Chapter 90

One week, then two weeks.

Time passed in a flash.

Yet, everyone was managing to keep pace remarkably well.

Perched atop the training facility’s roof, Baek Jinwoo looked down, a look of approval on his face.

“PUSH IT, LET’S MOVE!”

“Sprint! We’re almost there, don’t stop!”

“Haaah, hff!”

In all honesty, it would have been completely understandable if a few had thrown in the towel, yet not a single individual lagged behind.

“Stay with me! A little further and we hit the target!”

“Hyungnim! You’re crushing it!”

Ki Jaehyeok and Kang Jiho.

Those two were truly carrying their weight.

Perhaps it was the shared pride of belonging to SKY?

They didn’t merely wrap up their own routines and rest. They doubled back to rally those struggling at the rear, driving forward as a unit.

Indeed, that was the absolute baseline expected of them.

Baek Jinwoo couldn’t carry the entire burden on his shoulders.

He required his own personal training to advance, not to mention the numerous summons that demanded his attention.

He couldn’t spend his entire existence playing instructor to them.

“Hah.”

Baek Jinwoo leaned his head back, releasing a heavy breath.

Establishing Yubaek, organizing SKY, mentoring the national squad.

Was this truly the correct path to take?

In truth, Baek Jinwoo wasn’t overflowing with devotion to his country.

Honestly, what benefits had his homeland ever granted him?

South Korea was simply the place of his birth and the residence of his family, so…

His sole desire was for the nation to achieve enough strength to ensure the safety and happiness of those he held dear.

At the very least, if I intend to flourish and live comfortably, conquering the World League is non-negotiable.

Back in the Cold War era, nuclear armaments served as the ultimate shield.

In this era, however, the entire framework had transformed.

A premier player anchoring a nation—that had become the modern deterrent. That was what maintained peace.

Within South Korea, that emblem of stability would be Baek Jinwoo.

For the sake of his family.

And for the people he cherished.

Right, time for another attempt.

Adopting a cross-legged posture on the rooftop, Baek Jinwoo quieted his consciousness.

Fssssss…!

He let out a slow, measured breath as his eyelids steadily closed.

Geoncheongsimgong.

An internal cultivation method designed to pull the purity of an unclouded sky straight into one’s dantian!

Drill Sarge had informed him before.

That his innate talent for martial arts was rivaled only by Aso’s.

And though the sparse presence of energy in this realm made mastering a breathing technique incredibly grueling…

I will force it to happen.

To ascend further?

He needed to achieve breakthroughs where others failed.

Baek Jinwoo was well-acquainted with that journey.

Ilcheon, securing the top spot as a non-paying player, conquering the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials, and everything that followed.

With every milestone he accumulated, the player base reacted with awe. They regarded him as an outright anomaly and showered him with admiration.

Can my current self overcome Rachel?

He remained uncertain.

During his days as JinuGod, he would have possessed absolute certainty. Now? It was impossible to determine.

If I were forced to scale the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials once more… would I succeed?

Truthfully, he lacked confidence in that scenario.

He had attempted it an innumerable number of times, and it was only through successive layers of sheer fortune that he managed to breach Floor 100.

But facing Floor 100 in the physical world?

The crushing weight of operating with a single life coin would be entirely paralyzing.

Above all else.

No one can predict how actual events will transpire from this point onward.

Just as the transformation of Battle of Summoners into reality defied explanation, there was no anticipating what fresh catastrophe might engulf this planet.

An entity of cosmic power might materialize and decree that the world would be vaporized if the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials wasn’t overcome within a strict timeframe.

To shield his family from such unpredictable perils, his strength had to grow exponentially.

To become mightier than any soul on earth!

He had zero desire to become complacent simply because Stormy had unlocked Devour.

He had zero desire to disregard his cultivation just because his summons possessed overwhelming might.

Geoncheongsimgong?

He lacked deep insight into what kind of esoteric breathing art it truly was, but if he faltered at mastering something of this level, how could he ever aspire to reign supreme globally?

Drill Sarge had emphasized it.

That it was the exact mental cultivation suited to his present state.

“Huuuuuu…”

Baek Jinwoo’s internal state shifted to absolute stillness.

High above, the firmament.

He visualized a crisp, softly shaded sky and resumed his respiration.

Adhering to the path of the Three Meridians that Drill Sarge had instructed him on, he drew air in gently and let it out.

Fleeting impressions?

He dismissed them, one after another.

Oblivious to gravity, he allowed his awareness to drift upward into that celestial expanse.

— My lord, respiration is an innate function.

Drill Sarge’s guidance emerged within his mind like a soft murmur.

Correct.

Breathing was an organic operation meant to harvest the physical form’s vitality—ki.

No living being attempted to force its own breath.

The moment one became intentionally mindful of trying to optimize respiration, it degenerated into a mere facsimile.

Like a cascading river.

He permitted it to enter and exit naturally.

Hmmph!

Breath in.

Huuuu.

Breath out.

Baek Jinwoo merely abandoned his physique to the process.

Even as he sank further into a state of non-awareness, his physical form persisted with the cultivation technique Drill Sarge had instilled in him.

As if merely abandoning control would miraculously manifest Geoncheongsimgong?

Months of unrelenting practice had conditioned his physique to react automatically.

And in that precise instant.

A subtle upturn of his lips.

The right side of Baek Jinwoo’s mouth turned upward a tiny bit.

Exhilarating.

It felt akin to floating across that boundless heavens.

The atmosphere was profoundly rejuvenating and unconfined.

Vast, welcoming, delicate, and peaceful.

Baek Jinwoo’s subconscious drifted through that domain, roaming like an enlightened immortal.

How much duration elapsed in that state?

Sssssht…!

Gradually, awareness flooded back.

No.

Is this the sensation of withdrawing from an addiction?

The intoxicating euphoria dissolved as though it were nothing more than a passing mirage.

What exactly was that?

Baek Jinwoo parted his lids, bewildered by a sensation he had never encountered before.

“Huuuuu.”

The cloudy state dispersed, and his cognition locked back into sharp focus.

Was that the breakthrough?

If he persisted in this manner, would the energy of Geoncheongsimgong steadily pool within his core?

He closed his eyes once more, attempting to investigate the depths of his center for any change, but he could discern nothing.

Whether a foundation had been laid or not.

Confound it, how could he tell? He possessed no baseline for comparison.

“…Drill Sarge.”

Baek Jinwoo called out softly, and in an instant, Drill Sarge materialized with a quiet breeze!

— At your service, my lord.

“Did I… manage to succeed, perhaps? Could you verify if any energy has settled in my dantian?”

— …….

Following a brief assessment, Drill Sarge shifted his head side to side.

— There is no presence yet, my lord.

“Figures.”

— I request that you do not become overly impatient. This is your initial introduction to the art, is it not? Geoncheongsimgong specifically is notorious for requiring vastly more duration to master relative to alternative mental disciplines or breathing methods.

A bit deflating.

Though, it made sense.

If it were a simple task, every other competitor would have locked it down by now, wouldn’t they?

Baek Jinwoo offered Drill Sarge a loose explanation of his experience.

How he had momentarily slipped from consciousness during the respiration, and how bizarre the experience had been.

How it felt far too tangible to be dismissed as a dream, and how incredible it felt.

— Did such an event truly transpire?

Drill Sarge’s eyelids flared wide.

— Yes, that aligns perfectly. It is my understanding that precisely such a manifestation occurs when an individual is on the verge of absorbing Geoncheongsimgong. Oh, as anticipated, my lord possesses an innate, miraculous aptitude!

“…Yet you noted no energy was retained.”

— My lord, Geoncheongsimgong is a peerlessly refined cultivation method. It is challenging to grasp and tedious to develop, but given time, it will grant you cataclysmic strength. Persist! I implore you, persist!

Sure, sure.

Hearing such praise certainly injects a burst of motivation.

Baek Jinwoo let out a brief grin.

“You likely have duties to attend to, so return. I intend to try capturing that sensation one more time.”

He shut his eyes again.

Regardless, it felt as though he was finally starting to grasp the edge of a breakthrough.

A week later.

“Director!”

Baek Ajin thrust open the entrance to the main administrative office on the top level and stepped inside.

Within the room, Baek Jinwoo and Yu Jia were sharing a warm beverage.

Though, it wasn’t exactly a casual break—it was meant to be an operational update regarding Yubaek.

By this point, his relationship with Yu Jia had grown quite comfortable. They frequently exchanged banter and shared laughs.

“Oh? Oppa, you were hanging out here too?”

“What’s the news?”

“This is actually perfect timing. It’s much better with Oppa around! You recall those specific summons you requested? I’ve successfully acquired all of them!”

“……For real?”

Baek Jinwoo’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Roughly three weeks prior.

He had compiled a roster of A-rank summons to fortify the organization’s combat capabilities.

The register read as follows:

[Dark Knight (A-rank), Phoenix (A-rank), Poison King (A-rank), Goblin Master (A-rank), Mad Berserker (A-rank)]

A total of five units.

He had instructed her to track them down over the course of about a year and purchase them regardless of the financial toll…

And she had managed to secure the entire batch already?

When not a single one had been listed on any global trading platform?

“Wow, I’m genuinely shocked, Baek Ajin.”

He hadn’t realized it before, but perhaps she inherited a natural talent for commerce.

How was she so remarkably adept at handling acquisitions and negotiations?

“Fortune smiled on me. It turned out North Korea possessed every single one of these units on their internal market.”

“N-North Korea?”

Yu Jia’s mouth fell open.

Even with the global cataclysm shifting reality, relations between the North and South hadn’t progressed a bit.

As long as the ruling Kim lineage persisted, unity remained a fantasy.

“Typically, most nations and syndicates desperately cling to their A-ranks, don’t they?”

“Doesn’t North Korea operate the same way?”

“They do, but conditions have been incredibly bleak over there of late. If you coordinate with the correct intermediaries in China, there are numerous high-ranking officials desperate to exchange assets for foreign currency.”

“Incredible……”

Baek Jinwoo applauded.

My younger sister.

She actually navigated black-market channels through China just to procure some summons?

“To be fair, if any situation turned hazardous, I could simply call upon Oppa, so I acted without hesitation!”

Baek Ajin smirked and gave a playful wink, assuming a proud stance.

Makes sense.

This achievement certainly warranted some bragging rights.

She had executed the task flawlessly.

“Have you already settled the transactions and transferred them over? Is it entirely finalized?”

“Absolutely.”

The massive sum of one trillion won distributed to each national squad via state backing could only be utilized through official administrative channels.

That required maneuvering through a mountain of red tape, but… Yubaek was entirely exempt from those hurdles.

Because they possessed the backing of Mr. Park Changseok.

This exemplified the power of networking.

One simply needed to submit an estimate for the required amount, and he would assign it to an appropriate financial ledger, bypass the bureaucratic oversight, and authorize the capital immediately.

An upfront transaction, clean and simple.

Baek Jinwoo claimed ownership of the summons on the spot.

Prior to allocating them to others, he intended to have Drill Sarge oversee their initial development.

One more week passed.

Exactly thirty days remained until the commencement of the World League.

“HRRGH, HAAAGH!”

“W-WE ACTUALLY DID IT! WE QUALIFIED!”

“AHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA!”

Ahn Gijeong, Hwang Juwon, Kang Geonho, Song Yeonhui, and Hwang Jiwoo embraced one another, shouting in pure ecstasy.

Hwang Jiwoo specifically was shedding genuine tears of relief.

At long last!

Every single member had finally breached the minimum health attribute benchmark established by Drill Sarge.

Only a single month had transpired, yet every trace of excess weight had been utterly stripped from their bodies.

Nutritional restrictions?

Completely pointless.

The sheer ferocity of their training regimens had been so extreme that the calorie count of their meals was rendered entirely irrelevant.

Burgers, instant noodles, pizza—whatever they fancied.

They could stuff any form of junk food down their throats and it would be incinerated by their metabolism in an instant.

Wouldn’t such frantic exertion trigger physical breakdowns?

The medical and restoration-focused summons assigned to watch over them provided flawless physical upkeep, ensuring zero complications.

“Hyungnim, have you always possessed these looks? Your jawline is incredibly sharp now.”

“Check out your midsection. It’s surreal. When did we all develop defined abdomens?”

“Putting that aside, we can finally transition to actual combat training now, right? We only have four weeks remaining before the World League kicks off.”

“……True. Should we just write off this specific tournament?”

“Most likely. If merely improving physical fitness was sufficient to rule a competitive league… they would have recruited track stars rather than gamers.”

As the squad members conversed enthusiastically among themselves—

Clap, clap, clap!

“Outstanding effort, everyone.”

Baek Jinwoo advanced into the area, striking his palms together.

And then.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUUUD! THUD!

In rapid succession.

He materialized entities that none of them had ever witnessed before.

Intense fascination filled the expressions of the entire group.

Those creatures…

What on earth were they looking at?