I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 102

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 102.  

Yoo Baek-jun, who had gone downstairs, headed to a place called the Magical Engineering Division.  

After obtaining permission from the professor in charge, he began rummaging through the storage of the Magical Engineering Division.  

“It should be around here somewhere……”  

Rustle, rustle.  

Yoo Baek-jun continued searching through the disorganized storage.  

—Growl!  

“Hmm……”  

—Kyow! Mnomnom.  

“Mmm……”  

Then, he heard sounds behind him.  

The sound of Seol-yeong happily munching on something and Jin Seo-yeon watching it with a pleased expression.  

Yoo Baek-jun glanced back.  

“Hey, you two. If you’re gonna play, go outside.”  

“So cute, so cute.”  

—Nomnomnom.  

Jin Seo-yeon had Seol-yeong on her lap and was feeding it some snacks, though it was unclear where she had gotten them.  

Seol-yeong wagged its tail excitedly.  

‘It’s completely tamed by food.’  

Yoo Baek-jun sighed as he pulled out a few items from the storage.  

Jin Seo-yeon noticed and showed interest.  

“Magical weapons? What are you planning to use those for?”  

“Just in case they might be helpful.”  

“They must be heavy.”  

What Yoo Baek-jun had picked out were turret-style magical weapons. 

They were weapons that fired magic bullets when enemies got too close.  

They were somewhat outdated and not commonly used, but they had the advantage of being easy to carry—except for their weight.  

Whoosh.  

He gathered several and stored them in his subspace.  

The subspace creature seemed delighted at the prospect of eating something big, opening its mouth wide.  

“I’ve been curious for a while—what is that subspace? It seems like a living creature.”  

“I got it while exploring ruins. It’s an artificial lifeform, so yeah, it’s technically alive.”  

“Hmm, want to eat this too?”  

—Baek-joo human!  

Jin Seo-yeon, who had lost interest, was about to feed Seol-yeong again when her eyes widened in surprise.  

The little creature had spoken.  

“It can talk now?”  

“Yeah, I heard Han Seong-ah taught her.”  

“She… beat me to it……”  

—Baek-joo!  

Jin Seo-yeon bit her lip in frustration.  

Regardless, Seol-yeong wriggled out of her arms and climbed onto Yoo Baek-jun’s back.  

“Get down, you little brat……”  

Seol-yeong purred and ignored him. Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue and glanced at Jin Seo-yeon.  

She still looked upset.  

“What, did you want to teach it?”  

“…I was planning to. I heard spirit beasts have incredible intelligence, so I even prepared a customized curriculum.”  

Jin Seo-yeon shot him a glare.  

“And you didn’t stop her?”  

“You’re blaming me for this?”  

The absurdity of the situation was baffling.  

Yoo Baek-jun quickly gathered what he needed.  

“Oh dear, the storage is a mess now.”  

An elderly mage entered, took one look at the storage, and burst into a hearty laugh.  

He was a kindly old man with a gentle demeanor.  

“Sorry, Navid. This guy just helped himself……”  

“And now it’s my fault again?”  

“Well, it is your fault.”  

“I guess so.”  

Navid watched their bickering with an amused smile, like a grandfather doting on his grandchildren.  

“But it’s a bit strange. Isn’t this your first time visiting the Magic Tower? You seem to know it better than I do.”  

“Well, you know……”  

Yoo Baek-jun hesitated.  

How could he explain that he knew because he had played as her? He had no choice but to deflect.  

“Since you’re heading into the World Tree, it might be dangerous, so take these with you. They’ll help.”  

“Thanks, Navid.”  

Navid handed him potions, scrolls, and magic stones. They would definitely come in handy.  

After gathering everything they needed, Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon left the storage. As they walked down the hallway, they saw a man approaching from the opposite direction.  

“Oh my, young lady. Where are you off to?”  

A man with long golden hair and a perpetually warm smile, much like Navid.  

He was the professor in charge of Ice Magic.  

His name was… Harun, if Yoo Baek-jun remembered correctly.  

“Harun, we have business at the World Tree.”  

“Ah, the cleaning, I assume. You’re late this time.”  

“Just… been busy.”  

Jin Seo-yeon’s expression was blank as she looked at Harun, but he paid no mind and smiled warmly.  

His gaze shifted to Yoo Baek-jun.  

“Ah, and the person next to you is……”  

“Yoo Baek-jun.”  

“As I thought. I met you once when you were young. Back then, I was just a student.”  

“Did we? I don’t remember.”  

“That’s understandable.”  

Harun laughed heartily.  

“And lately, your reputation has been quite impressive. Even someone like me, holed up in the library, has heard of your exploits in Seoul.”  

“Really? I’ll try to tone it down from now on.”  

“No need to go that far.”  

Harun was exceedingly gentle, but Yoo Baek-jun’s tone was curt.  

Sensing this, Harun took a step back.  

“I suppose I’ve been keeping the two of you unnecessarily. Be careful.”  

Then he smiled meaningfully.  

“…Who knows what might happen?”  

“Yeah.”  

Harun left first.  

Shortly after, students studying Ice Magic approached him for advice.  

“Seems popular with the students.”  

“Yeah, they say he’s kind and a good teacher.”  

He seemed like the type of professor everyone liked. Despite that, Jin Seo-yeon’s expression wasn’t exactly pleased.  

“I don’t know why, but that guy rubs me the wrong way.”  

“You’ve got good instincts.”  

“Huh?”  

“No, it’s nothing.”  

Of course she’d feel that way.  

That man, Harun, was like a stumbling block in Jin Seo-yeon’s path.  

“Hmm……”  

Naturally, there were factions within the Magic Tower.  

Those who supported the current Tower Master, Jin Baek-cheon. Those who supported his successor, Jin Seo-yeon.  

These two groups weren’t much of a problem. They’d naturally side with Jin Seo-yeon eventually.  

The problem was—  

‘There’s someone who refuses to acknowledge either Jin Baek-cheon or Jin Seo-yeon and wants to become the Tower Master himself.’  

And the faction supporting him.  

Jin Seo-yeon was probably completely unaware that this faction was growing in power.  

‘Yeah, that bastard…’  

No point hiding it.  

Harun—that bastard and his faction were the primary cause of the <Fall of the Magic Tower>.  

The event that would corrupt Jin Seo-yeon.  

‘I should either deal with him in advance or come up with a plan.’  

Despite his harmless appearance and gentle demeanor, he was anything but.  

A sinister, snake-like man. He’d even ally with villains to achieve his goals.  

‘The Staggler.’  

A name he hadn’t heard since the auction two months ago. That bastard and a few other villains were plotting to overthrow the Magic Tower.  

He needed to deal with them before that happened.  

Fortunately, his relationship with the Magic Tower was smooth, and he was on good terms with both Jin Baek-cheon and Jin Seo-yeon.  

If he wanted to act, he probably could.  

“Sigh……”  

“Why are you sighing like that?”  

Just thinking about the work ahead made him sigh involuntarily. Jin Seo-yeon tilted her head as she looked at him.  

Seeing that made him sigh again.  

“Why am I so busy?”  

“Huh?”  

“I just want to live an easy life, Seo-yeon.”

“…What?”

He meant every word.  

* * *  

Once their preparations were complete, Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon headed straight for the World Tree.  

Han Seong-ah excused herself and bowed out.  

—I’m not the quickest to catch on, but I think it’s better if I don’t intrude…  

She said before leaving.  

Even when they went to the Magical Engineering Division, she excused herself to the bathroom and never came back. It was her way of being considerate.  

A pointless consideration, though.  

“It’s huge, so huge.”  

Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the World Tree.  

It dwarfed even the most famous ancient trees on Earth—truly overwhelming.  

“This is the entrance.”  

Jin Seo-yeon pointed to a small hole in the World Tree.  

It was just large enough for a person to pass through, but given the tree’s colossal size, it seemed tiny.  

“Ah, this refreshing air.”  

As they squeezed inside, the air was so crisp it felt like their noses had been cleared.  

Unsurprisingly, the interior of the World Tree was entirely made of wood, with a long passageway stretching ahead.  

“So, what do we do now?”  

“Watch closely.”  

Jin Seo-yeon focused her mind and suddenly unleashed an enormous amount of magical energy.  

A brilliant blue light radiated from her.  

“Just walk straight down the passageway while maintaining this state. As we go…”  

She jerked her chin forward.  

The wide passageway branched into numerous smaller paths, and from them, monsters emerged as if drawn by something.  

—Grrrr……  

—Growllll……  

They were wolf-like monsters.  

The difference was that their bodies were pure white, as if formed from condensed gas.  

Oddly, they kept sniffing the air.  

“Monsters like that, shaped by magical energy, will appear. All we have to do is deal with them.”  

“Easy.”  

Though he already knew, Yoo Baek-jun acted as if it were his first time hearing it. He gripped his sword.  

The wolves poured out from every passage, and soon their numbers had grown significantly.  

“…….”  

—Grrrr……  

The tension was palpable.  

Yoo Baek-jun steadied his breathing and prepared to charge—  

—Kyarrgh!  

Or at least, he tried to.  

Then, something unexpected happened.  

Seol-yeong, who had been quietly nestled in Yoo Baek-jun’s arms, suddenly leaped out.  

It dashed toward the wolves like lightning and swung its front paws.  

—Crrack!  

The wolf’s head caved in under its blow, dissolving into magical energy and vanishing.  

Seol-yeong let out a mighty roar and began dispatching the surrounding wolves in the same way.  

—Growl!  

—Craack!  

—Kyoww!  

—Squish!  

One precise strike to the head each.  

The wolves let out pitiful screams before their heads caved in and they disappeared.  

‘Quiet, please!’ For some reason, that phrase came to mind.  

“Wait, that little brat hit me with those paws?”  

Yoo Baek-jun stood frozen, dumbfounded.  

That absurdly powerful paw had been used to smack him around. No wonder it hurt so much.  

“Yoo Baek-jun, what are you doing? Hurry up and help!”  

“Help? With that?”  

He pointed at Seol-yeong.  

It was darting between the wolves, cracking skulls left and right—why worry?  

“What if it gets hurt?”  

“Are you its parent or something?”  

Seol-yeong’s was related to a spirit beast that once ruled Seoraksan Mountain. There was no way Seol-yeong, inheriting its bloodline, would be weak.  

‘Is it about time to head to the Spirit Realm?’  

There were things to gain by going there and meeting Seol-ho—including an event to power up Seol-yeong.  

“Hmm……”  

—Kyaff!  

While Yoo Baek-jun was lost in thought, Seol-yeong, having finished off the wolves, trotted back.  

It puffed out its chest proudly, looking utterly ridiculous.  

“Did you have fun?”  

—Grrr.  

“Want to come back in, or keep walking?”  

Yoo Baek-jun tugged at his clothes, but Seol-yeong turned its head away stubbornly.  

It wanted to walk on its own.  

“Good. You were heavy anyway.”  

—Kyarrgh!  

Seol-yeong kicked Yoo Baek-jun’s leg repeatedly. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he turned to Jin Seo-yeon.  

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”  

“Oh, right.”  

Jin Seo-yeon, who had been staring blankly at Seol-yeong, finally snapped out of it. 

She seemed stunned by the little creature’s unexpected combat skills.  

“Anyway, this is how it’s done, right?”  

“…Yeah, it’s not too difficult.”  

The World Tree attracted souls.  

Souls drawn by its immense magical power gathered here, particularly those of beasts.  

These souls took form through the power of magic, manifesting as monsters.  

They were essentially monsters in the form of spirits.  

“Because of that, they have strong resistance to magic. Meaning spells don’t work well on them.”  

“Then we’ll just have to beat them up. Like Seol-yeong did.”  

Yoo Baek-jun cracked his knuckles.  

“If we follow this path, we’ll reach the top of the World Tree. That’s where it ends.”  

“Got it.”  

Once they reached the top, all the monsters inside the World Tree would be dealt with.  

At least, that’s how it was supposed to be.  

‘Not this time.’  

The boss monster that would appear at the end.  

Yoo Baek-jun had come prepared to deal with it.