Chapter 122

Chapter 122: I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

“BAEK JINWOOOO!”

“Guild Master! Haha! That was seriously UNBELIEVABLE!”

Swoosh!

The moment his feet touched the Arena floor following his grand triumph, his teammates rushed him in a frenzy.

“We made it to the FINALS! The actual finals!”

“We’ve guaranteed at least the second spot globally!”

The atmosphere was so electric that even Oh Seonyeong, who rarely showed any emotion, was grinning broadly.

“Ugh, sniff……!”

Kang Geonho, completely breaking character, was weeping openly.

As the current top-ranked player in South Korea, he knew the stakes.

Had they competed without him, they would have been sent packing before the Round of 16, just like prior tournaments, returning to South Korea with their heads hung low.

Regardless of their grueling preparation, they would have faced the press pack back home looking like criminals.

But things were different now.

They were going home as conquerors.

A legendary homecoming filled with pride.

They were about to receive a massive hero’s welcome in their motherland!

“Geonho.”

“……Hyungnim.”

Hwang Juwon observed the sobbing Kang Geonho and chuckled.

“You’re a grown man. Why the tears? Pull yourself together, it’s embarrassing.”

Yet, even as the words left his mouth, a watery film coated his own eyes.

The sheer effort it took to reach this point was monumental.

To live up to the brutal benchmarks set by Baek Jinwoo and Drill Sarge, they had pushed themselves to the absolute limit day and night, running until their lungs burned.

Through relentless sparring sessions, every member had perfected their unique summons.

True, their young, prodigy of a leader carried the heaviest burden, but even so!

The ecstasy of this triumph was beyond expression.

“Incredible work, Guild Master. You were a force of nature out there.”

The spectacle from moments ago replayed vividly in his mind.

Baek Jinwoo matching up against Xenos.

The brutal clash involving Tyrant, Drill Sarge, and Chimera No. 9 from the Alchemic Transmuter……

Utterly mind-blowing.

That recording would be shared and analyzed as a historic gaming feat for generations.

It might even find its way into text material in the future.

“Ha.”

“Hahaha.”

The teammates exchanged glances and chuckled.

They were standing right here.

Part of a historic moment unfolding in real-time.

Won’t our own names find a place in those records, even if it’s just a footnote?

Or perhaps an entire volume dedicated to our journey?

Just like what happened with Genghis Khan.

The Four Steeds and Four Hounds.

The legendary eight warlords who aided him in building the Mongol Empire, cementing their legacy for eternity.

“We can’t celebrate just yet.”

Baek Jinwoo pushed the clinging guild members aside and gave a firm shake of his head.

The expression dominating his features was……

Avarice?

No. Intense determination was more accurate.

“When does the final round take place?”

“In about two days. America and Japan have to settle the third-place spot ahead of us.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Jinwoo shut his eyes.

The rowdy celebration instantly toned down.

Is he genuinely targeting the ultimate crown?

Wow, that is going to be an uphill battle.

England’s lineup is completely superior to America’s…… At this rate, the Guild Master will have to fight all ten opponents solo, and as incredible as he is, can he actually pull off a miracle like that?

A wave of inadequacy washed over them.

Their leader possessed the raw capability to trade blows with Rachel, but the realization that their own weakness might hinder him…… it ate away at them.

Right, celebrating right now is foolish. If anything, we owe him an apology.

Even if we are dead weight this season, we have to pull our weight next year.

We must break into the global leaderboard at a minimum. He is carrying us across the finish line and we can’t even contribute that much.

The truth had dawned on everyone.

If they dedicated another year to training under Baek Jinwoo’s guidance?

They would improve. Indubitably.

More intensely and faster than any other competitor on the planet.

“First things first.”

Baek Jinwoo’s tactical mind was already spinning.

Indeed.

After locking horns with Xenos, he understood the reality.

Rachel was undeniably on a different plane, and if he had to exhaust his resources against Olivia and Veil just to reach her, he would be spent by the time they clashed.

“I need to arrange a talk with Rachel.”

“What? Rachel?”

“Are you serious?”

“Meet her for what reason……”

Baek Jinwoo smirked.

“I’m going to test her resolve.”

Her inner pride.

In a showdown determining <Who Is Strongest! World’s the>, entering the fray with both sides worn down would only diminish the victory. It would leave room for debate.

A pure duel.

Baek Jinwoo wanted to extend an invitation for a straightforward one-on-one battle to Rachel.

He couldn’t predict if she would accept, but taking the gamble, he departed.

The League Casino in London.

“Sigh.”

Chairman Andrew let out a heavy breath.

The papers gripped in his hands detailed the staggering wagers placed within the VIP chambers.

Every other mathematical safety net had been shattered.

The moment South Korea secured their spot in the final match, nearly every multi-bet combination fell apart.

The returns on an England championship were so miniscule that betting on them in isolation yielded nothing.

Because of that, punters generally paired it with other outcomes.

For instance, the overwhelmingly popular wager combination was:

[England — Winner]

[America — Second Place]

However.

Some absolute madmen had wagered a billion won each on South Korea taking the title with England finishing as the runners-up.

Eleven separate wagers.

[Total payout multiplier: ×75.36]

“What kind of maniacs gamble eleven billion won on a 75-to-1 long shot?”

It defied logic.

It should have been a massive donation to the house, but instead, it had become a blade at his throat.

If South Korea somehow emerged victorious in the finals?

The house would owe a staggering 829 billion won.

Roughly 600 million dollars……

The sheer size of the payout was suffocating.

To put it in perspective, the League Casino brought in an annual operational profit of 500 million dollars.

Fulfilling that payout meant this entire financial year would register as a massive deficit.

“Oh relax, there is zero chance Korea pulls off a win,” CEO Robert chuckled, though Chairman Andrew was visibly sweating.

“Did you miss the broadcast of that match?”

“I watched it.”

“And you can say that with a straight face after what you saw?”

“……”

Reflecting on it, the humor vanished instantly.

The Baek Jinwoo they had just watched was an absolute force of nature.

Not only did he dismantle Xenos effortlessly, but his micro-management while overriding Chimera No. 9……

The man is a freak of nature.

It resembled watching a veteran player who had mastered a single title for decades without stopping.

How on earth does a human evade consecutive waves of corrosive fluid purely through flawless mechanical inputs?

“Chairman……”

Robert spoke up, trying to inject some confidence.

“We still possess Rachel, don’t we? And our supporting roster is unmatched.”

“That is true. Entirely true. However……”

The chairman reached over and slid a morning paper from across his desk.

“Take a gander at this.”

“What am I looking at?”

“A report published just this morning.”

A massive headline dominated the entire front section.

[Baek Jinwoo Meets Rachel, Drops Shocking Ultimatim: Turn the Finals into a 1v1 Duel!]

“What?”

Robert ripped the paper out of his hands.

He smoothed it out, his gaze tearing through the paragraphs.

“……A 1v1? A formal duel? What kind of ridiculous stunt is this?”

“Word is Baek Jinwoo arranged a private meeting with Rachel. He offered a terms where all secondary players enter the map without summoning anything, leaving the two captains to settle it in single combat.”

“Oh, give me a break!”

Robert barked out a laugh.

“Does that make any logical sense? Are we running a charity? Why on earth would our side agree to such terms?”

“The issue is…… Rachel didn’t shoot it down.”

“SAY WHAT?!”

Robert’s voice cracked.

“A-are you telling the truth?”

“She hasn’t signed off on it yet, but…… regardless. Naturally, the entire British public wants her to reject the terms. But you understand the reality. That choice, that specific authority, rests entirely with Rachel and no one else.”

Rachel’s influence right now was, realistically, greater than the monarchy itself.

She served as the spiritual anchor for the modern populace.

The individual who had rekindled the majestic pride of the British Empire in the modern era.

“And looking at behavioral profiles, Rachel has consistently displayed a clear soft spot when it comes to JinuGod. She has openly voiced her respect for his abilities in the past.”

“……Come to think of it, that tracks.”

In the early days.

Based on how several media outlets quoted her regarding JinuGod, she practically viewed him as a mythic figure.

And now that legendary figure was presenting a request directly to her?

“Hmm. Still……”

Would she truly throw away a guaranteed victory and ignore public backlash just to accommodate him?

He desperately hoped she wouldn’t, but a nagging dread hung over him.

Rachel remained seated, her eyelids lowered.

“Unni!”

“Captain, you aren’t actually contemplating agreeing to something so preposterous, are you?”

The core members of the Red Rose guild were crowding her, demanding answers.

“It’s glaringly obvious he’s pulling a fast one!”

“How dare he attempt to snatch the trophy using such a underhanded tactic……!”

Observing her comrades vent their outrage, unable to rein in their anger, Rachel finally spoke.

“Think about it, though.”

“It’s actually quite amusing.”

She glanced up.

Her eyes drifted over the assembled players, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Not too long ago, you all bragged that I could effortlessly solo the entire opposition roster by myself…… Your confidence seems to have taken a hit, hasn’t it? What, do you genuinely think I’ll lose?”

“No, Unni! That isn’t what we mean!”

“Exactly. We believe in you, but……”

Now that they paused to consider her words, they realized she was right.

Why were they sweating this?

This was the invincible Rachel they were talking about.

Shouldn’t they be mocking the challenge and embracing it with open arms?

“JinuGod gave me a promise,” Rachel whispered.

“He stated that if I accept these terms, SKY and RED ROSE will form an unbreakable blood pact for the upcoming decade. Under the condition that neither party initiates a betrayal, naturally.”

“You’re willing to alter the tournament format just to secure an alliance with them?”

“It’s not ‘just’ an alliance.”

Rachel’s tone brooked no argument.

This isn’t some minor agreement. It’s a monumental shift in power.

An opportunity to forge a legally binding, long-term association with JinuGod. Why would any sane person reject that?

Sugoi, Xenos, MoscowMan, Baekcheon.

Not a single one of them had ever been extended a pact like that by JinuGod.

In all honesty, if he had approached her with that specific covenant and demanded she throw the match entirely, she would have seriously pondered it.

The United Kingdom couldn’t replace her anyway.

They lacked the power to do so.

I am Rachel. What leverage do they hold over me?

What if she decided to pack her bags and naturalize as a South Korean citizen?

What would they do then?

That was the sole reason her authority within the borders of England was absolute.

But her dynamic with Baek Jinwoo?

That was a different story.

At this exact moment, she might hold a minor edge over him, but deep down, she recognized the trajectory.

Within a year’s time, he would ascend to a realm far beyond her capabilities.

A titan who would widen the distance so vastly that looking up at him would feel impossible.

It wouldn’t just be England. The time was coming when every global superpower would have to accommodate Baek Jinwoo’s terms.

“If you all had to bet on a victor between myself and Baek Jinwoo, who are you backing?”

“Without a doubt you, Unni!”

“Our Guild Master, 100 percent.”

“Lady Rachel, your record is spotless and it will stay that way forever.”

Hearing their declarations, Rachel stood up.

“Very well.”

Her choice had been cemented from the start.

They couldn’t see the bigger picture, but.

The championship rewards were essentially trivial to her at this stage of her career.

“Then I will face him. A fair, isolated one-on-one.”

“UNNIIII!”

“GUILD MASTERRR!”

“Silence.”

Rachel raised an index finger to her lips, cutting them off.

“He is wagering his personal reputation to request a duel with me. This is unprecedented. The very first time he has truly validated me as an equal competitor.”

“……Unni.”

“I intend to meet that challenge with every ounce of my power. And……”

Her gaze sharpened into a freezing, calculated focus.

“I will NOT suffer a defeat. Not this time.”

She had analyzed his performance as well.

That mind-boggling demonstration of micro-control against Chimera No. 9.

However?

Her golden dragon and Baekho operated on a tier that no manufactured abomination could ever hope to rival.

JinuGod or anyone else.

Withstanding her peak capabilities would be a monumental task for him.

Yes.

Perhaps this would be remembered as a reckless gamble.

But her inner instincts were shouting at her with absolute clarity.

Take JinuGod’s dare.

Earn his permanent respect through combat.

Let’s settle this.

The showdown was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

For the first and final time, she was going to conquer JinuGod!