I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 30

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 30.

Song Hyung-seok’s house was somewhat tidied up.

It was practically at the level of a shanty, so even after cleaning, it was still a mess.

“Th-thank you. I don’t know how to express my gratitude……”

Song Hyung-seok bowed deeply.

He brought out some tea, saying he’d prepare a drink, but the state of the cup made Yoo Baek-jun lose his appetite.

“Ahem, let’s get straight to the point. You’re Hunter Song Hyung-seok, right? A D-rank Hunter who’s effectively retired now.”

“Y-yes. That’s correct. How did you…?”

“Your father was also a Hunter.”

“…….”

Song Hyung-seok’s expression changed.

It was filled with anger and contempt. Yoo Baek-jun could glimpse the feelings he harbored toward his father.

“I don’t consider that man my father.”

“Because he took out a ton of debt in your name and ran off alone?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue inwardly.

Song Hyung-seok’s father was also a Hunter. Once successful, he had now completely fallen from grace.

The reason was simple.

“I heard he lost his arms and legs.”

“…Yes. They say he let his guard down while raiding a gate, and that’s how it happened. After that, he couldn’t raid gates anymore. The problem was……”

“His wasteful spending habits didn’t go away.”

In this world, Hunters make a lot of money.

Song Hyung-seok’s father had been active as a Hunter for quite a long time and had earned a considerable amount.

Naturally, he also spent lavishly.

“Even after becoming an ordinary person, he wouldn’t listen to reason about saving money. He spent recklessly like he was still a Hunter, and when he ran out, he borrowed……”

“And eventually turned to loan sharks?”

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.

If there was any sin, it lay with his father, not Song Hyung-seok himself.

Though ignorance could be considered a sin, if one were to stretch the definition.

“Thanks to that, we had to sell our house in downtown Busan and ended up in this slum. If you hadn’t come today, I probably would’ve been dragged away by now.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Yes, so… may I ask why you helped me?”

Song Hyung-seok asked cautiously.

There was no way he’d helped him out of pure kindness. There had to be a reason.

An uneasy feeling crept into his heart.

“…….”

Yoo Baek-jun recalled a memory.

Song Hyung-seok’s father had been injured seven years ago. That was when the family’s fortunes took a sharp downturn.

Before that, he’d lived as a Hunter.

“When I was young, your father once saved my life. I came to repay that debt, but things turned out like this.”

“My father did…?”

“Yes. I couldn’t track him down at all, so I thought you, as his son, might know.”

Song Hyung-seok smiled bitterly.

“I don’t know either. If I did, I wouldn’t be living like this. He just ran off after saddling me with debt……”

A deep sigh escaped his lips.

It was the sigh of a man worn down by life.

“…I heard your father was quite famous in his prime. They say he collected a lot of items and artifacts.”

“Ah, yes. That’s true. Because of that, he was always spending money and never managed to build any real wealth.”

Song Hyung-seok let out another sigh.

“Of course, he sold off all of those things long ago.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Because of the debt, he disposed of all the items and artifacts. If anything’s left……”

Song Hyung-seok touched his neck.

There was a small necklace there—a plain-looking golden chain.

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed utterly ordinary.

“Just this. My father gave it to me as a gift when I was young. It’s just a necklace.”

Yoo Baek-jun quietly observed him.

Song Hyung-seok stared at his necklace for a long time.

Then, after a while…

“…I don’t need this anymore either.”

Plop!

He tore it off and tossed it aside.

“I kept it all this time for the memories, but memories my ass. It’s all just a lingering attachment. I don’t have a single good memory of my father.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah. I was just going to throw it… No, would you like to take it? It’s at least made of pure gold.”

And he handed it to Yoo Baek-jun.

Even in his hardships, he hadn’t sold it because of the memories.

But since those very memories had brought him to this state, his attachment to the necklace had vanished.

“May I really take it?”

“Of course. If anything, I’m sorry this is all I can give you after all your help.”

Yoo Baek-jun carefully accepted the necklace.

Song Hyung-seok looked at it with mixed emotions, then suddenly spoke as if remembering something.

“Ah, right. This might actually be helpful. While going through my father’s things, I found out there’s a dungeon around here.”

Song Hyung-seok took out an old smartphone and marked a spot on a map to show him.

“You might want to check it out.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you… Once the debt is gone, I’ll have to start over or something.”

Yoo Baek-jun bowed his head.

Song Hyung-seok’s event was part of a chain. If he followed it, he could find an artifact—a particularly intriguing one.

‘No need to stay any longer.’

Suppressing a smile, Yoo Baek-jun stepped outside with Han Seong-ah.

She looked at him and tilted her head.

“It just looks like an ordinary necklace. Is it really that special?”

“Does this look like just a necklace to you?”

“Yes, that’s how it looks to me.”

Tsk ,tsk.

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.

Right now, it was indeed an ordinary necklace.

But with just a little process, it would change.

“It’s sealed, so that’s how it appears.”

“Sealed?”

That’s right.

This necklace was sealed.

If he could undo that, it would regain its original form.

“Is Jin Seo-yeon still around?”

“Yes, she’s leaving for Seoul tomorrow via teleportation magic. She’ll probably head straight to the Magic Tower from there.”

“Perfect timing.”

He’d have to ask her one last favor.

* * *

Upon returning to the family estate, Yoo Baek-jun headed straight to the residence where Jin Seo-yeon was staying.

She was in the courtyard, eyes closed, concentrating on something.

“You said you’re leaving tomorrow?”

“…Huh?”

Jin Seo-yeon opened her eyes.

Her gaze silently questioned why he was here.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Another favor? I’d think you’ve used me enough by now.”

—Kyahooong…….

Yoo Baek-jun pushed Seol-yeong toward her.

Her expression instantly crumbled.

“So cute.”

Swish, swish.

Jin Seo-yeon stroked Seol-yeong’s head. She had worried that Seol-yeong might scratch her, but that didn’t happen.

‘I asked her to behave before coming here.’

It seemed Seol-yeong had really liked the meat she ate this morning.

They had promised to give her more if she let her do as she pleased.

‘As expected, this one understands words.’

It seemed Seol-yeong hadn’t liked her name much. Back then, she had ignored it.

Yoo Baek-jun carefully placed Seol-yeong on Jin Seo-yeon’s lap.

“She’s heavy.”

“Even a baby tiger is heavy.”

“I see. Different from a cat.”

Jin Seo-yeon slowly began stroking Seol-yeong’s head as she sat on her lap.

Seol-yeong remained expressionless.

It felt like she was tolerating it because she didn’t want to but had to for the reward of meat.

“Ahem.”

Now was the chance.

Yoo Baek-jun handed her a necklace.

“What’s this? A gift?”

“No, it’s an enchanted object. I was hoping you could undo the magic on it.”

“Magic?”

Jin Seo-yeon took the necklace.

Her eyes glowed blue, and magical energy swirled around the necklace in her grasp.

“Hmm, it’s a sealing spell. Hmm.”

Jin Seo-yeon examined the necklace and let out an impressed sound.

“It’s a fairly high-level sealing spell. At this level, even a decent hunter might not realize they’ve been sealed.”

“Can you undo it?”

“Well, it’s not impossible. But.”

Jin Seo-yeon glanced at Yoo Baek-jun.

“I don’t feel like doing this for free too.”

“Should I pay you?”

“Do I look like I need money?”

Of course not.

The Magic Tower was as wealthy as the Sword Saint’s family.

She wouldn’t care about trivial sums.

“…Come to the Magic Tower next time.”

“The Magic Tower? Why?”

“There’s something I want to ask of you.”

Something to ask.

Yoo Baek-jun mentally recalled events related to the Magic Tower. Among them, the one Jin Seo-yeon might ask him for help with was……

‘There’s one.’

Jin Baek-cheon had assigned her a particularly tricky task.

It was highly likely she’d ask for help with that.

There was something to gain there too.

‘Not bad.’

Yoo Baek-jun nodded.

“Alright then.”

Jin Seo-yeon closed her eyes and focused.

Blue magical power flowed from her and seeped into the necklace.

Crackle!

A sound like electricity sparking rang out.

Kaaang!

Followed by the sound of something shattering.

The necklace began to glow and shimmer, its form slowly changing.

“This is……”

The necklace transformed into a monocle.

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw the changed object.

“This is an artifact? Where did you get it?”

“I got lucky.”

“Luck?”

Jin Seo-yeon looked incredulous as she handed the artifact back to Yoo Baek-jun.

She wasn’t the type to covet such things.

‘Observer’s Eye’

Yoo Baek-jun checked the artifact’s description.

[Observer’s Eye (Artifact)]

―A monocle used by a man who assisted the emperor in observing people.

It allows the wearer to know detailed information about a person.

―Option: Observer’s Eye

*Observer’s Eye: Allows the user to see the status window of anyone they lay eyes on.

A laugh escaped him.

Though it only had one option, that option would be immensely useful throughout the game.

‘Even I can’t memorize everyone’s traits.’

Yoo Baek-jun activated the artifact.

Psssh!

The Observer’s Eye crumbled into dust, scattering before seeping into his body.

He closed his eyes briefly.

―Artifact: Observer’s Eye has been activated. Observer’s Eye can now be used at will.

In Heroes Road, there were items, and separately, there were artifacts.

Artifacts were distinct from items, possessing unique effects and becoming irreversibly bound once used.

‘Either permanently bound to the user or one-time use before disappearing.’

The Tracker’s Gaze that Shin Woo-hyun had used was the latter, while what he had just used was the former.

They were usually obtained by clearing rare dungeons or completing events.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes again.

The Observer’s Eye was gone, but its power now resided within him.

He could use it whenever he wished.

‘Let’s take a look.’

Yoo Baek-jun activated the Observer’s Eye.

[Jin Seo-yeon]

Strength: C

Agility: C

Stamina: C

Magic power: A+

[Unique Ability: Master of the Magic Tower (S)]

[Traits: Magic Prodigy (S), Blessing of Magic (S), Natural Calmness (A), …….]

The list of traits seemed endless.

It was a status window that couldn’t help but inspire awe.

‘Even at the start of the route, she’s this strong. Given time, she’ll become a literal monster.’

If he handled events even slightly wrong, this monster would become his enemy.

Yoo Baek-jun shuddered.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s be good friends.”

“…What?”

Jin Seo-yeon looked baffled, but he was serious.

‘I should visit the Magic Tower soon.’

The cause of the Magic Towers collapse event lay within the tower itself.

He wanted to see what that guy was up to.

‘First, I’ll find traces of the Martial God.’

It was time to unlock the achievement system.