I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 44

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 44.

‘Why is she acting like this?’

Jin Seo-yeon approached with a smile, and it felt unsettling.

What on earth is she thinking by coming over like this? What’s her goal?

Those were the first thoughts that crossed his mind.

“Have you been well? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“…Why are you like this?”

Yoo Baek-jun asked with a puzzled expression.

At that, Jin Seo-yeon’s expression instantly darkened. It happened in a split second when no one else was looking.

Yoo Baek-jun let out a forced cough.

“Ahem, ahem. It hasn’t been that long. About a week, or two at most?”

“Has it really been that long already?”

Jin Seo-yeon feigned surprise.

The usually cold and expressionless woman was displaying a variety of expressions, causing a stir among those around her.

“Since when did she have such expressive faces?”

“Wow, seriously. Both of them have such striking looks—it’s a feast for the eyes.”

“Calling a week apart ‘a long time’—are they in a relationship or something? Weren’t they engaged before?”

Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Song Tae-yeon.

He was scowling like a vicious ghost. Seeing that, Yoo Baek-jun could guess Jin Seo-yeon’s intentions.

“Oh, right. It has been a while. We have a lot to catch up on—want to go somewhere quiet to talk?”

“Hehe, that sounds good.”

Yoo Baek-jun led Jin Seo-yeon to the terrace. The stares of the crowd pierced their backs.

Creak.

The empty terrace.

Yoo Baek-jun took a seat in the farthest corner, and Jin Seo-yeon sat across from him.

“Hey, is this how you use people?”

“Use people? What are you talking about?”

“Acting like you don’t know anything…”

Han Seong-ah set down the food and two glasses of alcohol she had brought to the table.

Jin Seo-yeon naturally picked up her glass.

“You’re doing this on purpose because of Song Tae-yeon, aren’t you?”

“…You’re quick to catch on.”

It wasn’t that he was quick—it was more that anyone who didn’t notice would have to be incredibly dense.

Jin Seo-yeon let out a small scoff.

“Yeah, Song Tae-yeon keeps bothering me. He’s so desperate to do something to me, it’s pathetic.”

“Has he always been like that? Or just recently?”

“He’s been like that for a long time. Even back when you and I were engaged… he followed me around like a puppy.”

“Sounds like a hopeless romantic, in his own way.”

“…….”

Jin Seo-yeon shot him an icy glare sharp enough to cut.

“Lately, he’s been up to something with my father.”

“Up to something… Your father wouldn’t fall for that kind of thing, would he?”

“Probably not, but you never know.”

“True.”

Yoo Baek-jun fell into thought for a moment.

He was planning to visit the Magic Tower soon anyway—might as well meet Jin Baek-cheon while he’s at it.

“Oh, right. Speaking of gifts, since Song Tae-yeon brought it up, I have something for you too.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to give me some gaudy accessory like Song Tae-yeon did?”

“Of course not.”

Yoo Baek-jun pulled out a book from his pocket.

It was a manual detailing how to manufacture golems—something even the Magic Tower didn’t have.

“Oh my, this is…”

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes sparkled.

As she took the book and examined it, a deep smile spread across her lips. Unlike her earlier forced smiles, this one was natural.

“Golem Manufacturing techniques… and this method, I’ve never seen before. Where did you get this?”

“From a ruin.”

“…Should I be impressed?”

“No, it’s not that big a deal.”

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

She couldn’t believe he was just handing her something he must have worked hard to obtain from exploring ruins.

“Could you put this to use right away?”

“Hmm, hmmm. The Magic Tower does have Golem manufacturing facilities. The instructions are so detailed that if I work through the nights for about a week, I should be able to implement it.”

“I’d like you to mass-produce them as soon as possible.”

“Why?”

Jin Seo-yeon looked puzzled.

“I have a use for them. I want as many as you can make in three weeks.”

“In exchange for this manufacturing manual?”

“I gave it to you as a gift, but if you want to consider it a trade, that’s fine too.”

“That works. I don’t like owing people.”

Jin Seo-yeon smiled lightly.

It would cost a considerable amount, but for the Magic Tower, that was trivial.

It was a mutually satisfying outcome.

—Grrr, grrrrr…

Just then, a growling sound came from his pocket.

At the familiar noise, Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes lit up with anticipation, and Yoo Baek-jun realized his mistake.

He had completely forgotten about Seol-yeong’s presence.

—Kyyaaa! Eeeek!

“Alright, alright. Ouch, that hurts! It hurts!”

“Here, want to try this?”

Jin Seo-yeon popped a piece of grilled steak into Seol-yeong’s squirming mouth.

Seol-yeong blinked a few times, chewed the meat, and its angry expression melted away.

—Nyam, nyam nyam…

“So cute.”

Yoo Baek-jun handed Seol-yeong over to Jin Seo-yeon.

She placed Seol-yeong on her lap and continued feeding her steak.

It was a peaceful sight.

“…….”

“…….”

Han Seong-ah and Yoo Baek-jun exchanged glances.

She pointed toward the terrace entrance. Looking over, they saw Song Tae-yeon standing there.

His eyes burned with rage as he glared in their direction.

“Ugh…”

Yoo Baek-jun had a feeling the meeting was going to be a pain.

* * *

Some time passed.

The banquet was winding down, and all the attendees had gathered in the meeting hall.

“Ugh. Meetings, meetings. So damn tedious. My father just dumped this on me because he couldn’t be bothered, right? It used to be the older generation’s job.”

“Guess they’re passing it on to us now.”

Jeong Seung-hoon and Dokgo-jun took their seats.

Next came Peng So-young, who sat down with a sullen expression.

“Hey, Peng So-young. Why the long face?”

“…Never mind. Not in the mood to talk to you.”

Jeong Seung-hoon tried joking a few times, but Peng So-young ignored him.

She must have heard what people were saying about her at the banquet.

And then…

“…….”

Song Tae-yeon.

He sat down, glaring fiercely at Yoo Baek-jun, with Yoon Song-ha standing beside him.

‘He’s glaring like a wild beast.’

Yoo Baek-jun glanced beside him. Jin Seo-yeon was sitting with Seol-yeong on her lap.

Seeing that, flames seemed to shoot from Song Tae-yeon’s eyes.

‘What a nuisance.’

Yoo Baek-jun scanned the meeting hall.

The hall was vast, equipped with top-tier security and soundproofing.

Song Tae-yeon was seated far away.

“…They’re all Hunters.”

“Obviously.”

Han Seong-ah whispered as she observed the guards.

“Song Tae-yeon. He’s just like Yoo Kang-ho.”

“Calling him ‘that guy’—what if he hears?”

“How dare he act so arrogantly toward the young master…”

Han Seong-ah gritted her teeth.

Noticing her glare, Yoon Song-ha glanced over and bowed her head slightly.

She seemed to be apologizing again.

‘Must be tough dealing with that troublemaker.’

At this point, Yoon Song-ha was busy cleaning up after Song Tae-yeon, the son of Song Dae-san.

As mentioned before, Song Tae-yeon was a troublemaker.

Song Dae-san had lost his wife early, so he spoiled Song Tae-yeon rotten.

“He’s not wrong, though.”

“Are you referring to what Song Tae-yeon said earlier?”

“Yeah. Yoon Song-ha was an orphan, and Song Dae-san took her in and raised her like his own daughter.”

Song Tae-yeon was a talented Hunter, but compared to Yoon Song-ha, he was like a firefly before a lighthouse.

“Shouldn’t they get along, then? Song Tae-yeon seemed to outright despise her.”

“He’s been compared to her since childhood.”

“Ah, so that’s why…”

Han Seong-ah nodded in understanding.

‘After Song Dae-san dies, Song Tae-yeon will take over the guild.’

Song Tae-yeon will inherit the Golden Lion Guild and drive out Yoon Song-ha, who he resents.

The question is what to do with her once she’s cast aside.

‘If we can bring her into the Sword Saint family, she’d be a huge asset. Worth a try.’

If Yoon Song-ha joins, she’ll teach her skills.

And if she has Elemental Manifestation?

‘I can enhance it further.’

She could upgrade an A-rank skill to S-rank.

Because her own Elemental Manifestation is S-rank.

Elemental Manifestation is already useful—imagine it at S-rank.

Too good to pass up.

“Hmm.”

It’s bound to happen sooner or later.

For now, it was best to try recruiting her.

“Is everyone here?”

A man in a suit entered the meeting hall. He was an employee of the Hunter Association.

Other attendees filed in as well—celebrities, but none of major importance.

“It’s an honor to have the leaders of the top guilds and families here today. I’m Chae Jeong-jun, head of the Gate Response Strategy Department at the Hunter Association.”

“Skip the introductions. There’s no agenda anyway, right? Let’s just adjourn.”

“I’d like to, but…”

Chae Jeong-jun glanced at the door.

The person who should have arrived by now was still nowhere in sight.

“…Someone proposed an agenda. Let’s wait until they arrive.”

“Tch, what a waste of time.”

Song Tae-yeon clicked his tongue.

After some time…

“Sorry for the delay.”

A man clad in heavy armor walked in.

Fresh from hunting monsters, his armor was splattered with blood.

“Ryu Il-woo. What were you—never mind, no need to ask. Look at the state of you.”

“Just cleared an Emission-type Gate. I didn’t have time to change.”

“Right, of course. Ugh, the smell.”

Song Tae-yeon clicked his tongue in disgust.

The bloodstained man was Ryu Il-woo, guild master of the Crimson Crusaders.

The blood on his armor said it all—his guild prioritized monster hunting and Gate raids above all else.

“Hey, Ryu Il-woo. Heard you have something for this meeting. Spit it out already.”

“Hmph, I was just about to.”

Without even pausing to rest, Ryu Il-woo strode to the front of the hall.

He gestured to Chae Jeong-jun.

“Look.”

A hologram appeared at the front of the hall.

It displayed a map, zoomed in on a specific location.

Dokgo-jun tilted his head.

“Where is that? Looks like it’s somewhere in Korea.”

“Incheon area. Went there recently to raid a Gate and picked up a strange reading.”

“A Gate reading?”

“Yeah. But… something was off.”

Chae Jeong-jun pressed a button.

The screen changed, showing a photo of a Gate deep in the mountains.

But the Gate’s color was unusual.

“It’s bright red? Whoa, never seen that before.”

“There are red Gates?”

Gates can change size or color based on difficulty or traits.

But red was a first.

“This is a previously unrecorded type of Gate. The Hunter Association has no data on it.”

“So why show us this?”

“Our Crimson Crusaders plan to raid it. We need your help.”

Silence filled the room.

Dokgo-jun seemed deep in thought, Jeong Seung-hoon looked indifferent, and Peng So-young seemed interested but hesitant.

The others were similarly conflicted.

‘An unprecedented Gate?’

‘What if we suffer major losses for nothing…?’

‘Why not let the Crimson Crusaders go first and decide after?’

They were allies but also competitors.

A Gate of this level would require elite Hunters. But with no prior records, the risk of failure was high.

‘What if something happens to the Hunters we send?’

The number of Hunters a guild or family possessed directly correlated with their strength. Losing Hunters meant losing power.

No one wanted to take that risk.

“…No volunteers?”

Ryu Il-woo scanned the room.

He expected reluctance, but not to this extent.

“I don’t mind.”

Just as Ryu Il-woo was considering going it alone—

Yoo Baek-jun stepped forward.