Chapter 275
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 275.
Yoo Baek-jun climbed the tower.
Previously, he had only conquered up to the 15th floor. This time, it was open up to the 20th floor.
The higher the floor, the more difficult and intricate the tower became.
Every enemy that appeared was boss-level. On top of that, there were complex mechanics.
‘Well, it shouldn’t be too hard.’
Since he had already cleared the tower before, he didn’t feel much difficulty.
Compared to when he first arrived at the Tower of the Martial God, his stats had significantly increased, and he had learned various skills.
There was no way it could be difficult.
“Might as well grind a bit while I’m at it.”
He had been thinking that the proficiency of his newly acquired skills was lacking.
Yoo Baek-jun used the mechanics of each floor to raise his skill proficiency.
‘The boss of the 20th floor is probably…’
Since he already knew the tower’s strategy, reaching the 20th floor wasn’t difficult.
And there, a woman stood proudly, waiting for Yoo Baek-jun.
“…….”
A woman draped in tattered cloth.
She was an ancestral figure of the Intelligence Division. The first Intelligence Division member of the Sword Saint family, and also its chief.
Her title was the Dark Ghost.
—Overcome the trial.
As soon as those words ended, the Dark Ghost’s figure vanished like a shadow.
Yoo Baek-jun expanded his senses.
He couldn’t detect any presence. But.
Thud!
“Ugh….”
The Dark Ghost definitely existed.
She attacked from all directions using hidden weapons, creating openings and landing fatal blows.
By the time Yoo Baek-jun reacted, the Dark Ghost had already disappeared.
‘Fast. And stealthy.’
But did that mean there was no way to counter her?
“Not at all.”
Yoo Baek-jun activated his magic.
A Cold aura erupted from him, literally freezing the air.
Whoosh!
—Kgh!
A groan echoed in the empty space.
Yoo Baek-jun fired a Frozen Soul Palm in that direction. The extreme cold enveloped part of the Dark Ghost’s body.
‘Didn’t land a full hit.’
But it didn’t matter.
This alone was enough to slow her movements.
‘In the end, it’s just a battle of endurance.’
If Yoo Baek-jun had been a simple swordsman, facing the Dark Ghost would have been difficult.
But he had learned a variety of skills beyond just swordsmanship.
‘It won’t be hard.’
Yoo Baek-jun deployed Blood Mist Absorption and Plum Blossom Fragrance Across Ten Thousand miles. Various energies filled the entire floor.
There were no gaps.
Even the Dark Ghost, hiding in the darkness, couldn’t avoid them.
Crack!
Realizing the situation was unfavorable, the Dark Ghost revealed herself and unleashed an attack.
But that was exactly what Yoo Baek-jun wanted.
He had no intention of losing in a head-on battle.
“Hup!”
Using Moon Cleaver and Moonlight, Yoo Baek-jun restricted the Dark Ghost’s movement space.
When she reluctantly landed on the ground, he slammed the floor with all his might.
Rumble!
—…!
Dragon’s Descent.
The earthquake disrupted the Dark Ghost’s posture.
Yoo Baek-jun didn’t miss the opening.
—Ugh!
Using Aura Install, Yoo Baek-jun closed the distance in an instant.
He drove his fist into the Dark Ghost’s abdomen, condensed his magic, and detonated it.
Boom!
Unable to withstand Heavenly Destruction, the Dark Ghost’s body was sent flying backward.
Yoo Baek-jun pursued her. The moment their figures drew close—
The Dark Ghost smirked.
—How naive.
She threw something from her sleeve.
A hidden weapon resembling a small iron spike. The short spikes multiplied into an overwhelming number.
An unknown force controlled them, and in an instant, they surged toward Yoo Baek-jun.
Kwaaaaang!
The spikes that swarmed near Yoo Baek-jun exploded simultaneously.
An unbelievable explosion for their small size.
The floor shook violently.
Moreover, the color of the explosion was different from normal ones.
‘Pitch black. And this smell…’
Poison.
A hidden weapon with immense destructive power and deadly poison, designed to kill its target in every possible way.
But,
‘I already anticipated this.’
Yoo Baek-jun deployed his defensive measures.
First, Absolute Shield. Next, Sword Barrier. Finally, Counter Return.
Crack!
The spikes, precisely aimed at a single point, pierced tiny holes in the shield.
No matter how strong the shield, if focused on one point, it would break.
The Dark Ghost knew that well.
Boom!
Next was the Sword Barrier.
Between the shield and the barrier, the spikes triggered a violent explosion.
The Sword Barrier didn’t last long before shattering.
The explosion and overwhelming poison rushed toward Yoo Baek-jun’s entire body.
“Huff!”
Yoo Baek-jun clad himself in aura armor and activated Counter Return.
The explosion and poison burned and corroded his body, but their force had weakened after breaking through two defenses.
Yoo Baek-jun suppressed both energies with Counter Return and made them his own.
—Kgh!
He then channeled that energy into his right fist and struck the air with full force.
A shockwave erupted, and an Aura Burst engulfed the Dark Ghost.
An unexpected counter at an unexpected time.
The Dark Ghost fell to her knees.
—…….
Immediately, countless Aura Orbs surrounded her.
Kneeling and glancing around, the Dark Ghost let out a low laugh.
—Impressive.
A faint smile appeared on her face, visible through the tattered cloth.
As her words ended, her figure began to waver like a mirage.
—He… is waiting for you.
“Huh?”
The Dark Ghost left a cryptic message and disappeared. Yoo Baek-jun frowned.
“Ah, these people. Would it kill them to explain things clearly?”
Grumbling, Yoo Baek-jun checked the items the Dark Ghost had left behind.
The tattered cloth she wore, and even the hidden weapons from her sleeves.
“Well.”
Yoo Baek-jun smirked bitterly.
He had expected it, but seeing the hidden weapons left a bitter taste.
[Explosive Rain Transformation (S)]
A secret hidden weapon crafted in extreme secrecy, modified from a certain family’s unique hidden weapon using a special method.
Possesses immense explosive power, and the explosion itself carries poison that inflicts toxicity on surrounding enemies.
—Options: Explosion and Extreme Poison, Remote Control, Auto-Replenishment, Concealment
*Explosion and Extreme Poison: Causes an unbelievably intense explosion for its size, releasing poison upon detonation to intoxicate enemies.
*Remote Control: Can be controlled by the owner’s will even after leaving their hand.
*Auto-Replenishment: Over time, used hidden weapons are automatically replenished.
*Concealment: Absolutely invisible until drawn from the sleeve.
Needless to say, it was a great item.
It would’ve been even better if Yoo Baek-jun had learned hidden weapon techniques himself.
‘Hidden weapon techniques… Do I have the time?’
Tilting his head, Yoo Baek-jun checked the reward box that appeared.
As always, the box contained secret manuals. This time, however, there weren’t many.
But their quality was high.
“A+ grade skill books…”
Useful items.
With enough training, they could even reach S-grade.
Of course, it would take an enormous amount of time.
‘But that’s not my concern.’
The Sword Saint family had the Statue of Growth and training magic circles.
Unlike ordinary hunters, rapid progress was possible.
“I’ll keep these…”
Now that Baek Jun-kyung had joined as well, these manuals would be especially useful.
Yoo Baek-jun was already planning to make Baek Jun-kyung a Grandmaster someday.
“And this is… Hmm?”
Searching through the box, Yoo Baek-jun found a potion and a strange book.
The book… was a diary.
“What’s this now?”
Curious, he read it and found the life story of a certain man.
The letters were old and archaic, normally unreadable, but mysteriously, the contents flowed directly into his mind.
Strangely, the content felt familiar to Yoo Baek-jun.
“Hmm.”
He pondered for a moment.
‘It’s the Martial God, isn’t it?’
He quickly reached a conclusion.
It was the Martial God’s chronicle. Born as a commoner with nothing—no parents, no family—he grew up alone.
Living a miserable life, he awakened his abilities and rose to the highest position through sheer skill.
‘And finally, after stopping the Gate incident of the past, the Martial God was hailed as a hero…’
Yoo Baek-jun flipped to the last page. It was blank.
He turned the pages back, over and over. The blank pages ended precisely in the middle of the diary.
—After overcoming the calamity that befell this land, I sought to uncover the truth. Who caused this disaster, and what they truly desired.
After the Gate incident, the Martial God’s whereabouts became obscure.
This diary recorded what he had tried to do since then.
—And at last, I learned. The reason the unknown gates opened in this world. That there was a mastermind behind all of this.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun’s expression became strange.
A mix of surprise, shock, and bewilderment. He turned the page.
—From now on, I, along with those who follow me, will set out to eliminate that mastermind. Even if…
He closed the diary.
—No one knows what awaits beyond.
That was the end of the diary.
Only blank pages remained. Reading further was meaningless.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun was stunned.
He couldn’t help it. This was a story even he didn’t know.
“He knew the mastermind behind the Gates?”
That was a MacGuffin.
The Gates themselves were only used for story progression, but the identity of their mastermind was never revealed in the work.
Though some characters in the story were curious, no related plotline ever emerged. Not even a hint.
‘The veterans in the chatroom tried to figure it out but couldn’t.’
A chatroom only veterans could enter.
There, they shared information and dug into the game’s mysteries.
Even after pooling their knowledge, they couldn’t uncover it.
‘And now that plot point finally appears?’
Heroes Road changes its story and settings with each playthrough.
That’s why Yoo Baek-jun tries to gather as much information as possible before acting.
He needs to confirm whether anything has changed from what he knows.
‘It’s too much of a coincidence.’
A development and story even he, who had played Heroes Road countless times, didn’t know.
Many changes occurred in this playthrough. And all too coincidentally, when he entered the game.
Was this all just a coincidence?
“No way.”
None of this is a coincidence.
It’s inevitability—someone’s intention. Something unknown is waiting.
Waiting for him to accomplish something.
“Interesting.” Yoo Baek-jun stored the diary in his subspace. It seemed worth keeping. “…I have a place to go now.”
To satisfy the curiosity in his mind, he now had a destination.
But first, Yoo Baek-jun began handling the tasks he needed to complete here.
“Good.”
Before leaving the tower.
He recalled the families and guilds where rebellions had recently occurred under Black Shadow’s influence, changing their power structures.
He thought of ways the survivors could seek revenge.
‘This should be enough.’
Yoo Baek-jun wrote down a plan for how the survivors should act.
Now, all he had to do was deliver it to Jeon Soo-yeon outside.
She would then relay it to each survivor. After that, he could adjust his instructions based on their reports.
Having finished his necessary tasks, Yoo Baek-jun prepared to leave the tower.
But just as he was about to exit—
A familiar voice echoed.
—You haven’t disappointed me.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun looked toward the voice’s source. He wasn’t surprised anymore.
A voice he had heard before.
“Are you the master of this tower?”
—…….
No answer came.
Yoo Baek-jun’s figure began to fade, enveloped in light.
—Before you slay that pitiful dragon, return to this tower. To the end of it, as you know…
With those words, Yoo Baek-jun’s form completely vanished from the tower.
—I’ll be waiting.
“…….”
Outside, Yoo Baek-jun stared into the air, lost in thought.
Beside him, Seol-yeong rolled on the ground, playing.
He picked it up.
—Mew?
“Let’s go to the Spirit Realm.”
To the place he had postponed for so long.
There were things he needed to confirm there.