I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 24.
Yoo Baek-jun took something out of his pocket.
Unidentifiable pills, magical items, and a scroll. He shook out one pill.
“What are you eating?”
“Something tasteless. Want some too?”
Jin Seo-yeon stared intently at the pill.
It just looked like an ordinary pill. But something felt off. She could sense the magic power emanating from it.
“…….”
Jin Seo-yeon cautiously took the pill and swallowed it. The pill dissolved instantly, and moments later…
“This is…….”
She could feel her body becoming more active.
Moving became noticeably easier, and the amount of magic power in her body increased—along with its recovery speed.
“Impressive. Did you make this?”
“Well, my master helped a bit, but yeah, I made it. The recipe is mine too.”
“This pill…….”
If it were sold on the market, it would likely fetch a hefty sum.
For one, it was convenient to carry and easy to consume. Plus, its effects kicked in almost immediately.
‘Amazing.’
She had only known him to be strong in martial arts, but now she realized he could even make medicine like this.
Yoo Baek-jun tossed a pill into his own mouth.
“These are… interesting things.”
“They’ll all come in handy later.”
Yoo Baek-jun attached the items to various parts of his body and stood up.
A system window appeared before his eyes.
[Ghost Busters]
Seol-ho was once a spiritual guardian of Seoraksan Mountain, but now it has become a vengeful ghost.
It’s a sad tale, but what’s done cannot be undone. Let’s help it move on peacefully.
Go, Ghost Buster. Hunt the ghost!
―Reward: 500P, stat increase
A new quest.
The objective was to deal with Seol-ho, and given its difficulty, the reward was quite substantial.
‘Oh, with this, I might even be able to learn a B-rank trait or skill?’
He couldn’t help but hum cheerfully.
The Ice Spirits nearby pointed ahead.
The two followed their lead.
“Seol-ho, what kind of spirit is it?”
“Big, white, with blue patterns. Well, as the name suggests, it’s related to snow and ice.”
“So its attacks are based on those two, then.”
“Yeah, but it’s also huge.”
He remembered it being about the size of a house.
At that size, every attack would be lethal. Even a graze could be fatal.
‘With my current stats, a head-on fight is impossible.’
Then he’d just have to use another method.
Yoo Baek-jun strode forward confidently.
The deeper he went, the denser the magic power became.
The suffocatingly thick magic power concentration—and the resentful roars that kept echoing.
―Grrroooaar!
“He’s really angry.”
They reached the source of the sound.
Ahead was a wide entrance. Beyond it awaited the enraged vengeful ghost.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced back at Jin Seo-yeon.
“You’ll help, right?”
“You drag me all the way here and only now ask that? You really are shameless.”
Jin Seo-yeon scoffed.
She couldn’t just turn back now, not after sensing the sheer amount of magic power in the area.
‘Besides, I need to resolve the Tears of the Snowfield now anyway.’
Yoo Baek-jun thought to himself.
Some events in this world escalate into major disasters if not handled in time.
Tears of the Snowfield was one such event.
If they didn’t deal with Seol-ho now, it would eventually descend the mountain in search of its lost body.
‘In the process, even the Sword Saint’s family would suffer heavy losses, and several cities would be destroyed.’
To put it simply, Seol-ho wasn’t yet a full-fledged vengeful ghost.
It still lacked power, so to speak.
That’s why they had to deal with it now.
“Let’s go.”
Yoo Baek-jun took a step forward.
Jin Seo-yeon followed, casting spells as she walked.
The two stepped into the vast cavern.
―Grrrr…
A sound echoed.
The growl of an apex predator—one that made their bodies instinctively tense.
At the center of the cavern was that very predator.
“So we have to fight that, huh?”
Jin Seo-yeon let out a sigh.
A massive aura of malice floated in the center.
Yoo Baek-jun spotted something within it.
“Never fails to amaze me.”
It was a tiger the size of a house.
A massive body packed with muscle. Snow-white fur adorned with mysterious blue patterns.
Its form was semi-transparent, shrouded in dark energy. And those eyes….
‘Was I cutting it a bit too close?’
There wasn’t a trace of reason left in them.
All that could be felt from those crimson eyes was sheer, unrelenting madness.
Had they been any later, Seol-ho might have fully lost its mind and descended upon Seoul.
―Grr, Grrr…
Seol-ho drooled looking at them.
It looked ready to pounce any second.
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out a scroll while keeping his eyes on it.
Rip!
He tore it apart in one swift motion.
Whoosh!
―Groooaar!
The divine power sealed within the scroll erupted.
Divine power was the natural enemy of ghost-type monsters.
For a moment, the beast staggered.
“Keep it from getting closer.”
Yoo Baek-jun took out another scroll.
He scattered holy water and other magical items on the ground, preparing something.
‘To fight a monster like this…’
Physical attacks didn’t work on spectral monsters.
Only magic did.
So, to deal with them, you needed special methods—like using specialized weapons or stripping
away their strengths.
Whooosh!
That’s where magic circles came in.
A magic circle that materialized ghost-type monsters: the [Manifestation Circle].
Jin Seo-yeon let out a small gasp.
“That’s a pretty rare magic circle.”
Yoo Baek-jun channeled magic power into the scroll. The paper ignited in blue flames and burned away.
A massive magic circle etched itself onto the ground.
―Grrrr…
Seol-ho growled, sensing something amiss.
It was about to attack. Yoo Baek-jun signaled Jin Seo-yeon, and she unleashed her magic.
Clang!
Countless chains materialized in the air, binding Seol-ho’s limbs. Its charge halted.
A Bind spell, one nearly mastered to the highest level. But….
“It won’t hold for long.”
The chains were already starting to break.
The time they bought was little, but it was enough. Yoo Baek-jun stomped the ground.
Boom!
His magic power erupted outward from his foot.
Whoosh!
The magic circle glowed blue before shifting to a brilliant white.
But they still needed more time.
―Screech!
Jin Seo-yeon flicked her fingers.
A massive ice wall rose in front of the charging Seol-ho, no, three layers of walls.
She immediately raised her hand upward.
Creak!
Multiple ballistae appeared behind the walls.
Flaming Javelins were loaded, their strings drawn taut.
And a moment later.
―Groooaar!
With a deafening roar, the bind shattered.
Seol-ho broke free and charged straight ahead.
Crash!
The ice walls shattered like glass in an instant.
Thunk!
Flaming javelins shot toward Seol-ho as it broke through.
They struck its torso but failed to pierce through, only briefly halting its advance.
‘As expected of a spirit beast.’
Rather, it would have been easier to deal with him when he was alive.
Now, Seol-ho has transformed into a vengeful ghost, gaining several additional strengths.
No wonder he’s troublesome.
“Tch!”
Jin Seo-yeon stomped the ground with all her might.
From the tip of her foot, a massive wave of flames surged and swallowed Seol-ho in an instant.
—Grrrrr……
This time, it seemed to have an effect— Seol-ho growled in pain.
The problem was that, perhaps angered by the attack, he was now glaring fiercely at her.
Jin Seo-yeon let out a small scoff.
“What’s wrong, are you mad?”
—Kuhhheeeaaargh!
Seol-ho charged at her with a furious roar.
This time, not toward Yoo Baek-jun, but directly at Jin Seo-yeon.
Calmly, she considered which magic to use and began combining spells in her mind.
“Now!”
But before she could act, a magic circle had already been completed.
Yoo Baek-jun slammed his fist into the ground.
The vast cavern’s inscribed magic circle shone brilliantly, and Seol-ho writhed in agony at the sight.
—Kyaaaaak!
“Be careful! That bastard can use magic too!”
“What?”
Seol-ho’s translucent body grew opaque as he began to lash out in desperation.
He raised his foot high.
—Fssshh!
As his foot came down, countless fissures split the ground, and the ceiling trembled violently.
The countless icicles hanging above shook before plummeting down all at once.
“Jin Seo-yeon!”
“I know.”
Jin Seo-yeon deployed a massive barrier.
—Kkak-kkak!
The sound of screeching metal filled the air as sharp ice spikes attempted to pierce through the barrier.
However, they failed to break through and soon crumbled into dust.
—Grrrr……!
Seol-ho continued casting spells relentlessly.
A freezing blizzard swept through the cavern, accompanied by hail as sharp as needles.
—Boom!
The barrier shook violently under the assault.
—Kwaaang!
Seol-ho charged headfirst into the barrier.
Unable to withstand the impact any longer, the barrier shattered, and Seol-ho swung his massive claws.
But Jin Seo-yeon remained composed.
“…….”
Like a conductor leading an orchestra, she moved her fingers precisely.
First, a gigantic stone fist erupted from the ground, smashing into Seol-ho’s jaw.
—Kuhhaa!
Then, a rain of fire poured from above, engulfing his entire body in flames.
Next came lightning. Then, blades of wind descended like a guillotine. It was a literal downpour of magic.
‘Just how much magic power does she have?’
Yoo Baek-jun, watching from the sidelines, clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The fact that she could cast such large-scale magic without pause was absurd.
But Jin Seo-yeon wasn’t exactly at ease either.
“Yoo Baek-jun! Do something!”
“People will think I’m just standing around!”
Yoo Baek-jun stomped the ground.
Honestly, a monster of this size was too much for them to handle right now.
They weren’t properly equipped for this.
‘Tch, no choice.’
In an instant, he dashed into Seol-ho’s embrace.
The creature’s crimson eyes locked onto him.
“What’re you looking at?”
—Kyaaaak!
Yoo Baek-jun kicked the ground with all his strength.
Stones, propelled by the force, wreathed in flames and struck Seol-ho square in the face.
His face began to burn.
—Y-you… hu-man…!
Seol-ho’s body solidified. Now, physical attacks would work on him.
—Uuuaaarrgh!
Moreover, the manifestation magic circle had the added effect of weakening ghost-type monsters.
Feeling his body weakened, Seol-ho let out a pained roar.
Perhaps his intelligence had partially returned, as he now spoke in words humans could understand.
—I’ll… kill… you!
Seol-ho’s eyes gleamed ominously.
Yoo Baek-jun swallowed hard.
Each of his attacks was fatal—a single graze meant death.
But he remained confident.
‘I’ve already memorized all your patterns.’
Seol-ho slammed his front paw down in one swift motion. Snow scattered, momentarily obscuring vision.
‘He’ll swing his tail now!’
Yoo Baek-jun immediately rolled to the side.
A massive tail whipped through the space where he had just been. He sprang back up and kicked the ground again.
—Grr…!
“Shut your mouth, bastard!”
The next pattern was a breath attack.
Before Seol-ho could exhale his freezing breath, Yoo Baek-jun struck his jaw with a powerful skill.
—Crack!
Seol-ho’s mouth snapped shut.
—Grrk!
“Jin Seo-yeon!”
The trapped breath swirled violently inside his mouth. Yoo Baek-jun urgently called for her.
As if she had been waiting, she cast her magic.
—Whooosh!
A raging gale cleared the snow obstructing their vision.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately leaped onto Seol-ho’s back, gripping his neck.
“Bark all you want!”
—Kuhhaaaak!
He yanked Seol-ho’s head upward.
The pent-up breath shot straight toward the ceiling.
The immense magical force shattered it, sending countless fragments and icicles raining down.
—Fwooosh!
As if she had anticipated this, Jin Seo-yeon imbued the falling debris with fire attributes and hardened the icicles to steel-like durability.
They rained down upon Seol-ho in unison.
—Taat!
Yoo Baek-jun kicked off the ground, retreating to where Jin Seo-yeon stood in one swift motion.
She looked at him with an impressed expression.
“Did you learn circus tricks or something?”
“At a time like this, you should ask if I learned martial arts, not some damn circus act!”
“No, it just looked like a circus move…”
“Whatever, it’s not over yet.”
Ignoring her, Yoo Baek-jun jerked his chin toward Seol-ho.
Though his back was a mess, Seol-ho was still alive, glaring at Yoo Baek-jun with undying hatred.
“Come at me.”
Yoo Baek-jun wiggled his fingers tauntingly.
—Kuhheeeaaargh!
The roar of a wounded beast echoed throughout the cavern.
