134. S-Rank Summon (4)
Wow.
Even Baek Jinwoo, after hearing the details, was genuinely impressed.
“Wow, how on earth did you manage to pull this…?”
Clap clap clap!
Baek Jinwoo applauded. It was heartfelt applause.
‘This is just insane.’
Even from a brief glance, it was far more impressive than Thunderbird.
It could probably go toe-to-toe with Rachel’s White Tiger.
If she raised just this one well, it would already dominate by sheer class.
And if her control improved a bit more, might she not even surpass the Five Emperors, aside from Rachel?
“I didn’t even want to pull, but everyone kept nagging me so much… and I ended up doing it in a fit of frustration, and it turned out like this.”
Hong Ari scratched her head.
“It’s a relief the result was good. I was seriously on edge.”
Internally, she was sending infinite gratitude toward the guild members.
Compared to just an hour ago, her attitude had done a complete 180.
Gi Jaehyuk and Kang Jihoe looked adorable to her now, and she felt so fulfilled that it seemed like she could give them anything.
In fact, right after pulling it, Hong Ari had bowed once to every single guild member.
“Right.”
Baek Jinwoo nodded.
“I’ll acknowledge the Vermilion Bird as yours. Raise it well. I’ll assign HunGyo to you too.”
“Hehe. Thanks, Guild Master!”
Hong Ari beamed brightly as she thanked him, then hurried outside.
Even just from her back, it was obvious how happy she was.
She probably felt like she could fly.
“I’m getting jealous myself.”
Yoo Jia said with a smile as she watched from the side.
“Well, of course she’d be happy. Until now, there were only two people in the entire world with S-rank summons, and now there are three.”
“I’m happy too, since SKY’s strength has increased.”
“But we have to give away Thunderbird, so our strength will go down.”
“But instead, won’t you be getting that Aso summon? I heard it’s absurdly overpowered.”
“That’s true.”
* * *
Baek Jinwoo and Yoo Jia were once again waiting for Olivia on the bench.
Things were busy, but they had decided to take a short break.
For now, this S-rank summon matter was the most important thing.
How much time had passed like that?
“Haaah.”
Olivia approached with a deep sigh.
Then she muttered weakly,
“For starters, the 5 trillion I told you about before… and with the extra support from Britain included, it’s 30 trillion in total.”
“Yeah, go back.”
“No, you crazy bastard! I’m not finished yet, so listen to the end first!”
Roar!
Olivia shouted.
Because she felt like she was about to develop a neurosis from hearing “Yeah, go back.”
Just how many times had he said that today?
“I’ll say it clearly!”
She placed both hands on her waist and continued.
“This is the final offer I brought after persuading Rachel unni, the Red Rose members, and even the British government, got it? This is absolutely the limit. You can even have that Mind-Reading Eagle of hers scan me.”
“Okay.”
At Baek Jinwoo’s glance, Yoo Jia nodded.
The Mind-Reading Eagle on her shoulder stared fixedly at Olivia.
‘That damn creepy thing.’
Olivia clicked her tongue.
They were really going to use a Mind-Reading Eagle too?
“It’s the truth.”
Ten seconds later.
Yoo Jia nodded.
“Looks like she really did put in a lot of effort preparing this. I think this really is the final offer.”
“Really? Okay, let’s see it. What did you bring?”
“I wrote it all down for you, so read it.”
Rustle.
Olivia held out a scrap of parchment, and Baek Jinwoo took it.
[Offered Compensation]
1. Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (A-rank)
2. 30 trillion won
3. 10 Ultimate Summoning Scrolls
4. 100 Omnipotent Polishers
5. A promise that if they obtain another Guaranteed Summoning Scroll (A-rank) in the future, they will unconditionally transfer it to Player Baek Jinwoo without compensation
‘Hm.’
So they added Ultimate Summoning Scrolls and Omnipotent Polishers.
Well, it wasn’t bad.
Especially the Ultimate Summoning Scrolls. He did need those.
He would need something to offer up again when they won next time.
‘Rachel’s idea?’
She had perfectly caught what he needed and included it.
“Clause 5 is the one we really put thought into, you know?”
Olivia, fidgeting anxiously on her feet, added quickly.
“We’re going to start seriously climbing the Tower of Trials too. If that Guaranteed Summoning Scroll drops there, we’ll give it to you no matter what. We can even promise it in a contract. It’s not like we need an A-rank Guaranteed Summoning Scroll anyway.”
So this was really the last offer.
Not bad.
No matter how good Thunderbird was, it couldn’t compare to Aso.
Grin.
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
“Okay, you’ve worked hard.”
Then he held out his hand.
“Deal.”
“Huaaah… really? It’s really done!”
Olivia had apparently been under so much strain that the strength left her legs on the spot.
* * *
They wrote up the contract.
Olivia, and Rachel as well, had names that were trust in themselves, so he did not doubt them.
He bound only clause 5 with a contract, then handed over Thunderbird.
‘You’re a lovely summon that came to find me, but go well to a good master.’
He did not grow attached or anything like that.
If anything, only his anticipation for Aso burned brighter.
‘Rather than S-rank, EX-rank is still the real deal.’
Lamba, HunGyo, Explosive Dragon, Gale Slayer, Rund…
And even Jaggeo and Dampir.
It was truly an EX-rank field, a whole field of them.
‘I need to start raising Jaggeo and Dampir too.’
And if Aso gets added on top of that?
Whew.
For the time being, he was seriously going to be busy to death.
Having achieved her goal, Olivia left immediately.
Judging from the look on her face as she went out, she did thank him…but it also felt like she had been thoroughly traumatized by something.
He had a feeling she would avoid even looking in this direction for quite a while.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Do they know how much an S-rank summon is worth?
He couldn’t let himself get taken for a fool.
Heh heh.
Baek Jinwoo’s lips were full of a smile.
“Are you going to pull it right away?”
“Want to watch?”
“I’d love to. I just want to take it easy and rest for the whole day.”
“You’re about to get really busy, so that’s not a bad idea either.”
As he chatted idly and looked over Yoo Jia’s schedule, it was enough to make his breath catch.
Especially because it was packed with meetings with high-ranking officials to negotiate with the government, and apparently they were planning to discuss tax-related matters there.
If they tied in the oil deposit installation and the technology as well, most things would probably pass.
‘Korea taxes the rich way too much.’
Taxing them is fine.
Just like relieving clotted blood, redistribution of wealth is necessary so the poor can survive too.
But still.
She was worried that a business beneficial to national interests might be ruined through taxation.
Moderation is best in all things.
It was not that they were refusing to pay taxes; they just needed to prevent the government from taking too much.
Honestly, a world-ranker-level player was already giving massive benefits to a country just by not naturalizing elsewhere.
“For now, you guys come out too.”
—Yes, my lord!
HunGyo popped out.
—Ooooooh, another pull? Is it Aso this time? Magic Cat?
Lamba flew around excitedly.
—Gwoooar…
Jaggeo appeared as well.
—I’m here, Master.
And even the cute Dampir sat down calmly with a composed expression.
What about Explosive Dragon?
It was beside Hwang Jiwoo.
‘Explosive Dragon’s coming soon too.’
It had been about three months now…
About ten days left.
Swish.
Baek Jinwoo took out the scroll.
[Guaranteed Summoning Scroll]
[Rank: A-rank]
[You can guaranteedly summon the A-rank summon you want.]
“Let’s do this.”
Riiip!
The moment he tore it open decisively, an effect identical to the previous Guaranteed Summoning Scroll appeared.
[Using ‘Guaranteed Summoning Scroll’ (A-rank)!]
[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ is selecting a summon!]
Fwoooosh!
Countless summon illustrations made of cards spread across his vision, and Baek Jinwoo, closing his eyes, engraved two summons into his mind.
[‘Aso’ (EX-rank)]
[‘Magic Cat’ (EX-rank)]
‘As expected!’
Both of them were there.
Two precious children who would one day both become his.
Still, there was nothing to think about this time. Aso had to come first, no matter what.
Aso grew stronger the more martial arts she learned.
At first, she was so weak she could not even beat a single E-rank summon, but later on she toyed with S-ranks.
A properly raised Aso could probably grab White Tiger or the Vermilion Bird by the tail and toss them around for fun.
[‘Aso’ (EX-rank)]
Without hesitation, Baek Jinwoo picked up the card.
Whirl!
The card spun around and around, then burst out with light.
[Player ‘Baek Jinwoo’ has obtained summon ‘Aso’ (EX-rank)!]
—Uuung…?
From within the white light, a child with snow-white skin walked out.
A martial artist, a little girl.
Her real name was Soso.
It carried the meaning of being bright and cheerful, but unfortunately, she had no family name.
Her parents had met with misfortune when she was young, and Soso could not even remember it.
So, by setting, she did not know her own surname.
People affectionately called her Aso.
Apparently, in the martial world, they put “A” in front of a person’s name as a prefix to make it a nickname.
—Daddy…?
Aso blinked and looked at Baek Jinwoo.
“……Huh, Daddy?”
Yoo Jia, startled, turned to look at him.
Baek Jinwoo smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Haha, well.”
Back in ‘Battle of Summoners’, God Ji-nu had used a little trick to draw out more of her latent potential.
He had given her a surname.
-Aso, from now on, you are Baek Soso. I’ll be your parent.
He had merely entered it like that as a command, but from that point on Aso had grown tremendously.
He did not know whether it was because of the AI or some kind of trigger.
Thanks to that, Aso had always called Baek Jinwoo “Daddy”.
He gave Yoo Jia a brief explanation of that fact.
“Oooh……”
She looked at it with fascination.
Then suddenly, Aso turned her head.
And then……
—Mommy…?
“Oh my?”
Startled, Yoo Jia covered her mouth with both hands.
At the same time, the faint caution in her eyes turned into affection.
“Look at her.”
She approached carefully, then soon wrapped Aso in a tight hug.
“She’s such an adorable and cute summon, isn’t she?”
“Right? Nice to meet you, Aso.”
—Yeah!
It was the moment Aso joined SKY—the future greatest under heaven, the greatest of all time, a martial artist with insane talent.
* * *
The Daeseong family estate.
“Heh, hehehe.”
Yoo Byeongcheon was looking at something with an expression that said he was delighted to death.
“Baek Jinwoo likes liquor like this?”
On the screen was a list of alcohols Yoo Jia had written down.
It was a liquor list she had noted while on the private plane heading to London for the World League.
One week later.
Baek Jinwoo would be invited here.
Thanks to the admirable and dependable Yoo Jia, he was able to invite a world-class star and national hero to the humble Daeseong family estate.
“Chief Heo.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Yoo Byeongcheon’s aide, Heo Jeonghui, bowed her head.
“Bring in the most expensive product among the whisky lines listed here. The better if it’s limited edition or hard to obtain.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And what else do young players like these days?”
“……Are you referring to Player Baek Jinwoo?”
“That’s right. Such an honored guest is coming, so we need something proper to entertain him with!”
Beads of sweat formed on Heo Jeonghui’s brow.
It seemed he wanted to give him some kind of gift…
But was there even anything he could not obtain in the first place?
In a way, he had become bigger in scale than all of Daeseong itself.
“Find out. Something good. Anything that can be done, do it.”
“…..Understood.”
For the first time in a long while, tension colored Heo Jeonghui’s face.
Because she had just been assigned one of the hardest tasks she had ever handled.
“Heh heh heh.”
Yoo Byeongcheon kept laughing, clearly overjoyed by something.
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