Chapter 92

Right in the middle of a standard training session one afternoon, Baek Jinwoo was hit with an unexpected, high-priority summon from the main office.

Wondering what could possibly be happening, he wasted no time. He mounted his Skypierce Wyvern, cutting through the sky toward Jamsil Station in the blink of an eye. Upon arrival, agency personnel immediately rushed him through the corridors and straight to the Director’s private office.

Click!

He twisted the handle and stepped inside.

“Haha! Look who it is! Welcome, come on in!”

The Director beamed, his face practically radiating artificial warmth.

“You have no idea how eagerly I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to sit down with you! Hahaha!”

Tch.

To an outside observer, the two of them looked like old companions.

Baek Jinwoo offered a polite smile and gave a small nod, though he couldn’t resist murmuring under his breath.

“I’m not so sure about that, given how quickly you turned down my request to purchase that specific summon back then.”

“What?!”

The Director nearly leaped straight out of his chair at the remark.

He had heard the whispers circulating through the industry. The rumors explicitly warned that this kid held onto grudges like a lifeline. He realized instantly that he had to watch his step very carefully. If the nation’s premier champion took a permanent dislike to him, his prospects in the upcoming political election were essentially dead in the water.

“Why bring up an old misunderstanding like that now……! Hahaha!”

As the Director forced out a strained chuckle, Jinwoo simply tilted his head to the side, looking mildly amused.

“Is that so? Because I’m fairly certain I was the one left out in the cold back then……”

“Ahahahaha! Let bygones be bygones! Besides, haven’t I provided you with incredible backing ever since? Let us look to the future, look to the future!”

Observing the Director continuously laughing while smoothly shifting the conversation, Jinwoo shook his head mentally.

Tch. A politician through and through.

The man’s sheer willingness to swallow his pride and grovel before someone a fraction of his age was impressive in its own right.

Ultimately, it wasn’t a terrible arrangement for Jinwoo. As long as the individual occupying that high chair didn’t actively work against him, it served both their interests. However, the hierarchy needed to be firmly established right here and now.

He was the one holding all the leverage.

“Alright, so what exactly did you bring me in for?”

“This upcoming World League, if I recall correctly, it will be your debut appearance, correct?”

“……That’s right.”

A competitive event like the World League had never existed back when it was just the video game 「Battle of Summoners」. It was a phenomenon that only materialized after the entire system manifested into the physical world.

The Director’s grin widened significantly.

“Tell me, are you aware of a certain reality?”

“Aware of what?”

“The World League operates on a framework that is far less honorable than most people assume.”

“……?”

What was the man getting at?

“Take a seat first. Can I offer you something to drink? An iced americano? Or perhaps a hot coffee?”

“……No need, I’m fine.”

Jinwoo turned down the offer and took a seat across from the desk, prompting the Director to launch into his presentation.

“You are well aware of the global powers we designate as the summoning superpowers. Countries like England, Japan, America, Russia, and Taiwan.”

The specific domains that claimed the Five Emperors.

“Those particular states actually form secret pacts long before the tournament brackets are even drawn.”

“Secret pacts?”

“The moment the group stages are finalized and the team segments commence, these allied superpowers agree to avoid targeting one another entirely.”

“Hoh.”

Fascinating strategy from those bastards.

So the plan was that if they happened to land in the identical group, they would avoid a mutual bloodbath and cooperate behind the scenes to guarantee they both advanced safely into the Round of 16?

It made perfect sense from a strategic standpoint. It was simply the reality of the situation. This wasn’t a standardized, fair sporting tournament like the World Cup or the Olympic Games. It was an environment dictated entirely by a ruthless system.

Every country was forced to prioritize its own survival above all else, which was entirely expected. Even if lesser nations felt slighted by the arrangement, there wasn’t a single thing they could do to stop it. What alternative did they have, declaring war? Against the combined might of the Five Emperors?

“We have every right to feel cheated, but we are powerless to alter the status quo. However, this is where things get interesting. Heh heh heh.”

The Director looked absolutely thrilled about the cards he was holding.

“Take a look at this official diplomatic dispatch that just arrived on my desk.”

He slid a high-level document across the polished surface. It was a formal proposition sent directly to their department’s headquarters.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“An international non-aggression pact, essentially. England, Japan, America, Russia, Taiwan…… and South Korea. They are proposing that we all agree not to engage one another if we are placed in the same group prior to the Round of 16. Isn’t this incredible?! They are actively offering to pull us into that exclusive, manipulative coalition! Kahahahaha!”

“……”

Baek Jinwoo crossed his arms in silence.

The Five Emperors…… those individuals.

They are fully aware that I am JinuGod.

He was absolutely certain of it now. There was zero chance these five global powers would suddenly hand out this type of invitation otherwise.

Had Sugoi leaked the truth to them? No, the binding conditions of their agreement should have made that impossible……

Then again, considering how destructively he had been tearing through every piece of content available, it would actually be more surprising if they hadn’t put the pieces together by now.

Even so, it was quite a thoughtful gesture.

A faint smirk played on the edge of Jinwoo’s mouth.

This has Rachel’s handwriting all over it.

She was exactly the type to orchestrate something like this. Out of everyone among the Five Emperors, Jinwoo had the clearest grasp on how Rachel’s mind operated. She was the one who had originally convinced him to join their group communication network, and it was solely because of her persistence that he had transitioned from a purely isolated player to actually interacting with the rest of the top tier.

She had likely been incredibly deliberate and cautious in how she approached him, terrified that she might accidentally alienate him. Sending a formal diplomatic treaty like this was a clear peace offering. It was a non-verbal statement reassuring him that they had no intention of provoking him. At least for the time being.

“So your entire purpose in summoning me was to display this document? To obtain my consent?”

“Your consent is obviously required, but those clever little devils…… they explicitly requested that you personally validate it with your own private seal.”

“My personal seal?”

They didn’t care about the Director’s signature, nor did they care about the authorization of the state’s president. The Five Emperors desired a single, specific guarantee: Baek Jinwoo’s personal confirmation.

Hmm.

They must be feeling the heat as well. If luck abandoned them during the group selections and they found themselves grouped against South Korea, a full-scale confrontation could easily get them eliminated before they even reached the knockout stages.

“It’s a reasonable proposition.”

“A reasonable proposition?! Are you losing your mind?! This is unprecedented!”

“It’s hardly a massive favor. They are doing this purely to protect themselves.”

The Director stared at him, utterly speechless. Those massive global superpowers were sending over a non-aggression pact out of fear for their own survival? Was that even a rational way to look at reality?

“Regardless, I’ll give them credit for being proactive and making the first move. Fine. I’ll authorize it.”

“I… I can’t quite comprehend the logic behind your perspective, but…… go ahead and stamp it.”

An abrupt wave of anxiety washed over the Director. Judging by the kid’s dismissive demeanor, one single misstep and he would just say, Forget it, I’m out, and walk right out the front door.

Securing this single endorsement meant their odds of entering the Round of 16 would go through the roof. Even if only one of those five dominant nations landed in their group, that superpower would easily sweep through the remaining lower-tier countries in the team phases. With nothing more than a single thumbprint, South Korea could cruise through on their coattails and absorb all the credit.

“H-haha! The ink container is right here.”

Baek Jinwoo pressed his thumb heavily down into the dark ink. Then, he brought his hand down toward the document.

Hover.

His hand stopped completely short of the paper.

“Hm? Is there an issue?”

“Well, it’s just a small thought.”

Jinwoo looked up, catching the Director’s gaze as if an entirely new realization had just crossed his mind.

“No matter how much I try to look past it, I simply can’t shake the memory of that summon denial. When you look back, it was a meager one and a half billion won, wasn’t it? Whew, if I hadn’t crossed paths with Ms. Yu Jia at that exact moment…… I highly doubt I’d even be representing the country on this team right now, would I? Which means this exact document wouldn’t even exist on your desk. Hmmmm.”

The Director’s eyelids twitched violently.

This absolute brat.

At this stage, wasn’t this level of petty resentment crossing into completely psychotic territory?

“Is… is there a specific compensation you are seeking?”

“Nothing specific comes to mind at this exact moment.”

“Then WHY on earth are you bringing this up right as you are about to sign?!”

“Just keeping options open, you know. For the future.”

The edge of Jinwoo’s mouth turned upward into a sharp grin.

“Provide me with a single blank favor, no questions asked. No hidden clauses. Do that, and I’ll put my print on the page.”

“A single favor……?”

The Director found himself completely unable to calculate the risks of this demand. If he agreed to an entirely open-ended clause like “one favor,” the kid could return in the future demanding something completely ruinous or impossible.

What is the correct play here?

Just as the complex machinery of his political intellect began spinning at maximum velocity—

“Well, if it’s too much trouble, I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ll just skip the sta—”

“DONE!”

The absolute second Jinwoo began lifting his hand away from the desk, the Director shouted the confirmation in a sheer panic.

I don’t have a choice!

He was under absolute pressure to deliver at least a Round-of-16 finish during his current administration. As the commanding officer of Player HQ, what grander feather could he possibly stick in his cap?

The Director remained entirely oblivious to the true scale of Jinwoo’s actual power. To his mind, that single stamp was their solitary, ironclad golden ticket to the knockout brackets.

“Heh, is that a promise? And you understand this needs to be locked in via a system-enforced contract, correct? We need to ensure everything is perfectly secure.”

You calculating little parasite—!

Swallowing down his immense frustration, the Director reluctantly passed over a single binding “wish voucher” into Baek Jinwoo’s waiting hand.

Press.

With a final movement, the thumbprint was officially secured onto the parchment.

“Hah.”

Once he returned to the quiet of his residence, Jinwoo’s thoughts began operating at high speed.

My original strategy was to remain under the radar until the World League had fully concluded.

It appeared that every single member of the Five Emperors had already accurately deduced his identity. The one silver lining in this development, however, was their reaction: they were extending an olive branch rather than combining forces to suppress his growth.

Yet, he couldn’t afford to become complacent. Even if that represented Rachel’s personal outlook, the remaining four Emperors might view the situation through an entirely different lens. It was entirely possible that someone among them might resolve to eliminate the threat before it matured and launch an assassination attempt or an ambush immediately.

Digital associations were nothing more than digital associations; the physical world could easily operate on an entirely different set of rules.

Go ahead and give it a shot. Let’s see how that works out for you.

He possessed total confidence, naturally. No matter who chose to challenge him, he was fully prepared to completely obliterate them using every tool at his disposal. The solitary complication was that given just a fraction more time, he would achieve a state of true invulnerability…… whereas right now, his progression was in a slightly transitional phase.

For the moment.

Jinwoo completely abandoned every single strategic roadmap he had laid out up to this point.

To hell with it. I am taking on the Tower of Trials first.

He had previously delayed his ascent solely because he wished to avoid drawing unnecessary public scrutiny. But there was absolutely no reason to stress over that anymore. The domestic media and public were already openly debating the theory that he was JinuGod, and the Five Emperors had confirmed it conclusively. Exactly whose feelings was he trying to spare by holding back?

Rachel had mentioned that her highest cleared point was Floor 50, correct?

With Drill Sarge, Stormy, and Ramba supporting him, Jinwoo could comfortably match that achievement without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, he could now utilize Song Yeonhui’s duplicate puppet that he had recently finished evaluating. If he requested to utilize it for a brief window, she would almost certainly grant permission. That addition would guarantee absolute success.

The primary complication is Stormy, though……

Stormy still required a significant amount of progression before her designated hundred days concluded. If she remained physically distanced from Hwang Jiwoo for a period exceeding sixty minutes, the Sudden Quest would instantly reset to zero.

Alright.

For any specific floors that he could completely tear through within a sixty-minute window, he would bring Stormy along for the ride. For the more complex floors that demanded a longer time investment, he would simply leave her out of the active roster.

This meant Hwang Jiwoo would simply have to remain stationed right outside the tower’s entrance while he scaled the interior. There was no alternative solution.

Right.

Just move forward with it. If complications arise during the process, adapt the strategy on the fly.

“What did you just say?”

Yu Jia’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

The calendar had already turned to November.

“You intend to scale the Tower of Trials when we have less than a single month remaining before the league begins? All the way up to Floor 50?”

“Yes.”

“……Is this sudden decision motivated by Rachel? Are you trying to surpass her record?”

“It has very little to do with her, and more to do with……”

More to do with the simple reality that he no longer had a single valid reason to conceal the true depth of his power.

And even more critically.

Rolly’s Masterwork Crafting proficiency had recently ascended to Level 2. With that milestone reached, an entirely new selection of runes had finally become available.

[The roster of accessible Masterwork items is displayed below.]

[Rampage (Rare), Omni (Rare), Howling (Rare), Emperor (Rare), Trinity (Unique)]

[Deadly Poison (Rare), Ruination (Rare), Fire Dragon (Rare), Bitter Cold (Rare), Annihilation (Unique)]

Now I can finally assemble Rolly’s ultimate endgame rune.

Rolly’s definitive endgame rune was the Unique-tier Annihilation.

The mechanics governing Annihilation were fundamentally identical to Trinity. In the exact same manner that synthesizing Trinity required the sacrifice of three Omni Runes, synthesizing Annihilation required a collection of three Ruination Runes.

And what was the prerequisite for creating those specific Ruination Runes?

Gathering rare material drops from the upper echelons of the Tower of Trials was undeniably the most efficient path forward. It wasn’t limited to mere raw materials either; he required specialized abrasives and various other high-tier crafting ingredients.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the Fire Dragon Rune. Fire Dragon represented the absolute best temporary enhancement rune available for Stormy’s current build.

If I manage to get every single one of those components finalized prior to the tournament, not even Rachel will possess the strength to challenge me.

“Aren’t you pushing your body past its reasonable limits?”

Yu Jia gazed at him, deep anxiety etched clearly across her features.

“Simply securing an appearance in the Round of 16 at the World League would be more than enough to drive the entire nation into a state of absolute euphoria…… And you’ve already officially formalized the non-aggression pact as well.”

She and the remaining leadership of the guild had already been fully filled in regarding the details of the international treaty.

“The World League?”

Baek Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders casually.

“That event isn’t particularly high on my priority list.”

Victory or defeat. The concept of actually losing hadn’t even entered his calculations. The solitary focus driving Baek Jinwoo was the pursuit of absolute, unceasing progression. Becoming stronger. Continuously. Irreversibly.

The mindset was completely unchanged from his era operating as JinuGod. He had never once spent a single second stressing over Rachel’s accomplishments trailing behind him in the runner-up position. He had focused his gaze entirely on the horizon ahead and accelerated forward.

“Get all the logistics finalized. Every single one of those fifty floors…… I am going to completely clear them in precisely seven days.”

Floors 1 through 30 would take a span of two days.

Floors 31 through 40 would consume another two days.

Floors 41 through 50 would be finished in three days.

An incredibly brutal timeline.

“……Fifty entire floors in a single week?”

It was the exact type of declaration that would cause anyone working in the industry to choke on their breath before completely losing consciousness. Yet, the expression anchoring Baek Jinwoo’s face didn’t falter for a solitary moment.