Stay-at-Home Summoner

An S-Rank Tower means that only a monster capable of challenging an S-Rank Awakened being can emerge.

At the same time, entering the Tower means that if you are not S-Rank, it’s generally going to be difficult to survive, or if you are below that level, you could die immediately upon entry.

There are a total of four S-Rank Towers in South Korea.

Including the Korean Peninsula, there are five in total, but among them, the Tower located at Mungyeong Saejae is the closest in distance and is a place where you can attract less attention from others.

‘I never thought I would end up here.’

I thought I would enter a dungeon in an F-Rank Tower after awakening as an Awakened being, but I never imagined I would directly challenge an S-Rank Tower.

Insane, right?

That’s right.

Some might ask what on earth is worth risking one’s life like this, but if I succeed in conquering it, the rewards will be beyond words.

Simply conquering the Tower doesn’t mean that the only reward is the money the system provides post-clearance.

It’s the ‘achievement’ of having conquered an S-Rank Tower.

This will become a powerful negotiation strategy against various organizations in the future.

If someone asks whether I should risk my life to conquer an S-Rank Tower, I would say yes if it’s to protect Elaine.

Screech.

I stop the car.

While deep in thought, the car has already arrived at its destination.

“Here we are.”

“Isn’t this just the side of the road?”

“We can’t go any further up from here. The entrance is blocked.”

About 1 km ahead is a ‘military base.’

Originally, I could have driven up to the parking lot designated for observing the cultural heritage of Mungyeong Saejae, but the S-Rank Tower, clearly visible even in the dark, is controlling access within a radius of about 5 km.

“Do you see it?”

“I see it.”

Elaine leans forward toward the window in the backseat of the driver’s side.

Though the window isn’t down, the white ivory Tower brightly illuminating the surroundings in the darkness makes it impossible to miss.

Generally, Towers are typically found floating like holograms at specific locations and are about the height of a building.

But for an S-Rank Tower, it rises high enough to be seen from a distance, like the Lotte Tower or Namsan Tower.

Just like the S-Rank dungeons that have sprung up in Ganghwa Island, Jeju Island, and Dokdo.

“There have been several S-Rank Towers in Korea. Excluding the one on the island, all the S-Rank Towers in the cities have been conquered thanks to the focused efforts of hunters, except for this one.”

Korean S-Rank hunters are not incompetent.

In fact, the average ability of individuals is quite superior compared to S-Rank individuals from other countries.

As proof, they have successfully conquered several S-Rank Towers that appeared in various cities, with a success rate of seven times.

So why haven’t they conquered this place?

“…Three months ago, an S-Rank hunter died while attempting to conquer this place.”

An incident occurred.

“Because of that, the number of S-Rank hunters in this country decreased from five to four, and since then, everyone has taken a break to some extent. They needed time to collect themselves.”

“This is the place where a comrade who fought alongside you fell.”

“Yes. It’s that dangerous. Do you think you can climb it… alone?”

I gripped the gear of the car and pulled it into reverse.

“It’s not too late even now. You can return to Seoul, or you can go down this way to my hometown. I don’t have a home, but I can stay at a hotel and watch the situation for a while.”

“No.”

There was no hesitation in Elaine’s eyes.

“I can do this. And above all, I believe that your ‘skill’ can lead me to an even higher place.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. To be honest, it might be better if you were to give me commands rather than me fighting.”

“…….”

Elaine pointed to the smartphone I had left in the console box of the driver’s seat.

“Just as you trust me, I trust you as well. Your… ‘Strong Command’.”

“That’s not something to be proud of, but in this situation, it would definitely be helpful.”

The checks are complete.

Since we’ve decided to check again as soon as we enter the entrance, pressing the emergency escape button is no big deal.

“Elaine. Should I go with you?”

“No. Please wait here.”

Elaine shakes her head firmly.

“After conquering the Tower, we need to leave the site immediately.”

“Right. If we really conquer the Tower, they’ll definitely start looking around. A suspicious vehicle lingering nearby will surely be noticed.”

“…Going to a completely different location might be an option.”

Elaine points to the car’s navigation system.

“I’ll handle the conquest, so why don’t you head towards the sea? Then…”

“I can hide my identity, but that won’t be possible.”

Through CCTV or other means, they could discover that I was there and then moved.

But my presence here isn’t just for show.

“Elaine, I know it’s difficult to say, but as long as this is here, we can still be ‘connected’ even if we’re a bit far apart, right?”

I pointed to the app on my smartphone.

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“As long as I’m around here, I can barely give commands to you who are inside the Tower, right?”

“You checked at the highway rest area earlier, didn’t you? With that summoning management app, you can check my status and call me back.”

“…Right.”

There is a distance that can connect the summoning management app on my smartphone to Elaine.

Instead of radio waves, it would be signals transmitted via magic, but thanks to this app, I can ascertain Elaine’s status.

And I saw it.

Previously, I witnessed Elaine ascending the dungeon.

While scanning through various reactions from the community, I clearly saw Elaine climbing the Tower through this app on my smartphone.

Though the whole world may have only seen Elaine entering and exiting the Tower, I alone witnessed her fighting scenes.

“Master, in case…”

“If someone comes and asks, I’ll handle it myself, so don’t worry.”

I pretended to recline the car’s seat while holding up my smartphone.

“It’s fine. As long as we conquer the Tower, from that point on, even if we get caught, we can act accordingly.”

Rather, that’s what I hope for.

If I truly succeed in conquering the S-Rank Tower, then at that time, should my tail be stepped on, that’s when I need to take action.

And I must choose who steps on my tail and grabs my collar.

“Please. I don’t mean to put pressure on you, but at the very least, I need to reach the place where the previous conquest team went and defeat the mid-boss to survive as well.”

There’s a very important issue that must be addressed.

“By saying this, it may sound trivial, but this is an incredibly important matter for Koreans, you know?”

The age of hunters.

The state can only consider the hunters’ opinions when it reaches the level of S-Rank, while influence remains to some extent until A-Rank.

The two among the S-Ranks belong to the ‘state,’ after all.

And this country…

“If I re-enlist, I might have to live apart from you.”

They impose obligations on the Awakened.

An obligation to protect the state and its citizens as Awakened.

“The higher-ups will think of me and you separately.”

Even if that includes those handling S-Rank summons.

* * *

[At that moment, somewhere in Seoul. In a conference room in an underground bunker.]

“Minister, what is the current status of the registration of Awakened beings?”

“As of 02:31 AM, about 645 Awakened beings have reported their awakenings themselves.”

“645 out of 1 million.”

At the president’s low voice, the ministers gathered from related departments exchanged glances.

“They probably haven’t all reported yet, right?”

“Yes.”

“Has anything been mentioned from the ‘Awakened Management Committee’?”

“That is…”

Beep.

[Excuse me.]

A bright light flashed on the massive screen at the front of the conference room, revealing a ‘woman’ with black long hair.

[This is the Awakened Management Committee. I am participating in the national emergency response meeting as the representative chairperson.]

The appearance of a woman roughly around the age of the ministers’ daughters made the committee members swallow hard.

It was less like the instinct that arises when a male sees a beautiful woman, and more like the emotions of tourists observing a wild beast through transparent glass.

“Right, [Onyxiana]. What is the committee’s position?”

[The committee believes that the relevant ‘law’ should be repealed or withdrawn, or a special law should be enacted and urgently promulgated, starting at dawn.]

“No way!”

A man in military uniform, not in a suit, shouted among the bureaucrats.

“In the emergency situation of the Tower, especially at a time when an unspecified number of hunters have awakened, we cannot provide special privileges only to them! The current personnel will oppose it!”

“Mmm….”

The president briefly tapped his fingers on the table.

“Do we need to abolish the [Awakened Mobilization Act]? The law that obliges Awakened beings to serve national defense for ‘half a year’?”

[Allow me to mention one thing.]

The woman on the video call, S-Rank hunter Onyxiana, spoke.

[Among the 645 who reported themselves, the number of men in their 20s and 30s is not even 30.]

“…….”

[Moreover, most of those cases could be classified as awakenings while being with others, such as at a military base, bars, or PC rooms, leading to their reporting due to nearby notifications.]

“Mmm… still.”

The president hesitated before speaking.

“One to keep an eye on… [Maid] is a woman in her 20s, so she’s not subject to conscription, is she?”

* * *

“Don’t worry, Master.”

Elaine beams brightly.

“As long as I’m here, you won’t need to re-enlist.”

“Thank you. I truly appreciate it. And if after conquering the S-Rank Tower, I still face re-enlistment…”

I pointed to the east.

“…let’s go to America.”

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