Chapter 54

The clash on Yu Jia’s end was completely deadlocked.

The security organization and the four national representatives were currently holding off the criminal group’s onslaught.

Slightly more than twenty syndicate operatives were flinging themselves into battle with reckless abandon.

“Ugh, revolting pests.”

Hong Ari wrinkled her nose, voicing her annoyance as she directed her summoned beasts.

“If you’re outmatched, you should have the sense to retreat. Why do you keep pressing on like this?”

Even if the general power level of South Korea was considered low, these four were still elite national representatives.

Typical criminals would have tested the waters and fled immediately.

However, this contingent was distinct.

They were frantically attempting to shatter the defensive line and penetrate the facility.

The residential high-rise, to be precise.

“Their target is Baek Jinwoo’s parents!”

Yu Jia called out with urgency.

“They understand that if they fail right now, their syndicate will never establish a foothold within South Korea!”

There wasn’t a soul in South Korea capable of matching Baek Jinwoo in sheer might.

That reality applied to high-ranking players and syndicate thugs alike.

“SLIT THAT BITCH’S THROAT FIRST!”

Crash!

An antagonistic summon lunged directly at Yu Jia.

SNAP!

However, one of Orang’s predatory wolves clamped its teeth firmly around the summon’s throat.

“Do you truly believe you can look down on us to this extent?”

Oh Seonyeong’s tone was incredibly frigid.

That was simply her nature.

While the guild leader Hong Ari possessed a vibrant personality, the vice leader Oh Seonyeong was widely known by her moniker, “Ice.”

“We only need to hold the line. The forces of our Arirang guild are already en route to reinforce us.”

A visible tremor ran through them.

The syndicate operatives shuddered at her declaration.

Arirang. One of the top three guilds in South Korea.

In comparison, their current numbers were severely lacking.

Furthermore, their leader Jo Jihak hadn’t even arrived!

Is it truly wise to prolong this engagement?

The association headquarters and Daesung Group could arrive at any moment… and now Arirang is coming as well?

This situation is turning sideways.

They felt completely misled.

When the initial intelligence reached them, they were assured the marks would be effortless targets.

Baek Jinwoo was supposedly away in Dubai, and even better, they were promised assistance from the 9th and 10th ranked players.

Yet what in the world was happening here?!

Setting aside the reinforcements that never materialized—Arirang’s high-ranking officers were blocking the path like an impregnable wall.

That wasn’t the end of it.

Those youngsters from Carpe Diem were executing maneuvers as though possessed by spirits of slaughter.

“AHAHAHA! PERISH, YOU SCOUNDRELS!”

“Hey, are you getting sleepy? Uninterested? Finding this completely dull? Getting aggravated?”

Enduring the mockery of those high school students was enough to send anyone’s blood pressure through the roof.

Those miserable brats.

Are they toddlers? What is wrong with them?

Even so, the twenty gathered individuals were all seasoned combatants who understood how to wage war.

Prominent figures within the syndicate’s operational cells.

That status was the sole reason they managed to maintain their ground against four national representatives.

However.

A syndicate’s unity was never particularly robust from the start.

They hadn’t assembled for a noble objective—they associated merely to satisfy their personal avarice, rendering their connections incredibly fragile.

“Hey, let’s just make a run for it!”

Ultimately, one operative turned around, prepared to flee.

“Jo Jihak. That miserable bastard. He’s discarding us like worthless pawns. Why should we throw our lives away out of loyalty to him?”

The delicate equilibrium collapsed in a single heartbeat.

Yet what truly terrified them was the prospect of Jo Jihak’s vengeance.

He hadn’t ascended to the apex of an underworld syndicate by accident.

Jo Jihak was brutal, calculating, unyielding, and horrific.

“To hell with this! I’ll abandon South Korea entirely!”

“You believe fleeing the nation solves the issue? He will track you down regardless of where you hide.”

“But consider this—that monster. Won’t Baek Jinwoo put an end to him?”

Yubaek.

And they had targeted his immediate family, of all things.

Any logical player would unsheathe their weapon against Jo Jihak without a moment’s hesitation.

“That makes sense! Fine, I’m leaving!”

“Count me in!”

“Likewise!”

They all summoned high-velocity beasts, preparing to make their escape.

Yet it was already far too late.

SCREEEEEEEEAAAAACH!

From high above, the distant cry of a wyvern echoed like a death knell over those attempting to flee.

“Jinwoo!”

Yu Jia recognized him before anyone else.

That Skypierce Wyvern.

The very creature she had stroked so frequently while practicing together in the open fields.

SCREECH! SCREE!

The winged beast plummeted from the heavens in a sheer vertical dive.

Even at that terrifying velocity, Baek Jinwoo’s stance remained perfectly stable.

The fruit of intense training and conditioning within high-tier Day Dungeons.

“Stormy.”

Baek Jinwoo spoke softly.

“Understood, Master Jinwoo.”

Stormy, who was holding fast to his waist from behind, replied in a muted murmur.

In that instant.

FWOOOOOSH!

Storm Dragon Arts.

Secret technique.

Shift.

A colossal Fire Wall began to encircle the entire battlefield.

The entirety of the Dragon Burst power she had accumulated via Blaze unleashed simultaneously, radiating outward.

“AAAAAH!”

“Wh-what is this?!”

Inevitably, the syndicate’s summoned creatures could not pass through those flames.

Relying on a protective shield to cross solo?

Utterly futile.

The moment a player lost connection to their summons, their capture became a certainty.

“DAMN IT!”

“Escape is impossible!”

“What’s the plan? Do we stand and fight?”

“Fight?! THAT IS BAEK JINWOO! BAEK JINWOO!”

The syndicate operatives were players as well.

As bizarre as it seemed, they had experienced a sense of national pride while observing Baek Jinwoo’s achievements.

They understood perfectly well that regardless of how many of them united, they stood zero chance against him.

The man had crushed the country’s top-ranked player in less than sixty seconds. What could they possibly achieve?

Naturally.

They weren’t granted much time to deliberate between fleeing or standing their ground.

“Rolly.”

“Krrk…!”

The velocity at which Rolly lunged forward with his blade was utterly mind-boggling.

The result of the cumulative attributes he had been gathering since before the dinner with Jasim.

Splat, slash! Splat, slash!

The unseeable entity descended with lightning swiftness, burying its blade into the spine of a summon, and then slash! Twisted.

That single motion sufficed.

Every single summon in the vicinity was ripped apart like fragile parchment.

KREEEEEE!

By the time the wyvern reached the ground?

Every remaining syndicate summon had been annihilated, and the operatives’ protective shields had collapsed.

Now, even if they desired to leap through the conflagration, they lacked the ability.

“What… what in the world.”

The person uttering the profanity wasn’t a syndicate member.

It was Hong Ari, a member of the national squad.

“Is that creature even a human being?”

She was well aware of Baek Jinwoo’s power, but butchering the syndicate members who had been matching all four of them evenly the very second he arrived?

Twenty syndicate operatives was one variable, but regarding summoned beasts, that amounted to roughly three hundred entities.

Three battalions per individual, fifteen beasts each.

“…Truly awe-inspiring.”

Even Oh Seonyeong conceded in a soft voice.

“As anticipated from Jinwoo Hyungnim…!”

“Man, you are INCREDIBLY awesome!”

Ki Jaehyeok and Kang Jiho flashed thumbs-up signs, beaming.

Why are those two present here?

Baek Jinwoo tilted his head slightly in confusion but swiftly scanned the perimeter, his gaze turning icy.

The conflict had not concluded yet.

“Let us neutralize the remaining targets first.”

The syndicate’s assault sent ripples of panic throughout South Korea.

[Syndicate Boldly Strikes Yubaek! Hanam City, Roughly 20 Minutes of Intense Combat! All Perpetrators Subdued!]

[2 Fatalities, 5 Severely Wounded in Syndicate Attack. All Casualties Confirmed as Security Company Players.]

「Yu Jia Conveys Deep Sympathy to Grieving Families. Restitution Processes to Begin.」

Public rage boiled over instantaneously.

The underlying goal was blindingly clear!

└ Have these degenerates completely lost their minds;;

└ They were attempting to abduct his family, correct?

└ Out of everyone, Baek Jinwoo? You should have absolutely never targeted Baek Jinwoo.

The populace was incensed.

The solitary beacon of hope for the nation, the individual destined to lead them in the impending World League.

The syndicate had dared to touch him.

Furthermore.

[FLASH: Oh Jimyeong and Park Hoseop Bribed by Syndicate!]

[Establishment Near Hanam City Assaulted! The Motive? Threatening Baek Jinwoo’s Sister?]

[Female Student Eyewitness at the Location: “Baek Jinwoo appeared instantly! and immobilized them in a blink.”]

└ Incredible.

└ These absolute lunatics;;

└ Reaching such heights only to immediately betray their homeland.

└ Is this because they were humiliated in that team exhibition previously?

└ No way. That would make them incredibly pathetic.

└ In actual reality, it was a one-second victory as well lol. They managed to survive longer during the exhibition match?

All twenty-three syndicate combatants were apprehended on site.

Their vision was obstructed and their hands secured behind their backs to prevent any further summoning actions (summoning required a visual prompt or manual input), and they were confined under maximum security.

And.

Precisely as anticipated, Baek Jinwoo was completely enraged.

[Baek Jinwoo Releases Authoritative Pronouncement! Declares Warfare on the Syndicate, Pledges to Eradicate All Criminal Activity on South Korean Soil!]

[Association Director Pledges Complete Backing for Player Baek Jinwoo’s Objectives!]

└ Incredible!

└ When Baek Jinwoo delivers a statement like that, it’s profoundly terrifying;;

└ Those syndicate cowards must be trembling in fear……

└ Did anyone catch his expression during the media brief? Sent shivers down my spine.

└ Can anyone blame him? They avoided a direct confrontation—they targeted his kin like spineless cowards.

└ Jo Jihak is completely finished;;

Baek Jinwoo went so far as to announce this:

Any player currently affiliated with a syndicate, or who had previously been associated with one…

He would grant them a twenty-four-hour window to surrender to authorities and accept their legal penalties.

Whatever occurred past that timeframe, he remarked, he would leave entirely to their imagination.

└ So incredibly badass.

└ Seriously. The man simply commands respect.

└ Does this signify we no longer have to exist in dread of syndicates?

└ Too early to say. Jo Jihak—that individual is no push-over.

└ Push-over or not, his adversary is Baek Jinwoo lol. Just some rank 30 undercard.

└ Jo Jihak remains oblivious as well, though. Just as no one anticipated the unranked Baek Jinwoo to ascend to this pinnacle.

At that precise moment.

Baek Jinwoo was convening with Park Changseok at the association headquarters.

Ever since establishing Yubaek, he and Park Changseok had developed a reasonably close relationship.

Frequent encounters and dialogue had naturally fostered a comfortable rapport between them.

“You have truly endured an ordeal, young man. This entire operation ought to have been our responsibility.”

Park Changseok offered a remorseful smile.

The tally of high-ranking officers they had apprehended during this single event exceeded ten.

What the association had failed to achieve through three agonizing years, Baek Jinwoo had accomplished within twenty-four hours.

“Not at all, you are the one carrying the heavy burden, sir.”

“So, your intention is to interview the detainees?”

“Correct.”

Baek Jinwoo did not display a smile.

His features had not softened in the slightest.

Park Changseok exhaled a quiet breath.

“…Do not terminate their lives.”

Syndicate operatives technically met the criteria for immediate execution.

However, these individuals were high-ranking personnel.

There was a vast amount of intelligence to harvest, meaning they were being preserved for the time being.

Furthermore, there remained the process of stripping them of their summons and equipment.

“Naturally. They absolutely must survive.”

Baek Jinwoo smiled subtly.

The expression sent a sudden chill down Park Changseok’s back.

Hold on, what exactly did he mean by that?

That he wouldn’t allow them a swift demise?

“Nothing inappropriate will transpire. You indicated you would assist me, correct?”

“Indeed, indeed.”

Park Changseok had already arranged the necessary conditions.

The association would follow Baek Jinwoo’s initiative.

They were his captures, after all.

Whether he chose to grill them or boil them, realistically, that was his prerogative.

“Proceed inside.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Mmmmph!”

“Grrk! Mmmmph!”

Twenty-three detainees were isolated across well-fortified individual holding areas.

The containment areas were constructed of hardened steel. Every single one of them was blindfolded, silenced with gags, and had their limbs secured tightly.

Human rights?

What sort of human rights were due to perilous individuals capable of commanding lethal summons?

No sentries were present.

Park Changseok had secured one hour of completely cleared time.

“Drill Sarge.”

“Present, my lord.”

Whoosh!

Drill Sarge materialized from thin air.

Ever since his Awakening, the security he offered was beyond calculation.

Even without Ramba accumulating separate attributes, was there anyone alive capable of besting him currently?

Could even Rachel achieve it?

He pondered the thought.

The latent energy deriving from the Nine-Yin Severed Meridian Syndrome was just that immense.

“You stated you possessed the means to extract all relevant data.”

“That is precise, my lord.”

Drill Sarge inclined his head.

Within his consciousness lay the expertise to guide even the globe’s foremost A-rank interrogator, alongside every combative questioning method ranging from fundamental energy-point locking to the muscle-tearing, bone-scraping technique.

Molding weak-willed mortals such as these was absolute child’s play.

“Shall we commence immediately?”

In response to Drill Sarge’s inquiry, Baek Jinwoo offered a slow nod of approval.