The Test Moves Quickly (1)
After being guided by a staff member into the waiting room, Baek Jinwoo saw a familiar bearded man.
Park Changseok, the current examiner from headquarters.
He spoke cautiously.
"Were you surprised?"
"Yes, a little."
Baek Jinwoo nodded.
"I figured you were from headquarters, but I never imagined you were an examiner."
At the bearded man's signal, the staff member bowed and left. Now there were only two people in the waiting room.
Park Changseok. And Baek Jinwoo.
"The reason I called you here is to discuss your compensation."
"Ah."
Compensation!
Baek Jinwoo's eyes widened.
"After verifying your identity, we confirmed that you truly are an unregistered player. Moreover, you've already applied for registration, and you're not listed among any gangs… Naturally, you deserve compensation."
"Yes, that's correct."
Baek Jinwoo swallowed nervously.
The headquarters seemed quite prestigious—what kind of reward would they offer?
"Before we discuss the reward, there's something I'd like to ask."
"Yes?"
Baek Jinwoo blinked.
"Mr. Jinwoo… were you, by any chance, a gamer?"
He had thought about it countless times. How could someone who had been bedridden in a hospital for three years possess such deep knowledge about summons?
There was no answer other than him being a gamer.
"A gamer?"
"Yes. People who used to play the game Battle of Summoners are called that."
"Ah."
Baek Jinwoo's mind began racing.
He had already expected this from the moment he stepped forward. Of course they would find it suspicious.
"Yes… I did play it."
"I thought so. And how long did you play…?"
"Hmm."
What should he say?
If he said ten years, it would be too specific. At the time, when he was known as One Heaven, fewer than 200 people worldwide were still playing the game.
As mentioned before, Baek Jinwoo had no intention of revealing himself—at least not until he was safe.
"I only played casually. About a year… maybe?"
"Gasp! R-Really?!"
Suddenly—
Park Changseok grabbed both of Baek Jinwoo's hands tightly, his face filled with emotion.
"You played that awful game for an entire year?!"
"Uh…?"
Excuse me?
"Yes, that's right."
That remark was slightly disappointing.
Baek Jinwoo knew that Battle of Summoners was considered a failed game, but it was a game he had devoted his life to.
To call something that was essentially his entire existence a "trash game"…!
Nevertheless, Park Changseok was ecstatic.
'One year?!'
Most Korean rankers couldn't even last six months. Some players had surpassed a year, but they had all disappeared early on.
'He's definitely talented. Playing such a boring game for a year means he truly loved it… That explains how he recognized the Fire Resistance skill.'
Rankers always said the same thing:
Anyone who played that cursed game for over a year wasn't sane to begin with. If you ever found such a lunatic, the country should recruit and train them at any cost.
Park Changseok's heart pounded.
'What's the chance he's lying?'
Slim.
Someone who had only woken from a coma two days ago would not claim to have played for a year just to gain favor. And even if he did, that would prove his quick wit.
'I'll present him with two reward options. He can choose one.'
"Yes."
"First."
The bearded man raised a finger.
"I will register you as a player immediately under my authority. Additionally, I will secure you a position at headquarters."
It was an extraordinary offer.
Not only was he offering one of the fifty coveted player positions, but he was also granting entry into headquarters—a place with stricter requirements than most major corporations.
Of course, that was only Park Changseok's perspective.
"What's the second option?"
Baek Jinwoo asked indifferently.
'Trying to bind me to headquarters?'
Once known as God Ji-nu, the One Heaven, Baek Jinwoo understood his own worth better than anyone. Even the Five Emperors beneath him were recognized as players with authority equivalent to national power.
"...The second option is money."
"How much?"
"A reward of five million won. It may seem small, but due to internal regulations…"
"That's fine. I'll take the money."
With that amount, he could purchase quite a few summoning scrolls.
"Pardon?"
Park Changseok looked bewildered.
Many wealthy individuals bribed officials with thousands just for a chance at player registration. Yet he was discarding the opportunity so easily?
And for only five million won?
"I can handle player registration myself. I have no intention of joining headquarters."
"Please reconsider. Even with gamer knowledge, the registration process could take considerable time."
"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."
Baek Jinwoo was resolute.
What he needed most right now was growth. To make up for the three years he had lost, he had to move even faster. Joining an organization and wasting time was out of the question.
'This isn't how I expected it to go.'
Park Changseok scratched his head awkwardly.
Still, what could he do? The man himself had refused.
In truth, the first option had been Park Changseok's personal proposal, while the second came directly from his superiors.
'Fine.'
He decided to see it for himself.
Just how capable was a one-year gamer?
"Very well. The payment will be transferred today."
"That was smooth. Thank you."
* * *
The training proceeded swiftly.
There were lectures from university professors and professional players, followed by a written examination.
The test covered lecture material but was also notoriously difficult, drawing heavily from the textbooks.
It couldn't be helped—it was graded on a curve.
"How is he?"
Park Changseok asked the professors, referring to Baek Jinwoo.
"…He's insane. That's the only word for it. To think there was an applicant like this!"
The professors gazed at his answer sheet with awe.
Park Changseok was puzzled.
Had he ever seen those proud and rigid professors make such expressions?
"Ahem. After reading this, I realize how narrow my understanding of runes has been."
"Indeed… I was ashamed of myself for insisting only on attack speed runes for summons with high attack speed. I never imagined such an approach existed."
"Runes must be flexible, and the strength of a summon is the strength of its runes…! The essence of the words emphasized repeatedly by Baekcheon, the hero of Taiwan, is embodied in this answer!"
Good heavens.
Was Baek Jinwoo truly that remarkable?
"Of course, there are signs of inexperience here and there, but theoretically, it is flawless."
"Signs of inexperience?"
"Yes. He even included responses to impossible scenarios… things that exist only in theory. This applicant—you said he was a gamer?"
"Yes, for about a year."
"I look forward to seeing him in action. His understanding of summons and runes surpasses the other applicants. If trained properly, he could become a ranker."
Praise poured endlessly from the professors.
'Oh?'
The more they praised him, the more anxious Park Changseok became, recalling how Baek Jinwoo had firmly rejected headquarters.
'Should I have offered better terms?'
* * *
Next came the practical dungeon test.
The dungeon was the Day-of-the-Week Dungeon located in the Player Zone.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Each dungeon opened according to its theme, and each day yielded different materials.
This practical test took place in the Tuesday Dungeon, where polishing agents used on runes could be obtained.
Polishing agents were materials used to enhance rune options.
"Applicant Baek Jinwoo?"
"Yes."
After forming his team, Baek Jinwoo stepped forward toward the dungeon entrance. A headquarters staff member waiting in front spoke.
"This practical exam is a time attack."
"So I just need to clear it as quickly as possible?"
"Yes. Since it's a low-level Tuesday Dungeon, only slimes will appear. It won't be too difficult, though the layout is somewhat complex."
'I know, I know.'
Baek Jinwoo had run these Day-of-the-Week Dungeons countless times over ten years. The time attack records for each difficulty tier were all held by God Ji-nu, the One Heaven.
Of course, he hadn't run low-level dungeons after the first few months. But whether low-level or highest-tier, the structure was identical—the only difference was the monsters' strength.
"You may use your registered team and clear the dungeon as quickly as possible, using any means necessary!"
This part was somewhat ambiguous. Some applicants possessed D-rank or even C-rank summons. Naturally, competing against them would put him at a disadvantage.
The headquarters' response was simple:
– It's relative evaluation. It can't be helped!
Possessing powerful summons was considered part of one's ability. Even the wealth to purchase summons counted as skill.
'That's fair.'
Still, it didn't matter.
After all, this was only the low-level Tuesday Dungeon. At this difficulty, summon performance hardly mattered. As long as the player navigated the shortest route efficiently, the dungeon could be cleared quickly.
'Shall we begin?'
Baek Jinwoo felt excited.
The God of Time Attack!
Now the world would witness the movements of God Ji-nu!
With a nod, he dived into the dungeon.
[Growl, grrr!]
[The room is filled with poisonous slimes.]
[Defeat the slimes and escape the dungeon.]
The Tuesday Dungeon was a maze.
By clearing rooms one by one while defeating nearby slimes with summons, players could eventually reach the boss room.
"Lamba."
– Got it! Moving immediately!
Whoosh! Whoom!
Lamba swung her staff at the Fur Gorilla.
The Wind Fairy's attack speed stacks began accumulating the moment they entered the dungeon.
– Uwoooooo!
Feeling its speed steadily increasing, the Fur Gorilla let out a delighted roar.
"Ignore the slimes. Everyone, follow me."
True to the unfriendly nature of Battle of Summoners, the maze of the Tuesday Dungeon was quite complex. Some paths were deliberately twisted to confuse players, and others led them back to the starting point.
The maze was random.
But Baek Jinwoo knew.
'There are twenty-one maze patterns in total.'
From the moment he saw the entrance, he could identify the pattern instantly.
He hadn't intentionally memorized them. After running the dungeon countless times every day to improve his speed, his body simply remembered.
– Let's gooooo!
At Lamba's shout, Baek Jinwoo dashed forward.
Slimes lunged at him, but it didn't matter. At this level, they posed no threat, and their speed was slow. He could simply ignore them.
The only enemy worth defeating was the Giant Slime.
Of course, the Giant Slime had considerable health, so sufficient attack speed stacks were needed to defeat it in one strike.
– Hiya! Hiya!
That was why Lamba was diligently swinging her staff.
Tap! Tap!
Baek Jinwoo's steps never faltered. As if he were using a map hack, he continued running along the shortest path.
After about five minutes—
"There it is."
Between two rooms, a narrow passage appeared. Passing through it, they arrived at an enormous open space.
And sitting squarely in the center—The boss monster of the Tuesday Dungeon.
The Giant Slime.
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