Chapter 251
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 251.
Yoo Baek-jun swung his arms wide.
The two fists that used Twin Dragon’s Clash were imbued with the energy of different skills.
One was Heavenly Destruction.
The other was Aura Burst.
“Huuuuh……!”
He took a deep breath.
And then, a single strike.
KWAANG!
His right fist slammed into the ground.
A deafening roar echoed, but the ground itself remained unharmed.
No cracks, no shattering—nothing.
Instead—
GRRRR… KOOOONG!
Beneath the surface.
Deep underground, a tremendous explosion erupted.
The sound of successive shockwaves tearing through the earth filled the air as the underground was obliterated.
‘Aura Burst.’
It was the same technique Tugwi had used.
Condensing magical power at the tip of his fist, striking the air to send shockwaves crashing down.
By using this, he could avoid damaging the surface while annihilating the depths below.
GRRRR, GRR…
The sound of something boiling rose.
Yoo Baek-jun tore open a prepared magic scroll and raised his left fist.
And then—Heavenly Destruction.
KWAAAAANG!
Heavenly Destruction struck the earth.
KOOONG!
The ground split apart, explosions erupted, and a massive crater formed.
Yoo Baek-jun conjured countless magic orbs using Aura Orbs.
Explosions followed one after another.
GRRRR!
The unstable ground shook violently under the shockwaves ravaging the depths.
Yoo Baek-jun used every single magic scroll he had received from Jin Seo-yeon.
Silence Magic, followed by a wide-area Dispel aimed at the hideout.
Finally, the Earthquake Magic stored in the scroll seeped into the earth.
GRRR… KWAAAANG!
The already unstable ground began to tremble as if a real earthquake had struck.
The earth split open, and flames and lava surged from below.
‘Huh? This is…….’
Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes widened as he stared into the sunken ground.
Amid the spewing lava were familiar spirits.
“Lava spirits? Aha, I see now.”
Hadn’t they said this volcano was formed due to terrain changes caused by a Gate?
‘It wasn’t just terrain alteration—it was erosion. Leaving an Entry-type Gate unattended for too long caused this.’
A smirk crept onto Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.
“Lucky me. Alright, let’s get started.”
From here on out, it was a race against time.
Yoo Baek-jun activated Shadow Form and immediately entered the hideout.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the hideout.
Dante checked his watch.
“Oh? It’s already this late.”
He turned his back.
“Leaving already?”
“What’s the point of staying? Besides, I’m a busy man.”
“…I’ve heard the Black Shadows have been active lately. What are you after?”
Valmir suddenly asked.
At the question, Dante’s footsteps halted. He slowly turned his head.
“That’s none of your concern. Just focus on doing what we tell you. Got it?”
“Tch, arrogant bastard……”
Valmir clicked his tongue loudly.
“Remember this. The Magic Tower and Jin Seo-yeon must be eliminated. They’re connected to the Sword Saint’s family—especially Yoo Baek-jun.”
“Yoo Baek-jun?”
An unexpected name.
Though puzzled, Valmir knew Dante wouldn’t clarify.
Dante resumed walking.
“See you next time, Valmir. On the day the Magic Tower Falls.”
“…….”
Dante left.
Left alone, Valmir sank into thought.
‘Black Shadows… what are they plotting?’
Stagglers was never a large organization to begin with.
Though infamous for their obsession with magic, their numbers were small.
The reason Stagglers had grown to this extent was because of the Black Shadows.
—So you’re Stagglers? Heard you’re magic-crazed hunters.
That was what Dante had said when he first approached them.
—Join us. We’ll support your guild. As much as you need, without holding back.
It was a suspicious offer.
But back then, Valmir had been cornered—with no other options.
So he accepted.
‘And that offer… turned out to be true.’
The Black Shadows provided full support, and the Stagglers flourished.
Enough to achieve his goals.
“The Fall of the Magic Tower? But what does Black Shadows gain from that? And why the Sword Saint’s family…?”
Valmir’s face remained expressionless.
No matter how much he thought about it, there were no answers.
‘Then I’ll just do what I must.’
Valmir ascended to the workshop.
The technicians were just transferring the completed golems to another hideout.
“Any issues with the golems?”
“No, Archmage. Maintenance is complete, and we’re relocating them now. No major problems.”
“Good work.”
The teleportation magic circle.
A spell formation that allowed movement between hideouts.
“How long until the magic circle can be used again after this?”
“We have plenty of magic stones in reserve. But considering the strain on the circle… about four days.”
“Too long.”
The magic circle consumed an enormous amount of stones with each use.
Not to mention the cooldown required due to the heavy load.
Valmir clicked his tongue.
‘If only we had the Magic Tower’s spells…’
This teleportation circle was a crude imitation of the Magic Tower’s.
If they had the original, they could’ve refined its flaws.
“What about you, Archmage? The circle is active now, so…”
“I’ll leave shortly. Need to check the items here first.”
“Understood.”
This was Valmir’s most prized hideout—the largest, with the most advanced golem workshop.
Its importance had made it their de facto headquarters lately.
“These are the spoils from the latest raid?”
“Yes. Take a look.”
Items plundered by Stagglers members were gathered here.
Valmir inspected the loot brought back by the returning hunters.
“Heh, ran into some lucky bastards who cleared a Gate.”
“Their belongings?”
“Yeah. Ambushed them while they were exhausted and just…”
“Killed them all?”
“Of course.”
The guild member drew a finger across his throat.
“This was a treasure hoarded by a noble from Halpeon. Killed everyone there and took it.”
Stagglers was extreme.
To obtain magic-related items, they resorted to endless pillaging and slaughter.
Valmir had encouraged such methods from the start.
“These will be shared among all. Another step closer to liberating magic.”
“Yes…!”
Plundered goods were distributed freely among members.
Starggler’s ideology was to let all freely wield magical knowledge and items.
‘We’ve amassed quite a lot.’
Valmir surveyed the warehouse.
Years of hoarding had filled it with countless items.
Many were priceless—precious grimoires included.
“Destroy the Magic Tower, combine its knowledge with these… and magic will finally be free.”
Valmir clenched his fists in resolve.
And at that moment—
GRRRR!
A deafening noise erupted.
Violent tremors shook the entire hideout.
Valmir rushed outside.
“What’s happening?!”
“W-we don’t know! We’re checking with the maintenance room now—”
“Ugh…!”
A massive earthquake struck without warning.
The tremors were so intense Valmir and the guild members could barely stand. The ground split open.
“L-look! Over there!”
From the fissures—
“Lava!”
Scorching flames and molten rock surged upward.
The erupting lava engulfed the villains standing above.
“Aaaaagh!”
Screams filled the air.
* * *
The ground convulsed.
The ceiling crumbled.
The sudden earthquake turned the hideout into chaos.
“What the hell?! An earthquake?!”
“I-it seems so… Aaaah!”
Guild members panicked.
Valmir hurried to the maintenance room.
The large chamber, which displayed the hideout’s layout, was packed with members.
“Report!”
“The volcano’s active! This quake’s a precursor… Ugh!”
“The volcano?!”
The guild member’s words were cut off by another violent tremor.
“What’s the magic circle for, then?! We set it up to detect volcanic activity!”
“It—it didn’t pick anything up!”
“What?!”
Valmir was stunned.
Until now, the warning magic circle had always alerted them to precursor tremors.
They’d then used magic to suppress the volcano.
“It didn’t detect anything? Why?”
“Archmage! Look there!”
A member pointed at a section of the hideout. There—
“Damn it, the dormant spirits…!”
Lava spewing from the ground was forming spirits.
Bodies of hardened magma, wreathed in flames.
Twisted, malevolent faces.
Lava spirits.
—Hateful humans…!
—Nature will punish you!
This volcano was born from erosion. Once part of Halpeon, home to its original inhabitants.
The lava spirits.
Valmir and his guild had exterminated them in the mines before.
“Of all times…!”
“A-Archmage! The teleportation circle’s still active! We should escape through it now!”
“Abandon the hideout?!”
“W-we have no choice…!”
Valmir scanned the crumbling hideout.
Collapsing earth, falling ceilings. The ground gave way, lava surged.
“Aaaaah!”
“H-help!”
Guild members were swept away by the unexpected disaster.
Worse, lava spirits emerged from all sides, attacking relentlessly.
This was…
‘Hopeless.’
The hideout itself was collapsing.
No amount of killing spirits would stop this catastrophe.
It was too late to suppress the volcano or quake with magic.
“Grr…!”
Valmir gritted his teeth.
“At least the items…!”
“Three minutes left! We must gather who we can and go now, Archmage!”
“Damn it all!”
Valmir’s eyes burned red, tears of blood streaming down.
To abandon such priceless items and grimoires…
But there was no other way.
“Retreat!”
“Yes!”
Valmir rallied his remaining forces and fled.
As they escaped through the teleportation circle—
“Family head! The treasures here are piled like mountains.”
“Take it all. Let them choke on it.”
Yoo Baek-jun stood in the warehouse.
The items Valmir had tearfully abandoned were now vanishing into his Subspace and bags.
“Hahaha! This is a fortune! More usable stuff than I thought!”
“Here’s a sword!”
“…….”
Among the loot were magic swords and armor—enough to bolster the Sword Saint family’s forces.
And Staggler would suffer devastating losses.
“Heh…”
Laughter escaped him.
Min Yi-jae, who had been silently watching, sighed.
“To think I’d live to see the day I’d stoop to thievery. Min Yi-jae… how far have you fallen…?”
“Hey, ‘fallen’? Makes it sound like I corrupted you. Got everything?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now…”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced outside.
The once-peaceful hideout was now a ruin.
HISSS!
“L-lava’s flooding in!”
Molten rock surged from the ground, consuming everything.
—Return our treasures!
—Hand over the magic stones, return our hearts!
“M-my magic won’t… Aaaagh!”
The lava monsters slaughtered Staggler members indiscriminately.
Escape was impossible.
‘Wasn’t sure how effective this’d be, but it’s perfect.’
The entrance was blocked by debris and lava, other exits were no better.
The teleportation circle had been drained relocating golems.
A true dead end.
‘Which also means we’re stuck…’
Yoo Baek-jun grinned and received Grandal from Subspace.
“Nothing beats good gear, right?”
Mass Teleportation.
Light enveloped Yoo Baek-jun and his companions, and they vanished.
—Aaaaah!
—H-help!
Their screams lingered as the hideout was consumed.
Soon, even those cries faded.
HISSS…
The hideout was swallowed by lava.