When one S-Class Tower was conquered, people were astonished.
When two S-Class Towers were conquered, even those who had been uninterested started paying attention, their eyes widening.
So what happens when three S-Class Towers are conquered?
– Make the Master of the Cosplayer a member of the National Assembly!
– No, make them President!
– Raise them to Special EX-Class and give them priority to conquer all the towers worldwide!!
“This is absolute chaos.”
I could somewhat understand the recognition of an SS-Class or a Special EX-Class—let’s just call it EX-Class—different from the standard S-Class. But the blatant desires people embedded in these proposals made me chuckle.
“They’re not even offering something like special facilities inside an aircraft carrier, like in the U.S.; they’re just giving permission to challenge towers. What do you think, Elaine?”
“I will simply follow my Master’s decision.”
Inside the special suite of an aircraft carrier—a rather spacious room seemingly prepared for some VVIP—we were taking a break while checking the outside situation via the internet.
“If Master wishes to conquer Jeju Island, which the S-Class Hunters of Korea have failed to clear, I will follow. If Master decides against it because Jeju has become too noisy, I will also comply.”
Elaine wasn’t shifting the responsibility onto me.
Rather, her words conveyed confidence that, regardless of the decision, she would make it yield the best results.
“However, there is one thing I would like you to seriously consider.”
“What is it?”
“If, by any chance, you end up clearing the tower alongside Korea’s S-Class Hunters, there are at least two people who should absolutely not be included.”
Even Elaine had conditions to set.
“Blue Lightning. I understand from the press conference that he has a strong sense of justice, but since he’s a man, he’s out.”
“I completely agree.”
First condition: No men in the party.
Perhaps there will come a time when performance-based parties become necessary, and summoning male spirits for a specific role might be inevitable.
But for now, my concept party—essentially a female-only party (Elaine solo or Kiharu’s support)—was more than sufficient to conquer towers.
‘Unless the game company releases a male character as part of Elaine’s kit that enhances her abilities by 300%…’
….
…No.
Even if that happened, I’d rather find a female character in another game who could boost efficiency by 200% than summon a male character.
‘That’s like an author commissioning illustrations for a web novel and choosing to commission male character art instead of two varied female character illustrations.’
Anyway.
Elaine had said it herself—no men allowed.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, like a scenario where the world would explode from a nuclear detonation if we didn’t clear the tower immediately.
So, who was the second exclusion?
“Who else is out? Let me guess… her?”
“Ironblood is out.”
A case where gender wasn’t the issue—I just couldn’t stand her as a person.
“It’s not because she’s an older woman, right?”
“Age doesn’t matter. After all, I have no issue dealing with Kiharu.”
“What are you saying?”
Kiharu lunged at Elaine, baring her claws, but Elaine effortlessly dodged and caught her mid-motion.
“Even if someone has lived for hundreds… no, 4.6 billion years as a goddess like Kiharu, I do not judge people by age. What matters is their character.”
“Yeah, Ironblood is pretty problematic.”
Perhaps there had been a lot of issues during the Jeju Island conquest.
Public sentiment against Korea’s S-Rank Hunters had already been growing, but the sheer amount of criticism and condemnation directed at Ironblood was making Korean online communities explode.
If there was a ranking of trending search terms, the top ten would all be about Dokdo and Elaine, with Ironblood barely making it into eighth or ninth place.
“It does feel a bit like a witch hunt, but strictly speaking, the claim that ‘Ironblood ruined the Jeju Island conquest’ isn’t entirely wrong.”
“In forming a party, she used her authority and strength to forcibly make others follow her, yet she failed to contribute in the boss fight. Naturally, she is facing backlash.”
As Kiharu pointed out, Ironblood was currently facing an immense wave of criticism.
But was that our fault?
No.
If we had any fault, it was that we had conquered the Tower too quickly and too efficiently.
Even though the Towers were all considered “S-Rank Towers”, their structures and bosses were completely different.
One party had gone in and cleared the boss in what felt like a weekly game update, while another had gone in as a group and failed to complete the raid.
With such a stark contrast, discussions like these were bound to arise.
– 50 Reasons Why Cosplayer’s Master Should Be Promoted to EX-Rank and Stay in Korea.
This is the type of article that currently receives the most recommendations in the community.
That was currently the most upvoted type of post in Korean online communities.
Depending on the community’s leaning, the titles and content varied, but even the elderly at Tapgol Park and the homeless near Seoul Station were saying, “Get rid of Ironblood and keep that Master here in Korea.”
Of course, some people were also trying to frame it as “betrayal” if I went to the U.S.
“Hmm?”
Beep!
A message from Drei.
[Commander, I have some good news and some unsettling news. Which one do you want first?]
“…First of all, is everything alright on your end?”
[Not bad. Oh, but don’t reverse-summon me. I’m currently moving your stuff with the U.S. special forces.]
While we were clearing Towers, Drei had gone to our place with the U.S. special forces and gathered all our belongings.
Honestly, I would’ve been fine just taking my computer and some electronic devices, but the U.S. had insisted, “Not even a single hair with genetic information should be left behind”, and had effectively “cleaned out” my leased studio apartment.
Even my rental contract, resident registration, and all records related to my stay had been erased.
“Is this not a good time to call?”
[Correct. Ah, but you can just talk normally. I can hear everything.]
“This is a facility inside an aircraft carrier, though?”
[It’s me, after all~]
Why did it feel like I could hear Drei’s voice through the text?
It must mean that even she was feeling relaxed.
[Oh, right. How about talking to the President? They’re not sure where to send your stuff. For now, it’s headed to Pyeongtaek.]
“Where to, huh…”
If I had to go somewhere.
“I guess I should go to Jeju Island.”
“Jeju Island?”
[Are you planning to conquer it?]
As expected, Jeju Island.
“Rather than conquering it, I need to secure it before someone else takes it.”
“Secure it?”
“Yeah. The sea route to Jeju is open, and if you sneak in by submarine and move carefully, the Tower is right there.”
“…Are you thinking someone might already be making a move?”
“Probably?”
It was unlikely that anyone had already made a move, but if they felt the urgency, it wouldn’t be strange for them to act immediately.
“If I were the leader of Japan or China, I would have already sent someone in secret to conquer Jeju.”
“Sending S-Rank Hunters into another country without permission is a violation of some international law, isn’t it?”
“Technically, yes. But if they succeed, they can cover it up. They just have to claim they did it with a ‘righteous heart’ without demanding any rewards.”
“…But they wouldn’t, would they?”
Elaine gestured toward the east and west alternately.
“From what I learned through Master’s smartphone, East Joseon and West Joseon don’t operate that way.”
“Exactly. In fact, they’ve already tried sneaking Hunters onto Dokdo by submarine. Which is why they’ll be even more eager to take Jeju now.”
I pointed at myself, Elaine, and Kiharu in turn.
“Because of us.”
“Because of Master…?”
“Our party. Elaine, what kind of party do you think we are?”
“…Dark heroes?”
“Pretty close.”
Kiharu nodded in agreement with Elaine.
“In reality, it’s because of the ridiculous laws surrounding Hunters. Until those are fixed, people with overwhelming power who refuse to register as Hunters in Korea end up moving to establish influence at the level of national authority.
But to the public, it just looks completely different.”
A goddess who once sought to destroy the world—now an expert on human behavior—had spoken.
In other words, her understanding of public perception was practically identical to the general consensus of the world.
“What’s the most common perception people have of our party?”
“Heroes who, unbound by laws and regulations, conquer the most dangerous Towers faster than anyone else, solely for the sake of humanity’s peace.
…With slightly unusual tastes.”
“If cosplay is the worst of it, that’s still pretty wholesome.”
The public held a positive image of us.
“Unlike certain people, we don’t conquer a Tower and then say, ‘Since we cleared this, pay up.'”
“People actually do that?”
“Yeah. Most Hunters in Korea do. Not that it’s strange—if you’re risking your life to clear a Tower, it’s only natural to expect compensation.”
Beep Beep Beep.
A call was coming in.
An anonymous number.
Anyone who had my number could call, but only one person could reach me inside this aircraft carrier.
“What is it, Drei?”
[Not Drei.]
“The fact that you’re joking means you’re relaxed.”
[Tch. Fine. But this is the only time I’ll joke. Just this once.]
“Is there something important I need to know?”
[Yep.]
Drei sent some information.
[China is currently preparing to deploy three S-Rank Hunters via submarine. They’re waiting for launch. What do you want to do?]
“…Wow.”
I had a feeling this might happen.
“They’re actually doing it?”
Of course.
It was the obvious move.
If the Tower had already been half-cleared by Korea, meaning the boss was effectively at 50% HP, it made sense to swoop in and finish it off to claim the last hit.
“Master.”
Elaine tapped the hilt of her sword.
“S-Rank Hunters, I will—”
[Why not leave underworld matters to a specialist?]
“……Drei. The opponents are three S-Rank Hunters. Are you sure you can handle it?”
[There might be more than three, but are you underestimating my expertise in electronic warfare?]
Drei chuckled playfully.
[I was a performance pick, wasn’t I?]
“…You were.”
Drei.
She had lost her chest but gained—
[Commander?]
Anyway.
“Even if I have to go, I can’t let China take Jeju Island.”
This world.
It would be nice if all we had to do was conquer Towers.
But it wasn’t a world where we could only conquer Towers.
