Chapter 113

[Your first match opponent is player ‘Baek Jinwoo’!]

The second that notification surfaced.

“HUUUUGH!”

“AAAAAGH.”

A synchronized groan resounded throughout all of France.

It was precisely the sort of noise that escapes when a potential goal clips the post during an intense 1-on-1 soccer shootout.

Is this some kind of joke?

Out of all the possible contenders they could have pulled, Baek Jinwoo is the very first match?

Granted, he was an obstacle they were bound to encounter sooner or later.

However, this implied France might endure the ultimate disgrace of being the premier country to suffer a total solo-wipe by a rival team.

[Nominated players will be summoned to the arena!]

Swish, ssfhh!

Materializing within the designated arena, Amadou Jean Lyon looked completely miserable.

Of all the luck, his opening adversary was Baek Jinwoo!

How on earth am I supposed to overcome a terrifying force who battles Rachel for the top two spots?

By this point, the entire globe was fully aware.

The entity known as Ilcheon JinuGod, whom the Five Emperors had spoken of so early on, was none other than Baek Jinwoo.

It wasn’t some legendary beast found only in fairy tales.

The instant his name was pulled, his fellow countrymen had begged him.

Just eliminate a single summon, they pleaded. We beg of you.

They wouldn’t even demand that he win the match. Just chip away at some health.

Perhaps then there might be a minuscule one percent probability of gaining an advantage.

No.

You absolute lunatics.

Not a chance.

Shiiing!

Observing the Drill Instructor already present and unsheathing his weapon right before him, Lyon sensed he wouldn’t survive ten ticks of the clock, let alone manage to scratch that health bar.

The aura radiating from him was simply that devastating.

It felt akin to standing in front of one of Rachel’s S-rank summons.

God damn it, it’s not fair.

The heavens were truly biased.

Why was he never granted a summon of that majestic caliber?

“Drill Sarge.”

Baek Jinwoo gave a small nod as he spoke.

Swoosh.

Drill Sarge dropped his stance, gathering power to spring into the sky.

His velocity wasn’t quite what it had been during the Battle Royale.

His accumulated stacks had dropped back to zero upon transitioning into this new arena.

Baek Jinwoo’s mouth formed silent words.

This perfectly illustrates why Ramba is ineffective in PVP contexts.

In cooperative conflicts like the Battle Royale, her utility expanded as the clock ticked, but in a 1v1 matchup that would conclude in sixty seconds max, her practicality plummeted completely.

Even so.

The chasm dividing him from his adversary was so gargantuan that it simply didn’t matter.

“Um……”

Lyon called out in English, peering up at Drill Sarge suspended in mid-air.

“It is an honor.”

“Huh?”

“I am fully aware I will lose, without a doubt. Even so, it’s a true privilege to match against the legendary JinuGod.”

“Oh. Right.”

Baek Jinwoo gave a nod after roughly deciphering the phrasing.

He had been traveling to various foreign locations recently, so his basic listening comprehension was decent enough.

Well, what am I even supposed to say to that response?

He didn’t harbor any genuine malice toward his rival either.

Let’s just wrap this up swiftly.

Rachel and the remaining members of the England squad were undoubtedly analyzing this. It was wiser to expose as few details of his combat methodologies as possible.

And what was the absolute best method to accomplish that?

Pure, unadulterated devastation. Single blow, total finish.

“Don’t take it personally. I am simply that powerful. Are you prepared?”

Baek Jinwoo gave the signal to Drill Sarge.

“HRAAAAH!”

Lyon released a fierce battle cry of his own, directing his five summons forward.

He recognized his impending defeat, but he possessed no alternative but to pour everything into the attempt.

However.

TAP!

Drill Sarge rocketed into the clouds, bringing his weapon down in a vicious arc—

And the raw force radiating from the blade’s edge fractured outward like a massive web, descending violently upon the ground below.

KRA-KA-KA-KA-BOOOOOM!

Blinding white sword energy cleaved effortlessly through Lyon’s summons, and in a mere heartbeat, every single health bar dropped straight to zero.

“……”

Lyon’s mouth hung wide open, despite having already anticipated this exact conclusion……

Drill Sarge touched down and guided his weapon back into its scabbard with a sharp, echoing shiiing!

SPLURCH!

Crimson sprayed violently from the severed joints of the summons.

Following that.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Severed remnants from the destroyed summons crashed belatedly onto the arena floor.

That concluded it.

In a way…

It was the precise kind of grand display that ought to have triggered an absolute roar from a stadium.

Baek Jinwoo offered Lyon a courteous gesture.

“Don’t feel singled out. Every subsequent competitor is going to experience the exact same outcome.”

“YEAAAAAAAH!”

“You are incredible! Drill Sarge!”

“No joke. I am completely serious, that was spectacular…… I felt like I was watching an anime. How does he pocket his weapon quicker than the remnants can even hit the turf?”

“I am legitimately about to become a fanatic for a summon at this rate!”

Precisely as Baek Jinwoo had anticipated.

The moment Drill Sarge’s flawless execution went live on the airwaves, the entire populace went wild.

“How can a broken entity like that even exist in this game?”

“That Lyon fellow is supposedly quite famous in his native land, right……?”

“Famous? He is essentially the star player for a Top 16 country!”

“Who is up next?! Who is next?!”

“Everyone pay homage to Drill Sarge!”

[France’s dice is rolling!]

[The second match opponent is player ‘Nordi Maufe’!]

The subsequent duel progressed in identical fashion.

SCHWRRRRK!

This time around, Drill Sarge didn’t even bother leaping. He shredded the atmosphere into multiple ribbons, then drove his blade back into the sheath with an audible clack!

That concluded it. Yet again.

Remnants fell in the exact same manner.

Drill Sarge’s forward drive exhibited zero indications of slowing down.

[The third match opponent is player ‘Nampali Depréville’!]

[The fourth match opponent is player ‘Raphael Diarra’!]

[The fifth match opponent is player ‘Luca Tussard’!]

Regardless of who stepped forward, he eliminated them using a singular strike, recreating the identical scenario every time.

Then.

[The sixth match opponent is player ‘Evan Parker’!]

Evan Parker, ranked 19th globally, leader of France’s official squad!

Even he proved no different.

To be fair, it didn’t wrap up in a solitary blow like the prior competitors, but the sequence remained parallel.

Unable to adequately parry Drill Sarge’s weapon, Parker retreated, only to be forcibly unsummoned when the dust settled.

KRA-CRACK!

Drill Sarge’s martial art was graceful yet utterly terrifying.

The image of Parker’s primary summon getting its skull severed in a solitary, clean motion was more than enough to make every South Korean spectator feel as though a miracle had occurred.

How many months had they anticipated this moment?

Certain fans had stayed awake through the night specifically to witness this godlike display.

“YEAAAAAAAAH!”

“WOOOOAAAAAAAH!”

The citizens yelled until their vocal cords were completely raw.

HONK! HOOOONK!

Vehicular horns blared outside. Champagne corks flew into the air.

Evan Parker, completely demolished!

Drill Sarge’s cataclysmic exhibition had supporters clad in red jerseys leaping frantically from their couches.

Was this an illusion or actual reality?

Was that truly France’s top seed, Evan Parker, who had just been picked apart so effortlessly?

Baek Jinwoo hadn’t even called upon an alternative summon yet.

Utilizing Drill Sarge exclusively, he was on a trajectory to single-handedly wipe out the entirety of France.

France was completely paralyzed with shock.

“Wow.”

“This is madness……”

“Evan Parker holds the 19th spot globally…… How can this be happening? It appeared as though he couldn’t formulate a single countermeasure before dropping.”

What had previously been misery and lamenting now shifted into a state resembling pure astonishment.

Since when did South Korea possess this degree of might?

The Five Emperors weren’t blowing smoke. They weren’t inflating the truth.

South Korea discovered JinuGod. They are bound for total dominance.

How much higher can his ceiling go from this point? At this velocity, he might genuinely overtake Rachel.

Naturally, the French public had already witnessed a preview of Baek Jinwoo’s capabilities during the prior Battle Royale.

They possessed a vague conceptualization of his power level.

Yet, understanding it conceptually is one matter. Standing on the receiving end is entirely different.

In truth, not a soul had anticipated it would be this staggeringly lopsided.

There was absolutely nothing remaining for the citizens of France to do.

Their only recourse was to gawk open-mouthed at their television monitors.

“Next.”

Uttering that solitary syllable, Baek Jinwoo paused for the arrival of the seventh competitor.

The 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th contenders stepped up with the sullen expressions of livestock being escorted to an execution block.

SCHWRRRRRRK!

The ultimate conclusion mirrored exactly what the audience foresaw: a flawless solo-wipe.

South Korea, advancing to the quarterfinals!

And understandably, this marked their inaugural time ever penetrating that deep into the tournament.

England’s official competitor suite.

“Damn.”

“Wow.”

Stunned utterances burst forth from the room as well.

Across the massive television monitor, Drill Sarge was putting the finishing touches on the final opposing summon.

“……He possesses talent, I will grant him that much.”

Rachel remained seated with her legs crossed, giving a nod as she murmured softly.

The Drill Instructor.

The specific summon that had presented her with so many strategic dilemmas throughout the Battle Royale.

He was definitely no commonplace summon.

No, labeling him “no commonplace” was an understatement. He was an anomaly.

Something feels unnatural regarding his parameters, though.

The E-rank Drill Instructor she was familiar with shouldn’t possess the capacity for this, regardless of the quality of the runes embedded within him.

The systemic balance adjustment he had endured wasn’t a result of his individual combat stats being broken. It was due to his ability to unlock the dormant capabilities of alternative summons far too seamlessly.

That specific tier of execution is indicative of a master martial artist, a phenomenon you would exclusively observe from A-rank entities and higher.

What could explain it, then?

An astronomical level?

That felt highly improbable as well.

According to her records, Baek Jinwoo had been actively cultivating summons for less than a full year…… whereas she herself, currently progressing through her fourth year of play, lacked a singular summon exceeding level 60.

“He is powerful, certainly. However, that is the extent of his reach, Unni.”

Olivia, holding the 6th position worldwide, maintained a highly skeptical perspective regarding Baek Jinwoo.

“He refuses to deploy anything outside of that solitary asset. I will concede he is formidable for someone outside the formal rankings, but…… at that standard, he would find his limit right around Bale, wouldn’t you agree? Why are you stressing so heavily?”

Upon hearing Olivia’s commentary, Gareth Bale, holding the 7th spot globally, who had been listening silently nearby, grew irritated.

“The ‘Bale threshold’…… Hey, people are going to assume there is some massive canyon separating our abilities. We are separated by a singular rank.”

“Merely one?”

Olivia snorted and tossed her hair behind her shoulder.

“You have been trapped behind that ‘merely one’ for three consecutive years now. Talk is cheap.”

“What did you just say?”

“Do you have an issue? Care to step into a arena? You have never bested me in a single competitive duel.”

They sounded as though they were genuinely feuding, but the duo was actually exceptionally tight-knit.

Rachel’s primary lieutenants.

Furthermore, Olivia’s assessment wasn’t completely devoid of merit, either.

The Five Emperors ruling over the global leaderboard were astronomically powerful, but Olivia at the 6th spot was incredibly dangerous in her own right.

The discrepancy between her and Bale at 7th was, in reality, quite pronounced.

“Yes, your point carries weight.”

Rachel gave a nod as she absorbed the conversation.

Her eyes remained fixed directly on Drill Sarge.

“From a realistic standpoint, Baek Jinwoo simply hasn’t possessed the required timeframe to properly cultivate his roster of summons. All of these current world rankers are lacking depth right now, which explains why he can execute a theatrical display of this nature…… When placed against a meticulously optimized competitor, he wouldn’t possess a prayer. In all likelihood.”

“See? My logic stands.”

“However, we absolutely cannot afford to let down our guard.”

Rachel’s demeanor shifted to one of absolute seriousness.

“As I emphasized previously, JinuGod is a variable that defies standard analytical models.”

It had consistently played out that way.

Back when the community insisted summons possessed insurmountable thresholds, he uniquely shattered those assumptions entirely.

He was the individual who dismantled the Chaos Dragon in under sixty seconds, and the identical person who conquered the 99th Floor of the Tower of Trials for the whole world to witness.

“Should we ultimately cross paths with South Korea, we hold nothing back.”

“Unni.”

Olivia expressed skepticism regarding Rachel’s projection.

“Do you genuinely maintain that South Korea is going to penetrate all the way to the final round? They are bound to collide with Xenos or Beskoff during the semifinals.”

Xenos fought on behalf of America.

Beskoff fought on behalf of Russia.

Both individuals were vastly more powerful than Olivia, and spearheaded superpowers that housed members of the legendary Five Emperors whom she held in such high esteem.

In simpler terms, if Rachel’s prediction proved valid, then Olivia’s personal hypothesis that Baek Jinwoo would hit a wall at the Bale threshold would completely fall apart.

“I do.”

Rachel offered a slight smile.

“I believe there is a remarkably high probability that he will do exactly that.”