Chapter 16
Chapter 16: A Sudden Bet
Player Headquarters. Talent Management Team office. Employee Yu Ji-a watched Park Chang-seok with a worried expression. The bearded man slouched powerlessly in the plush chair, his expression somehow pitiful.
"Are you alright, Congressman?"
Even at her question.
Pfuuuu.
Park Chang-seok just kept letting out deep sighs.
Yu Ji-a is smart. One of the top elites in the Headquarters. Even without asking, she could more or less guess what was troubling him.
It's been like this since he met Congressman Lim Hee-su.
Was it 4 days ago? He had left in a fury, saying something about settling things once and for all, and returned looking like that.
There's no way out of this one.
Originally, Park Chang-seok was an incredibly solid man. The Yaksha of the Headquarters, a player respected by every employee. But.
Baek Jin-woo……
Ever since he started supporting that Gamer player, he had developed more and more weaknesses.
"It's because of that Baek Jin-woo person, isn't it? What, is Congressman Lim Hee-su telling you to pay back the Low-Grade Summoning Scrolls? Should I put in a word with my grandfather?"
"……"
Park Chang-seok stared at her quietly.
Employee Yu Ji-a. Age 28. A capable newcomer to the workforce, but her background is extraordinary.
The 4th granddaughter of Yu Byeong-cheon, founder of Daeseong Group, Korea's number-one conglomerate.
She has no direct connection to management succession, but she grew up doted on by her grandfather, thanks to her beautiful appearance. The reason she is an elite is simple, too. Having received the full support of Daeseong, she went through every kind of elite education imaginable. However, after the world changed, Yu Ji-a developed a strong interest in players. The very reason she chose to join the Headquarters was exactly that.
"Thank you for saying that."
Park Chang-seok, who had been sighing, smiled faintly.
"But this was something I chose to do myself. Just because things went sideways, I can't borrow the power of the business world."
"Yes, that's right."
"Huh?"
Park Chang-seok's eyes went wide as Yu Ji-a agreed immediately.
What? That was just an offhand remark?
"Of course, I was joking. I only said it to comfort you."
"……What?"
"It's the one thing my grandfather hates the most. Reaching for the family's influence to take the easy road, when you're clearly capable of sorting things out yourself."
Huh. So that's what founding a conglomerate does to you? Even Park Chang-seok agreed with that mindset.
"Actually, the Low-Grade Summoning Scroll issue has already been resolved."
"Really?"
"That much isn't even a real problem. It was something that fell within my own authority from the start."
"Then why were you looking so miserable……"
"Because Lim Hee-su, that guy, keeps provoking me."
Park Chang-seok recalled what had just happened. His longtime rival. Congressman Lim Hee-su. What he had jabbed at was none other than the Talent Management Team.
—Can't even properly nurture real talent, and you call yourselves a Talent Management Team? Are you trying to drain the Headquarters' budget again for nothing? Don't tell me you're planning to use that to raise those rankers you have under you? Those good-for-nothings who can't even make it into the National Representative Selection. Hahah, how about you hand the Talent Management Team's budget over to my side instead?
Every single word. Handpicked to make you want to swing a fist. But there was nothing he could say in return. Because in reality, the Headquarters rankers under Lim Hee-su had consistently made the national team and racked up various meaningful achievements.
A detestable fellow, but one with genuine ability.
—Don't tell me you're puffing your chest out just because someone set a record in the Low-Grade Tuesday Dungeon this one time? Congressman Park Chang-seok, just do what you always do—crack down on gangs. Stop trying to nurture talent when it clearly isn't working.
Crunch. The sound of teeth grinding came naturally. Park Chang-seok is level-headed much of the time, but there are moments when his temper flares like fire. In the end, he couldn't hold it in and let it out. And he did it right in front of the Director.
—What will you do if a talent I've raised makes it into this year's National Representative Selection?
At those words, Lim Hee-su let out a short scoff—and the sight of it was something Park Chang-seok simply could not bear.
—Care to make a bet? Whether rankers under me make the national team or not?
The year-end World League. The number of players allowed per country to participate is just 10.
—Shall we go further and see whose picks place higher?
—Oh? Are you serious? What are the stakes?
Lim Hee-su grinned. Of course he did. Not once had a player under Park Chang-seok's care ever made the national team. Lim Hee-su, on the other hand, had sent 2 players to the national team just last year. That is a tremendous achievement. Not only Headquarters-affiliated rankers but rankers from all sorts of large guilds full of exceptional players also compete for those spots.
—The loser publicly concedes that the other Congressman is superior, and voluntarily resigns. How does that sound?
—Are you out of your mind? Are you serious?
—Yes. Penalty for breaking the agreement: 1 billion won. If you want, we can draw up the contract right now.
The atmosphere in the Director's office heated up, and—
—Ha ha, you two. Settle down. What's gotten into you.
The Director—the one Park Chang-seok calls the ‘old man in the back room’—wiped away beads of sweat and tried to intervene, but neither Congressman paid him the slightest attention. It was a matter of each other's pride. In the end, right then and there, the 2 of them signed a contract. Exactly as described.
"So I went and did something rash in the heat of the moment."
"……No, how does that even make sense?"
Yu Ji-a stared at him with a baffled expression. What kind of baseless, absurd bet is that? And on top of that, the odds of winning were nearly……close to zero!
"Don't tell me."
Yu Ji-a asked with a look that said please say I'm wrong.
"You did that because you believe in Baek Jin-woo?"
"I did."
And that was exactly why Park Chang-seok was sighing. Baek Jin-woo is not yet fully his man. It was unlike his usual self—to rashly make a bet before even knowing whether the person would follow him.
No, wait. Maybe that is like me.
Then again. You can't exactly call someone levelheaded when they've gone and invested everything in Baek Jin-woo.
"It's true that his trajectory is remarkable, but he's still just a Gamer. He may get there eventually, but right now he's far too lacking to stand alongside rankers."
"I know, I know."
Pfuu!
Park Chang-seok let out another sigh.
"But isn't this also true?"
"What?"
"That I have a pretty sharp eye for talent."
"……"
Yu Ji-a pressed her lips shut.
Secretary Kim Byeong-jin, employee Yu Ji-a, employee Hwang Tae-seop. All of them had been handpicked directly by Park Chang-seok, and that was the thing other Headquarters Congressmen envied most about him.
"I trust Baek Jin-woo. As long as he gets the right support, I know he'll keep throwing us significant information."
"……Fine."
Yu Ji-a sighed and turned her head away—and right at that moment.
"Congressman! Congressman!"
A man burst the door open with a clang! and rushed in from outside. It was Secretary Kim Byeong-jin.
"You asked me to look into that player who's been tearing through dozens of D-Rank Dungeons solo at insane speed lately, right?"
"I did, didn't I?"
"It was Baek Jin-woo."
"What?"
Park Chang-seok shot to his feet, utterly stunned.
Yu Ji-a, who had been listening, felt her pupils widen slightly too.
"Baek Jin-woo? For real?"
How could that be? A player barely a month past registration, clearing D-Rank Dungeons solo? And with an average clear time that apparently never even crosses 5 minutes?
This is an impossible rate of growth, and it undeniably proves that the volume of information he holds is extraordinary!
"See? What did I tell you?"
Park Chang-seok smiled and looked at Yu Ji-a.
"Baek Jin-woo is the best, didn't I say?"
The best?
Yu Ji-a's lips puckered. What era did that word crawl out from?
***
At that very moment.
"Hehehe."
Baek Jin-woo could not hold back the smile creeping onto his face.
[Account Details]
[Account Holder: Baek Jin-woo]
[Premium Account]
[Withdrawable Balance: 26,002,500 won]
Only 4 days. In the time the sun rose and set 4 times, he had cleared a total of 160 D-Rank Dungeons. The result? Roughly 16,000,000 won in earnings. That was the profit from selling every Mid-Grade Summoning Scroll that dropped at approximately a 20% rate.
A world made just for me has really arrived.
For now, the money he earned would all be reinvested into Summoner Beasts later. But before that. Baek Jin-woo split his account. Into 4 in total.
First, he deposited 5,000,000 won into the Living Expenses Account. The Living Expenses Account must always maintain 5,000,000. Monthly rent, maintenance fees, cream bread, food—once those come out? He planned to refill it back to 5,000,000 at the start of every month.
Next, the Family Account. He added 5,000,000 won here too. 5,000,000 every month. This was money for his family. He planned to save it carefully and spend it generously for his mom, dad, and Baek A-jin.
And then the Savings Account. He planned to put 10,000,000 won into this one every month. Monthly ten million! It had been a foreign phrase to Baek Jin-woo. Words from a different world he couldn't even dream of during his part-time job days. For the current Baek Jin-woo, it was easily achievable. The money accumulating in the Savings Account would be spent purely for Baek Jin-woo's future—and for himself.
Lastly, the Player Account. That's the Premium Account right now. Baek Jin-woo planned to spend every won saved here on Summoner Beasts. Runes, Polish, Summoning Scrolls, materials, Skill Books, and more.
The most important thing is a player's value.
Money? Once he becomes the best in the world, money will flow in on its own. Now was not the time to obsess over savings.
Anyway. After grinding through Dungeons all this time, the Summoner Beasts had grown quite a bit. Lamba, Drill Instructor, Explosive Dragon Sorcerer. All of them had surpassed Level 30. This was a remarkable achievement. A number that could never be reached through the conventional Fusion Hall. However, to get past 40, they'd need to grind dozens of times more. Because each level up demands experience points that more than double.
Now I need to start equipping Runes and doing Enhancement too.
For that? He'd need to grind through Weekly Dungeons. More precisely. He needed to raise Summoner Beasts capable of running the Weekly Dungeons.
The total number of teams a player can form is 3.
This is how One Heaven Xenos had used his 3 teams.
First, the Player Team. It's called the Player Team because it's the team that travels together with the player. The ones who stay by Baek Jin-woo's side. Normally they run regular Dungeons together, or clear the Tower of Trials. For the Tower of Trials, he needs to frequently swap Summoner Beasts depending on the concept, so the lineup changes often.
Next, the Battle Team. Exactly what it sounds like—the Player Battle team. There are many types of Summoner Beasts, and among them there are occasionally those specialized for battle. For instance, assassin types. Baek Jin-woo had placed Battle-focused Summoner Beasts in Team 2.
Lastly, the Weekly Dungeon Team. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. All different concepts. Especially the Weekly Dungeon Team—since it can grind (auto-battle) without the player, once built, it needs to be sent on infinite farming immediately. And.
There's something called Core Units for each day. The key units that allow each Weekly Dungeon to be cleared quickly! For example, the Spotted Komodo (B-Rank) from before is the Core Unit for the Tuesday Dungeon. In Baek Jin-woo's mind, the Core Units for D-Rank through B-Rank across every day of the week were all neatly organized.
From here on, I need to find them.
The team that can grind through Weekly Dungeons as fast as possible! That is what Baek Jin-woo intended to set up first. Once the lineup is assembled? Then train them hard through Drill Instructor. And that's not all. He'd need to draw out their latent potential and push their speed to the absolute limit.
First, start with the Low-Grade Weekly Dungeon Time Attack.
The moment a team is built capable of averaging under 1 minute on every Weekly Dungeon at its highest grade? From that point, the growth rate would become something beyond comprehension.
For now.
[Account Details]
[Account Holder: Baek Jin-woo]
[Premium Account]
[Withdrawable Balance: 6,002,500 won]
After dividing the accounts as originally planned, exactly 6,002,500 won remained.
Not sure if this is enough to buy any Summoner Beasts.
Let's check the prices first. Baek Jin-woo opened the [Player Web] and went straight to the Marketplace tab.