Chapter 57
Taking on Disciples
“You told me, hyung! That those who are thirsty should dig their own well! Of course, I receive your lessons once a week, but I realized something! You’re teaching while keeping a certain distance!”
In truth, it was obvious.
No matter how much money the state gives, how could someone teach everything to someone they barely know?
‘Teaching…’
Baek Jin-woo knew his own value better than anyone in the world.
His vast knowledge of Battle of Summoners, possession of EX-class summons, and his genius instincts.
‘Even the Five Emperors wanted this much.’
He had always kept things to himself.
They could offer financial support too, so please, accept me as your disciple.
Baek Jin-woo normally didn’t take disciples.
Even if someone begged desperately, he might give them a hint, but he had never formally trained anyone.
Why?
‘I’m too busy growing myself.’
Especially back then, he was obsessed with the Tower of Trials.
As Baek Jin-woo hesitated, Gi Jae-hyeok dropped to his knees.
“Please let me train alongside you, hyung!”
“If it’s too inconvenient, just one hour a day! I’ll follow your orders!”
Gang Ji-ho also kneeled beside Gi Jae-hyeok.
‘What’s with them…’
Hong Ah-ri looked exasperated.
Do they really have to go this far?
Well…
It made sense. Gi Jae-hyeok and Gang Ji-ho weren’t selected for the national team with low rankings for nothing.
Persistent effort and seizing opportunities—these traits were not to be underestimated.
“Or… just let us observe your training. We won’t get in the way.”
Plop!
Oh Sun-young knelt down beside Gang Ji-ho.
“Uh… unnie?”
Hong Ah-ri was stunned.
This wasn’t her usual personality.
She was like bamboo—unbendable, no matter who the opponent.
Yet here she was, kneeling for something.
Sigh.
Baek Jin-woo exhaled.
Four players were asking to become his disciples.
Thanks to them, Yoo Ji-ah and his parents had survived.
‘I can’t refuse.’
Being fully aware of his own value, Baek Jin-woo could make that decision.
Family was more precious to him than anything else.
“Very well.”
He nodded and continued, “But there are conditions.”
Teaching them was easy.
However, he couldn’t just teach them casually.
“Conditions?”
“Anything! I’ll do anything you ask!”
The four ranked players’ eyes sparkled at his positive response.
There were exactly three conditions:
- They must not disclose any information about Baek Jin-woo or what they learned.
This was natural. Information was value, and Baek Jin-woo didn’t like revealing summon data. - Ah-ri, Carpe Diem, and Yoo Baek must never betray one another.
Betrayals after all the effort? Unthinkable. - The master-disciple relationship is strict.
Previously, he spoke casually with the two high school boys, and Hong Ah-ri and Oh Sun-young were equals.
But as disciples? No leniency. Age didn’t matter; they had to uphold proper etiquette.
Furthermore, Baek Jin-woo’s training wasn’t normal. Even if it seemed unreasonable, they had to follow it.
“Those three. Do you agree?”
The contract was formalized through the system.
“We agree, Master!”
“Such obvious conditions, aren’t they?”
The high schoolers immediately switched from calling him hyung to master. Truly impressive adaptability!
“I agree too.”
Hong Ah-ri, the same age as him, nodded.
“Good. From now on, you may put us through anything.”
Oh Sun-young also looked determinedly at Baek Jin-woo.
He smiled.
‘Even better.’
The rankers before him were some of South Korea’s top talents.
By teaching them, he secured an eternal alliance.
Especially Ah-ri, one of the Big Three, who had influence rivaling major corporations.
‘Connections.’
No matter how talented Baek Jin-woo was, he couldn’t gain great power alone due to spatial limitations.
‘If I raise and utilize them well…’
He might gain force comparable to a nation, making it easier to protect the people he valued.
However…
“You said I could put you through anything…”
The process would be brutal.
Baek Jin-woo valued the players’ physical and mental strength as much as he did the summons’ training.
“I hope none of you regret that statement.”
A sudden shift in atmosphere made the four rankers shiver.
Now, the four rankers had to report to Yoo Baek’s training grounds every morning.
Spin through the weekday dungeon at 7 AM, assemble at 8 AM.
Baek Jin-woo arrived to find them already there.
Yoo Ji-ah came around 9 AM, trained for an hour with Hoon-gyo, then continued her work.
“All here?” he asked.
“Yes, hyung… I mean, Master.”
“We arrived 30 minutes early to warm up!”
Their bright eyes reflected their dreams.
After being dismissed yesterday, they imagined becoming world-class rankers under Baek Jin-woo’s guidance, dominating dungeons and leagues.
“First, let me introduce some friends.”
Baek Jin-woo smiled and gestured.
- Master.
Hoon-gyo approached.
- New family members, I see.
Everyone’s pupils slowly widened.
Hong Ah-ri’s jaw dropped, Oh Sun-young stiffened.
No way.
The summons… could talk?
Moreover…
- Waaaaah! You can talk? Hi~ I’m Lamba.
Lamba spun in the air while greeting them.
- Nice to meet you, I’m Pokryong.
Pokryong, practicing explosion dragon techniques in the corner, nodded in greeting.
“W-what is this…”
“Ahhh! The summons can talk…”
“What kind of marvel is this, Master!”
It was already known that Baek Jin-woo’s summons were unique, but no one expected them to speak.
“Introduce yourselves. Hoon-gyo will manage your physical training first.”
Hoon-gyo scanned the four players’ bodies.
- Clearly, insufficient muscle mass.
Hong Ah-ri bristled.
Unlike the others, she kept up with her exercise routines, even filming some CFs recently.
- Hmm, not much fat, but effort required. Shall we start, Master?
“Start.”
Baek Jin-woo nodded and slowly removed his shirt.
His chiseled muscles appeared from under the cloth.
‘Insane…’
Hong Ah-ri blushed.
‘…Hah!’
Oh Sun-young clicked her tongue.
“M-Master!”
“We respect you…!”
Gi Jae-hyeok and Gang Ji-ho were dumbfounded.
Following Hoon-gyo daily left no room for body fat, no matter how much they ate.
“The foundation of a player is not reflexes or knowledge. It’s mental strength.”
Baek Jin-woo grinned.
“And what supports that mental strength? Physical fitness. The body doesn’t lie.”
At once…
They started running in the training grounds.
- What? Not keeping up?
“Uh… okay.”
“Yes, sir!”
“…?”
Questions formed in the rankers’ minds.
They expected tips for summons’ growth and combat strategies, yet suddenly they were running?
No choice.
They had signed a contract to obey any order.
Breaking it meant losing the chance to learn from Baek Jin-woo.
Reluctantly, they ran.
Time passed.
After the gangsters disappeared, South Korea saw peace.
Baek Jin-woo’s life was peaceful too.
Weekday dungeon spins, national team consulting, disciple physical training, personal training… all on a tight schedule.
Now…
“I’m off.”
“You’re challenging the Tower of Trials?”
Yoo Ji-ah sprang up.
While the Tower of Trials was trivial for Baek Jin-woo, for normal people it was terrifying.
Most who enter don’t return alive.
“Straight to the 20th floor?”
“Yes.”
Preparation was complete.
He had mastered Flame Dragon Techniques and gained Hoon-gyo’s skills.
Honestly…
Even blindfolded, he could conquer up to the 20th floor without effort.
No strategy needed; sheer power was enough.
“Can I record it?”
“Of course.”
If he recorded the 10th floor, why not the 20th?
For private use, of course.
“And… just in case, what’s the chance of not coming back?”
“….”
Baek Jin-woo looked at Yoo Ji-ah as if to say, why ask?
“0%.”
The Tower of Trials floors 11–20 focused on vampires.
Clearing complicated missions, they would eventually face the S-class boss:
The king of all vampires, the primordial vampire, Dracul (S-class).
True to S-class, extremely tough.
Resistant to all elements except fire, heals completely with one bite, and has many subordinates.
Vampires directly drained by Dracul rivaled A-class summons in strength.
Poof!
A single strike from Hoon-gyo’s blade cut through them.
- Wow, Hoon-gyo! Too strong!
- Quiet, Lamba.
Normally, to fight vampires, you’d need 15 fire-element summons.
Hoon-gyo needed none of that.
Floors 11, 12, 13, 14, 15—he cleared them effortlessly.
At floor 16, where ten sub-boss vampires attacked simultaneously:
- Flame!
A massive explosion from Pokryong erupted.
[Eliminated Dracul’s ambush squad.]
[Congratulations!]
[Conquered Tower of Trials Floor 16!]
‘So convenient.’
Baek Jin-woo just stood with his hands behind his back, observing the Tower’s air.
‘Sweet… so sweet.’
Sections that took hundreds of tries before in Battle of Summoners were now demolished by Pokryong and Hoon-gyo.
- Jin-woo! I want that cream bread we had back in Dubai!
The ultra-luxury cream bread he specially ordered?
- You’ll make it, right?
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Yes. Lamba worked hardest of all.
Every floor reset its stats, forcing Lamba to swing the staff like his life depended on it.
“Just tell Jia to hire a chef. Preferably a master baker.”
- Aaaah!
Lamba screamed in delight.
- Loyal! Sorry I can’t swing faster!
Where do they learn these lines?
[Congratulations!]
[Conquered Tower of Trials Floor 17!]
- Let’s gooooo!
[Congratulations!]
[Conquered Tower of Trials Floor 18!]
- Flame!
- Master, eliminated Dracul’s secretary ‘Renfil’ (A-class).
[Congratulations!]
[Conquered Tower of Trials Floor 19!]
Only two hours had passed since they knocked on the 11th floor, yet the final boss, Dracul (S-class), was already within reach.
‘Seriously.’
The speed was insane.
