I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 122

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 122.  

Yoo Baek-jun returned to the floating island.  

The <Cult of Resurrection Event> begins when Vincent’s charity party is held.  

In other words, until that party takes place, there’s nothing much to do.  

“Bigtums, are you in there?”  

So, Yoo Baek-jun decided to use the free time to catch up on overdue tasks.  

First on the list: Bigtums.  

He headed to the makeshift mansion built by him and the dwarves on the floating island.  

“Uuuuuh…….”  

“You are in. What are you doing that you don’t even answer when called?”  

Bigtums was deeply engrossed in something with the dwarves. 

As he approached, he saw them gathered around a demonic ore.  

Bigtums noticed Yoo Baek-jun.  

“Oh, Yoo Baek-jun! Perfect timing. I was just working on making armor out of this black iron!”  

“Black iron?”  

“Ah, right. You wouldn’t know. I gave this ore a name. Called it Black iron.”  

“Hmm, simple and good.”  

Bigtums rummaged through a shelf behind him and pulled out a vest.  

It looked like a vest woven from something like silver threads, but it was black.  

“Look at this. This is the prototype!”  

“It’s in the form of a vest?”  

“Well, if it were made of ordinary steel, it’d be too heavy and hinder movement. But—!”  

Bigtums infused the vest with magical power. The vest stiffened, emitting a dark red glow.  

“Black iron has the property of becoming lighter and tougher when infused with magic. I used that to make this vest.”  

“Oh… Is it strong?”  

“Test it out.”  

Yoo Baek-jun took a sword and slashed at the vest. 

Clang! 

A loud metallic sound rang out.  

The vest…. 

“Hmm.”  

…was intact. Only a slight scratch.  

Though it was a low-grade weapon, Yoo Baek-jun’s stats were anything but low.  

It wouldn’t have been strange if it broke.  

“This isn’t enough. Aura! Try using aura! I wanted to test its durability, but there was no one who could use aura!”  

“You mean sword aura?”  

“Ah, yes. Sword aura, that’s right.”  

Yoo Baek-jun activated his Elemental manifestation and sword aura rose from the blade. He poured strength into his hand and struck the vest with all his might.  

Crack!  

“Ooh!”  

The result was astonishing.  

“It held!”  

The vest held.  

Of course, it was severely damaged, teetering on the verge of splitting apart.  

Still, the fact that it held was what mattered.  

“If it can withstand that monster’s attack, we can probably commercialize this, right?”  

“Bigtums! Let’s commercialize it quickly!”  

“Hmm, huuuh!”  

Bigtums and the dwarves erupted into lively discussion. Yoo Baek-jun watched with a smile.  

‘Yes, work hard.’  

The more they did, the more famous black iron would become.  

Black iron was different from other ores. It could only be mined underground on floating island.  

The more renowned its performance, the greater the profit for him, who monopolized it.  

—Bad human…

As if sensing his hidden intentions, Seol-yeong sighed and muttered softly.  

* * *  

Setting black iron aside for now, Yoo Baek-jun showed Bigtums the Soul Eater gun.  

“What is this, some worn-out old rifle?” 

“I’d like to modify it. When it comes to guns, who better than dwarves? I want to make it usable at close range.”  

“Close range? Hmm.”  

Bigtums looked Yoo Baek-jun up and down.  

“Well, you’re a close-combat fighter, so a long rifle like this would be hard to use.”  

“Right. I want to shorten the barrel and make it so I can shoot rapidly at close range when needed.”  

“That’s a major overhaul.”  

Bigtums fell into thought, examining the gun. He seemed to be pondering how to modify it.  

“Since it fires bullets differently from ordinary guns… I think it’s doable.”  

“So?”  

“Wait a bit.”  

With that, Bigtums took the Soul Eater gun and headed inside the building.  

Soon, the sound of hammering could be heard.  

And it continued nonstop for hours.  

“…….”  

—Yaaawn…  

Seol-yeong let out a long yawn.  

He said to wait a bit, but hours? Yoo Baek-jun considered going outside but decided to wait patiently.  

And after who knows how long—  

“Done.”  

Bigtums returned with the gun.  

A gun that looked completely different from before.

“Oh…….”  

“I replaced parts, cut what needed cutting, and modified it. What do you think?”  

“The design is a bit bizarre now.”  

To describe it, it was closer to a sawed-off shotgun.  

But traces of its original form as a rifle remained, making it hard to define.  

“Normally, this kind of modification wouldn’t be possible, and it’d be better to just get a new one. But this gun has a unique structure.”  

Bigtums examined his handiwork.  

“Even after this modification, it still works. Honestly, I half-expected it to break.”  

“What?”  

“Ahem. No, never mind.”  

If it had broken, an A-grade item would’ve been lost forever.  

Yoo Baek-jun checked the gun’s information.  

[Modified Soul Eater (A)]  

An old long gun once wielded by a Soul Eater. It uses magic as bullets and can fire continuously without reloading.  

Its form has been altered by a master craftsman’s modification.  

—Options: Scatter Shot, Chilling fear, Spiritual Domination  

*Scatter Shot: Widens the bullet spread to damage multiple enemies.  

*Chilling Fear: Enemies hit by the bullets suffer severe chills, slowing their movements.  

*Spiritual Domination: Fires bullets at the dead to manipulate corpses.  

Not much had changed.  

Only one option had been replaced with Scatter Shot. Yoo Baek-jun stored the gun in subspace.  

Bang!  

Then, he suddenly pulled it out and fired at the wall. White, soul-like bullets embedded themselves into it.  

Bigtums jumped in surprise.  

“What the hell are you doing to my wall?!”  

“Oops, I didn’t mean to…”  

“Tch! Take your shooting outside!”  

Yoo Baek-jun scratched the back of his head.  

‘Not bad.’  

As a rifle, it hadn’t been suitable for surprise attacks. Especially since Yoo Baek-jun’s combat style was optimized for close quarters.  

‘With a short-barreled shotgun like this, I can use it for surprise attacks in close combat.’  

It would be very useful.  

“I’ll put it to good use, Bigtums. How much do I owe you?”  

“Ah, forget it. It wasn’t that hard. Just give me some more ore…”  

“Take some extra for research.”  

Bigtums grinned widely.  

Seeing that, Yoo Baek-jun couldn’t help but smile wryly.  

‘A guy who used to have no interest in blacksmithing.’  

His once flashy outfits were now indistinguishable from the dwarves’ work clothes.  

A shabby, soot-stained appearance.  

‘At least he’s enjoying himself.’  

The more Bigtums and his dwarves grew attached to the floating island, the better.  

They’d work hard for him.  

“Ah, right. While mining the black iron and magic stones buried underground here, I found something.”  

“What is it?”  

“They regenerate.”  

“The black iron and magic stones?”  

“Yes!”  

Though he already knew, Yoo Baek-jun pretended to be surprised.  

“Congratulations. With just those, you could live comfortably for life. Though it’s funny saying that to the heir of the Sword Saint’s family.”  

“The more income sources, the better.”

Yoo Baek-jun fell into brief thought.

“Feel free to use as much black iron as you need. Speed up the development of weapons and armor.”  

“Hmm! Music to my ears. I’m all for it, but are you planning something?”  

“Planning something? Of course I am.”  

In his mind, he pictured a man’s face.  

A frivolous-looking man.  

Jeong Seung-hoon of the Vulcanus Guild.  

“There’s something I want to take from him.”  

That guild’s downfall was imminent.  

Equipment made from black iron would easily fill the void left by Vulcanus.  

And that—  

‘Will be a huge benefit to me.’  

Yoo Baek-jun smiled quietly.  

* * *  

After meeting with Bigtums, Yoo Baek-jun unfolded his mind technique in his room on floating island.  

The Heavenly Destruction Mind Technique, modified by Han Seong-ah in her own unique way, had the effect of reducing fatigue.  

“Ahh, it feels good.”  

The only downside was the lack of a training magic circle on the floating island.  

It’d feel even better with one.  

“Young master, you’ve worked hard.”  

“Yeah, no need to stand guard.”  

“One can never be too careful. Who knows what might happen… It’s my duty.”  

“Instructor Han Seong-ah, you’re so rigid.”  

Yoo Baek-jun took the towel Han Seong-ah handed him, wiped his face, and tried to get up.  

Then, his phone vibrated.  

—Training now! ‘^‘  

A text from Peng So-young.  

Attached was a photo of her sitting cross-legged, practicing the mind technique, with Peng Dae-yeop watching fondly.  

“Young master…….”  

“Why are you looking at me like that?”  

“To think you already have someone so close to your heart…”  

“What?”  

Han Seong-ah gave him a strange look.  

It was as if she wanted to scold him but held back because he was her superior.  

Her gaze irritated him.  

“Hey, Instructor Han Seong-ah. What did I do?”  

“Such behavior is inappropriate. Exchanging messages with an unfamiliar woman…”  

“Are you my mom now?”  

“Well, no, but…”  

Yoo Baek-jun let out a hollow laugh.  

Lately, he’d begun to suspect Han Seong-ah saw him as a son.  

He tried to dismiss it as his imagination, but…  

Buzz!  

“A call.”  

Han Seong-ah narrowed her eyes but Yoo Baek-jun ignored her and answered.  

—Kid!  

A lively voice rang out.  

It was Peng Dae-yeop, the head of the Peng family.  

—What kind of magic did you use on my daughter? She’s full of energy now!  

“Glad to hear she’s doing better.”  

—Better? That’s an understatement!  

Peng Dae-yeop’s voice boomed so loudly it hurt his ears.  

—She used to struggle just moving her own magical energy, but now she handles it well. Same with our family’s techniques!  

“That’s great. How’s her diantans?”  

—Improving steadily. Every time she uses that strange mind technique, they get better. We couldn’t fix it no matter how many elixirs we gave her since she was little…  

Peng Dae-yeop’s voice was filled with joy. After years of worry, his daughter’s condition had improved.  

—I heard you put in a lot of effort.  

“Well, I did put in some effort.”  

—Hah, I like your confidence.  

Peng Dae-yeop laughed heartily.  

—I feel like I should repay this favor somehow, eh? Don’t you think?  

“I’ve already been compensated.”  

—I don’t think that’s enough. I do have a conscience, you know.  

He was clearly in such a good mood he was saying things he didn’t mean. Yoo Baek-jun smirked.  

“Then let’s call it a debt.”  

—A debt?  

Peng Dae-yeop sounded puzzled.  

“If I am owed a favor from the head of the Peng family … I can cash it in when I need to, right?”  

—Hah, you cunning brat.  

A debt from a family like the Pengs would come in handy someday.  

Though Peng Dae-yeop might try to weasel out of it.  

—Come visit our family sometime. My daughter might want to see you.  

“I’ll think about it.”  

Peng So-young probably wouldn’t miss him much.  

The call ended.  

“Someday… No, I might need it sooner than I think.”  

—Urk?  

Yoo Baek-jun muttered to himself as he picked up the sprawled-out Seol-yeong.