Chapter 253
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 253.
Harun was spending his peaceful daily life as a professor, as usual.
Teaching students, answering questions, and continuing his personal research.
“Hmm, time has already passed so much…”
He seemed like nothing more than an ordinary professor.
It was hard to believe he was the one plotting the collapse of the Magic Tower.
“I almost would’ve been late if I wasn’t careful.”
Late at night.
Harun, who was in his research lab, stood up from his seat and walked to the bookshelf.
As he pulled out a few books in a specific order, a click sound was heard, followed by—
Rumble!
The bookshelf opened with a sound.
Beyond it was a spacious room—a room containing only a massive crystal orb.
Harun placed his hand on the crystal orb.
Hummm!
The crystal orb absorbed his magical power and began activating.
The glowing orb emitted light, forming countless shapes.
“Is everyone gathered?”
—Yes, Professor Harun.
—No one is late.
The luminous figures transformed into human forms.
Dozens of them.
They responded to Harun’s words.
“It’s been a while since we’ve gathered like this. I don’t even remember how long it’s been.”
Harun smiled warmly as he looked around at the people assembled in the basement.
Professors, students, and mages.
Those who would play the biggest roles in this rebellion had gathered here.
Even excluding them, the number of people under Harun’s influence easily exceeded a thousand.
“How are the preparations of our comrades?”
—We students are ready. Everyone’s so excited they can’t even sleep. Honestly, they’re not even kids anymore…
“Haha, they still seem like kids to me.”
The students of the Magic Tower ranged in age from teens to twenties, thirties, and even older.
This time, Harun had brought those in their twenties and thirties into the plan.
A female student, hearing Harun’s response, pouted and retorted:
—Of course we’d seem that way to you, Professor, since you’ve been teaching us since we were little… but we’re in our twenties now!
“Ah, right. You’ve all grown up now. I remember seeing Ha Seo-young when she was just a snot-nosed kid, all the way until she became student council president…”
—Ugh! Professor!
The reason was simple.
They had been taught by Harun since childhood, and thus, more than anyone else, they had been deeply influenced by his ideology.
—It’s heartwarming, Professor. Suddenly, I’m reminded of my own student days.
—What are you talking about? Don’t you remember how much of a troublemaker you were back then?
—Hey, ‘troublemaker’ is a bit much…
The mages present weren’t much different from those students.
They, too, had been deeply influenced by Harun during their student days.
“Seeing the seeds of potential I once nurtured are now in full bloom… It's a strange feeling.”
Harun smiled gently.
But only for a moment.
“Let’s save the reminiscing for when the new world arrives. Professor Alvin, any news about the expedition?”
Alvin, one of the professors who had been watching fondly, straightened up and answered:
—The expedition led by Jin Baek-cheon is scheduled to return tomorrow. The mages will gather to celebrate the Tower Master’s return.
“Good. And if someone other than the person they’re expecting shows up at that gathering…”
Harun’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“It’ll be quite entertaining when the Stagglers and golems appear, don’t you think?”
—Yes, as you instructed, we’ve altered the arrival point of the magic circle. The expedition will arrive somewhere else.
—The Stagglers are waiting at the target location. Once the teleportation circle activates, they’ll be the ones sent instead.
Harun nodded in satisfaction.
“Even so, Jin Baek-cheon’s presence means the expedition will reach the Tower within a day. We’ll need to finish our plan before then.”
—Understood. But… Jin Baek-cheon. Can we really stop him?
The professors looked fearful.
Jin Baek-cheon had led the Magic Tower for many years, and the professors had witnessed his magic up close.
It was only natural to be afraid.
“Yes, we can stop him.”
But Harun was firm.
“Jin Baek-cheon isn’t as strong as he used to be. He passed on his unique abilities to Jin Seo-yeon.”
By transferring his unique abilities to Jin Seo-yeon, Jin Baek-cheon had lost a significant portion of his power.
He was still a formidable mage, but nowhere near his prime.
“And Jin Seo-yeon hasn’t fully mastered the Tower’s power yet. If we take control of the Tower, much of that power will be sealed away.”
Jin Seo-yeon hadn’t had her unique abilities for long, so she couldn’t wield them perfectly.
That made this the perfect opportunity.
“Moreover, Jin Baek-cheon is a symbol of the old era… one that must be destroyed. I’ll deal with him myself.”
—Professor Harun, you’ll take care of him personally?
“Yes. I’ll prove it—that Jin Baek-cheon is no longer someone to fear—with my own hands.”
As they listened, the fear in the eyes of those present began to fade, replaced by hope.
Seeing this, Harun smiled and moved on to the next topic.
“Kenneth, are the preparations complete?”
“Yes, the Stagglers and the Black Shadow are stationed at key points. The monsters are also awaiting orders.”
“Monsters…”
Harun had heard that the Black Shadow had someone capable of taming monsters—someone who commanded an enormous army of them.
He didn’t like monsters, nor did he like that aspect of the Black Shadow.
“But for now, we have no choice but to welcome them.”
Harun nodded.
“The key is to seize the Tower’s magic stone facilities. If we disable them, the power source will be cut off.”
“Then the barrier will drop, and the Black Shadows’ monsters can invade. But the external barrier has emergency power, so it’ll hold for a while.”
“That can be resolved by taking the main power source… the Tower Master’s chamber.”
“The Tower Master’s chamber? But that’s…”
Han Beom-cheol looked puzzled.
The Tower’s top floor—and the heavily guarded office there—wouldn’t be easy to infiltrate.
Harun smiled faintly.
“We’ll use the underwater passage.”
“The underwater passage…?”
“Yes. It’s used in emergencies. We can reach the Tower Master’s chamber through it.”
There was another advantage.
“And Jin Seo-yeon knows the importance of the underwater passage. If she realizes someone is invading through it…”
“She’ll try to stop it.”
“Exactly.”
Harun clapped his hands.
“I and a few others will lie in wait there and subdue Jin Seo-yeon. Be careful—we mustn’t inflict serious harm on her.”
Jin Seo-yeon was necessary.
Not only to pass down her talents to future generations, but also—
Most importantly, to legitimize Harun as the new Tower Master.
“Everything begins tomorrow.”
Tap!
Harun struck his staff against the ground.
“First, we will correct the order of this Tower. Then, using the Tower’s power, we will create a new world.”
A world for none other than—
“A world solely for mages.”
A smile spread across Harun’s face.
A smile filled with madness.
***
After his conversation with Jin Seo-yeon,
Yoo Baek-jun had been moving tirelessly for days without rest.
He summoned all the intelligence agents.
“You will go here and wait for Jin Baek-cheon’s expedition to arrive.”
“What should we do when they arrive?”
“Take this.”
Yoo Baek-jun handed them a blueprint delivered by Jin Seo-yeon’s familiar.
It was a diagram of the teleportation magic circle.
“Give this to Jin Baek cheon, and he’ll know what to do. There will likely be spies around the area…”
“We’ll handle them.”
“Good. I trust you.”
An Song-hyuk bowed his head.
Yoo Baek-jun then called for Moo-jang and Chang-yeon.
“Moo-jang, Chang-yeon. You’ve become the new Grandmaster—how are you adjusting to your new roles?”
“I’d like to say it’s going well, but… haha. It’s not easy.”
“Who knew we’d become Grandmasters? We’re still mentally unprepared.”
Moo-jang laughed heartily, while Chang-yeon responded with a bitter smile.
“But from what I’ve heard, the reception has been positive.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Many say the two of you have greatly contributed to stabilizing the chaotic family.”
Yoo Baek-jun smiled.
“I hope you’ll continue to do so. Grandmaster Moo-jang, Grandmaster Chang-yeon.”
“Of course, no need to worry.”
“That’s a relief. Now, the reason I called you here…”
Yoo Baek-jun scratched the back of his head.
“I need your help.”
“The family—and we Grandmasters—will obey the Family Head’s orders. You didn’t need to ask…”
“It’s not for the family. I plan to assist the Magic Tower.”
“Hmm.”
Moo-jang nodded as if he finally understood why they’d been summoned.
If it were for the family, they’d follow without complaint, but assisting the Tower was a different matter.
“The Magic Tower, huh? I think I get it.”
“Is it because of your fiancée…?”
“Hey! I said no!”
Yoo Baek-jun growled.
Moo-jang and Chang-yeon chuckled.
“The Magic Tower is our ally, so it’s fine, right? If anyone complains…”
“I’ll beat some sense into them!”
“…I’ll persuade them properly.”
Moo-jang and Chang-yeon had starkly different personalities—one was fiery and rough, while the other was calm and rational.
Whether their contrasting natures made them a good match was unclear, but they had maintained a long friendship.
“Then, let’s head to the Tower together tomorrow. I’ll explain what you need to do.”
Yoo Baek-jun detailed their tasks meticulously.
The two nodded.
“Our first major task as Grandmasters. We won’t fail.”
“I’ll do my best.”
As they left, Yoo Baek-jun let out a long sigh.
“I’m exhausted.”
He had seen the Tower’s blueprints.
Sent by Jin Seo-yeon for reference while planning.
“What kind of drugs were they on when they built this thing? It’s basically one giant magic circle.”
The Magic Tower itself was a massive magic circle.
Its internal structure was designed according to a specific arrangement, with magic stone facilities placed at key points.
These powered the Tower’s functions and deployed barriers against external threats.
‘And that’s not all.’
The Tower’s master—
Jin Seo-yeon’s unique abilities drew their power from this very structure.
‘They’ll seize the magic stone facilities and use the underwater passage to take the central power source.’
Then Jin Seo-yeon would be powerless.
‘We have to stop them before that.’
Yoo Baek-jun stared intently at the blueprint.
“I’ll have to handle the underwater passage myself.”
The only way was to lead elite swordsmen and eliminate any intruders attempting to use the passage.
Yoo Baek-jun began formulating a plan to prevent the Tower’s collapse in his mind.
—Meow, nyaa… nyow!
—Ah! Heavy, so heavy!
Just then, the sounds of Seol-young and the fairy tumbling and playing reached his ears.
Yoo Baek-jun stared at them—especially the fairy—and his eyes widened.
“…….”
—W-wah!
He picked up the fairy, who was pinned under Seol-young, with his fingers.
—What? What’s this? Are you gonna eat me? No, right?
—Eek!
The fairy flailed in panic.
Yoo Baek-jun brought his face close, locking eyes with it.
“Hey, let’s work together on something.”
—Huh?
The fairy froze in confusion.
‘The fairy of the World Tree. I almost forgot—the Tower is its home base.’
There were many possibilities now.
Yoo Baek-jun smiled quietly.