Chapter 150
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 150.
He saved Delowin and Baimar.
The kid was rude, sure—but that didn’t mean he could just leave him.
Yoo Baek-jun stood the two of them in front of him.
“What do you want to do now?”
“It’s better… to return to the village, right? Our kin must be fighting there.”
“Right! We should go back! I’ll help too!”
Baimar swung his dagger around as he spoke. Watching that, Yoo Baek-jun felt strangely sorry for him.
“What do you think you can do with your strength?!”
“Ouch!”
Delowin seemed to feel the same way, pinching Baimar’s left arm with all her might.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh.
“Enough with the comedy. So, if I take you to your village, that’ll settle it?”
“Yes, but that would be too much to ask…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I came here to work, after all.”
“Work?”
In Halpeon, the traits of travelers from another world were well-known. But the elves, who had just begun to experience the outside world, didn’t know.
“...I don’t have time to explain, but in any case, the events here need to be resolved in some way before I can return. Got it?”
“I don’t really understand, but I got it.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
Yoo Baek-jun lightly ignored their response and picked up Delowin and Baimar.
“Guide me properly.”
“W-wait a second. Like before…”
“What? What is it? Let go!”
Their frantic reactions amused him.
Yoo Baek-jun kicked off the ground with all his strength.
“Kyaaaaah…!”
“Uwaaaaah…!”
Identical screams echoed through the air.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun’s speed was incredibly fast.
Even for elves who freely roamed the forest, his speed was astonishing.
“A little, just a little slower…!”
“Ugh…!”
Yoo Baek-jun, who had been running across the ground, suddenly kicked off and leaped into the dense trees above.
There were too many soldiers on the ground.
He could see elves being attacked, but it wasn’t the right time to save them.
‘The quest might be twisted a bit, but the captured elves will be gathered in one place later.’
He could save them later.
For now, his task was to safely escort these two to the elf village.
Yoo Baek-jun covered their mouths and ran.
After running for a long time, he finally stopped when the elf village was almost within reach.
“Mmph, ugh!”
“Ugh!”
He checked the condition of the two elves.
Delowin’s ears were drooping weakly, and Baimar looked like he was about to faint any second.
They must have been in pain from having their mouths covered to avoid making noise that would alert the soldiers.
“Alright, breathe. Deep breaths.”
Yoo Baek-jun allowed them to catch their breath. Then, standing atop the tallest tree, he surveyed the elf village.
“Pathetic beyond words.”
Houses built in harmony with nature, surrounded by a wooden barricade.
It looked flimsy, far too flimsy.
‘They probably reinforced it with magic using magic stones, but with a base like that…’
The elves had techniques to specially treat wood, but time was too short.
That was likely just ordinary wood.
If enemies attacked, it would be easily breached.
‘And those enemies… are coming.’
Yoo Baek-jun focused ahead.
To him, the front—to the east of the elf village—soldiers were approaching.
Their numbers totaled in the hundreds.
‘Not enough to occupy the village. Their goal must be to surround it.’
They were buying time for the main force to arrive.
This was bad. If the elf village was surrounded, completing the quest would become much harder.
‘I’ll have to take care of them all.’
Even for Yoo Baek-jun, handling that many alone wouldn’t be easy.
Even if he did, he’d expend too much energy, causing problems for what lay ahead.
So, he’d need help.
“Hey, elf. Have you recovered a bit?”
“S-stop. Please stop… I’ll tell you anything, just stop…”
“Hey, if someone hears you, they’ll misunderstand. They’ll think I tortured you or something.”
Delowin whimpered with her ears drooping. Baimar had his eyes closed.
Yoo Baek-jun pulled Delowin up.
“Look over there. That’s your village.”
“The village…”
“And look there too. Humans. About six or seven hundred of them.”
“Humans…”
“You know why they’ve gathered, right? They’re planning to surround your village.”
“…Huh?!”
Delowin, who had been dazedly repeating words, finally snapped back to reality.
“It’s dangerous! We have to warn the others quickly…! Everyone will get hurt badly!”
“Getting hurt would be the best-case scenario.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a small scoff.
“You two, go to the village.”
“Huh?”
“You can get from here to the village without being detected, right? Go together.”
“Then what about you, human?”
“I…”
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the gathered soldiers.
“I’ll strike them from behind.”
“That’s too dangerous, human! There are so many of them… Come with us to the village.”
“We’ve only just met, and you’re already worried about me?”
She should worry about herself.
Still, it seemed he had earned her trust. She was concerned about him, a complete stranger.
“Listen carefully. What you need to do now is—”
Yoo Baek-jun quickly explained her task. It wasn’t anything difficult.
She still looked worried.
“Human, at least take this.”
Delowin took off the flower necklace she was wearing and handed it to Yoo Baek-jun.
“The elves in the village might not recognize you as an ally. With this, they’ll know from afar.”
“Got it. Now go.”
Delowin and Baimar began walking away hesitantly. She kept looking back with anxious eyes.
“Guess it’s time for me to move too.”
Yoo Baek-jun activated Shadow Form.
The forest provided the perfect environment for hiding. Concealed in deep shadows, he headed toward the soldiers’ rear.
* * *
The humans had attacked.
Not as individuals, but as an army.
An event the Ruwinid Forest had never experienced before. The elves were helpless against the onslaught.
“Lord Ignasil, I’m scared…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t worry. We’ll hold off the humans’ attack.”
“This way, quickly!”
The elf village was in the midst of evacuation.
Combat-ready elves were escorting the elderly and children to the village hall.
“Ah, why is this happening…?”
“It’s because the World Tree’s blessing has vanished. We should never have revealed ourselves to humans.”
“Why have you forsaken us…?”
The elves lamented as they entered the hall.
The last one to watch them, a noble-looking male elf, turned away.
Other elves approached him as if waiting.
“We’ve lost contact with the 1st Patrol! The 3rd Patrol was seen being dragged away by humans…”
“The 2nd Patrol has returned, but they’re all in critical condition and unfit for battle.”
“Lord Ignasil! The western defense line has been breached!”
The bad news kept coming.
The high elf leading the Ruwinid’s warriors, Ignasil, clenched his eyes shut.
He felt dizzy.
“The western line is breached?”
“Yes, effectively…”
“Then the first line of defense has fallen. Which means all our kin there…”
They must have been captured.
Ignasil’s hands trembled.
For over a thousand years, the forest had known peace.
Only a few years after the World Tree’s blessing disappeared, this tragedy struck.
“The greed of humans knows no bounds!”
Ignasil roared in anger.
But nothing changed. Only the cold, harsh reality drew nearer.
“And Lady Delowin is missing.”
“Delowin?!”
The scout’s report turned Ignasil pale.
He hurriedly unfolded a map.
“Where was she last seen?”
“This area…”
Ignasil bit his lip.
The north.
Near the collapsed first defense line.
A place where she was likely harmed by humans.
Delowin had to be saved.
For the forest’s future, it was imperative.
‘But how?’
Send a rescue team?
Impossible.
The first defense line would be swarming with humans.
Sending a team there was suicide.
Then what?
“Lord Ignasil! The east side of the village…!”
“What now?!”
“Humans have appeared in the east!”
“What…?!”
Ignasil rushed to the village’s east side.
Standing atop the makeshift wooden barricade, he saw a group approaching in the distance.
The humans invading the forest.
“Th-their numbers…”
“There are too many…”
The elves on the barricade spoke with trembling voices. The humans from the north numbered at least several hundred.
The frightening part was that this wasn’t all.
That was just the northern force. Including those from other directions…
“They’re not advancing further.”
“They’re trying to surround the village.”
There was no need to rush.
They would wait for the main force, encircling the village to prevent the elves from escaping.
Then slowly strangle them.
That must be their plan.
‘Two options: hold them off or flee.’
Ignasil looked around the village.
The village, harmonized with nature, had always been his pride. As were the peaceful lives of the elves here.
‘Abandon the village and run?’
They had lived here for centuries.
He wanted to protect it at all costs. But they lacked one critical thing.
‘We’re too few.’
Elves were a long-lived race.
Their long lifespans made them indifferent to desires—including the desire to reproduce.
Even including the elderly and children, the village barely had over a thousand.
‘With so many elves already captured…’
That number would fall far short of a thousand.
Meanwhile, the enemy’s numbers vastly exceeded theirs. They had planned to fight using the forest’s terrain, but…
“Lord Ignasil! They’re burning the forest!”
“Damn them!”
The humans were cutting down and burning the forest with magic, nullifying their advantage.
Now, there was no way to resist.
“We can’t just stay here!”
“We must counterattack now!”
“Does everyone have Verdant Magic Stones?”
The elves nodded.
Verdant Magic Stones.
One of the rare materials found in the Ruwinid Forest.
These stones, along with the ores and gems buried in the forest, were what the Baim Kingdom coveted.
“Good. Use them to summon high-rank spirits and wipe out the northern enemies. We can’t let them merge with the main force.”
Ignasil clenched his fists.
The Verdant Magic Stones amplified specific types of magic.
The problem was their limited quantity.
Using them now might be rash, but there was no time to hesitate.
“1st, 2nd, and 3rd Guardian Squads, summon the high-rank spirits! The rest, join me in a strike force to attack the humans!”
“Yes!”
“Let’s move!”
Ignasil prepared to leap over the barricade with the others.
But then—
“Lord Ignasil! Over there…!”
“What?!”
The elves froze, pointing beyond the barricade.
No, more precisely, behind the soldiers.
“That’s…”
A man stood behind the soldiers.
A man in black robes of an unfamiliar style, holding a long spear.
Nothing stood out about him.
Except one thing.
“Why does he have Delowin’s mark?”
Other than the fact that he bore a mark only elves could recognize.
Everyone was puzzled.
And then, the man raised his spear—
“……!”
And did something shocking.