I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 145

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 145.  

A deafening roar erupted alongside a fierce explosion.  

The blast was powerful enough to shake the entire floor.  

And when the explosion subsided, the battered figure of Nacheol was revealed.  

‘Though to be fair… I’m in just as bad shape.’

Yoo Baek-jun’s appearance was no better.  

His left arm was in tatters, and his body was covered in wounds both large and small. Frankly speaking, even for him, continuing to fight here would be pushing it.  

“Impressive.”  

Should he finish it now?  

As Yoo Baek-jun hesitated while staring at Nacheol, the latter suddenly spoke.  

“Your martial arts remind me of the one I once served. No, of course they would—you are his successor.”  

Yoo Baek-jun felt a sense of déjà vu.  

Memories of his battle with Nacheol in the Martial God’s trial grounds resurfaced vividly.  

“That spear technique was also one I refined… Did you learn it from the secret books I left behind after recording them here? Or not?”  

“You’re correct.”  

“Leaving behind secret books… I can’t comprehend doing that now, but perhaps my future self changed his mind. I see…”  

Nacheol nodded.  

“Then it’s not too strange for me to act on such a whim.”  

He staggered to his feet, and the Thunder Spear returned to his hand as if waiting.  

But he showed no intention to fight further.  

Nacheol crossed spears with Yoo Baek-jun.  

“The victor has his privileges. Take it.”  

The moment those words ended, knowledge flooded Yoo Baek-jun’s mind—knowledge Nacheol had possessed.  

Specifically, knowledge of the Dragon Fang Spear Technique.  

―Nacheol imparts his knowledge to you.  

―You have accumulated enough proficiency to comprehend the knowledge. The knowledge is accepted.  

―The Dragon Fang Spear Technique’s grade has risen. You have learned new sub-skills.  

Familiar messages appeared before his eyes.  

Once it was over, Nacheol took a step back.  

“Is there anyone else who uses this spear technique besides you?”  

“No. All members of the family established by the Martial God now learn swordsmanship.”  

“I see… Hmm…”  

A faint smile touched Nacheol’s lips.  

“Then you shall be the sole successor of this spear technique. I hope you will act accordingly.”  

“Act accordingly… Well, I’ll do my best.”  

“That’s enough.”  

Nacheol turned his back.  

His body began to fade.  

“Congratulations on passing the trial.”  

With those final words, Nacheol vanished completely. The fifth floor had been cleared.  

Only then did Yoo Baek-jun release his tension.  

“Huuuuuuh…”  

As he slumped to the ground, the pain he hadn’t noticed until now surged through him all at once.  

Groaning, Yoo Baek-jun stanched his wounds and checked the Status window for the Dragon Fang Spear Technique.  

[Dragon Fang Spear Technique (S, 1★)]  

―A spear technique once wielded by the Martial God of old, further refined by a peerless warrior who served him.  

―It allows the use of spear techniques and throws as sharp and destructive as a dragon’s fang.  

*Spiral Thrust: Wraps the spear in magical energy and hurls it with a powerful spin, making it track the enemy.  

*Dragon Fang Strike: Unleashes a rapid flurry of slashes, leaving no room to breathe, followed by a powerful thrust.  

*Gale Wall: Strikes the ground to create a violent wind barrier, blocking enemy attacks.  

*Nine Dragon Fangs: Fires nine piercing strikes accompanied by intense wind pressure.  

*Thunder Dragon: Only usable by those who wield the Thunder Spear. Channels the Thunder God’s power into the spear to unleash a ferocious thunder dragon.  

*Meteor Shower: Launches spears that split apart in the sky, raining down meteor-like attacks over a wide area.  

New skills had been added.  

Not only that, but knowledge of how to wield the spear had also been etched into his mind.  

Yoo Baek-jun briefly tested the spear.  

‘My movements have changed.’  

Thanks to Nacheol’s knowledge, his proficiency with the spear had improved.  

‘Single-target attacks, defensive skills, and area-of-effect techniques… Perfect.’  

His favorite was Meteor Shower.  

Though the spear vanished while using the skill, its power more than made up for it.  

It could wipe out hordes of enemies in one go.  

‘This’ll be useful in the next event.’  

Grunting, Yoo Baek-jun rose to his feet, just as a door in the distance opened.  

Its shape was different from the previous doors.  

“Looks like a gate.”  

It was likely the exit.  

And beside it was a single chest.  

―This is as far as you are permitted to go.  

―Inside the chest lies the reward for one who has tested their limits.  

―The tower will open again someday.  

Staggering, Yoo Baek-jun opened the chest. Inside were secret books.  

Books recording various martial arts—techniques once taught by the Martial God to his disciples.  

‘Not something I’d use myself.’  

They were excellent martial arts.  

But not ones he needed to learn.  

Just as the Sword Saint’s family had fragmented the original Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique into various sword styles,  

These books were derived from parts of the martial arts the Martial God originally used.  

‘No point learning derivative arts when I have the originals.’  

Still, they had their uses.  

Especially for the current Sword Saint’s family.  

‘Swords, bows, spears, fist techniques, and even footwork techniques…’  

For some unknown reason, the Sword Saint’s family had not inherited the other martial arts the Martial God once used.  

Nor those of his disciples.  

As if someone had erased them.  

‘This is more than enough to bring change.’  

An opportunity to use them would come soon.  

After finishing the Cult of Resurrection event and dealing with Yoo Tae-rang, he’d have time to spare.  

By then, he needed to solidify his control over the family and use these to bring change.  

“And this… a training uniform?”  

Inside was a single uniform.  

A pitch-black uniform, embroidered with a pattern resembling the face of a demon.  

“Whoa…”  

It was a gaudy uniform.  

But it was no ordinary item.  

[Demonic Nacheol (S)]  

A training uniform once worn by a warrior of great renown. Crafted from special materials, it is incredibly durable and self-repairs damaged areas.  

It also contains an unknown power, granting the wearer mysterious abilities.  

―Options: One Called a Demon, Nacheol’s Karma, Demonic Nacheol 

*One Called a Demon: Made from materials of rare and monstrous creatures. Astonishingly durable and self-repairing.  

*Nacheol’s Karma: Bears the accumulated karma of one who felled countless monsters to earn the name ‘Nacheol.’ Enhances physical abilities, further increasing them when fighting multiple enemies.  

*Demonic Nacheol: Contains the power of one who wielded it for a long time. Raises strength and agility by one grade when using a spear.  

The description was annoyingly long.  

Honestly, he didn’t like the name, but the item’s effects were incredibly appealing.  

“Hmm, I can just cover this with the Black Ghost robe, right?”  

Yoo Baek-jun hurriedly put on the uniform.  

It was slightly oversized for his frame, but once worn, it adjusted to fit him perfectly.  

Comfortable to move in—good.  

As he gathered the secret books, one stood out.  

“This is…”  

A book resembling the book of the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique he’d obtained from the World Tree’s fairy.  

Yoo Baek-jun hastily collected it.  

―The Book of the Martial God reacts to the traces.  

―The remnants in the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique book are absorbed by the Book of the Martial God… The Book of the Martial God is strengthened.  

―The Book of the Martial God proficiency has increased.  

The message he’d been waiting for appeared.  

―Skill Enhancement function added.  

―From now on, when a low-tier skill reaches a certain proficiency, you can spend points to upgrade it to a higher-tier skill.  

A whistle escaped his lips.  

This was why he’d thought skills like the Three Disasters Mind Technique might be useful someday.  

‘Skill Enhancement.’  

Low-tier skills had limits even when their proficiency and grade increased.  

Even at the same grade, they were infinitely weaker compared to high-tier skills.  

That’s why most such skills were discarded after serving their purpose in the early stages.  

‘Now I can make use of them.’  

Not that he planned to upgrade the Three Disasters Mind Technique —he already had the Heavenly Destruction Mind Technique. What would be the point?  

But skills like Heavy Strike, Joint Strike, Gale Kick, or Lightness had their uses.  

That’s why he’d grinded them.  

―Successor’s Love, Skill Proficiency I, Skill Proficiency II quests completed.  

―Rewards: 900P, stat increases, and a Skill Enhancement Ticket.  

With that, the quests were fulfilled.  

Yoo Baek-jun opened his status window.  

[Yoo Baek-jun]  

Strength: A[+] (88/100)

Agility: A (85/100)  

Stamina: A[+] (91/100)

Magic power: A+ (8/100)  

[Unique Ability: Book of the Martial God (EX, 4★)]  

[Martial Arts: Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique (A, 3★), Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique (A, 5★), Heavenly Destruction Mind Technique (A, 2★), Dragon Fang Spear Technique (S, 1★)]  

[Footwork Technique: Lightness technique (A, 1★), Ghost Phantom Step (A, 1★)]  

[Skills: Herbal Medicine Preparation(B), Cold Aura (A, 3★), Berserker (A, 2★), Elemental Manifestation (S, 1★), Heavy Strike (A, 2★), Ground Kick (A, 2★), Joint Strike (A, 2★), Gale Kick (A, 2★), Shadow Form (B+), Thunderwheel Strike (A, 2★), Thunderstomp Kick (A, 3★)]  

His magic had risen by one grade, and the others were on the verge of upgrading. After completing the elf quest, they’d likely rank up.  

And the ‘+’ next to Strength and Stamina.  

‘Must be from the Demonic Nacheol uniform.’  

His stats rose while wielding the spear.  

If he upgraded to A+ after the elf quest, he could reach S-rank.  

His skills had also improved dramatically.  

Most were now A-rank.  

The Dragon Fang Spear Technique’s upgrade granting a new S-rank skill was especially satisfying.  

‘The Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique… With this proficiency, I can learn other sub-skills now.’  

And with the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique book, he could learn new sub-skills there too. At this point, it was practically complete.  

Now he could seek Grandmaster Ja-yeon’s support.  

‘I’m strong enough to face Yoo Tae-rang now.’  

Yoo Baek-jun stood up.  

“The Busan incident… Just as I’m targeting Yoo Tae-rang, he’s targeting me too.”  

Who would survive that encounter?  

At the very least, ‘he’ had no intention of dying.  

‘It won’t be long now.’  

Yoo Baek-jun slowly walked toward the door.  

Just as he was about to leave the tower, a voice echoed in his mind.  

―If you can climb, then climb to the very end.  

An unfamiliar voice.  

One he’d never heard before.  

Yet it felt oddly familiar.  

―My successor.  

Yoo Baek-jun turned his head.  

“What? Who are you—?”  

But before his question could reach the owner of the voice,  

Yoo Baek-jun’s figure vanished.  

He had returned to the original world.  

―Hmm…  

In the empty Tower of the Martial God, a contemplative voice echoed.  

―No one has ever stopped it before.  

Followed by a faint laugh.  

―Can you stop it, I wonder?  

A voice laced with unreadable emotions.  

And then.  

BOOOM!

The tower sealed shut.