Chapter 4
No one knows the principle by which the ‘Tower’ appears on the ground.
If the Tower were simply a disaster that brought trials to humanity, people wouldn’t think climbing it as a greater importance than winning the lottery.
Conquering the Tower brings a flood of rewards.
Moreover, these rewards can be utilized outside the Tower, and many of them transcend human common sense.
Magic tools.
From items that glow permanently without electricity to objects that release powerful heat with just a small amount of mana.
As the precious stones and magic tools obtained from the Tower started taking over existing industries one by one, it became evident that the Tower served as a genetic foundation for a new capitalist era.
Of course, climbing the Tower always involves taking risks.
You might think there aren’t many jobs in the world that are as life-threatening as earning money through physical labor, but those who climb the Tower—[Awakened Ones]—truly risk their ‘lives’ fighting the monsters that emerge from it.
So, some choose not to ascend the Tower even after awakening.
For some, awakening is something they wish to devote their lives to, while for others, it may seem like an unwanted power and a burdensome responsibility.
Amid all this, with a million people having awakened, it’s no surprise the world is chaotic.
“Should I be glad?”
With chaos enveloping the world, fortunately, the attention on Elaine isn’t that severe.
Right now, I have five internet tabs open on my dual monitors, accessing various communities and refreshing each one to check their content.
Community R humor board, no abnormalities.
Community D gallery, nothing unusual.
Community A channel….
“Ah.”
– 3D Elaine Hunter cosplay www
“Crazy.”
Just in case, I opened many communities, and as expected, I stumbled upon something.
A post uploaded five minutes ago featured a battle maid with black hair and golden eyes, captured in profile as she gazes up at a fountain.
“Of all places…!”
This is bad.
While information spreading is concerning, this is a gaming-related community, not a hunter community, so the users’ tendencies are quite explicit—
– You know sexual harassment against a real person gets you banned, right? Watch your comments.
– Ah, just being dressed as a hunter is something to be grateful for haha.
“Uh?”
The comment reactions seem unusual.
Normally, I’d expect comments like “I want to peel off Elaine’s maid outfit and make her blush before carrying her into my bed like a little Master,” but now…
“Legal action?”
It likely looked like a real person, leading to everyone being cautious with their comments to avoid potential sexual harassment suits.
Furthermore, if that person is not just cosplaying but is an ‘Awakened One,’ they must be even more careful with their words.
Hunters, Awakened Ones, climbers, etc., are different from simple influencers or celebrities.
They are the heroes of humanity, preventing phenomena like ‘Dungeon Breaks’ due to Tower collapses.
There aren’t many who would dare to comment, “Damn, I want to make passionate love while getting this busty figure with no awakening pregnant, but I’m holding back because of the fear of a lawsuit” against an ‘Overhuman’ who could snap their neck at an instant’s notice.
In this regard, things are better here.
Even though one can think such things in their head, they don’t express them in an online space for others to see.
– What are these young people thinking these days?
“Ah, damn.”
Unexpectedly, or perhaps predictably, a response matching my expectations popped up.
– To think that someone awakens and walks around in such attire. It’s not like they’re bragging about becoming a hunter or anything~
– I don’t know whose daughter this is, but doesn’t she feel ashamed? Wearing clothes so blatantly revealing. Could she have awakened while working in that line of work?
– Does anyone know this person’s social media?
As soon as a photo taken from a different angle is uploaded in a local cafe, the responses are undeniably unpleasant.
It’s like seeing online comments tearing apart someone’s girlfriend’s photo that was taken without her consent.
‘I can archive this, but there’s no way to go in and refute it directly.’
Unfortunately, I am a man, and only those verified as ‘local moms’ can write posts in that cafe.
Now, as someone who has become an ‘Elaine mom,’ I desperately want to enter, line everyone up, and bash keyboard warriors pouring out their nonsense, but—
‘For now, I should hold back.’
If I let my anger boil and speak out, this post would surely switch from public to members-only visibility, rendering it unviewable.
‘I’ll make you regret it.’
Dealing with Awakened Ones online is on a different level than dealing with celebrities who might sue over hate comments.
Celebrities are hard to sue unless their agency intervenes, often tempered by concern for the star’s image, while Awakened Ones are managed by the ‘State’.
Of course, some of them choose to operate as unregistered individuals pursuing freedom, venturing into areas where ‘villains’ do not receive legal protection.
“Ugh….”
A crossroads of choice.
It’s not an immediate decision to make, but as one million Awakened Ones start registering with the Awakened One Management Committee, I, too, will have to register.
As an Awakened One.
…As a Summoner?
“Search term: Summon. Summoner. Special abilities.”
I search for related materials on a community I frequent more than others.
Though I have VPN on, loading search results is a bit slow; even with careful searches for safety, results are not satisfactory.
I even enter foreign sites searching for terms like ‘Summon’ and ‘召喚獸,’ exploring anything that comes to mind regarding my abilities.
‘Is it necessary to go this far?’ but I still scour the nationally used SNS with hashtags like ‘#Awaken, #Awakening’, refreshing to check in real-time.
– Guys, I awakened as a fire dealer!!
– Support lol, no way, I’m a tool!!
– Looking for a mentor for an ice ranged dealer….
– Damn, I’m a tank… ㅡ,ㅡ Is there anyone who wants to swap awakening talents with me?
“That last one is just self-promotion.”
When frequently participating in online communities, one can often discern whether a person is asking a genuine question or just stirring the pot based on experience.
Self-promotion.
Everyone wants to boast about themselves, and when it comes to awakening, they want to showcase their abilities even more.
With the blessing of one million Awakened Ones, where everyone seems to be flaunting their skills amidst a context of possible manipulation, this only intensifies!
“…Ha.”
No matter how much I search, I don’t think anything will come up.
‘Nothing.’
It’s simply nonexistent.
There may be other people who have awakened with the Summoner ability, but even those who can summon beings like cute gacha game characters are even rarer.
If I were to find someone with a similar ability…
– Guys, I became a cat monster master haha.
“Goodness, taming stray cats, huh?”
A ‘Beast Tamer,’ who tames wild cats, puts them into a red pouch, and throws them to make them fight, could be one of the few examples.
If it were a power like that, I would have disclosed it.
But no matter how I think about it, it feels better to keep it under wraps.
– Wow, Elaine concept is awesome haha.
– So, if I get mixed up with that hunter, does that mean an ‘X’ with Elaine?
“Are you in elementary school?”
Though I say it, it’s likely a kid around middle school age came onto the community board and posted with tiny hands.
In fact, the idea that it might even be possible sends chills down my spine.
“…It’s really maddening.”
There are still traces of Elaine left in this room.
In a place where no woman has ever entered, the evidence of a beauty with black hair and golden eyes lingering briefly remains palpable.
She’s a person from a fantasy world, not a modern one, but the scent brings back memories of the shampoo and body wash I used—
“?!”
I get up and head to the shower.
Not my previous towel, but another colored one, is slightly wet and hanging there.
“…….”
Snap.
“……I need to get a grip.”
I am not a pervert.
Rather, if I asked for permission from the individual herself, there could be an understanding, but I’m not desperate enough to go to such lengths.
“…Phew.”
This is troubling.
Whether summoned or whatever else, it’s impossible to ignore that she is undoubtedly ‘female’.
“If it had been some animal, I could have handled it… Ha.”
It might sound like a spoiled complaint, but it truly is troubling.
“I should at least be grateful that I’m not attracting more attention here.”
Pah.
I turn on the TV.
While refreshing several windows on my computer giving me a bit of a headache, I wanted to see what breaking news might be on.
For now—
[…At that moment, an Awakened One has ‘conquered’ the Tower!]
“?”
My thoughts came to a halt.
[The one who conquered the Tower generated at the fountain in S city is… a, a maid?]
“Uh….”
Time elapsed, about one hour.
[Everyone!! This is the fastest conquest in human history!!!]
“Ah.”
Wait, a memory comes flooding back.
“Max level, skill build complete, artifact score SSS….”
And.
“Fully evolved and fully reformed.”