I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 12.
At first, it seemed like Yoo Kang-ho was overwhelmingly pushing Yoo Baek-jun back.
So, everyone thought the sparring would end like that.
The youngest young master, who had been ignored all his life, had briefly strayed, and now he would pay the price.
“Aura!”
But that wasn’t the case.
Ja-yeon, who had been watching the sparring, abruptly stood up from her seat. Her face was filled with astonishment.
She couldn’t help it.
“He mastered Aura after just a week of training? And without anyone’s guidance?”
“No, I heard Han Seong-ah assisted him. But she didn’t teach him martial arts. Only mind techniques and light footwork.”
In reality, Yoo Baek-jun had used the Three Disasters Fist Technique. He had added a few skills to it, though.
“So, no one taught him martial arts. He learned it on his own, yet that’s the level of power he displayed.”
“Is such a thing even possible…?”
Jeon Dae-kwon and Lee Gun-mo let out sighs.
All the grand masters present had taught Yoo Baek-jun at some point in his childhood.
That’s why they knew. They knew he had absolutely no talent for martial arts and had never properly trained until now.
“A week….”
Even if Han Seong-ah’s training had helped, it was far too little time to defeat Yoo Kang-ho.
“Lady Yoo Jung-yeon, did Yoo Baek-jun train separately or anything like that?”
“If he had, he wouldn’t have been so pathetic until now. I had people watching him—there was nothing.”
Yoo Jung-yeon bit her finger nervously.
She couldn’t understand what had just happened, but if what she had seen was true, then Yoo Baek-jun might possess a talent different from what everyone had assumed.
‘A genius? No, is that even possible for a genius? It’s absurd. He had no talent at all. We have tried everything since he was a child….’
Besides, if that were the case, Father would have known.
Yoo Jung-yeon glanced at Yoo Moo-hak. He was smiling, as if amused.
“The sparring is over.”
He rose from his seat.
“Tell Yoo Baek-jun to come to my room.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Yoo Moo-hak left the training hall.
Those who remained watched his retreating figure before turning their attention back to the training grounds.
To where Yoo Baek-jun and the fallen Yoo Kang-ho were.
* * *
The sparring had ended.
The attendants immediately took Yoo Kang-ho to the infirmary where Joo Jung-won, the pharmacist, was waiting.
“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”
Han Seong-ah greeted Yoo Baek-jun and handed him black robe. As he put it on, he felt a warm energy emanating from it.
“I thought you’d get hurt, but you won without a single injury. Truly… amazing.”
Yoo Baek-jun looked at Han Seong-ah. Her expression was one of genuine admiration.
‘At this rate, she might even agree if I ask her to become my personal instructor.’
If they showed a favorable impression, wouldn’t it be pretty high? That’s what I thought.
“…The family head has summoned you.”
A servant interrupted the two of them and delivered the message. Yoo Baek-jun recalled the upcoming event.
‘He’ll probably ask me which grand master I want to choose. But ending it just like that would be a bit underwhelming.’
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Yoo Kang-ho, who was being carried away.
Having been utterly crushed by the youngest after just a week of training, his standing in the family would surely suffer.
There would be more to take from him.
‘Should I try what I did before?’
As Yoo Baek-jun followed the servants, he noticed a message appearing before his eyes.
―You have completed the quest [You’ve become the family’s troublemaker.] As a reward, you receive 300P, and the proficiency of the Book of the Martial God Has improved!
He couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
[Book of the Martial God (EX, 2★)]
―A Book left behind by one who ascended to the ranks of the gods in the realm of martial arts at the end of their life.
―It records all martial arts that exist in this world, and any newly created martial arts are automatically recorded by an unknown power.
Points are awarded based on quests or the owner’s actions.
Points can be spent to learn skills recorded in the Book of the Martial God.
Points can be spent to acquire traits.
Traits.
In other words, something akin to a person’s innate talents.
Once the Book of the Martial God reaches 2★ proficiency, it becomes possible to use the Book to acquire such traits.
‘I’m not sure how to obtain them, though.’
Thinking back to when he first received the Book of the Martial God, it had granted him the trait Heavenly Martial Body.
Perhaps, as martial arts are recorded in the Book, the traits of those who practiced them are also recorded.
That was roughly his guess for now.
‘There’s still much about the Book of the Martial God that remains unknown.’
The same was true for the Martial God who had once owned it. Both were shrouded in mystery even within the game.
He still didn’t understand the principles behind it.
Even Yoo Baek-jun, who had played the game countless times, was no exception.
‘The problem is that these traits are quite expensive.’
Yoo Baek-jun fell into brief thought.
In Heroes Road, event triggers often had conditions like ‘must possess a certain trait.’
‘When such events occur, the traits usually get enhanced, or you receive other rewards.’
So, it was important to learn traits that could trigger events.
And as someone who had been a hardcore player of the game,
“I’m not confident, not confident at all.”
There was no way he wouldn’t know that.
Yoo Baek-jun chuckled to himself as he headed to the family head’s room—where his father, Yoo Moo-hak, would be waiting.
***
Yoo Moo-hak’s room was arranged like a royal court.
The spacious room was adorned with luxurious decorations reminiscent of an ancient throne
room, complete with a jade throne in the center.
On either side, the grand masters, Yoo Moo-hak, and Yoo Kang-ho’s attendants stood waiting.
‘Unnecessarily extravagant.’
Yoo Moo-hak hadn’t designed it this way. It had always been like this since ancient times, and he had simply maintained it.
Since it was also used to receive outsiders, a certain level of grandeur was necessary.
“…….”
Yoo Moo-hak sat on the jade throne.
In front of him sat Yoo Baek-jun. The two silently observed each other without a word.
“You said you wanted to learn martial arts.”
How much time had passed?
Yoo Moo-hak was the first to break the silence.
“Yes, I wish to learn from the grand masters.”
“In this family, only those with the most outstanding talent are allowed to learn martial arts from the grand masters.”
Yoo Moo-hak spoke bluntly, his expression unreadable as he looked down at Yoo Baek-jun.
“Are you saying you possess talent of that level?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
“Y-Yoo Baek-jun, sir…!”
One of the attendants watching stammered in shock.
Speaking so boldly to Yoo Moo-hak, the family’s absolute authority, was unthinkable.
But Yoo Moo-hak didn’t seem to mind much.
“Hmm.”
If anything, he seemed pleased.
“You cannot train under all the grand masters. But I will allow you to choose one.”
“So, I must choose only one.”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the grand masters beside him.
Ja-yeon, Cheon Jong-won, Jeon Dae-kwon, Lee Gun-mo. Among them, three already had successors they supported.
‘And to trigger that event….’
There was only ever one choice from the beginning, and he had always intended to choose that person.
“I choose GrandMaster Ja-yeon.”
“Ja-yeon, is it? What do you think?”
“…….”
Ja-yeon had closed her eyes.
Not even the patriarch could command a grand master to teach a disciple.
Teaching depended on the will of the Grand Master in question. If Ja-yeon refused, that was the end of it.
‘Ja-yeon… never taught any of the other successors. The only exception was Yoo Tae-rang.’
Even then, she only taught him a bit of swordsmanship.
Rather than teaching successors, she preferred instructing promising masters or trainees.
Perhaps it was because she herself wanted no part in the successor disputes.
“Before that, one thing.”
Ja-yeon rose from her seat. With silent footsteps, she stood behind Yoo Baek-jun’s back.
“There’s something I’d like to confirm. Young Master Yoo Baek-jun, may I have a moment?”
“Of course.”
Ja-yeon reached out her hand.
Her fingers touched Yoo Baek-jun’s shoulder, and her magical power seeped into his body.
The power circulated throughout his entire form, as if mapping out his physical structure.
“Hmm…….”
Ja-yeon let out a hum of admiration.
She couldn’t help it.
“…It’s perfect.”
“Grand Master Ja-yeon, what do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as I said. A flawless physique.”
Those watching let out sighs of astonishment.
Among the Grand Masters, Ja-yeon was known to be the most selective when it came to judging talent.
For her to call someone perfect was unheard of.
“So, Ja-yeon. What will you do?”
“…….”
Yoo Moo-hak asked again.
Ja-yeon closed her eyes and sank deep into thought.
“I refused before because I disliked the complications that came with teaching a successor.”
“I know. I respected your decision.”
“Yes. But… this time, I have no choice but to abandon that stance.”
Ja-yeon nodded slowly.
“I’ll teach him once.”
“Do as you wish.”
Yoo Moo-hak closed his eyes.
“Now, everyone, leave us.”
“…One more thing.”
Just as the discussion was about to conclude, Yoo Baek-jun, who had been quietly listening, interjected.
“There’s something I’d like to request.”
“What is it? Speak.”
“I’d like to use the family’s assets.”
The attendants nearby were taken aback.
Yoo Tae-rang, Yoo Jung-yeon, Yoo Kang-ho, and Yoo Min—all four of them had unrestricted access to the family’s wealth.
But Yoo Baek-jun did not.
He had already given up his claim in the past and was treated as a half-discarded child, so he wasn’t granted the authority to use the family’s resources.
‘They only gave him enough to survive.’
The old Yoo Baek-jun would have been content living on that meager allowance.
But the current Yoo Baek-jun was different.
‘I have too many uses for money.’
Soon, he would need to venture into society and secure certain things. Money would be necessary for that, and the more he had, the better.
“Money, you say.”
Yoo Moo-hak nodded without hesitation.
“Strip Yoo Kang-ho of all his assets and give them to Yoo Baek-jun. And until Yoo Kang-ho comes to his senses, he is forbidden from using the family’s wealth.”
“G-Grand Patriarch! That punishment is too harsh……!”
“What’s so harsh about it?”
Yoo Moo-hak glanced at the flustered attendant—the same one who had mocked Yoo Baek-jun alongside Yoo Kang-ho earlier.
“I don’t care if someone acts like a ruffian in their personal life. But neglecting their training because of it is unforgivable.”
“Y-Yes…….”
“You were one of Yoo Kang-ho’s close attendants. Tell me, did he train diligently?”
The attendant hesitated, unable to answer properly. Yoo Moo-hak’s expression grew colder.
“H-He did not.”
“I let him run wild because I had a reason. Do you know why?”
“I… don’t know.”
“Because he had talent.”
Thud!
Yoo Moo-hak stomped his foot.
“But if he doesn’t put in the effort to hone that talent, if he doesn’t possess the skill to match it, then he is nothing in this family!”
“T-Then what will happen to Yoo Kang-ho……?”
“He has talent, so if he wakes up and trains properly, I’ll give him another chance.”
Yoo Moo-hak shook his head.
“If not, he’ll be cast aside. There’s no place for the weak in this family!”
“U-Understood…….”
The attendant retreated with a somber expression.
Yoo Moo-hak stood from his seat.
“Everyone but Ja-yeon, leave us.”
And with that, the discussion ended.
***
The room was now empty save for two. Yoo Moo-hak stood by the window, gazing at the snow falling outside.
Behind him, Ja-yeon sat alone, sipping tea with her eyes closed.
A quiet moment passed.
“Well?”
Yoo Moo-hak was the one to break the silence.
Ja-yeon opened one eye and looked at his back.
“Youngest Master, you mean?”
“Yes. Among the Grand Masters, you were always the most selective when it came to talent. What did you think of Yoo Baek-jun?”
“Hmm.”
Ja-yeon recalled Yoo Baek-jun’s physique.
Even now, just thinking about it made her want to sigh in admiration. How could she describe it?
“It was a body bestowed by the heavens.”
“Oh? Bestowed by the heavens?”
“Yes. A body and talent seemingly gifted by the heavens for martial arts. I can’t think of any other way to describe his abilities.”
His bone structure, muscles, physical composition, the flow of his magical energy, even the size of his dantian—
It was unbelievably perfect.
She had encountered countless prodigies in her lifetime, but none could compare to Yoo Baek-jun.
In fact, perhaps…
‘Only one person could rival him.’
Ja-yeon swallowed the words before they could escape.
“Interesting. I’ve watched Yoo Baek-jun since he was a child. For years, I observed him, and he showed no talent whatsoever.”
“That’s correct. I judged the same way.”
“And now, you’re saying he possesses talent so exceptional that even you are impressed?”
That was the puzzling part.
Yoo Baek-jun’s lack of talent had been proven over a long period. The family had tried relentlessly to train him in martial arts, to no avail.
“…I don’t know. But Grand Patriarch, when was the last time you saw Yoo Baek-jun?”
“Months ago… no, perhaps over a year.”
“Could something have changed in that year? And recently, he left the estate and didn’t return for several days.”
Yoo Moo-hak nodded slowly.
“So you’re suggesting something happened during that time.”
“That’s the only explanation I can think of.”
Yoo Moo-hak closed his eyes.
He had discovered unexpected talent in a son he had long given up on. Not just talent—perhaps the most extraordinary potential among all his children.
The successor hierarchy had already been mostly decided.
“How should we handle this new development…?”
Yoo Moo-hak exhaled deeply.
“Interesting. When did Yoo Tae-rang say he’d return?”
“Two months. By now, about a month and a half remains. He should be conquering a gate right now.”
“I see.”
Ja-yeon finished the last of her tea and waited for Yoo Moo-hak to speak.
“The Sword Saint Family operates on survival of the fittest. The successor dispute isn’t over yet.”
“Are you saying you’ll give Yoo Baek-jun a chance…?”
“If he proves his own worth.”
Yoo Moo-hak laughed aloud.
“This will be entertaining.”
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled outside.
As if foretelling the future of the Sword Saint Family.
