Chapter 128

“……We actually pulled it off.”

Hong Ari spoke in a low, trembling tone.

“That crazy guild master really pulled off a victory, he actually—!”

Overcome with sheer exhilaration, she let out a loud shout while slamming her fists together.

Her palms were completely drenched in sweat from the agonizing tension of watching the duel.

“WAAAAAAAH!”

“HYUUUUUUNG!”

Ki Jaehyeok and Kang Jiho were already sprinting around the room like wild animals, practically bouncing off the walls.

A victory had been achieved.

Furthermore, it wasn’t a simple win. It was an absolute masterclass of a performance.

Utilizing clever tactics, flawless psychological warfare, and unparalleled micro-management, he had successfully dismantled Rachel even though she commanded three distinct S-rank summons.

“Haha, I always recognized our guild master as a complete freak of nature, but I never imagined he could reach this level of insanity.”

“Did you catch the way he evaded Power Word Kill? That is literally equivalent to dodging a bullet point-blank using sheer reaction time, isn’t it?”

“Damn it…! My eyes won’t stop watering for some reason.”

Though everyone was celebrating, the atmosphere held a profound depth that went beyond mere excitement.

With teeth clenched, they fought back their tears.

Their chests had been pounding violently throughout the entire ordeal.

The moment Rachel soared high and unleashed that devastating breath attack, they genuinely believed the match was lost.

And when yet another S-rank summon materialized right after that, they had cried out in disbelief alongside the rest of the spectators.

That is completely unfair.

Who on earth possesses a trio of S-rank summons?

Forget the championship. Let us just be satisfied with second place.

Yet against all odds, the outcome changed.

Their leader proved to be utterly unbeatable.

If an individual ranking system existed for players, he would easily sit at S-rank. No—well past it.

Drill Sarge, Ramba, Rolly, Stormy, and the guild master himself…… Their coordination was flawless, moving as a single entity.

This display perfectly illustrated why the formidable Five Emperors had always kept a cautious eye on him. Baek Jinwoo was truly in a league of his own.

That terrifying powerhouse is our leader…… That absolute monster is leading our country’s team……!

As the members of the guild immersed themselves in the overwhelming wave of adrenaline surging through their veins—

[The World League has reached its conclusion.]

[Consequently, the designated Day of Peace has officially ended.]

[Moving forward, players are permitted to utilize summons for active combat in the outside world!]

The grand tournament had finally come to an end.

“Ah.”

“Wow, it’s really over.”

The most monumental event in human history, orchestrated by a mysterious system, had reached its curtain call.

[The victorious champion nation is South Korea!]

[Rewards for each country will be allocated in accordance with their final placements.]

[The specific details of the rewards will be revealed solely to the active participants.]

“Oh man.”

“So this is what we get?”

The members of the SKY guild began to buzz with excitement.

This marked the very first time any of them had secured a league championship reward in their entire careers!

What kind of prizes could possibly be contained in these rewards, which were rumored to bring astronomical wealth and immense geopolitical leverage to a nation?

“Look, they’re here!”

Ki Jaehyeok yelled out, pointing toward a spot in his direct line of sight.

A glowing notification window had appeared, visible exclusively to the players who fought in the tournament.

[The rewards for winning the World League championship have been delivered.]

[You have acquired the ‘Ultimate Summoning Scroll’!]

[You have acquired the ‘Gold Bullion 1t Summoning Scroll’!]

[You have acquired the ‘Rune Seal Document’!]

[You have acquired the ‘Pure Oil Field Summoning Scroll’!]

[You have acquired the ‘Random Technology Summoning Scroll’!]

Shhhhhhrrrrk!

Simultaneously with the appearance of the text notifications, physical items materialized into tangible papers and descended gracefully before each individual player.

“W-what exactly is all of this?”

“How did we get so many items?”

“U-ultimate summoning scrolls! A total of three! This has to be a joke, right?!”

“A ton of gold bullion? What on earth is a Rune Seal Document? A pure oil field? Random technology scrolls?”

Standing within the grand Arena, the guild members examined the items in their hands, their eyes gleaming with intense fascination.

“Wow……”

Baek Jinwoo had also received his allocated portion.

Shrrk!

A stack of eleven heavy sheets of parchment rested firmly in his hands.

However.

In the center of Baek Jinwoo’s vision as he stepped back into the staging area of the Arena, a unique message appeared that no one else could see.

[Congratulations!]

[You have been selected as the MVP of the World League!]

[The MVP title is an exclusive honor granted to a single player—the individual who definitively guided their country to the championship.]

[Your unique bonus reward has been delivered.]

[You have acquired the ‘100% Summoning Scroll’ (S-rank)!]

[Please note that a specific catalyst is required to activate this item.]

Vwoooom!

A summoning contract radiating a brilliant gold light manifested directly in front of him.

“……What?”

Baek Jinwoo’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

Could this be real?

Is this actually happening?

He had harbored a faint, secret anticipation.

He had constantly speculated about the caliber of reward that could possibly drive Rachel to fight with such desperate ferocity, and this answered the question perfectly!

The edges of Baek Jinwoo’s lips slowly split into a wide grin.

Everything clicked into place now.

He finally understood how Rachel managed to acquire three separate S-rank summons.

She had secured victory in the World League three consecutive times.

And she had claimed the MVP title in every single one.

“Unbelievable.”

While Baek Jinwoo had been confined to a hospital mattress, she had been keeping all of this incredible fortune entirely to herself.

If he had known about this sooner, he would have forced himself awake much earlier!

Indulging in his immense satisfaction while harboring these completely irrational complaints, Baek Jinwoo suddenly paused and tilted his head.

Hold on, a specific catalyst?

He leaned in to inspect the exact properties of the golden scroll.

[Guaranteed Summoning Scroll]

[Classification: S-rank]

[Ensures the successful acquisition of an S-rank summon.]

[Note: To initiate the draw, a sacrifice of 10 ‘Ultimate Summoning Scrolls’ is mandatory.]

So it wasn’t a completely free handout after all.

Even so, since the championship victory rewards provided three ultimate summoning scrolls to every single player, she must have methodically pooled them together to trigger the summons.

And right now, I have accumulated exactly 10 of them as well.

Which signified one thing.

He currently possessed the immediate opportunity to acquire a brand-new S-rank summon!

What a massive relief.

If he had recklessly consumed those ultimate summoning scrolls one by one instead of hoarding them, he would have completely ruined this golden opportunity.

Gathering himself, Baek Jinwoo exited the Arena alongside his companions and made his way back to their private luxury suite.

They intended to rest there briefly before boarding their chartered flight back to South Korea later that evening.

Seated together, they immediately launched into an active discussion regarding the massive haul of rewards.

Naturally, Yu Jia was present to orchestrate the meeting.

“Setting aside the ultimate scrolls for a moment, what exactly does this Gold Bullion 1 Ton Summoning Scroll entail?”

“The item profile reads like this.”

[Gold Bullion 1t Summoning Scroll]

[Classification: B-rank]

[Instantly summons exactly 1 metric ton of highly refined gold bullion directly to your location.]

[The object carries extreme weight and considerable mass, so please utilize it with extreme care.]

“……What kind of ridiculous item is this supposed to be.”

Every single member had received three of them, totaling thirty scrolls collectively.

That meant their group had just been handed an astonishing 30 tons of pure gold.

“Going by the current global markets, gold is valued at roughly one hundred million won for every single kilogram…… Which equates to one hundred billion won per ton. Multiplying that by our total collection brings the sum to three trillion won. Three trillion.”

“Holy cow. That is monumental.”

Gold was an element that resisted all forms of transmutation.

Not even a master Alchemic Transmuter possessed the capability to create gold out of nothing.

The sole known phenomena capable of generating gold required the violent energy of a supernova or the collision of dense neutron stars……

An astronomical event of that scale was obviously lightyears beyond what current human civilization could reproduce.

Perhaps in some distant millennium.

This meant every single ounce of gold existing on Earth today had originally drifted in from deep space during the formative era of the planet.

And yet, a substance of that nature.

The system had simply distributed it as a casual prize for winning a tournament.

This level of grand compensation was something that had never once manifested within the interface of Battle of Summoners.

That original game never even sorted its player base by country.

Furthermore, it barely had any active users to begin with.

“Next, take a look at the description for the Pure Oil Field Summoning Scroll.”

Hong Ari cut into the conversation.

“It operates on a similar premise to the gold bullion. I was scratching my head wondering what ‘oil field’ meant, but it is literally a subterranean oil reservoir. A massive pocket of crude.”

An actual oil field?

[Pure Oil Field Summoning Scroll]

[Classification: A-rank]

[Generates a reserve containing 1 billion barrels of unrefined crude oil beneath a specified territory.]

[Demands a minimum surface area of 100 square kilometers. Please organize the geography accordingly.]

[Overlapping regional coordinates is permissible.]

“THIS IS CRAZY!”

Hwang Juwon let out a sharp cry.

“Are you telling me this item can instantly transform a regular nation into a major global oil power?!”

The system had blessed them with ten of these scrolls in total.

With one billion barrels allocated to each scroll, the grand total amounted to a staggering ten billion barrels of oil.

“A reserve of ten billion barrels equates to roughly one trillion USD based on standard valuation. In domestic currency, that translates to well over 1,300 trillion won. Selecting the location is incredibly straightforward too. We can simply deploy them right along our continental shelf.”

“Now the true purpose of the World League becomes clear.”

Baek Jinwoo gave a slow, understanding nod.

He had already reviewed the details concerning the Random Technology Summoning Scroll.

[Random Technology Summoning Scroll]

[Generates a random manuscript detailing a highly advanced technological breakthrough that will immensely elevate the host nation.]

“It represents national prosperity in the most literal sense possible.”

Precious metals, energy resources, and pioneering science.

The system was designed to forcefully propel the victorious nation into global dominance, regardless of whether the country felt prepared for it.

“The moment we present these items to the National Intelligence Service, those bureaucrats are going to completely lose their minds.”

“……They will immediately classify the results under maximum secrecy. No matter what science is unveiled. It is exactly what Great Britain did during their reign.”

It was truly mind-boggling.

Was this precise mechanism the reason England had managed to wrest global supremacy directly away from the United States?

While Rachel’s sheer dominance on the battlefield played a massive role, the sheer influx of capital and cutting-edge research could not be discounted.

Particularly the technology.

There was no telling what specific knowledge was encoded within those scrolls, but anyone could understand how terrifyingly disruptive a single piece of technology multiple generations ahead of its time could be.

And they possessed ten of them.

England, having won multiple times, must have secured at least thirty by now.

“And finally, we have the Rune Seal Document.”

[Rune Seal Document]

[Permanently locks a summon’s current rune configuration into a ‘Bound’ condition.]

[Once the Bound state is applied, the runes can never be detached or replaced.]

[In exchange, all baseline rune attributes are boosted by 20%.]

This particular item appeared to depend entirely on an individual’s specific playstyle.

Competitors who relied heavily on shifting strategies with A-rank summons frequently mixed and matched their rune loadouts.

However.

The corners of Baek Jinwoo’s mouth twitched upward into a confident smile.

For someone in my position, this is an absolute jackpot.

Summons who already possessed their ultimate, perfect rune sets had absolutely no reason to ever alter their configurations.

Take Ramba for instance.

She had already maxed out her potential growth path, and applying this item would effortlessly extract an additional 20% boost to her movement and attack speed.

The same logic applied to Drill Sarge.

There was zero scenario where he would ever strip away the Trinity Rune, so locking it down permanently carried no downsides whatsoever.

It would elevate their destructive power to an entirely new tier.

Baek Jinwoo smiled warmly as he shifted his attention.

The surrounding guild members were ecstatically detailing the mechanics to Yu Jia, eagerly pooling their observations.

A good amount of time drifted past in that manner.

“Allow me to lay out the terms.”

Yu Jia spoke up, commanding the room’s attention.

“The gold bullion will be split between individual ownership and the organization on a 1:2 basis. Each of you will retain one metric ton as your private asset, while depositing the remaining two metric tons into the guild’s central treasury. The oil reserves and the technological blueprints are matters that I will personally negotiate with state authorities to secure fair compensation, whereas the trio of ultimate scrolls and the Rune Seal Document remain entirely your personal property.”

Naturally, the direct rights to the oil fields and the scientific data belonged exclusively to the organization.

That condition had been hardcoded into their employment agreements from day one.

Any and all assets generated via player-centric abilities were legally tied to the guild, with the participating members receiving compensation via fixed salaries or lucrative performance incentives.

“We will formalize the exact incentive structures tied to the oil and technological assets at a later date. I will personally guarantee that every single person is rewarded generously.”

Yu Jia concluded the arrangement with absolute precision and finality.

She operated essentially as the direct voice of Baek Jinwoo.

Consequently, her words carried the exact weight of a decree from the guild master himself.

“A single ton of refined gold…… That translates to one hundred billion won. That is an astronomical fortune in itself.”

Hwang Juwon nodded in complete agreement.

“Exactly. If it weren’t for the guild master, our squad wouldn’t have even survived past the opening brackets, let alone conquered the entire international tournament.”

“We have absolutely no objections!”

Not a single person in the room voiced even a hint of discontent.

If anything, their hearts were overflowing with profound appreciation.

He had gathered an unproven group of low-tier players, provided them with rigorous training, fed them, housed them, practically handed them legendary accolades on a silver platter, and topped it all off with unimaginable financial bonuses!

Anyone harboring grievances under these circumstances would be utterly devoid of a conscience.

Furthermore.

The guild master had already signaled his intentions to aggressively expand the roster with new recruits.

If I cause friction now, I will find myself instantly dropped from the upcoming international squad.

What happens if he decides to withdraw his invaluable tactical guidance?

Maintaining absolute alignment with his goals was paramount.

They possessed every incentive to remain fiercely dedicated to the hierarchy of the SKY guild.

Because no competitive edge lasted indefinitely.

This international tournament had driven home a stark reality.

Their independent combat capabilities were still desperately lacking on the global stage.

If they hoped to ascend any higher from this point forward, the direct mentorship of Baek Jinwoo and the training of Drill Sarge were completely non-negotiable.

“That brings an official end to our strategic debriefing!”

Tap!

The moment Yu Jia neatly stacked the paperwork together—

Ding-dong!

The chime of the luxury suite’s doorbell echoed through the room.

“Oh? Who could that be?”

Yu Jia stepped across the room to unlatch the entrance. An external coordinator leaned in and murmured a quiet message.

Giving a brief nod, she turned her gaze back toward Baek Jinwoo.

“Jinwoo.”

“What’s up?”

“Rachel has requested an audience with you before our flight departs. Are you open to a quick meeting?”

Rachel?

Ah, that’s right.

He had explicitly given his word that he would greet her properly before leaving the venue, hadn’t he?