindness.”

Yi Sun-sin and An Ui took a seat at a table tucked away in a corner of the shop to rest.

‘Good thing I set it up.’

Incidentally, that table and chairs were relics from the Napoleonic era.

They were originally placed there after Napoleon visited because there was no place to rest before then.

Meaning, that table was also an artifact.

A table where the legendary hero Napoleon leaned back and enjoyed cola in deep conversation.

==

“Napoleon’s Table”

– A table where the French revolutionary hero Napoleon enjoyed cola with his close friend Choi Seo-Joon. Sitting here gives a sense of fatigue recovery.

Fatigue Recovery: 10%

==

‘Artifacts aren’t anything special.’

An ordinary table becomes an artifact once a legendary hero sits on it.

Of course, this table materialized with my mana, so it would disappear like “Napoleon’s Rifle” if I became exhausted.

But it was fine now since the “Blizzard Stone” replenished my mana.

“Strangely, I feel my fatigue melting away.”

“That’s how it feels.”

Sitting at the table, Yi Sun-sin and An Ui seemed to notice the table’s effect, their expressions showing surprise.

Since resting there completely relieved their fatigue,

They began chatting casually, loosening up.

I pretended not to listen but quietly eavesdropped on their conversation.

“We must find Bae Seol at any cost.”

“Don’t worry, he couldn’t have fled far.”

‘Bae Seol…’

Bae Seol was the admiral who destroyed the 300 ships Admiral Yi Sun-sin painstakingly gathered under Won Gyun’s command.

Out of fear, Bae Seol defected with 12 of the 300 ships.

These 12 ships later became the last fleet Admiral Yi Sun-sin used in the Battle of Myeongnyang.

Though Bae Seol fled out of fear, not to preserve the ships.

‘Why is Admiral Yi chasing Bae Seol?’

Just as I wondered why Admiral Yi, who should be in exile, was pursuing Bae Seol,

Chiiii.

The ramen I’d placed on the gas burner started bubbling vigorously.

I cracked open the egg I had prepared beforehand against the edge of the pot and poured it into the ramen.

The appetizing aroma spread throughout the shop.

Yi Sun-sin and An Ui stopped their conversation and stared at me, silently swallowing saliva.

Embarrassed, I broke the silence first.

“Would you care to have some?”

“Can we really?”

An Ui responded eagerly, as if he’d been waiting for the offer.

I chuckled.

“Sure. There’s plenty of food, so feel free to eat as much as you want.”

Before hunger, even a great commander was just another person.

*

“This cooking is truly astonishing.”

“Phew, phew, it’s spicy, yet it keeps going down.”

An Ui and Yi Sun-sin devoured the ramen like they hadn’t eaten in days.

I ended up cooking six whole packs of ramen for the two of them.

‘Old people really ate a lot.’

‘High mountain rice bowls,’ they called them, stacking rice like mountains. Watching these two confirmed historical accuracy.

“Tell me, what exactly is this dish?”

“Ramen.”

“Ramen? This is the tastiest noodle dish I’ve ever had in my life.”

An Ui exclaimed in genuine admiration.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin nodded silently in agreement.

This was proof that ramen’s addictive nature worked even on 15th-century Koreans.

“Might I ask, where exactly is this place?”

Having finished the ramen, including the broth, Admiral Yi Sun-sin asked me.

“A myriad things shop.”

“A myriad things shop, so you’re a sage then?”

“Eh?”

“Dongfang Shuo is said to live forever and brew elixirs. I heard his room is filled with magical items like this one.”

“…”

After tasting the gas burner and ramen, Admiral Yi Sun-sin mistook me for a sage practicing sorcery.

For someone from the 15th century, thinking this way upon seeing a gas burner wasn’t unreasonable.

“Consider it similar.”

Since there was no way to dispel the misunderstanding, I vaguely went along with it.

Traveling between worlds could also be considered sorcery, after all.

“Ah, I see. No wonder this table felt strange, relieving my fatigue.”

“Truly a stroke of luck. To find a sage’s home while seeking refuge from the rain.”

I let Admiral Yi Sun-sin and An Ui continue their mistaken belief.

*

The next morning, Admiral Yi Sun-sin and An Ui left the shop early as the rain stopped.

But they weren’t leaving entirely.

“Mind if we stay here for a bit longer? We’ll pay for our stay.”

“No need for payment, please stay. I enjoy having visitors too.”

“Haha, thank you.”

Refusing the bundle of coins An Ui offered, I allowed the two to stay at the shop.

Beyond the shop stretched a mountain slope. The two returned late in the evening after heading out in the morning.

“It might not be here.”

“Let’s search a bit more. He might still be nearby.”

Judging from their conversation, they seemed to be searching for something.

‘Looking for Bae Seol?’

The following day, Admiral Yi Sun-sin returned in the evening without finding what he sought, his expression gloomy.

I had a hunch and approached Admiral Yi Sun-sin who was resting.

“Forgive me, but might I inquire what you’re searching for?”

“By any chance, have you seen a man named Bae Seol around here?”

As expected, Admiral Yi was searching for ‘Bae Seol.’

‘Could the timing have been moved forward?’

Bae Seol, the naval commander of Joseon.

With 12 ships, he defected and handed them over to Admiral Yi Sun-sin before defecting again immediately.

According to Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s diary, ‘Nanjung Ilgi,’ Bae Seol exhibited severe symptoms of anxiety disorder.

People speculated that Bae Seol fled due to PTSD.

And Bae Seol, who fled, managed to break through Japan’s occupied territories alone, escaping all the way to his hometown of Gyeongsangdo Sunsan.

Because of such stories, there’s even a joke suggesting Bae Seol was actually a ‘human weapon.’

However, Bae Seol wasn’t suffering from PTSD, nor was he a human weapon.

Modern research revealed the secret behind Bae Seol’s ability to break through Japan’s massive army—he wasn’t human.

Bae Seol had transformed into a ‘strange being.’

Bae Seol.

He had become a shadow monster known as ‘Gusonde‘ from Korean folklore.

If the timing of Bae Seol’s transformation into a strange being had been moved forward, it made sense why Admiral Yi Sun-sin, a former hunter of strange beings known as a Chakyo Japsa (捉妖甲士), was chasing him.

“To find Bae Seol, you should head to dark, damp places. Look in valleys, caves, or under rocks.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because those are places Gusonde prefers.”