Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

The Friday dungeon, which provided unique runes.

The Saturday dungeon, which provided monster loot and crafting recipes.

And the Sunday dungeon, which provided ability tomes.

Baek Jinwoo swept through these weekly gauntlets like an unstoppable storm.

During his Saturday run:

The objective required wiping out every single creature designated as ‘Plants,’ prompting him to enter with a build focused entirely on incineration.

His strategy was basic—turn the entire zone into an inferno.

He summoned Wind Falcon to provide a swiftness enhancement, Stormy to serve as the primary fire-attribute striker, and three C-rank Lava Drakes.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

ROOOOAR!

Propelled by the speed enhancement, the Drakes charged through the zone, unleashing fiery exhalations that turned the woodlands into piles of ash within moments.

[Every monster has been wiped out!]

[Dungeon successfully cleared!]

[Completion time – 00:03:50]

With that, he demolished the reigning South Korean speed record for the Saturday dungeon as well.

During his Sunday run:

The challenge demanded taking down an ancient warrior known as the ‘Absolute Master’ inside of a thirty-minute window.

The encounter possessed a difficulty tier akin to a final boss, and even during his peak era as JinuGod, he had rarely chosen to engage with it.

Ability tomes were easily obtainable from the Thursday dungeon regardless.

Back then, he had simply established a record and moved on.

A mere one-second victory across all difficulty levels by utilizing the devastating breath of the Armageddon Dragon.

He had never returned to it after that.

I suppose I still need to finish it today, though.

Baek Jinwoo entered the zone alongside only his most powerful companions: Ramba, Drill Sarge, Stormy, and his other top fighters.

Following a brutal and chaotic skirmish:

[The Absolute Master has been vanquished.]

[Completion time – 00:14:50]

He had required a significant chunk of time to conclude the battle—far exceeding the duration of his other runs.

It’s only this tedious because of the low-rank restrictions.

Had it been mid-rank or higher, completing it would have been an impossibility for him at his current level.

Even so.

[Salutations!]

[A new South Korean speed record has been established!]

That performance by itself was more than enough to shatter the existing domestic record.

After all, the typical completion time across South Korea sat right around twenty minutes.

“Whew.”

Every single low-rank weekly gauntlet—utterly dominated.

If he maintained this weekly routine, those completion times would steadily decrease.

He also needed to continuously elevate his personal parameters by running standard instances and focusing on his training.

Just concentrate on powering up until the moment arrives to test the mid-rank challenges.

The ultimate target was to conquer every single supreme-grade dungeon.

Only when he had gathered a sufficient hoard of runes, equipment, and abilities would he possess the foundation required to step into the Tower of Trials.

Would it take two years or so?

In any case.

Throughout the previous week, a significant collection of items had piled up from his constant dungeon raiding.

This included eighteen high-grade summoning scrolls obtained as compensation for his first-clear milestones.

Alongside those were various runes, weapon enhancers, ability tomes, crafting supplies, and recipes.

What is the best way to utilize all of this?

Yu Jia, the chief executive officer of Yubaek, had set up a modest workspace located in Samseong-dong.

She possessed the financial resources to acquire an entire skyscraper right from the beginning, but she deliberately desisted.

Setting aside the initial present she had bestowed upon Baek Jinwoo, her intention was to run the enterprise strictly utilizing her designated start-up capital.

When launching a venture, one must operate solely on corporate finances.

Failing to do so turns calculating profit percentages into a massive headache, and the resulting tax complications become incredibly tangled.

Slide, slide!

Relaxing in her executive chair while scrolling through news updates on her smartphone, Yu Jia let out a breath filled with genuine astonishment.

The global spotlight was entirely fixed on Baek Jinwoo at this moment.

Every online forum and media outlet was completely covered with articles discussing his exploits.

Good heavens.

He had actually claimed the top South Korean record for every weekly dungeon within the span of seven days.

“Mr. Kim Byeongjin.”

“Yes, Director.”

“How is the progress on the video production?”

Kim Byeongjin was personally overseeing the video editing process.

Because the footage contained incredibly sensitive information prone to being stolen, outsourcing the task to an external media agency was out of the question.

“The rendering is nearly complete, however…”

Yu Jia tilted her head to the side.

Nearly complete, but what?

What was the issue?

“Is there some sort of obstacle?”

That media capture represented the absolute first commercial offering from Yubaek.

It wasn’t merely a standard product—it was a literal gold mine destined to yield returns worth dozens, if not hundreds of times their baseline funding!

Any complication would be an absolute disaster.

“It isn’t exactly a problem… it’s just that I can scarcely credit my own eyes, even while cutting the footage myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just a second. I am finishing the final sequence.”

Clack, clack, tap!

Kim Byeongjin struck the keys with an intensity that suggested he was under a spell, before finally standing up from his desk.

It was ready.

Utilizing the two separate dungeon runs, he had meticulously selected the most flawless tactical maneuvers and aggregated them into a unified guide.

An audience could grasp the strategy perfectly after viewing it just once.

“The compilation is complete. In accordance with player Baek Jinwoo’s specifications, I omitted the data regarding the Thursday and Sunday dungeons.”

“Oh, let us view it immediately.”

How mind-blowing must the footage be if a professional editor was left completely flabbergasted during production?

Three individuals assembled inside the compact office room.

Kim Byeongjin, Yu Jia, and Hwang Taeseop.

Click!

The video projector whirred to life, casting the media onto the wall.

And in that moment.

The jaws of both Yu Jia and Hwang Taeseop gradually dropped in sheer shock.

This display existed on an entirely different plane compared to the brief snippets they had observed previously.

Polished cleanly into a three-dimensional perspective, Baek Jinwoo’s tactical choices were now perfectly visible from a direct viewpoint.

Particularly during the Friday dungeon, where his performance resembled an elite sprint:

“What in the world…”

“That is utterly mind-boggling… Who could possibly observe that and mimic it?”

Yu Jia was incapable of composing her thoughts.

Those athletic maneuvers were comparable to high-wire acrobatics!

The specific sequence where he dismissed the Sky Dolphin to mount a flying reptile mid-air provoked collective gasps from the room.

“If a cinema director filmed a sequence like this, audiences would trash it for being completely fake.”

“…Will anyone even purchase this? I mean, it will certainly attract buyers, but won’t the public simply mock us for publishing something impossible?”

Even the typically stoic Hwang Taeseop shook his head from side to side in sheer bewilderment.

Regardless.

They had struck gold.

Yu Jia squeezed her hands into fists as they shook slightly.

She had been aware of it previously, but witnessing the proof on a display screen made the reality undeniable.

Baek Jinwoo was nothing short of an endless treasure chest.

One fact remained indisputable.

His capabilities far outstripped the limitations of South Korea.

He represented the caliber of individual meant to perform on a global platform.

All at once, the reasoning behind Park Changseok risking so much of his reputation on Baek Jinwoo became perfectly clear to her.

The politician.

Park Changseok had been entirely correct.

His talent for evaluating potential was far more acute than she had ever given him credit for in the past.

“Let us organize our priorities.”

Inhaling deeply to control her racing pulse, Yu Jia’s expression turned sharp and focused.

“Prior to releasing these guides to the public, purchase every creature specified on our list.”

Kim Byeongjin caught on to her strategy instantly and gave an understanding nod.

“Your intention is to monopolize the supply.”

“Precisely. We must extract maximum financial gain from this proprietary knowledge.”

The moment this tactical data began circulating throughout the community?

The market worth of those vital creatures would climb dramatically.

They needed to hoard as much stock as they could manage before that shift occurred.

The entirety of that resulting price gap would translate directly into revenue for Yubaek.

What was the optimal method for distributing this data?

Furthermore, even if they managed to sell it, how could they prevent buyers from spreading the secrets?

The resolution to those dilemmas was remarkably straightforward.

Incorporate the player-to-player commerce framework.

Transactions managed directly by the interface enforced absolute adherence to contractual promises.

If a non-disclosure provision was integrated directly into the transaction prompt?

The very instant an individual violated that agreement, a fatal affliction would strike them down.

The interface itself evaluated the magnitude of the infraction and enacted retribution. For leaks involving sensitive data, the penalty almost universally resulted in immediate expiration.

Supposedly, elite foreign competitors already monitored their proprietary data using this identical framework.

In any event.

Yu Jia commenced buying up creatures in massive quantities.

If certain specimens were unavailable within domestic markets, she initiated international inquiries to track them down.

[Creature Acquisition Directory]

1. Battle Warden (C-rank)

2. Priest of Radiance (C-rank)

3. Spotted Komodo (B-rank)

4. Wind Falcon (B-rank)

5. Titanium Golem (B-rank)

6. Horn Fairy (C-rank)

7. Frost Cat (C-rank)

8. Sky Dolphin (C-rank)

9. Skypierce Wyvern (B-rank)

10. Lava Drake (C-rank)

The precise list that Baek Jinwoo had provided to her.

A few carried hefty price tags, as their utility had already been uncovered by international data leaks.

Others, whose secrets remained completely hidden, she managed to acquire for nominal fees.

This venture is going to yield historic returns.

She went so far as to secure the maximum permissible credit extension utilizing the corporate identity of Yubaek.

When the financial institutions verified her background during the credit assessment, they practically scrambled over one another to transfer the capital to her.

The direct descendant of the Daesung Group?

And not merely any descendant—Yu Jia herself, highly renowned for being an exceptional scholar?

At the bare minimum, there was absolutely zero probability of her failing to pay!

Furthermore, the lenders had scrutinized the corporate profile of the company named Yubaek.

“Competitor administration? What on earth is a granddaughter from the Daesung lineage doing managing a firm of that nature?”

“Wait, what? The individual signed to their roster is Baek Jinwoo? The Baek Jinwoo who has been dominating the media cycles with those crazy dungeon records?”

“Yes, that’s the one! Authorize the maximum legal credit limit immediately. Do not delay, complete the process RIGHT NOW!”

With her capital firmly in hand, Yu Jia acquired the specified creatures from corners all over the map, and subsequently uploaded a commercial entry onto Player Web.

Tactical completion guides for every single weekly dungeon, currently open for acquisition.

Featuring the exclusive techniques of Baek Jinwoo, the current South Korean record holder.

1. Non-disclosure contract mandatory upon purchase.

2. Media bundles (Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat): 100 million won. Written documentation (Thu, Sun): 10 million won.

3. Purchasing rights limited strictly to competitors registered under a South Korean regional branch.

She kept the pricing for the data relatively affordable.

A classic high-volume, low-margin business strategy.

After all, this would serve to elevate the baseline capabilities of the domestic competitor pool.

The further this information diffused and the higher the general capability level climbed, the more advantageous it became for her own enterprise.

The data had to circulate widely—otherwise, who would have an incentive to purchase those specific creatures from her inventory?

Furthermore, Yu Jia distributed her capital across various alternate profiles on the trading platform to post the creatures for acquisition.

The items were listed at these specific rates:

1. Battle Warden (C-rank), 200 million won.

2. Priest of Radiance (C-rank), 200 million won.

3. Spotted Komodo (B-rank), 1 billion won.

4. Wind Falcon (B-rank), 1 billion won.

5. Titanium Golem (B-rank), 1 billion won.

6. Horn Fairy (C-rank), 200 million won.

7. Frost Cat (C-rank), 200 million won.

8. Sky Dolphin (C-rank), 200 million won.

9. Skypierce Wyvern (B-rank), 1 billion won.

10. Lava Drake (C-rank), 200 million won.

C-rank specimens were set at 200 million won, while B-rank specimens were set at 1 billion won—completely standardized across the entire inventory.

“……Aren’t those figures incredibly extortionate?”

Kim Byeongjin questioned, his tongue practically hanging out from sheer disbelief.

Those valuation numbers were anywhere from five to ten times higher than the amount they had originally paid to acquire them.

Yu Jia smiled confidently.

“Market valuations are dictated entirely by availability and demand. Because we currently control the vast majority of the available supply, they will have no alternative but to pay our prices.”

Particularly if an individual was prepared to deploy massive sums on weekly dungeon tactical data, they were almost certainly affiliated with a prominent organization or ranked among the elite.

Individuals of that caliber possessed immense financial capability.

They would spend capital without hesitation to shave seconds off their completion times.

“Furthermore, the market value of those specific units would inevitably appreciate naturally over time anyway.”

Because they functioned as foundational building blocks for successful runs.

The worth of assets that every single person required was bound to skyrocket.

The ultimate dividend for placing her confidence and capital into Baek Jinwoo.

The moment had finally arrived to harvest those immense profits.

Baek Jinwoo carefully evaluated his collected loot.

To begin with, the eighteen high-grade summoning scrolls.

He reached the conclusion that he would not break them open.

The mathematical probability of acquiring an EX-rank companion was practically non-existent.

Stormy and Drill Sarge had only manifested after he had unsealed hundreds of thousands of individual scrolls. Anticipating another EX-rank asset from a collection of just eighteen?

The risk-to-reward ratio was absolutely terrible.

I already have a surplus of companions that require my attention and resources right now. Even trying to develop them leaves me with far too few hours in the day.

Consequently, he placed the entire batch onto the trading platform.

At standard market valuation, they fetched 3 million won apiece.

“Heh, earning 54 million won over a single week. Not a bad outcome whatsoever.”

Baek Jinwoo smiled broadly as he looked at his suddenly expanded financial balance.

I ought to liquidate all the common materials I collected from my grinding sessions as well.

During his era operating as JinuGod, he had exclusively equipped ultimate-tier runes and items that dropped at microscopic rates from supreme-grade weekly instances.

None of the items obtained from low-rank drops would ever satisfy his personal requirements.

He had already slotted in whichever runes offered a marginally beneficial effect.

Should I request that Yu Jia handle the liquidation for me?

Managing tasks of that nature was precisely what a management agency was meant to handle, after all.

However.

Beyond that option…

A different individual crossed his mind.

His younger sister, Baek Ajin—struggling to get by while running a tiny retail setup for basic runes.

My dungeon runs are only going to generate an increasing volume of items that I need to liquidate.

What if Ajin took over the sales management for them?

And I provided her with a set percentage of the transaction revenue as a fee?

That could be a viable path forward.

His younger sibling had carried the burden of helping pay his medical invoices for three consecutive years.

It felt as though he was finally in a position to begin clearing that massive emotional and financial debt.

Yes. It was essential to look out for his own blood.

Having finalized his decision, Baek Jinwoo grabbed his smartphone.

He intended to coordinate a face-to-face chat with Baek Ajin.