Chapter 329
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 329.
Yoo Baek-jun climbed the stairs.
The surroundings grew darker, transforming into a pitch-black sky devoid of even a single cloud.
Then, the stairs beneath his feet began to fade gradually.
“I’m not going to fall to my death, am I?”
Yoo Baek-jun stepped on the semi-transparent stairs and slowly ascended.
The surroundings were now completely dark.
The only saving grace was that the Book of the Martial God guided his way.
“…Someone’s here.”
Yoo Baek-jun, who had been climbing the stairs, stopped.
The endlessly continuing stairs disappeared, and a wide floor appeared.
And there stood a man.
Somehow, his face felt familiar.
Crunch!
“Attacking without a word…!”
Without uttering a word, the man began to unleash a fierce assault on Yoo Baek-jun.
As Yoo Baek-jun observed the attacks closely, he realized who the man was.
‘The Martial God again?’
He was older than the Martial God in his youth—perhaps middle-aged.
Accordingly, his techniques were deeper and more lethal.
‘Unlike his younger self, this seems like a form refined through real combat.’
Yoo Baek-jun thought he understood the reason for the fight.
Engaging in battle with the middle-aged Martial God, he learned his techniques.
Another long stretch of time passed, and the middle-aged Martial God vanished without a trace.
As if he had fulfilled his role.
“Please, let nothing else appear.”
The halo of light emanating from the Martial God seeped into the Book of the Martial God.
With that prayer, Yoo Baek-jun resumed climbing the endlessly stretching stairs.
Then, he stopped again.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun looked beyond the sky.
For some reason, he felt as though someone was watching him from beyond.
An inexplicable sense of foreboding crept over him.
‘Something’s there. Again?’
Wary of that presence, Yoo Baek-jun continued climbing. Fortunately, nothing happened until he reached the top.
He arrived at the end of the stairs.
“Hmm……”
A vast sky welcomed him.
A sky so clear it was blinding—so pristine that the suffocating feeling from the pitch-black sky vanished entirely.
Whoosh!
Then, from high above, a brilliant light cascaded down noisily.
A figure made of light descended slowly, taking on a human form.
A youth dressed in pure white hanbok.
“Overlord.”
A face he had seen before.
Yoo Baek-jun knew who he was.
“This is meaningless.”
Overlord spoke those words.
“No matter how much you struggle, fate cannot be changed. Why can’t you understand that this dimension is doomed to perish?”
“Perfect timing.”
Yoo Baek-jun strode toward him, closing the distance between them.
Without hesitation, he tried to strike that shameless face, but—
“Tch.”
“Meaningless actions.”
His fist passed through empty air.
The Overlord here had no physical form—more like a hologram.
His real body was likely elsewhere, observing this place.
‘A shame.’
He would’ve loved to land a punch on that insolent face.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
“Your comrades have all failed. Even those who completed the simulator were pathetically weak in actual combat. Do you think you’ll be any different?”
“They’re not exactly comrades.”
They were just acquaintances he exchanged information with online.
Overlord sneered at him.
“You, too, will fail. The Martial God’s futile struggle ends here.”
“Perhaps.”
A voice came from the side.
The Book of the Martial God beside Yoo Baek-jun opened, emitting light.
From it emerged an elderly man with a long beard.
The Martial God.
“I sensed something strange and came to check. It’s been a while. Overlord, how long has it been?”
“Martial God……”
Overlord’s expression twisted.
It was a look of disbelief toward someone who was once his comrade.
“To avoid destruction, you rewound time countless times. What was the result? Did anything change?”
“Nothing did.”
The Martial God did not deny it.
“But it wasn’t meaningless. Those failures remain within me. And they will serve as nourishment to ensure this attempt succeeds.”
“Nonsense…”
Overlord scoffed at the Martial God.
“Had it not been for the covenant, I wouldn’t have brought them here.”
“Do you regret it?”
“You gave them unnecessary hope and repeated needless destruction. Agreeing to your proposal was my mistake.”
Crack!
A rift appeared behind Overlord.
Black energy seeped out, enveloping his entire body.
“Martial God, you will fail in the end.”
Bzzzt!
As he spoke, static-like noise flickered across Overlord’s face for an instant.
Yoo Baek-jun narrowed his eyes.
For a fleeting moment, it felt like he saw someone else’s face instead of Overlord’s.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
Overlord was swallowed by the fissure.
The sight of him disappearing into the darkness was deeply unsettling.
“Just like that man who followed you…”
As the curses faded with his disappearance, silence fell.
“He was the one who asked for help first. Why is he like this?”
Overlord had once provided the Martial God with much aid and advice.
It was hard to imagine that past given his current state.
“He is Overlord, yet he is not.”
“Are you speaking in riddles now?”
“It’s not a situation where we have the luxury for that. I mean it literally.”
The Martial God let out a small sigh.
“I told you before. The Lord of Rifts has been expanding his influence. He succeeded in reaching Overlord’s domain.”
Overlord had helped the Martial God, failing countless times in the process.
And… he despaired.
“The Lord of Rifts exploited that gap, bending Overlord to his will. The result is what you just saw.”
“Ah, so that’s it.”
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the moment before Overlord disappeared.
“I thought I saw someone else’s face—it wasn’t my imagination. That was…”
“The Lord of Rifts.”
In other words, Overlord had been corrupted by the Lord of Rifts.
“Then isn’t that dangerous?”
“Even one who governs a dimension cannot act freely. Still, we can’t let our guard down.”
The Martial God clicked his tongue.
“It seems time is running short. Yoo Moo-hak won’t last much longer.”
He looked at Yoo Baek-jun.
A sudden sense of foreboding struck.
“You’re not suggesting we fight again, are you?”
“I’d like to, but regrettably, there’s no time.”
Had he actually been considering it?
Yoo Baek-jun opened his mouth in exasperation.
The Martial God gestured, and the Book of the Martial God floated to his side.
It opened.
“This is the last one.”
The book absorbed the halo of light emanating from the Martial God.
The book radiated a dazzling glow.
All the halos absorbed so far gathered, transforming into immense energy.
Swoooosh…
The energy approached Yoo Baek-jun, slowly seeping into him.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.
Countless memories flooded his mind—not his own, but the Martial God’s.
“Focus your mind.”
Sitting cross-legged, Yoo Baek-jun accepted the flowing memories.
The Martial God’s life, the martial arts he mastered, and finally, his battle against the Lord of Rifts .
“Take everything.”
The fragmented memories merged.
The countless loops the Martial God had repeated.
Within them lay the clues.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun opened his eyes.
The Martial God was watching him.
“To think it would really be like this…”
“No, don’t say it to me.”
The Martial God cut him off.
“I don’t know what remains in those fragmented memories, but that is something only you should know.”
“…Understood.”
Yoo Baek-jun’s gaze grew complex.
“The Lord of Rifts has fully absorbed my power. Fighting him is no different from fighting me. Do you believe you can win?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Yes, you would.”
The Martial God placed a hand on Yoo Baek-jun’s shoulder.
That hand was fading away.
“It’s shameless of me, but Yoo Baek-jun…no, ‘ ’. You’re the only one I can trust.”
Then, through the hand on his shoulder, an immense power flowed into Yoo Baek-jun.
The Martial God was transferring his remaining power to him.
“You are the true…”
The Martial God smiled faintly.
“…Successor of the Martial God.”
With those words, the Martial God vanished completely.
Even the last fragments disappeared.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.
For a long while, he focused his mind, mastering the power bestowed upon him.
When he opened his eyes again—
“Hoo…”
Yoo Baek-jun felt an incomparably intense power.
It wasn’t just his imagination.
―You have been acknowledged as the true successor. The legacy of the Martial God blooms.
―The unique ability, [Martial God], has been awakened. As a result, the trait [Heavenly Martial Body] has advanced in rank.
Yoo Baek-jun checked his traits.
[Martial God]
―Acknowledged as the true successor.
―Grants temporary access to the power once held by the Martial God.
―When fighting specific foes, surpass your limits.
The effects of the new trait were visible in his status window.
[Yoo Baek-jun]
Strength: S+ [EX] (15/100)
Agility: S+ [EX] (14/100)
Stamina: S+ [EX] (16/100)
Magic Power: S+ [EX] (19/100)
[Unique Abilities: Martial God (EX), Heteromorphic Hands (EX, 5★)]
The unfamiliar [EX] rating was now marked beside his stats.
A conditionally activated power.
‘It must mean my stats rise when fighting the Lord of Rifts.’
But that wasn’t all.
The trait that had brought him this far had also been enhanced.
[Heavenly Martial Body (EX)]
―A divine gift granting innate talent for martial arts and a body optimized for mastering them.
―Can comprehend and learn any martial art merely by observing it, and can create original techniques.
―The body grows at an accelerated rate, capable of surpassing human limits.
―Mastered skills can be used with significantly enhanced power.
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled deeply.
The [EX] rating no longer felt excessive for such a trait.
“No wonder my body feels lighter.”
He scrolled through the long list of skills below his stats.
After battling the Martial God and his followers, his skill proficiency had risen dramatically.
Most were now S+ rank, many at their maximum mastery.
‘I’ve done all I can.’
The Book of the Martial God approached.
It opened wide, its blank pages emitting a brilliant light.
‘Time to go back.’
Yoo Baek-jun closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had returned to reality.
“Hmm, this place is…”
As his vision cleared, Yoo Baek-jun looked around.
The first thing he saw was the endlessly lush leaves of the World Tree.
He was at its roots.
‘How much time has passed?’
How long had it been?
Having spent so much time inside the Tower of the Martial God, it was hard to gauge.
Though he had lingered during his last visit, this was the longest he’d ever stayed.
‘Seems like about a day.’
Yoo Baek-jun stared blankly at the sky.
Then, he felt something warm and wriggling against his thigh.
―Mmm, uuuung…
“No wonder it felt hot.”
Seol-yeong was lying on his lap.
Its nose twitched as it snored, clearly in deep sleep. He felt bad moving.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun raised his head.
Beyond, the aura of the Lord of Rifts pulsed strongly.
“Now… the final chapter.”
It was time to end it all.