195. Wind Dance (3)
First of all, he ignored the blank cheque.
It was ridiculous.
100 billion dollars!
Would they really give it just because he wrote that much?
Of course not.
If he actually wrote that amount, he could get criticized internationally too.
People would say, with so many countries already struggling, why was he going around squeezing money out of them during his travels?
‘Though they are the ones offering it.’
And there were always plenty of twisted people in the world.
‘And honestly.’
It no longer felt like he was that desperate for money anymore. Of course, if they gave it to him, he would accept it gratefully.
So what method did he choose?
“All right.”
Rattle, swish!
He wrote the names of countries and cities on the ends of wooden chopsticks and placed them in a container so they couldn’t be seen.
Then he spun it around and around.
“We’ll go to whatever country gets picked first.”
Of course, he had only put in countries that showed at least some sincerity.
At minimum, 5 million dollars!
That was about 7 billion won.
Yep, we should at least accept that much as an invitation fee.
—Okaaayyy!
And which summon would do the drawing?
Lamba!
—Dududududududu, here we gooo!
Swish! She snatched one of the spinning chopsticks in a flash.
Switzerland, Jungfrau.
—Kyaaaa!
A country famous for its beautiful snowy scenery, Switzerland had been chosen.
Starting off in Western Europe right away.
At this point, Paris and Italy automatically passed too. Since it would be nice to stop by while they were there.
“How much did Switzerland say they’d give again?”
—Umm, at first they were only offering full travel expenses, but after seeing how other countries reacted, they raised it even more! 5 million dollars, and oh my gosh!
“Hm?”
—They said they’ll give you a watch!
“A watch?”
—Jinwoo, don’t you know? Switzerland is the city of watches! And among them, Rolex!
“.......”
He had heard of it.
“Aren’t there lots of fakes?”
—Oh my, oh my, look at our Jinwoo? Calling it a fake! Don’t go looking down on Rolex after all it’s been through! Rololol!
“.....Rololol?”
Lamba, this one.
She’s weird.
Looking at those wrists, forget a watch, they looked too thin even for a ring...... and you actually studied that?
—Jinwoo! Watch life starts with denying Rolex and ends with acknowledging it! Oh my? But what’s this! Kyaaa! Oh my goodness.
“What is it now.”
Baek Jinwoo sat down on the sofa with a tired expression.
Was it because she had eaten too much cream buns?
Lately, Lamba’s tongue seemed to have loosened up a bit.
She talked too much, way too much.
—It wasn’t Rolex! They said they’re giving you a Patek Philippe watch!
“Patek Philippe?”
—And a limited edition too! It’s called the Patek Philippe Player Noctis, and they only give it as a gift to the very pinnacle of players. They said they’re making just one specifically for you .....? Wow, I’m jealous!
“.......”
A watch.
He wasn’t all that interested.
Still, since it was limited edition, it probably had value.
“Hoo, well, since it came up in the drawing, let’s get ready to go for now.”
Anyone seeing him would think he was really going there to collect a watch and money.
He was going there to train Aso!
* * *
And so, Baek Jinwoo and his summons’ journey began.
The very first place they arrived at was Jungfrau, the majestic snowy peak of the Alps.
—Kya.
—It’s so beautiful, Lord Jinwoo.
All of the summons were completely captivated by the scenery.
A train?
A cable car?
They didn’t need them.
—Kkirururururu!
They flew all the way to the summit on a wyvern.
It really was incredible.
The snow was coming down hard, and the wind blew so fiercely it made breathing difficult.
The temperature felt extremely low too.
‘I heard there’s a place near here that sells Korean cup ramen.’
That could wait until later.
First.
“Aso.”
—Yeah, Dad.
“I’ll drop you and HunGyo off here, so practice your footwork for five hours.”
Their main objective was Aso’s Wind Dance Traceless Steps.
—Okay. The wind here really is different.
It was much heavier and colder than in other places.
A force that carried blizzards!
He could feel on his skin the silent power that seemed determined to bury everything in the world.
—Breathe slowly, Aso.
—Mm.
—Think of yourself as becoming the wind blowing through this snowy mountain. Fly as freely as you want.
Watching the two summons begin training the moment they landed, Baek Jinwoo turned the wyvern back around.
‘They told me to stop by the Federal Palace in Bern, right?’
For reference, unlike other countries, Switzerland did not have a single head of state.
It was led by the Federal Council, where seven members each held equal authority.
And one of them served as the federal president for a year!
If he went there, they said they would give him money and a watch.
And, well.
They would probably make a few light requests too.
Requests like asking him to clear dungeons that were difficult to deal with.
Baek Jinwoo intended to limit the time he stayed in one city to within three hours.
While Aso and HunGyo trained for five hours?
He would move to another region.
Then summon them again there.
Stay another three hours.
Move to another region.
And like that.
He planned to repeat the process until Aso felt many different kinds of wind and mastered Wind Dance Traceless Steps.
So even if a country made a request, it would have to be something that could be handled within three hours.
* * *
First of all.
The money had been transferred exactly into Yoobaek’s corporate account, and he had even received the watch.
“Ooh, this is my first time getting a gift like this.”
“Haha, please open it.”
The kindly old man standing before him was none other than Switzerland’s federal president.
Click!
When he removed the clasp and opened the box, a softly gleaming watch revealed itself.
A delicate design harmonizing black and silver, and on the dial, the characters of <Baek Jinwoo> had been densely set in gemstones in Korean.
“However, I do have a request.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Several A-rank dungeons have appeared in some regions of Switzerland, but we are short on players. Could you take care of them before the situation worsens?”
“About how many?”
“Three, I would say.”
“That’s easy enough. Just tell me the locations. I’ll clean them up quickly and leave.”
“Thank you! Then please enjoy your trip!”
The federal president greeted him with a grateful smile.
* * *
And that was how it went.
Every time he traveled, Yoobaek’s balance continued to grow.
Baek Jinwoo’s personal collection did too.
Why did they all have so much to give?
In France’s case?
A limited-edition vintage Bordeaux wine!
Italy?
A limited-edition luxury bag from a world-famous leather brand!
‘This one’s for women, so I should give it to Yoo Jia.’
Hong Kong?
A custom suit!
Spain?
A flamenco guitar!
Germany?
A Montblanc special edition!
And so on, and so on.
What was funny was this.
It seemed the countries had entered into some kind of competition.
Companies everywhere began staking everything on creating limited editions by attaching all kinds of insanely expensive things.
“........”
‘This fountain pen in particular.....’
He couldn’t tell whether it was a writing instrument or simply a jewel in itself.
They said the body had been carved entirely out of sapphire.
Even the name was incredible.
Montblanc Meisterstück Lumière Baek Jinwoo Edition!
The clip and trim were 18k white gold, and diamonds had even been delicately set into the clip.
—Wooooowwwww!
For the record, Lamba was more excited than Baek Jinwoo was.
She kept chattering beside him, explaining how crazy this was and how amazing it was.
“Lamba.”
—Yeah?
“You take all of it...... you keep it.”
—Kyaaaah! Reaaally?
“You like it that much?”
—Hehe! It’s not exactly that! It just has incredible collector’s value! I’ll keep it safe for you, so tell me whenever you want to use it!
“For the record, not the bag.”
—Right! That one’s Jia’s!
Phew.
So greed hadn’t completely filled her head after all.
That was a relief.
Anyway.
Baek Jinwoo did something in return for what he received.
After dropping Aso and HunGyo into areas with strong winds?
He cleared the dungeons in those regions or attended events.
During this trip, Lamba and Explosive Dragon Sorcerer also handed out lots of signed copies.
Some countries even asked him to consult for their national team players.
And when that happened, he helped to a degree that matched the amount they had paid.
It wasn’t difficult.
‘Not sure how long I’ll have to keep going around like this.’
Still.
—My lord, it seems to be having some effect. It feels like Aso is gradually finding her bearings. She has begun to sense the different forms of wind, and she has reached the stage where she truly recognizes herself as the wind.
It seemed there were results.
Recognizing herself as the wind.......
That sounded a bit intense, but still.
If HunGyo said things were progressing well, then that must be the case.
Two weeks had already passed since they started traveling. But there were still countless places left to go.
Only now did Baek Jinwoo truly realize it.
That this global village called Earth held so many different cultures and cities.
* * *
And then another two weeks later.
On the exact day they had been traveling for a month.
—It’s meaningless now, HunGyo.
Chicago, USA.
Standing atop a building in the Windy City, Aso muttered as the sharp wind blew against her.
—I’ve felt every kind of wind there is by now. But that’s all it is.
—Is that so?
—I need something more violent. If I’m really going to become the wind, I think I need to face a gale...... no, a raging storm strong enough to erase my body. Otherwise, I can’t erase my sense of existence.
—Hmm.
HunGyo pondered.
A raging storm.
A literally insane wind.
—So the winds up until now are lacking something?
—Yeah.
—Hmm.
Various possibilities passed through HunGyo’s mind.
Brute-force methods, like throwing the body into a tornado, or walking through a typhoon.
But.
His ‘instructor’ instincts told him. That wouldn’t be enough. It would never bring about Aso’s enlightenment.
Hah.
Just what was he supposed to do?
—A god.......
That was when Aso muttered it.
—I need a wind comparable to the power of a god, or at least a dragon.
A god?
A dragon?
Could they even obtain such a wind?
And just then, one summon flashed through his mind!
—Archmage!
HunGyo clenched his fist.
—Archmage?
As Aso tilted her head,
—Rachel’s Archmage can use 9th-circle magic. There will probably be quite a long penalty afterward...... But if it’s 9th circle, it should be comparable to the power of a dragon.
—Ohhh, really?
—9th circle, Tempest Oblivion, known as the pinnacle of wind magic.
The ultimate wind spell that unleashes a raging tempest and vortex powerful enough to cover several kilometers, blowing everything away without leaving even a trace!
The Archmage can definitely use that skill.
—When my lord summons us again, I’ll have to mention it.
HunGyo’s eyes gleamed.
* * *
And then.
HunGyo and Aso were summoned again to the next city on the route.
—My lord.
“Hm?”
HunGyo immediately voiced his opinion.
Couldn’t they meet Rachel?
Couldn’t they go somewhere out at sea or to an uninhabited island and ask her to hit Aso with a single cast of 9th-circle magic?
“Really? That’ll do it?”
Baek Jinwoo asked.
—I don’t know for sure, but Aso says she has a feeling.
“Really?”
‘If our Aso says so, then I have to ask no matter what.’
Holding up his phone, he called Rachel on the spot.
- Hm? Of course! Of course! I heard you’ve been traveling around lately, so I’ve been a little disappointed you still haven’t come to Britain!
The answer was extremely positive.
Okay!
One month into the trip, Baek Jinwoo chose Britain as the final destination of the journey.
- You know the Flannan Isles west of Scotland, right? They’ve long been called ghost islands. Then how about we meet there?
In 1900, it was also the site of the mysterious disappearance of lighthouse keepers.
“Isn’t there a lighthouse there? If we’re not careful, the whole thing will collapse.”
- We can go a little farther in and use it there.
“Okay, thanks.”
- No need for thanks! If it’s something that increases your strength, I should support you with everything I have. That’ll make clearing the Tower of Trials easier too.
As expected.
Everything was ultimately focused on the Tower of Trials.
Still.
Rachel was a truly helpful friend in many ways.
Well then.
Shall we go?
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