Chapter 140
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 140.
Yoon Song-ha.
She stood there, chewing gum noisily while gripping a sword wreathed in flames.
Choi Yi-chang was stunned. Why was this woman, who should have been on the floating island by now, here?
“Hmm… Let’s see. That guy over there is Choi Yi-chang, and that one is Yoon Seo-ha, right? Sigh, their names are kinda similar to mine. That’s kinda awkward.”
“Tch!”
They already knew their identities.
Choi Yi-chang and Yoon Seo-ha drew their swords and cautiously stepped back, keeping their guard up against Yoon Song-ha.
His subordinates did the same.
“Huh?”
One of the retreating subordinates bumped into something.
Something hard, like a wall. As he turned to see what it was, a flash of light streaked through the air.
Schlick!
“GAAAH!”
His entire body was slashed to pieces.
Blood splattered in all directions, staining Choi Yi-chang’s face. He hastily widened the distance.
Moments later, the face of the one responsible for this carnage slowly emerged from the darkness.
“M-Min Yi-jae too?!”
Min Yi-jae, clad in a gloomy robe, glared with a sinister glint in his eyes.
The subordinates unconsciously lowered their swords.
‘Two Ranker hunters…’
‘T-This… We can’t win.’
They had completely lost the will to fight.
Yoon Seo-ha frantically tried to say something, but no sound reached their ears.
Meanwhile, Yoon Song-ha and Min Yi-jae slowly closed in, tightening the encirclement.
“Hey, Min Yi-jae. Wanna make a bet on who can take down more? How about it?”
“…Pointless.”
“What did you say?”
The two bantered as if their enemies were beneath their notice, all while closing the distance.
Choi Yi-chang bared his teeth.
“Don’t underestimate us…!”
“Oh, feisty. I like that.”
Yoon Song-ha activated her magic.
“Then prove we shouldn’t underestimate you.”
The battle began.
But it was nothing more than futile resistance.
A few bursts of flame and explosions later, flashes of light streaked through the air—and no one remained standing.
Except for Yoon Song-ha and Min Yi-jae.
“They’re weaker than I expected. Weren’t these guys supposed to be elites?”
“……”
Min Yi-jae gave Yoon Song-ha an indifferent look. Though it somehow also seemed like he was looking at her with pity.
“What’s with that look?!”
“They deal in gathering intel… Fighting head-on in a cramped space like this isn’t their specialty.”
“Ugh, why are you defending the enemy?”
Yoon Song-ha grumbled as she eyed the corpses. What should they do with them?
“Didn’t you say to leave them?”
“Yeah… Jeon Soo-yeon said she could make use of them. Let’s take them back for now…”
“Ugh, I don’t wanna. It’s gross.”
Grumbling, Yoon Song-ha used telekinetic magic to lift the corpses.
The two began walking down the passageway.
“Oh, right. Min Yi-jae.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Yoon Song-ha spoke up.
“Is that way of talking part of your character or something?”
“……”
***
There was no reason to stay in the abandoned factory now that the job was done. Yoo Baek-jun immediately retreated to the hideout prepared by Jeon Soo-yeon.
“Y-You’re back…”
Inside were Jeon Soo-yeon and the disciples from Grandmaster Ja-yeon. But there wasn’t a hint of vitality in their expressions.
Their movements were the same.
“Should we clean this up now that we don’t need it anymore?”
“Yeah.”
Yoo Jung-yeon clapped twice, and the disciples’ bodies dissipated into smoke.
They were illusions created using an artifact she possessed.
‘There’s no way this many disciples would’ve been allowed to know about this operation in the first place.’
They had been scattered around like decoys to restrict the enemy’s movements.
She had thought they might be discovered, but the enemies were too panicked to notice.
The various traps they had set up also helped.
“T-The Rankers also contacted us. They said they handled everything… and that they’re bringing them back.”
“How on earth did you recruit people like that? It’s unbelievable.”
“It’s all thanks to my connections.”
“……”
The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly.
Yoo Jung-yeon and Jeon Soo-yeon stared at Yoo Baek-jun as if he had said something absurd while Choi Gun-woo remained expressionless.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“N-No reason. But… what are you planning to do with those corpses?”
“Jeon Soo-yeon said she has a use for them.”
“Y-Yes!”
Jeon Soo-yeon nodded eagerly.
“Word about this incident will spread within the Intelligence Division no matter what. After all, promising agents have died.”
“I suppose so.”
“So, uh… I was thinking of buying some time. We operate as a team, so once we move, we handle multiple tasks at once before returning to the Sword Saint’s family.”
Yoo Baek-jun motioned for her to continue.
“I-I have a special ability… I can mimic the voices of the dead to deceive Section Chief Lee Ja-yae.”
“And?”
“Of course, we’ll also need to report on this incident. I plan to fabricate a plausible report based on the conversation between you and Yoo Jung-yeon.”
“Not bad.”
It would require some acting and scenario-setting, but Jeon Soo-yeon could handle that.
“Ugh… C-Can I really do this? My stomach hurts… Ugh…”
“…Are you sure we can leave this to her?”
She seemed utterly unreliable.
But she was someone Yoo Tae-rang—a man notoriously picky about talent—had personally chosen.
Her talent was undeniable. She just hadn’t been given opportunities within the Intelligence Division until now.
‘And even that was because Yoo Tae-rang tried to give her a chance, but others blocked it.’
Plus, she had one unique advantage over other Intelligence Division agents.
“Ah! Young Master, I have some trustworthy people… Can I talk to them?”
“You want to bring them to our side?”
“Isn’t that too risky?”
“No, no, no!”
Though Yoo Jung-yeon seemed worried, Jeon Soo-yeon spoke with rare confidence.
“They’re not the type to betray us. And they’re also people who haven’t been given opportunities in the Intelligence Division”
“So if we offer them proper compensation, they’ll definitely side with us?”
“Y-Yes! Is that okay?”
Jeon Soo-yeon glanced at him cautiously.
Yoo Baek-jun smirked at her expression. Her greatest strength was her likability.
Thanks to her unique personality, people naturally gravitated toward her.
‘If we make Jeon Soo-yeon our ally, she’ll naturally bring other Intelligence Division agents to our side.’
Like a multi-level marketing scheme.
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“Do it. Do you need any help?”
“I’d like Min Yi-jae’s assistance.”
“Ah, this is different from what we agreed on initially. I am really working him hard…”
He felt a pang of guilt.
Though Min Yi-jae didn’t seem to mind, he had been assigning him tasks left and right.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
“I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you!”
Once the conversation with Jeon Soo-yeon ended, Choi Gun-woo, who had been quietly listening, approached.
“As I mentioned before…”
“Yes, cooperate with Jeon Soo-yeon and work on the Busan branch. The ultimate goal is to kill Im Woo-do.”
Yoo Baek-jun spoke firmly.
“Of course, we can’t just kill someone of his rank without justification. We need a legitimate reason. For example, if he were colluding with a villain organization…”
“…So you’re saying we need to create a reason to do so.”
Choi Gun-woo’s eyes darkened.
“We’ll need to ensure that even if he’s eliminated, public sympathy doesn’t swing in his favor.”
“Yes, I think I can handle that better than anyone. After all, I was the one who handled all the dirty work Im Woo-do assigned.”
He sounded confident.
Having served Im Woo-do longer than anyone else, he knew all his flaws better than anyone.
“The location, of course, will be Busan…”
The Night of Death event could be managed to minimize damage while also steering it to his advantage.
Once the event began, Busan would descend into chaos—a lawless zone.
“In a place of utter chaos and disorder… No one will care who dies.”
Even if it’s the Busan branch leader.
Yoo Baek-jun ordered Jeon Soo-yeon to keep an eye on the movements of the Cult of Resurrection while securing allies within the Intelligence Division .
Jeon Soo-yeon agreed.
“Wait, isn’t this too much?”
Then, out of nowhere, Jeon Soo-yeon glared at Choi Gun-woo with fiery eyes.
“I just thought we could exchange information, catch up, and get some intel! So I went to the bar! And you tricked me?!”
“No one got hurt, right?”
“I got hurt! My feelings!”
“……”
Choi Gun-woo sighed as if he regretted listening and turned his head away.
Jeon Soo-yeon grew even angrier at his attitude, while Yoo Jung-yeon massaged her temples.
“Are you sure bringing her in was the right choice?”
“…She might seem silly, but her skills are solid.”
“Can we really trust her…?”
They probably could.
Maybe.
***
The long (or perhaps not so long) trip to Busan had come to an end.
With agents now planted in both the Busan branch and the Intelligence Division, it was like killing two birds with one stone.
With this much done, shouldn’t he be allowed to rest a little?
“That kind of luxury doesn’t exist for me.”
—Mrrp?
Seol-yeong, who had been snacking in his arms, lifted its head. Yoo Baek-jun stuffed another treat into its mouth.
—Nom nom… Crunch, crunch…
It munched away happily.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed and began listing the tasks he still needed to tackle.
‘First, the elf village. Second, the North Sea Ice Palace. Third, the traces of the Martial God. Fourth, the Night of Death. And finally…’
Killing Yoo Tae-rang.
He already had a plan for that. If he severed all his limbs, Yoo Tae-rang would trigger a certain event—one he intended to provoke.
“What’s going on? I’m sure I’ve been working hard, so why does more and more work keep piling up?”
—Mrrow?
Seol-yeong looked up at him and patted his knee as if to comfort him.
“Thanks. I appreciate it, but… Could you at least act like a tiger? You are a tiger.”
—Mew…
Despite being a Snow Tiger, it looked more like a cat.
Its round, plump body didn’t resemble a tiger cub at all.
“Have I not been feeding you enough…?”
That couldn’t be the case.
The amount of meat it had devoured was staggering.
“Ugh.”
Yoo Baek-jun decided to prioritize his tasks.
Which one should he tackle first?
‘I need to work on my skill proficiency.’
He checked his Status window.
The Martial God’s skills were still stuck at B-rank, which bothered him.
Originally, they were S-rank. But because he hadn’t fully mastered them, they were rated lower.
‘Raising skill proficiency requires grinding. The problem is, I don’t have time for that.’
The solution was the Tower of the Martial God.
A unique place where he could reduce the grind and, more importantly, buy himself time.
“……”
The Martial God’s skills.
They were already powerful, but how much stronger would they become once mastered?
He had experienced their true potential before.
“Hmm…”
Whether it was the elf village or the North Sea Ice Palace, entering those gates meant endless battles.
Before that, it wouldn’t hurt to focus on improving his skill proficiency.
‘I can only hope the traces of the Martial God I obtained are related to the Tower.’
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
“Instructor Han Seong-ah, call the private jet.”
“Yes, right away.”
For now, he needed to track down those traces.