Chapter 323
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 323.
Yoo Baek-jun walked across the sky.
It was a ridiculous statement, but it was literally true. Following the Martial God walking ahead, he strolled upon the clouds in the sky.
‘Is he an immortal?’
The Martial God exuded an aura that seemed to transcend the world. Yet, interacting with him didn’t feel particularly difficult.
It was almost as if he felt familiar.
‘Is it because of this body?’
The Martial God walked in silence for a long time.
The place they arrived at was a small hut atop the clouds.
Inside the hut, as if prepared in advance, there was a teapot and teacups.
―Sit.
“Yes.”
The Martial God sat first, and Yoo Baek-jun took the seat opposite him.
Then, as the Martial God gestured, the teapot moved on its own, pouring tea into the teacup in front of Yoo Baek-jun.
“This tea is quite luxurious.”
―It’s one of my few hobbies.
The tea shimmered mysteriously. It was filled to the brim with magical power.
After taking a sip, Yoo Baek-jun felt a clear energy flowing through his entire body.
―Isn’t the scenery beautiful?
The Martial God glanced around.
The landscape visible beneath the clouds was like the Peach Blossom Spring—utterly breathtaking.
However, there was a flaw.
“If only that rift weren’t there.”
―Indeed…… I wish I could have shown you the scenery before it appeared. But now, that will likely never happen.
The rift amidst the scenery.
The darkness oozing from it was tainting the surrounding landscape.
It felt like watching someone haphazardly deface a work of art.
―As the seal on that thing loosened, its influence began to spread here.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun sipped his tea.
Various questions arose in his mind. And now was the time to voice them.
“Who exactly is this ‘thing’ you speak of? And why has the Tower of the Martial God fallen into such disarray?”
―Naturally, those are valid questions.
The Martial God nodded.
―But to explain that, I must first go back to the past.
“The past?”
―Yes, back when I……
The Martial God looked out at the sky.
He slowly gestured, and an ink-colored painting began to form in the air.
It was as vivid as a photograph.
―It was a long time ago. A rift appeared in this land—what you now call a ‘Gate.’
A peaceful village was torn open by the rift, and monsters poured out.
They overwhelmed the people of the Joseon era and began slaughtering them.
―It was horrific. The monsters couldn’t be slain by human strength or the weapons we had at the time.
Countless soldiers and martial artists stood against the monsters.
The result was tragic.
No one could oppose the monsters, and they were mercilessly slaughtered.
―Then, a special power awakened in a handful of people. The power you now possess as Hunters.
Those who wielded the mysterious power saved the endangered people.
Among them was someone familiar.
―And that power awakened in me as well. The unique ability I possessed was… exceptional even among them.
Awakening his unique ability, the Martial God gained an innate talent for martial arts.
He could master any martial art after seeing it just once, and wield it more skillfully than even its creator.
Not only that, but he also developed his own martial arts using them.
―I fought in countless battles and gained fame. People naturally gathered around me.
Many soldiers, as well as those who had become Hunters, flocked to the Martial God.
He accepted them all.
―We united to overcome the catastrophe that had befallen this land, and fought. After a long and arduous struggle……
The Martial God succeeded in closing the last rift that had appeared in Joseon.
―We overcame the Gate crisis that had plagued this land. But,
The people cheered.
As the Martial God rejoiced with them, he looked back. What he saw was the devastated landscape of a ruined nation.
The suffering of its people.
―The damage was too great. Many struggled under the wounds inflicted by the Gate crisis.
The Martial God couldn’t stand by.
He realized that rifts might appear again in this land someday.
And he believed it was his duty to solve the root cause.
―That was when someone came to me.
The Martial God painted another scene.
A brilliant light poured down from the heavens, and within it, a figure made entirely of light revealed itself.
The figure gradually took on human form—a young man dressed in pristine white hanbok.
―It was Overlord.
“Over…lord……”
Yoo Baek-jun frowned.
The name was familiar.
It had to be. The name was just two characters short of the one who had sent Yoo Baek-jun to this world—the Supreme Overlord.
“Is Overlord… a godlike being?”
The way Overlord had appeared moments ago was reminiscent of the Thunder God.
The Martial God slowly nodded.
―You must have seen them before. The gods who governed the world of Halpeon. Overlord is similar to them.
“Similar?”
―Not exactly the same. He holds greater authority than them. You could say Overlord governs this entire dimension.
The gods of Halpeon only presided over specific domains like justice or death.
In contrast, Overlord oversaw the entire dimension.
―Overlord sought my help. He said there was an enemy targeting him. He proposed we work together to uncover the reason behind the rifts appearing in this world—and to defeat that enemy.
Overlord provided the Martial God with much aid and counsel, and the Martial God followed him, conquering countless Gates.
―I grew even stronger. Transcending the limits of humanity, I neared the realm of the transcendent.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with allies. For ages, I explored Gates, and in time……
―I reached a ruined world. There, I obtained a mystical treasure imbued with immense power.
Clink.
What the Martial God produced was a pocket watch.
A very small pocket watch.
“…An artifact.”
―Yes, that’s what they call it now.
The Gates Overlord guided him to were places of wondrous adventure, offering equally wondrous rewards.
―This artifact holds the power to manipulate time. At first, I thought it only held power related to the future, but I used it to……
The Martial God clenched the pocket watch.
―Peer into the future.
Multiple images formed in the sky.
All of them depicted dark, harrowing events.
―And I realized… that this world would soon face destruction.
That was this world’s future.
Countless timelines existed, but their ends were all the same.
Annihilation.
―I also came to understand that there was a being orchestrating this destruction.
A massive shadow loomed over the images. Its arms embraced the images as if they were its own.
The shadow had no form save for two ominously glowing red eyes.
A writhing, shifting shadow of colossal scale, with countless rifts within it.
―His name is the Lord of Rifts.
The Martial God spoke.
―The enemy who has targeted this world since my era, and the mastermind behind the rifts… the Gates.
“The Lord of Rifts.”
It was a name Yoo Baek-jun had never heard before.
Heroes Road—or what the Martial God called the ’simulator’—had never hinted at such a being.
‘Why? Is there a reason?’
Though puzzled, Yoo Baek-jun decided to keep listening.
―He is a monster that has existed since time immemorial. A being who travels between dimensions, sowing chaos.
One by one, the images embraced by the shadow’s arms shattered. Then, they were absorbed into the shadow.
And the shadow grew larger.
―He destroys weakened dimensions and ultimately devours them. Turning them into his sustenance. That is how he grows stronger.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun frowned.
This was beyond his comprehension.
‘The scale is just too vast.’
But one thing stuck in his mind.
“Earlier, you mentioned a ruined world. The one you visited…… If I’m correct, that place was……”
―A world destroyed by the Lord of Rifts. And this pocket watch was its final hope.
“Why couldn’t you use it?”
―Well……
The Martial God smiled quietly.
It was a bitter smile.
―Perhaps there was no chance to use it. Or maybe I realized that even if I did, nothing would change.
“So you gave up in despair?”
―Perhaps. But it still held value. This pocket watch contained knowledge about the Lord of Rifts.
The Martial God exhaled deeply.
―The enemy targeting Overlord was also the Lord of Rifts. His influence was spreading, and if left unchecked, it would soon reach Overlord’s domain.
“So what did you decide to do?”
―I chose to fight the Lord of Rifts.
The Martial God enlisted Overlord’s help and gathered his followers.
But he wasn’t optimistic.
―I believed the chances of failure were high. So I prepared contingencies before entering the battle.
More images appeared in the sky.
The Family the Martial God had founded, the Tower of the Martial God, and preparations being made.
―I fought the Lord of Rifts alongside the Overlord, using every ounce of strength and every means at my disposal. And the result was……
“You failed, I take it.”
―Yes, I was defeated.
The Gates still haven’t disappeared.
Had the Martial God succeeded, no more Gates would have appeared.
And ‘I’ would never have been summoned to this world.
―He was an unbeatable foe. Because the very concept of ‘death’ didn’t apply to him. Though we dealt heavy damage, we couldn’t kill him.
“…….”
―All my followers perished. In the end, it was my turn. There was no one left… to stop him.
The shadow’s massive hand slaughtered the Martial God’s subordinates and reached for him.
Just as it was about to touch him……
―I had failed, and with Overlord’s help, I resorted to my last measure.
A magic circle formed around the Martial God. The same circle Yoo Baek-jun had seen in the Dragon’s Land.
A mysterious power flowed from it, binding the Lord of Rifts.
―It was a seal. I imprisoned the Lord of Rifts within my own body.
In an instant, the Lord of Rifts was sucked into the Martial God.
The Martial God screamed in agony as the magic circle engraved itself onto his body.
A sealing spell.
“That old man… was your body.”
―Yes. The Lord of Rifts absorbed the knowledge within my flesh. The swordsmanship you witnessed was the result.
The Martial God sealed the Lord of Rifts within his own body. Then, his soul escaped and headed for the Tower of the Martial God.
―That was how we sealed the Lord of Rifts. While searching for a way to kill him… should the seal ever break.
“…So that’s what happened?”
―No, the situation grew worse.
The Martial God pointed to the sky.
Countless rifts began to appear, densely filling the heavens.
―The Lord of Rifts is a being who traverses dimensions. His mere existence destabilizes the balance between dimensions, thinning the barriers between them.
That was the result.
―The Lord of Rifts is a being of chaos. His emergence plunged this world into unprecedented turmoil. Because of him, more Gates appeared—and stronger ones at that. Far from finding a way to kill him, the world was destroyed by unforeseen factors before we could even try.
―That was when I discovered this artifact’s true power.
The Martial God opened the pocket watch.
Though the exterior seemed intact, the inside looked as if it would shatter at any moment.
―It wasn’t just the power to see the future. It could also turn back time.
Tick, tock. The second hand moved.
Not forward—but backward.
―I turned back time. Again and again, struggling to avert destruction. I rewound time countless times and tried again. In the process, this world was destroyed and restored over and over. But even then… we failed.
“Why?”
That was puzzling.
With the pocket watch, they could foresee the future. And if they failed, they could return to the past.
Yet they still failed—Yoo Baek-jun couldn’t understand it.
―Sealing the Lord of Rifts within my body was the biggest reason.
But there was a reason for it.
―I mentioned earlier. He utilized the knowledge within my flesh. That included the futures I had seen. He… also came to know the future.
Just as the Martial God had used foresight to avert destruction…
The Lord of Rifts used the knowledge of the future within the Martial God’s body to thwart him.
―And that wasn’t all. Each time I turned back time, fragments of my memories were transmitted to him. Because of the unbreakable link between my soul and my sealed body.
“That’s……”
―An unforeseen variable.
Because of it, the Martial God could no longer overcome destruction.
No matter how many times he turned back time, the Lord of Rifts could always adapt.
―I needed a variable. One the Lord of Rifts couldn’t predict… One even I couldn’t anticipate.
The Martial God pointed at Yoo Baek-jun.
―That was all of you.