Chapter 54
War Against Crime (3)
The situation on Yu Jiah’s side was tense.
A security company and four national-ranked players were defending against the gang’s invasion.
Meanwhile, over twenty gang members were recklessly attacking as if their lives depended on it.
“Ugh, disgusting bastards.”
Hong Ari frowned in irritation as she controlled her summoned creatures.
“If you’re getting pushed back, then just fall back already. Why are you clinging on like this?”
Even with South Korea’s comparatively low level of players, there were four national-ranked players here.
A normal gang would have tested the waters a little and run away immediately.
But these guys were strange.
They were trying to break through the encirclement and get inside—specifically, the apartment complex.
“They’re targeting Baek Jin-woo’s parents!”
Yu Jiah shouted urgently.
“They know that if they miss this chance, no gang could set foot in South Korea!”
There was no one in the current South Korean scene capable of confronting Baek Jin-woo with force.
Not even top-ranked players, and certainly not the gang.
“Tear that bitch apart!”
Thwack!
One of the enemies’ summons lunged at Yu Jiah.
Crack!
One of the Five Wolves’ wolves bit the creature on the neck.
“Are they taking us too lightly?”
Oh Sun-young’s voice was ice-cold.
That was her usual demeanor.
If Hong Ari, the guild master, was lively, then Oh Sun-young, the vice guild master, was nicknamed Ice.
“Just holding out won’t be enough. Our guildmates from Ari-rang are on the way to support.”
The gang members shivered at that.
Ari-rang was one of South Korea’s Big Three guilds.
Compared to that, their own numbers were weak.
Not to mention, their boss, Jo Ji-hak, wasn’t even here!
‘Is it really worth continuing this fight?’
‘Soon the headquarters and Daesung will arrive… and now Ari-rang too?’
They felt uneasy.
They were frustrated.
They had been told the target would be easy to deal with.
Baek Jin-woo was supposedly in Dubai, and there would even be backup from the 9th and 10th-ranked players.
But now?
Why were Ari-rang executives standing right here?
And on top of that, the Carpe Diem kids were raging like battle-crazed demons.
“Khahaha! Die, you bastards!”
“Yawn… boring, isn’t it? Not fun? Annoying, huh?”
Hearing the high schoolers taunt them like that, their already low blood pressure nearly normalized.
‘Those little brats…’
They were all skilled players.
Even within the gang’s network, these were named members.
That’s why they were holding their own against four national-ranked players.
However…
Gangs don’t have strong cohesion.
They come together not for ideals, but for personal greed.
“Hey, let’s just run!”
Finally, one turned his back, preparing to escape.
“Jo Ji-hak… that bastard. He just uses us like chess pieces, why bother fighting loyally?”
The fragile balance was breaking.
But what scared them the most was Jo Ji-hak’s retaliation.
He hadn’t gotten the leader position by chance.
Jo Ji-hak was vicious, sinister, meticulous, and terrifying.
“Damn it! Let’s just leave South Korea!”
“Leaving South Korea won’t solve anything. Wherever you go, they’ll find you.”
“But… if Baek Jin-woo’s involved… wouldn’t he kill us?”
Yu Baek.
Especially if they had attacked his family.
Any sane player wouldn’t leave Jo Ji-hak alone.
They would unsheathe their blades sharply.
“That’s right! Okay!”
“I’m running too!”
“Me too!”
They summoned fast-moving creatures and tried to escape.
But it was already too late.
- Kyaaaaaaaa!
The roar of a wyvern from the sky sounded as if declaring the end to the fleeing gang members.
“Jin-woo!”
Yu Jiah was the first to recognize him.
‘That sky wyvern.’
The same one that often came to the training field and let him pet its head.
- Kya! Kya!
The wyvern dived vertically from the sky.
Despite the incredible speed, Baek Jin-woo’s posture remained perfect.
A result of consistent training and advanced weekday dungeon experience!
“Pokryong.”
Baek Jin-woo muttered.
- Yes, Jin-woo-nim.
The Fire Dragon quietly replied from behind, holding onto his waist.
Then—
Fwoosh!
Pokryong Art.
Secret Technique.
Change.
A massive wall of fire began to engulf the entire complex.
The Pokryong energy he had accumulated with flame (炎) exploded all at once.
“Gyaaaah!”
“What… what is this!”
Naturally, the gang members’ summons could not cross the flames.
Relying on a shield and stepping in alone?
It was meaningless.
The moment they lost their summons, capture was inevitable.
“Damn it!”
“We can’t escape!”
“What should we do? Fight again?”
“Fight again? Are you crazy? That’s Baek Jin-woo! Baek Jin-woo!”
Even the gang members were players.
Funny as it was, watching Baek Jin-woo’s display, they felt a surge of national pride.
They knew they wouldn’t stand a chance no matter how they combined forces.
He could defeat the top domestic player in under a minute.
Of course…
The time they spent debating whether to run or fight wasn’t long.
“Doldoli.”
- Heh…!
Doldoli, armed with a sickle, moved at a truly insane speed.
Thanks to the stacks built before their meal.
Thok, shraaak! Thok, shraaak!
The invisible creature struck behind enemy summons at high speed, then spun around.
That was it.
All nearby summons were shredded as if they were paper.
- Kiiirararara!
By the time the wyvern landed, all gang members’ summons had been torn apart, and their shields were gone.
Now, even if they wanted to cross the flames, they couldn’t.
“C-crazy.”
The one swearing was not a gang member.
It was Hong Ari, one of the national-ranked players.
“Is that even human?”
They knew Baek Jin-woo was strong, but to slaughter all the gang members who had been holding their own against four national-ranked players in an instant?
Twenty gang members summoned a total of 300 creatures—three per person, fifteen each.
“…Truly impressive.”
Oh Sun-young murmured quietly.
“Indeed… Brother Baek Jin-woo…!”
“Uwaa, so cool!”
Gi Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho raised their thumbs in approval.
‘Why are they even here?’
Baek Jin-woo tilted his head slightly but quickly scanned the area with cold eyes.
The war wasn’t over yet.
“Let’s subdue them all first.”
The gang’s attack shocked South Korea.
[Gang Attacks Yu Baek Fearlessly! Blood-Soaked 20-Minute War in Hanam City! All Captured!]
[2 Dead, 5 Seriously Injured Due to Gang Terror. All Victims Related to Security Company Players.]
[Yu Jiah, Condolences to Families. Compensation Process Underway.]
Public outrage surged instantly.
The intent was clear.
└ Are these insane bastards crazy?
└ They were trying to abduct a family member!
└ You weren’t supposed to touch Baek Jin-woo.
They were furious.
Baek Jin-woo was the nation’s hope for the upcoming world league.
And the gang dared to touch that.
Even worse:
[Breaking News! Gang Tries to Coerce Oh Ji-myeong, Park Ho-seop!]
[Cafe near Hanam City Attacked! Was Baek Jin-woo’s sister the target?]
[Eyewitness Female Student: “Baek Jin-woo handled it in a second.”]
└ Wow.
└ Psychopaths…
└ Why sabotage the country for no reason?
└ Was it revenge from the last team battle?
└ No way… He didn’t even last that long in real life, yet he finished it in one second?
All 23 gang members were captured on the spot.
Their eyes were covered, hands tied behind their backs (to summon creatures, you must click Y with your eyes or fingers), and they were placed in a highly secured facility.
As expected, Baek Jin-woo was furious.
[Baek Jin-woo Announces: War Against Gangs! Will Eradicate Crime in South Korea!]
[Headquarters Fully Supports Baek Jin-woo!]
└ Whoa!
└ Baek Jin-woo saying that is terrifying…
└ The gang must be pissing themselves…
└ His expression in front of reporters was chilling.
└ Understandably angry—his family was targeted sneakily.
└ Jo Ji-hak is done for.
Baek Jin-woo also announced:
Any player affiliated with the gang must surrender within a day and pay for their crimes.
If the period passes, the consequences are left to imagination.
└ So cool.
└ This guy is just stylish.
└ Does this mean we don’t have to worry about gangs anymore?
└ Not yet. Jo Ji-hak isn’t ordinary.
└ And he’s up against Baek Jin-woo, lol, a mere rank 30 player.
└ Jo Ji-hak doesn’t know what’s coming. Baek Jin-woo flies through the air like a high-ranked player.
Meanwhile, Baek Jin-woo was meeting with headquarters and Park Chang-seok.
Since founding Yu Baek, he had become quite close with Park Chang-seok.
Meeting often, conversation flowed naturally.
“You’ve really been working hard. This should have been handled by headquarters.”
Park Chang-seok smiled bitterly.
Over ten executives had been captured this time.
Even after three years of painstaking effort, headquarters hadn’t managed this—but Baek Jin-woo did it in a single day.
“No, you’ve worked hard, sir.”
“Right… You want to meet the prisoners?”
“Yes.”
Baek Jin-woo didn’t smile.
His expression remained cold.
Park Chang-seok exhaled lightly.
“…Don’t kill them.”
Ordinarily, gang members deserved instant execution.
But these were executives.
There was valuable information to extract, so they were kept alive.
Also, tasks such as confiscating their summons and items needed to be done.
“Yes. They must not die.”
Baek Jin-woo smiled slightly.
Park Chang-seok felt a chill.
What did that mean?
Could he not kill them easily?
“Nothing will happen. You said you’d help.”
“Right, right.”
Park Chang-seok had already arranged everything.
Headquarters would follow Baek Jin-woo’s orders.
After all, he captured them.
What he did with them—grill or boil—was his choice.
“Go in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ughhh!”
“Ugh! Ughhh!”
In a well-equipped cell, the 23 prisoners were separated and confined.
The cells were made of strong steel, with blindfolds, gags, and tightly bound limbs.
Human rights?
Where would human rights exist for those who can summon dangerous creatures?
No administrators were present.
Park Chang-seok asked for an hour’s absence.
“Hungo.”
- Yes, master.
Hungo was summoned.
Since awakening, he had been extremely reliable.
Without Lambah stacking separately, could anyone defeat him at this point?
Even Rachel might struggle.
The Yin energy of the Guum-jeol-maek was extremely potent.
“You said you could extract all information.”
- Yes, master.
In his mind were techniques of the world’s top interrogators (A-class), from basic acupoint strikes to joint-breaking methods of martial artists.
Handling these weak-willed humans was trivial.
- Shall we proceed immediately?
Hungo’s question was met with a slow nod from Baek Jin-woo.
