NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44 - National Team Selection (6)
Chapter 44 National Team Selection (6)
The conclusion of the selection matches!
By the end of this year, the players representing the country on the world stage had been decided.
The list of names, sorted by points, was as follows:
[National Representative Player List]
[1. Unranked, Baek Jin-woo]
[2. Rank 1, Kang Gun-ho]
[3. Rank 2, Park Ho]
[4. Rank 3, Hong Ah-ri]
[5. Rank 15, Ki Jae-hyuk]
[6. Rank 8, Hwang Joo-won]
[7. Rank 4, Ahn Ki-jung]
[8. Rank 25, Kang Ji-ho]
[9. Rank 6, Bok Jung-hee]
[10. Rank 7, Seo Sang-won]
The selection matches have always been full of surprises, but this time, it was more extreme than ever.
Firstly, players like Oh Sun-young of the “Five Wolves,” who was ranked 5th, as well as Oh Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop, who were ranked 9th and 10th respectively, were eliminated during the team battles.
As a result, three new players from outside the top 10 rankings entered the list.
They were Baek Jin-woo, Ki Jae-hyuk, and Kang Ji-ho.
An unranked player, a 15th ranker, and a 25th ranker, respectively.
└ Wow;;;
└ Ki Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho are understandable.
└ Both fought insanely well, lol.
Ki Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho belonged to the same guild.
The guild was called Carpe Diem.
Ki Jae-hyuk was the guild master, while Kang Ji-ho served as the vice-guild master.
└ Guess this proves young blood is different.
└ True. Young people are usually quicker and sharper in games.
└ They didn’t falter in team battles and were phenomenal in individual matches. They deserve to represent the nation.
On top of that, they were young—high school students, in fact.
Ki Jae-hyuk was 19 years old, and Kang Ji-ho was 18.
Carpe Diem was a guild formed by talented individuals from a high school alliance in their area.
Normally, minors aren’t allowed to establish guilds, but an exception was made by the headquarters.
After all, it wasn’t like the nation could stop rankers from forming a guild if they wanted to, especially in a country as weak as South Korea in terms of players.
└ Wow, our country’s future looks bright!
└ Especially Ki Jae-hyuk! He defeated rankers placed 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th to earn points, lol.
└ He was lucky not to face Baek Jin-woo, though.
└ Agreed. Kang Ji-ho dropped to 8th because he faced Baek Jin-woo.
└ Lol, no matter how skilled they are, it’s a one-minute KO against Baek Jin-woo.
And then.
The biggest surprise of the year was none other than Baek Jin-woo.
An unranked player who overwhelmingly took first place, becoming the top superstar of South Korea!
From building signs, to the three major broadcasting stations, online communities, and YouTube, every screen in Korea was filled with footage of Baek Jin-woo’s matches.
With an undefeated streak and thrilling gameplay, he had become a national hero almost instantly!
└ Wow.
└ Insane~!
└ No matter how many times I watch Baek Jin-woo’s highlights, I never get tired of them.
└ Baek Jin-woo… But doesn’t that name sound familiar?
└ Don’t you know about the Baek Jin-woo = JinuGod theory? Jin-woo, Jinu—sounds similar. And he’s young enough to have a middle-schooler-like nickname.
└ Whoa, you’re right, lol.
Naturally, there were growing suspicions that he might be JinuGod.
Not only did their names sound similar, but his overwhelming performance also added fuel to the fire.
└ The legendary JinuGod that global rankers fear.
└ Shouldn’t the “One Heaven, Five Emperors” issue a statement at this point? Lol.
└ They haven’t shown any response yet.
The public was curious.
Was Baek Jin-woo really JinuGod?
***
At the same time, in England.
Ding!
A notification sound came from the pocket of a young, blonde woman who had just exited a dungeon.
She slowly took it out and checked the screen.
A video message had arrived.
[Zenos: Check out this video. Korea is going wild right now.]
“A video?”
The woman, Rachel, tilted her head in curiosity and pressed the play button.
The highlight reel of Baek Jin-woo’s matches began to play.
“Hmm?”
Her eyes lit up with interest.
[Sugoi: Whoa, what the heck! Isn’t that the Training Instructor? It’s been ages since I last saw him!]
[Baekcheon: Hey, it’s not just him. The Wind Fairy and the Explosive Dragon Sage are there too. All those summons that were heavily used back in the day before they were nerfed out of the meta. Man, the Explosive Dragon Sage is the cutest summon of all time.]
[Sugoi: The Wind Fairy… Yeah, it was ridiculous how broken it was before the patch. It boosted attack speed like crazy. But why are those summons even there? Has anyone seen these in the last three years? I thought they were banned.]
[Baekcheon: Exactly.]
After the world changed, Rachel had immediately sought out the “One Heaven, Five Emperors.”
She later created a group chat through SNS, but unfortunately, news of “One Heaven” was still elusive.
The “Five Emperors,” however, were all present.
[Zenos: Korea is claiming this is the rise of JinuGod. What do you think?]
“…”
Rachel silently stared at the screen.
Then, she spotted a specific moment.
“That.”
Her gaze sharpened as she watched a scene where a black scythe suddenly appeared, sweeping through the surroundings.
It felt vaguely familiar, resembling something she had experienced in the past.
“…Could he really be JinuGod?”
It was possible, but it also wasn’t certain.
His combat style was eerily similar, as were his summons’ fluid movements and overwhelming presence.
“But why now?”
Why had he remained hidden all this time, only to reappear now?
And if he was JinuGod, why hadn’t he contacted them?
Then again.
“Well, he might not want to.”
Since this was reality and not a game, it wasn’t strange to be cautious about trusting others.
[Rachel: Honestly, I’m not sure. I’d say it’s 50-50.]
[Zenos: Should I approach him and ask?]
If he truly was JinuGod, he would remember their time together with the “Five Emperors.”
Even though it was all through chats, they had built a strong bond over five years.
A few conversations would be enough to confirm it.
There had been many who falsely claimed to be JinuGod over the years.
But their lies had always been exposed within minutes.
[Rachel: That’s the issue. Even if you ask, will he answer? And before that, would he even welcome our approach?]
[Zenos: True, he didn’t reach out to us first, after all. Still, if he’s the real JinuGod… Wouldn’t it be beneficial for us to maintain contact?]
JinuGod was extraordinary.
He was also a treasure for humanity.
He was the only one to conquer the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials, and his help would undoubtedly be vital for humanity’s future attempts to conquer the tower.
However, not all members of the Five Emperors felt the same way.
[MoscowMan: Honestly, I’m kind of scared.]
In Russia, MoscowMan had a slightly different perspective.
He had always felt this way.
He found JinuGod terrifying.
[MoscowMan: We’ve been managing just fine among ourselves, but if JinuGod shows up? Won’t we all get pushed aside?]
[Rachel: Don’t overthink it, MoscowMan.]
Rachel warned him.
She had always been like this.
As the central figure of the “One Heaven, Five Emperors,” she skillfully managed and led the prickly veterans.
If MoscowMan did something rash and the person turned out to truly be JinuGod?
It could unnecessarily draw his wrath upon the entire group.
To Rachel, JinuGod was like the sky itself.
One sky.
One Heaven (一天).
[Rachel: It’s not confirmed that he’s JinuGod yet. Having patched summons could just be a random reward from the Tower of Trials.]
Since the Tower of Trials gave out random rewards, there was nothing strange about the summons appearing.
It could simply be a matter of luck that he acquired previously nerfed summons marked as unique.
“Training Instructor, Wind Fairy, Explosive Dragon Sage.”
Having all three was unusual, though.
[Rachel: But did JinuGod ever use those summons?]
[Zenos: I don’t know. But I remember this—when the Training Instructor was removed, they said a specific player’s growth rate was too steep.]
[MoscowMan: Did they? Anyway, I’m not sure if JinuGod used them.]
[Sugoi: Of course you wouldn’t know. We only learned about JinuGod five years after launch… Those summons were removed way before that.]
Hmm.
That made sense.
But for some reason, Rachel felt as though JinuGod had used those summons.
[Rachel: Let’s keep watching for now.]
Click!
Rachel turned the video back on.
She began to analyze Baek Jin-woo’s gameplay more closely.
After all, he was a player she would face in six months.
There was no need to act hastily just because of rumors.
***
At the Player Headquarters.
In the council meeting room.
The headquarters chief and ten council members gathered to discuss the results of the selection matches.
Naturally, both Park Chang-seok and Im Hee-su were present.
“First,”
Park Chang-seok stood up with a relaxed smile.
“A man keeps his promises, doesn’t he? There’s a contract, and the chief was a witness to the agreement, right?”
He waved a piece of paper.
The contract detailed that the losing council member must acknowledge their opponent’s superiority and resign voluntarily.
“If you refuse, there’s a 1 billion won penalty. Not that it matters, since you’re wealthy enough to pay… Or are you just going to hand over the billion?”
To think the day would come when he could speak so openly to Im Hee-su!
Park Chang-seok felt a thrill, even a sense of euphoria.
“This is all thanks to Jin-woo!”
Honestly, Park Chang-seok felt like he could bark if Baek Jin-woo told him to.
“Woof, woof!”
“But,”
One of the council members looked at Im Hee-su with a curious expression.
“Counselor Im, what’s with your face?”
“…”
Grinding sound!
Im Hee-su, who had been sitting with his head lowered, clenched his teeth.
He was too humiliated to even lift his head.
On top of that, his left eye was swollen and blackened, as if he had been hit by someone.
It looked grotesque.
“Damn it.”
Im Hee-su recalled what had happened the previous night.
When the matches had ended and some time had passed, Oh Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop, his former subordinates, had visited him.
At night.
“Wh-what’s the meaning of this?”
Startled, Im Hee-su had been on high alert.
“Why so surprised?”
“Indeed. We’re not exactly tigers from the Joseon Dynasty, are we?”
Their words and actions had been unusually blatant.
In summary, they said this:
“You told us to target Baek Jin-woo, so take responsibility for the fallout!”
They demanded compensation for the loss of favors and privileges they could no longer enjoy.
And if he didn’t comply?
They left it to his imagination.
Then, they proceeded to beat him up.
They did this to a sitting Counselor!
“If you want to report it, go ahead. But when the time comes, we’ll join a gang and ruin you and your family.”
“Let’s be reasonable here. You had plenty of fun thanks to us, didn’t you?”
Even amidst their laughter and violence, there was nothing Im Hee-su could do.
“H-help!”
All he could do was cling to their pants and beg for his life.
His pride and dignity, built up over the years, were shattered.
Report them?
The current police and military had no means to detain rankers.
Provoking them would only make things worse.
What if they really joined a gang and kidnapped him?
“Ugh.”
As he recalled the past, Im Hee-su’s body trembled.
Park Chang-seok watched him quietly.
“How did someone end up in such a state?”
He could roughly guess what had happened.
He didn’t feel sympathy.
He saw it as just deserts.
“I… I accept it.”
At last, Im Hee-su spoke.
“I admit everything… and I will resign from my council position.”
To be honest, he wanted to escape.
To leave South Korea and live quietly in a faraway place where no one knew him.
In any case.
The council members were shocked by Im Hee-su’s dramatic announcement.
Even those who had sided with him against Park Chang-seok were left stunned.
“Well, that settles that issue.”
Park Chang-seok smiled leisurely.
“Chief?”
“Huh? Go ahead.”
“Don’t you think the headquarters should start aligning itself with Baek Jin-woo from now on?”
Park Chang-seok pointedly addressed the chief’s earlier misstep.
“Of course.”
“No objections, right?”
“W-what objections? How could I have any objections! You know me, I tried so hard to meet with Baek Jin-woo later to make up for it!”
Now, even the chief had to be cautious of Park Chang-seok.
Council terms lasted four years.
In a year, Baek Jin-woo’s success would only grow, increasing the likelihood of Park Chang-seok becoming the next chief.
“Haha, Counselor Park. No hard feelings, right?”
“Hard feelings? Honestly, I had quite a few.”
When Park Chang-seok bluntly admitted it, the chief panicked.
“W-what made you feel that way?”
“Do I really need to spell it out?”
“Haha, no, no! Sometimes people just know without words. So, what can we do to make it up to you?”
“As I said earlier, Chief.”
“Yes?”
“Run the headquarters in a way that supports Baek Jin-woo during the remainder of your term.”
That was all he wanted.
It was also the chief’s only chance for survival.
“First,”
Before long, the meeting began to flow under Park Chang-seok’s leadership.
“Shall we start discussing training plans for the national representatives?”