Chapter 284
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 284.
The Evil Dragon and Thanatos—those two could never join forces.
But just in case, he planned to set up one more device.
"There is a monster slumbering beneath our world. Though it cannot compare to those two, it is an extremely troublesome creature to deal with."
—So, it must be a monster without reason.
"Yes. It will destroy anything it lays its eyes on. I intend to throw it between the Evil Dragon and Thanatos."
The situation would become utterly chaotic. And for Yoo Baek-jun, that would be a great advantage.
The more confused they were, the easier it would be to unravel things.
"I have a request."
—I’m listening. Speak.
"Please block the power of corruption that the Evil Dragon possesses. If that power remains, our world will suffer great damage."
—You even know about that?
The Thunder God let out a hollow laugh.
The more he learned, the more mysterious this human became. Now, even things unknown to the people of Halpeon were known to this outsider.
And in such detail, no less.
—Blocking that power is impossible. But weakening it to the greatest extent possible is achievable. How you use this opportunity is up to you.
"That much is enough."
Yoo Baek-jun was using the intelligence division to contact the heirs of prestigious families and guilds across the world.
Those who had lost their positions as successors due to the schemes of the Black Shadow.
The only way was to help them reclaim their rightful places and use that to prepare them.
—For now, I will trust your words. If the Evil Dragon opens the path as you say, there is no reason not to intervene. Thanatos is our world’s affair.
There was a reason Yoo Baek-jun chose the Thunder God among the many gods of Halpeon.
A god who governs justice and honor.
As such, the Thunder God was a deity with a strong sense of responsibility.
—But before you go, there is something you must do.
With a wave of the Thunder God’s hand, a familiar map appeared in the air. It was a map recording the area around the Battlefield of Proof.
—Thanatos’s minions emerge from this central area. It is where the passage connecting the underworld and this place lies.
The Thunder God pointed to the very center of the Battlefield of Proof. Several temples were built around it.
—This battlefield is, in a way, like a magic circle. The temples serve as the cores of that circle.
"I don’t even need to ask what kind of magic circle it is."
—It is meant to prevent Thanatos from emerging here.
"The reason you’re telling me this is…"
The Thunder God nodded.
—There is a seal core nearby. However, this area is under Thanatos’s control, making it inaccessible. Fortunately, they are unaware of its existence.
As the Thunder God gestured in the air, a solidified bolt of lightning appeared.
It was an item.
—Destroying the core will release Thanatos. Conversely…
"...If we can control the timing, we can release Thanatos whenever we want."
—Correct. The lightning you received will serve that purpose. It will destroy the core at the appointed time.
The place where the seal core lies is where the black vortex I saw earlier would be.
Yoo Baek-jun, who possesses the Successor of the Death King—a fragment of Thanatos’s power—can pass through that vortex unharmed.
The Thunder God knew that as well.
—And that power you possess… I don’t know how you obtained it, but there is something else you will need.
"……"
Yoo Baek-jun bowed his head.
Though the blessing he received lessened the effects, the Success of the Death King still inflicted great and small harm upon him.
And he already knew that somewhere in this Battlefield of Proof, there was an item that could rid him of it.
‘No reason to refuse.’
Yoo Baek-jun accepted the offer.
—If you complete this task, you will be able to return to your original world. We won’t meet again for a while.
The Thunder God stretched out his hand.
The Thunder Spear Yoo Baek-jun possessed floated up and moved toward him.
—This is a gift. When you return to your original world, you will understand what it is.
The Thunder Spear returned to Yoo Baek-jun. The Thunder God pushed his hand forward.
Then, Yoo Baek-jun’s body was pushed by something and began to disappear.
—I will await the day we meet again, intriguing mortal.
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.
* * *
—How amusing.
With the departure of the guest who had come after so long, the Thunder God was left alone.
He reflected on the human who had been there just moments ago.
—A mortal who felt nothing upon seeing me.
Awe, fear.
Emotions any human would naturally feel upon encountering a god, yet that man felt nothing.
He had met him solely as a means to achieve his own goals.
—His words were polite, but in truth, he regarded this form as insignificant. How audacious.
Yet, that pleased him.
The Thunder God delivered an oracle to the High Priest of the Battlefield of Proof. It was an oracle to hand over the treasures in the temple.
He turned his back.
—I wonder if things will proceed as that mortal said.
And then, he opened the door.
There was no need to help, but he would do what he could to ensure the mortal’s plan proceeded smoothly.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes.
Unlike the white space from before, he now saw the gloomy underground of a temple.
"Have you awakened?"
"Gah!"
And Imron’s face.
Startled by the sudden appearance of the face without warning, Yoo Baek-jun jumped.
"W-were you watching me?"
"Yes, I had permission. It’s the first time a non-believer has met him directly, so I was concerned something might happen."
Jeon Soo-yeon was leaning against the wall, watching Imron intently.
Bad for the heart, really bad.
"I have something for you."
Imron spoke abruptly.
He pulled out a scroll from his robes. It was a scroll with what looked like architectural blueprints inside.
Strangely, it emitted a magical aura.
"I received an oracle. He told me to give this to you."
"This is…"
"Blueprints for a facility to construct Airships. Though they’re a bit special. Would you like to try infusing them with magic?"
Following his words, Yoo Baek-jun channeled magic into the scroll.
The scroll glowed brighter, and something mystical appeared before Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes.
‘Ah, this.’
A blue hologram.
A miniature holographic model of a building appeared in his vision.
"If you place this in your desired location, the building from the blueprint will be constructed. Without materials or laborers."
"Nice."
Airships.
One of Halpeon’s representative lost technologies.
A gift bestowed upon the faithful by the gods during the Great War to fight the evil gods.
‘Did they take it away because it was too advanced for the technology of that time?’
Probably.
That’s why it’s only mentioned in historical records as something that once existed.
In modern times, with things like airplanes, there’s no need to obsess over such Airships…
‘But they still have their uses.’
The functions and buffs of the Airships themselves are excellent, making them quite useful.
To fight the Evil Dragon, a means of flight is necessary, and with these Airships, that worry can be alleviated.
Yoo Baek-jun pocketed the scroll.
"I’ll put it to good use."
"If this item can be of help, I’m glad. Please call upon me if there’s anything else I can assist with."
Imron smiled warmly and stepped back, and Yoo Baek-jun rose to his feet.
"Family head. What will you do now?"
"We’re going to the enemy’s stronghold."
"...Huh?"
Jeon Soo-yeon’s expression went blank. Yoo Baek-jun grabbed her shoulder.
"We’ll have dinner in hell."
"What?"
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun and Jeon Soo-yeon walked through the heart of the Battlefield of Proof.
Around them, countless undead followed as if escorting them.
"Ugh, ugh. Hell, hell…"
Thanks to the undead under Yoo Baek-jun’s control guarding against enemies, the two could comfortably proceed to their destination.
Though Jeon Soo-yeon didn’t seem entirely at ease.
"Something’s glowing suspiciously?"
—Krrrung.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the Thunder Spear.
Perhaps due to something the Thunder God did, the spear was glowing brightly.
He racked his memory.
‘If I remember correctly… it’s probably to enhance the Thunder Monarch.’
The Power of the Thunder God within the spear would now upgrade the Thunder Monarch.
To a higher-tier attribute.
The Thunder Spear would also be upgraded—beyond S-rank.
‘No choice but to awaken it.’
The additional benefits made it worthwhile.
After walking for a while, Yoo Baek-jun suddenly spoke to Jeon Soo-yeon.
"How’s the Hunter Association these days?"
"Ugh… Huh? The Hunter Association?"
Jeon Soo-yeon’s eyes widened.
"What about it? It’s chaotic. The inside was turned upside down. Lately, that, uh, reptilian guy? What was his name?"
"……"
Yoo Baek-jun silently stared at her and then she awkwardly laughed.
"Hehe, Han Chang-woo… Just kidding. Ahem! Anyway, they say he’s been handling gates and incidents lately."
"Reputation?"
"Not bad, I guess? Han Chang-woo himself is a total pushover… I mean, a good guy, so people’s reactions are positive. The Association seems pretty confident these days too."
Han Chang-woo isn’t a villain.
The game company didn’t make him and Jin Seo-yeon the dual protagonists for nothing.
They designed his character to be inherently likable.
The Hunter Association seems to be using him to improve their image.
‘It’s not like I can’t deal with him now…’
It would’ve been tricky before, but now Yoo Baek-jun has the Dragon Slayer’s Spear.
Han Chang-woo is also a dragonkin—though of a different kind than the ones created by the Evil Dragon.
"I’d like to get his help, but it’s a bit awkward."
"Want me to help? The Association probably sees our family as enemies."
"……"
Yoo Baek-jun fell into thought.
"Han Chang-woo follows Baek Jang-hyeon, but he’s closer to Chae Jeong-jun."
"That’s what I heard too. He said both were like benefactors to him?"
"It’s awkward for me to say this, but both have a high favorability toward me."
"……"
Jeon Soo-yeon gave him a strange look.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just didn’t expect to hear the term ‘favorability’ here…"
A habit from gaming.
Yoo Baek-jun cleared his throat.
"I planted a hint with Chae Jeong-jun before. By now, he’s probably half-doubting Baek Jang-hyeon."
"If it’s half-doubt, we’ll need to drive the wedge deeper to make it full distrust."
"Right."
A good idea came to mind.
"It’d be better to show Chae Jeong-jun the Hunter Association’s incompetence."
"How?"
When the time comes for the Evil Dragon and Thanatos to appear, all sorts of anomalies will begin occurring on Earth.
Yoo Baek-jun planned to let the Hunter Association handle it first.
"Let’s see how well they do."
"What if they actually do well?"
"Then I’ll praise them for being amazing."
"Family head, it’s not that simple…"
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
"Do you think they can stop it? This isn’t something the Association can handle alone. They’ll need help."
"Given the current trends in the Hunter Association, they won’t ask our family or other guilds for help."
"That’s the key."
The Hunter Association under Baek Jang-hyeon, and by extension the government, wants one thing.
To reclaim the initiative in their relationship with the various hunter families and guilds.
Throughout history, the Association and government have been dragged around by them.
"We need to make them face reality."
By now, they had reached the center of the Battlefield of Proof. A black vortex enveloped the entire area.
Yoo Baek-jun hid in a nearby forest.
"The Sword Saint family won’t move. The Magic Tower can’t move. Other guilds… huh, it’s oddly coincidental how none can act."
"They’ll have to rely solely on the Hunter Association’s strength. And that…"
"Won’t be enough."
Without the help of the families and guilds, the government and Hunter Association will have to face the crisis alone.
But the events of the Evil Dragon’s emergence, coupled with Thanatos’s descent, are beyond their ability to handle.
Even with Han Chang-woo, it’s impossible.
"When the time comes, I can make one proposal to Chae Jeong-jun."
All he had to do was wait.
Upon reaching the place, Yoo Baek-jun plopped down and looked at Jeon Soo-yeon.
"What are you doing?"
—Hmm?
She tilted her head. Seol-yeong in her arms did the same.
Yoo Baek-jun pulled something out.
"Time to get to work."
"Work? What kind of work…?"
"You’re good at something, right? Disguises."
What he pulled out was the robe worn by the Death Priest.
A dark, gloomy robe.
It had an unpleasant, eerie smell.
"Well, that is my specialty."
Jeon Soo-yeon grinned confidently.