Versatile Rune (2)

Baek Jinwoo headed straight for the Enhancement Shop first thing. From all the grinding he'd put in, he'd stockpiled a mountain of junk runes to burn as enhancement materials.

Rare runes were graduation-grade by birthright anyway. There was no need to scrub his hands clean or set out a bowl of water and pray before hitting the button.

"Yes."

Let's go—all at once!

"Oooh, yeah."

A hefty pile of enhancement materials vanished in one gulp, but the crisp, satisfying numbers that got slapped onto the rune more than made up for it.

"Yes! This is it!"

Baek Jinwoo kept the enhancements rolling. All six of them.

No need for polish. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no point applying it.

With polish, he could actually push the crit rate to a full 100 percent—but why bother?

These were semi-graduation runes, after all. Not the true graduation rune. He planned to use them for now and swap in something better down the line.

—Thank you, My Lord.

Baek Jinwoo socketed all six freshly enhanced Versatile Runes straight into Hungyo. And then—

Insane. That was monster-grade stat inflation.

Hungyo at level 40, without a single rune equipped, had 20 in each of STR, INT, VIT, and AGI. Six runes granting 36 percent apiece meant a total rune bonus of 216 percent. Twenty times 2.16 came to 63.2—rounded down, 63.

Then the 500 percent set effect applied on top of that, and it was multiplicative. Simply put: five times the combined sum. That was how the monstrous figure of 315 was born.

Just how strong was that, exactly...?

An average adult's strength sat around STR 2. A trained professional's, around STR 5. Beyond that, you were leaving humanity behind. The numbers weren't precise, but roughly speaking, a gorilla was STR 10 and a tiger STR 20... anything past that, he'd leave to the imagination.

Honestly? Even Baek Jinwoo couldn't quite picture what STR 315 felt like. It would probably carry him without trouble up to floor 60 of the Tower of Ordeal?

Let's just think of it as fucking strong and move on.

—Am I to use them well, then pass them on to Aso, My Lord?

"You knew?"

—Of course. Are you not planning to have Rune Dwarf combine three Versatile Runes into a Trinity Rune? And Trinity is tailor-made for Aso.

Oh, great. He'd been planning to explain that later... and Hungyo had just spoiled it.

"Right. Can't get anything past you."

Well. Of course he knew. Hungyo was the one who'd unlocked Rune Dwarf's latent potential, after all.

The Trinity Rune was a Unique-grade rune that only Rune Dwarf could craft. And its performance blew even the Versatile set out of the water—strong enough to see him comfortably through floor 100 of the Tower of Ordeal.

That was exactly why Baek Jinwoo had insisted on collecting eighteen Versatile Runes!

—I am content with these. In truth, there is another rune I would rather have.

"I know. The Teacher Rune, right?"

—That is correct, My Lord.

The Teacher Rune was also a Rare rune, specialized in teaching others—and Rune Dwarf could craft that one too.

—I feel joy and exhilaration in forging someone through discipline and watching them grow stronger for it. The Versatile Runes are fine, but the rune that truly suits me is 'Teacher.'

Right. Thanks for saying so.

Baek Jinwoo knew, too. He knew Hungyo was only saying it for his sake.

Summons were living beings who thought before they spoke. Naturally they'd want good, expensive runes.

Someday. He'd just craft him one more.

There were a hundred Versatile Runes in the world, after all. He could get more—and if he couldn't, Rune Dwarf could make them. Which meant that, in theory, two or three more Trinity sets were possible!

—Then I shall return to training!

Maybe it was the rune effect. Watching Hungyo stride away on even lighter feet than usual, Baek Jinwoo nodded to himself with a contented smile.

Jasim had reached out. If only he saved his daughter—the apple of his eye—he would hand over not just five Versatile Runes but an even finer gift besides. And he asked Baek Jinwoo to come running anytime, no notice needed.

"Jinwoo."

Yoo Jia came by to deliver the message in person.

"He wants you in Dubai. He's sent a private jet and a pilot, so you can fly over whenever it suits you."

Wow. Middle Eastern wealth, through and through. He sends a whole plane just to ask you to come in person?

Well, that was the literal meaning, anyway. But Baek Jinwoo sensed something else in the gesture.

Desperation. He must want his daughter saved that badly.

"Apparently he's put out countless requests over the years. And not one player has ever correctly identified his daughter's illness."

"I see. Then shall I go alone?"

"No."

Yoo Jia shook her head.

"Jinwoo. Do you speak Arabic?"

"Nope."

Forget Arabic—he couldn't even manage English.

"Which is why you're going with me."

"...You speak Arabic too, Jia?"

"Yes. I can get by a little in most languages."

"Oh."

Now that was a novel breed of elite. Most people bragged about speaking three or four languages—she casually claimed a smattering of nearly all of them?

Wasn't that just plain genius? How many languages were there in the world?!

Still, that's a relief.Battle of Summoners had auto-translation, sure, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but reality was another beast entirely.

"Then let's go together. Let me know when we depart. We'll be back before you know it."

Vrrroooom!

The private jet lifted off, and Baek Jinwoo and Yoo Jia were bound for Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

On board—just in case anything happened, Ramba spent the flight stacking Hungyo up with plenty of buffs. She'd also loaded up Doldori, who stood by nearby in stealth.

For the record, a summon's base summoning time was five hours, and if you recalled one and summoned it again, the stacks had to be built back up from scratch.

—Boohoo...!

Which was why Ramba was the only one having a rough time of it.

"When we get back to Korea, I'll stuff the fridge full of cream buns. So hang in there a little longer, 'kay?"

—Okaaayyyyy...

Flit-flit-flit-flit-flit-flit!

From the moment they touched down in Dubai until the day they returned to Korea, they could not let their guard down for a second. Public safety wasn't exactly stellar, at home or abroad.

How much time had passed?

Vrrroooom!

Before long, they were setting foot on Dubai soil. And not at an airport—on a private runway built into a personal residence.

Unbelievable. A house with its own runway. He'd never seen anything like it in his life.

The moment they stepped off the plane, a bearded man in white robes and a headdress was there to greet Baek Jinwoo.

"So you're the famous Baek Jinwoo of South Korea. It is an honor to meet you!"

"Huh?"

Was that fluent Korean he was hearing?

"Ahaha, I thought you might react that way. You see the bird perched on my shoulder? A limited-edition B-grade translation bird. It turns everything within range into a translation zone. Simply speak as you normally would, and it will reach me auto-translated as well."

"...Oh."

There was a gadget like that? Then Yoo Jia hadn't really needed to come after all?

He stole a glance to the side. Yoo Jia was staring blankly at the bird, her face full of quiet existential despair.

Fair enough. She'd studied languages so hard—if a bird like that just existed, even he would be questioning his life choices.

"You're Jasim, I take it. I'm Baek Jinwoo."

"You said you might be able to name my daughter's illness. And that if you treated her, you would ask for top-tier Versatile Runes."

Jasim didn't waste a second. He was that desperate—he cut straight to the heart of the matter. Which suited Baek Jinwoo just fine.

"That's right. Though I can't promise anything. I'd simply like to take a look."

"...Uncertain is more than enough. If there is even the slightest chance... please, do try. Whenever you are able."

He looked fairly young. And his love for his daughter radiated off him in waves.

"Shall we go see my daughter, then?"

Jasim led the two of them into a dazzling, resplendent room. On a pink, French-style bed lay a young girl, her complexion ghost-pale. Thirteen or fourteen, by the look of her.

"Jasim."

"Yes?"

"Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

To diagnose the girl, he would need to speak with Hungyo. Doing that under Jasim's watchful eye would be uncomfortable.

"..."

The man grew visibly uneasy.

"If you'd prefer, I can set a system contract. One stating that I will make no threats against your daughter whatsoever."

Baek Jinwoo offered the deal.

But after a moment's deliberation, Jasim bowed his head and stepped back.

"No. If I have chosen to entrust her to you, then I will trust you to the very end."

In truth, Jasim had finished his investigation of Baek Jinwoo long before sending for him. The national hero of South Korea! The man who might well be 'Jinugod,' venerated by the world's rankers.

Someone like that would never spirit his daughter away to do something vile, or hold her hostage. No—he couldn't afford to believe otherwise. If Jinwoo decided to start making threats now, there would be no stopping him, even with Jasim standing right there.

"Thank you for your trust."

With Jasim shown out, Baek Jinwoo called for Hungyo.

"Hungyo."

—Yes, My Lord.

"Take a look at her. She doesn't seem to be doing so well."

"Hnngh... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠haaa..."

The girl's feverish body was drenched in cold sweat. Her skin was cold to the touch, and her color was terrible.

Step.

Hungyo moved in, took her by the forearm, and pressed his fingers to her pulse.

Just as I thought. Eyes closed, Hungyo gave a slow nod.

Severed Meridian Syndrome.

A congenital illness, and one of the most notorious incurable diseases of the murim.

And not just that—Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

The yin energy was so overwhelming that all nine meridians in her body had jammed solid, unable to function as they should. Her qi, naturally, could not circulate properly. She would waste away, ailing year after year, and die young.

There was no true cure—but if a method existed, there was exactly one.

Powerful yang energy.

"Well? Think you know what she's got?"

—I do, My Lord.

"Oh? What is it?"

—Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

"...Nine Yin Severed Meridians?"

What on earth was that?

"Can it be treated?"

—One moment, please. I am thinking.

Vast stores of knowledge began to unfold inside Hungyo's closed mind. And as he sifted through that treasury, even Hungyo found himself startled.

It ran this deep? Far more information was flowing into his head than ever before.

EX-Grade. Was it the effect of his raised rank? Or the influence of the skill he'd recently acquired—'Instructor'?

Among it all was the knowledge of Hwata, the S-rank summon known as the Divine Physician of Murim. To be precise, it was knowledge for training Hwata, so he couldn't wield the techniques directly.

But that knowledge alone was enough to bring the treatment for Nine Yin Severed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Meridians to mind.

—Pokryongi.

"Hm?"

—I will need Pokryongi's flame, My Lord. With that, I can treat her.