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Stay-at-Home Summoner Chapter 29

Spoon Rejection (2)

Shahabuth falls.

 

Elaine, controlling her descent to allow for “gliding”, spreads her wings, but while she slows her fall, she cannot halt it entirely.

 

“…Phew.”

 

One reassuring detail is visible at the top of the screen in my current “control mode”.

 

[Storm Dragon Shahabuth.]

 

Its health bar, once filled to 100%, steadily drains—4%, 3%, and lower.

 

Kishaaak!

Even while plummeting, it breathes fire from its scales. The flames become bombs aimed at Elaine, descending relatively slower. I spin the controller’s directional pad, redirecting Elaine’s path.

 

Flap.
The fire grazes her wings but doesn’t deal any damage.

 

At least at this moment, with me controlling her, Elaine’s health is part of the domain shown on this screen.

 

Whoosh.

After evading all the flames, I glance at Shahabuth’s health status and release my grip on the controller.

 

“Mind if I leave the finishing blow to you? Or should I handle it?”
[Elaine: Let’s finish this together. Just press ‘Ultimate’.]

 

Following Elaine’s suggestion, I set the controller down in a safe spot.

 

As soon as there’s no contact with the controller—

 

Pah!

 

The wings spread behind Elaine vanish like smoke, and the screen changes instantly.

 

Moments ago, it was as if a “game” had been overlaid onto reality through a 3D filter. Now, in the blink of an eye, reality itself comes into clear view.

 

This phenomenon occurred during my confrontation with Ouroboros as well, something I’d already confirmed while controlling Elaine.

 

It’s hard to describe this supernatural ability in one word, but one thing is certain.

 

‘The moment I control Elaine, reality instantly turns into a game.’

 

The gamification of reality.

The realization of a game in the real world.

 

I can summon characters from games into reality or overlay game elements onto the real world.

 

Though it sounds impressive, this ability has clear pros and cons.

 

For instance, when Shahabuth launched a meteor at the ground to destroy the Tower, I controlled Elaine to ensure the ground wouldn’t collapse.

 

Thanks to that, the Tower remained intact.

The battlefield became an in-game “object” in the form of a field, allowing Elaine to withstand it without the environment being destroyed.

 

Of course, there was the minor incident of flames exploding upon hitting the ground, but I suppressed it by commanding Elaine to “evade” at the right moment.

 

Kiharu’s healing was a helpful bonus.

 

Kyaaaak!!
As I momentarily pondered the nature of my ability, Shahabuth seemed to demand my focus back on the battle.

 

The falling Shahabuth spews flames wildly. Smaller than before, but fierce enough to scorch Elaine if they hit.

 

In a game, these flames would be impossible to dodge given their angles.

With no ground to stand on, gliding with wings or plummeting further were the only options.

 

But Elaine now exists in “reality”.

 

Bang!

Elaine drops like a bullet.

 

Tilting her head downward, she points her sword beneath her as she accelerates her descent.

 

My task is simple: synchronize with Elaine’s timing as she plunges, signaling me when to act.

 

‘Now.’

 

Click.

 

Before I even press the ultimate skill button, Elaine has already descended to Shahabuth’s crimson gem. She assumes a specific stance aimed at the gem.

 

The motion before executing an ultimate skill.
Had she not preemptively taken the stance, she would’ve been forced into it the moment I pressed the button, causing a delay.

 

Swish.
With a cutscene, Elaine strikes the crimson gem.

 

Kiaaaaaah!!

The sound of the gem shattering resonates, and I grip the controller tightly again.

 

Flap.

Wings unfurl behind Elaine once more. But now, the red health bar is gone from the top of the screen.

 

A boss continuing to display its health bar at 0% usually signals a second phase or an event trigger.

 

“Hehh…”
[Kiharu: Is it over, nyah?]
“No.”

 

Though I almost reflexively repeated my earlier words to Kiharu’s question, thankfully, the worst-case scenario didn’t occur.

 

“…Whew.”

 

Rumble, Rumble.

The Tower collapses.

It had already begun crumbling from the top, and now the entire structure shakes as it disintegrates.

 

The phenomenon I had witnessed before in the [Mungyeong Saejae Tower]—this is the obliteration of a Tower unfolding before my eyes.

 

‘If it were any other S-rank boss, this would’ve been much harder.’

 

The strategy was easier than expected.

There were no mid-bosses or mobs to fight on the way up the Tower, and I had already familiarized myself with Shahabuth’s patterns.

 

‘I should probably thank that traitorous A-rank Hunter who leaked the strategy video.’

 

Having prior information made the strategy feasible.

Without it, even in Seoul, I wouldn’t have dared to declare openly in front of others, “I’m going to clear it.”

 

[Elaine: Master, should we leave the Tower now?]

 

Elaine, gliding gently with her wings spread, asked. After clearing the boss, the only thing left to do was exit the Tower, but there seemed to be something she wanted to discuss about the post-clear process.

 

[Elaine: What’s the situation outside?]
[Kiharu: I can’t confirm that from here, nya. But if S-rank Hunters are waiting outside…]
“About that.”

 

It seemed the anticipated concern hadn’t materialized.

 

“All we need to prepare for is an interview.”
[Elaine: Excuse me?]
[Kiharu: If S-rank Hunters are waiting outside, wouldn’t you immediately retreat, nyah?]
[Elaine: Wouldn’t we use reverse-summoning to disappear in front of them?]
“I already accounted for that in the plan…”

 

I glanced at the live news broadcast on the muted TV, only reading the subtitles.

 

“Maybe we were too quick?”

 

* * *

 

[Approximately 10 minutes earlier, Seoul, Blue House.]

 

“Is… is this real?!”

 

The President recoiled in shock as he watched the news on TV.

 

“What the hell is this nonsense?! The Cosplay Maid clearing the S-rank Tower in Ganghwa Island?!”

 

It wasn’t even about planning to clear it—she was doing it.

 

“Are you telling me I had to learn about this from the news?!”
[W-We just confirmed it ourselves!]
“Oh, great! The head of the National Intelligence Service didn’t know this? Fantastic!”

 

Slamming the phone down, the President clutched his head in frustration.

 

“And the U.S.! Why didn’t they inform us?! Huh?!”
“Well, probably because they wanted to solo the strategy.”
“What?”
“To avoid interference, obviously. Isn’t that right?”

 

[Blue Lightning] smirked as he addressed the President sarcastically.

 

“Remember how your guy got killed? A bunch of A-rank underlings tagged along to boost their records, messed with the mechanics, and got him killed in the process.”
“I didn’t approve that!”
“Sure, sure. Blame your party’s next candidate, then.”

“Enough!”

 

The President roared at the four seated S-rank Hunters.

 

“Get to the helipad! We’ll fly you straight to Ganghwa Island! Hurry up and clear the Tower!”
“I think we should go somewhere else instead…”

 

A timid woman raised her hand hesitantly.

 

“Well… if it’s just a cosplay maid, she’ll likely subdue the Storm Dragon easily…”
“How can you even say that?!”
“Mr. President.”

 

Kim Min-jung rose from her seat calmly.

 

“Can you take responsibility for this?”
“Responsibility?”
“Yes. While we don’t know the internal situation, if the opponent remains unresponsive, there’s a scenario we can force.”

 

Kim Min-jung retrieved a pair of black leather gloves from her inner pocket and slipped them on.

 

“Intervention. If the raid is ongoing, we’ll assist immediately. There’s no better time than now.”
“By the time you realize it’s late, it’s already too late!”
“…Blue Lightning. That phrase implies that we must act now.”
“Well, I’d go with Sua’s suggestion.”

 

Park Da-ram gestured to the timid woman, Jung Sua.

 

“She’s right. We should focus on clearing Jeju Island. If the cosplay maid succeeds, the Tower in Ganghwa disappears—great. If she fails, oh well.”
“Are you serious right now?!”

 

The President scratched his head furiously, then sighed deeply as he looked toward the ceiling.

 

“…Even if it’s a wasted trip, it’s fine. At least one of you should head to the Tower in Ganghwa to provide backup. Otherwise, people will talk later…!”

 

The S-ranks remained unmoved by the President’s words.

 

“Mr. President, I’ll go.”

 

Only one among them, Kim Min-jung, stood and pointed toward the exit.

 

“Prepare a fighter jet for me. If it flies close to Namsan Tower with a cable extended, I’ll grab it and make my way to Ganghwa Island.”
“Yes, as expected…! As expected of [Ironblood]!”

 

The President, visibly relieved, clapped his hands at Kim Min-jung.

 

“I trust you! Now, hurry and…”
[Breaking news!!]

 

On the live broadcast.

 

[The Tower in Ganghwa…!!!]

 

* * *

 

Rumble, Rumble.

The Tower collapses.

 

Like the fading image of a hologram, the massive, shimmering Tower begins to emit light as it crumbles.

 

“Oh my god…!”
“Is this real? Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes…!”
“Guys! Guys!! Live stream!! I told you it wasn’t a waste to come all the way here!!”

 

The crowd at the outpost erupts into cheers, each celebrating the Tower’s disappearance in their own way.

 

And then, one by one, they begin to look around.

 

“H-Hunter!”

 

There.
A lone figure approaches slowly from the direction of the now-vanished Tower—a black-haired office lady.

 

From her thick bag, she pulls out a pair of black sunglasses, slipping them on as she approaches the cameras with a calm demeanor. Bowing her head slightly, she offers a faint smile.

 

“The filth has been dealt with.”

 

As she speaks, her head tilts slightly to the side, almost imperceptibly. Was it just their imagination? Those watching felt as though her gaze, hidden behind her sunglasses, was scanning for something—or someone—waiting outside.

 

“Could it be…?”
“Master…?!”
“…Looks like no other S-rank Hunters showed up.”
“Ah.”

 

It wasn’t some mysterious figure she was looking for.

 

“Everything’s fine. I was waiting inside, but in the end, it was better to handle it myself.”
“W-Waited…? Are you saying you were expecting the S-rank Hunters to show up?!”
“…Heh.”

 

With a kind yet confident smile, the black-haired woman waved briefly.

 

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Perhaps we’ll meet during the next raid.”

 

Flash.

In a burst of light, she vanished from the road without a trace.

 

“…She didn’t just teabag us because no other S-ranks showed up, did she?”

 

The muttered words of someone in the crowd were lost to the void as the S-rank Hunter disappeared.

 

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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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