I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 29

I Became the Successor of the Martial God 

Chapter 29.  

Park Chan-kyung and Cheon Min-ju.

The two disciples stood before Yoo Baek-jun.

“How long has it been since both of you joined the family?”

“It’s been about two years for both of us. We passed the Sword Exam back then and have been receiving teachings from Grandmaster Ja-yeon for the past two years.”

The Sword Exam.

It’s a test created by the Sword Saint Family to select Hunters who wish to join as disciples.

An exam devised by the Martial God in ancient times,

it has been passed down unchanged to this day.

‘Surviving in an extreme environment with nothing but a single sword against monsters from all directions.’

However, the enemies aren’t just monsters.

Depending on the situation, other disciples taking the exam can become allies—or foes.

It’s an old-fashioned test.

“Hehe, I barely scraped by.”

“I passed without much trouble. Though I was starving the whole time—thought I’d die.”

Park Chan-kyung scratched his head and answered expressionlessly, while Cheon Min-ju giggled with a smile.

Even at a glance, their personalities seemed quite different.

“Um, Young Master?”

“Call me ‘Youngest Master.’ It’d get confusing if you used the same name as Instructor Han Seong-ah.”

“Ah, yes. Youngest Master. So, which gate are we heading to?”

Yoo Baek-jun explained Gate No. 4 to them in detail.

Their expressions stiffened slightly.

“Uh, it sounds tough.”

“Are the four of us going?”

“To be precise, four and one other.”

“One other?”

Yoo Baek-jun waved his hand.

“I’ll inform the family, so you’ll be supplied with top-tier equipment. Gather your supplies too.

Prepare today, and we’ll depart tomorrow morning.”

“Understood, Youngest Master.”

“W-we’ll do our best!”

Park Chan-kyung and Cheon Min-ju left.

They were probably heading straight to gather supplies. Yoo Baek-jun exhaled as he watched them go.

‘I should make sure they stay on my side.’

Once their training period ends, they’ll quickly rise to become A-rank Hunters.

There’s no reason not to keep them as allies.

―You can now accept a new quest.

Just as he was pondering what to do next, a message window appeared before his eyes.

He checked the quest.

<A Sparring Session That Feels Real.>

Spar with someone capable of teaching you something.

You might gain some enlightenment along the way, right?

―Reward: 100P, stat increase

Not a bad quest.

“We should get our preparations done, and maybe spend today training… Instructor Han Seong-ah, how about a sparring match?”

“With you, Young Master? Sounds fun.”

Han Seong-ah showed interest.

Might as well earn some points and spend the day sparring with her.

Just as he was thinking that.

“Young Master!”

Choi Seung-min came running.

Yoo Baek-jun stopped and waited for him to approach.

“What’s the matter?”

“About the person you asked me to find earlier—I’ve located him. But…”

“But?”

“There’s a bit of a problem.”

Choi Seung-min scratched his cheek.

“He’s being chased by loan sharks.”

“Hmm.”

He had expected as much.

In fact, this works out well. Given the situation, things should unfold according to his plans.

“Let’s make a quick stop in Busan before heading to the gate.”

“Yes, I’ve already prepared for immediate departure.”

But first, there was somewhere else he needed to go.

* * *

Busan, a village where development is stagnant, earning the area the nickname ‘Dal-dong(달동)’.

Because of its nature, gate responses are poorly handled, making it an exceptionally harsh place to live.

Yet, people still reside there.

Thud, thud!

Someone was banging on the door of a shabby house. A man with a rough, menacing appearance.

The people behind him looked just as intimidating.

Bang, bang, bang!

“Hey, Mr. Song! We know you’re in there!”

The man shouted in a voice as rough as his appearance.

A yell loud enough to echo through the neighborhood.

“We both know you’re inside, so why not come out and talk like adults? Huh?!”

“If you don’t come out, we’ll break the door down!”

The man behind him acted as if he was about to kick the gate down.

Then, a voice came from inside.

“This is illegal debt collection! Causing fear or intimidation is against the law!”

“Ah, the law is far, but my fists are close!”

Crash!

The man smashed the door open.

The interior of the shabby house was revealed—along with a gaunt man trembling in fear.

“Well, well, Mr. Song Hyung-seok. You can’t just borrow money and disappear like this.”

“I-I didn’t borrow it!”

“Ah, right. Your father did. But your name was on the contract too!”

When the man roared, Song Hyung-seok shuddered violently.

“We lent you money because we trusted you as a Hunter. You can’t just take it and vanish.”

“If you don’t have money, work for it. Aren’t you a Hunter? Are your arms just for show? Huh?”

“I’m a low-rank Hunter—I can’t even enter gates! I never wanted to raid them in the first place!”

At that, the men exchanged glances.

“Wait, you became a Hunter but don’t want to raid gates?”

“Because I don’t want to end up like my father…!”

“Quit the bullshit. We don’t care about your personal issues.”

The man at the very back clicked his tongue and stepped forward.

A shaved head covered in tattoos—the very image of a gangster.

His name was Lee Beom-cheol.

The leader of this loan shark group.

“Mr. Song Hyung-seok, do we dig money out of the ground? The money we lent your dad—we borrowed it from higher-ups too.”

“S-so what?”

“If you can’t pay, we’re screwed too. So let’s settle this quick and clean… got it?!”

Thud!

Lee Beom-cheol suddenly kicked Song Hyung-seok in the shoulder, sending his frail body crashing into the wall.

“Guh—!”

“Otherwise, you’re gonna have a bad time.”

“T-this is illegal…!”

“My fists are close, but the law is far, remember?”

A barrage of indiscriminate violence rained down on Song Hyung-seok.

Lee Beom-cheol and his underlings mercilessly beat him with fists and kicks.

“Ugh—! Agh—!”

“Should we cripple you like your dad, huh?! Just say the word!”

Their plan was to break his spirit with a beating, then drag him away. After all, he was still a Hunter—he’d be useful somewhere.

You can sell it overseas or just throw it to the villain organization you want and you’ll make some money.

“What? Why is the door blown away?”

At that moment, a voice was heard from behind.

Everyone looked toward the door.

A man was holding the broken door and making a dumbfounded face.

A woman followed him.

“What?”

“Hey! Get lost? Where do you think you are?!”

It was Yoo Baek-jun and Han Seong-ah.

The two of them clicked their tongues after watching the loan sharks yell.

“You should open and close the door like civilized people, not just smash it. Are you a primitive person?”

“What?”

The men burst into laughter at those words.

The first thought that came to mind was….

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

“Huh, the tattoos on the knife marks are a mess. They all look like they’ve been dipped in several people’s ink.”

“Not very impressive though. There are three Hunters here, but they’re all nothing special.”

“Really? I was nervous for nothing.”

Yoo Baek-jun approached the men while making a fuss.

Then he looked at their faces and admired them.

For some reason, he felt very angry when the handsome guy did that. It felt like he was being laughed at.

“Are you crazy……?!”

“What the hell are you doing?”

The men growled.

Yoo Baek-jun ignored them and strode towards Lee Beom-cheol.

“You the boss around here?”

“Huh? Yeah, and who the hell are you?”

“You don’t need to know that yet. I think you came for the money, but how much does this guy owe you?”

Lee Beom-cheol stared blankly at Yoo Baek-jun’s face.

“2.7 billion.”

“2 billion won! I heard that the principal of the money my father borrowed was 500 million won……!”

“How long has it been since you couldn’t pay it back, and shouldn’t we be receiving this much interest? Huh?”

Song Hyung-seok made a bewildered face.

If the principal is quadrupling, how much is the interest rate? He tried to recall the interest rate written in the contract.

‘Should’ve been born to a better family… Wait, no, that’s not the point.’’

Yoo Baek-jun sighed as he looked at the scene.

“So, what now? Are you planning to pay off his debt or something?”

“I’m thinking of doing that for now.”

Yoo Baek-jun cracked his shoulder.

“Just the principal.”

“What… Keuk!”

A lightning-quick punch struck Lee Beom-cheol in the face.

His nose collapsed in a single blow, and he fell over, spitting up blood.

“B-Boss!”

“This bastard! Get him!”

The lowest-ranking Hunters among the loan sharks stepped forward.

And right at the moment when they were about to strike Yoo Baek-jun.

“Don’t point your weapon at the Young master.”

“Ke, keuk!”

Han Seong-ah stepped forward like lightning.

She swung her sword and broke the arms and legs of the loan sharks.

And then she pulled out her sword and thrust the blade.

“A-A sword?!”

“She’s a Hunter! Be careful!”

“She’s way too strong!”

The loan sharks immediately panicked.

They brought their own Hunters thinking it’d be safe to chase down another Hunter, but those Hunters were taken down in an instant.

“Keuuuu…….”

Lee Beom-cheol staggered to his feet, glancing at Yoo Baek-jun.

When Yoo Baek-jun looked away for a moment

“Euaaaah!”

He tried to stab Yoo Baek-jun with a knife.

But Yoo Baek-jun’s movements were faster than that.

He snatched the approaching blade and grabbed Lee Beom-cheol’s hand by his side.

And then, with one blow with his right hand.

Thud!

“Kuaaaaah!”

He broke Lee Beom-cheol’s wrist. He screamed in excruciating pain.

Yoo Baek-jun kicked his knee. It was a light blow, but it was more powerful than a normal person could withstand. His knee cracked with a noise.

“Haa…! Y-You’re a Hunter too…?”

“Of course I’m a Hunter. Do I look like a regular civilian? You’ve got a head on your shoulders—try using it.”

In an instant, the room was cleared up. Yoo Baek-jun crouched down in front of the fallen Lee Beom-cheol.

“A Hunter… Heh, you think we’ll just let this go? Even if you’re a Hunter, we—”

“Why are you still talking so much?”

“Ugh!”

Bam!

He hit Lee Beom-cheol on the back of the head.

His head jerked forward.

“Alright, here’s the deal. Either you take the principal amount and walk, or you leave with nothing and tears in your eyes.”

“Wh-What?”

“Hurry up and decide.”

Yoo Baek-jun met Lee Beom-cheol’s eyes.

Lee Beom-cheol looked blank at first, but soon burst into laughter.

“You crazy bastard… You think I’m stupid?”

“Oh, so you’re saying no?”

“Yeah! Just because you’re a Hunter doesn’t mean you can push us around! Our organization has Hunters too, you know—Urgh!”

There’s no need to say anything more when he himself says he doesn’t want to.

Yoo Baek-jun raised his fist and hit Lee Beom-cheol on the jaw.

His brain shook, and Lee Beom-cheol’s eyes rolled back from the unbearable shock.

He passed out.

“Ahh!”

“Wait, yaaaah!”

The remaining loan sharks were dealt with by Han Seong-ah, who had clearly been waiting for a chance to jump in.

Song Hyung-seok watched blankly.

‘What the hell is going on?’

One moment, he was being harassed by loan sharks over debt, and then these people showed up and handled it all.

He couldn’t grasp what was happening.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes? Oh, yes. But you guys… No, this isn’t it. I’m really grateful, but if you do this, you’ll be in danger too! These guys aren’t ordinary people!”

“I know, I know.”

Yoo Baek-jun gestured behind him.

Then the prosecutors who had been waiting outside came in.

“They probably have an office somewhere. Go clean it out. Check their books and return any illegally taken money.”

“Understood.”

In the original game, these loan sharks were entangled with a very bad organization.

This was the perfect chance to wipe them out.

“Who the hell are you?”

Song Hyung-seok, who had been watching blankly, asked.

Yoo Baek-jun thought for a moment.

“Someone who will be your lifeline.”

Song Hyung-seok looked dumbfounded.