I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 119

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 119.  

The day before Yoo Baek-jun returned, Yoo Tae-rang, who had gone to Seoul, also came back to the family.  

“Welcome back.”  

“Hmm.”  

Attendants greeted him. Yoo Tae-rang handed his outer coat to one of them with practiced ease.  

“How was the memorial service? It must have been a while since you last went to Seoul.”  

“It was a mess. I never expected something like that to happen while I was away. And—”  

“Yes?”  

“No, it’s nothing. I’ve already eaten, so there’s no need to prepare a meal.”  

Yoo Tae-rang frowned.  

The attendant beside him looked puzzled, but he said nothing more and went upstairs.  

The mansion was eerily quiet. Entering his room, Yoo Tae-rang sat down in a chair.  

‘Yoo Baek-jun.’  

His younger brother’s name surfaced in his mind.  

There had been an event in Seoul to console the victims and raise donations.  

Yoo Tae-rang had attended it. And the name he heard the most there was that one.  

Yoo Baek-jun.  

—You must be proud to have such a younger brother.  

—I heard Yoo Baek-jun took full command during the incident. Did he say anything about it?  

—Yoo Baek-jun is receiving an award this time…  

—Yoo Baek-jun…  

Bang!  

Without realizing it, Yoo Tae-rang slammed his desk. The sound was loud enough to echo through the silent mansion.  

“An irritating name…”  

Even if he didn’t want to hear it, he did.  

It meant Yoo Baek-jun’s reputation had grown that much. And that was not good news for Yoo Tae-rang.  

‘Just two months. A F-rank hunter… How did someone weaker than an ordinary person grow strong enough to rival an A-rank?’  

That was the biggest question.  

He had thoroughly investigated Yoo Baek-jun’s actions over the past two months. But there was something that still didn’t make sense.  

How had Yoo Baek-jun grown so strong?  

And just how strong was he now?  

“I’ll have to hope Kim Mok-jun brings back some results.”  

He had said that he and Juggernaut were waiting for Yoo Baek-jun to make a move. 

This time, since he had conveniently headed to Seoraksan Mountain, they must have followed him.  

‘Even if things go wrong, he’ll at least make it back alive. I’ll just have to wait for his report.’  

That’s what he thought.  

Until he saw Yoo Baek-jun return to the family as if nothing had happened.  

“Yoo Baek-jun has returned. But…”  

“I know. I saw him myself.”  

Ha Yeon-jeong carefully observed Yoo Tae-rang’s expression.  

“Any word from Kim Mok-jun?”  

“None. All contact has been cut off. We’re still trying to reach him through the communication channels, but…”  

“……”  

Yoo Tae-rang’s expression grew increasingly grim.  

Though he seemed frivolous, he was a man who got things done. There had never been a time when contact was completely lost.  

Which meant…  

“Something must have happened.”  

Yoo Tae-rang tapped the desk with his fingers.  

“Ha Yeon-jeong, are you sure Juggernaut was dispatched?”  

“…Yes, absolutely.”  

“Then what exactly am I looking at right now?”  

Yoo Baek-jun’s attire was no different from when he had first left the family.  

There was no trace of battle on him.  

If Kim Mok-jun had acted according to Yoo Tae-rang’s orders, there should have been some evidence left behind.  

“Don’t tell me Kim Mok-jun was defeated…”  

“If he had fought Kim Mok-jun, there’s no way he’d be unharmed like that. You know how deadly his Silver Thread Control abilities are.”  

“Right. The poison… Only a handful of people know about it, so there’s no way Yoo Baek-jun could have been prepared.”  

“Exactly. Even the Sichuan Tang Family would struggle against such a deadly poison. No matter how strong Yoo Baek-jun has become, poison is poison.”  

In truth, he knew everything.  

But Yoo Tae-rang had no way of knowing that. 

So his train of thought went in a different direction.  

“Besides, if by some chance Yoo Baek-jun did kill Kim Mok-jun, he would have brought proof.”  

“That’s true. He could have used it to accuse you of being behind it. Which, well, is the truth.”  

Of course, even if he were accused, Yoo Tae-rang was confident he could suppress it. He could frame Kim Mok-jun as a traitor colluding with villainous organizations.  

Especially since Yoo Baek-jun had made those remarks during the Shin Woo-hyun incident.  

“Could it be the Gate…? Did he get caught up with monsters?”  

“That’s not impossible.”  

“Send the White Sword Squad to investigate. First, we need to find out what happened.”  

“Understood.”  

Ha Yeon-jeong withdrew.  

Left alone, Yoo Tae-rang let out a long sigh.  

‘Yoo Baek-jun’s reputation is growing.’  

In Seoul, some were even calling him the hero of the Great Invasion incident.  

His public standing was rising.  

And internally, his father, Yoo Moo-hak, seemed to be supporting him more.  

“What on earth are you thinking, Father?”  

Yoo Tae-rang looked out the window, just as his father used to, in the exact same posture.  

“Are you trying to keep me in check? Now of all times… When the family is already in my grasp.”  

Survival of the fittest.  

This, too, must be Yoo Moo-hak’s test. To see who was more suited to be the family head.  

“That incompetent fool will never become the family head. Never. Absolutely not…”  

Yoo Tae-rang clenched his fist tightly.  

Since birth, he had been told he was destined to be the family head, and he had done everything for that goal.  

He couldn’t even imagine himself not being the family head.  

‘No matter what…’  

***

The next day, Yoo Baek-jun headed to the Demon Realm. And there, he spent the entire day bedridden.  

“Ugh, ughh…”  

—Ughh?  

It was because of Kim Mok-jun’s poison.  

A poison so deadly he could boast about it. Even with 1,500P in resistance, he couldn’t completely block it.  

As a result, Yoo Baek-jun had to take medicine and suffer through it.  

“Damn it, why does this keep happening lately…?”  

He couldn’t even openly complain about the pain, which made it even more frustrating.  

He had left the family and come to the Demon Realm out of fear that someone might notice, but now his feelings were complicated.  

‘They say when you’re in pain, your heart weakens too.’  

Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep sigh.  

“Come here.”  

—Kyarr, sniff, grrr…  

He grabbed Seol-yeong, who had been watching over him nearby.  

Stroking its fluffy ears calmed him down. It didn’t seem to mind either, purring contentedly.  

“…Young master, why does this scene feel familiar? Is it just me?”  

“No, I was just thinking the same thing.”  

Just then, Choi Seung-min walked in.  

He had brought him along under the pretext of a business trip.  

“What’s up? You’ve already eaten and taken your medicine, right?”  

“Ah, yes. The Hunter Association sent an invitation. They’re asking you to attend a charity event.”  

“Seung-min, do you not see the state I’m in?”  

“I do. But… you didn’t go to the memorial service last time. I think you should attend this one.”  

Memorial service. Yoo Baek-jun scratched the back of his head.  

This time, the association and the government had held a joint memorial service for the victims of the Great Invasion.  

Of course, Yoo Baek-jun hadn’t attended.  

“If I go, all those politicians will swarm me for photos. I can’t stand that kind of thing.”  

“I understand how you feel. But if you keep hiding like this, rumors will start spreading.”  

“I guess so… Who attended the memorial service?”  

“Yoo Tae-rang did.”  

“Hmm.”  

He had expected as much.  

“Then he must’ve been furious, huh?”  

That prideful man.  

At the memorial service, Yoo Baek-jun’s name must have been mentioned constantly, driving him mad.  

“Tell them I’ll attend. When is it?”  

“In two days.”  

“I should be better by then. Alright.”  

Choi Seung-min said he’d return in the evening and left.  

Yoo Baek-jun fiddled with Seol-yeong’s ears, then glanced at the wall.  

Seol-yeong was staring intently at it.  

“I already noticed. Come out.”  

“…Hmm.”  

A wraith suddenly emerged from the wall.  

It was Min Yi-jae, dressed in his usual tattered clothes.  

“Min Yi-jae.”  

“You look like you’re in a lot of pain… Are you okay?”  

“Does this look okay to you? I feel like I’m dying.”  

Yoo Baek-jun sighed and lay back down.  

“There are eyes watching you… I think they’re from your family.”  

“Oh?”  

“Only a few… They’re being extremely careful not to be noticed. Even among the inspectors here… Some of them seem suspicious.”  

“They must be waiting for me to come down.”  

Probably from the intelligence division.  

The intelligence division of the Sword Saint family—those with considerable influence would likely support Yoo Tae-rang.  

“Hmm.”  

The intelligence division was a troublesome bunch.  

They moved like Yoo Tae-rang’s limbs, and they’d quickly relay any information about Yoo Baek-jun.  

Yoo Tae-rang also trusted them because he had gained much through their intelligence.  

‘There’s one way to use that…’  

Thanks to Min Yi-jae, there was a way.  

“Can we lure them out?”  

“Lure them…?”  

Min Yi-jae fell into brief thought.  

“With your help… It shouldn’t be too difficult.”  

“Use me as bait to draw them out?”  

“Yes… The best opportunity would be when they’re desperate to get information about you…”  

Then, there was one good method.  

“Should we use my sister?”  

If Yoo Baek-jun and Yoo Jung-yeon secretly met, the intelligence division would be drooling over the intel.  

“I’ll leave the groundwork to you.”  

“Alright…”  

Min Yi-jae handed him a gift set of red ginseng extract, telling him to take care of his health.  

“My Sister….asked me to give this to you.”  

Then he disappeared back into the wall.  

Was he embarrassed? Yoo Baek-jun set the gift down on the floor.  

‘If my memory serves me right, there’s someone in Yoo Tae-rang’s intelligence division who can be persuaded.’  

Use that person and eliminate the rest.  

And of course, fill the vacancies with…  

‘New people.’  

Ambitious individuals who hadn’t been given a chance.  

Remove Yoo Tae-rang’s people one by one and plant his own in their place.  

That was how he would corner Yoo Tae-rang.  

“Sigh.”  

It wouldn’t be easy, but he had no choice but to try.  

***

The next day.  

Before heading to Seoul, Yoo Baek-jun decided to briefly check on the situation in the Demon Realm.  

“Hmm, still as desolate as ever.”  

“But the central area has become much prettier.”  

Han Seong-ah pointed to the center of the Demon Realm, where the sapling of the World Tree had been planted.  

Plants were growing around it.  

“All thanks to pouring magic stones into it.”  

“Yes, Lee Jun-woo said they’re spending billions every day on the World Tree.”  

“A real money pit.”  

Yoo Baek-jun watched the World Tree for a moment.  

Inspectors from the Seoul branch arrived with bundles of magic stones and began feeding them to the sapling.  

The stones vanished upon contact, greedily absorbed by the sapling.  

‘If it devours magic stones like this… The Yoo Baek-jun route is definitely the easiest way to grow the World Tree.’  

The Jin Seo-yeon and Kang Yi-jun routes were manageable too, since both had plenty of money.  

But the Yoo Baek-jun route was the most convenient.  

Thanks to Seoraksan Mountain, the family had an endless supply of magic stones, which could be used directly.  

‘Kang Yi-jun… He should be overseas around this time.’  

As the third-generation heir of a conglomerate, he was often too busy with business to meet until the very end.  

While thinking about the protagonists he hadn’t met yet, Yoo Baek-jun recalled one man.  

‘Han Chang-woo.’  

Just thinking the name made him sigh.  

“It’s about time for him to show up…”  

“Huh? What did you say?”  

“No, nothing.”  

The Hunter Association’s savior.  

It was about time for him to appear.  

Since the charity event he was attending today was hosted by the association and the government…  

‘I’ll probably meet him today.’  

Yoo Baek-jun let out a bitter laugh.  

He could feel a headache coming on.