Chapter 218
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 218.
Before heading to the Hunter Association, Yoo Baek-jun took a look around the family's training grounds.
As always, numerous disciples were undergoing training.
However,
"Hah! Haah!"
"That's not how you use a spear!"
Unlike before, they were using various weapons—spears, fists, even bows. The disciples were practicing with diverse weapons, and the instructors were teaching them.
‘Should I feel proud?’
Yoo Baek-jun had begun imparting various martial arts to the Sword Saint family.
The secret manuals he had obtained from the Tower of the Martial God.
Spear techniques, fist techniques, archery, throwing weapons, and even techniques suitable for emergencies, such as grappling, palm strikes, and finger strikes.
"You’re here, Family Head."
"Grandmaster Ja-yeon. How is the training going for the newly selected disciples?"
‘Of course. I’ve used the Observer’s Eye to select swordsmen who wish to learn and have them train according to their talents. Thanks to the new secret manuals obtained from conquering up to the 15th floor of the Tower of the Martial God, there’s even more to teach now.’
"Good. It’s not just anyone—you personally selected them, didn’t you, Family Head?"
Just because it’s the Sword Saint family doesn’t mean everyone has talent only in swordsmanship.
Many possess talent in other martial arts, or even greater talent in those fields.
Yoo Baek-jun sought out such individuals and guided them to Grandmaster Ja-yeon.
"Rather, I’m worried. That we, the instructors, might be lacking."
"Don’t worry about that."
"Thanks to the secret manuals you provided in advance, we have something to teach, but we’re still far from adequate."
When it comes to other martial arts, the instructors are practically no different from disciples.
If it weren’t for Grandmaster Ja-yeon, who had an interest in other martial arts from the beginning, they wouldn’t have been able to train at all.
"Still, everyone’s skill level has risen significantly. With a bit more training, I think they’ll be ready for actual combat."
"Hmm……."
Yoo Baek-jun fell into brief thought as he watched the trainees train.
‘I wish it could be faster.’
Was there a way to accelerate their training speed?
There was one.
‘Magic circles.’
There was something similar to the training magic circle in Yoo Baek-jun’s residence.
The only way was to obtain it.
"Grandmaster Ja-yeon, I leave it to you."
"Yes. But Family Head, you’re dressed so formally……. Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes."
Yoo Baek-jun turned his back.
"I’m going to deal with the hyenas."
* * *
The next day, at the Hunter Association.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the building before him.
"Once allies, now enemies……."
A bitter smile naturally formed on his lips.
Not long ago, they had cooperated to overcome numerous calamities together.
Now, they were no different from enemies.
No, even if they weren’t enemies at the moment, they would eventually become so.
"Han Seong-ah, Lee Jun-woo. Only you two follow me. The rest, wait on the first floor."
"Yes."
Yoo Baek-jun was now the Family Head.
Wherever he went, he couldn’t attend official events with only a small entourage.
In some form or another, escorts would accompany him—and in large numbers.
"That’s……."
"It’s Yoo Baek-jun, isn’t it? Why is he here…….?"
As Yoo Baek-jun and the swordsmen entered the association, people began murmuring.
Not only were there many of them, but their appearance alone was eye-catching.
Naturally, the guards affiliated with the Hunter Association began to regard them warily.
"Are you Yoo Baek-jun? Chairman Baek Jang-hyeon is waiting for you. However."
"There are too many of us? I was only planning to take these two anyway."
"But……."
"Given my position, it wouldn’t be appropriate to enter without any escorts, would it?"
The guard seemed reluctant but had no choice but to agree.
Yoo Baek-jun boarded the elevator.
"Hostile, aren’t they?"
"They have no reason to be friendly. Besides……."
Yoo Baek-jun, Han Seong-ah, and Lee Jun-woo in the elevator.
The three of them were practically human weapons.
If they decided to cause havoc, the Hunter Association would suffer tremendous damage.
"With this combination, I mean."
"That’s true too."
The elevator reached the top floor.
As expected, the entire floor was filled with bodyguards and hunters.
Given the nature of today’s agenda, it seemed they had prepared for all possibilities.
"...This way."
A hunter guided Yoo Baek-jun.
To the center of the top floor, where a massive room—the grand conference hall—was located.
Yoo Baek-jun opened the door.
The slowly opening door.
Beyond it, a room with a large table in the center and seated figures came into view.
"Quite a crowd."
Baek Jang-hyeon sat at the head.
The other seats were occupied by high-ranking members of the Hunter Association.
Naturally, among them were Chae Jeong-jun and Han Chang-woo.
"Chairman Baek Jang-hyeon, it’s been a while. I believe this is the first time since the succession ceremony—correct me if I’m wrong."
"……."
Baek Jang-hyeon was a cold-looking man.
A middle-aged man with a rough demeanor. Having been a hunter before retiring, his physique was remarkably robust.
He gave a slight nod.
"Yes, that was the last time we met."
"Was it? I’ve been so busy lately that my memory is a bit hazy at times."
Yoo Baek-jun took his seat.
The farthest seat—one that offered a clear view of all the attendees.
He leisurely scanned them.
"Quite the gathering. I don’t need to ask why I was summoned."
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
"You must have called me here because of the execution of the rankers affiliated with the Sword Saint family."
"……."
The atmosphere in the room turned icy.
The execution of rankers. Setting aside that the targets were rankers, ‘execution‘ was a word that didn’t belong in modern society.
"You killed Hunters ranked 45th and 67th, as well as other rankers outside the top 100… Is that correct?"
"Yes."
Yoo Baek-jun readily affirmed.
"I killed them myself. What, is that something I shouldn’t have done?"
"What kind of……!"
The crowd buzzed.
How could he react like that after killing members of his own family?
Yoo Baek-jun felt no guilt whatsoever. And that was only natural.
"If I didn’t kill them, I would have been killed. So I killed them. Or should I have let them kill me instead?"
"Even so!"
"They were traitors."
Yoo Baek-jun’s gaze turned cold.
A Cold aura emanated from him, filling the room with a freezing tension.
"A hunting dog that bites its master’s throat must be put down. Are you saying I should have spared them?"
"Rankers are akin to national assets! How could you just—!"
"They were colluding with villains."
"Gasp……!"
The crowd fell speechless.
"Yoo Tae-rang, the leader of the traitors, sought to take over the family by borrowing the power of villains."
"Th-that means…"
"You’re saying his subordinates—key rankers, no less—didn’t know? Unlikely."
Yoo Baek-jun declared.
"I executed traitors who colluded with villains—no, betrayers of this nation."
"……."
The man who had been vehemently arguing with Yoo Baek-jun, Song Byeong-pil, shut his mouth.
At a loss for words, Baek Jang-hyeon finally spoke.
"Evidence?"
"I’ll submit it later."
"Then we’ll judge based on that."
Yoo Baek-jun shrugged.
A brief silence filled the room.
Baek Jang-hyeon exchanged a glance with an elderly man nearby, who then spoke up as if waiting for his cue.
"And one more thing. I heard you’ve released some peculiar equipment on the market."
"Not ‘peculiar’—Black iron gear. It has a proper name, so I’d appreciate it if you used that."
"……."
The elderly man, Jo Yang-woo, looked dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected such a cheeky response.
"...Ahem. I heard its performance is exceptional. And that it uses a previously unseen ore."
"Yes, as you know, the floating island—the demon realm—contain unique ores. We used those to create it."
"Tch."
Jo Yang-woo clicked his tongue in displeasure.
"A great family like the Sword Saint family dabbling in such business—does that make any sense?"
"What’s so nonsensical about it?"
"You’re selling it at prices that don’t match the market! Not to mention monopolizing the Black Iron ore!"
Unable to hold back, Jo Yang-woo slammed the table and stood up. His booming voice echoed through the conference hall.
Meanwhile, Yoo Baek-jun remained relaxed, leaning back in his chair.
"What do you want?"
"Supply Black Iron to the blacksmith guilds as well. Give other guilds outside the Sword Saint family a chance to develop Black iron. Competition is necessary to produce better goods."
"Hmm."
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
"What a ridiculous thing to say. One might think I’m monopolizing Black iron through unfair means."
"So you’re saying you’re not?! If it’s a precious ore never before discovered, it should be used for the nation’s benefit!"
A voice filled with anger reverberated.
Yoo Baek-jun stared intently at Jo Yang-woo’s face. He had a rough idea of what this man was after.
A smile crept onto his lips.
"Let me ask you, Jo Yang-woo. When the Great invasion struck Seoul and countless demons darkened the skies, what did you do?"
"What? What does that have to do with—?"
"Answer me. What did you do?"
"Well, I was evacuating on the ground—"
Yoo Baek-jun’s expression vanished upon hearing those words, replaced by a chilling blankness.
"I led the family’s swordsmen into the demon realm. Into the demon realm teeming with countless demons, risking our lives!"
Sparks of fury flashed in Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes.
"And I faced the demon commander, Mephisto, ready to die—and stopped the Great Invasion of Seoul."
"Th-that’s—"
"Do you think that calamity could have been stopped without me? That the damage would have been this minimal?"
An overwhelming pressure radiated from Yoo Baek-jun as he vented his rage.
The attendees felt suffocated.
Jo Yang-woo, bearing the brunt of Yoo Baek-jun’s fury, was even worse off.
"How dare you spout such nonsense to me when you did nothing to stop the Great Invasion?!"
Boom!
Yoo Baek-jun slammed the table, splitting it in half with the force.
Jo Yang-woo’s body trembled.
"The floating island is my rightful reward for that achievement. If you spout such nonsense again, I can’t guarantee how I’ll react."
Yoo Baek-jun glared at Jo Yang-woo.
King’s Dignity emanated from him, combined with the subtle use of Overwhelm.
Jo Yang-woo literally couldn’t breathe, his face turning from red to deathly pale.
"Enough."
Baek Jang-hyeon intervened.
"That’s far enough. Any further, and… you’ll kill him with words."
"Kuh, keuh…!"
Jo Yang-woo’s face, already red, was now turning black as he neared death.
Yoo Baek-jun scoffed and withdrew his energy. Only then did Jo Yang-woo gasp for air, his breathing ragged.
"I’m already donating a portion of the profits from the floating island, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get any greedier."
"...I agree."
Jo Yang-woo collapsed into his chair, and Baek Jang-hyeon reluctantly nodded.
Yoo Baek-jun turned his back.
"I’d prefer it if you didn’t summon me for such trivial matters in the future."
"……."
Baek Jang-hyeon said nothing.
None of the many people in the conference hall dared to speak either.
Yoo Baek-jun walked out slowly.
"Yoo Baek-jun."
Baek Jang-hyeon called out to his retreating figure.
"Have you ever once thought… that the power and greed your family holds could ruin this nation?"
"Not once."
Yoo Baek-jun stated firmly.
"If the Sword Saint family were to abandon its greed and submit to the government and the Association, this nation could move in a better direction—"
"There’s a saying passed down through generations in the Sword Saint family."
Yoo Baek-jun opened the door.
"The Sword Saint family does not serve the nation. It silently protects this land."
The moment they served the nation, they would become entangled in complex interests.
The meaning was to remain unshackled by such things and focus solely on protecting this land.
"I intend to follow those words. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t entertain any thoughts of trying to control us."
Thud.
The door closed.
Stepping outside, Yoo Baek-jun glanced back at the door he had just exited.
"Trying to tame us for no reason…"
Tch.
He clicked his tongue.