Baek Jin-cheol and Hwang Myeong-hee got into the habit of always eating together.

In the midst of their busy lives, meals were often their only chance to talk.

This morning was no different.

The couple prepared breakfast and sat across from each other, enjoying a quiet moment.

Soon, Baek Jin-cheol spoke hesitantly.

"There's something I've been thinking about lately."

"What is it?"

"You know the gift I got recently?"

"The gift? Oh, you mean the Diamond Golem?"

"Yes, that."

"What about it?"

"It's worth ten billion won, apparently."

"Wh-what?! Ten billion? That thing is worth that much?"

Hwang Myeong-hee's eyes widened in shock.

"Should I sell it?"

Although he had confidently decided to sell it while talking to his friend Park Jung-hoon, the thought still made him uneasy.

After all, it was a gift given to him thanks to his son, and selling it felt like betraying the goodwill behind it.

Baek Jin-cheol recounted his entire conversation with Park Jung-hoon from the night before.

"So... you're thinking of quitting your delivery job and starting a business?"

"Business is a big word. I just want to do something small on my own."

"Hmm."

It was definitely something to think about.

Frankly, it was a good problem to have.

Even lottery winners these days didn't take home ten billion won, and yet here they were with a gift worth that much.

"Still, it feels wrong to sell it.

Hwang Myeong-hee was against the idea.

Like her husband, she had grown attached to her Rainbow Snail summon and had never even considered selling it.

Of course, she had never checked its value either, which explained her surprise at the price of the Diamond Golem.

"Right? Maybe I should just tell him I'm not selling it."

As the couple struggled with the decision, they were interrupted by the sound of the door's electronic lock.

Beep, beep, beep!

The door opened and their son, Baek Jin-woo, walked in.

"Huh? What brings you here so early?"

Baek Jin-cheol looked surprised.

"You're here, son! You've been busy lately, haven't you?"

Hwang Myeong-hee greeted him warmly.

Baek Jin-woo returned her greetings with a pang of guilt.

I should visit them more often.

But now was the time to move on, he reminded himself.

"I came to give you something."

Baek Jin-woo's reason for visiting was simple: he wanted to give his parents the Intermediate Skill Book Selection Tickets.

After they finished eating, Hwang Myeong-hee quickly cleared the table.

Then she sat down and asked, "So, what's this all about?"

"You're going to learn a skill called Desperate Call."

Hwang Myeong-hee immediately taught the skill to her Rainbow Snail after hearing his explanation.

Baek Jin-woo couldn't help but feel grateful.

I owe Yoo Ji-ah so much for this summoning.

Thanks to her gift, even his parents found their summons more and more valuable.

The problem was his father, Baek Jin-cheol.

He hesitated, unsure if he should teach his Diamond Golem the ability.

"What are you doing? Just teach him," Hwang Myeong-hee urged.

"Should I?"

Baek Jin-woo immediately sensed the tension in the room.

"Wait a second, Dad."

As he thought about it, something clicked.

The only reason why Yoo Ji-ah had given his father the Diamond Golem (B-rank) was because his father loved the Pebble Golem (E-rank) so much.

The Diamond Golem was the pinnacle of golems, but...

Doesn't that mean that he's being encouraged to keep doing manual labour?

"Hmm? What is that?"

"Do you really need the Golem anymore?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, don't feel pressured to keep it. You can sell it if you want to. Since Ah-jin runs her shop so well, you could even ask her to sell it for you."

His father blinked, processing his son's words.

After some thought, he murmured, "Do you really think that's okay?"

Of course.

Baek Jin-woo was right.

Sensing that there was more to the story, he pressed his parents for the truth.

Finally, they confessed.

"Your father always said he'd like to run a small chicken restaurant one day. So we thought about it. Just for a moment. But I was against it."

"A chicken restaurant?"

Baek Jin-woo tilted his head.

Why sell the Golem to open a chicken restaurant?

"Hang on."

He pulled out his mobile phone and called Yoo Ji-ah directly.

- "Yes, Jin-woo?"

As expected, Yoo Ji-ah answered in less than a second.

"I want to withdraw a dividend. How much can I withdraw?"

- "Hmm, give me a moment!"

"..."

- "If we really push it, up to 100 billion is possible, but that'd strain our finances. We're investing heavily in land and new staff right now. Fifty billion isn't a problem, but you'd have to pay a lot of taxes because of the comprehensive taxation. You know that, right?"

Holy crap.

The size of YooBaek was staggering.

They could pay dividends like that already?

"I don't need that much. About ten billion would be enough."

- "Why?"

"Personal reasons."

He refrained from elaborating, worried that Yoo Ji-ah might try to cover the costs herself with company funds.

That kind of generosity made him uncomfortable.

She needed to concentrate on making money; their mutual success depended on it.

- Ten billion? That's easy! I'll work out the taxes and process it right away. Shall I transfer it immediately?"

"Yes, thank you."

After hanging up, Baek Jin-woo turned to his parents, who stared at him in disbelief.

A dividend of ten billion?

The reality began to sink in: their son, who had been hospitalised only a few months ago, was now a respected player.

"Dad."

"Y-yeah?"

"I'll have ten billion transferred to your account. Use it for the chicken restaurant."

"Wait, how can you..."

"Hey!"

Baek Jin-woo cut him off.

"Just register the ability on the golem. Don't sell it. You love golems, don't you? Besides, you'll need it for the restaurant. Moving crates of raw chicken and barrels of oil isn't easy."

"Heh, you rascal."

Baek Jin-cheol looked genuinely touched.

Was this really his son?

Lately, life has been full of surprises for the couple.

***

The morning had been hectic.

After visiting his parents, setting up the weekly dungeon runs and returning to the training ground, Baek Jin-woo noticed something unusual.

"Huh?"

Yoo Ji-ah was there, stretching.

She was dressed casually, obviously not for work.

Even Hun-gyo and the summons were training in silence.

Baek Jin-woo had instructed them not to speak in front of others.

"Yoo Ji-ah? What brings you here?"

He couldn't help but notice that she seemed to show up everywhere he went these days.

"I wanted to work out before going to the office. Sitting all day kills my productivity. I need to keep my muscles active!"

"Aren't there good gyms nearby? Why here?"

"Come on, isn't it more refreshing to work out in nature?"

"Well, I suppose it is."

"Oh, and I actually have a reason for being here today."

"What reason?"

"Don't be surprised."

She held out her hand confidently.

Wooong!

A soft glow emanated from it.

[Player Yoo Ji-ah has proposed a trade.]

[Check the trade offer carefully]

Huh?

A trade?

[Yoo Ji-ah: Supreme Rune (Light Speed) x3, Universal Polish x4]

[Baek Jin-woo: No compensation]

"What the..."

Baek Jin-woo was truly shocked.

"How did you already...?"

It had been less than a week since he'd asked for the runes.

"Pretty impressive, huh? Oh, Jin-woo... You have no idea how hard it was. Explaining it would take all night!"

[Do you accept player Yoo Ji-ah's offer?]

[Y/N]

Of course he chose Y.

"How did you manage this so quickly?"

"I searched the world for them. It was hard to negotiate the prices, but the demand for the Wand User helped narrow things down."

True.

Hardly anyone but Lamba used wands as their main weapon.

Yoo Ji-ah had spent 100 billion, 200 billion and 150 billion on the runes - 450 billion in total.

It was an astronomical price for equipment meant for a single summon.

"Wow..."

Baek Jin-woo admired them sincerely.

"Thank you very much."

He hadn't expected to complete Lamba's graduation rune set so quickly.

"Yoo Ji-ah."

"Yes?"

"Stay here and continue training for a while. Hun-gyo."

- "...?"

Hun-gyo stopped his training and turned around.

He nodded subtly, understanding.

"Help her with her form."

- "...!"

Hun-gyo saluted with a perfectly sharp gesture.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"To do some runic enhancement! I'll be back soon."

Baek Jin-woo couldn't wait any longer.

Placing a full set of graduation runes on a summon and activating the set's effect was a moment no Battle of Summoners player could resist.

Even as a JinuGod, he'd rarely experienced such a thrill.

This is huge.

Equipping 1,000 billion won worth of runes on Lamba...

"Wyvern!"

- Kiiiiruuuu!

Riding his Sky Wyvern, Baek Jin-woo soared into the sky.

Yoo Ji-ah watched in awe.

For some reason, his flying seemed smoother and more natural than ever.

***

At the enhancement station, Baek Jin-woo quickly used up the remaining three runes.

With 12 Universal Polish items, he polished each stat to its absolute peak.

"Perfect."

Now Lamba would be faster than anyone else.

"Honestly...

Even an F-class summon with these runes could outperform a B-class summon.

Whoosh!

The wyvern's incredible speed brought him back to the training ground in no time.

"You're back already?"

Yoo Ji-ah looked slightly jealous.

It took her 20 minutes to walk to the field after parking, but Baek Jin-woo had flown to Samsung-dong and back in less time.

I guess there's nothing to worry about.

She felt reassured too.

Even if he moved to Hanam City's Geomdansan, it would be easy for him to reach Samsung-dong's player zone.

"Alright, Lamba, come here."

As soon as he landed, Baek Jin-woo called Lamba over and equipped the remaining three lightning speed runes.

[The Wind Fairy (EX-grade) activates the light speed set effect.]

[The Wind Fairy (EX level) wields a staff].
[Attack speed increased by 500%].

Wooong!

A crimson swirl of light surrounded Lamba, a visual representation of the set effect.

- "...!"

Lamba's eyes widened as she felt the overwhelming speed coursing through her.

She wanted to scream in excitement, but refrained because of Yoo Ji-ah's presence.

This is crazy.

She swung her arm experimentally.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

Her arm moved too fast to see.

And it's so effortless now! I don't even feel tired from swinging so fast!

The effects of the rune fully supported her movements.

"This is incredible."

Baek Jin-woo smiled in satisfaction.

"The funny thing is...

This was just the beginning.

With her level and base stats increased, and her hidden potential unlocked by Hun-gyo, she'd become even more absurdly powerful.

"Is it good?"

"It's beyond good."

Baek Jin-woo grinned broadly.

Lamba had truly become an overwhelming legend.