Genius Blacksmith's Game

After Naval Battle began.

A post went up and spread at frightening speed.

—Lee Jongha, this guy used to get bullied at school. He was our school outcast, and now he’s a national representative?

It was something Sota had ordered.

Through one of his subordinates, he had the post uploaded as soon as the match began.

Why?

Just as he had told Jongha himself, because it was fun.

Kenji, the subordinate who had received that order from Sota, was swept up in anticipation.

Korea will bury Lee Jongha for us. Proof of what happened to him will start popping up everywhere. This is going to be fun!

Filled with expectation, he logged onto a Korean community and made another post.

It was right when Sota and Lee Jongha were facing each other.

—Isn’t this seriously ridiculous? How can they put forward some bastard who used to get bullied as a national representative? Isn’t Captain Hyunsoo ashamed? Someone like that representing an entire country?

Replies appeared immediately.

—Why would that matter......?

—So what?

“?”

Kenji froze in confusion.

He hurriedly posted again.

—No, that doesn’t make sense. A kid who used to get bullied showing up on TV as a national representative?

The response from the people was cold.

—He wasn’t “someone who used to get bullied.” He was a victim. He went through all that, overcame it, and became a national representative. Isn’t that something we should applaud?

—Exactly. Thank you for overcoming it. I’m rooting for you. Stay strong. It’s okay even if you lose. Isn’t that what we should be saying?

—That’s incredible. If I’d been in that situation, I don’t think I could have forced my way back out into the world.

—This is the moment I understand why he suffered from social anxiety and panic disorder. I feel pathetic for insulting him. And I’m rooting for him for standing in front of cameras from all over the world after overcoming that. No—I respect him. I think he’s incredible.

Kenji’s eyes went wide.

What was more, Kenji had expected mockery from the entire world.

It was true that people from communities all over the world had swarmed in.

But.

—I heard Lee Jongha’s story and came here. I support Lee Jongha for competing after overcoming that.

—Lee Jongha is an amazing athlete. Japan will support him too.

—You’ve been through so much.

—I’m rooting for your life.

—Lee Jongha, have you eaten?

Kenji and Sota’s method did not work at all.

Except on an extremely tiny minority of people across the world.

Adults, viewers, parents of families, sons and daughters—they were different from them.

And then Kenji saw something even more shocking.

A user in the community said:

—Ready, Choi?

—Ready.

—Ready, Park?

—Roger.

—Everyone ready? Kim, Yu, Jin, Jo?

—Yes.

—Ready.

—Go go go go.

He was calling out the surnames of Korean community users.

Kenji had no idea what “ready” meant.

But Korean users knew.

—Win or lose, we start cheering.

The community users began cheering for Lee Jongha.

So did viewers watching from home, and people watching on the subway.

So did the people gathered in Gwanghwamun Square.

Especially Jamsil Sports Complex.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!!

Koreans who heard the news cheered even louder.

It’s okay if you lose!

Lee Jongha! Lee Jongha! Lee Jongha!

Amid that thunderous roar.

Unfortunately, they were comforting and cheering for Jongha. They were not telling him to win.

There was no expectation of victory.

But.

—Summon. Twin Dragon Sword.

—......!

—......!

“......Huh?!”

“......What!!!!?”

The moment he grasped the summoned Twin Dragon Sword, everything changed.

[The World Message rings.]

[A descendant of the king who will lead a new era upon this land has ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) been born.]

Those who had only been cheering stared in shock.

The appearance of a new powerhouse ringing throughout the world.

And the tale of a hero known to all of them.

At its beginning stood “him.”

The cheers that had stopped for a moment erupted across the entire country at once.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!

Lee Jongha! Lee Jongha! Lee Jongha!

There were other special people cheering for Lee Jongha as well.

*****

The VVIP seats.

When the chairmen learned that Lee Jongha had been a victim of school bullying, they reacted.

“What era do those bastards think this is?”

“There are people who would dare do such a thing?”

“That child, Lee Jongha. Admirable.”

“Hoho. He competed after overcoming that? How praiseworthy.”

“After the match ends, I’ll have to find a way our company can help him.”

“You too? I was thinking the same thing.”

They were greedy businessmen who loved biting at one another, but they were also the greatest adults leading Korea.

They were simply applauding and supporting one young man’s pure courage.

They had set aside any expectation that he would win.

But then, along with the World Message ringing out, another line followed.

[He has been granted the name Successor of Admiral Yi.]

At those words, the chairmen began rising from their seats one by one.

“What......?”

“Admiral Yi?”

The chairmen loved and cherished their country too.

Because their country had to exist for them to exist.

And just then.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

Sota’s ships were rapidly sunk by the twelve ships.

And Lee Taesung saw the chairmen like that for the first time.

They’re this excited......?

Their excitement was not something easily seen.

Most figures in the business world inherited their positions generation after generation.

Because of that, since childhood, Taesung had only ever seen their composed and coldhearted faces.

Chairmen had to uphold their dignity.

What made them like this?

Taesung looked down and realized his own fist had tightened at some point.

A huge heat surged in his chest like a wildfire.

Only then did he understand.

The player who had made them burn so hot with excitement that they rose from their seats—

was merely one young Korean man.

The chairmen cheered as one. Taesung watched the monitor with them.

And the twelve Turtle Ships began spreading wide.

“The Crane-Wing Formation......?”

Twelve ships spreading broadly.

At that moment, the chairmen became like young boys and girls from the days when they had heard the legend, and they shouted.

“Go!”

“Let’s go!”

“Run!”

At that moment, Lee Jongha had become their hero.

*****

The United States.

Russia.

China.

Portugal.

Vietnam.

Thailand, and people from over a hundred other countries.

They were locked in fierce combat.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

Ships tangled with one another, spewing cannon fire.

RUMBLEEEEE—!

The largest ship displayed overwhelming Defense, refusing to shake even under concentrated bombardment.

The fastest speedboat, which had been advancing toward Whale Island, sank beneath the focused fire of every ship.

Then a single sound—“The World Message rings”—momentarily stopped the rankers.

In the words that followed, they heard the name “Admiral Yi.”

“Admiral Yi?”

“What’s Admiral Yi?”

Some rankers looked puzzled, while others knew.

“......He’s Korea’s legendary hero, isn’t he?”

“If you know even a little about Korea, you know about Admiral Yi.”

They focused on that name.

[The name of the one granted Admiral Yi’s name is Lee Jongha.]

“Lee Jongha?”

“That kid from earlier with social anxiety and panic disorder?”

“......Hm. Doesn’t seem like someone we need to worry about.”

“......Maybe the name just sounds grand.”

In reality, there were many cases where users could not immediately display tremendous power right after changing classes.

So those who had been fairly surprised tried to resume combat, only to freeze in confusion.

[Japan’s participant Sota is eliminated.]

“......!?”

“......!?”

“......!!?”

Sota.

The strongest gold-medal favorite, who had controlled no fewer than three Ghost Ships.

No, every participant in Naval Battle had treated his gold medal as guaranteed and focused on the silver.

Their gazes turned.

“How many are there? And what even is that shape? Is it a turtle? Or a dragon?”

“Five ships, seven ships...... T-twelve ships!?”

“That kid from earlier summoned twelve ships!?”

Noah, the American user and owner of the Giant Ship, spoke.

“......When it comes to ship operation capacity, the number of ships changes depending on how insignificant the ships are.”

They realized it.

If a ranker could operate a Legendary ship, they could operate five Unique ships.

And a user capable of operating a Legendary ship could operate twenty Epic ships, or as many as forty Rare ships.

Everyone had agreed with Noah’s words.

But.

[Legendary Ship. Turtle Ship Lv.565.]

“......That’s not right, though?”

“???”

Noah and the other users there fell into confusion.

Because something so far outside common sense was happening before their eyes, it was difficult to understand.

Also, until just moments ago, they had been colliding and tangled together.

“We have to get out quickly.”

“Everyone scatter as fast as you can!”

“Scatter!!!”

Right then.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BWOOOOOOOOOO—!

Along with the sound of drums, the advancing Turtle Ships were spreading wide.

What on earth is that......?

It looks like a crane, doesn’t it?

It looked like a crane spreading its wings.

Watching the ships racing toward them at high speed in that shape, Noah and the ship owners marveled.

Fast......

Twice as fast as an ordinary ship.

How can ships like that exist?

Even in the modern era, Turtle Ships were praised as extraordinary vessels.

The twelve ships arrived rapidly on the strength of that perfect structure.

Looking at Lee Jongha aboard the ship standing at the center, Noah said, “......There are over a hundred of us. What do you think you can do with twelve ships?”

A flashy ship was, if anything, poison.

“The reason we did not focus our attacks on Sota was because of the ‘Ghost Ship’ on his ships. That skill can make attacks themselves fail to affect the ships for a moment, as if they have become ‘ghosts.’”

In truth, it was something every user there had memorized.

Once that activated, the Ghost Ships could leisurely advance toward Whale Island.

But.

“Do you truly think you’ve surrounded us?”

“That was a foolish decision. If we focus fire, we can annihilate you in an instant and still have power left.”

Noah gave a bitter smile.

“You must still be young, so you seem to have overestimated your own strength. This is an impossible situation.”

That was right.

It was an impossible situation.

If one hundred ships opened fire at the same time, twelve ships could be sunk in an instant.

And Jongha opened his mouth.

“Ares seems mysterious.”

“......?”

“General Yi Sun-sin won in an impossible situation. The story of how he annihilated hundreds of ships with twelve has become a myth passed down in Korea.”

Those who were learning about Admiral Yi were astonished.

How could that be possible?

That’s an absurd story.

It was a story that would sound absurd to anyone.

“Maybe that’s why, after I advanced to Successor of Admiral Yi, I gained this power.”

Noah and the rankers focused on him.

“If you seek death, you will live. If you seek life, you will die.”

What did that mean? What power had he unlocked?

“It means those who are willing to die will survive, and those desperate to live will die.”

Noah stared briefly at those ships and at Jongha.

Jongha had said it.

That after becoming the Successor of Admiral Yi, he had gained power.

And Noah carefully chewed over those words.

If you seek death, you live, and if you seek life, you die?

Then he realized something from what had just been said.

“Don’t tell me!”

But he was one step too late.

Jongha soon tilted the Twin Dragon Sword.

DING!

[You have encountered 135 ships. This is an impossible situation where defeat is inevitable.]

[The more impossible the situation is, the more all stats rise, and the power of one skill may be maximized.]

[All stats increase by 64%.]

[One skill may be selected and increased by +7 levels.]

[Even If Only Once is selected.]

DING!

[Crane-Wing Formation has been completed, and the tactic succeeds.]

[You have trapped a total of 134 ships within a 100m radius.]

[This is a 7x increase over the existing radius.]

Jongha’s eyes gleamed as he gripped the Twin Dragon Sword with all his strength and stepped forward.

[Please recite the incantation.]

After seeing this incantation, Jongha thought.

“Just once.”

That day, amid foreign invasion, horror, and fear, there must have been one wish everyone shared.

“Even if only once.”

This came from that same wish.

“Please let us defeat the enemy.”

RUMBLEEEEEEEEE—

KWAAAAAAAH—!

The swirling waves swallowed every ship.