'I have 700 points right now.'
All kinds of skills that could be learned with 700P were listed in the book. Some were good, some were bad.
Yoo Baekjun began picking and learning skills one by one—the kind that made people wonder why anyone would bother learning them.
– You have learned Tri-Fist Technique (D, 1★)!
– You have learned Tri-Mind Technique (D, 1★)!
– You have learned Strike (D, 1★)!
Strike cost 100P, while the other two cost 50P each.
Usually, a skill's point cost reflects its value—expensive if it's worth it, cheap if it's trash.
50P was the lowest tier. That meant the Tri-Fist Technique and Tri-Mind were pure garbage.
[Tri-Fist Technique (D, 1★)]
– A martial art commonly learned by back-alley thugs. It teaches three basic techniques: throwing a punch, striking with the elbow, and an upward jab to the jaw.
[Tri-Mind Technique (D, 1★)]
– A laughably worthless mind technique. However, it does teach you how to control mana.
[Strike (D, 1★)]
– Embed mana into your fist or weapon and strike your opponent with all your might.
The first two were, literally, garbage. Strike was at least passable.
– Who in their right mind would pay money to learn this stuff?
Anyone would say that.
In truth, Yoo Baekjun thought the same. Sure, it might look terrible now, but if you polish it to the extreme, it could be better than even A-grade skills…
"There's no way that's true."
They were just third-rate martial arts.
Skills brought over from the Murim, learned only by beggars and vagrants in dark alleys over there.
The reason he learned them was simple.
"For the upcoming event."
Once he finished digesting the snow ginseng, he planned to show his face at the family manor.
If he trained with these trashy skills in the crowded training hall, one of the instructors would eventually approach him.
'That instructor gives you a free skill.'
At the lowest possible cost.
That free skill could be extracted from the instructor only by using the Tri-Fist Technique.
But that wasn't all. There were other events that required knowing a martial art to activate.
'To be taught by the Grandmaster, I need to know martial arts, whether I like it or not.'
You needed to be trained in martial arts of a certain grade to meet the requirement, and the Tri-Fist Technique was the cheapest way to qualify.
There were a lot of uses for it.
'I need to save my points for later—when Martial God's Book gets upgraded.'
Yoo Baekjun flipped through the Tri-Mind Technique a few times.
Though he had just learned the skill, knowledge of how to use it was already in his head.
Even without that, it was a skill he had used thousands of times in the game.
"Tch, guess I'll give it a shot."
Yoo Baekjun tossed an Extreme Yang Pill into his mouth. From his mouth to his throat, it felt as if a blazing sun had entered.
He waited for the heat to settle in his core, then took the Thousand-year-old snow ginseng.
"Huff!"
When he took the Extreme Yang Pill, it felt like his whole body was about to melt.
But now, his body was freezing so badly it felt like it might shatter—no, it was freezing.
Ssssss!
It felt like dry ice was sliding down his throat. The biting chill spread throughout his entire body, and icy energy poured out of him.
'Extreme yin energy can kill.'
The Thousand-year-old snow ginseng was an elixir brimming with yin energy.
Without a proper internal manual or someone to help, you couldn't absorb it safely.
The problem was, he had no such method.
'That's why I made the Extreme Yang Pill.'
Using yang energy to suppress the yin.
It was something he'd done hundreds of times—no chance of a mistake, no reason to fail. Yoo Baekjun calmly guided the energy entering his body and began to control it.
Wooooong!
His body heated and cooled over and over. Yoo Baekjun, soaked in cold sweat, channeled the internal energy using the manual.
And at last—
Fwoosh!
He tasted the fruit of his labor.
Yoo Baekjun opened his eyes wide. From his pupils, a blue mist-like energy flowed out.
– Successfully digested the Thousand-year-old snow ginseng!
– Using the Extreme Yang Pill, you have suppressed the yin energy and absorbed the pure mana within... Mana rank increased by two grades!
– Due to the effects of the elixirs, your stat growth and skill proficiency speed will increase temporarily!
The message he had been waiting for appeared.
Yoo Baekjun smiled brightly. He'd done this countless times before, but the joy of success never got old.
He immediately opened his status window.
[Yoo Baekjun]
Strength: C (9/100) Agility: C (12/100)
Stamina: C (14/100) Mana: B (1/100)
[Innate Ability: Martial God's Book (EX, 1★)]
[Trait: Heavenly Martial Physique (S)]
[Skills: Oriental Medicine Formulation (B), Mobility Technique (D, 2★), Tri-Fist Technique (D, 1★), Tri-Mind Technique (D, 1★), Strike (D, 1★)]
He could feel the strong mana coursing through him.
Unlike before, there was now a sense of vitality in his body. Both yin and yang energy were swirling around his lower dantian.
Yoo Baekjun let out a long breath.
'There's a reason I upgraded mana to grade B first.'
He opened the Martial God's Book once more.
He had 500P remaining. Countless skills were now available.
Yoo Baekjun picked one without hesitation.
[Attribute Manifestation (A, 1★)]
– A technique created by the (Named) magic swordsman, Yoon Songha, to channel her overflowing mana into her sword.
– By combining mana with attribute mana, it allows the user to manifest it as aura. However...
A skill that let him use aura.
By combining mana and attribute mana, it manifested in the form of a powerful aura—an A-rank skill.
And it only cost 500P.
'No wonder.'
The mana consumption was absolutely insane.
Yoo Baekjun clenched his fist and activated Attribute Manifestation. Icy mana enveloped his fist, forming a hard aura.
"Hrrk!"
Crackle!
He slammed that fist into the wall.
The aura shattered, spraying ice shards everywhere, and the part of the wall he struck froze over instantly.
As you could see, the skill was powerful.
The problem was—
"Haah, haah..."
The mana cost was insane. Just one use drained nearly half of his mana, and his attribute mana along with it.
'Only someone like Yoon Songha could use this.'
Yoon Songha was a named character in Heroes Road. A major character with outstanding skill.
Her innate ability was 'Dragon's Heart'—a special heart that generated mana at a monstrous rate.
'She created this wildly inefficient skill just to dump her overflowing mana.'
And now he had learned it through the Martial God's Book.
The book calculated point costs based on skill value.
Higher grades increased cost, while weaknesses lowered it.
Attribute Manifestation was valued at 500P due to its massive downside.
'Literally, every skill.'
Yoo Baekjun smiled and closed the Martial God's Book. Even the skills used by named characters and boss enemies in the game—he could learn all of them.
"With this book... I wonder if Yoon Songha is still in the US right now? It'll be fun when we meet later."
Either way, it was a useful skill for now. He took a deep breath.
'Time to begin the main event.'
He'd finished all the prep he could.
Tomorrow was Sunday—the day the event 'Father's Last Chance' would be triggered.
***
The next morning, Yoo Baekjun got up early.
When he rang the bell, Choi Seungmin entered the room as if he had been waiting.
Yawning widely.
"Young master, you've been waking up early lately. Thanks to you, I'm not getting any sleep…"
"Is there something happening at the family manor this morning?"
"Huh? Oh, today's Sunday, right? Then the family elders will be observing training."
Choi Seungmin scratched his head.
"They asked if you'd be attending, but I told them no. You've never attended since you were a kid."
"No, I'll be attending."
"Yes, attend—whaaat?!"
Choi Seungmin was stunned by the unexpected answer.
"If you're part of the family bloodline, it's natural to attend. Why are you so surprised?"
"Well, I mean, the last time you went, the clan head said it wasn't worth it and you've never gone since... and then he got really furious…"
So it went.
Yoo Baekjun scoffed indifferently.
"Whatever. Just tell them I'm going. We've got about an hour left, right?"
"Y-Yes."
Choi Seungmin left with a sour face, and Yoo Baekjun got up quickly.
'Only having Choi Seungmin as a attendant is inconvenient.'
Normally, heirs had instructors who doubled as assistants, but Yoo Baekjun had only one servant—Choi Seungmin.
He was the outcast of the family. Even if he disappeared, no one would notice.
'With no attendants and no one caring, no rumors will spread outside either.'
Plus, he was a recluse who never left the estate.
'Not a single person came to see me the last few days... unbelievable.'
Everyone must've heard that he was attacked by a monster and bedridden. But not one person came to check on him.
"Are they mocking me?"
Yoo Baekjun chuckled.
"They won't be able to anymore."
Time to debut in the family.
***
Sword Saint Clan trainees gather every morning for group training. And if you're part of the Sword Saint Clan, it's your duty to observe that training. It was a custom passed down for generations.
'What an outdated tradition.'
Of course, Yoo Baekjun, who had no interest in martial arts, hadn't observed since he was a child. But today was different.
"Hey, is that..."
At the training ground where the trainees were lined up in formation, murmurs spread among them.
"...Isn't that Yoo Baekjun? What's he doing here?"
"Standing there like he's something... That guy doesn't even know one martial technique..."
"He hasn't shown up since he was a kid. How many years has it been?"
On the platform of the training ground were members of the family bloodline.
They gathered once a week to observe the progress of the trainees.
Among them was an unexpected figure. None other than Yoo Baekjun.
"......"
"......"
Even those on the stage stared at Yoo Baekjun with uncomfortable expressions.
"Training begins! Heaven-Surging Sword Technique, First Form!"
"Ha!"
Whether he noticed the stares or not, Yoo Baekjun calmly glanced around.
Meanwhile, the training session had begun.
'Hmm, the one sitting at the highest seat is...'
Seated in the highest place on the platform was a middle-aged man with a dignified presence.
Long, snow-white hair. His body, hidden under his training robes, was pure muscle.
'So that's my father.'
Clan head of the Sword Saint Clan, Yoo Moohak.
The current head, who would pass the title to Yoo Taerang and retire in two years.
After retiring, he would disappear without a trace.
'His aura is no joke, as always.'
His charisma was overwhelming. Even without doing anything, he seemed to dominate the surroundings.
Far more intimidating than he'd ever seemed in the game.
"Baekjun."
As Yoo Baekjun observed Yoo Moohak, a woman called to him.
A beautiful woman with a gentle face and long black hair.
Well, she only looked gentle—her personality was rather gloomy inside.
"I heard you were attacked by a monster. Are you alright?"
"Yes, Elder Sister Jungyeon. Thank you for your concern. I recovered thanks to Physician Joo Joongwon's help."
"Oh my, that's a relief."
"Hah, as if it's something to be relieved about."
The woman was Yoo Jungyeon, eldest daughter of the Sword Saint Clan.
And next to her, scoffing like it was all nonsense, was a man with a flippant look.
"A disgrace of a man. A member of the Sword Saint Clan gets nearly killed by a monster?"
"It can happen, Older Brother Kangho."
"It can happen? Hmph, having someone like you in our clan is just plain shameful!"
Yoo Kangho, the third son of the Sword Saint Clan.
Yoo Baekjun had met him once before, and he was still just as annoying.
"......"
And in the farthest corner, quietly keeping to herself, was a small girl with short black hair.
The Sword Saint Clan's fourth daughter, Yoo Min.
'Just like in the game.'
He had worried there might be more family members added, but thankfully, it was the same.
"Hey, loser. I heard you've been hanging around the medicine room lately?"
"Yes, Older Brother Kangho. There's a lot to learn there."
"So you gave up on swordsmanship and turned to medicine? I guess that's more your speed—holed up in your room reading books."
Yoo Kangho sneered.
"You're weak, that's why you got wrecked by a damn monster. I told you before, I'd teach you swordsmanship. Didn't I?"
"Ah, yes, you did."
Yoo Baekjun recalled the game's storyline. Yoo Kangho used the excuse of teaching him swordsmanship to drag him to the training ground and beat him to a pulp.
That event was what made the in-game Baekjun give up on swordsmanship.
"You think you'll get recognized in this Sword Saint Clan without mastering swordsmanship?"
"Sigh."
"Later, come find me. I'll beat the— I mean, teach you swordsmanship."
Yoo Kangho growled low.
Yoo Baekjun looked around casually.
Not a single person was stopping the family members from arguing.
'Guess it's time to shut him up.'
He let out a loud sigh.
"Hey, Older Brother. You're being disgustingly loud. Could you please shut your mouth?"
"Wha—"
He said it completely casually.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
Yoo Kangho, who had been spitting venom just moments ago, stood dumbfounded.
Everyone else stared, shocked.
"And could you move your head a little? Cigarettes and coffee—don't you realize your breath is just rancid?"
"Y-You, what the hell are you saying...?"
"Geez, is your stomach rotting or something?"
Yoo Kangho tried to respond, but Yoo Baekjun ignored him and stood up from his seat.
Then he walked toward the head seat—
Toward where Yoo Moohak sat.
"...."
"....."
Yoo Moohak didn't look at him. Yoo Baekjun smiled and knelt on one knee before him.
"Father, I have something to say."
Only then did Yoo Moohak's eyes fall on Yoo Baekjun. Eyes so empty, they reflected nothing.
Their gazes crossed in midair.
"I want to learn martial arts."
"...."
And a light flickered in those empty eyes.
Thus began the 'Father's Last Chance' event.