Chapter 71

A sharp snapping sound echoed as Shusuke clenched his jaw in frustration.

How had things collapsed so spectacularly?

South Korea?

They were supposed to be an effortless victory.

It was already a massive blow to his dignity that he had been forced to extract a Supreme-Grade Movement Speed Enhancement Scroll against such minor adversaries.

• Go ahead, rip it open if you want.

Recalling Baek Jinwoo’s mocking grin, a look that proved he had anticipated the move and despised him for it, made Shusuke’s blood run hot with rage.

Failure here meant total ruin.

Naturally, falling short wouldn’t dominate global news networks.

This wasn’t an official tournament, after all.

Yet, his own self-worth would be shattered.

A permanent crack in the deep sense of dominance he had always enjoyed as a prominent ranker from Japan, a nation known as a summoning empire.

That fracture would inevitably start pulling Japan down as well.

This disgrace had to end right now.

Shusuke’s gaze narrowed into a sharp, venomous glare focused entirely on Baek Jinwoo.

Without another moment’s hesitation.

Riiip!

He tore the parchment in half.

KRRRMMMMM……!

An immense surge of energy enveloped his summoned creatures.

“This is the end for you. Once this power is unleashed, even Hikaru-nim finds it difficult to handle.”

“……Is that so?”

Baek Jinwoo gave his head a casual scratch.

“That’s not really a detail I cared to learn. Don’t remember asking, either.”

The famous Sugoi Hyung couldn’t overcome this?

It made sense, honestly.

Even holding the spot of the third highest-ranked player in Battle of Summoners, his primary arena was the Tower of Trials, not competitive Player vs Player combat.

“DON’T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME!”

Babababat!

Shusuke’s beasts lunged directly toward Baek Jinwoo’s pack of wolves.

However, Baek Jinwoo had already calculated their path, placing Rolly’s weapon directly in their way.

Even better.

Every single one of the five targets was well within range.

“Rolly.”

FWHOOOOSH!

The spectral executioner materialized out of thin air, sweeping its massive scythe in a devastating circle.

“What?”

Shusuke gasped.

The health pools of all five of his summons took a massive, synchronized dive.

But they can endure this much.

So that dark reaper must be Baek Jinwoo’s primary summon……

What an amateur blunder.

He lacks the absolute fundamentals of combat.

Throwing a lone summon right into the center of a hostile pack?

That was an open invitation to be swarmed and destroyed.

“ALL OF YOU, AMBUSH IT AND TEAR IT TO PIECES!”

His accelerated beasts lunged fiercely at the Gale Slaughterer (EX-rank).

What?

Baek Jinwoo’s expression shifted, looking as though he had just won the lottery.

Had they relied on their enhanced mobility to bypass the threat and strike aggressively, it might have actually disrupted his rhythm. But choosing this path instead?

Rolly’s strikes possessed an area-of-effect property.

Furthermore, with the accumulated stacks from Ramba running for more than four hours, the speed of its strikes was staggering.

Which meant.

Charging blindly into that space?

FWFWFWFWFWFWFWFWFWFWHANG!

Rolly rotated its weapon at a speed that defied the naked eye.

From a distance, the motion resembled a localized gale, and within that chaotic storm, Shusuke’s five summons vanished completely.

They were entirely obliterated.

“Ho— how?”

Shusuke blinked, completely paralyzed by the sight.

A system error?

What could possibly explain this?

Setting aside the others, his defensive summon, the Guardian (A-rank), possessed a health pool exceeding 100,000.

That massive Guardian had been caught in the whirlwind and simply… minced.

DUDUDUDUDUK!

In less than ten seconds, its life force struck zero, and it dissolved back into nothingness.

“See? I explicitly told you not to destroy that item. Total waste of resources.”

“You……”

“I was fully prepared to resolve this using nothing but the wolves, you know? But the moment you introduce a broken mechanic like that, I have to match it. A broken item deserves a broken summon.”

Ssshhht!

The scythe-bearing entity faded back into the shadows.

That’s… impossible……

What kind of creature is capable of such a feat?!

He was consumed by rage, yet entirely powerless to change the outcome.

The absence of any system warning pop-ups confirmed they were operating strictly within the boundaries of their agreement.

Wooong!

The protective dome surrounding Shusuke dissolved into light.

And the reality of that development.

I…… was defeated?

Him? Holding the rank of 30th on the global leaderboard?

He had even deployed a scroll, arguably the most overpowered item available, only to be completely annihilated.

This meant the group of five rankers now had to pool their resources to deliver one hundred billion won to Yubaek……!

Thud.

Shusuke collapsed to his knees, his eyes devoid of life.

“Wow, Jiho, did your eyes catch that?”

Ki Jaehyeok couldn’t contain the wave of shocked whispers escaping his lips.

“……I witnessed it. How can someone even operate on that level, Hyung?”

Kang Jiho appeared just as stunned by the display.

“Ha. I just… I am completely speechless at this point.”

Hong Ari could do nothing but shake her head in disbelief.

Overpowered.

So completely beyond logic that words failed to describe it.

He had utterly trivialized a top ranker from Japan like Shusuke?

South Korea had legitimately ascended to a status where it could be recognized as a dominant force in summoning.

Granted, none of us achieved this…… Baek Jinwoo did it alone.

But wasn’t the impact identical?

Baek Jinwoo was a representative of South Korea, after all.

Furthermore, they had the privilege of being his pupils.

Squeeze!

Hong Ari tightened her fingers into a fist, fighting down a massive wave of internal inspiration.

Capability.

The path forward was completely clear to her now.

If she simply placed her absolute faith in Baek Jinwoo’s guidance, executing his directives without hesitation……

Where would she stand in a year? Or two? What heights of Growth would she manage to scale?

She might actually become a figure capable of shaking the global stage.

Incredible, honestly.

Hong Ari still found the reality difficult to process.

That notorious Shusuke.

The intimidating entity known as K.

Reduced to kneeling on the dirt with a completely shattered spirit.

And it wasn’t limited to Shusuke alone.

Ryo, Atsuto, Makoto……

Every single one of them had been completely broken right here within Yubaek City.

Granted, Japan still maintained two top-tier rankers who outranked Shusuke.

But looking at Baek Jinwoo…

Observing him standing there with such a calm, unfazed demeanor, as if overwhelming Shusuke was a minor task not even worth dwelling on, a profound sense of devotion began to solidify inside her.

“Ari.”

“Yes, Unni.”

“My choice is made.”

Oh Seonyeong was clearly experiencing the exact same realization.

By this point, Ari could decipher her thoughts through a single glance.

“Moving forward, I will execute every single directive from Master. Zero hesitation, zero doubts.”

Pfft.

Hong Ari let out a soft laugh.

As though she hadn’t already been adopting that exact mindset.

The truth was, her internal thoughts mirrored that sentiment perfectly.

If the option were available, she would close down Arirang entirely and relocate her life directly to Yubaek.

Though that was likely a step too far for now.

“Sh-Shusuke Hyungnim!”

“Are you unharmed?”

The remaining Japanese rankers hurried over to pull him to his feet, though their internal panic must have been identical.

It was time to accept the brutal truth.

South Korea was no longer the inferior region they had assumed it to be.

They possessed genuine power.

Not a mere earthbound serpent, but a majestic dragon that had completed its preparation to take flight into the heavens.

Now the pieces connect.

Shusuke envisioned the caution Hikaru had given him.

Under no circumstances.

Never cross him.

Hikaru had anticipated this outcome from the very beginning.

Exactly how far beyond ordinary human boundaries the player once revered as JinuGod truly operated.

The Five Emperors, elite rankers, none of those titles mattered.

He had recognized from the outset that standard conventions simply did not apply to this individual.

That was the true motive behind sending Shusuke: to verify if Baek Jinwoo was indeed the legendary JinuGod.

And during that assignment, he had specifically ordered Shusuke to avoid causing offense.

Because the possibility of him being JinuGod was incredibly high.

And the conclusion?

There is no doubt he is JinuGod.

The display that had just unfolded was impossible to interpret any other way.

Then.

Had he executed his task successfully?

Far from it.

From the absolute start, he had arrogant ly insisted on a billion won per round. Furthermore, Ryo, an actual member of the elite national roster he brought along, had actively attempted a lethal strike.

If those details reached Hikaru’s attention?

……I will be completely abandoned.

Shusuke’s stomach dropped.

Terror gripped him.

The fear that everything he had painstakingly established could dissolve completely due to the blunders of this journey.

What course of action remains?

There was only a single path forward.

Fulfill the financial obligation immediately and leave this place as fast as possible!

If they transferred the full one hundred billion won in a single transaction, perhaps it might pacify the situation?

Leap!

Shusuke vaulted to his feet and shifted his gaze toward Yu Jia.

“We concede. In accordance with our terms, we will execute the wire transfer. Kindly provide the necessary routing information.”

“Oh.”

Yu Jia gave a brief nod and handed over the financial coordinates.

In his desperate rush, Shusuke cleared the massive balance directly out of his personal reserves.

This entire excursion.

Two invaluable scrolls and a staggering one hundred billion won, entirely forfeited.

The financial damage was cataclysmic, but his sole priority was escaping this nightmare.

“The recorded footage will be delivered within seven days.”

“……Much appreciated. This unsanctioned contest provided an invaluable learning experience for our group as well. We shall take our leave now.”

Attempting to conclude the interaction with extreme haste, Shusuke barked orders to his compatriots.

“Move out, everyone. Secure Ryo!”

Ryo had been subjected to such severe physical torment that he remained collapsed on the earth, fluid leaking unchecked from his nose and mouth.

“Y-yes, Hyungnim.”

“Move it, get off the ground! We are leaving!”

The disciples observed the departing contingent, walking away like broken soldiers retreating from a lost campaign, their eyes filled with a mixture of reverence and shock.

However, a single individual stood apart.

Baek Jinwoo alone tracked their departure, a faint, calculating smirk playing on his lips, his expression quiet and deeply patient.

Trudge, trudge.

The Japanese contingent eventually reached the coastal sands of Yangyang, preparing themselves to journey back across the East Sea.

The atmosphere was so profoundly suffocating that not a single syllable had been uttered during the entire journey to the shore.

Resentment?

Not quite.

More accurately, it was a hollow sense of devastation.

Coupled with intense anxiety.

How were they supposed to explain these events to Hikaru?

“Hah.”

Shusuke let out a heavy breath, casting his eyes over the assembled Japanese rankers.

Ryo.

That idiot remained completely unresponsive on the ground, entirely dead to the world.

Perhaps remaining unconscious was a deliberate defense mechanism.

Because the exact moment his awareness returned, he would be forced to confront this miserable reality.

The rest of the rankers?

The vital spark had completely vanished from their eyes.

The absolute first taste of true degradation they had ever experienced.

And the reality that it had been dealt by Korea, a territory they had consistently treated with disdain, made the emotional wound infinitely more agonizing.

Had they fallen to one of the global superpowers, it would have at least been a pill they could swallow.

“……Summon the wyverns.”

The Skypierce Wyvern (B-rank).

They had utilized these beasts to cross the expanse of the East Sea initially.

“Understood, Hyungnim.”

Indeed.

What benefit lay in overanalyzing their misfortune?

The only option left was to return across the water.

He activated the summoning command.

• KREEEEEEEE!

A separate wyvern cut through the upper atmosphere, descending rapidly.

FWAP!

It impacted the ground directly in front of their path, sending a massive plume of sand swirling into the air.

“Where are you heading in such a massive rush?”

Shusuke’s eyes threatened to pop out of his head.

A figure stepped down effortlessly from the back of the massive flying beast.

Baek Jinwoo.

What explanation was there for his presence?

He had actually tracked them all the way to the coast?

C-could it be?

There was one precise motivation driving Shusuke’s desperate flight from South Korea.

The terrifying possibility that Baek Jinwoo might choose to relentlessly exploit their infractions and hostile actions.

The fear that it would inevitably get back to Hikaru.

Please.

Shusuke offered a silent, desperate plea to fate.

Let his panic be an overreaction.

“I spent the journey here contemplating the situation, and the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get.”

However.

Observing Baek Jinwoo’s features as he sauntered closer with that subtle, mocking smile, Shusuke’s insides turned to ice.

The look in his eyes.

It felt as though he was reading every panicked thought racing through Shusuke’s brain.

“Wh-what exactly is causing your dissatisfaction?”

“Ryo executing a lethal intent against my pupil, to name one violation…… And that ridiculous display at the start where you tried to extort a billion won for every single round……”

My fears were completely justified!

Shusuke’s complexion turned completely bloodless.

That monstrous JinuGod!

His overwhelming mastery over summoning mechanics wasn’t the only aspect of him that was terrifying.

The individual himself possessed a mind as sharp and lethal as a razor.

“I’m considering whether I ought to escalate this matter directly to the official Japanese authorities, or perhaps to this Yoshida Hikaru person? Your celebrated national squad captain. To discover if this behavior aligns with their standards. To see if this is an issue that should simply be forgotten.”

Baek Jinwoo offered an amiable grin.

To put it plainly, Baek Jinwoo was far from a merciful individual.

If anything, his personality veered toward vindictive.

Rather than dismissing grievances with a casual shrug, he belonged to the category of people who would dig into a fault and never stop digging.

“……What terms are you seeking?”

“Oh.”

Baek Jinwoo arched his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Impressive. You possess a modicum of situational awareness, at the very least.”

“……”

“Honestly, I can agree that matters occurring between our respective groups should ideally remain confined to us.”

Absolute lies!

Your entire purpose for appearing here is extortion!

Shusuke glared at him, trapped in absolute despair.

“With that said.”

Baek Jinwoo pressed on.

“I absolutely refuse to tolerate a situation where an individual who attempts to end a life without a second thought is permitted to continue representing a nation on an elite team.”

The relaxed, approachable expression on Baek Jinwoo’s face hardened into a freezing, ruthless mask within a fraction of a second.

Then.

“Ryo.”

He gestured toward the unresponsive body of Ryo.

“Strip him of his position on your national roster. Complete ensure that he is permanently banned from ever operating as a active player again. Fulfill that condition, and the events that transpired between us will remain buried eternally.”

Shusuke’s eyes widened in sheer panic.

His intellect worked at furious speed to evaluate the scenario.

Ryo?

The player holding the distinct rank of 9th within Japan’s national hierarchy.

If completely sacrificing his career was the sole price required to maintain his own standing beside Hikaru…

“……Do I have your solemn word on this?”

To ensure such an arrangement was ironclad, they would require a binding agreement.

A formal system contract, specifically.

Yet Baek Jinwoo simply dismissed the idea with a shake of his head.

“It appears you are fundamentally misinterpreting the dynamic here.”

“What?”

“I didn’t travel to this beach to enter negotiations with you. I came here to dictate terms.”

Baek Jinwoo’s pleasant smile returned.

“If I discover Ryo participating in any official capacity moving forward? I will lay the entire consequence directly at the feet of Yoshida Hikaru. The choice rests entirely in your hands, so I suggest you evaluate your options carefully.”

Tap, tap.

Baek Jinwoo delivered two deliberate pats to Shusuke’s shoulder, then pivoted sharply on his heel.

Having delivered his ultimatum, he scaled the side of his wyvern without a backward glance.

……Dammit.

Shusuke could do nothing but track his departure, his features twisted into a mask of pure, helpless resentment.