Light Speed Rune (3)

Baek Jincheol and Hwang Myeonghui made a point of taking their meals together. In the middle of their busy days, it was the only time the two of them had to talk.

That morning was no different. The couple finished bustling through their meal prep and sat down across from each other, the picture of domestic harmony. Before long—

"Honey... I've got something weighing on me lately."

Baek Jincheol finally managed to bring it up.

"What is it?"

"You know that gift I got a while back?"

"A gift? That diamond golem thing, you mean?"

"Yeah, that one."

"What about it?"

"They say it's worth a billion won."

"Whaaat? A b-billion? It was worth that much?"

Hwang Myeonghui's eyes went round as saucers.

"...Should we sell it?"

He had boldly declared to his friend Park Jeonghun that he'd sell it, but the more he turned the idea over, the more it gnawed at him. The summon had come to him thanks to his son, after all—and could he really dispose of a gift given in good faith just like that?

Baek Jincheol recounted, without leaving out a single detail, the conversation he'd had with Park Jeonghun in the small hours of the previous night.

"So... you want to quit the courier work and start a business?"

"Business makes it sound too grand. I just want to do something small, on my own."

"Hmmm."

It was a genuine dilemma. A happy one, honestly. These days even a first-place lottery ticket wouldn't net you a billion won—and this had simply dropped into his lap as a present.

"Still, selling it feels wrong."

For her part, Mrs. Hwang Myeonghui was against the idea. Couples grow alike, as they say. She used her Rainbow Snail every day and had never once considered selling it. Naturally, she hadn't even searched its price. That was probably why the word billion had shocked her so badly.

"Right? Should I just tell him I've decided not to sell after all?"

Just as the couple sat deep in deliberation—

Beep, bee-beep! Rrriiing!

Someone punched in the house passcode and let themselves in. It was their son, Baek Jinwoo.

"Huh? What brings you here this early?"

Baek Jincheol was startled.

"You're here, son! You've been so busy lately, haven't you?"

His mother beamed and welcomed him too.

Baek Jinwoo felt a small pang of guilt as he greeted his parents.

I should have been visiting more often.

And yet—now really was a time when he had to keep his eyes forward and run.

"I came because I have something to give you."

He had exactly one reason for seeking out his parents: to hand over the Intermediate Skill Book selection rights.

The meal was all but finished anyway, so Hwang Myeonghui hurried to clear the table.

And then—

"Have a seat here and we'll talk. So what is this thing?"

"Mine says I'm supposed to learn a skill called Desperate Call with it?"

The moment Hwang Myeonghui heard the explanation, she implanted the skill straight into her Rainbow Snail.

Baek Jinwoo had heard about that particular summon from Yoo Jia as well.

How grateful she must be.

When it came to anything summon-related, Baek Jinwoo was sharp enough to pass for a genius; a single round of mental arithmetic told him exactly how much value that skill would hold down the line.

The problem was his father.

Baek Jincheol was still deliberating over whether to implant the skill into his golem at all.

"What are you dawdling for, dear? Go on and learn it."

"Heh heh, you think so?"

Now why the hesitation?

Baek Jinwoo caught that subtle undercurrent in an instant.

"Hold on a second, Father."

Come to think of it, there had been exactly one reason Yoo Jia went out of her way to give him a 'Diamond Golem' (B-rank): his father adored his 'Pebble Golem' (E-rank). And the Diamond Golem was the reigning final boss of all golems.

But then again.

Seen one way, wasn't that also tantamount to telling him to keep toiling as a laborer forever?

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you even have a reason to keep using a golem anymore, Father?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just a thought. You don't have to attach so much meaning to the thing. It's fine to sell it. Ajin's business is doing well these days, so you could have her handle the sale for you."

His father blinked.

He chewed it over for a long while, lips pursing and unpursing, before—

"...You really mean that?"

Just as I thought.

His suspicion confirmed, Baek Jinwoo pressed both his parents relentlessly until, in the end, they came clean.

"Well, your father's always going on about wanting to spend his life frying chicken. So I mulled it over. Briefly. Very briefly. For the record, I was against it."

"...A chicken restaurant?"

Baek Jinwoo tilted his head. Wait. Why would you sell the golem if you were opening a chicken place?

"Hold on just a second."

Baek Jinwoo pulled out his phone and placed a direct call to Yoo Jia. Sure enough, she picked up in roughly one second.

Wow. Insane.

Classic Yubaek.

They could already pay out dividends on that scale?

Click.

His parents stared at Baek Jinwoo with blank, dumbfounded expressions.

A billion won, as a dividend?

Only now did it truly sink in. Their son—the one who had been lying in a hospital bed mere months ago—had become a player genuinely worthy of the world's recognition!

"Father."

"Y-yes?"

"A billion won is about to land in your account. Use it to open that chicken restaurant."

"No—how can you spend the money you earned on something like—"

"Aw, come on!"

Baek Jinwoo cut him off right there.

"Register the skill on the golem, and don't sell it. You've always loved that thing. Besides, you'll need it for the restaurant anyway. Do you have any idea how brutal it is hauling crates of raw chicken and drums of frying oil?"

"No... heh heh, you rascal."

Baek Jincheol's face lit up with genuine, unguarded emotion.

Was that boy really their son?

Lately, the couple found themselves astonished more and more often.

It had been a busy day since morning.

He'd visited his parents' place, run his daily rotation dungeons on repeat, and come back to the clearing—

"Hm?"

Yoo Jia was there, working through her stretches. In casual clothes, no less.

Thanks to that, the summons—Hungyo included—were training in silent, uncomplaining discipline. He had ordered them not to speak in front of strangers, after all.

"Ms. Yoo Jia?"

What business did she have here?

Something he'd been noticing lately: wherever he went, she had a way of popping into his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠field of view.

"I wanted to get some exercise in before work too. If I sit at a desk all day, my efficiency tanks. You have to keep a little muscle on, you know?"

"Aren't there plenty of good gyms nearby? Why come all the way out here?"

"Oh, come on. Isn't working out in air this good its own kind of romance? Beats any gym."

"...Yes. Well, I suppose it does."

"Ah, and actually—there was something I needed to deliver today. That's the other reason I came."

"Something to deliver?"

"Don't be alarmed."

She held out her hand, bold and unashamed. Vmmm! Light spilled from her palm.

Huh?

A trade?

"Whoa."

Baek Jinwoo was genuinely stunned.

"How do you already have them?"

As far as he knew, it hadn't even been a week since he'd asked her to track them down.

"Hehe, impressive, right? Whew... honestly, if I tried to explain how much effort went into getting these, a single night wouldn't be enough to cover it."

That one was, obviously, a Y.

"How did you get them this fast?"

"I simply combed the entire world inside out, that's all. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't even get me started on the price negotiations. Honestly, the staff-wielding requirement was the only reason I managed to get them at all."

Fair enough.

Attack-speed builds on staff users were practically nonexistent apart from Ramba.

Yoo Jia had purchased the runes for 10 billion, 20 billion, and 15 billion won respectively. Forty-five billion in all! For runes destined for a single summon, that was an astronomical price.

"Really."

Baek Jinwoo murmured it with his whole heart.

"Thank you for all your hard work. Truly."

Honestly, he hadn't seen it coming—that Ramba's graduation runes would be complete this soon.

"Ms. Yoo Jia."

"Yes?"

"Get your workout in here for a bit. Hungyo."

— ...?

Hungyo, who had been in the middle of correcting a summon's stance with his sword, turned his head. With admirable sense, he gave no spoken answer.

"Please look after this lady's exercise form for me."

— ...!

Hungyo thrust out his right arm and bowed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with crisp, soldierly precision.

"Wh-where are you going?"

"Just going to run some reinforcements! Wait right here—I'll be back before you know it."

Baek Jinwoo simply could not hold himself back any longer.

The moment a single summon completed all six graduation runes and claimed the set bonus on top—any Battle of Summoners player knew that was a moment you could not resist. Even back in his Jinugod days, moments like this could be counted on one hand.

Enormous was right.

By raw market value alone, he was about to socket runes worth over 100 billion won in cold cash into Ramba.

"Wyvern!"

— Kreeeeeee!

As always, Baek Jinwoo rocketed skyward astride his 'Celestial Wyvern' (B-rank).

Yoo Jia stared blankly after him.

Somehow, his flying had become so natural it defied description.

On arriving at the Reinforcement Center, Baek Jinwoo reinforced the remaining three runes, every last one.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

He had exactly twelve Omni-Abrasives. Every option got polished to its flawless maximum, clean and satisfying.

"Ahh."

Now.

Ramba would become faster than anyone in existence.

To be completely honest...

Even socketed into any random F-rank staff-wielder, these runes would probably let it zip all over the battlefield. No exaggeration—it could beat a runeless B-rank.

Shwaaaaa! The wyvern's speed was no joke. Thanks to that, the flight back to the clearing took hardly any time at all.

"Goodness, you're back already?"

Yoo Jia felt faintly cheated. For her, reaching this place meant parking the car and hiking uphill for nearly twenty minutes... while Baek Jinwoo made an entire round trip to Samsung-dong in under twenty.

One less thing to worry about, then.

She also felt a quiet wave of relief. Even if they set up in the Geomdansan area of Hanam, they could reach Samsung-dong and its Player Zone in a flash.

"Now then, one moment. Ramba, come here."

The instant he touched down, Baek Jinwoo called Ramba over—and slotted the Light Speed Runes into the remaining three sockets.

Vmmm! A crimson ribbon of light coiled around Ramba.

That, right there, was the Light Speed set effect.

— ...!

Ramba's eyes went round as saucers. She wanted to marvel out loud at the speed thrumming through her entire body, but with Yoo Jia standing right there she couldn't utter a word—her eyes simply grew wider and wider.

I-It's insane.

Ramba gave her arm a test swing. Fwoooosh! Her arm vanished from sight.

With the runes properly socketed, swinging feels way smoother than before!

No matter how she flailed, her arm never ached. The runes themselves were drinking in the attack speed, pure and simple.

"Not bad at all."

Baek Jinwoo, too, watched the scene and nodded with a contented smile.

The funny thing is...

This was still Ramba at her growing stage. Raise her level further to lift her base stats, unlock her latent potential through Hungyo—whatever that turned out to be—and then what?

"Did it get better?"

"Oh, it got better, all right."

Baek Jinwoo broke into a broad, easy grin.

This girl Ramba—she'd only gone and become the most broken character of all time.