[Late evening, at a bar on a random street.]
“When will the cosplay maid show up again?”
“Hey, the cosplay maid went to America. She’s never coming back.”
“How do you know she went to America? You don’t even know if her master left Korea.”
A group of young men clinked their glasses roughly and chatted away.
“So, who do you think is stronger? Blue Lightning, right?”
“Ugh, I don’t know. Feels like he’s past his prime.”
“Weren’t you a fan of him?”
“Yeah, but after I saw him run away from that press conference, I lost all respect.”
“Press conference?”
“You know, when the reporters asked him if he could clear an S-rank Tower like the Cosplay Maid. He chickened out and ran. So lame.”
“Dude, you’re drunk.”
As with most drinking conversations, the topic inevitably turned to S-rank Hunters.
“Still, Blue Lightning’s got class. No way he’d be too scared to say anything just because the Maid cleared an S-rank Tower solo.”
“Who knows? Maybe he actually believes that rumor.”
“What rumor?”
“That you’re only a true S-rank Hunter if you can solo clear an S-rank Tower. He’s always saying stuff like that.”
“Yeah, but has he?”
The question of “Who deserves the Ballon d’Or this year?” might keep soccer fans up arguing all night.
In the world of Hunters, debates about who could solo an S-rank Tower ignited just as much passion.
“Is there even anyone among S-rank Hunters, in Korea or globally, who could solo clear an S-rank Tower?”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s a hidden monster out there somewhere. But it’s definitely not that coward Blue Lightning.”
“Hey, watch your mouth. If Blue Lightning’s fans hear you, they’ll roast you online.”
Discussions about Hunters, a field critical to the world’s survival, often drew opinions even from ordinary, non-Awakened citizens.
“And you’d better not badmouth Hunters too much. What if one of them decides not to clear the Tower near your house?”
“They just hoard Tower Coins to buy cool outfits…”
“Hey, hey, watch your words. Saying they waste Tower Coins on costumes or skins instead of using them to help others is going too far.”
The glasses were refilled.
“At least we get some eye candy from the photos, right? Heh.”
The image they admired wasn’t of a graceful actress but of a stunning A-rank Hunter, clad in a sleek, dress-like suit.
“They’re not just buying costumes for style. They’re buying weapons and gear you can’t find in the real world. Isn’t that the point?”
“Then instead of showing off their gear, they should use it to clear the S-rank Tower on that island.”
“Oh, you’re drunk. So, expert, which Tower do you think they should clear? Ganghwa, Dokdo, or Jeju?”
“Obviously Jeju.”
Slurp.
Another round of drinks was poured.
“More people live on Jeju Island.”
“Yeah, but ever since the Tower appeared, people have been fleeing by boat.”
“Sure, but they can’t live in exile forever. Compared to Ganghwa or Dokdo, the Jeju Tower is supposed to be easier to clear.”
“Right, and the boss has already been weakened by other Hunters.”
Whoosh!
A strong wind rattled the glass doors of the bar.
“Wow, the wind’s crazy. Speaking of which, the Jeju Tower’s boss uses wind attacks, right?”
“Yeah, those razor winds. I saw a video of someone entering the boss room. The fight’s been stalled for a reason.”
“Hey, then…”
And so, not just in this small bar but across Korea and even the world, the same question lingered.
“Do you think the Maid could clear the other island Towers if she stepped in?”
Could Elaine Blacksteel succeed where other S-rank Hunters had failed?
“I don’t know, but I hope it happens soon. I’ve never been to Jeju Island.”
“…Hey.”
Silence briefly fell over the table.
“Rumor has it there are more S-rank Towers than the officially known ones.”
“Don’t scare me like that. More S-rank Towers? Then we should leave Korea entirely.”
Plink.
The last drop of alcohol hit the glass.
“They say even one S-rank Tower could destroy a city—or a country. If there are seven or ten, how could we possibly live in peace?”
“Exactly. So… we’ve got to believe in them.”
Clink.
“Here’s to the Maid and her master clearing every S-rank Tower in this land before they leave for good.”
* * *
Elaine and Kiharu.
Whatever their true feelings, the two—Summoner’s contracted familiars—decided to follow their master’s commands and goals.
“Looking forward to working with you, Kiharu.”
“As am I.”
Elaine, the DPS.
Kiharu, the healer.
This was the positioning we’d wanted from the beginning.
“Oh, right. Partner, have you decided which Tower we’ll target?”
“Yeah. Ganghwa Island.”
“Hmm?”
At my words, Kiharu, who had been perched on Elaine’s shoulder and flying around her tablet, tilted her head curiously.
“Not Jeju Island?”
“We’d have to take a boat to get there.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for the master to stay far away? While we can escape, the master can’t so easily.”
“I’ll avoid getting too close whenever possible. I’ll stay here.”
I pointed to my computer.
“There wasn’t much frame drop when I targeted Ganghwa.”
“Frame drop…?”
“The closer I am to the Tower, the smoother things run. Less lag, faster response.”
“…So, the physical distance between the Summoner and the summoned affects the response time of commands issued through the app.”
“Exactly.”
Distance matters. Sitting at my computer and syncing with the Summoning App, I experienced seamless gameplay with up to 120 frames in areas close to home.
“When Elaine scouted ahead herself, she avoided being noticed by others and moved directly on foot.”
“I tested it by running from the heart of Seoul to its outskirts.”
The gameplay visible through the app provided a perspective from Elaine’s point of view, showing Seoul in a stunningly detailed, open-world-like realism.
“Even when I moved further away from the master, the connection remained stable. But there was a noticeable delay—about 0.1 seconds—in receiving commands.”
Outside Seoul or towards the edges of Gyeonggi Province, the smoothness dropped to around 60 frames.
If we went all the way to Jeju Island, the screen would likely drop to 30 frames, with ping spiking to 80 or 90 overseas.
“Then we’d have no choice but to handle things ourselves?”
“For most A-rank Towers, that would suffice.”
As Elaine suggested, ordinary Towers could be auto-cleared just by sending out summoned beings.
“But for an S-rank Tower, having the master’s exceptional control would make it far easier.”
Elaine raised her chin proudly toward Kiharu, clearly pleased with herself. During our mission at the Mungyeong Saejae Tower, I had been nearby, ensuring that Elaine received my commands without delay.
This allowed her to dodge attacks and deliver the final blow to the boss, Ouroboros, with precision.
“Kiharu, you’ve never experienced the sensation of the master directly controlling you in combat. Hmph.”
“Well, there will come a time when I feel it myself. Isn’t that right, partner?”
“Uh…”
“Partner?”
“The genres are a bit different, but we’ll figure it out somehow.”
Turn-based RPGs are, by nature, built around party play.
Solo play is almost unheard of unless attempting a specific challenge.
And even then, it’s impossible without skills capable of self-healing, tanking, and dealing damage simultaneously.
Kiharu, as she is now, is a healer-focused support character. Unless patched to evolve into a 5-star or 6-star form—drawing on the power of the goddess—she won’t have much solo potential.
“This disjunction… feels like a different existence entirely.”
I asked Alice for clarification.
If I summoned “Elaine [Swimsuit]” or “Kiharu [Goddess Fermata]”, would their abilities stack with the current Elaine and Kiharu I’ve summoned?
[That’s not possible.]
Alice replied definitively.
[It wouldn’t be an overlap but rather summoning entirely separate new entities.]
A disjunction implies a completely different existence.
For example, in Japanese gacha mobile games, characters might appear as.
– Saber Blue, Saber Black, Saber Spear, Saber Casual… All different versions of the same character.
– What? You little…!
Strictly speaking, calling it a disjunction might be a stretch. But if released as entirely separate characters, they must be treated as such.
So while stacking stats is out of the question, there is one intriguing possibility.
“My partner, if ever a disjunction of mine is released—my goddess form—summon her. Regardless of her personality, I will persuade her to serve you as her master.”
“Serve?”
“Think of it as holding flowers in both hands. How about that?”
“Where do you get this confidence from?”
For instance.
“If someone must summon a disjunction and test her temperament, that role should naturally fall to me. Master, you could have Elaine on your left and Elaine on your right. How does that sound?”
Imagine this—one Elaine in a maid outfit clinging to my side, while another Elaine in a swimsuit sticks to the other. Quite the sight, right?
“…If I were to summon two Elaines at the same time, or summon another version of Elaine in the future, the world would lose its mind.”
Two versions of Elaine clearing Towers in different locations simultaneously?
The world would turn upside down, and suspicions about the true nature of Elaine would spread like wildfire.
Is she really just a cosplayer?
Or is she a literal manifestation of a game character summoned into reality?
“I don’t plan on summoning disjunctions recklessly unless it’s absolutely necessary or unless they enhance your current specs. Otherwise, there’s no point.”
To delay those suspicions from becoming reality, and because the summoned beings don’t grow stronger through disjunctions, there’s no need to bring out duplicates without reason.
“If the specs or power aren’t enough, I’ll just have to step up my control. Play better, push the game company to do better—yeah, that’s the way.”
There are countless ways to strengthen the current Elaine and Kiharu.
“Pressuring the game company is the answer.”
“How would you do that?”
“A press conference.”
It’s simple.
“After clearing an S-rank Tower, I’ll just drop a comment.”
Elaine buff please.
“If the U.S. President were to subtly nudge the company, they’d never suspect a thing. It’s the perfect way to naturally enhance Elaine. So—”
Beep Beep Beep.
An alert went off.
Recognizing its importance, I immediately checked my social media.
“…Perfect timing.”
“What is it? Did President Luigi do something?”
“It’s intel from the CIA. Apparently, Korea’s S-rank Hunters have been summoned to the Blue House. They’re planning to clear the S-rank Tower on Ganghwa Island.”
Summoned to the Blue House.
It’s a diplomatic way of phrasing it, but anyone living in Korea would understand the subtext.
This isn’t an invitation—it’s forced conscription for S-rank Hunters.
“In that case…”
“Let’s move.”
One thing was certain: I wasn’t about to let them steal the clear.
“While they’re busy debating and making plans, we’ll go in and clear it first.”
“Master.”
“Is it our turn?”
“Exactly.”
I sat at my desk and put on my headset.
“Let’s go. It’s time to conquer the S-rank Tower on Ganghwa Island.”