I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

Chapter 47: National Team Consulting

A new building was constructed for “YooBaek,” and Baek Ah-jin relocated her workplace.

The 34th floor of the headquarters.

The entire floor was dedicated to the department in charge of Baek Jin-woo’s item purchases and sales.

Baek Ah-jin held the position of director, and with the addition of numerous employees, her trips to the Samsung-dong marketplace had significantly decreased.

“Director.”

“Yes, Director Baek.”

Although Yoo Ji-ah and Baek Ah-jin were close enough to address each other casually outside of work, during business hours, they strictly used each other’s titles.

Currently, they were putting their utmost effort into acquiring the Universal Runes.

“We’ve searched all the marketplaces worldwide, and the available stock amounts to about 25 pieces.”

Twenty-five pieces were quite a fortunate find.

At least there were items available.

“What about the price?”

“They vary. If we average them out, it’s roughly 150 billion won per piece.”

The price was truly staggering.

Considering that the market price for top-tier Swift Runes was 15 billion won, this was an astronomical amount.

Of course, it was understandable.

If Swift Runes only worked for summoners with staff-wielding summons, Universal Runes were truly universal.

They were versatile enough to suit any type of summon.

“Hmm, Jin-woo wants 18 pieces, and the budget is 2 trillion won… We’re way short.”

“That’s right.”

To purchase all of them, a simple calculation showed that 2.7 trillion won was required.

Tapping her fingernail against the documents Baek Ah-jin had brought, Yoo Ji-ah continued.

“Besides, we can’t fully trust those prices. Many sellers back out right before finalizing the purchase, even after all the negotiations.”

“Because they think they might be able to sell for an even higher price later?”

High-priced goods were always a battlefield of psychological warfare between buyers and sellers.

“Yes, so even if we purchase them, we have to make sure it’s done quietly and discreetly. If we buy them one by one, the sellers will start contacting each other and raising the prices.”

“…Then what should we do?”

“We need to strategize.”

Yoo Ji-ah spoke decisively.

Strategize?

“We’ll create completely different identities for each buyer. Disguised as individuals who appear financially capable, we’ll approach them all at once. We’ll move so fast that they won’t have time to exchange information.”

“…Oh.”

“And Director Baek, please draft a purchase request for Universal Runes. Set the price significantly lower than the current market rate—let’s say around 100 billion won per piece, for six pieces.”

“Across all global marketplaces?”

“Yes, and decrease the quantity to five, then four, then three, every week.”

“Ah!”

Baek Ah-jin clapped her hands.

“You’re trying to create urgency, aren’t you?”

“Yes, it won’t work perfectly, but it should cause some disruption. If those items are still on the market, it means no buyers have been willing to meet that price. In such a situation, we’ll show that these items are selling for below market value.”

“Wow…!”

Baek Ah-jin was impressed as she observed Yoo Ji-ah.

She realized that purchasing, like selling, required a strategic approach.

“What about the lack of budget?”

“We’ll try to resolve it within the national budget. If that doesn’t work… we’ll use YooBaek’s funds to secure them.”

For limited-edition runes, swift action was necessary.

The more they secured, the more unique the value of the runes Baek Jin-woo used would become.

“Let’s move quickly, then!”

“Understood!”

*

Saturday arrived as scheduled.

It was the first gathering of the national team.

Baek Jin-woo, having cleared several high-level weekly dungeons in the morning, arrived at the Battle Hall.

The meeting was set for 10:00 AM.

Even though he arrived early at 9:40,

“…Oh?”

The nine rankers were already present.

They were chatting in small groups, but as soon as Baek Jin-woo entered, they all fell silent.

Those who were casually leaning on one leg stood upright, and everyone adopted polite and humble expressions.

Notably, the high school rankers, Ki Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho,

“Hello, sir!”

“Hello, sir!”

Stared at him with bright, attentive eyes and bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.

‘What’s this about?’

It was overwhelming.

Their behavior was so earnest that it was endearing.

“Haha, nice to meet you all.”

Returning their bow with a smile, Baek Jin-woo thought to himself.

‘Is it because they’re rankers?’

Their punctuality was impeccable.

Their first impressions were excellent!

There was no unnecessary chatter when the leader arrived, no signs of arrogance, nor any territorial behavior from the former national team members.

Honestly, this was expected.

Baek Jin-woo, who had defeated the country’s number-one ranker, Kang Gun-ho, in under a minute, didn’t leave room for such attitudes.

If anything, they needed to humble themselves to absorb as much as they could.

‘Six months until the World League.’

It was a long time if long, but short if short.

Baek Jin-woo, too, wanted South Korea to win if he were going to lead.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Baek Jin-woo, your new national team leader. Though I may lack in some areas, I’ll do my best.”

Amid the many gazes fixed on him, he introduced himself calmly.

Then, as if on cue, the others began introducing themselves.

“I’m Kang Gun-ho. Thirty-three years old. I’m the vice guild master of the White Tiger Guild. Ho-hyung here, Jung-hee, and Sang-won are all Baekho members as well. I’ve been the captain for three years, but I’m glad a better leader has taken the position.”

The White Tiger Guild players provided their details:

Rank 1: Kang Gun-ho (33 years old)

Rank 2: Park Ho (35 years old)

Rank 6: Bok Jung-hee (31 years old)

Rank 7: Seo Sang-won (30 years old)

‘A guild for players in their thirties?’

Their specs were extraordinary nonetheless.

Four of the top ten domestic rankers were from Baekho.

It wasn’t for nothing that they were considered the best among the three great guilds.

One by one, Baekho members stepped forward to greet him.

Then,

“As you all know, I’m Ahn Ki-jung of Sun and Moon Guild.”

Another of the three great guilds, Sun and Moon Guild, had two members present:

Rank 4: Ahn Ki-jung (41 years old)
Rank 8: Hwang Ju-won (53 years old)

Ahn Ki-jung was the guild master, and Hwang Ju-won the vice guild master.

Both were older, in their forties and fifties, compared to others here.

“Ju-won hyung and I have always participated in the national team together.”

“Haha, though we’re a bit older… We’ve kept at it and ended up here again. Baek Jin-woo, you’ve made quite the impression. My wife talks about you nonstop at home—she keeps saying you’re so handsome. She even told me to get your autograph.”

Their warm, neighborhood-uncle demeanor added a friendly and outgoing touch to the atmosphere.

Next,

“Hello, sir! I’m Ki Jae-hyuk!”

“I’m Kang Ji-ho! After the selection tournament, I became your fan!”

“Please, command us! We’re ready to fulfill our roles as the youngest here!”

These enthusiastic high schoolers were currently leading the hot guild Carpe Diem as its guild master and vice master.

Rank 15: Ki Jae-hyuk (19 years old)

Rank 25: Kang Ji-ho (18 years old)

Baek Jin-woo found them likable.

「Battle of Summoners」 required physical capabilities as well.

Like riding a wyvern or swimming with dolphins, there were moments when physical activity came into play.

That was why Baek Jin-woo maintained his fitness through regular exercise.

‘They remind me of my younger self.’

Getting into the national team despite their lower rankings indicated the result of grueling effort.

“Nice to meet you.”

He casually spoke informally to them, finding their enthusiasm endearing.

Delighted by his gesture, the two rankers beamed with joy.

Finally,

“I’m Hong Ah-ri.”

Rank 3: Hong Ah-ri (27 years old)

“I run the Arirang Guild and used to participate in the national team with Sun-young unni, but this time, I’m participating alone.”

She glanced at Baek Jin-woo as she spoke.

“I ended up facing a natural disaster in a team match.”

‘Sun-young unni…’

She must mean Oh Sun-young from the Five Wolves (五狼).

Oh Sun-young, the vice guild master of the Arirang Guild, was a formidable player but was cut down by Hun-gyo in just 10 seconds during a team match.

“Still, Sun-young unni is satisfied. She said it was an honor to face such a strong opponent. You’re the same age as me, so if you teach me, I’ll gladly follow your lead.”

“Thank you.”

With that, all the rankers had finished introducing themselves.

It was truly fascinating.

The leaders of South Korea’s Big Three guilds were gathered in one place.

And these big shots were lowering themselves for one man, Baek Jin-woo.

Well.

Considering their ability to read the room and their situational awareness, it made sense that they were among the top rankers in a country of 50 million.

‘How should I teach them?’

If this were the old Baek Jin-woo, he might have just casually observed their summons and left it at that.

Even the One Heaven, Five Emperors (五帝) who knew him for five years only occasionally dropped hints.

‘But.’

Since the government had invested a trillion won, he couldn’t take things lightly.

At the very least, he intended to provide guidance worth the amount invested.

“In any case, it seems we’ll be spending the next six months together.”

Organizing their information in his mind, Baek Jin-woo began to speak.

“Whether we continue together or this is just temporary, during this time, feel free to ask me anything you’re curious about. However, I won’t spoon-feed you the answers. Like a thirsty person digging a well, if you attempt something and feel it’s lacking, then ask me directly about it.”

How did Baek Jin-woo feel about all of this?

In truth, everyone in front of him was below his level.

Their lack of experience was so profound that he didn’t even know where to begin.

‘For starters.’

They lacked experience.

Baek Jin-woo, as a child, had been so obsessed with the game that he analyzed the skills of over 40,000 summons per rank and compared their affinities.

He had struggled to defeat rankers with weak summons in the Player Hall and attempted the Tower of Trials’ extreme difficulty thousands of times to develop a sense for it.

‘But?’

Their summons were too standardized.

If they stuck to one rigid style, they would be unable to adapt when faced with an unfavorable affinity.

To standardize their approach?

They would need overpowered summons.

Like Baek Jin-woo’s EX-class summons.

Ordinary players should never restrict their summons to a single style.

‘But whatever.’

Did he really need to teach them that deeply?

“For now, we’ll start with sparring matches.”

Each of them would face him one by one.

He would assess their weaknesses or areas of curiosity during the battles.

Afterward,

He would provide feedback on better strategies, summons, rune setups, and psychological tactics.

That was the best consulting Baek Jin-woo could offer them.

In the wilderness of South Korea.

Within an abandoned building deep in the area.

From that desolate and eerie place, voices could be heard.

“What do you think?”

“…”

A man who had remained silent for a moment slowly nodded.

“What’s certain is that we can’t just sit back and watch.”

He held a stack of documents, all detailing the feats of a single player.

‘Baek Jin-woo.’

The man thought to himself.

‘An absurdly strong player.’

“Then what do we do? Should we strike at Baek Jin-woo, Ji-hak?”

Ji-hak.

Anyone hearing that name would have been astonished.

Rank 30: Jo Ji-hak.

The leader of the gang coalition that had shaken South Korea and the number one on the Headquarters’ blacklist.

Though his rank had slipped due to not participating in the World League, his strength was undeniable.

“You idiot. Attack Baek Jin-woo?”

Jo Ji-hak let out an incredulous laugh.

Had this fool not watched the footage of the selection tournament?

How could their gang possibly challenge Baek Jin-woo, who had toyed with and crushed the nation’s top rankers?

In truth,

That was the gang’s greatest dilemma lately.

Baek Jin-woo was so overwhelmingly powerful that the balance between them and the Headquarters was being disrupted.

If the Headquarters decided to mobilize Baek Jin-woo,

The gang’s demise would be imminent.

“First, gather all our members stationed overseas. This is an emergency.”

For reference, the gang could not utilize South Korea’s Player Zones.

Seoul, Busan.

Both were under the complete control of the Headquarters.

Thus, they operated overseas.

Nearby countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

They bribed local governments there to secretly use the facilities.

“If we can’t attack Baek Jin-woo directly, we’ll strike indirectly.”

“Indirectly?”

“What about the matter I ordered last time?”

“Oh, you mean with Oh Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop. We’ve made contact with them. Though we haven’t received their final responses yet, things look promising.”

Recently, the gang had been attempting to recruit two rankers.

Rank 9: Oh Ji-myung, Rank 10: Park Ho-seop.

Both had failed to make the national team and had been openly expressing dissatisfaction with the Headquarters, making them prime targets for recruitment.

“For now, wait for their responses. We’ll reconvene here in a week.”

“Yes, understood, Ji-hak.”

The subordinate bowed respectfully.

Jo Ji-hak didn’t spare him a glance.

He merely surveyed the abandoned building once more before disappearing into the shadows.

TL note:

Change of name:

Baekho Guild ⇒ White Tiger Guild
Ilwol Guild ⇒ Sun and Moon Guild