AECS 09

Chapter 09

The Exam Goes Fast (1)

Following the staff member’s guidance, Baek Jin-woo entered the waiting room and spotted a familiar bearded face.

It was the current headquarters examiner, Park Chang-seok.

He spoke cautiously.

“Quite surprised, aren’t you?”

“Yes, well…”

Baek Jin-woo nodded.

“I knew you were someone from headquarters, but I never expected you to be the examiner.”

The bearded man gestured, and the staff member bowed and left.

Now, only two people remained in the waiting room: Park Chang-seok and Baek Jin-woo.

“The reason I called you here, Jin-woo, is nothing other than for calculating your reward.”

“Oh.”

Reward!

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes widened.

“Upon checking your identity, I found that you really are an unregistered player. Moreover, you’ve applied for registration, and you weren’t on any gang lists… naturally, you deserve a reward.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Baek Jin-woo swallowed. Headquarters seemed like a serious organization; he wondered what kind of reward they would give.

“Before we discuss the reward, I need to ask one thing.”

“Yes?”

Baek Jin-woo blinked.

“Jin-woo, were you… a gamer?”

Park had pondered endlessly. How could someone who had been bedridden in a hospital for three years know so much about summoners? It made sense only if he had been a gamer.

“A gamer?”

“People who used to play a game called Battle of Summoners War are referred to as gamers.”

“Oh.”

Baek Jin-woo’s mind worked quickly. He had already anticipated this when he stepped forward. Naturally, Park would be curious.

“Yes, I… did play it.”

“I thought so. How long did you play…?”

“Hm.”

What should he say? Saying ten years would be too specific. When he was called ‘Ilcheon (一天)’, there were fewer than 200 players worldwide.

As mentioned before, Baek Jin-woo didn’t want to reveal himself unnecessarily. Even if he did, it would only be after ensuring safety.

“Just casually, around a year or so…”

“Wow! Really?”

At that moment, Park Chang-seok’s expression lit up with admiration as he clasped Baek Jin-woo’s hands tightly.

“You really played that awful game for a whole year?”

“Uh… yes, but…”

Wait, did he just call it a ‘terrible game’? Battle of Summoners was Baek Jin-woo’s life back then. Calling it trash?

Of course, regardless of Baek Jin-woo’s feelings, Park was excited.

“One year?! Most Korean players couldn’t last half a year. Only a few survived the early stages for a year. Definitely a talented individual. Someone who spent a year on that boring game must have truly immersed themselves… now I understand why he knew about the Flame Resistance skill.”

There’s something veteran players always say: anyone who played that game for more than a year must be crazy. And if such a crazy person is found, the state must do whatever it takes to bring them in and nurture them.

Park’s heart raced.

“Could he be lying?”

Highly unlikely. Someone who just woke from a coma two days ago wouldn’t exaggerate a year of gameplay just to impress. That would actually indicate sharp intelligence.

“Now, I’ll propose two options for your reward. You may choose one.”

“Yes.”

“First…”

The bearded man held up one finger.

“I can immediately register you as a player under my authority. I can also secure a position for you at headquarters.”

This was an astonishing offer. Securing a player spot—one of only fifty per month—is already difficult, but entering headquarters itself, with all its strict procedures, was incredible.

Of course, this was just Park’s personal judgment.

“And the second option?”

Baek Jin-woo answered indifferently.

‘Why would I tie myself to headquarters?’

The legendary Ilcheon Jin-woo knew his own worth. With his disciples—the Five Emperors—recognized as top-level players by the state, why bother?

“…The second option is cash.”

“How much?”

“Five million won. It may seem small, but that’s what internal rules allow…”

“Fine. I’ll take the money.”

That would buy plenty of summoning scrolls.

“Excuse me?”

Park’s expression showed disbelief. Many wealthy people lobby tirelessly just to get registered. And he’s turning it down… for only 5 million?

“I can handle player registration myself. No need to enter headquarters.”

“Please reconsider. Even with your gamer knowledge, registration could take considerable time.”

“Thanks, but it’s fine.”

Baek Jin-woo was firm. What he needed now was growth. Especially after three years of absence, he had to act fast. Wasting time in an organization was out of the question.

“This is troublesome,” Park scratched his head. But there was nothing he could do. The first proposal was his judgment; the second was the upper management’s condition.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll see what a first-year gamer can do.”

“Good. The money will be deposited today.”

“Clean. Thank you.”

The training proceeded quickly. Lectures were held by university professors and expert players, followed by a written exam.

The questions were tough, drawn not only from lectures but also from the textbook. Relative evaluation meant nothing could be easy.

“How is it?”

Park asked the professors about Baek Jin-woo.

“He’s insane. There’s no other word. I can’t believe such a candidate exists!”

The professors, examining his answers, wore expressions of awe. Park was puzzled. Had he ever seen the proud, stern professors look like this before?

“Looking at these answers, I realize how narrow my perspective on runes has been.”

“Hrm… I only insisted on attack-speed runes for units with good attack-speed efficiency. Now I see there’s another approach. I’m ashamed of myself.”

“Runes must be flexible. The strength of the summoner depends on the runes…! The essence of what Baek Cheon from Taiwan emphasized is in this answer!”

Wow. Baek Jin-woo was that good?

“Of course, there are some signs of inexperience in his answers, but theoretically, it’s perfect.”

“Inexperience?”

“Yes, some of his countermeasures are unrealistic, but they make sense theoretically. This applicant… is a gamer, right?”

“Yes, about a year.”

“I’m impressed. His understanding of summoners and runes is far beyond other candidates. If developed well, he could become a ranked player.”

Praise flowed endlessly from the professors.

The more this happened, the more anxious Park became, recalling that Baek Jin-woo had previously rejected joining headquarters.

‘Should I have offered better conditions?’

After the written exam came the dungeon practical.

The dungeon was the “Weekday Dungeon” in the Player Zone.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Each day opened a different dungeon with different materials.

This practical was the Tuesday dungeon, where a polishing agent for runes could be obtained. The agent could enhance rune options.

“Applicant, Baek Jin-woo?”

“Yes.”

Having completed team selection, Baek Jin-woo walked toward the dungeon.

A headquarters staff member waiting at the entrance spoke.

“This practical exam is a time attack.”

“So I just need to clear it as fast as possible?”

“Yes. It’s a low-level Tuesday dungeon, so only slimes appear. It won’t be too difficult, though the layout is slightly complex.”

Got it. He’d done these weekday dungeons countless times over the past ten years. Even the time-attack records for each dungeon were his.

Of course, he hadn’t touched low-level dungeons much after the first few months. But low-level, mid-level, or high-level—the monsters’ strength differed, but the composition was the same.

“You must clear it as fast as possible using any registered team!”

This part was a little tricky. Some candidates had D- or C-grade summons. Naturally, they could outpace him in certain situations. Headquarters’ answer: relative evaluation rules apply.

Having strong summons is part of skill. Wealth to buy summons is also considered skill.

‘Fair enough.’

But actually, it didn’t matter. It was a low-level Tuesday dungeon. Difficulty was so low that the summons’ performance barely mattered. The player just had to move along the shortest route to clear it quickly.

‘Let’s go.’

Baek Jin-woo was excited. The god of time attacks! Now he could show the world how Ilcheon Jin-woo moves.

He nodded and dove into the dungeon.

[Kruk, Kruk!]
[The room is filled with poisonous slimes.]
[Defeat the slimes and escape the dungeon.]

The Tuesday dungeon was a maze. Using summons to defeat nearby slimes, the player could clear rooms one by one until reaching the boss room.

“Ramba.”

• “Yes! Moving now!”

The wind fairy swung her staff against the furry gorillas. Attack-speed stacks accumulated the moment they entered the dungeon.

• “Wooaaah!”

Feeling increasingly faster, the furry gorilla let out a satisfying roar.

“Ignore the small slimes. Everyone, follow me.”

True to the unforgiving design of Battle of Summoners, the Tuesday dungeon maze was complicated. Some paths were twisted to mislead players; some loops forced them back to the start.

The maze was random. But having repeated it countless times daily, Baek Jin-woo knew:

‘There are 21 types of maze layouts.’

Just by glancing at the entrance, he could identify the type. No need to memorize; experience had ingrained it.

• “Let’s gooo!”

With Ramba’s shout, Baek Jin-woo sprinted. The slimes rushed, but it didn’t matter. Low-level slimes were harmless and slow; they could be ignored.

The only ones that mattered were the giant slimes. They had a lot of HP, so to defeat one in a single go, plenty of attack-speed stacks were needed.

• “Hiyap! Hiyap!”

That’s why Ramba swung her staff so energetically.

Tada-dak!

Baek Jin-woo ran without hesitation, like he was seeing the map through a wallhack, taking the shortest path forward.

After about five minutes…

“There it is.”

A small corridor between rooms led to a huge open area. Sitting squarely in the middle was something massive.

That was the boss of the Tuesday dungeon: the giant slime.