Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Player HQ.

Councilman Park Changseok’s office.

“Councilman! Councilman!”

His secretary burst into the room.

“This is massive! You need to check the news right away!”

“I have already.”

Park Changseok remained seated at his desk, staring at a barrage of headlines flashing across his phone screen.

[South Korea Dominates Consecutive Tuesday Dungeon Records! The Genius Behind It? HQ’s Own Yaksha, Councilman Park Changseok.]

[Councilman Park Changseok: ‘Acquired Rare Strategy Data Overseas for Next to Nothing’]

[The Elite HQ Rankers Formed by Park Changseok! Are They Setting Their Sights on a World Record Next? Citizens Burst with Pride.]

Objectively, it wasn’t the most staggering achievement in the world.

Yet, the public was losing its collective mind over it.

They had been starving for a triumph exactly like this.

Good grief.

South Korea was suddenly in a position to contest a global record!

— The nation that always sits at the bottom of the rankings!

— The massive national wealth disparity caused by a lack of high-ranking perks!

— A country known as a total wasteland for summoners!

After enduring endless blows to their collective dignity day in and day out, how many years had it been since they received news this spectacular?

The name Baek Jinwoo—the individual who had briefly set online forums ablaze after claiming the initial record—was completely wiped from public memory.

Every ounce of attention was now directed squarely at Park Changseok.

He had become widely recognized as the mastermind orchestrating this historic milestone.

“This… every bit of this strategy originated from Baek Jinwoo, didn’t it? That kid who has only been playing the game for a single year…”

The secretary inquired in a hushed tone.

It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots.

After all.

Park Changseok had recently established a brand-new Talent Management Team, reassigning three of his most capable subordinates to oversee it.

Secretary Kim Byeongjin, staff member Yu Jia, and staff member Hwang Taeseop.

These three represented the absolute pinnacle of HQ’s administrative elite.

To put it bluntly, the Talent Management Team was built for the sole purpose of catering to Baek Jinwoo.

A specialized squad ready to drop everything and move the second he reached out to them.

As of right now, their entire workload consisted of finding legal loopholes to drain the massive surplus of low-grade summoning scrolls rotting away in the national vault.

“Correct. This outcome has solidified my resolve. For the remainder of my political career, I intend to throw my full support behind Baek Jinwoo.”

Park Changseok declared with absolute certainty.

He had spent decades navigating the political and corporate landscape.

He could read a person just by observing Baek Jinwoo’s posture and expressions.

It was the unshakeable composure of a man who held infinite leverage. Only an individual sitting on an absolute mountain of forbidden data could carry themselves with that level of casual confidence.

Moving forward, Park Changseok’s directive was simple.

Provide the boy with whatever he desires, and extract that invaluable data piece by piece.

A flawless mutual partnership.

“Byeongjin.”

“Yes, Councilman?”

“What is Baek Jinwoo occupied with at this exact moment?”

“He appears to still be unsealing summoning scrolls.”

“…Still?”

“Yes, sir. He requested another massive delivery earlier today.”

Ha.

He truly burns through every single one within twenty-four hours?

Is a human being even capable of such a feat?

What is his angle, though?

The vast majority of D-rank summons were utterly useless and commanded zero market value. Anything capable of turning a profit required a C-rank baseline at the very least.

“He isn’t trying to flip these summons on the open market, is he?”

“No, our data shows he is feeding them all into the fusion system. We have verified his presence at the synthesis lab every single evening.”

“Incredible.”

The synthesis lab.

It was a known mechanic where players sacrificed unwanted summons to pump experience points into a primary target.

However, it was notoriously wasteful.

Clearing even a standard dungeon would provide a significantly higher return on experience than grinding through that mountain of paper.

“Furthermore, he did drop an interesting comment.”

“What did he say?”

Park Changseok’s interest was instantly piqued.

“He inquired if it would be permissible to inject 150 million won of his own funds to purchase an even larger volume of low-grade summoning scrolls.”

“…Pardon?”

Park Changseok was completely stunned.

Unbelievable.

Ripping through ten thousand sheets a day wasn’t satisfying him, so he wanted to scale up the operation?

“He did request a bulk discount rather than paying retail value… so we informed him we would review the logistics.”

What could he possibly be hunting for?

Was there a hidden gem buried within the F to D-rank pool that he absolutely required for his build?

If that were the case, the astronomical volume he had already processed should have yielded it weeks ago.

Regardless.

The fact that he was immediately re-investing the 150 million he had just pocketed proved how hyper-focused he was on this objective.

“How would you like to handle this? Approaching the Management Office is a bit delicate. They are already giving us pushback regarding the sheer volume of inventory we are pulling from the vaults.”

“Low-grade summoning scrolls are nothing but dead weight cluttering up our warehouse space anyway. We might as well clear the shelves.”

“So… we approve the discounted rate?”

“Slash the price in half and give them to him.”

The secretary’s jaw dropped.

He was acutely aware of just how high the stakes were.

A councilman was a public servant.

Every bureaucratic maneuver carried immense risk.

If an auditor discovered he was utilizing state assets to grant an unprecedented, highly subsidized benefit to a private citizen, it would become immediate ammunition for his political rivals.

“Relax, Byeongjin.”

Park Changseok offered a knowing grin, easily reading the anxiety plastered across his assistant’s face.

Because this apparent risk IS the ultimate political maneuver.

Down the line, Baek Jinwoo has the potential to become the crown jewel of South Korea’s vanguard.

When the public eventually learns that I went to bat for him, braving bureaucratic red tape and personal risk to fuel his growth?

I will be hailed as a visionary leader with unmatched intuition, and that narrative will secure my reelection for years to come.

Spinning a story of that nature was second nature to an old pro like Park Changseok.

“Execute the order as stated. And remember—this remains strictly classified. Nobody outside of you, Jia, and Taeseop breathes a word of this.”

“…Understood, sir. I will see to it immediately.”

Riiip, riiip!

The endless echo of tearing parchment had begun to ring in his ears like an incessant hum.

Ten thousand sheets daily translated to seventy thousand over the course of a week.

Baek Jinwoo had been shredding them with rhythmic precision for nearly half a month now.

He hadn’t even set foot inside his family home during that stretch.

Instead, he had secured a lease on a small apartment right on the perimeter of the Player Zone.

A cozy, two-room flat spanning sixteen pyeong—not overly luxurious, but far from cheap. It was the ideal setup.

Time to establish my own domain.

He was currently raking in upwards of 100 million won a week.

Creeping back to his parents’ house in the dead of night, collapsing into bed for a few hours, and living off their hospitality while clearing that kind of cash felt entirely inappropriate.

— Jinwoooo… my soul is leaving my body.

On this day as well, Baek Jinwoo unsealed the final sheet of his ten thousand daily allotment in the secluded clearing and stretched his stiff muscles.

— I need a pastry… a sugar rush…!

Paying no mind to Ramba’s pathetic whimpering, he made a straight line for the synthesis lab.

Three years prior.

Concurrently with the Jamsil Tower’s sudden metamorphosis into the Tower of Trials, a massive corporate building nearby had been completely repurposed into a centralized synthesis facility.

The interior housed roughly five hundred individual chambers, with each room acting as a private, state-of-the-art fusion booth.

The entire operation fell under the strict jurisdiction of headquarters.

“Your ticket number is 125.”

The estimated waiting interval was roughly five minutes.

He bided his time in the queue, eventually making his way into a designated room on the third level, where a complex glowing array was etched into the center of the floor.

[Welcome to the synthesis facility!]

[Begin upgrading your summons now!]

“Ramba, take your position.”

— Jinwoo! You better keep your eyes open and focus!

“Relax.”

Summon fusion demanded absolute precision.

A single lapse in concentration, a stray click that accidentally designated Ramba as the sacrifice material, and his entire build would be permanently ruined.

Baek Jinwoo designated the primary recipient as ‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank), then systematically loaded the sacrificial summons into the glowing array one after another.

[Initiate fusion sequence?]

“Confirm.”

FLASH!

A blinding pillar of light erupted from the array, completely vaporizing the fodder summons.

[Fusion sequence complete!]

[‘Fire Salamander’ (F-rank) has been utilized as enhancement material.]

[‘Blue Bat’ (F-rank) has been utilized as enhancement material.]

[‘Poison Goblin’ (E-rank) has been utilized as enhancement material.]

……

A torrent of system notifications cascaded down his vision.

[‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) has progressed to level 21.]

[‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) Intelligence attribute has risen by 2.]

Ramba had finally scraped her way to level 21.

Only 21? You have got to be kidding me.

The returns were abysmally low.

Two solid weeks of effort. Nearly 140,000 sentient entities ground into raw data, and she had barely breached the twenties.

The level cap sat at 100.

The required experience curve scaled exponentially with every single milestone.

To push her to level 22 would likely demand a sacrifice equal to the entire mountain of scrolls he had already processed up to this point.

It didn’t matter.

He remained unfazed.

As he had reasoned initially, this was merely a massive inventory liquidation process.

The following morning.

True to form, Baek Jinwoo was parked right back in the abandoned lot, methodically tearing through his daily supply.

Roughly an hour into his routine, footsteps crunched on the gravel behind him.

Huh?

Typically, it was that administrative assistant, Kim Byeongjin, who dropped off the standard morning freight of ten thousand low-grade summoning scrolls.

He had already signed for that shipment hours ago, meaning this shouldn’t be anyone from the standard HQ delivery loop.

Then again…

The newcomer was sporting an official HQ identification lanyard.

“Greetings. I believe this is our first face-to-face meeting? I am Yu Jia, representing the headquarters team.”

“Ah, hello.”

Ramba, who had been blabbing without pause a second ago, went dead silent the instant the unfamiliar woman walked into view.

Baek Jinwoo paused his hands mid-motion, rose to his feet, and brushed off his clothes.

“What can I do for you?”

“I am here regarding the bulk procurement of summoning scrolls you requested during your last consultation.”

“Ah.”

Baek Jinwoo’s expression sharpened with interest.

Perfect.

Since the drop rates were being stubborn, he had made the conscious decision to dramatically ramp up his volume.

Was he losing sleep over burning 150 million won?

Money comes and goes. With his knowledge, he could generate that capital tenfold whenever he saw fit.

At this stage, aggressive self-investment was the only logical path forward.

“The standard government-mandated price for a low-grade scroll sits at 5,000 won. I assume you are familiar with the baseline?”

“Yes, I am aware. Regarding that… as I mentioned to your colleague, if there was any room for corporate negotiation on a bulk order…”

“Haha, precisely. We conducted an internal review, and taking your immense contributions to the state into account, Mr. Baek, our department has authorized this 150 million won allocation to be distributed to you at a flat fifty percent discount.”

“Oh, seriously?”

This had Park Changseok’s fingerprints all over it.

This was a massive development.

At a slashed rate of 2,500 won per unit, 150 million won netted him an astronomical 60,000 sheets!

His daily output was about to skyrocket.

“Furthermore…”

Yu Jia hesitated for a fraction of a second before lowering her voice.

“Our division managed to clear an additional 100 million won allocation out of the ‘Talent Management Expenses’ reserve fund.”

Are you kidding me?

No way.

That translated to an extra 40,000 sheets out of thin air, bringing his grand total for the day to 100,000?

“Naturally, we must request that this transaction remains entirely between us…”

“Oh, without a doubt.”

That went entirely without saying.

“I am the sole beneficiary of an unprecedented bureaucratic favor here. I have zero incentive to go around broadcasting it to the world.”

“And we hope you recognize that this gesture is extended to solidify a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership between yourself and our administration.”

“Haha, absolutely. Message received loud and clear.”

A textbook political play.

More importantly, he could clearly read the underlying desperation in Park Changseok’s maneuvering.

The politician was practically begging to make himself indispensable to Jinwoo’s future, by any means necessary.

How deeply dedicated.

Baek Jinwoo saw no reason not to graciously accept the man’s calculated generosity.

Along with the massive haul of 100,000 summoning scrolls.

— Jinwoo.

“What’s up?”

— Exactly how many more days are we going to endure this torture?

“Until the system gives up Drill Instructor and Storm Dragon Sorcerer.”

‘Drill Sarge’ was his internal shorthand for the legendary Drill Instructor, and ‘Storm Sorc’ referred to the mythical Storm Dragon Sorcerer.

— NOOOO! If my ears register the sound of tearing paper one more time, my brain is going to short-circuit!

There was no alternative route.

Had they never embarked on this tedious grind in the first place, that would be one thing. But having invested this much capital and sweat equity, they were locked in until sheer momentum carried them across the finish line.

He had already obliterated the initial 100,000 sheets dropped off by the team.

He was currently burning through the remaining embers of his standard ten-thousand-pack from this morning.

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon. A heavy darkness settled over the empty lot.

Grumble!

His stomach was screaming for sustenance, but halting the operation wasn’t an option.

— You are a literal PSYCHOPATH! A terrifying, relentless psychopath!

“Yeah, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that definition.”

Regardless of what the casual player base thought of his methods, when it came to the mechanics of Battle of Summoners, he was an absolute, unhinged perfectionist by any metric.

During his academic years, he likely hadn’t allowed himself more than five hours of sleep a night.

[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ has summoned ‘White Serpent’ (F-rank)!]

[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ has summoned ‘Giant Rhinoceros Beetle’ (F-rank)!]

Come on.

Just give it to me already.

He wasn’t even asking for the other EX-rank units in the database.

Drill Instructor. Storm Dragon Sorcerer.

Just those specific two. That was the entire checklist.

To be perfectly frank, the rest of the pool?

They were entirely superfluous to his strategy.

Securing just that specific duo would turn his ascent to the absolute apex of the global leaderboards into an inevitability.

Granted, navigating the leveling process would require some time.

Baek Jinwoo operated like a machine.

A literal conveyor belt of unsealing parchment.

And so, the hours bled away into the night.

KA-KRAKOOM!

The sudden discharge of static electricity arcing over the torn paper was completely distinct from anything he had witnessed over the past weeks.

BZZZZZT!

An immense cluster of lightning tendrils manifested, violently striking the ground in a brilliant, radiant gold hue.

— Wh-what is happening?!

Ramba recoiled in sheer panic, while Baek Jinwoo’s pupils dilated to the size of saucers.

That visual—

It was the exact same atmospheric anomaly that had heralded the arrival of the Wind Fairy!

YES!

Finally!

[‘Low-grade summoning scroll’ has been consumed!]

[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ has successfully obtained the summon ‘Storm Dragon Sorcerer’ (EX-rank)!]

“LET’S GOOOOO!”

Baek Jinwoo roared at the top of his lungs before his conscious mind could even process the action.

— KYAAAAAAAH!

Ramba began executing ecstatic mid-air flips, completely losing her composure from pure joy.

It wasn’t a dream?

It was real.

The theoretical math was sound—if a player maintained a brutal, unyielding volume of attempts, an EX-rank anomaly would eventually force its way through the drop table.

Storm Dragon!

His personal Storm Dragon Sorcerer!

The sheer weight of the anxiety he had been carrying over the past weeks was staggering.

What if his memories were flawed?

What if Ramba was a singular, one-of-a-kind EX-rank glitch in this reality?

Every single ounce of that suffocating dread vanished in a fraction of a second.

“No.”

He couldn’t afford to break his rhythm yet.

— Jinwoo?

“We are riding the wave.”

He needed to keep pulling immediately, striking while the iron was white-hot.

“Hot streak timing.”

The hot streak.

A classic gamer superstition referring to ‘the window of maximum luck’—Baek Jinwoo’s deep-seated belief that the moment the system registers a high-tier drop, cycling through additional scrolls in rapid, explosive succession maximizes the chance of overlapping success.

“HRAAAAGH! WE GO AGAIN! PUSH THROUGH THE REST!”

— TEAR THEM TO PIECES!

Unleashing primal war cries, he shredded the remaining stack of scrolls like a hurricane tearing through a forest.

And then, precisely 300 sheets later.

KA-KA-KRAAAKOOOM!

[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ has successfully obtained the summon ‘Drill Instructor’ (EX-rank)!]

Unbelievable.

The absolute legend had actually manifested.

— Is… is this reality?!

Ramba’s jaw dropped so low it looked as though it might detach from her face entirely.

“OH MY GOD!”

The exact millisecond his eyes registered the system text for the Drill Instructor, Baek Jinwoo’s legs gave out, and he collapsed flat onto his back against the earth.

It was over!

After all that grueling effort!

They were finally mine……

An absolute tidal wave of dopamine didn’t just spark in his brain—it completely flooded his central nervous system, drowning him in pure euphoria.

God, this feeling!

He could literally leave this world right now without a single regret.

Yes, THIS exact psychological high was the entire reason humanity fell victim to the gacha!