"So."

Baek Ah-jin's eyes, which had been furrowed in doubt, now sparkled with interest.

"Are you saying that you were already a well-known hardcore gamer before your accident, and that you were the one who broke the record in that low-level dungeon?"

"That's right."

"And Yoo Ji-ah, the older sister, met you when she went to the headquarters?"

"Correct."

Baek Jin-woo didn't explain everything to his sister.

He only told her the parts he shared with the headquarters.

Was it because he didn't trust her?

No, it wasn't that...

Baek Jin-woo owed a lot to his family.

His mother, his father and Baek Ah-jin.

Even when he was unconscious after the accident, they had sacrificed their own lives to take full responsibility for him.

How could he not trust such a brother and sister?

But there was always a "what if".

What if, by revealing that he was JinuGod, his sister had accidentally blurted it out to her friends?

Words were the scariest thing.

Baek Jin-woo didn't want to create unnecessary variables.

It's all for my family's safety.

The current security situation in South Korea was a mess.

Gangs were on the loose and the state couldn't even control them.

The fact that someone as incompetent as Park Chang-seok was called 'Yaksha' by the headquarters said it all.

In such a situation, would you like to attract world attention?

That is an absolute no.

Even if he decided to tell them, it would be after he had become stronger and ensured the safety of his family.

He already had an ingenious way of keeping them safe in mind.

But that would come later.

"But Oppa."

"Hm?"

"Didn't you once get really obsessed with a mobile game and play it for a long time? Is that the one?"

"Uh...?"

Baek Jin-woo was slightly nervous.

"No, no, that was another game."

Oh no!

If she found out, he'd have to admit that he was just another hardcore gamer.

His father and sister...

Had they known all along that he secretly played games?

Come to think of it, it would have been strange if they hadn't noticed, being so close to him.

It was this kind of immersion that allowed him to earn the great title of "One Heaven".

"I played it for about a year, towards the end."

"Wow, a whole year!"

Baek Ah-jin, who had been gaping, couldn't close her mouth.

"That's amazing, isn't it? Really impressive."

Baek Ah-jin was a player herself.

She had a general understanding of what it meant to be a hardcore gamer.

The fact that large guilds had a separate recruitment process called "gamer selection" said it all.

"I was going to tell you about that. And about your shadow elf."

"Huh?"

"If you're going to keep raising it, find a Shadow Wolf to pair it with. They're a good match. Right now it's only about 10% of its potential."

"...Shadow Wolf?"

Baek Ah-jin tilted her head in confusion.

Did such a creature exist?

"You may not know about it. It's a B-rank creature."

"Keh."

Baek Ah-jin's eyes rolled.

Was he joking?

She quietly pulled out her phone and opened the "Marketplace".

After a quick check, she saw that the price was 500 million won.

It seemed to be a fairly high-level B-rank summoned creature.

"Uh, Oppa. If I want to buy this, it'll take me at least 10 years. And if I keep selling runes like I am now, maybe 20."

"Just wait a bit. I'll get it for you within a month."

"What?"

"The shadow wolf creates shadows. If your shadow elf hides in one, he'll be unstoppable."

"No, no... That's not the point."

Baek Ah-jin looked at him incredulously.

"You're really going to get me something worth 500 million? Seriously?"

500 million wasn't just the name of a dog.

Something felt wrong.

It was as if her brother, Baek Jin-woo, had turned into a different person.

The game-obsessed otaku brother was gone, and in his place was a cool guy with connections to wealthy people!

"Is that even possible? Don't make empty promises or push yourself too hard."

Baek Ah-jin was really worried.

She understood that he had been a gamer and was slowly getting used to his newfound abilities...

But she didn't want him to go too far in his efforts to take care of her.

Honestly.

While she was surprised and happy, the overriding feeling was one of relief.

Relief that her brother had adapted well, that there were no lasting effects from his accident.

That he was even on the road to success.

Relief that everything was falling into place.

She suddenly remembered how she had shown off her shadow elf when she had first introduced him to Jamsil.

Oh dear!

Baek Ah-jin groaned inwardly.

I was showing off like a big shot in front of a giant caterpillar.

Anyway -

"I get it. You want me to keep this from our parents for now, right?"

"Yes, for now. I'll tell them soon."

"Phew, okay."

* * *

After sending his sister off, Baek Jin-woo stayed in the empty lot.

"Time to check it out.

The gift Yoo Ji-ah had given him.

He began to summon the 13 creatures one by one.

[The 'Combat Sheriff' (C-rank) has been summoned!]

Starting with the Combat Sheriff.

[Lava Drake (C level) has been summoned!]

[Lava Drake (C level) has been summoned!]

[Lava Drake (C-rank) has been summoned!]

Including the three Lava Drakes.

All of these creatures would be valuable companions for Baek Jin-woo, especially for the Weekly Dungeon.

They are only C- and B-rank at the moment.

But with proper training, they would become the most efficient assets for the Weekly Dungeons.

"Hun-gyo."

- Yes, Master.

Hun-gyo checked the surroundings to make sure no one was around before approaching and bowing.

"These are the ones you will train.

- Very good. I'll see to it that they become the strongest summoned creatures.

"Great. I trust you.

- Thank you.

From now on, it would be a relentless cycle of hunting and training.

* * *

A week passed.

During this time, Yoo Ji-ah was busy preparing for the establishment of "Yubaek", consulting with Daeseong's legal team to make sure everything was in order.

As for Baek Jin-woo, he spent his days grinding endlessly.

In the mornings and afternoons, he rotated his teams, clearing regular dungeons.

From night to dawn, he trained rigorously under Hun-gyo's guidance.

After a while he realised something.

I need more personal space.

With so many summoned creatures, training in his small apartment had its limits.

Especially when it came to creatures like Sky Dolphin, Titan Golem or Lava Drake - it would be a disaster to summon them in a small room.

If the building collapsed, he'd have to pay for all the damage.

It's also impractical to keep going to the vacant lot.

It was too far away, and night training caused noise problems.

What to do in such cases?

That's where the management comes in.

Whenever Baek Jin-woo had a request, he would write to Yoo Ji-ah.

He knew she couldn't solve everything immediately, but it was about planning for the future.

He drew a picture of the ideal facilities he would need...

By the way, this was all at Yoo Ji-ah's request.

"Whatever."

It was time to show some results.

Yoo Ji-ah.

Impressively, she had waited quietly for a week without saying a word.

She had spent a huge amount of money, so it would be natural for her to be a bit anxious...

But she hadn't even mentioned the words 'Weekly Dungeon'.

Today is Monday.

Baek Jin-woo's eyes narrowed with determination.

'From Monday to Sunday. I'll crush every low-level Weekly Dungeon in one week.

That was his goal for the week.

* * *

Jamsil, Player Zone.

Outside the Weekly Dungeon.

When they heard that Baek Jin-woo was going to try, Yoo Ji-ah, Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop rushed there early in the morning.

Especially Hwang Tae-seop, who had arrived with an armful of high-tech equipment.

"What is all this?"

Baek Jin-woo asked.

Yoo Ji-ah smiled.

"It's equipment that you wear during each Weekly Dungeon."

"Equipment?"

"Yes. It's very expensive, advanced equipment. Once you put it on, it will record your surroundings in 3D."

"Really? It looks kind of heavy."

"Don't worry. It's a flexible, lightweight vest."

"YooBaek" planned to start their first business by selling information.

To do this, they needed detailed recordings of Baek Jin-woo's gameplay.

"Even foreign rankers use them."

"I see."

Click, clack!

Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop skilfully helped him put on the equipment.

"It's my first time in the Monday Dungeon... I don't know if I can do it smoothly, is that OK?"

"Yes, it's fine. We'll just edit it and keep the best bits."

"Oh."

One more thing.

"What if I break the national record once I get in?"

"..."

Yoo Ji-ah broke into a nervous smile, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

You're really joking now.

He was probably saying that out of gratitude for the 1.3 billion won worth of summoned creatures she had given him.

No matter how skilled a player he was, breaking a record in one week with just a few C- and B-rank summoned creatures?

That was impossible.

But then again, who knew?

That's how he'd broken the Tuesday Dungeon record the last time.

Yoo Ji-ah tried her best to suppress the growing excitement inside her.

"Just relax. Really, it's okay. Just play like you did in your gaming days, okay?"

"Okay."

Baek Jin-woo nodded.

What was the current national record?

Around 7 minutes?

Easy.

Let's break it comfortably.

* * *

Monday Dungeon.

The only dungeon that rewarded offensive runes, often referred to as the crown jewel of "Battle of Summoners".

The goal was to complete it as quickly as possible.

If your time in the Monday dungeon was slow, you could kiss any chance of becoming a top-ranked player goodbye.

That's because offensive runes were the foundation of everything.

It was a defensive dungeon in a plain environment.

The mission was to hold off the Awakened Lich's undead army for 30 minutes.

Of course, the key to the defence was simply killing the final boss, the Lich.

So most players would probably rush in and try to kill the Lich.

Buzz!

When Baek Jin-woo heard the equipment working properly, he dove right into the dungeon.

At the same time, a message appeared.

[You have selected a team of three.]

[Which team will you summon?]

[Team 1/Team 2/Team 3]

As mentioned earlier, Team 3 was designated for the Weekly Dungeons.

Team 3.

[A 'Battle Sheriff' (C-rank) has been summoned.]

[Priest of Radiance (C level) has been summoned].

['Trainer' (EX-rank) has been summoned].

['Mini Kong' (D-rank) has been summoned].

[Golden Fairy (D-rank) has been summoned].

The core units of the Monday Dungeon were the Battle Sheriff and the Radiant Priest.

The other three were just there to protect them and provide tanking and damage.

- Krrrrrk!

- Grrrr, grrroarrr!

In his altered vision, a mass of ghouls and skeletons rushed towards him.

There was no need to fear them, by the way.

Higher level enemies would be intimidating, but these were low level mobs.

[Grrroar!]

[The Evil Lich's undead army approaches]

[Hold off the undead until reinforcements arrive!]

[Time remaining - 00:30:00]

- Roar! Roar! Roar!

Excited, Mini Kong thumped his chest a few times.

Snap!

He shattered a skeleton's skull with a single blow.

They were so weak, it was like crushing a cookie.

Alright, let's get started.

First...

"Go to the high ground."

Hun-gyo nodded.

Aware that the cameras were rolling, he didn't speak.

- Roarrrrr!"

Snap, snap!

With Mini Kong leading the way, they quickly moved to a relatively high hill in the plain.

It took about two minutes.

Next.

"Battle Sheriff."

Click!

The Sheriff was a tall woman.

She was a humanoid sniper with a very long rifle.

Of course, unlike an EX-class creature, she couldn't speak.

She was just a puppet following orders.

"Take aim."

Swoosh!

Standing, she brought her eye to the scope.

For the record, the Combat Sheriff was rarely used in the past because her damage output was too low.

What was the point of being accurate if your shots didn't do any damage?

But in the low-level Monday dungeons, it was fantastic.

That was because the Lich didn't have much HP to begin with.

"Hold your fire for now."

Next, Baek Jin-woo called the Priest of Radiance.

Mini Kong and Hun-gyo were easily able to deal with the incoming undead hordes.

"Priest, cast Blessing."

The Priest of Radiance was also a human-like woman.

She was a cleric character, a lower-ranked version of the Saint (A-rank), but she was still quite effective against undead.

Buzz!

The priest cast a blessing on the sheriff's sniper rifle.

The effect of the blessing was simple.

It removed the Lich's 'Shield of Darkness', allowing damage to land.

Without the Blessing?

You could never kill the Lich from a distance.

The Darkness Shield provided "ranged immunity".

"Begin firing."

The Lich hovering at the far end of the plain had already been tagged.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shots rang out.

- Kieeek? Kieeek! Kieeek!"

The Lich's piercing shrieks filled the air as it felt the pain of the bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shots continued.

Since the runes were weak and the Sheriff's level was low, it took some time.

That's why you can't use the Battle Sheriff to kill the Lich in mid-level dungeons.

However -

Baek Jin-woo would be able to.

Not just mid-tier.

With the right setup, he could even kill high-tier and top-tier Liches with just the Combat Sheriff.

How?

Because of Hun-gyo.

That was exactly why the instructor was overpowered.

Once he unleashed his latent potential, fully equipped with top-tier runes and maxed out skills?

Bang!

One shot would take down even the top-tier Monday Dungeon Lich.

In any case -

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shooting continued for another two minutes.

Finally -

- Kieeeeek!"

The Lich let out a final wail as it was finished off by the spoon-wielding killer.

[Boss monster defeated!]

[Dungeon clear!]

[Clear Time - 00:04:12]

And of course, this time set a new record.

[Congratulations!]

[You've broken the national record!]

[You've achieved a special feat!]

It was the best in the country.