Yoo Baekjun decided not to go meet Ja Yeon right away and instead rest for two days.
He needed to relieve the fatigue that had built up from training and sparring, and also sort out his assets.
"Oh, our Young Master. You've hoarded quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Young master! There are a lot of jewels over here too!"
"Take everything. Don't leave behind any items either!"
It was all the wealth stored in Yoo Kangho's house.
As someone who used the family's fortune extravagantly, it was no surprise there was a lot of treasure in the family.
Add to that gold bars and various items as well.
"Hehe, how much is all this worth?"
"Young master, if you laugh so creepily, it's unbecoming of your dignity..."
"Dignity, my ass. When have I ever cared about that? The entire family is too busy ignoring me anyway."
"Well, they don't ignore you openly..."
"They all talked trash behind my back loud enough for me to hear."
Yoo Baekjun scoffed.
The people of the family looked down on him. From the masters and trainees to the servants, every one of them.
But that was only to the extent of quietly badmouthing him behind his back—none dared to confront him openly or pick a fight.
They couldn't.
'Because no matter what, I'm a direct bloodline of the family.'
That would be considered a challenge against the family itself.
Even if Yoo Baekjun had been a forsaken child, there were still limits to what could be overlooked.
And now, he wasn't even forsaken anymore.
"But Young Master, what are you planning to do with all this money? You never cared for wealth before."
"I have use for it. How about my account?"
"It was created yesterday. Here, your card."
Choi Seungmin handed him a pitch-black card.
The so-called black card. The kind used by the top 0.1% richest people in the world.
Although the Sword Saint Clan was buried away deep in Seorak Mountain, their fortune was staggering.
'They've probably been selling off things from the Gates since ancient times, so no way they'd be poor.'
He also recalled a setting that mentioned the family owned a ridiculous amount of real estate in Seoul.
He had become the youngest son of a filthy rich family.
'Oho, is this what they call a complete life reversal?'
Yoo Baekjun let out a bitter chuckle.
Life reversal or whatever—soon this place would become a sea of fire due to a massive upcoming event.
"Seungmin, I need a favor."
"Yes, go ahead, Young Master."
"There should be a bar called Somnium in the Gangnam area of Seoul. They hold an auction there once a month... it should be held next week."
Choi Seungmin listened attentively.
"Figure out what items are being put up and report back to me. It's been a while since you've gone into society, so eat whatever you want."
"Well, going into society isn't exactly hard. It's not like we're in the military or anything."
The Sword Saint Clan had a teleportation magic circle.
In this world, there was an organization called the Magic Tower that preserved and studied magic from other worlds.
With their help, the teleportation circle had been created—it allowed easy travel to Seoul.
'The problem is it consumes a truly insane amount of mana, so we can't use it often.'
Since he couldn't move around freely at the moment, he planned to send Choi Seungmin in his stead.
At that auction next week, he needed to acquire a certain "corpse."
'The corpse is important, but the event that branches off from it is even more critical. I can't miss it.'
Humming a tune, Yoo Baekjun looked around the house. The cleanup seemed to be mostly finished.
"Are you going to use this mansion?"
"No, it's too uncomfortable being right in the middle of the family. I like that annex better."
"Hehe, I agree."
Yoo Baekjun's annex was located at the edge of the family house. It was relatively quiet, and people rarely came and went.
"I should go meet Grandmaster Ja Yeon. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yes. Ah, also, Young Master. Master Han Seonga has decided to stay in the mansion."
"Really? Make sure she gets a good room."
Master Han Seonga had become Yoo Baekjun's personal master. She wouldn't be teaching other trainees—only Yoo Baekjun.
'Personal master sounds fancy, but it's basically a secretary.'
All the other siblings had their own personal masters. It was just his turn now.
"Master Han Seonga… yeah, she's a good talent."
Yoo Baekjun stepped out of the building.
It was still snowing outside. The interior of the estate remained untouched by snow, but it was still cold.
He exhaled a breath of white steam and continued walking.
'Should I use those points before I go?'
He had earned 300 points from completing the quest related to Yoo Kangho.
"Hm, 300 points."
It was an awkward amount of points.
Should he learn a skill with it? No, there weren't any he urgently needed. He'd be learning from Ja Yeon for a while anyway.
'Learning a Trait would be the best choice.'
There were a few Traits that would help with training. Yoo Baekjun opened his book and flipped through the contents to find what he needed.
[Energizer (C)]
– The body doesn't tire easily and recovers from fatigue faster than normal people.
Being a C-rank, it wasn't an amazing Trait.
But it was still quite useful. It allowed him to recover faster from training fatigue, and even with less sleep, he'd feel less tired than others.
'I can't rely on elixirs anymore, so I'll need this at least.'
Back when he trained through the night, the effects of elixirs were huge.
But he couldn't keep consuming them endlessly, nor could he grow dependent on them.
'A C-rank Trait for 300 points, huh.'
Traits were generally more expensive than Skills.
Even in the game, gaining additional Traits was notoriously difficult, so it made sense.
"Hmm..."
He'd earn more points from quests during training, and he could learn more useful Traits with them.
Yoo Baekjun resumed walking.
***
In the world of Heroes' Road, there were two main ways to learn a Skill.
One: train to learn it.
Two: use a Skill Book and gain it instantly.
'The problem is how rare Skill Books are.'
Plenty of low-rank Skills were lying around everywhere. The issue was the high-rank ones.
They were ridiculously hard to find, and there weren't that many to begin with. Their prices were insane too.
'That's why the standard method is to learn Skills through training. Skill Books are more like serendipitous encounters.'
Being able to use the Martial God's Book meant he could summon such encounters at will.
Also, being the successor of the Sword Saint Clan gave him access to any training he wanted—another huge advantage.
"I guess you could say it fits my image pretty well..."
The place he had agreed to meet Ja Yeon was the training hall.
It was a martial arts dojo made of wood, and as he entered, a pleasant fragrance lingered in the air.
"You're here."
At its center sat Ja Yeon.
With her eyes closed, she sipped tea, her posture perfectly natural.
"You said you had a lot to take care of—did you finish everything?"
"Yes, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"No need to apologize. Here, would you care to sit? I wonder if you like tea."
"I don't dislike it."
Yoo Baekjun sat across from Ja Yeon. The tea she poured him was a refreshing green tea.
A brief moment of quiet passed.
"So, you said you wanted to learn from me. What exactly do you wish to learn? Should I teach you swordsmanship like I do the other direct descendants?"
Heaven-Surging Sword Technique.
It was the iconic martial art of the Sword Saint Clan, practiced by both direct descendants and trainees.
Of course, there were differences—some forms were only passed down to the direct bloodline.
"........"
What should he learn?
Ordinarily, swordsmanship would be the natural choice. The Heaven-Surging Sword Technique was already powerful, and the more one trained it, the stronger it became.
But
"I want to learn fist techniques."
Yoo Baekjun had no intention of going with the usual.
Ja Yeon's eyes widened in surprise. She had naturally assumed he would ask to learn swordsmanship.
"Fist techniques… you say?"
"Yes, I'm talking about fist techniques."
"You're aware this is the Sword Saint Clan, correct, Young Master?"
"If it wasn't the Sword Saint Clan, where else would it be?"
Ja Yeon looked dumbfounded.
The name itself said it all—Sword Saint. In a clan that prized swordsmanship above all else, asking to learn fist techniques?
"I'm not unfamiliar with fist techniques, but I never expected you'd ask me to teach them, so I'm a bit taken aback."
"It's not that I'm neglecting swordsmanship. Fist techniques are only the beginning. I want to master all forms of martial arts."
At those words, Ja Yeon's gaze shifted.
"Interesting. It sounds like you want to walk the same path the Martial God once did."
"Yes. I intend to learn and use everything that can help me grow stronger. Just like he did."
"Hm......"
Ja Yeon fell into thought. Yoo Baekjun watched her with a subtle gaze before speaking.
"I've heard, Grandmaster Ja Yeon, that you researched many of the martial arts used by the Martial God in the past."
"...That's right."
"If you happened to discover something useful, I thought perhaps it might help me."
Ja Yeon looked at Yoo Baekjun.
Her gaze seemed to analyze him. And in truth, she was.
'Is this the beginning of the event?'
The event tied to Grandmaster Ja Yeon: The One Who Will Inherit the Martial God's Legacy. It's where Ja Yeon takes interest in the protagonist's talent and teaches him martial arts.
Of course, there are conditions.
'First, he must have awakened the Heavenly Martial Physique.'
One needs at least that level of talent to satisfy Ja Yeon. And second—
'He must have learned at least a C-rank fist technique.'
For the successor of the Sword Saint Clan to suddenly request to learn fist techniques, he needed at least a C-rank one to show he had a genuine interest.
'I've met both conditions.'
Yoo Baekjun waited calmly.
"Interesting."
Slurp, the sound of tea being sipped rang out.
"You sound so sure that I know something. Am I wrong?"
"Well, who knows."
She was right.
Yoo Baekjun had approached her believing she would know that fist technique—
The one said to be used by the Martial God in the past.
"Very well."
Ja Yeon set down her teacup.
"As you say, there is one fist technique I know of. I discovered it after scouring through records and traveling around the world."
"What kind of fist technique is it?"
"It's a technique said to have been used by the Martial God himself."
Yoo Baekjun's eyes lit up. It was as good as confirmation that he had successfully met the event conditions.
"But there's one problem. It's an incomplete technique. I managed to find the martial arts manual it was recorded in, but only part of it."
"You weren't able to find the rest of the manual."
"Correct. A significant portion of the forms has been lost."
Ja Yeon looked at Yoo Baekjun.
"To be frank with you, if you wish to become strong, I suggest you learn the Heaven-Surging Sword Technique."
"No."
Yoo Baekjun shook his head firmly.
"I will learn the fist technique. Please teach it to me."
"You're quite stubborn."
Ja Yeon sighed and stood up. Then, beckoning him with her hand, she walked outside.
"Since I agreed to teach you martial arts, if that is your wish, then so be it."
She was probably heading to the yard.
This dojo was built with ordinary wood, so it couldn't withstand the skills used by Hunters.
If she were to demonstrate a skill inside, the entire dojo might collapse, so they had to go outside.
"Hup! Hrrgh!"
There were already other trainees training in the yard.
Among them were a few faces Yoo Baekjun recognized.
'As expected, I should say she has good eyes.'
They were individuals with great talent who would stand out later in the game's progression.
All were people Ja Yeon had personally chosen to raise. Her discernment was clearly exceptional.
"There are quite a few people here, Grandmaster Ja Yeon."
"Does it bother you?"
"No, not really."
As Ja Yeon entered the yard, the trainees stopped their training and greeted her.
"You've arrived, Grandmaster!"
"Don't mind me, carry on with your training."
With light steps, she walked to the center of the yard. Yoo Baekjun followed her.
"As I said earlier, the fist technique I found is incomplete. I know exactly two forms. That's it."
"It's barely enough to be called a fist technique."
"Yes. But I've built a basic structure around those two forms to supplement it."
Ja Yeon made a gesture, and a mana scarecrow rose up from the ground.
She rolled up her sleeves.
"I will now show you those two forms. These are what you'll be learning, Young Master."
Ja Yeon closed her eyes.
Boom!
And the moment she opened them again—
The air around them turned heavy. The trainees could be heard gasping.
Only Yoo Baekjun remained composed.
'It should be time for the quest to pop up.'
Yoo Baekjun stared blankly into the air.
Ding!
As if on cue, a message appeared. Yoo Baekjun checked the quest.
[Of course! I'm a Genius.]
News of you defeating Yoo Kangho has spread through the clan, but people still regard you with mixed feelings.
Show them your overwhelming talent. After all, you're a genius.
–Reward: 200P
Yoo Baekjun let out a short laugh.
"That's a piece of cake."
It was far too easy a quest.