I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Am Alone EX-Grade Summoner Episode 009

The Test is Quick (1)

Following the staff member’s guidance into the waiting room, I saw a familiar hairy figure.

The current judge of the headquarters, Park Chang-seok.

He carefully began to speak.

“You must be a bit surprised, right?”

“Yes, well.”

Baek Jin-woo nodded his head.

“I knew you were someone from the headquarters, but I had no idea you were actually a judge.”

When the hairy man gestured with his eyes, the staff member bowed and left.

Now there were only two people in the waiting room.

Park Chang-seok.

And Baek Jin-woo.

“The reason I called you here, Jin-woo, is none other than to calculate your reward.”

“Ah.”

Reward!

Baek Jin-woo’s eyes widened.

“After checking your identity, you really were an unregistered player. Moreover, you even applied for registration, and you’re not on any gang list either… We should naturally give you a reward.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Baek Jin-woo gulped.

He seemed quite high-ranking at the headquarters, so what kind of reward would he offer?

“Before I mention the reward, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes?”

As Baek Jin-woo blinked his eyes.

“Jin-woo, were you perhaps… a gamer?”

He had thought about it countless times.

How could someone who had been lying in a hospital for three years know so much about summoned creatures?

Unless he was a gamer, there was no other explanation.

“A gamer?”

“That’s what we call people who used to enjoy the game called Battle of Summoners War in the past.”

“Ah.”

Baek Jin-woo’s mind worked quickly.

Actually, he had expected this from the moment he stepped forward.

Of course they would find it strange.

“Yes, well… I did play it.”

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

“Hmm.”

What should he answer?

If he said 10 years, it would be too specific.

When he was Ilcheon, there were less than 200 people worldwide enjoying that game.

As mentioned before, Baek Jin-woo had no intention of revealing himself.

Even if he did reveal himself, it would have to be after securing some degree of safety.

“I just played it casually. About a year or so…?”

“Gasp! Really, is that true?”

Grab!

That’s when Park Chang-seok grasped both of Baek Jin-woo’s hands tightly with a moved expression.

“You really enjoyed that trash game for a whole year?”

“Uh…”

What?

“Yes, that’s right.”

That comment just now was a bit hurtful, wasn’t it?

He knew Battle of Summoners was a trash game, but it was the game he had staked his life on.

To disparage something that was no different from his everything with such a lowly expression as ‘trash game’!

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

‘One year?!’

Most of South Korea’s rankers were users who couldn’t last more than six months.

There were definitely players who lasted over a year, but they all died in the early days.

‘He’s definitely talented. The fact that he played that boring game for a whole year means he was genuinely absorbed in it… Then it makes sense that he recognized the flame resistance skill.’

There’s something rankers always say.

Anyone who played that damn game for more than a year wasn’t right in the head to begin with.

If you find such a crazy person, the nation should do whatever it takes to bring them in and nurture them.

Park Chang-seok’s heart beat rapidly.

‘What’s the possibility that he’s lying?’

Slim.

Would someone who had only been awake for two days deliberately claim one year to win his favor?

That would be something to acknowledge in its own way.

It would mean his mind works quickly.

“First, I’ll propose two types of rewards. Jin-woo, you just need to choose one of them.”

“Yes.”

“First.”

The hairy man held up one finger.

“I’ll register you as a player immediately with my authority. I’ll also arrange a position for you to work at the headquarters.”

This was an extremely exceptional proposal.

Not only giving away one of the 50 player positions available per month.

But also being able to enter the headquarters, which has procedures more stringent than most major corporations!

Of course, this was only Park Chang-seok’s perspective.

“What about the second option?”

Baek Jin-woo answered with an indifferent expression.

‘Trying to tie me down to the headquarters.’

Ilcheon Jinugod.

Baek Jin-woo knew his own worth better than anyone.

When the Five Emperors under him were recognized as nation-level players, what more needed to be said?

“…The second option is money.”

“How much?”

“A reward of 5 million won. It might seem a bit small, but due to internal regulations, it can’t be helped…”

“That’s good. I’ll take the money.”

With that money, he could buy quite a few summoning scrolls.

“What?”

Park Chang-seok made an expression of disbelief.

There were more than a few wealthy people who lobbied with thousands just to get player registration…

To throw away that opportunity so easily?

And for just 5 million?

“Player registration is something I can handle on my own. I have no particular desire to join the headquarters.”

“Please reconsider. No matter how much gamer knowledge you have, player registration might take quite a long time.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine.”

Baek Jin-woo was firm.

What he needed now was growth.

Especially to make up for his three-year absence, he needed to move even more busily.

Joining some organization and wasting time was out of the question.

‘This isn’t right.’

Park Chang-seok scratched his head, looking troubled.

But what could he do.

The person himself said he didn’t want to.

Actually, the first offer was his own judgment, and the second offer was the condition that came down from above.

‘Right.’

Let’s just see for once.

What level of skill a first-year gamer has.

“Good. The payment will be deposited by today.”

“Clean and simple, thank you.”

The training proceeded quickly.

There were lectures by university professors and professional players, and soon a written exam was held.

The exam content came from the lecture material, but also quite challenging questions from the textbook.

It couldn’t be helped.

Since it was graded on a curve.

“How is it?”

Park Chang-seok asked the professors.

He was asking about Baek Jin-woo.

“…Insane. The only word that comes out is insane. To think there was such an applicant!”

The professors wore ecstatic expressions as they looked at the answer sheet he submitted.

Park Chang-seok was puzzled.

Had he ever seen those proud and rigid professors make such expressions before?

“Ahem, seeing this answer sheet, I think I understand how narrow my perspective on runes has been.”

“Hmm… I’m ashamed of myself for stubbornly sticking only to attack speed-related runes just because a summoned creature has good attack speed efficiency. To think there was such a method.”

“Runes must be flexible, and the strength of summoned creatures is the strength of runes…! The essence of what Taiwan’s hero Baekcheon always emphasized is contained in this answer sheet!”

Huh.

Baek Jin-woo was that good?

“Of course, there are signs of inexperience here and there in the answer sheet, but theoretically it’s perfect.”

“Signs of inexperience?”

“Yes, occasionally he wrote down even absurd scenarios and their countermeasures… Those are literally things that would only exist in theory. This applicant, you said he’s a gamer?”

“Yes, for about a year.”

“I’m looking forward to it. His understanding of summoned creatures and runes is different from other applicants. If we nurture him well, he could become a ranker, couldn’t he?”

Praise flowed endlessly from the professors’ mouths.

‘Oho.’

The more this happened, the more anxious Park Chang-seok became.

He remembered how firmly he had rejected joining the headquarters last time.

‘Should I have recruited him with better conditions?’

After the written test came the dungeon practical exam.

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

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Each opens according to its concept, and the materials obtainable differ by day of the week.

This practical exam was the Tuesday Dungeon, which yields polish that can be applied to runes.

Polish is a material that can enhance the options attached to runes.

“Applicant, Mr. Baek Jin-woo?”

“Yes.”

Baek Jin-woo, having finished his team composition, walked toward the front of the dungeon.

A headquarters staff member who had been waiting in front spoke up.

“This practical exam is a time attack.”

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

“Yes, since it’s a low-grade Tuesday Dungeon, only slimes appear. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Though the path is a bit complicated.”

I know, I know.

If it’s a daily dungeon, I ran it tediously for 10 years.

The time attack records for daily dungeons by grade were also held by Ilcheon Jinugod.

Of course, I didn’t run low-grade dungeons except for the first few months.

But whether low-grade or supreme-grade.

Only the strength of the mobs differs; the composition is the same.

“You just need to use the team you registered and clear it quickly by any means necessary!”

This part was a bit ambiguous.

Among the registered applicants, there were also those who had D-grade or C-grade summoned creatures.

Competing against them would naturally put me at a disadvantage, wouldn’t it?

The headquarters’ answer to this was:

– It’s graded on a curve, so it can’t be helped!

They would consider having strong summoned creatures as part of one’s ability.

The financial power to buy summoned creatures is also ability.

‘That’s right, though.’

But actually, it didn’t matter.

After all, it’s just a low-grade Tuesday Dungeon, isn’t it?

Low-grade is so easy in difficulty that it doesn’t matter about summoned creature performance.

It clears quickly as long as the player just moves well along the shortest route.

‘Shall I go?’

Baek Jin-woo was excited.

The god of time attacks!

Now I can show Jinugod’s movements to the whole world, can’t I?

Nodding his head, he dove into the dungeon.

[Kreurk, kreureurk!]

[The room is full of toxic slimes.]

[Defeat the slimes and escape the dungeon.]

The Tuesday Dungeon is a maze.

By clearing rooms one by one while killing nearby slimes with summoned creatures, you can reach the boss room.

“Ramba.”

– Yes! I’m moving right away!

Whoosh, whoosh!

Ramba swung her staff at the Fur Gorilla.

The Wind Fairy’s attack speed stack builds up the moment you enter the dungeon.

– Uwooooooooo!

The Fur Gorilla, feeling good about gradually getting faster, let out a roar.

“Ignore the slimes. Everyone follow me.”

True to the unfriendly game “Battle of Summoners,” the Tuesday Dungeon maze is quite complex.

There were paths deliberately twisted to mess with players, and paths designed to make you return to where you started.

The maze is random.

But Baek Jin-woo, who had run it countless times every day, knows.

‘There are a total of 21 types of mazes.’

Just by looking at the entrance at the beginning, the type came to mind.

He didn’t even try to memorize it on purpose.

When you try to run quickly every single day, your body just remembers.

– Let’s gooooo!

With Ramba’s shout, Baek Jin-woo ran.

Slimes rushed at him, but it was fine.

Since it’s low-grade, they’re not threatening, and above all, they’re slow.

You can just ignore them and pass by.

The only thing to kill is the giant slime.

Of course, since the giant slime has quite a lot of health, you need to build up quite a few stacks to take it down in one go.

– Hiyah! Hiyah!

That’s why Ramba is swinging her staff so enthusiastically like that.

Tap tap tap!

Baek Jin-woo’s running steps showed no hesitation.

As if he was looking at the map with a map hack, he continued running in the shortest distance possible.

After about 5 minutes had passed like that.

“Over there.”

Between the rooms, there was a small path in the corridor, and after passing through that narrow space, an incredibly large open area came into view.

And sitting right in the middle of it was something.

That’s the boss mob of the Tuesday Dungeon.

A giant slime.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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