I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 5.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh of relief.
‘At least I’ve returned safely to the family.’
It seemed the man at the surveillance outpost had called Choi Seung-min as requested.
The small-framed boy from earlier.
‘He’s Yoo Baek-jun’s attendant.’
A character from Yoo Baek-jun’s route, a loyal attendant who had served him since childhood.
Though he had worked for the family for a long time, unfortunately, he had no talent for swordsmanship.
Thus, he remained a lifelong attendant.
‘Still, his loyalty runs deep.’
When he was young, Yoo Baek-jun helped cure his family’s illness, so he regarded him as his lifelong benefactor.
There was absolutely no chance of betrayal.
‘That’s enough for me.’
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
He looked around the room.
It was a luxurious space, worlds apart from the studio apartment he had lived in back in reality.
Both the furniture and interior were high-end.
Among them was a mirror.
“Hmm.”
Yoo Baek-jun stood in front of the mirror.
What he saw was a body that felt both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.
“Damn… he’s good-looking.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a bitter laugh.
In the mirror was a man so handsome it could make someone gasp.
Long hair that reached his waist and a face that looked like it had been sculpted by a master artist.
And a body so thin it looked borderline sickly.
“Why the hell are you so skinny?”
It was the so-called ‘anchovy’ body type.
In reality, he had been slightly overweight, so seeing such a slender frame felt refreshing.
‘This was the face that female fans praised for being handsome—no surprise there.’
Even with this sickly appearance, he was still good-looking.
If he could gain some weight and build muscle, he’d undoubtedly become a peerless beauty.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun stared blankly at the mirror.
For a long time, without a word.
Crack!
Then, he clenched his fist.
‘That bastard pushed me into this world.’
The image of SupremeOverlord resurfaced in his mind.
If not for that bastard, he wouldn’t have fallen into this world or become Yoo Baek-jun.
“He probably pushed me in here hoping I’d die……”
Unfortunately for him.
He was a veteran of Heroes Road.
He had memorized all the in-game events, trigger conditions, hidden items, and character settings.
He was also the only player in the world to have cleared the notoriously difficult Yoo Baek-jun route.
‘I’ll survive by using all of that.’
He would utilize every bit of knowledge in his head and amass power by any means necessary.
He would reach this game’s ending.
“Without fail.”
Yoo Baek-jun made that vow.
First, he decided to assess his current situation using the knowledge in his head.
Understanding the situation was the first step to formulating a plan.
‘This is the annex of the Sword Saint family.’
He had made it to the family’s estate as intended.
The problem was that this place was a battleground for power, and it wasn’t necessarily safer than the snowfields.
‘It’s only natural for the children of a prominent family to fight for succession.’
The Sword Saint’s family was a prestigious family that had existed since the Joseon era, consistently training disciples for generations.
Those trained disciples went on to become elite hunters or high-ranking members of society.
And that became the foundation of the Sword Saint family’s power.
‘The successors, the siblings, are fighting for power, aiming to take control of the family.’
The eldest son, Yoo Tae-rang;
The eldest daughter, Yoo Jung-yeon;
The third son, Yoo Kang-ho;
The fourth daughter, Yoo Min;
and then himself, the youngest, Yoo Baek-jun.
Originally, there were three more, but they were already dead, killed by none other than Yoo Tae-rang.
‘Technically, it’s less a power struggle and more the final cleanup phase.’
Yoo Kang-ho had already submitted to Yoo Tae-rang, and Yoo Jung-yeon had half-given up on the succession.
Yoo Min had no interest from the start.
Practically speaking, the successor position was all but confirmed for Yoo Tae-rang, and barring any surprises, it would be his.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the clock.
“It’s 2035? Nothing’s changed. Then, in about two years, Yoo Tae-rang will become the family head.”
It was exactly the year when each route in the game began.
And January 15th marked the start of Yoo Baek-jun’s route, meaning roughly a week had passed.
‘Father will retire in about two years, and Yoo Tae-rang will take his place.’
The head of the Sword Saint family, Yoo Moo-hak, would retire and disappear within the next two years.
The eldest son, Yoo Tae-rang, would then ascend to the position of family head.
To put it bluntly, he was the one who had ordered Shin Woo-hyun to kill Yoo Baek-jun.
“Our beloved eldest brother.”
If Yoo Baek-jun survived until Yoo Tae-rang became family head?
Yoo Tae-rang would kill him shortly after.
A staged assassination disguised as an accident.
― I won’t leave any room for future discord. The succession dispute ends here.
That’s what he’d say.
Well, realistically, the chances of Yoo Baek-jun dying before Yoo Tae-rang became family head were higher.
Throughout the route, Yoo Tae-rang constantly attempted to assassinate Yoo Baek-jun and his other siblings.
‘His paranoid nature makes him hate leaving even the slightest potential threat.’
He wanted to eliminate any possibility of his siblings forming factions to challenge his authority.
It was a pursuit of absolute power.
In any case, to summarize.
The main villain of Yoo Baek-jun’s route was Yoo Tae-rang.
If he didn’t deal with him within two years, he would die at his hands.
The time limit was two years.
Beyond that, there was no hope, he’d have no means to fight Yoo Tae-rang once he inherited the family’s power.
“Defeat Yoo Tae-rang within two years and take control of this family. That’s the immediate goal?”
Yoo Baek-jun chuckled dryly.
It was almost impossibly difficult.
Yoo Tae-rang already had half the family in his grasp, snatching it away to become the successor was simply impossible.
‘Yoo Tae-rang will return in two months.’
Where was Yoo Tae-rang now?
He had left under their father’s orders to deal with a gate that appeared in Seoraksan.
It would take him two months.
Before then, he absolutely had to build his strength.
‘Fortunately, this is the Sword Saint’s family.’
A family where strength reigns supreme.
‘Which means, if I can build enough strength, I can earn recognition here.’
That was the reason he had risked his life to visit the Tomb of the Martial God.
The Heavenly Martial Body and the Book of Martial God.
With just these two, Yoo Baek-jun could obtain the power he needed to seize control of the family’s authority.
And fortunately…
“There are many skilled instructors here.”
Heroes Road was full of events.
There were events triggered by meeting specific conditions, and he knew exactly what those conditions were.
And the immediate event he could trigger involved…
“Old Man Joo Jung-won.”
Yoo Baek-jun recalled Joo Jung-won from earlier.
The first instructor he needed to win over, that old man was an exceptional pharmacist from the Sword Saint family.
He had joined the family during the previous patriarch’s reign and had worked tirelessly for the family ever since.
His skills were outstanding, and his unique healing abilities made his medical prowess extraordinary.
“And he’s also a kind person.”
He had no interest in the Sword Saint family’s power struggles, focusing only on crafting herbs and medicine.
That made him the perfect person to help Yoo Baek-jun.
“I need to become his disciple and learn the Herbal Medicine Preparation skill. Once I have that…”
He needed to take Snow Ginseng.
If he could create and take a pill to counteract its side effects, he would be able to digest the Snow Ginseng properly.
Then, he would gain immense magical power.
“For now, I’ll focus on building my strength.”
Yoo Baek-jun’s first move upon returning to the family was to create an elixir that would enhance his power.
* * *
“Hmm, yes, yes. Drink it all in one go. After taking it, your headache should ease a bit.”
As promised, Joo Jung-won brought the medicine.
Yoo Baek-jun drank it while staring intently at Joo Jung-won, as if observing him.
‘The original event—”Finding a Disciple.”’
Despite his age, Joo Jung-won had no disciples.
He could have taken one if he wanted, but there was only one reason he hadn’t.
—This is the knowledge I’ve honed over a lifetime. I wish to pass it on to the members of the family.
He had wanted to teach his skills only to those of the family’s bloodline.
It was a form of loyalty.
The problem was that none of the family members had the slightest interest in learning such skills.
‘Medicine? Why bother learning when you can just buy it?’
If money could solve the problem, why go through the trouble of mastering the Herbal Medicine Skill?
That was the mindset shared by everyone in the family, including the successors.
As a result, Joo Jung-won had no successor to inherit his teachings.
‘If I demonstrate knowledge of medicine in front of Joo Jung-won, the “Finding a Disciple” event will trigger.’
First, Joo Jung-won would summon Yoo Baek-jun to his pharmacy, observe his skills for a while, and then put him through a series of tests before accepting him as a disciple.
For now, he needed to showcase his knowledge.
“How would you assess my current condition?”
“Hmm, you do have quite a few wounds, but the emergency treatment was well done, so there won’t be major scarring. Did Choi Seung-min handle it?”
“No, I treated myself.”
At that, Joo Jung-won’s eyes widened slightly.
“You treated yourself? Looking at the wounds, I see you applied a combination of herbs.”
“I’ve taken an interest in medicine, so I’ve studied a bit. Fortunately, there were plenty of herbs nearby.”
“Oh-ho, now that’s surprising.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
For now, he didn’t seem to take it too seriously, likely assuming it was just luck.
“The family members only care about swordsmanship, dismissing this as a trivial skill, so I thought you wouldn’t know either…”
“A trivial skill? I’ve always admired your expertise, Pharmacist Joo Jung-won.”
“Haha, this kid…”
Yoo Baek-jun lavished praise on Joo Jung-won, who had served the family for a long time and was well-respected for his skills.
“About the medicine I just drank, was it made by combining Peacebloom and Dreamflower?”
“Wha—!”
This time, Joo Jung-won’s eyes widened in shock and amazement.
“You…you could tell just by the taste?”
Of course he knew.
He had played this route countless times, so he had memorized it naturally.
Yoo Baek-jun smiled without revealing anything.
“Haha, the taste was familiar, and so was the scent. Then I considered the medicinal effects.”
“What do you mean?”
“Peacebloom is an herb that calms the mind, and Dreamflower helps induce sleep. And judging by the taste, I think there was one more ingredient…”
Yoo Baek-jun pretended to ponder.
He already knew the answer, but he played along for the sake of the act.
“Ah! It’s Screamroot, isn’t it? Isn’t that a poisonous herb?”
“Y-yes. The reason I added it was…”
“Though it’s poisonous, once burned to remove its toxicity, it can also become an herb that greatly boosts vitality.”
“Y-yes.” Joo Jung-won’s voice trembled.
To discern the ingredients just by taste and scent, how deeply must he have studied medicine?
Even more astonishing was his understanding of the herbs’ effects.
“Where… where did you learn this?”
“I studied from books and sometimes experimented by tasting them myself. That’s why I ended up memorizing them whether I wanted to or not.”
Yoo Baek-jun smiled warmly.
Joo Jung-won let out a sigh. “Was the young master’s talent not in martial arts but in the art of saving lives?”
What a pity.
If only he weren’t a descendant of this Sword Saint family.
“Did you hear from Choi Seung-min how I ended up like this?”
“He said you were attacked by a monster while out for a walk alone.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
As expected, the family hadn’t spread the story that Shin Woo-hyun had taken him away.
It had always been like this in every playthrough, so it wouldn’t change now.
“After this incident, I realized just how useful medicine can be. It was a great help in a desperate situation.”
“I see…”
“Yes, I regret not having studied it professionally. I should refine my skills further.”
Joo Jung-won stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun.
His gaze was scrutinizing.
Yoo Baek-jun had shown an interest in medicine unlike the other heirs.
And so, the next step would likely be…
“Then, would you like to learn from me?”
“From you, Pharmacist Joo Jung-won?”
Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes widened.
“But… aren’t you extremely busy? You’re always occupied with making medicine…”
“Haha, I’m not that busy. There’s plenty of downtime during the preparation process. If you’re willing, I can teach you during those times.”
“Really?”
Yoo Baek-jun’s face brightened, and Joo Jung-won nodded in satisfaction.
“Of course, I can’t teach you everything from the start. First, I’ll need to assess how much you already know.”
“Then…”
Yoo Baek-jun bowed deeply.
“I look forward to your guidance.”
“Hmm.”
As he lowered his head, Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
‘The conditions have been met.’
Now, all that remained was to pass Joo Jung-won’s tests and win him over.
And for someone who already knew what those tests were, it would be all too easy.
