AECS 32

Chapter 32

Keep Pushing Forward

Player Headquarters, Director’s Office.

The elderly director had been racking his brain lately.

“Baek Jin-woo.”

A newcomer suddenly appeared, breaking all the records in the lower-level weekday dungeons, then the mid-level ones, and now he had conquered the 1st floor of the Tower of Trials. And he did it at an incredible speed.

“Secretary.”

“Yes!”

“Why haven’t we heard from him yet? Still no connection to Baek Jin-woo?”

“Well, the thing is…”

“If it doesn’t work, make it work. Don’t you know? Someone with enough skill to become the director’s secretary can’t handle something like this?”

“…….”

The secretary’s face showed her frustration.

‘Old geezer.’

He didn’t lift a finger, yet…

And anyway, how could she make something that couldn’t be done… doable?

Ever since she personally went to find Baek Jin-woo, she had tried everything.

She contacted the 「Yubaek」 organization and even asked Park Chang-seok for help. The answers were always similar:

• “Sorry, he’s our affiliated player, but we can’t control him 100%.”
• “Why did you try to annoy him? When we offered help he ignored us. Now it’s too late. He’s beyond our control. As the saying goes, you should act while you can.”

Yoo Ji-ah and Park Chang-seok both politely declined. Park even sneered subtly.

Despite repeated attempts to reach Baek Jin-woo, the response was the same:

• “Sorry.”
• “Didn’t I tell you to go through Yubaek?”
• “Sorry.”
• “Sorry.”
• …

Eventually, he wouldn’t even answer—just raised a hand and vanished.

At those times, the pride of working for the country’s top public enterprise crumbled instantly.

‘What did I do wrong!’

If anything, the only “mistake” was being the director’s secretary. That alone was enough to gradually erode her confidence.

Meanwhile, the director spouted things like, “If it doesn’t work, make it work!”

Ugh!

“I have a question.”

“What is it, to me?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you so obsessed with player Baek Jin-woo? Sure, he’s hot right now, but he’s not a top-ranked player, nor a national representative. His weekday dungeon records are impressive, but a player’s skill can’t be judged by that alone.”

She made a valid point. Some players specialize in dungeons; others excel at player-versus-player combat.

But the director shook his head and smirked.

“Kid, that’s not what matters.”

“Then?”

“He’s handsome.”

“……What?”

The secretary couldn’t believe her ears. That’s the reason?

Baek Jin-woo… sure, he was quite good-looking, but how could that justify pulling him into the headquarters?

“Players need star power. That’s the only way the public notices them, and the congressman nearby gains recognition too.”

“……Huh.”

So it was all for his political image. Just as expected. Congress or headquarters—politicians are all the same.

“But the guy is a bit stubborn, so it’s annoying.”

“Are you finally giving up?”

Just as the secretary’s eyes lit up, a staff member entered with a clatter.

It was a Tower of Trials management officer directly under the director. Specifically, the officer in charge of privacy-related information.

“What is it?”

The officer glanced at the secretary.

“He’s fine. He’s under contract too.”

Only those who had completed the confidentiality agreement could access such information. Violators would face the system’s curse.

“Uh… Player Baek Jin-woo has conquered the Tower of Trials again.”

“Ah, really? Well, that figures.”

The director nodded knowingly. Conquering the 2nd floor after finishing the 1st floor wasn’t surprising. The early floors had similar difficulty levels anyway.

“He cleared the 2nd floor? How long did it take this time?”

“If it were just that, I would have reported it in writing instead of running here.”

“Oh? Then?”

“He conquered up to the 9th floor… and it took less than an hour. That speed is unheard of, even worldwide.”

“Eh?” The secretary was stunned.

“What!?” The director jumped to his feet.

“That’s true? He was only on the 1st floor yesterday!”

“We couldn’t believe it either. When he first entered the 2nd floor, we assumed he only cleared that floor. But checking the records… it shows he consecutively cleared up to the 9th floor without leaving.”

The 1st floor outer ring of the Tower of Trials had a records office. Players’ completions were automatically logged.

“He conquered floors 2 through 9 consecutively. Without coming out.”

“He’s insane.”

The director’s face flushed with excitement. The 9th floor? Even top-ranked players in Korea hadn’t reached half of that.

Since rankings were set at the start of each year based on world leagues, Baek Jin-woo’s latest record basically put him among the top players instantly.

“So there was a reason he was stubborn?”

“……A remarkable person.”

“Baek Jin-woo… I want him even more now.”

“…….”

The secretary shook her head. Some things simply couldn’t be forced. She had to accept that. They had overlooked a gem. Yoo Ji-ah had recognized it instead.

‘There’s only one way.’

Get rid of Lim Hee-soo and reach out to Park Chang-seok. Whether the old man notices or not…

‘He probably will.’

The congressional seat wasn’t won by chance.

‘But… would Park Chang-seok really take that hand?’

‘Not sure.’

It felt difficult.

…Sigh.

At home, Baek Jin-woo stretched and simultaneously summoned his best EX-class summons: Lamba, Hoonkyo, and Pokryong.

“Good work, you guys. Take a break today. I’m completely drained.”

He collapsed onto the sofa, sprawling out. It had been a long day.

Floors 2 through 9.

He breezed through using the exact routes he already knew.

Floor 2: Exit the major city Chrome to rescue the endangered senior researcher.
Floor 3: Escort the researcher to the outskirts of Helio in another city.
Floor 4: Open the secret door to the lab.
Floor 5: Clear ghouls inside the lab.
Floor 6: Go to the power plant to fix the blackout.
Floor 7: Restore the broken power lines after the plant mission.
Floor 8: Assist the senior researcher with experiments in the lab.
Floor 9: Learn about the ghoul king, “One-Eye” (S-Class), and approach him to prevent a major ghoul disaster.

Having experienced all of this before, Baek Jin-woo moved without hesitation. He used every bit of remembered information, rushing forward without pause.

And now, only the final boss remained: One-Eye.

‘And…’

One-Eye wasn’t a challenge at full strength yet. They needed better rune options and for Pokryong to grow further. Boost intelligence to increase damage, and maybe even learn the advanced Pokryong skill “Variation.”

‘Still…’

His growth speed was impressive. Compared to JinuGod’s pace in 「Battle of Summoners」?

‘No comparison. I’m far faster.’

Information and experience were a weapon. Previously, it felt like carefully walking through a thorny path; now it was like sprinting along a clear trail.

• Haaah! Taking a break today? Hehe.

Lamba stretched and plopped onto Baek Jin-woo’s chest.

• What are you doing?

Hoonkyo’s eyes glared fiercely.

• Eek!

Startled, Lamba floated off Baek Jin-woo’s chest.

• Master, sorry. I should have taught manners before training.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”

It was genuinely fine. Lamba wasn’t heavy—it felt like a pet lying on him.

• Not at all, Master. You’ve worked hard. Rest well. But we cannot rest yet.
• Eek?! What kind of nightmare is that!

Pokryong, sitting on another sofa, trembled. Seriously? They just cleared that hard dungeon consecutively, and now more training?

• Didn’t you hear Jin-woo? He said rest!
• Lamba.
• What!
• On Floor 7, at the power plant… the attack speed boost was slightly lower. Why was that?
• Ah, that time…

Lamba sweated nervously.

• And Floor 8, while handling the ghoul lords… three times you didn’t swing your staff to rest.
• Wha… how could you even remember that?!

Lamba was horrified. He remembered everything from the intense battles!

• Too much! How can a fairy swing a staff all day?!
• Don’t you realize your selfish thinking could have gotten our master killed?
• Nonsense! I could have defeated the ghoul lords without your buffs!
• Master will continue climbing the Tower. The difficulty will be on another level. Will you still make the same mistakes then?
• …

No words. How could he argue against their precise observations?

• And Pokryong.
• Hic!

Pokryong flinched.

• Floor 5, twice; Floor 7, once; Floor 9, twice—you missed some Pokryong waves, right?
• …Yes, sorry.

Pokryong hung his head low. Baek Jin-woo almost didn’t know what to do with their pitiful sight.

• Mistakes happen. But noticing them and refusing to correct them is a problem.
• …
• …

Two summons hung their heads silently.

“Alright, everyone stop.”

Finally, Baek Jin-woo spoke.

“Hoonkyo, you’re also at fault.”

• ……!

“I told you to rest first. Training is important? Or is my command more important?”

• O-of course, Master. Your orders come first. I was shortsighted. Sorry.

Hoonkyo stepped back, bowing slightly.

“That doesn’t mean your points are wrong either.”

Baek Jin-woo glanced at Lamba and Pokryong in turn.

“Mistakes must be addressed. But today, rest. Starting tomorrow, we’ll focus on improving them together.”

They had been moving fast enough. Boosting even more could risk mistakes. Some relaxation was necessary.

‘For now.’

Physically fine, but mentally exhausted lately.

‘Time to sleep.’

Then tomorrow, sort out the rewards.

Floors 2 through 9. Eight rewards in total.

They’d check them during training tomorrow.