Chapter 57
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 57.
The next day, Yoo Baek-jun flew to Hokkaido.
Specifically to Wakkanai, located in the Far East of the region.
“Wow, it’s completely frozen solid.”
—Awooo!
A vast sea stretched out before his eyes.
Beyond the now-defunct port, the sea was, quite literally, frozen solid.
‘Abnormal weather caused by the Gate.’
Just like how Seoraksan Mountain had become a place where blizzards raged year-round, Wakkanai had also undergone changes.
The frozen sea was proof of that.
“Hey, Seol-yeong, The ice is cracking.”
—Grrr, grooowl!
Seol-yeong, seemingly fascinated, began jumping around on the ice. Even so, its tail remained clenched in its mouth.
“Why on earth does it keep biting its tail…?”
The more he saw it, the more perplexed he became.
Yoo Baek-jun turned his head to look at the city.
‘There aren’t many people here.’
Even in reality, it had been a quiet town, but in this world, it looked almost like a ghost town.
Shops were closed, and only a few people passed by. Even they looked lifeless.
“Can’t blame them.”
Wakkanai in Japan was a somewhat complicated place.
In this game's version of Japan, the country was constantly hit by natural disasters, and now also suffered from frequent gate appearances, leaving it in an ongoing war with monsters.
‘Wakkanai is in Hokkaido, and being in the Far East, it doesn’t receive much attention from the government.’
Because of that, the locals and a handful of hunters were barely managing to survive together.
Though how long that survival would last was anyone’s guess.
‘The ones who slipped through Wakkanai’s cracks were the Treasure Hunters… To the people here, they must seem like saviors.’
The Treasure Hunters had gained the locals’ support by clearing the Gates in Wakkanai.
And after establishing their base there, they stayed for nearly a year.
‘Wakkanai should have one A+ rank dungeon—they must be targeting that.’
The gist of it was this:
Wakkanai needed the Treasure Hunters, so they accepted them.
In that case, all Yoo Baek-jun had to do was eliminate the root cause.
“Young Master, we’ve made contact with the Mikazuki Guild. They’ve agreed to handle the situation.”
The Sword Saint family collected and sold all sorts of rare items and materials from Seoraksan Mountain .
Moreover, many scions of renowned families from overseas came to train under the Sword Saint family.
The connections formed there—
‘This time, I’ll have to make use of them.’
Yoo Baek-jun began walking.
* * *
A traditional Japanese mansion in Wakkanai.
In its reception room, a middle-aged man and a young woman sat facing each other.
“It’s been a while, Emma .”
“Yes, sir.”
The woman’s name was Itsuki Emma .
She had the appearance of an East Asian, but her striking feature was her dazzling golden hair.
The man’s name was Honma Koshiro.
He was a well-known local figure in Wakkanai.
“I heard you went abroad recently. Where did you go?”
“I made a brief trip to Russia.”
“Hmm. I assume asking why is pointless?”
Emma smiled faintly and sipped her tea.
A polite refusal—she had no intention of explaining.
“…….”
Koshiro studied the woman before him.
About a year ago, she had suddenly appeared, offering to clear the Gates plaguing the area.
She and her guild had successfully raided the Gates and eliminated the monsters.
‘But they never revealed their identities. In fact, they even asked to keep their presence hidden.’
They periodically left for overseas and returned, always bringing back loads of luggage.
It was suspicious, but—
‘I had no reason to refuse.’
Koshiro had complied with their requests thus far.
After all, this region was one the government had long ignored. He had accommodated them as much as possible, even hiding their presence when needed.
He intended to continue doing so.
“Sir, I assume you called me here for a reason.”
“…Ah, yes. Right. Ah, getting old makes me ramble.”
“You’re still in good health.”
“Hah, not compared to you Hunters.”
Koshiro gave a slight nod.
A butler waiting by the wall approached and unfolded a large map on the table.
“An Entry-type Gate has appeared. This one is quite large.”
“The location is tricky. With its size, we’ll need to mobilize all the guild members on standby.”
“Exactly.”
Emma glanced at Koshiro.
“…The reward will be generous. I’ve already spoken to the mayor. He’s prepared what you requested.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Emma smiled and nodded.
In this area, she was treated with great respect. In Wakkanai, where even money couldn’t buy skilled Hunters, her abilities were rare.
“We’ll raid it tomorrow.”
“Yes, I leave it to you.”
Emma stood up immediately.
Only after she left did Koshiro relax, sinking deeply into his chair.
His butler approached.
“Shall I contact the Mikazuki Guild?”
“They’ve helped us for a year. I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.”
“They’re wanted criminals overseas. I’ve heard they’re obsessed with treasure, causing all sorts of incidents and accidents.”
“Yes, I know. I’m aware.”
Koshiro took a deep breath.
Through the window, he could faintly see Emma’s retreating figure as she left the mansion.
“Did they cross someone they shouldn’t have?”
Koshiro sighed.
“I’m sorry, Emma .”
* * *
After leaving the mansion, Emma headed to the Treasure Hunters’ hideout.
A building in the outskirts of the sparsely populated city—specifically, its basement.
That was their base.
Creeeak.
She pushed open the old door.
Despite its outward appearance, the interior was tidy, with several people inside.
Members of the Treasure Hunters guild.
“Oh, Emma . You’re back?”
“What did the old man want this time? More work?”
As Emma entered, the guild members approached.
They were a group of individuals with unique appearances and eccentric personalities. Their innate abilities were also ambiguous, making them undesirable in mainstream guilds.
But Emma treated them with value.
“Yes, work. An Entry-type Gate. He said the reward will be generous this time.”
“More than last time?”
“Oh, then it must be substantial.”
“Thanks to you, Emma , we’re making money we couldn’t even dream of in our old guilds. Heh, appreciate it.”
One excited member placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder. She smiled warmly.
“You can take the raid rewards this time, too. I don’t need them.”
“Really? You sure that’s okay, Emma ?”
“You did the same last time.”
“Fine, you guys need the money more. The raid is tomorrow, and as usual, Rude and I will handle the preparations. Don’t be late.”
“Emma’s the only one who ever thinks about us.”
Though Emma would handle most of the preparations, the guild members still had their own tasks.
They nodded and left the basement.
“…….”
Once they were gone, Emma’s expression turned icy. She brushed off the shoulder that had been touched.
“Disgusting outcasts, how dare they….”
She recalled what the guild member had said earlier: Emma’s the only one who ever thinks about us.
She scoffed.
‘You’re nothing but tools for me to grow stronger.’
She had never once cared about those outcasts.
‘And for revenge….’
With a cold expression, Emma sat down.
The Treasure Hunters had members with various innate abilities, though none were particularly outstanding.
They were all mediocre.
‘But even mediocre abilities can become useful when combined and utilized well.’
That was how Emma ran the guild.
Gathering a large number of guild members, rewarding them handsomely to secure their loyalty.
Then, leveraging their diverse abilities to raid Gates and dungeons.
“Just a little… just a little more….”
Emma thought of her own innate ability.
Treasure Hunt—an ability that allowed her to detect treasures worldwide, almost like precognition.
‘A little more, and my ability will evolve.’
Innate abilities could develop in various ways.
Some grew stronger simply through repeated use, while others required specific conditions to be met.
Emma’s was the latter.
The more treasures she found using her ability, the stronger it became.
“Sigh….”
“Why the long face? Regretting sharing the rewards? Well, you’ve been giving away so much, I’d worry about going bankrupt too.”
A man emerged from the depths of the basement. Lean and sharp-featured.
Rude, the vice-guild leader of the Treasure Hunters.
Thud!
“Guhk!”
He flung someone to the ground.
A male Hunter, covered in wounds.
“What’s this?”
“A tracker. Remember the mess we made in Paraguay last time while grabbing treasure? Someone must’ve put a bounty on us.”
“Ah, a tracker….”
Given the nature of the Treasure Hunters, it was easy to make enemies among other guilds and individuals.
Emma’s gaze turned cold.
“Who sent him?”
“Already figured that out.”
“Then why bring him here?”
“To decide whether to keep him alive or kill him. That’s the guild leader’s call.”
Emma smirked and flicked her sleeve.
Two daggers shot out.
“W-wait, I’ve told you everything! Spare—!”
“Why bother asking?”
Stab!
The two daggers pierced the man’s throat from both sides, then sliced clean through.
Blood sprayed, splattering Emma’s face.
“If you’ve already extracted everything, just kill him.”
“Ah, refreshing. But who’s cleaning up this blood? Me?”
“Should I do it?”
Rude shrugged and stepped back, implying he’d handle it.
Emma watched him clean up and suddenly asked,
“What about Seoul?”
“Velvet’s side… still no contact.”
“Hah, nothing’s happened, right? We still need those bastards.”
“No idea. Want me to go check?”
“No, too dangerous. I can afford to lose someone like Velvet, but not you.”
Rude had an innate ability to identify the types of monsters in dungeons or Gates.
Combining his intel with other guild members’ abilities allowed them to devise raid strategies.
Losing Rude wasn’t an option.
“Should I be flattered? And hey, we’re guildmates. Can’t you show a little concern?”
“Those outcasts are nothing….”
“You know you’re not much different, right?”
Emma’s expression darkened.
“You and I were both cast out by our families and ended up here. Those outcasts, us….”
“Shut up.”
She glared at Rude with murderous intensity.
“Ah, right, right. Touched a nerve, huh?”
“…….”
Emma took a deep breath, steadying her emotions.
Her face became impassive.
“Anyway, you know we’ll be leaving Wakkanai soon, right?”
“Already prepared.”
“Koshiro’s starting to have second thoughts. Let’s raid the dungeon here and leave.”
“You know raiding that dungeon will turn this entire area into a wasteland, right?”
If the boss monster inside awakened, Wakkanai would be destroyed.
But that didn’t matter.
“Since when have we cared about that?”
“Fair point.”
Rude smirked.
“Raid the Gate tomorrow, start the day after.”
“Got it.”
It was time to leave this city.