199. HunGyo’s Awakening
There is a clear difference between “Awakening” and “Unlocking Latent Abilities”.
Awakening?
Something like this appears in the status window.
[Grade: S-grade (Awakened)]
Awakened summons take 50% less damage from non-awakened targets, and deal 100% increased damage to non-awakened targets.
That was Aila’s case, but whether everyone gets the same thing...... or whether it differs by summon was still unknown.
It probably differed.
If Lamba got something like that, wouldn’t it be kind of lame?
Then what about Unlocking Latent Abilities?
It means gaining a skill.
A skill that matches that summon’s traits!
— My lord.
As if HunGyo felt some strange tingling sensation, he made an odd expression.
“Don’t tell me, Awakening?”
— That is correct. I believe I will awaken soon as well.
“Huh, really?”
— Please wait just a moment.
Thud!
HunGyo hurriedly sat down on the floor.
Cross-legged.
— Sssup. Hooooui!
He began taking deep breaths.
What?
Why is he doing that!
Just as that thought crossed his mind!
Flaaash!
A golden light erupting from the floor wrapped around HunGyo.
[Conditions fulfilled.]
[“Training Instructor” (EX-grade) is awakening.]
Oh.
Ohooo.
Awakening was simple.
And that was the end of it.
Should he check the status window?
[Summon: Training Instructor]
[Race: Human]
[Grade: EX-grade (Isolated) (Awakened)]
- Isolated due to a balance-breaking element being discovered in certain situations.
- Can awaken S-grade or higher summons if conditions are met.
“Wow.”
Baek Jinwoo’s mouth fell open.
An additional explanation had been added under Isolation Judgment, and good grief.
He could awaken other summons?
Then it really did feel like an extension of the “Instructor” skill.
And besides.
‘S-grade or higher.’
It explicitly said higher.
Which meant there was clearly a stage above that!
And first of all.
‘Then EX-grade must be that higher stage.’
Otherwise, how could HunGyo have awakened?
“If this is how it works...... I can totally see us getting even stronger from here, can’t we? Lamba too, Explosive Dragon, Aso too.”
— That is correct, my lord.
Among Baek Jinwoo’s current summons, aside from HunGyo and Aila, all of them were still in a non-awakened state.
If Lamba, Gale Slayer, Explosive Dragon, Aso, and the others awakened?
Damn!
Just how much stronger were they planning to get?
— However, it seems Unlocking Latent Abilities should come first. I am trying to close my eyes and recall the conditions right now, but...... everyone is still below the required level. They still have a long way to go.
“Huh, even Explosive Dragon?”
— For now, yes. Explosive Dragon also needs to build up more Devour stacks.
“……She has to build up even more from here?”
Yeah, this won’t do.
Time to start sending them into the Tower of Trials.
Go kill lots of monsters there.
Anyway.
HunGyo’s Awakening was not something that made him overwhelmingly stronger or anything like that.
Rather, he had grown exactly in a way that suited his role.
Enhancing someone else’s power!
Wasn’t that HunGyo’s true essence to begin with!
Originally, HunGyo himself had been strong from the start, but now it was starting to feel like he was being pushed aside.
Explosive Dragon, Gale Slayer, Aso.
They had all now become absurdly broken monsters among broken monsters, so it couldn’t be helped.
Munch, munch.
Yeah.
Lamba too.
‘Definitely.’
This was different from the time of 「Battle of Summoners」.
HunGyo back then?
He had not taught this well or known things this broadly.
The martial arts of Mugeuk Seonin?
If he had known that, he would have taught that to Aso in the game too.
‘Probably.’
This must be the effect of EX-grade.
If the system rated it above S-grade, then it was more than possible.
As he was taking a short break in the training grounds like that,
“Guild Master, can I ask you something for a second?”
Vice Guild Master Hong Ari came in.
Her hair was even redder than before, and it looked like she had newly dyed it.
“Yeah, what is it?”
Baek Jinwoo stood up to greet her.
“You know the World League we’re joining in two months.”
“Yeah.”
“How about participating, but you stay out of the fighting?”
“Me?”
Hong Ari silently nodded.
Ah.
He thought he understood why she was like this.
She had a strong sense of pride.
And she felt enormous attachment and pride toward the group called SKY.
These days, there had been this slight little rumor floating around.
That SKY was just riding the Baek Jinwoo bus.
That without Baek Jinwoo, they were like steamed buns without filling, like flat soda with no fizz.
“Hmm.”
He stroked his chin.
“But if I’m not there, what are you planning to do about Rachel?”
The guild members’ level had risen a lot by now, but it was still nowhere near Rachel’s.
If they kept grinding for about two more years, maybe they could catch up to Xenos or Sugoi, if not Rachel.
“You’ll handle Rachel, Xenos, and Hikaru.”
“Ah, and you all will take care of the others?”
“Yeah. We want a chance too. Anyway, once you really start moving, it honestly stops being a battle at that point, doesn’t it?”
It just becomes slaughter.
A massacre of the weak.
“You sure about this?”
“Maybe not the others, but we want to face the Red Rose members ourselves.”
“Huh.”
So that was it.
Hong Ari had found rivals in her heart, and those rivals were the ordinary guild members of Red Rose!
‘Nice.’
Whatever it was, having a goal and burning with motivation was good.
“Alright, we’ll do it that way.”
It did sound like it could be pretty fun to wipe them all out with Gale Slayer alone.......
Tsk.
Now that it had come to this, maybe he should just torment Rachel instead.
“The three you mentioned won’t even be able to breathe in this league. You take care of the rest yourselves, then.”
“Thanks.”
If English people had heard them, they would probably have been dumbfounded by how calmly the two of them said such outrageous things as if they were discussing their own house.
* * *
Another month passed.
Now it was full-on winter!
It was December, and exactly one month remained until the World League.
This World League would be held in South Korea.
Because of that, the government was also making meticulous plans.
Rebuilding infrastructure, drafting safety and security plans, preparing live broadcasts, handling promotion and marketing, and so on.
[Rachel: We’re done! Cleared floor 50!]
[Sugoi: Japan too.]
[Xenos: Same for the U.S.]
Judging by how they were chatting in the group chat, preparations for the suicide squad seemed to be mostly complete.
It seemed they had all cleared the 50th floor, but from what he heard, they had not done it through pure self-reliance.
Just like they had planned.
They seemed to have set a strategy and then pushed their summons through.
Rachel in particular had apparently used contracts and gave S-grade summons that were practically like her own clones.
‘Well, this can’t be helped.’
Otherwise, there was no way an ordinary player could clear the 50th floor without an enormous risk burden.
Their survival rate probably wouldn’t even be 50%.
The SKY members had shown effort too.
What truly surprised him this time was—
‘They really all cleared it?’
From Hong Ari to the newcomer Kang Daehyuk.
In that short amount of time, they had genuinely climbed all the way to the 40th floor of the Tower of Trials.
‘At this rate.’
It became certain.
Once this league ended, every one of them would enter the world rankings.
‘I thought I’d just be teaching them forever.’
Now it finally felt like things were properly starting to run on their own.
Like Hong Ari was managing things smartly.
* * *
At the main training ground, they had a celebratory meal with the guild members for clearing the 40th floor.
They spread mats out in the open space and ordered chicken and beer.
‘Of course, from Dad’s place.’
Lately, this chicken tasted the best.
Was he perhaps pouring all the money Yoo Jia sent him every month into chicken research?
“Everyone, great work. I never dreamed you’d actually pull it off.”
“Uahahaha! Wasn’t that only natural?!”
“It’s not even the 50th floor, just the 40th, so we thought we should at least manage that much!”
“You support us with rare runes, polishing agents, summons...... if we still couldn’t do even this much, that would be a problem!”
Hmm.
That was true.
Even if there had been a Baek Jinwoo without EX-grade summons standing there, he still would have managed it easily.
No, if it had been Baek Jinwoo, he probably would have done even better than Rachel by now.
“Anyway, since you all did even better than I expected, starting tomorrow, we’ll begin properly climbing toward the 50th floor.”
““Yeeees, sir!””
“First, I’m going to divide you into three teams.”
Baek Jinwoo split his summons into three groups.
Aso.
Explosive Dragon.
Lamba, HunGyo, Jaggeo, Dampir.
“Like this. They’ll split up and help each of you with your climbing.”
What about Gale Slayer?
You couldn’t send them all!
Baek Jinwoo also needed at least one summon to protect his own body.
And with just Gale Slayer alone?
Honestly, even if every player in the world joined forces and charged him at once, he was confident he could win.
What would they even do if he spread out Phantom Split copies everywhere and kept swinging the scythe nonstop?
“I have a question!”
Kang Jihoe shot his hand up high.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I understand Explosive Dragon, but wouldn’t Aso alone be too dangerous?”
Huh?
What kind of thing are you saying right now?
Are you looking down on our Aso?
—……!
As if she had heard him, Aso, who had been gnawing on chicken over in the corner, narrowed her eyes slightly.
Still, well.
He understood.
The guild members still didn’t know how powerful Aso really was.
“Hmm.”
How was he supposed to explain this?
He couldn’t very well demonstrate Heaven-and-Earth Cleaving Slash.
What if the planet split open!
‘Was that going too far?’
But honestly, if she mastered six stars or above, it really did feel like she could split the Earth.
That was how absurdly powerful it was.
Better to just say one sentence.
“There’s no need to worry. A 50th-floor boss would split apart from a single strike of Aso’s wooden sword.”
“Excuse me....?”
“Really?”
“Aso?”
“That cute little kid? I know she’s incredibly good at martial arts, but to that extent?”
The guild members all stared in collective shock.
Was it really true?
Some still doubted it, but Baek Jinwoo was not the type to lie.
Wasn’t Gale Slayer unbelievable last time too?
“Anyway, starting tomorrow we’ll be clearing one floor at a time, filming and reporting everything, so you’ll see then.”
Grin.
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
He was looking forward to seeing how shocked they’d be.
* * *
The next day.
All SKY guild members gathered at Jamsil’s 「Player Zone」.
Starting now, they would begin climbing the 41st floor one by one.
Using the same method they had used last time to get them up to the 20th floor.
“This time too, we’re treating it as training. My summons will help, but they won’t carry you outright.”
If they did everything for them?
There would be no growth.
Facing difficult problems and solving them with your own sense and judgment was also a huge factor in improving one’s skill.
If he spoon-fed them everything from beginning to end, they might get stronger in the short term, but it would become harder for them to break through their own limits.
“And Kang Jihoe.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You doubted Aso, didn’t you?”
“What? H-hahaha!”
“You’re going in first, with Aso.”
“M-me first?”
Oh ho.
Look at this bastard.
You still doubt our Aso?
“Aso.”
— Mm.
“Go in there and finish it in one hit. Just break the door.”
— Okay, Dad!
Aso looked nothing but calm and gentle as always.
With Aso having learned Wind Dance and Heaven-and-Earth Cleaving Slash, a mere 41st floor could never stop her.
Slide, click!
Kang Jihoe put on the recording equipment.
Along with a contract promising he would return her, he received Aso.
‘Gasp.’
And then inwardly, he was stunned.
Her enormous stats and bizarre skills.
‘And this is supposed to be that strong?’
“Then I’ll be going.”
Bow.
Kang Jihoe greeted them and went in.
And then.
He came back out in exactly ten seconds.
With his mouth hanging open.
“Huh?”
“What was that?”
“How is he out already?”
“Isn’t the 41st floor the one where you have to find the stone tablet and open the door?”
“It should take at least an hour.”
The other guild members also widened their eyes, looking utterly unable to understand what had happened.
— Heheh.
Summoned again, Aso stuck out her tongue a little and went back to stand beside Baek Jinwoo.
“Th-that.......”
Kang Jihoe spoke with a trembling voice.
“She just split the Giant Race’s gate in one hit.....? No..... it didn’t feel like the gate split—it felt like the world itself split...... Is that right, big brother?”
Yeah.
That’s right.
That’s Aso.
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