Chapter 53
War Against Crime (2)
Hanam City, a private café.
Kugugugu…!
A sudden tremor startled Baek Ah-jin and her friends.
“What… what was that?”
“An earthquake?”
Crash!
Coffee cups on the table spilled.
The shaking was strong enough that some of the friends shouted:
“Guys, get under the table!”
“Eek!”
During an earthquake, you shouldn’t run around. The first step is to protect yourself under a solid object, and only evacuate once the shaking subsides.
Guided by friends who knew the proper earthquake procedures, they quickly moved.
“Th-there!”
One of them pointed outside the window.
“…A golem?”
A huge golem filled the entire window.
“This is insane.”
“Why is there a golem?”
“Wasn’t it an earthquake?”
In South Korea, summoning large-scale monsters in public areas requires official permission. Summoning a golem in a city could cause massive damage to property, which is why it’s tightly controlled.
But for a golem like this to appear in a Hanam City café…
“…Terrorism?”
Ah-jin frowned.
KRAAANG!
Three figures burst through the café door.
All armed with their summons.
‘Those people…’
Ah-jin recognized them instantly. Her friends did too.
“O Ji-myung!”
“Park Ho-seop too!”
They were famous players, ranked 9th and 10th nationally, and just a few days ago, they’d been crushed by her brother like dogs.
“Why are they here…?”
“And something feels off…”
Her friends swallowed nervously.
Thud.
O Ji-myung stepped forward.
“Who here is Baek Ah-jin?”
Of course, he wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. He had already obtained her appearance information from the gang.
“Found you.”
O Ji-myung casually scanned the room, then pointed at Ah-jin.
- Grrr…
From the shadows, the Shadow Wolf growled.
“What do you want with me?”
“I won’t waste words.”
With a gesture from O Ji-myung, the café glass shattered. His signature summoned golem, the Berserk Stone Golem (B-rank), reached in.
“All of you. Disarm yourselves and get on top of this golem. Then I promise we’ll treat you politely.”
No one with sense could have misunderstood.
‘Kidnapping.’
Ah-jin was dumbfounded.
“W-why are you doing this to us?”
Could it really be…
Just because her brother defeated them in a multi-player battle, they’re taking petty revenge like this?
“Ahjin…”
“What’s happening?”
“I’m scared.”
Her terrified friends huddled behind her.
No one moved onto the golem.
As the tense standoff continued:
“Rankers. You might be new to the gang, but you don’t treat kids like this nicely.”
One of the three stepped forward, the boldest of them. His eyes glistened with a sinister intent.
“You have 10 seconds.”
Simultaneously, he raised a finger.
“Anyone who doesn’t get on the golem within 10 seconds will be killed. And…”
Sssht!
A mysterious summon appeared near the Shadow Elf behind Ah-jin, drawing a dagger.
And then…
Pwoah!
The dagger stabbed the Shadow Elf’s neck. One strike!
Ah-jin’s summon collapsed.
“How dare you defy me? You’ll die.”
“C-what the hell…”
Ah-jin and her friends were shocked.
‘A gang!’
‘O Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop joined a gang?’
‘Insane, worthless trash!’
The citizens of the nation always lived in fear of gangs. They had often wondered if they’d ever face one… but never imagined it would be today.
“Everyone.”
Ah-jin’s voice trembled.
“Don’t move. Trust me.”
Had her brother predicted this day?
He had gifted her a skill.
‘Desperate Call.’
She desperately activated the skill she registered on Shadow Wolf.
Simultaneously, she prayed:
“Brother. Please come quickly!”
Meanwhile, a meal enjoyed at Jasim’s hospitality was abruptly interrupted.
[‘Shadow Wolf’ (B-rank) desperately calls for Player Baek Jin-woo.]
[Will you respond?]
[Y/N]
“…!”
Baek Jin-woo’s eyes widened.
The Shadow Wolf belonged to his sister, Ah-jin. She had instructed him to activate it in case of true emergency.
“Jasim.”
Baek Jin-woo said to Jasim, who was dining across from him:
“Something urgent came up. I’ll go first. I’ll contact you later.”
No time for formalities.
He pressed Yes.
“What?!”
Yu Jiah jumped up.
She had received a call from the security firm they hired.
- People who appear to be gang members have infiltrated the headquarters! The Player Response Team is on it, but there are already casualties! Th-the number of players is overwhelming!
“Insane.”
Why target us?
The situation was urgent. Even with a fairly reliable security firm, casualties already meant the gang was taking extreme measures.
“Gyaaaak!”
“Eek!”
Screams came from outside.
Why were they attacking so recklessly? The answer was one:
‘Jin-woo.’
They intended to threaten or manipulate him, likely to capture anything he cared about.
‘Bastards.’
Biting her lip, Yu Jiah blamed herself.
She had been too complacent. She should have arranged for top-ranked players to remain at headquarters, at least when Baek Jin-woo wasn’t around.
She had called the emergency bell and requested help from Daeseong, but there wasn’t enough time.
‘Should I activate the Desperate Call?’
She considered summoning him. But then:
- The gang has also targeted Baek Ah-jin! It’s a nearby café, and O Ji-myung and Park Ho-seop, now allied with the gang, are here with a golem!
The security firm’s report made her hesitate. Summoning both sides could confuse Jin-woo. But at least here, there was no one to defend Ah-jin.
‘Damn, what do I do?’
Just as Yu Jiah was panicking:
- Reinforcements have arrived!
Huh? Reinforcements? Already?
It made no sense. Only about 30 seconds had passed since the emergency call.
- Amazing! Carpe Diem and the heads of the Arirang Guild! They were near the Yubaek area, sensed something wrong, and intervened! This is manageable!
Gae Ji-hyeok, Kang Ji-ho, Hong Ari, Oh Sun-young. Four of the country’s strongest players had arrived.
‘Why here?’
It was still an undeveloped area, mostly mountains… but at least it was fortunate.
“5, 4, 3…”
The terrorist’s mouth twisted in frustration.
“See? They’re not moving. 2.”
They had given 10 seconds, yet no one obeyed.
Bloodshed was inevitable. Ah-jin was valuable as a hostage, but killing a few friends would make controlling them easier.
“1.”
The assassin summon, which had recalled the Shadow Elf, raised the dagger again.
Yes. They should have started by killing one girl.
“0.”
The sword moved.
Screech!
Something shot through the assassin’s body at incredible speed.
- Kyaaaek?
The assassin tilted their head, a line slicing across them.
Then…
Pwoah!
They were bisected and forcibly recalled.
“What, what?!”
Amid the stunned shouts of the terrorists, the most famous summon in South Korea appeared.
The Training Instructor.
And…
“Ahjin.”
Behind him, Baek Jin-woo appeared, eyes narrowed, assessing the situation.
“B-brother!”
“Baek Jin-woo?”
“Player Baek Jin-woo!”
The girls, pale moments ago, regained color.
The situation was obvious. Armed gangsters, O Ji-myung, Park Ho-seop—what did that imply?
“…Those bastards.”
Jin-woo was furious. Pure, unadulterated fury.
‘How dare they touch my family?’
“Brother! They tried to kidnap us! They even brought a golem and threatened to kill us if we didn’t get on within 10 seconds!”
“That’s right! We saw it!”
“I-I was so scared!”
Kugugugu…!
The Shadow Wolf sensed Jin-woo’s emotions.
From the Training Instructor, overwhelming energy radiated, pressing down on everyone in the space, asking Jin-woo:
Master, how shall we handle this?
“Subdue them all.”
Baek Jin-woo’s voice quietly echoed through the café.
Swish!
The Training Instructor’s sword moved.
“C- crazy…”
O Ji-myung was stunned.
Not only was Jin-woo’s sudden appearance shocking, but the Training Instructor’s power was now on an entirely different level.
‘How is that possible?’
Ten seconds. Just ten seconds.
That was all it took to recall all the gang members’ summons—a total of 45.
Slrreeeng!
The Training Instructor elegantly sheathed the sword after cutting them all down.
‘How is that an E-rank summon?!’
Thud.
The Training Instructor didn’t stop at the summons. He walked toward the humans.
“W-wait a minute!”
“Let’s talk, talk!”
O Ji-myung raised his hands, panicked.
Bam!
A front kick struck his abdomen. The Training Instructor’s kick, not ordinary, delivered a unique impact.
“K-Kuaaaak…!”
O Ji-myung collapsed forward, struggling to breathe.
Park Ho-seop, seeing this, panicked.
Ranker or not, without summons, humans are just humans.
“P-please spare me!”
He dropped to his knees, but the Training Instructor delivered another soccer-kick.
Bam!
He hit the café wall, bones audibly cracking. Though not lethal, the blow could leave lifelong injuries.
The remaining gangsters were subdued similarly, knocked lightly to pressure vital points.
Situation resolved.
The Training Instructor looked at Baek Jin-woo, who nodded.
Buzz!
His phone vibrated. A message.
[Yu Jiah: Jin-woo, are you in the country? Things are crazy in Yubaek! Ah-jin is in danger too, you know the situation, right?]
Jin-woo immediately grasped the situation.
‘If it’s Yubaek…’
Those bastards.
They were targeting not only Ah-jin but his parents too.
“Training Instructor.”
The Instructor nodded silently.
“Keep these three safe. Ah-jin.”
“Yeah?”
“Your friends?”
“Yeah!”
“It’s dangerous. Go home quickly, stay close to the Instructor here.”
Ah-jin, sensing the urgency in his expression, nodded quickly.
Swish!
Baek Jin-woo flew out the broken window on the Sky Wyvern.
