I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

Chapter 48: Universal Rune (1)

Once a week.

The consulting session wrapped up smoothly.

“Wow, this is amazing! I didn’t know it could be thought of like this.”

“As Baek Jin-woo Player suggested, to effectively employ psychological warfare, I should nurture a more diverse group of summons. And collect runes of various types as well.”

“This was in an old textbook… You, despite appearances, have a solid foundation. To be honest, I thought you were just relying on that summoner training instructor as your one trick. You’ve changed my mind. Thanks for your help today.”

Even though the advice was given briefly, all the rankers were satisfied.

After just ten hours of training, they could feel how much they had improved compared to before.

As mentioned earlier, most of the theories established by humanity now originated from the mind of middle schooler Baek Jin-woo.

Moreover, countless unestablished application processes were still stored entirely in his head.

It was only natural for the rankers to be amazed.

‘I’m glad they’re satisfied.’

Nine rankers.

And not just any nine, but executives from major guilds, satisfied with the outcome, meant the consultation was worth every penny.

‘The problem is me.’

There was a mountain of tasks waiting.

First on the list was ascending the Tower of Trials.

Standing in the training ground at YooBaek City, Baek Jin-woo stretched his body.

‘Ah.’

Every time he looked around.

It was a place that brought immense satisfaction.

The well-maintained open field in front of the state-of-the-art building and the view that allowed one to feel the mountain’s energy told of the designer’s passion and effort.

‘As expected of Yoo Ji-ah.’

He felt it more these days.

Partnering with her was truly one of the best decisions he had made.

When he requested a training ground, she provided a penthouse, a garden, and even a bunker…

On top of that, she took perfect care of his family, something he was deeply grateful for.

“Poryong.”

– Yes, Jin-woo Nim!

As Baek Jin-woo muttered, Poryong, who had been training, dashed over energetically.

“How far along are you?”

– I’ve mastered Explosive Dragon Technique: Transformation completely.

“Really?”

Since the last incident, Poryong had stopped deceiving Baek Jin-woo.

She put in her utmost effort to master skills without any trickery.

“Let’s see.”

– Yes!

Explosive Dragon Technique: Transformation.

Fwoosh!

Flames of brilliant red burst beautifully from her staff.

The normally dragon-shaped Explosion Dragon Wave broke into fine fragments, forming a crimson translucent shield.

– It can be used as a shield like this.

Fwoosh!

Through a Linked Strike, another Explosion Dragon Wave was summoned, which then split into numerous arrows and spears.

– I can also create fire arrows and spears like this!

And that wasn’t all.

From creating a massive wall of fire with Fire Wall to controlling heat to gently warm the surroundings with Warm, she displayed impressive mastery.

“You’ve clearly worked hard.”

– Hehe, thank you.

“Well done.”

Baek Jin-woo tousled Poryong’s hair.

It was a form of reward.

If Lamba craved cream buns, Poryong sought the player’s attention.

“Do you think you can manage Flame yet? Or is that still out of reach?”

– Hmm…

Poryong thought for a moment before nodding.

– Annihilation is too much, but Flame should be doable. With enough time, I can master it. Hun-gyo Nim teaches well too. I’ll work hard to learn it quickly!

“Alright.”

There was no need to tackle the Tower of Trials without Flame.

‘With Flame…’

He could directly clear floors 11 to 20.

‘Speaking of which.’

How many Universal Runes had they managed to gather?

Just as Poryong’s Flame was important, Hun-gyo’s near-graduation rune was equally critical.

* * *

“Hah!”

Baek Ah-jin clenched her fists tightly and shook them vigorously.

“We secured twelve, for now!”

Several employees dispatched overseas had sent updates.

They just confirmed the purchases.

Since government funds were used, the procedures were complicated, but… By working relentlessly without rest, it was done.

‘Unnie’s advice was spot on.’

Following Yoo Ji-ah’s suggestion to leverage the staff and push for results all at once, collecting the runes became significantly easier.

Even a player reached out directly through a purchase post on the marketplace.

They offered to sell urgently for 100 billion won, or about $72 million.

It wasn’t a previously listed item but a new one.

By seizing these opportunities, they successfully secured twelve runes.

Ten were bought at an average of 150 billion won each, and two were purchased for 100 billion won each.

In total, the budget spent was already 1.7 trillion won.

‘Just twelve runes costing this much…’

Baek Ah-jin clicked her tongue.

It was utterly absurd.

Just how powerful would a summon become equipped with these runes?

‘Especially Oppa’s Hun-gyo…’

He was already strong without the runes.

With these, could he really claim the world’s number one rank by the end of the year, overtaking Rachel?

Beep, beep!

Baek Ah-jin answered her phone.

– Director.

– Yes, Manager Baek. What is it?

– We’ve secured twelve so far, but the budget is running low. Only 300 billion won remains.

She couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

To think there’d be a day when she referred to 300 billion as “only.”

– Hmm, for now…

Yoo Ji-ah, who seemed to be monitoring the situation, gave instructions immediately.

– Use the remaining funds to buy one more.

– Pardon? Even if it takes all 300 billion?

Baek Ah-jin asked.

– Rumors seem to have spread. Listings are disappearing fast.

– Really?

Clack, clack!

Baek Ah-jin, phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, typed quickly.

She scanned the marketplace listings worldwide.

– You’re right.

As Yoo Ji-ah said, listings for 200 billion and even absurd ones for 250 billion were vanishing.

It could be either.

The sellers withdrew their items, or someone was buying them in a hurry.

In any case, all the affordable ones had been snatched up, leaving only the expensive ones.

A sigh escaped Baek Ah-jin’s lips.

– What do we do? Buying one more won’t solve the issue… We still need six in total.

– Don’t worry about that for now. Just secure one more before it’s too late. Even if it costs 300 billion. Contact India’s Nemesis. I’ll give you the contact details. That player seems the most promising.

– Understood, I’ll contact them immediately!

Baek Ah-jin’s hands moved even faster.

* * *

The result was a success!

YooBaek secured another top-grade Universal Rune for 300 billion.

The allocated budget of 2 trillion was entirely spent on purchasing 13 Universal Runes!

After collecting the runes from the returning staff, Yoo Ji-ah finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Hah.”

Now, only five more were needed.

Since the budget was exhausted, they would have to use YooBaek’s funds to procure them.

Lacking money wasn’t an issue, as banks lined up to offer loans.

The real problem was…

‘There are no listings.’

Even after searching marketplaces worldwide, there were zero listings.

Forget about 300 billion won—

There was a chance that even with 1 trillion won, they wouldn’t be able to obtain one.

YooBaek’s involvement had elevated the value of Universal Runes to another level.

To be honest…

She wanted to resell the 13 runes they had secured at a higher price.

With the right marketing, it was entirely possible and would yield an enormous profit.

But that wasn’t an option.

Because it was Baek Jin-woo’s request.

‘For now.’

There was a reason Baek Ah-jin was instructed to urgently purchase that remaining rune.

However, this was something she needed to discuss directly with Baek Jin-woo.

Along with delivering the runes.

Yoo Ji-ah headed to Baek Jin-woo’s training ground.

* * *

“Oh, you’ve already gathered 13 of them?”

Baek Jin-woo’s face lit up as he received the runes from the transaction.

He had asked her to gather them quickly, but she had brought them even faster than expected.

Finally!

Now Hun-gyo could grow stronger!

The thought of enhancing Hun-gyo brought a wide smile to his face.

However, Yoo Ji-ah’s expression wasn’t as bright.

“We still need to collect five more, but the entire budget was used up to get these. And now, there aren’t any left on the market.”

Yoo Ji-ah, seated in a corner of the training ground, began briefing him in a calm voice about what had transpired.

“Hmm, I see.”

Baek Jin-woo nodded.

It made sense when it came to Universal Runes.

They were among the highest-ranking rare runes he knew of.

“Well, it can’t be helped. As for the remaining five, that’s fine. It’ll take some time, but I can make them myself.”

“…Make them? Those runes?”

Yoo Ji-ah tilted her head with a puzzled look.

‘What is he talking about?’

Make limited-edition runes?

Is that even possible?

If it’s possible, that’s huge!

He could keep making them and sell them!

“Hehe, there’s a way.”

The Rune Dwarf’s absurd ability—

As long as there were materials, it could create any rune.

It didn’t matter if it was limited or not.

However…

‘The materials are quite demanding.’

Of course, for the Rune Dwarf to produce even limited-edition runes, Hun-gyo’s potential abilities needed to be unlocked.

That’s why the Rune Dwarf was just an ordinary summon during the time of 「Battle of Summoners」.

“By the way, Jin-woo.”

“Yes.”

“There is another method, though it’s more of a coincidence than a plan… It turns out someone already owns those five Universal Runes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, a man named Ja-sim. He’s one of those oil kings from the Middle East. Apparently, his daughter is suffering from an incurable disease. With the world being all about summons lately, he seems to be heavily hinting that he’d do anything to solve the issue.”

“Ah.”

Heal his daughter and ask for the Universal Runes in return?

But, well.

‘I’m not a doctor.’

How was he supposed to cure an incurable disease?

Especially since someone that wealthy had probably tried every possible method.

“I’ve managed to get his contact information just in case, but I guess that method would be tough for you, right?”

“Yes, I can’t think of anything right now. Maybe an S-grade summon that can heal diseases could manage…? No, wait.”

At that moment, something crossed Baek Jin-woo’s mind.

Universal.

Wasn’t there a summon beside him that fit that word perfectly?

“Hun-gyo!”

Baek Jin-woo tilted his head back and called out to Hun-gyo, who was teaching in the open field.

– Yes, Master! Did you call for me?

Hun-gyo, who had been guiding another summon, dashed over instantly.

“Can you cure diseases?”

Hun-gyo was universal.

Dealer, healer, supporter, special roles—you name it, it could unlock the potential of any ability.

It had even trained Poryong and taught the Rune Dwarf how to hammer properly.

– I cannot guarantee that I can cure diseases… But thanks to my experience teaching Aso in the past, I should be able to assess the patient’s condition with ease.

“Oh, really?”

Aso was a martial artist.

Thanks to his ability to observe his body and control his qi and meridians, Hun-gyo had also learned to wield swords more fluidly!

“Wow, seriously?”

Even Yoo Ji-ah, who was listening nearby, was astonished.

‘What is this summon?’

The rumors labeled it E-grade, but why was it E-grade?

Judging by its achievements so far, it wouldn’t be strange if it were classified as S-grade.

“Even just identifying the disease would probably make him ecstatic, right?”

“Try contacting him. His name was Ja-sim, right?”

“Yes, Ja-sim.”

“Ask him if he’ll really give up the Universal Runes if we cure the disease.”

“Got it! I’ll contact him right away and let you know!”