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Stay-at-Home Summoner Chapter 21

It's Not All About What You See (1)

There’s a common saying among those who play gacha, or summoning games.

 

– Don’t go for a 4-star breakthrough.

 

That’s right.

 

At first glance, it might seem odd. After all, “breakthroughs,” achieved through pulling duplicate characters, directly enhance performance.

 

So why avoid breakthroughs for 4-star characters?

 

Even a 6-breakthrough 4-star could rival, say, a 4.3-star or even a 4.7-star, improving usability and giving free-to-play players a glimmer of hope.

 

‘Because there’s no safety net.’

 

Without a guarantee, chasing breakthroughs can lead to financial ruin.

 

Though financial ruin is mostly a joke, within a set budget, it’s entirely possible to fail in achieving breakthroughs for a character.

 

5-star characters usually have a ceiling—a limit on how much you can spend before you’re guaranteed the pull. But for 4-stars? No such luck.

 

Take me, for instance.

 

-Uh…Ah…!

 

“Seriously, man.”

 

Here I was, pulling 80 times to get a 4-star character designed for the female-oriented player base—trying for three breakthroughs—but I hadn’t even gotten a single one.

 

“Should I call this lucky or not…?”

 

Elaine, looking a bit hesitant, scrolled through her smartphone.

She was likely trying to figure out if the rates had been tampered with, sifting through the game company’s forums for evidence.

 

“Master, there appear to be very few players who have achieved six breakthroughs with this character. I can’t find any results online.”

“It’s not that they don’t exist—it’s just that this character is so lackluster no one thinks it’s worth posting about.”

“Huh?”

“They’re a non-meta character. Even at six breakthroughs, their stats don’t improve significantly.”

 

My chest felt tight with frustration.

 

In the time it took to pull three 5-star male characters, I couldn’t even summon one copy of a specific 4-star cat character.

 

Other 4-stars kept appearing—even ones not on the rate-up banner—but not the one I needed. It was maddening.

 

“Is this the infamous desire sensor?”

“Huh?”

“The more you desperately wish for something, the less likely it is to happen. The universe conspires against you, granting you everything except what you want.”

“…”

“This feels like… pouring water into a bottomless pit. It’s exhausting.”

 

With a resigned sigh, I started another 10-pull.

 

By now, I wasn’t hoping for the rainbow-colored 5-star effects—I just wanted to see the purple glow of a 4-star animation.

 

“Oh.”

 

– You and me, nyah! We’re the ultimate partners!

 

“Finally.”

“There it is.”

 

The 4-star cat swordsman—an elusive and pricey addition—had arrived.

I clasped my hands in gratitude as if the heavens themselves had bestowed this gift.

 

“Thank you for showing up before I went bankrupt.”

“What’s this character’s name?”

 

Elaine seemed genuinely interested—probably because this would be a new addition to our party.

 

“They have two names, actually.”

“Two?”

“Yeah, one is a codename. Their actual name is ridiculously long.”

 

I briefly exited the game screen, opened a browser, and pulled up the game wiki.

 

“Here it is.”

“[Kiharu]?”

“Yep.”

 

Kiharu.

 

A name with a somewhat peculiar sound. In the game’s lore, the character also had a special title used in specific contexts.

 

“They’re part of a special group the protagonist formed with their allies. That’s why they use a codename—”

“Wait. Is this nickname… ‘Water Cat’?”

“No, that’s just a community joke.”

 

Water Cat.

 

Their attribute was water, and since they were a cat, the nickname stuck.

 

Their abilities included [Healing Water], which restored allies’ health by sprinkling them with magical water.

 

As a turn-based RPG character, they also had a resurrection skill. But in most mobile gacha games, you rarely needed resurrection—the overpowered 5-star limited DPS characters typically obliterated enemies before such measures were required.

 

“It’s just a pet name. Don’t overthink it.”

“I see… So that’s how it is. Hm?”

 

Elaine’s gaze shifted to the right-hand side of the wiki page.

 

“…”

“Ah.”

 

The latest updated document.

Just one minute ago, someone had edited a page titled [Elaine].

 

“This is…”

“Wait, don’t click it.”

 

I grabbed Elaine’s hand as she reached for the mouse.

 

“Let me check it first. Who knows what’s in there?”

“Isn’t it user-generated content?”

“Yeah, but you never know what someone might have written in real-time.”

 

Even a general page about Elaine’s character could make me nervous. If it turned out to be about the “Cosplay Maid” version, I didn’t want her to see it.

 

“Besides, I don’t want you getting dragged into debates about which S-rank Hunter is stronger… Ahem. The comment section will probably be full of useless arguments.”

“Comparisons with other S-Rank Hunters…”

“It’s only natural. To them, the fact that they failed to conquer an S-Rank Tower yet others succeeded would be a huge shock.”

“But isn’t it true that anyone can edit these pages? Is that why you’re trying to stop me from seeing it?”

“If it’s someone editing out of good intentions, it’s fine.”

 

If they’re just an ordinary person, that is.

 

“There are those, however, who edit with malicious intent, twisting facts to tarnish someone else’s reputation. There’s no reason for you to see their baseless attacks, is there?”

“It’s fine.”

“Fine? Really?”

“No matter what others think of me, Master’s opinion is the only one that matters.”

 

Elaine smiled gently as she approached me.

 

“Do I seem like the type to get hurt by seeing these kinds of pages, continuously edited by strangers in real time?”

“…”

“If you think there’s even a small chance I might be, I’ll promise not to look—no matter how curious I might be.”

“Elaine… the internet is far darker than you can imagine.”

 

Coming from a medieval fantasy world, Elaine couldn’t possibly grasp the depths of the internet’s filth—the dark corners of what people call the “dark web”.

 

“Even so, are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Yes. …As long as I’m with you, Master.”

 

Her gaze didn’t waver.

 

Her steady eyes, fixed on me with unwavering clarity, carried a power that dispelled any doubt or hesitation.

 

…It wasn’t some sort of magical eye or anything.

 

If Elaine did have a special ability, it would be the sheer confidence and presence she exuded as a Perfect Maid—transcending into something akin to a supernatural authority.

 

“Master.”

“Elaine, wait—”

 

Elaine moved closer to me, reaching out—

 

“Your hand has stopped moving.”

 

She placed her hand on the mouse alongside mine, guiding it back to the 10-pull summon button.

 

“You seem distracted. What has mesmerized you?”

“…”

 

Saying it was her felt too embarrassing, so I silently skipped the summon animation.

 

– You and me, nyah! We’re the ultimate partners!

– You and me, nyah! We’re the ultimate partners!

 

“…Two?”

 

Maybe it was because they were 4-stars. Or maybe Elaine’s presence was influencing my luck.

 

The second copy of Kiharu, our target for Full Limit Break and Full Refinement, was steadily progressing.

 

“Alright, let’s keep the wiki page open next to the game. If anything catches your eye, let me know.”

“Understood.”

 

I adjusted the game screen so that the game and the wiki were side-by-side. Elaine watched as I continued summoning, her eyes flicking to the cosplay maid discussions on the wiki.

 

“…Master.”

“Yeah?”

“People are discussing what my next cosplay should be.”

“…?”

 

Why?

Elaine was Elaine. She didn’t need—

 

“…Ah.”

 

Cosplay.

Of course. I hadn’t considered how others might view her beyond my perspective.

 

“This is… amusing. Elaine, do you have any weapons you’d like to learn aside from swords?”

“If I were to choose another weapon… there is one I’d like to learn.”

 

Elaine typed something into the search bar, looking at references beyond herself.

 

“I’d like to try firearms.”

“…A gun-wielding maid?”

 

Meanwhile, the wiki page for Elaine (S-Rank Hunter) was filled with rampant edits and comments.

 

– Cosplayer Hunter! Please collaborate with our game too!

 

“…”

 

* * *

 

[Npia Corporation – HQ Office]

 

Npia, a company whose stock had been skyrocketing—partly due to its involvement in the Cosplay Maid craze—was holding an urgent meeting at its headquarters.

 

“Today’s meeting is to determine which characters will be the key to our next major sales push.”

 

A young woman in a crisp white suit announced.

 

“This is a critical issue.”

 

The attendees sitting around the table couldn’t help but glance nervously at the name tag dangling from the woman’s suit: “Lee Min-jung, Director”. Swallowing hard, they focused on her words.

 

“When the Cosplay Maid cosplays characters not from our company’s game but from games made by other companies…”

 

The director flipped through a series of slides filled with charts. The slides displayed a plethora of female characters, some even appearing to be development assets from internal projects.

 

“Excuse me, Director?”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t that leaked material circulating on community forums? Specifically, from a Japanese company…”
“Exactly.”

 

Lee Min-jung snapped her fingers.

 

“This isn’t just about competition between companies. Subculture mobile games aren’t unique to Korea. Japan, China, and even the U.S. produce them.”
“Do you think the U.S. could pull off something worth cosplaying?”

 

Beep.

In response to the development team leader’s skepticism, the director brought up a video.

 

“How about this?”

 

It was a scene of a YouTuber doing a lottery.

 

The clip showed a popular UTube streamer summoning a character. A woman appeared on screen, crossing her arms in an X-shape, firing laser beams at enemies, and brandishing a whip. The development team leader let out an involuntary, ‘Ah…’

 

“Sure, the ‘Maid’ cosplaying as this character won’t suddenly turn into Wonder Woman. But you never know what might happen.”
“Hmm…”
“So let me be clear about one thing.”

 

The director switched to the next slide, displaying a roadmap divided by teams.

 

“Effective immediately, all plans through next year are scrapped.”
“What?!”
“First plan: The World of Elaine’.

 

Click.
With a press of a button, a timeline of upcoming games expanded on the screen. Elaine dominated an entire month.

 

“We’re collaborating with every game to feature Elaine.”
“But the lore—”
“Make it work. Open gates, bend the rules, or release her as a standalone character. Each team will create and release the most premium version of Elaine possible. Understood?”
“…”
“Yes, but what’s the second plan?”
“Selection.”

 

The next slide displayed an adorable kitten forming a crescent moon shape as it playfully curled up.

 

“We’ll make sure the S-Rank Hunter, Cosplay Maid, chooses one of our company’s characters for her next cosplay.”
“Excuse me…”
“And it’ll be a brand-new character. A female one.”
“…What does that have to do with the cat?”
“It’s cute. Something you’d want to adopt immediately.”
“So…”
“We need to be that cat. Release a new character so appealing, so irresistibly charming, that Cosplay Maid picks them over anyone else.”

 

At this, the team leaders’ eyes began to sparkle with understanding.

 

“Brilliant promotional videos, stunning illustrations, and teaser announcements for the next character banner. Instead of cosplaying existing characters, she’ll be drawn to one of our new ones. For instance…”

 

The director’s gaze landed on a specific team leader.

 

“You there—Fermata 8X. Release your story’s true final boss ahead of schedule.”
“…Excuse me?”
“What’s the problem? Isn’t your true final boss a goddess?”
“Well, yes, but—”

 

The Fermata team leader stammered in panic.

 

“It’s a massive spoiler!”
“Are you joking? Our stock is hitting its upper limit daily. If she cosplays one of our characters again, the stock could triple, even tenfold.”
“But…”
“Forget Elaine-tier projects. This must be a guaranteed blockbuster character. Prepare for it now—make it something she can cosplay!”
“…The issue is… this character isn’t exactly ‘human’.”

 

* * *

 

– You and me, nyah! We’re the ultimate partners!

 

“Whew. Finally done. Time to summon.”
“…”
“What’s wrong, Elaine?”
“It’s nothing.”

 

Elaine shrugged at the smiling cat.

 

“It’s a cat, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

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Stay-at-Home Summoner

Stay-at-Home Summoner

집구석 소환사
Score 7.6
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
The Age of Hunters, where humans climb the Towers. The characters I summoned from a gacha game ascend the tower.

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