Chapter 230
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 230.
The traps set by Yoo Baek-jun exploded, shaking the entire cave.
Rumble!
—Kyaaak! Agh, I’m trapped! It hurts!
—Save me!
Due to the explosion, boulders began raining down from the ceiling.
The orcs beneath were crushed by the falling rocks, screaming in agony.
—Ah, save yourselves if you can!
—Co, coward… Kuaaak!
Screams echoed from all directions.
The cave was collapsing.
“So thrilling. Really.”
Yoo Baek-jun was inside as well.
He glanced at the orcs being crushed by the rocks, looted the dead Orc Lord’s belongings, and finally—
“I have to take this.”
He also took the stone statue behind him.
Though the statue was an inconvenient size to carry, it wasn’t a problem.
“Here, eat up.”
—Gulp.
Because there was a monster from subspace.
After feeding the statue to the creature, Yoo Baek-jun quickly scanned his surroundings.
‘Where was the exit again?’
This Orc Lord had always been wary of other orc groups.
He knew they coveted the stone statue he possessed.
So, he had prepared an escape route to flee with it at any time.
‘Not here, at least.’
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the entrance.
He had blocked it by cutting through the ceiling, but thanks to the orcs breaking through, it was open again.
He stomped the ground and dashed past the entrance, swiftly moving through the passage.
—Kyaaaaak!
—I’m trapped! Save me…!
The entrance was chaos.
Orcs caught in the collapse screamed pitifully as they were crushed.
The structures they had built were also being swept away and destroyed.
—St, stop that human… Ahhhhh!
A few brave ones tried to block Yoo Baek-jun’s path.
—Gurgle!
—Yo, you’re too strong…
Of course, none could stop him.
Yoo Baek-jun cut down the orcs in his way while surveying his surroundings.
One passage caught his eye.
‘Here.’
Yoo Baek-jun entered the passage and finally found the room he was looking for.
The Orc Lord’s bedroom. It was just as extravagant, with items that could fetch a good price.
“No time to loot this…!”
Ignoring the treasures around him, he immediately flipped over the bed.
‘Just as I thought.’
Beneath the bed was a hidden staircase.
Yoo Baek-jun descended.
‘For an orc, he was quite clever.’
Though clever, the orc himself never got to use this escape route.
Yoo Baek-jun quickly navigated the narrow passage. By the time he fully escaped the cave—
Rumble!
—Uwaaaaak!
The cave completely collapsed.
The orcs inside were buried under the rubble.
Yoo Baek-jun whistled. Every orc inside must have died.
—W, we’re alive!
—The cave…
A few orcs had managed to escape. Yoo Baek-jun ambushed and eliminated them all.
“No need to let them live.”
He shook the blood off his spear.
The cave continued to collapse, and the sounds of orcs fighting a civil war echoed through the mountain range.
[Quest: Conquering the Orc Lord has been completed.]
[You have been awarded 500 points.]
A message appeared before his eyes.
The gate to return had opened. But Yoo Baek-jun didn’t enter immediately, lost in thought.
“Hmm, I’ve got some time left.”
He could return now, but it felt like a waste.
‘Two major events, the Jeju Island event this time, plus rescuing the human slaves in the mountain range…’
Yoo Baek-jun mentally tallied the number of people he had saved.
It was impossible to count exactly, but it was a significant number.
“Then, if I play my cards right, I might even earn a trait before leaving?”
A trait that would be useful in his current situation.
After a brief deliberation, Yoo Baek-jun made up his mind.
He would rescue the human slaves in the other caves.
‘If it gives me a trait, why wouldn’t I?’
Absolutely no reason not to.
* * *
“Th, thank you. Thank you……”
“Sob, if it weren’t for you, we would’ve been food for those monsters.”
A few hours later.
Yoo Baek-jun stood in the middle of the mountain range with a group of people.
All of them had been rescued from the caves.
“Since you’re travellers, you should know how to handle weapons. The orcs are too busy fighting among themselves to notice.”
“Y, yes.”
Among the human slaves were travellers who had been passing through the mountains.
Yoo Baek-jun handed them weapons and pointed downhill.
“Just keep going straight down to escape. I’d escort you, but……”
“No, no. Saving us is more than enough.”
“Right! It’s not far, so we’ll be fine.”
Fortunately, they were reasonable people.
Yoo Baek-jun watched them leave before returning to the gate.
As he did, another message appeared.
[Achievement: The Noble One has been unlocked.]
[The Noble One: Your willingness to sacrifice yourself to save countless others is enough to set an example for others.]
[You have been awarded 1,000P. You have acquired the trait: Nobility (A).]
It was a message for completing an achievement.
[Nobility (A)]
—A trait granted based on the good deeds you’ve performed thus far.
—It may seem worthless, but in unexpected situations, nobility will shine.
The description was vague, but this trait was quite useful. Especially when dealing with Thanatos, it would have unforeseen effects.
“Hmm……”
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the dictionary definition of ‘nobility.’
Something about being virtuous, dignified, and pure or whatever.
“…….”
He let out a dry cough.
The word didn’t suit him at all.
Nobility? Please.
He sighed.
“But I’ve earned it, haven’t I?”
After everything he’d done.
Finally, Yoo Baek-jun checked the item description of the statue he’d taken from the cave.
[Statue of Growth (A+)]
A statue bestowed by the God of Abundance to make crops grow in barren lands.
However, its power has been slightly altered by an unknown energy.
—Options: Fertile Land, Diligence
*Fertile Land: Installs a magic circle near the statue that accelerates physical growth.
*Diligence: While standing on the magic circle, the body does not tire easily, and even if it does, recovery is swift.
An item that needed no explanation.
“With this, I can boost stats and use the training circle to level up skills.”
Both would allow rapid growth.
Not that he needed it, having already reached S-rank.
But the disciples would benefit greatly.
‘Need to train them quickly.’
If he wanted to deploy those learning other martial arts as combatants, these tools were essential.
Now, it was up to nature.
“Time to head back.”
Yoo Baek-jun stepped into the gate. As if sucked in, he vanished.
—Grooooaar!
Only the hollow sounds of orcs fighting echoed through the Merbella Mountain Range.
* * *
Around the time Yoo Baek-jun completed the gate and was returning to his family—
“We’ve brought the goods.”
In a country overseas with poor security,
A region where a civil war was raging and gates frequently appeared, to the point even the government had abandoned control—
“Take a look.”
“…….”
A group of people had gathered.
On one side were men in suits and bodyguards, and on the other were hunters clad in leather armor.
The leader of the hunters, a man with a large scar on his face, gestured to his subordinate.
“The goods… they’re correct, boss.”
“It’s not like this is our first deal. Why would we cheat you?”
“Can’t be too careful.”
The hunter leader, Marcelo, had his men inspect the goods.
The crate was packed with hunter equipment—weapons, armor, and accessories.
“The performance is solid. I like it. This country doesn’t have a proper blacksmith for hunter gear, so getting items like this is impossible……”
Marcelo gripped an A+-rank weapon he planned to use.
A smile crept onto his lips.
“This’ll help when fighting other factions.”
“Congratulations. Now, we’d like to see our payment.”
“Ah, of course.”
Marcelo snapped his fingers.
His men brought out a large crate, which the suited man inspected.
Inside were materials.
Rare ingredients only obtainable beyond gates, hard to come by.
“Good. This quality… my client will be satisfied.”
“Getting this much for those goods is practically stealing. You know that, right?”
“Who knows?”
The man smirked.
“For villains like you to get items like this at such a price is nothing short of a miracle…”
“…….”
The atmosphere turned icy.
Marcelo’s men stepped forward, and the bodyguards closed ranks around the suited man.
“Haha, just joking. It’s a good deal for both sides, no?”
“…Hmph.”
Marcelo snorted and waved his men back.
The man gave a slight nod.
“Then we’ll take our leave. Let’s do business again next time.”
“Sure.”
Marcelo leaned back into the sofa, adopting an arrogant posture as he spoke condescendingly.
“Send my regards to Vulcanus. Tell him we’ll put these to good use. We’re practically regulars now, right?”
“We’ll see.”
The man smiled faintly and turned to leave.
Or tried to.
“Cough, cough!”
“What’s this…?!”
Suddenly, smoke began to rise.
It filled the room in an instant, obscuring everything.
Amid the zero visibility—
Crash!
The sound of an intrusion.
Then, flashes of light like blades gleamed through the smoke.
Marcelo shouted in panic.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastards?! Intruders— Gah, keuhuk!”
But soon, his voice turned into screams.
People fell one after another.
“Over here! Protect me!”
The man frantically called his bodyguards. They formed a wall around him.
A suffocating silence followed.
“…….”
“Huff, pant…!”
The man and his guards tensed, breathing heavily.
Ready to attack anyone who approached.
But it was futile.
Whoosh!
“Keuhk!”
Blades flew from all directions, striking the guards’ vital points precisely.
They collapsed instantly, leaving the man alone in the smoke.
“Who, who’s there?! Who dares— Gah!”
A flash of light.
A sharp pain. The man looked at his wrist.
The hand holding his weapon was gone.
“Aaaaagh!”
To be precise, it had been cut off.
A blade had sliced through his wrist in the smoke, sending his hand flying.
The man knelt, clutching his wrist.
Pain like he’d never felt before.
“Miss, the target is secure.”
“Good work.”
Someone emerged from the smoke.
Yoo Jung-yeon. And behind her, the swordsmen of the Sword Saint family stood with blades drawn.
“Too easy.”
She smiled.