Chapter 282
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 282.
Yoo Baek-jun prayed.
He assumed the posture that the followers of the Thunder God had taken and recited the prayer they had spoken.
Then, the altar shone.
—Honorably realize justice.
—O servant of thunder, show us the majesty you have proven on the battlefield.
The light from the altar gathered onto the symbol on the back of Yoo Baek-jun's hand.
The symbol resonated and glowed before the energy within it flowed back into the altar.
—Splendid. The achievements you have accomplished are worthy of praise.
—Speak your desire.
Yoo Baek-jun bowed his head.
Though a majestic voice echoed from the altar, it was not the Thunder God.
It was something akin to an AI, a self-aware entity like the white sword he possessed, acting on behalf of the Thunder God to interact with followers.
“I wish to meet the Thunder God in person.”
—"……."
The altar fell silent.
A moment of stillness. The altar, as if pondering, finally responded.
—Insufficient.
The altar declared.
Firmly, like a blade.
—Accumulate more achievements, warrior. Then, your wish shall be granted.
—The merits you have gathered are dazzling, but they are not enough to meet the Thunder God.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed inwardly. He had taken a chance, but it seemed his achievements were still lacking to meet the Thunder God directly.
‘Tch, nothing I can do.’
Yoo Baek-jun changed his approach.
“Then, is it possible to have a conversation with Him? I have something to discuss.”
—…….
The altar observed Yoo Baek-jun.
It was an absurd request, but there was no other way to explain it.
It felt as though the altar was scrutinizing whether he was worthy of meeting the Thunder God.
—The trait ‘Nobility’ activates.
The ‘Nobility’ trait Yoo Baek-jun possessed happened to activate at that moment.
A trait granted based on the good deeds he had performed thus far. Though it held no real value.
‘In unexpected situations, nobility shines.’
A sacred light emanated from Yoo Baek-jun’s body. The altar let out a thoughtful hum before concluding its observation.
—Impossible… no, this is…….
The altar hesitated.
Yoo Baek-jun suddenly felt someone’s gaze and looked up at the ceiling.
Light was gathering there.
—Originally, this would be impossible.
The altar spoke.
—But rejoice. The Thunder God wishes to see you. Your desire shall now be fulfilled.
Fulfilled, my ass.
Yoo Baek-jun cursed inwardly as the altar emitted a brilliant light.
A golden radiance. The altar scattered lightning wildly, and the bolts surged skyward like pillars.
Kwaaaaang!
A massive thunderbolt struck the altar.
Shortly after, an orb crackling with lightning appeared atop the altar.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun’s body trembled momentarily.
An inexplicable pressure made his hair stand on end, and his skin tingled.
From that shabby orb before him… an intense presence emanated.
—Mortal.
The orb—no, the Thunder God—spoke.
A voice that seemed to resonate with the soul.
—I have a task for you.
“What is it?”
The voice ringing directly in his head made Yoo Baek-jun slightly dizzy.
‘He said He wanted to see me.’
There must be a reason.
And Yoo Baek-jun already knew what that reason was.
—I know you. Human who fought that abominable evil god from another world. We have been watching you.
‘If you were watching, you could’ve helped.’
Such complaints swirled in his mouth.
—We need your strength once more. We wish to seal away the abominable evil god, Thanatos, again.
“…I heard the seal has weakened.”
—Correct. The battle in your world has weakened the bindings restraining Thanatos. We were the ones who created those bindings.
“Then shouldn’t You, the ones who made them, reinforce them directly?”
—Circumstances prevent us from doing so.
The Thunder God denied.
—But if you assist us, there is a way to restore those bindings.
“…….”
Sealing Thanatos.
Doing so would end the undead crisis plaguing this region.
Thanatos would never again be able to threaten Earth.
‘That’s not what I want.’
That would be problematic.
Yoo Baek-jun shook his head.
“O Thunder God, is it truly necessary to seal Thanatos again?”
—What?
The Thunder God was taken aback.
Such a response was entirely unexpected.
—What are you saying? Have you forgotten the calamity that befell your world?
“I remember. Why not let the outdated seal break on its own? No, rather… how about helping it break even faster?”
—What in the world…….?!
Yoo Baek-jun stared at the orb.
“You must already know. The Summoning ritual in our world… it created a passage connecting the underworld where Thanatos is imprisoned to our world.”
The ritual had failed. But from Thanatos’s perspective, it was a success.
A passage to invade Earth once more had been formed.
“In fact, Thanatos is already preparing to wreak havoc on our world again. To regain His strength by increasing His followers……”
—And with that strength, He will seek revenge on us. He loathes us for imprisoning Him.
The Thunder God said coldly.
—Knowing that, you would let Thanatos’s seal break?
“Yes.”
—Why… no, mortal. Surely not.
The bewildered Thunder God finally realized Yoo Baek-jun’s intent.
—Mortal, do you intend to release Thanatos into your world?
That was precisely Yoo Baek-jun’s goal.
The passage was already connected. If the seal weakened, Thanatos would use it to target Earth again.
“Yes.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded. The Thunder God laughed incredulously.
—Even weakened, He is a god. Do you truly believe a human can oppose a god?
By the standards of the Busan incident, it was absolutely impossible.
A descended Thanatos would turn the entire nation into a land overrun by undead, reducing the world to ruins.
‘If He had descended at that point, this cycle would’ve been doomed.’
There would have been no choice but to start over.
Such was the absolute power of Thanatos. Even now, it remained unchanged.
The Thunder God, well aware of this, found Yoo Baek-jun’s idea ludicrous.
—Your world may face annihilation. Are you truly fine with that?
“I won’t be the one fighting.”
—What?
He wasn’t a fool. He had no intention of facing such a monster directly.
There was someone else who would fight in his stead.
“The Evil Dragon. I plan to pit the two monsters against each other and let them annihilate one another.”
—That’s…….
The Thunder God let out a hollow laugh.
An absurd notion. A plan so delusional it wasn’t even worth considering.
—…….
Yet, against all reason, the Thunder God found Himself wanting to hear more.
He decided to listen further. But unfortunately—
—Time is short.
The orb’s form began to fade.
—The achievements you’ve accumulated are insufficient for a prolonged conversation with me.
“How much more must I accumulate?”
The Thunder God silently observed the glowing symbol on Yoo Baek-jun’s hand.
—When that symbol shines three times as brilliantly, we may meet again.
“This damn……”
—Mortal?
“No, it’s nothing.”
The amount of achievement points Yoo Baek-jun had accumulated was 15,000. Three times that would be 45,000.
‘This bastard…….’
In the previous cycle, he had managed it with 15,000, but circumstances had changed.
It wasn’t hard to guess why.
—The situation in this region is dire. With your current achievements, I cannot remain here for long.
The state of the Battlefield of Proof had worsened since his last visit.
It was likely that the required achievement points had increased as a result.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“Then I’ll just have to accumulate more, right?”
—Do so, mortal, and the wish you desire shall be granted.
‘My wish, my ass.’
The orb’s form grew increasingly faint. It was disappearing.
—Before I go, one question.
The orb trembled violently.
Suddenly, the thunder spear Yoo Baek-jun was holding floated up and flew toward the orb of its own accord.
—Explain. Why do you possess this spear? It was a weapon I once gave to a man in the distant past.
“It was held by a subordinate of my ancestor. I merely found it. I don’t know the details.”
—…….
The Thunder God fell silent.
“But I do know one thing: this spear isn’t performing at its full potential.”
—A long time has passed. Once, it was a weapon I wielded, but now much of its power has been lost.
The Thunder God scoffed.
—Your plan is absurd. A delusion with no chance of success. But… it is worth hearing.
“Does that mean…….”
—I wish to hear more of your tale. This power may aid you. But before that, answer me.
Now nearly transparent, the Thunder God asked Yoo Baek-jun:
—Long ago, the man who received this spear from me had the power to wield it. He was worthy. Do you possess the qualification to wield the thunder spear?
“Yes.”
—…….
Yoo Baek-jun declared firmly.
The power of the Thunder God began to flow from him.
His qualification was more than sufficient.
—Amusing, truly amusing……. Very well, I shall test you.
The fading orb suddenly emitted a brilliant light.
Like a candle flaring brightly before extinguishing, the light surged into the thunder spear.
—Accumulate your achievements. I look forward to hearing what other absurdities you will utter next time…….
With those words, the orb vanished.
His claim of being unable to remain long was no lie.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the thunder spear, now radiating blinding light.
At the peak of its radiance, golden lightning erupted in all directions.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun inspected the spear.
[Thunder Spear Gungnir (S-)]
A spear bestowed upon an otherworldly hero by the Thunder God for achieving great feats.
It contains the Thunder God’s power, allowing the wielder to freely wield lightning.
Though much of its power has been lost over time, the Thunder God’s aid has restored some of its former strength.
—Options: Lightning-Storm, Thunderbolt, Power of the Thunder God, Return
—Skill: Divine Punishment
Its grade had risen, and a new skill had appeared.
The description was exceedingly simple.
Divine Punishment: Upon those who dare defy the gods, let divine punishment fall. Strikes enemies ahead with devastating force.
That was all.
But Yoo Baek-jun, having used it before, knew just how powerful this skill was.
A satisfying outcome.
‘Next time, He’ll enhance it further, right? Well, whatever.’
It was worth accumulating the achievements.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the altar where the orb had vanished. The once-glowing altar was now completely dim.
“A bit—no, very annoying…….”
—Mmm? Mrooow…….
Seol-yeong, who had been napping in his embrace, opened its eyes. The creature looked up at him curiously.
Yoo Baek-jun mercilessly pinched its cheeks.
“Poison against poison.”
Pitting the Evil Dragon and Thanatos against each other, two deadly forces clashing to mutual destruction.
Anyone hearing this would call him insane, but Yoo Baek-jun was confident.
He had done it before.
“Good.”
But for that, he needed the Thunder God’s help. Yoo Baek-jun gripped the thunder spear.
“Shall we get to work?”
—Meeow!
Dodging Seol-yeong’s attempt to claw his face, Yoo Baek-jun ascended to the surface.