I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 35.
Nacheol had two phases.
The first phase is a phase that tests the challenger’s strength.
Nacheol focuses more on defense than offense.
And the second phase is…
―Taste my power, Successor!
It is the phase where he reveals his true strength.
Nacheol was a warrior who was bestowed with spear techniques by the Martial God.
On top of that, he further enhanced those techniques with the power of the Thunder spear, Gungnir.
‘Honestly, he’s a tricky bastard.’
The biggest problem is lightning.
Yoo Baek-jun kept his eyes on Nacheol as the warrior charged at him with Gungnir raised.
KOOOONG!
He stomped forward with one foot and thrust the Thunder spear with all his might.
CRACKLE!
“Damn it!”
He dodged the spear.
But he couldn’t dodge the lightning it unleashed.
The lightning shot from the spearhead scattered in all directions before striking Yoo Baek-jun.
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain shot through his chest.
The lightning resistance potion he drank earlier had granted him some immunity, but…
No matter how much resistance he had, there were limits.
―Thunder Spear, roar!
Nacheol violently swung his arm, generating a fierce gust of wind.
And as he thrust the spear—
WHOOSH!
A wind blast laced with lightning engulfed Yoo Baek-jun.
Calmly reading the trajectory of the wind, he immediately activated the Ghost Phantom Step.
Instead, his afterimage was swept away by the wind blast.
‘That would’ve been me—completely shredded.’
The state of the afterimage caught in the blast was gruesome—shredded by the wind and set ablaze by lightning.
It meant he could have ended up the same way.
―Afterimages! A decent attempt!
Nacheol kicked off the ground, closing the distance.
Spear techniques unfolded from his fingertips once more—lightning-fast thrusts and slashes.
The grip on his spear shifted flawlessly, altering its reach each time.
SWISH!
“Ghk!”
The spear grazed his body.
Nacheol anchored his feet to the ground like a fixed turret, relentlessly firing off spear strikes.
Yoo Baek-jun tried to evade, but with the reach changing every time, dodging wasn’t easy.
‘There’s only one way to deal with him.’
Keep the distance no matter what.
Yoo Baek-jun maximized the use of Ghost Phantom Step to widen the gap between himself and Nacheol.
Whenever Nacheol tried to close in, he kept retreating, maintaining the distance.
―You can’t defeat me just by running!
“Damn, you’re loud. Try me.”
―Foolish successor! If you insist on running away like this…!
Nacheol swept the lightning spear across the ground.
Thick smoke billowed up, instantly blocking his vision. Yoo Baek-jun immediately raised his head.
―I won’t let you escape anymore!
Nacheol had already soared into the air.
He pulled the spear far back over his shoulder, poised to throw it at any moment.
KWAANG!
Like a god wielding lightning itself.
Nacheol hurled the Thunder spear.
The spear, wrapped in lightning, shot toward Yoo Baek-jun at an incredible speed.
‘Yeah, I figured he’d throw it.’
Yoo Baek-jun rolled backward.
The Thunder spear struck the ground, scattering lightning in all directions.
Flesh that came into contact with it sizzled.
As Nacheol spread his palm open, the Thunder spear obediently returned to his grip.
‘Keep dodging.’
Nacheol continued hurling the spear.
Yoo Baek-jun desperately used every means possible to evade—Lightness technique, Swift Steps, Ghost Phantom Step.
He even kicked up dust with Ground Kick to obscure vision.
―You disappoint me, Successor.
Repeating this, Nacheol grew furious.
He trembled with rage, his body shaking. It was understandable—his opponent kept running instead of fighting properly.
‘All you do is throw that damn spear.’
Yoo Baek-jun kept his eyes locked on Nacheol.
Enraged, Nacheol decided there was nothing more to see from the successor and prepared his ultimate move.
―There’s nothing left to see from you! You failed the test!
Lightning erupted from Nacheol.
The Thunder spear in his grip unleashed violent sparks, wrapping his entire body in a fierce lightning storm.
GRRUMBLE!
The ground trembled.
―Die here!
Nacheol pulled the spear far back.
The Thunder spear wrapped in lightning began to change shape—no longer a spear, but something else.
The form of a dragon.
A lightning dragon, its entire body crackling with electricity.
―Thunder Dragon!
The dragon roared in response.
Nacheol stomped the ground.
KOOONG!
The earth cratered as lightning surged outward.
And then—
―Thunder Dragon Emergence!
The Thunder dragon shot forth.
Multiple shockwaves burst from Nacheol’s fingertips as the dragon surged forward.
Its target?
Yoo Baek-jun.
The colossal Thunder dragon slithered across the ground, incinerating everything in its path as it raced toward him.
“Haaah…!”
Yoo Baek-jun took a deep breath.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The reason he had provoked Nacheol in the first place.
To make Nacheol use Thunder Dragon’s Emergence.
‘Can I take it?’
And also send it back.
Yoo Baek-jun firmly planted his feet and drew out every ounce of magical power in his body.
Blue magical power rose like smoke from his entire being, forming a barrier in his palms.
‘Counter Return.’
He thrust both hands forward.
The Thunder dragon approached.
In an instant, it was right before him.
KWAANG!
Collision.
The dragon clashed with the barrier.
The shockwave split the earth, and the dragon scattered lightning in all directions.
“Ghhhk!”
Yoo Baek-jun was within its range.
The lightning from the dragon struck parts of his body the barrier couldn’t protect.
The sound of his flesh burning filled the air.
‘Can I hold it?’
CRACKLE!
The dragon roared, trying to break through the magical barrier.
The shield shook as if it would shatter any moment, and Yoo Baek-jun’s hands burned.
But,
‘Of course I can hold it.’
This wasn’t his first time.
He had fought this battle countless times.
Yoo Baek-jun absorbed the dragon’s magical power into his body.
The Elemental lightning magical power scorched his insides, but he endured every bit of the pain.
―Oooh… OOOOH!
He suppressed the Thunder dragon.
The dragon in his grip twisted its head—toward Nacheol.
―That’s… Counter Return!
Nacheol was stunned.
The dragon surged toward him.
At the speed of light, it collided with the defenseless Nacheol, who tried to block—
―This…!
Yoo Baek-jun released a burst of Cold aura.
Though momentary, the intense cold slowed Nacheol’s movements.
That was the fatal blow.
By the slimmest margin, the Thunder dragon pierced Nacheol’s defense and tore through his chest.
―Kuh—KHK!
KWAANG!
Explosion.
The dragon scattered lightning across Nacheol’s body before detonating.
HISS!
A plume of white steam erupted.
There he did not stop, and the lightning of the thunder dragon flowed into the pierced area, burning his body from within.
―Kuhahaaak!
Nacheol writhed in pain.
Though he had resistance to lightning, the skill ‘Thunder Dragon Emergence’ was stronger.
His entire body trembled violently.
Thud!
Seizing the opportunity, Yoo Baek-jun charged forward.
“You call this a failure?”
The distance between them closed in an instant. Nacheol stared at Yoo Baek-jun in shock.
“Still a failure?”
Boom!
Yoo Baek-jun grinned fiercely as he stomped the ground.
Whoosh!
A chilling blue aura flowed from his body, coalescing into his right fist.
“Huuup!”
And then—a crushing blow.
His fist shot forward, striking Nacheol square in the face, encased in freezing magical power.
That was the end.
Splat!
Nacheol’s face shattered upon impact, his body stiffening.
―First mistake. I misjudged my opponent.
Nacheol gazed at Yoo Baek-jun with his remaining eye, an oddly satisfied gleam in it.
―Second mistake. I fell for his trap.
Thud!
Nacheol dropped to one knee.
―It seems… I was the failure. You pass, successor…
Nacheol’s body crumbled into dust and vanished.
The lightning spear embedded in his chest lost its support and clattered to the ground.
Yoo Baek-jun picked it up.
[Thunder Spear Gungnir (A-)]
―A spear bestowed upon a hero from another world by a God.
―It contains divine power, allowing the wielder to freely manipulate lightning.
Its rank has degraded after long neglect.
―Options: Lightning-storm, Power of the Thunder God, Return
*Lightning-storm: Wraps the spear in Lightning and lightning, granting lightning attributes to spear skills. Continuously consumes magical power while active.
*Power of the Thunder God: Increases resistance to lightning and enhances lightning-based attacks.
*Return: Returns to its owner if within a certain range, even if separated.
Undoubtedly, an excellent item.
‘The minus on its rank can be removed.’
A- rank. Originally an A-rank item, it has weakened over time.
With proper measures, it can be restored.
Moreover, the Thunder Spear Gungnir has a special event that can raise its rank by one tier.
“A matter for the distant future… Cough!”
Yoo Baek-jun vomited a mouthful of blood.
His body was a wreck—charred black from the Thunder dragon’s impact.
Third-degree burns, internal injuries…
“I-I’m not gonna die like this… am i?”
He dropped to his knees.
An overwhelming exhaustion crashed over him, but he knew—if he passed out now, he would die.
Fumbling through his pockets, he pulled out a recovery pill and swallowed it.
“Ugh… ngh…”
Though he spotted a chest, he had no strength left to check it.
Yoo Baek-jun collapsed face-first onto the ground.
‘Please let me wake up safely…’
And then, he lost consciousness.
* * *
“Hah!”
Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes snapped open.
His body still ached, but his mind was clear. He got up and examined himself.
“A complete mess… absolute wreck.”
Burns still covered his body.
Not to mention the pitch-black soot—anyone would think he’d been rolling around in charcoal.
Fortunately, his Black Ghost robe was intact.
‘Thank goodness it has a self-repair function.’
Sighing, he used the Thunder Spear Gungnir as a crutch and limped toward the chest.
Creak.
He opened it.
Inside was an old book. As he lifted it, the book glowed.
―‘Dragon Fang Spear Technique’ has been registered in the Book of the Martial God. Each time the rank of Dragon Fang Spear Technique increases, new insights based on the secret technique can be obtained.
―You have learned the ‘Dragon Fang Spear Technique.’
A message appeared.
Yoo Baek-jun checked the skill.
[Dragon Fang Spear Technique(B+, 1★)]
―A spear technique once wielded by the Martial God, further refined by a master warrior who served him.
―A sharp, destructive spear technique capable of wielding spears and javelins like dragon fangs.
*Spiral Thrust: Wraps the spear in magical power and hurls it in a spinning motion, homing in on the enemy.
*Nine Dragon Fangs: Unleashes nine powerful thrusts accompanied by crushing wind pressure.
*Thunder Dragon: Only usable by those who possess a Thunder spear. Channels the Thunder God’s power into the spear, releasing a ferocious Thunder dragon at the enemy.
Though a B-rank skill, it was on a completely different level from ordinary B-rank skills.
To put it simply, the B-rank reflected Yoo Baek-jun’s current understanding of the technique.
‘Its true rank is between A and S.’
Continued use would raise its rank and unlock new skills.
―Traces of the Martial God have been discovered. Due to this influence, the Book of the Martial God has risen by one rank.
―‘Achievement System’ has been unlocked.
The long-awaited Achievement System was now active. By accomplishing special feats, he could earn additional reward points.
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled and stood up.
―A fragment of the ‘Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique’ was found within the secrets of ‘Dragon Fang Spear Technique.’
―Information on ‘Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique’ has been added.
“Ah, right. I forgot about this.”
He had been too distracted to remember.
The Dragon Fang Spear Technique secrets contained clues about the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique.
“I’ll have to go find the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique too…”
But first, there was something else he needed to do.
‘I need to find the Subspace Artifact.’
It was essential for wielding multiple weapons.
