Chapter 105

One of the survivors of the terrorist attack in London made a post on a player-related forum, attaching a video clip that ran for roughly fifteen minutes.

The translated substance of the post read along these lines:

I am an actual hostage from the London incident. You need to see this clip. The players absolutely thrashing these Muslim radicals aren’t from China—are they North? No, pretty sure they were South Korean… Regardless, it is completely mental. You can see the exact instant the entire hostage crisis gets turned completely upside down.

The recording starts with the frantic rat-a-tat-tat! of firearms blasting and masked perpetrators roaring for everyone to hit the deck.

At that stage, it was practically being recorded from the very start. It captured the actions of Xenos, alongside the voices of the Five Emperors arriving to hold talks with the armed group. The footage, shaking noticeably as the person tried to avoid detection, only intensified the suspense.

Then came the true climax.

The real show started the moment Baek Jinwoo stepped forward. When he tore open his shirt and his subordinates aligned themselves at his side, prepared for combat.

└ This sequence is ABSOLUTE MADNESS!

└ How do you even possess the guts to step forward in a scenario like that?

└ ……a total lunatic.

└ Who is that taekwondo girl? She is incredibly cute?

The feedback was arriving in real time. Once the view count of the footage generated traffic worth over a billion won, the host platform initiated a live chat room.

└ Seeing those terrorist pricks smirk makes my blood boil.

└ Man, somebody obliterate those bastards.

└ Just hold on. Those pieces of trash are about to get turned into mush.

The clash commenced rapidly.

From the second Jinwoo smashed his heel down onto the skull of the massive guy who had been strutting forward and aggressive face-to-face, to the manner in which he dodged blows from rushing assailants and casually struck back—every single frame was captured with the precision of a martial arts movie.

Perhaps that was the turning point. The individual recording stopped trying to conceal the device and simply filmed everything out in the open.

CRACK!

With every single strike.

“AAGGHHH!”

“UGH!”

The massive adversaries tumbled like rows of dominoes, howling as though they had practiced the choreography beforehand.

└ ????

└ ??????

└ ???

└ ????????

The live feed was overwhelmed with question marks.

└ How is that even physically achievable?

└ Incredible.

└ Those fists cannot be human??

└ His hand velocity is completely unreal. At this level, shouldn’t he be analyzed in a scientific facility?

└ For those guys, it’s literally a horror flick.

This continued until he neutralized the commander, the hulking leader, and his remaining underlings cried out for unconditional surrender.

The video kicked off with question marks and wrapped up with question marks.

└ He is seriously, unbelievably powerful……

└ His destructive impact is insane, but honestly, isn’t he a bit of a gentleman? Knocks them out cold in a single blow lol

└ I mean… there ARE plenty of guys groaning in agony on the floor though……

└ A literal monster

└ That supreme capability you only witness in manga, he’s got the whole package

└ At this stage, he’s genuinely terrifying? Even on the Day of Peace, you should definitely not provoke them

└ JinuGod

└ Is he THAT JinuGod? The one everyone is talking about?

└ Yeah, it’s right there in the clip. He speaks to Rachel incredibly casually as well

The footage and the responses spread across the internet like wildfire.

JinuGod!

Baek Jinwoo had been elevated to a global icon before the 4th World League had even officially kicked off.

Naturally, South Korea completely lost its mind.

In particular:

• That’s enough, Rachel.

• Drop that embarrassing moniker. Just address me as Baek Jinwoo.

The clip of him calmly uttering those words while ripping his shirt open was edited into a short highlight clip and distributed everywhere.

└ Wow.

└ MENTAL! Truly legendary stuff hahahaha

└ Check out Baek Jinwoo’s confidence. I’m a dude and even I’m falling for him;;

└ Was he seriously speaking to Rachel like that?

└ To be fair, JinuGod IS incredibly embarrassing lmaooo

That very Rachel. One of the Five Emperors. The top-ranked individual on the planet.

Heads of state, prime ministers, sovereigns, chancellors, chairmen—every single national leader on earth. No matter who they were, they had zero alternative but to bow in her presence. An asymmetric asset comparable to a walking nuclear warhead!

And he conversed with her in THAT manner, cool as a breeze—how could the population of Earth NOT lose its collective mind?

Furthermore, the clip of him resolving with raw, unadulterated physical might an issue that even the Five Emperors could not resolve didn’t just elevate national pride—it pushed it well past a critical threshold.

No, by this point, describing it merely as national pride felt insufficient. National pride: a piece of internet terminology used to describe being intoxicated by illusions regarding one’s own homeland and showering it with blind adoration!

Yet this was no illusion. By any fair, objective assessment, it was genuinely spectacular.

South Korea, which had frequently been viewed across the globe as little more than a subordinate state to China, had its position permanently branded into the minds of international populations once again!

Ultimately, discussions regarding “JinuGod” began popping up in every single corner of the globe.

Humanity has always admired the powerful and been drawn to them out of sheer intrigue. That is precisely why people rank the greatest military commanders in history, combine every existing martial art, and face them off against one another in theoretical scenarios.

So, naturally, massive attention flooded toward “JinuGod,” and his following expanded significantly.

Significantly? No. That term didn’t even begin to capture the scale of it.

“WOOOOOOOO!”

“JinuGod! JinuGod! JinuGod!”

“LONG LIVE SOUTH KOREA!”

Utterly wild.

Right in the center of London, foreign nationals were shouting “Long live South Korea.” A truly surreal sight to behold.

Three full days had gone by since the terrorist incident concluded, and the roaring outside showed zero signs of fading away.

“He is drawing far too much focus, isn’t he?”

Yu Jia raised the edge of the window drape and glanced down.

Somehow, information had leaked that they were residing in this specific hotel, and a massive throng of people had assembled below. If the law enforcement and private security details hadn’t established a perimeter around the premises, it would have descended into utter bedlam.

“Tell me about it.”

Baek Jinwoo currently wore a protective cast on his hand.

Regardless of how hard he had attempted to restrain his strength, avoiding injury in a sudden, violent melee like that was a minor miracle by itself. Luckily, there were no fractures or structural breaks—merely a slightly overstrained ligament.

An issue of this scale was trivial. He simply needed to tap into the capabilities of his summon, and he would heal up in no time.

“People are behaving as though I accomplished something miraculous.”

Setting everything else aside, he truly wished they would quit shouting that ridiculous name, JinuGod.

Jinwoo closed his eyes tightly and cursed his adolescent self. That middle school edginess was the true offense here!

“But it really was spectacular……”

Yu Jia’s heart still beat rapidly whenever her mind drifted back to that specific instance.

The terrifying assailants. The razor-sharp tension she had experienced right before the collision.

“Have you always possessed such an aptitude for combat?”

“Not a chance.”

Baek Jinwoo offered a brief chuckle.

Combat? He had been far too absorbed in electronic gaming to devote any time to activities of that nature.

“What I can state with absolute certainty, however……”

His eyes scanned across the chamber.

Every single member of the guild was seated in a cross-legged position, focusing on their breath control routines, while Drill Sarge observed them with careful vigilance.

Perhaps motivated by Jinwoo’s overwhelming presentation of force, they were pushing through their training harder than ever before, determination blazing in their eyes.

“I can no longer afford to disregard hand-to-hand combat. Day of Peace this, Day of Peace that—I had only ever heard descriptions of it. But this time around, I experienced the reality of it firsthand.”

Players required personal strength as well. That was the sole method to guarantee true security.

I must investigate superior strategies to shield myself against firearms, sniper operations, and explosive artillery as well.

The most jarring element of this entire situation was, without a doubt, the Barrier Nullification. Naturally, artifacts of that nature were likely rare, but Jinwoo possessed no desire to permit even the slightest vulnerability.

I have to practice more.

He remained unaware of what specific martial discipline Drill Sarge would recommend for him, but he was entirely prepared to fully commit himself to mastering it.

“WOOOOOOOO!”

“BAEK JINWOO! BAEK JINWOO!”

“JINUGOOOOOOOD!”

The public was still shouting at the top of their lungs outside.

Good grief. Did they never run out of energy?

The savior who rescued London from the clutches of terrorism, they labeled him?

This degree of attention isn’t a benefit.

Attention invited scrutiny. When people are watching you, it means they are actively guarding against you. Taking advantage of an adversary’s letting their guard down was a core component of tactics, and now he would be forced to compete with that specific option removed from his arsenal.

Then again, whether they were actively on guard or completely oblivious, he could simply overpower them all regardless.

He had performed a basic review of the previous year’s competitive footage, and it did not appear as though he needed to agonize all that much. What genuinely carried weight was fighting intuition in highly erratic circumstances, alongside precise execution.

“Ms. Yu Jia, quit focusing on the events outside the window and concentrate on your breath control.”

“Me as well?”

“Correct. It will boost your vitality and likely extend your lifespan. Probably.”

“Oh! In that case, I will absolutely participate! I have actually been eager to attempt this for quite some time!”

“Drill Sarge.”

• At your command, my lord!

“Propose a mental conditioning method or exercise that is appropriate for Ms. Yu Jia.”

• Understood perfectly, my lord!

Jinwoo observed Drill Sarge lower his head in concentrated contemplation, then shut his own eyes.

“Inhale… exhale!”

He pulled in a deep breath and released it.

Right. Dedicating himself to breathing techniques until the tournament commenced was the absolute best utilization of his hours.

December 31st.

The crack of dawn!

An immense number of players were streaming into the Arena located within the London Player Zone.

Flash-flash-flash-flash-CLICK!

Merely a selected few media representatives from each nation had received clearance to carry filming equipment inside, and they transmitted the unfolding events live to the world.

“There goes MoscowMan!”

“Wow, his build is genuinely comparable to a grizzly.”

“Russia stands as one of the primary contenders for the second-place spot as well!”

Alexandr Beskoff.

A colossus of a man spearheaded the Russian delegation, marching into the Arena with heavy, self-assured strides.

“Mr. Beskoff, which nation do you anticipate claiming victory this time around?”

“Can you verify whether you intend to forge another coalition?”

Journalists pelted him with inquiries in English, yet he offered no response. Flanked by his security detail, he glided soundlessly into the interior of the Arena.

A grand total of ninety-two nations made their entrance. Nine hundred and twenty active competitors.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan, having been tied directly to the terrorist plot, found themselves barred from entry. The dominant global powers had openly proclaimed that if either state attempted to field competitors, their territories would be pulverized back to primitive times—leaving them with zero choice but to remain on the sidelines.

Not that they possessed any legitimate grounds to claim mistreatment. Every single member of both national rosters had been a component of Zahir Shu’s militant organization to begin with.

[The remaining time is dwindling!]

[The ten designated competitors from each nation must cross into the Player Zone in London, England, before the official commencement of the event!]

[A failure to cross the threshold within the specified time limit will trigger immediate disqualification!]

The clock ticked away.

Nations across the globe were broadcasting the unfolding events from London through live transmissions.

• Correct, we have verified that every single member of South Korea’s distinguished national squad has crossed inside safely!

• That is precise. Before we even realized it, our national delegation has evolved into the primary focal point of this entire tournament, haven’t they?

• Team Captain Baek Jinwoo’s actions were absolutely remarkable. Every eye is fixed on whether he can fulfill his pledge to the public and pull off the miracle of reaching the final four.

• Quite frankly, by this point, he has already tremendously boosted our international standing! Hahaha! The entire planet is currently chanting South Korea’s name!

South Korea was certainly no exception to the fervor. As was customary, professional anchors and analysts had been stationed, and the broadcasting privileges for the Arena had been acquired at an incredibly steep financial cost.

“Mom, Dad! Over in this direction!”

Baek Ajin had assembled every single inhabitant of Yubaek City. Guild members, alongside the households of the operating staff. On top of that, she had distributed a single entry pass per individual, pulling together an immense gathering of people.

“Take a seat right here. From today onward, it is essentially a three-week celebration.”

An endless supply of food! An infinite amount of refreshments and spirits! A massive projection setup, and even lodging facilities!

It had been Yu Jia’s concept that viewing and cheering as a collective unit would solidify the connections between the local inhabitants.

“Step right up, Hong Ari’s mother, please head this way! Jaehyuk’s father! Right over here! Come sit!”

Naturally, the households of the high-ranking players were present as well, and through organizing the viewing party together, they had managed to form close acquaintances with one another.

Yubaek had completed its own comprehensive arrangements for watching the league matches!

At long last, as the clock struck mid-day—

[The World League commences!]

A notification from the system materialized within the sight of every living person.

Finally, the 4th World League had officially begun.