Chapter 231
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 231.
"Ahhhh!"
The man screamed.
Part of it was because his wrist had been slashed and the pain was unbearable, but he also hoped someone would hear and come to his aid.
"Ah, anyone! Is there no one outside?!"
"You think there would be?"
Yoo Jung-yeon scoffed.
Outside, there were plenty of hunters and bodyguards guarding this deal.
Yet, no one came to help.
It couldn’t be helped.
"I’ve already subdued them all. Their skills weren’t bad, I suppose? Still, next time, hire more expensive bodyguards."
"Th-that’s…!"
The man was horrified.
Did she mean that she and her group had taken down all those hunters and bodyguards?
Just how strong were they?
"Wh-who are you people? Which organization are you from?"
"You don’t know? Good, then."
At this point, it was clear they weren’t ordinary.
The man seriously wondered if he had unknowingly earned the enmity of some major underworld organization.
"Guhk!"
Yoo Jung-yeon kicked the man in the solar plexus, sending him crumpling to the ground again.
"Alright, there’s only one reason we bothered coming all the way to this country. Evidence."
"E-evidence? What…?"
"Proof that you’re an agent of the Vulcanus Guild. And proof that Vulcanus is dealing with villains."
The man’s mouth fell open.
He was so shocked he couldn’t even close it. A name that should never have been mentioned here had just been spoken.
"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve heard of the Vulcanus Guild, but me? Their agent…?"
"Oh, playing dumb now?"
“I’m just an arms dealer! I sell items that are already on the market to whoever pays for them! It just so happened that this time, the merchandise was from Vulcanus!”
As the man vehemently protested, Yoo Jung-yeon watched him with disinterest.
"Ah, is that so?"
"Sister, we’ve finished cleaning up outside… You’re still doing this? How annoying."
"Ah, Yoo min."
Just then, Yoo min walked in from outside.
Her entire body was covered in blood. Terror flashed in the man’s eyes.
"Let’s just make this quick."
Yoo-min strode toward the man and ignited flames in her hand.
And then—
Whoosh!
"Kyaaaah!"
Yoo-min burned the severed part of the man’s wrist with fire.
The smell of burning flesh. Excruciating pain.
The man let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"We know who’s behind you. And yet, you’re still trying to weasel your way out?"
"Hah, hahk! What are you talking about…?"
"You might’ve heard, but we’ve already taken care of all the guys outside. Plus, thanks to the barrier, no sound escapes this place."
Yoo Jung-yeon gestured behind her.
At that, a group of swordsmen emerged like ghosts from the shadows.
"No matter how much you scream here, no one’s coming to save you."
They were Intelligence Division agents.
They were trained not only in gathering information but also in torturing people.
Because sometimes, there was information that could only be obtained through torture.
"Our young master… the family head is curious, so do your best to find out."
"Understood."
Yoo Jung-yeon turned her back.
Behind her, agonized screams echoed.
* * *
Having finished conquering the gate, Yoo Baek-jun reunited with Han Seong-ah, who had been waiting for him.
Under the escort of her and the swordsmen, he returned to the family estate.
"Welcome back, Family Head."
"Yes, nothing unusual happened, right?"
"Of course not. The family is running just as you instructed."
Yoo Baek-jun had taken special care to ensure the Sword Saint Family could function even in his absence.
He had streamlined the systems of each department and established separate oversight to prevent any department from running amok.
‘I’m busy as hell, but I can’t just hole up in the family estate to handle everything.’
The results weren’t bad.
Ja-yeon, the Grandmaster, had been a great help, handling the duties of acting family head whenever he was away.
‘Once Ja-yeon becomes an ally, she never betrays. She’s trustworthy.’
From the start, he had purged all figures with high betrayal potential.
During the purge of the Grandmasters and rankers involved in the rebellion, many others had been eliminated as well.
The Intelligence Division chief was among them.
‘Incompetence is also a sin.’
After surveying the family estate, Yoo Baek-jun headed to its central area.
Ja-yeon followed him.
"This should do."
—Myaa?
Yoo Baek-jun took out the Statue of Growth. Ignoring Seol-yeong’s curious gaze from his pocket, he planted the statue into the ground.
Thud!
The statue sank in.
Whoosh!
—Kyyaaang?!
The statue embedded in the ground emitted a brilliant light, startling Seol-yeong into falling over.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
"What is that statue?"
"It’s an item… Watch closely."
The radiant light from the statue spread throughout the entire family estate.
Soon after, the light etched a magic circle onto the ground.
"This is…"
The magic circle from the Statue of Growth had been engraved across the entire family.
"It’s a magic circle that accelerates physical growth. It’ll also reduce fatigue and speed up recovery."
"You always bring back such fascinating things, Family Head. Hmm, this will be helpful."
Ja-yeon seemed satisfied.
"Less fatigue and faster recovery, huh? That means we can push them harder."
"……"
Her satisfaction seemed a bit misplaced, but Yoo Baek-jun decided to ignore it.
If they could be worked harder and turned into combat-ready forces faster, it was still a win.
Bzzz.
"Huh?"
Just then, Yoo Baek-jun felt something vibrating. His phone?
No, from his waist—
"White Sword?"
Bzzzz.
It was the White Sword.
Usually dormant, the sword was now vibrating intensely.
"Why is it… Ah."
He understood.
This was the White Sword expressing joy.
‘It wasn’t a major feat, but I did something helpful for the family.’
Apparently, it liked that.
After buzzing repeatedly, the White Sword soon quieted down again.
‘Does this mean its favorability increased?’
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
To think he’d end up in a situation where he had to flirt with a sword, not even a person.
"The world’s gone mad, absolutely mad."
Yoo Baek-jun returned to the family head’s residence, where An Song-hyuk was waiting for him.
An Intelligence Division agent.
"Family Head, I have a report for you."
"Is it about Vulcanus?"
"Yes, correct."
An Song-hyuk brought out the documents.
"Yoo Jung-yeon and Yoo-min successfully intercepted an illegal trade."
"What about the intel and evidence?"
"They said it’s conclusive."
Yoo Baek-jun skimmed through the documents. As confidently stated, they were solid evidence.
"So this guy’s a weapons smuggler."
"Yes, he acted as a middleman for deals between several villain organizations and Vulcanus.
His name is Park Dae-goon."
"Odd name."
He was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance.
How to put it? He looked polite on the outside, but you could tell he had ulterior motives.
"His records were mostly erased, making him hard to track, but he was originally part of Vulcanus. After leaving the guild, he started working as a weapons dealer."
"Is that all?"
"No, there’s something strange. Vulcanus provided substantial support to Park Dae-goon after his departure."
"Hmm."
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
Fortunately, nothing had really changed.
"Then his leaving the guild wasn’t his own decision, but someone else’s."
"Yes, it seems Vulcanus has been preparing this for a long time. They erased his records and even altered Park Dae-goon’s identity."
Park Dae-goon’s original name was likely not Park Dae-goon.
Through means like plastic surgery, they had effectively erased his original identity from the world.
"Can we use this?"
"Of course. Just say the word…"
"Prepare it."
An Song-hyuk bowed deeply before disappearing into the shadows.
Yoo Baek-jun fell into thought as he reviewed the documents.
‘Should I call it excessive greed?’
Vulcanus didn’t deal with those villain organizations because they needed money.
They only wanted one thing.
Rare materials.
‘Minor villain organizations struggle to process byproducts from gates. There’s the black market, but…’
The black market isn’t always open, and the fees aren’t trivial.
So, they use intermediaries to trade with certain hunter guilds.
They sell rare materials at low prices and receive desired equipment or consumables in return.
"They’ve been doing this for a while, but lately, they’ve gotten impatient and scaled up too much."
That’s why they got caught.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at Park Dae-goon’s face. Thanks to the Intelligence Division’s interrogation, his once-normal face was now a complete mess.
"Let’s see how this plays out."
"What do you mean?"
Just then, Ja-yeon walked in.
She handed Yoo Baek-jun a stack of documents.
"Every time Grandmaster Ja-yeon enters my room, I get a headache."
"That’s a good thing."
Ja-yeon smiled nonchalantly, and Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
As she sifted through the documents, she suddenly spoke up as if remembering something.
"Are you aware?"
"Of what?"
"Since you became family head, we’ve been receiving proposals from many places."
Yoo Baek-jun felt a sense of foreboding.
"Don’t tell me—"
"Yes, marriage proposals."
"Ah, please."
Just hearing it made him sigh. His headache worsened.
"You’re twenty-one. Still young, yet you’ve taken the family head position despite not being the heir, and you have no fiancée or lover."
"Wow, I must be a top-tier commodity."
"Exactly. Especially now that our family’s reputation has grown even stronger."
Yoo Baek-jun sighed deeply.
"So, why are you telling me this? Are you saying I should pick one and get married?"
"Just consider it."
Ja-yeon took some documents and began processing them herself to lighten Yoo Baek-jun’s workload.
"The Association and the government don’t view us favorably. Of course not. A single family wields more power than them, so they have no choice but to be wary."
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
"You experienced it recently, didn’t you? Of course, you acted swiftly, so nothing happened, but…"
"There’s no guarantee it’ll be the same next time?"
"Exactly. That’s why it’d be better to have a reliable ally."
Ja-yeon looked at Yoo Baek-jun with concern before letting out a heavy sigh.
"If you had someone you loved, you could get engaged to them, but you don’t, so…"
"That’s not true, Grandmaster Ja-yeon."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Han Seong-ah cut in.
She must have entered while guarding the entrance. Her eyes sparkled.
"The Family Head already has someone special in mind. That’s right, the next successor of the Magic Tower—"
"Instructor Han Seong-ah, please stop."
Yoo Baek-jun stopped her, but Ja-yeon was already deep in thought.
"The Magic Tower… They’d be a splendid ally. They could compensate for all our family’s weaknesses."
It wasn’t something he hadn’t considered.
But still, this was too much.
"...I’ll think about it seriously."
"Good."
Ja-yeon smiled warmly.
"Ah, Family Head. Speaking of which… An invitation arrived for the family."
"What is it?"
"It’s from the Vulcanus Guild."
Yoo Baek-jun checked the letter.
As she said, it contained an invitation. A request to attend an upcoming party.
The host was Vulcanus’s Jeong Seung-hoon.
"I wonder what his intention is in calling me."
"Who knows…"
Currently, the Sword Saint Family and Vulcanus were on bad terms due to the Black Iron gear.
Yet, they had invited him to a party.
They might have known each other for a long time, but they had virtually no personal connection.
‘Is it because of Black Iron?’
Vulcanus was a renowned blacksmith guild in the country, but it had been in decline for years.
To be precise, ever since Jeong Seung-hoon became guild master.
‘He’s greedy and overconfident in his abilities.’
He’d heard Jeong Seung-hoon had suffered several business failures. Each had damaged Vulcanus’s reputation.
And in that state, the release of Black Iron must have dealt another heavy blow.
‘We released Black Iron right when they were about to launch new products.’
He’d heard their sales were struggling.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the invitation. If he mixed this with the weapons smuggling case—
"If I attend the party and then…"
It might not be a bad idea.
Yoo Baek-jun smiled ominously.
"I’ll see the look on Jeong Seung-hoon’s face."
He wanted to see how the man would react when the media exploded.
Yoo Baek-jun decided to attend the party. It would be worth it.