Stay-at-Home Summoner

2002.

The time when South Korea was engulfed by a red wave.

Growing up, I often heard the phrase, “You probably didn’t even watch the 2002 World Cup,” but there was something I heard even more frequently.

“Have you ever experienced the day the dungeon appeared?”

“Well, yes.”

It’s a story often told during company gatherings. It would have been nice if I could just head home after finishing work, but in some companies, gatherings are considered part of the job as well.

“Wow, what a relief. When’s your birthday, Jin-hyun?”

“October.”

“Ah…! That matches perfectly. I still remember it clearly. October 10, 2002. I was an elementary student, and while I was using the computer at home, suddenly everything went dark.”

The team leader, nearing 40, excitedly started talking about it. He always brings it up whenever he’s had a few drinks, but it’s true that the “Day of Destiny” brought about a massive change in human history.

“After dungeons began appearing all around the world, someone made a comment. Isn’t this the sort of thing you only see in game fantasy novels?”

“Even now, many games are influenced by that, aren’t they? Ours too.”

“Exactly! Inspired by that, our CEO started a game company, and we’re living off that now. Hehe. Others complain that we’re making a living off dungeons that kill people…”

“Let’s have a drink. It wouldn’t be Friday night if we didn’t celebrate!”

A team member next to the leader offered him an empty glass. At the same time, he glanced at me and pointed outside where a young woman was sitting next to me.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay, Ye-eun?”

“Yes, maybe…”

“Shall we step outside for a moment?”

“Yes. Uh…”

I stood up with my junior, who looked like she was about to throw up, and headed outside. The street was filled with drunken people, and I took a deep breath of fresh air with my junior.

“You told me to definitely come to the gathering, but it seems you’re really drunk?”

“Well… no, it’s nothing.”

“Are you okay with the alcohol?”

“Yes. It’s bearable for now. For the moment.”

[ROAAARRR!!]

Suddenly, a roar of a monster echoed. My junior startled and clung to me, and I carefully patted her shoulder while pointing at a jumbotron across the street.

“It’s an advertisement.”

“Ah.”

My junior, already red in the face, looked even more flushed as she watched the video on the jumbotron.

[ROAAARRR!!]

A giant demon that seems like it came straight out of a fantasy movie or game. A bipedal demon spewing fire from its mouth should be appearing in some pitch-black ruins or a medieval castle, but the demon is rampaging in none other than a historic site.

“That’s Gwanghwamun. That video is from the ‘Gwanghwamun Dungeon’ raid that happened a month ago, right?”

“Yes. They raided the S-rank dungeon, ‘Gwanghwamun Bahamut’…”

[Lightning Thunder!!]

“…It’s the video of the S-rank hunter, ‘Blue Lightning.'”

A young man fighting against a monster over 10 meters tall, unleashing blue lightning.

“Is he born in 2002?”

Someone of my age, born in the year often referred to as the “Year of Catastrophe.” It’s even said he was born on October 10, the same day dungeons appeared in the world.

We share the same birthday, but our fates are different. With the appearance of the dungeons, humanity underwent ‘Awakening.’

Regardless of gender or age, those who awoke began to challenge dungeons and eliminate various dangers. Simultaneously, they obtained immense wealth. Some might say it was paid for with lives, but the vast fortune and materials obtained by destroying dungeons and defeating monsters turned “Awakeners” into instant millionaires.

“Isn’t he earning 200 billion a year?”

“Yes. There are only four S-rank hunters in Korea. Some even say that’s too few.”

Hunters make money. Even a worker who does tough manual labor can earn an income comparable to winning the lottery if they awaken.

That’s the world we live in now. While a non-awakened individual earns a meager salary of about 250 a month after working 10 hours a day, the awakened can amass over ten million in just a few days of ‘farming’ in a dungeon.

“Are you envious, sunbae?”

“Envious? Of course. It’s risky, but they earn so much.”

I am envious, but unfortunately, that world is unattainable for me.

“If I had awakened, I would probably be a hunter by now.”

“Um, you know…”

My junior cautiously approached and lowered her voice.

“If that happens, would you consider joining me for a dungeon run as a porter in a raid?”

“What?”

“You know that rumor, right? That ‘mana’ dwells in dungeon air, and the longer you stay, the more responsive you become to it and might awaken…?”

“Ye-eun, you’re still feeling the effects of the alcohol, aren’t you?”

I gently flicked her forehead and pushed her away.

“It would be nice if that worked out, but sadly, I’m not someone who risks my life and future on uncertain things.”

“…….”

“Dreaming of a rosy future is enough if one buys a lottery ticket. Do you want me to buy a lottery ticket while we’re at it?”

“If you could get me chocolate milk too.”

“Sure, sure. Let’s head back now since our assistant manager is probably dying from waiting.”

Though I felt someone’s gaze from behind, I headed towards the convenience store, briefly glancing at the jumbotron.

“Your peace will be assured by our ‘Heroes!'”

“Heroes, huh.”

Anyone would dream of such beings. But that is merely a ‘dream.’

“Ye-eun, how about we get four lottery tickets with the same numbers and share them?”

“Yes?”

“You never know. We might hit the jackpot. Good things are meant to be shared.”

Right. This seems much more realistic. It’s more probable to have 2 billion deposited into my account from winning the first prize than an awakening occurring suddenly one day.

Awakening is another world’s tale. As of 2030, the number of awakened individuals worldwide is reported to have exceeded 100,000 this year.

That’s a story that has nothing to do with me.

“Um, Manager.”

“Yeah.”

“If you were to awaken, what would you do?”

“If I awaken? Well, obviously, even if it’s at the F-rank level, I would quit my current job.”

Whether it’s winning the lottery or awakening, both are miracles.

* * *

After a fiery Friday night, I finally entered my room and collapsed onto my bed. I carried the unconscious junior to her apartment and then walked the hour back to my own.

“…….”

My body screamed to sleep right there, but I had ‘homework’ to do.

Click. I turned on my computer and activated the large tablet screen below the monitor.

If someone asked what I was doing instead of sleeping right now—

“I’m melting stamina.”

I needed to use the fatigue from the mobile games I was playing.

I opened multiple app players on my PC, executed the PC client for some of them, and with my tablet, I divided the screen in half to run two games simultaneously.

Eight mobile games.

If you ask whether any of these are related to my company’s games, well, none of them are. That’s work, and while I am working, they are titles I have a hard time playing for various reasons—

“Ah, damn.”

Three of the games had their stamina completely filled.

If I passed out like this and woke up the next morning, I would probably find all eight games fully stocked with stamina.

“Fucking company gathering.”

Cursing involuntarily.

It wasn’t even a mandatory gathering; it was merely a get-together for the team leader to vent.

Click, click.

I quickly finished my ‘assignment.’

Among gamers, we call the task of finishing quests ‘daily quests’ and prioritize those in games where stamina is fully stocked.

I excavated artifacts in a fantasy world, gave combat orders to armed dolls in a near-future sci-fi fantasy world, interacted with schoolgirls dressed in uniform, and became a wandering traveler to spread my wings and deliver chicken in a surreal continent.

“…….”

In just ten minutes, switching between eight games, various titles called me as I completed daily quests. I took out the lottery ticket I had tucked away in my wallet.

“If I win the first prize, I’ll definitely level up all my characters… no wait, maybe I should get a new computer first.”

Leveling up all characters means to pull one character multiple times to unlock special skills and pushing through restrictions to achieve the highest level, along with acquiring exclusive weapons by rolling five times and reforging them for ultimate power.

On average, it requires spending the entire monthly salary.

About two million minimum.

“Sigh.”

For those who have awakened, that’s just swinging a sword in an E-rank dungeon to earn money.

Whenever I become aware of such realities, a sigh escapes me, but I can’t lament about things beyond my control.

There’s only one thing I can do.

“…I can probably make some videos tomorrow and reach out to that executive.”

Increasing capital through the small profit earned from these eight games.

It’s less than my salary, but it’s enough to help with rice costs, so I prepared to avoid comments like ‘Why aren’t you melting stamina?’ when viewers watch my videos—

Thud.

“……Huh?”

A sudden blackout.

All the lights went out.

Wondering what happened in the midnight, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Even the tablet turned off.

This isn’t just a simple blackout. Even if the power went out for the whole building, the tablet should not have shut down as well.

This is—

Crackle!!

A powerful jolt of electricity felt from somewhere.

As I turned my head in that direction—

BAM!!

With a loud explosion, I lost consciousness.

Amid the fading awareness, I saw something rise before my eyes.

[System: Due to humanity’s awakening stage being [Level: Low], a large-scale awakening will be conducted at random.]

?

[Your ability is ‘the power of the main character in the last game played.’ This ability is-]

[ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]

Beyond the red warning messages enveloping my vision, I saw something.

[Error. Duplication. Discussion. Combination. Reinforcement.]

Indescribable enormous entities.

They seemed to be discussing something about me, and the being in the center reached out what looked like a hand towards me.

[The subject’s ability is defined as ‘summoning.’]

In the fading awareness.

[Summon. Those who have traveled the world with you.]

With that final message, I lost consciousness.

* * *

And then, morning.

“Have you awakened, Master?”

“Who are you?”

A beautiful maid with black hair and golden eyes greeted me right next to my bed.

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