Chapter 39
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 39.
Beyond the door was an old laboratory.
It wasn’t of Earth’s design. Another world’s style. Probably a laboratory from some fantasy world.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous.”
Han Seong-ah quickly assessed the surroundings. There were no living beings in the laboratory.
All that remained were unrecognizable research tools, countless books, and a skeleton.
“He’s been dead for a long time. At least a hundred years, I’d say. Though I can’t be sure.”
“He’s not from our country, is he?”
“No, it seems like he’s from another world.”
The skeleton was wearing something like a robe, so he was likely from another world.
Yoo Baek-jun rummaged through the robe.
“Good, the key is here.”
Behind the skeleton was something like a desk, and there was what appeared to be a keyhole.
He inserted the key and turned it.
Click!
The ceiling suddenly opened wide, and something resembling a storage container descended.
“I sense strong magical power. Hostile… If you touch it, you could get seriously hurt.”
“I figured.”
Yoo Baek-jun threw a pebble toward the container.
Sizzle!
The pebble instantly burst into flames.
‘Some kind of security measure. The problem is, there’s no way to disable it.’
Yoo Baek-jun peeked inside the container.
There was a golden cube crafted through magical engineering. That was the artifact he had been searching for.
‘Tch, no choice.’
Yoo Baek-jun clenched the Thunder Spear tightly and reached his hand into the container.
Sizzle!
“Young Master!”
“It’s fine, don’t worry.”
Intense sparks flew as his hand began to burn. But the pain wasn’t unbearable.
Enduring it, he pulled out the cube.
“Feisty little thing.”
This was the artifact he had been desperately searching for.
Yoo Baek-jun shook his scorched right hand, which emitted a burnt smell.
Han Seong-ah rushed over in a panic.
“Do you have a habit of getting burns, young master? You burn yourself practically every day…”
“Who in the world would have a hobby like that?”
“Sigh…Good thing I brought some ointment from Pharmacist Joo Jung-won just in case.”
Han Seong-ah carefully applied the ointment to Yoo Baek-jun’s hand and even wrapped it with a bandage.
The treatment was very thorough.
“Still, losing a hand but gaining an artifact is a fair trade, right?”
“…Is that the artifact?”
“Yeah.”
Yoo Baek-jun showed her the cube in his hand. Han Seong-ah frowned as she looked at it.
“I sense a life force inside.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Yoo Baek-jun checked the artifact’s description.
[Monster of the Subspace (Artifact)]
―An artificial lifeform created by a renowned alchemist who dedicated his entire life to its making.
The artificial lifeform creates a subspace, and the subspace itself is no different from the lifeform.
―Option: Master of the Monster
*Master of the Monster: Grants the qualification to freely control the Monster of the Subspace.
Allows storing or retrieving items from the subspace.
Monster of the Subspace.
An artifact that allows one to possess their own subspace. This subspace can be used to store items.
But there’s an even better way to utilize it.
Hummm!
As he activated the artifact, the cube emitted a brilliant light and was absorbed into Yoo Baek-jun.
He could feel something settling inside him.
“Let’s test it out.”
Tzzzt!
When Yoo Baek-jun reached out his hand, the air itself tore apart with a sound, splitting open.
A subspace.
He tossed the Thunder Spear into it.
―Gulp.
“Young Master! It ate the spear!”
Then, with a belching sound, the subspace closed. The Thunder Spear had been stored inside.
―Ptooey!
“Young Master! It spat out the spear!”
“I know, Instructor Han Seong-ah. Why are you so excited?”
“Huh? Well, it’s just fascinating…”
Yoo Baek-jun opened his palm.
Then, the subspace opened behind him, and the Thunder Spear stored inside flew into his
grasp.
‘So I can instantly retrieve weapons—like a kind of scabbard.’
Due to his traits and circumstances, Yoo Baek-jun is encouraged to wield multiple weapons.
Naturally, carrying all those weapons around is nearly impossible.
That’s where this subspace comes in.
‘Store weapons in the subspace and retrieve them when needed.’
This alone diversifies combat methods and introduces more variables when fighting enemies.
For other characters with specialized weapons, this artifact might not be urgent.
But for Yoo Baek-jun, it’s a necessity.
“Hey, eat it again.”
―Gulp.
When he casually tossed the Thunder Spear into the air, the Monster of the Subspace caught and swallowed it as if waiting.
It had intelligence and was quite clever.
“This is amazing, Young Master.”
“Glad you like it. Instructor Han Seong-ah, check if there are any more items over there.”
“Yes, understood.”
There was still more to take.
Yoo Baek-jun and Han Seong-ah thoroughly searched the laboratory and found several useful items.
Piles of research books, scrolls, and old potions came pouring out.
‘Golem Manufacturing Manual.’
And among them—
There was one rare artifact.
A Manual created by the alchemist who once lived here.
Yoo Baek-jun examined the Manual.
“Hmm, I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either.”
―Yawn.
The three of them huddled together to examine the manual, tilting their heads in unison.
“Maybe I’ll give this to Jin Seo-yeon as a gift.”
“To her? Young Master, you still have feelings…”
“She’s my fiancée. What ‘feelings’ are you talking about?”
“Even though the engagement was called off, your circumstances have changed now. If you both still have feelings, you could reconcile.”
Han Seong-ah’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. Yoo Baek-jun sighed and waved his hand dismissively.
“Enough, I’m not interested.”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Does this look like embarrassment to you?”
Yoo Baek-jun pocketed the Golem Manufacturing Manual.
‘It’s not really suitable for our family anyway.’
Creating golems requires multiple magical facilities and a complex manufacturing process.
Frankly, it’s a hassle for the current Sword Saint family to make.
The cost is enormous, and whether it’s worth the investment is questionable.
‘And the answer is no.’
Golems require a mage to properly utilize and command them.
For the current Sword Saint family, they’d be more trouble than they’re worth.
‘Better to give this to Jin Seo-yeon and get something useful in return.’
The Magic Tower has plenty of valuable items.
Was it really a gift if he expected something in return? That thought crossed his mind, but… whatever.
"You’ve got to live by taking care of what you can."
Yoo Baek-jun gathered the remaining items.
The potions were so old that their expiration date was a concern, but they probably wouldn’t kill him if he drank them.
[Achievement: Relic Hunter unlocked.]
As he finished gathering everything and stood up, a message appeared.
An achievement message.
[Relic Hunter: You’ve explored a dungeon and obtained an artifact item for the first time.]
[You’ve been rewarded with 300P.]
He had finally saved up 1,000P.
That was enough to learn an A-rank skill. Or he could save up more to learn a trait.
‘There’s no need to use it right away, so I’ll save up as much as I can for now.’
Yoo Baek-jun stretched lazily.
"Before we head back… let’s make a quick stop somewhere. Does the helicopter still have plenty of fuel?"
"Yes, we’ve stocked up more than enough."
"Good."
The term ‘Relic Hunter’ reminded him of something.
Treasure hunters.
He needed to check if those guys had caused any trouble.
"Let’s go."
―Kyaaoo.
The three of them returned to the helicopter.
* * *
Drrrrrr!
"Riding a helicopter for so long is boring!"
Yoo Baek-jun got off on an island quite far from Baeksando. It was an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific, with no trace of human presence.
"Young master! Why have we come here? Is there some kind of ruin on this island too?"
"No, there isn’t! Ugh, you’re so loud."
The helicopter stopped running.
Yoo Baek-jun uncovered his ears, and Seol-yeong sat on the ground, scratching her ears vigorously.
"Then why are we here……?"
"There’s nothing on this island. But there is something in the sea."
"The… sea?"
Yoo Baek-jun walked along the island’s beach.
It wasn’t a very large island, and with no notable flora or fauna, it wasn’t a place where people could live.
He doubted anyone had come here in a long time.
But,
"Hmm, look at this."
"Diving… equipment?"
There were traces of human presence on the shore.
What looked like discarded diving gear. And traces of a torn scroll were also visible.
"This scroll is……."
"Probably a Water Breathing scroll."
"So someone came here, used Water Breathing, and went underwater?"
"Yeah."
You can’t tear a scroll underwater.
They must have brought diving gear in case the magic effect wore off while descending.
Yoo Baek-jun stood at the edge of the shore.
"Let’s go down too, Instructor Han Seong-ah."
"Huh?"
He tore two scrolls.
One was Water Breathing, and the other was a Magic Veil he’d obtained from a ruin.
As the two scrolls tore, a blue veil-like barrier appeared around Yoo Baek-jun.
"Come here."
―Grrr.
Yoo Baek-jun tucked Seol-yeong into his arms and pulled Instructor Han Seong-ah into the barrier.
Then, they slowly descended into the sea.
"W-wait, is this safe… Gulp!"
As they entered the water, Han Seong-ah tightly shut her eyes, expecting water to rush in.
But the water didn’t come.
"...Huh, the water…?"
"Why are you squeezing your eyes shut like that?"
The barrier kept the water out.
Yoo Baek-jun skillfully maneuvered the barrier as they descended deeper into the sea.
"This is… wow……."
Han Seong-ah, looking around, let out an uncharacteristic exclamation.
Perhaps because the barrier glowed faintly, the underwater scenery was vividly visible.
The blue water, passing fish, countless sea creatures—it was enough to draw admiration.
“This way, I think.”
―Kyaaoo.
In contrast, Yoo Baek-jun was utterly indifferent.
Moving the barrier swiftly, he headed straight for their destination.
How long had they been traveling?
"We’re here."
"That over there?"
A submerged ruin came into view.
Yoo Baek-jun carefully maneuvered the barrier into the ruin.
Inside, the place felt eerie due to the sea creatures that had grown over the long years.
"...Feels like monsters might show up."
"There probably were some."
"There were?"
Han Seong-ah looked around.
Upon closer inspection, bones of unknown creatures were scattered about, seemingly gnawed on by sea life.
And the walls.
"There are sword marks here."
"Yeah. There’s something inside that attracts monsters. That’s why monsters were guarding this place… but someone killed them all."
They ventured deep into the ruin.
The innermost chamber.
They entered what should have been a heavily guarded room.
At its center stood an altar.
"As expected."
The altar had a circular indentation.
A space where something should have been placed. But now, there was nothing.
“Looks like they’ve already made a mess of things.”
Treasure Hunters.
They had taken the treasure that was once here.
The problem was, that treasure wasn’t just any ordinary treasure.
‘The first major event is about to begin.’
<The Great Invasion>.
Soon, Seoul would be engulfed in flames.