It had been about ten days since the Day of a Million Awakenings.
Although a million people had awakened, the figure stirring up the entire world was, without a doubt, a single “cosplaying maid”.
Some referred to her as a “cosplayer”, others used her in-game name, “Elaine”, while still others called her by the alias from the game: “Perfect Maid.”
[We reveal to the world that this S-rank Hunter is a Korean-American.]
All eyes turned to Eisen A. Luigi, the President of the United States, as he made this declaration.
It was inevitable.
The cosplaying maid had vanished after clearing the S-rank Tower, with her last public appearance being a photo taken with the U.S. President at a hotel.
This raised numerous suspicions.
[Is she truly an S-rank Hunter?]
[Did she really clear an S-rank Tower alone?]
[Is it true that she’s an American?]
[Did the President of the United States bypass protocol to fly to Korea just to meet an S-rank Hunter there?]
Even among those swept up in the wave of the Day of a Million Awakenings, which had bestowed the miracle of awakening upon them, questions arose.
[Why do I start at F-rank while she’s S-rank from the get-go?]
Most of the newly awakened were F-rank.
Though they had just unlocked their mana and discovered their unique abilities, none could instantly display the overwhelming power of an S-rank like the maid.
Even those with exceptional talent typically only reached C-rank.
This inevitably focused the world’s attention on the only official channel to the cosplaying maid: the President of the United States.
[President Luigi, rumors are circulating that you dressed someone up to cosplay as the maid and manipulated the photos to deceive the public. What is your response?]
The President faced a barrage of questions during a Senate hearing, with both ruling and opposition parties pressing him relentlessly.
Some sought genuine answers.
Others approached it from the angle of why an American was in Korea.
Still others questioned the mysterious connection between the President and the S-rank Hunter.
[First of all.]
And some asked the most daring question of all:
[Who is the person the President referred to as ‘Master’? Does this person actually exist?]
The photo of the President sitting face-to-face with an unidentified man in negotiations only deepened the mystery.
[I fully understand why so many have questions. If the President or Prime Minister of another country had met with the ‘Maid’, I would have been the first to issue an official statement as the President of the United States.]
The President remained confident.
[Oh, it seems my friend is watching this hearing right now. I just got a message.]
In full view of everyone, he lifted his smartphone.
[My friend, Master, has told me this: in five days, they will clear another Tower.]
Even though the President was exchanging messages live during the hearing, no one dared to interrupt the bold display.
[As for which Tower… that’s a secret.]
[So, will he be coming to the U.S.?]
[I’d love for him to fly home immediately, but since he’s currently in Korea and prefers to avoid commotion, I wouldn’t dare summon him rashly. He’s someone who dislikes unnecessary noise.]
This was an unspoken signal that he might come to the U.S. quietly if the situation remained calm, though it hardly seemed to resonate with the audience.
[Does this mean he might arrive in the U.S. sooner than expected?]
[Before the promised time?]
[There are various possibilities, but one thing is clear. While I don’t have exact information, it’s evident that he holds a special affection for Korea, a close ally of ours.]
Eisen Armstrong Luigi smiled broadly before the eyes of the world.
[Whether it’s because of kimchi, bulgogi, or his Korean heritage, I can’t say. But there’s one thing I do know for certain.]
[What is it?]
[The game the maid cosplayed from was created by a Korean company.]
In front of the global audience.
[I wish your company, NPia, the best of luck.]
* * *
[One hour later, Seoul, Korea. Inside the CEO’s office of <NPia> Corporation.]
“Hah, damn. Never thought I’d see the day the U.S. President gave us a shoutout.”
A man in his early forties, wearing a baseball jacket, muttered as he replayed the recorded video repeatedly.
He was Park Gi-woo, the President of <NPia>.
“Does this mean we’re set to break into the U.S. market?”
“If we try, we’ll get hit with a tax audit immediately, boss. Don’t even think about it.”
The man in a suit seated at the conference table in the President’s office, Vice President Namgoong Hyung, firmly opposed the President’s suggestion.
“How do you know that? Have you got someone inside the National Tax Service?”
“They’re already making a fuss about us being a ‘patriotic company responsible for making an S-rank Hunter cosplay.’ If you so much as take a business trip to the U.S., people will accuse you of fleeing there.”
“Come on, we can at least set up a branch office, right?”
“They’ll just say you’re opening a branch to escape to the U.S.”
“Why are you so full of complaints? Did someone important give you a hard time?”
“Yes. The chairman wants to see you.”
At Namgoong Hyung’s words, Park Gi-woo’s expression stiffened.
“For real?”
“They want you to testify before the National Assembly tomorrow.”
“What?! Are they insane? What did I even do wrong?!”
“Here’s the subpoena for your witness testimony.”
“But why am I a witness in the first place?!”
Park Gi-woo shouted in frustration.
“This is crazy! Why are they coming after me because they can’t find her?! Was I the one who cosplayed?! Huh?! She did it, not me!”
“No, it wasn’t her. It was her master who made her do it.”
“Her… master, huh.”
Park Gi-woo slumped back into his chair.
“It’s gotta be the ‘Master’, right?”
“With the clues we have so far, that’s the only logical conclusion. A woman capable of such precise cosplay has no public or private social media presence? This points to only one possibility.”
Vice President Namgoong Hyung raised one finger, his expression serious.
“Someone had his S-rank Hunter girlfriend cosplay as Elaine and clear a dungeon.”
“Would an S-rank Hunter girlfriend really go that far for some otaku playing our game?”
“Watch your mouth! Our customers are the ones who pay your salary. Don’t call them otakus!”
“They are otakus! You’re an otaku, I’m an otaku, and this company was built to make otaku games in the first place!”
“So, what, are you saying the chairman who funds us is also an otaku?!”
“Yup.”
“…Seriously?”
“If this world were a novel, the writer would undoubtedly be the ultimate otaku.”
Namgoong Hyung buried his face in his hands.
“Haah…”
“Alright, alright. Vice President, let’s do our jobs properly. When I testify tomorrow, let’s define everything clearly so the public understands. So…”
“Say this: ‘Our company has conducted a comprehensive investigation into all players to the extent permitted by law.’ Start with that, sir.”
“Good. What next?”
“Then: ‘Despite our investigation, we found no suspicious individuals. In fact, due to the recent surge in player numbers, it’s been difficult to conduct investigations thoroughly. However, we’d like to clarify that the S-rank Hunter has no connection to our company.’”
“…Fair enough. Guess we got lucky.”
Park Gi-woo raised both hands in resignation.
“To the countless… uh, to the many players who cosplayed as Elaine from our subculture mobile game, or to the ‘Master’ who made his girlfriend cosplay as Elaine, I offer my heartfelt thanks. At least that much is genuine.”
“We’ve been getting non-stop investment inquiries from overseas, especially the U.S.”
“No. My parents live in Mungyeong.”
“…”
“Maybe, thanks to the ‘Maid’ and the Master, I won’t have to bring my parents over after all. Your parents are in Jeju, right?”
“…Don’t say things like that during tomorrow’s testimony.”
“I’ll be careful. Anyway, I wonder what our ‘Master’, who has placed us in the center of the world’s attention, is doing right now.”
Park Gi-woo, looking weary, picked up his work tablet.
“Probably planning his next S-rank Tower raid.”
* * *
[Master! Be careful! In the Tower of Mortality, ahhh!]
“Been a while since I’ve seen a story cutscene.”
Holding the controller connected to his PC, he readied for battle.
On the monitor, the boss of the three-chapter story stage Sealed Tower of Mortality emerged—a massive wind dragon.
[No, Drakan!!]
A girl screamed at the dragon, resembling a mystical spirit dragon. A black iron rod was embedded in the dragon’s head, injecting dark energy into its body.
[Kraaaaah!!]
The dragon roared, signaling the start of the boss fight.
At the center of the battlefield stood Elaine, equipped with her “exclusive weapon.”
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you start a new account, summon me again, and replay the story from the beginning?”
“To control you better.”
Ignoring Elaine’s sass, I continued playing on the new account I created three days ago.
“The game company went through the trouble of an emergency re-release. I couldn’t let the opportunity slip.”
Emergency patch.
A new banner featuring Elaine had appeared, prompting many players to summon her.
Even those who had never cared about the game started downloading it and spent around 200,000 won acquiring her character and exclusive weapon.
Not just in Korea but worldwide.
Amidst that wave, I created a secondary account, summoned Elaine, and began replaying the story.
Only with Elaine.
“I’m not relying on fully enhanced and fully refined specs to brute force my way through. Instead, I’m playing as a basic summon to improve my control skills.”
“You’re already controlling me nearly perfectly, Master.”
“Nearly perfectly isn’t the same as perfectly, is it?”
I realized this during the last battle.
“Since I’ve been dabbling in multiple games instead of focusing on just one, I’ve rarely pushed myself to the extreme with a single game like this.”
Up until two weeks ago, I was juggling eight different worlds.
If you count the ones I quit out of frustration, abandoned mid-play, or only log into when there’s a story update, the total easily exceeds double digits.
“Except for when I summoned you during your first pickup banner.”
“I see…”
“Oh, I’m dead.”
Elaine collapsed.
Even though she was just a data character, watching her fade away in flames felt strangely unsettling.
“Apologies. I distracted you by talking.”
“No, this is a party issue.”
Was it my lack of control? No.
“I’m sorry. If only I had a self-healing skill…”
“No, it’s because there’s no healer in the party. The gimmick here requires removing forced DoT damage.”
“…Reality is different from games. You can avoid attacks.”
“True, but in reality, if you get hurt, it’s not easy to find a way to heal. It’s not like everything resets to full HP the moment you use a ‘Return Stone’.”
I opened the party window.
Since this wasn’t my main account, I didn’t have many characters, but among those I’d pulled during my progress to Chapter 3, there was definitely a healer.
For now, though, the party consisted only of Elaine.
“Elaine. What do you think? Should I summon a healer or not?”
A question about my own ability.
“They say the upcoming update features a healer that’s the best in the game’s history.”
Would I have to shell out 2 million won again for a fully enhanced and refined summon?
“Seems like having a healer would make sense, don’t you think?”
“…”
Elaine reached out and placed her hand on the mouse I was holding, clicked it, and opened a browser window.
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“The new pickup healer… she’s a ‘female’ character?”
“…”
In the preview for the next patch, a video played showing the new character.
She was a pink-haired girl dressed in an idol-like nun outfit, praying for everyone.
A well-endowed character.
“Master, if that’s what you wish… I, well…”
Ding.
