Chapter 85
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 85.
Rumble...!
There was a hidden room in the association's conference hall.
It was a room built long ago by a former Association Chairman to secretly observe meetings, but in recent times, it had been forgotten and was rarely used.
That room had now been opened.
"What an interesting young man."
There were people inside—bodyguards, kneeling subordinates, and Yoon Baek-jin.
"And they called such a young man weak? This is..."
"Until about a month ago, before he revealed himself at the meeting, that was the assessment he received."
"People must have had holes for their eyes."
"No, I think it's more likely that some kind of opportunity changed him."
"Is that so?"
Jeon Byeong-woo stood opposite Yoon Baek-jin.
"Well, a tiger’s cub can’t be a dog, after all."
"The succession dispute in the Sword Saint’s family is likely to get complicated. There are three candidates now."
"Yoo Tae-rang, Yoo Jung-yeon, and Yoo Baek-jun, was it?"
"Yes. Our side predicts that Yoo Tae-rang has an overwhelmingly high chance of becoming the family head."
Yoon Baek-jin nodded.
The years of experience were incomparable. Yoo Tae-rang had been learning the art of rulership since childhood and had built a faction supporting him.
On the other hand, Yoo Baek-jun had nothing.
"This is a headache. We were trying to reduce the influence of prestigious families and guilds, but now things have turned out like this."
Currently, in South Korea, the power of noble families and guilds was far too strong.
Even the government was being swayed by them.
The current president, Yoon Baek-jin, saw this situation as undesirable and sought to change it.
"The Sword Saint family’s influence is likely to grow even more. Especially if they accept that proposal..."
"That’s likely."
"But it’s not without its benefits."
Yoon Baek-jin’s eyes gleamed as he listened.
"Not without benefits?"
"The Sword Saint family’s succession disputes have always been bloody. With Yoo Tae-rang, Yoo Jung-yeon, and now Yoo Baek-jun as a new contender, the conflict will only intensify."
"So the internal division will deepen, you mean."
"Yes, exactly. Given that Yoo Baek-jun’s abilities seem extraordinary, he might put up a fiercer fight against Yoo Tae-rang than expected."
After hearing Jeon Byeong-woo’s words, Yoon Baek-jin fell into brief contemplation. Closing his eyes in thought, he slowly nodded.
"Alright... That doesn’t sound too bad. We don’t have a better option anyway."
"We’ve also compiled a list of the corruption committed by the former association chairman and his faction."
There was no better method than this.
By emphasizing Yoo Baek-jun’s achievements, the government could announce that it had made significant efforts to resolve the crisis through him.
And the association, too—
"In troubled times, heroes always emerge."
They would acknowledge that there had been shortcomings in their response due to the corruption of the former association chairman and his faction, who were blinded by greed.
But if Yoo Baek-jun, now a hero, shielded the government and the association, they could redirect public criticism toward the former chairman.
‘And then Yoo Baek-jun, now a hero, will engage in a bloody succession battle within his own family.’
Not bad at all.
A faint smile appeared on Yoon Baek-jin’s lips.
"Let’s proceed with that. Once the situation settles, we’ll expose the corruption and bring everything to light. That’ll leave the association chairman position vacant. Ah, and..."
Yoo Baek-jun let out a long sigh.
"Don’t forget about compensating the victims."
"Yes, we’ll do everything we can."
If they had acted when things first felt off, perhaps the damage could have been minimized.
Regret lingered in Yoon Baek-jin’s heart.
"......"
Yoon Baek-jin glanced to his side.
Standing silently beside him was a man with a sturdy build and short hair, his rough appearance almost making him look like a gangster.
"Director Baek Jang-hyeon, are you confident?"
The man who had established the Gate Response Strategy Division and gathered personnel, including Chae Jeong-jun—
He was Baek Jang-hyeon, the Executive Director of the association.
"Yes, I’m ready at any time."
"Then let’s do it."
Baek Jang-hyeon answered quietly.
"I will... absolutely achieve our goal."
His eyes gleamed ominously.
***
Yoo Baek-jun scanned the conference room.
‘They’re probably having that conversation right about now. Predictable old men...’
He knew about the hidden room in the conference hall and that Yoon Baek-jin was inside.
He had experienced this event many times before.
‘The next association chairman will be the executive director—Baek Jang-hyeon. Like Yoon Baek-jin, he dislikes the excessive power of noble families and guilds.’
That’s why he aims to weaken the influence of families and guilds while strengthening the association’s authority.
Those who follow his lead include Chae Jeong-jun and others—as well as Han Chang-woo, the protagonist of Heroes Road.
‘They’ll leave me alone until I take control of the family. No need to interfere with something that’ll weaken them from within.’
But after that, problems will arise.
Though he had built friendly relations, he still wasn’t sure how things would unfold.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped outside, where Han Seong-ah was waiting for him.
"Young Master, did the discussion go well?"
"Yeah, things are about to get busy."
A faint smile played on Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.
‘The Demon Realm.’
It was a desolate place, but it had its merits.
For one, it was rich in untapped resources—special minerals and magic stones used in the Demon Realm.
Magic stones infused with both magical and demonic energy had unique effects and were incredibly valuable.
‘I’ll have to give a portion of the profits to the government... but that’s fine.’
He had already decided to only hand over a portion.
For now, the only things coming from the Demon Realm were minerals and magic stones.
But that would change soon.
‘I’ll bring various races from other worlds to settle in the Demon Realm and gradually develop the land.’
He had done this many times while playing Heroes Road.
It felt like playing a simulation game—nurturing the Demon Realm and generating profits from it.
It would become a solid source of resources.
And the otherworldly races living there would naturally become his staunch supporters.
"Gotta dream big."
"Huh? Young Master, I didn’t catch that."
“Nah, I was just thinking about getting into real estate.”
"Uh...?"
Han Seong-ah looked bewildered.
"Let’s get to work, Instructor Han Seong-ah."
"I have no idea what’s going on, but you seem to be in a good mood, so that’s a relief...?"
Yoo Baek-jun left the association with Han Seong-ah.
***
Yoo Baek-jun decided to stay at the Sword Saint’s Seoul branch for a while.
The branch had been built with defense in mind, so it remained unscathed during the recent crisis.
Security was tight, and the interior was immaculate.
"Young Master, I’ve already contacted Bigtums. He said he’d come to meet us soon."
"Mhm, got it."
"Will it be okay? I heard he’s quite picky."
He had business to take care of while staying at the branch.
First, he needed to find people to explore the underground of the Demon Realm—and dwarves were perfect for that.
Especially Bigtums.
"He’s picky, but if we ask him to explore the Demon Realm, he’ll probably jump at the chance."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He’s the type who thirsts for new things."
If he played his cards right, Bigtums might even lower his fees and insist on doing it himself.
Yoo Baek-jun entered his room.
"Not bad for a five-star hotel."
"Compared to the Demon Realm, I suppose. Well, get some rest. I’ll be waiting outside."
"Yeah. Instructor Han Seong-ah, you should rest too."
"Okay."
He was exhausted.
Having stayed up all night, fatigue weighed on him. At least his Energizer trait kept him from collapsing immediately.
"Haaah..."
Yoo Baek-jun flopped onto the bed.
He didn’t plan to rest long—just an hour, or even 30 minutes...
—Gurgle.
But then, a familiar sound reached his ears.
Something soft and jelly-like pressed against his face.
―Ppaeaeng, whew. Kyaw.
"...Why are you here?"
It was Seol-yeong, who should have been with Choi Seung-min at the Sword Saint’s main house.
The little beast stared down at Yoo Baek-jun.
After a moment of intense eye contact—
—Grrr!
Thwack!
"Gah!"
It punched him square in the face.
"W-What the hell was that for... Ugh."
His face throbbed.
Seol-yeong continued to stare at him, its expression unreadable—but somehow, it seemed... sulky?
—Mrrrow! Mreeeow! Grrr!
"What are you saying? Hey!"
Yoo Baek-jun grabbed Seol-yeong’s paws as it tried to punch him again.
The little creature flailed indignantly.
Just as he was wondering what its problem was, the door opened.
"It’s throwing a tantrum."
"Choi Seung-min, when did you get here?"
"Uh... well."
Choi Seung-min scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"It’s just... Seol-yeong suddenly went on a hunger strike..."
"A hunger strike?"
"Yeah. I had no idea why, so I thought maybe it wanted to see you, Young Master. That’s why I brought it here."
"......"
"I even took it to a vet, but they said it was perfectly fine..."
Yoo Baek-jun could guess what was going on.
He had entrusted Seol-yeong to Choi Seung-min, asking him to take good care of it—but if it wasn’t eating, of course he’d worry.
Since the vet said it was fine, bringing it to him must have been the last resort.
"......"
—......
Yoo Baek-jun and Seol-yeong locked eyes.
A brief silence passed—but only for a moment. Seol-yeong bared its teeth and started slapping his cheek repeatedly.
—Mreeee...
"Mreee?"
—Mree... Baek-jun!
Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes widened.
He and Choi Seung-min exchanged stunned glances before looking back at Seol-yeong.
"Did it just talk?"
"...I think it did?"
—Baek-jun! Baek-jun!
"Is it calling me a bum right now?"
"N-No, I think it said ‘Baek-jun’..."
Yoo Baek-jun lifted Seol-yeong up.
Has it learned to talk this quickly? Originally, it only started speaking after returning from the Spirit Realm.
And it used to call him something else.
"Hmm... Hey, Choi Seung-min."
"Yes, Young Master."
He suddenly reached out toward Choi Seung-min.
Choi Seung-min, as if expecting this, pulled something out from his pocket—meat he had prepared in advance.
"Here, meat."
—Mrow! Omnomnom...
Seol-yeong happily devoured the meat.
Choi Seung-min looked dumbfounded. It had refused to eat no matter how much he begged earlier.
"It’s eating just fine."
"Y-Yeah... Hah. I guess I was right. It must have missed you, Young Master."
"Guess so."
Yoo Baek-jun silently watched Seol-yeong munching away.
‘Did I neglect it too much?’
Lately, he hadn’t been able to pay much attention to it.
With the Great Invasion looming, he simply hadn’t had the time. He really had been busy.
‘No, that’s just an excuse.’
Yoo Baek-jun stared at Seol-yeong.
This little one had lost its parents not long ago. He had taken it in, promising to take care of it.
But had he really done so?
"I’ve been half-hearted."
He rubbed his forehead.
This wasn’t his first time raising a young tiger cub. In the game, he had rescued and raised it countless times.
But...
‘This is reality now.’
He held Seol-yeong’s paws.
Squish, squish. The soft, warm sensation was unmistakable.
A liveliness that couldn’t be replicated in a game.
—Mrrow?
"Well, since you’re here, I’ll take care of you. But I’ll leave you behind when it’s dangerous."
—......
Seol-yeong stared at him intently.
—Mrowr!
Then, it grinned.
It was scarily good at understanding human speech. In high spirits, it started playfully teasing him.
—Baek-jun! Baek-jun!
"That sounds way too much like ‘bum’..."
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.