Chapter 52

“Yaaaawn.”

Baek Ajin stretched as she concluded her routine check of the Market and headed out for a social gathering.

She had endured a monumental struggle to secure those thirteen Omni Runes, so she felt justified granting her entire subordinate staff a well-deserved break.

VROOOOM!

The high-performance motor shrieked as her foot pressed down on the gas pedal.

Navigating the massive commute from Samseong-dong back to the central offices had prompted her to invest in a brand-new set of wheels.

A striking, crimson Porsche 911 Turbo.

The elegant, sweeping silhouettes of the vehicle were enough to make any woman’s pulse race, and Baek Ajin was no exception.

In all honesty, considering her current financial standing, it was a relatively humble acquisition.

It barely cleared three hundred million won, a drop in the bucket for her now.

Out near Hanam City.

A quiet, tucked-away café.

The moment she arrived, her friends completely lost their minds.

She wasn’t born into a mega-corporation dynasty — how on earth was someone barely in her early twenties piloting a 911?!

“Oh my god, what am I looking at?!”

“Baek Ajiiiiin! Have you lost your mind?! Getting in good with the ultra-rich really pays off, doesn’t it?!”

“Can I snap a quick photo?”

“You owe me a ride in the passenger seat later!”

A few of them were genuinely ecstatic for her, offering nothing but pure, unadulterated praise.

“Seriously, what kind of project have you been pulling off lately?”

“For real! You used to practically live in our group text, and now you’re a total ghost because you’re so swamped.”

“Stop keeping secrets and give us the details!”

The remaining girls were practically dying of curiosity regarding Baek Ajin’s recent endeavors.

“Well, the truth is…”

Baek Ajin decided to be completely transparent.

The matter had already been formally cleared.

Now that her entire household was safely nestled under the protective mantle of Yubaek, there was absolutely no reason to hide the truth.

She could speak about her career openly and with immense self-assurance.

“I’ve taken a position at Yubaek.”

“What?”

“YUBAAAAEK?!”

The group nearly tumbled out of their chairs in shock.

Yubaek — of all companies!

The absolute standard-bearer of new talent agencies, legendary for providing compensation packages that eclipsed even the nation’s premier corporate empire, Daesung Group!

Furthermore, it wasn’t just some standard agency — it was the very firm representing Baek Jinwoo, the crown jewel of the national athletic roster!

The brightest minds across the entire country were practically begging for a chance to clear its hiring process.

“The actual Yubaek? The one everyone is talking about?”

“See?! I knew her tie to Yu Jia wasn’t just a casual acquaintance!”

“So tell us, have you actually met Baek Jinwoo? What’s his vibe? Is he drop-dead gorgeous?”

Hearing that final inquiry caused Baek Ajin’s face to twist in pure disgust.

Gorgeous? Her own flesh and blood? Give me a break.

Granted, he had put on a serious amount of muscle recently, but at the end of the day, he was just her annoying brother.

Applying the term “gorgeous” to him made her want to crawl out of her own skin.

Naturally, her companions did not view him through that sisterly lens at all.

“Here. Take a look at this.”

Actions spoke louder than mere explanations.

Baek Ajin slid her official company credentials across the table to her childhood friends.

“What in the world is this card made of?”

“…Gold? Is this actual, literal gold?”

“There’s no way……”

Crafted from a premium composite base, her name was meticulously etched in authentic gold leaf.

These weren’t standard promotional items meant for casual networking — they were specialized tokens reserved exclusively for her inner circle.

And stamped in bold, unmistakable typography on the surface was her formal executive title and designation.

[Director, Baek Ajin]

“D-Director?”

“Wait, am I hallucinating right now? This makes zero sense…”

“You aren’t a regular employee — you’re an executive director?”

“Does Yubaek even have an executive board like that?”

Utterly bewildered, her friends simultaneously whipped out their smartphones.

They immediately pulled up the verified online portal for Yubaek to scan the official corporate hierarchy.

“Holy mother of…”

“It’s actually real?!”

“And there are literally only TWO people listed?!”

[CEO, Yu Jia]

“How on earth did you pull this off?”

Her friends cornered her, demanding the full narrative.

Of course.

She had agreed to this get-together with the exact intention of setting the record straight.

Letting the mystery linger would only spawn toxic rumors, and keeping her closest confidantes in the dark any longer felt like a massive betrayal of trust.

“I genuinely apologize for keeping you all in the dark until today. The real story is… Baek Jinwoo is my biological brother.”

The ultimate truth was revealed.

Instantly, every single person at the table sat in stunned, open-mouthed silence.

“WHAAAAAAAT?!”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Baek Jinwoo? THE iconic national savior Baek Jinwoo is your actual brother? You don’t mean some random guy who just shares the name, right?”

In all honesty, that lone piece of information instantly solved the entire puzzle.

The high-end Italian sports car.

Her direct line to Yu Jia.

Her sudden ascension to the executive tier at Yubaek.

This wasn’t merely being born with a silver spoon — this was a Baek Jinwoo-level cheat code.

I’m… incredibly envious.

But hold on, wasn’t Ajin’s male sibling the one who suffered terrible injuries in that massive automobile wreck?

It took a substantial amount of mental processing for them to wrap their heads around this unbelievable reality.

A fleeting hush settled over the table.

Then, inevitably, Baek Ajin became the absolute focal point of the entire afternoon.

How could they possibly limit themselves to just a couple of questions?

A few of her more attractive companions even took things a step further—

“My lady! My gorgeous, celestial Lady Baek Ajin!”

“Get out of the way! She’s MY lady! Ajin, please let me marry into the family! Your future sister-in-law will pamper you endlessly. Deal?”

—blending humor with genuine desperation, showering her with shameless flattery.

Good grief, what has gotten into these girls? Have they completely lost their minds?

Baek Ajin brushed their antics aside with a horrified laugh.

Even so, though.

Observing the subtle way her posture straightened and her chest puffed out…… she clearly wasn’t miserable about the attention.

The incredible advantages of having an extraordinary sibling — getting to revel in a sensory high like this!

Meanwhile, at that exact moment.

“So our objective is simply to raid that facility?”

“And the moment we align with the syndicate, they transfer 100 billion won in cold hard cash directly to us?”

Just outside the perimeter of the secluded Hanam City café.

A trio of combatants observed the establishment with intense focus.

One belonged to the criminal syndicate.

The remaining pair consisted of Oh Jimyeong and Park Hoseop, individuals holding the 9th and 10th positions in the competitive leaderboards.

“That is precisely the arrangement, rankers. You merely need to extract Baek Ajin from that building, and you will secure not only the 100 billion won lump sum, but a formalized guarantee providing a 10% cut of all future revenue generated off Baek Jinwoo’s assets.”

The syndicate’s criteria were straightforward.

Capture Baek Ajin.

Following the abduction, slip past the borders and maintain custody of her.

Directly challenging Baek Jinwoo in open combat, huh……

This might actually turn out to be the smarter strategy.

The two high-ranking players had deliberated over the moral implications for quite a while before finalizing their agreement.

Attempting to approach Baek Jinwoo to beg for forgiveness had crossed their minds, but their personal dignity wouldn’t allow it.

This path is far less complicated, honestly.

It plays out beautifully. Abducting his immediate family to leverage them as human shields — why didn’t that strategy click for me earlier?

I absolutely have to retaliate for that devastating blow.

His midsection still flared with intense pain.

All due to that brutal liver strike he had sustained during the representative team exhibition.

“So what’s the plan for the civilian bystanders accompanying Baek Ajin? It looks like she’s surrounded by a decent crowd in there.”

Oh Jimyeong inquired.

“Eliminate every last one of them, if it pleases you.”

The syndicate operative replied, a grotesque, unsettling smirk spreading across his face.

“Wait a moment.”

Park Hoseop, the 10th-ranked competitor, interjected.

“While we are busy securing Baek Ajin, what actions will the syndicate be executing?”

A highly perceptive query.

The underlying anxiety: the criminal organization pulls the strings from the shadows, then vanishes the second the plan falls apart, leaving the two of them holding the bag as public traitors who assaulted a national treasure.

“Rest easy on that front. The organization has committed its entire operational weight to this grand strategy. The vast majority of our elite forces stationed overseas have already successfully infiltrated back past domestic security.”

“Oh? In that case—”

“Precisely. Baek Jinwoo’s domestic circle isn’t limited solely to his younger sister, is it?”

“The syndicate is launching a coordinated strike on Yubaek?”

“Exactly.”

That represented the primary ambition of the criminal underground.

Yubaek served as the sanctuary for Baek Jinwoo’s loved ones, Yu Jia included.

Even better, Baek Jinwoo was presently stationed far away on a deployment in Dubai.

An absolute flawless window of opportunity.

If Baek Jinwoo proved to be an unfeeling, sociopathic monster who didn’t give a damn about the welfare of his relatives, this entire endeavor would be an exercise in futility.

However, examining his behavioral patterns up to this point, the likelihood of that indifference was virtually nonexistent.

He is precisely the sort of man who purchases luxury estates for his family and ensures their defensive protocols are ironclad.

Middling with Yu Jia meant invoking the wrath of Daesung Group, which presented a massive risk, but there simply was no alternative path forward.

For the syndicate, letting Baek Jinwoo operate without a leash was an far more terrifying prospect.

“Excellent.”

Oh Jimyeong gave a firm nod.

“Let’s initiate the drop.”

A full five hours had drifted by.

Baek Jinwoo hadn’t consumed a solitary morsel of food, nor had he permitted a single droplet of moisture to pass his lips.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Ramba was hovering restlessly right beside him, while Stormy remained anchored in quiet repose close by.

And.

Grrrk……!

Rolly, a massive reaping blade clutched in its grasp, maintained an alert watch over the outer boundaries — the three entities simply remained in place, waiting anxiously for Drill Sarge.

Shortly thereafter, the operational re-summoning window finally completed its cycle.

Hummm!

With a swift motion of his arm, he manifested Drill Sarge back into reality.

“Drill Sarge.”

Shhh!

Drill Sarge coalesced amidst a brilliant cascade of radiance, appearing entirely unharmed.

Furthermore, the very pressure emanating from his form had completely evolved from its prior state.

[Drill Instructor (EX-rank) unlocks hidden potential.]

[Drill Instructor (EX-rank) core attributes experience a massive increase.]

[Drill Instructor (EX-rank) obtains a completely novel capability.]

Thud.

The loyal entity stepped forward and dropped down onto a single knee.

— My master…… Kindly grant me your clemency for causing you such profound anxiety.

“Anxiety? Forget about that! What exactly transpired?”

In response to Baek Jinwoo’s eager question, a subtle smile tugged at the corner of Drill Sarge’s mouth.

— An absolute, unmitigated triumph. I can feel a colossal, boundless spiritual energy circulating throughout my physical frame.

“Is that so?”

He immediately brought up the entity’s character interface to verify the changes.

[Summon: Drill Instructor]

[Species: Human]

[Rank: EX-rank (Containment classification)]

• Game-breaking components identified under unique parameters; isolated under containment protocol.

[Level: 40]

[Stats]

STR: 100, INT: 100, VIT: 100, AGI: 100

HP: 50,000 / MP: 50,000

Crit Rate: 20%

Crit Damage: 100%

[Skills]

• Growth: Evolves dynamically via rigorous training.

• Charisma: Exerts absolute psychological dominance over fellow summons.

• Instructor: Awakens the hidden capability of allied summons and drastically accelerates their development velocity.

• Tribute Life Dark Art: Restructures and commands raw inner energy at the direct expense of the user’s vitality.

• Rebirth Through Transformation: By gathering an astronomical reservoir of spiritual force, the physical vessel has been completely reconstructed into the ultimate form for martial mastery.

What… WHAT IN THE WORLD?!

Baek Jinwoo stood completely paralyzed with shock.

Tribute Life Dark Art coupled with Rebirth Through Transformation?

To make matters even more absurd, the baseline attributes were utterly terrifying.

Keep in mind, those statistical values were calculated without a single modification rune being applied.

“You magnificent bastard!”

You actually went out and achieved an unbelievable breakthrough!

Numerical metrics of this caliber wouldn’t look out of place on a high-tier A-rank — honestly, even an S-rank summon would struggle to match this.

“Stay right there for one moment.”

Without wasting a second, Baek Jinwoo unslotted the high-grade Omni Runes he had previously assigned to Stormy and transferred them directly into Drill Sarge’s matrix.

The resulting transformation.

STR: 1,580, INT: 1,580, VIT: 1,580, AGI: 1,580

HP: 60,000 / MP: 50,000

Crit Rate: 80%

Crit Damage: 340%

• Instructor: Awakens the hidden capability of allied summons and drastically accelerates their development velocity.

No… how is this even……

What sort of apocalyptic entity have I created?

An even 1,580 across every single primary attribute?

Baek Jinwoo had never in his wildest dreams anticipated observing stats of this magnitude associated with Drill Sarge.

And these results were achieved utilizing mere transitional runes.

Imagine the scaling once he successfully integrated the absolute Trinity Rune down the line?

The power output would completely eclipse this current baseline.

— My master, I feel as though a casual swipe of my weapon could effortlessly cleave a continental landmass in two.

“I have no doubt you could.”

A single mountain? That wouldn’t even serve as a warm-up.

If he truly unleashed his full capabilities, he could likely reduce a massive metropolitan area to smoldering ash in under sixty seconds.

“Wait, is the Nine-Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome truly that devastatingly potent?”

— ……It appears so. Drawing from the collective wisdom of Hua Tuo, there existed ancient mystics of old who viewed individuals burdened with the Nine-Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome as walking, breathing celestial medicine of the highest order.

“Understood. I can accept that reality.”

Baek Jinwoo inclined his head in agreement.

“These specific Omni Runes. Along with the coveted Trinity Rune I plan to acquire next. They aren’t going to Aso. They belong to you now, absolute top preference.”

Hearing those words, a vibrant, fierce spark reignited deep within Drill Sarge’s gaze.

— My deepest gratitude, master!

He had achieved true validation.

A formalized commitment to the primary combat slot — the honor of serving as his master’s ultimate vanguard weapon.

Drill Sarge was filled with such immense euphoria that every ounce of agony and torment he had just clawed his way through vanished completely from his consciousness.

“Phew.”

Baek Jinwoo let out a long, deeply relieved breath.

The entire situation had resolved itself flawlessly.

The collection of Omni Runes was secure, and Drill Sarge had successfully triggered his ultimate Awakening.

At this point, it was time to chart a course back home to South Korea.

Jasim had undoubtedly already finalized the private aviation arrangements.

The only remaining complication was.

Grrrumble.

“Haha, my stomach is completely empty.”

— Master, please do not tell me…… You have neglected your own nutrition this entire time?

“You vanished right in front of me looking like a corpse — did you seriously think I could stomach a single bite of food?”

Ugh.

Even he winced slightly at how overly dramatic that sounded.

But what else was he supposed to say?

It was the absolute truth.

“Regardless, let’s tuck in. Stormy, Ramba — get over here, you guys too.”

The incredibly lavish banquet Jasim had laid out was still sitting there, perfectly preserved.

There was more than enough food to satisfy all four of them!

Naturally, that selection featured the ultra-luxurious pastry buns packed with premium sweet cream, handcrafted by a Michelin-tier culinary artist.

— AWESOME! Time to feast!

Ramba cut through the atmosphere, executing joyful loops in pure excitement.