Regarding my spending, some people might say.
– Didn’t you save up any money beforehand?
Sure, I’ve saved some money. But if you think about it—spending 25,000 won with a single click to buy a fragment of data made up of 0s and 1s—even the wealthy would hesitate to press that button.
And someone else might say that.
– Do you really think it’s a waste to spend money on your summon?
Well, they’re right.
That’s why I went ahead and spent the money.
After getting swept up in Elaine fever and achieving Full Limit Break and Full Refinement, I’d limited my spending across eight mobile games to just 5,900 won each—only enough to purchase login rewards that provide summoning currency for daily logins.
But now, for the second time in my life, I’m pouring a significant amount of money into a mobile gacha game.
All to strengthen Elaine.
As of now, the amount I’ve spent has far exceeded 800,000 won. Thankfully, the last purchase I made—119,000 won for the largest summoning currency package—yielded results quickly, leaving me with about 50,000 won worth of unused resources. Still, watching a quarter of my monthly salary evaporate in less than 30 minutes stung.
And someone might scoff.
– Why are you making such a fuss? Elaine has 10 billion Tower Coins.
Fair point.
Those 10 billion Tower Coins do equate to 10 billion won in value.
If someone with 10 billion won were to complain about spending 800,000 won on gacha pulls, you’d probably feel like punching them.
However, there are two things I can say for certain.
First, the premise.
First, the assumption that I can freely use the Tower Coins Elaine has, with her permission.
Even if we establish the argument that since Elaine is my Summon, the 10 billion won worth of Tower Coins she holds are essentially mine, these two facts remain undeniable.
One.
‘Tower Coins are Tower Coins, and you can’t use them to purchase gacha.’
Tower Coins are not real-world currency.
While you can use them to buy items, Tower Coins are not a payment method supported by gacha companies.
Credit cards, bank transfers, N-Pay, mobile payments—those are your only options.
Does that mean you can’t trade Tower Coins for tangible goods?
Not exactly.
Although Towers have brought crises to humanity, many Hunters climbing the Towers engage in what’s colloquially known as “rice farming” using Tower Coins.
Inside the Tower, Tower Coins are exchanged, and in reality, equivalent cash is traded in return.
Awakening doesn’t discriminate—whether it’s a homeless person near Seoul Station, a passing office worker, or a child riding first-class KTX seats with their parents.
I make less than 2 million won a month in the real world, but I’m an A-rank Awakened in the Tower?
I make over 20 million won (after taxes) monthly in real life, but I’m an F-rank in the Tower?
These situations are not jokes, because of such disparities, a wide range of economic activities have emerged around the Tower.
But at least the company that developed Elaine’s game hasn’t set up a system where Tower Coins can be used for payments.
So, in the end, I have no choice but to pour my own money into this.
I don’t regret it.
Watching Elaine fight right now makes it impossible to regret.
[Kiaaaaaaaaaaah!!]
Swoosh!
Elaine’s sword slashes through the opposite wing.
The enormous serpent-like Tower Boss hides its body in the molten lava below, and the ground begins to melt away gradually.
Flap.
Wings unfold behind Elaine’s back.
Elaine isn’t an angel, and her wings are more like flight gear modeled after a bird’s wings than anything divine.
‘Who would’ve thought an open-world game would help like this.’
Elaine comes from an open-world game.
The game universally supports flight for all characters, and Elaine automatically deploys her wings to keep a vigilant eye on the dangerous situation.
‘Is it because I didn’t spend enough?’
Perhaps it’s because this is the boss of an S-rank Tower.
Or maybe it’s because Elaine is handling the raid solo.
‘Critical hits keep landing, but without a supporter, the damage output feels insufficient.’
On the right side of the screen, in the party formation window, Elaine’s face is the only one glowing.
Usually, three other faces should appear alongside hers, but unfortunately, Summoning is impossible in this area.
‘Just do it?’
I recalled something.
[Summon (1/2).]
I still have one summon stack left.
If I summon another character besides Elaine, I’m not sure if they can appear simultaneously, but at least they’d be able to support Elaine.
[Elaine: It’s fine, Master. I can win on my own.]
Could my concern have reached Elaine?
Or perhaps Elaine herself slightly felt it might be “difficult” without support.
But if she thinks it’s only “difficult” and still manageable, then she must believe she can handle it.
[Elaine: Master, I’ll take it from here.]
Elaine slowly glided down, moving toward a platform that hadn’t yet been melted by the lava.
“…I see.”
Support?
Another summon?
There’s no need. Elaine is already more than enough.
“As a Summoner and her Master, I do have one more option.”
I gripped my smartphone with both hands in landscape mode.
“Do you trust me?”
[Elaine: Yes, I trust you.]
Tah!
Elaine folded her wings and landed gracefully on the ground.
Holding the best-performing sword—though slightly out of place for her aesthetic—Elaine entered a “ready stance” and steadied her breathing.
Screeeeech!!
The serpent reappeared.
Its wings were severed, its body covered in wounds, the injuries Elaine had inflicted while fighting autonomously now concealed by lava as it emerged.
The scene looked like something straight out of a game.
“…”
I think I understand.
This is “Calibration”.
Though the Tower is unfolding in reality, that reality appears as a “game” on my smartphone screen.
“…Shall we?”
I lightly pushed my smartphone forward with my left hand, focusing all my attention on the screen.
From now on, it’s manual control—no more auto-play.
Tah!
Elaine dashed forward.
The Tower Boss lunged at her with its jaws wide open, trying to swallow her whole.
A fleeting moment.
The timing is—
‘Now!’
I quickly tapped the button with my thumb.
In that instant, the world froze.
For the briefest moment in a black-and-white world, Elaine slipped sideways like a streak of light, her body glowing with mana.
Perfect Dodge.
Whether it’s the Tower Boss or any enemy, dodging at just the right timing triggers—
BAM!
Damage Time.
Elaine’s sword stormed toward the Tower Boss, creating a whirlwind of slashes that cut down the Tower Boss in one ferocious burst.
‘I can do this.’
I haven’t lost my touch.
‘If I’d known, I would’ve brought my laptop.’
The only regret was controlling everything on a smartphone, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Full Limit Break and Full Refinement aren’t just for show.
* * *
Screeeeech!!
The Tower Boss, who calls itself [Ouroboros of Eternal Purgatory], couldn’t comprehend the situation unfolding before its eyes.
Attacks.
Spewing flames, swinging its tail, lunging with its fangs to bite down in a single strike.
But its opponent was maddeningly evasive, vanishing with a “sparkle” right before each attack landed and reappearing elsewhere.
High-speed movement?
Surely, the creature was moving.
But even with magic aiding mobility, this defied reason.
How could any being evade an attack by the width of a paper sheet without any prior movement or preparatory actions?
“Hmph.”
A black-haired, golden-eyed maid twisted one corner of her lips.
Dodging the attack, she immediately swung her sword, slicing away at the scales of her foe.
The scales themselves bore no visible damage—or so it seemed on the surface.
But the Tower Boss understood.
That attack is to cut away at ‘existence’.
While previous strikes wounded its tangible body, these peculiar assaults were slicing through its very existence. Its being, its soul, its essence—cutting deeper than flesh ever could.
It felt as if some unseen metric was being reduced, and once it reached “zero”, its consciousness would cease to exist.
Kyaaaaah!!
This cannot be.
It didn’t endure this eternal purgatory, honing its strength, only to fall to a single adversary in such a humiliating way.
If the name “Ouroboros” was meant to resonate beyond the Tower, to conquer the world outside and make it its dominion—
Flash.
Suddenly, its vision flipped.
For reasons it couldn’t fathom, the orientation of its gaze and the images imprinted on its retinas were completely inverted.
“Filth.”
Its entire field of vision now focused solely on the black-haired, golden-eyed maid.
“Must be sanitized.”
It felt as if a swarm of tiny familiars darted around her, locking its perspective onto her face and chest. For a fleeting moment, the entire world revolved around her.
Then, she vanished.
Swish.
The sound of something being cut that never should have been.
Its neck was intact, and its scales were not entirely destroyed, yet the Tower Boss instinctively knew—
[What… was that?]
Its existence had been severed.
[This is an unauthorized external power. Mana….]
“My Master.”
Before it could comprehend further, she appeared behind it, her sword resting casually at her side. Her posture was relaxed, and she held the hem of her skirt with one hand, not even looking directly at the beast.
“…Has declared that the finishing blow is his to deliver.”
[I don’t understand.]
It couldn’t fully grasp what had happened, but the Tower Boss saw it.
A flash.
A trail of black.
Countless strikes, too many to quantify, descended upon it in a single instant, carving it into what felt like thousands of pieces.
[What makes you so strong…?]
“My Master….”
[Ah, I see now.]
The Tower Boss’s consciousness began to fade.
[The difference… is the Master….]
Thud.
The Tower Boss could think no more.
* * *
“…Wow.”
It actually worked.
“As expected of Full Limit Break and Full Refinement.”
[Elaine: It’s all thanks to your control, Master.]
An S-rank Tower.
“…I really cleared it.”
Conquered. Complete.
“…There hasn’t been anyone in Korea who cleared an S-rank Tower before.”
X’d.
(TLN: I think it implies to cross out the dungeon but I’m not sure)
