AECS 23

Chapter 23

Weekday Dungeon Conquest (4)

“Yes, what is it?”

Baek Jin-woo tilted his head.

Hadn’t the discussions with headquarters already concluded?

“We’re the executive secretary office directly under the Director. We’re currently reviewing the proposal you made positively…”

“Ah, that.”

With a swift gesture, Baek Jin-woo raised his hand and cut him off.

“That’s unnecessary.”

“Excuse me?”

“Wasn’t the headquarters’ response to that proposal a rejection before?”

“…To be precise, it wasn’t a clear refusal. They said they’d provide support if concrete evidence was presented. And now that you, Player Baek Jin-woo, have provided that evidence, we are positively reviewing it.”

The staff tried their best to speak politely, but it was all in tone—nothing in the content pleased Baek Jin-woo.

Compared to Yu Ji-ah, it was glaringly obvious!

Yu Ji-ah had supported him generously even when he had nothing, giving a large sum of money upfront. And now the headquarters, seeing that he had something, were suddenly saying they were “reviewing” it.

Who looks better?

It’s obvious.

‘True help is only appreciated when it comes when you really need it.’

Baek Jin-woo knew this thought ran through his mind clearly.

No matter how talented a player you are—even if you’re a ranked player—asking for 1.3 billion in a single lump sum is still unreasonable.

Of course, Baek Jin-woo understood that it had been a bold request.

But Yu Ji-ah not only fulfilled the unreasonable request but also gave it as a generous gift.

“Sorry, but that proposal… isn’t needed anymore.”

“Excuse me?”

He smiled faintly, speaking softly but firmly.

“I’m already affiliated with the company. If you want to communicate with me, please do so through Yu Ji-ah of YuBaek.”

“YuBaek…?”

The staff’s gaze wavered.

“Well then, goodbye.”

Baek Jin-woo gave them a nod and passed by swiftly.

The staff couldn’t stop someone so resolute.

More than that, one question lingered in their minds.

“Senior, what is YuBaek? And Yu Ji-ah… could it be that it’s the Yu Ji-ah from the Daesung Group? The one who recently left headquarters?”

“…Let’s investigate immediately.”

The head of the secretary’s office bit their lip tightly.

They had the feeling they’d just missed an important opportunity.

After clearing the Thursday dungeon, Baek Jin-woo headed straight to the rooftop of a nearby building.

‘Friday’s dungeon is different from the previous ones.’

The method itself was entirely different.

Previously, the summoned creatures were the ones eliminating monsters.

But the Friday dungeon required the player to run directly.

Two new summons were used this time: a C-class Sky Dolphin and a B-class Sky Wyvern.

Their special feature? The player could ride them.

“Phew.”

Baek Jin-woo tensed.

‘Can I actually do this?’

Riding a golem and riding a wyvern were different matters entirely.

The wyvern truly flies in the sky.

Thanks to the protective shield, he wouldn’t fall to his death, but fear was unavoidable.

‘But I have to do it.’

To beat the Friday dungeon time attack, he had to be able to control both summons freely.

“Sky Wyvern.”

• Kkirurururu!

Baek Jin-woo called, and the Sky Wyvern roared in response, flapping its wings and lowering its posture.

A gesture to ride.

“Here goes!”

He mounted boldly, stroking the creature’s head.

“Let’s go to the East Sea.”

If he practiced flying with the wyvern, he’d need to swim with the dolphin as well.

Both skills were necessary to take shortcuts in the Friday dungeon.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The wyvern began to rise slowly into the sky.

‘This is doable.’

If he practiced properly, he wouldn’t even need to take a taxi anymore.

There were detailed aspects to flying and swimming, but he wasn’t worried.

He had his trainer with him.

It only took half a day for him to get accustomed to flying.

Baek Jin-woo turned out to be more talented than expected.

• My lord, you’re incredible.

“Enough with the praise.”

• No, I’m serious. You learn things incredibly fast.

“Really, enough.”

The trainer’s flattery had some merit.

• Truly.

Then the next one, the dragon, spoke up.

“Hmm? What’s true?”

• We just have past memories, so we’re familiar… At first, riding the wyvern was a huge struggle. We got motion sickness, vomited…

Back during Battle of Summoners.

The trainer and the dragon were seasoned veterans.

They had no choice; they had climbed the Tower of Trials together, one of the most difficult challenges.

They too had to control wyverns and dolphins during that time.

“Is that so?”

• Yes. Truly, our lord Jin-woo is remarkable.

The dragon held her staff in both hands while praising him adorably.

Eventually, Baek Jin-woo couldn’t resist and ruffled her red hair.

“Alright, thanks. Next is Sky Dolphin riding, right?”

Currently, they were off the coast of Yangyang.

They had to go deep enough, so they were in the East Sea.

‘Swimming… I should be fine.’

He had learned a little when he was young and had always liked water.

The problem was keeping up with the dolphin’s swimming speed and dealing with water pressure.

Practice with the trainer was necessary.

• Master, hold here tightly.

The trainer was patient, and the swimming practice went quite successfully.

Friday morning.

Cutting through the rows of journalists, Baek Jin-woo dove naturally into the beginner Friday dungeon.

Of course, he wore his gear.

‘Phew, I’m excited.’

Actually, the key reason Ichirin was called the Time Attack God was because of the Friday Dungeon play.

It was a dungeon that awarded special runes.

The Friday Dungeon was like a fun mini-game back in Battle of Summoners, enjoyed by hardcore players sharing videos and competing for the fastest times.

Beginner was easy.

Intermediate was tough.

Advanced was absurd.

Expert made you puke.

[‘Player running’ will start in 10 seconds!]

[Reach the destination as fast as possible!]

The corridor was the backdrop.

A line marked the floor before Baek Jin-woo’s eyes.

In 10 seconds, he would start from here.

‘Beginner level shouldn’t be a problem. Even if I go all out, they won’t doubt me.’

He stretched and prepared to sprint.

At the same time:

“Wind Falcon.”

• Kkiyooot!

“Cast a speed buff on me.”

Whoooosh!

The cool breeze brushed his nose, and his body was instantly filled with energy.

‘So this is a speed buff.’

Seconds ticked down.

[3]

[2]

[1]

One second left, Baek Jin-woo crouched.

[0]

Go!

The line on the floor disappeared, and he leaped forward.

“Ha, ha, ha!”

He exhaled rhythmically, sprinting at full speed.

Obstacles appeared as he ran.

The point of the Friday Dungeon was to dodge them while running.

Of course, all obstacles and shortcuts were perfectly memorized in Baek Jin-woo’s head.

Swaaaak!

A small stone flew at him from afar; he ducked lightly and avoided it, stepping firmly on the uneven floor sections.

Smooth, precise, and flawless movement.

‘Good.’

For the first time in a while, he felt real fun.

Yes! This is it!

Even more exciting than controlling it on a screen.

‘And…’

About a minute in, there was a section with a wide floor filled with water.

‘First hidden route!’

Normally, he would have to run across the water on the formal route.

But?

By using the Sky Dolphin underwater, he could bypass the difficult obstacles above.

“Sky Dolphin!”

• Kkiii!

Grabbing the handle on the dolphin’s back, he held his breath.

Splash!

He dove underwater.

His gear didn’t matter; it was waterproof.

Splash, splash, splash!

The Sky Dolphin surged forward at incredible speed.

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes were sharp as he controlled the dolphin.

This was the result of last night’s practice.

After 30 seconds:

The dolphin leapt out of the water.

“Okay!”

The tricky section was over.

Baek Jin-woo called out:

“Sky Wyvern!”

• Kkirururururu!

The wyvern appeared just in time, placing itself below him.

“Wahoo!”

The thrill made him cheer.

‘Now it’s flight time!’

If the first section was a corridor, the next was open air.

He could fly.

Intermediate level and above required skillful flight control, but beginner could just fly straight through.

Only ground obstacles existed anyway.

‘Wait a minute.’

Did he go all out too early?

‘It’s fine.’

He had checked the world record to be sure.

[Friday Dungeon – Beginner]

[World Record 1st Place – Rachel]

[Clear Time – 00:01:25]

Still a time he couldn’t beat yet.

To break it, Wind Falcon had to be maxed and runes fully equipped.

The wyvern and dolphin’s speeds would also have to be pushed to the limit.

‘Half a year should be enough to break it.’

This was beginner level.

Expert level?

Even Rachel would flinch at the difficulty.

She could clear it, but had to take the regular route.

Summons would destroy obstacles one by one instead of taking shortcuts.

‘I’ll try that later.’

• Kkirururururu!

The Sky Wyvern roared happily as they approached the destination.

Soon after:

[Destination reached!]

[Dungeon Clear!]

[Clear Time – 00:02:16]

2 minutes 16 seconds! Not bad.

For reference, the Friday Dungeon could also be auto-played.

If only summons were placed, a virtual player would move as he had before.

And the results would still be:

[Congratulations!]

[New South Korea Record!]

[Special Achievement Unlocked!]

Naturally, this was the outcome in Korea.

That night.

Baek Jin-woo’s father, Baek Jin-cheol.

His mother, Hwang Myung-hee, returned home late and was preparing dinner.

“Honey.”

Hwang Myung-hee placed a steaming egg custard on the table.

“What’s our Jin-woo up to these days?”

“Well… He registered as a player last time, so he’s probably off at some dungeon or something.”

The couple was very busy.

They rarely watched TV or kept up with news.

“Should we try calling him?”

“No. He takes after me; he’ll manage. If we keep contacting him out of worry, it’ll just be a burden.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Still, Hwang Myung-hee picked up her phone, planning to call their daughter, Baek Ah-jin.

It was easier to call Ah-jin, who kept in touch regularly.

• Yes, Mom!

“Do you know what your brother’s been up to? We haven’t heard from him lately.”

• Brother…?

A moment of silence as Ah-jin pressed her lips together.

Should she tell him? Or not?

She wanted to tell right away.

Her brother was on fire right now.

But.

‘He said not to tell first.’

The B-class Shadow Wolf he promised kept flashing in her mind.

A 500 million won summon.

After a brief pause, she spoke:

• Don’t worry too much. He seems to be doing well. I also told him we’d visit soon.

“Oh, really? You should come along then.”

Hwang Myung-hee smiled and continued chatting with her daughter before hanging up.

Then dinner began.

During it, Baek Jin-cheol pulled out a white envelope.

“What’s that?”

“This is from my bonus. 200.”

“Oh my.”

“Use it for living expenses. And Jin-woo… let’s give him some pocket money too. He’s waking up and adjusting, so it must be hard, but he’s trying his best.”

“Shall we?”

Hwang Myung-hee smiled happily.

Honestly, she had been worried about her son sometimes.

It was because of friends’ occasional updates:

• Some joined a big guild as proper players.
• Others joined large companies and are now busy to death.

Every time they met, they subtly bragged about their children, leaving Hwang Myung-hee speechless.

It wasn’t a huge deal.

But.

Some friends could be quite annoying.

• Is Jin-woo alright? He just woke up, right? Congratulations! Doesn’t matter if he’s successful. Health is what counts.
• Still, I worry. He’s mid-twenties with a three-year gap… But he’s young. He’ll recover. Maybe he’ll retake exams?

Those friends occasionally caused a vein to pop on her forehead.

“Phew.”

Hwang Myung-hee just smiled, looking at the envelope from Baek Jin-cheol.

‘Thank goodness.’

Chapter 23

Weekday Dungeon Conquest (4)

“Yes, what is it?”

Baek Jin-woo tilted his head.

Hadn’t the discussions with headquarters already concluded?

“We’re the executive secretary office directly under the Director. We’re currently reviewing the proposal you made positively…”

“Ah, that.”

With a swift gesture, Baek Jin-woo raised his hand and cut him off.

“That’s unnecessary.”

“Excuse me?”

“Wasn’t the headquarters’ response to that proposal a rejection before?”

“…To be precise, it wasn’t a clear refusal. They said they’d provide support if concrete evidence was presented. And now that you, Player Baek Jin-woo, have provided that evidence, we are positively reviewing it.”

The staff tried their best to speak politely, but it was all in tone—nothing in the content pleased Baek Jin-woo.

Compared to Yu Ji-ah, it was glaringly obvious!

Yu Ji-ah had supported him generously even when he had nothing, giving a large sum of money upfront. And now the headquarters, seeing that he had something, were suddenly saying they were “reviewing” it.

Who looks better?

It’s obvious.

‘True help is only appreciated when it comes when you really need it.’

Baek Jin-woo knew this thought ran through his mind clearly.

No matter how talented a player you are—even if you’re a ranked player—asking for 1.3 billion in a single lump sum is still unreasonable.

Of course, Baek Jin-woo understood that it had been a bold request.

But Yu Ji-ah not only fulfilled the unreasonable request but also gave it as a generous gift.

“Sorry, but that proposal… isn’t needed anymore.”

“Excuse me?”

He smiled faintly, speaking softly but firmly.

“I’m already affiliated with the company. If you want to communicate with me, please do so through Yu Ji-ah of YuBaek.”

“YuBaek…?”

The staff’s gaze wavered.

“Well then, goodbye.”

Baek Jin-woo gave them a nod and passed by swiftly.

The staff couldn’t stop someone so resolute.

More than that, one question lingered in their minds.

“Senior, what is YuBaek? And Yu Ji-ah… could it be that it’s the Yu Ji-ah from the Daesung Group? The one who recently left headquarters?”

“…Let’s investigate immediately.”

The head of the secretary’s office bit their lip tightly.

They had the feeling they’d just missed an important opportunity.

After clearing the Thursday dungeon, Baek Jin-woo headed straight to the rooftop of a nearby building.

‘Friday’s dungeon is different from the previous ones.’

The method itself was entirely different.

Previously, the summoned creatures were the ones eliminating monsters.

But the Friday dungeon required the player to run directly.

Two new summons were used this time: a C-class Sky Dolphin and a B-class Sky Wyvern.

Their special feature? The player could ride them.

“Phew.”

Baek Jin-woo tensed.

‘Can I actually do this?’

Riding a golem and riding a wyvern were different matters entirely.

The wyvern truly flies in the sky.

Thanks to the protective shield, he wouldn’t fall to his death, but fear was unavoidable.

‘But I have to do it.’

To beat the Friday dungeon time attack, he had to be able to control both summons freely.

“Sky Wyvern.”

• Kkirurururu!

Baek Jin-woo called, and the Sky Wyvern roared in response, flapping its wings and lowering its posture.

A gesture to ride.

“Here goes!”

He mounted boldly, stroking the creature’s head.

“Let’s go to the East Sea.”

If he practiced flying with the wyvern, he’d need to swim with the dolphin as well.

Both skills were necessary to take shortcuts in the Friday dungeon.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The wyvern began to rise slowly into the sky.

‘This is doable.’

If he practiced properly, he wouldn’t even need to take a taxi anymore.

There were detailed aspects to flying and swimming, but he wasn’t worried.

He had his trainer with him.

It only took half a day for him to get accustomed to flying.

Baek Jin-woo turned out to be more talented than expected.

• My lord, you’re incredible.

“Enough with the praise.”

• No, I’m serious. You learn things incredibly fast.

“Really, enough.”

The trainer’s flattery had some merit.

• Truly.

Then the next one, the dragon, spoke up.

“Hmm? What’s true?”

• We just have past memories, so we’re familiar… At first, riding the wyvern was a huge struggle. We got motion sickness, vomited…

Back during Battle of Summoners.

The trainer and the dragon were seasoned veterans.

They had no choice; they had climbed the Tower of Trials together, one of the most difficult challenges.

They too had to control wyverns and dolphins during that time.

“Is that so?”

• Yes. Truly, our lord Jin-woo is remarkable.

The dragon held her staff in both hands while praising him adorably.

Eventually, Baek Jin-woo couldn’t resist and ruffled her red hair.

“Alright, thanks. Next is Sky Dolphin riding, right?”

Currently, they were off the coast of Yangyang.

They had to go deep enough, so they were in the East Sea.

‘Swimming… I should be fine.’

He had learned a little when he was young and had always liked water.

The problem was keeping up with the dolphin’s swimming speed and dealing with water pressure.

Practice with the trainer was necessary.

• Master, hold here tightly.

The trainer was patient, and the swimming practice went quite successfully.

Friday morning.

Cutting through the rows of journalists, Baek Jin-woo dove naturally into the beginner Friday dungeon.

Of course, he wore his gear.

‘Phew, I’m excited.’

Actually, the key reason Ichirin was called the Time Attack God was because of the Friday Dungeon play.

It was a dungeon that awarded special runes.

The Friday Dungeon was like a fun mini-game back in Battle of Summoners, enjoyed by hardcore players sharing videos and competing for the fastest times.

Beginner was easy.

Intermediate was tough.

Advanced was absurd.

Expert made you puke.

[‘Player running’ will start in 10 seconds!]

[Reach the destination as fast as possible!]

The corridor was the backdrop.

A line marked the floor before Baek Jin-woo’s eyes.

In 10 seconds, he would start from here.

‘Beginner level shouldn’t be a problem. Even if I go all out, they won’t doubt me.’

He stretched and prepared to sprint.

At the same time:

“Wind Falcon.”

• Kkiyooot!

“Cast a speed buff on me.”

Whoooosh!

The cool breeze brushed his nose, and his body was instantly filled with energy.

‘So this is a speed buff.’

Seconds ticked down.

[3]

[2]

[1]

One second left, Baek Jin-woo crouched.

[0]

Go!

The line on the floor disappeared, and he leaped forward.

“Ha, ha, ha!”

He exhaled rhythmically, sprinting at full speed.

Obstacles appeared as he ran.

The point of the Friday Dungeon was to dodge them while running.

Of course, all obstacles and shortcuts were perfectly memorized in Baek Jin-woo’s head.

Swaaaak!

A small stone flew at him from afar; he ducked lightly and avoided it, stepping firmly on the uneven floor sections.

Smooth, precise, and flawless movement.

‘Good.’

For the first time in a while, he felt real fun.

Yes! This is it!

Even more exciting than controlling it on a screen.

‘And…’

About a minute in, there was a section with a wide floor filled with water.

‘First hidden route!’

Normally, he would have to run across the water on the formal route.

But?

By using the Sky Dolphin underwater, he could bypass the difficult obstacles above.

“Sky Dolphin!”

• Kkiii!

Grabbing the handle on the dolphin’s back, he held his breath.

Splash!

He dove underwater.

His gear didn’t matter; it was waterproof.

Splash, splash, splash!

The Sky Dolphin surged forward at incredible speed.

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes were sharp as he controlled the dolphin.

This was the result of last night’s practice.

After 30 seconds:

The dolphin leapt out of the water.

“Okay!”

The tricky section was over.

Baek Jin-woo called out:

“Sky Wyvern!”

• Kkirururururu!

The wyvern appeared just in time, placing itself below him.

“Wahoo!”

The thrill made him cheer.

‘Now it’s flight time!’

If the first section was a corridor, the next was open air.

He could fly.

Intermediate level and above required skillful flight control, but beginner could just fly straight through.

Only ground obstacles existed anyway.

‘Wait a minute.’

Did he go all out too early?

‘It’s fine.’

He had checked the world record to be sure.

[Friday Dungeon – Beginner]

[World Record 1st Place – Rachel]

[Clear Time – 00:01:25]

Still a time he couldn’t beat yet.

To break it, Wind Falcon had to be maxed and runes fully equipped.

The wyvern and dolphin’s speeds would also have to be pushed to the limit.

‘Half a year should be enough to break it.’

This was beginner level.

Expert level?

Even Rachel would flinch at the difficulty.

She could clear it, but had to take the regular route.

Summons would destroy obstacles one by one instead of taking shortcuts.

‘I’ll try that later.’

• Kkirururururu!

The Sky Wyvern roared happily as they approached the destination.

Soon after:

[Destination reached!]

[Dungeon Clear!]

[Clear Time – 00:02:16]

2 minutes 16 seconds! Not bad.

For reference, the Friday Dungeon could also be auto-played.

If only summons were placed, a virtual player would move as he had before.

And the results would still be:

[Congratulations!]

[New South Korea Record!]

[Special Achievement Unlocked!]

Naturally, this was the outcome in Korea.

That night.

Baek Jin-woo’s father, Baek Jin-cheol.

His mother, Hwang Myung-hee, returned home late and was preparing dinner.

“Honey.”

Hwang Myung-hee placed a steaming egg custard on the table.

“What’s our Jin-woo up to these days?”

“Well… He registered as a player last time, so he’s probably off at some dungeon or something.”

The couple was very busy.

They rarely watched TV or kept up with news.

“Should we try calling him?”

“No. He takes after me; he’ll manage. If we keep contacting him out of worry, it’ll just be a burden.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Still, Hwang Myung-hee picked up her phone, planning to call their daughter, Baek Ah-jin.

It was easier to call Ah-jin, who kept in touch regularly.

• Yes, Mom!

“Do you know what your brother’s been up to? We haven’t heard from him lately.”

• Brother…?

A moment of silence as Ah-jin pressed her lips together.

Should she tell him? Or not?

She wanted to tell right away.

Her brother was on fire right now.

But.

‘He said not to tell first.’

The B-class Shadow Wolf he promised kept flashing in her mind.

A 500 million won summon.

After a brief pause, she spoke:

• Don’t worry too much. He seems to be doing well. I also told him we’d visit soon.

“Oh, really? You should come along then.”

Hwang Myung-hee smiled and continued chatting with her daughter before hanging up.

Then dinner began.

During it, Baek Jin-cheol pulled out a white envelope.

“What’s that?”

“This is from my bonus. 200.”

“Oh my.”

“Use it for living expenses. And Jin-woo… let’s give him some pocket money too. He’s waking up and adjusting, so it must be hard, but he’s trying his best.”

“Shall we?”

Hwang Myung-hee smiled happily.

Honestly, she had been worried about her son sometimes.

It was because of friends’ occasional updates:

• Some joined a big guild as proper players.
• Others joined large companies and are now busy to death.

Every time they met, they subtly bragged about their children, leaving Hwang Myung-hee speechless.

It wasn’t a huge deal.

But.

Some friends could be quite annoying.

• Is Jin-woo alright? He just woke up, right? Congratulations! Doesn’t matter if he’s successful. Health is what counts.
• Still, I worry. He’s mid-twenties with a three-year gap… But he’s young. He’ll recover. Maybe he’ll retake exams?

Those friends occasionally caused a vein to pop on her forehead.

“Phew.”

Hwang Myung-hee just smiled, looking at the envelope from Baek Jin-cheol.

‘Thank goodness.’

Ah-jin and Jin-woo.

Everyone was healthy, happy, and growing up well.

The parents still had no idea that their son was making headlines on the news.

Ah-jin and Jin-woo.

Everyone was healthy, happy, and growing up well.

The parents still had no idea that their son was making headlines on the news.