Chapter 598: Joseon (5)

Lee Sejin.

They had watched the entire process unfold.

[The King of Stories leaves his island and intervenes in the Verd Territory episode.]

Why did he intervene?

The King of Stories had lived for more than several centuries.

He was someone who had fought to protect Story Island, a place once inhabited by countless people.

The King of Stories must have known there would be a price for intervening.

And yet, he had intervened.

“Put the screens up.”

Dozens of monitors displayed moments the King of Stories and Hyunsoo had shared.

One showed him standing with his arms folded, watching Hyunsoo with a pleased expression.

Another showed him sitting on a quiet beach, gently running his hand over the Twin Dragon Sword Hyunsoo had recreated for him.

Another showed him staring silently toward the distant sea, like a father or mother waiting for someone who was meant to return.

There was even one where he watched the still-young Hyunsoo with a deep sigh, affection clear in his eyes despite it.

Looking at the dozens of screens, Lee Sejin came to understand.

It was true that Lee Jongha had become the King of Stories’ descendant.

But that had only happened because of the setting they had put in place.

The King of Stories cherished Hyunsoo.

That was why he had granted Hyunsoo’s request.

Sejin’s expression turned bitter.

[The King of Stories has become the Monarch of Verd Territory.]

[The stories of Story Island, where the King of Stories lives, will gradually be revealed.]

[NPCs begin discussing the King of Stories, learning hints about Story Island, hidden on a new continent beyond the sea.]

[The Parion Empire will summon the NPCs talking about Story Island.]

The King of Stories must have known this would happen.

And Sejin knew another truth as well.

In truth...

The King of Stories did not have much time left.

Of course, no one’s lifespan had a clearly fixed end.

But he had been growing weaker by the day, losing his vitality.

It makes sense.

The King of Stories had lived alone on Story Island.

He had no goal, nothing he needed to do, no close friends. Every day, he simply watched the sea without end.

Sejin imagined putting himself in the King of Stories’ place.

If they had lived alone on Story Island like that, would they still have had any life left in them?

Absolutely not.

And it would not have been true only for them.

Most people would have been the same.

...What a shame.

Tales.

Legends.

The Korean server was not the only one that possessed such things.

Every country had heroes they revered and stories passed down through generations.

Accordingly, every server had hidden stories of its own.

As a Korean, Sejin felt a particular connection to the King of Stories.

But by the course of things, his story was approaching its end.

And since he had not told Hyunsoo about it, he likely intended to bear it alone.

By the time Hyunsoo learned the truth, the King of Stories would already be dead.

Then—

“...What?”

Sejin saw a ring of fire descend over the entirety of once-empty Story Island.

A thousand skilled blacksmiths from the nation of Hyun.

Construction workers summoned from all over.

And then—

“How is it? Nice, right?”

“Yes!”

People who had chosen to live here began to appear.

For a moment, Sejin wondered whether it was right to make them live in such an isolated place.

Then they corrected themself.

...They are citizens of the nation of Hyun, the most precarious country of all. If I were them, would I want to live with Hyun or with the King of Stories?

Wouldn’t the stronger King of Stories be the better choice?

Sejin continued watching the monitors.

“We’re going to build a pretty big territory. We need agriculture too, so let’s make fields. And since we’re right by the sea, the houses we build should have big windows. They’ll have an ocean view.”

“What’s an ocean view?”

“It’s a thing. A good thing.”

“That’ll cost a lot of money.”

“I have lots of money, though?”

[A new territory is being established on Story Island, with fine houses and fields under construction.]

“Oh, and there will be plenty of enemies trying to invade by sea. Let’s make and install seventy thousand Dragon Fire Cannons.”

“...That will cost an incredible amount of money.”

“I have lots of money!”

[A total of 70,000 Dragon Fire Cannons are crafted and installed on Story Island.]

[Easy to operate and powerful in firepower, they will prove exceptionally effective at stopping enemy forces.]

“Oh, let’s make Turtle Ships for the King of Stories to lead. Hah... Just imagining the King of Stories commanding dozens of Turtle Ships across the sea is incredible. Oh, and I’m rich, so it’s fine.”

[Construction of 43 Turtle Ships has begun.]

[The Turtle Ships will create synergy with the King of Stories’ various skills, allowing them to repel enemies with a range of tactics, including the Crane Wing Formation.]

“Top-tier blacksmiths, come build the Turtle Ship the Admiral will ride with me.”

“Yes!!”

Lee Sejin watched Story Island transform at an astonishing speed.

Fortunately, the old bones of the settlement—traces of the people who had once lived there with him—still remained.

The old was torn down, and the new rose in its place.

A central plaza.

Markets where merchants could sell their goods.

Cottages rebuilt anew.

Watching a thousand blacksmiths building ships along the shore, Sejin felt a shiver run through them.

“...Was there ever a story like this?”

There had never been a story about Story Island being rebuilt.

That was why notifications began reaching Pureum employees.

[Something special is happening on Story Island.]

Team Lead Kim and Lee Jihui of the Special User Management Team watched the newly recreated Story Island with faint surprise and warm smiles.

Then—

[61,310 new episodes are scheduled to be generated on Story Island.]

Story Island had once only been known as a place that had existed long ago.

Now new stories would be born there, and the Story Team received the notification as well.

The possibilities would be endless.

Hunting monsters found only on Story Island.

Searching for hidden pieces concealed there.

Or discovering entirely new stories that could only unfold on Story Island.

“Impossible to stop him.”

The Story Team’s leader raised both hands as if conceding defeat, yet they were smiling.

And so, dozens of employees at headquarters watched one man through the monitors.

CLAAANG!

CLAAANG!

CLAAANG!

[You enter an extreme state of selflessness!]

[You possess a heart that cherishes and cares for the King of Stories more than anyone else!]

[The thought of him once again becoming an admiral at sea aboard the ship you built fills you with boundless joy!]

Hyunsoo’s face was brimming with nothing but joy.

[Houses are erected.]

[Fields are laid out.]

[Dragon Fire Cannon production is complete.]

[Construction of 43 Turtle Ships is complete.]

[Gold remaining: 642 Gold.]

He had spent his overflowing Gold like a nouveau riche and become penniless again.

Yet there was not the slightest trace of regret on his face.

He simply kept hammering.

CLAAANG!

CLAAANG!

“WOOOOOAAAH!”

“His Majesty Hyunsoo!”

“His Majesty has gone berserk!”

“We can’t lose to him!”

The blacksmiths watched him craft for someone he sincerely cared for, delighted and happy as he worked.

And they, too, gained a new lesson from it.

[A new lesson is imparted: {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} When you craft for someone precious, you may sometimes create something even greater.]

[The blacksmiths’ growth rate increases by 30%.]

Amid it all, Hyunsoo carved an inscription into the red Turtle Ship.

—To our hero...

And then the system rang out.

[You crafted with all your strength, wishing only for one person to take to the sea once more.]

[Blacksmith’s Soul activates.]

[Legendary grade.]

“I did it!!!!”

“WAAAAAAAH!!!”

The employees at Pureum headquarters watched the cheering blacksmiths with smiles.

Then Team Lead Kim, who had come to submit a new report to Sejin, asked a question.

“Did you expect this?”

“...No. I never expected Story Island to establish itself as a new territory.”

Sejin signed the report and smiled faintly.

“They made all of this.”

They could only watch through the screen as Hyunsoo and the blacksmiths waited for the King of Stories.

And though none of them knew it, a new change was coming to the King of Stories as well.

It would soon astonish even many people in the Korean branch.

*****

[Joseon has been founded!]

[Joseon is a nation with a total population of 300,000, and the name of its king is King of Stories.]

Just yesterday, Joseon had been founded.

There was no grand World Announcement.

Only the King of Stories and Hyunsoo knew that Joseon had come into being.

TRICKLE—

Early in the morning, the King of Stories poured himself some tea.

As always, he intended to begin the day at leisure.

Savoring a cup of tea, he smiled.

...I’m happy.

The previous evening, the King of Stories had made an announcement.

At dawn, everyone would board the Turtle Ships and head out to sea for training.

Now, just as he had in the old days, he would welcome the ships as they came in, the Twin Dragon Sword strapped to his back.

HUP—

Shall I go?

He felt sincerely grateful to Hyunsoo.

But when he stepped outside, he froze.

The Turtle Ships were supposed to be moving magnificently across the sea.

Instead, they were simply sitting in front of the shore.

What is this!?

Could it be that, because they had served Hyunsoo, they would not obey his orders?

“Why have you not moved the Turtle Ships?”

The soldiers answered.

“We don’t know how to operate ships...”

“...?”

That was right.

The soldiers and citizens of the nation of Hyun naturally did not know how to sail ships.

The King of Stories was left speechless. A headache began to form.

“Come. I will teach you.”

Keeping his composure, the King of Stories taught them one thing at a time.

[The King of Stories teaches ship operation.]

[You acquire the Beginner Sailing Skill.]

[You acquire the Beginner Steering Skill.]

The King of Stories put a hand to his forehead as he watched the Turtle Ships become tangled at sea.

Ugh. This will take over a year.

It would take a great deal of time before they could properly operate ships at sea.

Then another crisis arrived.

“...We’re hungry, Your Majesty.”

“Then eat the provisions.”

“...His Majesty Hyunsoo did not leave us any provisions.”

The King of Stories smiled as though there were nothing to worry about.

“This is the sea. Food is everywhere. Gather what you need and eat.”

“We don’t know how to fish...”

“...”

The King of Stories taught them how to fish.

But he also had to sit to one side and untangle their hopelessly knotted fishing lines.

There were teenage boys and girls among them as well, so he had to teach them even more carefully.

“No, that is not how you throw a harpoon. Like this...”

“Your fishing line is tangled again?”

“Is that not a starfish? How did you even catch that?”

“You want to eat the starfish? Wouldn’t you be better off eating a seashell?”

The King of Stories had to run everywhere, and sometimes he lost his temper.

“Stop catching dolphins. They are our friends.”

“You actually ate the starfish? Oh, no...”

At other times, he had to teach crowds of children in front of the Dragon Fire Cannons.

“You light the fuse on a Dragon Fire Cannon like this, and it fires. The recoil will make the cannon move violently, so take a few steps back and cover your ears.”

“Yes!!!”

The King of Stories watched the citizens continue gathering around him.

“Your Majesty?”

“King of Stories?”

“How do I do this?”

“What do I do with that?”

“Your Majesty!?”

“...”

Hearing people call for him from every direction, he found himself thinking:

I was better off alone...

But why was it?

BOOOOM!

“I finally did it, Your Majesty!”

When the children who had successfully fired a Dragon Fire Cannon beamed at him, he felt happy too.

“It’s a big one! I finally caught a fish!”

“WOOOOO! Fish for dinner tonight!”

When they were finally able to catch fish and feed themselves, an inexplicable joy rose within him.

“Whew...”

By the end of the day, he was exhausted.

Yet his lips remained curved in a smile.

And though he could not hear it, notifications of change were clearly reaching the Pureum employees.

[The King of Stories finds a reason to live.]

[His lifespan, which originally had less than two years remaining, extends by another ten years. He may now live out his natural lifespan.]

Unaware of that fact, the King of Stories smiled weakly.

What should I teach them tomorrow? This is not easy.

Thinking that, he walked home.

Then he came across a signboard.

It was the crooked sign Hyunsoo had made and left behind, hung as large as a gate at the entrance to the territory.

[Joseon.]

And that was how the small nation of Joseon began.