I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 118

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 118.  

The Iron-Cutting Fist was no different from unleashing countless blades of energy.  

Thus, Kim Mok-jun’s state was gruesome.  

His body looked as if it had been slashed all over by a blade. Blood poured endlessly from his entire body.  

“Hahk, hahk!”  

Kim Mok-jun’s blood stained the pure white snow.  

Gasping for breath, he was utterly shocked.  

‘I lost? Me… this overwhelmingly?’  

It was incomprehensible.  

He had used a deadly poison, and yet Yoo Baek-jun appeared completely unharmed.  

‘Don’t tell me he’s mastered something like the Thousand Poisons Immunity?’  

There was no other explanation.  

Yoo Baek-jun’s face showed no signs of being affected by the deadly poison.  

Moreover—  

‘That technique he used at the end.’  

He had unleashed two different fist techniques simultaneously with both hands. An absurd, impossible feat.  

No matter the martial art, when executing a technique, the body moves in a way that maximizes the power of the strike.  

That method varies for each technique.  

‘So even if he forcibly used two techniques at the same time like that…’  

He shouldn’t have been able to unleash their full power.  

Yet, Yoo Baek-jun had ignored that principle and delivered maximum power flawlessly.  

An impossibility. Unthinkable—  

Yes.  

‘Unless he’s the Martial God.’  

Shudder! 

Kim Mok-jun’s body trembled violently as his thoughts reached that point.  

Yoo Baek-jun looked down at him with cold eyes.  

“How many have you killed so far?”  

“What…?”  

“The people of the family.”  

Kim Mok-jun was the one who had carried out all the dirty work under Yoo Tae-rang.  

Including assassinations.  

Those who stood in Yoo Tae-rang’s way to becoming the family head, those who refused his offers.  

He had eliminated them all.  

“Heh, heheh…”  

Kim Mok-jun let out a sneer.  

“Well… I’ve killed so many, I’ve lost count…”  

“Too many to count?”  

“Yeah… If you’re curious, heh, why not try torturing me? Maybe I’ll talk then.”  

A provocative remark.  

It almost sounded like an invitation to take him away and torture him.  

And in truth, it was.  

‘Keeping me alive could be useful.’  

As evidence to expose Yoo Tae-rang’s collusion with villains to kill the family’s successor.  

But—  

‘If I lock this bastard up for interrogation, he’ll escape on his own.’  

He was a man of many talents.  

No matter how secure the prison was, he would find a way to escape.  

It was almost admirable.  

So keeping him captive was pointless.  

“You’re too dangerous to be kept alive.”  

Then the only option was to kill him.  

Yoo Baek-jun grabbed Kim Mok-jun’s neck. Instantly, Kim Mok-jun panicked.  

“W-wait… I, information. Don’t you need information? Your brother, Yoo Tae-rang’s cri—”  

“I don’t need it.”  

“Ghk, ugh!”  

Yoo Baek-jun slowly tightened his grip. He whispered into Kim Mok-jun’s ear.  

“I already know everything.”  

Crunch!  

A horrifying sound of bones breaking echoed. Then, Kim Mok-jun went limp.  

Yoo Baek-jun casually tossed the corpse aside.  

“Huuu…”  

He let out a long sigh, then staggered and grabbed a tree for support.  

“Ugh… The poison’s acting up.”  

It was because of the poison.  

Kim Mok-jun’s unique ability, Silver Thread Control, included the power to generate deadly toxins.  

The poisons were varied and extremely potent. Even an A-rank trait worth 1,500P couldn’t fully resist them.  

“It’s a good thing I killed him when I did.”  

Yoo Baek-jun poured an antidote he had brought into his mouth.  

Given the poison’s severity, it wouldn’t fully cure him.  

But it would buy him time.  

‘As for Peng So-young… she’s probably hiding well.’  

He couldn’t involve her in family affairs.  

Yoo Baek-jun staggered forward. He still had to deal with the remaining Juggernaut guild members.  

They were fighting Min Yi-jae.  

“What the hell…”  

“Th-this monster!”  

Bodies were strewn everywhere.  

All were members of the Juggernaut guild. 

The survivors hesitated, their will to fight broken.  

Seeing this, Ban-yo roared.  

“Fight, you idiots!”  

“B-but!”  

“Don’t you realize you’ll die even if you run?!”  

Ban-yo led the monsters summoned by Puppet to attack Min Yi-jae.  

But it wasn’t easy.  

“Don’t run away!”  

“Kuhhk…!”  

Ban-yo charged, crushing everything in his path, while Min Yi-jae ignored him and relentlessly targeted the guild members.  

Even after destroying all possible hiding spots, the situation didn’t improve.  

No, it worsened.  

Kwaaang!  

“Kehk!”  

A sudden flash of light struck.  

That was all Ban-yo saw before he found himself embedded in a tree.  

“Kuhk, wh-what…?”  

Ban-yo scrambled to his feet.  

Yoo Baek-jun stood right in front of him.  

“Yoo Baek-jun!”  

“Huff!”  

Without a word, Yoo Baek-jun attacked. 

As if he had no intention of listening.  

Which was true.  

“Kuhk, grrk!”  

Ban-yo was pushed back by the relentless barrage.  

As Yoo Baek-jun pummeled him like a sandbag, he felt his body grow lighter.  

A trait had been activated.  

“You… a demon?”  

The Demon Hunter.  

A wicked smile curled on Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.  

“I happen to be exceptionally good at hunting demons.”  

* * *  

And so it was.  

The enhanced A-rank Demon Hunter’s effect was beyond description.  

“Kh, kuhk… Kehk!”  

The proof lay at Yoo Baek-jun’s feet—Ban-yo, groaning in a pitiful state.  

His right arm was torn off, his left arm broken. No joint remained intact.  

“H-how… This can’t be…?”  

Ban-yo muttered in disbelief.  

It wasn’t just the fight. He had been outmatched in physical ability from the start.  

Despite his unique ability to transform into a demon, granting him immense strength.  

“What the hell are y—”  

Crunch!  

Before Ban-yo could finish, Yoo Baek-jun ended his life.  

Listening further would be a waste of time.  

Min Yi-jae approached.  

“What should we do about this woman, Puppet…?”  

“Why ask? Just kill her.”  

“Hmm…”  

Squelch! 

Blood splattered loudly.  

Yoo Baek-jun scanned the surroundings. Not a single Juggernaut guild member remained alive.  

Hitmen who prided themselves on their underworld reputation. Of course, their skills matched their fame.  

‘But compared to them, there are plenty of others who are stronger.’  

To Yoo Baek-jun, they were no major threat. Kim Mok-jun had been trickier.  

“What about the girl who came with us…?”  

“I hid her. We should fetch her now. But first, let’s clean up these… mentally unsettling things.”  

“You mean the corpses…?”  

Min Yi-jae scratched his cheek with the hilt of his dagger, looking troubled.  

“…How?”  

“Not sure.”  

If Kim Mok-jun went missing, Yoo Tae-rang would undoubtedly send investigators. Finding their corpses here would be problematic.  

‘He’d be certain I killed them.’  

He sent them to chase me, and they died. Plus, the corpses bore blade marks.  

Undeniable. 

Yoo Tae-rang would blame me and retaliate.  

‘But if the corpses disappear completely?’  

Suspicion without evidence.  

Yoo Tae-rang wouldn’t act rashly. He’d waste time searching for Kim Mok-jun.  

“Let’s feed them to the beasts.”  

Yoo Baek-jun slung a corpse over his shoulder.  

“This place has plenty of monsters… They’ll take care of the rest…”  

“Right. But just in case, we should keep watch for a day. Can you handle that?”  

“That’s not a problem…”  

“Good.”  

After entrusting the cleanup to Min Yi-jae, Yoo Baek-jun reunited with Peng So-young, who was hiding.  

“Huff, huu!”  

She stood before the corpses of monsters.  

Not the kind native to Mount Seoraksan.  

Likely summoned by Puppet. Min Yi-jae must have missed a few.  

“Hey, are you oka—”  

“See, see! I won!”  

—Urk?  

“Woohoo!”  

As he approached to check on her, Peng So-young suddenly cheered.  

She even hugged Seol-yeong.  

“My body feels light! My magic flows smoothly! I’ve never felt like this in my life…!”  

—Krrr, grrr…  

Peng So-young jumped around excitedly.  

Seol-yeong ’s expression grew increasingly irritated. Worried it might bite, Yoo Baek-jun stepped in.  

“Keep that up, and it’ll bite. It’s got a temper.”  

“Eek! Baek-jun… You saw that?”  

“Yeah, I did. Looked like you were having fun.”  

—Awooo.  

Startled, Peng So-young let go, and Seol-yeong leaped into Yoo Baek-jun’s arms.  

Her face turned bright red.  

“Can you feel the difference in your body now?”  

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect it to be this much. I didn’t realize the Magical blockage was such a severe condition.”  

“I guess so. Ma Un-yeop said it was a miracle you survived this long.”  

Peng So-young nodded.  

“From now on… things will be different.”  

Until now, she had been far from ready—physically and mentally—to lead the Peng family.  

But after this growth event, she would change. And once she grew stronger, she would—  

“This time, I owe you big. I’ll repay you somehow… I swear.”  

“No need. I’m just returning the favor for the Peng family’s help last time.”  

“No, that’s separate. This is personal.”  

She would become a reliable ally.  

Peng So-young spoke firmly, and Yoo Baek-jun pretended to reluctantly nod.  

His true thoughts were different.  

‘If she insists on repaying, whatever.’  

No need to stop her.  

After reuniting with Peng So-young, Yoo Baek-jun helped Min Yi-jae with the cleanup and rested for the night.  

The next day, they returned to the family.  

* * *  

The following evening.  

The first to greet Yoo Baek-jun upon his return was Instructor Han Seong-ah.  

“Young Master, where on earth have you been? You left me behind at the family.”  

“I told you. I had things to do.”  

“Even so, Seoraksan Mountain is a dangerous place. You know that…”  

Well, ‘greeted‘ might not be the right word.  

Han Seong-ah immediately scolded Yoo Baek-jun the moment he returned, clearly displeased at being left behind.  

“I had things to do. Nothing happened, right?”  

“Yes. Someone asked where you went, so I told them as you instructed—that you went with Peng So-young to help her find something.”  

“Good. Who asked?”  

“The captain of the White Sword Unit.”  

The White Sword Unit’s captain—Joo Moo-sang.  

Undoubtedly one of Yoo Tae-rang’s men.  

“By the way, where is Peng So-young?”  

“I sent her ahead. Told her to rest, but she said she wanted to go straight home.”  

“Seoraksan Mountain is a harsh place.”  

Han Seong-ah nodded understandingly.  

In truth, Peng So-young had rushed home to learn the family’s techniques, but there was no need to correct her.  

Yoo Tae-rang’s influence stretched across the entire family. To oppose him, two things were necessary.  

First, build his own faction.  

Second, eliminate Yoo Tae-rang’s faction.  

‘Skilled swordsmen who support Yoo Tae-rang, like Ha Yeon-jeong and Kim Mok-jun.’  

Those two were just the beginning.  

Among them were branch leaders and unit commanders.  

The family had military-like units, and those in charge were key figures.  

‘Is there any chance of winning them over?’  

No.  

Then they had to die.  

In truth, if they weren’t killed, they would come for him. There was no choice.  

‘Hmm, among Yoo Tae-rang’s inner circle…’  

Those whose deaths would deal the biggest blow to his influence. 

Yoo Baek-jun mentally listed their names.  

‘First.’  

He turned away.  

“I’ll start with the Busan branch leader.”  

An opportunity would come soon.  

The next major event after the Great Invasion—the Cult of Resurrection event—was about to begin.