AECS 37

Chapter 37

Which One Should I Choose? (1)

Yubaek.

A small office that hadn’t been moved yet.

“Crazy…”

Holding a chip taken out from the recording device, Yu Jia still couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Even though Baek Jin-woo had calmly finished the 10th floor in just ten minutes and had even eaten galbitang without a hitch, it didn’t feel real.

“No matter how much of a JinuGod he is…”

Clearing the 10th floor in 10 minutes?

Yu Jia made a contract through the system while eating her galbitang.

Yu Jia, Kim Byung-jin, and Hwang Tae-seop.

The three of them must never leak the recording on this chip to anyone.

If they break this rule, they will suffer the system’s curse.

“CEO, I’m dying to know.”

“How did he manage to go in there and come out in ten minutes? Can’t we see it already?”

The staff were excited at the thought of watching the footage.

Yu Jia felt the same way.

“They say the 10th floor boss, the one-eyed monster, is insanely strong…”

Players who had survived that place all said the same thing.

An S-rank monster is so overwhelmingly powerful that no ordinary dungeon could match it.

Those with weak mental strength would wet themselves just by looking at it, unable to act at all.

“…Shall we start the video then?”

“Yes!”

“Quickly!”

Swallowing hard, Yu Jia carefully inserted the chip into the device.

Then—

-GRROOOOOAAARRRR!

From the start, the deafening roar of the one-eyed monster blasted through the screen.

“C-crazy…”

“…That’s the one-eyed monster?”

Even though they were seeing it in 3D video, their spines tingled. Imagine the terror if a player faced it in real life.

“Wow… no way. Even if I told a player to do this, they wouldn’t survive. How can anyone handle that?”

“Look at my arms! Goosebumps! Just watching this is terrifying.”

Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop were panicking back and forth.

The footage continued.

Baek Jin-woo’s summons jumped out, and as they started fighting the ghouls, everything seemed normal… until—

“This doesn’t look good.”

“Yes, it’s really bad. How could this situation end in ten minutes?”

They couldn’t comprehend it.

Only Yu Jia’s eyes were fixed on Lamba and Hoon-gyo.

‘Talking summons…’

Moreover, Lamba had an ultra-expensive graduation rune.

Those two were Baek Jin-woo’s true companions.

Until they moved, Baek Jin-woo’s real power couldn’t be seen.

And shortly after—

-Master, I shall move soon!

When Hoon-gyo jumped out—

“Eh?”

“D-did you hear that? The summon is talking?”

The staff reacted just like Yu Jia that morning, mouths agape, eyes wide.

‘Ugh.’

Yu Jia shook her head.

‘Was I like that in front of Jin-woo?’

Thinking about it gave her goosebumps. She wanted to show only her good side.

“Remember, you all must keep this a secret.”

“Did you know this, CEO?”

“I only found out this morning too.”

“……!”

“Let’s talk about that later and keep watching.”

Yu Jia focused.

What kind of power did Lamba and Hoon-gyo possess to defeat such a terrifying monster in just ten minutes?

The answer came soon enough.

“……!”

“……!”

Hoon-gyo’s movements grew faster and faster, and in an instant, that enormous monster was torn apart.

“Wh-what kind of summon is that?”

“So agile… how is it dodging attacks like that… Huh? Wh-why is the speed…?”

Watching Baek Jin-woo’s gameplay was nothing short of shocking.

It was the kind of thing that would be unbelievable if told elsewhere.

“No way… that sword-wielding summon is supposed to be an S-rank?”

“…Ha… unbelievable. Even if I called it a bug, I’d believe it.”

Yu Jia couldn’t close her mouth.

‘…This is JinuGod’s power?’

Now she could understand why world-ranking players feared him so much.

A player who hadn’t even fully reached six months of experience wielding this much power?

In a few more years, the world order would be flipped.

Korea, buried in the deep sea, would rise to the surface, and the whole world would praise Baek Jin-woo.

Just like Rachel does now.

-GRROOOOOAAARRRR!

Finally, the video ended with the Wyvern delivering a clean finishing blow.

The screen flickered, and even after some time passed, the three of them stayed silent.

It takes a while for the brain to accept reality.

“What… kind of person is Baek Jin-woo?”

“I’ve been working with him, but I just don’t get it. How is that even possible…”

“Even our country’s rank 1 player couldn’t do that, right?”

Hwang Tae-seop asked, and Yu Jia smiled faintly.

‘Rank 1 in Korea…’

Even the world’s number one probably couldn’t do this.

“Wow… this is almost—”

Kim Byung-jin continued with awe.

“Even if it were the legendary return of JinuGod, I’d believe it.”

“……”

Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop exchanged glances.

JinuGod.

The word stuck perfectly on their tongues.

JinuGod? JinwooGod? Jinu? Jinwoo?

“…Eh?”

“Wait, CEO… JinuGod?”

At their Dumb & Dumber-like reaction—

“Huh.”

Yu Jia let out a quiet sigh.

‘Yeah, that’s a normal thought process.’

Even if she wanted to hide it, she couldn’t. Especially after sharing the video info…

Wouldn’t knowing make you look foolish?

“I’m not 100% sure, but the probability is very high. Over 99.9%, I’d say.”

Finally, Yu Jia spoke her mind.

“I didn’t tell Baek Jin-woo this. I’ll pretend not to know until he mentions it first.”

“Ah…”

“So you knew all along, CEO?”

“Yes.” Yu Jia smiled.

“Feeling it now, right?”

They now understood what kind of company they had joined after leaving HQ.

“Yubaek” would become the world’s top management and a one-person guild.

A group that could easily surpass even great enterprises in value.

So be amazed. You’ll be amazed even more in the future, so better toughen up.

A beautiful sunset evening.

Baek Jin-woo didn’t head to the open field.

Instead, he went to the Player Zone, the workshop.

‘There are two rewards from the 10th floor.’

The list:

• [King’s Emblem (Bound) x 1]
• [Ultimate Summoning Scroll x 1]

‘Insane.’

Even seeing it once or twice was crazy.

The King’s Emblem was standard—guaranteed drop for defeating an S-rank boss on a floor.

‘An Ultimate Summoning Scroll!’

This is the highest-tier scroll in Battle of Summoners.

It drops at extremely rare rates from Tower of Trials bosses.

Even in the JinuGod era, he couldn’t collect ten.

‘How much would it sell for?’

Curious, he checked the market, but it had no price—it was impossible to measure.

Many wanted to buy, but no one was selling.

• [B-rank: 94%]
• [A-rank: 5%]
• [S-rank: 1%]

An S-rank summon had a 1% chance of appearing from this scroll.

‘Should I open it?’

Who knows if S-rank would come out.

But Baek Jin-woo shook his head.

‘No need to open it now.’

If S-rank appeared, great, but the probability was only 1%.

Besides, he was busy raising EX-class summons.

‘Better keep it.’

He even saw a post that someone abroad would pay 500 billion for it, but he didn’t care.

A few months ago, he would’ve sold immediately, but now, his desire for money was fading.

Instead, he was more interested in runes and rare summons.

Anyway.

Baek Jin-woo wasn’t at the workshop to open the Ultimate Summoning Scroll but to craft a “Guaranteed Summoning Scroll” (B-rank).

• [Blueprint]
• [Grade: B-rank]
• [Can create: “Guaranteed Summoning Scroll” (B-rank)]
• [Craft a scroll that guarantees a B-rank summon of your choice.]
• [Materials: King’s Emblem (Bound) x1, Highest-grade Summoning Scroll x3, High-grade Summoning Scroll x10, World Tree Leaf x10]

‘Got the emblem today, highest-grade scrolls were saved, and Baek Ah-jin bought 10 high-grade scrolls and 10 World Tree leaves.’

Taking them over, he entered the workshop.

• [Welcome to the Workshop]
• [Craft good items using blueprints!]

“Phew.”

Synthesis, enhancement, crafting—the types varied, but all looked similar.

“Let’s go.”

Baek Jin-woo inserted the blueprint and materials in order.

• [Craft the “Guaranteed Summoning Scroll” (B-rank)?]
• [Crafting success rate: 80%]
• [Warning!]
• [Failure may destroy materials!]
• [Y/N]

“Crazy…”

What if they were destroyed?

How expensive were those materials?

Highest-grade scrolls were worth their weight, and 10 high-grade scrolls cost 30 million won.

The King’s Emblem was bound and couldn’t be obtained elsewhere.

But what choice did he have?

“Yes.”

• [Duguduk dududuk!]
• [Crafting in progress!]

Lights and sound effects intensified until—

• [Success!]
• [Congratulations!]
• [You have obtained the “Guaranteed Summoning Scroll” (B-rank)!]

“Ahh!”

Baek Jin-woo exhaled.

Relief more than joy. If it had failed… ugh.

Better not imagine it.

Riding a Wyvern, Baek Jin-woo arrived at the dim open field, breathing deeply.

He hadn’t gone home—he was here for one reason: to summon a new creature.

‘Let’s rip it open.’

First, he had to see if he could summon an EX-class.

Ssshh!

He tore the scroll boldly.

• [Using “Guaranteed Summoning Scroll” (B-rank)!]
• [Player Baek Jin-woo selects a summon!]

Shuffling cards appeared before his eyes.

Thousands of them. All B-rank?

‘How am I supposed to find it here?’

• [Focus on the summon you want!]

He closed his eyes and imagined two summons.

A Death Reaper wielding a razor-sharp scythe, a whirlwind of slaughter.

And—

A Rune Dwarf blacksmith, swinging a massive hammer over an anvil, white beard flowing.

Shuffling ceased, and only two cards remained.

“……!”

The cards clearly read:

• [“Whirlwind Slayer” (EX-class)]
• [“Rune Dwarf” (EX-class)]

‘Done!’

He could now summon an EX-class using a guaranteed scroll.

The question remained—

Which one should he choose?

“Yeah… which one should I pick?”

The dilemma of a lifetime had begun.