Chapter 330
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 330.
—Kuuu, kooong……
Seol-yeong was asleep on his lap.
Yoo Baek-jun held the cub in his arms and tried to assess the situation.
First, he needed to figure out exactly how much time had passed.
‘Where did Han Seong-ah go?’
It was common for people to be disoriented for a while after leaving the Tower of the Martial God.
That’s why he had asked her to keep watch nearby, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Yoo Baek-jun.”
Instead, someone else was there.
Jin Seo-yeon.
“What, did you take over for her? I asked Han Seong-ah to keep guard.”
The woman, who had been standing under the shadow of the World Tree, took a few steps forward.
She looked exhausted.
“I didn’t say I’d take over. She just left when I showed up.”
“Is this really okay…?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Who cares what anyone says?”
Yoo Baek-jun stood up and handed Seol-yeong to Jin Seo-yeon.
She carefully cradled the cub.
Her expression softened as she looked at it.
“Its adorable.”
“What’s the situation outside?”
“Huh? Ah……”
Jin Seo-yeon flicked her finger.
A small screen appeared in the air, displaying the state of the ground below.
What it showed was the barrier.
“As you can see.”
“Doesn’t look too good.”
“That’s what happened while you were gone for a day. It won’t hold much longer. A few hours at most. We’re working on reinforcing it now.”
The barrier looked precarious.
It seemed like it could shatter at any moment.
‘A day… That’s longer than I expected.’
Yoo Moo-hak was fighting inside to buy time.
A full day against that monster. It was a miracle he had lasted this long.
‘Tch, if only I could’ve met the Martial God before fighting the Evil Dragon…’
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue in frustration.
He had visited the Tower of the Martial God before the Evil Dragon event began.
At the time, the stairs to the top floor were blocked, so it was pointless.
‘The Lord of Rifts must have interfered with the tower.’
That’s what the Martial God had said.
It was regrettable, but there was nothing he could do.
“We’ve cleared out all the enemies in the Dragon’s Land. But the Gates are the problem now.”
“The Gates must still be open.”
“Right, I thought they’d close once the Evil Dragon was dealt with, but……”
That’s how it should have been.
The Gates near the Dragon’s Land had closed when the Evil Dragon died.
The hunters celebrated, rejoicing in their victory. But it didn’t last long.
—Kheh heh heh……
—Grrraaaaah!
The Gates opened again.
Monsters poured out mercilessly, overwhelming the celebrating hunters.
Cheers turned to screams in an instant.
“The Gates reopened. Right now, we’re just trying to hold them back.”
“Who’s holding them?”
“The Association.”
Chae Jeong-jun seemed to have taken command of the Association’s forces.
And Han Chang-woo, following his lead, was fighting alongside his comrades to hold back the monsters.
“But there are too many monsters. We can’t hold out for long. We don’t have much time left.”
“I figured.”
For now, they were holding on, but if this stalemate broke—
And if each nation suffered heavy losses, the affected countries might resort to desperate measures.
They had to resolve this before that happened.
“Your father is here. He’s reinforcing the barrier with the mages. It should buy us a little more time.”
“Can we hold out for another day?”
“Maybe.”
A few hours had turned into a day.
It wasn’t a huge difference, but it would give them more time to prepare.
“Yoo Baek-jun.”
“What?”
“You have a plan, right?”
Jin Seo-yeon looked at him.
Her eyes were filled with trust.
“Of course.”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“Gather everyone for me.”
* * *
The center of the floating island.
A diverse group had gathered in the wide plaza next to the massive World Tree.
Grandmasters of the Sword Saint Family, hunters from various guilds, and even the races of the floating island, including the elves.
“Is everyone here?”
Yoo Baek-jun scanned the crowd.
They all looked utterly exhausted. They had been fighting nonstop for nearly two days—it was inevitable.
What drained them the most was the uncertainty of when this battle would end.
“Let’s start with a quick briefing. What’s the current situation?”
“It’s a mess. What else is there to say? Well, if you want specifics……”
Yoon Song-ha manipulated the monitor set up on the table, displaying the surface below.
“The corruption isn’t stopping.”
The coastline had transformed into the Dragon’s Land, and the corruption was spreading further, swallowing even the city centers.
“That land was created by the Evil Dragon… Is that thing still alive?”
“We can’t see inside the barrier, so that’s the problem. Last I saw, it was definitely dying.”
“That land isn’t the only issue. The same corruption is happening in other countries too. If this continues, we’ll soon see Halpeon’s landscape here.”
Yoon Song-ha flicked her finger.
Screens appeared above the wide table, displaying scenes from around the world.
Just as she said, corruption was spreading globally.
City centers were turning into Halpeon’s forests, and the ogres that lived there were rampaging wildly.
“We’ve eliminated all the Black Shadow. The dragons that kept appearing have stopped, too… but the situation is still bad.”
“We need to close the Gates.”
Ryu Il-woo let out a sigh.
His armor was drenched in monster blood.
Gates of an unprecedented scale had appeared, and an endless flood of monsters was pouring out.
Unless they dealt with that, the casualties would keep rising.
“Yoo Baek-jun, you fought it directly, so you’d know best. The Evil Dragon…”
“The Evil Dragon is dead.”
Yoo Baek-jun stated firmly.
The Evil Dragon was definitely dead. But it was alive in another form.
“I killed it with my own hands. The problem is that it wasn’t the end. As you’ve probably already seen……”
Han Seong-ah, who had been waiting, switched the screen. A video recorded by the airships played.
“That old man.”
The footage showed Yoo Baek-jun and the old man.
The two were engaged in a fierce battle—no, a one-sided fight.
“He’s the mastermind behind all of this.”
The old man’s sword swept across the sky, and its energy sliced through the airship.
The screen went dark.
“Who is that old man?”
“My ancestor.”
“…….”
Yoon Song-ha’s mouth twitched. It was an answer she hadn’t expected at all.
The Grandmasters of the Sword Saint family were so shocked their eyes widened.
“Uh, um… If he’s your ancestor, then…”
“Yes, the Martial God. To be precise, ‘what was once the Martial God.’”
“What do you mean?”
Yoo Baek-jun briefly explained some of what he had learned in the Tower of the Martial God.
He didn’t mention the simulator, that this world had already been destroyed, or that it had repeated countless times.
‘It’ll just cause confusion.’
They didn’t need to know.
After hearing Yoo Baek-jun’s summary, Ja-yeon let out a sigh.
“…So, an unidentified monster is sealed within the Martial God’s body. That’s what you’re saying, Family head.”
“Yeah, feels like a family feud.”
“No, even for a family feud… Isn’t this too global?”
Peng So-young spoke as if it was absurd.
“Since it’s a family matter, I’ll handle the Martial God—or what’s left of him. My father is inside too.”
“You say it so casually, like it’s a stroll. Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to get help from others…”
“No, getting help might actually make things worse.”
The Lord of Rifts, who had taken over the Martial God’s body, was something only he could stop.
If others tried to help, their lives would be at risk.
“I have a separate request for all of you. Han Seong-ah.”
“Yes.”
Yoo Baek-jun explained what needed to be done to the gathered crowd.
Delowin asked worriedly,
“U-um, Human. What if… you can’t stop that monster? What happens then?”
“We all go down together, I guess.”
—Such ominous words, spoken so casually…
Delowin’s face turned pale, and the fairy stuck out her tongue as if disgusted.
But that was the reality.
“I’d like to hear some good news. What if you succeed?”
“We might be able to close the Gates for good.”
“That’s……”
Ryu Il-woo’s eyes widened. The others were equally stunned.
“…That’s at least some good news.”
Ryu Il-woo let out a sigh.
In this bleak situation, where everything felt hopeless—
It was at least a glimmer of hope.
“Family head, we’ll prepare as you’ve instructed.”
As time passed, the gathered crowd dispersed to carry out their tasks.
Only Yoo Baek-jun and a few others remained.
Even they eventually left, leaving Jin Seo-yeon as the last one in the quiet plaza.
“You said Jin Baek-cheon came. Is he near the barrier now?”
“Yeah, are you going to see him?”
“I have to.”
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
Their gazes met. Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes still held unwavering trust.
Trust in Yoo Baek-jun.
‘Yoo Baek-jun.’
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
“Jin Seo-yeon.”
“What?”
It was unnecessary to say.
But for some reason, he felt like he had to say it now.
“What if the me right now… isn’t the Yoo Baek-jun you knew?”
“…What?”
“What if I’m not the Yoo Baek-jun you grew up with, but a different one?”
Yoo Baek-jun swallowed hard.
“What if I’m not Yoo Baek-jun, but someone else?”
“Why are you suddenly…?”
Jin Seo-yeon’s words trailed off.
It was true…. But why bring this up so abruptly?
Yoo Baek-jun rubbed his neck.
“No reason. Just a thought.”
As Yoo Baek-jun quickly walked away, Jin Seo-yeon watched his back.
For a long time.
* * *
The floating island flew through the sky, drawing the monsters’ attention.
‘Literally, Gates are everywhere.’
City centers, high mountains—anywhere.
Gates appeared indiscriminately, spewing out monsters.
The plan was to lure them into attacking the floating island, helping the hunters on the ground maintain their defenses.
“Chang-yeon, Grandmaster Moo-jang is holding the defensive line on the surface. Baek Jun-kyung is guarding the floating island.”
“What about Grandmaster Ja-yeon?”
“After rallying the swordsmen, she’ll head to the location you mentioned.”
Yoo Baek-jun looked down at the surface.
The coastline, corrupted into the Dragon’s Land.
Beyond it, the cityscape resembled a warzone.
“I heard the Association enlisted the military and police. The problem is…”
“It’s not just here. Gates are appearing in other regions too.”
“Yes, we don’t have the resources to handle them all.”
Time was running out.
The longer they delayed, the casualties would grow exponentially.
The airship landed on the surface, and Yoo Baek-jun stepped onto the Dragon’s Land.
“You’re here, Yoo Baek-jun.”
A man who, despite his long years, still looked like a youth.
Jin Baek-cheon greeted him.
“It feels like it’s been a while.”
“In reality, it hasn’t been that long since we last met. But with everything that’s happened, it feels like ages.”
Jin Baek-cheon smiled bitterly.
So much had happened that it felt like an eternity since they last saw each other.
He stepped aside slightly.
“We’ve bought some time.”
There, the barrier was visible.
The shield Yoo Moo-hak had created looked precarious, as if it could shatter any moment, yet it somehow held.
“Even I can’t enter that barrier. I don’t know how he made it, but I did figure out one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You can enter.”
To be precise, only those with the Martial God’s blood could enter.
Jin Baek-cheon stared at the barrier.
“The battle inside is still raging. And… I can sense one side’s energy weakening.”
It was a sign that Yoo Moo-hak’s life inside was hanging by a thread.
Yoo Baek-jun stood before the barrier.
“Can you do it?”
“I’ll have to try.”
Yoo Baek-jun reached out toward the barrier. And then—
Ooooooong!
The white sword at his waist vibrated violently, as if it had something to say.
Wondering what was happening, he looked down at the white sword—and it flashed brightly.
—The White Sword acknowledges you as its true master. All sealed functions of the sword have been unlocked.
—A hidden condition has been met. Some functions have changed.
And then, a message appeared.
An unexpected one.