Stay-at-Home Summoner

Regarding my spending, someone might say the following:

“Did you not save money usually?”

Sure, I have saved some money, but spending 25,000 won per click to buy scraps of data made up of 0s and 1s would make even the richest person hesitate.

And yet, someone might say:

“Are you upset about spending money to raise your summoned beast?”

That’s true. It’s a valid point. So, here I am, spending money.

After getting hit by Elaine and maxing her out, I’ve only paid for a 5,900 won attendance reward—where I get lottery currency each day for logging in—despite playing over eight mobile games.

Currently, I’m pouring my second largest amount of money in my life into this mobile gacha game.

All to strengthen Elaine.

The amount I’ve already spent exceeds 800,000 won. Fortunately, when I bought the 119,000 won package providing the most lottery currency, I got lucky and received about 50,000 won worth relatively quickly, but a quarter of my salary melted away in less than half an hour.

And someone would probably say:

“With 10 billion tower coins on Elaine, you’re making a fuss, haha.”

That’s true. Those 10 billion tower coins have a value equivalent to 10 billion won in cash. If someone with 10 billion won complains about burning 800,000 in a gacha, people would surely want to throw punches at them.

However, I can say two things certainly.

First, the premise:

I assume I can freely use the tower coins with Elaine’s permission.

Even if I establish that the 10 billion tower coins are entirely mine since Elaine is my summoned beast, these two points remain self-evident.

One:

“Tower coins are tower coins; they can’t be used for gacha purchases.”

Tower coins are not real currency. While they can purchase items, the payment methods accepted for purchases in the gacha company do not support tower coins.

Credit cards, bank transfers, N-Pay, mobile payments—these are the only options.

So, can tower coins not be traded for real currency at all?

Not quite. Unlike the towers bringing crises to humanity, many hunters climbing the tower are ‘rice farming’ with tower coins.

They hand over tower coins in the tower and receive the corresponding cash in reality.

Awakening does not discriminate between a homeless person near Seoul Station, an office worker passing by, or a child with their parents riding in a KTX first class.

In reality, where I’m barely making 200 won a month, I might have the A-rank ability in the tower?

In reality, making 2,000 won (after tax), am I an F-rank ability in the tower?

Those situations aren’t jokes, as many economic activities have unfolded in the tower until now.

But at least the game company with Elaine hasn’t built a system for payments using tower coins.

Ultimately, I have no choice but to pour in my cash for gacha.

I have no regrets.

Just watching Elaine fight leaves no room for regret.

[Kiaaaaaaaah!!]

Slash!

One wing is severed by the sword swung by Elaine.

The owner of the giant tower, which resembles a serpent, hides itself in the bubbling lava below, and the ground gradually begins to melt away.

Flap.

Wings spread out behind Elaine.

She’s not an angel, and her wings resemble a bird-like flying apparatus more than angelic ones.

“I didn’t expect open world to be this helpful.”

The game where Elaine appears is an open world.

And it universally supports flying for all characters, with Elaine spreading her wings on her own, beginning to observe the situation carefully in the dangerous moment.

“Is spending insufficient?”

Maybe it’s because it’s a boss from the S-Rank Tower.

Or perhaps Elaine is challenging it solo.

“Critical hits are landing continuously, but without a supporter, it seems the damage isn’t stacking up.”

On the right side of the screen with Elaine, the party composition window shows only Elaine’s face glowing.

Normally, three others should be showing, but regrettably, summoning is impossible here.

“Should I do it?”

I recall.

[Summon (1/2).]

I still have one summon stack left.

If I summon another character besides Elaine, although it might be possible to come out simultaneously, for now, I can support Elaine.

[Elaine: It’s okay, Master. I can win on my own.]

Did my concern reach Elaine?

Or did Elaine herself feel a bit that it was ‘difficult’ without support, but thought she could overcome it if it was just ‘difficult’?

[Elaine: Master. I will leave it to you from now on.]

Elaine slowly glides down, moving toward the still-standing platform above the lava.

“…You’re right.”

Support?

Summon another being?

With Elaine, it’s already sufficient, and there’s no need for that.

“I’m a summoner, and you’re the Master, but there is one more thing before that.”

I held my smartphone horizontally with both hands.

“Do you trust me?”

[Elaine: Yes, I trust you.]

Taa-aat!

Elaine folds her wings and lands on the ground.

With the best sword in hand, which doesn’t quite match her style, Elaine assumes a ‘waiting motion’ to catch her breath.

Kyaaaaaah!!

The serpent reappears.

With its wing severed and its body filled with wounds, Elaine fights independently, coming out covered in lava.

That sight undoubtedly unfolded like a scene from within the game.

“…….”

I think I understand a little.

This is ‘calibration.’

In that tower, reality unfolds, but it appears as ‘game’ through my smartphone screen.

“…Is it time to go?”

I lightly push my left hand holding the smartphone forward, concentrating all my nerves on the screen.

From now on, it’s manual, not auto.

Taa-aat!

Elaine rushes forward, while the tower’s owner opens its mouth wide, trying to directly swallow her.

In a split second.

The timing is—

‘Now!’

I quickly press the button with my thumb.

And at that moment, for a very brief moment, the world stopped.

In the frozen world of black and white, Elaine’s body slid sideways like light, and the light of magical power began to sparkle from her.

Just evaded.

Whether it’s the tower’s boss or any enemy, if you perfectly time your dodge, no matter how close—

Pababababak!

Damage time.

Elaine’s sword surged toward the tower’s owner like a storm, creating countless blades of wind and swiftly cutting down the tower’s owner.

‘I can do this.’

Still, my control isn’t rusty.

‘I should have brought a laptop if I knew this would happen.’

The only downside is I’m operating with a smartphone, but it’s not a huge problem.

Maxing out is not for show.

* * *

Kyaaaaaah!!

The tower’s owner, who claims to be [Ouroboros of Infinite Purgatory], couldn’t comprehend the situation unfolding before its eyes, no matter how hard it thought.

Attack.

Spitting fire, swinging its tail, and immediately opening its mouth to bite.

But the opponent, annoyingly, dodges just before the attack connects, flashing and instantly moving away.

High-speed movement?

It’s indeed moving.

But no matter how magical the movement is, this doesn’t make sense.

What kind of being can evade an attack without any precursor, muscle movement, or preparation?

“Hah.”

The dark-haired golden-eyed maid twists one corner of her mouth.

Immediately after dodging the attack, she swings her sword, scraping the scales from her body.

The scales themselves didn’t take any damage.

At least on the surface.

But the tower’s owner felt it clearly.

That attack was chipping away at its ‘existence.’

If the previous attack inflicted physical damage, those special attacks unfolding now are cutting through its existence, soul, and essence.

A certain humiliation, and the moment it becomes ‘zero,’ its spirit seems like it will perish.

Kyaaaaaah!!

It can’t be.

Not in such an absurd way, am I going to fall to a single being after gaining strength in this purgatory until now?

If I will announce the name Ouroboros to the world outside the tower and conquer the world beyond the tower to make it my land—

Flash.

Something flips the vision upside down.

For some reason, the direction the tower’s owner looks and the figures reflected in its retina completely change.

“Scum.”

The vision illuminated solely the dark-haired golden-eyed maid.

“Disinfect.”

As if a small familiar quickly flies around the maid and only observes her face and chest, for a brief moment, the whole world shone on that maid.

That’s how it appeared.

Before it could even recognize any change, the dark-haired golden-eyed maid had vanished.

Slash.

Something, something that cannot be cut is cut away.

The neck is intact, and the scales are not completely destroyed, but the tower’s owner instinctively felt it.

[What was that just now?]

That its existence has been sliced.

[This is the power of an unauthorized external law. The mana…]

“Master.”

The maid, who had somehow managed to position herself behind, leisurely set her sword aside and grabbed the hem of her skirt, turning towards what is beyond herself.

“The finishing blow should be executed by the ultimate ability.”

[Cannot comprehend.]

Whatever it was, the tower’s owner saw.

A flash.

A black trajectory.

Numerous strikes that seem to tear it into dozens of pieces, pouring in an instant.

[What made you so strong…?]

“Master….”

[Ah, I see.]

The tower’s owner slowly began to lose consciousness.

[Master…different….]

Thud.

The tower’s owner could no longer think of anything.

* * *

“…Wow.”

This is happening.

“Indeed, maxing out is no joke.”

[S-Rank Tower.]

“…I actually conquered it.”

Clear, completed.

“…Though many S-rank towers have disappeared in Korea, I’ve never solo conquered an S-rank tower before.”

Successfully solo cleared.

I’m done for.

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