98. One Week Before the World League (2)
The World League schedule, and the world ranking calculation schedule as well, always followed the standard of the previous league's winning country.
Because Britain had won the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd World Leagues, the World League time was also based on Britain!
Because of that, at midnight in Britain—or 8:00 PM in Korea—a message appeared before the eyes of people all over the world.
[Ding!]
[This is the 1-week pre-opening alarm for the World League!]
[Ten players from each country must enter the Player Zone in London, England before the event begins!]
[Failure to enter within the period will result in automatic elimination!]
"Wow!"
"Finally!"
Outside, an uproar broke out in an instant.
It was the sound of people all over the world marveling in awe.
Of course, that message appeared before Baek Jinwoo's eyes as well.
'How fascinating.'
Baek Jinwoo had been unconscious for three years, so he had never seen messages like that.
'England, London, huh.'
England, like Korea, possessed two Player Zones.
One in London.
One in Birmingham.
Naturally, far more people gathered in London, and it was much larger as well.
[From the current time, a Month of Peace has arrived!]
[Players may not use summoned creatures for combat purposes outside!]
"Wow, the Month of Peace!"
"The time has finally come when we can sleep with our legs stretched out!"
When people listed the ways the world had changed for the better, most of them mentioned this Month of Peace.
A period in which fighting with summoned creatures was impossible!
The general consensus was that this was consideration from the mysterious system.
After all, if everyone gathered in one place for the World League and a terrorist attack happened, what then?
Because of that, even countries at war had no choice but to stop fighting for exactly this one month.
"We've finished preparing for departure. Once you're ready, you can head straight to the airport."
Headquarters had provided SKY with an ultra-luxurious private jet and a highly skilled pilot.
At the same time, even the director of headquarters, the president, and the speaker of the National Assembly had all come out personally to greet them and ask for a good result.
"Hwaaaahp! Let's gooo!"
Hong Ari shouted.
'This time, we're definitely making the semifinals!'
Win it all?
She did not even dare hope for that.
Even if Baek Jinwoo, as Rachel's master, could somehow cover for that monster, there were simply too many world top-rankers concentrated in Britain.
Still, reaching the semifinals was absolutely mandatory.
If only to avoid lowering the prestige of Baek Jinwoo, who had declared it so confidently!
'I've worked for this day and this day alone.'
It was not just Hong Ari.
Kang Geonho, An Gijeong, Hwang Juwon, Gi Jaehyuk, Kang Jiho, Oh Sunyoung….. all of them had shed blood, sweat, and tears for years to bring honor to the nation.
And the moment to bear the fruit of all that effort was now right before them!
All thanks to Baek Jinwoo!
"Don't be too nervous, everyone. Just do what you always do. Song Yeonhee and Hwang Jiwoo, this is your first time, right?"
"Yes."
"Our Guild Master will handle himself just fine anyway. Let's go! Let's go there and let it all out!"
With those words of advice from the eldest, Hwang Juwon, the SKY guild members departed for Incheon Airport.
The departing group totaled eleven!
The ten national representatives, plus Yoo Jia, who would assist them!
It was the departure of South Korea's national team.
Originally, the first World League had been held in the United States.
The system had probably recognized America as the initial hegemonic nation.
Rachel led Britain to victory there.
And thanks to that, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th leagues could all be held in London!
Because of that, the existing national representatives were already familiar with flights to Britain.
Swaaaaaa!
Inside the private jet flying freely at 50,000 feet in turbulence-free skies, Hwang Juwon vividly recounted the story of the British league.
"When we arrive in London, you know what happens? Representatives from all 94 countries start arriving one by one at London City Airport, right?"
For reference, there were 94 participating countries.
The standard was population.
The system did not recognize countries with populations below ten million as countries.
Exactly the 94th participating country.
Since Hungary's population had only just exceeded ten million, that was the conclusion they could infer.
Because of that, many countries in Europe were facing a crisis of existence, and Hungary was in truth no different.
Even if it had qualified for league participation by surpassing ten million, it had no Player Zone within its own borders. (The current prevailing theory was that Player Zones only appeared in countries with populations above 25 million.)
In the end, they had no choice but to pay enormous sums of money to borrow the Player Zones of allied nations.
That was another major issue cutting through current world affairs.
Things had gotten so serious that the phrase population revolution had arisen on top of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Anyway.
"As soon as we get there, the treatment is totally different. Countries in blood alliances with them, like Japan, the United States, and Taiwan, get treated like honored guests, practically worshipped, you know? But every other country? They don't even look at them."
"What about us?"
When the curious Song Yeonhee asked, Hwang Juwon grinned.
"What's there to say? We get treated like dirt."
It was more than just being treated poorly. They were treated almost the same as North Korea.
"But now, that might change a little."
"Right."
"Our Guild Master already stamped the deal."
"Aren't we in a blood alliance now too?"
The guild members were excited.
They already knew.
That they had formed an alliance with the current five strongest nations, and that even if they were placed in the same group, they had agreed not to attack one another.
'Damn, this is our Guild Master's power.'
'This is exciting. I wonder what kind of treatment we'll get?'
'I'm nervous too….. the whole world will be watching us from now on.'
"Anyway, don't be too nervous, everyone….."
Hwang Juwon was still going on when—
Clunk, rrrrk!
Yoo Jia appeared from inside, dragging a large in-flight service trolley.
A rich, savory aroma drifted from it and brushed against the tip of their noses.
"Wow."
"What is that?"
"Food?"
In the center of the cabin was a large dining table, surrounded by soft sofas.
"Could you help me a little?"
As Yoo Jia took the dishes out and began setting them on the table—
"Yes!"
"I'll do it!"
The younger members, like Song Yeonhee and Hwang Jiwoo, moved quickly.
Tap, tap, tap!
One by one, all sorts of delicacies and fruits were taken out.
And that was not all.
There was every kind of expensive whiskey, brandy, gin, rum, vodka, and more.
Ice and liquor were laid out in full.
"Wow, what is all this?"
"Alcohol? Why alcohol all of a sudden…?"
"What's the occasion today?"
At the guild members, who were flustered by the sudden turn of events, Yoo Jia smiled gently.
"Mr. Jinwoo asked for it to be prepared."
"G-Guild Master did?"
"Really?"
Everyone stared at Baek Jinwoo in utter shock.
Baek Jinwoo?
That vicious Baek Jinwoo?
To be honest, they had expected everyone to be doing breathing techniques on the private jet.
After all, it was not as though they could build stamina here or train with summoned creatures.
They had even thought he might force them to keep breathing nonstop, saying they had to absorb the pure energy of the sky from the airplane…...
'Unbelievable.'
'Our Guild Master has changed?'
'What in the world brought this on?'
As the guild members looked uneasy, Baek Jinwoo picked up a bottle of alcohol.
And then—
Gloog, gloog, gloog!
He poured a glass for each of them.
"Aren't we doing all this so we can eat and live well in the first place?"
That was Baek Jinwoo's honest feeling.
'Lately, we've all been running too hard with our eyes fixed only on what's ahead.'
It was true that his number one priority was becoming stronger.
But?
A life where you cut back even on sleep and do nothing but train every day just to become stronger was not something he welcomed.
And he did not want to force that kind of life on his guild members either.
When it's time to work, work!
When it's time to rest, rest!
"There's still a whole week left until the league anyway, isn't there? Let's just relax and enjoy ourselves today. It'll be good for team bonding too."
At Baek Jinwoo's declaration, everyone shouted in celebration.
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Guild Master, you're the best!"
"You're amazing. As expected of our big brother!"
Naturally, Gi Jaehyuk and Kang Jihoe also went wild with excitement.
"Heheheheh, brother!"
"I love you!"
Just as they raised their glasses and waited for the alcohol to be poured—
"You two can't."
Yoo Jia's firm voice came down.
"Excuse me?"
"W-Why not?!"
"What do you mean, why? Where do underage kids think they're going, trying to drink alcohol?"
Gi Jaehyuk was nineteen, and Kang Jihoe was eighteen.
Kang Jihoe was one thing, but Gi Jaehyuk felt so wronged he could die.
"In just one week, I'll be an adult toooo!"
"I brought some tasty juice instead, so you two can drink juice."
"Ghk!"
Juice?!
Juuuuice?!
Even if Gi Jaehyuk looked young, he was still the head of the guild Carpe Diem.
And for someone like him to be given juice at a gathering like this?
That was just too much!
"Big brother, big brother, please say something for me…..."
"...."
Ignoring his desperate plea, Baek Jinwoo turned his head away.
Hwang Juwon did the same.
'Sorry.'
'Forgive me.'
For all the guild members, going against Yoo Jia's wishes carried too much risk.
This was exactly the kind of status Yoo Jia held within SKY!
'Noooo!'
Gi Jaehyuk despaired.
In the end, the two minors had no choice but to watch the others enjoying the food and alcohol with envious eyes.
One by one, the guild members grew drunk.
No matter how national-team-level the players were, alcohol was still alcohol.
It was not as if they had reached the level of martial artists who could use their inner energy to drive out intoxication.
They were merely people healthier than ordinary humans because they were good at handling summoned creatures, were they not?
"Hehehehe."
"Hahaha, try some of this too. It's absolutely killer. Is a single bottle of this stuff our monthly salary or what?"
"It's sweet? How can the same alcohol taste like this?"
"What is heaven if not this? This is heaven!"
"Come to think of it, we are in the sky right now, aren't we? Is this really heaven? Hahaha!"
One by one, they started getting drunk, and Baek Jinwoo was no exception.
"..."
Baek Jinwoo had no drunken habit.
No, actually, he had one.
He simply kept silently pouring and drinking.
Yoo Jia, who was not participating in the party, watched from a distance and took mental notes.
'So that's the kind of alcohol he likes?'
And she carefully recorded it in her mind.
It would be the liquor she would prepare in the future when introducing him to her grandfather.
* * *
Kuaaaaah!
London City Airport, where countless airplanes were landing.
The place was swarming with reporters from all over the world.
"Wow, over there! Japan's national team has arrived!"
"Japan?"
"That's Yoshida Hikaru, isn't it?!"
"H-Hikaru? Gasp, Shirato Sakura and Takahashi Shusuke are with him too! It really is Japan's national team!"
Japan's number 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
In terms of world ranking, they were 2nd, 14th, and 30th.
The moment ultra-famous celebrities and major figures like them appeared, everyone rushed over to photograph them.
As befitted a summoning powerhouse, Japan was hugely popular.
And then—
"This way, please!"
Japan was treated differently altogether.
Britain's prime minister himself came out, shook hands with Hikaru, and guided them along a route only VVIPs could use.
"Damn, as expected of Japan."
"They look amazing."
"Still, they can't compare to us in Britain."
Britain was in first place, while Japan and the United States alternated between second and third.
Britain, the country that possessed Rachel, held a certain pride.
Even if they were treated well like that, in the end, we're still the best—that sort of pride!
"Excuse me, senior."
One of the junior reporters poked the senior reporter.
"But what country is that?"
A country had just arrived, but it was a somewhat unfamiliar one.
"What do you mean, what country? That's South Korea. Is it because they're close to Japan? Looks like they arrived around the same time."
".....But why is our prime minister shaking hands with them too?"
"What?"
The senior reporter's eyes widened.
Britain's prime minister always stood stiff and upright.
That was why, unless it was a blood-allied nation, he did not even bother greeting them.
Even now, wasn't it true that the national teams of countless countries were passing through the regular route instead of the VVIP passage and heading to their hotels?
But?
That prime minister was greeting the captain of that country's national team?
And on top of that, the captain holding his hand and waving it around looked a little strange.
'Is he drunk?'
Even though the man was rubbing his eyes and giving a half-hearted handshake, the prime minister was doing nothing but smiling brightly.
Why?
And then, a single word flashed through his mind.
God Ji-nu!
"Fuck, get the shot."
"Excuse me?"
"This is a scoop! Hurry up and zoom in!"
With Baek Jinwoo's appearance, the reporters became even more frantic.
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