NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37 - Which One to Choose (1)
Chapter 37 Which One to Choose (1)
At YooBaek’s still-compact, yet-to-be-relocated office:
‘This is insane.’
Holding the recording chip taken from the equipment, Yoo Ji-ah still couldn’t comprehend what she’d seen.
Baek Jin-woo had not only cleared the 10th floor of the Tower of Trials in less than ten minutes but had also casually joined them afterward for galbitang as if nothing had happened.
‘Even for JinuGod, this is absurd.’
Clearing the 10th floor in under 10 minutes? Really?
Yoo Ji-ah had drafted a system contract while eating.
It bound herself, Kim Byung-jin, and Hwang Tae-seop, ensuring they could never disclose the recording’s contents to anyone.
If breached, the system’s curse would be invoked.
“President, I’m dying of curiosity here.”
“What on earth could he have done in there to finish it in 10 minutes? Can’t we just watch it already?”
The staff was eager to view the footage, and Yoo Ji-ah wasn’t any less excited.
‘They say the 10th-floor boss, One-Eye, is a monster among monsters…’
Survivors of the 10th floor always said the same thing:
An S-grade monster exudes a power incomparable to any ordinary dungeon boss.
Weaker players often wet themselves at the mere sight of it, their minds rendered incapable of coherent thought.
“Well then, shall we watch the video?”
“Yes!”
“Hurry up!”
Swallowing hard, Yoo Ji-ah carefully inserted the chip into the player.
And then—
– Grrraaaaaaahhhhh!
The recording started with a thunderous roar from One-Eye that seemed to burst through the screen.
“W-what the hell.”
“…That’s One-Eye?”
Even through a 3D recording, the sheer presence of the monster made their knees weak.
One could only imagine what it would be like to face it in person.
“Whoa, that’s terrifying. No way I’d ever play as a Player. How do people deal with that?”
“Look at my arms. Goosebumps everywhere. Just watching it makes me shiver.”
Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop exchanged panicked remarks as the video continued.
When Baek Jin-woo’s summons charged forward only to be mercilessly swatted away by the ghoul, the staff began to murmur.
“This doesn’t look good.”
“No, it really doesn’t. And he finished this in 10 minutes? How?”
The situation seemed impossible to resolve within the given time.
Only Yoo Ji-ah’s gaze stayed fixed on Lamba and Hun-gyo.
‘The talking summons.’
Moreover, Lamba was equipped with an extraordinary set of graduation-grade runes.
Those two were the core of Baek Jin-woo’s strength.
Until they moved, his full power wouldn’t be revealed.
And soon enough—
– My lord, it’s time to act.
Hun-gyo sprang into action.
“Eh?”
“D-did you hear that? The summon just spoke!”
The employees reacted just as Yoo Ji-ah had that morning—mouths agape, eyes wide in shock.
‘Ugh.’
Yoo Ji-ah shook her head.
‘Was that how I looked in front of Jin-woo earlier?’
The thought gave her a small shudder.
She wanted to maintain a composed, polished image in front of him.
“Don’t forget. You’ve agreed to keep this confidential.”
“President, did you already know about this?”
“I only found out this morning.”
“…!”
“Let’s finish watching for now.”
Yoo Ji-ah focused her attention back on the screen.
She needed to see what kind of strength Lamba and Hun-gyo wielded to defeat that horrifying monster in just 10 minutes.
The answer soon became clear.
“…!”
“…!”
Hun-gyo’s movements grew faster and faster, his strikes turning the colossal ghoul into mincemeat in mere moments.
“What kind of summon is that?”
“Look how agile it is! How does it dodge like that…? Huh? Wait, why is it so fast?”
Baek Jin-woo’s gameplay was utterly mind-blowing.
It was almost painful not being able to tell anyone about it.
But even if they did, would anyone believe them?
“That sword-wielding summon… Is it an S-grade or something?”
“…Haha, it’s ridiculous. Feels like a glitch.”
Yoo Ji-ah was left speechless as well.
‘…This is the power of JinuGod?’
She began to understand why the world’s rankers feared JinuGod so much.
A player who hadn’t even been active for six months was already this strong?
In a few years, the global power dynamics would shift.
South Korea, once buried in the depths of obscurity, would rise to the surface, with the world worshiping Baek Jin-woo.
Just like Rachel was worshiped today.
– Grrraaaaaaahhhhh!
Finally, the battle ended with Poryong’s precise final blow.
Crackle!
The screen cut out, but even after the video ended, the three viewers remained silent for a long time.
Their minds struggled to process what they had just witnessed.
“What… is Baek Jin-woo exactly?”
“We work with him, but I still can’t figure him out. How can someone be like that…?”
“Our country’s number one ranker isn’t even close to this, right?”
At Hwang Tae-seop’s question, Yoo Ji-ah let out a small laugh.
‘Forget the country’s number one…’
Even the world’s number one couldn’t pull this off.
“Wow, this is basically…”
Kim Byung-jin muttered in awe.
“Like the return of the legendary JinuGod. Wouldn’t you believe that?”
“…”
Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop exchanged glances.
JinuGod.
The name stuck in their minds.
Jinu. Jin-woo. JinuGod.
“…Wait a second.”
“President… JinuGod?”
Like a pair of bumbling detectives, they began to piece it together.
“Phew.”
Yoo Ji-ah sighed deeply.
‘Well, that’s the natural conclusion to come to.’
It was impossible to keep it hidden now.
Especially after sharing access to this video…
It would be idiotic not to notice.
“It’s not confirmed, but I’d say there’s a 99.9% chance.”
She finally voiced her suspicions.
“But I haven’t brought it up to Baek Jin-woo yet. I plan to keep pretending I don’t know until he decides to tell me himself.”
“Ah…”
“So you’ve known all along, President?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Ji-ah smiled gently.
“Starting to feel real now, isn’t it?”
Do you realize now what kind of company you’ve joined?
YooBaek would become the greatest management agency in the world and a one-man guild like no other.
Its corporate value might even surpass that of Daeseong.
So go ahead and be amazed.
You’ll need to build up your tolerance—there’s plenty more to come.
***
That evening, under a beautifully painted sunset, Baek Jin-woo didn’t head to the training grounds.
Instead, he made his way to the Player Zone’s crafting workshop.
‘The 10th-floor rewards were twofold.’
The list was as follows:
[King’s Token (Bound) x 1]
[Ultimate Summoning Scroll x 1]
‘This is nuts.’
Once? Insane.
Twice? Still insane.
The King’s Token was a guaranteed drop from any 10th-floor S-grade boss.
But the Ultimate Summoning Scroll?
‘Unbelievable.’
In Battle of Summoners, this was the highest-grade summoning scroll.
A rare drop from Tower of Trials bosses, even JinuGod had obtained fewer than ten of them.
‘How much would this sell for?’
Curious, Baek Jin-woo checked the marketplace, only to find it had no listed price.
Many sought to buy it, but no one was selling.
—
The odds were as follows:
[B-grade: 94%]
[S-grade: 1%]
—
‘Should I open it?’
There was a 1% chance of pulling an S-grade summon.
But Baek Jin-woo shook his head.
‘There’s no need right now.’
While an S-grade summon would be a welcome addition, the odds were against it.
Moreover, his current EX-grade summons were already keeping him plenty busy.
‘I’ll save it for later.’
He had seen a post offering 500 billion won for the scroll, but he wasn’t tempted.
A few months ago, he might have sold it immediately.
But now? His hunger for money had waned.
His priorities had shifted to rare runes and unique summons.
For now, his reason for visiting the crafting workshop wasn’t the
Ultimate Summoning Scroll but to create a Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (B-grade) instead.
—
[Blueprint]
[Grade: B]
[Crafting Available: Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (B-grade)]
[Description: Craft a scroll to summon a specific B-grade summon of your choice.]
[Required Materials: King’s Token (Bound) x 1, Superior Summoning Scroll x 3, Advanced Summoning Scroll x 10, World Tree Leaf x 10]
—
The required materials were ready:
– The King’s Token was from today.
– The Superior Summoning Scrolls were saved from before.
– Advanced Summoning Scrolls and World Tree Leaves were pre-purchased by Baek Ah-jin.
Entering the crafting workshop:
[Welcome to the Crafting Workshop.]
[Use blueprints to craft powerful items!]
—
“Let’s get this done.”
Baek Jin-woo carefully placed the blueprint and materials into their slots.
—
[Do you wish to craft a Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (B-grade)?]
[Crafting Success Rate: 80%]
[Caution: Materials may be lost upon failure!]
[Y/N]
—
“Seriously?”
Baek Jin-woo grimaced at the thought of losing these invaluable materials.
—
“Yes.”
[Crafting in progress!]
After nerve-wracking moments:
—
[Success!]
[Congratulations! You’ve obtained a Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (B-grade)!]
—
“Phew.”
Relief washed over him as he exhaled deeply.
Failure would have been disastrous.
That night, back at the training grounds, Baek Jin-woo wasted no time.
—
[You’ve used the Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (B-grade).]
[Select your desired summon.]
—
The air shimmered as countless cards appeared, filling his vision.
Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of B-grade summons hovered before him.
[Think of the summon you desire.]
Baek Jin-woo closed his eyes and focused.
Two summons came to mind:
1. Cyclone Slayer, the battlefield-reaping reaper with a scythe.
2. Rune Dwarf, the master blacksmith wielding a massive hammer.
At his thoughts, the sea of cards condensed into two.
—
[Cyclone Slayer (EX-grade)]
[Rune Dwarf (EX-grade)]
—
‘Perfect.’
Both were EX-grade, confirming that EX-grade summons were obtainable with this scroll.
But now came the real dilemma.
“Which one should I choose?”
Baek Jin-woo’s next monumental decision had begun.