AECS 20

Chapter 20

Conquering the Weekly Dungeon (1)

“So…”

Baek Ah-jin crossed her arms, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“So before Oppa got into that accident, he was actually a pretty well-known hardcore gamer, and he was the one who set records in low-tier dungeons?”

“That’s right.”

“Yoo Ji-ah, so that lady you mentioned—she just happened to meet you at headquarters during that process, right?”

“Exactly.”

Baek Jin-woo didn’t explain everything to his sister. He only shared what he had already reported to headquarters.

Was it because he didn’t trust her? Not exactly…

Baek Jin-woo owed a lot to his family.

His mom, dad, and Baek Ah-jin.

Even when he lost consciousness in the accident, they had taken full responsibility, even at the cost of their own lives.

How could he not trust a sibling like that?

It wasn’t distrust. It was precaution.

What if, by revealing that he was JinuGod, his sister went around telling her friends?

Words were always the most dangerous.

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

‘It’s all for the family’s safety.’

The public security situation in South Korea was a mess.

Gangs were running rampant, and the government was too weak to control them.

To call someone like Park Chang-seok a “Yaksha” at headquarters says it all.

Under such conditions, drawing global attention?

‘Absolutely not.’

He needed to get stronger first.

And only after securing his family’s safety could he take any action.

He had already devised a clever plan to guarantee safety—but that would be explained later.

“But Oppa…”

“Hm?”

“You were obsessed with a mobile game in the past, right? For quite a while. Was it that one?”

“Uh…?”

Baek Jin-woo was slightly flustered.

“No, no, that was a different game.”

Phew! If she had found out, it would have revealed that he was an old-school gamer.

Still… his dad and sister already knew about his secret gaming?

Well, it made sense. They were close, after all.

It was because he was so immersed that he earned the grand title “Ilcheon (一天).”

“One year, roughly. Towards the end.”

“Wow! One year!”

Baek Ah-jin’s mouth had been hanging open since earlier.

She was also a gamer, so she understood the basics.

Some large guilds even had a “gamer recruitment” track—it wasn’t surprising.

“I was going to tell you. And about that Shadow Elf…”

“Huh?”

“If you’re going to keep leveling it, get a Shadow Wolf to go with it. They have great synergy. Right now, you’re barely getting 10% efficiency.”

“…Shadow Wolf?”

Baek Ah-jin tilted her head. Had such a thing existed?

“You might not know. It’s B-rank.”

“Ugh.”

Baek Ah-jin rolled her eyes.

Are you kidding me? You want me to use a B-rank summon that costs, on average, over 200 million?

She quietly pulled out her phone and opened the “Marketplace.”

A quick check showed the price: 500 million.

So it’s a fairly high-tier B-rank summon.

“Hey, Oppa, to buy this, it’d take at least ten years! Just selling runes like now could take twenty years.”

“Wait a little. I’ll get it for you within a month.”

“…What?”

“The Shadow Wolf creates shadows. If you hide there, the Shadow Elf can fly around too.”

“No, no… that’s not the problem.”

Baek Ah-jin gave a dumbfounded expression.

“You’re really saying you’ll get a 500 million summon for me? Seriously?”

Five hundred million isn’t a pet’s name.

It felt strange.

It was as if Baek Jin-woo had become someone else.

Where did the gamer nerd Oppa go? Some wealthy, connected guy had appeared before her!

“Is that even possible? Don’t make empty promises. Don’t overdo it.”

Baek Ah-jin was genuinely worried.

She knew he was a skilled gamer, and she was slowly adjusting to his real abilities…

She didn’t want him to overexert himself just to take care of her.

‘Honestly.’

She was surprised and happy, but most of all, she felt relieved.

Oppa had recovered from the accident without aftereffects.

And he was already on a successful path.

A sense of relief.

She remembered when he had proudly introduced the Shadow Elf in Jamsil.

‘Ugh!’

Baek Ah-jin sighed internally.

‘I was showing off in front of a total pro.’

Anyway.

“Got it. So… don’t tell Mom and Dad yet? For now?”

“Yes, for now. I’ll tell them soon enough.”

“Phew, okay.”

After seeing his sister off, Baek Jin-woo stayed in the open field.

‘Time to check.’

The gift Yoo Ji-ah gave him.

He began summoning each of the thirteen creatures one by one.

[“Battle Guard” (C-rank) has been summoned!]

Starting with the Battle Guard.

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

Three Lava Drakes.

All of them would be valuable companions in weekly dungeons, his lifelong allies.

‘They’re C and B ranks… but.’

If leveled properly, they would deliver the best efficiency for weekly dungeons.

“Trainer.”

• Yes, Master?

The training instructor, checking that no one else was around, snapped to attention and bowed.

“These are the units you’ll be training.”

• Understood. I will guide them to become the strongest summons possible.

“Good. Reliable.”

• Thank you.

From now on, it’s full-on hunting and training.

A week passed.

During that time, Yoo Ji-ah had been preparing the establishment of Yubaek, consulting with the Daesung legal team, while Baek Jin-woo kept grinding nonstop.

He cleared normal dungeons during the day, switching teams constantly.

At night, he trained under the instructor’s supervision.

Eventually, he realized:

‘I need a bigger personal space.’

With so many summons, training in his apartment was impossible.

Especially flying dolphins, Titanium Golems, and Lava Drakes—summoning them indoors could be disastrous.

If the building collapsed, he’d have to pay for damages.

‘Going to the field every time is also limited.’

It was far, and nighttime training caused noise issues.

What to do?

Management.

Whenever he wanted something, he would text Yoo Ji-ah.

He knew immediate fulfillment was impossible.

But he was painting a vision for the future.

“All these facilities would be nice…”

Ah, and all of this was at Yoo Ji-ah’s request.

“First…”

It was time to show.

‘Yoo Ji-ah.’

To her credit, she had waited silently for a week.

After spending such a huge amount, she could have been anxious…

Yet she hadn’t even mentioned the weekly dungeon.

‘Today is Monday.’

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes narrowed with determination.

‘From Monday to Sunday, I’m going to destroy the low-tier weekly dungeons.’

That was his goal for the week.

Jamsil, Player Zone – In Front of the Weekly Dungeon

News of Baek Jin-woo’s attempt brought Yoo Ji-ah, Kim Byung-jin, and Hwang Tae-seop rushing early in the morning.

Hwang Tae-seop had brought a bunch of new equipment.

“What’s all this?”

Baek Jin-woo asked.

Yoo Ji-ah smiled.

“It’s gear for you to wear in each weekly dungeon.”

“…Gear?”

“Yes. Quite expensive, advanced equipment. When you wear it, everything around you will be recorded in 3D.”

“There’s such a thing? Looks heavy though.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a stretchable, lightweight vest.”

Yubaek planned to start as an information business.

For that, Baek Jin-woo’s gameplay records were essential.

“Even overseas top players use it.”

“Got it.”

Click, snap!

Kim Byung-jin and Hwang Tae-seop skillfully fitted the equipment.

“It’s my first time in a Monday dungeon… I’m not sure I can do it smoothly.”

“That’s fine. We’ll only edit the smoothest parts, so just play comfortably.”

“Ah.”

One more thing.

“If I break the national record as soon as I enter, is that okay?”

“….”

Yoo Ji-ah wiped sweat and smiled.

‘Such a joker.’

Probably nervous and thankful for the 1.3 billion won worth of summons.

Even if he was a skilled gamer, breaking records in a week with a few C and B summons?

‘Impossible… maybe.’

But you never know. He’d done it before in the Tuesday dungeon.

Yoo Ji-ah tried to suppress her excitement.

“Relax. Just like when you were a gamer. Got it?”

“Okay.”

What was the top record in Korea? Around seven minutes?

Easy.

Let’s just beat it comfortably.

Monday Dungeon

The only dungeon giving attack-related runes. The “flower” of Battle of Summoners.

It had to be completed in the shortest time possible.

Slow times meant your ranking was doomed.

Attack runes were fundamental.

‘Type: Defense. Background: Plains.’

Mission: Defend against the awakened Lich’s undead army for thirty minutes.

Of course, “defense” was a formality.

Kill the Lich boss, and the dungeon ends.

Most people just charge at the Lich to finish quickly.

Whirrr!

Hearing the gear activate, he dove straight into the dungeon.

Simultaneously, the system message appeared:

[You have configured a total of three teams.]
[Which team will you summon?]
[Team 1 / Team 2 / Team 3]

As mentioned, weekly dungeon required three teams.

‘Team 3.’

[“Battle Guard” (C-rank) has been summoned.]
[“Radiant Priest” (C-rank) has been summoned.]
[“Training Instructor” (EX-rank) has been summoned.]
[“Mini-Kong” (D-rank) has been summoned.]
[“Golden Fairy” (D-rank) has been summoned.]

The dungeon’s core units: Battle Guard and Radiant Priest.

The other three were just enough to protect them.

• Kirururuk!
• Gwar, Gwarrr!

Undead ghoul and skeletons flooded in.

No need to panic. C-rank enemies were weak.

[Ghwar!]
[The Lich’s evil undead army is approaching.]
[Hold out until reinforcements arrive!]
[Time remaining – 00:30:00]

• Wooah! Wooah! Wooah!

Excited Mini-Kong thumped his chest a few times.

Crack!

Smashed the skeleton skulls in one blow.

Easily crushed like cookie crumbs.

‘Let’s start.’

“Move to the high ground.”

The instructor nodded.

They quickly moved Mini-Kong and other DPS/tanks to a hill in the plains.

About two minutes passed.

Next:

“Battle Guard.”

Crack!

The Battle Guard was a tall female humanoid with a long sniper rifle.

No speaking like an EX-rank summon. Just obeyed orders.

“Aim.”

She raised the rifle to her scope.

Battle Guard’s damage was low and rarely used before.

But in a low-tier Monday dungeon? Perfect.

The Lich’s HP wasn’t that high anyway.

“Wait, don’t shoot yet.”

Baek Jin-woo summoned the Radiant Priest.

Mini-Kong and the instructor were holding back the incoming undead without trouble.

“Radiant, cast Blessing.”

The Priest, also a female humanoid, was a lower-tier version of a Saint (A-rank).

Useful for killing undead.

Whirrr!

The Priest blessed the sniper.

Blessing’s effect: Remove the Lich’s “Dark Barrier” so the sniper could deal damage.

Without it, the Lich was immune to ranged attacks.

“Fire.”

The Lich, already at the far end of the plains, was locked on.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Lich shrieked.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Because of weak runes and low levels, it took some time.

‘That’s why mid-tier and higher dungeons can’t rely on Battle Guard to kill the Lich.’

But Baek Jin-woo could.

Even in top-tier dungeons.

How?

‘Because of the Instructor.’

That was why the Training Instructor was broken.

Unlock potential, equip top-tier runes, max skills—

Bang! The Lich of a top-tier Monday dungeon could die in one shot.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After about two more minutes,

• Kieeeek!

The Lich screamed, utterly destroyed by Mini-Kong.

[Boss monster defeated!]
[Dungeon cleared!]
[Clear time – 00:04:12]

And of course…

[Congratulations!]
[You have broken the national record in Korea!]
[Special achievement unlocked!]

He was the best in Korea.