Chapter 293
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 293.
For Kenya, the events unfolding before him were utterly unbelievable.
His own brother, Senya—a Hunter ranked among the top—had died so pitifully, without even putting up a fight.
“Kuh, ugh… Get lost! I said get lost!”
“Where do you think you’re going? Stop him!”
Kenya, his eyes wild with rage, tried to shake off Nagito and lunge at Yoo Baek-jun.
But Nagito and the others held him back firmly.
‘Why…?’
Senya was undoubtedly a ranker.
But he wasn’t among the upper ranks—just a mid-to-lower-tier ranker.
‘How could this happen?!’
Even being at that level was impressive, but unfortunately, his opponent was far, far worse.
The current Yoo Baek-jun was among the very top of the rankers.
“Hmm, the so-called ‘Strongest Shield’”.
Yoo Baek-jun chuckled.
“Let’s see how sturdy it really is.”
A pale mist began to swirl around him.
Drawing forth his magical power, Yoo Baek-jun hurled his Thunder spear high into the sky.
No one understood his actions—neither his allies nor Kenya, his enemy.
Kurururu!
But they soon realized.
The sky roared, the earth trembled violently, and the winds howled.
Then, thunder struck.
“Now!”
Though he didn’t fully grasp the details, Nagito had been told the timing to retreat from Yoo Baek-jun’s attack.
The moment he stepped back, lightning rained down upon Kenya.
Kwaaaaang!
“Grrrrraaah!”
Kenya raised his shield.
His entire body turned steel-like as he activated his skill, and the shield in his hand formed a massive barrier.
He didn’t know what skill his enemy had used, but he was confident he could block it.
‘I’ll stop it.’
The sky split apart.
Beyond it, a colossal arm emerged. The small lightning spear absorbed the surrounding electricity, transforming into a massive bolt of lightning.
“……!”
It shot toward Kenya.
In the literal blink of an eye, Kenya only realized he had been struck after the immense force had already slammed into his body.
Kwarururu!
“Ugh, huk… kuh!”
The enormous lightning spear engulfed Kenya.
His proud defense managed to hold it off for a mere moment—but that was all.
Kwaduduk!
The divine punishment tore through Kenya’s defenses like paper and mercilessly struck him beneath.
His shield shattered, his armor split apart, and the flesh beneath was instantly scorched.
“…….”
His defense meant nothing.
Kenya, his entire body burned, staggered before collapsing to his knees and tilting his head back—as if gazing at the sky.
‘In a single strike…’
Nagito, who had witnessed it all, stared at Yoo Baek-jun in shock.
Who was this man?
Kenya and Senya were known as Japan’s Sword and Shield, renowned for their exceptional skills.
‘A monster?’
Yet Yoo Baek-jun had taken them on alone—and killed one of them in a single blow.
To Nagito, Yoo Baek-jun seemed nothing short of a monster beyond common sense.
‘Just how much has he grown?’
Not long ago, the difference between them hadn’t been so vast.
Remembering that made Yoo Baek-jun’s current strength all the more terrifying.
Had he known that Yoo Baek-jun had even held back somewhat with that skill, he would have been even more stunned.
“Ugh, uuuh……”
“Gyaaaaah!”
The traitors lost all will to fight.
Some tried to surrender, but the monsters showed no mercy.
Instead, they attacked even more fiercely, as if repaying the humiliation they had suffered.
“Spare some of them. We’ll need witnesses to testify about what happened here.”
“Understood, Family head.”
The swordsmen pulled a few traitors aside before retreating.
Outnumbered, the remaining enemies were swiftly dealt with by the monsters.
—Awoong.
“Oh, you’re back.”
Seol-yeong, who had been watching the monsters fight, returned to Yoo Baek-jun’s side.
Not long after—
“Ugh, uuuh……”
—Oooooooh!
The last traitor fell.
The boss monster, having avenged its humiliation, let out a mighty roar.
“Is it really alright to spare them?”
“Hmm…”
Killing them would be the right call, but…
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Seol-yeong.
“Leave that to Mikazuki. They’ll want their own revenge.”
“Understood.”
Nagito was the guild’s successor.
Having a failed gate raid on his record wouldn’t do him any favors.
This raid had failed because of the traitors—he needed to prove that, without such interference, they could succeed.
“Yes, we’ll handle it.”
Nagito nodded without protest, as if he already understood.
With all enemies dealt with, the monsters now turned their attention to Yoo Baek-jun.
—Groooowl!
—Kyyaaong!
The boss monster let out one last roar, and Seol-yeong responded in kind.
The two locked eyes for a long moment before the boss monster nodded.
—Krrrung!
—Oooooo…
Then, it led its underlings back the way they had come.
They had no intention of fighting.
“…Truly fascinating creature.”
“Right? Though it is expensive to maintain.”
“Expensive…?”
“The amount of meat they go through…”
Since it helped out this time, he’d have to treat it to a lavish meat buffet.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“Let’s gather what we need and head back. No point staying here longer than necessary.”
“Yes!”
They had successfully rescued Nagito.
After collecting what they needed, Yoo Baek-jun activated the escape gate.
***
Outside the gate, the enemies had already been dealt with by the swordsmen.
Baek Jun-kyung, who had been sniping from afar, was waiting in the forest.
“I left a falcon behind just in case, but there are no enemies left. Haha! Felt like shooting at target practice.”
High above, a falcon kept watch over the area.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced indifferently at the captured traitors.
“We can’t leave them here. Where should we take them?”
“The traitors are…”
“Nagito!”
Nagito staggered slightly.
He and the other guild members had sustained injuries, big and small.
Though Yoo Baek-jun had treated them, it was only temporary.
“…I’m fine. There’s a villa nearby that my mother prepared. Let’s go there.”
“Alright.”
Though Mikazuki’s guild house was in Wakkanai, they couldn’t trust the people there right now.
The group headed to the villa.
Deep in the mountains stood an old but elegant traditional Japanese house.
“My apologies. I need to tend to my wounds… Please make yourselves comfortable.”
Nagito and the others began treatment as soon as they arrived.
Yoo Baek-jun dismissed the villa staff who had come to attend to them.
“Ah, Family head. You’re not planning to help them to the end, are you?”
“Do I look insane?”
Baek Jun-kyung scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t even considered it.
“What happens next is Mikazuki Guild’s business—not mine. It shouldn’t be, either.”
“Family matters are best resolved within the family.”
“Right. They wouldn’t want us interfering further anyway. Nor is there any need.”
He had heard that Mikazuki’s current guild master was a formidable woman.
With his mother’s help, Nagito would deal with the traitors himself.
“We’ll just handle our business and leave.”
“Understood.”
“The scenery is nice. Let’s pretend we’re here for a vacation.”
“…….”
Han Seong-ah’s expression turned odd.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just… I’ve seen enough mountains to last a lifetime. Doesn’t feel like a vacation.”
“Fair enough.”
The villa, nestled deep in the mountains, had a similar vibe to the Sword Saint family’s main house.
Having lived there all her life, Han Seong-ah wasn’t particularly impressed.
Baek Jun-kyung stretched lazily.
“Perfect timing. There’s an onsen here—I’m going to soak. Ugh, it’s freezing.”
“Such a carefree guy…”
Unlike his younger brother, Baek Go-woon, Baek Jun-kyung had a more relaxed personality.
You could say he was easygoing.
“What about you, Instructor Han?”
“I’ll stay by the Family head’s side.”
“…….”
Though her words were touching…
Han Seong-ah’s gaze wasn’t on Yoo Baek-jun, but elsewhere.
—Kkeung, krurung, kyaaong!
Seol-yeong was rolling around the courtyard.
Watching the creature’s antics, Han Seong-ah smiled warmly.
“Just say you want to play with her. No need for excuses…”
“Huh? That’s not it!”
“Not it? Yeah, right.”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
Just then, Seol-yeong, who had been tumbling around the courtyard, bounded toward him.
—Woongkeuk!
“Haaahk…!”
“Ugh, snow in my face. Get off.”
Perhaps because it was born a Snow Tiger, Seol-yeong was obsessed with snow.
It rolled around on Yoo Baek-jun’s lap, making Han Seong-ah clutch her chest and let out a strange sound.
“Haaah…”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed again.
***
Nagito regained consciousness the next day in the villa.
He hadn’t planned on sleeping, but his injuries were so severe that he had passed out.
“I’m truly sorry.”
“No, it’s fine…”
The first thing Nagito did upon waking was apologize to Yoo Baek-jun.
“I already feel terrible for keeping you busy people here unnecessarily. I can’t believe I passed out.”
“It happens.”
“No! It shouldn’t have. There’s so much to do now…! I was foolish.”
“Right, sure.”
Nagito’s resolve was firm.
Yoo Baek-jun cleared his throat.
“Have you spoken to your mother?”
“Yes, just earlier… I told her everything that happened here. She tried to restrain Toma, but…”
Nagito shook his head.
“He’s sharp. Realized things had gone wrong and fled. They’re tracking him now.”
“From here on, it’s a family matter. Nothing more for me to do.”
“That’s right. It’d be shameless to ask for anything further.”
He had no intention of asking anyway.
Nagito planned to deal with Toma himself.
“I’ll hunt him down. Toma… I’ll kill him with my own hands.”
“Good, I’ll root for you. Speaking of which, I have a request.”
“A request? Ah, of course. Please, go ahead.”
Nagito felt deeply indebted to Yoo Baek-jun and the Sword Saint family.
If the request wasn’t unreasonable, he was ready to agree to anything.
Even if it was, he’d find a way…
“We talked about it before. The corrupted dungeon beneath Wakkanai.”
“Yes, that’s right. A powerful monster is sealed there—one tied to Japan’s history. Legends say it once reduced Japan to ruins in the distant past.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, but why…?”
Nagito looked puzzled by Yoo Baek-jun’s sudden question.
Yoo Baek-jun coughed awkwardly.
“I want to break the seal.”
“…….”
For a moment, Nagito’s face went blank.
He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“Excuse me? Break the seal? You mean… release that monster?”
“Exactly.”
“But why would you…? Huh?”
Nagito had been prepared for an unreasonable request—but this was beyond that.
It wasn’t just unreasonable—it was outright impossible.
“Uh, that’s… ugh.”
“The gates near Wakkanai are under Mikazuki Guild’s jurisdiction, right?”
“Y-Yes. That’s correct. The underground gate too… we manage it now.”
Nagito shook his head.
“No, no way. That’s too dangerous… What’s the point?”
“Fight poison with poison.”
“What?”
Yoo Baek-jun leaned in.
“A disaster beyond our control is coming. I plan to use that monster.”
Nagito still looked bewildered. There was no way he could accept such an explanation.
“Wouldn’t you like to get rid of that troublesome underground monster while you have the chance?”
“…….”
Nagito swallowed hard.
He had no words left.