I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

Chapter 40: National Team Selection (2)

The highly anticipated June 30th had finally arrived!

The competition was held at the Samsung-dong Player Zone’s “Battle Hall.”

Thanks to the system’s support, it was a building capable of hosting fair matches!

– “Ladies and gentlemen! The long-awaited National Team Selection Competition has officially begun!”

Like any popular sports event.

There were commentators, casters, and a broadcasting crew.

Numerous cameras, ranging from the big three networks to independent stations, were capturing the event.

– “Who will become the national representatives this time? For reference, a total of ten players will be selected today! They will receive national support and prepare for the World League over the next six months!”

– “That’s right! Being selected alone comes with incredible benefits, doesn’t it?”

– “Of course! Becoming a national representative means you’re recognized as a national hero and receive lifelong pension benefits, not to mention significant tax exemptions. On top of that, the government has recently introduced a new incentive! Players who achieve results in the top 16 or higher at the World League will receive substantial prize money based on their performance!”

– “It shows just how desperate South Korea is in this situation!”

While the commentators took turns explaining the significance of the selection, citizens began gathering in front of TV screens one by one.

Baek Jin-woo’s family was no exception.

“Mom! Mom! Hurry up!”

Although June 30th was not a national holiday, most companies ensured their employees could rest on this day.

Everyone knew that employees would sneakily watch the selection competition at work anyway.

So, companies typically opted to let them take the day off and earn some goodwill instead.

Thanks to this, Hwang Myeong-hee did not go to work and stayed home to relax.

“Big brother is about to come on!”

“Really?”

Hwang Myeong-hee placed a tray with cold beer cans on the living room sofa and sat down.

“Dad, come quickly!”

“Haha, just hold on a moment. I’m almost done frying.”

Sizzling sounds filled the kitchen.

Jin-cheol, who had become something of a chicken artisan through countless practice sessions, soon joined them on the sofa with freshly fried chicken.

– “Now, it’s time to introduce the players participating in the selection!”

– “That’s right! The government used various methods to choose 40 players in total, and only 10 of them will become national representatives!”

– “I want to emphasize that just making it to this stage already makes them extraordinary players!”

The commentators introduced the players one by one, summarizing well-known figures often seen in media coverage.

Among them was…

– “Next up is Player Baek Jin-woo!”

– “Yes, he’s one of the hottest players these days! He’s known for holding the record in the Weekly Dungeon! I’ve heard he made quite a bit of money by selling that information to rankers.”

– “What kind of performance will he show in this player match? He’s definitely one to keep an eye on!”

“Wow, look, look! It’s big brother!”

“Oh my, it really is!”

“Hahaha, that kid actually made it to the selection.”

Baek Ah-jin clapped her hands with excitement, while the two parents looked at their son on the screen with expressions of disbelief.

It was truly a moment of pride for the family.

“Ah-jin.”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Can your brother win there?”

“Oh, come on, honey!”

It wasn’t Ah-jin who answered but Baek Jin-cheol.

“No matter how proud I am of our son, how could he win there? Don’t you see the other players competing? They’re all incredible. This is just for the experience.”

“That’s right, Mom. Big brother has only been active for less than six months. Just standing there is an amazing accomplishment. Come on, come on! Let’s cheer for him with a toast! To big brother’s future! Cheers!”

“Haha, you’re right. Cheers!”

The family’s beer cans clinked together in midair.

***

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Outside the Battle Hall, in a temporary waiting room.

Players and staff were gathered, warming up before the matches began.

Four supporters had come to cheer for Baek Jin-woo.

Yoo Ji-ah, Park Chang-seok, Kim Byung-jin, and Hwang Tae-seop.

“The first round is a group match.”

Yoo Ji-ah approached Baek Jin-woo and whispered.

“If they’re selecting 20, that means half of us will be eliminated in this round. Watch out for the existing cartel.”

“The existing cartel?”

“Yes, the players who were selected last year. They’re unlikely to target each other.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

People naturally tend to avoid unnecessary risks.

The strong players wouldn’t want to fight among themselves and risk elimination.

So, what would they do?

They would target new faces or weaker-looking players instead.

Like Oh Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop, who were nearby, staring at him blatantly while licking their lips.

Fine.

***

“Just you wait.”

‘I’ll make sure to knock you two out first.’

When Baek Jin-woo’s eyes briefly met theirs—

The two rankers smirked.

Oh?

Baek Jin-woo smirked as well.

If the 「One Heaven, Five Emperors」 had acted like that, it might’ve been annoying.

But with these two?

It was just amusing.

Like watching two chirping chicks pecking around.

Whether Yoo Ji-ah noticed this tension or not, she kept talking.

“Try not to step forward in the beginning, if possible. Observe carefully and hold out as long as you can. It’ll be hard, but that’s your best bet.”

In truth, Yoo Ji-ah couldn’t help but feel a little greedy.

Of course, she knew Baek Jin-woo wouldn’t achieve great results here.

‘No matter how much of a JinuGod he might be.’

He had been active for less than a year.

Meanwhile, the others had spent three years growing, pouring vast amounts of money and runes into their development as the nation’s top elites.

‘But still…’

Why?

When she looked into Baek Jin-woo’s calm eyes, her heart pounded with excitement.

It was as if his gaze was asking, “Should I cause a scene again?”

“Baek Jin-woo.”

“Yes?”

“If by some chance—just if—you make it to the final selection…”

“Why? Are you planning to offer me a share?”

“Yes, yes. If that’s what it takes, I’ll absolutely do it. Just give it your best.”

“What? Really?”

Baek Jin-woo held 70% of 「YooBaek」’s shares.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, but these days, he could clearly feel its immense value.

Even 1% of those shares represented a colossal sum.

‘She must be desperate.’

It was fascinating.

That someone could cheer for him so earnestly, even at the expense of their own interests.

Baek Jin-woo wasn’t the kind of person to exploit such pure goodwill.

“I was joking about the shares. Don’t worry.”

Baek Jin-woo chuckled softly.

“Even if the heavens and earth flipped, I won’t be eliminated here.”

“…What?”

“Oh, and one more thing I’m curious about.”

“…?”

“What happens if I eliminate all 40 players here at the same time? If I take them all down so fast the system can’t even process it?”

“…?!”

Yoo Ji-ah’s expression turned bewildered.

‘This man…’

What on earth was he talking about?

“Ah, but there’s no need to go that far. To make sure I take out those annoying two players first… Hmm, no, that wouldn’t be right.”

What?

Was he joking, or was he serious?

Did he have the ability to do that and simply chose not to?

“Yoo Ji-ah, and Park Chang-seok.”

“Yes?”

“…Y-Yes, what is it?”

“Are there any players you absolutely want me to take down? Maybe someone with a bad personality? Or players you personally dislike?”

“Why are you asking that?” Yoo Ji-ah asked cautiously.

Baek Jin-woo’s grin deepened.

“Well, since the national representatives will have to undergo joint training, I figured it’d be unpleasant to be stuck with annoying teammates.”

“Uh…”

Park Chang-seok and Yoo Ji-ah exchanged glances.

Both looked unsure how to respond to such audacious confidence.

**

The Battle Hall.

It was a type of dungeon.

A system-generated field where players could fight freely.

The difference from a regular dungeon was that the opponents weren’t monsters but other players. If a player lost all their summons, they were automatically ejected from the dungeon.

– “The first match will follow the same format as the World League qualifiers, starting with a group battle! The field has been set to a forest, and it’s a survival-style match until 20 players are eliminated! Players, please enter in order!”

‘A group battle, huh.’

Baek Jin-woo hadn’t participated in many group battles during his 「Battle of Summoners」 days.

The player base had been small to begin with.

And when JinuGod joined, most people would quit, complaining it wasn’t fun.

“Jin-woo, fighting!”

“You got this! Fighting!”

Hearing the cheers from YooBaek employees, Baek Jin-woo entered the Battle Hall dungeon.

[You have entered the ‘Abandoned Forest.’]

His vision shifted, and floating birds came into view.

More accurately, the birds had camera lenses for eyes.

‘Oh.’

It seemed like the summons were being used to film the inside of the dungeon.

That must be how the matches were broadcast live.

“Lamba, Hun-gyo, Explosion Dragon, Dol-dol, Wind Falcon.”

As soon as he entered, Baek Jin-woo summoned his creatures.

Dol-dol, in particular, activated the ‘Assassinate’ skill the moment it appeared.

This skill allowed temporary invisibility. When used without attacking, the invisibility could be maintained indefinitely.

This approach was quintessentially Baek Jin-woo.

Keeping the core summons hidden from the opponent!

Even during his JinuGod days, not even Rachel or the other 「One Heaven, Five Emperors」 had figured out Dol-dol’s identity.

– “JinuGod, what is that summon of yours?”

– “Every match ends with insane damage out of nowhere—did you get some kind of new S-grade summon?”

They never imagined that the creature responsible for annihilating their summons was actually the B-grade “Cyclone Slayer.”

And they probably still didn’t know.

Because he’d never told them.

Shortly after, he was isolated, leaving them unable to investigate further.

“Lamba.”

– …!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Without a word, Lamba started waving her staff.

Her target was, of course, Hun-gyo.

– “Kee-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru!”

Wind Falcon cast a speed buff on Hun-gyo.

Srrrng!

With a sword in hand, Hun-gyo closed his eyes and took a solemn stance, building his stacks.

‘Normally, I’d use Dol-dol to build stacks.’

But there was no need to do that here.

Keeping his full strength concealed was also part of the strategy.

‘This group battle starts and ends with Hun-gyo.’

Baek Jin-woo smirked as he leaned back against a fallen log.

Crossing his legs, he relaxed in an easygoing posture.

‘No need to move.’

After all.

The ones bound for elimination would come to him.

***

As Baek Jin-woo predicted.

Oh Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop made contact the moment they entered.

The two players exchanged sly grins.

Some might criticize them.

Teaming up in a survival match could be seen as unfair.

But the current international rules considered even that a skill.

“Where’s that rookie right now?”

“Hold on. Hmm, over here. North 200 meters, west 700 meters. Pretty close, huh?”

The World League wasn’t run by a human organization but directly by the system.

So debating fairness by human standards was pointless.

“Let’s ambush him immediately.”

“No need for an ambush, really.”

“True. Let’s humiliate him a bit first.”

The two players maintained their confidence.

Ranked 9th and 10th nationally.

On top of that, as last year’s national representatives, they knew no one would dare challenge them.

Even if someone did, they’d quickly turn tail and flee.

“Keh.”

Oh Ji-myung smirked as he watched such players run away.

For now, though, Baek Jin-woo was the target.

Taking out that arrogant rookie came first.

Rustling through the foliage, they soon reached their destination.

And there he was.

“Ha?”

Baek Jin-woo sat there leisurely, hands behind his head, smiling.

‘What’s with this cheeky brat?’

Oh Ji-myung’s face twisted with disbelief.