Chapter 108

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo 4 kills!]

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo 5 kills!]

Soaring high above the treeline, Baek Jinwoo was practically dominating the airspace.

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo 6 kills!]

The moment he caught sight of an enemy contestant below, he plummeted like a stone and eliminated them instantly.

He didn’t care about their country of origin, provided they weren’t part of his coalition.

Whether his target was an internationally recognized ranker or a complete nobody made no difference to Baek Jinwoo.

With the current progression of the tournament, nobody short of the Five Emperors possessed the strength to withstand Drill Sarge.

Furthermore, this wasn’t the standard version of Drill Sarge.

This was the evolved warrior who had undergone Rebirth Through Transformation after securing a miraculous destiny.

“Jinwoo-nim! Take a look over there!”

Hwang Jiwoo, guiding the way from atop her majestic Ice Bird, gestured toward a ravine situated far below their position.

Ah.

There it is.

The valuable supply crates distributed throughout this immense woodland!

A wooden container resembling a classic pirate’s treasure chest was pulsing with a brilliant, shimmering gold radiance.

SWIIIIISH!

Without a second thought, Baek Jinwoo went into a steep dive the instant he saw it.

Thud.

He pressed his palm firmly against the glowing surface of the container.

[You have located a hidden treasure container.]

[You have received the unique item ‘Ambush’ (B-rank).]

An ambush item?

[Item Description]

[Rank: B-rank]

[Classification: Wristband]

• Exclusive to the Battle Royale environment.

• Will be automatically deleted once the Battle Royale concludes.

[Property 1: Every 30 minutes, you are granted the ability to blink directly to the coordinate of the competitor located furthest from your current position in the woods. Any active summons will blink alongside you.]

[Property 2: Upon successfully neutralizing an opposing player, you are instantly warped back to your point of origin.]

Understood.

Baek Jinwoo quickly grasped the mechanics.

It was quite straightforward.

By leveraging these dropped items effectively, he could dramatically increase his elimination rate.

“Let’s sweep the area for more crates.”

He navigated through the airspace for some time, but the distribution of items was sparser than he anticipated.

He couldn’t tell if the drop rates were naturally low or if the battlefield itself was simply too gargantuan, but regardless…

Securing more utility items remained his highest priority for the moment.

“Hehehe!”

A brilliant smile stretched across Baek Ajin’s face, refusing to fade.

“Father.”

“Yes?”

“See? I told you from the start that you didn’t need to stress over Oppa.”

Having spent time employed at Yubaek, she was well aware of how formidable Baek Jinwoo truly was, but even she hadn’t envisioned him executing plays of this magnitude.

Goodness gracious.

He was popping up in one location and then immediately appearing in another—resembling a phantom capable of instant teleportation!

• Look at Baek Jinwoo! He has already secured 12 eliminations!

• Make that 13! He just claimed another while I was speaking! His mastery over the map’s items is absolutely phenomenal!

• If I’m keeping track correctly, he has gathered five of those Ambush items by now, hasn’t he?

• That is correct! It appears he has adapted his tactical approach! Hwang Jiwoo is remaining stationary to anchor the zone with her expansive Frozen Field, while Baek Jinwoo acts as a lone guerrilla fighter, carving through every rival contestant he crosses paths with!

“Goodness!”

“How can a single person be that incredibly dominant?”

“Drill Sarge is truly in a league of his own. Because we see him so often, I think we started taking him for granted, but… to think he possessed this kind of terrifying capability?”

Gasps of utter astonishment rippled through the entirety of Yubaek City.

Baek Ajin felt an overwhelming sense of euphoria, as if she were walking on air.

Her father, Baek Jincheol, alongside her mother, Hwang Myeonghui, maintained their composure in public, but the immense gratification radiating from their expressions was impossible to hide.

They had every reason to be ecstatic.

They were merely holding back their excitement to preserve their status as the parents of a prominent guild leader.

“BAHAHAHA! Everyone, look at our daughter’s Ice Bird! Check out those magnificent hues! Should a creature’s wings even be allowed to look that dazzling?! BWAHAHAHA!”

“DARLING, PLEASE!”

In stark contrast to Hwang Jiwoo’s parents right next to them… they were actively trying to avoid causing a scene that might bring embarrassment to their son.

Still, the collective mood was incredibly vibrant.

The surrounding crowd erupted into cheerful laughter at the theatrical displays of Hwang Jiwoo’s father, thoroughly caught up in the excitement.

A profound sense of relief washed over everyone.

Every so often, the primary broadcast feed shifted focus to showcase Hong Ari, Ki Jaehyeok, and the rest of the roster pulling off their own remarkable maneuvers.

• Let’s take a quick look at the current scoreboard! Baek Jinwoo sits at 13 eliminations, Hong Ari has 4, Ki Jaehyeok has 3, Kang Geonho has 1, and Oh Seonyeong has 1! That brings the collective total to 21 eliminations, placing South Korea at 7th place globally! Regrettably, Hwang Juwon and Song Yeonhui have both been knocked out of the running!

• That is perfectly acceptable! A full hour has elapsed, and we still have eight active combatants on the field—for our nation, this result is nothing short of a spectacular triumph!

• Unquestionably! This is a historic achievement! South Korea holding down the 7th spot! At this trajectory, is it possible that Baek Jinwoo will actually fulfill his vow to break into the final four?

• All we can do is cheer them on!

The final four!

The mere mention of that placement caused a surge of adrenaline in the chest of every citizen watching.

Achieving that rank would permanently solidify their reputation as a premier summoning global power!

• Holding down the premier spot, naturally, is England!

• Yes, that comes as no surprise to anyone. Every single one of England’s ten representatives is a globally ranked powerhouse!

• Rachel is currently sitting at 14 eliminations! She is locked in a fierce, dead-even race with Baek Jinwoo!

• The mere reality that he is running neck-and-neck with a titan like Rachel is a magnificent feat that our country should celebrate!

“Oppa, you can do this!”

Baek Ajin sprang up from her seat, cheering at the top of her lungs.

Had there been a massive deficit between them, she might have remained composed, but with only a single elimination separating the frontrunners, her hands were slick with nervous sweat.

She wasn’t the only one experiencing this intense anxiety.

The entire population shared the exact same sentiment.

“Baek Jinwoo! Baek Jinwoo!”

“Baek Jinwoo! Baek Jinwoo! Baek Jinwoo!”

The warrior’s name echoed from millions of citizens acting with a singular focus and a unified voice.

Bearing the collective aspirations of his homeland, Baek Jinwoo sprinted forward into the fray.

SLASH!

The edge of Drill Sarge’s weapon tore through five opposing summons in a single fluid motion.

He didn’t even bother to identify the summoners responsible for them.

They simply happened to obstruct his path, so he obliterated them without a moment’s hesitation or acknowledgment.

“What is the remaining headcount?”

Baek Jinwoo glanced up toward the sky skyward overlay.

[Active Competitors: 443]

Roughly 50% of the initial roster had already been eliminated.

And his own personal tally?

He was sitting at eighteen.

The frustrating aspect of the setup was the total absence of an real-time leaderboard showing who was in the lead or where one stood while actively participating in the match.

However, he wasn’t entirely without options.

Rip!

Baek Jinwoo tore open one of the utility items he had secured during his sweep.

[Activating utility item ‘Scoreboard’ (E-rank).]

[Reveals the current elimination tallies for the top 5 contestants.]

Utility items of this nature were scattered throughout the zone.

In fact, they dropped with a fairly high frequency.

While the average competitor would be deeply disappointed to pull such a non-combat item, Baek Jinwoo viewed it differently.

If my goal is to firmly grasp the top spot, I must consistently track these metrics.

A glowing projection materialized directly within Baek Jinwoo’s line of sight.

[1st Place — England, Rose Rachel (20 eliminations)]

[2nd Place — South Korea, Baek Jinwoo (18 eliminations)]

[3rd Place — Japan, Yoshida Hikaru (15 eliminations)]

[4th Place — United States, William Xenos (14 eliminations)]

[5th Place — Russia, Alexandr Beskoff (14 eliminations)]

“Hah.”

A dry chuckle escaped his lips.

Twenty eliminations already?

Rachel truly lived up to her reputation.

She was an absolute monster on the battlefield.

Baek Jinwoo had been exerting maximum effort from the exact second the match commenced.

Aside from the brief period he spent navigating to rendezvous with Hwang Jiwoo, his entire focus had been strictly divided between harvesting chests and hunting targets.

He hadn’t paused to gather his breath even once, yet a two-kill deficit remained between them.

It most likely boiled down to those brief minutes he spent traveling across the terrain to form up with Hwang Jiwoo.

That specific window accounted for the disparity.

Now this is getting entertaining.

It had been an incredibly long time since he last experienced an emotion like this.

The slumbering competitive drive he assumed had permanently faded was suddenly roaring back to life with a vengeance!

Come on then.

With 443 active participants remaining, that left 343 potential targets scattered through the woods.

Actually—once he accounted for the members of his own alliance, the pool of viable targets would be even smaller.

“Drill Sarge.”

Clang!

Drill Sarge adjusted his weapon with a sharp metallic ring.

“We are going to divide our forces from this point onward. Take Ramba and make a direct push toward the eastern sector.”

• ……?

Drill Sarge cast a highly apprehensive look toward him, but Baek Jinwoo merely offered a reassuring smirk.

“Don’t worry about me.”

Rachel and the rest of the Five Emperors were barred from engaging him anyway due to the terms of their coalition pact.

Which meant what?

The remaining pool of contestants could easily be managed through Rolly’s automated management functions alone.

Furthermore, he still possessed the completely unfair utility of the B-rank ‘Ambush’ wristbands!

Should he find himself in a genuinely catastrophic scenario, he could simply trigger an Ambush item to serve as an instantaneous escape mechanism.

“Move out!”

Drill Sarge offered a resolute nod before darting off toward the eastern perimeter at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, the gold-haired Rachel.

She, too, ripped open an identical E-rank ‘Scoreboard’ item.

A radiant smile graced her features immediately after.

As she always expected of Baek Jinwoo.

He truly deserved the title of JinuGod.

If he weren’t that exceptional, how could he possibly run at the exact same pace as the elite Five Emperors?

What made it wilder was that JinuGod hadn’t even been actively leveling his abilities for a full calendar year yet.

Should she engage him with everything she had?

Or perhaps step aside and let him claim the victory?

Truthfully speaking, she had successfully secured the ‘hidden reward’ for three consecutive years. Relinquishing it a single time wouldn’t set her back in the slightest.

Especially if doing so managed to buy her some leverage and goodwill with JinuGod.

However.

Rachel’s grin turned sharper.

She had spent over five long years observing Baek Jinwoo’s behavior.

Throwing a match on purpose?

An act like that would never earn his respect or favor.

The genuine path to securing his high regard was to confront him with her absolute maximum power, defeating him fairly to earn his genuine admiration.

If our future goals require us to operate as equals, I must demonstrate that my capabilities match his standard.

CRASH!

An unfamiliar golden draconic aura materialized around Rachel’s form, instantly detonating the entities of multiple summons in her vicinity.

SPLAT!

Crimson fluid erupted outward as fragments scattered across the terrain.

[England, Rose Rachel 21 kills!]

[England, Rose Rachel 22 kills!]

Two opposing combatants wiped out in a singular, devastating motion. She pushed off the earth and bolted forward into the brush.

Under normal circumstances?

She would have leisurely navigated the zone at her own pace, but with Baek Jinwoo acting as her direct rival, she had zero intention of relaxing her guard for even a second.

One hour gave way to two, as the duration of the match continued to tick away.

As the clock advanced and the total pool of surviving contestants steadily diminished, the frequency of active skirmishes dropped off noticeably.

It was an unavoidable reality.

The designated battlefield was simply far too immense to naturally force encounters among the dwindling player count.

Consequently, unique lulls in the action like this began to dominate the primary viewing broadcast.

• A-are you seeing what is happening right now?! Hong Ari has just crossed paths directly with England’s Olivia!

• Olivia—the woman holding the number 6 spot globally and the number 2 position within England’s roster! She is universally recognized as the absolute apex competitor positioned right beneath the tier of the Five Emperors!

• But hold on, what on earth? They are simply… walking right past one another without drawing weapons!

The commentary booth for the South Korean stream went absolutely frantic.

• What are we witnessing right now?! We are well aware that global superpowers will occasionally avoid conflict when crossing paths to preserve their stamina resources, but… does that same unspoken rule actually extend to OUR representatives now?

• And we are talking about an elite like Olivia here… regardless of how exceptional Hong Ari’s combat mechanics are, she shouldn’t be able to survive an engagement lasting more than thirty seconds against her!

Once again—the broadcasting team and the global audience remained completely oblivious to the intricate terms of the superpower coalition treaty.

Which only served to amplify the sheer thrill of the moment!

• It appears our nation has firmly commanded their mutual respect!

• Without a doubt! At this very second, the elimination gap separating Rachel and Baek Jinwoo sits at a lone point! Merely ONE point!

Rachel stood at 35 eliminations!

Baek Jinwoo followed closely at 34!

Even with Baek Jinwoo deploying Drill Sarge to a completely separate sector of the map, he was still facing an uphill battle trying to entirely close the distance with Rachel’s tally.

That served as a testament to just how thoroughly Rachel’s baseline swiftness and destructive output were outpacing his own efforts.

• A mere 153 contestants are left on the field! Just 53 more forced exits and this Battle Royale will officially conclude!

• The collective standing for South Korea has already skyrocketed to the number 2 spot! This is mind-blowing! Baek Jinwoo! This is the monumental reality that JinuGod Baek Jinwoo has brought to fruition!

• What are the remaining high-profile contestants occupied with right now?

• It looks like Hikaru and Beskoff have chosen to recuperate! Their respective squads have converged on a singular point and are actively enjoying a cozy campfire together!

• They have entirely removed themselves from the leaderboard competition!

• Oh, the drama here is becoming incredibly captivating!

The representatives from the United States, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan had all grouped up in a shared clearing to rest their bodies.

Having already locked down a guaranteed placement within the top nine, and concluding that the absolute top spot was outside their realistic grasp… they were perfectly content to observe the ongoing duel between the top two contenders like spectators lounging around a bonfire.

Only the English contingent and the South Korean squad persisted in combing through the air and land, relentlessly tracking down remaining targets.

Curse it all.

Baek Jinwoo had been pushing his physical limits to the absolute edge, a bitter, copper taste filling the back of his throat from sheer exhaustion.

Part of him desperately wanted to disregard the coalition treaty entirely and simply butcher every single person he encountered, but he exercised self-control.

An agreement is an agreement. I gave my word and signed the document.

I just need to pour every ounce of my own strength into this.

And more importantly.

Put faith in them.

Ramba, alongside Drill Sarge.

Throughout his ten long years of accumulated expertise, those two stood out as the most fundamentally broken EX-rank entities he had ever encountered.

• Pant… pant…

Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!

Four grueling hours into the match, and Ramba was still untiringly twirling her staff.

The scaling power of Drill Sarge had transitioned into something that could only be described as a complete game glitch at this stage.

The sheer volume of his stacked attack speed metrics by now must have reached astronomical proportions.

• ……

Absorbing the raw kinetic energy that Ramba was continuously radiating across his entire physical form, Drill Sarge reflected inward:

Operating at this specific threshold of performance, even if the mythical Armageddon Dragon materialized before me this very second, I would emerge victorious.

The absolute maximization of the Trinity state, combined with the infinite stacks generated by Lightspeed Ramba!

The current iteration of Drill Sarge possessed the capability to precisely strike a singular coordinate tens of thousands of times within a mere fraction of a second.

The primary obstacle.

How to actually locate the remaining targets required to boost the tally.

• Sigh.

Even for an entity of his caliber, tracking down and eliminating elusive players across an expanse of this immense scale was pushing the boundaries of possibility.

Even so, idling in place was out of the question!

Dash!

Right as Drill Sarge was smoothly navigating through the dense foliage—

Rustle!

• Oh?

He picked up a sudden physical signature, froze his forward momentum entirely, and pivoted on his heel.

A figure parted the thick brush and stepped out into the open clearing.

A woman with striking gold hair, sporting a short crop top.

“……Well, look who it is,” Rachel remarked, a look of pure, unadulterated shock washing over her face. “You’re JinuGod’s personal Drill Instructor, aren’t you?”