NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35 - Light Speed Rune (3)
Chapter 35 Light Speed Rune (3)
Baek Jin-cheol and Hwang Myeong-hee made a habit of always eating together.
Amid their busy lives, mealtimes were often their only chance to talk.
This morning was no different.
The couple prepared breakfast and sat across from each other, enjoying a quiet moment.
Before long, Baek Jin-cheol spoke hesitantly.
“There’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.”
“What is it?”
“You know that gift I got recently?”
“The gift? Oh, you mean the Diamond Golem?”
“Yes, that.”
“What about it?”
“It’s apparently worth ten billion won.”
“Wh-what?! Ten billion? That thing’s worth that much?”
Hwang Myeong-hee’s eyes widened in shock.
“…Should I sell it?”
Though he had confidently decided to sell it when speaking to his friend Park Jung-hoon, the thought still left him uneasy.
After all, it was a gift given to him thanks to his son, and selling it felt like betraying the goodwill behind it.
Baek Jin-cheol relayed his entire conversation with Park Jung-hoon from the previous night.
“So… you’re thinking of quitting your delivery job and starting a business?”
“Business is a big word. I just want to do something small on my own.”
“Hmm.”
It was definitely something to think about.
Honestly, it was a good problem to have.
Even lottery winners these days didn’t take home ten billion won, and yet, here they were with a gift worth that much.
“But still, selling it feels wrong.”
Hwang Myeong-hee was against the idea.
Like her husband, she had grown attached to her summon, the Rainbow Snail, and had never even considered selling it.
Of course, she had never looked up its value either, which explained her surprise at the price of the Diamond Golem.
“Right? Maybe I should just tell him I won’t sell it.”
As the couple wrestled with the decision, the sound of the door’s electronic lock interrupted them.
Beep, beep-beep!
The door opened, and their son, Baek Jin-woo, walked in.
“Huh? What brings you here so early?”
Baek Jin-cheol looked surprised.
“You’re here, son! You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”
Hwang Myeong-hee greeted him warmly.
Baek Jin-woo returned their greetings, feeling a pang of guilt.
‘I should visit them more often.’
But now was the time to push forward, he reminded himself.
“I came to give you something.”
Baek Jin-woo’s reason for visiting was simple: he wanted to give his parents the Intermediate Skill Book Selection Tickets.
After they finished their meal, Hwang Myeong-hee quickly cleared the table.
Then she sat down and asked, “So, what’s this about?”
“You’ll use this to learn a skill called Desperate Call.”
Hwang Myeong-hee immediately taught the skill to her Rainbow Snail after hearing his explanation.
Baek Jin-woo couldn’t help but feel grateful.
‘I owe Yoo Ji-ah so much for that summon.’
Thanks to her gift, even his parents were finding their summons increasingly valuable.
The problem was his father, Baek Jin-cheol.
He hesitated, unsure whether to teach the skill to his Diamond Golem.
“What are you doing? Just teach it already,” urged Hwang Myeong-hee.
“Should I?”
Baek Jin-woo immediately picked up on the tension in the room.
“Wait a second, Dad.”
As he thought about it, something clicked.
The only reason Yoo Ji-ah had given his father the Diamond Golem (B-rank) was because his father loved the Pebble Golem (E-rank) so much.
The Diamond Golem was the pinnacle of golems, but…
‘Doesn’t this imply he’s being encouraged to keep working manual labor jobs?’
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Do you really need the golem anymore?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, don’t feel pressured to keep it. You can sell it if you want. With Ah-jin running her shop so well, you could even ask her to sell it for you.”
His father blinked, processing his son’s words.
After some thought, he mumbled, “…Do you really think that’s okay?”
Of course.
Baek Jin-woo was right on target.
Sensing there was more to the story, he pressed his parents for the truth.
Eventually, they confessed.
“Your father’s always said he’d love to run a small chicken restaurant someday. That’s why we were considering it. Just for a moment. I was against it, though.”
“A chicken restaurant?”
Baek Jin-woo tilted his head.
Why sell the golem to open a chicken restaurant?
“Hold on.”
He pulled out his phone and called Yoo Ji-ah directly.
– “Yes, Jin-woo?”
As expected, Yoo Ji-ah answered in less than a second.
“I want to take a dividend. How much can I pull out?”
– “Hmm, give me a moment!”
“…”
– “If we really push it, up to 100 billion is possible, but it’d strain our finances. We’re investing heavily in land and new hires right now. Fifty billion is no problem, though you’d face hefty taxes due to comprehensive taxation. You know that, right?”
Holy crap.
YooBaek’s scale was mind-boggling.
They could already pay out dividends like that?
“I don’t need that much. Just about ten billion would do.”
– “Why?”
“Personal reasons.”
He refrained from elaborating, worried Yoo Ji-ah might try to cover the cost herself with company funds.
That kind of generosity made him uncomfortable.
She needed to focus on making money; their mutual success depended on it.
– “Ten billion? That’s easy! I’ll calculate the taxes and process it right now. Should I transfer it immediately?”
“Yes, thank you.”
After hanging up, Baek Jin-woo turned to his parents, who stared at him in disbelief.
A dividend of ten billion?
Reality was starting to sink in: their son, who had been hospitalized just months ago, was now a respected Player.
“Dad.”
“Y-yeah?”
“I’ll have ten billion wired to your account. Use it for the chicken restaurant.”
“Wait, how can you just—”
“Hey!”
Baek Jin-woo cut him off.
“Just register the skill on the golem. Don’t sell it. You love golems, don’t you? Besides, you’ll need it for the restaurant. Moving boxes of raw chicken and barrels of oil isn’t easy.”
“…Heh, you rascal.”
Baek Jin-cheol looked genuinely moved.
Was this really his son?
Lately, life had been full of surprises for the couple.
***
The morning had been hectic.
After visiting his parents, setting up the weekly dungeon runs, and returning to the training field, Baek Jin-woo noticed something unusual.
“Huh?”
Yoo Ji-ah was there, stretching.
She was dressed casually, clearly not for work.
Even Hun-gyo and the summons were training silently.
Baek Jin-woo had instructed them not to speak in front of others.
“Yoo Ji-ah? What brings you here?”
He couldn’t help but notice she seemed to pop up wherever he went these days.
“I wanted to work out before heading to the office. Sitting all day kills my productivity. Gotta keep my muscles active!”
“Aren’t there good gyms nearby? Why here?”
“Come on, isn’t it more refreshing to exercise in nature?”
“…Well, I suppose.”
“Oh, and actually, I have a reason for being here today.”
“What reason?”
“Don’t be surprised.”
She extended her hand confidently.
Wooong!
A soft glow emanated from it.
[Player Yoo Ji-ah has proposed a trade.]
[Review the trade offer carefully.]
Huh?
A trade?
[Yoo Ji-ah: Top-tier Rune (Light Speed) x3, Universal Polish x4]
[Baek Jin-woo: No compensation.]
“What the…”
Baek Jin-woo was genuinely shocked.
“How did you already…?”
It had been less than a week since he’d asked for the runes.
“Pretty impressive, right? Oh, Jin-woo… You have no idea how hard this was. Explaining it would take all night!”
[Do you accept Player Yoo Ji-ah’s offer?]
[Y/N]
Of course, he selected Y.
“How did you manage this so quickly?”
“I scoured the world for them. Negotiating the prices was tough, but the wand-user requirement helped narrow things down.”
True.
Hardly anyone besides Lamba used wands as their main weapon.
Yoo Ji-ah had spent 100 billion, 200 billion, and 150 billion on the runes—450 billion in total.
It was an astronomical price for equipment meant for a single summon.
“Wow…”
Baek Jin-woo sincerely admired her.
“Thank you so much.”
He hadn’t expected to complete Lamba’s graduation rune set so quickly.
“Yoo Ji-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Stay here and keep working out for a bit. Hun-gyo.”
– “…?”
Hun-gyo paused his training and turned.
He nodded subtly, understanding.
“Help her with her form.”
– “…!”
Hun-gyo saluted with a perfectly sharp gesture.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“To do some rune enhancement! I’ll be back soon.”
Baek Jin-woo couldn’t wait any longer.
Equipping a full graduation rune set on a summon and activating the set effect was a moment no Battle of Summoners player could resist.
Even as JinuGod, he’d rarely experienced such a thrill.
‘This is huge.’
Equipping 1,000 billion won worth of runes on Lamba…
“Wyvern!”
– Kiiiiruuuu!
Riding his Sky Wyvern, Baek Jin-woo soared into the sky.
Yoo Ji-ah watched in awe.
For some reason, his flying seemed smoother and more natural than ever.
***
At the Enhancement Station, Baek Jin-woo quickly maxed out the remaining three runes.
With 12 Universal Polish items, he polished every stat to its absolute peak.
“Perfect.”
Now, Lamba would be faster than anyone.
‘Honestly…’
Even an F-grade summon wielding these runes could outperform a B-grade summon.
Whoosh!
The wyvern’s incredible speed brought him back to the training field in no time.
“You’re back already?”
Yoo Ji-ah looked slightly envious.
It took her 20 minutes to hike up to the field after parking, but Baek Jin-woo had flown to Samsung-dong and back in less time.
‘Guess there’s nothing to worry about.’
She also felt reassured.
Even if he relocated to Hanam City’s Geomdansan, reaching Samsung-dong’s Player Zone would be easy for him.
“Alright, Lamba, come here.”
As soon as he landed, Baek Jin-woo called Lamba over and equipped the remaining three Light Speed Runes.
[The Wind Fairy (EX-grade) activates the Light Speed set effect.]
[The Wind Fairy (EX-grade) wields a wand.]
[Attack speed increases by 500%.]
Wooong!
A crimson vortex of light surrounded Lamba, a visual representation of the set effect.
– “…!”
Lamba’s eyes widened as she felt the overwhelming speed coursing through her.
She wanted to scream in excitement but refrained because of Yoo Ji-ah’s presence.
‘This is insane.’
She swung her arm experimentally.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Her arm moved too fast to see.
‘And it’s so effortless now! I don’t even feel tired from swinging this fast!’
The rune’s effects fully supported her movements.
“This is incredible.”
Baek Jin-woo smiled, satisfied.
‘The funny thing is…’
This was still the beginning.
With her level and base stats raised, and her hidden potential unlocked through Hun-gyo, she’d become even more absurdly powerful.
“Is it good?”
“It’s beyond good.”
Baek Jin-woo grinned widely.
Lamba had truly become an overpowered legend.