The Versatile Rune (1)
Once a week. The consulting session had wrapped up cleanly.
"Wow, this is incredible! I had no idea you could even approach it from this angle."
"Following Player Baek Jinwoo's advice, I'll need to raise a wider variety of summons to wage psychological warfare effectively. I should stockpile different types of runes, too."
"This part was straight out of the old textbooks... You're more solid on the fundamentals than you look, aren't you? Honestly, I assumed that Training Instructor summon of yours was a one-trick pony. You've proven me wrong. Thanks for today."
Even though he'd only given them a rough overview, the rankers all walked away satisfied. After ten hours of instruction, they could feel how much they'd grown compared to before. As mentioned previously, the vast majority of theories humanity had established to date had originally come from the mind of a middle schooler named Baek Jinwoo. And countless applications that had yet to be formalized still sat untouched in his head, accumulated in full. It was only natural that the rankers couldn't help but be impressed.
Good thing they're satisfied.
Nine rankers. And if executives from major guilds were this pleased, that surely meant the money had been well spent, didn't it?
The real problem is me.
There was a mountain of things to do. The very first item on the list: climbing the Tower of Ordeal.
Baek Jinwoo stepped out onto the training grounds in YooBaek City and stretched his body long and loose.
Ahh. Every single time he came here, he was reminded of just how much he loved this place. The beautifully landscaped plaza in front of the state-of-the-art building, the sweeping view that let you breathe in the mountain's living energy firsthand—from the design alone, you could tell exactly how much care and thought the architect had poured into every detail.
As expected of Yoo Jia. He'd been feeling it more and more lately. Partnering with her had been such a good call. He'd asked for a training ground, and she'd delivered a penthouse, a garden, and even a bunker on top of that. And the way she looked after his entire family so perfectly—it was almost embarrassing how grateful he was.
"Pokryong."
"Yes, Jinwoo!"
At his murmur, Pokryong came trotting over from her training, her footsteps light and quick.
"How far along are you now?"
"I've completely mastered Pokryongsul up through Byeon, the Transformation stage."
"Really?"
Ever since that incident, Pokryong hadn't once deceived Baek Jinwoo. She'd thrown herself into learning every skill with honest, wholehearted effort.
"Show me."
"Yes!"
Pokryongsul, Byeon—Transformation. Fwoooosh! Flames of crimson fire bloomed gorgeously from her staff. The Explosive Dragon Wave, originally shaped like a roaring dragon, scattered into countless fine fragments that spread out and coalesced into a translucent red barrier.
"See? I can use it as a shield like this."
Fwoooosh! A second Explosive Dragon Wave, drawn out through the Yeon accumulation stage, broke apart mid-air and split into a barrage of fire arrows and spears.
"And this way I can make Fire Arrows and Fire Spheres too!"
That wasn't all. From Fire Wall, which raised a massive barrier of flame, to Warm, which modulated its heat output to gently warm the surrounding air. It was fluid, controlled, and undeniably well-executed.
"I can see how hard you've been working."
"Hehe, yes."
"Good job."
Baek Jinwoo ruffled Pokryong's hair. It was a kind of reward. If Ramba's currency was cream buns, then what Pokryong craved was her player's attention.
"Do you think you could manage Yeom as well? The Detonation stage. Is that still beyond you?"
"Hmm..."
Pokryong deliberated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Myeol would be too much for me right now, but up through Yeom, I still have the memories from before, so with enough time I'm confident I can get there. Hungyo has been teaching me really well, too. I'll master it as fast as I possibly can!"
"Okay."
There was no point climbing the Tower of Ordeal without Yeom in her arsenal anyway. With just Yeom alone, they could punch straight through floors 11 through 20 without stopping.
By the way, how many Versatile Runes had they managed to secure? Just as Pokryong's Yeom mattered, so did Hungyo's near-graduation rune set.
"Hoo!" Baek Ajin clenched both fists tight and pumped them in the air with fierce energy.
"Twelve secured for now!"
Several employees she'd dispatched overseas had each checked in with word that they'd just completed their purchases. Since government funds were involved, the paperwork had been a nightmare of red tape—but working like maniacs without a single break, they'd pulled it off.
She really was right about this. Following Yoo Jia's advice and deploying the entire staff to strike all at once had made acquiring the runes surprisingly manageable. There had even been players who reached out independently through the purchase listings posted on the marketplace, offering to sell urgently for 100 billion won—roughly 72 million dollars. Fresh listings, not old inventory. By pouncing on every one of those without letting a single one slip through, they'd locked down a solid twelve. Ten had been purchased at an average of 150 billion won apiece, and the remaining two at 100 billion each. Which meant the budget already consumed came to 1.7 trillion won.
To think just twelve runes were worth this much... Baek Ajin clicked her tongue. It was genuinely a figure from another dimension. Just how much stronger would a summon become with runes like these equipped? And her brother's Hungyo especially... He was already monstrous without them. If he layered those on top... wouldn't he actually overtake Rachel and claim the world's number one ranking by the end of this year?
Ring, ring! Baek Ajin snatched up the phone.
"CEO, it's me."
"Yes, Director Baek. Go ahead."
"We've secured twelve so far, but the budget is running dry. Only 300 billion won left."
Even as she said it, the absurdity hit her. Who would have imagined a day would come when she'd describe 300 billion won as only 300 billion won?
"Hmm. For now..." Yoo Jia must have been monitoring the situation in real time, because the order came without hesitation. "Spend every last won of what's remaining and buy one more."
"Sorry—spend it all? That's 300 billion won?"
"The word must be out already. The listings are vanishing fast."
"R-really?"
Clack, clackety-clack! Phone wedged between her shoulder and ear, Baek Ajin hammered the keyboard, trawling through marketplace listings from every corner of the globe.
"It's true?" Just as Yoo Jia had said. Posts offering to sell at 200 billion—even absurd listings at 250 billion—were disappearing one after another. It came down to two possibilities: either the sellers had pulled their listings, or someone out there was buying them up in a panic. Either way, the cheap inventory was gone, and whatever remained would have to be bought at a premium. A sigh spilled from Baek Ajin's lips before she could stop it.
"Then what do we do? Buying one more doesn't actually solve anything... We need six more in total."
"Don't worry about the math right now. Just grab one more before it's too late—even at 300 billion. There's a player called Nemesis in India; I'll send you the contact info. This player is probably our best lead."
"Understood! I'll reach out immediately!"
Baek Ajin's hands flew across the keyboard faster than ever.
The result: success. YooBaek had acquired one more top-grade Versatile Rune for 300 billion won. The entire 2 trillion won budget had been consumed in the pursuit of thirteen Versatile Runes.
Yoo Jia, having personally verified the runes from each employee as they returned from their assignments, finally allowed herself a long exhale.
"Haa."
Five more to go. The allocated budget was spent, so the remainder would have to come out of YooBaek's own coffers. Banks were practically lining up to offer loans for the shortfall, so the money itself wouldn't be a problem.
The real issue was this: there are no listings left. She'd scoured every marketplace on the planet. Zero results. Forget 300 billion—at this rate, even 1 trillion might not buy a single one. YooBaek's own buying spree had catapulted the Versatile Rune's market value to an entirely new tier.
And honestly? A part of her desperately wanted to flip all thirteen they'd acquired at a steep markup. With the right marketing, it was entirely feasible, and the profit margin alone would be staggering. But she couldn't do it. It was Baek Jinwoo's request.
Still, there had been a reason she'd told Baek Ajin to urgently snatch up that last remaining listing. She'd need to discuss it with Baek Jinwoo face to face. Might as well deliver the runes while she was at it. Yoo Jia headed for his training grounds.
"Oh, you already got thirteen?"
Color bloomed across Baek Jinwoo's face as the runes transferred through the trade window. He'd asked her to move fast, but she'd outpaced even his expectations. Finally! Our Hungyo is about to get so much stronger! The thought of upgrading that rune set had a grin spreading across his face before he could stop it.
But Yoo Jia's expression was far from celebratory.
"We still need five more, but the entire budget went into getting those thirteen. And now there's nothing left on the market."
Settled into a corner of the training grounds, she walked him through everything in a soft, measured voice.
"Hmm, I see?" Baek Jinwoo nodded. It made perfect sense for Versatile Runes. They ranked among the absolute pinnacle of rare runes in his knowledge.
"Can't be helped. Five is fine. It'll take some time, but we can just craft them ourselves."
"...Craft them? Those runes?" Yoo Jia tilted her head, a look of pure bewilderment crossing her face. What is he talking about? Make limited-edition runes? Was that even possible? Because if it was, that changed everything—they could just keep producing and selling them indefinitely!
"Hehe, that's how it works."
The Rune Dwarf was simply broken. Give him the right materials, and he could forge any rune in existence. Limited edition or otherwise—it made no difference to him. There was one catch, though. The materials are a real pain to get. And of course, for the Rune Dwarf to craft limited-edition runes, his latent abilities would first need to be unlocked through Hungyo's training. That was why, back in Battle of Summoners, he'd been just another unremarkable summon in the roster.
"Anyway, Jinwoo."
"Yes?"
"There is one other option... Actually, it's less a strategy and more a coincidence—there happens to be someone who owns exactly five of those Versatile Runes."
"Oh?"
"Yes, his name is Jasim. One of the Middle Eastern oil tycoons. Apparently his daughter is suffering from some kind of unexplained, incurable illness. And with the whole world revolving around summons these days, he's been radiating this enormous vibe that he'll do absolutely anything for whoever can cure her."
"Ahh."
Cure the man's daughter by whatever means necessary, then ask for the Versatile Runes? But honestly... I'm not a doctor. How was he supposed to fix an incurable disease? And if the man was a Middle Eastern oil baron, he'd have already thrown every conceivable treatment at the problem by now.
"I did get his contact information just in case, but that route is probably a dead end for you, right?"
"Yeah, nothing immediately comes to mind. Maybe an S-rank summon specialized in disease treatment could pull it off...? No, wait."
Something sparked through Baek Jinwoo's mind. Versatile. Wasn't the summon who embodied that word better than anyone else standing right beside him at this very moment?
"Hungyo!"
Baek Jinwoo tilted his head back and called across the plaza.
"Yes, My Lord! You called for me!"
Hungyo, who had been correcting the summons' stances, came sprinting over like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Can you cure diseases too?"
Hungyo was versatile. Damage dealer, healer, support, special-class professions—he possessed the breadth of knowledge to unlock latent potential regardless of role. He was teaching Pokryong her craft, and he was even qualified to instruct the Rune Dwarf in hammerwork. That said everything.
"I cannot claim certainty in curing disease... but thanks to my experience training Aso in the past, I believe I could readily assess a patient's condition."
"Oh, is that right?"
Aso was a martial artist of the Murim. Her discipline had allowed her to introspect upon her own body and govern the flow of qi through her meridians—and that same knowledge now let the current Hungyo wield his blade with even greater fluidity.
"Wow, seriously?" Yoo Jia, listening from nearby, looked genuinely startled. That summon, honestly. The rumors said E-rank. Why on earth was he E-rank? Based on everything he'd demonstrated so far, calling him S-rank wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.
"For starters, just being able to diagnose what the illness actually is would probably make the man overjoyed, wouldn't it?"
"Let's try reaching out. Jasim, was it?"
"Yes, Jasim."
"Ask him point-blank whether he'll really hand over the Versatile Runes if we cure his daughter."
"On it! I'll contact him right away and let you know!"