Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Time slipped by.

The atmosphere enveloping Yubaek City remained perfectly serene.

Clang, clang!

The Rune Dwarf was cheerfully striking his anvil, creating runes designated for the Big Three!

— Keep moving! Progress does not happen by accident! A thousand days of practice is called ‘forging,’ and ten thousand days of practice is called ‘tempering’! Continue without a single moment of rest and claim triumph with your own hands!

The Drill Instructor bellowed profound words of wisdom at the assembled summons, directing them right from the vanguard!

Hold on a second.

That particular phrase felt incredibly familiar……

Wasn’t that a famous maxim from Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese swordsman?

— Exactly! That is precisely it! Haha!

Observing Ramba give a pleased nod while taking in Drill Sarge’s speech, the origin became entirely transparent.

Ramba had undoubtedly encountered that quote somewhere and passed it along to him.

What an extraordinary duo.

Baek Jinwoo let out a quiet chuckle and was in the middle of stretching his muscles when—

“Jinwoo.”

Yu Jia walked over to find him.

“Someone is here to see you.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes. Officers representing Baekho.”

Park Ho.

And Kang Geonho.

The two high-ranking figures who both carried the character Ho (虎) in their names.

Their request was straightforward.

They wanted Baekho’s top rankers to utilize Yubaek’s training grounds as well!

Baek Jinwoo found the entire proposition completely ridiculous.

“Me?”

Why on earth should I?

A bystander would think they had paid for private lessons in advance or something similar.

“Is this not highly biased? We are all members of the exact same national team, so why are you showing favoritism and only guiding one faction?”

What kind of nonsense—

I am instructing my disciples as a gesture of gratitude because they stood up against a syndicate to safeguard my loved ones.

Furthermore.

In all honesty, whether I show favoritism or not, what does that have to do with you?

“This has gone too far. As the leader of the national team, you accepted a massive sum of two trillion won. That is certainly no small amount of money, so shouldn’t you at least display sincere commitment for the six-month duration?”

Following Park Ho’s statement, Kang Geonho gave a quiet, agreeing nod.

He then fixed his gaze on Baek Jinwoo with a look that seemed almost pleading.

“We truly wished to avoid taking things to this point. But we belong to the national team as well. If South Korea is to achieve success in the World League, shouldn’t every one of us be striving together?”

Hmm.

A logical argument.

However, there was a major detail they were misunderstanding.

Baek Jinwoo had been giving them his undivided attention from the very start.

“I have been conducting consultations for ten hours every single week just as I promised, offering my absolute best. Everyone has been keeping pace beautifully. Maintaining this trajectory, all of you will very soon attain the tier of what people call world ranker titans. And naturally, South Korea will emerge as a dominant force before long.”

He was entirely sincere.

Baek Jinwoo was no fraud. He had genuinely endeavored to provide value worthy of one trillion won.

That specific capital was precisely what had enabled him to acquire the Omni Rune in the first place!

Baek Jinwoo offered a soft smile.

“Since you decided to bring up finances, let me clarify this. I am confident I have been providing the exact value that was compensated for.”

“That is completely beside the point.”

Park Ho snapped back, a wave of irritation visible across his features.

“Value? Fine, I will concede that. And yes, our skills are advancing. The issue lies with Hong Ari, Ki Jaehyeok, and Kang Jiho. Those three individuals are progressing on an entirely different trajectory. What does our advancement matter when placed alongside theirs?”

Ah.

Now the picture is clear.

Baekho refused to yield their standing to rival groups like Arirang, Ilwol, or Carpe Diem.

It was hard to blame them, really.

They didn’t become the country’s premier players by accident.

They had clawed their way to the peak precisely because they possessed that brand of fiery ambition and unyielding determination.

He could comprehend that aspect.

“Very well. Let me be perfectly candid with you.”

Thus, he offered a brief breakdown of how he had ended up mentoring his disciples.

“They chose to become my disciples. In exchange, they executed a contract promising absolute compliance with my directives, and we have formed an alliance where neither party can double-cross the other.”

“……”

What on earth—!

Park Ho’s expression contorted in utter shock.

What did this mean?

To put it plainly—

They had essentially delivered their entire organizations to Yubaek on a silver platter!

“Is that the absolute truth?”

“What benefit would I gain from fabricating this?”

“Oh, there is a reason. You might be attempting to manipulate us into signing Baekho into an agreement so you can keep us under your thumb as well……”

“Hahaha, me?”

Look at these clowns.

Baek Jinwoo couldn’t restrain a sudden burst of laughter.

The agreement was nothing more than a protective measure against betrayal.

From Baek Jinwoo’s viewpoint, South Korea’s Big Three?

Merely a cluster of novices, all hovering around the identical tier.

“Regrettably, as for Baekho? You could offer it to me for free and I would decline.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have internalised that thought.

But Baek Jinwoo was beginning to lose his patience.

They weren’t exactly doing a good job of concealing their true motives either.

And the individuals who claim they want to learn don’t even possess the appropriate mindset.

Their conduct bore no resemblance to that of his disciples.

There was a fundamental absence of deference.

And above everything else.

Ding!

A text message from Yu Jia that arrived just then caused his irritation to completely boil over.

Ha.

Look at these characters.

So they were already complaining and plotting behind the curtain before they even set foot here?

“……What exactly are you implying by that?”

“Precisely what I uttered. Neither the Baekho master nor the deputy master are any match for me, and the same goes for the rankers beneath them…… So of what utility would Baekho be to me?”

Nothing he voiced was incorrect.

Yet it was an undeniable insult, and Park Ho’s temper flared.

“We merely arrived to articulate what we perceived as an injustice. That is a bit aggressive.”

Park Ho was right on the verge of uttering those exact words.

Baek Jinwoo’s device vibrated once more.

What?

A fabrication?

Oh!

The Mindreader Eagle!

The creature capable of deciphering thoughts, the very one Baek Jinwoo had gifted to her.

An A-rank Rare, an incredibly powerful summon restricted to exactly one deployment per day.

He had experimented with its capabilities a few times previously.

It didn’t merely indicate whether a statement was genuine or deceptive. It could cut straight through to the underlying motive behind a person’s speech and repeat it like a mimic for precisely ten seconds.

Degenerates is an understatement.

Even if I am merely a ten-hour-a-week coach, I still applied my absolute best efforts to assist these competitors. And simply because they feel slighted, they intend to stab me in the back?

Baek Jinwoo concluded there was no longer any requirement to treat them with politeness.

“The Baekho master must view me as quite a pushover.”

“Pardon me?”

“You claimed I was being unreasonable. Fine. I will accept that. I am unreasonable. But are you aware of something?”

There was an illusion that certain people clung to.

Believing that the world, that human civilization, was somehow fundamentally untainted.

Regrettably, throughout the entirety of human history, every single civilization had been decaying with dishonesty and corruption.

The contemporary era was no different.

Where within this civilization was anything truly egalitarian?

“……W-what do you—”

“Since you have backed me into this corner, I suppose I must become even more unreasonable. Moving forward, Baekho Guild has no reason to attend the consultation blocks. Even if you do turn up, I will not impart a single piece of knowledge to you.”

A faint smirk.

Baek Jinwoo flashed a grin, and Park Ho’s forehead furrowed deeply.

The individual’s pushback was extreme. Far too extreme.

“Are you prepared to face the consequences of those words?”

“Not even worth a reply. Instead, let me declare this. Park Ho, Kang Geonho. The two of you will be the ones facing the consequences for what you walked in here and stated to me today.”

“Now, if you will excuse me.”

Whoosh!

Baek Jinwoo pivoted around and instantly disappeared.

An explicit command to depart. A definitive signal that he possessed nothing further to discuss.

“Hyung, what is our next move?”

Kang Geonho’s features collapsed in worry.

He had merely accompanied his older associate’s scheme, but escalating things to this level of animosity was never his intention.

However, Park Ho’s expression was contorted into a mask of pure malice.

“What do you mean ‘what is our next move.’ We carry this through to the very bitter end.”

Grind!

His teeth ground fiercely together.

“What complete buffoons.”

Yu Jia hissed.

“How DARE they attempt to intimidate Yubaek!”

She was fully aware that Baekho possessed influential political backing.

MK Group?

Mirae Group?

They still ranked far below Daesung.

The uncontested top-tier conglomerate within South Korea was Daesung Group.

The direct descendant of the visionary who established that massive empire was standing right here.

And they honestly believed they could target her?

This meant open conflict.

“They are undoubtedly going to cause a massive scene regarding the supplementary one trillion won they handed over. They will fabricate a storyline about educational malpractice, attempting to capture the favor of public perception.”

“Just permit them to do as they wish.”

“……Eh?”

“Simply leave them to their devices and it will resolve itself.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

“I am confident the authorities are not that foolish.”

Many individuals took pleasure in dismissing them, but the South Korean leadership had achieved something truly spectacular over the generations.

From the First Republic all the way through to the Sixth.

Abundant controversies, endless scandals, yet they had elevated the commonwealth into a top-ten international economy.

In the midst of that journey, they had turned into a wasteland regarding summoning arts. And currently, who did their prospects rest upon? The entire populace was aware. Even the toddlers in the neighborhood knew.

Could South Korea truly risk alienating JinuGod?

What if he elected to seek citizenship elsewhere?

“If anyone is at fault, Park Ho is the foolish one.”

If Baek Jinwoo occupied his position, he would have lowered himself completely to the floor.

Patient. Unhurried. Gradually forging rapport, constantly demonstrating himself to be a loyal and reliable ally.

Then, who could say.

Perhaps he might have been welcomed as a student.

But that window of opportunity had already slammed shut.

Baekho had already exposed its true colors.

Far from showing appreciation for a favor, they were the type of characters who would plunge a blade into their supporter’s spine the second their status felt jeopardized.

“Park Ho might be foolish, but South Korea as a whole isn’t entirely dense either.”

“Are you aware of how my grandfather constructed Daesung over all those decades? It is because he completely obliterated anyone who dared unsheathe a weapon in his presence. Precisely how Jinwoo wiped out that syndicate for endangering his household.”

This was unprecedented.

He had never witnessed Yu Jia’s gaze ablaze with this degree of rage.

“You simply focus on your training just as you have been, Jinwoo. I will oversee the remaining details.”

Well, well.

Well, well, well.

My, my.

Baekho Guild……

It appeared they had gone and disturbed a sleeping giant.

“Be my guest, then.”

That suits me perfectly.

If she intends to manage the situation herself.

The following morning.

The creatures materialized.

— Keeeerrrrrrr……!

An A-rank summon, the Ice Bird, gracefully unfurling its glaciated plumage and dispersing an intense chill across the entire area.

— KAAAAAAH!

A B-rank Lich, exhaling a ghostly vapor from its jaws!

— Meow!

A singular C-rank Frost Cat.

— Giaaa……!

— GIAAAAAAH!

And a pair of spirit-classification Ice Wraiths (B-rank)!

For clarification, Ice Wraiths represented the absolute finest short-range offensive specialists among ice-aligned summons.

It had been quite some time.

This specific deployment had previously allowed him to dominate the middle sectors of the Tower of Trials and even master-level standard dungeons.

What was the financial investment for these summons?

1. Ice Bird (A-rank): 12 billion won.

2. Lich (B-rank): 300 million won.

3. Ice Wraith (B-rank): 200 million won.

4. Ice Wraith (B-rank): 200 million won.

5. Frost Cat (C-rank): 300 million won.

An impressive total of 13 billion!

The Frost Cat specifically had seen its market value skyrocket even further once Yubaek’s video materials leaked to the public.

Availability simply failed to satisfy the market demand.

Summons categorized as A-rank and higher were generally valued at whatever price the seller desired, but the Ice Bird possessed defined restrictions, so at the very least, active listings existed in the marketplace.

“Drill Sarge.”

— Present, Master.

“Where is Hwang Jiwoo?”

— She has been traversing the perimeter of the training grounds for one hour and twenty minutes continuously. Her stamina has improved remarkably of late.

“Is that so?”

Excellent for her.

He had merely requested a single hour, yet she was pushing her limits beyond that on her own initiative.

Because she possessed the desire to grow stronger.

The edges of Baek Jinwoo’s lips curved upward in a warm expression.

“Instruct her to report over here.”

Let us observe.

I am curious to see the look on her face when I present these to her.