Chapter 278
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 278.
Gods exist in Halpeon.
A god with a complicated name who governs power, or another god with a difficult name who governs love.
Among them, there is a god who governs justice, honor, and thunder, known as the Thunder God.
"Hmm... Was the gate around here?"
There is an event related to that Thunder God.
The method of accessing it is also a bit different from ordinary gates. You have to find a small floating island in the sky...
'They say it's an island that can't be found unless you have an item related to the Thunder God.'
That's not all.
There were also prerequisites.
Whether it's the Cult of Resurrection or another event, you must have experienced an event related to 'Thanatos' in some way.
"Well, the Thunder God event itself is related to Thanatos, so there's no helping it."
There are also various other tricky conditions attached, making it quite bothersome.
But the rewards are just as substantial.
—Kyaaaaah!
"Good job."
Yoo Baek-jun dismissed the thunderbird that had carried him to the island.
Seol-yeong jumped off its back, followed by Jeon Soo-yeon, who collapsed as if she had fainted.
"Ugh, ugh... Ughhh..."
"If you're going to throw up, look at the sky over there while you do it."
"Family head. This bird... the ride quality is the worst. Ugh."
Unable to hold it in, Jeon Soo-yeon clung to the edge of the island and retched.
"Y-You've never taken me on a gate raid before, so why suddenly...?"
"I need you this time."
"Me?"
Jeon Soo-yeon was necessary to clear this gate smoothly.
He needed someone to gather information, and she was perfect for the job.
"Actually, I thought our intelligence officer was working too hard, so I prepared a gift."
"A gift... you say?"
Yoo Baek-jun rummaged through his subspace and pulled out an item he had obtained last time.
An item used by the Dark Ghost.
"...What is this? Trash?"
"Tsk, calling someone's heartfelt gift trash. It's actually a good item."
"Huh? Oh, really...?"
It was an S-grade item called Spider’s Prestige.
An item optimized for stealth and ambush, it would be useful for her.
"Ugh, if you thought you could bribe me with this..."
"Do I even need to bribe you? If I tell you to do something, you just do it. That astronomical salary you're receiving..."
"Well, that's true."
Jeon Soo-yeon stood behind Yoo Baek-jun with a bright expression.
'Her quick attitude change is nice.'
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
She had a shameless side, but that wasn't necessarily bad.
"Let's see."
There was an altar on the small island.
An altar made of steel covered in scratches. Yoo Baek-jun thrust his thunder spear into it.
Whoosh!
A brilliant light erupted, and a gate appeared above the altar.
[Battlefield of Proof]
In the distant past, evil gods brought great calamity to Halpeon.
The benevolent gods joined forces to barely prevent the disaster and sealed away those who caused it in different places.
The Thunder God and his followers guard one of those seals—the seal of Thanatos, the ruler of the underworld.
However, recently, a major anomaly has occurred in that seal, causing problems...
—Difficulty: S+ Rank
—Entry Limit: 10 people
—Objective: To be discovered.
—Reward: Unknown.
Yoo Baek-jun made a disinterested face.
It was a gate that was annoying to clear, but he couldn't just ignore it.
"Ah, there's no rest."
"Wow, you think just like me. For a second, I thought you read my mind, Family head..."
—Sigh.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep breath.
"Once we cross the gate, you go into stealth immediately. There will probably be some trying to run away—chase them down."
"Understood."
Yoo Baek-jun tucked Seol-yeong into his arms and entered the gate with Jeon Soo-yeon.
A blinding light obscured his vision.
Yoo Baek-jun felt his body being pulled somewhere.
—...!
—Enemies... kill...!
Then, he heard voices.
—Uwooooh!
—Strike them down! Kill them all!
The sounds of war echoed.
Weapons clashed, war cries rang out, and agonized screams assaulted his ears.
Beyond the gate, when Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes, he found himself on a battlefield.
"Family head, then."
Jeon Soo-yeon immediately used stealth and vanished from sight.
Standing alone, Yoo Baek-jun surveyed his surroundings.
"Looks like a scene from a movie."
A vast plain filled with traces of battle.
Two forces clashed there, fighting to kill each other.
No, that wasn't quite accurate.
One side was already dead, so saying they were fighting to kill was incorrect.
"For the Thunder God!"
"Stop those rotting bastards from rising from the underground!"
"Kill them to prove justice!"
Undead were surging from beneath the plain.
The Thunder God's followers were holding them back.
—Uwooooh!
—Kraaaah!
The followers were burly, muscular figures wielding axes or spears in one hand.
They roared mightily as they fought the undead...
'Are those followers or barbarians?'
It was hard to tell the difference.
Though the followers fought fiercely, the situation wasn't favorable.
The number of undead was overwhelming, and humans tire eventually.
Yet, the followers fought the undead without losing courage.
'Where...?'
Yoo Baek-jun hid and waited.
It was cruel to the fighting warriors, but now wasn't the time to intervene.
"......"
Yoo Baek-jun waited.
Until the right moment. And he didn't have to wait long.
—Ooh, Master of the Underworld!
—Have mercy upon us!
Grotesque figures emerged from behind the plain where the undead were pouring out.
Priests, half-undead and half-human in form.
They bowed their heads, and the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
—Rumble!
A hole formed in the ground.
Like a sinkhole, the earth collapsed, revealing a massive pit.
And from that pit, something indescribable emerged.
"T-This can't be."
"What am I seeing...?"
It was an undead.
A grotesque undead giant, stitched together from countless monster corpses.
Its appearance was hideous, and its size was so enormous it made you forget its ugliness.
"How many meters tall is that?"
An astonishingly massive undead. As tall as a building—no, possibly even taller.
The followers' steps faltered.
"T-That thing!"
"Ugh, where did that monster come from...?"
No matter how brave they were, this was their first time seeing such a creature.
Even the Thunder God's followers, who always fought the undead valiantly, hesitated to face this monster.
—It is a creation bestowed by the Lord of the Underworld. He desires our victory in this battlefield!
—Slay those wicked ones!
—Kyaaaaah!
With the undead giant leading the charge, the undead began their advance in unison.
The followers felt fear for a moment but refused to retreat.
"Fine, come at me! You damn corpses! Even if I die, I'll take all of you down with me!"
"At the very least, I'll die honorably! Then God will take me to His side!"
They were close to fanatics, but their faith was unwavering.
The undead mocked them.
—Foolish and stupid creatures.
—Kehehe, when you die, we'll use your corpses to make new undead.
Followers in the rear unleashed lightning magic to attack the undead.
But their numbers were overwhelming, and the giant wasn't even scratched.
The followers bit their lips.
"We will fight honorably and die!"
The undead closed in.
The followers gripped their weapons and charged at the enemy in unison.
—Kyaaaaah!
Then, a sound echoed.
The roar of a monster. And the deafening noise of lightning scattering in all directions.
The sound came from the rear. The charging followers turned back in surprise.
"W-What is that...?"
It was a thunder dragon.
A thunder dragon wreathed in lightning unleashed a series of devastating shockwaves as it shot forward in a straight line.
Whoosh!
—Kyaaaaah!
Undead caught in the shockwaves exploded, and those struck by the lightning burst into flames instantly.
The thunder dragon incinerated everything in its path as it surged toward its target.
Straight at the giant.
Boom!
And then—impact.
The thunder dragon struck the giant's heart.
Kwaaaaah!
Countless bolts of lightning erupted from the giant's heart, scattering in all directions.
The giant's entire body was scorched with lightning burns.
—Guh, uuuugh...!
The undead giant writhed in pain.
But it was no ordinary monster. Though the thunder dragon had pierced its heart, dealing massive damage, it was still standing.
Because it was undead.
'Still, this much is enough.'
Rumble!
Thunder roared.
But it didn't come from the sky. It was the sound of Yoo Baek-jun, who had fired the thunder dragon from the ground, unleashing Heavenly Thunder.
His body became a streak of lightning, shooting forward in an instant.
—W-What is that thing?!
—Stop him! Now!
The undead tried to block him.
Yoo Baek-jun, charging forward, immediately activated the power of the Thunder God.
Power surged through him, and golden lightning wrapped around his entire body.
Kwaaaaah!
No weapon was needed.
Yoo Baek-jun shot forward, and the lightning surrounding him annihilated every undead in his path.
Crackle!
Flesh burned away in an instant. Yoo Baek-jun reached the giant.
—Keuhk!
A fist clad in Heavenly Thunder struck the giant's knee. Yoo Baek-jun spun his body and used Thunderwheel Strike.
A leg wreathed in lightning literally split the giant's legs apart.
Kuuuuh!
The undead giant knelt.
Yoo Baek-jun activated Aura Install on his legs and leaped high into the air.
An icy blade formed at his foot.
Kwa-dududuk!
That was the end.
Frozen Shattering Kick cleaved the giant's head. Cutting through its arms as it tried to block, the blade carved a straight trajectory.
The icy blade split the giant in half from head to lower body.
—...!
The undead giant collapsed.
Its bisected body crumbled to either side, crushing the undead beneath it.
The undead priests were horrified.
—A-a creation bestowed by the Master of the Underworld, so easily...
—Ugh, guhhh!
Realizing the situation had turned dire, they began to retreat.
Only the undead remained.
"This is too easy."
And dealing with them was trivial for Yoo Baek-jun.
He fought the undead with the power of the Thunder Monarch.
No—it was a one-sided slaughter.
"Ooh!"
"That light...!"
The Thunder God's followers watched Yoo Baek-jun fight in awe.
No, beyond awe—their eyes shone with reverence.
—Kehek...!
The last undead fell.
Yoo Baek-jun looked around. The undead that had been crawling endlessly from underground had stopped emerging.
"Good! Now, rest!"
"Move the wounded to the rear! Those still standing, stay on guard!"
"And...!"
The busy followers' gazes all turned to Yoo Baek-jun.
From among them, an incredibly robust old man with white hair, covered in scars, stepped forward.
He stood before Yoo Baek-jun.
"Divine Messenger!"
And knelt.
"Ooh, Divine Messenger!"
Yoo Baek-jun looked down at them without a hint of panic, his posture proud.
'Good, it went just as I thought.'
He nodded nonchalantly.