Chapter 22

A fresh best time for the Monday dungeon?

That was definitely an eye-catching accomplishment.

The press had run stories on it when it happened, and the community buzzed with excitement for a brief period.

A fresh best time for the Tuesday dungeon?

Once Baek Jinwoo’s name popped up there as well, a large number of players really began to pay attention.

“Baek Jinwoo? Who is that?”

“Wait, I feel like I’ve seen that name before. Remember that post on the forums about someone finally topping Kang Geonho’s time? It vanished pretty quickly afterward.”

“Oh, him! Wow, he just shattered another one?”

“Monday dungeon, Tuesday dungeon… He doesn’t look like a top ranker. Is he some hidden expert who just came out of nowhere?”

“Moreover, this time he actually ranked on the global leaderboard, so it’s a much bigger deal.”

“I’m seriously intrigued now. What guild or group is he with?”

Up to that point, it was mostly just quiet whispers. The true explosion hadn’t happened yet.

However, the following morning.

The moment he demolished the Wednesday dungeon best time as well?

That was the point where nobody could deny reality anymore.

The chatter that had been limited to gaming forums spilled over into mainstream news outlets, and articles focused on Baek Jinwoo flooded every media outlet like a torrential downpour.

[Low-Rank Wednesday Dungeon, A New Domestic Best Time! “4 Minutes 22 Seconds” — The Mystery of Baek Jinwoo]

[An Unknown Player Bursts Onto the Scene! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday — Consecutive Speedruns! Tuesday and Wednesday Times Even Enter Global Rankings!]

[Player Baek Jinwoo — Can He Conquer Thursday As Well?]

The Tuesday dungeon feat had already caused quite a stir, but now that he had swept Monday through Wednesday…

The momentary stillness that had settled over South Korea was completely shattered once again.

Naturally.

The individual at the center of the storm did not give it a second thought.

“Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?”

• Exactly, exactly. They clearly don’t know who our Jinwoo is.

Still, it was quite shocking in a different way.

Even for a seasoned player, how could the collective standard still be this low after three full years?

Truthfully, he had a strong suspicion as to why.

A total lack of guidance.

It was due to the fact that not a single one of Korea’s foundational veteran players was still around.

The countries recognized as summoning superpowers had been directed by their top veterans right from the start, laying down deep foundations early on.

South Korea, on the other hand, seemed to have lost its direction and simply drifted around.

Yet, it was not Baek Jinwoo’s responsibility to step up and resolve that issue.

I just have to focus on becoming more powerful, as I always do.

If he followed his initial strategy — earning back the reputation of Ilcheon and developing 「Yubaek」 alongside Yu Jia —

then South Korea’s overall standard would naturally climb right along with them.

“Alright, everyone. Time to practice.”

Clap, clap!

Baek Jinwoo struck his palms together in the clearing, just like any other afternoon.

“Thurs… day, Fri… day, Satur-day, Sun-day.” He quietly muttered the remaining days of the week.

Merely four days left.

South Korean Player HQ.

The Director’s office.

The Director wrinkled his brow as he scanned the media briefings on his desk.

“Who exactly is this Baek Jinwoo? The name rings a bell.”

Observing the gray-haired senior citizen fix his spectacles, his assistant hid a soft sigh.

The current Director of Player HQ was far past the ideal age for this kind of responsibility.

He had secured the position solely through his public profile — a politician who had successfully served five back-to-back terms in the National Assembly and established a massive political footprint.

“He is the person Councilman Park Changseok brought up before… Do you recall? The situation where he offered to provide intelligence if we acquired specific summons on his behalf.”

“Ah, the matter that Councilman Im Huisu opposed with everything he had?”

“That is correct, Director. He adamantly refused to clear the budget unless verifiable intelligence was delivered beforehand.”

“So it turns out that intelligence was completely real.”

“……It certainly looks that way.”

Hmph!

A heavy grunt burst from the Director’s nose.

That useless Im Huisu. Completely lost his edge.

To be fair, even the Director himself had been uncertain back then.

Councilman Park Changseok’s position made sense, but Councilman Im Huisu’s protests weren’t entirely groundless either.

However, in the world of politics, outcomes always outweigh the process.

If they had thrown their weight behind Baek Jinwoo at that moment?

All of that valuable intelligence would currently belong to the HQ.

They could have enjoyed the public adoration and secured even more political support.

“Haah.”

The Director breathed out a heavy groan of disappointment.

Park Changseok had handed them a massive win on a silver platter, and Im Huisu had kicked the entire prize away with his own boots!

“Listen here, assistant.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Get in touch with that player, Baek Jinwoo, once more.”

“Directly from our office?”

“Yes. That person. We dismissed him as a charlatan, but he proved to be the real deal. We must bring him over to our side, no matter what it takes.”

We already let him slip away once. Do you honestly think he will just walk back in?

The assistant tilted his head slightly in doubt, but this was the Director.

The highest authority figure within the entire Player HQ.

His directives were not something an underling could simply question.

“Understood. The executive staff will initiate contact.”

Thursday morning.

The square directly in front of the Day Dungeon facility presented an entirely different environment compared to prior days.

A location that used to be occupied solely by active players was currently packed to the brim with journalists.

Of course, every single one of them was there hoping to get a single photograph of Baek Jinwoo.

“Damn it, why are they all blocking the path like this?”

“The entrance is already tight enough without this mess. It’s infuriating.”

The local players, naturally, voiced plenty of frustration.

The Day Dungeon could only be reached from within the Player Zone, meaning they were forced to squeeze through a wall of media personnel just to step inside.

“What is HQ even thinking? Shouldn’t they be blocking ordinary citizens from this zone?”

“They probably want to avoid another massive argument regarding media freedom or whatever.”

“Even so, they have a duty to safeguard player rights. The work we do here is critical. HQ genuinely can’t handle a single task properly.”

Muttering complaints the entire time, the players had no choice but to push forward into the Day Dungeon regardless.

Walking behind them were Baek Jinwoo and the core associates of Yubaek.

Click, clack!

Yu Jia watched Baek Jinwoo secure the final pieces of his equipment, a concerned look visible on her face.

“Are you certain you’ll be alright? I did everything within my power to make them move back, but there is no group more persistent than journalists……”

“Well, it is what it is.”

Baek Jinwoo gave a relaxed smile.

“They gathered here because they want to see me, right? I’ll just give a quick wave and move past them.”

He chose to look at the situation constructively.

He needed to complete the dungeon either way.

No crowd of media personnel was going to prevent him from doing his job.

Paying no mind to the eyes tracking him.

He had always operated that way.

During his school days, regardless of what anyone muttered, he had played Battle of Summoners like someone completely possessed.

Right now, it was dungeons.

That was the singular focus filling his mind.

“Aside from that, is the video capture operating properly?”

When Baek Jinwoo checked in, Yu Jia replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“……It was absolutely mesmerizing. All of us just stared at the screen in disbelief. Particularly the moment where the golem started marching straight up the ridge…… How on earth did you map out a path like that?”

“The global veteran players are likely all aware of it.”

To be more exact, only veterans who possessed eight or more years of experience.

That was another hidden pathway Rachel had unraveled, and it had circulated through the veteran community around that specific period.

“Hoo, regardless. I know you’ll manage things perfectly. I’m stepping inside.”

After offering his farewells to Yu Jia and the rest of the crew, Baek Jinwoo stepped boldly forward into the sea of journalists.

Whether his personal details had been compromised or not, the bulk of the reporters identified him the moment he appeared.

“Over there!”

“That’s Baek Jinwoo!”

“Capture the shot!”

Click, click!

Even locked inside a storm of blinding camera flashes, Baek Jinwoo kept his vision locked directly ahead.

Particularly on the Day Dungeon gateway inside the lobby, which radiated a deep sapphire glow.

“You aren’t even a ranked player! What is the trick behind your speedrunning success?”

“Where did you discover your strategies? What is your source?”

“There are accounts claiming you used to be a competitive gamer — is that accurate?”

Paying no attention to the inquiries thrown at him alongside recording devices, he stepped forward, completely unfazed.

To give HQ some credit, they had at least possessed the foresight to deploy security personnel to prevent people from physically crowding the players.

“Can we anticipate another record-breaking run in this low-rank Thursday dungeon as well?”

Just that single inquiry.

He acknowledged it with a brief nod of his head.

“Yes, naturally.”

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!

Strobe lights flared wildly as Baek Jinwoo stepped through into the Thursday dungeon.

The Monday and Wednesday dungeons provided runes.

The Tuesday dungeon provided materials for polishing.

So what exactly did the Thursday dungeon offer?

Skill manuals.

Items that allowed a player to teach new skills to their active summons.

Of course, these manuals did not provide a summon’s native abilities.

Nor did they contain the hidden potential traits that only Drill Sarge was capable of waking up.

Even so, there were plenty of highly practical skills to be obtained, making this a location you absolutely had to grind regularly.

Recall what he had pointed out earlier?

That there was no genuine reason to grind the Sunday dungeon.

That was entirely because of what the Thursday dungeon offered.

The Sunday dungeon dropped skill manuals too, but the drops were highly erratic. Thursday was completely predictable.

For building up a supply of skill manuals, the Thursday dungeon provided everything a player needed.

There was nothing overly complicated about this particular map.

It was a straightforward duel against a singular boss entity that had poured every single stat into physical defense.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[The boss entity is manifesting!]

Inside the Thursday dungeon, the boss materialized the exact moment a player crossed the threshold.

The target was a massive earth golem.

Colossal — virtually identical in scale to the Titanium Golem.

• GROOOOOOOH!

The construct unleashed a earth-shaking howl, rotating its stony limbs in massive circles.

Terrifying though it appeared, its defense rating was so ridiculously high that standard strikes wouldn’t even leave a scratch on its hide.

Typically, the essential unit for this specific run is a B-rank White Wolf.

The absolute best budget option equipped with a targeted defense-shredding capability.

However, Baek Jinwoo hadn’t even bothered to acquire a White Wolf.

A player can simply overpower it by utilizing a maximum damage output lineup.

As a result, he had put together his absolute strongest squad for this specific attempt.

Ramba, Drill Sarge, and Stormy!

Along with the Titanium Golem and the Wind Falcon!

“Hoo, this particular run is definitely not one I can sell.”

A recording of his premium units simply pummeling the target to pieces? There was zero benefit in sharing that with the public.

He would simply instruct ordinary players to compromise its defense with a White Wolf and then burn it down using a standard damage lineup.

That was the absolute best strategy, plain and simple.

As a matter of fact, this specific tactic was basic enough that it had already made its way across South Korea, and it was the singular approach that even came close to matching the global record.

But putting that aside, I still have a record to shatter.

Looking at the precise mechanics, that earth golem possessed a distinct weak point.

Striking its skull.

For the vast majority of players, that was an incredibly awkward maneuver to execute.

The creature was so incredibly tall that landing a solid blow on its head was an absolute nightmare.

However, a solution always existed.

“Titanium.”

• GROOOOOH!

The Titanium Golem picked up on its player’s strategy, dropped its weight, and presented its shoulder line.

Drill Sarge, Ramba, and Stormy quickly climbed up onto its frame.

RUMMMMBLE……!

The Titanium Golem drove its massive body upright and slammed directly into the earth golem.

And right above them—

FWASH!

Drill Sarge vaulted elegantly into the open air and delivered a vicious, sweeping strike with his arm.

KRAKAKAKAKAK!

Blade skills pushed to their absolute limits tore through the earth golem’s head in a fraction of a second.

KRRRRUMBLE!

A massive boom resembling a lightning strike vibrated through the entire chamber.

With Ramba’s attack velocity enhancement and the Wind Falcon’s movement velocity enhancement stacked on top, Drill Sarge’s execution became even faster.

The more velocity stacks he built up, the swifter he turned!

And in the brief intervals between cuts—

FWOOOOSH!

Stormy’s Dragon Burst!

The reality was…

In the future, Stormy would be the sole unit entering the Thursday dungeon.

A fully maxed-out Stormy?

Likely a one-second completion time even at the supreme tier.

Counting the load times going in and out, roughly ten seconds total.

Hypothetically, that meant 8,640 skill manuals could be collected in a single twenty-four-hour window.

In any event.

For Ilcheon JinuGod and his EX-tier summons retaining the experiences of a previous lifetime, the low-rank Thursday dungeon was a walk in the park.

[Boss monster defeated!]

[Dungeon resolved!]

[Completion Time – 00:05:10]

“Excellent.”

Another domestic best time for South Korea!

The historical median had sat around six minutes, and he had sliced off a massive sixty seconds.

Drill Sarge truly is a broken unit.

He had recognized that fact ever since the summon suppressed his sister’s C-rank Shadow Elf using only a single hand.

An absolute powerhouse when it came to scaling efficiency.

“Let’s run it back!”

After putting down the golem once more, Baek Jinwoo engaged the automated combat feature until his resources were completely depleted, then finally walked back out of the Day Dungeon.

And right as he exited—

“Pardon us, would you happen to be Player Baek Jinwoo?”

Two representatives wearing sharp HQ attire stepped forward to greet him.