I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 34.
The door opened.
“…….”
What appeared was a cavern.
Inside the vast cavern were numerous enemies.
Shadows molded into the shape of humans, like blurred silhouettes given form.
The space was filled with them.
“Hmm……”
That must be the first guardian.
If one were to guess the intentions of the Martial artists and the Martial God of the past, perhaps they wanted to see how their successor would fight against multiple martial artists.
Maybe they wanted to test that.
“Still, isn’t this a bit too much?”
The problem was that the numbers were far from ordinary.
The number of Shadow martial artists was excessive—far too many. There were easily over a hundred, possibly even hundreds.
Handling all of them was, of course, impossible.
‘No matter how strong the Berserker buff is, taking them all on with my own strength is impossible.’
This was a time for a shift in perspective.
“There’s no need to deal with all of them in the first place.”
That’s the kind of thing only reckless beginners would do. A true veteran would always find the answer.
Yoo Baek-jun looked past the swarm of Shadow martial artists.
‘That must be him.’
At the very back stood a Shadow martial artist clad in a black robe. While the other Shadow martial artists also wore varied attire, this one stood out the most.
‘Nothing’s changed.’
Yoo Baek-jun steadied his breath.
The power of the Berserker buff had activated his body.
He could feel his heart pounding violently.
Strength surged through his entire body, and his breathing grew heavy.
“Shall we begin?”
Yoo Baek-jun stepped into the cavern.
BOOM!
At the sound, the gazes of all the Shadow martial artists in the chamber turned toward him.
―The Successor of the Martial God.
All the Shadow martial artists spoke in unison.
―We are those who served the great Martial God.
―This is the place where his legacy remains.
―We shall see if you are worthy of being his successor…
CRACK!
The head of the one speaking in front suddenly went flying.
Yoo Baek-jun had charged forward without hesitation and kicked it clean off.
―…We shall test you.
“Be my guest.”
An overwhelming power surged through his body.
Yoo Baek-jun didn’t hold back—he unleashed it all.
His waist twisted sharply to the side.
BOOM!
The Shadow martial artist blocking his path, Yoo Baek-jun’s fist slammed into his abdomen making the body fly.
“Ha!”
Yoo Baek-jun bent his legs low, then straightened his knees and lunged forward.
Using the momentum, he drove his knee into the Shadow martial artist’s face.
Then, grabbing the staggering man’s shoulder, he spun his body with immense force.
―Monstrous strength…!
The rotating leg struck another nearby Shadow martial artist.
Yoo Baek-jun stomped on the collapsing Shadow martial artist’s back and charged forward once more.
‘I need to draw as many as I can.’
All the surrounding Shadow martial artists were converging on Yoo Baek-jun’s location.
There was barely any space to step.
CRASH!
The Shadow martial artists closed the distance and unleashed a barrage of attacks at once.
Yoo Baek-jun dodged a blade that came within inches of his face and grabbed the wrist holding it.
CRUNCH!
With a burst of strength, the wrist snapped instantly.
He wrenched the sword free and swung it in a wide arc.
The bodies of the Shadow martial artists caught in the slash were split apart.
Then, he hurled the sword like a projectile.
―Guh…!
It pierced straight through a Shadow martial artist’s forehead.
Yoo Baek-jun raised his leg, twisting his waist powerfully before delivering a devastating low kick.
His shin shattered both of the Shadow martial artist’s legs.
CRACK!
THUD!
Yoo Baek-jun unleashed a Gale kick as he continued his relentless advance.
The Shadow martial artists standing in his way fell helplessly.
―Your individual martial prowess is impressive.
In a short time, he had taken down numerous enemies.
But the number of foes was, quite literally, endless. For every one he defeated, another took its place.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced around.
―How long can you fight alone?
Yoo Baek-jun stood in the very center of the cavern.
In a situation where enemies were already swarming, moving to the center was practically suicidal.
The optimal strategy was to create as many one-on-one situations as possible.
―You overestimated your own strength.
That was why the Shadow martial artist sneered. Yoo Baek-jun, walking straight into a death trap, seemed foolish.
“Is that so?”
But those were Yoo Baek-jun’s words to say.
He drew out every last drop of magical power in his body.
Frost infused with magical power circulated through him.
The surrounding air grew icy.
WHOOSH!
―Ugh…!
A chilling aura.
A vicious cold erupted from Yoo Baek-jun, engulfing the Shadow martial artists around him.
Pure white frost spread like an avalanche, freezing the Shadow martial artists solid.
―Huh…
―Th-that’s…!
It was, quite literally, a merciless cold.
A chill so intense that even Shadow martial artists, who shouldn’t feel cold, were frozen stiff.
In an instant, every Shadow martial artist in the vicinity was immobilized.
‘These Shadows have physical form.’
He had already tested this multiple times.
Debuff effects worked on them.
Naturally, the chilling debuff was no exception.
Enhanced by the Master of the Extreme Cold trait, there was no way they could move.
‘Still, it won’t last long.’
But that was enough.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately stomped the ground.
Shattering the frozen Shadow martial artists blocking his path, he kicked through them without hesitation and charged forward.
―Even so, it’s meaningless…!
Keugh!
Yoo Baek-jun grabbed a Shadow martial artist by the throat.
One among the crowd—his body was lifted into the air, and he flailed in panic.
“Found you, you bastard.”
It was the robed Shadow martial artist.
Startled, the Shadow martial artist stared at Yoo Baek-jun.
―Fool. Killing me is pointless. We are one and all…
“We’ll see about that.”
―Wai…!
CRACK!
Yoo Baek-jun snapped his neck without hesitation.
The Shadow martial artist’s neck broke, and his body went limp.
At that moment, a change swept through the cavern.
SWOOSH!
The Shadow martial artists collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Then, one by one, they began to disappear.
The reason for the change was simple.
“Did you really think I’d fall for such a cheap trick?”
From the beginning, the first guardian was never a multitude.
The one in the robe that he just killed—that was the true first guardian. The others were all illusions it had created.
‘If the real one dies, the clones can’t remain.’
Finding and killing the true body, the first guardian, among the clones—that was the way to clear this chamber.
“The Martial God is quite the harsh one.”
What had been the intention behind creating this room?
Perhaps it was to place an overwhelming number of enemies in the successor’s path and test whether they had the wit to overcome such a situation.
‘Well, it’s certainly a demanding test.’
But once you figured it out, that was all there was to it.
For Yoo Baek-jun, who had already memorized everything, it was an exceedingly simple trial.
SWOOSH…
Yoo Baek-jun watched as the dead Shadow martial artist disappeared before his eyes.
Then, the door behind him opened.
The door to the final trial had opened.
“Hmm, the last guardian must be that hulking one.”
Yoo Baek-jun walked down the passage.
If the first guardian tested cold rationality, the second guardian was exceedingly simple.
Literally, a guardian who tested strength.
‘I’ll finish this before the buff runs out.’
As he passed through the passage, a wide cavern appeared.
In the center of the cavern was a large chest, and in front of it stood a warrior.
—Successor.
He was an unusually large warrior.
His height easily exceeded two meters, and his build looked as massive and sturdy as a bodybuilder’s.
His face was covered with a demonic mask, and in his hand, he held a long spear.
—You’ve passed two trials and finally reached here. Congratulations.
“Yeah, thanks.”
—How much time has passed outside?
“I don’t know how long you’ve been here, but it’s 2035 now.”
The warrior let out a long exhale through his nose.
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out a potion from his pocket and chugged it down.
—2035! Truly, a long time has passed. So, no one else has found this place until now?
“Isn’t it weird that anyone could find this place when it’s buried deep in a snowy wasteland?”
—Hmm! I left multiple clues so that those with the blood of the Martial God could find it.
The warrior clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Thud!
He took a step forward.
—Well, fine! Now that a worthy successor has appeared, it’s time for me to fulfill my duty!
The warrior laughed heartily and raised his spear.
—My name is Nacheol! Successor, if you wish to inherit the will of the Martial God, show me your strength!
Nacheol gripped his long spear.
Just by looking at it, one could tell it was no ordinary spear. It felt as though it carried power accumulated over countless years.
‘A good item.’
An item so enticing it made one drool just by looking at it.
The problem was that the enemy was the one holding it.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘I never thought I’d have to face that thing.’
If Nacheol were compared to a hunter, he’d be at least A-rank, possibly even A+.
Facing him was a bit too much for Yoo Baek-jun.
To stand any chance, he’d have to use every means at his disposal.
—Show me the full extent of your power!
Nacheol charged forward, spear at the ready.
He thrust the spear gripped in both hands straight ahead.
A trajectory as simple as it gets—a straight line.
But that made it all the faster.
Whoosh!
Yoo Baek-jun barely twisted his body to dodge.
But the guardian’s attack didn’t end there.
Nacheol grabbed the front of the spear shaft with his right hand and swung it.
The flexible spear bent sharply before striking Yoo Baek-jun hard in the side.
“Guhk!”
He had anticipated the attack.
Yoo Baek-jun tried to block immediately after dodging the first strike, but the pain was worse than expected.
“Your strength is ridiculously strong!”
—Let’s see you take this!
The guardian raised his spear high.
Power surged into it, and the blade descended to crush Yoo Baek-jun’s skull.
“Hup!”
In an instant, he crossed his arms to block.
A direct block would’ve shattered them.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately summoned the cold aura.
Crackle!
—Hooh! Cold aura! Not bad… Cough!
Yoo Baek-jun kicked Nacheol in the stomach and rolled to the side, swiftly moving behind him.
“Hah!”
Boom!
His fist struck Nacheol’s back hard.
The impact was heavy enough to make Nacheol stagger.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately pushed off the ground and unleashed a Gale kick.
—Ugh!
He landed.
Regaining his stance, he continued his assault.
His fist slammed into Nacheol’s hollow chest, forcing his upper body to bend back.
Whoosh!
Nacheol’s spear shaft grazed past where he had been.
Yoo Baek-jun straightened his torso, closing the distance as he pressed his right hand to his waist.
Then, as he narrowed the gap—
Boom!
—Guh…!
He struck the same spot on the chest again.
Hitting the exact same place twice.
Nacheol staggered, clearly feeling the impact.
Yoo Baek-jun followed up with a knee kick to the face.
—Kuhak!
It was a fluid, seamless combo.
Nacheol stepped back, impressed. Not bad at all. This level of skill was quite exceptional.
But,
—Still not enough to defeat me.
A smile crept onto Nacheol’s lips.
He raised his spear high.
Rumble!
Unbelievably, the sound of thunder echoed from somewhere.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun focused on Nacheol’s movements.
Nacheol, with his spear raised, slammed the shaft into the ground with all his might. Then—
Boom!
A bolt of lightning struck from the sky, coiling around the spear.
Crackle!
The lightning-wrapped spear crackled violently, sparks flying in all directions.
—This spear is named Gungnir, the Thunder Spear! A weapon forged by overcoming the calamity that once struck Joseon!
Nacheol aimed Gungnir at Yoo Baek-jun.
—Now, face the power of thunder!
With a hearty laugh, Nacheol charged.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep sigh.
‘Now comes the second phase.’
The most troublesome phase.
