Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Weekly Dungeon Conquest (1)
"So."
Baek A-jin's eyes had already begun to sparkle as she stood there with her arms crossed.
"Before the accident, you were actually a pretty well-known hardcore gamer, and you were the one who broke that Low-Grade Dungeon record?"
"Yeah."
"And Yu Ji-a, that older girl—you met her while going back and forth to Headquarters during all that?"
"That's right."
Baek Jin-woo hadn't told his sister everything.
He'd only shared what was already known between him and Headquarters.
Was it because he didn't trust her?
It wasn't quite that……
Baek Jin-woo owed his family an enormous debt.
His mother, his father, Baek A-jin.
The 3 who had given up their own lives to take responsibility for him until the very end, even as he lay unconscious after the accident.
How could he possibly distrust a sister like that?
It was just that there was always the off chance of something going wrong.
What if he revealed he was God of Jinu, and his sister ended up blabbing about it to her friends?
Ultimately, words were the most frightening thing of all.
Baek Jin-woo didn't want to create any variables.
It's all for the family's safety.
The current state of public security in South Korea was a disaster.
Gangs were running rampant, and the country wasn't even at a level where it could keep them in check.
The fact that they were calling the low-level Park Chang-seok the Yaksha of Headquarters said it all.
In a situation like that, to attract the attention of the entire world?
Absolutely not.
Even if he did say something, he'd have to get stronger first.
And it had to be after he'd secured his family's safety.
He already had a brilliant plan in mind for how to do that.
He'd explain that later.
"By the way, Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Didn't you used to be obsessed with some mobile game for a pretty long time back in the day? Is that the one?"
"Uh……?"
Baek Jin-woo was slightly caught off guard.
"No, no, that was a different game."
Good grief!
If that got out, it would be the same as admitting he was a Veteran Player right then and there.
Come to think of it, both his dad and his sister……
They'd known all along that he'd been secretly playing games?
Well.
They were that close to him, so it would've been stranger if they didn't know.
It was precisely because he'd been that absorbed in it that he'd been able to earn the grand title of One Heaven.
"About a year. Toward the end."
"Wow, a year!"
Baek A-jin, who hadn't been able to close her mouth for a while now.
"Isn't that incredible? That's seriously amazing."
Baek A-jin was a Player too.
She had a rough understanding of what Gamers were.
The fact that large guilds even had a separate ‘Gamer Track’ during their recruitment process said it all.
"I was going to tell you too. And about that Shadow Elf of yours."
"Huh?"
"If you're going to keep raising it, get yourself a Shadow Wolf and use them together. They have great synergy. The way things are now, you're probably not even getting 10% of its original efficiency."
"……Shadow Wolf?"
Baek A-jin tilted her head.
That's a thing?
"You might not know it. It's B-Rank."
"Ugh."
Baek A-jin shot him a look.
Are you joking right now?
A B-Rank beast that averaged over 200 million won—and he was telling her to go get one?
Swish.
She quietly pulled out her phone and opened the Marketplace.
After a quick check, the price was 500 million won.
It must be pretty high up in the B-Rank tier.
"Excuse me, Oppa. To buy this, it would take me at least 10 years? If I keep just selling runes the way I am now, it could be 20."
"Just wait a little. I'll get it for you within a month."
"……What?"
"The Shadow Wolf creates shadows, right? If it hides in one, your Shadow Elf will be able to fly around too."
"No, no…… That's not the issue."
Baek A-jin stared at him with a baffled expression.
"You're seriously saying you'll get me something worth 500 million won? For real?"
500 million won wasn't some dog's name you could just throw around.
Something felt off.
It was like her brother, Baek Jin-woo, had become a completely different person.
Where had her gamer-nerd brother gone, and who was this dashing man with connections to the ultra-wealthy that had appeared before her?
"Is that even possible? Don't make empty promises. And don't push yourself either."
Baek A-jin was genuinely worried.
She could accept that he used to be a Gamer, and she was slowly getting used to the fact that he had real ability……
But she didn't want him overextending himself just to take care of her.
Honestly.
There was surprise and joy, but the feeling she felt most was relief.
Oppa is adapting well with no lingering effects from the accident.
He's actually starting to get on a path toward success.
That kind of relief.
A memory suddenly surfaced of the early days when she'd shown him around Jamsil and bragged about her Shadow Elf.
Oh no!
Baek A-jin let out an inward groan.
I'd basically been trying to flex in front of someone leagues above me.
Anyway.
"Alright, I get it. Don't tell Mom and Dad either, right? For now?"
"Yeah, for now. I'll tell them myself soon."
"Hoo, okay."
***
After sending his sister off, Baek Jin-woo remained in the open lot.
Time to check.
The gift Yu Ji-a had given him.
He began summoning all 13 Summoner Beasts, one by one.
[Combat Marshal (C-Rank) is being summoned!]
Starting with the Combat Marshal.
[Lava Drake (C-Rank) is being summoned!]
[Lava Drake (C-Rank) is being summoned!]
[Lava Drake (C-Rank) is being summoned!]
And 3 Lava Drakes as well.
All of them were Baek Jin-woo's allies who would be cherished in the Weekly Dungeons—partners he'd be with forever from this point forward.
They're C-Rank and B-Rank for now.
But once properly developed, they'd deliver the best efficiency possible within the Weekly Dungeons.
"Drill Instructor."
—Yes, my liege.
Having confirmed that no one was around, the Drill Instructor snapped to attention and bowed his head.
"These are the ones you need to train."
—Splendid. No problem whatsoever. I will guide them so that they become stronger than any other Summoner Beast.
"Good. I like the confidence."
—Thank you.
From here on, it would be an endless cycle of hunting and training.
***
A week passed.
During that time, Yu Ji-a had been thoroughly preparing, consulting Daeseong Group's legal team regarding the establishment of YuBaek.
And Baek Jin-woo had been grinding without end.
Mornings and afternoons, he continuously cleared general dungeons while rotating teams.
From night to dawn, training was conducted under the Drill Instructor's supervision.
In doing so, he came to realize something.
I'm going to need a wider personal space.
With the number of Summoner Beasts growing, training inside his studio apartment had its limits.
Especially with beasts like the Sky Dolphin, Titanium Golem, and Lava Drake—summoning those indoors would be a disaster.
If a building collapsed, he'd have to pay for all of it.
Going out to the open lot every single time has its limits too.
It was far away, and more than that, training at night would cause noise issues.
What did you use at a time like this?
Management, of course.
Whenever Baek Jin-woo thought of something he wanted, he'd immediately send a text to Yu Ji-a.
He knew, of course, that it couldn't be resolved right away.
He was just drawing up a blueprint for the future.
I'd like a facility like this and like that……
Oh, and for the record, all of this had been Yu Ji-a's request.
"Alright."
It was time to start showing things.
Yu Ji-a.
She had admirably waited a full week without saying a single word.
Given how much money she'd spent, it would've been natural to be fairly anxious……
Yet she hadn't so much as breathed a word about the Weekly Dungeon and had stayed quiet.
Today is Monday.
Baek Jin-woo's gaze settled, cool and steady.
Monday through Sunday. I'll obliterate every single Low-Grade Weekly Dungeon in one week.
That was his goal for this week.
***
Jamsil, Player Zone.
In front of the Weekly Dungeon.
At news that Baek Jin-woo was attempting a run, Yu Ji-a, Kim Byeong-jin, and Hwang Tae-seop came rushing over early that morning.
Hwang Tae-seop in particular arrived carrying a whole pile of brand-new equipment.
"What's all this?"
When Baek Jin-woo asked, Yu Ji-a smiled.
"It's equipment Baek Jin-woo-ssi will be wearing for every Weekly Dungeon going forward."
"……Equipment?"
"Yes. It's fairly expensive cutting-edge gear, and once worn, the entire area surrounding Baek Jin-woo-ssi will be recorded in 3D."
"Something like that exists? It looks a bit heavy."
"Don't worry. It's a flexible, lightweight vest."
YuBaek had planned to start its first venture with information trading.
And for that, a record of Baek Jin-woo's gameplay was essential!
"Overseas rankers all use it too."
"I see."
Clunk, snap!
Kim Byeong-jin and Hwang Tae-seop deftly helped him put the equipment on.
"Since this is my first Weekly Dungeon…… I'm not sure if it'll go cleanly, but that's fine, right?"
"Yes, we're going to pull out only the most fluid plays and edit them anyway, so just play comfortably."
"Ah."
One more thing.
"Would it be alright if I break the national record the moment I go in?"
"……"
Yu Ji-a wiped a bead of sweat and smiled.
Come on, joking around.
He was probably just saying that because the 1.3 billion won worth of Summoner Beasts she'd gifted him was both a burden and something he was grateful for.
Even for a Gamer as skilled as he once was, breaking a record within a week just because she'd bought him a few C-Rank and B-Rank Summoner Beasts?
That's ridiculous.
But then again, she didn't know for certain.
Because that Tuesday Dungeon record had been broken the exact same way.
Yu Ji-a tried her best to suppress the excitement welling up inside her.
"Comfortably—I'm truly fine, so just comfortably, using your memories from your Gamer days. Understood?"
"Okay."
Baek Jin-woo nodded.
What was the national record again?
Wasn't it in the 7-minute range?
Easy.
Let's break it comfortably.
***
The Monday Dungeon.
The one dungeon that exclusively drops attack-related Runes, also known as the crown jewel of Battle of Summoners.
A dungeon that must absolutely be farmed in the shortest time possible.
If your Monday Dungeon clear time is slow?
You can kiss being a Ranker goodbye.
That's because attack-related Runes are the most fundamental of all Runes.
Type: Defense. Setting: Open Plains.
The setup is a mission to hold out against the Lich's undead army for 30 minutes.
Of course, it's called Defense, but in name only.
Kill the final boss, the Lich, and the game is over.
So most players were probably still opting to charge straight at the Lich and finish it off.
Whrrrr!
To the sound of the equipment functioning properly, he dove straight into the dungeon.
At the same moment, a message appeared.
[The total number of teams you have set is 3.]
[Which team would you like to summon?]
[Team 1 / Team 2 / Team 3]
As mentioned before, there are 3 teams for the Weekly Dungeons.
Team 3.
['Combat Marshal' (C-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Radiant Priest' (C-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Drill Instructor' (EX-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Mini Kong' (D-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Golden Fairy' (D-Rank) is being summoned.]
The Monday Dungeon has 2 core units.
The Combat Marshal and the Radiant Priest.
The remaining 3 just needed to be combat-capable damage dealers or tanks that could protect those 2.
—Krrrlk!
—Groaar, groaaaar!
Ghouls and skeletons flooded his altered field of vision.
For the record, there was no need to be intimidated by something like that.
At the highest grades it was a bit frightening, but this was the Low-Grade version.
[Groaar!]
[The evil Lich's undead army is swarming.]
[Hold out against the undead until reinforcements arrive!]
[Time Remaining—00:30:00]
—Wuoh! Wuoh! Wuoh!
The excited Mini Kong beat its chest a few times, then—
Crunch!
Caved in a skeleton's skull in a single blow.
They crumbled as easily as crushing a wafer—that was just how weak these creatures were.
Alright, shall we get started?
First.
"Move to high ground."
The Drill Instructor nodded.
Having registered that recording was underway, he gave no verbal response.
—Wuooooh!
Crunch, crumble!
With Mini Kong, their damage-dealing tank, leading the charge, they moved swiftly toward a fairly elevated hill within the plains.
Time elapsed: roughly 2 minutes.
Next.
"Combat Marshal."
Fwip!
The Marshal was quite a tall woman.
A human-type sniper wielding an exceptionally long sniper rifle.
Of course, she didn't speak like an EX-Rank beast.
She was simply a puppet that followed orders.
"Take aim."
Shhp!
She pressed her eye to the telescopic sight in a standing shooting stance.
For the record, the Combat Marshal had been a barely-used Summoner Beast even back in the day, due to her weak damage output.
What was the point of precision if the hits didn't land?
But in the Low-Grade Monday Dungeon, she was exceptional.
Because the Lich's HP simply wasn't that high in the low-grade version.
"Wait—don't fire yet."
Next, Baek Jin-woo called for the Radiant Priest.
The incoming undead were being handled smoothly by Mini Kong and the Drill Instructor.
"Radiant, cast Blessing."
The Radiant Priest was also a human female.
A cleric character—a lesser version of the Saint (A-Rank), but fairly useful when fighting undead.
Hummm!
The Priest cast Blessing on the Marshal's sniper rifle.
The effect of Blessing was simple.
It would strip away the Lich's ‘Dark Barrier’, allowing hits to land.
Without Blessing?
That Lich could never be killed from range.
Because the Dark Barrier granted ‘Ranged Immunity’.
"Open fire."
He had already tracked the Lich's position—it was flying around near the far end of the plains.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rifle fired, and—
—Sckreee? Sckreee! Sckreee!
The Lich's screech, apparently stinging from the shots, echoed across the open air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The firing continued.
With the Runes weak and levels low, it took a fair amount of time.
That's exactly why you absolutely cannot kill the Lich with the Combat Marshal from Mid-Grade onward.
However.
Baek Jin-woo could.
Not just Mid-Grade.
He'd be able to wipe out the Lich in High-Grade and Top-Grade Monthly Dungeons with that Combat Marshal as well.
How?
Because the Drill Instructor is here.
That was precisely why the Drill Instructor was broken.
Once the latent ability was unlocked and top-grade Runes and skills were fully equipped?
Bang!—one single shot, and the Lich in a Top-Grade Monday Dungeon would drop dead.
Regardless.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The firing continued for roughly another 2 minutes.
And then.
—Kieeeeeeeeeek!
The Lich's shriek rang out—one that had been properly done in by a spoon-wielding assassin.
[Processing boss monster!]
[Dungeon Clear!]
[Clear Time—00:04:12]
And that record, of course.
[Congratulations!]
[You have broken South Korea's best record!]
[A special achievement has been attained!]
Was the best in the country.