Anyone who loves games would wish to live by playing games every day.
Wouldn’t you get tired of gaming all the time?
Of course not.
Every moment is enjoyable.
Each time I play, I feel joy and excitement.
And amidst all that, the world became a place where you could make a living through games.
It became a world where you could live by gaming, just like “variety game streamers.”
Of course, the threshold is quite high.
The fact that anyone can start means that among the countless people trying, only a handful can truly make a living out of it.
Still, everyone would surely want to enjoy games to their heart’s content.
I was the same.
Even before getting a job, I loved games — working part-time and earning scholarships just to buy new gaming devices.
But after starting my professional life, after getting a job and beginning my career, I could no longer play games as much as I wanted.
Because I had to work.
I could no longer burn through nights gaming with the youthful energy of my early twenties.
Instead, every moment I had was better spent trying to get more work done.
So, I turned to mobile games.
I looked for ways to play in short bursts — during my commute, or during breaks.
And aside from mobile games, there wasn’t much else I could do.
Even after becoming a Hunter and a Master, things weren’t that different.
Since the specs of my summons were directly linked to my mobile games, whenever a game released with five summonable units, I made sure to recharge my stamina daily, farm resources, and dig up artifacts to boost my summons’ specs by even a single point.
Still, if I had any spare time, I wanted to dive into new console games.
As a gamer, that’s only natural.
In that sense—
“This here is the newly released third-generation Sweetchi.”
“…”
I had visited the office of a company in Japan and, from a kind-looking older man who had been snapping his fingers, personally received a new device — an experience no gamer could resist.
“So this is….”
“The production is complete. A teaser video will be released soon, and in about six months, it will be sold worldwide.”
A new console.
Having played games from this company since childhood, it was impossible not to be excited.
“To be honest, we worried a lot. We had no way to contact you directly, so we had to reach out through the White House, but we didn’t expect you to come yourself.”
“President Luigi sent me a detailed explanation via DM.”
By a twist of fate, Eisen Armstrong Luigi, the President of the United States, ended up mediating between a Korean Hunter and a Japanese company — but from President Luigi’s point of view, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Thanks to my visit to Japan, Luigi secured a diplomatic advantage by making it seem like “Illinois is going to Japan,” benefiting the U.S. in negotiations.
If anyone suffered, it was probably the Japanese government.
Of course, there were rumors that just my visit had an immense stabilizing effect on Japan’s economy.
“What about the games installed inside?”
“It’s the new Pomon title launching with the third generation console.”
“…!”
“It’s made to match X090-class graphics, and it includes every character and evolution method from previous versions. To put it simply, you could call it an ‘Evolution All-Star Battle.’”
“…”
“Is something wrong?”
I ask just in case.
“You’re not planning to have me summon some yellow electric mouse or some legendary creature, are you?”
“…To be honest, that was suggested by some people.”
The director guiding me gave a bitter laugh and glanced up at the ceiling.
“It’s not like we don’t have mobile gacha games too. If you, Master, were to summon them, there would be no better advertisement.”
“…”
“We were under a lot of pressure from above — saying things like, shouldn’t we have the Master conquer the Tower alongside the 600 species and the legendaries?”
You really have to hear people out until the end.
But based on the speaker’s nuance, tone, and facial expressions, you can sometimes infer the ending.
“But we didn’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“There must already be countless people worldwide pestering you, Master. We didn’t want to add to that burden.”
“…”
“If you ever needed it, we figured you would summon it yourself. We don’t intend to hold you back.”
“Then why invite me here?”
“Simply to show our gratitude.”
The director glanced toward the door.
“We wondered what we could offer — some privilege or thanks we could give the Master — and this is what we came up with.”
As a knock sounded, the door opened and a man brought in a box.
“That is…? Wait, that blue color…”
“Since the next-generation development isn’t finished over there, they sent a pro model.”
“…”
“It has a lot of offline content pre-loaded, so it would be good for you to take it when you leave.”
“Why go this far?”
“Because you reclaimed the sky for us. This is our gratitude.”
“…In that case.”
Probably, it contained a console with every current-generation game loaded into it — and a device not even released yet.
“I’ll pick it up later after the official release.”
“Huh?”
“Leaks aside, I didn’t climb the Towers and Babel to enjoy these special privileges.”
I respectfully returned the device.
“It might sound a little embarrassing to say this, but… I only tackled the most dangerous Towers because I hoped that all of you could create fun games in a safer and more comfortable environment.”
“…”
“And to be honest, if I started playing this now, I think I’d get way too absorbed.”
“Master….”
“The sky here is clear. It might sound self-congratulatory, but thanks to our conquest of Babel, we can see such a clear sky again. However, in other countries, on other continents, Towers and Babel still loom whenever you look up.”
Gaming should be something you enjoy with peace of mind.
“Towers where monsters could burst out at any moment. Babels that could collapse without warning. In that kind of environment, could anyone really focus purely on gaming from below?”
In the era of Hunter capitalism—
“When I lived near a Tower, I couldn’t even wear a headset. I always kept my smartphone right next to me. The moment a Tower alarm went off, I’d immediately put down my controller. That was just the way it was.”
The age of 60-hour epic games had ended, and mobile games became the trend. Fast-paced games where matches finished in just a few minutes rose to dominance — all because of the Towers.
“There were gamers who used to sleep only six hours and spend the remaining eighteen hours gaming every day. Back when there were no Towers.”
“Master….”
“Now, every game is designed to be completed in short bursts. It’s not necessarily bad, but even companies whose game styles didn’t match this tempo had to adjust. For the sake of player safety. Because you never knew when a monster would emerge from a Tower.”
And so, even the developers had to change their philosophy.
“That’s why… I’m thinking of creating a world where gamers everywhere can play safely. There are still six more Babels left.”
“……!!”
“You said the release is six months away, right?”
Coincidentally, there were exactly six Babels left.
“Before the launch, I’ll destroy them all. So that when the time comes, every player in the world can safely enjoy the new releases.”
I pointed to the Sweetchi 3 that the director was holding.
“When that time comes, I’ll come buy one myself.”
Early access?
If I were just a game company employee, a journalist, or a variety streamer, maybe I would’ve accepted it.
“As a regular person who simply loves games, not as a Master.”
But right now, I am a Summoner and a Master.
An EX-rank Hunter.
* * *
Poooh.
The battleship Illinois sailed south, leaving Tokyo Bay behind.
“…”
Watching the departing Illinois on the Tokyo TV channel’s news broadcast, the director fiddled with the Sweetchi 3 in his hands.
“A world where everyone can game safely…”
“It was a dilemma, wasn’t it?”
An elderly man approached the director’s side.
“Chairman.”
“There were real cases of people so immersed in gaming that they failed to notice monsters emerging from the Towers — and lost their lives.”
“…”
“We had to revise the background music and sound effects for games near Tower areas, adding warning messages so that players would stay alert. It ruined immersion… but there was no other way.”
The chairman gave a small nod as he watched the departing Illinois.
“The Master called the device a privilege. Whether it was because he was concerned about leaks or because he wanted to stand in the same position as regular gamers… I think I understand how he awakened such power.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Let’s support him. For the gamer who will secure the backs of people everywhere, transcending nationality.”
Starting up the Sweetchi 3, the chairman scrolled through the title screen of one of the already-downloaded games.
“An open-world title spanning from the starting village to the final DLC. We must ensure that people all over the world can enjoy it under clear blue skies, following the Master’s wish. And…”
“And?”
“Six months.”
With a determined expression, the chairman spoke:
“Full dubbing in Japanese, English, and Korean. Proceed.”
* * *
Illinois.
Crossing the equator, advancing toward Australia.
