Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 27: Toulon Gate
Before entering the Toulon Gate, there was no real preparation needed.
As for me, I had already equipped all my gear, and for Jeanne, most armors were meaningless.
Her recovery power and defensive capabilities surpassed that of any armor.
I saw Jeanne tying cloth to a small iron bar and asked, "Jeanne, what's that?"
"It's a flag. It's more familiar to me than being empty-handed." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
In Jeanne's hand was a delicate, pure white flag.
[Flag of the Lowly Saint]
[Grade: Rare]
This flag was made by Saint Jeanne d'Arc.
'So this is how it works.'
Even though it was just a cloth tied to a bar, once Jeanne held it, it became a holy relic.
Of course, if someone else held it, it would just be a regular piece of cloth.
It was, of course, different from the flags of past saints that were bound by sacrifice.
This one was simply formed by Jeanne's hand as the flag adapted to her touch.
"All done?"
"Yes, ready."
"Then let's go."
Once Jeanne's flag was ready, we immediately entered the Toulon Gate.
Entering the Toulon Gate.
Ssssshh...
A cool sea breeze blew in.
The refreshing sea of Toulon harbor filled my view.
'It's been a while.'
Though not much time had passed in reality, the memories of Toulon came rushing back.
I had experienced so much, from helping Yi Sun-sin to meeting Jeanne.
A stern male voice echoed in my ears like a phantom.
"Sorry, but could I get something to drink?"
The first great figure I had met, and the person who awakened my abilities.
"Napoleon Bonaparte."
Napoleon.
Napoleon held significant meaning for me beyond just being a historical hero.
If I had never met him, I might still be wandering around as an E-rank hunter.
'I miss him.'
Though I would never see him again, the sight of Toulon harbor suddenly reminded me of Napoleon.
[Toulon Harbor has been entered.]
[The battlefield infused with the myth of France's revolutionary hero, Napoleon.]
[The effectiveness of Napoleon's Rifle increases by 80%.]
[Accuracy increases by 90%.]
[The Charisma of the Battlefield is unlocked.]
Numerous status messages popped up, and new traits were added to Napoleon's Rifle.
[Charisma of the Battlefield]
The French revolutionary hero Napoleon intoxicated the people with military glory.
Those who fight alongside him on the battlefield will not fear death.
'So it's a courage buff.'
As I was understanding the new trait I had gained, Jeanne asked,
"Who is Napoleon?"
Since Jeanne lived in the 15th century, the 18th-century hero Napoleon was unfamiliar to her.
"He's a hero. He started as a low-ranking officer and rose to become an emperor."
I spoke while looking around Toulon Harbor.
"This is the battlefield where he made his debut."
"You seem to know him well."
"I met him briefly."
"...Ah, did he also visit the Museum of All Things?"
"Yes, he was the first guest."
I refrained from saying more.
Although we were chatting casually, Toulon Harbor was far from peaceful.
Boom─!
The sound of artillery echoed as the fortress at the entrance connecting Toulon Harbor to the sea was bombarded.
The Malgreve Fortress.
The ironclad fortress that Napoleon had seized from the royalists stood intact.
It looked as if someone had rebuilt it.
Boom─!
A series of undead creatures were bombarding the Malgreve Fortress.
It felt as if the Toulon Siege had been moved directly here.
However, the situation was completely the opposite.
The bombardment caused no significant damage to the fortress, and the loud noises were only futile repetitions.
It couldn't be helped.
Napoleon, the key to the success of the Toulon Siege, was absent from this place.
The Toulon Siege succeeded only because of Napoleon's genius military abilities.
Because of this, there was a saying among modern hunters regarding the Toulon Gate.
"Unless Napoleon returns, the Toulon Gate cannot be breached."
No hunter from the present day could replace Napoleon.
Of course, this was not just because of strategic or tactical reasons.
The revolutionary army in this place was not on the hunters' side. In fact, they saw them as enemies and fired indiscriminately.
'And if you die, you join them.'
If you died to the royalists, you'd become one of them; if you died to the revolutionaries, you'd become one of them too.
As undead.
Whether royalists or revolutionaries, they were nothing more than horrific creatures that all hunters had to deal with.
But that was only true if you were a regular hunter.
"Jeanne, let's go there."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"It's fine. I have it all figured out."
I pointed to the cannon positions of the revolutionary army on the hill, firing at the fortress.
As we climbed the hill, the creatures that had been bombarding the fortress turned to face us.
[Ah oh oh─]
As if they were about to fire, they turned their cannons toward us.
[The Charisma of the Battlefield activates.]
Napoleon's Rifle's trait activated, and the creatures froze in place.
Hundreds of pale eyes simultaneously focused on Napoleon's Rifle in my hands.
And then...
[──!]
The creatures saluted me in an unfamiliar language.
It was as if they were welcoming a superior officer.
Having taken control of the first cannon unit, I proceeded to absorb the revolutionary forces, one by one.
From 'Jacobins' to 'The Fearless', to 'The Naughty Outcasts.'
A total of three cannon units came under my command.
Of course, having taken control of the revolutionary army didn't mean I could breach the gate.
The revolutionary army was outnumbered compared to the royalists, and the enemy had the 'fortress' on their side.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
But I was someone who had watched Napoleon's wars up close.
I clearly remembered what he valued and how he attacked the Malgreve Fortress.
"Advance positions."
[Ah oh─!]
Upon hearing my command, the creatures hurriedly moved the cannon units.
Three units surrounded the Malgreve Fortress and began to press in.
It was the 'Pinch' strategy that Napoleon had used.
And I didn't just have strategies.
Boom─! Boom─!
The power of the cannonballs fired by the creatures was on a whole different level now.
[Field Artillery General Napoleon]
That unique trait, which turned regular cannons into howitzers, combined with the [Charisma of the Battlefield], was applied to the revolutionary army's cannons, making them fire in unison.
Boom─!
I watched in awe as part of the Malgreve Fortress crumbled under the force of the shells.
'Is this really Napoleon's Rifle?'
The power of Napoleon's Rifle, now unlocked by the Toulon Gate, exceeded all expectations.
While I was still in shock, Jeanne spoke.
"Seo-jun."
"What's wrong, Jeanne?"
"There's someone over there."
"People?"
My eyes widened as I looked in the direction Jeanne pointed.
Among the royalist undead wandering the harbor, a group of 'people' was hiding in a deep terrain.
'I was too complacent.'
Rachel Bonaparte felt a sense of regret.
As the current head of the Bonaparte family and an S-rank hunter from France, Rachel had entered the Toulon Gate to breach it before it became a disaster.
But now, she was isolated in the middle of the gate, having lost many of her fellow hunters.
She hadn't let her guard down.
Rachel had prepared thoroughly for the gate's challenge, and according to the plan, she should have succeeded by now.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
But the Toulon Gate was showing an entirely different pattern from before.
'I never heard anything about having to capture the commander.'
The undead were moving in a manner like an 'army,' with each group led by an officer.
If she didn't capture the officer, the undead would keep resurrecting.
She only realized this after twenty hunters had fallen.
"Lady, we must leave the harbor first."
"I know."
Rachel, peeking from beneath the trench, observed the undead moving around.
Then, suddenly...
Boom─!
The harbor shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Rachel's eyes widened when she saw the source of the noise.
The Malgreve Fortress.
A part of the impregnable fortress that no hunter had breached was now collapsing.
The loud noise came from the fortress crumbling down.
But the most shocking thing was yet to come.
"Why are the cannon units...?"
The revolutionary cannon units were surrounding the Malgreve Fortress.
'The undead are using strategies?'
The cannon units, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) which hadn't budged an inch, were now changing their formations and surrounding the fortress.
'This can't be.'
Rachel was in utter confusion as she witnessed the undead's intelligent movements, which looked like human strategies.
"Lady, they're coming!" her subordinate cried urgently.
"!"
The revolutionary undead were pushing through the royalist undead and charging toward the harbor.
To Rachel, it just seemed like the undead were increasing in number.
"We have no choice. We must break through."
Rachel quickly decided to leave the harbor before it was too late.
Just then, she saw something unusual.
Among the undead charging toward the harbor, there were figures who looked completely human.
'...People?'
They were clearly humans.
A young Asian man with a mask covering his lower face and a blonde girl.
What was even more surprising was that the undead were following the young man.
"The undead are following a person!"
"It can't be..."
Why would undead follow a person?
Rachel was bewildered for a moment before the two figures approached her.
"We're here to help."
Rachel barely understood that the young man was speaking in Korean and wanted to help them.
At that moment, she heard her native language.
"Are you hurt?"
The blonde girl was looking at her swollen right arm.
"Yes, it's my arm..."
Rachel grimaced as she looked at her swollen arm.
It looked like her bone was broken, and it was swollen badly.
"Shall I heal it?"
"Oh, yes. I would be grateful."
The girl placed her hand on Rachel's swollen right arm.
A warm light radiated, and the swelling immediately subsided.
Rachel's eyes widened as her arm healed completely.
'...It’s as if there was never any injury.'
Her skin and bones were all restored as if the injury had never existed.
With this level of healing, the girl was at least an A-rank light attribute user.
Rachel watched in awe as the girl healed the injuries of the hunters.
At that moment, the sound of gunfire echoed in her ears.
Bang─! Bang─!
The young man was hunting undead with a musket, and Rachel shouted.
"Target the officers!"
Whether he understood her or not, the young man focused solely on shooting the officers.
Bang─!
Bang─!
Dead center.
The young man's shots never missed.
The officers fell one by one, and the other undead that had been grouped together collapsed automatically.
'He takes down undead so easily?'
It was astonishing how precise and powerful his shots were.
While Rachel watched, mesmerized by his godlike shooting, she suddenly noticed something.
Bang─!
Bang─!
The young man's musket.
She froze when she saw the engraving on the stock of the rifle.
The 'Golden Eagle' engraved on it was a symbol Rachel knew all too well.
It was the symbol of the Bonaparte family.
Her ancestor, Napoleon's.
The musket the young man was using was none other than the 'Musket of Napoleon,' the one Napoleon himself was known to favor.
It was unmistakable.
That was Napoleon's rifle.
But the young man was handling it effortlessly, without any restrictions.
'How...?’
In Rachel's understanding, this was impossible.
To properly wield one of Napoleon's relics, the 'magical resonance' had to match.
But even Rachel, the direct descendant of Napoleon and the head of the Bonaparte family, couldn't use Napoleon's relics as freely as this young man.
Unless Napoleon himself had been reincarnated.
"..."
Rachel's eyes trembled as she looked at the young man, Choi Seo-jun.
