NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33 - Light Speed Rune (1)
Light Speed Rune (1)
The next day.
Early in the morning, Baek Jin-woo set his weekly dungeon summons to grind on auto and headed to the open field to loosen up his body.
Hun-gyo and the other summons were already at their stations, training diligently.
‘Let’s take a look at the rewards first.’
Reviewing the rewards from the 2nd to the 9th floor yielded the following:
[2nd Floor – Essence of Light x10]
[3rd Floor – Universal Polish x10]
[4th Floor – Top-tier Rune (Light Speed) x1]
[5th Floor – Intermediate Skill Book Selection x5]
[6th Floor – Top-tier Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)]
[7th Floor – Top-tier Summoning Scroll x3]
[8th Floor – Top-tier Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)]
[9th Floor – Universal Polish x10]
“Whew.”
In conclusion, the rewards were quite good.
Aside from the somewhat disappointing 10 Essences of Light, everything else turned out well.
What’s an Essence of Light?
It’s a rare crafting material, presumably used for certain blueprints.
‘But it’s not something I can use right now.’
Since I don’t have the blueprint requiring Essence of Light yet, the best move would be to sell it on the marketplace—for a very high price.
It’s rare, and since there are no listings, anyone desperate enough will pay whatever it costs.
‘Now, the jackpot here is.’
The reward from the 4th floor.
The Top-tier Light Speed Rune!
Light Speed is the superior version of the Swift Rune Lamba currently uses.
Under the right conditions, it drastically boosts attack speed to its limit.
[Rune]
[Grade: Lower]
[Set Effect: Swift]
– 4 pieces equipped: Attack Speed +30%
– 6 pieces equipped: Attack Speed +50%
That was the standard Swift Rune.
[Rune]
[Grade: Top-tier (Rare)]
– Limited to 100 worldwide.
[Set Effect: Light Speed]
– 6 pieces equipped: Attack Speed +300%
– For wand-wielding summons, an additional +200% Attack Speed.
The Light Speed Rune’s set effect was insane.
Equipping six pieces grants a whopping +300% attack speed, and for wand users like Lamba, that becomes +500%.
‘And it’s a rare rune!’
Rare runes only appear in the Tower of Trials.
While Rune Dwarves can craft them, that’s a story for another time.
Rare runes come with guaranteed optimal stats and always max out when upgraded.
Essentially, they’re born to be “graduation runes.”
Baek Jin-woo checked the rune’s stats.
[Level: 1]
[Stat Bonuses]
Intelligence +12%, Intelligence +30, Agility +12%, Agility +30
‘Beautiful.’
This rune was clearly designed for magic-type summons focused on attack speed.
It could be called a Lamba-exclusive rune.
The Intelligence stat boosts Lamba’s skill Gale Impact, and the Agility stat further enhances her attack speed.
‘Perfect.’
Rare runes have fixed stats.
No matter where or when you obtain a Light Speed Rune, these stats are guaranteed.
Once this rune is upgraded to its maximum level (10), it will become Lamba’s graduation rune.
A rune worthy of the term “graduation.”
‘Might as well start with Lamba’s graduation setup.’
Baek Jin-woo decided to use the Top-tier Rune Selection Tickets (Bound) from the 6th and 8th floors.
[Using Top-tier Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)!]
[Player Baek Jin-woo has acquired Top-tier Rune (Light Speed)!]
[Using Top-tier Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)!]
[Player Baek Jin-woo has acquired Top-tier Rune (Light Speed)!]
Among the countless runes displayed in his view, he immediately focused on Light Speed, selected it, and confirmed.
Now, all three runes had identical stats:
[Rune]
[Grade: Top-tier (Rare)]
– Limited to 100 worldwide.
[Set Effect: Light Speed]
– 6 pieces equipped: Attack Speed +300%
– For wand-wielding summons, an additional +200% Attack Speed.
[Level: 1]
[Stat Bonuses]
Intelligence +12%, Intelligence +30, Agility +12%, Agility +30
‘I still need three more.’
To complete the set, he would ask his sister to scour the global marketplace using YooBaek’s resources.
That was the only way to fully unlock the set effect.
Summons can equip up to six runes.
‘I’ll save the Universal Polish for later.’
The Universal Polish obtained from the 3rd and 9th floors would be used after the runes were upgraded to their max level (10).
Polish enhances the stats of fully upgraded runes, and Universal Polish ensures the stats are maximized regardless of the rune’s base quality.
Polish is reserved exclusively for graduation runes, making it highly sought after.
‘Then there are the three Top-tier Summoning Scrolls from the 7th floor.’
Those are also highly valuable.
But they shouldn’t be used or sold yet.
They’ll be ingredients for crafting a Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (Grade B) later.
‘I’ll keep those for now.’
Lastly.
‘The five Intermediate Skill Book Selection Tickets from the 5th floor.’
These are, honestly, a bit of a letdown.
With Hun-gyo around, Baek Jin-woo doesn’t really need skill books.
However.
‘They’re still useful.’
Baek Jin-woo was pleased.
‘First things first.’
After organizing the list of items to sell and buy, Baek Jin-woo stood up.
“Hun-gyo.”
– Yes, my lord!
“Keep training. I’ll go see my sister for a bit.”
– Understood!
It was time to meet his sister.
The items from the intermediate weekly dungeons were piling up, and the Essence of Light needed to be sold.
***
Player Zone.
In front of the offline marketplace where Baek Ah-jin spent her days.
“Huh?”
Baek Jin-woo was surprised.
At the spot where his sister usually set up shop, there was another woman wearing a mask.
“Why is Yoo Ji-ah here?”
Yoo Ji-ah of 「YooBaek」.
She was chatting and laughing with Baek Ah-jin as if they had become close friends.
“Oh, Jin-woo!”
“Oppa!”
The two women greeted him warmly.
“What’s going on?”
He asked for an explanation, and they quickly summarized the situation.
“Ah-jin has decided to partner with YooBaek.”
“Yeah. The volume of materials you’re bringing in keeps increasing, so I thought I’d take a more professional approach by working with an organization. Marketing, customer management… you know, stuff like that. I wanted to learn from the experts.”
At the same time, Baek Ah-jin summoned her creatures.
“And I need to start hunting with my Ul-El. I’ve only been focusing on trading until now, but partnering with YooBaek will free up some time.”
“…Ul-El?”
“Yeah! Shadow Wolf and Shadow Elf! It’s their nickname.”
Ah, that’s what she meant.
Not bad.
Actually, it’s great.
Even with a management company, working separately with his sister always felt a bit awkward to Baek Jin-woo.
The important part was—
“The 20% share is still guaranteed, right?”
“Of course! I was going to coordinate that with you since it alters the existing agreement.”
“I don’t mind. Do whatever is convenient for you, but make sure Ah-jin’s 20% is fixed.”
“Understood. Also, we’re planning to promote Ah-jin to director and hire more staff for her team.”
Yoo Ji-ah was, as always, efficient and clear.
“Sounds good.”
With a smile, Baek Jin-woo nodded, and Yoo Ji-ah let out a small sigh of relief.
She had been worried he might feel uncomfortable.
“For now, Ah-jin.”
Baek Jin-woo handed over a list and the items he’d brought.
“What’s this?”
“Things you need to sell and buy.”
“Oh, I have to buy stuff too?”
“Yeah.”
The list included 10 Top-tier Summoning Scrolls, 10 World Tree Leaves, and 3 Top-tier Light Speed Runes—all ingredients for crafting the Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (Grade B).
After reading it, Baek Ah-jin was shocked.
“Top-tier Light Speed Runes… Are these rare runes?”
“Exactly.”
“They’re insanely expensive! I’ve only ever heard of them. I mean, global rankers use them, don’t they?”
“Don’t worry about the cost. You’re partnering with YooBaek now, right?”
When Baek Jin-woo looked at Yoo Ji-ah, her eyes sparkled.
“So, you’re finally looking for runes!”
“Yes. Whatever the cost, I’ll leave it to you.”
Rare runes are limited in number and exceedingly expensive.
But Yoo Ji-ah was thrilled.
‘I can finally be of real help to JinuGod!’
“Jin-woo!”
“Yes?”
“Leave it to me! I’ll secure them for you within a month!”
Yoo Ji-ah clenched her fists with determination.
Even if she had to leverage Daeseong’s resources, she would make it happen.
“Thanks.”
For some reason, Baek Jin-woo felt he could trust her words completely.
“Oh, and this.”
Baek Jin-woo handed something to each of them.
“What’s this?”
“Intermediate Skill Book Selection Tickets. Use them to teach your main summons a skill.”
This was his idea for protecting his family.
“What skill?”
“Desperate Call.”
“Desperate Call?”
“Yes.”
The skill description was as follows:
– Desperate Call: Once per day, forcibly summons a designated player.
In 「Battle of Summoners」, this skill was useless—so useless it was called trash.
But in reality, it was different.
With this skill, he could help his loved ones in emergencies.
“Learn it and use it to call me if you’re ever in danger.”
He planned to use four of the five Skill Book Tickets this way, giving one to each family member.
The last ticket would be kept in reserve.
“Learn it now and set me as the designated player.”
“Wow, this skill exists?”
Baek Ah-jin, who taught it to her Shadow Elf, was marveling at the skill description.
‘Jin-woo.’
Yoo Ji-ah, on the other hand, was looking at him with a slightly emotional expression.
It meant she was included in the family he sought to protect.
All the time she had spent solely supporting Baek Jin-woo felt validated.
Yes!
This was motivation to work even harder!
[Player Baek Ah-jin has set Player Baek Jin-woo as the target for the skill ‘Desperate Call.’]
[Do you consent?]
[Player Yoo Ji-ah has set Player Baek Jin-woo as the target for the skill ‘Desperate Call.’]
[Do you consent?]
Of course, he selected Yes for both.
Now, only one thing remained.
‘To become stronger.’
If he became strong enough never to lose to any player in the world, then he could proudly say, “I am Baek Jin-woo’s family!”
‘Alright.’
Let’s see how far I can go!
For now, his challenge to the 10th floor of the Tower of Trials was set for a month later.
That morning, Baek Jin-woo had asked Hun-gyo how long it would take to prepare for defeating One-Eye.
– “A month! A single month will be enough, my lord!”
Hun-gyo’s confident response gave Baek Jin-woo all the assurance he needed.
‘Perfect timing.’
The date coincided with the National Team Selection Competition Yoo Ji-ah had mentioned.
The goal was clear—clear the 10th floor by then.
“Well then, I’ll get going. Time to upgrade some runes.”
After saying goodbye to the two women, Baek Jin-woo headed toward the enhancement station.
Now it was time.
Rune enhancement.
He would push the three Light Speed Runes to their limits and polish them to perfection.