Chapter 242
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 242.
The old man looked at Yoo Baek-jun and marveled.
—You have a body bestowed by the heavens. A body no less than that worthless bastard’s! And the energy I sense from you…
The old man frowned.
—I don’t know why, but it feels familiar. You, just where did you come from and what have you been doing? And for some reason, I feel irritated.
“Don’t you remember?”
—Wait, you…
Guh, ugh.
Yoo Baek-jun stood still, and the old man fell into anguish as he watched him.
After that anguish, an answer came.
—That monster from the other world! You’re that bastard’s son! Aren’t you?
“No, I’m his Successor.”
—Ah, I see. Much time has passed. There’s no way that bastard would still be alive. And you all live shorter lives than us. Ugh.
Tugwi was not an ordinary human—he had mixed blood from another race.
Because of this, Tugwi and his bloodline lived longer than humans.
Though it’s only partially mixed, so it’s not an extremely long lifespan.
—Honestly, that monster who wouldn’t die even if you killed him…
“I heard you fought him in the past. And that you lost.”
—No, it was a close match! I lost by a hair’s breadth, but if we fought again, I’m certain I would’ve won.
“Ah, yes. I’m sure you would.”
Yoo Baek-jun brushed it off casually.
Tugwi was indeed a monster, but the Martial God was something beyond a monster.
No matter how many times they fought, the Martial God would have won.
—To think that bloodline still flows. And I even sense my own power in you, but is that just my imagination?
The old man scratched the back of his head roughly.
Why did he feel his own power from someone completely unrelated to him?
He couldn’t understand it at all.
—Damn, I don’t get it. But one thing I do know. If it’s you, you might be able to achieve what you desire.
The blood of Tugwi within Yoo Baek-jun.
With this, Tugwi would become friendly, and the event could be triggered.
The conditions were met.
—You might already know, but I have a grandson. Right now, he’s a worthless bastard obsessed with gambling. But his talent is extraordinary.
“Are you bragging about your grandson?”
—No! It’s because the blood of Tugwi grows stronger with each generation. What’s there to brag about with that good-for-nothing…
Unlike ordinary bloodlines, which dilute over generations, the blood of Tugwi grows stronger with each successor.
Having inherited the blood of the ancestor known as Tugwi, his grandson also possessed immense martial talent.
Perhaps even greater than Tugwi himself.
—I passed everything to my son. My equipment, knowledge, even the magical power I possessed.
“So that’s why the blood of Tugwi grows stronger with each generation. Because the predecessor passes everything they have to the successor.”
—Quick to understand. Yes, that’s right. That good-for-nothing has absorbed everything I and his father had. He can’t be anything but a monster.
Then he couldn’t possibly be weak.
Having inherited the power of both Tugwi and his son, the monsters of their era.
—That power and talent… Damn it!
“Do you regret it?”
—I don’t regret passing it on. After fighting for so long, I grew tired of it, and now I just want to live peacefully.
Tugwi said so.
After all, he was now in retirement. Power beyond one’s limits only ruins the body and wastes one’s life.
—What I regret is that my grandson is wasting the power, talent, and life he inherited.
“I see.”
There was one problem.
And that was Tugwi’s grandson.
—He’s overflowing with talent. He might even have talent greater than mine. He’s literally a demon.
“A Battle demon, you mean?”
—Yes, and that talent… It became poison for that good-for-nothing.
Tugwi’s grandson stood out from a young age because of his extraordinary talent.
He never lost to anyone.
Even if an opponent seemed tough, a little training was enough to defeat them.
—It was only natural that he’d come to see the world as meaningless.
Tugwi’s grandson found everything in the world dull and fell into emptiness, wasting his life away.
His means of escape was gambling.
—Do you know? Beneath Amirst lies a gambling den. A gambling den larger than the city above.
“I know. He’s fallen into it, hasn’t he?”
—Yes. That good-for-nothing became addicted to gambling and began wasting his time meaninglessly in the underground gambling den.
The old man’s expression darkened.
What else could be the reason he remained in this mansion even as a ghost?
It was to watch over his descendants.
—I spent my whole life fighting. I never had a proper family. So I wanted to see my descendants live properly, but…
“It didn’t go as planned, did it?”
The old man nodded.
—Save my grandson.
“How?”
Tugwi and Yoo Baek-jun locked eyes.
He smiled meaningfully.
—Wouldn’t you already know?
“Do you mean we should fight, like you and the Martial God did?”
—You know well.
Kukuku, the old man laughed.
—You have talent no less than my son’s… No, perhaps even greater. To the point of being monstrous.
Let me say it again—Tugwi’s grandson has never experienced failure.
Because of his extraordinary talent.
—Become his wall. An insurmountable iron wall…
“You know nothing’s free, right?”
—Do as you say. My body has rotted away, but the knowledge in my mind remains.
The old man said he would teach Yoo Baek-jun Tugwi’s combat techniques.
That was enough.
“No reason to refuse.”
The deal was struck.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun called Han Seong-ah over.
Having teleported in, she looked as neat as ever.
“What, didn’t you fight?”
“I just avoided them. The golems were a bit stupid. I lured them away with the Ghost Sword, and they followed me around.”
—Kuh-hum…
When Han Seong-ah belittled the golems, the old man beside them seemed displeased.
Only then did she notice the old man’s presence. Her eyes widened.
“Kyaaak!”
—Goodness! She’s quick with her hands!
Startled, she swung her sword.
“A g-ghost?”
“Yeah. I’m more scared of Instructor Han Seong-ah, who swings her sword the moment she’s startled.”
—My, what a fierce woman! Swinging her sword the moment she sees someone?
Han Seong-ah’s eyes widened.
But Yoo Baek-jun and the old man were just as surprised. She thought if she startled them twice, her head might fly off.
“Now we need to go to the underground casino… but we need an invitation.”
—An invitation, you say. There should be one. My grandson received many invitations.
“…….”
While Yoo Baek-jun and the old man talked, Han Seong-ah looked around the mansion.
A mansion filled with dust and trash.
“…Um, Master. That invitation… it’s somewhere here, right?”
“Probably. He should know where it is, right? You know, don’t you?”
—…….
The old man turned his head away.
“…You don’t know?”
—How would I know?
He said it so confidently that there was nothing to say.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“…Let’s clean up first.”
“Yes, Master.”
If they wanted to find the invitation, they had no choice. An impromptu cleaning session it was.
As Yoo Baek-jun was about to start cleaning, he suddenly noticed Seol-yeong chewing on something.
“Hey, what are you eating?”
—Nom nom.
“Disgusting.”
Seol-yeong spat out what it was chewing—a peculiarly shaped pendant.
—Ohh, so it was here. The invitation.
“Where did you find this?”
Seol-yeong scratched its ear.
It had wandered off unnoticed and must have found it while playing around.
Yoo Baek-jun pocketed the pendant.
“Good, and…”
He looked around the mansion.
He didn’t remember everything, but there should be a massive amount of gold inside.
“I’ll take some gold.”
—What? Why?
“I need funds.”
The old man was dumbfounded.
Why would he just take someone else’s money out of nowhere?
—Wait! I thought you came here to help me, but you’re just a robber!
“Do you think everything in the world is free? There’s always a price.”
—We already agreed on payment!
“That’s separate from this!”
Yoo Baek-jun ignored the old man’s protests and began gathering the gold.
—Bad human…..
Seol-yeong sighed as it watched.
* * *
Beneath Amirst lies a vast, truly enormous cavern.
No one knows how it came to be.
Some say it existed before the city was built, while others claim it was created afterward.
“Hey, mister, come play a bit!”
“Here, take a look! Freshly smuggled goods!”
What’s certain is that beneath Amirst lies a massive cavern.
And that cavern is an Entertainment district.
“I can’t believe a place like this exists beneath the city.”
“Strange, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Han Seong-ah frowned, clearly displeased by the Entertainment district.
“A proper country wouldn’t allow an Entertainment district right beneath its capital. But here, it’s different.”
“You mean…?”
“Because of this.”
Yoo Baek-jun drew a circle with his finger, like a coin.
“An enormous amount of money is spent here. And a significant portion of that flows to the king.”
“So it’s about profit.”
“Exactly. Amirst is a famous city, but its desert location makes life hard.”
There’s little farmland, and raising livestock isn’t easy either.
“Amirst became famous as a trading city because of this Entertainment district.”
People who got hooked here would return to their homelands, only to come back again.
They began selling goods from their homelands in Amirst.
And so, trade flourished.
“They’re inseparable.”
“If this Entertainment district collapses, Amirst will likely collapse with it.”
“Sigh…”
Han Seong-ah exhaled deeply.
“I want to leave quickly, Master. Being here… makes my head hurt.”
“Probably because of the smell.”
Perfume, alcohol, sweat.
The stench of the Entertainment district, a mix of all three, was enough to numb the senses.
“Oh my, handsome traveler brother. I’ll give you a discount if you come to our shop…”
“He’s taken!”
“No, I’m not!”
Han Seong-ah growled and shooed away the approaching woman.
Yoo Baek-jun rubbed his temples.
“This one and that one are driving me crazy. They’re desperate not to let me go.”
—Growl?
He sighed and headed deeper into the Entertainment district with Han Seong-ah.
Among the many luxurious buildings in the Entertainment district, one stood out as the most extravagant.
“That’s…”
At the very center of the Entertainment district.
A building towering like a castle, its surface entirely gilded—so luxurious it bordered on obscene.
“The casino.”
The heart of this Entertainment district.
“So that’s the casino I’ve only heard about…”
“It’s a bit different from the casinos in our world. The fundamentals are similar, though.”
“What are you planning to do there? Try to win some money through gambling?”
Han Seong-ah stared at Yoo Baek-jun with wide eyes.
Would he show off godly gambling skills and win a fortune?
No.
“I’m going to be a sucker.”
“Huh?”
Yoo Baek-jun declared.
“A massive sucker.”
“…Huh?”
With a determined face, he said something absurd.
Han Seong-ah stared at him in bewilderment.