Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Player Zone
There are 5 types of summoning scrolls in Battle of Summoners. Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, and Top-grade.
And Ultimate.
[F-Rank: 94%]
[E-Rank: 5%]
[D-Rank: 1%]
As mentioned before, if this is the probability for a Low-grade Summoning Scroll……
[E-Rank: 94%]
[D-Rank: 5%]
[C-Rank: 1%]
This is the probability for a 'Mid-grade Summoning Scroll'. Then?
[D-Rank: 94%]
[C-Rank: 5%]
[B-Rank: 1%]
This is the probability for a 'High-grade Summoning Scroll'. As you can see, there's a pattern. Every time the scroll tier goes up by 1, the probability of the summoned rank rises by 1 tier as well! Then, what about the 'Ultimate Summoning Scroll', 1 tier above the 'Top-grade Summoning Scroll'?
[B-Rank: 94%]
[A-Rank: 5%]
[S-Rank: 1%]
Naturally, it's like this. From here, the answer becomes clear as to just how difficult it is to draw an S-Rank Summoner Beast. It's a 1% chance every time you tear open an 'Ultimate Summoning Scroll'. For reference, Baek Jin-woo had only ever gotten his hands on 10 of those scrolls over the course of 10 years. They appeared in dungeons with an equally brutal probability.
Let's take it slow.
Rushing things never ends well. Preparing step by step means nothing gets missed, and growth can happen steadily.
I have Lamba, after all.
Baek Jin-woo was certain. If he properly raised Lamba? Not only the 100th floor of the tower, but the position of world top could be reclaimed in no time.
Time frame? Didn't matter. That's just how broken Lamba was. There was a reason the AI had gone ahead with a balance patch.
"By the way, Oppa."
Baek A-jin, walking along the Jamsil Lake Bridge over Stone Village Lake, glanced up at her brother. Quite some time had passed—the sky was already growing dim.
"What Summoner Beast came out?"
"There is one. A Wind Fairy."
"A Wind Fairy? Can I see it?"
"Why bother looking."
"I'm just curious. It's not like we're strangers. Can't I even see a family Summoner Beast? Here."
Whooom!
Baek A-jin flicked her hand. With it came a flash of light, and the Shadow Elf appeared.
"This one's my main Summoner Beast. C-Rank, no less. D-Rank ones are practically falling out of my pockets, but starting from C-Rank, they're the nobility."
"Yeah, sure."
Baek Jin-woo nodded, visibly unimpressed.
Shadow Elf? A filler Summoner Beast he'd never once brought into a dungeon. He had used plenty of them as experience fodder at the Fusion Hall, though.
Still, one thing did make him curious.
"Does that Shadow Elf speak Korean well? Hey, Ms. Elf?"
Lamba had been a native Korean speaker right from her very first appearance. What about the Shadow Elf?
He waved his hand in greeting, but the creature's response was flat and indifferent.
Tch, how rude.
If you're coming to the land of eastern etiquette, the least you could do is say hello.
"Oppa, what are you doing?"
Baek A-jin, brow furrowed, stared at Baek Jin-woo. The look on her face was that of someone eyeing a madman.
"Hm?"
"What Summoner Beast speaks?."
"Huh?"
Baek Jin-woo blinked.
"Aren't Summoner Beasts supposed to talk?"
"……Good grief, what kind of nonsense is that? Where in the world is there a talking Summoner Beast?"
"……!"
What.
Lamba's the odd one out?
Come to think of it, the Shaggy Gorilla had only made sounds like Gwoooah! or something similar.
Well.
In Battle of Summoners, there weren't any talking Summoner Beasts either.
Huh.
Then why does Lamba……?
Is it because her rank is so high?
"Anyway, stop pulling weird pranks and hurry up and show me yours."
"Mine's for later."
"Ugh, why!"
"Just because. Hurry up and guide me."
Swoosh.
Baek Jin-woo turned his back and walked ahead at a brisk pace.
"Ha, he's completely doing whatever he wants."
Grumbling in a disgruntled voice, Baek A-jin reverse-summoned the Shadow Elf and fell into step behind him.
"Wait up—!"
***
The sight of Jamsil Station, when they finally arrived, was a complete departure from what Baek Jin-woo remembered.
"Wow. What on earth is all this?"
Amid the bustling crowd stood a dazzling cluster of buildings.
"Surprising, isn't it?"
Baek A-jin smiled.
"The company that had to give up Jamsil Tower for the Tower of Trials demolished Jamsil World outright."
"……Jamsil World?"
Jamsil World had been one of the top domestic amusement parks, built right beside Jamsil Station. It was practically the trademark of Jamsil—and it was gone?
"Ugh, who'd want to ride a roller coaster with that gloomy Tower of Trials looming right in front of them."
"Wouldn't that make it more thrilling?"
"Oppa. Thrilling and risking your life are different things."
Either way.
He understood. From a corporate standpoint too, pulling in Players flocking to the area would've been more profitable than running an amusement park. It meant money.
"And they couldn't have kept Jamsil World running even if they wanted to. A Fusion Hall and dungeons moved into that space."
"Ah."
Baek Jin-woo nodded and stepped through the entrance of the Player Zone, directly across from the Tower of Trials.
"Low-grade Runes for sale!"
"Low-grade Summoning Scrolls available!"
"Buying C-Rank and above Summoner Beasts at high prices!"
The noise was constant. Inside was a full-blown marketplace.
That must be the trading post.
It had existed in Battle of Summoners as well, originally. A space where users could trade freely with one another. Since there was no in-game currency, real money had changed hands back then too……
I remember.
In the early days, the loaded Baek-cheon had constantly hoarded Summoning Scrolls and Runes from here. Eventually the game died and there were no more sellers, but.
"Everything you'd ever need is here. See those pamphlets over there?"
Baek A-jin pointed to the papers displayed at the information desk.
"Building layouts and explanations are all in there, so check those if you're curious. Anyway, Oppa."
"Yeah?"
Baek Jin-woo was turning his head every which way, like a country boy newly arrived in the capital, and answered absentmindedly.
"You're a beginner, Oppa. There's an academy run by Player Headquarters over there. What do you think about signing up starting tomorrow?"
"Nah, I'm good. Little sis."
His curiosity had been satisfied. He'd found a place to hole up in. From now on, he'd practically live here and keep on growing.
"Thanks for guiding me. Head home first."
"Huh? You're staying here?"
"Let me look around on my own for a bit."
"Umm……"
Something had felt off for a while now. It was like her brother was possessed by something.
Baek A-jin was worried about her Oppa. It had barely been any time since he woke up, on top of everything.
Still.
Her brother was saying he wanted to put in the effort to do something. She had no intention of putting a damper on that and holding him back.
"Well, alright. Don't push yourself too hard. And tell me if you need help."
"Got it~"
Stride, stride!
Baek Jin-woo waved a hand behind his back and disappeared into the crowd.
***
A secluded spot.
—Jin-woooo!
"Shh!"
The moment he summoned Lamba, Baek Jin-woo immediately covered her mouth. Cradling her entire body in both hands, he pressed his thumb firmly over her lips—and Lamba's eyes went wide.
"From now on, when there are people around, don't speak even if I summon you."
—Mmph?
"If you understand, nod your head."
Nod, nod.
She didn't know why, but Lamba was a Summoner Beast. She had no choice but to follow her Player's commands.
She said there aren't any talking Summoner Beasts yet.
In that case, just the act of Lamba having a conversation could draw unwanted attention. Baek Jin-woo had no desire for public scrutiny. For the time being, he planned to only converse with Lamba inside dungeons.
For now.
He was going to be running dungeons continuously from here on, but……
Being new at it, there was a faint sense of directionlessness. His Runes weren't properly set, and he only had 2 Summoner Beasts. He needed starting capital……
[Detailed Account Inquiry]
[Account Holder: Baek Jin-woo]
[Premium Savings Account]
[Withdrawable Balance: 12,500 Won]
"Life, honestly."
Things couldn't be more in the gutter. Even accounting for the accident, to think this was his entire net worth.
Taking out a loan meant no job, no income, no assets as collateral. Borrowing from loan sharks felt like a waste of interest. Working part-time like the old days felt like a waste of time.
Parents' lifeline?
No. A person needs to have some sense of shame. Borrowing money with nothing to give back from parents working 3 jobs to keep the household afloat—that wasn't a person, it was an animal. And on top of that, that damned truck had been draining them with hospital bills for 3 years straight! He couldn't burden them any further.
It's fine.
I can do plenty, even starting from scratch.
Yeah. This was just the early game of Battle of Summoners. What was one of Baek Jin-woo's nicknames!
None other than 'Free-to-Play Ranker!'
He'd always been like that. Without anyone's help, without spending a single Won, he'd held the Rank 1 position and come to be called One Heaven.
There's no reason I can't do the same in reality.
First things first. He'd start from the lowest dungeons. Use the rewards to keep drawing Summoner Beasts, and focus on raising Lamba above all else.
Let's go!
Just as Baek Jin-woo steeled his resolve and stood up—
Ding!
A notification arrived from his phone app.
[500,000 Won has been deposited.]
"Huh?"
Buzz!
A text arrived at the same time.
[Son. I heard from A-jin. She said the moment you woke up, you were already moving around trying to do something. Knowing you, I figured you'd never ask for spending money, so……. Use this.]
"……Mom."
His eyes welled up slightly.
In the end, this son of yours has received sweet and sweeter rain from heaven itself. The moment his chest swelled with warmth so intense it burned—
Baek Jin-woo made a vow in his heart.
Our family.
I'll make sure you all live in comfort.
***
A dim evening.
Baek Jin-woo did not go home.
He was someone who, even during his days playing Battle of Summoners, had never once gone a night without pulling an all-nighter.
Minimize sleep.
3 years where everyone else had moved ahead of him. This is what it would take to catch up.
Don't be soft.
He had to get his mindset right first. To become the best, his actions had to match accordingly.
Baek Jin-woo spent every Won he had to purchase 3 Low-grade Summoning Scrolls and 6 Low-grade Swift Runes.
Need to put together a team first.
Each team can hold 5 Summoner Beasts. His original plan had been to head to the Fusion Hall and feed the Shaggy Gorilla to Lamba as material, but—
Having actually used it in battle, the gorilla had fought with quite a spirited bravado, so he planned to keep it around a little longer.
—Gwooo……?
Had it sensed its owner's feelings? The summoned gorilla in front of him wore an expression of unease.
Let's not get attached.
Using a Summoner Beast as material? It was a completely ordinary thing in Battle of Summoners. By the lore, using them as materials didn't mean they died. They simply went somewhere and waited for a new Player to summon them.
"Lamba."
—……
Outside dungeons, stay zipped up!
She really did follow orders well.
"Equip all 6 of these Swift Runes."
The stats on the 6 Swift Runes were all different.
[Rune]
[Grade: Low-grade]
[Set Effect: Swift]
— Equipping 4 grants 30% Attack Speed, equipping 6 grants 50% Attack Speed.
[Level: 1]
[Stat Increase]
Strength +1, Intelligence +1, HP +100, Critical Rate +4%
One was like this.
[Rune]
[Grade: Low-grade]
[Set Effect: Swift]
— Equipping 4 grants 30% Attack Speed, equipping 6 grants 50% Attack Speed.
[Level: 1]
[Stat Increase]
Stamina +1, Agility +1, MP +100, Critical Damage +6%
Another one was like this.
A total of 6 Runes can be equipped to a Summoner Beast. These Runes work essentially the same as items in any RPG. Level caps at 10. Each level increase boosts 4 pre-assigned stats!
For now, there's no room to worry about stats.
Ideally, to properly build Lamba, only 2 stats matter. 'Intelligence' and 'Agility', Intelligence amplifies skill effects, and Agility increases attack speed further.
['Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank) equips 'Low-grade Swift Rune'] ……
['Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank) equips 'Low-grade Swift Rune']
Swish, swish-swish!
Lamba equipped all 6 Runes.
With this, her attack speed should be at least somewhat better.
Be satisfied with this for now.
Later, he'd show her what the absolute pinnacle of attack speed looked like.
Next.
Summoner Beasts.
Riiip!
Baek Jin-woo tore open all 3 Low-grade Summoning Scrolls at once.