The entire world thinks I’m an otaku.
They see me as someone obsessed with and crazed over bishoujo games.
What’s the downside?
The general perception is: “The Master is an otaku.”
While others Awaken in ways that align with their talents or aptitudes, the narrative is that I became someone with the ability to perform summoning because of my “otaku power”—bringing game characters into reality.
— Yo. Just how deep into otaku delusions do you have to be to summon bishoujo characters into real life as your actual ability? And not even at level 1—they’re max level.
“I’m being framed here.”
After smashing through several S-rank Towers and increasing my number of summons, the memories of my Awakening began to resurface one by one.
“What was I supposed to do when the system gave me this ability?”
It was something like: “You’ll receive the powers of the last game you played.”
That was the condition. But then, an error occurred.
Because it wasn’t just one game.
I had over a dozen games running auto-farming simultaneously, and I just happened to lie down for a moment—and that’s when I Awakened.
Most of those games?
Yeah, they had those kinds of roles.
The protagonists didn’t necessarily have overwhelming combat strength, but were either regular people or possessed very unique support abilities.
Because I was playing games like that, I ended up Awakening as a Summoner.
If I had been playing the latest monster hunting game while wielding a hammer, I’d probably be scraping my way through C-rank Towers in Korea—forget S-rank—getting memed as “Hammer-dweeb lol.”
‘Thank god I wasn’t.’
If I’d been dabbling in some console RPG that involved saving a new world, I might’ve been completely screwed.
I do own a console, but even that was mainly to play things like [Granade Impact: ReDive] on the PlaySt—ion version.
Why play a mobile gacha game on console?
Sure, I could’ve just connected a controller to the PC, but buying in-game currency often comes with discounts tied to the console company’s account platform.
The discount wasn’t huge, but enough that I could get a free monthly gacha pass every three months or so.
Did I buy the console just for that discount? Not exactly. I already had it from dabbling in other console games—it just happened to work out that way.
Because I’m the kind of person who plays mobile games on console instead of the RPGs the console is meant for…
That’s probably why I ended up with this power.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
The global consensus of “The Master is an otaku” is something I can get past with just a moment of embarrassment and a faint blush.
But still—
“Getting roasted on political debate shows is a bit much.”
Right now, on the screen in front of me—some midnight broadcast that’s like Korea’s version of a 100-minute panel discussion—people in suits with PhDs are analyzing my ability and its limitations.
“It’s not even appropriate to call this subculture anymore.”
“All thanks to you, Master.”
Coming from Elaine, the very embodiment of that so-called subculture, her saying this felt… surreal.
I don’t know what the future holds, but at the very least, it feels like the things people used to mock as “cringe otaku culture” have risen to the surface and gotten a bit of sunlight.
Travel vloggers are chasing after “pilgrimage sites Elaine has visited” for views.
Game streamers are playing titles featuring my summoned beings, shouting, “This is the Master’s power! The might of an EX-rank Summoner…!”
“Have you heard the news? China and Japan are each creating mobile gacha games based on the legends of their own ancient heroes. As bishoujo versions.”
“There are game companies like that?”
“The governments are backing them heavily.”
“…Haa.”
Governments are now literally trying to rig the game so that the next summon I choose will be one of their nationalistic mascots.
“I guess it’s better than forcing devs to wreck existing game balance and lore to do it…”
The gaming industry is in an unprecedented boom thanks to this massive surge in investment, but it’s also bringing up issues we never had to consider before.
Censorship and control.
Previously, governments would try to limit sexual content or disqualify games during review processes. Now?
“Elaine. You know what someone from the government said? ‘Make her take off more clothes. We need the Master to be aroused.’ That’s a direct quote.”
“That’s… something a government official actually said?”
“Unofficially, sure. But this is basically seduction tactics at the national level.”
Even during WWII, Russia sent beautiful spies to America to steal information about nuclear tests. That shows how effective seduction operations can be.
There may not be many officially documented examples of honey traps throughout history, but if you dig deeper, you’ll find that they’ve been a strategic tool across entire eras.
It’s just that… instead of modern-day beauties, we’re dealing with 2D bishoujo.
Or, if not 2D, then 3D-modeled bishoujo.
Of course, when such characters manifest into the real world, they’re automatically “reality-adjusted” to match the kind of cosplay where people go, “Whoa, the Synchro rate is insane!” They’re already buffed with enhancements as they exit the smartphone screen.
So from the government’s perspective, this beauty-seduction tactic saves them a ton of resources.
Incredible illustrations.
Incredible models.
Voice actresses with beautiful voices.
Cinematic PVs and dramatic flair that make you want to own them right now.
And the enormous amount of funding it takes to develop those.
In as little as a month—sometimes even less—a seductress capable of luring in the Master is born.
In reality, grooming someone for a real-life seduction operation takes at least 20 years of raising and training a child. But with this? All a country needs to do is create a character with the right backstory and origins, and hope I summon her.
What’s faster: building a seduction spy over decades, or starting with 3 million won to commission an S-rank game illustration?
“Elaine. Did you know? Well, I guess it’s thanks to us, but… even the illustration industry is booming.”
“Only in the casual bishoujo sector, right?”
“True, but its status is definitely rising across the board.”
Sure, game companies that only produce male characters from the beginning are stuck in their lane, but the majority of studios are now going full force into bishoujo development.
There are, of course, people upset about the lack of handsome male characters…
“To keep public opinion in check, I guess I’ve got no choice but to walk the otaku path—even if it means a hit to my image.”
Better to be called a hopeless otaku than to summon a male character and be labeled “The Master is gay.”
Pick a guy and become gay vs. pick a girl and be called a weeb.
People might choose differently, but as a guy in my twenties with a healthy body and very active desires, there’s absolutely no way I’m picking the first option.
“Justice doesn’t count?”
“Elaine?”
“You mean, even with Justice, you’re not ‘gay’ or whatever?”
“…Elaine?”
“I’m joking. Fufu.”
Elaine smiled faintly as she handed me a freshly brewed cup of coffee, steam gently rising from the mug.
“When a male becomes a bishoujo… is that what they call genderbend? I’m relieved that Master has some resistance to that sort of thing. I… also feel the same way, honestly.”
“Right?”
“Yes. I now understand why the internet calls this place the ‘Holy Land of Degeneracy.’”
The Holy Land of Degeneracy.
Whether it’s because this country is more culturally open to that kind of content, or because people are simply too excited about the fact that I’ve summoned an army of bishoujo and are desperate to get in on it…
“China at least sticks to their own national heroes when doing genderbends. Here, though, it’s way worse. They’re going full analog so it can’t even be hacked—it’s a pain in the ass.”
A report from the FBI showed several Japanese individuals clutching yellow envelopes like they were more valuable than oil contracts from the Middle East—each containing vital analog documents.
“Elaine. If we tell them to stop, they’ll just go even harder, won’t they?”
“Yes. That’s the trigger for Master’s involvement, after all. ‘If we do this kind of thing, Master will show up in our country somehow.’ That’s probably their mindset.”
“Like a child who misbehaves just to get their parent to come scold them—because even scolding means attention.”
“Exactly. Except unlike a child craving love, these are full-grown adults with… murkier, more twisted desires, all aimed at somehow worming their way into Master’s life.”
Currently—
Somewhere in Japan, a new game is being developed.
“If they’re gonna do genderbends, they should stick to their own famous national heroes. Why start with freaking Gwan-chang of all people just to stir controversy?”
“Well, they can’t exactly ask you to summon genderbent versions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi or Tokugawa Ieyasu, can they? They want to impress you, not offend you.”
“…”
“Other than that, they’ve got… maybe Abe no Seimei from the Onmyoji legends, but even that might be pushing it.”
“This is trouble. Real trouble.”
The Master is a weeb.
That part’s fine. If that leads to the whole world embracing the “weeb wave” and pushing subculture into the mainstream, so be it.
But inevitably, someone always crosses the line.
“Let’s go. To Japan. We’re going to destroy every single one of these analog assets they’ve made.”
Turning someone else’s national hero into a gacha bishoujo?
We’ve got to draw the line somewhere.
“I’m going to end this damn weeb wave myself.”
