Chapter 70

An overwhelming stillness enveloped the entire room.

“What on earth is that guy planning?”

“Shusuke Hyungnim, has he completely lost his mind?!”

Instigating a conflict with a top-tier Japanese ranker — an asset representing their entire country on the official national squad?

This was practically an open proclamation of warfare.

“Yaaah……”

“H-Hyungnim?”

“……Jinwoo-ssi.”

The disciples alongside Yu Jia watched Baek Jinwoo with completely helpless expressions, yet—

How exactly were they supposed to rein that in?

One glance at the sheer determination on his face, and they could only shake their heads in resignation.

“Hyungnim, aren’t we ALL going to find ourselves in massive trouble if this keeps up?”

The fact that Ki Jaehyeok — who had been standing at death’s door just moments earlier — was the one voicing this concern said everything.

However.

“Why.”

Baek Jinwoo spared a brief glance toward the agonizing shrieks of Ryo, before redirecting his frosty gaze toward the remaining Japanese rankers.

“You got a problem with this?”

From where Shusuke stood, the situation was utterly preposterous.

Of course they had a problem!

He was actively inflicting brutal torture upon a fellow Japanese ranker right in front of them — how could they possibly remain indifferent?!

“The person who decided to launch a direct assault against a player using a summon in the first place was that guy.”

This was a lesson he had internalized thoroughly back during the previous crackdown on underworld syndicates.

Anyone who dares to lay a finger on my people will not walk away unscathed.

It didn’t matter who they claimed to be.

The entire globe, the legendary Five Emperors — they meant nothing to him.

Baek Jinwoo was already exceptionally powerful.

If he was going to cower and grovel even while controlling five distinct EX-rank summons, he might as well abandon his path as a player entirely.

Man, you incredibly unfortunate Japanese bastard.

Of all the people in the world, why did you have to cross paths with Hyungnim……

The last person who picked a fight with the wrong target ended up getting their entire syndicate erased from existence. Has that news not traveled over here yet?

Oh, the news had certainly traveled.

It was simply that no one paid it any mind because it occurred in some obscure, backwater nation.

“……”

Meanwhile, Shusuke’s lips were visibly quivering.

What exactly just happened?

The event had unfolded directly before his eyes, yet his mind failed to comprehend the reality of it.

His brain actively rejected the data.

Ryo’s five formidable summons were effortlessly dismissed and unsummoned in less than five seconds.

The execution was so rapid he hadn’t even been able to track it properly.

A phantom-like reaper wielding a massive scythe had materialized for a fraction of a second and vanished just as swiftly.

If that blade had been directed at me instead—

Would I have been capable of parrying it?

This wasn’t a question of summon weight classes or tier systems.

If a player lacked the capacity to even register an incoming assault, how could they possibly command their summons to react in time?

But that defied logic.

He occupied the rank of 30th globally.

The opposing man wasn’t even listed on the official Korean leaderboards.

Regardless of how many fortunate coincidences or immense fortunes someone poured into their career, there existed an fundamental gap of common sense that simply could not be bridged.

Thus, the final deduction Shusuke settled upon?

Ryo completely lost his composure.

That was the sole plausible explanation.

He had fallen blindly for Ki Jaehyeok’s blatant bait, leaving himself wide open to that underhanded, treacherous ambush.

Then what explained his own inability to track the movement?

It was likely just the element of shock.

To be fair, Ryo’s reckless display had thrown his own concentration off balance as well.

“That is quite enough.”

Shusuke lifted his hand.

“Halt this at once.”

An ultimatum to cease the ongoing torment of Ryo — who was still emitting bloodcurdling screams of GAAAAH!

Truthfully, his own chest had tightened.

Exactly how much agony was required to extract that kind of horrific sound from a human throat?

Yet Baek Jinwoo disregarded Shusuke’s intervention completely.

He bided his time until the entire sixty seconds had elapsed, after which he strolled directly over to Oh Seonyeong.

“Oh Seonyeong-ssi.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Provide me with three of your summons. Any three will do.”

“……Excuse me?”

Oh Seonyeong’s mouth parted in sheer bewilderment.

She comprehended the underlying implication of those words instantly.

He had uttered it merely moments before.

— I’m going to give Oh Seonyeong-ssi a special gift.

— ……A gift, you say?

— You’ll see.

A present, he had assured her.

This was the moment.

He intended to utilize Oh Seonyeong’s very own summons to crush the remaining pair of Japanese rankers.

He desired to demonstrate something to her.

That her companions could be incredibly fearsome as well, provided they were commanded accurately.

That they possessed the capability for overwhelming dominance.

“Will you truly be alright? The adversaries represent the official roster of a major global power.”

The wolves under Oh Seonyeong’s command were vastly outmatched on paper.

Even if Fenrir held an A-rank designation, could it realistically stand on equal footing with Baek Jinwoo’s Drill Sarge?

Not by a long shot.

“I am required to employ them regardless. The rune for my Drill Sarge has been temporarily detached.”

The Omni Rune he typically relied upon was presently in the custody of the Rune Dwarf.

Clang, clang! It was currently undergoing a transformation process into the Trinity Rune.

“Since I have already deployed Ramba and Rolly, borrowing three of your wolves does not breach the terms of our arrangement.”

Yubaek and the Japanese delegation had finalized a tournament agreement with a staggering one hundred billion won hanging in the balance.

The terms dictated that a maximum of five summons could participate, meaning Ramba and Rolly had to remain active on the field.

However—

There was absolutely no reason to deploy heavy artillery to swat a few flies.

It wasn’t as though Sugoi — one of the legendary Five Emperors — had shown up in person.

To handle someone of Shusuke’s caliber, he didn’t even require the presence of the Drill Sarge.

A trio of wolves would be more than sufficient for the task.

“Ah, I understand.”

Oh Seonyeong initiated the transfer of her summons over to Baek Jinwoo.

She couldn’t suppress the nagging doubt — could he truly secure a victory with nothing but these? Yet she lacked the resolve to dispute her Master’s explicit directive.

Shusuke watched the unfolding scene with an expression of pure incredulity.

Just now.

Was this individual implying he would engage in combat — not with his personal arsenal, but by utilizing another player’s assets?

This transcended basic arrogance. This was an absolute insult.

“……How dare you behave this way.”

“Drop the ‘how dare you’ routine. I’m thoroughly exhausted by it, so quit the posturing and make your move already. A binding agreement is an agreement — let’s conclude this business swiftly so you can pack your bags.”

Swish!

Baek Jinwoo summoned Fenrir (A-rank), Shadow Wolf (B-rank), and Hyeolrang (B-rank) onto the battlefield.

Positioned in the rear, Ramba steadily continued to accumulate enhancements for Rolly.

“Observe carefully.”

Baek Jinwoo directed his words toward Oh Seonyeong.

“This is how one properly utilizes lupine summons against adversaries of this tier.”

Gulp!

Oh Seonyeong gave a heavy swallow.

Could such a thing actually be feasible?

Could her Fenrir truly hold its ground against the vaunted elite of the Japanese national squad?

“I am Makoto.”

Stepping forward as the opening combatant was Makoto.

The individual holding the 7th rank across all of Japan.

“Let us find out if your capabilities actually measure up to that immense pride!”

“Makoto!”

Shusuke barked out an urgent warning.

“Do not under any circumstances misjudge his capability — approach this combat with absolute gravity! And do not lose your psychological footing the way Ryo did!”

Makoto recoiled slightly at the sharp command, instantly reining in his impulses.

Just a brief moment ago.

Ryo had relaxed his vigilance and suffered catastrophic consequences. He had been right on the verge of executing the exact same blunder.

Nothing was more foolish than forfeiting one’s mental clarity in the heat of an actual engagement.

Observing the way they worked themselves into a panicked state, forced a false composure, and then threw internal tantrums entirely on their own, Baek Jinwoo commanded the trio of wolves to advance with a posture of complete, detached boredom.

By all means. Do not underestimate me. Empty your entire arsenal.

As if an infant refraining from throwing a crying fit would somehow grant it the ability to overpower a fully matured adult.

Grrr, arf!

Fenrir sprinted forward with its jaws parted wide, only to suddenly execute a sharp pivot.

“Huh?”

Makoto focused his vision tightly.

Where exactly do you think you are—!

Attempting a flanking maneuver?

As though he would fall for such a basic—

CRUNCH!

Before Makoto could even formulate a defensive response, the jarring echo of canine teeth puncturing flesh reverberated through the air.

Because Fenrir had shifted its trajectory a second consecutive time.

What on earth— a deceptive body feint?!

And executed with an impossibly flawless precision.

That particular mastery — a high-level manipulation that only Hikaru-sama throughout the entirety of Japan could employ without constraint — he was witnessing it performed right here?!

Furthermore, it wasn’t merely an isolated wolf pulling off the maneuver.

All three beasts operated in highly erratic, dizzying trajectories, locking their jaws firmly onto the limbs of his utterly bewildered summons.

CRUNCH, CR-R-RUNCH!

There was no window for evasion, no opportunity for a counter-offensive.

The wolves’ teeth targeted the critical vulnerabilities of their prey with surgical accuracy.

“Wh-what is happening?!”

The entire dynamic was inverted.

Something was fundamentally corrupted about the manner in which they navigated the field.

“ELIMINATE THEM!”

Makoto’s personal summons hadn’t simply been standing frozen either.

They withstood the vicious tearing and attempted a counterattack, yet—

How could this be occurring?

Slipping past those incoming strikes by the barest fractions of an inch, only to sink their teeth in once more.

The tactical positioning was so refined, so entirely immaculate, anyone observing the spectacle would have decried it as an impossibility.

The marauding wolves behaved precisely like a pack of hunting hyenas.

Weaving dynamically across the terrain, tearing violently at vulnerable windpipes, ripping out internal structures.

Ramba?

Rolly?

Neither had shifted an inch from their original starting positions.

A mere three borrowed summons were utterly dismantling a top-tier Japanese ranker’s full complement of five.

This is truly……

If there was a single soul present experiencing the highest level of shock, it was Oh Seonyeong.

Those belong to… my own roster?

Whenever she tasted failure in the past, she had always comforted her ego by placing the blame on the baseline statistics of her summons. But now, the unvarnished reality was completely exposed.

What had been deficient wasn’t the inherent quality of her summons. It was the technical proficiency of the controller.

Hong Ari, Ki Jaehyeok, Kang Jiho.

Not a single one of them could manage to close their mouths.

They simply gazed on, completely dumbfounded, at the mesmerizing choreography executed by the wolves.

“Uh…… uh, uhh….”

Makoto’s mental fortitude was thoroughly shattered.

Regardless of the strategies he attempted to employ, nothing yielded a result.

No matter how intensely he sought to guide his summons, no matter what tactical orders he broadcasted, he found himself utterly paralyzed.

The core principles he had spent his life mastering?

Not a single one held any validity when matched against Baek Jinwoo.

From Baek Jinwoo’s analytical perspective, their actions were nothing more than rigid, predictable textbook concepts devoid of any creative adaptation.

Shattering those rigid forms and turning that predictable momentum against the user was absolute child’s play.

It resembled an elite 9-dan master of Go casually manipulating an opponent who hadn’t even achieved a basic amateur standing — a mere novice player.

“H-how can this be…… How is this even achievable…… this……”

Stuttering out words of pure denial, Makoto shifted his gaze back toward Shusuke.

Shusuke slowly brought his hand up to press against his forehead in bitter resignation.

Indeed.

What demanded validation simply had to be acknowledged.

The man is undeniably powerful.

Now the context finally clicked as to why Yoshida Hikaru had strictly ordered them to treat this individual with the highest level of deference.

JinuGod, was that the moniker?

It felt as though they belonged to entirely separate evolutionary branches.

If they categorized themselves as players, then what did that make this individual?

An absolute divinity walking among them?

Had he found himself standing in Makoto’s exact shoes, would he have possessed the capability to exhibit such total domination using a set of borrowed wolves?

The internal response was a definitive no.

He lacked the self-assurance entirely.

How could any controller command an unfamiliar set of summons with such devastating, flawless efficiency?

And beyond that reality—

The individual in question wasn’t even drawing upon his personal toolkit.

The fearsome Drill Instructor he had analyzed in the recorded combat data had not even stepped foot onto the field.

The specter-like reaper wielding the scythe?

It had yet to make another appearance.

This was nothing short of—

Defeat.

An absolute, comprehensive subjugation.

Shusuke locked his eyes onto Baek Jinwoo’s features with a gaze saturated with utter disbelief.

A prodigy.

A supreme talent bestowed by the cosmos in the most literal sense.

He had spent his entire life believing that Yoshida Hikaru represented the pinnacle of natural genius.

Yet the true apex talent had been residing elsewhere the entire time.

Why had providence chosen to manifest its greatest miracle not upon the home islands, but across the sea upon the peninsula?

CR-R-RUNCH!

Ultimately, Fenrir tore away the throat of the final surviving summon, bringing the engagement to a decisive conclusion.

The protective barrier surrounding Makoto dissolved into nothingness.

Thud.

He dropped straight down onto his knees, looking hollowed out and completely drained of spirit.

“Impossible…… This cannot be…… There’s no way……”

He continued to mumble incoherent phrases under his breath, visibly trapped in a state of profound psychological shock.

And then.

Baek Jinwoo shifted his focus directly toward Shusuke.

The crowning challenger representing Yubaek’s opposition.

“Well then — shall we commence our turn?”

Grrrrr.

Fenrir directed a menacing snarl straight toward Shusuke this time.

Shusuke, who had remained anchored in his internal thoughts with closed eyelids, slowly let them part.

Within those eyes swirled a turbulent vortex of conflicting sentiments.

Doubt. Absolute wonder. But threaded beneath it all unmistakably — pure malice.

If I engage him relying strictly on the baseline capabilities of our summons, I am highly likely to suffer a loss.

However, what if he deployed every single asset available to him, moving past the constraints of standard summon power?

Conceivably — just conceivably — a path to victory might exist.

His fingers silently drifted down into his pocket.

Because he carried an ace of his own.

[Supreme-Grade Movement Speed Enhancement Scroll]

[Rank: A-rank]

[Temporarily boosts a designated summon’s movement velocity by a factor of 10x.]

An astronomical asset valued at well over one hundred billion won, carrying an absolute nightmare of a cost-to-efficiency ratio.

Hikaru had personally transferred it to his possession accompanied by unambiguous mandates.

Do not under any circumstances activate this item unless your survival is directly threatened.

But—

If he suffered a public defeat in this arena?

It would be functionally equivalent to forfeiting his very existence.

If he, the prominent 3rd-ranked competitor across the entirety of Japan, met his downfall here, the ensuing dishonor would be far more agonizing than death itself.

Clutching the artifact tightly, Shusuke leveled a fierce glare at Baek Jinwoo.

Baek Jinwoo merely offered a mocking grin.

“Are you planning to unfurl that item? I wouldn’t classify that as a particularly wise path to take.”

If Shusuke intended to resort to underhanded tactics using an amplification scroll of that nature?

Baek Jinwoo harbored zero intention of remaining passive.

Rolly had already established a position directly flanking Shusuke, entirely shrouded by an active invisibility effect.

The absolute millisecond he attempted to tear that scroll open?

Rolly — carrying the accumulated momentum of over four solid hours of continuous power stacking — would immediately execute an unstoppable dance of absolute devastation.

“Go ahead and rip it open if that is what you truly desire.”

Heh.

Folding his arms across his chest, Baek Jinwoo allowed his lips to curve into an entirely relaxed, effortless smirk.