Chapter 212
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 212.
The next day, Yoo Baek-jun ordered Lee Jun-woo to escort the gnomes to Seoul.
“Sir Lee Jun-woo, the magic circle has been destroyed.”
“What? Why?”
“It seems to be due to the aftermath of the rebellion…”
Using the excuse that the magic circle had been destroyed, the gnomes were to be transported by land.
At first, the gnomes didn’t mind.
“It’ll take a long time, but is that alright?”
“It’s fine. Getting out of here is the top priority. Just send us to Seoul as quickly as possible.”
It was unfortunate they couldn’t use the magic circle for a faster route, but as long as they could reach Seoul, it was enough.
Staying in the current Sword Saint family was far too dangerous for them.
“Hmm…”
Lee Jun-woo smiled meaningfully.
“Since this is your choice, I hope you won’t complain later.”
“That won’t happen.”
The gnomes asserted confidently.
But that confidence didn’t last long.
“Huh, huuuuuuk!”
“T-this, this unbearable cold…!”
“G-give us something to wear!”
It was the cold of Seoraksan Mountain.
The swordsmen were properly equipped for winter, but the gnomes had nothing.
They were prisoners, after all.
“I did ask you. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“W-we weren’t told about this!”
“You’ve lived here for more than a day or two. How could you not know about this cold?”
The swordsmen burst into laughter.
The gnomes, who had only conducted research in the facilities Yoo Tae-rang provided, had never experienced such cold before.
Moreover, today there was even a blizzard.
“D-damn it…”
“If we make it to Seoul…”
They were an envoy.
They hadn’t directly participated in the rebellion—they had only supplied items to Yoo Tae-rang.
They planned to file a stern protest with the Hunter Association about their current treatment.
—The Hunter Association highly values demi-humans with technical skills. If such races are harmed without just cause, severe punishment follows.
That’s what Yoo Tae-rang had said.
The gnomes firmly believed his words. And they weren’t wrong.
Of course.
—Kyaaaaaa!
“Eeeek?!”
In the end, they wouldn’t even reach Seoul, making everything meaningless.
A sound came from afar.
The roar of a monster. The moment the gnomes turned toward the sound—
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaah!”
A bloodcurdling scream echoed.
A monster emerged from the blizzard, clamped its jaws around a gnome’s neck, and vanished.
Another gnome nearby shrieked.
—Grrrr…
—Kahaha! Prey! Bring them to me!
Monsters swarmed from all directions.
The infamous creatures of Seoraksan Mountain, drawn by the scent of prey, closed in.
“M-monsters!”
“Help us! Quickly!”
The gnomes desperately begged the swordsmen escorting them for help.
But.
“W-what are you doing?!”
Instead of helping, the swordsmen began retreating to where there were no monsters.
Lee Jun-woo shrugged.
“There are too many enemies. It’s beyond our ability to handle.”
“So you’re abandoning us?!”
“We can’t throw away our lives to help criminals. Besides…”
Lee Jun-woo disappeared into the blizzard.
“We never planned to let you live. This will be your grave.”
“W-what are you talking about?! The Hunter Association—the Hunter Association won’t let this slide… Gahhk!”
A giant wolf snatched the shouting gnome and vanished.
Lee Jun-woo turned his back.
“Did those demi-humans do something to earn the young master’s hatred?”
“Probably…”
A swordsman smirked bitterly.
“It’s because the family was ruined. The damage caused by the gnomes’ magic cannons and golems was immense.”
“Tsk. They committed a capital offense.”
On top of that, they even threatened to report everything to the Hunter Association.
Yoo Baek-jun, who abhorred leaving loose ends, would never let them live.
“Let’s stay and make sure the monsters finish them off.”
“Understood.”
Lee Jun-woo slowly raised his head.
Toward the tall trees in the direction where someone had lured the monsters here.
“Hmm.”
Jeon Soo-yeon was there.
Watching the gnomes being slaughtered, she shuddered briefly.
“I didn’t do anything to earn the young master’s grudge, right?”
Seeing this made her uneasy.
Jeon Soo-yeon let out a deep sigh.
“By the way, Min Yi-jae said he was going to track them down… When is he coming back…?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
* * *
And at that exact moment.
A man was moving swiftly across the snowfield, through a raging blizzard.
It was Min Yi-jae.
“…….”
His goal was singular: to track down the Black Shadows.
He was carrying out Yoo Baek-jun’s request to find out how they had come and who had come.
He also had personal questions.
‘…This is as far as I go.’
But he could no longer achieve that goal.
‘Those Black Shadows bastards.’
Tsk.
Min Yi-jae clicked his tongue.
He had lost their trail.
They had erased their footprints, making further tracking impossible.
The blizzard also made the traces disappear quickly.
“Sigh…”
Min Yi-jae exhaled in frustration.
He regretted not being familiar with Seoraksan Mountain’s harsh environment.
Swallowing his disappointment, he turned to leave.
“You’re persistent, Min Yi-jae.”
A voice suddenly rang out.
Min Yi-jae whipped his head around.
A man stood atop a tree, his face covered in grotesque tattoos.
A notorious villain in the underworld.
“Dante.”
“Oh, have we grown so close that we’re on a first-name basis now? I’m flattered.”
“…Cut the crap.”
Dante smirked.
Min Yi-jae had no memory of ever being friendly with a villain like him.
“…Why didn’t you fight properly?”
“Don’t want to chat? Straight to the point, huh? Fine by me.”
Min Yi-jae asked.
Dante shrugged.
“But, unfortunately, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“…Don’t play dumb. I know you didn’t fight seriously.”
Min Yi-jae glared fiercely as Dante tried to brush it off with a smirk.
Dante chuckled.
“Because helping wouldn’t have made a difference. You could tell just by looking—they were screwed.”
“…….”
It seemed they had a way of knowing the situation inside the family.
Perhaps someone had tipped them off.
Min Yi-jae exhaled a white breath.
“…Why target the Sword Saint family?”
“Be direct. We weren’t targeting the Sword Saint family. We were helping Yoo Tae-rang become the family head. The reason—”
Dante clicked his tongue in regret.
“—Was because we knew Yoo Baek-jun would clash with us if he became the head.”
“What? What does that even mean…?!”
As Min Yi-jae frowned in confusion, a gust of wind blew.
Whoosh!
The blizzard-filled wind momentarily obscured his vision.
Min Yi-jae drew his dagger.
“Hahaha! Min Yi-jae! You’re unusually talkative today—what a relief!”
The voice came from above.
Looking up, he saw Dante clinging to the leg of a giant flying monster.
There wasn’t just one monster—Dante’s subordinates were riding on others.
“Dante!”
“You must have a lot of questions!”
The flying monsters ascended.
Min Yi-jae attacked through the blizzard, but Dante effortlessly deflected it.
“Curious? You’ll see us again! As long as you’re tied to that family—and Yoo Baek-jun.”
With a loud laugh, Dante vanished.
Min Yi-jae clicked his tongue as he watched.
“What nonsense.”
He had lost the enemies.
At least he had something to report to Yoo Baek-jun, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Min Yi-jae examined the remaining traces.
Familiar claw marks—left by the flying monsters on the ground.
‘Rumors say the Black Shadows Guild has someone who tames monsters.’
They must have used monsters to reach Seoraksan Mountain.
Min Yi-jae stood up.
It was unsatisfying to end things here, but he had no choice but to search the area a bit more before returning.
“Sigh, it’s cold…”
He could never get used to this freezing weather.
With that thought…he moved on.
* * *
And the next day.
“Young master, we’re back.”
“Ah, so warm…”
Park Chan-kyung and Cheon Min-ju returned.
One wore his usual serious expression, while the other looked utterly carefree.
Yoo Baek-jun surveyed the family grounds.
“It’s a shame, young master. I wanted to stay and help you here.”
“N-not me.”
“The roles you took were just as important. Thanks to your gate raids, we were able to disrupt the rebels.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”
Dwarves, generously rewarded with Seolhwa, were busy repairing the ruined family estate.
Seeing the devastation, Park Chan-kyung’s heart grew heavy.
“The White Wolf guild will take most of the rewards this time… But I’ll set aside your shares separately. Anything you want in particular?”
“I need a new sword.”
“I’d like combat gear…”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“I’ll get you both the highest quality. The payment will be deposited into your accounts—check later.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you, young master.”
Both bowed deeply. Yoo Baek-jun lightly patted their shoulders.
‘Rewards must be fair.’
If Yoo Tae-rang became the family head, the Sword Saint family would decline—one reason being its unfair reward system.
Talented members would leave in dissatisfaction, weakening the family further…
‘That can’t happen.’
It was a lesson learned from the opposite example.
Yoo Baek-jun then greeted The White Wolf guild’s members behind Park Chan-kyung and Cheon Min-ju.
Yoon Song-ha stepped forward first.
“Wow, what a mess.”
“Well, a rebellion happened. This is actually after some repairs.”
“Really? Wow…”
Yoon Song-ha clicked her tongue.
She had heard about the rebellion but never expected it to be this bad.
“What about the gates?”
“All cleared. No major injuries, and as promised, The White Wolf Guild took all the rewards. Is that ok?”
“Yeah.”
Yoon Song-ha scratched the back of her head.
“Still, I’m not sure if we should’ve taken them. The loot drops from those gates were…”
“Unbelievably high-grade. Especially the magic stones—it was shocking.”
“Now I see why the Sword Saint family is so wealthy. Managing gates like these would make anyone rich.”
“Jealous?”
Yoo Baek-jun smirked at his own question, and Yoon Song-ha immediately shook her head.
“Hell no. Do I look crazy?”
“Not jealous. The rewards are good, but the gate difficulty—ugh.”
“Just traveling back and forth is exhausting. Living here would kill me fast.”
The high-difficulty gates and the constant emergence of new ones were why the Sword Saint family’s swordsmen surpassed other guilds in skill.
“Go inside and rest. I’ve prepared separate quarters for you.”
“Thanks. But…”
Yoon Song-ha tilted her head.
“Why are you standing here? Waiting for someone else?”
She hadn’t told Yoo Baek-jun when they’d return.
Yet he and the other swordsmen were waiting at the main gate as if expecting them.
It couldn’t be for her group.
“Yes.”
The answer came quickly.
“Open the gates!”
A booming voice echoed through the estate.
The tightly shut main gates swung open, revealing a man.
His cold eyes swept over the estate before he spoke.
"Things have become a mess in my absence."
“Family Head!”
Yoo Moo-hak.
The Sword Saint family head had returned.