Chapter 325
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 325.
Yoo Baek-jun climbed the stairs.
The beautiful scenery visible from the lower floors began to fade gradually.
Instead, the clear sky became increasingly visible.
‘There aren’t any cracks here yet.’
The tower was collapsing due to the cracks.
Fortunately, this place seemed untouched by the cracks, remaining intact compared to the lower floors.
“…….”
Having reached the top of the stairs, Yoo Baek-jun looked at the floor ahead. This floor had no discernible ground.
Only the vast blue sky was visible.
‘I won’t fall, will I?’
Yoo Baek-jun cautiously stepped forward. Thankfully, there seemed to be an invisible, transparent floor beneath him.
“Hmm……”
He glanced around.
All he could see were the sky and clouds.
Where should he go from here to find the memories spread by the Martial God?
Just then, he sensed a presence.
“Who’s there?”
Yoo Baek-jun pointed his White Sword into the empty air.
A moment later, a curtain fell away, revealing someone.
“I never expected anyone to actually reach this place……”
It was a young man.
He had long hair and wore a hanbok mixed with white and black.
There was an air of mystique about him, as if he had transcended the mundane world.
“I am one of those who follow the will of the Martial God. I devoted my soul to this tower in his name.”
“If you’re one of them… does that mean there are others?”
“Yes.”
The man nodded.
“We created this place in accordance with his will and have been guarding it. Thanks to that, the cracks haven’t reached here yet.”
But no one knew how long that would last.
The seal binding the Lord of Rifts had been broken, and the pocket watch capable of reversing time had exhausted its power.
“All you need to do is conquer the highest floor that lies ahead. And this will help you.”
The man stretched out his hand.
A pure white light flowed from his grasp and entered Yoo Baek-jun.
Then, something was pulled out.
Whoosh!
With a draining sound, something burst out from within Yoo Baek-jun.
It was a book.
An all-too-familiar object.
“The Book of the Martial God.”
“That book will guide you to where you need to go.”
As the man said, the Book of the Martial God began to slowly move forward.
“I just need to follow it?”
“That’s all.”
The man bowed gracefully.
As if his task was complete, his figure began to fade slowly.
Yoo Baek-jun took a step forward.
“How long will this take?”
That was the question.
Given that he was told to conquer the highest floor ahead, it seemed there were more floors beyond this one.
Flap, flap.
The Book of the Martial God fluttered like wings as it flew forward.
Yoo Baek-jun followed it.
After walking for a while…
“Hmm, this is……”
A massive cluster of light appeared.
A lone cluster of light floating in the empty sky. The Book of the Martial God approached it, and soon, the book opened.
The light cluster reacted and began to be absorbed into the book.
Whoooosh!
The Book of the Martial God completely absorbed the light cluster and emitted an intense glow.
For a moment, Yoo Baek-jun’s vision was flooded with light.
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again—
“Where is this now?”
The scenery around him had changed.
From the clear blue sky to a historical setting straight out of a period drama.
Specifically, a village during the Joseon era, in the midst of a fierce battle.
—Waaaaah!
—It’s a monster! Kill the monster!
A familiar gate came into view.
Monsters poured out from it, and people were fighting them.
Among them was a familiar face.
“That’s……”
A young man holding a sword.
Even though it should have been the first time seeing him, there was an oddly familiar feeling.
Yoo Baek-jun watched him fight and soon realized why.
‘The Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique.’
The swordsmanship the young man was using was familiar to Yoo Baek-jun.
Though there were differences, big and small, from the current version, its roots undoubtedly belonged to the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique.
‘Is that the Martial God? It seems so.’
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the appearance of the Martial God he had seen earlier. Though it had been distorted, its essence remained.
That same essence was present in this young man.
‘I think I know what I need to do.’
As soon as he saw the young Martial God, he could roughly guess what would unfold next.
Yoo Baek-jun prepared himself and observed the young Martial God’s battle.
—Grrrrr!
“Ugh!”
Just as he was leisurely observing the swordsmanship, a monster suddenly attacked him.
Yoo Baek-jun blocked the monster’s attack, visibly startled.
“What, you’re attacking me?”
The monsters pouring out of the gate had noticed Yoo Baek-jun and began attacking him in groups.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
‘I don’t get what’s going on, but…’
He had no choice but to assume this was part of the process to obtain the Martial God’s memories.
Yoo Baek-jun began fighting.
The enemies were high-ranking monsters, including minotaurs.
—Groooowl!
Boom!
But they weren’t particularly difficult opponents for the current Yoo Baek-jun.
He severed both legs of a minotaur with the White Sword, then climbed onto the fallen beast and stabbed its heart.
White spheres made of magical energy appeared around him.
Kwaaaaah!
They rained down on the approaching monsters, causing explosions.
Chunks of monster flesh flew everywhere.
Yet, none of the people around seemed to notice.
‘The monsters recognize me, but the people don’t?’
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the young Martial God.
He was leading his comrades forward to close the gate.
“Let’s see how this plays out first.”
Yoo Baek-jun threw himself into the horde of monsters. The gate continued to spew monsters, prolonging the battle.
The sun had fully set.
—Ooooh!
A cheer erupted.
Yoo Baek-jun, buried among the monsters, raised his head.
The boss monster had fallen to the young Martial God’s blade. Soon after, the gate, having fulfilled its role, began to close.
“It’s gone! It’s finally gone!”
“Waaaaah!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
The remaining monsters were also slain by the Martial God and his allies.
Eventually, all the monsters were dead.
Amid the celebrating crowd, Yoo Baek-jun stood alone.
‘What’s this unpleasant feeling?’
He felt a strange emotion. It was as if he was being ignored by the people.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the Martial God.
‘Was he like this in his youth?’
Seeing him enjoying the victory with his comrades felt oddly unfamiliar.
Perhaps it was because he had just seen the Martial God in a transcendent state.
“…….”
“…….”
The Martial God and Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes met.
The Martial God smiled faintly and walked toward him. And with each step he took—
‘The people…’
The people around him scattered like smoke. It was like watching a mirage disappear.
By the time the Martial God stood before Yoo Baek-jun, no one else remained.
“You’re a new face.”
In the now-empty village, Yoo Baek-jun faced the Martial God.
Perhaps because he was still young, his face was full of confidence.
“I assume you’re the one I sent.”
“You know about that?”
“I do. I know this isn’t real, and I know your situation.”
He smirked confidently.
And then—
“I also know what I must do now.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Martial God drew his sword and slashed like lightning.
The blade aimed straight for Yoo Baek-jun’s neck.
Though the attack was completely unexpected, Yoo Baek-jun managed to deflect it.
“You’re quick!”
Because he had anticipated it.
The moment he saw the young Martial God here, he had roughly guessed what would happen.
“What you must do is simple. Fight me and win!”
‘Just as I thought.’
Magical energy gathered at the tip of the Martial God’s sword.
He slammed the energy-charged blade into the ground, causing a violent earthquake.
‘Dragon’s Descent.’
But it wasn’t just a simple Dragon’s Descent.
As the earthquake split the ground, flames erupted from the fissures.
Blazing flames, like lava.
“What the hell is this…?!”
The Martial God took a stance.
He sheathed his sword, preparing to draw it again in an instant.
And then—click!
‘Here it comes.’
With the sound of his sword being drawn, the Martial God shot forward like a streak of light.
Yoo Baek-jun dodged the incoming flames and prepared to counter the Martial God’s charge.
Or at least, he tried to.
Swish!
‘An illusion?’
The Martial God’s figure, which had reached him in an instant, vanished.
Yoo Baek-jun’s sword, swung in response, struck the ground.
And in that opening—
“Kuh—!”
The Martial God charged.
Before Yoo Baek-jun could react, his sword pierced Yoo Baek-jun’s defenseless abdomen.
Yoo Baek-jun tried to summon his aura belatedly, but the blade pierced through it effortlessly.
“Huff!”
Yoo Baek-jun dropped his sword.
Instead, he clenched his fist, and a swirling aura gathered in his hand.
Crack!
The Iron-Cutting Fist struck the Martial God.
The unleashed aura turned into countless blades, aiming to tear the Martial God apart.
“Fist techniques? I’ve never seen this before. It feels familiar, though…!”
The Martial God grinned.
His left hand, which wasn’t holding the sword, gathered a fierce energy.
“Did my future self create this?”
The Martial God stepped forward and thrust his left hand out with full force.
From his grasp, the exact same Iron-Cutting Fist technique unfolded.
‘No way…’
The two Iron-Cutting Fists collided and canceled each other out.
Another surge of aura gathered in the Martial God’s hand, transforming into a massive shockwave that shot forward.
‘Did he copy it just by seeing it?’
The Martial God had clearly said it was his first time seeing it.
For him to use a fist technique he’d never seen before meant he had replicated it on the spot.
“You’ve trained in many things…!”
The Martial God closed the distance again.
His fingertips unleashed swordsmanship—something infinitely similar to the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique, yet not quite the same.
But its power was formidable.
“None of it is truly yours!”
A breathless exchange ensued.
Yoo Baek-jun used every technique of the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique he knew, but—
None of it worked against the Martial God.
“Now I understand why you were sent here!”
Yoo Baek-jun’s Single Flash was shattered in a single strike. The Martial God severed his right arm, and the white sword fell helplessly to the ground.
Excruciating pain surged through him.
“If you want to gain the memories…”
Before Yoo Baek-jun could even raise his left hand for a fist technique, the Martial God moved swiftly.
The blade flashed like lightning.
“You must fully make what you’ve learned your own. Only then will everything begin.”
The Martial God turned his back.
Yoo Baek-jun tried to grab him, but no sound came out.
Gush! Blood poured from his throat.
‘I’m dead.’
Yoo Baek-jun clutched his neck.
The blade had sliced through it, and a diagonal line slowly formed across his flesh.
‘I didn’t expect him to be this strong.’
To be honest, he had underestimated him.
No matter how strong the Martial God was, he was still in his youth. Yoo Baek-jun had assumed there would be limits to his power.
But this was beyond expectations.
‘If my guess is right…’
Yoo Baek-jun slowly collapsed.
He recalled the Martial God’s words earlier. Judging by them, it was likely—
‘Even if I die…’
His vision blurred.
His consciousness grew hazy, and an overwhelming drowsiness took hold.
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.
And after some time passed.
“Still sleeping? Wake up!”
“…….”
Someone forcibly roused him.
Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes and saw the Martial God standing over him.
‘Just as I thought.’
He touched his neck—it was perfectly fine. His severed right arm was also intact.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
‘I have to keep dying and learning until I can defeat him.’
The thought was dizzying.