Chapter 165
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 165.
And the next day, Yoo Baek-jun headed to the location of the gate leading to the North Sea Ice Palace.
“What a terrifying place to be.”
—Growl.
The gate was located deep in the remote parts of Seoraksan Mountain.
It was a place no one could find unless they already knew its exact location.
[The Fugitive of the North Sea]
Once, the Ice Palace Lord who ruled the North Sea died, and his enemies rose to power as the new rulers.
They sought to slaughter every last remnant of his bloodline. The surviving kin sacrificed themselves to ensure the escape of the most precious one.
But even that escape would not last long. The last remaining survivor now wanders the North Sea, grievously wounded.
They must be found before they die.
—Difficulty: A-rank
—Entry Limit: 1 person
—Objective: Locate and rescue the last remaining survivor before they perish.
—Reward: Varies depending on the objective’s completion.
A-rank.
A fairly high difficulty. Moreover, this gate does not end even after achieving the objective.
‘Depending on my choices, a follow-up quest will trigger. To aim for the maximum reward, I must clear that follow-up quest no matter what.’
Then, the gate quest will mutate, ultimately raising the difficulty to A+-rank.
Definitely not an easy challenge.
Still, unlike the elf incident, this gate has the advantage of being resolvable quickly.
‘Just think of it as a short burst of hard work, whatever.’
Yoo Baek-jun tucked Seol-yeong into his robe.
“You’re coming with me.”
—Meow!
A place as cold as frozen hell—perfect for Seol-yeong .
Above all, unlike the elf incident, there’s no one to help this time, so even a cat’s paw would be useful.
“Wait, or is it a tiger’s paw?”
—Mrrow?
Yoo Baek-jun smirked and stepped forward.
The gate swallowed him whole.
* * *
A blizzard raged.
Deep in the night, a woman sprinted across a snowy plain where nothing but snow was visible.
“Huff, haah!”
She wore thin indoor clothing with only a coat draped over it—completely unsuited for this cold, yet she seemed unfazed.
As if she couldn’t feel the freezing temperature at all.
“Mother, brother, sister… everyone……”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. Beyond those tears, her gaze burned with venom.
“Everyone, everyone will be safe…….”
As if comforting herself, she muttered those words and glanced back.
There was no sign of pursuit.
Just a little farther.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
At that moment, a sharp blade grazed her left arm.
The presence of enemies drew closer.
Realizing escape was impossible, she hid herself within the blizzard.
“The scream came from here!”
“Stay alert!”
The pursuers revealed themselves.
The exact moment they did, the woman burst out from the snowstorm.
Swish!
“Huh?!”
The woman unleashed her sword technique.
Flowing like water, her elegant movements conjured beautiful ice flowers, which shattered and released razor-sharp sword energy in all directions.
The pursuers had no time to react.
Slash!
After felling them, the woman dashed forward without hesitation.
“Th-there she is! After her!”
She ran without stopping.
Through the blizzard, evading her pursuers, she wandered endlessly in search of safety.
“This is……!”
Unaware that she was being led.
The blizzard momentarily cleared, revealing the landscape ahead.
A cliff—an endless abyss now blocked her path.
‘Why did I come here?!’
The Great Cliff of the North Sea.
She knew its location and had deliberately avoided it.
Yet here she was.
“Finally caught you.”
A voice came from behind.
Startled, she turned her head.
“You made us work harder than necessary.”
A man slowly approached.
Lean and sharp-featured, his lips curled into an undisguised sneer.
“Now you’re the last remaining young mistress of the North Sea Ice Palace. Should I congratulate you?”
“Bing Il-do……!”
The woman gritted her teeth.
Then, hearing his words, she realized their meaning.
Her face twisted in despair.
“I’m… the only one left? Then my brother, my sister, everyone else……”
“Already dead.”
“……!”
She staggered.
Bing Il-do gestured behind him. Countless warriors appeared, surrounding her.
An inescapable encirclement.
And behind her—the cliff.
Nowhere to run.
“So, what will you do? Fight us all with your precious Ice techniques and win? Although—”
Bing Il-do sneered at her.
“You can barely even stand.”
Her arms trembled.
Not from fear—she had exhausted all her energy fleeing this far.
The sword technique she had used earlier was her last.
A crippling fatigue weighed on her body.
“Traitors!”
She gnashed her teeth.
“Do you really think anyone will recognize you after stealing the Ice Palace Lord’s seat through such filthy means?!”
“Enough pointless talk. Lady Seol, we only want one thing from you.”
Bing Il-do raised a finger.
“The Eternal Ice Crystal. Hand it over, and we’ll spare your life. How about it?”
The Eternal Ice Crystal.
A treasure of the North Sea, a divine artifact only the Ice Palace Lord could possess.
The woman had taken it when she fled the rebellion-stricken Ice Palace—the very reason her pursuers had chased her so relentlessly.
“You think… I’d just hand it over?”
“Do you have any other options? We’ve blocked your way forward, and behind you is a cliff. Seems to me like cooperating is the only choice you’ve got.”
“Tch……!”
“Lady Seol, I’m giving you a chance.”
“A chance?”
She scowled as if his words were absurd, and Bing Il-do smiled faintly.
“Whether you obey me here or not will determine how you’re treated.”
“What kind of…...”
“Bing Cheon-ak… our new Ice Palace Lord has taken quite a liking to you. He’d gladly accept you as his wife.”
“……!”
An outrageous statement.
“After slaughtering my family, you dare say that…!”
“The past is the past. Shouldn’t we let sad things drift away in the vast North Sea and look forward? To the future our new Ice Palace Lord will create.”
“You’re insane!”
An unacceptable insult.
She roared in fury.
Bing Il-do only watched her coldly.
“If you refuse, I’ll break your limbs and drag you to the Ice Palace Lord. He’ll take you as a concubine.”
“Ha!”
“Wouldn’t being a beloved wife be better than a concubine? I’m saying this for your sake.”
His words dripped with mockery.
A display of confidence, knowing she had no escape.
No matter what choice you make, I’ll catch you. So, you’d better accept my offer.
“I’d sooner follow a beast than accept your ‘mercy’…!”
“Grab her!”
The woman stepped back. Sensing her intent, Bing Il-do barked an order.
“I’d rather die!”
The towering cliff.
Without hesitation, she threw herself into the bottomless abyss.
Bing Il-do and the warriors lunged, using their martial arts to catch her, but she mustered her last reserves of energy to shake them off.
Whoosh!
And then—the fall.
The woman plummeted endlessly. The wind howled past her ears.
“Aaaah!”
Crash!
Her body slammed against jagged ice formations jutting from the cliff.
Shattered bones. Worse than the pain was the terror of the unending descent.
“……!”
She tried to balance herself, to lessen the impact, but failed.
Thud!
Her body struck the cliff’s base.
“Guh… hahk……!”
Not even a proper scream escaped.
Agony consumed her.
All she could do was moan.
Her vision turned red.
“Ah… ugh……”
The fall from that impossible height should have killed any ordinary person instantly.
But she was alive.
Barely.
“No… I can’t die like this……”
She tried to move, but her battered body refused.
Her outstretched arm fell limply.
Her vision blurred.
“…….”
Then, someone stood before her.
A shadow fell over her face.
She tried to see who it was, but couldn’t lift her head.
“Who… who…...”
“…….”
A pursuer?
But it didn’t matter anymore. She was going to die.
Her eyelids fluttered shut.
A click of the tongue echoed in her ears.
“Tch, How the hell am I supposed to save her?”
A voice laced with annoyance.
Then—darkness.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the woman before him.
If she could even be called a woman. Her body was so mangled her gender was indistinguishable.
“Damn. What a mess.”
Her arms and legs were broken, her body crushed. Her face was no better.
Only her head seemed intact.
“…….”
The sight sent a chill down his spine.
‘If I’d made a single mistake jumping off that cliff, wouldn’t I have ended up like this?’
When he leaped off the cliff to obtain the Book of the Martial God, one misstep would have led to the same fate.
“Sigh, let me try to save her first.”
He pulled out the supplies he’d brought.
All sorts of medicinal herbs and potions—each top-tier with incredible restorative effects.
He forced them into her mouth.
“…….”
“Don’t waste them. They’re expensive.”
Then, he applied the herbs and potions to her wounds, performing emergency treatment.
Even this might not be enough.
‘Her condition’s too severe.’
This was just first aid.
Days of repeated treatment would be needed for any sign of recovery.
—Find a way down the cliff!
—Find it no matter what! The woman is expendable, but the Eternal Ice Crystal must be retrieved!
“Savages.”
Voices echoed from above the cliff.
Somehow, it felt familiar.
‘Right, it’s similar to the early stages of Yoo Baek-jun’s route.’
He’d noticed it every time he cleared this quest.
It closely resembled Yoo Baek-jun’s beginnings.
‘A blizzard, pursuers, falling off a cliff…’
All too familiar.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
If, when he first incarnated into this body, he’d panicked and lost his composure—
He, too, would have ended up like this woman.
“Well then, let me try to save her.”
He slung her over his shoulder and began walking, releasing Seol-yeong.
“Time to earn your keep. Stay with me, and if those guys up there follow, cause a distraction. Blizzard or whatever. Got it?”
—Roar!
Seol-yeong let out a loud cry, as if accepting the task.
Yoo Baek-jun began walking through the snow.