Chapter 238
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 238.
The lecture had ended.
Harun, answering questions from the students following him, made his way to his research lab.
“Thank you for listening to the lecture so attentively. Unfortunately, any other questions will have to wait until next time…”
The female students expressed their disappointment loudly, but Harun merely smiled as he entered his lab.
Once inside, the noise from outside was cut off, replaced by perfect silence that greeted him.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Ah, you were already here, Kenneth.”
A man around Harun’s age was waiting in the inner part of the lab.
Kenneth, the professor of flame magic.
He was one of the prominent members of Harun’s faction currently in the Magic Tower.
“You’re still as popular as ever. The students don’t ask me questions, but they seem comfortable asking you, Professor Harun.”
“That’s a good thing. Engaging in Q&A helps them internalize knowledge, making it their own. I see it as desirable.”
“Yes, but doesn’t it get bothersome at times?”
Harun shook his head.
“Haha, they’re talented kids, aren’t they? The ones who will shoulder the future of the Magic Tower—how could they ever be a bother?”
“I suppose so.”
Though Harun was highly respected, there were still those who regarded him with suspicion.
Such people often whispered behind his back:
—Harun must surely be different on the inside. He may appear virtuous, but who knows what kind of devil lurks beneath.
‘Nonsense.’
Kenneth, who had known Harun for a long time, could confidently refute that.
Harun was genuinely a good person. Someone who cherished his students and never hesitated to share his knowledge.
However,
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Ah, thank you…”
Snapped out of his thoughts by Harun’s offer, Kenneth accepted the tea and took a sip.
“What about the other professors?”
“They couldn’t make it—they had preparations to handle.”
“Ah, I did ask for something from you.”
Harun smiled faintly.
“How is the flame magic lecture going? I heard you have quite a few students.”
“They’re reasonably enthusiastic, not bad at all. The challenge lies in how to teach them.”
“That’s always the difficult part. They’re like sprouts just beginning to bloom.”
Harun and Kenneth sipped their tea while discussing education.
As their conversation deepened, Harun suddenly glanced out the window.
“…….”
A woman was walking below.
A melting smile appeared on Harun’s face as he watched her.
“Jin Seo-yeon is passing by.”
Through the wide window, Harun observed Jin Seo-yeon walking down the corridor.
Her long, flowing white hair with every step.
A body close to perfection, a face as if sculpted by the gods themselves.
“She’s a truly beautiful woman.”
Anyone would agree.
Kenneth followed Harun’s gaze and nodded in agreement.
“Her appearance is beyond envy.”
“No, such superficial traits are merely secondary. What I meant was…”
But Harun wasn’t referring to her looks.
“It’s the talent she possesses.”
A dazzling talent for magic.
Jin Seo-yeon was Jin Baek-cheon’s most meticulously crafted masterpiece. Thus, she possessed a talent no one in the Magic Tower could rival.
To Harun, her talent was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Has she been seeing anyone recently?”
“Yes. A man named Yoo Baek-jun—the newly appointed head of the Sword Saint family.”
“Yoo Baek-jun?” Harun frowned. “Wasn’t he her former fiancé? If I recall correctly, the engagement was forcibly broken off due to Yoo Moo-hak’s pressure.”
“Yes, I thought that was the end of it, but early this year, Jin Seo-yeon visited the Sword Saint family, and it seems they rekindled their connection.”
“…….”
Harun looked displeased.
Jin Seo-yeon seeing another man wasn’t the issue for Harun.
At her age, it wasn’t strange for her to be in a relationship.
“But to associate with a lowly insect who only knows how to swing a sword, and not even a fellow mage…”
That was the problem.
The fact that Jin Seo-yeon was involved with a hunter—a non-mage—was what infuriated Harun.
“Do you think it’ll just be a fleeting fling?”
“I don’t know the details. Jin Seo-yeon isn’t the type to keep people around her… but.”
“But?”
Harun glared at Kenneth, who gulped involuntarily.
“…Rumors say they’re very close and seem to have feelings for each other.”
THUD!
The desk shook violently from the impact.
Harun, having slammed the desk with all his might, growled with bloodshot eyes.
“She’s seeing that trash? With such extraordinary talent at her disposal…!”
“…….”
As mentioned earlier.
Harun was truly a good person. Someone who cherished his students and never hesitated to share his knowledge.
But if there was one fatal flaw in him—
“Jin Seo-yeon’s genes are exceptional. To let them mix with the genes of some lowly wretch—what is Jin Baek-cheon thinking?!”
Extreme bloodline supremacy.
Unlike typical bloodline supremacists, however, Harun only revered bloodlines related to magic.
Jin Seo-yeon, inheriting the bloodline of the Magic Tower’s leader, Jin Baek-cheon, was the most perfect lineage in his eyes.
“This cannot be allowed… And that Yoo Baek-jun—wasn’t he that pathetic fool? Even if he’s changed recently!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. I met him once in the past, and back then, he seemed more suited for the Magic Tower than the Sword Saint family.”
A man more suited for books than swords.
That’s how he used to be, but when Kenneth saw him from afar recently, he seemed different.
Sharp and cold.
“This is unbelievable. The magical talent of Jin Baek-cheon’s bloodline must be carefully preserved and passed down.”
“The Sword Saint family also has talent in swordsmanship…”
“No, we don’t need such trivial skills. The only thing that must be carried into the future is magic.”
People have different talents.
Talent for martial arts, commerce, or magic.
Harun dismissed anything outside of magic as worthless.
“To create a world where mages, the superior beings, reign supreme…”
Mages should rule the world.
Nothing else matters.
‘It’s extreme.’
An overly extreme ideology.
Yet, many followed Harun’s radical beliefs.
Kenneth was one of them.
“What will you do about Yoo Baek-jun?”
“Hmm, I’d like to eliminate him immediately, but that’s not feasible.”
Harun fell into brief thought.
“First, we must reclaim the Magic Tower. After that…”
He smiled faintly.
“I’ll kill him.”
“Actually, I brought something for that purpose.”
Kenneth retrieved a document envelope from thin air. Seeing it, Harun’s face lit up with satisfaction.
“Staggler and the Black Shadows are finalizing their preparations. Soon…”
“Yes, soon.”
Harun looked out the window.
“The Magic Tower will be in the palm of my hand.”
Jin Baek-cheon had run the mighty Magic Tower too timidly.
His daughter, Jin Seo-yeon, would be no different.
If Harun became the Tower Master, he would rule differently.
‘I’ll make sure everyone has no choice but to look up to mages.’
That was Harun’s goal.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun had arrived in Jeju Island.
There was one reason: the Sword Saint family was establishing a branch here.
“Wow, this building is nice.”
“Yes. Governor Jo Dae-hoon wanted to show off. He paid attention to the location and the building itself.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Jeju Governor Jo Dae-hoon had provided the land and building as promised.
Due to the Hunter Association’s major blunder, local public opinion was highly favorable toward the Sword Saint family’s arrival.
As a result, they secured numerous benefits.
“Are other guilds moving in too?”
“They’re in talks. But eventually, other guilds will likely set up branches here too.”
“The Hunter Association’s mistake was too big—they can’t stop it now.”
Until now, the Hunter Association had blocked such moves, but their credibility was shattered.
There was no stopping it anymore.
“The media is relentlessly attacking the Hunter Association. They won’t be able to act freely for a while.”
“I guess we’ve bought some time?”
“No matter what the Hunter Association does, they won’t be able to bring down the Sword Saint family.”
“I like that confidence.”
Yoo Baek-jun entered the Jeju branch building with Choi Gun-woo.
The newly constructed building was pristine inside.
“Ten floors—pretty tall.”
“We’re installing magic circles with the Magic Tower’s help. They’ll allow teleportation to and from the Seoul branch.”
“Hmm, we’ll need support from other branches for a while.”
The top floor housed the office.
The future workspace of the Jeju branch leader. The view overlooked the surroundings clearly.
“The branch leader is Yoon Dae-geon, right?”
“Yes, he’s worked under me for a long time. He has the same weakness as me—mediocre swordsmanship skills…”
“He’ll be buried in paperwork anyway. How is that a weakness?”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Branch leaders rarely participated in gate raids themselves.
Until now, swordsmanship had been a major factor in selecting them, but Yoo Baek-jun had no intention of continuing that tradition.
“Jeju Island…”
Yoo Baek-jun surveyed the island.
“Gates appear frequently here. It’s perfect for disciples to gain real combat experience.”
“So…?”
“Bring disciples from the main family and let them gain field experience here. Have the Seoul veterans assist them.”
“Understood.”
There were disciples learning various weapon skills like archery and spearmanship.
Compared to Seoraksan Mountain, Jeju’s gates were relatively low in difficulty.
It was ideal for training.
“…….”
After a long discussion, Choi Gun-woo left first, citing pending tasks.
Alone, Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“This is giving me a headache.”
He stared out the window.
His thoughts drifted to his conversations with Jin Seo-yeon and matters concerning Harun.
‘That insufferable elitist.’
It wasn’t entirely surprising.
Not just Harun—most hunters harbored some sense of superiority.
—I was chosen.
They believed they were chosen to become hunters, granting them immense power and wealth.
Benefits they would never have enjoyed as ordinary people.
It was natural to think that way.
‘But some take it too far and cause trouble. Especially mages…’
Mages were notably rare even among hunters.
Their skills were notoriously difficult to master. Without the right traits, their magic would be too weak or magic power-intensive to be practical.
‘If not for that, I’d have learned magic long ago.’
Magic was that demanding.
Having pride in it wasn’t strange. Harun just took it too far.
‘The fall of the Magic Tower…’
In terms of the outcome.
Harun’s rebellion ultimately fails.
The coup itself succeeds, but he never gains control of the Magic Tower.
The reason was simple.
‘Jin Seo-yeon kills them all.’
Maddened, Jin Seo-yeon slaughters everyone involved in the Fall of the Magic Tower.
Thus, Harun meets his end without ever tasting the fruits of his rebellion.
Of course, depending on the timeline, there were instances where the rebellion succeeded and the Magic Tower was seized.
It wasn’t impossible—just so improbable it might as well be ignored.
‘But the possibility exists, however slim. Even if it’s less than 1%…’
In a game, he would’ve dismissed a less-than-1% chance.
If things went wrong, he’d just restart, cursing the luck-based mechanics.
But now, he couldn’t.
‘I can’t ignore even that possibility.’
Harun’s rebellion must fail.
Yoo Baek-jun picked up his phone and called Jeon Soo-yeon.
There was much to do.
