Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The World Has Changed
He lost consciousness.
Thanks to that, he had a long dream.
A dream of running across a vast plain with his Summoner Beasts.
— Oh my, Jin-woo……!
— Huh, sob, big brother.
— ……This guy, Jin-woo. Haaa.
In the middle of the dream, he heard the voices of his family too.
Mom, Dad.
And his younger sister, Baek A-jin.
Each time, he became aware.
Ah, I'm dreaming right now.
I lost consciousness in a traffic accident, so I can't wake up.
I need to wake up quickly.
I need to find out what that ‘Low-Grade Summon Scroll’ that fell back then actually was, and what happened after clearing the 100th floor of the Trial Tower.
His body wouldn't follow his will.
The shock had been great, and his body had forcibly shut off his consciousness in order to rest.
Damn it, son of a—
* * *
— Hm?
— Big brother!
— Nurse! Nurse? My brother's hand twitched! Come quickly!
— Mom! Yeah! Right now! Yeah! I'm serious! Hurry up!
So noisy.
It's so noisy I can't sleep.
Guess I should wake up.
Ugh.
The moment Baek Jin-woo opened his eyes, a flash of light burst.
Light poured into his dilated pupils, so blindingly bright it felt like he might go blind.
"Patient Baek Jin-woo? Are you conscious? If you can hear me, please blink."
"Big brother! Can you see?"
Baek Jin-woo furrowed his brow.
The light faded, and two faces appeared in his blurry vision.
A nurse and Baek A-jin, who was crying.
Looking around—it was a hospital room.
Judging by the markings, a mid-tier neighborhood hospital.
Well, where would our family get money for a top-tier hospital.
"Ugh……"
A scratching sound came from his throat.
His body ached all over, and his muscles wouldn't respond.
Just how long have I been lying here?
"Patient. Can you see my fingers?"
Blink.
Baek Jin-woo opened and closed his eyes.
"Jin-woo!"
"Baek Jin-woo!"
Thud-thud-thump!
Having heard the news, his mom and dad came running in a single breath.
It was a moment of what on earth happened?
Oh.
The status window floating in his field of vision was still visible.
[The Beta Test is ending.]
[A new world opens.]
Clearly.
Those were the exact words he had seen before getting hit by the truck.
And below them—
[Would you like to begin the Tutorial?]
[Y/N]
These words appeared too.
"……"
Haah, a sigh escaped naturally.
Mom, Dad.
No—world.
What in the world is going on here?
* * *
Goodness.
After coming to his senses and listening to his family explain, Baek Jin-woo was left speechless.
First of all, it had already been 3 years since he was hit by that truck.
And on the very day of the accident—
The entire world had been turned upside down, they said.
"……So?."
Baek Jin-woo muttered blankly.
"The words 'A new world is opening' appeared in everyone's field of vision, and everyone was issued 1 'Low-Grade Summon Scroll'? Dungeons appeared everywhere, and if those dungeons aren't cleared, monsters break out—"
And that wasn't all.
They said modern weapons don't work on monsters.
Not just guns—even missiles and the most advanced weaponry were useless.
Only the Summoner Beasts one had drawn.
Only those Summoner Beasts could deal with them.
That's right.
Every person in this world had become a player in Battle of Summoners.
"……Does that even make sense?"
"We reacted the same way at first."
Haah, Dad let out a sigh.
"It was hard to believe. But what can you do? It really turned out that way."
Baek Jin-woo's father, Baek Jin-cheol, had actually seen the world's change as an opportunity.
His father had originally been physically disabled and unable to do manual labor.
But Summoner Beasts?
They do whatever the player tells them to.
The Summoner Beast he had drawn was a golem the size of a small child, but it was good at carrying heavy loads, and he had used it to start working loading and unloading delivery packages.
The money from that had also helped cover his son's medical bills.
"Jin-woo, I actually see this as an opportunity given by God."
"……This?"
"Honestly speaking—wasn't your life pretty hopeless too?"
"What?"
No, Dad.
How can you say something like that so openly?
"Haah, from middle school, I wondered why you didn't study at all. I really worried about your future. It wasn't like you were acting out either. And it wasn't like you had many friends."
"Is this what you say to a son who almost died?"
"I couldn't say it in front of your mother out of shame, but I also knew you were living completely absorbed in some strange mobile game."
"……Ah."
Battle of Summoners.
He thought he was hiding it, but his Dad knew all along.
Well, how could he not.
He had been that obsessed with it.
Of course, Dad wouldn't know exactly what kind of game it was.
"Anyway."
Baek Jin-cheol, who had been sitting on the bed, rose from his seat.
At the same time—
Wuuumm!
He swept his hand through the air.
Rumble……!
With a small vibration, a golem surged up from the floor.
"Don't be startled, just watch. This is my Summoner Beast."
"……!"
"The world now isn't one where success comes from studying hard. This—Summoner Beasts. An era has come where those who can handle Summoner Beasts well will succeed."
Insane.
Baek Jin-woo's eyes widened.
What is that?
Isn't that a Pebble Golem, one of the basic monsters?
It was an E-Rank Summoner Beast, normally used as leveling material.
Completely useless inside a dungeon.
Ha.
It finally felt truly real now.
It was really real.
The game I knew……has become reality.
"So get well soon, get your head together, and—start from the Tutorial."
"……"
The Tutorial.
To think a word like that would come out of Dad's mouth.
Really……
This isn't still a dream I haven't woken up from, right?
Even if Dad had 3 years on him—
Baek Jin-woo still couldn't believe any of this.
* * *
After resting for a full day, he went through the discharge process.
The doctor objected, but he kept insisting he was fine.
He had no desire to rest.
He wanted to quickly investigate the world that had been turned on its head.
[Would you like to begin the Tutorial?]
[Y/N]
He also wanted to deal with this annoying thing blinking in front of his eyes.
What would happen if I pressed N?
Of course, he had no intention of pressing N.
No matter how well he knew the game, things in reality could be different.
If he was going to do it, he had to nail everything down properly first.
Haah, anyway.
Over one day, he adapted somewhat to the changed reality.
He calmed his startled heart and looked into various things.
But it wasn't enough.
For a thorough investigation—the internet was still the best.
Beep, beebeep~ beep!
Ding-dong!
Baek Jin-woo opened the door to the house and stepped inside.
His breathing was labored and his muscles trembled from walking for the first time in so long, but he couldn't keep lying in bed.
Thankfully, the door passcode was still the same.
It was his parents' home—a small, run-down villa in an old building.
Unlike his younger sister, who had entered a good university and lived in a dormitory, Baek Jin-woo had been living here like a kangaroo in its pouch.
Going out costs money.
His parents weren't home.
They'd each be working until late into the night before coming back.
"……"
Baek Jin-woo's heart felt bitter.
How much must they have struggled with an already terrible income on top of covering their son's hospital bills?
Squeeeze.
He clenched his fist hard.
If—
Really, if—
If this world is the world I know?
Then.
The 10 years that felt like they'd been thrown in the dirt would be the moment they returned with proper reward.
He might even be able to turn 10 years of filial failure into absolute filial devotion.
"First."
The computer!
Turn on the computer first!
Investigate first!
As fast as possible!
* * *
"Insane."
Baek Jin-woo clicked his tongue.
His father's words had been true.
[10th-ranked player in Korea! Dungeon cleared with A-Rank Summoner Beast!]
[Perennial last place in the league. Korea's bleak future. Is this truly the gaming republic?]
[The best in Korea! Summon Studies Department established at Korean University!]
Every article was about Summoner Beasts.
Summoner Beasts here, Summoner Beasts there.
And on top of that—
"Hm?"
[Where is Korea's 'God of Jinu'?]
"God of Jinu?"
There was even a strange article.
He found it by chance, but there was no way he could not click on it.
That's my ID, isn't it?
Click!
He clicked the mouse.
***
As the benefits received differ according to the results of the inter-national league, South Korea has once again ranked in the lowest tier, and prominent rankers of the league are cocking their heads in puzzlement, becoming a topic of interest.
According to Rachel, ranked 1st in England, there is a tremendous player called 'God of Jinu' in South Korea……And she stated that she herself learned a great deal from him.
That's not all. Japan's 1st-ranked player, Yoshida Hikaru, also stepped forward to comment. ‘South Korea needs to find the God of Jinu quickly. It is essential for South Korea's sake and for the sake of humanity, which must climb the Trial Tower. If they fail to find him? Humanity has no future," emphasizing the importance of the God of Jinu.
Meanwhile, experts……
***
"……Insane."
He was dumbfounded.
"Aren't these people I know?"
The so-called veterans.
One Heaven, Five Emperors.
A childish and cringe-worthy title, but they were also people he had shared his heart with for nearly 5 years.
People he had grown attached to.
"Sugoi…… So his real name was Yoshida Hikaru."
Ha.
Air escaped from deep inside Baek Jin-woo's lungs.
Player battles, raids, dungeons, the Tower of Trial, runes, the fusion hall, the enhancement hall.
All of these things had been realized in reality.
You could even call it a prank by God.
"……If that's the case."
Really, if that were the case—
Baek Jin-woo's eyes filled with conviction.
"This is incredible."
A bigger jackpot than the lottery.
Battle of Summoners had been his life and his entire existence.
Even now, having lost consciousness and woken up, the information on Summoner Beasts lined itself up in his mind in vivid succession.
If he had just this information……
Wouldn't that be a complete life reversal?
[Would you like to begin the Tutorial?]
[Y/N]
"……"
Baek Jin-woo stared at the status window once more.
He had nothing yet.
No worthwhile runes, no proper Summoner Beasts.
But—
Baek Jin-woo was confident.
He may not know much else, but when it came to this 1 game—he was confident he could reach the top in the entire world.
"Yes."
Click!
Let's give it a shot.
* * *
[The Tutorial begins.]
The moment he clicked—
Swoooosh!
His vision became brilliant.
It was information about operating the interface.
[Call out ‘Status Window’ to view the player's status.]
[Call out ‘Summon Information’ to see the list of tamed Summoner Beasts.] ……
[Call out ‘Summon Scroll Window’ to view the status of various summon scrolls.]
[Call out ‘Item Window’ to view the status of various materials and runes.]
And then—
[This is Day 1 of Attendance.]
[Attendance rewards are arriving.]
[Reward: Low-Grade Summon Scroll x 1]
There were attendance rewards too.
[Now, try calling out ‘Summon Scroll Window’.]
"……"
Is this the Tutorial beginning?
It seems it intends to first guide me on how to summon.
You need Summoner Beasts as a basic requirement before you can do anything.
"Summon Scroll Window."
The moment he muttered it, a window appeared.
[Summon Scroll Possession List]
1. Low-Grade Summon Scroll x 2
Wuuumm!
A red spellbook hovering above the window.
Light kindly illuminated that spot.
1 from the day of the accident, 1 from the attendance reward. So 2 total?
[Place your hand on the summon scroll.]
Swish.
He reached out his hand, and a sensation of grasping something formed at his fingertips.
Before he knew it, 2 summon scrolls were in his grip.
[Tear the summon scroll.]
[You can tame a randomly appearing Summoner Beast.]
[There may be slight vibrations.]
[Caution!]
[It is recommended to use outdoors.]
"Haah."
This couldn't be anything but a tense moment.
Even him—once called One Heaven.
If a trash Summoner Beast came out right from the start, there'd be no answer.
For instance, something like a Pebble Golem (E-Rank)……
"Since it said to do it outside."
Baek Jin-woo nodded and stepped out of the house.
Please let it be something useful.
He really hoped something would come out that he could at least work with in the early stages.