Hwang Jiwoo (5)
YooBaek City. The training grounds.
"Hmm, who's this?"
"A guest?"
"...No one's supposed to just walk in here."
The rankers traded remarks through the sweat streaming down their faces, and Hwang Jiwoo couldn't gather her wits at all.
To think I'm facing people of that caliber at this range!
Ugh.
She shrank back without meaning to. It was the ferocity in their eyes.
Rankers were naturally touchy about their training information. More than that, every one of them had signed a confidentiality agreement as a condition of receiving instruction. Let an outsider catch wind of it, and who knew — they might find themselves struck by the System's curse!
Except.
"Oh, you made it!"
Baek Jinwoo greeted her with unmistakable delight.
"Come on over."
That's Baek Ajin for you! He'd told her to talk the girl into coming by any means necessary, and she'd already hauled her in this fast?
"Everyone, eyes back on your training."
Leaving the rankers craning their necks behind him, Baek Jinwoo guided Hwang Jiwoo toward the inner reaches of the training grounds.
"Have a seat here."
"...Yes."
He settled the nervous girl onto a plush sofa and took the seat across from her.
"Jiwoo, right? Ajin's friend."
"That's right."
Hwang Jiwoo answered with a stiff smile.
"One sec, let me check something."
Baek Jinwoo pulled out his phone — to see whether any separate message had come in from Baek Ajin.
Between running dungeons and overseeing training, he'd delegated the whole arrangement to his sister. Which meant he had no idea under what terms this girl had agreed to help him.
Whatever they are, he figured, I'll match them.
He needed Hwang Jiwoo, badly. Only by winning her over could he unlock Pokryongi's true potential.
"Hm?"
Something was off, though. No text from Baek Ajin.
"...Actually, about that."
Hwang Jiwoo, having pieced together the situation, cut in.
"I met with Ajin yesterday, and I came today to sign the contract... but before putting my stamp on it, I wanted to come here first."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I know full well what an incredibly generous deal you're offering me."
With a soft swish, Hwang Jiwoo carefully laid the contract she'd been holding onto the table. Baek Jinwoo picked it up and read.
A contract Ajin drew up, huh.
What was this? Why so stingy?
A mere one billion won?
Well. Fair enough, maybe. To most people, a billion won was serious money. But Baek Jinwoo understood the value of this arrangement better than anyone. Measured against Pokryongi's potential, one billion wouldn't cut it — ten trillion wouldn't, either.
"But honestly? I'd rather have your guidance than the money... Becoming a top-tier player has been my dream for the past three years, and it still is. If you'd just spare ten minutes a day to tell me whether I'm doing things right, I'll help you for the full 100 days. You can keep the billion."
"..."
Oh ho. The kid was making a play.
Baek Jinwoo understood at once why she'd come straight to him instead of finishing things with Baek Ajin.
Not bad.
One billion won? Maybe it would've meant something once, but to the Baek Jinwoo of today it was pocket change. That was simply how things had turned out. On the other hand — the value of my teaching is enormous. Whether it matched Hwang Jiwoo's worth he couldn't say, but it sat easier with him than a billion won would have. Above all, there was no reason to coldly turn away someone who recognized his value and made so bold an offer. And she was his little sister's friend, no less!
"So, to sum up: I give you ten minutes of consulting a day, and in exchange you cooperate for 100 days. No strings attached?"
"Yes."
"Easy enough."
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
"In return—"
Riiip!
He tore Ajin's paper contract in two.
"Forget paper. Let's do this properly, with a system contract."
In mere moments, Baek Jinwoo had read exactly what Hwang Jiwoo wanted.
"No quitting halfway. If the counter resets, you fill the 100 days again from zero. Those are the terms."
"As long as the teaching is guaranteed, I'm happy with anything."
"Your room will be on the floor below ours. From midnight tonight, you're not to be away from Pokryongi's side for so much as an hour. And Pokryongi's summon cooldown — we'll be coming in every five hours to resummon her — you'll need to be understanding about that too. Of course, so you can live comfortably for the full 100 days, I'll set you up with the finest meals, cleaning, all the essentials."
"Yes, that all sounds wonderful."
"Good. You're signing on with real flair, so I'll match it in style."
"...In style?"
"Take a look at the offer."
Vmmm!
Light spilled from Baek Jinwoo's outstretched palm.
Player Baek Jinwoo proposes a trade.
Please review the other party's offer carefully.
He was used to this by now. Drafting these things.
Hwang Jiwoo: Hwang Jiwoo will receive a full explanation of the Fire Dragon Mage's sudden quest, which will run for 100 days, and will assist until that quest concludes in success. Confidentiality regarding the quest, and regarding the consulting Baek Jinwoo provides as compensation, is...
Hwang Jiwoo's side of the bargain was exactly as she'd described, with a confidentiality clause layered on top. And then came the important part — Baek Jinwoo's side of the bargain!
Baek Jinwoo: For the duration of the contract, he will provide thirty minutes of dedicated consulting each day. Should the quest conclude in success, he will pay 100 billion won as compensation.
Do you accept Player Baek Jinwoo's offer?
[ Y / N ]
Reading down through the terms, every nerve taut, Hwang Jiwoo's mouth slowly fell open. And then—
"O-one hundred billion...?!"
she cried out, stunned.
It wasn't just the sum. The consulting had been extended from ten minutes to thirty, and the words with utmost dedication were written right into the clause. As long as this proceeded as a system contract, Baek Jinwoo would have no choice but to teach her properly.
"Are you really sure about this?"
"You're Ajin's friend, aren't you? Ajin's precious to me."
Yeah, right!
Press Y already! Press it!
Going by the mood, she'd accept with ninety-plus percent certainty — but even so, he was on edge. According to Hungyo, the Flame Body was a constitution so rare it might appear once in a thousand years. If Hwang Jiwoo refused to cooperate now? The sudden quest might as well fly straight out the window.
As a faintly impatient Baek Jinwoo bore down on her with his eyes—
"I-I'll press it."
Red-faced, Hwang Jiwoo clicked Y.
Nice!
With that, Pokryongi's potential was as good as unlocked. In exactly 100 days, the ultimate burst dealer — one who could chew through even S-rank summons — would be born.
These days, honestly. Was it just him, or did everything keep falling neatly into place?
The paperwork moved quickly. An apartment was provided on the spot, along with housekeepers to see to her daily needs. A training ground for Pokryongi was set up in one corner of the room, its window left open — so that Baek Jinwoo and Hungyo could come and go freely.
Baek Ajin, who only belatedly learned that Hwang Jiwoo had gone to her brother directly, took it in stride, without a trace of resentment. Especially once she heard the fee had been set at 100 billion, not one.
I feel kind of bad now.
She even spent some time reflecting on herself. Come to think of it, it was true — her brother and Yoo Jia alike paid a princely price whenever they brought in someone of real value. Yoo Jia had won her brother over with a lavish 1.5-billion-won gift, then created the one-of-a-kind management company Yubaek and handed him a full 70 percent stake. Her brother had done the same for her: when he'd brought Ajin in, he'd insisted that 20 percent of all rune sales profits be locked in for her, no questions asked.
The result? Baek Ajin had become Yubaek's dog. A very loyal one, at that.
So he rates Hwang Jiwoo even higher than I thought.
It seemed her own judgment had been the mistake.
Maybe her brother wasn't looking at this as a 100-day arrangement at all. Jiwoo was the Flame Body, after all — who knew what kind of absurd performance that would produce down the line?
Well. She'd simply have to do better from here on out. Baek Ajin nodded to herself and made a vow: she would look after Hwang Jiwoo with everything she had.
Gulp.
Stepping into the room, Hwang Jiwoo swallowed hard.
So the day really would come when I'd be living in this room.
On the tour, her whole mind had been stolen by the training grounds and she hadn't taken it in — but now it landed, unmistakably. Ultra-luxury. The apartment's interior was opulent beyond words.
She tilted her head back toward the ceiling.
Up there is where Baek Jinwoo lives.
Thump. Her heart picked up. She couldn't breathe a word of this to her friends thanks to the confidentiality clause — but how green with envy would they be when they found out later?
Hwang Jiwoo had always thought of herself as ordinary... no, if she counted the burning fever that plagued her head, below ordinary. But that hadn't been the truth. She was special. If she weren't, that Baek Jinwoo would never have rolled out this kind of treatment.
"Here we are."
Baek Jinwoo opened the door.
"This is the training room you'll be staying in from now on."
"Yes."
Inside, Pokryongi sat quietly with her staff hugged to her chest.
Fwoosh!
Was she drilling even as she sat? The ribbons of flame coiling around her were beyond fascinating — they were uncanny.
Tick!
Time had begun to flow again.
"Pokryongi — and Jiwoo."
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
"Say hello. You two are going to be seeing a lot of each other, so you'd better get along."
"Yes. Hello, it's nice to meet you."
Hwang Jiwoo bowed her head awkwardly—
"Yes, it's lovely to meet you too."
—and Pokryongi replied with a smile, and Hwang Jiwoo froze mid-bow.
"..."
Wh-what was that? Just now. The summon... spoke?
Watching disbelief seep across Hwang Jiwoo's face, Baek Jinwoo smirked. It looked like she'd need a good while to adjust to life here.
"My Lord."
"Hm?"
"It concerns Pokryongi."
"Yes?"
"I have observed her for roughly three hours. The results are, without question, extraordinary."
"Oh?"
Baek Jinwoo brightened. Already?
"These gains are separate from the sudden quest. Merely training beside the Flame Body appears to raise Pokryongi's focus and her firepower."
"Well, well. Really?"
This was enormous.
"You're telling me Hwang Jiwoo works like a dedicated EXP buff just for Pokryongi?"
"Precisely."
"Why, though?"
"At first I assumed it was the fire attribute. So I tested whether Hong Ari's phoenixes or Your Lordship's lava drake could receive the same effect — they could not. Not even close. It appears the dragon dwelling within the Fire Dragon Mage is what responds to the Flame Body."
"Hmm."
In that case, Hwang Jiwoo's value climbed even higher. Rather than making use of her for a mere 100 days, it might be best to have the two train together indefinitely...
"And, as you commanded, My Lord, I also assessed Hwang Jiwoo herself."
"Oh? And?"
True to the contract, Baek Jinwoo had assigned Hungyo to her for exactly thirty minutes, devoting that time wholly to her. Hungyo was the finest instructor Baek Jinwoo knew, so that alone would satisfy the agreement.
"Well... hm. Her summon control is exceptional. Her summons' power is far from ordinary as well. I believe it best you see for yourself."
What? Exceptional? Those words, out of Hungyo's mouth? That was the highest praise imaginable. And her summons' power being out of the ordinary... that had to be the Flame Body's trait at work.
"Okay. I'll clear some of tomorrow's schedule."
Just how good did a person have to be to earn praise like that? His curiosity stirred — wasn't that something Hungyo never said even about the rankers? He'd have to see it with his own eyes.