Chapter 277
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 277.
The Martial God was not dead.
Just knowing that was enough to consider the trip to the spirit realm a success.
‘What was it again? Some NPC mentioned something about ascending to immortality or whatever.’
There were many rumors in the game about The Martial God’s whereabouts.
One of them was that he had ascended to immortality and became a divine being, or something along those lines.
“It’s not entirely wrong, but…”
According to Seol-ho, someone of the Martial God's stature could become such an existence after death.
But this time was different.
The Martial God had not died, nor did he reach a higher plane as a transcendent.
“Hmm……”
Yoo Baek-jun idly threw a snowball into the passing river.
The snowball slowly melted away.
If only these complicated thoughts could melt away like that snowball.
‘At first, I thought the Martial God and the Supreme Overlord were the same person.’
The one who dragged ‘me’—who had been peacefully enjoying the game in the real world—into this world was an entity called the Supreme Overlord.
At one point, he had secretly wondered if that might be the Martial God.
‘But that doesn’t seem to be the case. The vibes are just too different.’
Yoo Baek-jun organized his thoughts.
The Martial God had discovered the ‘reason’ why gates appeared in this world in the past and who the ‘culprit’ behind it was.
‘As a result, The Martial God set out on a journey with his followers to eliminate that culprit…’
The outcome?
“He must have failed.”
It had been ages since The Martial God disappeared, yet gates still appeared.
Monsters, too.
The world had regained some stability, but the danger and chaos of monsters still lurked.
‘It’s safe to assume The Martial God failed. But he didn’t die.’
If he had died, his soul would have been found in this spirit realm.
Tap, tap. Yoo Baek-jun tapped the ground with his fingers as he thought.
“The Tower of the Martial God…”
Yoo Baek-jun believed the tower’s purpose was for a successor.
A place to nurture a qualified successor, or so he thought.
But perhaps—
‘Was The Tower of the Martial God originally built… for a different purpose?’
The Martial God had failed, been defeated, and was likely on the top floor of The Tower of the Martial God.
There were two possible reasons for this assumption.
‘To try again.’
Against that culprit.
Having failed once, to succeed in eliminating them this time.
And the other—
‘Recovery… If he was defeated by that culprit, he must have suffered severe injuries.’
Perhaps he was in The Tower of the Martial God to recover from those wounds.
Just like the Evil Dragon had done.
“Hmm, this is getting more and more interesting.”
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
As someone who had always relied on the knowledge of veterans to solve situations, this predicament wasn’t exactly welcome.
But more than that, a thought naturally settled in his heart.
‘I want to see the end of this game.’
Not the branching endings he’d seen multiple times before, but the true ending.
Because ‘I’ am a passionate gamer who loved Heroes Road enough to pour my life into it.
‘If I’m going back anyway, like it or not, I’ll have to see the ending.’
There were no other choices to begin with.
Might as well try to stay positive about it.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a sigh.
—Whoosh!
“Oof.”
Seol-yeong climbed onto Yoo Baek-jun’s back as he stood by the river.
Seol-ho’s laughter could be heard.
“Is the conversation over?”
—Yes. It’s time to go back. This isn’t a place for you to stay long.
Seol-ho stared at Yoo Baek-jun’s legs. Just then, the tips of his feet were gradually turning translucent.
—To return, just take the same boat you came on.
A ferryboat approached from afar.
The moment Yoo Baek-jun was about to board the boat, the nearby river water rippled violently.
Then, a soul suddenly emerged from the water—one that looked familiar.
“This is…”
—You must know this one.
Seol-ho pulled a soul from the flowing river. A soul engulfed in terrible flames, writhing in agony.
It was the Sword Demon.
—He committed too many sins in the human world. This soul cannot be guided and, in its current state, cannot go anywhere.
So he must atone.
For eons, he will endure punishment until he can shed even a fraction of his sins.
‘Chilling.’
Yoo Baek-jun shuddered.
I should avoid doing anything too evil in life. Who knows what might happen.
—So live righteously. Regret after death is too late.
“I think it’s already a bit late for that, but I’ll do my best.”
—Good. And… before you go, I have something for you.
—Hmm?
A pure white energy emanated from Seol-ho. It gathered into a mass before floating gently toward Seol-yeong.
—The Snow Tiger Spirit Beast’s power is inherited. I was supposed to pass my power to this child, but I couldn’t.
The energy slowly, very slowly, began to absorb into Seol-yeong.
And then—
—M-meow…?
Seol-yeong’s body grew bit by bit.
Already a chubby little thing, its body was now expanding.
From something that could be held in two hands to about half Yoo Baek-jun’s size.
And when the energy was fully absorbed, Seol-yeong’s size was—
“This is way too big…”
—Meow?
Now larger than Yoo Baek-jun.
Big enough to ride on. Not a bad mount, if he had to say.
“Isn’t this kid still a baby?”
—Correct. That form is what this child would achieve after living for over a hundred years. I merely accelerated it. It’ll be helpful.
Yoo Baek-jun stared at Seol-yeong.
Though still much smaller than Seol-ho, it now had the dignified appearance of a tiger.
He quite liked it.
—You wander too many dangerous places. I thought this was necessary for the child’s safety.
“Not bad. I already had enough to worry about.”
Yoo Baek-jun patted Seol-yeong’s head, and it nuzzled against him.
Hug— With a sound like air escaping, its body returned to normal.
—It won’t last long.
This isn’t true growth but merely borrowing its future form temporarily.
Seol-yeong, now back to its original size, climbed onto Yoo Baek-jun’s head.
“You’re heavy, you pig…”
—Meow!
“Oof!”
Seol-yeong’s paw smacked Yoo Baek-jun’s head. Seol-ho chuckled softly.
—I have something for you, too.
Just as with Seol-yeong earlier, a pure white energy drifted toward Yoo Baek-jun.
As he touched it, the energy was absorbed into his body, triggering a change.
—[Master of the Extreme Cold (A+)] has been upgraded through the mystical power of a spirit beast. Traits and related skills have been enhanced.
—Stats have increased.
“Oh…”
This was welcome news.
A trait and skills he had acquired early on and had been using ever since—of course, he was pleased.
—I hope it helps.
“This is more than enough.”
With Seol-yeong perched on his head, Yoo Baek-jun boarded the ferry.
Splash— The river water surged.
His body was gradually turning transparent—it was time to go back.
—Then go now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again…
—Meow!
“I’ll visit again sometime.”
Seol-yeong waved its paws as if bidding farewell to Seol-ho.
The ferry began to move.
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol-yeong disappeared beyond the mist.
—……
Seol-ho watched their retreating figures.
Until they were completely gone.
* * *
After Yoo Baek-jun and Seol-yeong left, Seol-ho remained alone on the deserted island.
It reminisced about the warmth of its child, which it had felt just moments ago.
—We’ll meet again.
Seol-ho, who had been quietly gazing at the river, suddenly looked up at the sky.
It turned its back.
Whoosh— A gust of wind blew.
—Seol-ho, what have you done?
A small, goblin-like monster appeared behind Seol-ho.
It chased after it.
—Answer me. What did you do? What did you tell them?
—Nothing.
Seol-ho didn’t answer. The goblin bared its teeth and growled.
—You know the living must not be told of the spirit realm’s affairs. Did you break the rules?
Seol-ho seemed uninterested in the goblin’s words as it curled up on the ground.
With its ears covered, it clearly had no intention of listening.
—If The Supreme Overlord learns of your actions, he will be furious!
The goblin roared.
—Well…
Seol-ho looked up at the sky.
—I doubt he even cares about this world anymore.
—Blasphemy!
The goblin glared at Seol-ho in horror before flying up into the sky.
—I won’t forget what you just said. I’ll report everything you’ve done here!
As the goblin disappeared, Seol-ho snorted.
—Supreme Overlord.
It muttered bitterly.
—He severed his ties to this world long ago…
Its whisper faded into the thick mist.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun’s return from the spirit realm was greeted by fairies and spirits.
A fairy widened its eyes.
—Wow! Human! You’re turning transparent!
—Transparent!
The fairies and spirits giggled as they swarmed around Yoo Baek-jun.
His body, which had been translucent from being in the spirit realm, slowly returned to normal.
“A little longer and… whew.”
It would’ve been dangerous. Yoo Baek-jun shook his head.
Seol-yeong, who had been perched on his head, leaped down and began playing with the fairies.
“Let’s see.”
Yoo Baek-jun checked the upgraded trait and skills thanks to Seol-ho’s help.
[Master of the Extreme Cold (S+)]
—Having earned the recognition of a spirit beast that ruled the bitter cold, you have inherited its power.
The potency of ice-related skills is greatly enhanced, and magic consumption is reduced to near negligible levels.
You no longer feel cold, and your physical abilities are significantly strengthened in colder environments.
You can absorb Elemental ice attacks weaker than yourself and gain high resistance against stronger ones.
You are immune to freezing and related status effects. Additionally, due to the spirit beast’s influence, you can now interact with souls.
Compared to its A+ version, [Master of the Extreme Cold] had its overall effects enhanced.
The new ability to interact with souls was particularly noteworthy.
[Frigid Air (S+)]
—Releases an intense cold around the caster. Those touched by it are slowed, and their physical abilities weaken.
Depending on the magic used, it can summon blizzards or even greater calamities.
The changes were satisfying.
Especially since these were skills he had always found useful.
Lastly, Yoo Baek-jun took out the elixir he had obtained from The Tower of the Martial God.
“An S-grade elixir…”
In the past, this would’ve boosted his stats by a whole tier and then some.
Yoo Baek-jun swallowed the elixir.
A mysterious energy coursed through his body. He checked his status window.
[Yoo Baek-jun]
[Stats]
Strength: S [S+] (78/100)
Agility: S (75/100)
Stamina: S [S+] (69/100)
Magic Power: S (87/100)
Despite all the events he’d experienced, reaching S+ was still a long way off.
Yoo Baek-jun licked his lips.
“A bit disappointing.”
Well, he’d just have to make up for it.
Yoo Baek-jun took out the Thunder Spear from his subspace. Before fighting the Evil Dragon, he needed to strengthen this spear.
‘Maybe it’s time to visit the Thunder God.’
There was also the matter of Thanatos.
Yoo Baek-jun got to his feet.