AECS 07

Chapter 07

A Changed Reality

Inside the café.

A gloomy-looking, bearded man sat there.

Slurp!

He sipped his coffee while checking the player registration waiting list. Despite looking like a beggar, he was a fairly well-known summoner in South Korea.

His name was Park Chang-seok.

A member of the headquarters, he owned three C-rank summons that he had raised for over two years.

“Tch-tch.”

He clicked his tongue.

“Hmm… they’re only picking fifty people from all this? That’s it?”

Although he had worked at the headquarters for a while, he didn’t like the way the higher-ups did things.

“Picking fifty a month… what do they expect, to become a summoning powerhouse?”

South Korea was currently at the bottom of the league. The problem was the lack of talent.

“You need more players to find talent, otherwise nothing will happen.”

He downed his iced Americano in one shot, frowning.

Powerful summoning nations usually adopt a self-competition system. They don’t control the number of players. Everyone is allowed to try, and only the strong survive.

Park Chang-seok thought South Korea should do the same.

“These old bureaucrats… all of them should just die. They have no clue about the field.”

Just as he shook his head in disbelief,

Bang!

The café door was smashed.

“What… what?!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The people inside screamed in surprise.

Wiiiiiing!

Alarms blared throughout the building.

“What the…?”

Park Chang-seok turned his head sharply toward the broken door. A massive summon stood there.

Its sharp gaze swept the area, freezing the civilians in place.

“That’s…”

He knew this summon well.

A C-rank Blood Orc.

“Hah, those crazy bastards.”

Park Chang-seok sighed and stood up.

One reason South Korea was considered weak in summoning was because of people like this.

Summoner gangs.

Criminals who used to live in the shadows now had summons protecting them from guns, and they wreaked havoc.

“Hey, Park Chang-seok. You’re here, huh?”

Step by step, a man approached with a casual expression.

That punk was the owner of the Orc.

“You little… you thought you could live comfortably at the headquarters after killing my brothers? Huh?”

Behind the Orc were four supporting summons. That was the gang’s team.

“What is this madness?”

A murderous intent flashed in Park Chang-seok’s eyes.

At the same time—

Creak!

A wooden vine sprang from the floor: a C-rank Woodman.

Fwoosh!

A C-rank Flame Turtle appeared.

And fluttering lightly, a C-rank Fire Butterfly joined in.

Those were Park Chang-seok’s signature summons.

Two D-rank summons followed. That completed his team.

The two players glared at each other.

“Ugh.”

“…The gang versus the headquarters.”

“They’re practically itching to fight each other these days.”

“Damn, why here?”

The café’s atmosphere instantly froze.

The reason a thug can act so brazenly is simple. Protective Shields.

As long as they keep their summons out, even a nuke wouldn’t hurt them.

With no way to control them by force, these criminals ignore the law and wreak havoc. South Korea was essentially at war with crime.

“What the hell is going on?”

Baek Jin-woo was equally shocked.

Things that were impossible inside Battle of Summoners were happening in real life.

No way…

Fighting in the middle of Seoul like street thugs?

“By the way…”

Blood Orc, Woodman, Flame Turtle, Fire Butterfly… all well-known summons.

He had studied and tried to make use of them in every possible way, but usually only for materials. Here, they actually worked?

“Wh-what happens to us then? Sniff…”

A café part-timer whispered from a corner, terrified.

Another person answered:

“What do you mean ‘what happens’? You just pray the headquarters’ player wins.”

“Eh?”

“The gang treats civilians like flies. But judging by him, I think that’s Park Chang-seok. He’s nicknamed Yaksha.”

Yaksha—a guardian spirit from Indian mythology who punishes the wicked.

He had slaughtered countless gang members, earning that title. In South Korea, anyone registered as a gang member can be executed immediately without legal consequences.

“Emergency! Everyone summon your creatures according to the manual! Deploy protective shields!”

Park Chang-seok shouted to the civilians.

Baek Jin-woo immediately summoned Lamba.

[‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) has been summoned!]

• …!

The fairy appeared, covering her mouth with her hands when she realized there were so many people around.

Thanks to Lamba, a protective shield formed.

Watching the civilians hurriedly summon their creatures, the gang laughed.

“Kukukuku, so the champion of justice shows up?”

“….”

“You worried I’d kill everyone here?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll kill you first.”

“Is that so? Try it, then!”

Kuga-gaga-gaga!

The two players collided.

Clang! Smash!

5 vs. 5. The five monsters’ clash brought down lights and sent marble fragments flying.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Save me!”

“Ughhh!”

The civilians cowered in fear, but the shield kept them safe.

Baek Jin-woo observed from the corner.

One thing was certain.

“Good thing I’m hiding I’m Jinugod.”

If such terrifying terrorists existed in reality, living quietly was definitely the safer option.

“First…”

Let’s assess the situation.

Judging by summons alone, the headquarters had the advantage. Definitely.

The gang had one C-rank, Park Chang-seok had three.

Kuga-gaga-gaga!

But watching the battle, Park Chang-seok was clearly losing.

“Why use that skill at that timing?”

Baek Jin-woo couldn’t understand. His mind instantly visualized the proper strategy… which Park Chang-seok wasn’t following.

That was understandable. Compared to Jin-woo, who had trained countless times in the game for years… Park Chang-seok had only lived three years in reality. His judgment and instincts were naturally limited.

“Is this the Yaksha?”

Despite his reputation, he seemed severely lacking.

Even Lamba covered her eyes in disbelief, as if she couldn’t bear to watch.

“Hahaha! Where’s the headquarters’ Yaksha now? That’s all?”

The gang pressed on.

People murmured.

“Wh-what do we do?”

“Park Chang-seok is losing!”

“No way… he’s losing?”

“Did SOS send support?”

“It looks like backup is coming from the headquarters, but there’s no time! If Park Chang-seok falls… we all die!”

Distrust of the gang filled the room.

“What to do…”

Baek Jin-woo hesitated.

Should he help Park Chang-seok? On what grounds?

No, first… if he helps, it could cause trouble later.

Hadn’t he just decided to live quietly until he grew stronger?

Kuga-gaga-gaga!

The Blood Orc’s axe tore the Woodman’s branches apart.

“Kieeeek!”

The tortured wooden creature screamed.

It looked like the gang might win.

Before deciding to stay hidden, he needed to survive.

“Excuse me, sir.”

Finally, Baek Jin-woo stepped forward. His fur stood on end from the tension, but if he didn’t act, people could die.

Park Chang-seok extended his right hand to stop him.

“It’s dangerous! Please wait in the corner!”

“No, that’s not it—”

“Your interference will ruin the battle! Trust me and wait! Backup will arrive soon!”

Ugh. That stubborn man.

Baek Jin-woo wasn’t intimidated.

“That’s not it. The Flame Turtle’s skill timing is wrong.”

“……?”

“They’re applying ‘fire resistance’ buffs behind the Blood Orc. Why use the skill then?”

Basically, he was losing with three C-ranks against one C-rank.

Baek Jin-woo kept that part in mind, too. The man looked too scary to simply criticize.

Meanwhile…

Park Chang-seok felt as if he’d been hit in the back of the head.

“Fire resistance?”

Had he prepared such a skill? He knew the gang’s summon composition had changed, but not their exact skills. That was impossible; there were tens of thousands of summon types.

“But…”

It made sense. That Blood Orc used to be hard to notice, but whenever the support summoned a skill, it glowed red.

“So that was fire resistance.”

After Baek Jin-woo advised him, the thug’s confident expression stiffened. He looked eager to finish quickly.

“Maybe I’ll trust him.”

There was no other way.

Park Chang-seok waited until the Blood Orc’s buffs wore off.

When the time came:

“Flame Turtle!”

Fwoosh!

The bipedal turtle opened its mouth and spewed fire.

The advancing Orc staggered back, unable to withstand it.

Crazy! It was working!

Park Chang-seok licked his dry lips.

“It was real?”

He glanced back. The young man nodded, stepping back after revealing the method.

“Who…ever you are, finishing this is only a matter of time.”

“Damn, you cunning little…”

The gang leader glared at Baek Jin-woo but could do nothing.

Flame Turtle and Fire Butterfly coordinated their skills. The Blood Orc could only retreat.

If the buffers applied fire resistance again? They didn’t even need to attack the Orc.

Instead:

Creak, crack!

The Woodman targeted the buffers.

• “Krek?”

Then the Blood Orc had no options. The buffers had allowed it to survive before. If the buffers fell, the Orc couldn’t act defensively.

When the fire resistance wore off again:

Fwoosh!

The Orc was hit with skills again.

• “Kweeeeeeek!”

The C-rank Orc was ultimately incinerated. The buffers were easily dealt with.

“Wait a minute!”

With all summons retracted, the gang’s shield gone, he stumbled backward.

“Okay, I surrender! Hand me over to the police!”

Now, surrendering meant nothing.

Park Chang-seok’s title was Yaksha for a reason.

“Shut up. You’re execution-ready.”

Creak!

The Woodman’s vines wrapped around the thug’s body.

“Wait! Kyaaa! Wait!”

Then, Poof!

Handled in a way that was safe for civilians. The thug’s body? The Woodman’s nutrients would recycle it.

“Woooah!”

“Good job, Park Chang-seok! That felt great!”

“We won. Woo-hoo! We won!”

The cheering people weren’t disgusted; they were thrilled.

Baek Jin-woo watched, shaking his head.

Though uneasy, he felt something clearly.

This world…

“It’s completely different from what I knew.”

Even criminals here worship murder.

Perhaps, with his old mindset, survival would be impossible.

To survive in this world…

“I have to change too, don’t I?”

A bitter expression crossed Baek Jin-woo’s face just as Park Chang-seok approached him.