Chapter 119

Drill Sarge unsheathed his blade, his expression darkening.

Clint Jones.

The irritation stemmed directly from the words that had just left the mouth of the man standing before him.

What?

Does this guy seriously believe he is some kind of big shot?

To think he has the audacity to address my lord in such a manner.

RUUUUMMMMBLLLLE……!

A suffocating aura of pure intimidation cascaded from Drill Sarge’s frame.

Initially, his plan had been to toy with his adversary for a brief moment before securing a swift victory, but his intentions had abruptly shifted.

He would make this as degrading as possible.

He intended to utterly dismantle this individual with absolute, crushing might.

VROOOOM!

Without warning, one of Clint Jones’s summons lunged directly at Drill Sarge.

A Swordsman (A-rank).

It was a humanoid entity that brandished a blade, mirroring his own combat style.

The creature closed the gap between them in a flash, executing a deceptive strike toward the midsection before suddenly redirecting its blade toward the throat. The velocity of the Swordsman was undeniably impressive.

However, that evaluation only applied to ordinary combatants.

Tardy.

To the eyes of Drill Sarge, the entire assault unfolded in slow motion.

A strike so utterly telegraphed that it makes me want to yawn.

This could barely even be classified as proper manipulation.

It was nothing more than a blatant, embarrassing absence of basic discipline.

Had that entity been molded under his own tutelage?

It would have spent no less than a full month face-down in the mud without a single second of respite.

Swish!

Drill Sarge executed a fluid, minimal step backward.

He shifted just enough to let the incoming edge slip past harmlessly, while simultaneously planting his boot precisely where the Swordsman intended to place its next step.

— What?

The Swordsman stumbled.

Not only had its surprise assault completely missed the mark, but its legs became hopelessly entangled, causing it to lose its center of balance entirely.

The creature desperately attempted to correct its posture, but Drill Sarge’s counter-thrust was already perfectly executed.

The identical target.

The neck.

The sole distinction lay in the fact that with its equilibrium utterly ruined, the Swordsman possessed no means whatsoever to evade the incoming path of the blade.

And the velocity was staggering.

SHLUCK!

— ACK, GAAGH!

The freezing steel tore through the Swordsman’s throat from an upward angle, puncturing deeply.

Its vitality vanished in an instant.

A devastating strike to a critical vulnerability. Its health points must have plummeted to near zero.

This remained the inherent disadvantage of utilizing humanoid summons.

SPURT!

The moment Drill Sarge extracted his weapon with a sharp pull, the Swordsman collapsed into the dirt, drenched in a spray of crimson.

Another one approaching, then?

A Sneak Attack.

Drill Sarge detected the sudden malice of an concealed adversary and reacted on pure instinct, raising his weapon defensively.

CLAAAANG!

The sharp resonance of colliding metal echoed through the air, forcing the hidden attacker to reveal itself.

An Assassin, as expected.

For entities specializing in stealth execution, the very second their presence was unveiled, their doom was sealed.

And this one was remarkably feeble.

Yet another glaring example of a pathetic lack of physical power development.

Regardless of how stealthy an executioner might be, a triumphant ambush required a fundamental foundation of brute muscle to solidify its execution.

The Assassin, instantly recognizing the immense disparity in physical might, permitted its weapon to slide upward—and precisely like the Swordsman just moments prior, left its own neck entirely undefended.

— Khhh……!

Pierced through the neck in identical fashion, the Assassin dissolved from the battlefield.

The comprehensive duration required to eliminate both entities: a mere ten seconds.

“……!”

Clint Jones stood frozen, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief.

The Swordsman and the Assassin.

How many endless resources had he dedicated to elevating those two combatants to their absolute peak potential?

Both possessed Rare runes embedded within them, and he had practiced their micro-management flawlessly.

Those invaluable assets that had propelled him to the global rank of 10th……

Vanished in a mere ten seconds?

He had failed to even comprehend the precise movements that had transpired.

He had merely commanded them to execute their standard, reliable maneuvers.

And that was the end of it.

With sickening, wet punctures, his chosen summons had their throats hollowed out and perished.

“What…… what in the actual hell.”

This defied all logic.

Even Xenos, the celebrated leader of the national squad, shouldn’t possess the capability to dominate an opponent this overwhelmingly……!

“Drill Sarge.”

Naturally, regardless of how profoundly shattered Clint Jones’s composure was.

Baek Jinwoo remained entirely indifferent.

“The remaining ones are merely support units. Eradicate them.”

— ……!

With a subtle, respectful inclination of his chin—THUD! Drill Sarge propelled himself across the terrain!

Whish-whish-whish!

The weapon flashed upward and lunged forward in three distinct, blinding trajectories.

The consequence?

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

The strikes embedded themselves directly into the vital organs and skulls of the physically frail support summons.

“N-no, this can’t be happening……”

Thump!

Clint Jones collapsed onto his knees.

When the global community had been losing its mind over the sheer supremacy of Drill Sarge, and when Drill Sarge had bested Rachel during the chaotic Battle Royale—he had merely surmised that the entity was roughly on par with a standard titan-class summon.

Particularly during the Battle Royale, given that it had never directly clashed with any of the primary five superpowers or their collective coalitions.

But this display was…… on an entirely separate tier of existence.

Observing from afar, he had failed to comprehend the reality. Now that he was the one enduring the onslaught, the truth was blindingly evident.

JinuGod.

That individual was an absolute anomaly.

No—something existing a whole realm above a mere anomaly.

So this is the reason why the masses constantly chant “Ilcheon, Ilcheon.”

If this trajectory persisted, there was no telling what the outcome would be.

Even Xenos, an esteemed member of the Five Emperors, would likely find himself pushed to the absolute brink against this.

In all honesty.

Was the United States truly destined to fall short of the championship match and be relegated to the battle for third place?

Suffer defeat at the hands of South Korea, a territory that had historically lingered at the absolute bottom of the standings?

“Ha.”

Fwip!

Having suffered the total annihilation of his summoned forces, Clint Jones was systematically booted from the virtual Arena.

This marked the dawn of a legendary tale.

— Oh goodness……

— What on earth did we just witness……!

The South Korean commentary team had fallen into an absolute, stunned silence.

Utter madness.

They had harbored a fragile hope—perhaps, just perhaps—that a triumph was within the realm of possibility.

After all, Drill Sarge had stood on equal footing alongside Rachel within the brutal confines of the Battle Royale.

Yet realistically, matching up against the individual holding the 10th spot in the global rankings, they had anticipated nothing short of a gruesome, fiercely contested struggle……

He achieved victory.

No, merely calling it a victory was an understatement. He had utterly ground the man into dust.

— Is this an illusion, or is this actually occurring?

— ……To be completely frank, I cannot comprehend it. It concluded as though it required no effort at all.

— This particular sight…… does it not evoke a sense of familiarity?

— The selection trials.

— Indubitably. It mirrors the exact sequence from when he completely demolished Kang Geonho within five seconds during the selection phase. The primary distinction here…… the adversary on this occasion was not Kang Geonho. It was Clint Jones, the universally recognized 10th-ranked competitor on the planet.

— Oh, oh my lord…… This is pure insanity. Baek Jinwoo. This is unequivocally INSANE……!

The commentators rambled on regarding the absolute supremacy of Baek Jinwoo with thoroughly dazed countenances.

“WAAAAAAAH!”

“YEAAAAAAAH!”

“BAEK JINWOO! BAEK JINWOO!”

“DRILL SARGE! DRILL SARGE!”

The entire nation of South Korea had dissolved into a state of pure, unbridled hysteria.

└ What the actual hell

└ That was incredibly gratifying to watch, laughing my ass off

└ An unranked domestic player just wiped the floor with the global 10th place lmfao is this real life?

└ Drill Sarge is legitimately overtuned;; honestly even the international community is probably going to claim this is a system exploit.

└ Who cares if it’s an exploit lmfao using that logic isn’t Rachel an exploit as well? She commands two S-ranks.

└ Preach. It’s not like players can alter the underlying code, and the organizers can’t exactly penalize him for it. If you possess power, you claim victory. End of discussion.

This wasn’t a contest against some anonymous amateur.

This was Clint Jones, a figure revered by many, a competitor backing a massive, fanatical following.

And Drill Sarge had thoroughly obliterated him with a sequence of martial prowess that looked pulled straight from a cinematic masterpiece.

— N-next to step onto the field is Coby Pochettino.

— Coby……! The 8th ranked player globally! The second-in-command of the American roster!

— Oh, observe the expression on Coby’s face. The immense stress is visibly etched into his features.

— And with good reason. After Drill Sarge just delivered that terrifying demonstration, any sane individual would be on maximum alert!

The next bout commenced without a moment’s delay.

Coby was noticeably distinct from Clint Jones.

He maintained a defensive posture, meticulously endeavoring to gauge the flow of the engagement.

However.

— SHRIEK!

The exact millisecond the timer started, Drill Sarge’s edge had already bored directly through the midsection of the support healer.

Coby’s primary offensive asset, Gold Fist (A-rank), recognized the sudden exposure and unleashed a heavy strike, but……

Drill Sarge had already vanished from that coordinates.

— Huh?

Positioned squarely behind its back.

By the time Gold Fist processed the shift, Drill Sarge’s blade was already descending directly upon its cranium.

The violent collision resonated like solid metal hitting metal—such was the extreme density of Gold Fist’s skull.

“My Gold Fist possesses an immunity to metallic strikes. Strike him for eternity. It will yield no results.”

Coby muttered, his countenance incredibly grave.

The ultimate counter-measure against a blade-wielding combatant like Drill Sarge.

That asset was Gold Fist.

“Yield no results? Try telling that to my blade.”

CLAAAAAANG!

Drill Sarge inverted his grip and struck the unsharpened flat of his blade violently against Gold Fist’s jaw.

SCREEEEECH!

As Gold Fist was forced backward from the raw momentum, Drill Sarge hooked his weapon around the creature’s throat, swept its lower limbs, and slammed it forcefully against the ground.

Robust, I will grant it that much.

Drill Sarge’s expression remained perfectly composed.

Baek Jinwoo stood nearby with identical tranquility.

However, defensive durability only holds significance when the combatants exist within the same tier of power.

— Aghhh!

Drill Sarge applied the entirety of his physical weight, driving the edge down with increasing malice.

— Screeech, crunch!

Gold Fist struggled desperately and swung its fists wildly, yet none of the frantic strikes inflicted any genuine harm upon Drill Sarge.

He merely maintained his relentless pressure, pinning it down, forcing it further into the ground.

Snap, CRACK-CRACK!

The stone tiling fractured, then completely dissolved into fragments.

And still he persisted in his downward force, grinding the creature deeper into the shattered masonry.

“What-what in the world……!”

In that instant.

Coby’s eyes expanded with absolute terror.

Gold Fist’s health pool was draining at an alarming velocity.

“He is concluding the exchange using pure physical muscle instead of the weapon’s edge?”

It defied comprehension.

Because the blade was incapable of slicing through the exterior, he was simply utilizing raw power to violently wrench Gold Fist’s head clean off its torso……

An act far more easily envisioned than executed.

Could such a feat truly be achieved?

“The base attributes of our Drill Sarge happen to be rather absurdly elevated, you see.”

Baek Jinwoo offered as a helpful explanation.

Utilizing the Unique Trinity Rune coupled with meticulous enhancement processes, Drill Sarge’s strength attribute currently soared past the 4,000 threshold.

CRRRUUUNCH!

Ultimately, Gold Fist’s head was completely severed by pure, unadulterated physical might.

A display of absolute, savage power.

And the remaining trio of summons suffered an identical destiny.

Splat, thud! Thud!

One after another.

He parried every incoming assault as they manifested, then seamlessly transitioned into an immediate counter-attack that buried his weapon deep within their throats.

The paths of his strikes were incredibly condensed, so horrifyingly lethal in their precision, it sent a wave of goosebumps down the flesh.

“……I concede. South Korea was concealing an absolute terror.”

Coby confessed his failure with dignity, and his form dissolved into thin air with a gentle murmur of light.

— C-Coby Pochettino suffers the exact same fate!

— He barely even exerted himself! Thirty seconds, completely cleared!

— Is this truly…… the overwhelming capability of JinuGod?

— Operating at this standard, he could legitimately challenge Xenos……! No, far beyond Xenos—he might even stand on equal footing against Rachel!

“So Xenos represents the final obstacle?”

Baek Jinwoo, who had been maintaining a relaxed posture, began flexing his wrists in a circular motion.

Everything that had transpired up to this juncture had been mere amusement.

He possessed no intent of relaxing his vigilance when facing one of the Five Emperors.

Xenos belonged to the same ancient, entrenched circle that had previously monopolized this virtual world, meaning there was no telling what hidden strategies he might possess.

That being said.

He intended to conclude Xenos’s run utilizing Drill Sarge as well.

Baek Jinwoo’s expression grew icy.

From this exact moment forward, he purposed to demonstrate to every spectator in this reality—and the Five Emperors themselves—precisely what the absolute pinnacle of mechanical execution resembled.

Exactly how far a solitary summon could ascend.

“Ha, that is completely absurd.”

Olivia, who had been observing the matches unfold, leaped straight to her feet.

Veil, alongside them, and Rolly.

In truth, every member of the English national squad save for Rachel surged upward in profound disbelief.

“Coby was dismantled in THAT fashion?”

“Jones was one matter, but Coby Pochettino? That individual is a genuine elite……”

“Drill Sarge operates at THAT caliber……?”

The exhibition was shockingly immense beyond comprehension.

Two American powerhouses—competitors positioned at or above their own personal ranking—were completely broken apart in under sixty seconds combined.

“Sister.”

Olivia pressed her teeth against her lower lip.

Jones, Coby.

She possessed the capability to best either of them without immense difficulty herself, yet she could never have executed such total dominance in that manner.

She was forced to acknowledge the reality now.

“So that was the meaning behind your words.”

“Indeed.”

Rachel offered a subtle movement of her head.

“I have articulated this previously, but that individual is not a competitor we can measure using any standard metrics.”

She lowered her eyelids, drifting her consciousness back to past events.

Battle of Summoners.

The initial instance she had interacted with him within that space. The initial moment she had observed his flawless mechanical control.

I deduced he was not of human origin.

To be completely honest, she had hypothesized he was an artificial intelligence construct.

Did not particular predatory gaming enterprises manufacture administrator accounts to manipulate players into injecting massive capital?

She had assumed JinuGod represented one of those corporate entities.

Because if he did not, she could not fathom how mechanical execution alone could bridge the immense chasm separating a non-spending participant from a massive financial whale.

That was the scale of how impossible it appeared.

And it remained just as impossible in the present moment.

The entity designated as Drill Sarge.

That particular summon contradicted all established logic.

We remain secure for the moment.

Rachel’s eyes drifted closed once more.

Precisely as Baek Jinwoo had not yet manifested the true depths of his capabilities, Rachel still retained a final hidden asset concealed within her possession.

“There exists only a solitary objective you all must fulfill.”

Rachel whispered.

“Deplete as much of Baek Jinwoo’s endurance as humanly possible during the final championship rounds.”

She was already entirely certain that South Korea would successfully advance to the final stage.