Chapter 186
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 186.
Kang Dae-sung and the Flying Dragon Sword unit decided to give up following Yoo Kang-ho and return.
Their destination was the Busan branch.
“The undead are everywhere, so be careful not to get surrounded. Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible.”
“Yes!”
The communication network was still down.
Kang Dae-sung decided to head to the Busan branch first, driving through roads swarming with undead.
How long had they been moving like this?
“Ugh?!”
A barrier blocked their path.
A barrier made of magical energy.
Kang Dae-sung slashed at it like lightning, but the barrier remained intact.
“This is….”
The barrier sealed off all directions.
Originally, it was meant to protect allies from enemies, but now it was nothing more than a prison trapping people inside.
“…….”
As Kang Dae-sung pondered the intent behind this barrier, Yoo Baek-jun suddenly came to mind.
He urgently commanded the swordsmen:
“Break this barrier! Now!”
“Yes!”
Crack!
The swordsmen simultaneously attacked the barrier. The barrier trapping them began to crack and split.
But the noise attracted attention.
—Grooooooan…
—Heh heh… Who would’ve thought humans would be here?
Beyond the barrier, undead appeared.
Drawn by the commotion, they began gathering around the barrier one by one.
Most were low-tier undead, but higher-tier undead like liches and death knights were mixed among them, directing the horde.
—Kill them…! Devour them!
“Dammit!”
“The undead are swarming us!”
The undead attacked the barrier.
What had been an obstacle blocking their path moments ago had now become a defensive wall protecting their lives.
‘This barrier is sturdy. It’ll take time to break. It should hold for a while.’
They needed to form ranks in the meantime.
Kang Dae-sung shouted urgently:
“While the barrier holds, form up—!”
But before he could finish—
Kaaang!
“Gah!”
As if waiting for the moment, the barrier vanished.
The undead on the other side, who had been striking the barrier, stumbled forward, losing their balance.
Their eyes locked onto the swordsmen.
—Kill them!
“Kuh, kuhhh!”
The undead swarmed the swordsmen.
Enemies attacked from all sides in the chaotic melee. Despite the confusion, the Flying Dragon Sword unit and Kang Dae-sung managed to form ranks and fought back.
But—
“Too many—! Aaaah!”
The enemy numbers were overwhelming.
The swordsmen were forced into a hopeless battle.
“…….”
And there were those watching.
Yoon Song-ha and Jeon Soo-yeon. The two observed the battle from a high rooftop.
“Disgusting bastards. They fight surprisingly well.”
Even surrounded by undead and unable to properly form ranks, the Flying Dragon Sword unit fought evenly.
Though, with the sheer numbers, swordsmen began falling one by one, gradually being pushed back.
“The Flying Dragon Sword Unit consists of swordsmen who explored countless gates with Yoo Tae-rang. Fighting alongside someone that demanding….”
“Means they’re skilled, huh?”
“Yes….”
Yoon Song-ha scoffed at Jeon Soo-yeon’s words.
“Still… Hmm, the current Flying Dragon Sword Unit has many injured and their vitality was drained by the magic circle, so they won’t last long.”
“Let’s finish this quickly, then.”
Yoon Song-ha channeled magical energy and cast debuffs on the battling swordsmen.
Their movements slowed further.
“I want to go back and drink beer. Are they the last ones?”
“Yes, they should be the last.”
“‘Should be’? Don’t say uncertain things.”
“Ah, yes, y-yes! They’re the last!”
Jeon Soo-yeon felt herself shrinking under Yoon Song-ha’s presence for some reason.
Maybe it was because she was a famous ranker.
Not that Yoon Song-ha cared.
“Tch, getting involved in someone else’s family feud doesn’t sit right. Don’t you think?”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yeah. Though it’s not really my place to say.”
Yoon Song-ha smirked bitterly.
She, too, had received much help from Yoo Baek-jun in her own family feud.
And besides…
‘I’ll probably need his help again soon.’
She recalled recent news about the Golden Lion. Song Tae-yeon was going berserk.
He had crossed the line to be left alone.
She planned to consult Yoo Baek-jun soon on how to deal with him.
‘Might as well work hard in preparation for that.’
Her role in the Busan incident was handling the swordsmen loyal to Yoo Tae-rang.
But there was a tricky condition:
—Let the undead handle it if possible.
No traces of human attacks could be left on the corpses—an extremely annoying condition.
So, Min Yi-jae lured the swordsmen, Yoon Song-ha trapped them, and finally, Yoo Baek-jun’s controlled undead finished them off.
A tedious process.
“Alright, since those guys are done, the last thing we need to do is—”
Yoon Song-ha looked at the undead below.
“—Gather the undead.”
Disposing of them after their job was done.
* * *
—Kyaaaah!
“Ughhh….”
Screams of undead echoed across the rooftop.
Jin Seo-yeon slaughtered them indiscriminately with magic, their shrieks bursting like bubbles.
All Yoo Baek-jun had done during that time was lie on the ground, groaning.
“Hey, you okay?”
Gag, cough.
“Does it hurt? Is it really bad?”
Poke! Poke!
After finishing off the rooftop undead, Jin Seo-yeon poked his back with a random twig she’d picked up from somewhere.
“Must hurt a lot. Seol-yeong, you wake him up.”
—Meow.
Jin Seo-yeon placed Seol-yeong on Yoo Baek-jun’s back.
—Mrow, aow… Kyahhh!
“Oww, you little brat….”
Seol-yeong pressed down on his back with its paws, then started smacking him repeatedly.
Seemed like it was getting impatient because he wouldn’t wake up.
“Should’ve gotten up faster.”
“Can’t you see the state I’m in…?”
“Your body’s nicely roasted. Serves you right for coming here alone.”
Jin Seo-yeon scoffed.
Her words carried a sharp edge.
“Got anything else to do here?”
“No….”
“Then let’s go back to the floating island. In your state, staying here won’t help anyway.”
“Should’ve done that sooner….”
Jin Seo-yeon held out her hand. When Yoo Baek-jun took it, the scenery around them shifted instantly.
He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in the plaza of the floating island.
“Human!”
The plaza was crowded with evacuees, with elves and priests treating them.
Delowin, who had been tending to the people, spotted Yoo Baek-jun and rushed over in shock.
“A-Are you okay?! Your body’s all crispy….”
“Nicely roasted. Serves him right.”
—Growl.
Jin Seo-yeon scolded him with a prickly tone, and Seol-yeong scowled in agreement.
“Hey, I’m not some damn snack, you know.”
“Oh, priest over there—please heal this man…”
“Don’t! I might actually die if you do.”
“What the hell were you doing to get burned by divine power? Are you an undead?”
Jin Seo-yeon sighed and gestured to a nearby mage.
“Bring potions. The highest grade. Pour them all over this idiot’s body.”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Understood.”
The mage left in a fluster.
Jin Seo-yeon glared at Yoo Baek-jun, then turned away so sharply it felt like a cold wind blew past.
Seol-yeong trotted after her.
“She’s extra cranky today. What’s her problem?”
“Um, well….”
Delowin hesitated beside him.
She seemed unsure whether to say it.
After some internal debate, she cautiously spoke:
“…Maybe she was worried about you?”
“Since when is worry expressed like that?”
“Well, you know… She might’ve been angry that you went to such a dangerous place alone…?”
“Really?”
Was she mad because he went to a dangerous place without her?
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
Soon, mages arrived and poured potions worth an average office worker’s annual salary over him.
“We’ll help too.”
Delowin and the other elves summoned water spirits and cast healing magic.
Since it wasn’t divine power, it was fine.
With intensive care, he recovered enough to move slightly.
“Human, you should rest now—”
“I’d like to, but there’s something I need to do first. Help me up.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
With Delowin’s support, Yoo Baek-jun dragged his injured body forward step by step.
His destination was the edge of the floating island.
A spot overlooking Busan.
‘Disgustingly crowded.’
The magic circle had been destroyed, so the netherworld structures in Busan had vanished.
The ground had returned to normal asphalt.
But the undead remained numerous. No more would spawn, but the ones already created were overwhelming in number.
‘Might as well rack up some achievements before I go.’
Yoon Song-ha and Min Yi-jae seemed to have finished their work, gathering the undead that had completed their tasks.
‘Disposing of the hunting dogs after the hunt.’
Since most of the high-tier undead summoned by the enemies had been dealt with, only the high-tier undead under Yoo Baek-jun’s control remained to be handled.
Yoo Baek-jun raised his hand.
The ring on his finger glowed.
Whoooosh!
Frost Ring.
The skill stored within: Blizzard Storm.
Frost fairies appeared, dancing through the air, followed by more fairies.
At a glance, it looked cheerful.
—Screeeeech!
But the result wasn’t cheerful at all.
The blizzard conjured by the frost fairies froze the undead across a wide radius.
Then, hailstones smashed the frozen bodies into pieces.
‘A hard skill to use since it doesn’t distinguish allies, but in this situation….’
With only enemies gathered and no allies around, there was no better skill.
Yoo Baek-jun watched as the undead were slaughtered indiscriminately. By the time the overwhelming numbers had significantly dwindled—
Ding!
A message appeared before his eyes.
[Achievement: Undead Busters completed.]
[Undead Busters: Defeated a large number of undead with a single skill.]
[Reward: 300P. Additional trait: Undead Hunter (B) unlocked.]
He had efficiently farmed achievements.
Buying this would’ve cost hundreds of points, so saving like this wasn’t bad.
Most low-tier undead were dead, leaving only the highest-tier undead.
Those would be left to the hunters on the ground.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun looked at a distant high-rise building.
The Busan branch of the Sword Saint’s family.
By now, Yoo Tae-rang would have arrived.
And he would have realized the whole truth.
Sssss.
Yoo Baek-jun slowly clenched his fist.
Heavenly aura flickered in his grasp.
‘I killed a significant number of the swordsmen who followed Yoo Tae-rang.’
Yoo Tae-rang had seen the Busan incident as a crucial opportunity and brought many swordsmen to prove his capabilities.
And a significant number of them had died.
Though things hadn’t gone as expected, without Yoo Baek-jun’s interference, the casualties wouldn’t have been this severe.
‘But Yoo Tae-rang still has many followers. Still… now it’s a fair fight.’
That was what mattered.
Until now, they’d needed to combine forces with Yoo Jung-yeon’s faction to even stand a chance.
And Yoo Tae-rang would realize this too.
‘Soon, when Yoo Moo-hak steps aside.’
Yoo Tae-rang would make his move again.
Staking everything he had.
“That’ll be the chance to settle the family succession feud.”
Heavenly Aura would be of great help.
Yoo Baek-jun turned away.
“Can’t wait.”