NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38 - Which One to Choose (2)
Chapter 38 Which One to Choose (2)
Cyclone Slayer or Rune Dwarf.
Rune Dwarf or Cyclone Slayer.
“Hah, what a dilemma.”
Both summons were ridiculously overpowered. Baek Jin-woo felt an overwhelming urge to summon them both, but reality forced him to choose.
As he tapped his fingers, mulling over his decision—
– “Jin-woo! I think you absolutely have to pick Rune Dwarf!”
Lamba flew up and voiced her opinion with great enthusiasm.
“Why’s that?”
– “Rune Dwarf can craft runes with the perfect options as long as you’ve got the time and materials! Cyclone Slayer is amazing, sure, but with Rune Dwarf, we can all eventually get graduation runes, right?”
“That’s true.”
Indeed, it was a valid point.
Of course, Rune Dwarf wouldn’t just magically create top-tier runes instantly.
The process would require endless grinding to improve crafting proficiency, along with gathering rare materials for legendary-grade runes.
Even so, having no worries about endgame rune content—the very pinnacle of Battle of Summoners—was a monumental advantage.
‘Besides.’
If Hun-gyo unlocked Rune Dwarf’s latent potential, it could even produce unique runes that only Rune Dwarf could make.
Runes so rare, only one set would exist worldwide!
Once he’d fully equipped his team with such runes, Baek Jin-woo could even start selling them.
If he marketed them under the YooBaek brand as exclusive luxury items…
‘Amazing.’
The idea alone was exciting.
– “Honestly, I feel bad having all these graduation runes while Hun-gyo and Poryong don’t. It’s a bit awkward, you know? Jin-woo! Let’s just summon Rune Dwarf, okay? Pretty please? Then we can gear up Hun-gyo and Poryong too!”
“Hm, should I?”
Baek Jin-woo began leaning slightly toward Rune Dwarf, influenced by Lamba’s earnest plea.
But then—
– “My lord.”
Hun-gyo interrupted, stepping forward.
– “I have a different opinion.”
– “Huh?”
‘Him again?’
Lamba puffed her cheeks in irritation, but Hun-gyo continued unfazed.
– “While Rune Dwarf is an excellent choice, I believe Cyclone Slayer should take priority.”
“Why?”
– “Because of its overwhelming combat prowess. My lord, you are currently vulnerable in PvP situations. Poryong has yet to unlock its latent abilities, and both Lamba and I require time to stack up before unleashing our full power. To be frank, if we were ambushed by an assassination-focused summon, even you could be taken down in an instant.”
“That’s true.”
It was fortunate that Korea’s competitive level was relatively low.
If Baek Jin-woo were to face world-class rankers now, even he wouldn’t be safe.
– “Moreover, isn’t the National Team Selection just around the corner?”
Wow. Hun-gyo even kept track of his schedule?
– “Cyclone Slayer would be extremely useful in that event.”
– “Pffft, who cares about the National Team Selection?”
Lamba shook her head vehemently.
– “We don’t need Cyclone Slayer for that! Hun-gyo and I can handle it just fine!”
– “Don’t be overconfident, Lamba.”
Hun-gyo’s voice was firm.
– “Our current national competitors may be weak, but that’s because the standard here is low. If we compare it to the world we came from, we’re still far too underpowered. And the most important thing…”
– “…What’s that?”
– “Our lord’s safety.”
– “…!”
– “If we summon Cyclone Slayer, I can train it to ensure my lord’s security.”
Ah.
He was absolutely right.
Baek Jin-woo felt a wave of emotion at Hun-gyo’s reasoning.
Not only was his argument sound, but it also conveyed genuine care for Baek Jin-woo’s well-being.
Even Lamba, initially dissatisfied, tilted her head in agreement, saying, “You think so?”
“What about Poryong? What’s your take?”
– “I agree with Hun-gyo. Keeping Jin-woo safe is the most important thing. Without you, everything else loses meaning.”
What a team—Hun-gyo and Poryong knew exactly how to tug at his heartstrings.
‘Alright, I’ll try to do even better for you two.’
As for Lamba…
‘She doesn’t seem to care about my safety at all.’
– “Hey! I’ve changed my mind! It’s not fair to bring Jin-woo into this! Fine, I’ll vote for Cyclone Slayer too!”
With all three summons in agreement, the choice was clear.
Besides, it wasn’t like the decision was life-altering.
The blueprint remained intact, and if he gathered more materials, he could always summon Rune Dwarf later.
For now, summoning Cyclone Slayer to ensure safety and build up resources for Rune Dwarf made the most sense.
“Alright.”
The decision was made.
—
[Cyclone Slayer (EX-grade)]
—
Baek Jin-woo selected the card without hesitation.
As he lifted it, the card spun rapidly, emitting a dazzling light.
—
[Player ‘Baek Jin-woo’ has acquired the summon ‘Cyclone Slayer (EX-grade)’!]
—
Thus, he welcomed the infamous PvP juggernaut, Cyclone Slayer—nicknamed “Doldol”—into his team.
—
The dimly lit training grounds darkened further as a chilling presence descended.
– Kreek… Kreek…
A haunting sound echoed as Baek Jin-woo looked upward.
There, floating ominously, was the grim reaper holding a scythe: Cyclone Slayer.
“Welcome.”
– Kreek… Kreek…
Though it was an EX-grade summon, it seemed incapable of speech.
‘Is it because it’s not humanoid?’
Baek Jin-woo pulled up its details.
—
[Summon: Cyclone Slayer]
[Species: Undead]
[Grade: EX (Classified)]
– Isolated due to balance-breaking potential in certain scenarios.
[Level: 1]
[Stats]
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 1
Stamina: 1
Agility: 1
HP: 1,000
MP: 0
Critical Hit Chance: 20%
[Skills]
– Assassinate: Becomes invisible temporarily. The first attack deals 100% critical damage.
– Cyclone: Swings its scythe in a circular motion, dealing area damage.
—
‘This is it.’
Its skill set screamed “assassin.”
It could vanish into stealth and deliver devastating crits on its first attack.
This skill also simplified rune optimization.
All he needed to do was focus on critical damage while ignoring crit chance.
“Doldol, glad to have you.”
– Kreek…!
The reaper twirled its scythe enthusiastically in response.
– “Ugh, so gloomy! It’s already ruining the mood!”
Lamba clung to Baek Jin-woo’s back but peeked curiously at Cyclone Slayer.
Naturally so—Lamba and Cyclone Slayer had never met in Battle of Summoners.
“Hun-gyo, can you train this one?”
– “My lord, that goes without saying. Cyclone Slayer?”
– Kreek?
Cyclone Slayer’s glowing eyes locked onto Hun-gyo’s.
The air thickened with tension as a menacing aura filled the surroundings.
But then—
– Kreek.
The scythe stilled, and the killer intent faded.
Hun-gyo’s charisma worked even on Cyclone Slayer.
– “Cyclone Slayer, your potential is beyond S-grade. Starting today, I’ll help you unlock it.”
– Kreek!
Hun-gyo’s training capabilities were unrivaled.
***
June, Mid-Month.
The atmosphere across South Korea was heating up.
The World League, Earth’s grandest end-of-year event, was approaching, and the National Team Selection to determine the country’s ten representatives was just weeks away.
June 30th—National Team Selection!
Every news outlet was buzzing about it, and online communities were ablaze with discussions.
└ Who’ll get picked this time?
└ Probably someone from Baekho, Arirang, or Ilwol Guild. The headquarters might field someone too.
The “Big Three” guilds—Baekho, Arirang, and Ilwol—dominated Korean rankings, with their guild masters consistently in the top ten.
└ Isn’t Kang Gun-ho (Rank 1) a lock?
└ You never know. PvP matches can be unpredictable.
Even with obvious contenders, upsets were common in the National Team Selection, making it an event full of surprises.
└ What about YooBaek?
└ YooBaek? That up-and-coming guild?
└ Yeah, the one with Baek Jin-woo.
└ Nah, he’s still too green to compete with the top rankers.
└ But he holds all the speedrun records for beginner and intermediate dungeons!
└ Yeah, but not advanced or top-tier ones. Besides, YooBaek isn’t even a proper guild yet.
Discussions raged across every corner of society, from students to professionals.
Even the Player Headquarters was abuzz.
In a meeting room at the Player Headquarters, the ten council members were finalizing preparations for the selection.
Councilman Park Chang-seok found himself on the receiving end of constant jabs from Im Hee-su, who gloated over his association with two top-ten-ranked players.
“Do you even have anyone to field for the selection?”
Park Chang-seok smirked.
“You’ll find out soon enough. My candidate is Baek Jin-woo.”
“…What?!”
The room fell silent.
They would soon witness the start of Baek Jin-woo’s meteoric rise.