“Oh wow.”

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes widened.

Holy sht!

Unbelievable!

“Why are these so expensive?”

After browsing through the prices of summons in the “Marketplace,” Baek Jin-woo started to feel a bit disillusioned.

He had expected them to be pricey, but this was more than he imagined.

‘D-rank summons were dirt cheap, but this?’

What is this madness?

C-rank summons were priced like small cars!

Swipe, swipe!

Baek Jin-woo scrolled through the screen quickly, gathering information.

Here were the approximate prices:

The average C-rank summon cost around 20 million won, with the best ones fetching up to 100 million won.

As for B-rank summons?

They were even more outrageous.

The average price hovered around 200 million won, with the top-tier summons going for over 500 million won.

A-rank?

There weren’t any listed.

The price must be beyond reason.

And S-rank summons?

None existed on the market.

When he thought about it, it made sense.

B-rank summons had a 1% chance of dropping from high-tier summoning books.

That meant you’d need an average of 100 high-tier summoning books to get just one B-rank summon.

A high-tier summoning book cost 3 million won each, so 100 would cost 300 million won.

‘So 300 million won for one B-rank summon, or five C-rank summons…’

That explained why the prices were so steep.

“Hah.”

It was truly absurd.

It hadn’t been this bad back in 「Battle of Summoners」.

The gap between reality and the game was starting to become clear.

Now he understood why someone like Park Chang-seok only had three C-rank summons and why his sister Baek Ah-jin had called her Shadow Elf summon a noble treasure.

‘I wonder how much my sister’s summon costs.’

Baek Jin-woo clicked the magnifying glass at the top right of the “Marketplace” tab and typed in “Shadow Elf.”

[Shadow Elf (C-rank)]
[42 million won]
[Quantity: 8]

“Wow, that’s crazy.”

42 million won?

Baek Ah-jin was…

“She’s richer than me by far.”

Baek Jin-woo’s modest bank account only had 6 million won left.

‘Well, whatever.’

He hadn’t planned to spend that money anyway.

Baek Jin-woo had other ways to get funds.

“Ahem.”

After closing the Player Web app, he searched through his contacts.

Park Chang-seok had told him that if he contacted this number directly, they’d assist him right away.

[Headquarters Agent Hwang Tae-seop]

“I’ll submit my request here.”

Baek Jin-woo nodded to himself and began writing.

He was compiling a list of core units for the Day of the Week Dungeons that he needed to collect in the future.

* * *

“Representative!”

Hwang Tae-seop, who had received Baek Jin-woo’s message, rushed to find Park Chang-seok.

“What is it?”

“Player Baek Jin-woo has submitted a request.”

“A request?”

Park Chang-seok, who had been flipping through some documents, jumped up from his seat.

When Baek Jin-woo submitted a request, it meant that if they fulfilled it, he would provide them with valuable information!

“What’s the request?”

His voice trembled with excitement.

It was a moment he had been eagerly waiting for.

“One moment, here it is.”

Hwang Tae-seop quickly scrolled through his phone and shared the message he had received.

It was a list of summons.

Next to each summon, the number of units and the prices were neatly listed.

[Summon Purchase List]
1. Combat Sheriff (C-rank), 1 unit, 18 million won.
2. Priest of Radiance (C-rank), 1 unit, 35 million won.
3. Blotched Komodo (B-rank), 1 unit, 150 million won.
4. Wind Falcon (B-rank), 1 unit, 300 million won.
5. Titanium Golem (B-rank), 1 unit, 300 million won.
6. Horned Fairy (C-rank), 1 unit, 50 million won.
7. Frost Cat (C-rank), 1 unit, 100 million won.
8. Sky Dolphin (C-rank), 1 unit, 10 million won.
9. Sky Wyvern (B-rank), 1 unit, 200 million won.
10. Lava Drake (C-rank), 3 units, 50 million won each.

“What’s all this?”

“Well… Player Baek Jin-woo is asking us to purchase all of these. Every single one of them, at the lowest price available in the marketplace.”

“What?”

Park Chang-seok was dumbfounded.

He was asking headquarters to buy all this?

How much would that cost?

Swipe.

He skimmed through the screen and did some quick mental calculations.

“13.13 billion won?”

Seriously?

He let out a small, incredulous laugh.

If he could easily get that kind of budget, he wouldn’t be using just three C-rank summons.

The budget at headquarters was tightly controlled, and every expenditure was scrutinized by the representatives.

If they saw even the smallest discrepancy?

It would immediately become a headline, and the public would turn on him.

He would no longer be able to hold office, and in the worst-case scenario, he could end up in prison for embezzlement.

“This is beyond my authority… What did he say he would give us in return for this purchase?”

“It’s similar to last time. He’s offering a time attack strategy for the Day of the Week Dungeons.”

“Day of the Week Dungeons?”

Park Chang-seok’s eyes gleamed.

“Did he specifically say ‘Day of the Week Dungeons’? Not Monday Dungeon or Wednesday Dungeon?”

“Yes, he explicitly said ‘Day of the Week Dungeons.’”

“Hoho.”

If this was true, it was huge.

After the recent record-breaking time attack on the Tuesday Dungeon, the public had been ecstatic!

And now, the possibility of breaking records from Monday to Sunday?

South Korea would be celebrating.

‘The problem is the money.’

There was no way headquarters would just hand over that kind of budget.

They would likely say, “Show us the information first, then we’ll provide the funds.”

But that wasn’t how things should be done.

Right now, the most important thing was trust between headquarters and Baek Jin-woo!

Faith!

He didn’t want to disappoint Baek Jin-woo.

“Alright, I’ll report this to the Director.”

Park Chang-seok set down the documents he was holding.

It looked like he would need to have a face-to-face discussion.

* * *

The result?

It was a no-go.

“Agh, that old man! Stupid geezer!”

Bang, bang!

Still fuming, Park Chang-seok stomped around the office, punching the desk.

“This is a prime opportunity for South Korea to grow, so why won’t he approve it! Hah.”

“To be fair, it was a bit of a stretch.”

Watching from the side, Yoo Ji-ah muttered quietly.

It was inevitable.

This was a government agency.

Even headquarters could only invest when the information was verified.

What if Baek Jin-woo took the summons and defected overseas or joined a gang?

They couldn’t completely rule out such risks.

“Do you really think the information is solid?”

“It’s solid. I told you last time, my eye for talent is spot on. Aaaagh! This is why our country is always dead last!”

“…”

He wasn’t wrong.

The reason South Korea lagged behind in summoning was partly due to the complacent representatives.

They weren’t much different from typical politicians.

‘If every representative were like Park Chang-seok, our country would become a world leader in no time.’

Yoo Ji-ah sighed with a bitter smile.

Thud, thud!

Park Chang-seok was still stomping his feet, seething with frustration.

“I should have known when I saw the Director meeting with Im Hee-su all the time. That guy is definitely pocketing money. No doubt about it.”

“Representative, people are listening.”

“Who’s here? It’s just you, me, and Byung-jin.”

“Six ears are enough people.”

“…What a scary thing to say.”

“Anyway, the Director asked for proof, didn’t he? Or at least for us to show results like last time before requesting funds again?”

“He did, yeah.”

The problem was that Baek Jin-woo had said the time attack would be impossible without the listed summons.

Which made sense.

Without the Blotched Komodo, it was impossible to attempt a time attack on the Tuesday Dungeon.

“We still need to use public funds to buy those summons, but…”

“However.”

Yoo Ji-ah licked her lips and smiled.

This was pure instinct.

The kind of instinct only someone with the bloodline of South Korea’s top conglomerate could feel.

“If that information is true, it’s a gold mine, isn’t it?”

“It’s a gold mine! No, it’s a jackpot! Headquarters is too blind to see it!”

“Even as someone young and inexperienced, I can tell it’s a huge opportunity. Frankly, selling it to headquarters for just 13 billion won feels… a bit underwhelming, don’t you think?”

“What?”

“Hmm. It feels like we’re selling it for way too little.”

Yoo Ji-ah closed her eyes for a moment.

Her mind was racing.

She had been intensely interested in players and summoning for the past three years.

“What are you getting at?”

Despite Park Chang-seok’s impatience, Yoo Ji-ah remained deep in thought, focusing intently.

Time passed.

“The money…”

“Yeah?”

“Should I provide it instead?”

“…What?”

Park Chang-seok’s eyes widened.

What was she talking about?

* * *

Daeseong Group, Yoo Ji-ah.

The granddaughter most cherished by Chairman Yoo Byung-cheon.

In truth, Yoo Ji-ah held a stake in the conglomerate and had a position where she could compete in the corporate power struggle for control.

If she supported her father with her shares, they would eventually become hers.

However, she wasn’t interested.

Nor did she like the idea of family members tearing each other apart in a bloody battle.

She simply focused on safeguarding her shares while pouring her passion into players.

‘And recently.’

One player had captured her interest.

That player was none other than Baek Jin-woo.

The mysterious 1st-year gamer.

A man who disliked drawing attention to himself but seemed to possess a wealth of knowledge unavailable in South Korea.

He wasn’t someone to be underestimated either.

He knew how to make deals, even with the state.

‘There’s definitely a money-making opportunity here.’

Just like her grandfather Yoo Byung-cheon, she had a knack for sniffing out opportunities.

And one business idea started to form in her mind: Management!

A one-man management agency dedicated solely to Baek Jin-woo.

Wasn’t that the same as the headquarters’ <Talent Management Team>?

‘No, it’s completely different.’

In Yoo Ji-ah’s eyes, headquarters was foolish.

They didn’t understand the value of information or the concept of investment.

‘The value of Baek Jin-woo’s information is easily in the hundreds of billions.’

If a time attack became possible, dungeons could be cleared at an unprecedented speed, making its worth astronomical in today’s world.

A typical company would invest aggressively in ventures with high potential returns.

13 billion?

That was a small price to pay, even if they ended up losing it all—it was worth the gamble.

Sometimes, businesses operate conservatively, but that’s only when the risks are too high.

And there was another key difference between her and headquarters’ <Talent Management Team>.

A management agency would split the profits with the player.

In other words, it was a mutually beneficial partnership—a win-win relationship.

If Baek Jin-woo started making money, he would be more motivated to share even more valuable information.

Instead of just cautiously gauging each other’s intentions, they could become a complete team.

‘If I start this business.’

She planned to give Park Chang-seok a share as well.

But under one condition—he wouldn’t leave headquarters.

Having a connection to headquarters would also strengthen the management agency.

‘He’s going to love this.’

Yoo Ji-ah smiled to herself.

She could already imagine Park Chang-seok, boasting about how he was both making money and serving his country with patriotism.

Returning to the office.

“You’re seriously going to provide the 13.13 billion won? That huge sum?”

A stunned Park Chang-seok stared at Yoo Ji-ah.

It wasn’t the look of a boss to a subordinate.

It was the gaze of someone looking up to an untouchable conglomerate heiress.

“Yes, but.”

Yoo Ji-ah, having finished her contemplation, nervously tapped her fingers together.

“Before I invest, I need to meet with him again.”

“Who, Baek Jin-woo?”

“Yes.”

Just because she had a plan didn’t mean it would automatically succeed.

The most important factor was Baek Jin-woo’s will.

Yoo Ji-ah intended to meet him once more.

Whether it was business, relationships, education, or employment, everything in human interactions only worked when the chemistry between both parties was right.

Baek Jin-woo would evaluate her, and she would evaluate Baek Jin-woo.

“Let’s talk more after that. I’ll step out for a bit.”

Whoosh!

Yoo Ji-ah straightened her clothes and left the office.