Chapter 289
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 289.
The construction of the airship had begun.
The gnomes actively utilized the machinery in the Airship manufacturing facility.
Machines modeled after humans, albeit crudely designed, worked tirelessly.
Whirr.
—Kyarurung… Wahoo!
"Hey, don’t get in the way."
Seol-yeong was riding atop the head of one such machine, moving around here and there.
It was reminiscent of a cat riding a robotic vacuum cleaner.
Yoo Baek-jun lifted his head.
"By the way… it’s faster than I expected?"
What lay before his eyes was the sight of the Airship currently under construction.
A sleek, well-crafted hull, sails stretching out like wings on either side, and even a propulsion device that gathered and expelled magical energy.
It was… a massive ship.
An 'Airship.'
A ship that sailed the skies.
In many ways, it was an object that stirred the romantic fantasies in people’s hearts.
In fact, Heroes Road had even used it as a marketing gimmick.
'The problem was that most people started because of the Airship but ended up quitting without ever seeing it.'
It wasn’t false advertising.
The Airship did exist, and players could indeed build it themselves.
The issue was that the difficulty was so absurdly high that 99% of players quit before even getting close.
Whirr.
"Haha! It’s quite fast, isn’t it?"
"Kal."
Mechanical arms extending from the ceiling and walls transported materials, assisting the humanoid machines in constructing the Airship.
Originally, it wouldn’t have been this fast. The reason it was progressing so quickly was because of the gnomes.
"Yeah, it’s faster than I thought. What kind of magic did you pull?"
"We introduced modern technology. The technical prowess of this manufacturing facility is impressive, but there were a few inefficient aspects."
"So, we improved them using the latest technology, in our own way."
The gnome puffed out his chest.
They seemed to take pride in their skills. Not bad.
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
"How long do you think it’ll take?"
"The machines work nonstop. And if we literally pour in magic stones as fuel…"
Kal spread out one hand.
"Five days will suffice."
"Just how many magic stones would that require…"
Yoo Baek-jun let out a deep sigh.
This facility ran on magic stones. The rapidly moving machines operated on the power of magic stones.
The more magic stones they used, the more machines they could activate.
And if they used high-quality magic stones, those machines could work even faster.
"Dizzying. Do it."
"Yay. Hehe, this is the first time we’ve ever gotten to splurge on magic stones like this. We’ve found a good employer."
"That sounds more like an insult than praise…"
"It’s a compliment, a compliment! And as you said, we’ll also try using black iron!"
"Is that possible?"
The underground mines of the floating island contained black iron alongside magic stones.
If they could use the infinitely abundant black iron, they could reduce material costs, and the Airship would become even stronger.
"Yep, we talked to Bigtums. He said it should be possible. Using black iron will make it sturdier and possibly even faster."
Kal scratched the back of his head.
"Though the Airship might turn pitch black as a result. Is that okay?"
"We can always paint it or something."
"Then there’s no problem."
"Good, I’ll wait for the finished product. Seems like it’ll turn out well."
Yoo Baek-jun turned away.
Seol-yeong, who had been riding atop a machine’s head, returned to perch on his.
Tucking the creature into the Black Ghost subspace pocket, he left the manufacturing facility.
—Kyaruruk…
The floating island was endlessly peaceful.
Spirits and all sorts of demi-humans. Conflicts could have arisen, but no major disputes occurred—it was simply peaceful.
‘The dwarves and elves seem to be getting along fine these days, too.’
Thanks to the festival held to lure out the Black Shadow, they had grown even closer.
The same went for the other races.
The newly arrived lizardmen and Naga were also satisfied with life on the floating island.
"Is this also the effect of the World Tree?"
—Kheung? Chap, chap…
Seol-yeong, who had been looking up at Yoo Baek-jun, went back to licking its paws.
It might just be his imagination, but he always felt a sense of tranquility when on the floating island.
‘Maybe that’s why.’
There were times when he wanted to stay here and rest deeply.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say he felt lazy.
Maybe that was why the demi-humans gathered here lived so peacefully.
"Ah, I want to rest."
"We’re on the same page…"
"Gahk!"
Right behind Yoo Baek-jun, Min Yi-jae emerged from the shadows like a wraith.
Startled, Yoo Baek-jun clutched his pounding chest.
"Don’t you ever get tired of this?!"
"Why would I? More than anything, seeing you startled makes me feel refreshed…"
Min Yi-jae’s face was naturally gloomy, but today, the dark circles under his eyes seemed particularly pronounced.
It wasn’t just his imagination.
"Following your orders, I’ve been scouring the entire world. So this much is…"
"R-right. My bad."
"Hmm…"
Min Yi-jae had been acting on Yoo Baek-jun’s instructions to personally verify the Black Shadow’s hideouts.
The dark circles under his eyes were undoubtedly because of that.
Even Yoo Baek-jun couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt in this situation.
"Ahem. So, did you check them all out? The hideouts, I mean."
"Yeah, based on the information we gathered… I moved around alone."
There were things they had learned by interrogating Dante and the Black Shadow’s subordinates.
The locations of the Black Shadow’s hideouts.
"I went and checked them all personally. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate the main base… They said even they didn’t know…"
"Is that so?"
It wasn’t that there was no main base.
The Black Shadow definitely had a main base. The problem was that it was in a highly unique location, making immediate access impossible.
‘But I can infer its location.’
There was a pattern.
Yoo Baek-jun unfolded a map marked with the approximate locations Min Yi-jae had visited.
"Tell me about the hideout locations first."
"Hmm…"
Min Yi-jae marked the Black Shadow’s hideouts as dots on the map.
Dots scattered seemingly at random. After a moment of thought, Yoo Baek-jun drew several lines connecting them.
"This is…"
Min Yi-jae frowned.
"…Some kind of magic circle?"
With that, a strange pattern resembling a magic circle appeared on the large map.
Since the shape wasn’t complete, it was impossible to tell what kind of magic circle it was.
Yoo Baek-jun pointed to what seemed like the center of the magic circle.
"It’ll probably appear around here."
"You mean their main stronghold… I’m curious how you know, but I’ll let that slide for now… When?"
"Soon."
"……"
Min Yi-jae stared at Yoo Baek-jun with icy eyes. His gaze seemed to ask, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
"Don’t look at me like that."
"Do I look like I have a choice? ‘Soon’? Tomorrow? Or a week later? That’s too vague…"
"I know."
But what could he do?
The main stronghold would appear when the Evil Dragon revealed itself.
There was no way to know the exact timing. He could only make rough estimates.
"Probably around a month. It might take a bit longer."
"Or it could be shorter. I’ll prepare."
"Ah, and one more thing…" Yoo Baek-jun raised a finger. "When the main stronghold is about to appear, precursor phenomena will occur. Worldwide. Keep that in mind."
"That’s still vague. Understood… I’ll keep watch and inform you immediately if the phenomena you mentioned occur."
"Good. Since you’re here, go see your sister. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"
"My sister…" Min Yi-jae let out a deep sigh. “…She’s in her rebellious phase.”
With those words, he vanished.
‘A rebellious phase, huh.’
Considering her age, it wasn’t strange for her to be going through that phase.
Yoo Baek-jun raised his hand. Han Seong-ah, who had been standing guard nearby, approached.
"Yes, Family head."
"I have somewhere to go, so get ready. There’ll be combat, so keep that in mind."
"I’ll gather the swordsmen. Where are you planning to go?"
"Wakkanai."
The island of extreme cold.
A place he had visited a few months ago to deal with a troublesome treasure hunter.
"I need to repay a favor."
Nagito of the Mikazuki Guild.
To break the seal of the monster deep beneath Wakkanai, his help was absolutely necessary.
"Instructor Han Seong-ah, you’re coming with me. And… call Baek Jun-kyung as well."
"Understood."
They would need that man’s sniping skills.
Yoo Baek-jun rose from his seat. It was time to go deal with some tedious business.
* * *
And the very next day, Yoo Baek-jun arrived at his destination: Wakkanai.
"Huuu.”
His breath misted in the air.
By the calendar, it should have been summer, but this island remained locked in a frigid winter.
The environmental changes caused by the Gates were to blame. Thanks to them, Wakkanai boasted harsh cold all year round.
"The cold is tiresome."
Thanks to his traits, he didn’t feel the cold much, but it was still annoying.
Yoo Baek-jun lifted his head.
"That way?"
"Yes, according to the intelligence division, there are many hunters guarding the area. Just as you said…"
"They must be members of the Mikazuki Guild."
What he was looking at was a vast forest. A frozen forest, locked in ice by the extreme cold.
Recently, a high-difficulty Gate had appeared there, and the Mikazuki Guild was attempting to conquer it.
With Nagito at the forefront.
‘Should I call him diligent…?’
The Mikazuki Guild was practically a conglomerate in Japan.
Massive wealth, outstanding hunters, and the influence that came with it.
In a way, it could be considered similar to the Sword Saint’s family.
The reason such a guild would care about a remote Gate like this was simple.
‘Because of what he said to me.’
Yoo Baek-jun recalled what Nagito had once told him.
—We’ve taken responsibility for managing it. We must also manage the Gates in the Wakkanai area.
—I had no idea Wakkanai had been left in such a state. I’m ashamed to have learned of it so late.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
For the heir of a major guild, he was surprisingly principled.
Nagito was trying to keep his word. The problem was that someone was trying to exploit that.
‘The second son of the Mikazuki Guild.’
There was a reason he compared it to the Sword Saint’s family. The Mikazuki Guild was also suffering from internal strife.
A succession dispute.
The eldest son, Nagito, was confirmed as the successor, but the second son was resisting.
‘Nagito may be principled, but he’s no pushover.’
The faction led by the second son had numerous issues, including corruption.
Once Nagito becomes guild master, he would undoubtedly purge them completely.
Feeling threatened, they had now taken action.
‘Seizing the opportunity, in one fell swoop…’
They planned to eliminate Nagito.
Right now, Nagito and his guild members were attempting to conquer the Gate, but among them were traitors tied to the second son.
Nagito, in crisis, might send a distress signal to the outside world, but it would be meaningless.
"They’ve completely surrounded the forest."
"Yes. They’ve blocked off the outside so no one can leave, and it seems they’ve taken control of the area around the Gate inside the forest as well."
With the outside completely cut off, any distress signal wouldn’t even get through.
The second son of the Mikazuki Guild must be laughing at Nagito for being a fool, thinking he’s seized the opportunity.
He was probably envisioning a rosy future where he becomes guild master.
"Time to shatter those delusions."
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
He felt like he’d experienced something similar before.
"Send the signal to Baek Jun-kyung. Once the sniping succeeds, we move immediately."
"Yes, Family head."
Yoo Baek-jun gripped his sword.