Chapter 168
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 168.
Yoo Baek-jun lifted the tent flap.
The tent was covered in snow and camouflaged with nearby shrubs.
“So this is how you avoided being detected by the pursuers? You camouflaged it like this?”
“Yeah, it’s a good thing you’re from the North Sea Ice Palace. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to hide like this since we’d have needed a fire.”
“Never thought I’d be grateful for this trait.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon gave a bitter smile.
Both she and Yoo Baek-jun had traits that made them largely unaffected by ordinary cold. Only extreme cold could make them feel even slightly chilly.
That’s why this kind of camouflage was possible.
‘Well, it’s not just this—we also used magic… but no need to mention that.’
Yoo Baek-jun stored the tent in Subspace.
“Let’s move. We’re heading straight south.”
“Understood.”
The weather was unusually clear today.
The sky was so bright it was almost dazzling.
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol Hwa-ryeon walked across the snowy plains.
Though the landscape looked the same everywhere, Yoo Baek-jun moved as if following a path.
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“Roughly.”
“How…?”
“I left markers only I can recognize.”
While treating Seol Hwa-ryeon, Yoo Baek-jun had scouted the area, gathering herbs and checking enemy positions in advance.
Based on that, he had mapped out the safest route and was now following it.
“Markers, huh…”
“We’ve got a long way to go, so don’t waste your energy and just follow.”
“Understood.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon followed behind Yoo Baek-jun.
The two repeatedly took unnecessarily roundabout paths or went in strange directions.
After some time—
“Let’s go up.”
“Huh—woah!”
A massive tree came into view.
Yoo Baek-jun hoisted Seol Hwa-ryeon onto his shoulder and kicked off the ground.
In an instant, they reached the treetop, and the snowy landscape sprawled out before them.
“Look over there.”
“That’s…”
Yoo Baek-jun pointed south.
What they saw was a forest, a vast snowy plain, and finally—countless warriors and tents.
“They’re here to capture you. They’ve been stationed here ever since you fell off the cliff.”
“All this time…”
“Yeah, they really want to catch you. Not that I don’t understand why.”
The Eternal Ice Crystal that Seol Hwa-ryeon possessed.
A treasure so rare it was considered a divine artifact of the North Sea Ice Palace, formed from cold energy accumulated over eons.
‘It’s like a kind of elixir since it shares its power with the next Ice Palace Lord.’
Unlike other elixirs, it wasn’t a one-time use item.
Moreover, the Eternal Ice Crystal had a will of its own and only shared its power with those deemed worthy of becoming the Ice Palace Lord.
In other words—
‘Those who aren’t acknowledged by the Eternal Ice Crystal cannot be considered true Ice Palace Lords.’
That was why Bing Cheon-ak, the traitor who had staged the rebellion, was so relentless in pursuing Seol Hwa-ryeon.
He wanted to reclaim the Eternal Ice Crystal she carried, gain its acknowledgment, and become the rightful Ice Palace Lord.
“Keep that thing safe. That way, the traitor will have a real headache.”
“…!”
Seol Hwa-ryeon was silently shocked.
Did he know about the Eternal Ice Crystal? And yet he had left it with her?
Her trust in Yoo Baek-jun grew even deeper.
“…I will.”
“Good. Hmm, there are too many enemies and their defenses are too tight for a frontal assault.”
“We should avoid fighting as much as possible. The longer we’re delayed fighting them, the more reinforcements will come.”
“True.”
“What’s your plan?”
Yoo Baek-jun stared intently at the warriors. Seol Hwa-ryeon, perhaps uneasy, continued.
“Their defenses are too strict. No matter how skilled you are, breaking through those numbers alone would be difficult.”
“Hmm…”
Breaking through those defenses head-on.
It wasn’t impossible.
With proper use of Meteor Shower, it might be possible.
The problem was that getting to the Central Plains from here would require moving non stop for a long time, so excessive magic consumption had to be avoided.
And most importantly—
‘I’ve prepared something else, so there’s no need to waste energy here.’
Yoo Baek-jun raised his head.
“Where the hell is that Fur ball?”
“Fur Ball…?”
It should’ve been back by now, but there was no sign of it. What was it doing?
—Cough
At that moment, a small figure climbed up the tree and perched on Yoo Baek-jun’s head.
It was Seol-yeong.
“Hey, where’ve you been?”
—Growl… Meow!
“What? You went hunting? Did I tell you to go out and come back whenever?”
—Yawn
Seol-yeong yawned loudly, as if ignoring him, and scratched its ear with a hind leg.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed deeply.
“Did you finish what I asked?”
—Meow. Hmph, Meow!
“Oh, you want praise for working hard? Fine, I’ll treat you to a full-course meat meal when we get back.”
—Meooow!
Seol-yeong ’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Seol Hwa-ryeon watched in disbelief.
“…You can talk to beasts?”
It was understandable—he was conversing with a beast as if they understood each other.
“What, never seen someone talk to a beast before?”
“Well, it’s just…”
“But it’s not an ordinary beast.”
“What do you mean?”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured to Seol-yeong, who obediently climbed to the top of the tree.
Seol-yeong gathered magic.
“Just watch.”
“What’s…”
Before she could finish—
—ROOOAR!
Seol-yeong let out a deafening roar.
Not an ordinary roar—it was a howl infused with the magic of a spirit beast.
As the sound spread, magic scattered across the area, amplifying its reach.
And moments later—
—Awooo…
—Yowwwl…
From not too far away, the howls of other beasts echoed in response.
The warriors forming the encirclement panicked at the sound.
But it was too soon to be shocked—something even more shocking was coming.
“Th-that’s…!”
Seol Hwa-ryeon gasped at the sight.
In the distance, a blizzard was forming—no, it was countless beasts charging in such numbers that they kicked up a blizzard.
“Why are they all coming?!”
The beasts were charging toward the tree where Seol-yeong stood.
It cleared its throat again.
—Grrr, RAAWR!
Another roar, and the beasts abruptly changed direction.
Not toward Seol-yeong —but toward the pursuers.
“Aahhh!”
“They’re coming this way!”
In an instant, the swarm of beasts attacked the warriors.
They seemed to obey Seol-yeong’s command.
Seol Hwa-ryeon stared dumbfounded at Seol-yeong, who looked immensely pleased with itself.
“What is this beast?”
“A spirit beast.”
“A spirit beast?”
Seol-yeong was a spirit beast.
Animals, especially those living in snowy regions, instinctively revered her.
Enough to obey her commands without question.
Yoo Baek-jun had used this, sending Seol-yeong out to gather the beasts.
“Hey, you got a lot.”
—Purr
Seol-yeong puffed out its chest, asking for more praise. Yoo Baek-jun patted its head instead.
“Good job.”
Seol-yeong climbed back onto Yoo Baek-jun’s head, and he prepared to leap.
“Let’s move.”
It was time to escape.
***
The rebels, mostly from the Bing family, had smoothly taken control of the North Sea Ice Palace.
The only thing left was to retrieve the Eternal Ice Crystal.
Knowing its importance all too well, Bing Cheon-ak—the mastermind of the rebellion and the would-be new Ice Palace Lord—had sent countless warriors here.
—She fell from that cliff. She couldn’t have survived unscathed. She must be hiding with fatal injuries—find her!
It was a reasonable assumption.
But did he know his warriors would end up facing—
—ROAR!
“Dammit!”
—wild beasts?
The rebels from the North Sea Ice Palace unleashed ice arts, fighting against the charging beasts.
“Wh-what are these things?!”
The warriors were in chaos.
First came the roar of a tiger, then the thunderous sound of countless paws.
Beasts swarmed from all directions.
All of them were predators.
“Grrr!”
“The beasts are attacking! Defend yourselves!”
These were creatures that lived in the perpetually frozen North Sea. Of course, they weren’t ordinary.
Not unbeatable, but strong enough to tie up the warriors.
Whoosh!
While the warriors fought the beasts, two figures dashed through the opening.
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol Hwa-ryeon.
“There! Over there!”
“The Young Palace Lady is escaping! Catch her!”
The warriors tried to pursue.
But in their haste, they ignored the beasts—and paid dearly for it.
—ROAR!
“Agh!”
“Damn it…! Deal with these beasts first!”
A careless warrior fell to a beast’s attack, blood staining the snow.
Seol-yeong grinned.
—Growl! Purr…
“Why are you so excited? Did you run into these guys earlier?”
—Meow! Grrr…
Seemed like she’d clashed with them while out scouting.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue and kept running.
Seol Hwa-ryeon followed closely.
“Enemies ahead!”
“I see them.”
Warriors blocked their path.
Swords, spears, various weapons at the ready, ice arts primed—all aimed at Yoo Baek-jun.
“Perfect chance to test a new skill.”
Yoo Baek-jun stretched both hands forward.
Magic flickered at his fingertips.
Before the warriors could react, he slammed both fists into the ground.
Whoosh!
A wave of cold spread, and a blizzard erupted around Yoo Baek-jun.
A blinding blizzard.
As the warriors floundered, Yoo Baek-jun emerged from the blizzard.
“…!”
Both hands wreathed in deadly frost.
“Th-this is…!”
Frozen hands unleashed a wave of cold.
A chilling force that froze everything in its path. Even the bodies of warriors trained in ice arts were no match.
“Agh! My arm…!”
“Th-the Frozen Soul Palm!”
Warriors touched by the cold collapsed, partially or fully frozen.
The others were horrified.
‘The Frozen Soul Palm?!’
A secret technique of the North Sea Ice Palace, usable only by the Ice Palace Lord and a select few—why was an outsider wielding it?
“Hah!”
And with such mastery.
Yoo Baek-jun curved his right hand like a sickle and swept it in an arc.
Sharp ice spikes shot from his fingertips.
Shink!
Half the blocking warriors fell instantly.
The rest were stunned.
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol Hwa-ryeon rushed past, swiftly dealing with the remaining foes.
“Seol-yeong!”
—Growl
Seol-yeong summoned another blizzard.
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol Hwa-ryeon sprinted away as the thick blizzard obscured their trail.
“What are you doing?! After them, you fools!”
Distant shouts followed.
Yoo Baek-jun widened the gap.
‘If we just run, they’ll keep chasing.’
This was an A+-rank difficulty quest.
Escaping was hard enough, but the relentless pursuit afterward would be even more annoying.
‘If we do it the standard way, sure.’
But like using the beasts to break the encirclement, an unorthodox solution was needed.
Yoo Baek-jun raised his head.
“We’ll deal with it in advance.”
“What did you say?”
Seol Hwa-ryeon’s eyes widened.
“We’ll kill Bing Il-do.”
If they used this blizzard well, they could lure and eliminate him.
That would slow the pursuers.