AECS 72

Chapter 72

Trinity (1)

Plop!

Back at home after intimidating Shusuke, Baek Jin-woo sank into his sofa.

“Ah, this feels good.”

He looked around.

A luxurious penthouse decorated in a modern style.

The spacious living room and floor-to-ceiling windows offered an incredible sense of openness.

He hadn’t realized it before.

The view here was perfect.

In the front, he could see the Han River, and behind, the lush forest of Geomdan Mountain.

This apartment was his home!

“Wow…”

A deep sense of awe washed over him.

And today alone, he’d earned 100 billion won.

Not counting the extra money “Yu-baek” had made from his side ventures—it was even more staggering.

Accumulating this much wealth in less than a year?

Living this lavishly?

Even the most capable person would think it impossible.

Of course, Baek Jin-woo had no intention of stopping here.

This world, after all, was one of the survival of the strongest.

Though liberal ideas had spread and nuclear deterrence maintained a relatively long peace, history nearby proved otherwise.

This world was a battlefield.

Without power?

This luxurious life could be taken away at any moment.

Lately, even summons had emerged to shake the balance of power!

A house of cards.

Wealth without strength was like a pavilion built on sand.

• Master.

“Yes.”

When Hunkyo appeared, Baek Jin-woo stood up.

He headed to the open rooftop.

A single chair was placed there.

• Your physical abilities have reached their limit. Even if they increase further, the growth won’t be as significant as before.

“Got it.”

• Now it’s time to learn the breathing method.

Breathing method.

It was a tricky concept.

Could a player learn a technique usually reserved for specific summons?

Baek Jin-woo’s muscles were currently ideal.

Not too bulky, not too small.

Perfectly compressed, battle-ready muscles, capable of maximal control without sacrificing flexibility.

But?

Those muscles alone couldn’t produce transcendent destructive power.

His maximum lift was about 550 kg across three major lifts.

Beyond that?

He would need to sacrifice flexibility and bulk up even more.

That was human limitation.

And even with that extra muscle, he couldn’t surpass the limits of humanity.

• By mastering the breathing method and accumulating Qi, you’ll be able to unleash strength beyond what your muscles can produce. You could even break rocks barehanded, just like me.

“Understood.”

Baek Jin-woo sat cross-legged on the large chair.

Whooosh!

The cool wind blowing from all directions made breathing practice all the more invigorating.

“Teach me anything.”

• Understood, Master. Here on Earth, the density of Qi is low, so instead of a technique for refining the mind, it’s better to cultivate awareness of Qi. Among these, the method best suited for your physique is called Gancheong Simgong (Dry Clear Heart Technique).

“Gancheong Simgong…? Sounds a bit plain.”

• It’s called “Gancheong” because it allows one to receive pure, clear energy from the heavens. It’s perfect for you. Trust me.

“Alright, I’m joking.”

He didn’t expect some legendary or absolute technique.

After all, a player could never surpass a summon.

Even if Baek Jin-woo trained in martial arts for a hundred or thousand years?

A martial genius like Aso would surpass him in a single year.

He thought of it simply as physical conditioning.

Learning the breathing method would improve his vision and combat sense as well.

A player only needed to master summon control.

“Phew.”

• Good, Master. Inhale the energy of the sky through your nose.

For about an hour, Hunkyo diligently instructed him in the breathing method.

The Next Day

• Hahaha! Have you been waiting long?

By noon the next day, the runes were finally completed.

• Here! The Trinity Rune! Crafted flawlessly. My skill has improved a lot too.

The Trinity, Hunkyo’s graduation rune, glimmered as Baek Jin-woo carefully took it.

‘With this…’

There was no one on Earth who could stand against him.

Even in Battle of Summoners, no one could acquire this in ten years of farming.

A true ultimate graduation rune!

‘But…’

Honestly, he wasn’t sure.

Rachel? Sugoi? Xenos?

The other Four Emperors likely had similar information.

Three years of information is a completely different dimension than three years in the game.

‘Just look at me…’

In less than a year, he had a full Trinity set.

He couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

Power?

It should be grown to the maximum.

Baek Jin-woo nodded and checked the rune’s info.

[Rune]

[Grade: Top-tier (Unique)]

• Only 10 exist worldwide.

[Set Effect: Trinity]

• Equipping all 6: All stats +1000%, HP +20,000
• +2 additional stat options

[Level: 1]

[Stat Increase]
Strength +12%, Intelligence +12%, Stamina +12%, Agility +12%, Critical Rate +10%, Critical Damage +20%

“Whoa.”

It was incredible.

The stats of his previous all-purpose rune had doubled.

All stats went from +500% to +1000%.

HP from +10,000 to +20,000.

And only 10 sets existed worldwide.

‘Of course.’

If Lund crafted it, he could bypass the limitation.

With Hunkyo and later Aso equipped with the Trinity runes, only Baek Jin-woo would be the sole user in the world.

He busily began enhancing the runes.

To upgrade them, he had to buy cheap “junk runes” and feed them into each of the 6 runes.

‘Unique runes…’

They consumed a ridiculous amount of resources to enhance.

Even after exhausting all his spare junk runes, he needed almost 300 billion won more.

Of course, he’d expense it to “Yu-baek.”

‘Also…’

He needed polishing stones.

Unlike regular runes, Trinity runes had six stat options, requiring six polishing stones per rune.

So he needed 36 in total.

Luckily, he had 45 all-purpose polishing stones from Tower of Trials rewards.

As a result:

[Rune]

[Grade: Top-tier (Unique)]

• Only 10 exist worldwide

[Set Effect: Trinity]

• Equipping all 6: All stats +1000%, HP +20,000
• +2 additional stat options

[Level: Max]

[Stat Increase]
Strength +48%, Intelligence +48%, Stamina +48%, Agility +48%, Critical Rate +20%, Critical Damage +60%

A completely insane rune set appeared.

All six runes had these stats!

No further improvement was possible.

• Hunkyo.
• …Yes, Master.

Hunkyo’s eyes trembled.

He realized the power of the runes he would wear.

“Again, this isn’t Aso’s. It’s yours.”

• Thank you, Master. I’ll always serve you faithfully!

Click!

Baek Jin-woo equipped all the runes.

Kugugugu…!

Hunkyo’s very aura changed.

• Ma-Master… The power is overflowing uncontrollably! I’ve never felt anything like this! It’s amazing!

Baek Jin-woo grinned at Hunkyo’s cute reaction and opened his status window.

[Summon: Training Instructor]
[Race: Human]
[Grade: EX-Class (Quarantined)]

• Contained due to discovered balance-breaking abilities

[Level: 40]

[Stats]
Strength: 3,880, Intelligence: 3,880, Stamina: 3,880, Agility: 3,880
HP: 70,000, MP: 50,000
Critical Rate: 100%
Critical Damage: 460%

[Skills]

• Growth: Gains strength through training
• Charisma: Overpowers other summons
• Instructor: Unlocks potential and boosts growth speed of other summons
• Resonant Magic: Controls Qi at the risk of life
• Body Rebirth: Transform into a body perfect for learning martial arts

‘Wow.’

When equipped with all-purpose runes, Hunkyo’s stats were 1,580.

Now they had more than doubled.

Even Baek Jin-woo couldn’t gauge how strong he’d become.

‘Honestly…’

Even the upcoming world league…

Just bringing Hunkyo alone would crush everyone.

‘Time to experiment.’

Already in the Player Zone, Baek Jin-woo entered the arena and took out his phone.

Who to call?

Ki Jae-hyuk? Kang Ji-ho? Hong Ah-ri? Oh Sun-young?

Whatever. Call them all.

His disciples arrived instantly.

“Sir, what’s the matter?”

“Why the arena? Didn’t training end this morning?”

Everyone had arrived.

Ki Jae-hyuk and Hong Ah-ri stepped forward.

Baek Jin-woo threw down a challenge.

“Let’s have a 1v4 match.”

His disciples’ faces fell.

Even if they combined their power, they thought they might win?

No way.

“That’s nonsense. If you go all out, even the entire national team couldn’t beat you.”

“Exactly, sir. You’ve never liked one-sided matches anyway.”

“This is too cruel, sir! You just wanted to beat our summons!”

His disciples were well aware of their own strength relative to him.

“No, I just want to gauge your abilities. But…”

Baek Jin-woo grinned.

“If you can last just ten seconds, I’ll give each of you 10 billion. I’ll only use Hunkyo, no Ramba or Doldori.”

“…!”

An outrageous condition.

Using only Hunkyo against all four?

Last ten seconds to earn 10 billion each?

“Oh, how could we say no?”

“Sir… Even if we’re weak, aren’t you underestimating us?”

“This is worth trying. Everyone, come here. Let’s plan a strategy.”

The four disciples’ eyes blazed as they made a plan.

Even for top-ranked players, 10 billion dropped out of nowhere was a huge incentive.

Of course, they wouldn’t actually get it.

Baek Jin-woo smiled at Hunkyo.

The little instructor, trembling with fists clenched, clearly wanted to test his new power as quickly as possible.

“Hunkyo.”

• Yes, Master.

“Unleash all your power as fast as possible and end it.”

• Thank you, Master.

“How long will it take?”

• …….

Hunkyo considered seriously.

He had already trained against their summons and knew their strength.

The problem was how to handle it.

• Depending on the skill used, maybe… two seconds on average.

The gap was that huge.

Each of their summons was comparable to top-ranked Japanese players, yet Hunkyo would end them in two seconds!

“Good. Show me.”

Their abilities.

And my power.

Thus, Hunkyo’s trial began.