Chapter 32
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 32.
Suppressing the Venom Mantis was no easy task.
First, one had to sever their scythe-like arms, and another had to cut off their tails.
Easier said than done.
—Ssshhhk!
“Ugh!”
The Venom Mantis, sensing its enemy, crossed its arms and swung them. The scythes traced an X-shaped trajectory, aiming straight for Yoo Baek-jun.
Kkak-tuk!
“Park Chan-kyung!”
Yoo Baek-jun’s hands wrapped around his aura and caught the incoming blades.
Seizing the opening, Park Chan-kyung moved.
Ssshhhk!
—Kieeeeeeek!
The sword sliced through the Venom Mantis’ arms.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately circled behind the creature and grabbed its thrashing tail.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Crunch!
The tail was ripped off in one swift motion.
The Venom Mantis shrieked in agony.
Park Chan-kyung promptly gagged its mouth.
—Kiii, iiiii…!
“Shut it!”
Then, he smashed its jaw to ensure it couldn’t open its mouth again.
And that was it.
The Venom Mantis fell silent.
Yoo Baek-jun disposed of the monsters like it was routine. The others did the same.
“Is this enough?”
“Yeah, did we get about ten?”
“Yes, young master. There are quite a lot of them, and since we’re in a cave, the sound will echo loudly.”
Han Seong-ah’s eyes suggested it’d be better to deal with them right away.
If they were planning to lure all the Venom Mantises here, there was no way they’d stop now.
“Here, take this rope. Hang them up in the air and gather them neatly. So that the sound can be heard well.”
“Youngest master, are you serious…?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already thought of a way.”
Yoo Baek-jun rummaged through the treasure keeper’s pouch and pulled out various items.
Han Seong-ah narrowed her eyes at the sight.
“Young master, what is this…?”
“Looks fun, right?”
Han Seong-ah let out a hollow laugh.
* * *
The Venom Mantises dangled in the air.
Bound tightly from head to toe, they looked like cocoons.
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
“Alright, preparations are done.”
He pulled a scroll from his pocket and tore it.
“Young master, what is that?”
“A sound amplification spell. To make their screams echo all the way to the depths of the dungeon.”
“You’re really going all out, aren’t you?”
The silence spell had ended. Now, all they had to do was unseal the Venom Mantises’ mouths.
Yoo Baek-jun signaled the two disciples.
They timed it perfectly, releasing the gags simultaneously.
—Kieeeeeeeek!
—Kiiiiiiiii!
The Venom Mantises, now free to scream, let out deafening shrieks as if unleashing their fury.
The cave echoed violently.
“Agh, my ears!”
“I told you to cover them, you idiot Cheon Min-ju!”
“Ah, I can’t hear anything!”
“Both of you, shut up. Get ready.”
The two disciples staggered, covering their ears, while Han Seong-ah remained composed.
The amplified screams were like nails scraping against glass.
“Alright, now…”
Yoo Baek-jun clenched his fist.
From the distance came a rumbling sound—something was charging toward them at incredible speed.
“…They’re coming.”
Exactly five minutes later.
From the depths of the dark cave, a swarm of Venom Mantises emerged.
And behind them, another swarm, and another, and another.
“T-There’s no end to them! Youngest master!”
“Instructor Han Seong-ah, what’s the situation around us?”
“The large presence deep inside the cave hasn’t moved. The rest seem to have all gathered here.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“Good, move on my signal! One!”
Everyone except Yoo Baek-jun gripped large bottles in their hands.
The Venom Mantises, sensing hostility, began charging toward them.
—Kiaaaaah!
“Ugh, i-is this really okay?”
“J-Just trust the youngest master!”
“Two!”
Yoo Baek-jun locked eyes with the Venom Mantis charging straight at him.
Eyes burning red with rage. Yoo Baek-jun smirked back at it.
“Three! Throw!”
The group hurled the bottles in unison.
The large bottles shattered midair, splattering an unknown liquid over the Venom Mantises and
the ground.
“Now, come forth!”
Yoo Baek-jun stomped the ground.
Kwa-duk!
The stone floor shattered, sending fragments flying forward—wreathed in fierce flames.
Whoosh… Kwa-gwang!
—Kiii?
Kiaaaaah!
The flames engulfed the Venom Mantises.
Then, an explosion powerful enough to shake the cave erupted. The frontmost Venom Mantises were literally blown apart.
—Kyaaaaaaah!
Simultaneously, the fire spread across the ground.
In an instant, the flames surged, incinerating the charging Venom Mantises.
“Y-Youngest master! Is this really oil? It’s way too strong for oil!”
What they had thrown was indeed oil—but not ordinary oil. It was processed from the bodily fluids of a special monster.
“Of course not! Keep throwing!”
“Y-Yes!”
The group continued hurling bottles without pause.
Yoo Baek-jun didn’t stop there—he tore another scroll, flooding the area with oxygen to fuel the flames.
The inferno grew fiercer, melting the swarming Venom Mantises in seconds.
—Ki, kiiii…
—Aaaaah…
Their numbers dwindled rapidly.
Han Seong-ah, who had been observing the situation, focused her senses to check for remaining presences.
“Most are dead. A few escaped, but they shouldn’t be a threat now.”
“Good, we’ve handled them.”
“Yes, but young master…”
Han Seong-ah stared at the raging flames before them.
The fire was too intense. If it spread any further, advancing would be impossible.
Moreover, the oxygen in the cave was depleting rapidly due to the flames.
“…How are we supposed to get through?”
“What do you mean, how?”
Yoo Baek-jun drew upon a massive surge of magical power.
“Like this.”
Whooosh!
An intense wave of cold erupted from him, strong enough to devour the surrounding flames.
“Ooh…”
Like a fire extinguisher, the cold suppressed the fire.
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out portable extinguishers from his pouch and handed them out.
“Throw them as we go.”
“Yes.”
Using the Elemental wind magic, ‘Air,’ he cleared the smoke and supplied oxygen to the surroundings.
The interior of the cave, which had been a fiery hell, was quickly being cleaned up, and the party moved forward.
“Here’s one—this one’s still alive.”
“I’ll handle it, youngest master.”
The Venom Mantises he encountered along the way were dealt with by the other party members.
Yoo Baek-jun advanced comfortably.
How far had they gone like this?
“Young Master, over there.”
They had arrived at the deepest part of the cave.
In the wide cavern, a massive creature came into view. It looked like an enlarged version of the Venom Mantis they had seen earlier, stretched out horizontally.
“Disgustingly huge.”
It was the queen of the Venom Mantises.
Unlike ordinary Venom Mantises, she had two tails, and venom dropped steadily from her scythes.
Her torso was also covered in something resembling armor.
“Young Master, what is that?”
“The Venom Mantis Queen… Well, she’s their queen. Not an easy opponent to deal with.”
Yoo Baek-jun observed the queen.
She was in the wide cavern with only a few Venom Mantis escorts.
Perhaps due to the chaotic situation, she didn’t seem to have noticed them yet.
“That makes her manageable.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well…”
The Venom Mantis Queen had one unique trait.
It was called <Queen of the Swarm>, a trait that made her stronger the more of her kin were nearby.
Normally, she always traveled with her swarm, making her extremely powerful.
But,
“Now, she has no kin left.”
Most of her kin were already dead.
With only a handful of her kind remaining nearby, her trait couldn’t activate properly.
Still, she wasn’t an easy opponent. Her venom made close-range combat tricky.
“……”
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Han Seong-ah.
But with her here, the situation changed.
“Instructor Han Seong-ah. I’d like you to use your unique ability for the first time in a while. What do you think?”
“My unique ability… It’s embarrassing, but I’m still inexperienced. After using it, I won’t be able to do anything for a while. Is that still alright?”
“This is the last one anyway.”
“Understood.”
Han Seong-ah closed her eyes.
The surrounding magical power began to surge.
The magical power within the cave gathered, and a violet energy flowed from her.
“Youngest Master, that is…”
“Just watch quietly.”
High-ranking hunters often possessed special unique abilities.
Han Seong-ah was particularly exceptional even among them.
Her unique ability was <Ghost Sword Technique>.
—Sssuuu…
Han Seong-ah opened her eyes.
A ghostly aura emanated from her. She slowly stretched her hand forward.
Then, from her hand, a pitch-black ghostly energy erupted, forming into a single sword.
“Hmm.”
A Ghost Sword.
A sleek, elongated black blade. A sword that radiated an ominous ghostly aura.
“I’ll attack from a distance.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
Han Seong-ah stomped the ground and plunged the ghost sword into it.
Whoosh!
The ghostly energy spread in a circular wave from the sword.
And at the edge of that circle…
“Ooh…!”
Dozens of ghost swords erupted from the ground.
Uuung!
The floating ghost swords resonated with each other. Han Seong-ah looked at Yoo Baek-jun.
He nodded.
“Instructor Han Seong-ah, take the front legs. You two, handle the tails. I’ll deal with the head.”
“Yes.”
“We finish this in one strike. Instructor Han Seong-ah!”
Han Seong-ah kicked off the ground and charged.
Her figure vanished into the cavern in an instant, and only then did the queen notice her presence.
—Kiiiiiiik!
The Venom Mantis Queen roared.
The few remaining Venom Mantises reacted, turning their attention to the intruder.
Dozens of ghost swords surrounded Han Seong-ah as she charged, cloaked in ghostly energy.
“Huuup!”
Swaaak!
—Kyyaaaaah!
As Han Seong-ah thrust her hand forward, several ghost swords moved, slaughtering the Venom Mantises.
She closed the distance to the queen.
—Kiiiiiii!
The roaring queen crossed her two front legs.
She was preparing to use a skill.
But Han Seong-ah’s ghost swords moved faster.
Whooosh!
Dozens of ghost swords shot toward the queen simultaneously. Like arrows, they pierced her front legs before she could react.
—Kii…
The queen’s eyes widened.
Countless ghost swords had impaled her massive front legs. An unknown energy seeped into them.
And moments later, the ghost swords glowed ominously before—
Kwaaaaboom!
—Kyaaaaaah!
—they exploded all at once.
The two massive front legs were blown away instantly.
The queen screamed, trying to retreat. but for some reason, her body wouldn’t move.
It was the effect of the ghost swords.
‘Slow debuff.’
The ghost swords carried multiple debuffs.
That was why she couldn’t move.
Yoo Baek-jun charged forward immediately.
“Haaahp!”
“You take the right, I’ll take the left. Destroy them!”
The two disciples each took one of the tails.
Crunch!
While the queen was immobilized, they completely severed both tails.
Finally, only Yoo Baek-jun remained.
Taat!
Yoo Baek-jun dashed in with a powerful force.
He leapt straight toward the Queen’s face.
Its red eyes stared at him.
“What are you looking at?”
—Kieeeeeeh!
Yoo Baek-jun pulled his fist back. A blazing flame gathered in his grip.
The queen bared her sharp fangs and roared.
His fist shot toward her face.
Poooooof!
Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique.
A dragon’s head engulfed the queen’s face, triggering a violent explosion.
Boooorrrr!
The queen’s entire body trembled.
“Huu!”
Yoo Baek-jun landed on the ground.
At the same time, the explosion subsided, and the queen—now missing her entire face—collapsed.
‘Good, the dungeon was cleared easily.’
Yoo Baek-jun looked behind the fallen queen.
A massive gate stood open.
Beneath it was a small altar-like structure.
‘Time to fulfill the real reason I came here.’
It was time to search for traces of the Martial God.