I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 148

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 148.  

In the eastern part of the Kingdom of Baim, there is a forest called Ruwinid.  

Since ancient times, legends have been passed down that elves live in that forest.  

—It’s true! I saw it!  

—Elves in that forest…  

It was only relatively recently that the legend was proven true.  

The mysterious veil that had hidden the Ruwinid Forest disappeared, and the existence of the elves living there began to be revealed to the outside world.  

—Hey, I heard you went to the Ruwinid Forest? What do the elves actually look like?  

—Don’t even ask. They were so beautiful it was hard to believe they were of this world. 

And…  

At first, the elves were bewildered by the sudden turn of events but attempted to interact with the humans who approached them.  

However,  

—That forest was full of all kinds of rare treasures. And materials I’d never seen before in my life.  

The elves were too naive.  

And the humans coveted them.  

—The Ruwinid Forest lies within the territory of the Kingdom of Baim. Doesn’t that make it ours?  

—The Empire is baring its fangs! If we can take that forest, the kingdom can grow even stronger!  

—What about seeking the elves’ cooperation…  

—If only that were possible. They said our greed was excessive and cut off trade! Something about the forest being harmed.  

—Then we have no choice.  

And so, as time passed, one day…  

The Kingdom of Baim, having come into contact with the elves’ civilization, began to reveal its greed for their forest.  

—Your Majesty!  

—Please, make a decision!  

The king closed his eyes.  

Was this the right choice? But to oppose the Empire, which was now openly displaying its ambitions of territorial expansion, there were few options.  

By any means necessary, the kingdom had to increase its power.  

—Is there no way to cooperate with the elves against the Empire’s invasion?  

—They said they want no part in human affairs. I heard they plan to create a veil again to cut off the forest from the outside, like before.  

—It seems they’ve already raised a barrier to block outside intrusion. If left alone, they’ll surely recreate the veil.  

—When the Empire invades, they’ll undoubtedly covet the Ruwinid Forest. If the elves’ resources fall into the Empire’s hands…  

—It’ll make them even stronger.  

The King opened his eyes.  

It would be problematic if the elves hid themselves again, as before. But it would also be problematic if they didn’t hide and fell into the Empire’s hands.  

That left only one choice.  

—Send the army. And issue a decree to the elf hunters and mercenaries as well.  

The king granted their request.  

That was the beginning of the calamity that befell the Ruwinid Forest.  

* * *  

“Hahak, kuhk!”  

The forest was burning.  

The once-beautiful green forest was being swallowed by crimson flames, turning black.  

And the shouts coming from all directions.  

“Catch those elf bitches!”  

“Guaaah! Damn it, the arrows…!”  

“Watch out for counter attacks! They shoot arrows like masters. Always move with shield-bearers in front!”

Voices that should never be heard in the forest.  

Their words were vicious beyond measure. 

The woman running through the forest clenched her eyes shut in terror.  

“Kuhk, why is this happening?!”  

She looked different from humans.  

Her ears were long and pointed, her hair a dazzling golden blonde like melted gold, and her face was radiant enough to make one doubt their eyes.  

“Baimar, where are you…?!”  

Her name was Delowin.  

The beautiful elf recalled how things had come to this.  

‘It was just… just an ordinary day.’  

She had been wandering the forest with her younger brother to gather fruit, as usual.  

Then, the sound of the forest’s barrier—created by the high elves pooling their strength—shattering.  

—Waaaaah!  

—Kill the elves! No, capture them! They’ll be slaves for the kingdom!  

—Plunder everything they have!  

The humans attacked.  

The Royal army, mercenaries, and humans reeking of the familiar scent of blood.  

A horde of them stormed the Ruwinid Forest, and the elves were helpless against them.  

Delowin was among them.  

‘Baimar, I have to find Baimar.’  

In the chaos of fleeing, she lost her only family, Baimar.  

Because of that, unlike the other elves who fled to the village, Delowin wandered the forest.  

The problem was…  

“The scent of an elf… this way. Seems like a little rat got away.”  

“After her!”  

The pursuers were on her trail.  

Many elves had already been captured and dragged off to who-knows-where.  

‘I can’t be caught!’  

Delowin held her breath and hid in the tall bushes. Then, slowly and silently, she moved.  

“Huu, huu…!”  

Delowin looked back.  

The sounds of the pursuers were gone now. 

No signs of being followed. If she kept going like this, she might escape.  

But just as she thought that…  

“An elf!”  

“Euk!”  

The moment she emerged from the thick bushes, she came face-to-face with unexpected soldiers.  

Delowin was stunned.  

“H-how?”  

“Stupid bitch. Don’t you know this area’s already surrounded? There’s nowhere for you to run.”  

The soldiers smirked as they approached.  

Meanwhile, the pursuers from behind had already caught up to Delowin.  

“Hahk, hahk! 

“Damn elf! If you’d just let us catch you, this would’ve been easy!”

“You’re going to regret resisting!”

“If I’m caught, you won’t let me go!”  

Completely surrounded from the front and back.  

Delowin trembled as she scanned her surroundings. There was no escape.  

The soldiers drew closer.  

‘Baimar… I’m sorry.’  

Delowin closed her eyes, ready to give up.  

Then—  

Crack!  

A rift tore open in the air.  

A space forcibly split apart, as if someone had ripped it open with sheer power. 

The fissure widened like shattering glass, and from it, someone emerged.  

“Huh? Am I a bit late?”  

It was Yoo Baek-jun.  

* * *  

The first things Yoo Baek-jun noticed upon stepping out of the rift were the thick scent of blood and the acrid smoke.  

He looked up.  

The forest was burning.  

‘Hmm… Seems a bit off?’  

Originally, the quest was supposed to start just as the Kingdom of Baim launched its attack, before the forest caught fire.  

But this time, the fire had already been burning for a while before the quest began.  

“A traveler from another world…!”  

“Drop your weapon and step back, traveler!”  

“You’re not thinking of helping the elves, are you?!”  

Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the soldiers before him.  

A mix of soldiers, mercenaries, and even elf hunters—quite the colorful combination.  

Put differently, the fact that such a group had formed at all was laughable.  

‘Elf hunters are practically a criminal organization in Halpeon.’  

That a kingdom would ally itself with criminals just to capture elves—it was absurd.  

Yoo Baek-jun sighed.  

“Hey, you. Elf.”  

“……!”  

He gestured to Delowin.  

Her long ears twitched as she stared at him with wary eyes.  

“Do you want to just let yourself be caught by them, or do you want to cling to a sliver of hope and come with me?”  

Delowin’s eyes widened.  

At the same time, the soldiers’ hostility flared.  

“…H-how can I trust you?”  

“Then do you trust them?”  

The soldiers raised their weapons.  

Realizing Yoo Baek-jun wasn’t on their side, they were ready to eliminate him.  

Their eyes were filled with killing intent.  

“Ugh, uuuh….”  

Delowin trembled as she met Yoo Baek-jun’s gaze. Then, as if making up her mind, she nodded and stepped behind him.  

“Traveler, hand over that elf, and we’ll let bygones be bygones. How about it?”  

Yoo Baek-jun had no weapon in hand.  

Perhaps because of that, the soldiers’ wariness was still low. He clenched his fist, expressionless.  

“I have absolutely…”  

Then, kicking off the ground—  

“…no intention of doing that.”  

With Heavenly thunder, he closed the distance in an instant.  

A fierce straight punch struck a soldier’s abdomen.  

Crunch! 

The sound of breaking bones. The soldier coughed blood as his spine bent backward.  

“Keuhk!”  

“You crazy bastard!”  

The enemies panicked at his speed. But only for a moment—they quickly surrounded and attacked him.  

Yoo Baek-jun raised his leg high.  

Then—Thunderstomp Kick.  

Bzzzt!  

“Gguuuuhk!”  

Lightning spread in all directions, electrocuting the approaching soldiers.  

Yoo Baek-jun inhaled sharply and pressed forward, continuing his assault.  

Crunch! Snap!  

There was no mercy in his hands.  

He struck the necks of the electrocuted soldiers, snapping them, or kicked their spines with his legs, folding them in half.  

“M-madman…!”  

“How can a human move like that…?!”  

“Is he some kind of Sword Master?!”  

A strange assumption, considering he hadn’t even drawn a sword. 

But it wasn’t a strange assumption. 

In Halpeon, Sword Masters used exceptional magic manipulation to enhance their bodies.  

To them, a superhuman beyond human limits was synonymous with a Sword Master.  

“Don’t get close! Magic! Where are the mages?!”  

“Shoot the arrows! Now!”  

While Yoo Baek-jun dealt with the paralyzed soldiers, the remaining ones backed away.  

He saw them nocking arrows and some mercenaries were preparing spells.  

“I-it’s dangerous!”  

Delowin screamed.  

But Yoo Baek-jun didn’t move, simply watching as they attacked.  

“Fire!”  

Arrows and spells flew toward him.  

Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes flashed.  

“Hup!”  

He drew the Thunder spear from subspace and slammed it into the ground with all his might.  

A Gale wall erupted from the earth, blocking the incoming arrows and spells.  

But that wasn’t all.  

“Hhk!”  

The wind swallowed the arrows. Then, within the barrier, the arrows slowly turned—and aimed back at their owners.  

“You crazy—!”  

The words didn’t finish.  

Before they could, the Gale wall hurled every arrow back at the soldiers.  

The wind-propelled arrows pierced through them at terrifying speed.  

“Hiiiiik…!”  

That was the end.  

The soldiers lost all will to fight. They tried to surrender, dropping their weapons, but—  

‘Can’t let them live.’  

Yoo Baek-jun had no such intentions.  

He slaughtered them without a shred of mercy.  

With the forest already swarming with soldiers, mercenaries, and elf hunters, reducing their numbers was necessary.  

“…….”  

Delowin was stunned by his brutality. Having lived peacefully among elves her whole life, she’d never seen anything like this.  

“Th-thank you.”  

“Are you alone? Where are the other elves?”  

“Ah! That’s—!”  

Delowin’s ears twitched repeatedly.  

“M-my younger brother…! He was taken by the humans! Please, help me!”  

“Can you trust me?”  

“That’s… I don’t know. But—”  

Delowin looked into Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes.  

“At least your eyes… don’t have the same greed as those humans.”  

“Oh? That’s not bad. So, where was your brother taken?”  

“Well, um, uh. I know, but it’d be hard to explain to a human.”  

“Then we’ll have to go together.”  

“Huh? Wh-wha—?”  

Yoo Baek-jun grabbed Delowin by the waist and lifted her. 

She let out a small scream.  

And that scream—  

“Kyaaaaah!”  

—turned into a full-blown shriek as Yoo Baek-jun unleashed his Transcendent Lightness technique.