Chapter 129

Chapter 129: I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

Maintaining a positive connection with Rachel wasn’t a terrible prospect for Baek Jinwoo.

While no one could predict what would happen after the rankings shifted, he currently held the title of the globe’s top player. Furthermore, Rachel was an incredibly powerful competitor who commanded three distinct S-rank summons. Above all, she held him in high regard. She respected his strength and fought fiercely in matches, yet she never showed any desire to become his adversary.

During their clash in the tournament finals, Baek Jinwoo had sensed that disposition clearly. Keeping her as an ally seemed like a wise choice.

Rachel had requested an exclusive meeting with him, intentionally excluding the other members of the Five Emperors to speak only with Baek Jinwoo.

“Is this where we’re meeting?”

Following the directions he was given, he arrived in front of a lavish estate. It was a stunning three-story villa framed by expansive, manicured gardens. A single red rose decorated the entryway sign, confirming the property belonged to the Red Rose organization.

Step.

As he walked up to the entrance, the front door unlatched and swung inward. Simultaneously—

“You actually showed up? Come on in.”

A blonde woman stepped into view, gripping a liquor bottle in her left hand while gesturing toward him with her right.

Baek Jinwoo offered a relaxed smile. “Starting on the alcohol in the middle of the day?”

“Oh, please…” Rachel let out a dry, incredulous laugh. “I got beaten so thoroughly that I was left completely speechless. Can you blame me for needing a drink?”

Baek Jinwoo gave a brief shrug, and she gestured for him to step inside the villa.

“Make yourself at home. This is the first time we’ve actually sat down to converse face-to-face in nine years, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

The realization washed over him once more. His history with Rachel stretched back much further than most would guess. Back during their days in Battle of Summoners, the built-in automatic translation allowed them to converse seamlessly just like this. Out of all the Five Emperors, Rachel was the person he had interacted with the most.

Glug, glug!

Rachel seemed genuinely frustrated, tipping the bottle back to drink straight from the opening. Despite that, she showed no signs of intoxication. It appeared her tolerance for alcohol was higher than he anticipated, or perhaps the drink itself was simply weak.

“Haaah… So, did you receive your rewards for winning the MVP title?”

“The S-rank one?”

“Yeah. It caught you off guard, didn’t it?”

“Definitely. Usually, summoning even a single S-rank over a ten-year period is considered a miracle.”

“Seriously, it’s just ridiculous. You were already an absolute powerhouse, and now you’re adding another S-rank summon to your roster on top of everything else. It’s almost unfair.”

Rachel continued her playful complaints for a moment before gesturing to a nearby spot.

“Take a look at this.”

She indicated the table situated in the center of the room, where a solitary piece of paper had been placed.

“What am I looking at?”

“A financial note backed by the Bank of England.”

“A promissory note?”

“That’s right. It’s the payout from your casino wagers. You really cleaned up this time, didn’t you? You’re a master fighter, an incredible actor, and apparently an expert gambler as well.”

Ah. Right. He had almost forgotten about the earnings from the casino.

“Your 11 billion wagered at a 75.36x return rate technically equals 829.96 billion won, but they decided to adjust the total up to an even one trillion won. Go ahead and take it.”

“…They actually increased the payout beyond what I won?”

“Yes. You did eliminate those terrorists during the casino crisis, after all. You can view this as compensation for your assistance. Besides, the leadership in England understands they have everything to gain by keeping you happy. Especially after you completely dominated me on a global stage… Ugh.”

“…”

When Baek Jinwoo merely observed her without giving a response, Rachel rubbed the back of her neck.

“Tch! Regardless! I mainly reached out because I wanted to see you. We’ve been acquainted for such a long time, but we’ve never had the chance to properly greet each other in person until now, right?”

Rachel drained the absolute last drops from her bottle, set it aside, and reached out toward him. She offered a firm handshake.

It was intriguing. Rachel had a reputation for being incredibly poised and disciplined, yet meeting her in private revealed a remarkably relaxed personality. For context, Rachel was twenty-seven… actually, since the calendar had flipped to the new year, she was now twenty-eight. She was the exact same age as Baek Jinwoo.

“Yeah. It’s good to finally meet you.”

He reached out and took her hand.

Their discussion ended up lasting much longer than either had anticipated. They shared stories of past events, hammered out the specific terms of their blood alliance, and watched the hours slip away unnoticed.

Eventually, the mood shifted. Rachel’s demeanor grew noticeably intent.

“By the way.” She locked eyes with him. “Four years ago… you managed to conquer Floor 100 of the Tower of Trials, didn’t you?”

“Back then, everyone knew you had reached Floor 99, but then you completely vanished from the scene after mentioning you were targeting Floor 100.”

It seemed she hadn’t received confirmation until now. The notification regarding the successful conquest of Floor 100 of the Tower of Trials must have been visible only to him.

Still, it wasn’t a secret he felt the need to guard.

“Yeah, I managed to clear it.”

“I knew my instincts were right. Tell me, is that the reason our entire reality transformed?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t have proof, it’s just a theory. Think about it—it’s incredibly bizarre. Why would a video game we used to play suddenly manifest as our actual world? There has to be a driving force behind it all.”

…

He couldn’t deny her logic. That was the exact question an army of academics was currently trying to solve. Why had reality shifted in this manner? Up to this point, no one had discovered a concrete explanation. It remained one of the greatest mysteries humanity desperately needed to unravel.

“My money is on the Tower of Trials being the source of everything,” Rachel stated firmly. “In the grand scheme of things, the tournament outcomes don’t really matter. Winning a championship is great, sure, but the true value lies in using those tournament rewards to push higher into the Tower of Trials.”

“So your theory is that a grand secret is waiting at the summit?”

“Exactly. I can’t say what form it takes, but something monumental has to be up there, right?”

Baek Jinwoo nodded in agreement. Her perspective made sense. While Baek Jinwoo had been focused on elevating his strength to safeguard his loved ones, Rachel’s ambition was centered entirely on conquering the Tower of Trials.

In any case, the Tower of Trials was something he intended to fully conquer down the road regardless. He had achieved the feat once before, so there was no reason he couldn’t do it a second time. He just needed to unlock the Devour technique first. Once that happened, he would obliterate every obstacle using Stormy.

“My primary objective is simply making it to Floor 100 of the Tower of Trials. The rest of the group doesn’t share my view, but I’m convinced that humanity has to conquer that place if we want to maintain control of our destiny.”

The rest of the group? Was she referring to her comrades in Red Rose, or the other members of the Five Emperors?

Since he wanted clarity, he asked directly. “Who exactly are you referring to?”

“The Five Emperors.” Rachel’s expression darkened as she spoke.

That was unexpected. He had assumed the elite players maintained an amicable relationship, but it appeared there was underlying internal conflict. Then again, it wasn’t as if every single Emperor blindly took cues from Rachel. Their interactions were born entirely out of practical necessity, nothing more.

“MoscowMan is particularly resistant to any kind of disruption. He prefers to avoid unnecessary danger and cling to the existing balance of power. He likely views my attempts to scale the Tower with resentment, believing my actions could plunge all of us into far worse perils.”

Ah. The pieces were falling into place.

Rachel had a specific question she wanted to pose to him. The real reason she had bypassed the other members of the Five Emperors to schedule this private meeting was to ask this very thing.

“Baek Jinwoo.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you intend to conquer the Tower of Trials?”

His response was immediate and certain. “Most likely. Eventually.”

With their commitments in London completely finished, the representatives of the national squad boarded their private aircraft to head back to South Korea. To avoid the massive throngs of supporters that would inevitably block their path if the arrival schedule went public, the plane touched down quietly at a secure military base, allowing the team to slip back into Yubaek City completely undetected.

The following morning in South Korea arrived with a sudden announcement.

Ding!

[The final calculations have been completed.]

[Based on the accumulated performance metrics from the past year and the official outcomes of the World League, both global and domestic leaderboards are undergoing recalculation!]

[The updated placements will be displayed on the Player Zone 「record board」!]

The moment the global community had been eagerly anticipating had finally arrived as the new leaderboard positions began rolling out worldwide. In South Korea, the refresh of the record board was traditionally broadcast as a live television event. This practice wasn’t unique to their country; the vast majority of nations were broadcasting the exact same phenomenon.

The global rankings would display the top 100 players.

The domestic rankings would similarly display the top 100 players.

The system began revealing the placements in reverse order, starting from the 100th spot on the global list. Whether this was designed to generate maximum suspense or served a different functional purpose, the board unveiled the names one by one, climbing up from the bottom.

Every major news outlet had positioned their premiere broadcasters on-site to handle the live transmission. Rows of television cameras were focused intently on the massive display.

• “Good morning, viewers! The excitement from our recent league victory is still pulsing through the air, and the atmosphere on the ground here is absolutely electric! Capitalizing on that massive energy, we are bringing you live coverage of the global player rankings! How drastically will the recent tournament shake up the hierarchy of the world’s elite? The entire planet is watching this unfold live!”

Inside Yubaek City, the guild members had selected a broadcast to follow the event. The comprehensive display of the record board filled a massive projector screen, featuring a female broadcaster holding her microphone tightly as she prepared for the upcoming text to manifest.

“Alright, everyone, line up and take a seat!”

“Hurry up, the broadcast is starting!”

“Oh, Ari, you made it inside? Come grab a spot over here, dear!”

Upon their arrival back home, the initial reunions with loved ones had already concluded. Baek Jinwoo had spent time checking in with his mother and father, who were overflowing with immense pride. They were still so utterly shocked by the monumental achievements of their son that they could scarcely wrap their heads around the reality of it all.

“Look, our esteemed Jinwoo-nim has arrived!”

“We watched every single match of the tournament. Your performance was breathtaking!”

A few of the more outgoing relatives of the guild members stepped forward to greet him warmly. Even in their friendly interactions, there was a noticeable air of deep respect and caution. His status had risen to a level that naturally made him a highly imposing figure.

“Haha, I appreciate the kind words,” Baek Jinwoo replied with a warm grin before sliding into an empty seat.

The unveiling of the rankings functioned as a massive celebration for the community, carrying an energy very similar to the tournament itself.

• “We are kicking off the reveal with the 100th spot on the global leaderboard!”

The darkened surface of the record board featured slots numbered sequentially from 1 down to 100. Suddenly, a specific name and nationality materialized right next to the final position.

[World Ranking #100: Ishii Makoto (Japan)]

Wow. So that was the presentation format. Baek Jinwoo tracked the unfolding text with genuine fascination. This marked the very first time he was experiencing an official ranking update firsthand.

The new placements manifested at a steady pace of roughly one name every ten seconds.

[World Ranking #99: Ninomiya Atsuto (Japan)]

Two consecutive placements for Japan.

• “Incredible! Another entry from Japan! Both of these individuals were renowned powerhouses who had been sitting right on the cusp of breaking into the international brackets! As of the previous term, Makoto held the 6th position domestically while Atsuto was sitting at 5th! Now, they have stepped onto the global stage shoulder-to-shoulder as recognized titans!”

Ah, so that was how the progression worked. The audience remained locked onto the screen, tracking every single update with intense focus. The collective curiosity of the viewers centered primarily around two critical questions:

1. Would any of South Korea’s elite players manage to secure a spot within the global top 100? If so, what was the total count?

2. What specific position would Baek Jinwoo claim on the board?

Those two data points were undoubtedly the primary focus of the entire civilian population. Meanwhile, the ledger continued its steady roll.

[World Ranking #98: Greg Kerr (America)]

[World Ranking #97: Jaylen Brown (America)]

The American competitors occupied the list up through the 97th position. Those specific individuals had previously occupied the 9th and 10th domestic ranks within the United States. Having crossed paths with them during the tournament’s semifinal brackets, the names were immediately recognizable to Baek Jinwoo. He kept his focus trained securely on the shifting text.

[World Ranking #96: Hobson de Piris (Brazil)]

[World Ranking #95: Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh)]

[World Ranking #94: Tsuprang Arikun (Thailand)]

[World Ranking #93: Kevin Diaur (France)]

[World Ranking #92: Pusala Kadu (India)]

The list had cleared down to the 92nd position. While none of these specific names were personally familiar to Baek Jinwoo, every single entry represented an individual who was easily considered a top-five asset within their respective territories.

Then, as the next ten-second interval concluded, the display shifted once more.

[World Ranking #91: Hwang Juwon (South Korea)]

Finally, a domestic competitor’s name flashed onto the display.

“Wait, what?!”

“Hold on a second!”

“Is that actually Juwon Hyungnim?!”

The appearance of the familiar Korean script on the global leaderboard caused every single guild member in the room to instantly leap out of their chairs. From every corner of the facility, massive roars of astonishment and cheering reverberated throughout Yubaek City.

“Are you seeing this?!”

“Juwon Hyungnim has officially broken into the international rankings? He’s a global titan?!”

“YEAAAAAH!”

Out of everyone present, no one was more utterly dumbfounded by the development than Hwang Juwon himself.

“I… matching up against the world?”

He had consistently been viewed as one of the least powerful combatants among the active guild roster, yet he had successfully broken into the global top 100. If he had made the cut, what did that imply for the remaining core members of the guild? Did it mean the entire inner circle had secured a spot on the international board? Could that actually be true?

• “Oh goodness! A-Am I seeing this correctly?! Hwang Juwon! South Korea’s very own Hwang Juwon has successfully breached the global rankings! At the close of last year’s cycle, Hwang Juwon was positioned at number 8 domestically! UNBELIEVABLE!”

Fueled by the anchor’s ecstatic commentary, the room erupted into a full-blown frenzy of celebration once again.