I Alone Am an EX-Class Summoner

Chapter 56 War Against Crime (5)

In truth, Jo Ji-hak and his executives didn’t have many options.

Surrender?

That would guarantee a death sentence.

The crimes they had committed were practically tantamount to those of an anti-national organization.

Escape?

That didn’t seem likely either.

Judging by Baek Jin-woo’s actions so far, it was clear he possessed information-gathering capabilities surpassing even those of the state.

In that case, there was only one answer!

“Launch a combined attack!”

Jo Ji-hak immediately deployed his summons.

‘I know you’re strong, Baek Jin-woo.’

But.

Charging in alone against the executives of our gang might not have been your best decision.

“Attack!”

“Kill him!”

In an instant, countless summons surrounded Baek Jin-woo.

As expected of a gang, all of them were summons designed specifically for PvP combat.

Baek Jin-woo didn’t remain idle either.

Srrrng!

Hun-gyo’s sword was drawn.

Whoosh!

Dol-dol’s scythe was raised.

However.

The speed at which they wielded their weapons was unbelievable.

Not just fast, but… unsettlingly fast.

‘What’s going on?’

‘How are they so quick?’

‘I can’t even see them move!’

It felt as though they existed in a different dimension altogether.

That was only natural.

Both of them had over two hours of stacked buffs from Lamba.

Thwack!

The Grim Reaper drove its scythe into the head of a summon.

“……!”

As a few of the executives’ eyes widened in shock.

Whirl!

The scythe spun in a wide arc.

Splat!

The entire space was filled with blood and torn flesh.

‘What the hell?’

‘How can they move so fast?’

With just one attack.

About 30 summons, which had been gathered in formation to strike, had their HP slashed deeply.

Well.

Surviving a single hit wasn’t too difficult.

Dol-dol wasn’t equipped with a Graduation Rune; it only had a standard high-grade rune.

But that wasn’t the issue.

Splat! Whirl! Whirl-whirl-whirl!

The speed at which Dol-dol struck and spun was extraordinary.

Most summons couldn’t even react in time—it was as though there were more than eight Dol-dols, their afterimages scattering in every direction.

It happened in a flash.

Within just 20 seconds, over 90% of the attacking summons were reverse-summoned.

“This… this makes no sense.”

Jo Ji-hak, who had been watching the scene, muttered to himself.

Even when witnessing world leagues and top-ranked players, he had never once said, “This doesn’t make sense.”

But looking at Baek Jin-woo’s summons…

This was truly nonsensical.

“…It’s just absurd.”

The world was unfair.

Where in the world could you find summons like that?

Even the renowned Rachel would probably shake her head in disbelief.

“If I’d known someone like him would show up, I’d never have joined this gang in the first place.”

I would’ve just lived quietly, enjoying a modest life.

Leap!

While Dol-dol was swinging its scythe, Hun-gyo wasn’t idle either.

Hun-gyo moved nimbly, systematically hunting down the enemy summons.

Swish, slash! Slice!

Weaving through the battlefield, avoiding attacks, and striking critical points, his movements resembled a dance.

The gang’s executives.

The elite of the gang.

Were being dismantled by just two summons.

And in a matter of moments.

Most of their protective shields had already shattered, and thanks to the firepower of the Explosive Dragon Sage, they couldn’t even retreat.

That wasn’t all.

Tap!

Whenever Hun-gyo found a player with a broken shield, he would lightly snap his fingers and press a pressure point.

A five-minute paralysis technique.

It was the punishment for daring to defy his lord.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Uuuugh!”

One by one.

They collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony and kicking up dust.

“Ha.”

Jo Ji-hak let out a short breath.

Against the approaching natural disaster, there was nothing he could do.

All he could do was await his turn.

“Shit.”

Fwoosh!

The flames of combustion burning around the abandoned building felt unusually hot.

***

Ten minutes after Baek Jin-woo’s arrival.

The headquarters members, the police, and Congressman Park Chang-seok also reached the abandoned building.

The situation was already under control.

The gang members, bound tightly with tape brought by Lamba, were drooling and trembling on the ground.

Baek Jin-woo handed them over to Park Chang-seok.

“This is… unbelievable.”

Congressman Park Chang-seok expressed his amazement.

Jo Ji-hak, who hadn’t been captured despite three years of effort, was taken down in less than a week.

Not only that.

Even the gang members hiding across the country were uprooted, like pulling out a tree by its roots.

And it was all thanks to a single player.

“Please handle the aftermath, Uncle.”

“Of course!”

Park Chang-seok clasped Baek Jin-woo’s hands tightly with both of his.

Baek Jin-woo was now undeniably the nation’s top asset.

A hero deserving to be designated as National Intangible Cultural Property No. 1, and someone who should be supported in every possible way!

“Thank you.”

Park Chang-seok was a congressman.

A representative chosen by the people’s vote.

As such, he conveyed his gratitude on behalf of the people.

“Thanks to you, South Korea has become a much safer place.”

Today.

South Korea’s symbol of crime—the gang—was eradicated.

***

The people felt relieved.

—

[Player Baek Jin-woo annihilates the gang in a single day!]

[Gang members with murder records sentenced to death; public cheers!]

[Shocking gang member testimony: “The gang’s elite were wiped out in less than a minute.”]

[Player Headquarters announces stricter measures against summon-related crimes!]

—

With the gang apprehended.

And the headquarters declaring total eradication of crime, the public raised their thumbs in approval.

Even those too scared to leave their homes began dining out and enjoying shopping trips.

Domestic consumption began to flourish once more!

“Hahaha.”

In the Player Headquarters conference room.

The Headquarters Chief couldn’t stop smiling.

As Baek Jin-woo’s name rose higher and higher, even the public had kind words for the headquarters.

└ When the headquarters said they’d support him with 1 trillion won, I thought it was excessive. Turns out it wasn’t!

└ I work at the headquarters. The new policy? It’s simple. Just fully support Baek Jin-woo.

└ Makes sense! That’s exactly how it should be!

└ Congressman Park Chang-seok is completely on Team Baek Jin-woo, and even the Chief seems unable to refuse.

└ Oh.

└ We’d better re-elect him next time. Maybe even give him more to do!

“Hehehe.”

The Headquarters Chief couldn’t help but grin foolishly, completely ignoring his age and dignity.

As a result, the atmosphere in the conference room was bright.

“Chief, what did I tell you?”

Park Chang-seok spoke.

“I said all you need to do is support Player Baek Jin-woo, and half the work is done.”

“Hahaha! It’s not just half—it’s like we’re flying to the moon!”

“Speaking of which.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t we reward him?”

Baek Jin-woo had completely healed South Korea of its gang problem.

And after receiving treatment, it’s only right to pay the doctor’s fee!

“A reward! Of course, he deserves one!”

The costs the headquarters had been incurring to deal with the gang were substantial.

Now that Baek Jin-woo had taken care of that, rewarding him was more than justified.

Park Chang-seok had made an excellent point.

Moreover, the current public sentiment was such that withholding a reward could backfire.

“How much should we give him?”

“What’s there to think about? Use all the remaining budget for this year.”

“…All of it?”

The Chief looked hesitant, as though that might be too much.

Maintaining the headquarters required funds, after all.

Such a suggestion was bound to raise concerns.

“Player Baek Jin-woo has been doing the headquarters’ work entirely on his own. Why not leave just enough for basic maintenance and allocate the rest to him? Since direct cash rewards aren’t allowed under the regulations, we could provide runes or items instead.”

“Hmm… Alright. Let’s do that.”

“That’s a bold decision, Chief. I’ll discuss it with YooBaek’s representative and submit the proposal for approval.”

Park Chang-seok held a 5% share in YooBaek.

Not presently, of course—but as part of a future agreement to be allocated to him once he stepped down from his position at the headquarters.

With a system contract binding Yoo Ji-ah and YooBaek, there was no risk of disputes or misunderstandings regarding the share agreement.

Furthermore.

Baek Jin-woo was YooBaek’s most valuable asset.

If 1 trillion won were to be allocated to Baek Jin-woo?

Park Chang-seok’s personal share would amount to 50 billion won.

From now on, Park Chang-seok intended to fully leverage the headquarters’ resources to increase Baek Jin-woo’s value as much as possible.

***

“Yoo Ji-ah.”

After wrapping up everything, Baek Jin-woo returned to the YooBaek headquarters to meet Yoo Ji-ah.

“Oh, Jin-woo, you’re back?”

She greeted him warmly while organizing documents on her desk.

Lately, Yoo Ji-ah had been incredibly busy.

With Baek Jin-woo constantly making headlines and trending in online communities, she had been busy building a management team and a response team to handle the public and media attention.

“Yes, I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“What is it?”

“Well done so far, but next time, in a critical situation, don’t hesitate to use Desperate Call.”

Baek Jin-woo had pieced everything together.

And.

He understood why Yoo Ji-ah hadn’t called for him in such a dire moment.

It was for Ah-jin’s sake.

She likely wanted to avoid a scenario where her desperate call for him conflicted with Ah-jin’s own call, which could have led to confusion for him.

Her thoughtfulness was admirable, but it wasn’t necessary.

“Hun-gyo has grown stronger. Now, even if you both call for me at the same time, I’ll be able to respond adequately. So… if something feels off, just use it immediately.”

In a situation like the last one?

He could have gone to Ah-jin first, deployed Hun-gyo, and then shifted over to Yoo Ji-ah’s side to utilize Dol-dol.

It would have been much faster and safer.

Baek Jin-woo wanted her to understand this.

“Got it. Thank you for explaining it to me.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Oh, and… about those rankers?”

In his rage against the gang, he had prioritized destroying them above everything else, leaving some matters unresolved.

Among them were the four rankers:

Hong Ah-ri, Oh Sun-young, Ki Jae-hyuk, and Kang Ji-ho.

Without their intervention, things could have gone terribly wrong.

Yoo Ji-ah or even his family could have been kidnapped.

He couldn’t just let it slide.

“Oh! Those people!”

Yoo Ji-ah clapped her hands.

“They came to see you that day.”

“To see me?”

“Yes. It seems they’re still eager to meet you, but you’ve been so busy lately…”

“…I suppose I have been.”

“So I arranged for them to stay in a few of our apartment units. I told them to rest while they wait for you.”

This was a clever move on Yoo Ji-ah’s part.

Knowing that Baek Jin-woo was always on the move, she had effectively stationed the rankers nearby to keep them available.

“They’re probably still waiting there now.”

“Are they?”

What could it be?

He decided to visit them.

***

The contact information of the national team members had already been collected.

Baek Jin-woo, now at the training ground, called for them.

The four rankers responded quickly and arrived without delay.

“Hyuuung-niiiim!”

“We heard the news! You’re incredible as always, hyung-nim!”

Ki Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho, despite not knowing Baek Jin-woo for long, had already started treating him like an older brother.

“…Ahem, well. That was pretty impressive.”

“….”

Hong Ah-ri and Oh Sun-young maintained a slight distance, their ears perked up as they listened attentively.

“First, I want to thank all four of you.”

Baek Jin-woo bowed his head.

“No, hyung-nim!”

“There’s no need for that! How could you bow to us, your juniors?”

The two younger rankers jumped up and down in protest.

Hong Ah-ri seemed flustered, waving her hands awkwardly.

But Oh Sun-young…

“Fighting against criminals is an obligation. I don’t want to be thanked for something that should be expected.”

She approached and gently lifted Baek Jin-woo’s bowed head.

Then, she exchanged a look with Hong Ah-ri, Ki Jae-hyuk, and Kang Ji-ho.

Their gazes burned with intensity, silently communicating something.

Eventually.

Ki Jae-hyuk stepped forward, unable to hold back any longer.

“Hyung-nim!”

He shut his eyes tightly and shouted.

“If you’re truly grateful! Please accept us as your disciples! We’re begging you!”