I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 136

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 136.  

Choi Gun-woo was not acknowledged within the Sword Saint family. Or, to be more precise, there was hardly any information about him.

He acted like Im Woo-do’s shadow, operating behind the scenes and attributing all his achievements to Im Woo-do.

‘This guy’s a real pushover, huh.’

From Yoo Baek-jun’s perspective, it was absurd.

‘But Choi Gun-woo has his own ambitions.’

The desire to become a branch leader.

And the desire to be widely recognized.

Though he endured it out of gratitude toward Im Woo-do, even that had its limits.

Yoo Baek-jun intended to exploit that.

“Branch leader… you say?”

What came out of Yoo Baek-jun’s mouth was temptation.

A devilish temptation. Choi Gun-woo was momentarily speechless before shaking his head.

“What are you—the branch leader is Im Woo-do. How could I possibly take that position…?”

“You were promised the next branch leader position, weren’t you?”

“How did you—?!”

Choi Gun-woo was shocked. Yoo Baek-jun leisurely swirled his wine glass and continued.

“What did Im Woo-do tell you? That he’d make you the next Busan branch leader?”

“H-how do you know—?”

Yoo Baek-jun pulled out another document.

Choi Gun-woo’s expression darkened again upon seeing it. It was evidence proving that Im Woo-do’s promise to him had been a lie.

“…Joo Moo-sang.”

“The captain of the White Sword Unit. Yoo Tae-rang and Im Woo-do plan to push Joo Moo-sang as the next branch leader. What they told you was…”

“Just empty words to keep me hooked. When the time came to choose the next branch leader, they’d have fed me more lies to string me along.”

Yoo Baek-jun spread his palms.

“The man you thought was your benefactor was planning to screw you over. What are you going to do about it?”

“…Huuu.”

Choi Gun-woo fell deep into thought as he stared at the documents.

Yoo Baek-jun began persuading him using the effect of the King’s Dignity trait.

“They intended to exploit your gratitude toward Im Woo-do to the bone. That gratitude itself was manufactured.”

“…….”

“Never acknowledged, your achievements are always credited to Im Woo-do… Haven’t you ever resented that?”

Choi Gun-woo’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Yoo Baek-jun leaned forward and said,

“Let me make you the branch leader.”

“What you’re saying is…”

“In exchange, cooperate with me.”

Choi Gun-woo swallowed hard.

An overwhelming pressure he couldn’t explain bore down on him. No, perhaps it had been there since the moment he met Yoo Baek-jun.

“H-how can I trust you?”

“We’ll make a magic contract. How about that?”

“A magic contract…?”

A contractual method originating from Halpeon.

A special contract where both parties swear an oath. If either fails to fulfill the terms, the violator suffers severe consequences.

Such contracts are rare, as the burden on both parties is immense.

“Yoo Tae-rang recognized your worth. But he never gave you the treatment you deserved.”

“Are you saying you’re different?”

“Yes.”

Choi Gun-woo recalled the contents of the documents Yoo Baek-jun had shown him earlier.

“But I have no talent in swordsmanship. Yoo Tae-rang and Im Woo-do used that as an excuse to deny me the branch leader position.”

That damn swordsmanship talent.

Of course, within the Sword Saint family, there were many who handled administrative duties unrelated to swordsmanship.

But the branch leader position was an exception.

This role required swordsmanship skill—only those recognized by the family for their martial prowess could hold it.

—Choi Gun-woo’s swordsmanship is still lacking. For now, let Joo Moo-sang take the branch leader position while Choi Gun-woo trains further. Once he’s strong enough, we’ll give him the position.

That was what the documents had stated.

“How could I possibly—?”

“People have all kinds of talents.”

Yoo Baek-jun cut him off.

“I believe the current Sword Saint family is twisted. It’s obsessed—almost irrationally so—with swordsmanship. But I plan to become the head and break that structure.”

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m already doing it.”

Yoo Baek-jun raised his fist.

He was the heir to the Sword Saint family, yet he studied martial arts other than swordsmanship.

That was Yoo Baek-jun.

“…….”

Choi Gun-woo agonized over the decision.

For a long time, he weighed what choice would benefit him most.

And then—

“…Im Woo-do ordered me to report everything about you to Yoo Tae-rang. But I didn’t.”

Choi Gun-woo slowly lifted his head.

His eyes met Yoo Baek-jun’s.

“Young Master, what would you have me do?”

Effectively, a declaration of allegiance.

A deep smile curled at Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.

***

‘The Descent of Thanatos.’

If players remained unaware of the Cult of Resurrection existence, they would operate in the shadows and bring Thanatos into this world.

Once descended, Thanatos would destroy Busan and spread death across all of South Korea.

‘But I prevented that.’

Stopping it in advance would replace the event with Night of Death.

To summon Thanatos, an enormous number of corpses and souls were required. To gather them, the Cult of Resurrection would trigger a massive undead outbreak in Busan.

‘And if, in Yoo Baek-jun’s route, I try to stop it using the family’s power…’

Yoo Tae-rang would interfere.

Having successfully thwarted the previous invasion, Yoo Baek-jun had gained significant fame.

Moreover, rumors spread that he possessed mysterious abilities akin to foresight.

‘If I predict and try to stop the disaster, Yoo Tae-rang will do the same.’

And more successfully than Yoo Baek-jun.

There was no chance of cooperation between them. Instead, they would compete, each handling the Night of Death event separately.

And whoever succeeded more impressively would earn Yoo Moo-hak’s favor.

—Report to Yoo Tae-rang.

—Huh?

—Tell him Yoo Baek-jun said a disaster will strike Busan and that he came to stop it. He’s requesting assistance from the Busan branch.

There was no stopping the leak of information about the impending disaster. So instead—

They would leak it themselves and manipulate the narrative.

—Feed Yoo Tae-rang a flood of information. And of course, you already know…

—Mix lies with the truth. Make Yoo Tae-rang’s side confused.

—Exactly.

Choi Gun-woo was quick to understand.

—And as for Im Woo-do…

—…….

—He’ll have to step down.

Im Woo-do supported Yoo Tae-rang.

Fanatically.

His reason was simple—he wanted to become a Master.

‘This guy’s ambition is way over the top.’

Not that it was hard to understand.

‘Should I call him a man consumed by greed?’

Was it ambition for power, or obsession with martial arts? Hard to say.

His desire for the Grandmaster’s position wasn’t just for status—he also wanted to learn the Sword Saint family’s deeper martial arts.

‘Only the family heirs and Grandmasters are taught the true swordsmanship…’

The only sword style left by the Martial God was the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique.

But there was a vast difference between the original Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique and what the Sword Saint family taught now.

The original had been stripped of its core secrets and diluted for disciples and instructors.

‘If the original Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique is a first-class martial art… a transcendent art, then the current version is second-rate at best.’

Only the family head could learn the original, while heirs and Grandmasters were permitted fragments of its knowledge.

Past family heads had used the original to produce derivative sword styles, which were then taught to disciples and instructors.

‘And depending on which style they learn, they’re assigned to different units within the Sword Saint family.’

The Sword Saint family had multiple specialized units.

Each unit had its role—some handled covert operations and assassinations, others frontal assaults, and others defense.

The sword style they learned depended on their role. They trained in the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique first, then layered additional techniques on top.

Whatever the case—

“His greed is excessive.”

A sneer tugged at Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.

“Reaching beyond one’s station only invites ruin…”

When the Night of Death event occurred—

Yoo Baek-jun planned to kill Im Woo-do. There was no room for negotiation or persuasion with a man like him.

Killing him was the only solution.

***

“Young Master, we’ve received word from Choi Gun-woo.”

Yoo Baek-jun was still at the rooftop bar. Choi Gun-woo had left hours ago, leaving him alone to his thoughts.

Han Seong-ah approached him.

“What is it?”

“He said there’s someone in the intelligence division tracking you nearby—someone he’s close to. He contacted them and set up a meeting.”

“Efficient. I like that.”

Yoo Baek-jun whistled and stood up.

Han Seong-ah stuck close to him, but her expression was odd. Almost… displeased.

“What’s with the face?”

“N-nothing.”

“That’s not a ‘nothing’ face.”

At his prodding, Han Seong-ah sighed and confessed.

“Choi Gun-woo… Can we really trust a snake like him? A traitor betrays again. Who knows when he’ll turn on you, Young Master?”

Her words were out of concern.

Though they planned to use a magic contract, such contracts had flaws and weren’t foolproof.

That’s why they were rarely used.

“You’re right.”

But there was no need to worry.

“For now, he’s our snake.”

Just as Choi Gun-woo would poison the Busan branch and Yoo Tae-rang’s faction from within—

This time, he’d do the same to the intelligence division.

***

The Sword Saint family’s intelligence division was an organization optimized for espionage.

Ears all over the world, collecting and analyzing all kinds of information.

By nature, the division was meant to stay neutral in succession disputes.

“Ugh, that’s how it should be, but…”

A woman in a coat stood nervously before glancing around and slipping into a dark alley.

“Is this really okay?”

Her name was Jeon Soo-yeon.

A member of the Sword Saint family’s intelligence division, currently in Busan alone.

She hadn’t wanted to come, but as the closest available agent, she had no choice.

Her mission: gather intel on Yoo Baek-jun’s activities in Busan.

“The Intelligence Division exists solely to serve the family. It must not work for any particular successor…”

Yoo Tae-rang had broken that rule.

He’d recruited some within the division, using them to gather information on rival successors.

‘This is wrong.’

Jeon Soo-yeon knew it too.

Somehow, she’d been swept into Yoo Tae-rang’s faction within the division—something she never wanted.

“Ugh… My stomach hurts.”

Pouting, she entered a shabby bar in the alley—the meeting spot with her contact.

‘Besides, if I’m in Yoo Tae-rang’s faction… my chances of promotion are practically zero!’

Jeon Soo-yeon was timid but ambitious. But looking at Yoo Tae-rang’s faction members, climbing the ranks seemed impossible.

She downed the drink the bartender served in one gulp.

‘That bastard Yoo Ji-woong hates me for no reason! If you don’t get along with your boss, good luck getting promoted!’

Her drinking pace quickened. As an intelligence agent, she knew this was unprofessional—but the stress had become unbearable.

Thud!

She slammed the glass down.

“Ugh! I want a promotion too!”

“That eager for a promotion?”

“Huh?”

A voice came from behind her.

A smooth, deep baritone. Familiar, too.

Wait, this was a voice that shouldn’t be here—

Jeon Soo-yeon turned her head.

“…Uh?”

There stood Yoo Baek-jun.

With her contact—Choi Gun-woo.

A knife pressed against her throat.

“Eek?!”