I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 83.
Ryu Il-woo was conducting a search of the buildings. There might be people trapped inside the structures that had collapsed due to the demon attacks.
“What are you looking at, Captain?”
“Nothing, just checking an online article for a moment.”
During a short break, Ryu Il-woo skimmed through an article on his smartphone. The internet was in an uproar over the recent Great invasion.
[What were the government and the Hunter Association doing? The gate warning system failed to fulfill its role.]
[The Hunter Association, incapable of doing anything! It has been revealed that the most significant role in stopping this crisis was played by prominent families and guilds…….]
[If it weren’t for the Sword Saint Family, the Magic Tower, the Crimson Crusade, and the Peng Family, we wouldn’t have made it. Among them, the Sword Saint Family played the biggest role.]
[Once again, the Sword Saint Family—storming the enemy stronghold and assassinating the commander at the cost of their lives.]
[Who is Yoo Baek-jun, the one who led them? Let’s take a look at his track record.]
[What on earth is the floating landmass in the sky? The crisis isn’t over yet! Even overseas…….]
Articles criticizing the government and the Hunter Association, alongside others praising the four guilds.
The narratives were tangled in a chaotic mess.
“Hmm, these articles……”
“What’s the matter?”
A faint smile appeared on Ryu Il-woo’s lips.
“Nothing, I just sense someone’s intent.”
“Intent, you say?”
“Yeah.”
The intent to make their name known.
‘Are they starting to reveal their presence?’
The articles emphasized the contributions of the four guilds—especially the Sword Saint Family—during this crisis.
And even mentioned Yoo Baek-jun’s name.
“Well, well.”
Ryu Il-woo chuckled as he recalled Yoo Baek-jun’s face.
It was only fair that he received the spotlight, given that he truly played the biggest role.
Ryu Il-woo had no complaints about that.
“We’ve detected signs of people over here!”
“Captain!”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
As Ryu Il-woo went to rescue the survivors, he noticed warriors from the Peng Family entering the adjacent building.
The Peng Family’s warriors were searching for any remaining demons.
Among them, he spotted Peng So-young’s face.
‘She looks deep in thought.’
It was only natural.
Yoo Baek-jun, who had been in the same—or even worse—situation as her, had changed so drastically.
Peng So-young must be feeling complicated too.
‘…This might be the turning point for her.’
Ryu Il-woo picked up his hammer and headed inside.
While the Peng Family and the Crimson Crusade’s hunters were busy with rescue operations—
Screech! Screeeech!
“What’s that?”
“What else? Golems.”
Outside on the streets, the Magic Tower’s golems were bustling about.
Their main tasks were clearing debris and rescuing trapped survivors.
They could’ve been assigned to reconstruction, but it was too early for that.
“Sigh, I never thought the golems would be used like this. For such menial labor……”
“I agree, Miss.”
Jin Seo-yeon, who was watching the scene, let out a deep sigh, and Serberia nodded in agreement.
“Does that man realize how expensive these things are to use for such rough work?”
“…He probably does, doesn’t he?”
“No, he definitely knows. Given his personality, he’d do it even if he knew.”
The golems themselves were expensive, and so were the personnel operating them—especially since they were mages from the Magic Tower.
“…….”
But there was no room for complaints.
No one in Seoul was idle right now.
Everyone was busy working.
“So, what is he doing right now? Everyone else is working hard.”
“Who knows.”
Jin Seo-yeon looked up at the sky.
The floating landmass of the demon world still hovered above Seoul.
“Probably sleeping.”
* * *
The event was over, but Yoo Baek-jun remained in the demon world instead of returning to the surface.
The reason was simple.
He had to hunt down any remaining demons, and by the time he finished, he had collapsed unconscious.
“Ugh, ughhh……”
Yoo Baek-jun groaned in pain inside the temple for an entire day. The injuries he sustained from demonic energy had been healed by the artifact’s effects, but the aftereffects lingered.
And when he opened his eyes—
[You have completed the quest ‘I saw a Demon.’ You have been rewarded with 500P, and your rank as a Demon Hunter has increased by one level!]
[You have completed the quest ‘Survivor of the Apocalypse.’ You have been rewarded with 500P, and all your stats have significantly increased!]
System messages appeared.
The first to show were the quest completion notices. But the messages didn’t end there.
[Achievements Unlocked: ‘Are You the Legion Commander?’ and ‘Savior of Seoul.’]
[‘Are You the Legion Commander?’: You have killed roughly half of the legion commanders during the demon invasion.]
[‘Savior of Seoul’: You overcame the demon invasion with relatively minimal casualties.]
[You have been rewarded with 600P, an A-rank skill selection ticket, and a B-rank trait enhancement ticket.]
“Wow!”
He couldn’t hold back his admiration.
He had earned 1,600P in one go. With this, his total points now amounted to 2,500P—enough to learn an A+-rank skill or trait if he pushed it.
“All that effort paid off.”
Yoo Baek-jun grunted as he got up.
His body still felt heavy. Looking around, he saw the bleak interior of the room.
When he stepped outside, Han Seong-ah was waiting.
“You’re awake?”
“Yeah, how long was I out?”
“Just a day.”
“Anything happen while I was gone? Like, my brother returning from his expedition or something.”
“No, nothing.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh of relief.
It was about time for Yoo Tae-rang to return. He had hoped his brother wouldn’t arrive while he was unconscious, and thankfully, that was the case.
“What’s the situation outside? I’ll listen on the way.”
“Seoul is still in cleanup mode. They’re hunting down any remaining hidden demons. Reconstruction will probably come after that.”
“Reconstruction, huh. Will it be profitable?”
“I heard the damage is substantial.”
Yoo Baek-jun checked the news on his phone.
“Hmm, trillions in damages. The cost to rebuild will be huge.”
“I suppose so.”
Add to that the compensation for the hunters, and both the government and the association would be feeling the strain.
“Young Master, by the way, Chae Jeong-jun from the Hunter Association asked to meet you when you’re available.”
“Chae Jeong-jun? Why?”
“He said he’s completed the task you assigned him last time. And the President wants to see you……”
“Oh? Then I should go right away.”
Yoo Baek-jun walked through the demon world.
It was a desolate place. The only color was a dull gray, making it seem even bleaker.
But to him—
‘It looks like a goldmine. It really does.’
The wealth hidden here was staggering.
Yoo Baek-jun reached the edge of the demon world.
And saw the ruined city.
“Even after trying our best to protect it, it still ended up like this.”
They had held out well while the barrier was up, but the aftermath was the problem.
The final, indiscriminate bombardment had devastated the city.
At least civilian casualties had been minimized.
“Still, civilian casualties were kept to a minimum. Hunter casualties, however, were quite high……”
Civilian deaths were in the hundreds—so low that the media called it a miracle.
One might argue how it could be a miracle when people still died, but in a situation where tens of thousands of monsters had invaded, that level of damage was indeed miraculous.
“Hmm… Make sure to take extra care of the bereaved families during the aftermath. It won’t console them, but we should do everything we can.”
“Ah, yes.”
Han Seong-ah looked slightly surprised.
She hadn’t expected him to personally concern himself with such details.
‘I didn’t think he’d consider things like this.’
It was a quality that set him apart from other heirs.
Han Seong-ah wasn’t sure if this trait would help him when he became the family head, but she liked this side of Yoo Baek-jun.
“Well, this isn’t bad.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
There were regrets, but overall, he was satisfied with how they had handled the crisis. And he had unlocked achievements too.
“Ah, what about Mephisto?”
“We killed him. We handed the head to the government, and the body is currently being processed. The items are in your pouch.”
“Good job.”
The Treasure Keeper’s Pouch.
He’d have to check its contents when he had time.
“Young Master, Chae Jeong-jun says he wants to meet right away. What should we do?”
“Might as well go now.”
Yoo Baek-jun decided to head to the Hunter Association.
Currently, travel between the demon world and the surface was done using flight magic scrolls.
He slowly descended to Seoul.
“It’s crowded.”
The area outside the association was packed, with people receiving treatment and supplies being distributed.
Some of them recognized Yoo Baek-jun.
“Is that him?”
“Yeah, that’s Yoo Baek-jun, right…?”
“The heir of the Sword Saint Family?”
Whispers spread among those who recognized him.
Previously, no one would have known him, but in just a day, the situation had changed drastically.
He had become a hot topic online—whether through articles or other means.
“I heard your face was uploaded on that ‘ViewTube’ thing. Should we take it down?”
“No, leave it. It’s helpful.”
“Is it?”
Han Seong-ah tilted her head in confusion, but it was indeed helpful.
A nearby journalist had been filming Yoo Baek-jun and even captured him using the Chalice of the Saint King.
And then uploaded it to ViewTube.
‘Since the broadcast stations in Seoul are down.’
With no way to air the news, they had hastily uploaded it online instead.
Normally, news related to the Sword Saint Family couldn’t be posted without permission.
A surprise upload. Under normal circumstances, they would’ve demanded its removal, but…
‘It’s time to make my name known.’
There was no need for that. His name was already in the articles anyway.
Yoo Baek-jun moved on. Soldiers were working together to gather the demons’ corpses.
“Yoo Baek-jun!”
As he glanced at the scene and headed into the association, Chae Jeong-jun came running from afar.
“Huff, huff… You’re here.”
“Yeah, you look busy.”
“Haha, I really am.”
Chae Jeong-jun greeted him with a tired smile. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he had pulled an all-nighter.
“How’s the damage situation?”
“The city’s damage is… well, as you can see. Civilian casualties are low, but hunter casualties are higher than expected. Thanks to those so-called legion commanders.”
“Make sure the compensation is generous.”
“Yes, we plan to.”
Yoo Baek-jun entered the association building with Chae Jeong-jun. They waited for the elevator together.
“What happened to the association chairman?”
“Well, just as you predicted, he tried to flee as soon as the crisis ended. We had people ready to arrest him.”
“He must be panicking.”
“His position is basically up in flames. The Blue House is in an uproar. Once this all settles, he probably won’t be able to keep his post.”
“Because you’re planning to make sure of it.”
Chae Jeong-jun smiled quietly.
Once things settled, they intended to use the media to tear apart the chairman and his faction.
The two reached the top floor of the association.
“Familiar place.”
“Yes, you’ve been here before.”
They arrived at the conference room where Yoo Baek-jun had met the chairman last time.
He glanced around.
“Hmm.”
“Young Master, there are many people around. Especially those hiding……”
“Yeah, something felt off.”
Han Seong-ah whispered to him.
Aside from the bodyguards stationed in the conference room, there were others hiding and watching.
“It’s understandable. Let’s go in.”
“No, you’re going in alone. I have somewhere else to be.”
“Oh? Then I guess I have no choice.”
Yoo Baek-jun left Han Seong-ah in the hallway and entered the conference room alone.
The silence inside was suffocating.
A middle-aged man sat there. And beside him, an elderly man.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Yoo Baek-jun. I’m Jeon Byeong-woo. Do you recognize me?”
“Hard not to.”
Jeon Byeong-woo. The Presidential Chief of Staff.
Anyone who watched the news would recognize him. Yoo Baek-jun knew him more from game characters than the news, though.
“And the person next to you is also hard not to recognize.”
“Kuh…!”
The Chairman of the Hunter Association, Kang Byeong-jo.
He sat beside Jeon Byeong-woo with an expression like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Yoo Baek-jun ignored Kang Byeong-jo for now.
“I heard the president wanted to see me.”
“Yes, apologies, but given the current situation… He couldn’t come due to urgent matters.”
“That’s a shame.”
Yoo Baek-jun took a seat.
“So……”
Tea and refreshments were prepared on the table. He picked up a teacup.
“What did you call me here for?”
“…….”
The atmosphere shifted.
