Chapter 134
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 134.
Yoo Baek-jun gazed at the scenery ahead.
The vast expanse of the beach stretched before him. The sound of waves crashing was crystal clear.
“Hmm, the smell of the sea.”
“It’s a bit chilly here. Though compared to Seoraksan Mountain, it’s like a warm spring breeze.”
The seaside was quite chilly, but for Han Seong-ah, who grew up in Seoraksan Mountain, it was nothing.
Yoo Baek-jun, too, was unaffected due to his unique constitution.
—Wooaaah! Kyahhh!
—The sea! Sand! The sand is amazing!
Seol-yeong and the fairy were running around the sandy beach.
The fairy seemed particularly excited.
It might not be the first time seeing the sea, but it was likely the first time walking along the shore with its own feet.
Hence, it seemed exhilarated.
—So soft! Wow! My feet are sinking!
—Sniff, hmm.
“They’re having fun.”
“Isn’t it nice to see?”
It was a sight Jin Seo-yeon would have found heartwarming, but Yoo Baek-jun remained indifferent.
“But, young master, the reason we’re here is….”
“You know. We’re here to meet Im Woo-do.”
“Yes, I know. But Im Woo-do is a close associate of Yoo Tae-rang. Are you sure it’s alright?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He had come fully aware of that fact.
Besides, Yoo Baek-jun wasn’t particularly interested in Im Woo-do in the first place. His interest lay in the man assisting him by his side.
Choi Gun-woo.
‘How should I persuade him this time?’
Yoo Baek-jun fell deep into thought.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun looked out the window.
The view of Haeundae Beach from the tall building was breathtakingly beautiful. It was the kind of scenery one would want to see every day.
‘Though living here would probably drive me crazy from the humidity.’
He decided to leave it at that thought.
It also crossed his mind that suffering from the cold in Seoraksan Mountain and suffering from the humidity here were two sides of the same coin.
“I apologize, Yoo Baek-jun. The branch leader had an urgent matter… He’ll be here shortly.”
“It’s fine. I came unannounced.”
Yoo Baek-jun was in the office.
The owner of the office, Im Woo-do, was absent, leaving only his assistant, Choi Gun-woo.
Choi bowed his head apologetically.
“Hmm….”
Yoo Baek-jun stared intently at Choi Gun-woo.
Outwardly, he appeared to be nothing more than Im Woo-do’s secretary, but the reality was different.
He was far more capable, one might say.
‘He’s the type of an outstanding administrator.’
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the dazzlingly luxurious Busan branch building he had seen upon arrival.
Originally, it had been much more modest.
“Is the Busan branch running smoothly?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Under Branch Leader Im Woo-do’s leadership, everyone is working hard. He’s an exceptional figure, after all….”
“Is that so?”
Choi Gun-woo smiled faintly, and Yoo Baek-jun mirrored the expression. Such an obvious lie.
‘His swordsmanship might be impressive, but everything else is a mess, really.’
The Busan branch of the Sword Saint’s family was led by Im Woo-do. As the branch leader, it was only natural.
But in reality, it was different.
‘On the surface, it seems like Im Woo-do is leading, but….’
Im Woo-do was a simple-minded martial artist type. Managing and leading a branch like this didn’t suit him.
Choi Gun-woo handled all the major and minor affairs of the branch in his stead.
‘Not to mention, he’s the one who transformed the originally weak Busan branch into this level of grandeur.’
Yoo Baek-jun hadn’t come here to meet Im Woo-do to prepare for the resurgence of the cult. He was here to meet Choi Gun-woo.
Because he was an incredibly desirable talent.
‘I’ve prepared for this. Let’s see if I can create a rift between them….’
Yoo Baek-jun leaned back into the sofa and leisurely waited for Im Woo-do to return.
He came back thirty minutes later.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Branch Leader Im Woo-do, it’s been a while.”
“Hmm… I left the main family when you were young, so it must have been a long time.”
Im Woo-do handed his coat to Choi Gun-woo and stood opposite Yoo Baek-jun.
With an utterly confident demeanor.
“What brings you here?”
“…….”
He spoke bluntly.
Hearing Im Woo-do’s tone, Han Seong-ah frowned. She sensed hostility in his words.
It wasn’t the way to speak to a family’s successor.
Moreover, he was the one who was late and made the successor wait, yet he didn’t even apologize.
‘Tch! Having to just stand by and watch this.’
But she suppressed her anger, remembering what Yoo Baek-jun had said before entering.
Han Seong-ah sighed inwardly.
“Please, have a seat. It’s not the first time we’ve faced each other over tea, is it? Branch Leader Im Woo-do.”
“We’re not exactly close, so it’s only natural. I’ll have coffee.”
“Yes.”
Choi Gun-woo quickly brought coffee.
Im Woo-do seemed accustomed to ordering him around for trivial tasks, and Choi Gun-woo seemed equally accustomed to obeying.
“Is the person beside you your secretary?”
“More than that. I consider him like my own son. Hahaha!”
“Branch Leader….”
A flicker of emotion crossed Choi Gun-woo’s usually cold expression.
“Like a son? Then, your parents….”
“Yes, I’m an orphan. My younger sister and I grew up alone. To lessen the burden of feeding even one mouth, I became a disciple of the Sword Saint’s family.”
“You must have had the qualities of a Hunter.”
"Barely enough to scrape by."
Choi Gun-woo smiled bitterly.
His talent in swordsmanship wasn’t remarkable enough to rise above the status of a disciple.
Becoming a disciple of the Sword Saint’s family was nothing short of a miracle.
“The branch leader is my benefactor.”
“Benefactor?”
“When I was young, my sister had a serious accident. We couldn’t afford the treatment, but the branch leader helped us then.”
“Oh, come on, not this story again….”
Im Woo-do waved his hand as if embarrassed.
“I told you. I just did what anyone would.”
“But thanks to you, my sister survived. I’ve engraved that debt deep in my heart and have followed you ever since.”
“A heartwarming tale.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
Yes, a heartwarming tale. On the surface, it was a beautiful story.
But the reality was far from it.
‘Time to shatter the illusion.’
Yoo Baek-jun smiled faintly.
“Well, shall we move past the small talk? Let’s get to the main point.”
“Right, you asked why I’m here. It’s simple. I want to borrow the Busan branch’s forces.”
“Borrow our forces?”
“Yes.”
Im Woo-do frowned.
“What for? You might not know this, young master, but each branch is responsible for handling Gates that appear in their region.”
“I’m aware.”
“And we’re guaranteed a degree of independence. From a branch leader’s perspective, it’s hard to agree without a detailed reason….”
“The reason.”
Yoo Baek-jun set down his teacup.
“A calamity will strike Busan.”
“What…!”
“Isn’t that reason enough?”
The words were utterly shocking.
Silence filled the office.
Im Woo-do’s eyes widened, and Choi Gun-woo was equally stunned. Even Han Seong-ah beside them looked surprised.
“A c-calamity? That’s….”
“…On the scale of what happened in Seoul?”
“Depending on how it’s handled, it could escalate to that level.”
“What kind of calamity are you talking about?!”
Im Woo-do slammed the table and shouted.
“I can’t elaborate. But a massive number of monsters will appear… Yes, I can say that much.”
“A horde of monsters?!”
“To prepare for that, we need the Busan branch’s cooperation. That’s why I’m here.”
Im Woo-do’s mind was in turmoil.
Was this another large-scale Gate incident like the one in Seoul? If so, what was he supposed to do?
No, more importantly—
“Can we trust what you’re saying?”
“I predicted the incident in Seoul.”
“That could’ve just been a coincidence!”
“Coincidence, you say.”
A smirk played on Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.
“For that, I’ve achieved too much lately. And honestly, whether Branch Leader Im Woo-do agrees or not doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
“I can always take it to my father.”
“Then why come to me at all?!”
Im Woo-do’s voice was laced with anger.
This was a blatant disregard for him.
“Don’t you think you should at least know what’s coming? Unless you want to look like a fool later.”
“You—!”
“Branch Leader.”
Choi Gun-woo quietly intervened as Im Woo-do was about to explode.
Their eyes met.
‘‘He’s the family’s successor. Losing your temper won’t help.’’
‘‘Tch!’’
‘‘Step back for now. Let me handle this.’’
Im Woo-do bit his lip and turned away.
Watching this, Yoo Baek-jun smiled.
‘Simple-minded fool.’
A lifetime devoted solely to swordsmanship had left him emotional and ignorant.
Without Choi Gun-woo, he would’ve caused countless incidents as branch leader.
Ring-ring!
Suddenly, the office phone rang.
Choi Gun-woo answered and spoke briefly before looking urgently at Im Woo-do.
He whispered something to him.
“Branch Leader, there’s an urgent matter….”
“Hmm, this… I’ll have to go now.”
Im Woo-do stood up.
“Young master, I apologize, but I must excuse myself. Something urgent has come up.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, you can discuss the rest with him. I’ll hear it when I return.”
“Hmm….”
With that, Im Woo-do left.
‘Such an obvious act.’
Seeing through it made it laughable.
An urgent matter? It was clear they sent him away because he was about to slip up.
Now Choi Gun-woo would handle the conversation.
“Young master, some refreshments.”
“Thank you.”
Choi Gun-woo brought out some sweet red bean jelly and traditional sweets.
A selection tailored to someone’s tastes. Yoo Baek-jun took a bite of the sweet red bean jelly.
‘Now, the nuisance is gone.’
Yoo Baek-jun knew this well, which was why he had provoked Im Woo-do.
Only three remained in the room: Yoo Baek-jun, Han Seong-ah, and Choi Gun-woo.
“Young master, if I may be so bold… About the calamity you mentioned earlier.”
“Yes.”
“You said you couldn’t elaborate on what kind of calamity it would be.”
“Not to the branch leader.”
“…….”
Choi Gun-woo sensed something odd but didn’t press further.
“Then, what should our branch do to prepare?”
“There are many things, but to put it simply….”
Yoo Baek-jun looked straight at Choi Gun-woo.
“Follow me.”
“…Huh!”
Choi Gun-woo gasped.
Not because of the words themselves, but because an inexplicable pressure, an overwhelming force, bore down on him.
“Choi Gun-woo, why would someone like you follow a man like Im Woo-do?”
“Wh-what?”
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out a small USB from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“Don’t you want to know the truth?”
“The t-truth? What are you….”
“The truth behind your sister’s accident.”
“……!”
Choi Gun-woo’s expression changed.