Stay-at-Home Summoner

Approximately 20 minutes had passed since the S-Rank Tower of Ganghwa Island was cleared.

“Yayyy!!”

A roar echoed through a room in a game company located in Pangyo.

“Boss, please…!”

“Do I look like I can stay calm right now? Do I look like I’m going to just sit still? I trusted you, Jeonjang!!”

The man who was ecstatic, using trendy internet slang, was Park Ki-woo, the CEO of Enpia Co., who began to go wild, throwing punches into the air.

“Am I wrong, Shin PD? I told you it would be fine!”

“Haha…”

In the presence of the exuberantly happy CEO, Shin Ki-hyun, the executive producer of [Granad Impact: Redive], smiled faintly, his dark circles under his eyes signifying fatigue.

“I honestly thought it might be a crazy move…”

“Life is all about timing. If it had failed, we would have been in big trouble, but it worked, right?”

At the CEO’s words, Shin PD was left speechless. Although he appeared carefree, his decisive ability proved to be extraordinary given he had elevated Enpia, assessed as a promising small business, to this level.

“The Elaine patch was the perfect timing for a reveal. Hehe.”

“Yes. It seems like it was intended, but…”

“It was intentional. We were going to officially announce it in a week anyway, so this was just an early reveal, right? Hehehe.”

Park Ki-woo shook the wide tablet he held in his hand.

“Patch notes. It’s not common in mobile games, but nobody expected such a significant update.”

“Yes. It’s also a way to enhance and strengthen outdated characters… although it’s borrowed from the methods of another company in Japan.”

“It can’t be bad, right? It means the character grows through training. If we just upgrade the stats straight away, it would feel off, but if it’s done this way, it feels like the characters are leveling up.”

“Yes. Internally, it’s unprecedented; our game has focused on new characters rather than those from the past…”

“Honestly, what’s the point of patching old characters’ stats? We can’t sell them off right now, and by the time we do, new characters will be out.”

When a character released as a limited-time offer in a mobile gacha game returns after its initial release period, only those who missed it can go for it.

They might have quit the game or started later. Game companies focus on new characters in their sales, ensuring the performance is thoroughly checked before initial release.

The development teams set up the combat mechanics for characters over a period ranging from a month to over half a year, while the balancing team adjusts combat numbers. This has been Enpia’s approach to character launches, taking player feedback through testers six weeks before release.

There had only been one buff since any character’s launch.

When Enpia’s initial limited 5-star character had complaints that its specs were “too low compared to what the character was supposed to be,” thousands of open users rallied together to demand the company provide cash receipt data during the “receipt incident.”

Excluding that case when a buff was given, there had been no other buffs.

So, everyone reluctantly pulled out new characters or played with past characters even if the old ones couldn’t keep up with the latest patch’s inflation.

The Elaine patch.

That history changed.

“When the real Elaine conquered the S-Rank Tower of Ganghwa Island, the in-game Elaine will conquer the Trial Tower and become stronger. Hehe, that’s marketing.”

“…….”

“Don’t look at me like that. Are you worried about what the real Elaine might say?”

At Shin PD’s anxious demeanor, Park Ki-woo opened the news screen.

“What do you think this outfit is?”

“…It’s the collaboration outfit Elaine wore when we partnered with the department store.”

“Exactly!”

On the news screen, the “Coser Maid,” now referred to simply as “Coser,” appeared to be wearing an ordinary suit.

However, those who not only enjoyed the game but also its IP could see something different in that appearance.

“This person implemented our game’s Elaine collaboration outfit, which indicates a deep affection for our game, especially for Elaine! At the very least, they must be a hardcore fan or probably a full collector, right?”

“…….CEO, you’re not suggesting that’s why they’re acting this way, are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, the National Intelligence Service.”

“Oh dear.”

At the mention of the National Intelligence Service, CEO Park Ki-woo’s expression turned serious.

“Shin PD. The person who cosplayed our game clearly loves it. Do we want to give information to those who came here and harassed us out of nowhere just to find her?”

“…….”

Once, men in black suits visited the game company.

They reasoned that “if someone cosplayed as Elaine, they must have rolled for her,” which led them to demand the developer’s user data.

Were they conducting a full survey on mobile game users?

That would narrow down the candidates compared to surveying all adult women in their twenties in South Korea.

Especially now that some information about nationality has been released.

“Being ungrateful has its limits. Think about it. If that person had cosplayed as a character from another company, like a celestial or elf character, what would happen?”

“We’d probably be trying to contact that company for a collaboration while just passively observing their skyrocketing sales.”

“Exactly. And praying, please cosplay our character this time! But what happens? It’s Elaine twice in a row. They perfectly recreated our collaboration illustration.”

Park Ki-woo leaned back into his chair, relaxing.

“Next up could be Elaine in a swimsuit, huh? If she shows up like that, it’s going to be a real spectacle.”

“I doubt she’ll wear a swimsuit.”

“Why?”

“If the hunter cosplaying as Elaine is someone who is thorough about accuracy…she wouldn’t wear such revealing swimwear despite the liberty hunters have regarding outfits.”

Shin Ki-hyun PD spoke confidently.

“Her master, likely her boyfriend or husband, probably wouldn’t want to show his girl off like that.”

“Oh, is that because you’re Elaine’s father?”

“Father indeed.”

Shin PD shook his head shortly.

“What father would want to undress his daughter to make money?”

“That revenue is expected to hit our company’s all-time best, you know? We’re already surpassing last year’s revenue from March even though it’s just January?”

“I created Elaine’s setting and designed the character, and even if I personally engaged with fans…I’m a bit worried.”

“Worried?”

“Yes. I hope that cosplayer hunter hasn’t… to be honest, I wish they’d cosplayed a character from another company.”

The CEO was about to exclaim, “What kind of nonsense is that?” but he froze, mouth open, as Shin PD tilted his head 90 degrees.

“…You’re not serious, are you?”

“I think I am.”

Shin PD sounded slightly out of it.

“That can’t be! You’ve at least been doing fine!”

“Thanks to my daughter, work has been overwhelming, and I can’t even go back home right now. I’m always in a crunch state.”

Crunch.

A term commonly used in the gaming industry for periods of intense work where staying late at the office and even sleeping there is the norm.

“It’s good that our revenue is going up and that people are getting interested in Elaine and our game, but…I still need to survive, right? At this rate, I’m really going to die.”

“…….”

“Just handling responses from the gaming industry is exhausting, and now there’s the Awakened Management Committee, Hunter Guild, and even the National Intelligence Service. CEO, that Coser Maid really isn’t involved with us, right?”

“What’s that?”

“The Coser Maid.”

“Of course not. If there had been any relation, I would have at least mentioned it to you. Got it? After this patch, you should take a break.”

The CEO took out his smartphone and began tapping on it.

“Check it out.”

Ding-dong.

Shin PD’s smartphone rang.

For a moment, he wore a puzzled expression until he gaped at the banking app displayed on the screen.

“It’s a bonus.”

“…A bonus?”

“Yeah. You’ll get yours as a PD, and we’ll soon hand them out to the employees through an internal notice. Consider it a pre-vacation gift.”

“…Are you really giving each employee a luxury car? W-what on earth is this…”

“Looks like it.”

The CEO replied, gazing out the window.

“A big player came in from the U.S. and specifically said, ‘Please take good care of Elaine.'”

“…….”

“I thought they were going to buy the copyright. It felt like they were pressuring us with money. They wanted us to present more versions of Elaine… ugh.”

“W-well, distributing stuff to us is good…”

Shin PD lightly raised his hand with the smartphone.

“Let’s announce with the illustration of formal Elaine, celebrating the S-Rank Tower conquest, by giving all players 30 gacha pulls, yeah?”

* * *

“Cheers.”

We celebrated with canned beer bought from the convenience store.

What were we celebrating?

The conquest of the S-Rank Tower of Ganghwa Island.

Since it was something the whole of South Korea, and the entire world, should celebrate, we joined in the festivities.

And another thing.

“Congratulations, Elaine.”

“I didn’t think I would get patched.”

The Elaine patch.

Not a nerf but a buff patch.

When Elaine’s performance rises in the game, the real Elaine becomes stronger too.

What if the version gets patched?

According to Alice, the summoning management app, the current abilities are closely tied to the live server.

In other words, if a strengthening patch is made on the live server, Elaine could become even stronger.

…We decided not to think about any nerfs or deletions on this joyous day.

“I’m a bit scared. I wonder how strong I can get.”

The slightly tipsy Elaine smiled warmly, appearing more relaxed than usual. It was a new side of her that could not be seen in-game, where she never even touched alcohol, and it felt quite fascinating.

“Aren’t you already strong enough? In the game world… you were the strongest in ‘Granad.'”

“…….”

“Why so silent?”

“Well.”

Maybe it was because Elaine was slightly tipsy.

“In my world, master, um, this might be a spoiler.”

She seemed somewhat out of her filter, and her reasoning felt a bit loose.

“Based on my world’s standards, I wasn’t among the strongest.”

“…….”

“There were at least five people above me. And I know their identities, Master. That…”

Elaine briefly glanced at Kiharu, who was simply sipping beer, then straightened her posture and pointed at her smartphone.

“At the moment you control me, I feel like I’m on the same level as them. So, I thank you even more, Master.”

“…….”

“Are you curious who they are? …One of them.”

Elaine raised her finger.

“I know someone who isn’t dangerous, who can help you, akin to a background character.”

“Are you aiming for me?”

Kiharu, who had been quietly listening, growled lowly.

“Master. If you summon a third one, I recommend summoning an ‘acquainted strong’ on my side.”

What began as a celebration unexpectedly turned into a meeting focused on tackling the next tower.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because I revealed it myself.

The results of this operation.

It wasn’t just the achievement of conquering the S-Rank Tower or that our friend Louis would support us financially due to that success, but the changes in my own abilities.

2 / 3.

There was still enough empty space on the living room sofa for one more person to sit comfortably.

“…Alice. Can I summon two from the same game?”

[It is possible if the conditions are met.]

It looks like it’s possible.

“And the next character scheduled for pickup is… one of those top strong ones.”

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