I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 26

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 26.  

Yoo Baek-jun accepted Seol-ho’s proposal.

Seol-ho focused his mind.

Then, something like a pure white elixir emerged from his corpse.

The elixir floated in front of Yoo Baek-jun.

—Take it.

The elixir entered Yoo Baek-jun’s body.

He closed his eyes and felt the power flowing into him.

An immense magical power surged through him.

‘And… it’s cold.’

The magical power was so cold it felt like his body would freeze. But only for a moment.

His body, which had been freezing, quickly adapted to the power and began to change.

And when Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes.

“Hmm…….”

The magical power radiating from him was so strong that even Jin Seo-yeon, who had been watching, let out a sigh of admiration.

Yoo Baek-jun exhaled a white breath.

A message appeared before his eyes.

—You have absorbed the power Seol-ho had preserved his entire life. Your magical power has risen by one level.

—You have learned a new trait and skill.

—Trait: Master of the Extreme Cold (A)

—Skill: Cold Aura (A)

Yoo Baek-jun checked his newly acquired abilities.

[Master of the Extreme Cold (A)]

— You can freely withstand bitter cold.

—The power of ice-related skills greatly increases, and magic power consumption decreases.

—You barely feel the cold, and your physical abilities strengthen in colder environments.

[Cold Aura (A)]

—Releases an intense cold aura centered around the caster. Those touched by the cold are slowed, and their physical abilities weaken.

—Additional effects may apply depending on the terrain.

He couldn’t hold back a smile.

Both were excellent—one a debuff skill, the other a self-enhancing skill.

Especially since they were perfectly optimized for Seoraksan Mountain.

—This should be helpful, right?

“More than helpful. It’s overflowing.”

Seol-ho stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun, as if waiting for him to say something.

Yoo Baek-jun spoke with utmost sincerity.

“I’ll find and deal with the ones who killed you. And I’ll take care of your child until the day I die. I promise.”

—Good. Now I can rest a little easier.

Seol-ho nodded in satisfaction.

Ice Spirits surrounded him, as if signaling it was time to go.

—For those like us who traverse the spirit realm, death is trivial…

Seol-ho looked back.

His eyes, fixed on the frozen wall blocking the way, dripped with reluctance.

—But farewells… I just can’t get used to them.

“You’re going to the spirit realm, right? Then someday, I’ll bring your child and visit you.”

—Visit… me?

Seol-ho’s eyes widened.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

—I’ll be waiting.

Flash!

A brilliant light erupted around Seol-ho, forcing Yoo Baek-jun to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, Seol-ho was gone.

Only the Ice Spirits remained.

—Hey, friend, you’re coming to the spirit realm later, right?

—You can’t come in a human body.

—So you’ll die and come?

No matter how many times he saw them, they were still chatterboxes.

Yoo Baek-jun waited for them to finish.

—Since you accepted his request, you can’t die.

—So instead, we’ll give you a gift.

The Ice Spirits floated around Yoo Baek-jun. Moments later, a light flowed into him.

—Trait: Friend of Ice Spirits (C) has been upgraded to ‘Trait: One Invited to the Spirit Realm (C).’

[One Invited to the Spirit Realm (C)]

—You have gained the right to enter and exit the spirit realm.

—As it is a rare privilege, you can easily earn the favor and trust of spirit realm inhabitants.

As expected, it wasn’t a particularly powerful trait.

But it would be useful later—a trait that could trigger certain events.

—Well then, byeeeee…….

The Ice Spirits vanished into thin air, as if sucked into a vacuum cleaner.

Only Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon remained.

“I stayed quiet because I didn’t know what was happening, but is everything resolved now?”

“Yeah.”

“What about my request?”

Yoo Baek-jun silently pointed at the ground.

“Can’t you feel it?”

“…….”

An enormous amount of magical power was flowing throughout the cave.

It was the residual elemental magic, infused with ice energy, left behind after Seol-ho’s soul and body disappeared.

“…I can feel it.”

Jin Seo-yeon let out a sigh.

This was exactly the environment she had hoped for—so cold it made her skin shiver, and filled with elemental magic.

A perfect place to accumulate magical power.

“I feel like I’ve been thoroughly used.”

“Think of it as mutual benefit.”

“Mutual benefit? Feels like you gained way more than I did. Or is it just me?”

“Yeah, just you.”

Yoo Baek-jun strode deeper inside.

Jin Seo-yeon followed with a complicated expression.

A frozen wall came into view.

When he placed his hand on it, the ice melted as if it had been waiting.

And beyond it—

“That’s…….”

There was a small cave.

Inside, carefully preserved, was a large block of ice.

Yoo Baek-jun approached it.

“…….”

Inside the ice was a small creature.

If the Seol-ho he had just seen were made younger, this was likely how he would have looked.

The resemblance was uncanny.

‘No doubt, that’s his child.’

Since the gender hadn’t changed, it was probably female.

Yoo Baek-jun inspected the ice.

The young Snow Tiger inside was severely wounded all over.

Left like this, it wouldn’t survive long.

‘The reason Seol-ho went berserk and attacked Seoul in the original timeline was because this kid died.’

He had barely regained his sanity, only to lose it completely upon seeing his child’s death.

And then, catastrophe followed.

‘Treasure Hunters.’

They called themselves that, but they were basically grave robbers.

They’re the kind who roam around ruins and dungeons all over the world, looting valuable treasures and hunting mystical creatures.

They use all sorts of illegal means to do so, and couldn’t care less about the harm they cause to civilians.

‘The real problem is when they end up causing a major disaster.’

They end up awakening some ancient monster that had been sealed deep underground.

That leads to the first major event.

The funny thing is, it’s better to just let them cause trouble.

‘Because if you try to stop them, things just get weirdly tangled up and turn into an even bigger headache.’

Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh.

He had to prepare for his brother, Yoo Tae-rang’s return, as well as the major event.

Having too much on his plate was another problem.

“What are you doing? Don’t we need to get this kid out?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“Should I use fire magic or something?”

“Don’t. Do you really want to cook her alive?”

Yoo Baek-jun waved his hand dismissively.

There was no need to melt this block of ice.

All he had to do was touch it…

Sssssss!

It melted away.

After all, it was Seol-ho who froze it. ‘

Since Yoo Baek-jun had some of his energy, he could melt it at will.

“Hmm.”

Yoo Baek-jun pulled the young Snow Tiger out of the ice.

Her body was emaciated, covered in tattered wounds.

As soon as she was freed from the ice, blood began to seep out.

“Cute.”

That was the first thing Jin Seo-yeon said upon seeing her.

Her hand reached out toward the baby Snow Tiger, but Yoo Baek-jun stopped her like lightning.

“Ah! Can’t I even touch her?”

“Why would you touch an injured kid? We need to treat her first.”

“I get that, but she’s adorable…”

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes sparkled.

Yoo Baek-jun ignored her and immediately examined the baby Snow Tiger. If left like this, she’d die.

That’s why he had brought medicine.

“Did you make that too?”

“Yeah, I brought it just in case. It’s made with expensive ingredients, so it should work.”

“You’re more talented than I thought. Then again, you always loved books even as a kid.”

He placed a small pill in Snow Tiger’s mouth and wrapped her wounds with the bandages he had brought.

The bandages were coated with medicinal herbs. Once the effects kicked in, the wounds would heal quickly.

—Whimper, whimper…

“She’s whimpering. Is this kid a puppy?”

“If you think this looks like a puppy, there’s something wrong with your eyes.”

“I don’t know much about animals. Then what is it?”

“A tiger… Duh. Didn’t you see Seol-ho earlier? This is his kid. Didn’t you hear?”

“Really?”

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

Yoo Baek-jun let out a small sigh.

Come to think of it, Jin Seo-yeon’s character setting mentioned that while she was highly knowledgeable, she had a few screws loose.

This must be one of those loose screws.

—Wheeze, wheeze…

“Her breathing sounds really rough, doesn’t it?”

“We’ll have to monitor her condition for a while. I gave her expensive medicine, so she won’t die easily.”

At any rate, Jin Seo-yeon would need to absorb magical power here for a while.

While protecting her, he planned to stay up all night nursing this kid.

“Should I praise you for being responsible?”

“No need.”

When he explained his plan, Jin Seo-yeon responded like that.

Yoo Baek-jun carefully cradled the young Snow Tiger and stepped out into the cavern.

Jin Seo-yeon stood in the center.

“Well, good. I was feeling uneasy with all the monsters around, so it’s a relief someone’s guarding me.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“About three days. Take good care of me.”

Yoo Baek-jun nodded.

He owed her, so this much was fine.

“…….”

Jin Seo-yeon closed her eyes and focused.

Her body slowly levitated into the air.

A moment later, a spherical barrier of magical power enveloped her entire body.

Whoooosh!

As the barrier vibrated, the mana throughout the cavern began resonating with it.

Jin Seo-yeon inhaled and exhaled repeatedly in her own unique way.

‘Magical Breathing Technique.’

Unlike martial artists who use Mind technique to build up magical power, Mages build up power through special breathing techniques.

The one Jin Seo-yeon used was a technique passed down only to the successors of the Magic Tower.

It was exceptionally efficient, allowing her to absorb vast amounts of magical power without loss.

“Ssssss…”

With every breath she took, an enormous amount of magical power seeped into her body.

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.

“She won’t be able to move a muscle for three days.”

—Wheeze…

The young Snow Tiger shivered, as if cold.

Yoo Baek-jun wrapped her in his black robe and absentmindedly opened his status window.

[Yoo Baek-jun]

Strength: B (42/100)
Agility: B (47/100)
Stamina: B (45/100)
Magic power: B+ (12/100)

[Unique Ability: Book of the Martial God (EX, 2★)]

[Traits: Heavenly Martial Body (S), Energizer (C), One Invited to the Spirit Realm (C), Master of the Extreme Cold (A)]

Skills:

Herbal Medicine Preparation (B),
Cold Aura (A, 1★), ……

His magic power had risen by one grade.

Defeating Seol-ho, a powerful monster, and the quest rewards had significantly boosted his other stats as well.

‘At this rate, I should be able to reach A-rank from B+ before Yoo Tae-rang arrives.’

At the very least, he needed to hit that mark.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Yoo Tae-rang. His base stats would just be too lacking.

And more importantly….

‘Considering the main events and major events to come, even A-rank won’t be enough.’

Heroes Road was a game with severe, if not extreme, power inflation.

From the mid-game onward, literal monsters keep popping up one after another. To deal with them, he needed power on par with theirs.

“This kid should be some help.”

A Snow Tiger would be more than capable of helping with that.

So wasting a bit of time like this was somewhat acceptable.

“Sigh…”

Yoo Baek-jun exhaled deeply.

Too much had happened in a single day. It was only natural to feel exhausted.

‘Let me set up a barrier spell.’

He tore open a scroll imbued with a spell that would sound an alarm if monsters approached.

After casting the spell at the entrance, Yoo Baek-jun leaned against the wall, still holding the young Snow Tiger.

“Let’s rest for a bit…”

Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.