Genius Blacksmith's Game

Panic disorder arrives without warning.

The chest grows so tight that breathing becomes impossible.

The whole body trembles, dizziness sets in, and even the fear of death comes crashing down.

For an ordinary person, the sudden fear of death inevitably arrives as a terror beyond common sense.

Jongha had endured inside that fear, suffering such severe dizziness that it had even reached the point of ringing in his ears.

I want to give up...... I want to hide somewhere with no one around.......

More than a hundred ships flaunted their majesty.

SHAAAAAA—

The sound of the sea splitting.

SHAAAAK—

The sound of sails unfurling.

BWOOOOOO—!

The sound of horn trumpets blowing and consuming the battlefield made him anxious.

And the eyes of roughly one hundred rankers from around the world stared at him as if he were prey.

I want to run away.

Then.

[Do not be afraid. At sea, the Successor of Admiral Yi is the greatest class there is.]

He heard Hyunsoo’s voice.

The captain wore a captain’s headset.

Through that headset, he could talk to the competitors even while the match was in progress.

[You have never met him, but the reason he could not meet you was because he was too great. He was an existence ordinary humans still could not reach. And you are his successor.]

Yesterday evening, Jongha had hurriedly watched the Naval Battle between the Story King and Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo had been recorded as a small hero, and the Story King had become a Myth before disappearing again.

But even without that, he was living, breathing history.

Lee Jongha, too, had grown up hearing his story.

And because of that, after hearing about Sota’s three ships and the awe of those watching him, Jongha realized one thing.

The power he possessed was tremendous.

Hyunsoo watched Jongha’s face grow noticeably calmer from one side of the stadium.

What is this?

For an instant, chills ran over Hyunsoo’s body.

Because a massive certainty had formed on Jongha’s face.

To be honest, even Hyunsoo did not know exactly what powers Jongha had awakened.

Even as captain, it was difficult to receive every piece of information about a given user.

Because even if they were a “team” right now, in Ares, no one knew when someone might return as an enemy.

Then a question flashed through Hyunsoo’s mind.

“Why?”

He carefully thought back to what had happened yesterday.

The mission given to him had been to show Jongha the Twin Dragon Sword and the Turtle Ship.

In fact, once Jongha saw them, he completed the quests and advanced to Successor of Admiral Yi.

The strange point began there.

Why didn’t a World Message ring out?

That was right.

A World Message had not rung.

Normally, it should have.

There were two reasons for that kind of situation.

First, the achievement had not reached a level impressive enough to make a World Message ring out.

If a World Message rang every time users advanced to a new class or reached some class, the rarity of World Messages would vanish.

One had to remember that a World Message was the Holy Grail reserved for special users.

The second case was simple.

Because it has not been fully unlocked.

Because the system had not judged that he had truly obtained all of its power.

In the middle of that thought, Hyunsoo remembered something.

The Story King had come to see Hyunsoo with a sly look on his face.

“You must pay the price for making me fight one against hundreds of ships.”

“Who are you?”

“.......”

At the time, the Story King had looked as if to say this fellow never changed, and Hyunsoo had played dumb.

That was how they had begun talking about Lee Jongha, and the Story King had given him the representative’s mission.

But at the time.

The Story King’s request had not ended there.

The Story King always carried one symbolic item with him.

It was the Twin Dragon Sword, one step away from breaking.

“Repair this for me.”

At the time, Hyunsoo had not thought it was anything special.

He had thought it was something that would happen someday.

And as that moment flashed through his mind, Hyunsoo rose from the captain’s seat.

From the start, Hyunsoo had no reason to hand over the Twin Dragon Sword and the Turtle Ship he controlled to Lee Jongha.

Even if he could lend them to him briefly during the match, Jongha could not equip them because of the restrictions.

After all, they belonged to Hyunsoo.

However.

What Admiral Yi possessed might be different.

Admiral Yi’s artifact would certainly have this restriction written on it.

Can be equipped by the Successor of Admiral Yi.

Only then did Hyunsoo remember what had happened that day.

That day.

Hyunsoo had been sure of one thing.

I did my best.

Hyunsoo hurriedly asked.

“Did you get a skill like one that summons the Twin Dragon Sword?”

The answer came before long.

[How did you know?]

At that moment, Hyunsoo thought.

Perhaps the story of Jongha and himself had already begun from that day.

*****

BWOOOOOOO—!

BWOOOOOOO—!

The sound of massive horn trumpets began spreading.

It was the sound announcing the start of the match.

The ships anchored behind the red line began accelerating at high speed.

KWAAAAAAANG—!

Unexpectedly, the fastest ships at the start were small ships.

The small ships were surging forward at incredible speed.

And the three Ghost Ships carrying Sota.

Those ships started a little more leisurely.

At first, Sota and the rankers had agreed to attack Lee Jongha’s ship first.

But Sota changed that plan.

“I am closest to Korea, so I will sink him alone. The rest of you may proceed.”

“......Will you?”

“That is better for us.”

“Ahem. Your confidence is impressive.”

Sota had judged that attacking him together might draw more criticism than expected.

It was also because he was certain the Ghost Ships would win even if they started late.

From the start, sinking a ship that was only Unique grade with three Ghost Ships was something that could be done in the blink of an eye.

SHAAAAAA—

Lee Jongha’s ship, too, was advancing quickly for the match.

However, there was nothing special about it. It was simply moving at a respectable pace.

So Sota deliberately matched his speed.

And as expected.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!

Several ships ahead of them began fighting.

That, too, had been part of Sota’s plan.

Sota had known that the ships behind would attack the ones racing ahead.

He had sensed that those ships would tangle together and fight among themselves, so he pretended to be considerate and stayed behind.

At the same time, the hidden cannons of Sota’s Ghost Ships revealed themselves.

CREEEAK.

CLACK.

CREEEAK—

CLACK—

Lee Jongha looked back at Sota.

In truth, Jongha knew.

“You said it in a public place to let people know I have social anxiety and panic disorder, didn’t you?”

“......What are you talking about?”

SHAAAAAA—

As they cut through the sea together, Sota denied it.

But Lee Jongha said,

“Your eyes were laughing at me.”

“.......”

It was a truth Sota could not hide.

The ships ahead had tangled together and were fighting.

Every media outlet was focused over there.

Also, in Naval Battle, most conversations were bound to be buried under the sound of cannon fire.

“......I have bullied people since I was young. I have seen countless people like you. They trembled in fear, cried, and begged me to spare them. And I said, ‘What did I do?’”

Just like that, Sota had always acted as if he had done nothing at all.

“But they still begged me to stop. And the more they did, the more secretive I became. The more cruel.”

“Why?”

“Because it is fun.”

“.......”

“Life is unfair. They have lived as prey, and I have lived as a predator. Those who become prey scream and beg to be spared, while the predator sniffs its food before eating, pokes at it, and enjoys itself.”

Grin.

Sota smiled.

“They say people who bully others are punished. But I have not been punished. I am becoming an asset holder worth tens of billions and a hero of Japan.”

Sota smiled brightly.

“The story I spread among the rankers will soon spread to the media. Today, your ship will be destroyed by me, and the image of ‘poor you,’ the one who suffered school violence, will be broadcast across the Korean internet. Your mother will see it and sob even harder. You will suffer even worse panic disorder and social anxiety, then die wasting away in your room.”

The pirates of the Ghost Ships loaded the cannonballs.

More than dozens of cannon muzzles aimed at the ship he was riding.

CLACK—!

“In ten seconds, I can annihilate a ship like yours and eliminate you at once. Oh, and there is a saying in Korea I am quite fond of.”

Looking at Lee Jongha, Sota smiled like a demon.

“Survival of the fittest. The weak are devoured by the strong.”

“.......”

Lee Jongha said nothing, and Sota pronounced his sentence.

“Now go back to your room.”

BOOOOOOM—!

A single cannonball was fired.

CRAAAACK—!

With only one cannonball, a hole was blown clean through the lower hull at the ship’s center, and water began flooding into Jongha’s ship.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!

Under the barrage of cannonballs that followed from every direction, pieces of the ship flew up, and Lee Jongha’s HP inside it also plummeted.

CRUNCH—!

On top of the collapsing ship, Lee Jongha stood firm and endured, as if to defend his last shred of pride.

[The ship is being completely destroyed.]

And it truly had been far too easy.

“Your sky collapsed in just 15 seconds!”

Sota delighted in it.

“KYAHAHAHAHAAK!”

“KYAHAHAHAHAHAAAK!”

“KYA-KYA-KYA-KYA-KYA-KYA-KYA!”

The laughter of the ghosts aboard the Ghost Ships drowned out his cruelty and mockery.

Through the smoke, Jongha could be seen standing on a piece of the sinking ship, enduring as he struggled to keep his balance.

And beyond the smoke, Jongha’s voice was heard.

“......I’m not afraid at all.”

“???”

Sota wondered what he was talking about, then thought, Ah.

He meant he was not afraid that it would become known to the whole world.

That he had suffered school violence, and that he could not even last 20 seconds here before being condemned by the entire nation.

It is a bluff.

Humans were beings who feared being mocked after their information spread on the internet more than anything else.

They felt terror at having their shame exposed before the whole world.

“Because once they know I overcame it, the world will cheer.”

“......What?”

But this was a different story.

People liked stories of those who overcame.

They liked it when the weak became strong.

And the more insignificant that story seemed, the brighter it would shine later.

In that moment, Sota felt an inexplicable pressure. The smoke cleared, and Jongha appeared.

He recited,

“Summon.”

Sota looked puzzled.

Summon?

What could he possibly summon?

“Twin Dragon Sword.”

Sota was taken aback.

But soon the smoke cleared completely, revealing Jongha barely standing on the wreckage of his shattered ship.

Jongha looked up at the Twin Dragon Sword falling from the sky.

It was similar to Hyunsoo’s sword, but different.

It was much longer.

Much thinner.

And unlike an ordinary Twin Dragon Sword, it was red.

The instant Jongha reached out and gripped the Twin Dragon Sword, Sota froze in shock.

[A World Message rings out.]

[A successor of the king who will lead a new era has been born upon this land.]

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

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

“......!!!?!”

Sota panicked. And Lee Jongha heard yet another notification echo endlessly.

[This is a bound artifact of the Successor of Admiral Yi.]

[It is the Twin Dragon Sword imbued with the greatest Master Blacksmith and the greatest tale.]

[All Attack Power increases by 24%.]

[Ship operation ability increases by 54%.]

[Ship-related skills increase by +5 levels.]

[At sea, it displays the power of Absolute Invincibility.]

Lee Jongha drew his own Twin Dragon Sword back behind him.

Golden letters, borne by his Twin Dragon Sword, sank into the sea.

[I still have twelve warships.]

As those eight words sank into the sea, Lee Jongha recited the incantation.

“......I still have twelve ships.”

At that moment.

RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE—

It echoed throughout all Under Heaven.

[Twelve Transcendent-grade Turtle Ships appear!]

Jongha boarded one of the twelve Turtle Ships that had appeared.

Then, facing the three Ghost Ships, he looked at Sota with noble eyes and aimed the Twin Dragon Sword at him.

To Sota, who was flustered and stammering, Lee Jongha returned the words in his own way.

“Survival of the fittest. The weak are devoured by the strong.”