Chapter 338
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 338.
“Yoo Baek-jun, no. ’ ‘”
Upon hearing Yoo Baek-jun’s wish, Overlord smiled mysteriously.
His fan fluttered gently.
“Your wish has now been granted.”
A mystical radiance flowed from Overlord and drifted toward Yoo Baek-jun.
The light absorbed into his body.
Instinctively, Yoo Baek-jun realized a new power had awakened within him.
“And…….”
Overlord waved his hand.
Then, orbs of light began to appear in the empty space.
At first, there was only one, but the number quickly multiplied.
“They, too, shall return.”
Countless orbs of light soared into the sky and vanished beyond the clouds.
They were the ones who had been in the chatroom with ‘me.’ Those who had failed and waited for someone else’s success had now returned.
‘Should I be glad about this……?’
Yoo Baek-jun’s gaze at Overlord was filled with complex emotions.
After all, it was Overlord and the Martial God who had forcibly brought him here in the first place.
Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to outright hate them.
‘He said if this place were to perish, the next in line would be where I live.’
Thinking about it, he felt fortunate to have stopped the Lord of Rifts here.
Had it been ‘my’ world, the damage would have been far greater.
―Well then, it seems it’s time to part ways.
“Hmm, we’ve stayed too long.”
The Martial God’s body gradually grew faint.
Overlord, too, began to fade.
―I feel nothing but regret toward you. Though this matter was tied to your world, I summoned you here without explanation. It must feel as though I used you.
“……”
The Martial God bowed his head deeply. Seeing this, Yoo Baek-jun let out a bitter laugh.
“Do you have no lingering regrets now?”
―Regrets…….
The Martial God slowly raised his head.
On the face of the aged old man was a bright, childlike smile.
―Not even the slightest.
“Then that’s enough.”
The fundamental reason Yoo Baek-jun had been brought here was the Martial God.
Just as his feelings toward Overlord were complicated, so too were his emotions toward the Martial God.
But beyond that complexity, his respect for the Martial God was far greater.
“Now, rest in peace.”
The Martial God was someone who had sacrificed everything to prevent destruction.
The Martial God smiled silently.
―Thank you, ‘ ’. Someday…….
Though he knew it was impossible—for the existence known as the Martial God would now disappear—he wished they could meet again.
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
“……”
The Martial God’s figure soon vanished.
Completely, as though he had never existed in the first place.
“If you ever come to the spirit realm, we may meet again.”
After the Martial God departed first, Overlord turned his back. His form grew indistinct.
“As for the remaining wishes you mentioned… Hmm, I’ll consider them positively.”
“Rather than just considering them, I’d prefer if you granted them outright.”
“Hmph!”
Overlord’s figure disappeared entirely.
Finally, the soul of Yoo Moo-hak, the last one remaining, also began to fade.
Yoo Baek-jun watched silently.
―Yoo Baek-jun.
A voice reached him then.
It was Yoo Moo-hak’s voice.
―Tell them… I’m sorry.
With those final words, Yoo Moo-hak’s soul, too, vanished completely.
Only Yoo Baek-jun remained.
“……”
The white space began to crumble slowly. Amidst the collapsing void, Yoo Baek-jun stared at the spot where Yoo Moo-hak had disappeared.
“He should’ve told them himself.”
With a click of his tongue.
Crack!
The white space shattered.
* * *
“…Hmm.”
Yoo Baek-jun returned to reality.
The pure white space he had seen moments ago was gone, replaced by a plain scarred with the aftermath of battle.
He blinked.
“…Family head.”
Han Seong-ah, who had been standing beside him, looked at him worriedly.
“Are you alright? You were just standing there blankly without saying a word……”
“Was I?”
“Yes.”
Though he had been in the white space, to others, it must have seemed like Yoo Baek-jun had been standing there dazed.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“…No, it’s nothing. I was just talking to someone who was here.”
“Someone was here?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Huh? Um, I’m not sure.”
Han Seong-ah didn’t seem to recall Overlord’s presence at all.
The others were the same.
It was as if someone had erased the memory of Overlord from their minds.
‘No, he probably really did erase it.’
Yoo Baek-jun shook his head.
Worried about him, Han Seong-ah called over priests to examine him.
“Your injuries are severe. This is……”
“How on earth are you even standing right now?”
Though Yoo Baek-jun hadn’t realized it.
After the fierce battle with the Lord of Rifts, wounds littered his body.
Some were severe enough to be life-threatening if not treated immediately.
On top of that, his magic was critically depleted.
‘Thanks to White Sword, I suppose.’
The sword’s option, Unyielding White Will, had likely allowed him to endure the pain despite his condition.
“Huh?”
But the state of White Sword was strange.
After its rank had risen to EX, it had radiated a divine light, but now that glow was completely gone.
Upon inspecting the sword, it was just as he suspected.
‘Its rank dropped.’
It had reverted to S+ rank.
Options like Unyielding White Will had either disappeared or changed.
“Ugh…”
The moment he realized this, excruciating pain surged through his body.
“A-Are you okay?!”
“Even with treatment, you must rest and avoid any strenuous activity for a while.”
“I’d like to, but……”
Though he wanted nothing more than to follow the priest’s advice, he couldn’t.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
With everything in such disarray, there was no time to rest. Work had to be done.
“Organize the situation and get everyone onto the airships. There’s a command post set up by the Association in Busan—we’ll head there.”
“Yes, Family head.”
“Also, contact the Association and tell them to withdraw all personnel from the Dragon’s Land. Immediately.”
“Understood.”
The airships hovering high above began descending one by one.
Those who had received emergency treatment boarded first, while the others followed after organizing the situation.
The airships took off once more.
“Hmm……”
“Lord!”
The people around him gasped in shock.
Below the airships, on the ground—the vast expanse of land was disappearing.
The Dragon’s Land vanished, revealing the hidden sea beneath.
“Now… it’s truly over.”
Only then did Yoo Baek-jun feel that everything had finally ended.
And that the conclusion of the long, long journey was approaching as well.
* * *
The Lord of Rifts was dead.
The game Heroes Road, which ‘I’ had been playing until now, was also over.
From this point onward, everything that would happen was entirely unknown to ‘me.’
“Originally, the game would’ve ended with the credits rolling.”
But this wasn’t a simulator—it was reality. In the real world, there was no such thing as an ending.
‘First, I need to take care of what must be done.’
The first thing Yoo Baek-jun did was hold Yoo Moo-hak’s funeral.
He arranged a grand funeral for Yoo Moo-hak and the other martial artists of the family who had died in the Dragon’s Land.
“…….”
“Sister.”
Yoo Jung-yeon and Yoo Min watched the funeral with complex expressions.
It was only natural.
“My feelings are all tangled up. I hated him so much while he was alive, but now that he’s gone… It feels strange.”
“…Yeah.”
Countless people had seethed with anger at Yoo Moo-hak’s ruthlessness.
His family members even more so.
“Baek-jun, did he say anything before he died?”
“He did.”
Yoo Jung-yeon and Yoo Min looked at him.
Yoo Baek-jun hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say it, but soon made up his mind.
“He said he was sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“Yeah, that was all.”
“…….”
Yoo Jung-yeon let out a long sigh.
“I see. Thank you.”
With those words, the two fell silent, lost in thought.
They remained that way until the funeral ended.
Once the funeral was over, Yoo Baek-jun handled minor tasks.
“Family head.”
“Compensate the bereaved families generously and continue to look after them.”
“Yes, understood.”
Though they had tried to minimize casualties, preventing deaths entirely had been impossible.
The Sword Saint Family, other guilds, hunters.
And on a global scale, astronomical damages had been incurred.
‘Restoring everything to how it was… will take a long time.’
Yoo Baek-jun worked with the Hunter Association to begin recovery efforts.
But first—
―Association Chairman Baek Jang-hyeon arrested.
―Following accusations from the Sword Saint Family and other guilds and families……
Baek Jang-hyeon was arrested.
Yoo Baek-jun, along with allied guilds and families, accused Baek Jang-hyeon, with Deputy Director Chae Jeong-jun assisting.
Chae Jeong-jun used the media to report how much the Sword Saint Family and other guilds had sacrificed to resolve the crisis.
And how Chairman Baek Jang-hyeon had hindered rather than helped.
―Deputy Director Chae Jeong-jun, who led the crisis resolution efforts in place of the Chairman, has been elected as interim Association Chairman.
The evidence was clear, and public pressure on the Association was immense.
The government and the Association had no choice but to abandon Baek Jang-hyeon and his faction entirely.
Seizing the opportunity, Yoo Baek-jun recommended Chae Jeong-jun as interim chairman.
“Chang-woo, I feel weird.”
The situation was progressing swiftly.
Chae Jeong-jun, at the center of it all, was overwhelmed.
“What’s the problem? Your salary went up, didn’t it?”
“What does salary matter? Chairman—I’m the chairman now! I never imagined I’d rise this far.”
Chae Jeong-jun felt immense pressure in his new position.
It was a role he had never even dreamed of.
Meanwhile, Han Chang-woo beside him was completely at ease.
“Don’t overthink it. Just do what you’ve been doing all along.”
“Maybe I should just do whatever the Sword Saint Family says. That’d be easier.”
“If they propose the right things, support them. If they propose the wrong things, stop them. The question is whether we can stop them or not……”
Han Chang-woo smirked.
The Sword Saint Family, led by Yoo Baek-jun, had overcome multiple disasters that had struck the nation in a short time.
Public favor toward the Sword Saint Family was at an all-time high. With that backing, opposing them would be difficult.
“Can we even stop them?”
“Probably not……”
“Even if we could, do we stand a chance against him personally?”
“That’d be tough too.”
Yoo Baek-jun’s individual combat prowess alone was formidable.
Chae Jeong-jun clicked his tongue.
“Let’s not pointlessly antagonize them.”
“Right, we shouldn’t. You’ll help me, won’t you?”
“Ugh, do I have to……?”
Ignoring Han Chang-woo’s reluctance, Chae Jeong-jun looked out the window.
How did things end up like this?
Still, he knew what needed to be done.
“First, let’s gather the guilds and families for a meeting. We need their input on how to handle the recovery efforts.”
“Yes, understood.”
Unlike Baek Jang-hyeon, Chae Jeong-jun had no intention of alienating other guilds and families.
He would work with them to overcome this chaotic situation.
That was his resolve.
* * *
“Hey! Someone come here!”
Amidst the recovery efforts, a hunter noticed something strange.
“The Gates… they’re closing.”
An anomaly—Gates that had become part of this world through erosion were disappearing.
“What’s happening?”
“Boss!”
Even Gates that had been left untouched due to their extreme difficulty were vanishing without a trace.
The anomaly was reported to Yoo Baek-jun.
“I see……”
The Gates had appeared because of the Lord of Rifts.
Now that the Lord of Rifts was dead, it was only natural for the Gates to disappear.
“Are they all gone?”
“No, but there’s something odd… Ah, hey, give me some space!”
“What is it?”
The one reporting to Yoo Baek-jun was Jeon Soo-yeon, with Blood Rin clinging to her like a sloth.
“Most of the existing Gates are gone, but two new ones have appeared.”
“Two?”
“Yes. One leads to Halpeon, and the other to Murim.”
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun chuckled.
“The Association is saying we need to investigate them immediately. What should we do?”
“We can leave them be.”
“Really?”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded.
The two Gates were, in a way, Overlord’s parting gift.
‘This world has been connected to other dimensions for too long…….’
Hunters and resources from other worlds had driven much of its development.
Closing all the Gates entirely would cause even greater chaos.
‘He left them as a means to explore necessary resources, perhaps. Well…….’
He had a feeling conflicts would arise over the two Gates.
But it wasn’t a bad thing.
After all, such conflicts would be preferable to the chaos of the Gates vanishing completely.
“So the Gates have closed, huh.”
Yoo Baek-jun turned away.
Just as Yoo Moo-hak had once done, he gazed out the window at the snowstorm.
“It’s about time to go back.”