Chapter 103
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 103.
Cleaning the World Tree was not difficult, just as Jin Seo-yeon had said. It was about the same level as clearing a gate.
There were quite a few strong monsters, but they were no match for Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon.
“Is this the end?”
“Yeah, just go that way.”
So, they quickly reached the top of the World Tree.
The top of the World Tree was a vast hollow, with branches and leaves stretching in all directions.
And an overwhelmingly large number of flowers.
“It’s beautiful no matter when I come.”
A faint smile appeared on Jin Seo-yeon’s lips.
Flowers of various colors bloomed luxuriantly across the ground. Among them, there must be medicinal herbs that could serve as tools to recruit Min Yi-jae.
‘Branches and leaves inside the tree.’
It felt strange.
Seeing how those branches and leaves shone with an incredibly sacred light made it even more so.
Upon closer inspection, faint white halos floated around them. They were souls.
“Huh? They should be around here.”
Jin Seo-yeon looked around, puzzled. There was supposed to be someone residing at the top of the tree.
Just as she was about to search for where they had gone—
—Heeelp meeeee…….!
A voice came from somewhere.
A child’s voice.
Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the sound at once.
—Waaah… Go awaaay…….!
—Squeeeeek!
From a passage connected to the hollow.
A tiny fairy came running out, crying, chased by giant eagles.
—How far are you going to chase meee…….?!
A four-winged, palm-sized girl fairy, sparkling with light.
The fairy was being pursued by the eagles.
“…….”
“…….”
At the absurd sight, Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon were momentarily speechless.
Seol-yeong was the first to snap out of it.
—Grrr, Wookyaaang!
“Uh, uh. Yeah.”
As if urging them to help quickly, it tugged at Yoo Baek-jun’s leg and dashed forward first.
Yoo Baek-jun belatedly moved to help the fairy.
The eagles—of course, they weren’t ordinary eagles but monsters—were quickly dealt with.
Swoosh!
Yoo Baek-jun flicked his sword once.
In front of him, the fairy was sobbing uncontrollably, crying as if her heart would break.
Feeling pity, Seol-yeong approached and licked her face.
—Waaah… Don’t eat meee…….
—Kiiiiing…….
She was crying so pitifully.
Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon waited for the fairy to calm down while Seol-yeong continued to comfort her.
Time passed.
—Sniff! Sniff! Th-thank you, beastie.
—Grrrr.
—You’re kind, unlike those birds, sniff.
The fairy regained her composure.
Wiping her saliva-covered face, she patted Seol-yeong’s head.
Then, she looked around and finally noticed Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon.
Her bright red eyes widened to their limits.
—W-what are humans doing here?!
“Have you calmed down a bit now?”
—Uh, uh, you too… Wait a minute!
The fairy jumped up in surprise. Jin Seo-yeon, who had been watching expressionlessly, introduced her.
“Say hello. She’s the fairy of the World Tree.”
—Ahem! N-nice to meet you, mortals.
Wiping her face and straightening her clothes.
The fairy, who had been moving busily, suddenly put on a dignified act.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a hollow laugh.
“What’s the point of acting all serious now?”
—A-acting?! This is how I always am!
To be honest,
The fairy before them was none other than the World Tree itself.
To be precise, she was something like the avatar of the World Tree. She wasn’t an ordinary fairy.
“So, why were you being chased?”
—Right! It’s your fault, humans!
The fairy pointed at Jin Seo-yeon with a huff.
—Didn’t you say you’d come regularly to clean?! Because you were late, th-those… Those vicious birds tricked me!
“They didn’t trick you, but, well.”
Jin Seo-yeon tilted her head.
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, right? Monsters directly targeting you, Fairy.”
—Sniff, I thought I was gonna be eaten…….
“I’m sorry, Fairy.”
Jin Seo-yeon comforted the fairy.
Watching this, Yoo Baek-jun suddenly began pulling various things out of his subspace.
They were the turrets he had brought from the Magic Tower.
“I’ll place this here, that there……”
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m working.”
“Working?”
Jin Seo-yeon looked puzzled.
After setting up turrets at key points, Yoo Baek-jun proceeded to lay down magic circles next.
—What are you doing, human……?
“Has anything strange been happening lately?”
—Strange?
“Yes, with this World Tree. Things that didn’t happen before but suddenly started recently.”
—Well…….
The fairy pointed at the now-vanished eagles.
—Monsters’ souls targeting me?
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. The monsters here wouldn’t normally target the World Tree, right?”
The monsters inside the World Tree are essentially born thanks to its magical power.
Because of this trait, monsters regard the World Tree as their mother or master.
‘That’s why even the Magic Tower didn’t consider the accumulation of monsters inside the World Tree a big deal.’
It would be problematic if they spilled outside, but they don’t harm the World Tree itself.
And unless left unchecked for an extreme amount of time, they don’t come out of the World Tree.
“Yet those things attacked the World Tree. Again?”
—Ah! And, and…….
The World Tree’s fairy, who had been groaning in thought, suddenly raised both arms.
—Lately, the number of souls flowing into the World Tree has decreased! Yes, that’s right. Definitely!
“The number of souls has decreased? Now that you mention it, that’s true. The number of monsters we encountered on the way here was lower than expected.”
Jin Seo-yeon stroked her cheek, lost in thought. Normally, there should have been more.
“So, first, the monsters have become more ferocious, and second, the number of souls flowing into the World Tree has decreased. That means there must be a reason, right?”
—A reason?
The fairy blinked. She seemed completely clueless.
Unlike her, Jin Seo-yeon caught on.
“Something abnormal has happened inside here.”
“Exactly. And there must be a mastermind behind that abnormality.”
“Do you know what that mastermind is?”
“That’s what we’re about to lure out. Come here.”
—Huh……?
Yoo Baek-jun called the World Tree’s fairy.
“Please gather the spirits around here. Make it easy for whatever’s after them to come snatch them.”
—Like this?
The fairy raised both arms.
Immediately, the souls gathered on the branches and leaves coalesced.
Into the form of a massive sphere.
“And… this should do it.”
Yoo Baek-jun pulled something out from his pocket. It was an incense burner he had brought from his family earlier.
“What’s that?”
“An incense burner that lures undead.”
“Lures?”
All sorts of gates appear on Seoraksan Mountain, and the Sword Saint’s Family, who guards them, has various means to counter different monsters.
This incense burner is one of them.
[Soul Incense (A)]
—Emits an overwhelmingly powerful fragrance that no undead can resist.
Undead who smell it will unknowingly be drawn to the incense burner like moths to a flame.
It was a device to lure out the monster hiding in this World Tree.
Yoo Baek-jun placed the incense burner and instructed them to position the massive soul cluster above it.
And finally.
“You’re going to get chased around a bit.”
—Huh?
There was one more task for the fairy.
She tilted her head in confusion.
* * *
And, shortly after.
—Waaah… Why meee…….?!
—Grrrrrr!
A crying sound echoed from the top of the World Tree.
To be honest, it was the sound of the fairy being chased by soul monsters.
Perched atop Seol-yeong’s head, she fled with a tail of eagles, wolves, bears, and all manner of monsters hot on her heels.
—Wuaaaah…….
“Is this really okay?”
“It’ll be over before the fairy is in real danger.”
“You sure?”
Jin Seo-yeon seemed worried about the fairy.
But given what Yoo Baek-jun had shown so far, she decided to trust him and leave it be.
—Don’t come any closerrr…….
—Skree! Kyaaaah!
In stark contrast to the fairy, who looked like she was about to die, Seol-yeong was having the time of its life.
Yoo Baek-jun used the cloak he had gotten from Emma to hide Jin Seo-yeon, while he concealed himself using his shadow form.
And then they waited in hiding.
—Huuuuuu…….
For the enemy to appear.
Clank, the sound of dragging chains echoed.
“It’s here.”
Something broke through the wall and revealed itself.
The first thing visible was a massive skeletal torso, covered in tattered black cloth, wielding a giant scythe and a long rifle.
Finally, a goat-like skull face.
“Soul Eater.”
An A+ rank monster, the Soul Eater.
An undead-type monster that, true to its name, devours souls. It either enslaves the souls it eats or uses them to enhance its own power.
Naturally, it’s a notoriously tricky foe.
‘A monster that grows stronger the more souls it eats, and it was already in a place teeming with souls.’
How many souls had it devoured by now?
Having consumed the vast number of souls within the World Tree, its current power could easily be considered beyond A+ rank. A formidable opponent to face head-on.
“How did a monster like that get here?”
Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes widened.
The monsters that appear in this World Tree are only soul monsters that retain their appearances from when they were alive.
An undead like that shouldn’t appear here.
—Huuu… An irresistible scent…….
The Soul Eater moved as if intoxicated.
It headed toward the Soul Incense. The blue flames flickering in its eye sockets locked onto the cluster of souls above the incense.
—So, so tantalizing…….
The Soul Eater drooled as it gazed at the mass of souls the fairy had gathered.
—If I can just eat that… I’ll gain immense power. Then, even this World Tree will…
Soul Eater.
Undeniably a powerful enemy. Normally, a difficult foe to face. But no matter what kind of enemy it is.
If you know the ‘strategy,’ it’s easy.
—It will be mine. Hehe!
The Soul Eater approached.
That was when Yoo Baek-jun and Jin Seo-yeon made their move.
“Prepare the magic. A binding spell.”
“Okay.”
First, Yoo Baek-jun.
He accurately aimed at the Soul Eater, entranced by the Soul Incense, and hurled a spear.
“Hup!”
—Kyaaah!
The spear aimed at the Soul Eater was deflected.
Though it was just a simple throw without any skills, it shouldn’t have been deflected so easily.
That was because the Soul Eater had high physical resistance. Unlike the soul monsters here, magical attacks were effective against it.
‘And it’s even stronger now.’
It was safe to assume physical attacks wouldn’t work. Essentially, Yoo Baek-jun was useless here.
“Should I just get some popcorn and just watch?”
“…Are you being serious right now?”
Jin Seo-yeon looked at him incredulously. Of course, he had no intention of doing that.
He had already prepared everything he needed.
—Huuuu… Humans…….
The Soul Eater glanced at Yoo Baek-jun.
Its movements paused briefly.
But only for a moment, as it soon resumed moving, as if uninterested.
—You… can wait…….
It could deal with them after devouring the cluster of souls.
For now, they could be ignored.
That was the monster’s thought.
But it didn’t matter.
‘That brief moment was all we needed.’
Yoo Baek-jun counted the timing in his head, and when the countdown reached zero, he stomped the ground.
Boom!
The hollow trembled. And then—
Whoosh!
A massive magic circle appeared on the ground.
The fully charged magic circle activated, emitting an intense light.
Right where the Soul Eater stood.
—O, oh…….
The light engulfed the Soul Eater, and moments later—
—UOOOAAARGH!
A horrific scream echoed through the hollow.