Chapter 287
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 287.
“Ooh, this is……”
One by one, the residents of the floating island gathered upon hearing the noise.
The airship facility was not only massive in size but also crafted in the ancient Halpeon style, exuding an indescribable elegance.
“I never thought I’d see something straight out of a fairy tale with my own eyes.”
“Hmm……”
Dwarves, elves, lizardmen, Naga—no matter the race, they were all in awe.
It was a design so ancient that even long-lived races like them had never seen it before.
“In fact, it seems more advanced than Halpeon’s current architectural style.”
That wasn’t wrong.
By Halpeon’s standards, this technology could be centuries ahead.
The gods who gifted this wouldn’t have called it excessively advanced for no reason.
‘The interior is neat too.’
Inside the building were magical engineering facilities resembling automated machinery.
If the materials needed for airship construction were prepared, these magical engineering facilities would handle the production themselves.
‘It’s not like the people of ancient Halpeon could’ve made this on their own…….’
The gods must have known that too, which is why they set it up this way.
Yoo Baek-jun checked the materials required for airship construction through the holographic window that appeared before him.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped his lips.
The list was excessively long. The number of materials needed was enough to make his head spin.
And that wasn’t all. Each of those numerous materials was incredibly rare and exorbitantly expensive.
‘Right, that’s how it was. I think there was a time when I got the blueprint but couldn’t use it—when was that again?’
Depending on the route, there were times when even obtaining the blueprint wasn’t enough to build it.
The Han Chang-woo route was one such example.
A route where the specs were outstanding enough to succeed quickly, but the limited time meant there were constraints on the wealth one could amass.
“But still……”
None of that mattered to Yoo Baek-jun. He had more than enough wealth to spare.
“Long live money.”
The Sword Saint’s family was like an inexhaustible fountain of money.
He felt newly grateful for that fact.
* * *
There were many things to do, but Yoo Baek-jun decided to start by test-producing an airship first.
He instructed his family to gather the necessary materials and then looked for people to manage the facility.
‘The most suitable candidates are, of course, the dwarves.’
Yoo Baek-jun gathered the dwarves. Bigtums seemed to have guessed why he called them the moment they arrived.
“You want us to build an airship?”
“No, the facility will handle the entire production process. The problem is—”
“It’s not fully automated, so some parts need manual intervention. Oh-ho, this is quite an intriguing device.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
Magical stones and other materials needed for airship construction.
Additionally, experts were needed to oversee the intermediate processes.
“It’s almost like a factory. To think Halpeon had things like this, things I’ve only seen in this world. Truly astonishing.”
Bigtums, who was inspecting the airship production facility, let out an exclamation of admiration.
The dwarves behind him were the same. They spent a long time wandering around the production facility, observing it.
“It’s not that we can’t do it, but we’re not exactly experts either. This thing is a bizarre mix of mechanical engineering and magical engineering……”
Bigtums took a sip of alcohol. It was something he’d received from Jin Baek-cheon.
“Gah! Tastes good. Wouldn’t it be better to leave this to other experts? Besides, we’re busy.”
“Right, right. Hey, young human. Did you forget we’re also working on the Black Iron gear?”
“Hmm……”
Now that he thought about it, that was true.
He’d been treating the dwarves like some kind of universal key.
“Do you know anyone you could introduce? Preferably someone trustworthy.”
“No humans, but there is another race. Though you might not like it.”
“I think I can guess……”
Bigtums burst out laughing.
“Yep, gnomes. They’re perfect experts in mechanical engineering. It’d be best to call them.”
“I’m a bit hesitant to involve gnomes due to family matters……”
“Hah! A man of your stature, the head of the Sword Saint’s family, letting personal feelings get in the way? Really?”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep sigh.
“Are they trustworthy?”
“Like I said, not humans, but… Hmm! They’re a bit eccentric, but if you pay them enough, they won’t betray you.”
“That’s all I need.”
If it could be resolved with money, that was even better.
Yoo Baek-jun asked Bigtums to introduce him to the gnome.
“Alright, they’ll be here in a few hours.”
“That’s fast.”
In the meantime, there wasn’t much to do.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yoo Baek-jun recalled the gifts he’d received from the Thunder God.
“Guess it’s time to open them.”
Yoo Baek-jun went to a secluded spot and took out the Thunder Spear.
As he channeled magic into it, the tip of the spear glowed before making a soft ‘pop’ sound.
Thud!
While collecting the rewards that had fallen, Yoo Baek-jun checked the trait that had been upgraded earlier.
Thunder Monarch. That trait had evolved into a new one upon upgrading.
[Avatar of the Thunder God (S+)]
―You have been chosen by the Thunder God.
―You are completely immune to ordinary lightning-based attacks and can absorb them.
―Having mastered lightning, the power of related skills has greatly increased, and you can now use them more efficiently.
―Lightning-related traits and skills are upgraded by two grades, and special effects may occasionally occur.
―You can wield a portion of the Thunder God’s authority.
Overall, it felt like an enhanced version of the Thunder Monarch’s trait.
The key difference was the ability to wield a portion of the Thunder God’s authority.
‘That’s the core of it.’
Having experienced it before, he knew how much this could help in critical moments.
“This should do for now.”
But the gifts didn’t end there.
Yoo Baek-jun had also received rewards commensurate with the merits he’d offered to the Thunder God.
Among them was something particularly useful.
“Oh, an elixir.”
An elixir.
And not just any ordinary elixir.
[Pure Essence (S)]
―A pristine essence containing pure power. Consuming it grants great strength.
―Its purity allows it to be combined with other substances for consumption.
An S-grade elixir. This was potent enough to yield significant effects.
‘My stats have risen a lot…….’
As his stats increased, the threshold for elixirs to take effect also rose.
For Yoo Baek-jun to boost his stats with an elixir now, it had to be of the highest grade.
Only an S-grade or higher would have any noticeable effect.
“Hmm… It feels like a waste to just drink it as is.”
It had a special property.
Its purity allowed it to be combined with other substances for consumption.
In other words, mixing it with other elixirs would enhance its effects.
‘Maybe it’s time to try my hand at herb mixing again.’
He happened to have some suitable elixir ingredients.
“It’s about time to harvest them anyway.”
Yoo Baek-jun got up and headed to the center of the floating island, where the World Tree stood.
Unlike the desolate scenery of the past, the area around the World Tree now housed an elven village, radiating mystique.
Countless flowers and plants, along with spirits and elves, added to the enchanting atmosphere.
―Meow!
“Yeah, yeah……”
The mystical ambiance was abruptly shattered by Seol-yeong, who popped out of nowhere.
The creature leaped up and perched on Yoo Baek-jun’s head.
‘If I say it’s heavy, it’ll probably hit me again.’
Seol-yeong seemed to have been playing with the spirits. The spirits it’d been frolicking with now flitted around Yoo Baek-jun.
“When did they multiply so much?”
“There have always been many spirits in this world. You just didn’t notice them.”
“What’s this, a kid?”
“I’m not a kid!”
The one who spoke was Baimar.
The little one stomped his feet in frustration at Yoo Baek-jun’s remark.
“Gah! I may look like this, but I’m older than you humans! Calling me a kid is—”
“Do something about that manga first.”
“Eek!”
Baimar hurriedly hid the manga he was holding.
It was an educational manga popular among children. According to Delowin, Baimar had recently taken a liking to such manga.
“N-No, this is… my sister’s… I-I wanted to read something else!”
“Sure, sure……”
“Hey! Stop petting me!”
For some reason, Yoo Baek-jun felt a warm fondness and patted Baimar’s head.
Baimar tried to shake it off, but there was no way he could overpower him.
“Eek! You’re too strong!”
“Where’s Delowin?”
“Huh?! She went to the lake! She’s been busy lately because of the work you gave her!”
“Ah, right. That.”
She must be busy preparing a settlement for the lizardmen and Naga.
“Hmm?”
Yoo Baek-jun stared at Baimar.
“I think I gave you some work too, didn’t I?”
“…….”
“Why are you here?”
Baimar pressed his lips tightly together and Yoo Baek-jun let out a dry laugh.
“Slacking off to read manga, huh? Am I right?”
Baimar couldn’t answer.
While his sister and other kin were working hard, he was alone……
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
“Well, good timing. Instead of slacking off, why don’t you guide me somewhere?”
“Guide? Wh-Where?”
“To the crop fields.”
“Why should I……”
“Should I tell Ignasil?”
“…….”
Baimar’s lips twisted.
Ignasil.
Originally the captain of the elven village guard, he now also served as Baimar’s martial arts instructor.
His training was notoriously strict, and Baimar was terrified of him.
“F-Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
Grr.
Grumbling, Baimar led Yoo Baek-jun to a secret location.
Near the World Tree, a special greenhouse was under heavy protection.
Guarded by numerous elves and security measures, it was a place of great importance.
‘Well, it’s an important place, after all.’
Baimar and Yoo Baek-jun entered the greenhouse. Inside, countless plants grew beautifully.
All of them were mystical plants brimming with potent magical power.
“They’ve already grown this much?”
“Plants near the World Tree are influenced by it. It’s not unusual for them to grow quickly.”
Baimar headed deeper inside.
At the very back of the greenhouse, the density of magical power was almost suffocating.
And there, rare ingredients had absorbed that magical power in its entirety.
“It’s hard to breathe.”
“It’s because the magic here is so dense.”
“No, it’s because I’m breathless at the thought of consuming such precious things.”
“…Huh?”
Baimar tilted his head in confusion.
Yoo Baek-jun gestured at him.
“Gather some of the most effective ones for me. I have a use for them.”
“So that’s why you brought me here?”
“Obviously… I can’t just go around plucking plants when I’m no expert.”
Baimar sighed.
If left to Yoo Baek-jun, a non-expert, the plants might be uprooted beyond recovery.
“Ugh……”
Grumbling, Baimar got to work as instructed.
Yoo Baek-jun sat nearby, waiting for him to finish.
―Flutter!
“Hmm?”
Seol-yeong, perched on his head, raised a paw as if greeting someone.
The fluttering sound in the distance came from the World Tree’s fairy.
―What are you doing here?
“Taking some of the plants you grew.”
―Th-Thief!
The fairy was startled.
But it seemed to be a joke, as she flew over nonchalantly and settled on Seol-yeong’s head.
Now, Yoo Baek-jun had Seol-yeong on his head, and the fairy on Seol-yeong’s head.
‘What kind of sight is this?’
The sounds of Seol-yeong and the fairy chatting above him reached his ears.
―Oh, right. Human.
―Hoo-man!
The fairy and Seol-yeong called out to him.
The fairy rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a magic stone.
―Remember what you asked for last time? Making Verdant Magic Stones. We succeeded with the elves’ help.
“Oh, really?”
Yoo Baek-jun examined the Verdant Magic Stone handed to him.
It was a beautiful Magic stone.
“This’ll be perfect for the airship.”
He wondered what effects it would have if applied to the airship.