I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 54.
Thud!
With Yoo Baek-jun’s final strike, Barwe was completely laid to eternal rest.
Yoon Song-ha, who had been watching, let out an impressed sigh.
‘A skill with that level of power! I thought the Sword Saint family only used swords?’
She had heard that he was the least prominent among the Sword Saint family’s successors.
Yet, he possessed such strength.
And at such a young age.
‘For someone like him to remain unknown until now… it’s too strange.’
Moreover, the weapons and techniques he used were completely different from those of the traditional Sword Saint family.
Was this something the Sword Saint family had kept hidden all this time? Or had he been concealing his true abilities?
‘I heard the succession struggle is almost over. Maybe that’s why he revealed his skills now.’
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she couldn’t help but sigh.
The Sword Saint family had a structure where exceptional successors competed, and only the strongest remained.
“Compared to that, our side…”
The Golden Lion Guild was nothing like that.
Their sole remaining successor, raised under extreme overprotection, had simply ridden a pre-laid track to succession.
Was that right? Even within the guild, there were many concerns. Especially regarding Song Tae-yeon…
“If only our next guild leader was like him… I’d have no complaints.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Yoon Song-ha sighed and approached Yoo Baek-jun.
The others did the same.
Yoo Baek-jun stood alone, dazed.
‘My right hand is shattered.’
The arm he had used to wield Thunder Dragon was a mess.
It was charred black, with deep marks left by the powerful currents that had surged through it. Blood endlessly seeped from his skin.
‘That bastard Nacheol used it just fine.’
What Yoo Baek-jun had used this time was the option embedded in Thunder Spear Gungnir—The Power of the Thunder God.
A temporary boost to lightning resistance and an enhancement to lightning-based attacks.
His stats were still insufficient to fully harness the Thunder God’s power.
‘Damn it. Once I get back, the first thing I’ll do is repair the Thunder Spear.’
If the Thunder Spear had been a proper A-rank, the backlash would have been less severe.
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled deeply. He recalled a certain dwarf he had in mind—he’d have to seek him out.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
His arm was one thing, but a metallic taste lingered in his mouth.
Barwe wasn’t a demon particularly strong in direct combat, making him relatively easier to handle.
His specialty was mental attacks. That’s why Yoo Baek-jun had wanted to eliminate him before the Great Invasion.
―Achievement Unlocked: Demon Hunter
―Demon Hunter: Defeated a high-ranking demon for the first time.
―Reward: 500P.
There were related achievements, too.
Beyond this, there was another achievement for slaying multiple demons later.
If he could secure that, he’d amass a decent amount of points.
‘Artifacts. Did anyone drop?’
The corpse could be handed over to the Sword Saint family’s people for transport later.
Yoo Baek-jun collected the dropped artifacts.
‘A ring, and shoes. Not bad.’
And with that corpse, he might even be able to forge a new weapon.
Yoo Baek-jun stood up. Ryu Il-woo and the others approached him.
“Yoo Baek-jun, are you okay? Let me heal you.”
“The Dream demons are panicking. If we leave them, they’ll flee. What should we do?”
“Why even ask? Kill them all.”
Yoon Song-ha answered Serberia’s question.
The Dream demons surrounding them were cautiously gauging the situation, looking ready to flee at any moment.
“Yoon Song-ha is right. Letting them escape would only cause trouble later. Deal with them now.”
“Understood.”
After Ryu Il-woo healed Yoo Baek-jun’s wounds, he and the others worked together to eliminate the remaining nightmare demons.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped outside.
“Ha! Where did all that earlier momentum go?”
The situation outside was mostly under control.
With Barwe’s death, the soldiers and townspeople had collapsed unconscious, leaving only the Dream demons and mutated humans.
Dealing with them wasn’t difficult.
Kwaaaang!
“Hahaha!”
The most frenzied among them was Peng Do-hyeok.
Peng Do-hyeok swung his blade with overwhelming force, sending enemies flying with each strike.
‘He’s basically a human weapon.’
Han Seong-ah, spotting Yoo Baek-jun, rushed over.
“Young Master! Are you alright? Your body—!”
“If someone saw me, they’d think I lost an arm, Instructor Han Seong-ah. I’m fine.”
“Ugh… That’s a relief.”
Han Seong-ah quickly briefed him.
With the Magic Tower’s help, they had erected a barrier to prevent the nightmare demons from escaping.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“There’s no end to this.”
It wasn’t time to rest yet.
***
Yoo Baek-jun and the raid team worked together to eliminate all remaining demons.
Some members collected spoils from the demons, while others treated the townspeople.
“Use all the supplies we brought without hesitation! Before we leave, heal everyone we can!”
“Yes!”
Yoo Baek-jun unloaded all the potions and supplies he had prepared.
It was all to save the city’s people.
“Th-thank you.”
“Who would’ve thought the lord was a monster…”
“Does that mean the fatigue we’ve felt all this time was because of that bastard?”
The townspeople seemed deeply confused.
Yoo Baek-jun and the raid team patiently answered their questions while treating them.
‘Hmm, I can’t believe he’s using all those supplies.’
Ryu Il-woo was inwardly impressed.
The supplies were valuable enough to sell for billions if taken back. Yet, he had decided to use them all for people of another world, not even Earth.
‘I’d heard the Sword Saint family was ruthless, but this man seems different.’
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken Ryu Il-woo’s side during the last meeting.
Honestly, until now, Ryu Il-woo hadn’t thought highly of the Sword Saint family.
But his opinion was starting to change.
“Leader, it seems you’ve taken quite a liking to the Sword Saint family’s young master?”
“He’s far better than that brat.”
“That’s true.”
From sparing the townspeople to prioritizing healing after the battle—Ryu Il-woo couldn’t help but hold Yoo Baek-jun in high regard.
Of course, from Yoo Baek-jun’s perspective…
―Quest Complete: [Save the City of Corden].
―36 people died (excluding the mutated). Rewards adjusted accordingly.
―500P awarded.
It was all for the quest.
But in one go, he had earned 1,000P. The thought alone made him smile.
‘There’s a trait that’ll be useful for the upcoming Great Invasion event.’
A trait that would automatically strengthen upon unlocking related achievements.
He looked forward to returning to the family.
***
After wrapping up in the city, Yoo Baek-jun and the raid team returned to Earth.
The moment they arrived, the gate quest was marked complete, and rewards were distributed.
Kooong!
A box dropped before Yoo Baek-jun.
It was the Comprehensive Treasure Chest mentioned in the rewards. Opening it would reveal multiple artifacts.
“Young Master, your treasure chest is unusually large.”
“I played the biggest role, so it makes sense.”
Gate rewards varied each time.
Sometimes skill books or artifacts were given, other times treasure chests like this.
Among them, some rewards were given only to individuals who met certain conditions, while others were distributed to all participants.
‘This time, it’s the latter.’
For chests like this, every participant received one, with size varying based on contribution.
“Well, no need to open it now.’
Yoo Baek-jun stored the chest in his subspace.
There, he caught a glimpse of the Demon God’s Jar radiating an ominous aura.
‘At this rate, gates will start appearing one after another soon.’
They had to prepare for the Great Invasion.
After a moment’s thought, Yoo Baek-jun called Ryu Il-woo, Yoon Song-ha, Peng Do-hyeok, and Serberia.
“Let’s meet in Seoul three days from now. Anyone unavailable?”
“We’ll be resting after this gate raid. Three days should be fine.”
“I’m free too.”
“Same here!”
No one objected.
Yoo Baek-jun told them he’d share the time and place separately.
‘These four will listen to me.’
The Demon God’s Jar would create gates in several locations, but most would appear in Seoul.
The demons’ plan was to paralyze the capital first before targeting other regions.
Of course, Yoo Baek-jun had no intention of letting that happen.
“Young Master, everything’s ready. Shall we return to the family now?”
“Hmm.”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced around.
Other guilds were also preparing to leave.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
It was time to return to the family.
***
Upon their return, the family welcomed them.
Many were astonished to hear they had raided an Emission-type gate at Seoraksan Mountain and now an A-rank Entry-type gate.
“An A-rank, and an unusual gate at that?”
“The raid team was small, yet they returned without a single casualty. Impressive.”
“Huh… No one can underestimate him now.”
Achievements were piling up one by one.
Of course, he still couldn’t compare to Yoo Tae-rang. But given time, who knew?
Yoo Baek-jun was steadily solidifying his position as the Sword Saint family’s definitive successor.
“……”
Yoo Jung-yeon watched with mixed emotions.
Shortly after, she left with other swordsmen to raid the gate at Seoraksan Mountain.
As Yoo Baek-jun was about to enter the mansion, he watched her depart.
Han Seong-ah reported to him.
“Young Master, the corpses of Barwe and the other demons have been handed over to the family’s specialists. They should be dismantled by tomorrow.”
“Ah, right. Let’s go home and rest for now.”
Yoo Baek-jun entered the mansion for the first time in a while.
Servants waiting inside greeted him, including Choi Seung-min.
“Welcome back, Young Master. The bath is ready. Would you like to eat first?”
“I’ll wash up first.”
“Understood. Ah, also—”
—Kyyaaoooong!
Just as Choi Seung-min was about to continue, something small and white came flying from below.
Thud!
“Guhk!”
A heavy impact struck his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.
Yoo Baek-jun trembled as he looked down.
“You… you little—”
—Yawng, Bweeeek!
“Hah… Instructor Han Seong-ah, how’s my stomach? Did my appendix burst, or is it just me?”
“It’s fine, Young Master.”
It was Seol-yeong.
Its head was so hard it felt like being hit by a rock.
But seeing it pitiful crying face, he couldn’t bring himself to scold it. Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“There, there. Did you miss me? Want some Hanwoo… no, Premium Hanwoo?”
—Bweeeek!
“Yeah? You want some? Fine.”
Yoo Baek-jun began his meal with Seol-yeong in his lap.
The little one, who had been crying nonstop, gradually quieted as a mountain of Hanwoo piled up before it.
“Did you starve while I was gone?”
“Of course not! We did our best, but it refused to eat…”
“It went on a hunger strike? Unbelievable.”
Given how voraciously it was eating, it must have been genuinely hungry.
“Sometimes I worry you’ll single-handedly wipe out Korea’s Hanwoo supply, you know…”
—Nom nom, nom nom…
It was too adorable to complain about.
Yoo Baek-jun carried it to his room. With it munching sounds as background noise, he opened the Book of the Martial God.
“Time to learn a trait.”
No need to drag it out.
Yoo Baek-jun flipped through the Book and found a B+-rank trait.
[Demon Hunter (B+)]
As the name suggested, it was for those who hunted demons.
Long ago, when demons first appeared, the title of a certain hunter who had slain them was recorded in the Book of the Martial God.
This trait would be endlessly useful.
‘No reason to hesitate.’
Yoo Baek-jun immediately learned it.
[Demon Hunter (B+)] acquired for 800P.
[Demon Hunter (B+)]
―A natural talent for fighting demons. A power born to repel evil.
―Physical abilities increase when fighting demons, with additional positive buffs. Also instills the fear of prey in the enemy.
A trait so good it made him whistle.
