I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 14.
Ja-yeon took a deep breath in the center of the training grounds.
The disciples and instructors stopped their training to watch what she was about to demonstrate.
“What is she going to show us?”
“It’s a martial arts technique. It won’t be of much help to you.”
“A martial arts technique? Why suddenly…?”
The disciples’ gazes turned toward Yoo Baek-jun, who was watching from the corner of the grounds.
If there was any reason for her to suddenly demonstrate a martial arts technique, it could only be because of him.
“I heard he recently defeated Yoo Kang-ho in a sparring match. Is that true?”
“It wasn’t just a simple defeat, from what I heard. They said he used martial arts combined with magical power to completely crush him.”
“And that Yoo Kang-ho lost all will to fight… He’s not someone who would lose so easily.”
Though Yoo Baek-jun had defeated Yoo Kang-ho not long ago, the disciples still seemed skeptical.
It was only natural.
‘The only witnesses were the grandmaster and his family. Han Seong-ah was there, but she’s not the type to go around talking about it.’
Though rumors had spread, since only a few had actually seen it, the story hadn’t fully circulated.
Those who heard about it didn’t believe it since they hadn’t witnessed it themselves.
‘If they don’t believe me, I’ll just have to make them believe.’
He needed to improve his image within the family. Yoo Baek-jun gave a slight nod.
“Then, I’ll prove it.”
Ja-yeon slowly began to move.
Kwoong!
She stomped the ground with all her might.
The ground caved in slightly as magical power spread outward from her feet.
Hwoop!
Ja-yeon took a deep breath.
Swoosh!
Wind gathered.
The magical power that had spread out transformed into wind, wrapping around her body.
The wind increased her speed.
Ja-yeon kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
“Haaah!”
Twisting her waist sharply, she thrust her right arm back with all her strength.
Oooong!
An immense amount of energy gathered at her fingertips.
Just as the training dummy came within reach….
Swiik!
She swung her fist in a wide arc.
With a thunderous roar, her fist shot forward like a comet, striking the dummy square in the face.
The power at her fingertips exploded. The released magical power took the shape of a dragon before detonating.
BOOM!
A single strike.
The sheer force of the punch obliterated the dummy’s face. And that wasn’t all—the resulting explosion tore through its torso as well.
Hoo!
Ja-yeon exhaled deeply.
“This is the first technique I know. The secret book calls it ‘Heavenly Destruction.’”
“The name certainly matches its devastating power.”
“Yes. The magical power consumption is extreme, so I’m not sure if the young master can handle it yet.”
It wasn’t a dismissive remark but a concerned one.
Yoo Baek-jun, with a serious expression, asked to see the next technique.
Ja-yeon gestured to the instructors, and soon, multiple magical training dummies appeared in the grounds.
“These magical dummies can also attack. To be precise, they fire magical energy orbs.”
BANG!
With a sound like a gunshot, one of the dummies launched an energy orb.
The orb embedded itself into the wall before exploding faintly.
“We’ve minimized the lethality, so it won’t cause injury, but it’ll sting quite a bit if you get hit.”
“So, you brought all these out because…?”
“It’s for the next technique I’m about to show you.”
Magical power swirled in Ja-yeon’s palm.
Like a blue shield, the power enveloped her hand as she began to move it slowly.
“Have them all attack.”
Ja-yeon issued the command softly.
At once, the dummies unleashed a barrage of energy orbs toward her—dozens of them.
Even if they weren’t lethal, being hit by that many would definitely be more than just a sting.
“Hmm…”
The orbs closed in at terrifying speed.
Then, Ja-yeon began moving her hand in an intricate pattern.
The energy-shielded hand traced a spiral motion through the air.
And when the orbs made contact—
“Ohh…”
The energy orbs that touched her palm vanished.
As if absorbed. The magical power within the orbs lingered in her grasp.
She condensed that energy—
BANG!
—and fired it back at the dummies in the form of a larger orb.
She received the attacks fluidly and returned them in kind.
At a glance, it seemed less impressive than the first technique, but it was actually far more difficult to execute.
“Only someone with exceptional control over magical power could use this.”
“I… don’t think I could do it.”
Unlike the murmuring disciples, Yoo Baek-jun watched with a calm expression.
‘An extremely useful skill. If I learn it now, I’ll be able to use it for a long time.’
Having finished her demonstration, Ja-yeon turned around.
Her eyes met Yoo Baek-jun’s.
“The technique I just showed you is called ‘Counter Return.’ It’s a skill that turns the enemy’s attack back on them.”
“It would be quite useful against mages.”
“I’ve never used it in actual combat, but I imagine it would be. Though deflecting powerful spells might be impossible.”
After witnessing the two techniques, Yoo Baek-jun nodded. They weren’t any different from what he had seen in the game.
Now, Ja-yeon would ask if he had seen them properly.
“Did you see them clearly? What do you think, young master…?”
“Yes, I like them.”
And he also knew exactly what he needed to do next to complete the quest that had just appeared.
“I’d like to try them myself.”
“Hmm, seeing them just once won’t be enough to replicate them properly.”
“I suppose not. But… I think I’ve grasped something, and I’d like to try before I forget.”
“You want to try it out?”
Ja-yeon’s eyes widened.
But only for a moment. She took a few steps back, as if to give him space. If he felt inspired, why stop him?
“Do you think he’ll do well?”
“Hard to say. If he really did defeat Yoo Kang-ho, he must have talent, but even so…”
The disciples around them whispered among themselves.
No matter how talented he was, could he really replicate a martial arts technique after seeing it just once? It would likely be clumsy.
Ja-yeon must have heard them, but she showed no reaction, simply letting it be.
‘Is she trying to pressure him?’
People were watching.
Some would feel intimidated just by that. Maybe this was a test to see if he was that kind of person.
Yoo Baek-jun stood in the center of the training grounds.
‘How do you learn a skill?’
First, training. Whether learning from an expert or practicing alone, intense training eventually leads to mastery.
Right, intense.
‘Why does it have to be intense?’
That was the terrifying nature of the Heavenly Martial Body.
A gift from the heavens—both in talent and physique. Any martial art could be quickly understood and mastered.
‘I see it now.’
The movement of Grandmaster Ja-yeon.
What thoughts guide her movements, how her body moves, down to the motion of her muscles and skeleton.
And even the flow of magical power.
‘There’s nothing I can’t do.’
Yoo Baek-jun twitched his hand toward the instructor.
“From the second technique.”
Though brief, those words were enough. The instructor looked puzzled but turned to where Ja-yeon stood.
She nodded as if giving permission.
Kuuung!
Magical training dummies rose.
There were fewer than when Ja-yeon had performed earlier—perhaps because Yoo Baek-jun was still lacking, or out of concern that he might get hurt.
Uuung!
Magic power gathered.
The dummies formed orbs of magical energy, their muzzles aimed precisely at Yoo Baek-jun.
He counted silently in his mind.
One, two, three.
Taang!
The orbs were fired.
They were quite fast. Watching them fly toward him, Yoo Baek-jun recalled Ja-yeon’s movements from earlier.
How had she moved? The motion of her muscles and bones, the flow of her magic.
“I remember everything vividly.”
And above all.
“I’ve already done this thousands of times.”
Yoo Baek-jun willed his magic to move.
The magic within his body obeyed, but unlike Ja-yeon’s, his was the magic of flames.
“That’s…!”
Whoosh!
A barrier of flames formed in his grasp. He twisted his hand, drawing a spiral.
As the magical orbs reached his palm—
“Ssshh!”
They melted away as if absorbed.
Yoo Baek-jun absorbed the magic. The foreign energy writhed like a wild horse as it entered his body.
Suppressing it, he immediately moved.
“He’s moving right away?”
“Isn’t he reflecting it like Grandmaster Ja-yeon?”
The onlookers murmured in confusion.
Only Ja-yeon watched with wide, shocked eyes.
“Hwoop!”
Yoo Baek-jun took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Whoosh!
The ground caved beneath him, flames spreading in all directions from his feet.
A fiery wind accompanied the blaze.
‘Using the enemy’s magic to make it even stronger.’
The scorching wind wrapped around him as he lowered his stance.
Pwooong!
In an instant, he lunged forward, trailing flames behind him.
Screech!
Twisting his waist mid-charge, he pulled his right arm back with all his might, his fist brimming with blazing fire.
The distance to the dummy closed.
Hwaaaak!
A fierce punch arced through the air.
The dummy shattered under the impact, and the flames gathered in his fist exploded.
“Ooh…!”
“That’s impossible!”
A dragon-shaped burst of fire emerged from his fist, swallowing the dummy whole.
The obliterated dummy burned brightly.
The watching Grandmaster clicked his tongue in disbelief.
‘It’s similar to what Grandmaster Ja-yeon demonstrated… but he’s refined it in his own way.’
Was that even possible?
Not only did he perfectly mimic a martial art he’d just seen, but he also improved upon it?
The instructor’s gaze shifted to Ja-yeon.
“What in the world…?”
Even Ja-yeon was stunned.
‘He’s copying my movements exactly. Not just that—even the way I channeled my magic, down to the last detail.’
The timing of his steps, the twist of his waist, the extension of his arm—even the rhythm of his magic matched hers perfectly.
“Ugh…”
Ja-yeon let out a low groan.
She, too, had once been called a genius.
Yet mastering this technique had taken her an excruciatingly long time.
But Yoo Baek-jun had learned it in a single glance.
‘There’s still room for improvement, but this is already remarkable.’
Their eyes met.
Only then did she notice the murmurs of the disciples, their gazes flickering between her and him.
“I’ve never seen Grandmaster Ja-yeon look so shocked before…”
“Wasn’t Yoo Baek-jun supposed to be talentless? Were all those rumors lies?”
“How should I know?”
Ahem!
Ja-yeon cleared her throat, and the disciples fell silent.
“My apologies. The disciples—”
“It’s fine. I know there’s been plenty of talk about me within the family.”
Yoo Baek-jun brushed it off indifferently.
Ja-yeon coughed awkwardly again.
“…Impressive. To absorb the enemy’s magic and repurpose it for the Heavenly Destruction technique.”
Easier said than done.
Absorbing external magic—especially another’s—and making it his own, then using it on the spot?
The very idea defied logic.
“My magic reserves are still far beneath yours, Grandmaster. I doubted I could execute Heavenly Destruction at your level.”
Yoo Baek-jun answered humbly.
It was only possible thanks to the synergy between his Elemental Manifestation and his Heavenly Martial Body.
“I was just thinking, what if I temporarily draw in external magical power to make up for the lack of my own?”
“The fact that you even thought of such a thing…”
Ja-yeon shook her head in disbelief.
But only for a moment. Soon, her eyes burned with an intensity he’d never seen before.
“I sensed it when we first met, but you truly possess extraordinary talent. I’m not sure how much I’ll even be able to teach you.”
“If you’re willing to teach, I’ll learn anything….”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at a message in the corner of his vision, then smiled faintly.
“….With humility.”
The quest was complete.
