Stay-at-Home Summoner

[Late evening, at a certain bar on the street.]

“When will the Coser Maid come out again?”

“Hey. The Coser Maid went to America. She probably won’t be coming back.”

“How do you know if she really went to America? You don’t even know if the Coser Maid’s Master left Korea or not.”

The young men gathered around the bar clink their glasses and chat.

“So who do you think is stronger? The Blue Lightning, right?”

“Ah, I don’t know. That guy seems washed up.”

“Weren’t you a fan of Ramji Thunder?”

“Seeing him run away from that press conference was really pathetic. My admiration just dropped.”

“Press conference?”

“The journalist asked if the S-Rank Hunter Coser Maid could tackle the S-Rank Tower. He was totally scared. Damn.”

“Hey, you’re drunk.”

Just like any other bar, the main topic is undoubtedly about the S-Rank Hunters.

“Still, Ramji Thunder has his class, right? How could he be too scared to say anything because the Coser Maid tackled the S-Rank Tower?”

“I don’t know. It seems like that guy really believes it and is scared.”

“Believes what?”

“That he tackled the S-Rank Tower solo. He’s always said that an S-Rank Hunter has to clear the S-Rank Tower solo to be recognized.”

“He’s dumb.”

The topic of who will win this year’s Ballon d’Or can lead to heated discussions among soccer fans that might last until dawn.

“Seriously, among the S-Ranks in this country—or even worldwide—can anyone really solo the S-Rank Tower?”

“I don’t know. There might be a hidden monster somewhere. But Ramji Thunder definitely doesn’t seem to be one.”

“Hey, watch your words. You might get attacked by the Ramji fan club.”

In a matter related to the existence of this world, especially about “Hunters”, even those who are not awakened have their own thoughts.

“Besides, talking bad about Hunters could lead to trouble later. What will you do if the Hunters nearby don’t tackle the tower that popped up near your home?”

“Using the coins earned from the tower just for their own looks…”

“Hey, hey. Speak properly. Saying they waste tower coins on new costumes or skins for themselves without using them for others is not nice.”

The glasses are filled again.

“But at least we get to enjoy seeing the pictures. Hehe.”

The woman holding a glass is not a pure and innocent actress but a beautiful A-Rank Hunter dressed in a ‘suit’ like a dress.

“Buying outfits for self-expression instead of weapons and gear that can’t be obtained in reality. Right?”

“Then instead of just showing off with those saved coins and equipment, why don’t you go tackle the S-Rank Tower on that island?”

“Oh, she’s drunk. So, what tower do you think we should tackle, oh expert? Between Ganghwa, Dokdo, and Jeju.”

“Definitely Jeju.”

The glasses are filled again.

“Jeju has the most people living there.”

“You know that people from Jeju come out here by boat after the tower was created, right?”

“Of course. But those people can’t stay up there forever. Compared to the towers on Ganghwa or Dokdo, it’s relatively easier to tackle.”

“Yeah, the bosses have already been tackled by other hunters.”

As a strong wind blows, the glass doors of the bar rattle slightly.

“Wow, the wind is really strong. Speaking of which, the boss of the tower in Jeju primarily uses wind.”

“Is that the buff wind? Wow, that really looks strong. I remember a video where they entered the boss fight area, and it was all sluggish for a reason.”

“Hey, then…”

This isn’t just a little drinking conversation; the questions currently raised in South Korea and worldwide are significant.

“If the Coser Maid came into the picture, do you think the other three islands would be easily tackled?”

Will the Coser Maid succeed where existing S-Rank Hunters have failed in their dungeon challenges?

“I don’t know. But I hope it gets tackled quickly. I’ve never been to Jeju.”

“…Hey.”

A moment of silence falls over the drinking table.

“I heard rumors that there might be more S-Rank Towers than officially recognized.”

“…Don’t talk scary things. There might be more S-Rank Towers here? Oh, if that’s the case, we should leave the peninsula.”

*Tap.*

The last drop of alcohol fell into the glass.

“They say if just one exists, that city, no, that country could fall, but if there are seven or ten S-Rank Towers, how can anyone live in fear? Right?”

“True. So… I guess we should believe it.”

“Cheers.”

“Before the Coser Maid and her Master ‘escapes’, may they eliminate all the S-Rank Towers in this land and pursue their ambitions.”

* * *

Elaine and Kiharu.

Regardless of their true feelings, both of them decided to follow the summons and objectives given by the summoner as summoned beings.

“Nice to meet you, Kiharu.”

“It’s this body that is honored.”

Elaine is the dealer.

Kiharu is the healer.

This is the position we hoped for from the beginning.

“By the way, partner. Have you decided where we will tackle?”

“Uh. Ganghwa.”

“Mm?”

Kiharu, who had been flying atop Elaine’s tablet, tilted its head at my words.

“Not Jeju?”

“We have to go by boat there.”

“Aren’t we supposed to stay away from the Master? We can escape, but the Master can’t.”

“I won’t go near if I can help it. I’ll stay here.”

I pointed to my computer.

“There was almost no frame drop until Ganghwa.”

“Frame drop…?”

“The closer the tower is to me, the less it stutters. The ping is also fast.”

“…So the further the physical distance between the summoned and the summoner, the slower the app’s command response time?”

“That’s about right.”

It may vary by distance, but when I sit at my computer at home and connect the summoning app for management, the area near my house runs at 120 frames with no interruptions.

“I went there myself to avoid detection by others.”

“I ran from the center of Seoul to the outskirts of Seoul.”

From the summoning app, Elaine’s gameplay perspective shows a background reminiscent of an ‘open world’—the reality of Seoul itself.

“I felt that even as I moved away from the Master, the connection remained, but there was a feeling that the commands from the Master were delayed by 0.1 seconds.”

But once I go outside Seoul or to the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, I could feel it drop to around 60 frames.

If I went down to Jeju, I might be looking at about 30 frames, and if I went overseas, the ping would probably hit 80 or 90.

“So, we have no choice but to do things ourselves then?”

“As long as it’s a decent A-Rank Tower, that’s how it’ll work.”

Just as Elaine said, if it’s a level that is not too challenging, sending summoned beasts for auto-hunting is more than enough to tackle it.

“But if it’s an S-Rank Tower, with the Master’s excellent ‘control’, we could clear it more easily.”

Elaine raises her head with pride in front of Kiharu.

When I directly tackled the Mungyeong Saejae Tower and was nearby, Elaine managed to receive my command signals without delay, avoiding enemy attacks at the right time and defeating the boss, Ouroboros.

“Kiharu. You have no idea what it feels like when the Master is controlling and facing enemies directly. Hehe.”

“I’ll also get to experience that sensation one day. So, I can just wait for a while, right, partner?”

“Hmm….”

“Partner?”

“There is a genre difference, but I think it will work out somehow.”

Turn-based RPGs mostly rely on ‘party play’.

There are rarely solo plays unless it’s for a challenge.

Even so, if you don’t have skills to cover healing, tanking, and dealing damage alone, it’s impossible to manage solo.

Kiharu, for now, is a character specializing in healing.

Unless there’s been a new ‘patch’ to evolve Kiharu into a 5-star form or grow it to 6 stars, she can’t tap into the goddess’s power.

“It feels like separation is being judged as a different existence.”

I asked Alice.

If I summon separate characters like Elaine [swimwear] or Kiharu [Goddess Permata], will their abilities overlap with the Elaine and Kiharu I have summoned now?

[That is not possible.]

Alice stated it is impossible.

[It’s not an overlap; it’s summoning completely separate new existences.]

Separation is a completely different existence.

Using characters summoned as heroes from a mobile gacha game in Japan as an analogy—

-“Cheongbap, Heugbap, Changbap, Kaebap… Aren’t they all the same character?”

-“What? This bastard…!”

Strictly speaking, it might not be technically termed separation, but if they are released as entirely different characters, they should be viewed as separate existences.

Thus, although overlapping attributes is impossible, one possibility exists.

“My partner. If one day my ‘separation’ comes out, and my goddess form is released, summon her. I don’t know what her nature will be, but I’ll convince her to become a servant for the Master.”

“Servant?”

“With flowers in both hands. How about that?”

“Where did you learn this?”

For example.

“If someone says they need to test a separation, the start should naturally be my separation. Master, one Elaine will be on your left and another Elaine on your right. How does that sound?”

It means that one character could be dressed as a maid while the other could be in a swimsuit, clinging to my side!

“…If I summon both Elaines, or if in the future I summon other Elaines, the world will be shocked.”

Two existing entities tackling a tower at different locations?

The world would turn upside down, sparking doubts about the unique characteristics of Elaine.

Instead of cosplay, could it be that a real game character has actually been summoned?

“I probably won’t try to summon a separation unless it’s absolutely necessary, unless boosting your specs itself is possible.”

In order to delay such doubts from becoming reality as long as possible, and since the beings I have summoned won’t get stronger just by summoning separations, there’s no need to summon them again.

“If specs or power are lacking, I just have to work hard. If I control well, I can just ask the game company to do better. Yeah, that’s how it is.”

And there are countless ways to strengthen the current Elaine and Kiharu.

“Just pressure the game company.”

“How…?”

“Press conference.”

It’s nothing complicated.

“While we tackle the S-Rank Tower, we’ll speak out.”

“Elaine buff.”

“If the U.S. president intimidates the game company so they remain unsuspecting, it would naturally create a way to enhance Elaine. So—”

Beep beep.

An alarm went off.

It was an important alert, and I immediately checked my social media.

“…Perfect timing.”

“What is it? President Louis has something…?”

“I just received intel from the CIA. Right now, S-Rank Hunters from Korea are being summoned to the Blue House to plan the attack on the S-Rank Tower of Ganghwa.”

Being ‘summoned’ to the Blue House.

It’s a euphemism used because it’s from the U.S. president; everyone living in Korea would know exactly what the situation means.

This ‘summon’ is practically a forced ‘conscription’ of S-Ranks.

“If that’s the case….”

“Let’s go.”

Leaving aside other matters, we can’t let the chance to tackle the tower slip away.

“While they’re engrossed in desk dialogue, let’s go first and tackle it.”

“Master.”

“Is it our turn?”

“Yeah.”

I sat down in front of my desk, putting on my headset.

“Let’s go tackle the S-Rank Tower of Ganghwa.”

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