Chapter 263
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 263.
Anyway, he had a goal now.
First, he needed to deal with Black Shadow and kill the Evil dragon behind them.
He had to meet with that creature and hear what it had to say.
‘The Evil Dragon is a bit different from the guys I’ve faced so far.’
The Evil Dragon governs ‘corruption.’
When an event related to him occurs, a murky turquoise cloud covers the sky and causes rain to fall.
‘And on the ground, fog appears.’
Like a smog phenomenon, a turquoise fog spreads across the world.
And that rain and fog…
‘Melt everything they touch.’
Yoo Baek-jun’s face hardened.
It’s like hydrochloric acid. No, it’s even worse because it melts almost anything.
And that hydrochloric acid swirls across the entire world in an unavoidable form.
‘On top of that, all sorts of Gate phenomena occur.’
That rain and fog are caused by the Evil Dragon’s power.
Gates influenced by his magic begin to activate, and as a result, natural disasters occur.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun fell deep into thought.
‘Normally, I’d prefer to let their plans unfold and then counterattack.’
But this time, that wasn’t an option.
The scale was too enormous—no matter how I countered, the damage would be catastrophic.
Moreover, assuming there’s a mastermind behind the Evil Dragon, I had to minimize the damage this time.
‘Then the only choice is to attack first.’
I had to strike before they fully set their plans into motion.
Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the sky.
Fortunately, there was still time.
“Looks like I’ll be busy.”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh.
* * *
“Hey, country bumpkin! Perfect timing.”
“Why am I a country bumpkin?”
A dwarf, Bigtums, approached Yoo Baek-jun, who was heading to his room.
The moment he arrived, he clapped Yoo Baek-jun’s shoulder repeatedly.
“Kehaha! The liquor you sent was great. The legendary liquor passed down in the Magic Tower! The one said to be brewed by Jin Baek-cheon!”
“…You’re not drunk, are you?”
“Drunk? I’m perfectly fine.”
Bigtums flexed his muscles.
Despite his words, his face was red, and something seemed off.
Had I been caught by a drunkard?
“Alright, alright. Enough nonsense. I’ve got something to give you.”
“What is it?”
“What else? The thing you asked me to make! It’s finally finished.”
Yoo Baek-jun’s expression changed.
There was only one thing he had asked Bigtums to make.
“Here, take it.”
“This is….”
Bigtums rummaged through his pocket and handed over a small bracelet.
It was a wooden bracelet embedded with black iron, emerald magic stones, and various other magic stones.
Yoo Baek-jun checked the item.
[Emerald Shield (S)]
A shield completed by a skilled dwarf with the help of elves.
Closer to a bracelet in form, it transforms into the shape of a shield when imbued with magic.
Though its defensive power is weak due to its nature, it possesses special effects.
―Options: World Tree’s Blessing, Forest’s Protection
―Skill: Shield Deployment
*World Tree’s Blessing: A branch imbued with the World Tree’s power was used as material. When the shield is deployed, resistance to all attributes increases.
*Forest’s Protection: Removes negative status ailments inflicted on the user.
*Shield Deployment: Infuse magic to transform the bracelet into a shield.
It seemed the item’s material included a branch from the World Tree.
Yoo Baek-jun put on the bracelet.
“Hmm!”
Whoosh!
As he channeled magic into it, the bracelet transformed into a turquoise shield.
However, it was semi-transparent, as if made of magic.
“Honestly speaking, its defensive power isn’t very reliable.”
“Is that so?”
“Right now…!”
Bigtums suddenly drew his axe and struck the shield.
A large scratch appeared on the Emerald Shield.
“…See what I mean?”
“That axe… it’s just a normal axe, right?”
“Well, it’s about an A-grade axe, but even considering that…”
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
“The defensive power is too weak.”
“Hmm.”
An S-grade shield should’ve blocked that attack without a scratch.
The fact that it didn’t meant there was a major flaw in its defense.
“Well, it can’t be helped. I didn’t expect much from it anyway.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I just needed it for the skill.”
The options were decent, and its convenience was good.
It would be useful when deploying Absolute Shield in emergencies.
Yoo Baek-jun was satisfied.
“Glad you’re satisfied. That little World Tree Fairy helped too, so thank them if you see them.”
“Understood. Good work, Bigtums.”
“Hehe, if you’re grateful, use your connections to bring me some rare liquor.”
“If the opportunity arises.”
After parting with Bigtums, Yoo Baek-jun immediately returned to his room.
Then, he took out one item.
The essence of the Thunderbird, obtained after killing Harun not long ago.
[Thunderbird’s Essence (S-)]
―The essence left behind by one who attempted to become a Thunderbird but failed.
―Since he was indeed the Avatar of the Thunderbird, the Thunderbird’s power within this essence is genuine.
―Consuming it carries great risk, but if one can endure it, they may gain a special power.
Consuming it comes with great danger.
This essence is essentially a condensed mass of powerful lightning. Those without sufficient resistance will die upon ingestion.
The problem is that the threshold for that resistance is incredibly high, and most would be unable to meet it.
“But well, that doesn’t concern me.”
For other elements , it might be different, but when it came to the lightning element, he was practically a specialist.
Bracelet of Lightning, Thunder Spear, Thunder Monarch… His resistance was stacked to the brim.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Humming a tune, Yoo Baek-jun activated the Power of the Thunder God.
Then, with all his resistances bolstered, he placed the essence in his mouth.
An instant, tingling freshness.
‘This feels like drinking carbonated water…’
The moment he thought that—
Crackle!
A storm of lightning began swirling around him like a tempest.
On top of that, lightning bolts continuously struck down from the sky, targeting him.
“Oh, ohhh.”
From deep within his body, an intense energy of the Thunderbird surged.
It felt as though the energy was testing whether he could handle it, attacking him relentlessly.
‘They said there’d be danger?’
Danger was an understatement.
Only those with immense resistance to lightning-based attacks could endure this.
“Whew, this is… electrifying?”
And Yoo Baek-jun was one of those people.
Even as the Thunderbird’s essence attacked him with lethal intent, he calmly closed his eyes and enjoyed it.
‘Hmm, feels like an electric massage.’
It was as if all the fatigue accumulated in his body was melting away.
After a long while.
Crackle, fizz… The wild Thunderbird energy inside him seemed to tire and gradually subsided.
[You have absorbed the Thunderbird’s Essence.]
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Your magic power has slightly increased.]
The awaited messages appeared.
Since his stats were already S-grade, absorbing the essence didn’t raise them much.
But that wasn’t the important part.
[Summon: Fragment of the Thunderbird (S-)]
―A skill only usable by those chosen by the Thunderbird.
―Allows the summoning of the Thunderbird, ruler of thunder and lightning, to follow commands.
―However, due to the essence’s instability, a complete Thunderbird cannot be summoned.
He could summon a Thunderbird.
Of course, since even Harun—who dropped this—had failed to fully become a Thunderbird before dying, the skill came with penalties.
But this was enough.
“Should I try it out?”
―Kyawng?
Seol-yeong was rolling around on the floor of the room, growling softly.
Yoo Baek-jun placed the plump snow tiger on his shoulder.
Then, holding it tightly, he immediately summoned the Thunderbird.
Crackle!
―Kyyaaoooh?!
Startled, Seol-yeong flailed.
Before Yoo Baek-jun, thunder and lightning condensed, taking shape.
Massive triple wings. A face resembling an eagle’s, with two pairs of horns.
And a body gleaming in golden light.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous.”
―Me… meow?
The Thunderbird opened its eyes.
Golden pupils crackled with electric currents.
It silently stared at Yoo Baek-jun.
―Grr… Kyauuu…
―…….
Seol-yeong glared at the Thunderbird, suddenly engaging in a battle of auras.
Its swaying hindquarters looked ready to pounce at any moment.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“Stop acting weird.”
―Grrrr!
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s ride it first.”
Grabbing the flailing Seol-yeong, Yoo Baek-jun climbed onto the Thunderbird’s back.
He had somewhere to go anyway.
“Let’s go. I’ll test your speed while we’re at it.”
―Kiii.
The Thunderbird let out a small cry.
* * *
“Wow!”
―Wahooo!
Riding the Thunderbird, Yoo Baek-jun left the Magic Tower and soared across the sea.
Its speed was immense—comparable to that of an airplane.
Normally, the wind resistance would’ve sent Yoo Baek-jun flying, but…
Strangely, the wind atop the Thunderbird wasn’t that strong.
―Kyahuuuu!
“This is exhilarating!”
Seol-yeong, who had been in a battle of auras earlier, was now thoroughly enjoying the flight.
Riding the Thunderbird, Yoo Baek-jun arrived at his destination in an instant.
“Alright, time to grab a die.”
The place he headed to was famous in South Korea for its spiritual energy.
Normally, he wouldn’t believe in such things, but…
In this world, things were different.
“The magic here is insane.”
―Meow.
Because this world had magic.
Among such spiritually charged places, some were where magic concentrated.
Yoo Baek-jun arrived deep in the mountains and looked around.
“Hmm, dense trees, no monsters, and the animals are thriving.”
Yoo Baek-jun grinned.
“Perfect for gambling.”
He took out an artifact.
The Goddess’s Dice, obtained earlier.
[Goddess’s Dice (Artifact)]
A dice always carried by the Goddess of Fortune as a cherished item.
She once gifted it to a mortal, who then created a statue holding the dice so only his descendants could benefit from its grace…
But now, only the dice remains, resting in your hands.
―Option: Luck
*Luck: When using the dice, absolute luck follows in matters of gambling, making it nearly impossible to lose.
An artifact that made it impossible to lose in anything related to gambling.
And the mechanisms behind the artifact and skill selection tickets he possessed were no different from gambling.
Meaning, if he used this now…
‘It’ll give me the artifact I need most at this moment.’
There was something he wanted.
Yoo Baek-jun stared at the dice for a moment, then took a deep breath.
And activated its option.
The dice emitted light, and a golden horseshoe appeared above his head.
“Let’s see what comes out.”
He tore the selection ticket.
Click, click.
A sound like a slot machine spinning echoed.
Then, several cards appeared in the air, lining up in a row.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, the cards flipped one by one.
“Hmm.”
An Artifact Selection Ticket.
An item that allowed him to choose an artifact he needed from randomly appearing ones.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the options.
“C-grade, B-grade… Oh, this one’s A-grade.”
Naturally, the chances of a high-grade artifact appearing weren’t high.
Seeing an A-grade or higher artifact with this ticket was rare.
But with luck on his side now…
“And this one…”
Fwoosh!
Before the fourth card flipped, it emitted a dazzling light.
The card shone in a riot of rainbow colors before finally flipping over.
And the result:
[Temple Key (Artifact)]
Despite the flashy effects, it wasn’t an overwhelmingly impressive item.
In fact, it could even be considered a trap card. One wouldn’t be surprised to feel disappointed upon seeing it.
“…I see.”
But Yoo Baek-jun was smiling.
Very satisfied, in fact.