154. SKY Physical Test (1)
A week passed, then two weeks passed.
In truth, even the rising and setting of the sun was based on this world's standards, so there was no way to know how much time had passed on Earth.
He did not bother trying to count it, either.
Their daily life was simple.
Move, eat, train, sleep.
And whenever a magical beast showed up once in a while...
Fwoosh!
The Explosive Dragon would lightly build up her stacks, and they would move on.
It was not that the magical beasts were weak.
It was just that the combination of Baek Jinwoo and Rachel was strong.
They were in a hurry, but they tried not to be hasty.
Mind control!
"Waaah, this is the best again today. The best, the best!"
Rachel said, repeatedly giving a thumbs-up as she bit into a whole wild boar leg.
"It's good."
Baek Jinwoo also nodded with a satisfied expression.
—Thank you, my lord.
HunGyo smiled proudly.
Let's just think of it as a gourmet expedition. That makes it easier on the mind.
A little, at least.
* * *
Yoobaek City.
The central plaza was full of life again for the first time in a while.
The stagnant atmosphere caused by Baek Jinwoo's failure to return had become lively again as the 100 interns carefully selected by Yoo Jia gathered in one place.
Murmur, murmur.
Players had gathered.
From famous domestic rankers recognizable at a glance to nameless unranked players.
All of them had passed the Mind-Reading Eagle, meaning that at the very least, their inner thoughts were not filthy.
"Hey, hey, look at that person."
"Who?"
"That guy over there with the glasses. Isn't he ranked 11th in Korea? He's really famous."
"Oh, Jeong Siu?"
"Right, Jeong Siu! His nickname is Data Machine."
"Oh! Luna is over there too!"
"Luna?"
"You don't know? BJ Luna! She's super hot these days! She must have passed 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube already."
Outside, the residents had come out to watch the interns.
It was a fascinating sight.
All kinds of celebrities had gathered like this just to join SKY once.
And then.
Standing right in front of the assembled interns was Hong Ari.
The head judge.
Originally, it was HunGyo's position, but in his absence, Vice Guild Master Hong Ari had decided to serve in his place.
Behind her, nine guild members stood in a straight line.
'Wow.'
'They're our national representatives...'
'The key players behind the world league championship.'
Gulp.
All of the interns swallowed dryly and tensed up. They were all people they admired, and seeing them in person...
Their presence was even more overwhelming.
'They're all insanely muscular?'
'They look ridiculously solid.'
'I heard if you join SKY, they train you even harder than the Taereung athletes' village.'
Eyes full of anticipation followed the judges' every movement.
But.
One person was missing.
The Guild Master, and the world's number one ranked player!
'Where's Baek Jinwoo?'
'I don't see him?'
A few applicants had disappointment in their eyes.
Part of them had wanted to see him out of pure fandom.
But.
'Well, he must be busy.'
Most of them simply let it pass.
* * *
The day before recruitment.
Yoo Jia gathered the guild members and stressed this point.
"Just because Jinwoo hasn't returned doesn't mean we can sit around doing nothing. We don't have to recruit exactly according to the original plan. Live with them for about a month, and only select players who give you a reason to recruit them."
For one thing, HunGyo was gone.
In a situation where they could not determine how much potential ability someone had, recklessly recruiting too many could cause trouble.
So they had agreed to recruit only a small number who looked genuinely impressive at first glance!
Even one person was fine, or two people.
When Baek Jinwoo returned later, they would only recruit people they could confidently explain to him.
"From this moment on, I will delegate all judging and selection authority to Hong Ari."
This was something all the guild members had agreed upon.
World rank 28, and number 2 in Korea.
Hong Ari was, in name and reality, the current second-strongest in South Korea.
And when it came to evaluating control, she would be the best at it.
"Yes, understood."
Hong Ari quietly bowed her head as she answered.
The weight of the responsibility suddenly placed on her was heavy, but she was the former Guild Master who had once run Arirang.
Even without Baek Jinwoo, she could do well.
"Let's all do our best, just as we prepared."
* * *
"For the first week, we'll be doing nothing but physical training."
Hong Ari's voice rang out clearly.
"No matter how smart you are, how good your judgment is, or how skilled your control is….the fundamental quality we at SKY want is physical stamina."
There was strength in her voice.
There was no need to even talk about how important stamina was.
Because in long battles, endless summon management, and unpredictable situations, the source that lets you endure to the very end is stamina.
Actually, there was something even more important than that.
Namely, the fact that Baek Jinwoo values stamina!
They had probably already looked into that before applying, so any further explanation would be too much!
"The first week."
The corners of Hong Ari's lips curled upward.
"We're going to draw out the limits of the stamina you all possess. If anyone wants to give up halfway, feel free to do so at any time."
* * *
The first test began.
Running.
The guild members and the interns began running along the wide training ground track.
At first, everyone was clearly full of motivation.
The way they regulated their breathing and moved forward at a steady pace looked consistent enough.
But as time passed, signs of exhaustion gradually began to seep onto the interns' faces.
"Huff, huff."
"Hufff, hufff!"
Their breathing became rough.
Their legs felt as if heavy iron chains had been wrapped around them, making each step painful.
'This is insane.'
'How long are we supposed to keep running?'
'M-my heart feels like it's going to burst.'
The pace remained steady.
They were running in formation, and if anyone slowed down even a little, the guild members would stick to them like ghosts.
"What do you think you're doing right now?"
"Are you going to give up? Then go ahead and give up! It'll be easier that way!"
"You only need to shout one word! Give up!"
"If you quit, we'll immediately serve you a nice cold glass of water!"
It was Gi Jaehyuk and Kang Jihoe.
Without shedding a single drop of sweat, they harassed the runners in the back as if mocking them.
They were trying to break the interns' will.
An hour had already passed.
The legs of the intern running at the very back were gradually starting to give out.
"Haaak, haak!"
Everyone was out of breath.
Their brains were screaming at them.
Give up.
Thoughts boiled up in their hearts, asking what someone like them thought they were doing trying to become national representatives.
But not a single person stopped.
In truth, inwardly, they were in shock.
'I'd only heard people say the SKY guild members have monstrous stamina...'
'Does that even make sense?'
Those guild members had definitely started running alongside them from the beginning.
And on their backs, two huge tires were dragging behind them.
They were tied around their waists.
Hong Ari, Hwang Jiwoo, and the others.
Even the women who looked delicate were no exception.
Every single one of them had tires attached.
'Then how are they running even better than us?'
'They don't even look sweaty, and they seem perfectly fine?'
Unlike the interns, who were panting heavily, they did not let out a single breath of strain.
"...!"
Even Han Yuna, who was running at the front, was watching them with a dazed expression.
BJ Luna.
Age 24.
She was a streamer whose stock was rising not just because of her beauty, but because of her skill.
'.....They too.'
Surely, there must have been a time when they were lacking in stamina as well.
They must have reached that level by repeating effort every single day.
Only then did Han Yuna feel like she finally understood.
Why South Korea had been able to lift the world league trophy.
And why so many world-class rankers had suddenly emerged from South Korea.
There had been blood-and-sweat training in places no one could see.
'No matter what.'
Her gaze turned resolute.
'I have to endure no matter what. I'll endure and pass.'
"Huff, huu!"
The hellish run continued.
* * *
Russia.
If one had to name the most famous guild in Moscow, it would unquestionably be Iron Bear.
Steel Bear.
It was a group symbolizing iron-like strength and unyielding will, run by one of the Five Emperors, Alexander Veskov.
「Battle of Summoners」 nickname, Moscowman.
The guild building he established in Moscow was itself monumental.
An exterior of black steel and glass, as if it had been built upon frozen earth!
In front of the building stood a gigantic bear statue, and the interior of the building was enough to bring to mind the palace of a Russian tsar.
The marble floors and golden decorations blended together in a way that made it obvious just how much money had been poured into the place.
And.
At the very top floor was an office that was authoritarian and grand.
It was Veskov's space.
"Hm."
At present, he was in a subtle standoff with Rachel.
While Rachel argued that the Tower of Trials had to be cleared, Veskov wanted to maintain the status quo.
He believed that everyone could be happy only if this world was controlled through the power, knowledge, and authority possessed by the Five Emperors.
Of course, he did not reveal that openly.
At the moment, Veskov was sitting still, staring blankly at his phone.
[Sugoi: Rachel?]
[Sugoi: Why isn't Rachel answering?]
[Sugoi: Has anyone tried contacting her separately? She's not even answering her personal phone.]
The Five Emperors group chat!
Because Rachel in that chat had been ignoring everyone for two whole months already.
[Sugoi: Rachel?]
That had been from two months ago.
[Sugoi: Why isn't Rachel answering?]
[Sugoi: Has anyone tried contacting her separately? She's not even answering her personal phone.]
That was from one month ago.
Even after that, there had been no separate news about Rachel at all.
Just in case, he had also called Xenos and Baekcheon.
—I do not really know.
—Uhuhuhut, did she lose to God Ji-nu and have a mental breakdown? Well, it's Rachel, so won't she handle it herself somehow?
The answers had been unsatisfying.
"Hmmm."
Something smelled off.
He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Rachel had once been world rank number one, and she also had an appearance that looked slightly heavy.
'But in reality, she's endlessly light.'
She liked people, which was why she had formed this gathering and also become one of its central figures.
Her personality was closer to lively as well.
And yet that woman had been silent for two months?
'Something must have happened.'
Veskov was certain of it inwardly.
However, even after investigating, there had been no sign of anything.
No movement of any kind had been detected, and even the high-ranking British officials knew nothing.
"Glushakov."
Veskov called for his right-hand man, Denis Glushakov, world rank 24.
"You called for me?"
"There is something you need to investigate."
"Just give the order."
"Go to England. Go and find out in detail what has happened to Rachel."
"Yes, understood!"
Glushakov bowed his head deeply and left the room.
Veskov slowly closed his eyes.
'There's something going on.'
In truth.
Rachel was a thorn in his side.
'A woman who doesn't know the meaning of concession.'
She had monopolized the league championship for three whole years.
If not for the existence of God Ji-nu this time...
She probably would have monopolized it for four years.
Honestly, since they had grouped themselves together as the Five Emperors and maintained friendly ties...
He had thought she would at least let first place rotate around once in a while.
'A person without even a speck of consideration.'
Equal distribution of resources!
Fair and equal opportunities within the group!
That was the philosophy Veskov pursued.
'If she really had met with some kind of accident?'
Flash!
Veskov's eyes gleamed as he opened them.
Just imagining it made a smile spread across his lips, but he quickly steadied himself.
He tried not to show it.
'I need to restrain myself.'
If he got his hopes up for nothing, the disappointment would only be greater.
For now, he just had to investigate slowly.
Slowly.