I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 59

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 59.

Emma and the other members of Treasure Hunter were dragged to the interrogation room of the Sword Saint family.

Yoo Baek-jun stayed in Wakkanai for a while.

—Awooo…

Seol-yeong was staring at the sea with a complicated gaze.

He had thought that coming here might lead him to the ones who killed Seol-ho, but the timing didn’t align.

The bastards who had hunted Seol-ho in Seoul seemed to have gone to another region to search for treasure.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’ll find them for you.”

—Grrr…

Yoo Baek-jun patted the beast’s head.

He had made a promise, and he would keep it no matter what. He would definitely track down the ones who killed Seol-ho.

“Come here.”

—Grrruuu.

When Yoo Baek-jun reached out his hand, Seol-yeong climbed up his arm and settled on his head.

It was quite heavy, but he didn’t show it.

“…….”

—…….

A brief moment of silence passed.

The snow-filled sky, the frozen sea. The scenery of Wakkanai was quite a sight to behold.

Whoooosh!

“Damn it, I should just shave my head or something.”

But the moment didn’t last—the wind blew, scattering his hair and instantly piling up stress.

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue as he smoothed out his long hair.

“Young Master, isn’t it a waste?”

“A waste? Of what?”

Han Seong-ah approached him as he was gazing at the sea.

“That woman. Her unique ability seemed quite rare.”

“So, I should’ve spared her and made her a subordinate?”

“I’m not questioning your decision, Young Master.”

“No, I wasn’t trying to argue either.”

It wasn’t a wrong statement.

The ability to locate ‘treasures’ around the world—anyone would covet such a power.

Admittedly, it had some ambiguous aspects, but Emma compensated well by using her guild members.

‘That’s why, as time passes in the game, she grows stronger by relying on items…’

Most veteran players would annihilate Treasure Hunter or Emma outright in the early stages.

Because if they didn’t, there’d be no chance later.

And they never even considered making them subordinates. Why?

‘Why bother with someone who’ll inevitably betray you?’

Emma is a woman driven by strong desires.

Born into a prominent Japanese family, she was abandoned as a child due to her lowly status.

Her primary goal is revenge. She moves with the single-minded determination to take revenge on the family that discarded her.

“She’s like a female Lü Bu.”

“Huh? Lü Bu? That’s so random…”

“No, well, it’s just a saying.”

That’s what veteran players called her.

‘How many times did Lü Bu betray people again?’

Emma doesn’t know gratitude. Once she achieves her revenge, she turns against the players above her and schemes to bring them down.

Recruiting her would be like planting a bomb within your own ranks.

‘It’s much easier on the mind to just cut her head off.’

Yoo Baek-jun led Han Seong-ah and the other swordsmen to Treasure Hunter’s hideout.

The basement of an old building in Wakkanai. There, they had stored numerous items.

“Young Master, this seems to be the room of that woman, Emma. I thought you might be curious…”

“Yeah, sure.”

It was an ordinary room.

A desk, a bookshelf, and a single bed.

‘No way that greedy woman would keep her items in plain sight.’

Yoo Baek-jun searched the room thoroughly and soon found a suspicious mechanism.

Manipulating it from memory, the floor rumbled open.

“Young Master, this is…”

It was like an underground warehouse.

Inside were all sorts of items—otherworldly gold coins, rare materials, high-grade equipment, and artifacts.

“Yeah, this is it.”

Yoo Baek-jun picked up one of the artifacts.

A silver chalice embedded with a white gemstone. Strangely, it emitted a faint glow.

[Chalice of the Saint King (Artifact)]

A chalice imbued with the power of the Saint King, who led the victory in the war against demons in another world.

It contains powerful demon-sealing energy.

―Options: Saint King’s Aura, Judgment

*Saint King’s Aura: Simply holding it emits an aura that seals demons in the vicinity.

*Judgment: Delivers a powerful judgment that annihilates evil and protects those who stand against it.

This artifact was the reason Treasure Hunter could conquer underground ruins.

An artifact with immense power against dark-attribute or demon-type monsters.

Emma had found it through her treasure-sense.

‘Well, every time a new route starts, Emma already has this, so there’s no way to obtain it otherwise.’

Yoo Baek-jun lifted the chalice.

The flowing divine energy purified the surrounding air, making him feel refreshed.

—Grrrowl! Kyahng!

“Hey! Hands off! You’ve learned nothing but mischief!”

“Seol-yeong, don’t bother the Young Master and come here.”

Seol-yeong, intrigued, suddenly swung its front paw. Yoo Baek-jun hurriedly set the chalice down and handed Seol-yeong to Han Seong-ah.

‘I’ve taken everything worth taking.’

There are many ways to prepare for the Great Invasion event. But among the methods he knew, none were simpler than this artifact.

“Instructor Han Seong-ah, once we return, contact the guilds we entered the gate with last time.”

“Contact them? What should I say?”

“Tell them we have something to discuss regarding the demon race.”

They’ll gather on their own.

The Great Invasion event is truly right around the corner. Preparations must be made.

Yoo Baek-jun ordered the swordsmen to collect the items in the basement and stepped outside.

“Have you finished your business?”

A man was waiting at the building’s entrance.

A lean figure with striking long hair. Hunters stood by as if protecting him.

“It’s my first time meeting you in person, Mr. Nagito.”

“Haha, we met at the family when you were young. It was so long ago, it’s no surprise you don’t remember.”

“Ah, was that so?”

Nagito, the successor of the Mikazuki Guild.

In Wakkanai, he had persuaded and pressured the local figures who had been sheltering Treasure Hunter, handling all the troublesome procedures to ensure no issues arose.

He was also a disciple who had come to the Sword Saint family as a child for training.

“We also found the dungeon rumored to be beneath Wakkanai. It’s a corrupted area, and a boss monster was sealed there.”

“What did you decide to do?”

“The seal is sturdy, so as long as no one disturbs it, nothing major should happen.”

In other words, if the seal is broken, something catastrophic enough to upheave the entire region would occur.

“We’ll take charge of managing it. We also need to oversee the gates in the Wakkanai area.”

“I feel like I’ve made an unreasonable request…”

“Haha, not at all. I had no idea Wakkanai had been left in such a state. I’m ashamed to have realized it so late.”

Nagito was a good man.

The Mikazuki Guild was practically a corporate-level guild in Japan, yet its successor was surprisingly upright.

That was precisely why Yoo Baek-jun had chosen them.

“In any case, I owe you. If you ever need help, just call.”

“Hmm… If that eases your burden, I’ll be sure to call. Though I doubt such a situation will arise.”

“Right. That’s for the best.”

But it probably won’t go that way.

The Mikazuki Guild will soon find themselves in grave danger while attacking a gate and will call for help.

But since the rewards from that gate are exceptionally good, it’s best to plant the seed now.

“Well, let’s meet again when time allows.”

With those words, Nagito left.

The local figures who had sheltered Treasure Hunter would likely be quite satisfied too.

After all, the Mikazuki Guild had stepped in to help.

“Young Master, we’ve finished retrieving everything.”

“Good. Let’s head back.”

Yoo Baek-jun decided to return to the family.

* * *

Back at the family, Yoo Baek-jun finally opened the treasure chest he had been putting off.

A large chest lay before him.

Clang! Bang! Thud!

Seol-yeong was smacking it with its front paws.

No matter how hard it hit, the chest remained intact—though it seemed slightly dented.

“…….”

Yoo Baek-jun watched quietly before suddenly opening the chest. Seol-yeong spotted the gap and—

—Grrrowl!

—squeezed inside.

Yoo Baek-jun immediately closed the lid, wanting to mess with the beast.

“…….”

—…….

But it was quiet.

Wondering why, he opened the chest and saw Seol-yeong eating something.

Meat.

“Wait, why is there meat in the chest?”

—Nom, nom…

It was probably one of the material items.

Yoo Baek-jun checked the item info. It was worthless, so it didn’t matter if Seol-yeong ate it.

“You’re not a spirit beast, you’re a gluttonous spirit.”

Yoo Baek-jun pushed Seol-yeong  to the corner of the chest and checked the other items.

Inside were equipment, materials, and a mysterious book.

“These materials… Oh, nice. If processed, they’ll make a high-grade potion. Maybe I’ll ask Master for help—it’s been a while.”

The materials were exceptional, befitting an A-rank gate. Next, he examined the book.

[Shadow Form (B+)]

―When in dark places, you can fully blend into the surroundings and stealth. Cannot attack enemies while the skill is active.

In short, it was a stealth skill.

Yoo Baek-jun turned off the lights and activated the skill. His figure melted into the darkness, becoming nearly invisible.

“The effect is great.”

The downside was that he couldn’t attack in this state. At first, he wondered what that meant—turns out, he couldn’t even grip a weapon.

Magic couldn’t be properly channeled either.

“A fair penalty… Whoa!”

—Kyyaaang?!

After startling Seol-yeong, Yoo Baek-jun deactivated the skill and turned the lights back on.

Among the various items, the one that caught his eye the most was a pair of gauntlets.

[Gauntlets of Amplification (A)]

Gauntlets forged by Halpeon’s master blacksmith in collaboration with a renowned mage.

Engraved with unique magic circles, they enhance striking power and amplify force.

―Options: Strike Enhancement, Amplification

*Strike Enhancement: Strengthens striking power.

*Amplification: Greatly amplifies the power of striking skills. Consumes a massive amount of mana.

A fantastic item.

Strike Enhancement was a common option on gauntlets, but Amplification was unique.

‘Like a booster, I guess?’

An option that consumes enormous mana to greatly amplify the power of fist-based skills.

It would be a huge help when using Heavenly Destruction.

“The rest are… meh.”

They were B or B+ rank items—nothing he’d use.

Yoo Baek-jun left the chest and checked the ring and boots dropped by Barwe.

“The boots are whatever. The ring, though…”

The ring was quite good.

[Finger of the Nightmare (A)]

A ring containing the power of the Dream demon Legion Commander. Grants partial access to the Commander’s abilities.

―Option: Mental Fortification

*Mental Fortification: Grants strong resistance to all mental-status ailments.

Only one option, but an excellent one.

It provided strong resistance against troublesome mental-status effects.

‘This would be hard to buy even with money.’

Yoo Baek-jun slipped the ring onto his finger.

Its pitch-black design felt ominous, but it fit perfectly.

Hunter gear automatically adjusted to the wearer’s size anyway, so fit was never an issue.

“Well, I’ve gathered everything worth taking, right?”

The whole hassle of raiding Treasure Hunter was for the artifact.

The Chalice of the Saint King. Securing this alone was 90% of the success.

‘Now, I just need to gather people, discuss the Great Invasion, and prepare accordingly…’

The damage can be significantly reduced.

Most importantly, he must play a major role in repelling the Great Invasion.

Only then will he have a fighting chance when Yoo Tae-rang returns.

“Busy times ahead.”

—Mrow.

Yoo Baek-jun picked up Seol-yeong and headed out.

There was much to do.