I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 20.
Yoo Baek-jun returned to his family.
Although he spent a lot of money, no one said anything about it. After all, the other successors also spent money lavishly.
“It’s like a bottomless well of money.”
The problem was that there were many items in this world that couldn’t be bought with money.
Especially items of A-rank or higher rarely appeared in auctions. When such items did appear, they were heavily promoted.
‘I’ll have to go out and find the items myself.’
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh.
Before him lay the medicinal ingredients he had obtained from Staggler.
With the help of Joo Jung-won, he had removed the side effects and maximized their efficacy.
Now, all he had to do was mix them properly.
“What a horrifying sight…”
The ingredients from Staggler were all related to magic power, feathers of a thunderbird, moonlight grass, a drake’s heart, and magic power crystals.
“I have to make an Elixir out of this. Ugh.”
He poured a liter of water into a large pot and added the ingredients. After waiting for an hour, he began boiling it over low heat.
“After boiling it for three hours like this…”
Voilà! Yoo Baek-jun’s special Elixir was complete.
He poured the finished Elixir into a large container and checked the item description.
[Yoo Baek-jun’s Special Elixir(B+)]
An Elixir made with various magic-related ingredients. It has a terrible smell and an equally terrible taste.
―Effect: Magic Activation.
*Magic Activation: The body becomes activated, making it easier to absorb magic power for a while.
The effect had a condition: ‘for a while.’ It would probably last about half a month.
He had to squeeze out every bit of benefit during that time.
“Alright, now to lay out the magic circle.”
Yoo Baek-jun unrolled a scroll on the floor.
After a moment of hesitation, he shouted loudly.
“Han Seong-ah, Master! Come to my room!”
“Yes. Did you call for me, young master?”
“Gasp!”
The moment he called her name, Han Seong-ah opened the door and entered as if she had been waiting.
She was so fast it was almost eerie.
“Wh-where were you that you came so quickly?”
“I was waiting in the hallway.”
“I thought I gave you a room…”
“I didn’t have anything to do, so I waited in the hallway while reading a Skill Book.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yoo Baek-jun cleared his throat awkwardly.
“The reason I called you, Master Han Seong-ah, is to ask you to pour some magic power into this.”
“Magic power… I see. That’s not difficult.”
Whoosh!
As Han Seong-ah channeled magic power into the scroll, a large magic circle was drawn on the floor.
Yoo Baek-jun sat on it.
“Hmm, good.”
“Young master, what is this?”
“A magic circle that helps with magic training. You can use it when I’m not using it.”
“Hmm, thank you.”
Yoo Baek-jun downed the pre-made Elixir and immediately activated his Mind technique.
Whoosh!
He could feel a much larger amount of magic power around him than usual. Thanks to the Elixir’s effect, he could absorb all of it.
‘Two hours should be enough.’
He closed his eyes and focused.
Han Seong-ah quietly leaned against the wall and stood guard until the Mind technique was complete.
Exactly two hours later…
―Your concentration is better than usual. Due to the effect of the Heavenly Destruction Mind technique, your magic stat has increased by 2.
―Due to the effect of Yoo Baek-jun’s Special Elixir, your magic stat has increased by an additional 1.
―Due to the effect of the training magic circle, your magic stat has increased by an additional 1.
His magic stat had risen by four points at once.
Yoo Baek-jun opened his status window.
[Yoo Baek-jun]
- Strength: B (33/100)
- Agility: B (30/100)
- Stamina: B (44/100)
- Magic power: B (37/100)
[Unique Ability: The Book of the Martial God (EX, 2★)]
[Traits: Heavenly Martial Body (S), Energizer (C)]
Skills:
- Herbal Medicine Preparation (B)
- Lightness technique(C, 1★), …
The growth of his stats was slow.
His skills hadn’t improved at all. It was natural since he hadn’t trained properly yesterday or today.
‘To raise my stats, I need to train or go hunting.’
He glanced at the backpack containing Snow Tiger’s corpse.
It seemed like it was time to start the <Tears of the Snowfield> quest. Completing this quest would involve hunting monsters to the point of exhaustion.
‘Hmm… It’s a bit too much to do alone.’
He sneakily looked at Han Seong-ah.
Since arriving yesterday, she had been engrossed in reading the Skill Book. It seemed she hadn’t learned any magic yet.
For the Tears of the Snowfield quest, it would be better to have someone who could use magic.
“Hmm, what to do.”
Should he wait until Han Seong-ah finished learning?
Creak.
While he was pondering, the door opened.
It was Choi Seung-min. Thinking Yoo Baek-jun might be hungry, he brought some snacks.
“Young master, you must be hungry. Please eat.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Yoo Baek-jun chewed on the inari sushi Choi Seung-min had brought while lost in thought.
As Choi Seung-min poured tea, he suddenly spoke up as if remembering something.
“Ah, young master. Have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“About the people from the Magic Tower arriving today. Among them is your former fiancée.”
“…What did you say?”
“Your former fiancée.”
Yoo Baek-jun’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t hide his shock and even shook his head in disbelief.
A fiancée?
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you know, an engagement. When a man and a woman who are compatible decide to…”
“How does that even work?”
“…Huh? What?”
Choi Seung-min looked bewildered.
But the one who was truly bewildered was Yoo Baek-jun himself. A fiancée? A former fiancée, at that!
‘There’s no way.’
He had played through Yoo Baek-jun’s route more than once or twice. This guy never had a fiancée.
There was no such route where he had been engaged.
Yet, here he was, hearing about a fiancée.
“Hey, uh, well, you know. What was the name of that fiancée again?”
“Young Master, isn’t that a bit too much? You’ve even forgotten your fiancée’s name?”
“Ah, whatever! Just tell me quickly. Who is it?”
Choi Seung-min let out a hollow laugh.
“Jin Seo-yeon. Jin. Seo. Yeon.”
“J-Jin Seo—”
Upon hearing the name, Yoo Baek-jun staggered.
Han Seong-ah, who had been watching, rushed over in surprise. He waved his hand dismissively, saying he was fine.
‘Jin Seo-yeon? Is she the Jin Seo-yeon I know? No, it can’t be. Must be someone with the same name.’
But there was only one Jin Seo-yeon in the Magic Tower.
“Sigh…”
Jin Seo-yeon.
The future owner of the Magic Tower and one of the game’s two main protagonists alongside Han Chang-woo.
She possessed extraordinary magical talent and breathtaking beauty.
When Heroes Road was advertised on TV, she and Han Chang-woo were featured as the main characters.
‘Well, they are the protagonists, after all.’
There were five playable characters: Han Chang-woo, Jin Seo-yeon, Peng So-young, Kang Yi-jun, and Yoo Baek-jun.
But the latter three were more like supporting roles.
The true protagonists were the first two. The developers treated them as such and promoted them heavily.
‘Her personality is quite cold and sharp. She takes great pride in her abilities and is fiercely proud of the Magic Tower she’s set to inherit.’
In her own route, she’s somewhat weakened due to difficulty balancing, but in other routes, she’s a monster.
From the moment she appears, she possesses traits worthy of S-rank and A-rank classifications. The problem is…
‘This woman becomes a villain…’
Jin Seo-yeon’s route is unusual.
In her own route, she’s a hero, but in other routes, she often turns into a villain.
The reason was simple.
‘Around the second major event, the <Fall of the Magic Tower> occurs. After experiencing that, she loses her mind.’
The tower she took so much pride in crumbles, and many of those within it perish.
Unable to bear the loss, Jin Seo-yeon falls into darkness, seeking revenge.
When she reappears during the third major event…
‘The completely deranged witch Jin Seo-yeon wipes South Korea off the map…’
Yoo Baek-jun shuddered.
In the game, he could just think,
—Ah, I failed to stop Jin Seo-yeon from turning evil. I’ll try to prevent it next time.
But now?
‘If I fail, I die.’
He has to stop it.
In a way, this was fortunate. Having the title of ‘ex-fiancé’ might make it easier to approach her…
“…Would it really be easier to approach her?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“How do you think she’d feel if her ex-fiancé suddenly acted all friendly? Han Seong-ah, what do you think?”
“It’d be disgusting. Clingy and slimy.”
“Straightforward. I appreciate the input.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a low hum.
He needed more information. He had never seen the route where Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon were engaged before.
‘To stop the Magic Tower’s fall, I need access and status that allows me to move freely inside it.’
Being engaged would be perfect.
But how do you rekindle an engagement with someone who’s already broken it off?
“Hey, Seung-min. What was my relationship with Jin Seo-yeon like? Did we break up because we didn’t like each other?”
“Not exactly. The family head—uh, well, he…”
“Just say he was disappointed in me.”
“Yes. He was so disappointed that he completely gave up on you, Young Master. That’s when the engagement was broken off.”
“What did he say?”
“That a talentless fool like you doesn’t deserve a woman of her caliber…”
Wow, thanks, Dad.
Yoo Baek-jun clutched his aching head.
“So we didn’t fight or anything. It was just the adults’ decision that tore us apart.”
“Yes. You were in middle school back then. Personally, though… I think Jin Seo-yeon actually liked you, Young Master.”
“……”
Yoo Baek-jun’s mouth hung open in shock.
“…Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“Not at all. She wasn’t the type to judge people by talent. When you two were engaged, you got along very well.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I remember seeing that too.”
Han Seong-ah chimed in from the side.
“Whenever Jin Seo-yeon visited, you always seemed happy, Young Master. You’d even go outside to play together.”
“Good grief…”
He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
He was close with that cold, sharp-tongued Jin Seo-yeon? They played around together, laughing and having fun?
How… was that even possible?
‘No, this is actually good.’
If he could rebuild their friendship, he might be able to stop the Magic Tower’s fall.
Plus, forming ties with a massive organization like the Magic Tower was appealing in itself.
They had plenty of resources to spare.
“Jin Seo-yeon, Jin Seo-yeon…”
“Do you miss her, Young Master?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. But, well…”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured to Choi Seung-min.
“Go get me some sweet bean jelly.”
“Sweet bean jelly? You never liked it before.”
“I’m craving it today. Get the expensive kind, handmade. There should be some sent as gifts to the family.”
“Understood. We don’t have any in the mansion, but I’ll check with the family. I’ll find some for you.”
Choi Seung-min hurried out. Yoo Baek-jun groaned and rubbed his temples.
Han Seong-ah excused herself, saying she’d wait in the hallway, and followed Seung-min out.
‘Come to think of it, what happens to Yoo Baek-jun in routes where he isn’t the protagonist?’
He dug through his memories.
In non-protagonist routes, Yoo Baek-jun loses the succession dispute and dies.
There’s no way to save him, he never leaves the Sword Saint’s family.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
‘Poor guy.’
Anyway, Jin Seo-yeon…
This was perfect. If he could secure her help, he’d have an easier time clearing the Tears of the Snowfield event.
Since she’s searching for something in Seoraksan Mountain, he could offer assistance and then ask for help with his own tasks in return.
‘Might as well learn that trait while I’m at it.’
There’s one specific trait needed to fully exploit the Tears of the Snowfield event.
Yoo Baek-jun opened the Book of the Martial God.
