Chapter 281
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 281.
The outer wall of the temple collapsed.
The temple, which had no means of defense other than the black vortex from the beginning, saw its outer wall crumble with absurd ease.
Through the gaps in the collapse, Yoo Baek-jun’s undead crawled in.
—You ungrateful wretches!
—Do you not know who it was that breathed life back into you?!
For the Death Priests, it was an infuriating sight. Undead revived by Thanatos were now attacking them.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
—Kuaaaak!
—St-stop that human!
Yoo Baek-jun.
The black vortex guarding the temple strictly excluded the living.
It was a barrier that made entry impossible unless one was undead.
—Why is that bastard unharmed?!
Not only did Yoo Baek-jun pass through the vortex, but he was completely unscathed.
Using Aura Install, Yoo Baek-jun pushed forward like a tank.
The undead guarding the temple tried to block him, but it was meaningless.
—Ugh, ughhh…
—Where did that monster come from?!
Yoo Baek-jun unleashed his Cold aura to its maximum. The cold energy radiating from him swept through the interior like a blizzard.
The undead blocking his path froze solid from the aftermath.
—Kwaaak!
Yoo Baek-jun shattered the frozen undead as he advanced.
His goal was singular.
‘There must be a core to the barrier.’
He needed to destroy the black vortex surrounding the temple.
Having charged deep into the temple, Yoo Baek-jun found the location of the barrier’s core.
As he spread his magical energy wide, he sensed an unusual concentration of magic.
“Huuuuh…!”
It wasn’t far.
Yoo Baek-jun gripped his Thunder spear.
“It’s within reach from here.”
A golden lightning flash sparked from his right arm, pulled back with full force.
Yoo Baek-jun swallowed his breath.
—Kyaaaaak!
A Thunder dragon shot from his fingertips, sweeping forward in a straight line.
It incinerated countless undead, shattered the sturdy gate, and—
—Kwaaaak!
—Kuaaak!
—penetrated the barrier core standing tall in the center of the grand hall in a single strike.
As the thunder dragon exploded, the stored lightning scattered in all directions.
—Kyaaaaak!
—M-my body!
The Death Priests screamed in agony. The undead filling the grand hall were instantly set ablaze.
And beyond them, a massive man gritted his teeth.
—Kuh, this… damn bastard! Aaak!
The Thunder spear destroyed the barrier core and pierced the being standing beyond it.
Clutching his pierced chest, he vomited blood.
—Keuhhk!
The High Priest writhed in pain.
A high-ranking figure among the Death Priests who served Thanatos.
He commanded not just this temple but all the priests in the region.
Which meant—
‘He must be dealt with here.’
There was no reason to let him live.
Moreover, killing him would yield an enormous amount of achievement points.
—Swoosh!
The black vortex protecting the temple’s exterior began to fade.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately stomped the ground.
—Useless fools! Stop him! Kill that damned bastard!
An overwhelming number of undead blocked his path, and countless Death Priests guarded the High Priest.
Enough to make breaking through alone impossible.
But Yoo Baek-jun didn’t care.
—Kwaaaaang!
—Kyaaaak!
Yoo Baek-jun unleashed Flash Steps. Shockwaves erupted with every step he took.
The undead blocking his path were sent flying like bowling pins.
—Protect us!
The Death Priests prayed.
The bones of shattered undead gathered to form a wall, reinforced by dark magic.
But Yoo Baek-jun had no intention of letting it complete.
“Shall we test this?”
Yoo Baek-jun suddenly reached into his pocket and threw something.
Clatter!
Short iron spikes shot toward the priests surrounding him.
What started as a few spikes multiplied, filling the field of vision in an instant.
—Huhk!
Just before the bone wall could fully form, the spikes burrowed through the gaps.
Yoo Baek-jun manipulated them to spread throughout the grand hall.
—Kwaaaaang!
Then—explosion.
The spikes detonated simultaneously. The blast was so intense it brought down the ceiling and walls of the grand hall.
—Kuh, uwaaaak!
—M-my body! My body!
To make matters worse, the poison stored in the spikes spread everywhere.
Half of the Death Priests were undead, while the rest were human.
The poison of the Extreme Rain Transformation was a vicious, flesh-rotting toxin.
—Aaaaak!
—H-High Priest! Help us!
The Death Priests cried for aid, but the High Priest had no time to spare.
He was too busy defending himself.
Injured and struggling to fend off the encroaching poison.
—Kuuuhk…!
The wall formed by the Death Priests crumbled helplessly.
And through the gaps, Yoo Baek-jun emerged like lightning.
—No! Protect the High Priest!
—Kill the intruder!
As the ceiling collapsed, priests from the upper floors appeared.
They hastily chanted spells, all targeting Yoo Baek-jun at once.
Simultaneously, the remaining undead swarmed around him.
‘Trying to immobilize me?’
A predictable move.
Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the ceiling.
“Jeon Soo-yeon!”
As if answering his call, a black wind blew through the passage he had come from.
The surging wind shot upward, engulfing the priests on the upper floor.
It was Jeon Soo-yeon.
“…….”
Once he destroyed the core, Jeon Soo-yeon, who had been waiting outside, made her entrance.
Her face filled with resentment as she attacked the priests.
“Useless….”
Being in charge of the intelligence division of the Sword Saint family was no ordinary task.
She had to sift through endless streams of information and relay only the most critical to the family head.
“But the family head—!”
The problem was that Yoo Baek-jun didn’t need such information.
He already had most of it memorized, rendering her efforts unnecessary.
Lately, the intelligence division had been operating more like spies or assassins.
“Do you know how busy I am?!”
—Swoosh!
Jeon Soo-yeon unleashed her fury with the swift, signature sword techniques of the intelligence division.
She moved like the wind, darting around and cutting down the chanting Death Priests.
—T-this can’t be…
The High Priest staggered.
Clutching his wounds, he summoned the surrounding undead—then widened his eyes in realization.
—No! Kyaaaak!
The undead he had gathered suddenly turned on him.
Yoo Baek-jun had momentarily seized control, forcing them to attack.
Rusty swords and spears impaled the High Priest like spikes.
‘How can he wield such power?!’
Commanding the undead—
Even the High Priest couldn’t hope to match such an ability.
To counter that power…
—Kuh!
There was no way.
The High Priest bit his lip.
—Thanatos! Grant me strength!
Blood poured from his body as he spread his arms wide.
The dark energy swirling around him began to move.
—I offer myself to you!
The dark energy condensed around him, then shot toward Yoo Baek-jun, attempting to hold him back.
Crack, snap!
The High Priest’s body began to twist into a grotesque form.
—Witness this! The power of Thanatos!
“Yeah, no. I don’t think so.”
A split-second decision.
But Yoo Baek-jun casually tapped his spear against his shoulder.
He didn’t even need to move.
“You’re forgetting someone?”
—Grrr…
Behind the High Priest, an equally massive figure emerged.
A divine beast radiating mystical light—
Seol-yeong.
—Roooar!
—Kyaaaak!
Seol-yeong’s sharp claws tore through the High Priest’s back.
Too focused on Yoo Baek-jun, he couldn’t defend himself.
Staggering, the High Priest was sent flying by Seol-yeong’s follow-up strike.
“Huuuh….”
Right toward Yoo Baek-jun.
He stomped the ground, tightening his gauntlet-clad fist.
And just as the High Priest reached him—
—Whoosh!
—Kuh… ugh!
He unleashed Heavenly Destruction.
A colossal explosion engulfed the High Priest as a fiery dragon coiled around him.
His transforming body burned. The dark energy shielding him scattered.
—Kwaaak!
Yoo Baek-jun spun, severing his head in one motion.
The massive High Priest collapsed. After a brief moment of agony, his body crumbled into dust and vanished.
“You think I’d just stand around and watch you power up?”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced around.
Plenty of undead and death priests remained.
“Time to move.”
Gripping his sword and spear, he charged at the enemies still wary of him.
* * *
Dealing with the leaderless undead and priests wasn’t difficult.
After clearing the ones on the surface, Yoo Baek-jun headed underground.
“Family Head. There were some trying to take hostages, so I dealt with them in advance.”
“Oh, good job.”
“…….”
As he tried to pass by after the praise, Jeon Soo-yeon stared intently at him.
Then, with a smug grin, she smirked.
“What?”
“Nothing at all. Heh! Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”
“Uh, sure…”
—Grr?
Yoo Baek-jun tucked the shrunken Seol-yeong into his coat and followed her.
The underground was like a damp maze.
The walls painted with blood rivaled any haunted house.
“Quite the lively place.”
“Here.”
They arrived at the prison.
A massive circular chamber lined with iron-barred cells.
At the center stood a large, blood-filled chalice.
“Ugh, ughhh…”
“Please help us, Thunder God. Hear our desperate prayers.”
Inside the cells, the followers of the Thunder God trembled.
Yoo Baek-jun and Jeon Soo-yeon freed them.
—Eeeek!
“Calm down. We’re here to rescue you.”
“That spear…!”
The terrified followers screamed at the sight of Yoo Baek-jun—but quickly settled when they saw his thunder spear.
“Ah, thank you! Thank you for answering our prayers, Thunder God!”
“…….”
‘I saved them, so why are they thanking the Thunder God?’
Yoo Baek-jun forced a benevolent smile and guided them to the surface.
“We’ve cleared the undead in this area. The remaining ones are on our side, so don’t worry.”
“U-undead on our side?”
“Yes. Jeon Soo-yeon, lead the way.”
She escorted the followers out, leaving Yoo Baek-jun alone.
—Ruff?
Seol-yeong looked up at him as if asking what was next.
He had something to find.
“Hmm… this way?”
After some searching, Yoo Baek-jun opened a door and stepped inside.
A room with a massive altar.
Decorated with skulls and bones—a display of poor taste.
“Ah, here it is. Didn’t look like this last time… Let’s see.”
Yoo Baek-jun poked the altar with his spear, clearing away the skulls and bones to reveal its true form.
“Yeah, that’s more like it.”
An altar to the Thunder God.
When Yoo Baek-jun channeled lightning into it, the altar glowed mystically.
A special altar where he could offer his accumulated achievement points.
He checked his current tally.
[You have slain the High Priest.]
[You have slain the Death Priests.]
[You have rescued the followers of the Thunder God.]
[Your summons continue to eliminate the undead.]
[+5000, +600, +100, +10, +6…]
The points kept updating.
Thanks to the undead he had subjugated and released outside.
The total amount—
[Current Achievement Points: 15,412]
—had reached 15,000.
“This should be enough.”
After a brief pause, Yoo Baek-jun knelt before the altar.
It was time to meet the Thunder God.