Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Tower of Trials, 1st Floor (1)
Yu Ji-a returned to the office after finishing her meal. She couldn't control her heart, which had been thumping away since earlier. Despite it being their first meeting, it had clearly been an enjoyable meal. Baek Jin-cheol had been lively, and Hwang Myeong-hui had been warm. But.
—Jin-woo, that boy was the famous Gamer, right?
—My goodness……. It feels like just yesterday I was fretting over him neglecting his studies and glued to phone games, yet here we are benefiting from it.
—Jin-woo played that game for nearly 10 years, didn't he?
That remark from Baek Jin-cheol had been the trigger.
—Oh, Dad. He only played that game for 1 year, apparently. Does Oppa seem like the type to stick to just 1 game?
—Tsk tsk, you still don't know your own brother, do you? I know him. Jin-woo was always the type to latch onto something and go all in. It was middle school, wasn't it? I happened to glance over once and he'd fallen asleep with some game still running. That same game, I kept an eye on it, and sure enough, he was still playing it in his 3rd year of high school.
—Really?
—Yeah, thinking back now, that was it. Wasn't that Battle of Summoners, or whatever it's called, the foundation of today's reality?
Baek Jin-cheol had said that while looking at Yu Ji-a, and when she confirmed it,
—Right. I'm pretty sure that was the game. My memory's a bit hazy so I can't be certain, but…….
Baek Jin-cheol had delivered his verdict. A verdict that his own son might be a 10-year Veteran Player.
—Dad! Is that real? If it's true, that's absolutely insane!
—Is that so, sir?
At that moment. There was only 1 word that could have surfaced in both Baek A-jin's and Yu Ji-a's minds. One Heaven, God of Jinu! That very legendary figure whom every top-ranked player around the world unanimously praised!
Why didn't I think of that?
Snapping back from her thoughts, Yu Ji-a sat at her office desk with her fingers interlaced, head buried in her hands.
No matter how good a Gamer is, it just didn't add up.
Breaking records so effortlessly with only 1 year of experience? Around the world, Gamers with 2 or even 3 years of experience were quite common. They were undoubtedly remarkable players in their own right, but none of them carried the same presence as Baek Jin-woo.
And on top of that.
There was one decisive piece of circumstantial evidence she couldn't believe she'd missed. Jinu. Jin-woo.
Haha.
The names were absurdly similar.
He started playing in middle school, you say?
That made a nickname like that perfectly understandable.
It's 100%.
Should she tell Park Chang-seok too? She considered it, but decided against it. For now, she hadn't received a direct confirmation from him, and it was nothing more than her own hunch. And above all.
He doesn't particularly like drawing attention to himself.
YuBaek existed solely to work for Baek Jin-woo. She had no desire to go against his wishes. So she had made sure to tell the family as well.
—Sir, ma'am. Let's keep this between us for now. If it starts circulating among others, your son may feel a mental burden from it. That goes for A-jin too.
—Yes, Unni. My lips are sealed!
—The boy clearly had his reasons for not saying anything himself. I understand completely.
No parent would go around blabbing if it meant their child could be harmed. Baek Jin-cheol and Hwang Myeong-hui nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
For now, I'll keep this to myself.
Yu Ji-a decided to keep it from Kim Byeong-jin and Hwang Tae-seop as well. She wasn't going to ask Baek Jin-woo about it directly either. When she looked at him. A wild cat came to mind. If you tried to approach too eagerly? He'd only grow distant. Slowly. And carefully—that was how he needed to be handled.
Yu Ji-a, who had been buried in thought with her head on the desk, finally lifted her head. And she began searching for information and articles about ‘God of Jinu’.
[World Ranking 1st, Rachel: I've learned a great deal from South Korea's God of Jinu. Expresses nostalgic sentiment.]
Starting with Rachel's article.
[Japan's Yoshida Hikaru: South Korea must find God of Jinu quickly. It is essential—for the sake of South Korea, and for the sake of humanity, which must ascend the Tower of Trials. If he cannot be found? Humanity has no future.]
Even Yoshida's famous mention of humanity's future was there. Beyond that. America's Xenos, Russia's Moscow Man, Taiwan's White Sky, and more. Prominent figures had each made at least one mention of God of Jinu. Moscow Man in particular had said:
—South Korea is the most to be wary of. That nation is the homeland of God of Jinu.
And that extraordinary God of Jinu was Baek Jin-woo?
This is……
Huge. Yu Ji-a's eyes gleamed. Just like that, their company ‘YuBaek’ had become the company in possession of God of Jinu! Something stirred deep within Yu Ji-a's chest. A genuine desire to grow YuBaek with everything she had! It was the hereditary ambition passed down from her grandfather, Yu Byeong-cheon.
***
Time to move on.
Baek Jin-woo had made his decision. To graduate from the Low-grade Weekly Dungeons. Thanks to the Drill Instructor's efforts, the levels of the Weekly Dungeon-dedicated Summoner Beasts had risen considerably. Their stats had grown, and several dedicated skills had emerged. Now the Mid-grade dungeons would offer far greater efficiency than Low-grade.
[Baek Jin-woo: I'm planning to try Mid-grade next week—prepare the recording?]
Baek Jin-woo sent a direct message to Yu Ji-a. A reply arrived in under 5 seconds.
[Yu Ji-a: Yes! Jin-woo! I've been waiting!]
She's not even asking if I can do it anymore.
Baek Jin-woo gave a slight smirk. Well, that just meant she trusted him. He had shown enough for that.
[Yu Ji-a: I've already laid out the full promotion too. Just like last time, all Jin-woo has to do is strap on the gear and run through it comfortably!]
Yu Ji-a sent along the related materials via message as well. Wow. She'd already prepared all this?
Bundle Package!Low-grade + Mid-grade video = 200,000,000 KRW -> 150,000,000 KRW!Low-grade + Mid-grade text info = 20,000,000 KRW -> 15,000,000 KRW!
Starting with the bundle package.
Today Only—Special Price!Limited-Time Massive Discount Promotion!The boss has lost her mind!
Even a package with further discounts for same-day purchases. He had no idea why she'd come up with something like this. Baek Jin-woo paid absolutely no attention to marketing. The time spent thinking about that was better spent running dungeons.
[Baek Jin-woo: Looks good. Nice!]
His trust in Yu Ji-a was already at 100%. He'd heard from A-jin. She had personally visited the family, brought gifts, treated them to a meal, and even arranged to look after them separately. Honestly, he'd been surprised.
She could have just assigned guards and hired staff—yet she went herself? The fact that those details weren't pre-agreed terms but her own personal goodwill made it all the more appealing. And that wasn't all. Baek Jin-woo had checked YuBaek's revenue directly.
It was an absolutely staggering sum—enough to make you gasp. If he needed money? Just request a dividend payout right then and there. It would be split and distributed immediately according to ownership ratio. How reassuring was that.
And what's even more remarkable—
The company card, family support funds, and so forth. In a sense, the company was covering Baek Jin-woo's personal expenses. Meaning Yu Ji-a, as a shareholder, was sharing that burden too!
This makes me want to give her proper information in return.
The old saying about giving an extra rice cake to someone you dislike is a lie. Baek Jin-woo was the type to give more rice cakes to those who treated him well.
She really does seem solid.
A future alongside YuBaek.
I ought to go at Mid-grade with some real intent.
***
The very next week. Mid-grade Weekly Dungeons were similar to Low-grade in structure, yet the finer details were different. Baek Jin-woo recorded himself explaining those differences in focused detail. And. Naturally, on the very first attempt, he set new all-South Korea records across the board. The world erupted, and Baek Jin-woo gained a record-breaking surge of popularity.
[The God of Records, Baek Jin-woo! When will he enter the rankings? Record-breaking begins!]
[YuBaek Begins Selling Mid-Grade Info! Same-day massive discount draws lines even from non-ranked players!]
[Will he take on the notoriously brutal Top-grade next?]
Whether the world talked or not. Baek Jin-woo simply set the runs spinning and headed off to dungeons with the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer on their usual outing.
When on earth is she going to learn it?
That infuriating Dragon Burst Art: Chain. He was tired of waiting at this point.
—……It's just not working. Why isn't it working?
The Explosive Dragon Sorcerer tilting her head with a puzzled look gave him a slight chill, so he went to find the Drill Instructor. And in doing so, he heard something shocking.
—My lord.
"Yeah?"
—Please come over here for a moment.
Leaving the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer behind, the Drill Instructor led him deep into an open field and spoke in a low voice.
—I believe the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer is deliberately slacking off.
"What?"
What was that supposed to mean?
—It doesn't make sense. The volume of mana and the flow of control are already well beyond the required level. Yet the skill hasn't manifested—which means she's suppressing it herself.
"Would she have a reason to do that?"
—This is just my speculation, but……. Hasn't my lord been going to dungeons exclusively with the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer recently?
"That's true."
—I believe she's enjoying it.
"……What?"
—All Summoner Beasts instinctively thrive on their player's attention. She believes she'll never have such an opportunity again—to go to dungeons alone with my lord. If she grows too quickly, the time they spend together will decrease.
"My goodness."
He was speechless. Was that actually true? What was he supposed to do about that?
A feeling of tenderness washed over him, mixed with bewilderment.
So it wasn't the fried chicken and beer that mattered.
—What if you changed your training approach? Cut off the dungeon outings with the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer, and tell her that once she learns Dragon Burst Art: Chain, you'll go back to dungeons together.
"You really think that'll work?"
—She may well learn Dragon Burst Art: Chain by tonight.
"……"
Really? Well, the Drill Instructor had never been wrong before.
It pains me to do this, but……
Might as well try it.