I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 174

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 174.  

Busan was still peaceful.  

The next day, Yoo Baek-jun, who had arrived in Busan, looked up at the sky while wearing sunglasses.  

“Ah, the weather’s killer. I’d love to sprawl out and relax under a parasol by the beach.”  

“Young master…”  

“I know. I was just saying it.”  

Han Seong-ah, who was standing behind him, let out a sigh.

Yoo Baek-jun waved his hand dismissively and walked ahead.  

Today, there was a lot to do.  

“How’s the order I gave to the Busan branch?”  

“You mean the one about preparing for the upcoming disaster, right? Didn’t you tell them to prepare similarly to how it was done in Seoul?”  

“That’s right.”  

Yoo Baek-jun chuckled.  

“A Gate will open in the sky, just like in Seoul, and enemies will attack. I asked them to prepare the defense system accordingly…”  

“You’re quite mischievous, young master.”  

“What did I even do? Well, anyway, I should go check if they’ve properly prepared what I ordered.”  

“You’re going to check in person?”  

“I could, but…”  

Yoo Baek-jun picked up his phone.  

To find out whether his orders had been properly carried out, a single call would suffice.  

—Beep, beep, beep…  

—The phone is turned off. After the beep, you will be connected to the voicemail. After the connection…

Like this.  

The number Yoo Baek-jun had been using to issue orders was suddenly unreachable.  

All he got was a message saying the phone was turned off.  

“It seems they’re avoiding your calls, young master.”  

“Right?”  

It meant they had ignored his orders.  

They probably reported what Yoo Baek-jun had asked them to set up to Yoo Tae-rang, and prepared the defense system according to Yoo Tae-rang’s wishes.  

And that…  

‘Must be very different from what I had in mind.’  

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue in disapproval.  

“So, what do we do now?”  

“What else?”  

He adjusted his sunglasses slightly.  

“We’ll put on a little show of panic.”

They needed to present a picture that would satisfy Yoo Tae-rang, who was undoubtedly watching.  

Yoo Baek-jun whistled as he walked down the street.  

* * *  

Yoo Baek-jun kept his word thoroughly.  

He went around Busan to check the defense facilities he had ordered to be installed.  

Every single one was different from his instructions.  

The defense facilities had been replaced with other things, or installed far from the locations he had specified—the changes were drastic.  

“What the hell did they do?! These were supposed to be installed in Zone A, not here! And this… Why did they install something I never even asked for?!”  

That wasn’t all.  

The defense facilities were loaded with all sorts of magical devices—excessively so.  

‘Isn’t this just overkill?’  

Even Yoo Baek-jun was baffled.  

Well, it wasn’t necessarily bad, but…  

“We don’t know, young master. We just followed orders from above…”  

“Who gave these orders?!”  

“……”  

The Busan branch staff hesitated to speak.  

“Forget it! There’s no talking to you people. I’ll go somewhere else and find out myself.”  

Yoo Baek-jun stormed off like that, venting his frustration as he roamed around Busan.  

As expected, Busan’s defense system was completely different from his vision.  

It had likely been arranged according to Yoo Tae-rang’s plans.  

“Idiots… What the hell did they even hear me say?!”  

“I’m sorry. Maybe you should try talking to the Busan branch leader?”  

“How am I supposed to talk to him if he won’t answer?! Damn it, is this how you people handle things…?!”  

“Tch, so damn noisy.”  

Behind the furious Yoo Baek-jun, a familiar, unbearably frivolous voice rang out.  

Turning his head, he saw a familiar face.  

“Why so talkative, little brother? Huh? They just followed orders from above. What do those idiots even know to be nagged like that?”  

“…Yoo Kang-ho.”  

“You should call me ‘senior brother’.”  

Yoo Kang-ho.  

He stood there, clad in hunter equipment, alongside the swordsmen of the main family.  

A sneer played on his lips.  

“Why are you here, senior brother…?”  

“Can’t I be here?”  

“I heard you’ve been focusing on Gate raids lately. Desperate to win favor, aren’t you?”  

“Heh. Favor? Maybe. But is there some rule saying I can’t do what you did?”

“……”  

Yoo Kang-ho approached Yoo Baek-jun and abruptly grabbed his shoulder.  

“A disaster is coming to Busan soon, right?”  

“How did you—?!”  

“I heard all the information you shared. What kind of monsters will appear, when the disaster will strike, and how to respond to it.”  

“Don’t tell me the Busan branch leader leaked the info?!”  

Yoo Kang-ho smirked.  

“You idiot, did you forget who the Busan branch leader serves? Did you really think they’d follow you just because Father’s been favoring you lately?”  

“……”  

“We’ve already prepared for the disaster under Brother Yoo Tae-rang’s leadership. There’s no place for you here, so get lost.”  

With that, Yoo Kang-ho shoved Yoo Baek-jun’s shoulder hard, sending him stumbling back.  

“Know your place and don’t overstep. Got it?”  

“Yoo Kang-ho, the branch leader is waiting for you.”  

“Right, I’ll be right there.”  

Yoo Kang-ho left, following the guide. 

Yoo Baek-jun stood there, looking dazed.  

The quiet snickers of the nearby Busan branch staff reached his ears.  

“Tch!”  

Yoo Baek-jun bit his lip and hurriedly left, as if ashamed of his current situation.  

Han Seong-ah followed, and they both headed to a place with no people around.  

“…He took the bait way too easily, didn’t he?”  

“Indeed. It seems things are going exactly as you planned, young master.”  

Once sure they were alone, a deep smile spread across Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.  

Everything was going according to plan.  

‘They’ve prepared everything for the disaster… How very kind of them.’  

That was exactly what Yoo Baek-jun was aiming for.  

Even after borrowing the family’s resources to prepare, Yoo Tae-rang would achieve nothing.  

Instead, his failure to predict correctly would lead to even greater losses than if he hadn’t prepared at all.  

Hence, the false information he had fed them.  

‘A Gate opening in the sky? Bullshit.’  

The Night of Death is different from the Great invasion.  

The Busan branch, trusting only Yoo Baek-jun’s words, had focused solely on preparing for monsters appearing in the sky.  

Just like Yoo Baek-jun had done in Seoul, they had mass-prepared anti-air defense facilities and brought a significant number of magic stones from the family’s reserves.  

‘Little do they know it’s all pointless.’  

A dark smile lingered on Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.  

“Ahem, cough. Ugh, my throat hurts.”  

“Young master, are you alright?”  

“Yeah. Yelling like that really takes effort. From where you stood, did I look properly pissed off?”

“Yes, just like Yoo Kang-ho.”  

“……”  

That was a low blow

Yoo Baek-jun swallowed the words that rose to his throat.  

“This should be enough. Those watching us from afar must’ve been satisfied with my reaction.”  

“I did feel eyes on us the whole time. Ah, and young master, a letter arrived for you.”  

“What is it?”  

Han Seong-ah handed him the letter.  

The sender was Vincent. 

He wrote that they had achieved their goal this time and that the completion of their plan was near, so he wanted to hold a celebration party.  

“The party’s location is Busan, Haeundae.”  

“It says you must attend. Otherwise, you’ll miss an important opportunity.”  

“Hmm…”  

Yoo Baek-jun smirked.  

The blatant intention was almost laughable.  

“I’ll attend.”  

But not himself—someone else would go in his place.  

“Contact Min Yi-jae and tell Vivianne to get ready. Say we’ll set the stage for them.”  

“Understood.”  

“Also, tell Jeon Soo-yeon and Choi Gun-woo to move as planned.”  

“Yes.”  

Yoo Baek-jun turned his head and looked in the direction Yoo Kang-ho had left earlier.  

The main family’s swordsmen, the Flying Dragon Sword Unit, were with him. The Leader Kang Dae-sung was also among them.  

They were Yoo Tae-rang’s followers.  

Yoo Tae-rang must have assigned them to Yoo Kang-ho.  

“Yoo Kang-ho…”  

A persistent, ill-fated bond.  

A grudge that had lasted since the beginning of this route. 

And now…  

“It’s time to end it.”  

There was no reason to let him live.  

Yoo Baek-jun left with Han Seong-ah.  

* * *  

Meanwhile, someone was watching the two of them—Busan Branch Leader Im Woo-do.  

Beside him stood Choi Gun-woo.  

“Watching him flounder is hilarious.”  

“……”  

“Look at that. Doesn’t he look like a brat throwing a tantrum because things didn’t go his way?”  

“……”  

Yoo Baek-jun’s frustrated outbursts as he roamed Busan were utterly ridiculous.  

“Don’t you think so, Gun-woo? You’re unusually quiet today. Did something happen?”  

“…No, it’s nothing.”  

Choi Gun-woo, standing beside Im Woo-do, bowed his head. 

It was hard to hide his expression.  

‘I wonder who the real fool is…’  

Whether he knew Choi Gun-woo’s thoughts or not, Im Woo-do snorted and turned away.  

“He’ll probably keep being a nuisance for a while. You’ve briefed the staff, right?”  

“Yes. If Yoo Baek-jun comes asking why his orders weren’t followed, I told them to stick to the script.”  

“There’s no need to listen to his orders.”  

“Exactly. We used the information we gathered while pretending to follow Yoo Baek-jun’s orders to complete the defense system according to Yoo Tae-rang’s intentions.”  

“Good. Very satisfying.”  

Im Woo-do smiled contentedly.  

“Branch Leader, Yoo Kang-ho is arriving. He’s with the main family’s Flying Dragon Sword Unit.”  

“Hmm…”  

Im Woo-do’s gaze at Yoo Kang-ho was peculiar—not exactly welcoming.  

“Gun-woo, you know this. We can’t let them steal our achievements.”  

“Yes. I’ve set up traps and defense facilities at the location you mentioned earlier.”  

“Good. Perfect.”  

That was only natural.  

Yoo Kang-ho had only one purpose for being here, and it overlapped with Im Woo-do’s goal.  

“Kill Yoo Baek-jun.”  

A cold glint flashed in Im Woo-do’s eyes.  

“That achievement must be ours. Only then can we secure our place in the Sword Saint family Yoo Tae-rang will establish.”  

“Understood.”  

Choi Gun-woo bowed deeply.  

Im Woo-do left, saying, “I’m counting on you.”  

“……”  

The office fell silent.  

Choi Gun-woo stared at the spot where Im Woo-do had stood.  

“…I feel the same way, Leader Im Woo-do.”  

Just as Im Woo-do intended to kill Yoo Baek-jun to secure his place in Yoo Tae-rang’s Sword Saint family…  

Choi Gun-woo, too, would kill Im Woo-do to secure his place in Yoo Baek-jun’s Sword Saint family.  

As the Busan Branch Leader.  

‘The grave you prepared for Yoo Baek-jun… will become your own.’  

Choi Gun-woo picked up his phone.  

“Yes, Jeon Soo-yeon. We’ll cut off the Busan branch’s information network from our side. As for the intelligence division….You already know what to do, right?”  

A cold light gleamed in his eyes.  

* * *  

And the next day.  

A party was held at the tallest skyscraper in Busan’s Haeundae.  

It was a celebration hosted by Vincent, a party to commemorate the achievement of ‘something.’ 

“Haha, I’m delighted to be invited to such a joyous occasion. Finally, the time has come…”  

“Our wish is about to be fulfilled.”  

Numerous guests attended the celebration.  

Despite the short notice—only a few days prior—many had canceled conflicting schedules to attend.  

Such was their anticipation for this event.  

“Oh, Yoo Baek-jun. You’ve arrived.”  

“……”  

Yoo Baek-jun was also present.  

He glanced at the male guest who greeted him and responded with a silent smile.  

Others also approached Yoo Baek-jun, but each time, he remained silent.  

“What’s this? You’re unusually quiet today.”  

“That’s true.”  

But no one paid it much mind.  

Everyone was too excited.  

Creak.  

Amidst the laughter and merriment…  

The host of the celebration made his appearance.  

Vincent, holding a grotesque skull crafted from interwoven bones, stepped onto the stage.  

“Dear and respected patrons, thank you for attending the celebration I’ve prepared.”  

Vincent smiled as he scanned the room.  

Thunderous applause erupted.  

“It’s been a long journey. I’ve dedicated everything to achieve a single goal. And now… I can finally see the results.”  

The attendees’ eyes shone with expectation. They believed Vincent would showcase those results.  

“I made a promise to all of you. To some, eternal life; to others, power beyond humanity; and to others, a chance to reunite with the departed.”  

Vincent smiled faintly.  

“Now, I shall fulfill that promise.”  

Though the nature of that promise…  

“Let the Summoning ritual begin.”  

Would be far different from what they imagined.  

Thud! 

The sound of a staff striking the ground echoed.