Chapter 109

The final stretch of the Battle Royale was underway.

The rankings for most participating nations had already been established, save for one crucial detail.

Who would claim the ultimate victory?

Over at the British broadcasting headquarters, the production crew had narrowed their focus down to two main feeds.

Rachel held the lead with 35 kills.

Right behind her was Baek Jinwoo, sitting at 34 kills.

— Please, he has to close that single-kill gap!

— Rachel is truly spectacular. For nearly an hour, she hasn’t allowed her lead to slip even once. A true monster in every sense of the word!

— To be fair, Baek Jinwoo is the one putting up a mind-blowing performance here. Once this tournament wraps up, the global rankings are going to see some serious upheaval.

The South Korean commentators were already shouting themselves hoarse.

It was bound to happen; ever since the initial clash in the skies, the South Korean national squad had been steadily piling up points without a pause.

└ Drill Sarge, what are you waiting for?! Give us just one more kill, PLEASE!

└ Can’t he just take out Rachel directly?

└ Seriously, it looks like they made some kind of non-aggression pact. This doesn’t seem like the time to be playing nice, though.

└ But honestly, even for Baek Jinwoo, wouldn’t a direct fight with Rachel be incredibly risky?

└ Yeah, avoiding a clash right now is definitely the smarter tactical move.

The nationwide live chat for the broadcast was absolutely overflowing with messages.

└ I honestly don’t care about anything else. I just want to know what the ultimate reward for winning the Battle Royale is, lol.

└ Reality check: even if Baek Jinwoo pulls off a victory, we’ll never find out what it is.

└ So true, lmao.

└ Yeah, even if he gets it, the government will probably classify it as a top-secret asset.

The atmosphere in England was mirrored.

The British public remained entirely in the dark regarding the specific reward Rachel had obtained previously.

If they had known, the information would have spread globally long ago.

While South Korea remained intensely focused on securing the top spot in the Battle Royale—

“…Are you the Drill Instructor belonging to JinuGod?”

— …….

Rachel and the Drill Sarge unexpectedly crossed paths.

Both individuals were well aware of the situation.

They had a mutual understanding not to engage each other.

— OH MY GOD! Rachel and the Drill Instructor have just encountered one another!

— What’s about to happen?!

— Aren’t they just going to walk past each other again? Getting into a fight right now would put us at a massive disadvantage!

└ Exactly.

└ Rachel still has her primary summons fully intact, while the Drill Sarge is operating completely alone.

└ He needs to back away from this encounter, right?

└ The real question is whether Rachel will actually let him walk away.

└ Man, talk about terrible timing!

Grrrrrumble……!

The golden dragon wrapped around Rachel’s form unleashed a menacing growl.

Shing!

The Drill Sarge unsheathed his blade.

Rachel spoke calmly.

“I have no intention of striking you. Move along.”

The Drill Sarge gave a firm nod.

It was a clear sign that he wouldn’t initiate an attack either.

Fwip fwip fwip fwip fwip fwip!

Meanwhile, Ramba was frantically twirling her staff like someone possessed by a manic energy.

└ Wow.

└ They are seriously refusing to fight?

└ There is definitely an unexpressed agreement between those two.

└ Alright, Drill Sarge, move out quickly and find some other targets to harvest!

However, the Drill Sarge did not retreat.

With his weapon lowered, he silently fell into step right behind Rachel.

“……”

Rachel’s brow furrowed tightly.

“What is your issue? I told you to leave.”

No matter how sharply she spoke, the Drill Sarge offered no response.

He simply trailed her.

This couldn’t be happening.

A cold sense of apprehension began to rise in Rachel’s chest.

Rustle!

A sudden noise echoed from the nearby shrubbery.

A competitor!

Rachel’s gaze sharpened instantly as she signaled toward the disturbance.

— KRAAAARGH!

The miniature golden dragon burst forward with a blinding radiance, launching an assault.

The Drill Sarge acted immediately.

Securing the kill was the absolute priority.

“D-Damn it!”

The hidden competitors belonged to the Ugandan team.

There were two of them.

They had been lying low in hopes of snatching one final point, only to unluckily cross paths with Rachel.

But right at that moment.

Surpassing the velocity of the golden dragon, the Drill Sarge executed a swing of his blade—a strike executed with unfathomable swiftness.

It occurred so rapidly that the naked eye couldn’t even register the weapon’s trajectory.

SKKKKRRRRK!

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 35 kills!]

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 36 kills!]

In less than a single second, the Drill Sarge eliminated all ten of the enemies’ summons, casually flicking the residual blood off his weapon without a word.

Following that, he quietly stepped back into his position behind Rachel.

What on earth.

Rachel stood completely frozen in disbelief.

The sheer velocity displayed just now was something even her heightened perceptions failed to intercept.

Could her own S-rank summon, the golden dragon, truly best an opponent like this? She genuinely felt uncertain.

Predictably, the South Korean community erupted into absolute chaos.

└ HOLY COW!

└ LMAOOOOO

└ Has the Drill Sarge completely lost his mind?!

└ He’s literally using their peace treaty as a shield to STEAL her kills??

└ This goes way beyond simple kill-stealing. He’s just completely suppressing the situation with sheer, unadulterated power, lol.

└ MAN, Drill Sarge is a beast!

└ DRILL SARGE! DRILL SARGE! DRILL SARGE!

└ Drill Sarge, you have my whole heart!

The entire audience was chanting his title, completely swept up in the thrill of the moment.

The broadcasting team was experiencing the exact same rush.

— AAAAAH! HE HAS TAKEN THE LEAD! HE’S IN FIRST PLACE! HE HAS FINALLY BROKEN THROUGH TO THE TOP!

— THIS IS ABSOLUTE MADNESS! Drill Sarge! That was an unbelievable display! If he continues to throw her off balance like this… the championship is practically guaranteed!

— On top of that spectacular play, Baek Jinwoo has just secured YET ANOTHER point elsewhere!

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 37 kills!]

The kill deficit that had previously felt completely insurmountable had been entirely overturned with that single sequence, pushing him ahead by two points.

To make matters worse for his opponent, the Drill Sarge was now unashamedly shadowing Rachel’s every move.

Rachel was the one on the verge of a breakdown.

Wow.

To pull off a strategy like this?

How could a summon operating at such a vast distance from its controller execute this level of independent tactical reasoning?

How was something like this even feasible?

Rachel was entirely dumbfounded.

She was well aware of the facts.

She knew what the Drill Instructor’s original rank had been.

He had started out as a mere E-rank, hadn’t he?

It was ridiculous enough that a basic E-rank possessed this level of overwhelming power, but for him to display this tier of intelligence on top of it? How was she supposed to counter something like that?

Should she just initiate a battle against him?

The situation was incredibly complicated.

Did the Drill Sarge’s behavior actually breach the conditions of their alliance? Strictly speaking, it did not.

The confidential agreement merely stated: Do not eliminate one another prior to the Round of 16!

Furthermore, labeling it as deliberate “interference” was a stretch.

He hadn’t physically impeded the golden dragon’s trajectory.

He had simply bypassed it using vastly superior speed to claim the targets first.

From the perspective of the Drill Sarge, he could easily argue, ‘I was simply traveling along my path and she happened to follow,’ leaving Rachel with zero grounds for complaint.

Moreover, this wasn’t even a direct command from the player.

It was the autonomous choice of a summon that had been boldly deployed to operate on its own terms.

Holding Baek Jinwoo accountable for an independent action like that would be completely illogical.

Blaming JinuGod himself?

That was utterly unthinkable.

Particularly because Rachel was an individual who held JinuGod in the highest spiritual regard.

“Ha.”

Rachel let out a breathless, empty chuckle.

Fine.

In truth, she didn’t particularly care if the ultimate reward slipped into Baek Jinwoo’s hands.

She had simply been giving this competition her absolute best effort.

And that mindset hadn’t wavered.

“Let’s see if you can keep pace, then.”

GWAAARRRRR……!

Accompanied by the thunderous roar of her golden dragon, Rachel sprinted forward with explosive velocity.

Tap!

As though he had anticipated the exact moment, the Drill Sarge instantly matched her momentum!

His rapid pace perfectly mirrored Rachel’s own.

└ Wow!

└ Lmaooo let’s get it, Drill Sarge!

└ The absolute audacity of this guy. I absolutely love it.

└ Consider me an official fan of the Drill Sarge from this moment forward.

└ Isn’t that tiny fairy trailing behind them, constantly swinging her wand, the cutest thing ever?

└ Lmaooo Ramba is completely unhinged too! It looks like that incredible attack speed boost is entirely thanks to her.

SKRRRRK!

The Drill Sarge’s offensive maneuvers became increasingly bold.

Likely drawn by the massive commotion, a handful of players converged on Rachel’s location, hoping to bring the match to a swift end.

SKKKKRRRRRRK!

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 38 kills!]

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 39 kills!]

[South Korea, Baek Jinwoo — 40 kills!]

Without fail, the Drill Sarge swept in to claim every single final blow.

His precision was frustratingly flawless.

— HE PULLED IT OFF AGAIN! AGAIN! The Drill Sarge has claimed another point!

— The definitive MVP of this entire Battle Royale is without a doubt the Drill Sarge! He is displaying an evolution that completely shatters all established rules!

— Take a look at Rachel’s expression! She looks completely disgusted! Have we EVER witnessed her making a face like that over the past three years?! This is absolutely mind-boggling!

To make matters worse for the competition, his already incredible striking speed was continuing to accelerate.

At this point, his strikes were passing entirely undetected by the eye.

Rachel could only laugh in sheer bewilderment.

I’ve completely lost this round.

The differential had already stretched to a five-kill margin.

With roughly thirty competitors remaining to be cleared from the field?

She hadn’t just suffered a minor loss. She had been completely and utterly outclassed.

All due to a single E-rank entity known as the Drill Instructor.

How does a player even develop a summon to this caliber?

Attempting to analyze his physical execution alone left her completely unable to deduce what specific runes he had been fitted with.

At the very least, he had to be utilizing maximum-grade Unique runes with full enhancement, potentially enhanced by refinement as well…

He was truly living up to the reputation of JinuGod.

How had he managed to construct such a terrifying entity within such a limited timeframe?

Of course.

She knew deep down.

If she truly decided to unleash her full capabilities?

She could likely manage to overcome these two summons, one way or another.

She hadn’t exactly been wasting her time over the previous three years either.

She had successfully claimed every single tournament reward available to her and had ascended all the way to the 50th floor of the Tower of Trials.

However, she harbored no desire to violate her word over a situation like this.

After all, she was the party who had originally proposed the partnership.

“Very well.”

Rachel gave a composed, accepting nod.

With that, she dropped to the ground right where she stood.

“You take the victory in this match, Drill Instructor.”

She would willingly step aside and concede the Battle Royale’s hidden prize.

However.

The actual World League tournament title? That isn’t going to happen, JinuGod.

Rachel’s mouth curled into a sharp grin.

She could sense the reality of the situation.

This 4th World League was going to be the absolute final opportunity.

The ultimate chance to overcome JinuGod!

If he had already attained this level of mastery, by the time the 5th league rolled around, the competitive divide would likely expand past any realistic hope of catching up.

Regardless of how much she revered JinuGod, Rachel had absolutely no intention of letting that final opportunity slip through her fingers.

Rachel — 35 kills!

Baek Jinwoo — 50 kills!

Ultimately, the Battle Royale came to an end with a massive, insurmountable point difference.

Thump.

Baek Jinwoo dropped heavily onto the turf, staring blankly up at the sky above.

Perspiration poured down his face.

“…I actually pulled it off.”

[Surviving player count: 100!]

[The Battle Royale has reached its conclusion!]

An involuntary grin began to form across his features.

How much time had passed since then?

Since he had last pushed himself to the absolute limit against a truly formidable opponent.

This is genuinely exhilarating.

It felt precisely like stepping back into the foundational days of 「Battle of Summoners」 after all this time.

The specific virtual world that had occupied the entirety of Baek Jinwoo’s existence.

“Jinwoo!”

The moment he utilized the Ambush trait of a particular item to materialize back at Hwang Jiwoo’s position, she let out an ecstatic shout.

“We placed first! We actually won the entire thing! You are absolutely incredible, Jinwoo! Just amazing!”

Hwang Jiwoo was far beyond mere astonishment—she was completely transfixed with admiration.

Every single time Baek Jinwoo exhausted his items to rapidly reposition across the map, he returned having successfully harvested more points. Furthermore, the fact that the Drill Sarge and Ramba had departed on independent missions across the battlefield to systematically inflate their own point totals was equally astonishing.

She understood the reality from her own past encounters.

Within this specific Battle Royale environment, there wasn’t a single weak competitor to be found. Under normal circumstances, a standard duel could easily drag out indefinitely.

That was precisely why players needed to rapidly assemble alliances and systematically overwhelm isolated targets to safely lock down kills.

Yet Jinwoo operated on a completely separate level.

An entire military force contained within a single individual.

Whether it was a standard duel or a chaotic clash against multiple foes—it made no difference to him. He effortlessly carved through every single obstacle in his path.

Among those he had eliminated were internationally renowned top-tier players who were widely regarded as absolute powerhouses.

“Pretty good, right? Haha.”

Baek Jinwoo wiped away the sweat clinging to his face with his sleeve, flashing a brilliant grin.

[The participant with the highest kill count in this Battle Royale is South Korea’s ‘Baek Jinwoo’ (50 kills).]

A glowing notification manifested in the open air.

Following that came the specific alert he had been anticipating above all else.

[Participant ‘Baek Jinwoo’ will be granted a ‘hidden compensation.’]

A hidden compensation!

Baek Jinwoo’s eyes gleamed with intense interest.

What kind of item could it possibly be?

[All surviving participants will now be relocated back to the Arena.]

[A single hour of recovery time will be granted prior to the official group allocations.]

[Participants are instructed to remain on standby within the Arena.]

Flash!

Before the nature of the secret reward could be unveiled—

Every single surviving competitor was instantaneously blinked back to the grand Arena.