Chapter 192
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 192.
Yoo Baek-jun stored Grandal in a subspace and wore the Necklace of Radiance.
The divine shining necklace seemed to clear his mind just by looking at it.
“Isn’t this too easy?”
It almost felt like cheating.
The Sanctuary of Purification was generally an avoided dungeon.
The number of people who could enter was limited, and the difficulty was too high.
Because of this, players on the Heroes Road knew leaving this dungeon unattended was dangerous, but they had no choice but to abandon it.
There was simply no way to clear it.
‘Well, I guess it’s a good thing?’
It wasn’t a dungeon he particularly wanted to visit, but given how things turned out, it felt like a stroke of luck.
The divine power penalty was also…
“It’s not completely gone.”
When he stuck his finger into the flames of purification, he could see it burning.
But compared to before, the power of the divine energy had been halved.
The burning was slower, and the pain was significantly less than before.
—Ugh!
“I know, man.”
As if Seol-yeong was warning him of danger, it smacked Yoo Baek-jun’s finger away with its front paw.
Whoosh!
—Grrrr…
The flames of purification inside the massive box began to fade gradually.
They weren’t disappearing.
They were returning to their master.
—Child of man.
A voice echoed from the void.
—I shall await the day we meet again.
At the same time, the flames of purification vanished, and the divine presence he had sensed disappeared as well.
Only then did Yoo Baek-jun let out a breath.
‘Getting involved with gods is the last thing I want.’
The God of Light seemed certain that he and Yoo Baek-jun would meet again someday.
As long as Thanatos connected them, it was inevitable.
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t bad to have gained the favor of the God of Light.
After all, an event related to Thanatos would happen eventually. He would have to fight that guy someday, and this would be a great help then.
Still.
“Ah, it’s burdensome. So burdensome.”
—Meow?
Seol-yeong tilted its head in confusion.
Yoo Baek-jun picked it up.
“Let’s go back.”
It was time to return to the family.
* * *
The atmosphere in the Sword Saint’s family was unusual.
They had played the biggest role in overcoming the large-scale incident in Busan, and with the media coverage, they were receiving praise.
But inside the family, the mood was grim, and hardly anyone was happy about it.
—Have everyone gather in the audience hall. No one is to be absent.
Amidst this, Yoo Moo-hak summoned all the family’s grandmasters and members.
“…….”
“…….”
People gathered in the spacious audience hall.
Including attendants, there were many present, but the silence inside was deafening.
No one dared to speak, to the point where even each other’s breathing could be heard.
‘The atmosphere is really something.’
Yoo Baek-jun was among them.
He clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked around.
‘Well, it’s understandable.’
The family’s mood couldn’t be good.
Of course, they had successfully stopped the incident in Busan, but the damage had been too great.
Many swordsmen had died, including those with promising futures.
Even one of the family’s successors.
‘People died. There’s no way they can celebrate just because the situation was ‘handled well’.’
Moreover, the biggest problem was that the one responsible for such damage was none other than Yoo Tae-rang.
‘Probably the biggest failure in Yoo Tae-rang’s life.’
The family mourned while also watching Yoo Tae-rang’s reaction.
And now, he was…
“…….”
“…….”
Sitting across from Yoo Baek-jun.
With an extremely grave expression, lost in thought, the atmosphere was tense.
No one dared to speak to him.
‘What a fierce stare.’
Even so, Yoo Tae-rang’s gaze was fixed on one place—Yoo Baek-jun.
It felt like he could devour him at any moment.
‘Come on, smile a little, will you?’
Yoo Baek-jun smiled leisurely.
At that smile, Yoo Tae-rang’s brow twitched.
‘You shouldn’t have tried to stab me in the back.’
If Yoo Tae-rang hadn’t been greedy, if he hadn’t even considered killing Yoo Baek-jun…
If that were the case, Yoo Baek-jun wouldn’t have fed him false information and would have cooperated.
But that was an impossible assumption.
“We’ve crossed a river we can’t return from.”
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun muttered softly.
Yoo Jung-yeon, who was nearby, seemed to hear him and turned to look.
She was about to speak, but before she could, the doors of the audience hall opened.
“The family head is entering now.”
It was Yoo Moo-hak.
He strode in without hesitation and headed straight for the high seat in the hall.
Thud!
As he sat, the doors closed behind him.
“…….”
Yoo Moo-hak closed his eyes.
A silence so heavy it could dry one’s mouth settled over the room.
No one dared to speak or even breathe loudly—only holding their breath.
“Yoo Kang-ho is dead.”
After a long silence.
That was what Yoo Moo-hak said.
“He died while stopping the incident in Busan. The Flying Dragon Sword Unit, which was supporting him, has effectively been annihilated.”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Yoo Tae-rang.
Outwardly, his expression remained unchanged, but his inner thoughts must have been different.
“The one who called Yoo Kang-ho there and assigned the Flying Dragon Sword Unit as his escort is here. I intend to question that person in this very room.”
Silence fell again.
Everyone’s gaze turned to one place.
“Yoo Tae-rang.”
“…Yes.”
Toward Yoo Tae-rang.
With his usual emotionless face, he accepted the stares directed at him.
“I heard it was you who called him there. What exactly did you order him to do? What happened there? Speak with your own mouth.”
“That was…”
Yoo Tae-rang hesitated to answer.
It was unlike him.
“…I requested his assistance. To prepare for the undead incident in Busan, I needed Yoo Kang-ho’s help. That’s why I called him.”
A lie.
Yoo Tae-rang’s only purpose in summoning Yoo Kang-ho was to kill Yoo Baek-jun in Busan.
“But due to unforeseen circumstances, the communication network at the scene was cut off, and I couldn’t give Yoo Kang-ho timely orders. So—”
“So you let your younger brother die?”
Tsk!
Yoo Moo-hak clicked his tongue loudly.
“I heard from Choi Gun-woo. He said you had anticipated the incident in Busan months ago and prepared for it. Is that correct?”
“…Yes, it is.”
“And this is the result?”
The barrage of reprimands.
Yoo Tae-rang’s face grew colder.
“You knew in advance and prepared, yet this is the outcome? No, was your prediction even correct to begin with?”
“…….”
“Because of your wrong orders, countless swordsmen lost their lives meaninglessly. Among them were those with promising futures. You’ve trampled on the family’s future with your own hands.”
With each word from Yoo Moo-hak, Yoo Tae-rang’s expression froze further.
Hearing the consequences of his failure from someone else’s mouth must have been an unpleasant experience.
“And yet, shamelessly, with a straight face…”
Yoo Moo-hak opened his eyes.
His cold, emotionless gaze fixed on Yoo Tae-rang. An intense pressure weighed down on him, twisting his expression.
“You disappoint me.”
“Father.”
“You’ve done well until now. I had high hopes for you. But this time, Yoo Tae-rang, what you’ve shown is deeply disappointing.”
Words he had never heard before.
Since childhood, Yoo Tae-rang had been expected to become the family’s next head, and he had trained for that purpose. These were words he should never have heard.
But he endured it.
Because this was undeniably his mistake.
“What would have happened if Yoo Baek-jun hadn’t been there?”
“……!”
But those words were something even Yoo Tae-rang couldn’t endure or accept.
“Yoo Baek-jun covered for your failure. He took command in your stead and minimized the city’s damage. Without him, the Sword Saint’s family would have become a laughingstock by now.”
“Father, those words—”
“Listen well, Yoo Tae-rang.”
Yoo Moo-hak cut him off firmly.
“Failure is not tolerated in the Sword Saint’s family. Everyone is watching us, waiting for us to fail.”
“…….”
“The beasts outside are waiting to tear us apart the moment we stumble. The family head’s duty is to protect the family from those beasts.”
Beasts.
The new upper echelons of the Hunter Association, who resented the Sword Saint family’s authority and standing.
Various prominent families and guilds.
And finally, the branch families.
“You failed in that duty. Instead, you fed yourself to the beasts.”
A crack formed in Yoo Tae-rang’s expression.
Like ice breaking, faint emotions began to seep through the cracks.
“Remember, everything we enjoy is because the Sword Saint’s family has never failed.”
“…Yes.”
It was anger.
Rage at himself for his failure, and rage at the one who caused him to fail.
Yoo Tae-rang’s lowered eyes gleamed coldly as he glared at Yoo Baek-jun.
“I will hold you accountable for your failure later.”
Yoo Moo-hak stood up.
“And Yoo Baek-jun, you’ve worked hard. If there’s anything you want, come see me separately.”
“Yes, I will.”
Though many were present in the audience hall, Yoo Moo-hak left without acknowledging anyone else.
Silence filled the room once more.
Yoo Tae-rang remained silent, head bowed. The others hesitated, watching his reaction.
‘Well, this is amusing…’
Yoo Jung-yeon smiled as if entertained.
To her, the situation unfolding was nothing short of fascinating.
‘Punishing failure is natural. But the target being Yoo Tae-rang…’
A man who had never failed before.
There had been minor mistakes that displeased Yoo Moo-hak in the past.
Back then, Yoo Moo-hak would summon Yoo Tae-rang to his room for a quiet talk.
‘But never a public humiliation like this. This is… practically a public shaming.’
In front of so many witnesses.
This would spread quickly within the family.
And perhaps bring great change.
‘Does this mean his favor has shifted?’
Lately, Yoo Moo-hak had been showing support for Yoo Baek-jun.
A stark contrast to how he had firmly backed Yoo Tae-rang as the next family head.
He couldn’t be unaware of the chaos this would cause.
‘Both have what it takes to be the family head. Father must be testing them.’
That was the way of the Sword Saint’s family.
“…….”
“…….”
And for herself as well.
Yoo Jung-yeon locked eyes with Cheon Jong-won, the grandmaster who had always supported her.
‘Yoo Tae-rang won’t stay still.’
It was unclear how things would unfold.
But one thing was certain—Yoo Tae-rang wouldn’t take this humiliation lying down.
He would do anything to redeem his failure.
And one more thing.
‘Given his past actions, he’ll try to eliminate Yoo Baek-jun.’
Knowing what Yoo Tae-rang had done so far, Yoo Jung-yeon could guess as much.
Yoo Baek-jun likely thought the same.
“I wonder how things will unfold.”
Yoo Jung-yeon clenched her fist.
No matter which way it went.
‘Yoo Tae-rang, my revenge will surely…’