Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Another pair of days slipped away.

Ultimately, it required the consumption of all thirteen supreme-grade rune selection tickets before every last arrangement was fully finalized.

“Whew.”

Baek Jinwoo squeezed his fist tightly and released a breath filled with sheer exhilaration.

Reflections of his past experiences washed over him.

Back then, he had played strictly without spending a dime.

He had grinded like a lunatic just to secure a single endgame graduation rune.

Economizing and hoarding every scrap of material, scraping desperately by just to force his way upward.

But what about the present?

Every single obstacle could be swept aside with wealth.

Investing money to secure victory truly was on a completely different level.

He had previously scoured the globe like a man possessed, and now he had simply bulldozed through the remainder with cold, hard cash.

Currency truly reigned supreme.

[Wind Fairy – Lightspeed]

[Drill Instructor – Trinity]

[Storm Dragon Sorcerer – Blaze Emperor]

[Little Giant – Resolve]

[Dhampir – Exploit]

[Gale Slaughterer – Annihilation]

[Rune Dwarf – Master Craftsman]

[Aso – Trinity]

Just like that.

Every single graduation rune sat perfectly in its slot, and to top it off, he had utilized Universal Abrasives to maximize every attribute via polishing.

A total of 156 Universal Abrasives had been consumed for this process, but that was of no consequence.

He had accumulated a stockpile of 259 of them.

Even after exhausting what was required, a surplus of 103 remained untouched.

Naturally, the level of every individual rune had been pushed to its absolute Max.

Therefore, for the first time in quite a while—

Why not inspect the specific status of each rune?

[Rune]

[Rank: Supreme-grade (Rare)]

– Capped at 100 units across the globe.

[Set Effect: Lightspeed]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Increases attack velocity by 300%.

– If the summoned entity wields a staff, attack velocity is boosted by an additional 200%.

[Level: Max]

[Attribute Enhancement]

STR +36%, INT +36%, VIT +36%, AGI +36%, Crit Rate +10%, Crit Damage +40%

This belonged to Ramba’s Lightspeed rune configuration.

A staggering 500% bonus to attack velocity!

She had been utilizing this specific setup since his earlier days, so he could skim past it without delay.

[Rank: Supreme-grade (Unique)]

– Capped at 10 units across the globe.

[Set Effect: Trinity]

– Equipping 6 pieces: All attributes enhanced by 1,000%, health pool expanded by 20,000.

– 2 supplementary attribute slots unlocked

STR +48%, INT +48%, VIT +48%, AGI +48%, Crit Rate +20%, Crit Damage +60%

Moving forward, the Trinity rune!

Both Aso and Drill Sarge were outfitted with these.

An item that technically should only exist in ten copies across the entire world, yet due to Rune Dwarf’s entirely broken capability, twelve distinct copies had been brought into reality.

It was, pure and simple, the undisputed pinnacle rune within the entire game.

In particular—

Drill Sarge had been profoundly gratified when Aso finally had this rune set assigned to him.

It appeared as though the lingering trace of remorse he had been harboring had at last been dissolved. In a certain light, he truly was… a fundamentally decent fellow.

Moving along!

[Set Effect: Blaze Emperor]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Fire-element offensive power boosted by 1,200%, health pool expanded by 15,000.

– If the summoned entity wields a staff, ability cooldown periods are compressed by 20%.

INT +60%, VIT +60%, Crit Rate +20%, Crit Damage +100%

Incredible.

This stood as Stormy’s ultimate graduation rune!

The Blaze Emperor.

A configuration that was, to be perfectly candid, completely mind-blowing.

With all six pieces active, her Crit Rate reached a spectacular 120%, soaring right past the standard 100% threshold.

Her Crit Damage rested at a jaw-dropping 600%.

And beyond that, the destructive power of Dragon Burst, which was already utterly cataclysmic, received an additional 1,200% surge?

Dismiss the title Blaze Emperor. This was a Blaze GOD.

Even when accounting for the fact that he had coated every single piece with Universal Abrasives, the resulting output defied description.

Shall the inspection continue?

[Set Effect: Annihilation]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Damage output surged by 2,000% within PVP functionality, damage output surged by 1,000% within standard functionality. Health pool expanded by 10,000.

– Persistently preserves an ‘Invisible’ status throughout engagement.

STR +48%, VIT +48%, AGI +48%, Crit Damage +120%

Oh, absolutely magnificent!

This represented Rolly’s personal graduation rune: Annihilation.

An item that was utterly broken in the realm of PVP!

The 2,000% damage enhancement stood as the single greatest numeric value across every rune currently in existence.

Furthermore, because the unseen state was sustained indefinitely, there was zero requirement for Crit Rate whatsoever.

Striking from the shadows automatically guaranteed a critical hit with a 100% probability.

In all honesty, this exact rune set was the primary reason Rolly had been completely wiped from the game’s roster in the past.

Inflicting area-of-effect damage while remaining entirely unseen, and having those strikes land with greater force than single-target offensive summons? S-rank summons were reduced to ribbons in a solitary flash!

Furthermore.

It functioned with equal excellence within the boundaries of the Tower of Trials.

The supplementary damage scaling in standard mode was every bit as preposterous.

That accounted for all the Unique-tier runes he had spent so much grueling effort pursuing.

What remained?

Let us review Rune Dwarf’s Master Craftsman set initially.

[Set Effect: Master Craftsman]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Production success probability elevated by 25%.

STR +134%, INT +98%

This particular layout was straightforward.

It featured merely two attributes, precisely tailored to what was required.

A definitive graduation rune for a production-focused class, utilized solely for that 25% production success probability surge. A dignified setup for a dedicated worker.

Next up!

The end was rapidly approaching.

Merely a pair remained.

Resolve and Exploit.

The specific items that Olivia had delivered into his hands.

The very enhancements that transformed LG and Dhampir into the most fundamentally broken entities imaginable!

Let us begin with LG’s Resolve setup.

[Set Effect: Resolve]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Health pool expanded by 100,000, mana pool expanded by 100,000.

– If active abilities are categorized as passive, their overall efficacy is amplified by 100%.

STR +48%, VIT +48%, HP +60%, MP +60%

A traditional health-stacking vanguard rune set.

However, the critical element?

This specific property right here.

LG commanded a pair of skills.

– Indomitable: Reclaims 20% of sustained damage as health replenishment.

– Magic Absorption: Reclaims 20% of sustained damage as mana replenishment.

Passive abilities that converted incoming aggression directly into vitality and energy. And those core values had just been multiplied by two.

In addition, with that gargantuan health pool, LG by himself was already completely unfair.

Now, layer a Dhampir equipped with the Exploit rune directly alongside that?

An absolute, devastatingly broken combination.

Let us inspect the Exploit rune properties.

[Set Effect: Exploit]

– Equipping 6 pieces: Health pool expanded by 100,000.

– Siphon-category skill performance amplified by 500%.

STR +48%, INT +60%, VIT +60%, AGI +48%

Yet another vanguard rune set.

One designed explicitly to magnify Siphon-category performance.

And the catch?

The ability that Dhampir commanded was explicitly designated as Drain.

– Drain: Strips an ally’s mana reserves to act as a fuel source to restore both the targeted individual and the caster.

Utilizing LG’s massive mana pool to replenish both LG and Dhampir simultaneously, with that restorative output amplified by 500%?

Merely positioning the two of them at the vanguard transformed them into an immovable, indestructible bastion of a front-line pair.

Defenders who reconstituted themselves like immortal ghouls if you failed to obliterate them in a solitary strike.

There was no reason to overcomplicate the analysis.

One could simply assume they would remain entirely unfazed by any conventional assault.

Short of facing the cataclysmic breath of the Armageddon Dragon itself, they possessed the capacity to weather virtually anything.

“Concluded.”

Every single arrangement had reached completion.

Eight distinct summoned entities outfitted with their ultimate graduation runes, entirely upgraded to their absolute zenith.

The solitary remaining Rune Seal Document?

He simply converted it over to Stormy.

She would never have any reason to break the seal on her Blaze Emperor rune for the remainder of her existence.

Now.

The moment had arrived to fulfill his pledge to Olivia.

The 51st floor of the Tower of Trials.

Prior to testing his mettle against it, Baek Jinwoo departed to seek out his romantic partner, Yu Jia.

—

“Do not let yourself worry excessively.”

“…Even so, word is that Rachel was unable to make her return.”

A subtle undercurrent of anxiety brushed through Yu Jia’s words, though beneath that surface rested an unyielding devotion.

“Give me your oath.”

She extended her smallest finger toward him.

“You will only test yourself against the Tower of Trials when you possess absolute certainty that you can return to the living world, even if the absolute worst scenario unfolds.”

“Naturally.”

Baek Jinwoo linked his own small finger securely around hers.

“I have meticulously parsed through every remnant of past documentation, and losing one’s life on the 51st floor simply defies logic. Furthermore, I secured explosion parchments and the Scroll of Life during this round. All of my summons have their final graduation runes active. There is quite literally zero probability of a negative outcome.”

An unshakeable, solid assurance echoed through his speech.

Complete and total certainty!

Coupled with merely a microscopic trace of curiosity.

A minor riddle stemming from the reality that Rachel had not yet emerged.

“Very well. I place my belief in you.”

Yu Jia offered a supportive nod.

“On a separate note, did you transmit the captured footage over to PBC?”

“Yes. They were absolutely thrilled with it.”

“Truly?”

He had transferred the recordings the very moment he set foot back inside.

Predictably, the documentary staff at PBC had devoured every single file the split second they acquired them, communicating their massive approval directly to Yu Jia.

“Indeed. They are practically begging us to record the events of the 51st floor as well. Initially, we had settled on a 30% split of the earnings for the usage rights, correct? However, the moment they witnessed the quality of the footage, they immediately escalated that figure to 50% on the spot.”

“…That is an incredible adjustment.”

And in all truth, it was entirely logical.

Burst Dragon, Drill Sarge, Aso… every single one of them.

They had put on an absolute spectacle, obliterating every barrier in a breathtakingly cinematic manner.

“Excellent, simply request that they deliver the recording apparatus once more. Inform them that I am setting out within the hour.”

“Understood.”

If she conveyed to them that his departure was imminent and requested the tools?

They would race over as though their very existence hung in the balance.

“Oh, and another thing.”

Baek Jinwoo extended an item directly toward Yu Jia.

It was the Clear Sky Petroleum that had come into his possession during this cycle.

“Eh? For what reason are you handing this to me?”

Yu Jia tilted her gaze, visibly bewildered.

Was this not a resource she had secured specifically for his summoned entities to utilize?

“I am perfectly set now. You have been running yourself ragged managing the recruitment for the second-generation guild prospects. Utilize it as an incentive for them, or distribute it as performance bonuses for our founding members. Allocate it however you deem appropriate.”

“In whatever manner I please?”

“Precisely.”

Baek Jinwoo let a smile break across his features.

Yu Jia operated as the primary executive manager and held the reins of true administrative control whenever Baek Jinwoo was absent.

The solitary drawback was her relative deficit in raw power as an active player.

If he fortified that specific vulnerability with assets of this caliber?

She would naturally command a significantly higher degree of leverage.

Subordinates would exert far greater effort to remain within her good graces simply to secure a portion of that Clear Sky Petroleum.

Naturally, even without such incentives, the vast majority of the guild membership already held her in incredibly high esteem.

Even so, Baek Jinwoo desired to reinforce Yu Jia’s organizational standing to an even greater degree.

“In that case, I shall dismantle this objective swiftly and return before you know it. I will see you shortly.”

A brief embrace.

He looped a guiding arm around her waist, leaned forward to press a gentle kiss against her lips, and then—

Clack!

He pushed open the heavy window of the director’s personal quarters and plunged straight out.

SWIIISH!

Yu Jia tracked his rapid descent through the whistling currents of air and simply rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Honestly, I am constantly demanding that he refrain from pulling reckless stunts like that.”

She found herself unable to articulate the sensation.

There was no explicit justification, yet an uncomfortable ripple of foreboding nudged at the interior of her thoughts.

The reality that he was racing off so precipitously to a destination from which even an individual like Rachel had failed to return… it left a bitter taste.

Yet what options were available to her?

His determination was entirely set in stone.

Surely, nothing unfortunate will transpire.

Brushing the lingering apprehension aside, Yu Jia lowered herself back down into her office chair.

Her schedule had been remarkably overloaded of late.

The structural development of the headquarters required her persistent oversight, and of even greater consequence, the final roster for the second-generation applicants would be locked in very soon.

She still needed to filter through the candidates, conducting a pair of personal consultations each day alongside both Mindreader Eagles to root out anyone harboring deceitful motives.

Overwhelmingly occupied.

Even so.

If they persisted in navigating through this chaotic lifestyle, would there not eventually arrive a moment where they could cast all obligations aside and simply exist in peaceful harmony, remaining close by each other’s side?

The corners of Yu Jia’s mouth softy drifted upward into a genuine smile.