The Changed South Korea (2)

If day one had belonged to Hong Ari, then day two belonged to Oh Seon-young. Her Fenrir (A-rank), Shadow Wolf (B-rank), Blood Wolf (B-rank), and the rest of her pack put on a standout performance against Spain.

A whopping six kills! The world's experts agreed: had the seventh player she faced not been a world ranker, she might well have completed a full all-kill. Such was the uncanny subtlety—and the sheer brilliance—of her wolf control.

"Incredible, O-rang! What a performance! Who knew five wolves could be this reassuring to watch!"

"They latched on and never let go! She even claimed three of a world ranker's summons outright! The next player up certainly has it easy now."

"From Hong Ari yesterday on down, the national team feels like an entirely different class, doesn't it?"

"Yes, and the world is slowly coming around to it as well. South Korea has stepped into the ranks of the great powers!"

"And next up?"

"Ki Jaehyeok! Player Ki Jaehyeok!"

"The Goblin Obsessive!"

The remaining four kills were Ki Jaehyeok's to claim. His opponent was the world ranker known as "the Wall of Spain," but with only two summons, facing Ki Jaehyeok was simply beyond him. Spain was a regional power in its own right, and yet two of South Korea's rankers had ended them just like that!

"Hmm. Was the league always this weak?"

Oh Seon-young murmured, as if she couldn't believe it.

"…You're telling me, noona. Why is this so easy? The Spanish kids, I mean. They were never this bad before. It's like they never learned the fundamentals at all."

Ki Jaehyeok was no different. The dazzling swordplay of his Goblin Master (A-rank) in particular was enough to claim the highlight of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day's league all on its own!

Could they have managed this in the past?

No. Never.

This was exactly what the importance of fundamentals meant. Ki Jaehyeok felt it all over again—having someone to guide you was on a completely different plane from flinging yourself at the wall alone.

Without hyung-nim's coaching, we'd probably have ended up just like them. Just like the last three years.

"Ki Jaehyeok! Ki Jaehyeok! Ki Jaehyeok!"

"Oh Seon-young! Oh Seon-young! Oh Seon-young!"

South Korea was, for all intents and purposes, mid-festival. Was this what it felt like for Brazil, France, or Argentina watching a football match? Matches were always more fun the more one-sided they became. It wasn't for nothing that Koreans sought out nothing but archery in the summer and short track ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the winter.

"Heh heh. At this rate, I'm not sure we'll even get the chance to show what we can really do before it's all over."

Ahn Gijeong picked up where Hwang Juwon left off.

"You're telling me. Only five days left, and if the other teams are this weak…"

"Indonesia and the Philippines are still to come. That's where we'll show our stuff."

Indonesia in particular was a traditional powerhouse, having reached the round of sixteen in all three previous leagues. They even boasted three heavyweight world rankers!

"That's true."

"Though even that's over in a heartbeat if their aces end up drawing the Guild Master."

"Ugh. Can't argue with that."

Ahn Gijeong could no longer even imagine Baek Jinwoo losing. Short of one of the five great powers, no team would so much as graze Hungyo's or Doldori's collar.

"Still."

Hwang Juwon chuckled and nodded.

"Either way, let's enjoy it. It's not like we've gotten to feel like this in three years, have we?"

Honestly speaking, Hwang Juwon had begun to feel his limits creeping up on him. Young talent was surging up from below, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠keeping pace with it was wearing him down. Hwang Jiwoo, Song Yeonhee—they were growing at a frightening rate, while he had nothing to show for himself. But there was exactly one thing he could do.

Keep doing what I've always done. Take things as they come, and give my best for the situation.

Steadying the players' minds—that was his role!

"Kkul-kkul-kkul, you're right, hyung-nim! Let's enjoy ourselves! Let's have fun with it!"

Ahn Gijeong burst into hearty laughter.

The league rolled on. Players entered the Grand Battle Hall at ten on average and left around four. Matches proceeded group by group, and so long as you followed the System's guidance and played your matches as instructed, disqualification was never a concern.

So what did players do once their matches were over? Some took their rest at fine restaurants. Others ran through breathing techniques and control drills, fine-tuning themselves one more time. Baek Jinwoo, for his part, analyzed footage.

With Yoo Jia's help, he had obtained broadcast footage from the five great powers and was combing through their players one by one. Britain really is good. Rachel went without saying, and Olivia was genuinely skilled too. And that wasn't all. Bale, Sharp, Deng, MacIver, Walsh, White, Toone, Coke… every one of them was famous enough to have a fan wiki page packed to the brim, and every one of them could play.

Solid fundamentals, too… Rachel must have trained them all herself. He could tell just from watching how their summons moved. As for how strong the British national team was, their rankings said it all—an overwhelming roster, filled top to bottom with heavyweight world rankers!

Simply overwhelming. The footage even made it clear that Ryan Coke, dead last on the list, was playing well beyond what a world rank of 41 would suggest. He had clearly grown over the past year.

Not that it would do them any good against me. The problem was that sending the national team kids up against these people was a non-starter. Which meant Baek Jinwoo would have to take on the majority of them alone.

Could I actually all-kill the lot of them? The others aside, with Rachel and Olivia in the mix, it might genuinely get a bit tough…

Heh.

A smile bloomed at the corner of Baek Jinwoo's mouth. Fun. Having an opponent who was hard to beat was always a pleasure. The tougher the fight, the greater the satisfaction when victory was finally claimed! This was the mindset of the Baek Jinwoo who had once relished Battle of Summoners.

He dissected the strength of Japan, the United States, Russia, and Taiwan one piece at a time as well. He memorized their summons and sketched their habits and combat styles into his mind. The other teams are no different. Every one of them bore the marks of the Five Emperors' teaching. Their fundamentals were rock solid, and they could even apply them to a degree—though nowhere near enough to satisfy Baek Jinwoo.

"Why are you enjoying yourself so much?"

Yoo Jia, who had been watching him absorbed in his work from beside him, spoke up. Baek Jinwoo tilted his head.

"Enjoying myself? Me?"

"…Yes. Your mouth is smiling."

"Is it?"

He cracked a small grin. Well, this is something. It really was shaping up to be a battle of pride. If the Five Emperors had each raised their own disciples, then the league results would also settle whose disciple came out stronger, wouldn't they?

In that case, I really ought to crush the fifth league outright. Looking at that British team, ambition stirred in him—the greed to see SKY's roster draped in nothing but world rankers!

"It's just… I suppose I'm built for leagues."

"…Pardon?"

"First, Yoo Jia."

"Yes."

"As I mentioned before… I have no intention of freezing SKY's roster as it stands. Once the league ends, please scour every corner of the country for talent. People vetted by the Mind-Reading Unit and endorsed by Hungyo."

"Understood. Roughly how many are you thinking?"

"About ten more?"

Any more than that and Baek Jinwoo would be stretched thin. He would recruit them, train them, then throw them into a brutal internal competition where only those who ranked high enough could claim a national team spot. That's how our archery association does it, isn't it? They say making the national team there is harder than winning an Olympic gold medal… Baek Jinwoo wanted to build that kind of system too.

Hwang Juwon hyung is a wonderful person, but… in terms of raw skill and game sense, he left a great deal to be desired. Advisor was the perfect role for that hyung—steadying the players' minds and coaching from the sidelines. Some people were simply better at that than at competing themselves, and Hwang Juwon and Ahn Gijeong were exactly that type.

Not that I'm casting them out, of course. They had sworn their loyalty when they joined, and SKY would guarantee them a secure place all the way to retirement. That was loyalty. A group that sought people out only when it needed them and discarded them the moment it didn't could never last—it betrayed all good faith. But to make that work, he would have to keep helping them perform their clearly defined roles within the guild.

"Ten people! Okay, got it."

Yoo Jia nodded, jotting something down. Baek Jinwoo found himself grateful to her all over again. Everyone else was resting or taking time for individual prep, and yet here she was, still at his side under the pretense of helping him analyze footage. So he said it.

"Thank you."

"Hm?"

"It's just… you're always such a big help, Jia. I feel reassured with you around."

Oh. That was far too direct a thing to say… and yet Yoo Jia's head went spinning all the same. She was a born dealmaker, and she instinctively resolved to draw out what she had kept hidden in her heart all this time.

"Really? You're really that grateful?"

"…Of course."

At his answer, Yoo Jia bit her lower lip, just barely.

"Then… might you grant me one favor?"

"A favor? Let's hear it."

A favor from Yoo Jia. What could it be? Baek Jinwoo's eyes filled with curiosity. She was a woman who had never once asked him for anything. If anything, he was the one who had asked her for far more.

"To be honest, my grandfather is being a bit shameless about it… but he seems to want to meet you, Jinwoo. I've been turning him down, but he just won't let up."

"Your grandfather… then that would be Daesung's…"

Yoo Jia gave a small nod.

"Yes. Yoo Byungchun of Daesung."

Ah, Yoo Byungchun! Baek Jinwoo took it at face value. Daesung Group? A fine company that had always supported Yubaek so generously. If the head of such a company wanted to meet him, there was no reason to refuse.

"Sure. It's hardly difficult. Go ahead and set a date."

"R-really?"

Yoo Jia sprang to her feet—she clearly hadn't expected him to agree this easily. Yoo Byungchun might have been Yoo Byungchun back in the day, but he was hardly in any position to order Baek Jinwoo around anymore.

"If he wants to see me, of course he can. It's not difficult… and he is your grandfather, after all."

"Oh."

"Any time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after the league ends works for me. Just pick a time and let me know."

And with that, he approved—cool as could be.

Time flowed on. Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada, Belgium… South Korea crushed every nation the System matched them with at random, and crushed them decisively, taking first in their group and punching a flawless ticket to the round of sixteen.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

"ROUND OF SIXTEEEEN! WE'RE IN THE ROUND OF SIXTEEN!"

"Sob—!"

South Korea had already blown past the fervor of the 2002 World Cup and its Red Devils. Every media outlet was buzzing about the round of sixteen, and even the foreign press was remarking on how South Korea had changed.

And the nations selected for the round of sixteen, along with the bracket, were as follows.