144. Olivia’s Request
Like in other sports associations, quite a few players were voicing concerns about the monopoly over the authority to select national team representatives.
Especially the domestic rankers.
In truth, they had long been quietly agonizing over whether they might never receive the right to become national representatives.
Of course, they were proud of Baek Jinwoo.
But separately from that, there was no helping the sense of loss they felt, as though their own dreams were gradually drifting farther and farther out of reach.
And then.
[The nation’s top guild, SKY, is recruiting new second-generation guild members. Unlike the first recruitment, this selection will go through a thorough screening process, considering not only talent but also personality and teamwork. We look forward to many applications from those who possess a true spirit of challenge and wish to grow alongside the very best players.]
The notice went up.
And they were not even selecting just a few people!
They were taking as many as 100, saying they wanted to give more opportunities!
‘Uoooooooh!’
‘At last, our chance has come too!’
‘No matter what! No matter what, I’m joining!’
The rankers were ecstatic.
Even though they were tied to various major guilds, they boldly submitted applications.
Even if they were bound by contracts, the moment they passed into SKY, it would more than make up for paying every single penalty fee.
They had seen a greater value.
Even if losses did occur, they were prepared to bear all of it!
They wrote their applications and submitted portfolios and career certification materials along with them.
The chance had come to grow into a player who would represent South Korea.....no, the greatest player who would dominate the world.
Within that guild alone were seven national representatives, and its leader, Baek Jinwoo, was no less than world rank number one.
Its capital was enormous as well.
A connection with Daeseong, which was itself the very history of South Korea!
And these days, people were even saying that Yoobaek’s own assets exceeded those of a nation.
‘Ah, a chance to work alongside Baek Jinwoo!’
‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if I got in? Wouldn’t that be like hitting the life lottery?’
‘I heard the city is incredible too. They even give premium luxury homes to family members, and... didn’t they say it’s a guild where the bonuses are higher than the salary?’
‘They say you do not even have to be a ranker! It’d be worth going just to find out whether I have talent or not!’
Applicants came flooding in.
It was an opportunity no one wanted to miss.
The name of SKY Guild had long since echoed beyond Korea and across the world, and becoming one of its next-generation members meant far more than simply becoming stronger.
That single day.
The official homepage crashed from overload.
“They, they’re still pouring in.”
“Aaaaargh.”
“When are we supposed to process all of this?!”
Naturally, an emergency broke out at Yoobaek headquarters.
It was utter chaos.
They had to examine and review the endless stream of documents one by one.
Ratatatatat!
The sound of applications printing one after another and ringing telephones never stopped.
“Team leader! This side is full too! We need more personnel!”
“The speed they’re piling up is faster than the speed we can review them. I don’t think we’ll be able to leave work today.......”
“Leave work? Is this bastard out of his mind? How can you say something so fat and happy?!”
“Scan the documents, sort them, and hand them over to the screening team! Don’t waste time!”
This was a group made up of the greatest elites in South Korea.
Even amid the chaos, they responded to their superiors’ demands with machine-like speed and accuracy.
Whenever coffee ran out, more was supplied for free, and top-tier lunchboxes were distributed.
And then.
Someone shouted.
“The CEO says everyone’s working hard! And because of that, she says she’ll show her sincerity accordingly, so please work a little harder. If you finish just this case within one week, she says she’ll hand out 100 million won each as overtime pay!”
“......!”
100 million won?
The overtime pay is 100 million won?
“T-thats insane!”
“Is that really true?!”
“Make me work overtime! Where do I sign up? I’m ready to work more!”
“Woof, woofwoofwoof!”
“Uwahaha! This is the first time I’ve ever felt happy looking at a pile of documents!”
The dying atmosphere instantly heated up.
The weary expressions vanished, and their speed increased like marines hit with stim packs.
Laughter and jokes flew around, and the way they looked at the documents changed.
As expected.
If the world cannot be solved with money, then perhaps the problem is that there is not enough money.
Yoo Jia drove them forward with a money whip.
‘Am I out of my mind? This pile of documents looks like gold now!’
‘Once this is over, I’m taking vacation and going on a grand overseas trip with my family. Business class, and a five-star hotel too!’
‘Where could there be a happier overtime shift than this?’
Maximum job satisfaction!
They felt proud that Yoo Jia was the owner leading them.
Leadership was not some grand mystery. The best leadership was simply giving a lot.
And if you do well, she heaps on generous rewards too!
Quite literally, golden leadership!
The inside of Yoobaek headquarters was as lively as ever.
* * *
The next morning.
Baek Jinwoo was having a light breakfast with Yoo Jia when he handed over Grotelling(A-grade).
“Oh, what’s this?”
Yoo Jia asked, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s a new rare summon, so try putting it to good use.”
“Wow, it’s a chef summon?”
“Yeah, I thought it’d be good to upgrade the company cafeteria while we’re at it.”
“Oooh, that does make sense!”
The current company cafeteria was on the 33rd floor of the headquarters building.
The 35th floor was the CEO’s office.
The 34th floor was Baek Ajin’s sales team.
“Since we’re at it, how about hiring a more capable head chef too, and making sure the guild members get proper nutrition for all three meals?”
“Sounds good. I’ll get right on it. Oh, right!”
Yoo Jia clapped her hands.
“Olivia’s coming to Korea again this time.”
“....Again?”
“Yeah, she must be in a hurry. It looks like she left the moment I contacted her yesterday. She’ll probably arrive soon.”
“What is it about?”
“She said, for security reasons, she can’t leave it in text or voice. She said she’ll come and tell us in person.”
“Hoo, what scheme is she trying to pull now?”
Last time, she had taken away an S-grade Thunderbird.
She acted all friendly and familiar, but thinking about it now, that had been the goal all along.
Though he did get Aso thanks to that, she had still managed to squeeze out even more.
Yoo Jia had just about finished eating and was taking a sip of water when—
“Huh?”
She pointed a finger outside the long window.
Toward the main gate.
“Honey. Looks like Olivia’s no lady either.”
“Why?”
“She’s here.”
Beyond the window, an airport taxi stopping in front of the headquarters’ main gate looked as small as an ant.
“She really must be in a hurry. Looking at the schedule, it’s basically like she flew straight here.”
“...Looks like there really is something she’s aiming for.”
Baek Jinwoo showed a slightly tired expression.
Still, there was no one here but him who could deal with Olivia.
“I’ll go out and receive her. Take care of what you need to.”
Creeeak!
Baek Jinwoo pushed back his chair and stood up.
Yoo Jia nodded and smiled softly.
“Okay, contact me later!”
How does Baek Jinwoo get from the 33rd floor to the main gate?
Simple.
Open the window, and jump straight down without a parachute!
Anyone seeing it might call him insane, but for Baek Jinwoo, who flew every Friday in the Top-grade weekday dungeon, it was routine.
Whoooosh!
With the cool wind hitting him, Baek Jinwoo threw himself downward without a moment’s hesitation.
Swoooooosh!
The instant he dropped vertically, a Celestial Wyvern was summoned.
- Kkiaaaaaak!
Its sharp cry cutting through the sky rang out between the buildings.
The wyvern caught up to Baek Jinwoo in an instant.
Naturally and familiarly, it took him onto its back, and the sight of them together was strangely harmonious.
Swoooooooosh!
Its speed grew faster and faster, and the ground drew close in an instant.
Just as the pavement began to come clearly into view—
Whooom!
The wyvern spread its wings wide and seized the air in one stroke.
Its speed dropped in an instant.
Baek Jinwoo calmly adjusted his posture, kicked off the wyvern’s back, and soared upward.
Whirl!
After flipping once in midair, Baek Jinwoo landed precisely in front of the main gate.
“......!”
Olivia, who had just sent the taxi away and was about to go inside, witnessed the entire scene.
‘Th-this lunatic.’
That just now.
“Did you ride a wyvern down from that building up there?”
Riding a wyvern was something anyone could do as long as they did not have a fear of heights, but the control he had just shown was practically acrobatic.
It was basically extreme sports itself.
And after completing its duty, even that wyvern being coolly reverse-summoned looked unbelievably stylish.
After landing and straightening his body, Baek Jinwoo looked down at Olivia and spoke.
“Yeah, go back.”
“Hey, you...!”
Olivia flared up.
Her trauma had resurfaced, and Baek Jinwoo let out a small laugh.
“I’m kidding. So what brought you here in such a hurry this time?”
“Mm, first...”
Olivia’s expression turned serious.
“Rachel.”
“Hm?”
“Rachel unni hasn’t come back. It’s already been a month.”
“......!”
Baek Jinwoo’s expression stiffened as well.
* * *
The 51st floor of the Tower of Trials was relatively simple.
The Magic Continent.
You started by investigating a dark library and a ruined research lab, and all you had to do was follow the records properly.
The mid-boss, a guy called the Dark Recorder (A-grade), was a bit tricky, but not so hard that he could not be beaten.
“That’s not a place where Rachel would fail to clear it, though?”
“Exactly. Unni said the same thing too.”
As Baek Jinwoo grew serious, Olivia became anxious as well.
“The boss on the 60th floor is a demon called Asmodeus. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
He was the only person to have cleared all 100 floors of the Tower of Trials, so how could he not know?
“She said she had every strategy up to that point memorized in her head too.”
“I’m sure she did.”
Rachel included, the Five Emperors had already gone past the 80th floor of the Tower of Trials back then.
Except for old man Baekcheon.
Baekcheon had personally asked him for help by private message around that time, so he was sure of it.
Since they were such rotten-water veterans, the 60th floor was bound to be familiar to them.
“Ha, but then why isn’t she coming out?! If she cleared the 51st floor, shouldn’t she come out to challenge the 52nd?”
“Hmmm.”
What could have happened?
Surely she did not lose to the Dark Recorder (A-grade) even with three S-grade summons?
Or had the contents of the tower somehow changed from what they knew?
“So the reason you came to me instead of the other Five Emperors is...”
No way.
“You want me to check the 51st floor for you? Because the other Five Emperors aren’t making any particular move?”
“.....Please. I’m asking this as the vice guild master of Red Rose.”
“A request?”
“Yeah. Go and see how difficult it is. Whether it’s really the same as before. Whether the difficulty really rose so much that unni can’t even get out of there..... Please check just once.”
Heh.
Would you look at that?
The Tower of Trials might be easy only for Baek Jinwoo, but for most players, it was a deadly place they had to enter prepared to die.
And she was asking him to go there that boldly?
“It’s because there’s no one else. As you know, the other Five Emperors don’t really care that much about clearing the Tower of Trials. Only unni was unusually interested in it.”
“Yeah, go back.”
“Baek Jinwoo.......!”
“Hoo.”
Baek Jinwoo let out a sigh.
He had been planning to break through the 50th floor soon anyway.
The 51st floor?
If the current Explosive Dragon built up her stacks well while going through the 50th floor, then the 51st would not be impossible either.
‘Something like the Dark Recorder.’
It’d probably be a one-shot kill.
Still.
If Rachel could not get out, that did make him a little uneasy.
That meant there was something more going on.
But on the other hand.
‘I am curious.’
Why could Rachel not come out?
Had she really died in there?
His head began to ache.
He had intended to keep maintaining a good relationship with Rachel......
“Please..... Please, I’m begging you.”
Just seeing her eyes well up with tears made it perfectly clear how much she cared about Rachel.
He could feel it completely.
The fear and despair contained in Olivia’s desperation.
Because she was always strong and overflowing with confidence, that thought struck even deeper.
“......”
Baek Jinwoo quietly watched her for a moment.
“Hoo, if this is a request, then what’s the compensation?”
Sorry, but nothing in this world was free.
If you ask for something, it is only natural to pay a price.
“I’ll match anything you want!”
“Really?”
There actually was something he needed.
Something annoying that he had been putting off because it would take time.
‘Jaggeo and Dampir’s rare runes.’
From the 51st floor onward, the Tower of Trials passed beyond the middle floors.
Meaning the difficulty rose sharply!
He had more than enough justification to demand runes as a reason for strengthening his combat power.
“Yeah, just tell me whatever compensation you want.”
“Good.”
Baek Jinwoo smiled faintly.
At this point, it was pure profit for him.
He was going to climb it anyway, and now he would even get paid compensation for doing it.
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