Chapter 324
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 324.
An unexpected variable.
The Martial God had failed and sealed the Lord of Rifts within his own body.
As a result, his memories began to flow into the Lord of Rifts.
‘The Lord of Rifts now knows the future that the Martial God was aware of.’
Then there’s no choice but to change that future.
A future that even the Lord of Rifts cannot predict, and one that even the Martial God could not foresee.
The players of ‘Heroes Road’ were the variables that could make this possible.
“This feels complicated.”
The first emotion that arose was anger.
No matter how one looked at it, they had dragged people from another world into theirs in an attempt to prevent its destruction.
The next emotion was doubt.
“You said the Lord of Rifts travels between dimensions. If that’s the case, there must have been many other dimensions. Why did it have to be the one I live in?”
—Because yours was next in line.
The Martial God stated firmly.
—That’s why we chose your dimension and sent the simulator.
“So if this dimension is destroyed, ours is next?”
—Yes, your dimension was the next target of the Lord of Rifts. That’s… the reason yours was chosen over others.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a long sigh.
If this dimension falls, the world he lives in will be in danger next.
No, it’s beyond just danger.
“Here, there are Hunters with unique abilities… but in our dimension, no such people exist.”
—I doubt that’s the case.
“What do you mean?”
The Martial God turned his head.
His gaze swept across the land below, as if observing the mortal world.
—This world was the same. There were no beings with special powers at first. They only appeared after the Lord of Rifts emerged.
“Are you saying…?”
Yoo Baek-jun frowned.
“If the Lord of Rifts appears in our dimension, Hunters like the ones here will emerge?”
—Possibly. It’s only speculation, but the probability is high.
“……”
The Martial God smiled faintly.
—If that happens, the experience you gain here will be of great help to you.
“That might be true. But before that, I have one more question.”
The Martial God nodded.
“What happened to the people who came here before me? The ones in that chatroom.”
—They failed.
The chatroom was only accessible to those who had cleared the game.
A room filled with so-called ‘veterans.’ That’s why the news of their failure was shocking.
—They arrived in this world before you but failed to complete the mission. They couldn’t handle the unexpected variables.
“No one succeeded?”
—Not a single one. All of them failed, and none even reached me.
“…What happened to them?”
They had failed.
And as a result, the world must have reset, turning back time to the past.
In the process of regression, what happened to those who had been incarnated into this world?
—They’re preparing to return. Don’t worry. No matter the outcome, you’ll all return safely.
“The success or failure doesn’t matter?”
—Yes. From then on, you’ll have to worry about the destruction looming over your own world.
Yoo Baek-jun let out a dry laugh.
“Whether we succeed or fail, we’ll return safely, but if we fail, we’ll eventually die, is that it?”
—That’s correct.
The Martial God glanced at his pocket watch.
The open watch looked fragile, as if it would shatter at any moment.
—This is the last chance. The power stored in the watch has been exhausted.
The Martial God fixed his gaze on Yoo Baek-jun.
His eyes were filled with resolve.
—You are the last player, and this is effectively the final opportunity.
“That… sounds like a lot of pressure.”
It sounded as if ‘I’ were the last hope.
The Martial God did not deny it.
“No matter what, to avoid destruction—”
—The Lord of Rifts must be killed.
The method was simple.
Even if he failed, he wouldn’t die—‘for now.’
But if the Lord of Rifts destroyed this dimension, ‘my’ world would be next.
‘In the end, doesn’t that mean it’s the same as dying?’
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue inwardly.
The weight on his shoulders only grew heavier.
“What do I need to do? Surely you’re not telling me to figure it out on my own.”
—I told you earlier. My memories are being shared with the Lord of Rifts because our bodies and souls are linked.
The Martial God smiled faintly.
—Just as my memories flow to him, fragments of his memories have also flowed back to me.
“Then…?”
—Among them was information about him. I’ve spent a long time studying it and have uncovered a sliver of truth.
An image formed in the sky.
A massive clump breaking apart into scattered fragments.
—I’ve fragmented my memories as much as possible. Even if they’re transmitted, the Lord of Rifts won’t be able to discern their meaning.
The fragments flew off in different directions.
—If you reassemble the fragmented memories, you’ll uncover the truth I’ve discovered. And if it’s you…
The Martial God stared at Yoo Baek-jun.
—You’ll be able to find a way to defeat him.
“That’s another heavy statement.”
What if he couldn’t figure it out?
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“Where are they?”
—Up there.
The Martial God gestured.
When Yoo Baek-jun closed and reopened his eyes, he found himself back where he had first met the Martial God.
There was a staircase.
—It leads to the highest floor of the Tower of the Martial God. My fragmented memories are waiting for you there.
“So I have to climb the tower.”
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the staircase.
He had thought this was the top floor, but apparently, there was more.
“Ha…”
How nice would it have been if this had ended with just killing the Evil Dragon?
Honestly, the current situation felt overwhelmingly burdensome.
‘The fate of two dimensions rests on my hands, is that it?’
If he couldn’t stop the Lord of Rifts…
If he couldn’t find a way to defeat him on the higher floors…
Both dimensions would be destroyed, and everyone he knew would die.
Whether it was Yoo Baek-jun or ‘me.’
“……”
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes briefly.
He needed to steady his mind.
—Yoo Moo-hak is buying time. We must finish everything before then.
“Yoo Moo-hak…”
Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes.
Come to think of it, there were still unanswered questions.
Specifically, about Yoo Moo-hak’s existence.
“What happened to Yoo Moo-hak? Was he also someone who was incarnated here?”
—No, Yoo Moo-hak has always been Yoo Moo-hak. He was never possessed by anyone else. However…
The Martial God spoke plainly.
—Yoo Moo-hak is the only man in this world who knows the truth. That destruction repeats, and each time, the world returns to the past.
“How is that possible?”
—I don’t know. Perhaps it’s due to his Unique ability. In any case, he was an unexpected variable. I made contact with him, and he agreed to help me.
Yoo Baek-jun recalled Yoo Moo-hak’s actions, which had always been puzzling.
Whether Yoo Baek-jun became the family head or, in other routes, Yoo Tae-rang took the position—
Once the mid-game phase passed, Yoo Moo-hak would completely disappear.
—But the endless regressions stripped away Yoo Moo-hak’s humanity.
“……”
Yoo Moo-hak was unnaturally indifferent to his own flesh and blood, cold to an extreme degree.
Perhaps he had always been aloof by nature.
But the way he was now might have been shaped by the endless cycles of regression.
“My… no, Yoo Baek-jun’s family would be thrilled to hear that.”
—I’m not trying to justify his actions. There’s just a reason behind them.
No matter how fractured his family relationships became, Yoo Moo-hak bore no burden.
If he failed, everything would reset.
What seemed excessive to ‘me’ must have been the reason.
—Yoo Moo-hak had to act within limits that wouldn’t arouse the Lord of Rifts’s suspicion. His movements were restricted.
“So Yoo Moo-hak’s role was…?”
—To prepare for the eventual emergence of the Lord of Rifts. You must have found it strange.
“Yes. He’d disappear by the mid-game and never show himself again.”
—Exactly.
Now that he knew the reason, it made sense.
“Was there no one else who could help besides Yoo Moo-hak?”
—No. Even if I told others the truth, they’d eventually forget. Even Overlord, later on…
“Overlord?”
The Martial God’s expression darkened.
—Overlord fought alongside me for a long time to prevent destruction. But we kept failing. For a long, long time.
The Martial God, with his unwavering resolve, could endure those years.
But Overlord could not.
—Overlord grew disillusioned. After repeated failures, he came to believe this dimension was doomed to destruction.
“That’s…”
Yoo Baek-jun held back his words.
Even he had played ‘Heroes’ Road’ countless times, but that was only possible because it was a game.
If he had watched the world be destroyed over and over like Overlord, even ‘he’ wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
—You’ve seen Thanatos. You know gods aren’t perfect beings. They have flaws.
The Martial God glanced at the rift marring the beautiful landscape.
—And the Lord of Rifts didn’t miss the crack in Overlord’s resolve.
The Lord of Rifts had come dangerously close to invading Overlord’s domain.
He exploited that weakness, corrupting Overlord’s thoughts.
—Lately, I’ve received almost no help from Overlord. Bringing you here was the last thing he did.
“And he was quite forceful about it.”
—I’m aware.
The Martial God’s face darkened.
He had made Overlord swear an oath to fulfill his final request, just in case.
That was why Overlord had complied, but his methods were far from righteous.
‘If I see him, I’d like to punch him in the face.’
Yoo Baek-jun stood before the staircase.
—Yoo Baek-jun.
Before he could ascend, the Martial God called his name softly.
Yoo Baek-jun turned his head.
“This is…”
A brilliant light appeared.
Energy flowed from the Martial God, radiating light as it enveloped Yoo Baek-jun.
The power within him reacted to the Martial God’s energy.
“……!”
Yoo Baek-jun felt the power inside him transforming.
And it wasn’t just his imagination.
—Unique ability, ‘The Book of the Martial God,’ blooms into a new ability.
Yoo Baek-jun opened his status window.
The Unique ability that had always been there, ‘The Book of the Martial God,’ was gone.
In its place was:
[Successor of the Martial God]
—Recognized as a true successor.
—Though not fully bloomed yet, obtaining all necessary fragments will complete its evolution.
‘Successor of the Martial God.’
An Unique ability with no visible effects—compared to ‘The Book of the Martial God,’ it seemed like a downgrade.
But it didn’t matter.
‘Let’s see what ability it becomes once fully bloomed.’
It would happen soon.
After exchanging a final glance with the Martial God, Yoo Baek-jun slowly climbed the stairs.
The staircase leading to the highest floor.