Chapter 295
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 295.
“Hey, you can do this, right?”
Jin Seo-yeon had been lost in thought for a while, looking around.
—Yeah… well, probably.
“Why’s your answer so vague?”
—How can I be sure? Twisting the arrival direction of dimensional travel is something I’ve never tried before either.
Jin Seo-yeon frowned.
—But, yeah. I do know how to interfere with teleportation. First, call the fairy of the World Tree. With her help, we’ll figure out a way.
“Really? Seol-yeong.”
—Mew.
Seol-yeong touched the necklace.
A necklace woven from the World Tree. It had the option of ‘Companion,’ which allowed it to summon the fairy of the World Tree.
—Pop!
—Mmmwah…….
Magic flowed, and shortly after, the fairy of the World Tree was summoned.
She must have been napping, as her eyes were closed, and she was snoring.
Drool dripped from her mouth.
“Hey, wake up.”
—Uweeeng… Huh?
As Seol-yeong shook her with a paw, the fairy’s eyes shot open.
She seemed disoriented, looking around several times.
—Wh-what? Did you call me?
—Yes. I did.
—Hmm?
Jin Seo-yeon quickly and briefly explained the reason for summoning the fairy.
Slurp. The fairy wiped her drool.
—Huh? That sounds annoying…….
—I can’t do it alone. You’re the expert when it comes to dimensions.
—Me, an expert? Hehe…….
The fairy grinned.
It wasn’t a wrong statement. After all, the World Tree itself had crossed over from another world.
Not to mention, she had freely opened the gate to the spirit realm.
—I need your help. Please.
—Oh, r-really? You need my help? If you’re begging so earnestly, well, hmph! I guess I can’t refuse!
The fairy puffed out her chest.
Watching her, something inside him boiled with frustration.
‘I want to smack her.’
Jin Seo-yeon, who had expertly coaxed the fairy, began a complicated conversation.
For Yoo Baek-jun, it was utterly incomprehensible.
Then, in the middle of it, something he could vaguely understand came up.
—To guide the arrival direction, we’ll need something connected to Thanatos…….
“I have it.”
—You do?
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out his staff.
The King of the Dead. This staff contained the authority of Thanatos.
—Can I scrape off a little?
“It won’t break the staff. Go ahead.”
—Great. Then you do the scraping.
The fairy, who had been circling around him as he scraped the staff, pulled out a Magic stone.
A hollow Magic stone.
—Put your energy in here.
“Hmm.”
He did as the fairy instructed.
Instantly, the magic stone filled with a pitch-black energy.
An overwhelmingly ominous energy.
—Eeeek…….
“Hey, is this filth?”
—I-it feels like that to me.
The fairy held the Magic Stone as if touching something dirty.
Her expression made it clear she didn’t even want it touching her body.
—Eek, yuck… Ugh, disgusting.
“…….”
Somehow, he felt offended.
Yoo Baek-jun followed Jin Seo-yeon’s instructions and carved a magic circle on the ground, placing the Magics tone at its center.
Along with the staff’s fragments. Then, he cast a spell on the fragments.
—Good. This should do it. Probably.
—Yeah. Probably.
“What? Probably?”
Neither of them sounded confident.
—How can I be sure when I’ve never done this before? But it’ll probably work.
—Probably.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
At this point, all he could do was leave it to chance and hope for the best.
—When this magic circle activates, your staff will probably tremble.
“Yeah, got it.”
—Let’s hide the magic circle…….
The fairy moved around, covering the magic circle until it was invisible.
—Done! Can I go back now? I was sleeping, you know.
—Mmm.
—Mew…….
Seol-yeong looked up at the fairy.
Its eyes seemed to plead, ‘Don’t go.’ The yawning fairy thought for a moment before grinning.
—Alright! Then I’ll sleep with Seol-yeong on the way back, why not!
—Meow!
“…….”
They hugged each other, making a fuss.
Jin Seo-yeon, who had been watching them fondly, asked Yoo Baek-jun:
—Is everything done now?
“Yeah, let’s head back quietly. But before that……”
Yoo Baek-jun turned around.
“Shall we go see my aunt?”
* * *
Yoo Chae-jeong was a formidable woman who had founded and managed the famous guild, ‘Seolhae.’
Initially, it was an insignificant guild, but under her exceptional leadership, it grew tremendously.
Now, the Seolhae Guild was considered one of Korea’s prestigious guilds.
“What’s today’s schedule?”
“You have a lecture at the academy.”
“A lecture? Ugh, what a bother.”
“The association insisted, so we couldn’t refuse.”
“I know. I was the one who approved it in the first place.”
“Correct.”
A luxury limousine sped through the streets.
Sitting in the backseat, Yoo Chae-jeong sighed as she read through documents.
“With all the trouble we’ve been having with guilds and families lately… there probably won’t be any famous Hunters coming to the lecture.”
“That’s correct.”
It was already widely known that the Hunter Association was clashing with several families and guilds.
Yoo Chae-jeong scoffed.
“I get it. They’ve always been a thorn in our side, and now’s the perfect time, with most guilds and families in chaos.”
“They must think this is their chance.”
“Right, especially now, when succession is being handed over to heirs……”
If not now, there’d be no opportunity. Yoo Chae-jeong agreed with that sentiment.
“For now, we’re complying with the association’s requests as you instructed.”
“Keep it up. We need to cooperate with the Hunter Association for now.”
Thus, Yoo Chae-jeong had been considering collaborating with the Hunter Association to pressure the Sword Saint Family.
Both sides viewed the Sword Saint Family as a common enemy.
With shared goals, cooperation wasn’t difficult.
“But who would’ve thought Yoo Moo-hak would step down as family head and retire.”
Hunters weaken with age.
To be precise, accumulated injuries, big and small, take their toll.
Those injuries become persistent debuffs, chipping away at their stats.
“It’s sad, growing old.”
Yoo Chae-jeong was now middle-aged herself.
Her time would come eventually.
‘But before that…….’
Yoo Chae-jeong wiped the window with her finger. Her reflection stared back at her like a mirror.
‘The Sword Saint Family must be under my control.’
Yoo Chae-jeong still remembered.
The day Yoo Moo-hak became family head. The night he slaughtered his kin.
And the night she begged pathetically for her life.
—Grind.
Yoo Chae-jeong gritted her teeth.
An unforgettable humiliation. But beyond personal feelings, there was another reason she couldn’t stop.
‘For my children’s sake, I must.’
Yoo Chae-jeong’s children.
Though they shared the Sword Saint Family’s blood, they were never acknowledged as members.
The family treated them—and her—as if they didn’t exist.
She couldn’t tolerate her children being treated that way.
“Yoo Moo-hak……”
The accumulated humiliation had driven her obsession with the Sword Saint Family.
Screech!
The limousine stopped.
“We’ve arrived.”
“…Alright.”
Yoo Chae-jeong composed herself.
Her previously emotional face returned to an expressionless mask in an instant.
Beyond the window was the Hunter Academy building. Her secretary stepped out and opened the door for her.
“Ah, one more thing.”
The secretary spoke as if remembering something.
“You have a dinner appointment today. With the people you mentioned……”
“Oh?”
A faint smile appeared on Yoo Chae-jeong’s cold face.
“That’s welcome news.”
Yoo Chae-jeong went through her schedule.
She finished her lecture at the academy, attended her other appointments, and finally headed to the hotel where she had reserved a table for dinner.
“Let’s take the underground route.”
A hotel frequented by the upper class.
Its emphasis on discretion made it ideal for secret meetings.
“They haven’t arrived yet. They said they’ll be here shortly.”
“Good. Bring me my usual.”
Yoo Chae-jeong sipped her wine as she waited for her guest.
The person she was meeting was a branch leader of the Sword Saint Family.
‘Yoo Moo-hak has stepped down as family head. Now, Yoo Baek-jun is in charge.’
But not every member of the Sword Saint Family would serve him willingly.
There would be those against him.
Using her network within the family, Yoo Chae-jeong had identified them and was making contact one by one.
‘Attacking the Sword Saint Family head-on is impossible right now. But if we use the Hunter Association’s movements wisely…….’
It might be possible to deal them a significant blow.
Yoo Chae-jeong fell deep in thought.
‘The problem is I don’t know what kind of person that son of his, Yoo Baek-jun, is.’
She had heard a few things, but she’d never met him in person.
That was her only concern.
“Speaking of which, they’re taking too long. When are they coming?”
“I’ll check right now.”
As the secretary picked up her phone to call—
“What the—!”
“Guild Master!”
Boom! The hotel’s lights went out.
The Seolhae guild members who had accompanied Yoo Chae-jeong quickly surrounded her.
“…….”
The lights came back on.
And there, sitting across from her in the previously empty seat, was a man.
“Long time no see, Aunt.”
“…Yoo Baek-jun.”
It was Yoo Baek-jun, the head of the Sword Saint Family.
Around him stood what appeared to be the family’s swordsmen.
Exactly two. But the aura they emitted was anything but ordinary.
“Here for dinner? Not a bad choice. The food here is decent.”
“Is that so? Unfortunately, I’m not here to eat.”
Yoo Chae-jeong ignored Yoo Baek-jun and calmly reached for her wine.
“I came to see you, Aunt.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I heard you’ve been up to some interesting things lately.”
Yoo Chae-jeong’s hand froze as she reached for her glass. Her sharp gaze locked onto Yoo Baek-jun, who had appeared so suddenly.
He smiled leisurely.
“I heard you’ve been trying to poach dissatisfied members of our family.”
“…Hmph.”
Yoo Chae-jeong scoffed and picked up her glass, slowly sipping her wine.
“I wondered what nonsense you’d spout when we finally met… Where’d you hear such rubbish?”
“Rubbish, you say.”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured behind him.
The door opened, revealing a familiar man.
Yoo Chae-jeong’s eyes widened.
“You……”
“Will you still pretend not to know?”
The Daejeon branch leader.
The man Yoo Chae-jeong was supposed to meet today. One of those dissatisfied with Yoo Baek-jun.
‘Where did the information leak? Who could’ve—’
Yoo Chae-jeong stared at the Daejeon branch leader, then noticed something odd.
‘He’s too composed.’
Despite being caught plotting against the family head, the branch leader stood there with unshakable confidence.
As if he’d done nothing wrong.
That’s when Yoo Chae-jeong realized.
“You……”
“Yes, correct. This man never intended to betray me.”
The Daejeon branch leader politely poured wine for Yoo Baek-jun.
“He only pretended to betray me to test you. Because I told him to.”
“How…….”
Yoo Chae-jeong’s face trembled.
“I already knew you held a grudge against our family. I figured once I became family head, you’d see it as your chance to strike.”
Yoo Moo-hak, whom she could never hope to oppose, had stepped down. His son, Yoo Baek-jun, had taken his place.
Yoo Chae-jeong thought this was her perfect opportunity to settle the score.
But she was wrong.
“And I also knew you and the Seolhae Guild were collaborating with the Hunter Association to target our family.”
“That……”
“You thought it was a secret?”
Yoo Baek-jun took a sip of the wine poured by the Daejeon branch leader.
“What secrets exist in this world?”
He said that, then grimaced as he looked at the wineglass.
“Ugh, why do people drink this tasteless stuff?”
Yoo Chae-jeong glared at him with icy fury.