Chapter 170
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 170.
Seol Hwa-ryeon hesitated for a moment before speaking in an extremely cautious tone.
“There is something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Oh, this feels heavy. I have a strong feeling this is going to be troublesome. Or is it just my mood?”
“If possible… could you deal a major blow to the traitors gathered here?”
“…So it wasn’t just my mood.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep sigh.
He had gone through all sorts of trouble to conserve his magical power, and now she was asking him to use what he had saved.
“I’m sorry. I know this is a difficult request. But with so many of the traitors gathered here, I wanted to reduce their numbers somehow…”
“Setting that aside, do you really think I have the power to grant such a request? What if I say I don’t?”
“I believe you can.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon’s eyes were filled with conviction.
“After seeing what you’ve shown so far, I can’t help but think so. You’re a man whose limits can't be measured.”
“I appreciate the high praise.”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed softly.
“Against so many of them…”
Beyond the snowy plains, martial artists swarmed like ants.
Not all of them were from the North Sea Ice Palace. Bing Cheon-ak had formed alliances with external forces when he staged his rebellion, and those were the ones gathered there.
Seol Hwa-ryeon glanced at Yoo Baek-jun’s expression.
“…I’m sorry. I made an unnecessary suggestion. Let’s just forget I said anything.”
“Hmm, no. It’s not like it’s impossible.”
“R-really?”
Seol Hwa-ryeon’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, but I don’t work for free.”
“What do you need?”
Seol Hwa-ryeon hadn’t expected Yoo Baek-jun to help her without compensation either.
Hence, the proposed trade.
As Yoo Baek-jun pondered what to ask for, his thoughts gradually leaned in a positive direction.
‘Huh? This isn’t bad.’
Suddenly, several useful martial arts techniques from the North Sea Ice Palace came to mind.
They were ridiculously expensive to buy with points, but if he handled this, he could get them for free.
Moreover, the North Sea Ice Palace event didn’t end here.
There were connected gates later.
‘If I build up enough favor here, I can reap even greater benefits in the connected gates.’
After mentally calculating, Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
He had reached a conclusion.
“Martial arts.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon smiled faintly.
She already knew Yoo Baek-jun was interested in the North Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts.
She was also aware that the reason he had saved her was to obtain them.
“Take this.”
So she had prepared something in advance.
A secret manual containing the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace.
“What’s this?”
“I heard you were interested in close combat. This is a manual containing the North Sea Ice Palace’s ‘Frozen Shattering Kick.’ I wrote it down from memory on the way here.”
“You wrote it? When?”
"I wrote it while cutting back on sleep."
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t rested at all on the way here. She had taken short breaks whenever possible.
But during that time, she had been writing this.
“It’s a bit messy since I wrote it with the blood of beasts…”
“It’s fine. This is more than enough.”
In terms of points, it was an absurdly expensive skill.
This level of sincerity was satisfying.
Besides, he didn’t have to kill all of them—just reduce their numbers.
“Alright, first, let’s decide on an escape point. You just need to follow this one. Got it?”
“This spirit beast?”
—Meow!
Seol-yeong raised its front paw as if to say, ‘Leave it to me.’
“Follow this guy to the escape point and wait there. I’ll join you soon.’
“Understood. B-but, now that I think about it, this request might be too much, so maybe just…”
“Hey, hurry up and go.”
Yoo Baek-jun pushed Seol Hwa-ryeon away.
She seemed to think her request was unreasonable and tried to retract it, but he just shoved her off.
Seol-yeong led her away, and she disappeared.
All that remained was Yoo Baek-jun.
“There’s a disgusting number of them.”
And the martial artists visible in the distance.
After making some preparations, Yoo Baek-jun walked straight toward the encircling martial artists.
“Someone’s coming!”
“That guy… matches the description the pursuit squad gave. Seol Hwa-ryeon, that bitch must be nearby too!”
The martial artists grew restless.
Yoo Baek-jun watched them as he raised his spear.
“Don’t kill him, capture him! We must find out where Seol Hwa-ryeon is!”
He overheard their conversation.
Yoo Baek-jun quickly gathered his magical power.
Crackle!
Lightning spread in all directions. With all his strength, he hurled his spear into the sky.
“Try and catch me if you can!”
Meteor Shower (流星滿天).
Amid the roaring thunder, spears of lightning rained down like falling meteors, engulfing the martial artists.
Piercing screams echoed.
“Let’s see how far I can go.”
Yoo Baek-jun gripped his sword and grinned fiercely.
* * *
A battle was raging.
The fierce combat was loud enough to reach Seol Hwa-ryeon’s ears, even from a distance outside the encirclement.
Taking advantage of the enemies’ focus being drawn to Yoo Baek-jun, Seol Hwa-ryeon followed Seol-yeong’s lead.
The place they reached was a sheet of ice.
“…Are you sure we’re supposed to be here?”
—Meow.
Seol-yeong nodded.
Seol Hwa-ryeon was currently lying on the ice, covered in snow. She had expected the escape point to be a hidden place, but it was nothing of the sort.
Just an empty expanse of ice.
“Won’t the enemies notice us?”
—Grrr…
“Ah, I get it.”
Seol-yeong growled as if annoyed and scratched its ear with its paw.
—Kyaaaaah!
A strange sound echoed from afar.
It sounded like a dragon’s roar. Seol Hwa-ryeon instinctively shut her eyes tightly.
‘I made an unreasonably selfish request…’
The North Sea Ice Palace had fallen into Bing Cheon-ak’s hands.
Even if she went to the Central Plains to seek help, it would take a long time.
Considering that, it was necessary to weaken Bing Cheon-ak’s forces as much as possible here and now.
That was why she had made the request, but…
‘Can I really repay him with just a few martial arts techniques?’
The secret techniques of the North Sea Ice Palace.
But compared to the debt she owed the man, it felt woefully insufficient.
Seol Hwa-ryeon sighed.
Right now, she had nothing more to give.
‘If I manage to escape safely this time, and if we meet again someday…’
Then, she would repay him with everything she had.
That was all Seol Hwa-ryeon, who had made such an unreasonable request, could do.
Huddled in the snow, she waited for Yoo Baek-jun to return.
—Kyaaaaah!
Boom!
The sounds echoed repeatedly.
Seol Hwa-ryeon waited with her eyes closed.
“…….”
Then, at some point, silence fell.
As the silence stretched on, unease crept in. Unable to bear it any longer, Seol Hwa-ryeon tried to emerge.
Just then.
“Hey, get up.”
“Eek!”
Someone poked her firmly with their foot.
Startled, she jumped up. When she turned around, the thick scent of blood assaulted her nose.
Standing before her was a man.
“S-Sir.”
It was Yoo Baek-jun.
Covered in blood like armor, he stood behind her, holding several severed heads.
“A-are you hurt?”
“A little. Most of this blood isn’t mine.”
As he spoke, he tossed the severed heads aside.
They all belonged to people Seol Hwa-ryeon recognized.
“These are…”
“Proof is necessary, right? I picked a few from the ones over there.”
They were all traitors who had sided with the rebellion and played key roles in killing her family.
The images of her family surfaced in her mind again—how they had died miserably.
“…….”
“Satisfied?”
Seol Hwa-ryeon nodded.
“…Thank you. These were key figures among the traitors. This must have dealt a significant blow to Bing Cheon-ak.”
“Good, then. Now, let’s see.”
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out some items he had brought and began handing them to Seol Hwa-ryeon one by one.
“Put these on.”
“What… are these?”
“Diving gear.”
“D-diving?”
Yoo Baek-jun pointed at the ice beneath their feet.
“We’re going under this.”
“……!”
Crack!
He shattered the ice.
Beneath the ice sheet, the freezing waters of the sea came into view.
“Y-you want us to dive in there?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong? Hurry up and put it on. We don’t have time.”
“W-wait. You expect me to go in there in this weather?”
“Hey, just put it on already.”
Yoo Baek-jun forcibly dressed Seol Hwa-ryeon in the diving suit, and together, they plunged beneath the ice.
—Gurgle!
Underwater, Seol Hwa-ryeon screamed.
* * *
The two traveled beneath the ice for nearly 30 minutes before reaching their destination.
CRACK!
BOOK!
The ice split apart as something lifted it from below. Yoo Baek-jun and Seol Hwa-ryeon emerged.
Soaked to the bone.
Despite using magic and special equipment, there were time limits, so getting wet was unavoidable.
“Ugh, uuuuh…”
“Haaah, damn, it’s cold.”
—Meow!
As they stepped out, they could feel their body temperatures dropping rapidly. Yoo Baek-jun dried his frozen clothes and walked across the winter landscape for a while.
Then.
“Hey, we’re really here.”
The border between the Central Plains and the North Sea came into view.
Just beyond that lay the Central Plains.
“The Central Plains… I never thought I’d come this way.”
“I’ve reduced the number of pursuers enough that they won’t be able to chase you into the Central Plains. But be careful—I don’t know what’ll happen later.”
“Understood. You mean they’ll send pursuers after me into the Central Plains once some time has passed, right?”
“Exactly.”
Yoo Baek-jun wiped the frost from his face and slowly opened his eyes.
“Hmm, is it over?”
A gate appeared before him.
A gate back to Earth.
Its appearance meant the quest was complete.
Seol Hwa-ryeon stared at the gate with wide eyes.
Hunters rarely traveled to the North Sea, so she had no knowledge of such things.
“W-what is that?”
“A gate to another world. Didn’t I mention it? I’m not from here.”
“So you’re from another world?”
“Yeah. You’ll understand once you reach the Central Plains.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“Well, that’s not important now. Hurry up and go. I can’t leave until you do.”
“…….”
Seol Hwa-ryeon stared at the gate.
“I thought you’d come with me to the Central Plains.”
“You think I’ve got time for field trips?”
“Then I guess this is goodbye.”
She turned around.
Facing Yoo Baek-jun directly, she slowly bowed her head deeply.
“From the beginning to the end, all I can say is thank you. If not for you, I would have died on that cliff.”
“Mhm.”
“If we ever meet again—if fate allows it—I’ll repay you however I can.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon’s pale blue hair swayed. Yoo Baek-jun lightly patted her shoulder.
“Alright, don’t forget that promise.”
“I won’t. I swear.”
Seol Hwa-ryeon raised her head.
“Now go. I’ll stay here for a while to make sure no one follows.”
Yoo Baek-jun gave her a gentle push. She began walking forward quickly.
As she repeatedly glanced back, her figure gradually faded into the distance until she was completely out of sight.
“Now, shall we go too?”
—Meow.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped into the gate.
Message windows appeared in his vision—notifications of completing the gate quest and various achievements.
As they disappeared…
Whoosh!
Yoo Baek-jun vanished as well.