Chapter 191
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 191.
The Over Lich, who had lived for countless years, was dead. It was a death so futile it was almost laughable.
—Kyaaooong…
Thud, thud.
Seol-yeong tapped the lich’s head with its front paw.
Yoo Baek-jun gathered the dropped items.
The robe the lich had worn, its staff, and magic stones—all specialized for necromancers. Naturally, none were items he could use.
‘Better give these to Noel.’
Except for one thing: the magic stone.
This might come in handy later.
As he collected the items, Yoo Baek-jun checked the messages that appeared before him.
[Achievement: Fate-Changer unlocked.]
[Fate-Changer: You have intervened in and twisted destinies that could have brought great harm to the world.]
[Reward: 500P and a slight increase in proficiency for all stats.]
“Hmm.”
Thanks to the Successor of the Death King trait, the Over Lich had been relatively easy to defeat, but it was still a formidable foe.
Had he missed the timing and allowed the lich to fully corrupt the Flame of Purification, it would have attained true divinity and triggered a major event.
The aftermath would have been catastrophic.
‘There are things to gain if the event triggers, but it’s too much trouble.’
This outcome isn’t bad either.
Humming to himself, Yoo Baek-jun stood before the ominously burning flame.
The crimson-stained Flame of Purification.
Something floated above it.
“The life vessel.”
The Over Lich’s life Vessel.
Though he had just killed the lich, it wasn’t truly dead. As long as the Life Vessel remained, it would eventually revive.
‘The mere fact that it possesses a Life Vessel is proof of its strength…’
Not all liches have Life Vessels.
Only the most exceptional, ancient monsters can possess one.
Liches summoned under normal circumstances don’t have them.
“Ugh, this is vile.”
As expected of a lich that had lived through ages, the malice contained in the vessel was overwhelming.
That malice, combined with the items placed around it and the effects of a special magic circle, was corrupting the Flame of Purification.
‘Come to think of it, this is also an item.’
Driven by sudden curiosity, Yoo Baek-jun checked the life vessel’s information.
[Over Lich’s Life Vessel (A+)]
The life vessel of a lich that was once human but lost its humanity in pursuit of power.
It contains intense malice.
—Option: Lich Transformation
*Lich Transformation: Changes the user’s race to an undead, an ‘Elder Lich.’
An amusing option.
The user’s transformation into a lich—literally, using this item would turn one into an Elder Lich.
“What a sinister item.”
Yoo Baek-jun waved his hand dismissively.
The divine penalty from being the Successor of the Death King was already annoying enough. If he became a lich?
A single divine spell would obliterate him.
“Sigh, let’s deal with this first.”
Beneath the Flame of Purification was a massive magic circle, surrounded by items that amplified its power.
Yoo Baek-jun destroyed the items first, then erased the magic circle on the ground.
Whoosh!
The flame grew even fiercer.
It felt like a final blaze. Yoo Baek-jun looked at the life vessel.
After a small sigh, he reached into the flames and grabbed the burning life vessel.
“Not as hot as I expected.”
His resistance to malice must have grown due to his opposition to divine power.
He pulled the life vessel out.
Inside the massive orb, black waves surged, alongside a pale mist—the Over Lich’s soul.
“Hmm…”
Yoo Baek-jun fell into thought as he observed it.
‘Nothing’s changed from what I know.’
The instance dungeon’s cycles had shifted, so he wondered if something might be different.
But after checking meticulously, nothing had changed except the dungeon’s structure.
‘Which means…’
The Flame of Purification.
What could be extracted from its owner, the God of Light, must also remain unchanged.
Yoo Baek-jun called Seol-yeong.
“Hey, Seol-yeong. Stop playing and come here.”
—Meow?
“I’m going to break this. When the soul flies out, catch it quickly. Got it?”
—Grrr!
Seol-yeong nodded in understanding. Yoo Baek-jun raised his fist high.
Crack!
With a single strike, he shattered the life vessel.
Whoosh!
As the life vessel broke, the malice inside scattered in all directions.
And the escaping soul.
—Kyyaaooong!
Seol-yeong caught the soul with lightning speed.
It was so fast it startled Yoo Baek-jun.
The soul screamed in its grasp.
—Aaaaah…
“Nice catch.”
Seol-yeong held the soul tightly.
The Over Lich’s screams could be heard between its front paws.
Yoo Baek-jun patted its head and drew the demonic sword Grandal from subspace.
[Demonic Sword Grandal (A)]
A sword once wielded by a great demon lord from another world.
It possesses immense power, but prolonged exposure to demonic energy has rendered it unusable by ordinary humans.
A method to wield it must be found.
—Options: ?, ?, ?
A grotesquely shaped sword, unsettling to behold. Though A-rank, exposing it to the Flame of Purification would change it.
“Hurry back, hurry…”
Yoo Baek-jun watched the Flame of Purification.
Though tainted by the Over Lich’s corruption, it wasn’t fully corrupted yet.
It should recover on its own.
How long did he wait?
—Whoosh!
The Flame of Purification blazed violently.
As if cleansing its own impurity, the flame’s color grew purer.
“Time to toss it in.”
Yoo Baek-jun threw Grandal into the flames. The fire roared even fiercer.
Roar!
It was so intense he worried the sword might melt.
And indeed, the sword was burning.
Crackle!
The Flame of Purification licked the sword’s surface. The grotesque exterior began to melt away, revealing what lay beneath.
A sleek, elongated black blade.
Magical runes were engraved along its length, giving it a unique aura.
The cross guard was absent, and the hilt rippled like waves.
“Pretty, huh?”
—Meow.
Seol-yeong also admired the sword.
Grandal hadn’t always been hideous. Its form had mutated from prolonged exposure to demonic energy.
By purging that energy, its true form was restored.
‘Was this also made of black iron?’
Probably.
Yoo Baek-jun waited for the purification to complete and reached to retrieve it.
But the moment he did—
Sizzle!
“Ah, hot! Damn, that burns!”
He yanked his hand back.
He’d forgotten—the Flame of Purification was untouchable.
A slight brush was fine, but plunging his hand in would have scorched it badly.
“H-Hey, Seol-yeong. Get that for me.”
—……
Yoo Baek-jun lifted Seol-yeong .
It gave him a deadpan look.
“Why the face?”
—Grr.
Seol-yeong snorted and turned its head away, then sighed and extended its paw.
Yoo Baek-jun brought it close to the flame, and it pulled the sword out.
“Isn’t it hot?”
—Meow.
Despite its appearance, the Flame of Purification was harmless to the righteous.
It only harmed the wicked or undead.
“…….”
Right, the wicked.
‘It’s because of the Successor of the Death King, right?’
Surely it wasn’t because he was evil. The thought crossed his mind.
Yoo Baek-jun took the sword from Seol-yeong .
[Black Sword Grandal (S)]
A sword once wielded by a great demon lord from another world.
Once a demonic sword saturated with immense malice, it has now been purified. Yet the demon
lord’s power remains embedded within.
—Options: Pure Metal, Spatial Severance, Distortion
—Skill: Mass Teleportation
*Pure Metal: Forged from a rare metal that appears once every few centuries. Unbreakable and razor-sharp.
*Distortion: When death is imminent, distorts space to deflect one enemy attack.
*Spatial Severance: The demon lord’s power lingers. The blade severs space itself to cut foes.
*Mass Teleportation: Teleports the user and nearby allies to another location or summons targets within a specified range. Distance-limited.
An S-rank item.
Likely influenced by its previous owner’s teleportation focus, the sword’s options leaned toward utility.
‘Its destructive power is… somewhat lacking.’
For an S-rank, its options were utility-heavy. The loss of demonic energy must have weakened its offensive capabilities.
‘Still, these options are useful.’
Especially now, with a major battle ahead.
Yoo Baek-jun stored the sword in his subspace.
‘This’ll come in handy for a while.’
But not forever.
Later, after clearing an event related to the Sword Saint’s family, he could obtain their treasured sword.
That was the one he planned to wield.
“Now, then…”
Yoo Baek-jun stood before the Flame of Purification.
If his memory served, soon—
—Do you hear me…
‘Right, here it comes.’
A voice would speak.
The voice of the God of Light.
—Do you hear me, child of man?
“Who are you?”
—The one who originally possessed the divine relic you rescued from the hands of evil—the Flame of Purification.
Pretending not to know, Yoo Baek-jun feigned surprise.
“The God of Light, you mean?”
—Indeed. Through this relic… I speak to you now. To express my gratitude, however small…
The Flame of Purification flickered.
The divinity the Over Lich had sought made its presence known.
It observed Yoo Baek-jun from head to toe.
—Child of man, your body… is unusual. A human form, yet bearing the aura of the dead.
“You noticed?”
—How could I not? I have long fought against the undead and other defiled beings.
A faint laugh echoed.
“It’s… complicated. In fact, I wanted to ask a favor regarding that.”
—A favor?
Yoo Baek-jun lifted Seol-yeong, who had been idly watching the flame.
He presented the soul she held.
“The soul of one who slaughtered your followers, defiled your name, and sought to corrupt your relic. I will offer it to you.”
—Oh? And what do you seek in return?
“In exchange for this soul and preventing the relic’s corruption… help me.”
—Help you?
The voice sounded puzzled.
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“As you can see, my trait bars me from wielding divine power. Use your power to ease this burden.”
—Hmm…
Even the God of Light’s blessing couldn’t fully negate the Successor of the Death King’s penalty.
But it could mitigate it significantly.
He knew from experience.
—Very well.
And he knew the god would accept.
The relic and the Over Lich’s soul had boosted the god’s favor toward him.
—Whatever your circumstances may be…
The Flame of Purification rose, swirling violently around Yoo Baek-jun.
—May this blessing, bestowed in gratitude for your righteous deeds… aid you.
The divine power within the flame flowed into his body.
A message appeared.
—Received the God of Light’s Blessing.
—Acquired trait: ‘Blessing of Light.’
—Obtained item: ‘Necklace of Radiance.’
Yoo Baek-jun checked the trait.
[Blessing of Light (C)]
—Received a direct blessing from the God of Light. Enhances effects when using related items.
The trait itself was modest.
But it wasn’t the main prize. It was merely a prerequisite for the next item.
[Necklace of Radiance (A+)]
A brilliantly shining necklace.
Bestowed by the God of Light as a reward, it can only be worn by those blessed by the god.
—Options: Light’s Protection, Dazzling Radiance
*Light’s Protection: Imbued with the God of Light’s blessing. Enhances the effects of divine power used by the wearer and grants resistance to hostile divine power.
*Dazzling Radiance: Grants strong resistance against effects that negatively influence the user.
Yoo Baek-jun whistled.