Approximately 20 minutes had passed since the S-rank Tower in Ganghwa was cleared.
“Yaaaahoooo!!”
A piercing scream echoed from a room in a game company located in Pangyo.
“Boss, please calm down…!”
“Do I look like I can calm down right now? Do I look like I should just sit still? Dammit, I believed in this!!”
This man, who was even using words that were trending on the Internet, started to go crazy, throwing punches at the air and going wild.
“Didn’t I say it’d work, Producer Shin?!”
“Haha… yeah, you did…”
Shin Ki-hyun, the producer of [Granade Impact: Redive], forced a weak smile despite the dark circles under his eyes, worn out from the weeks of effort leading to this moment.
“I thought it was absolute madness…”
“Life is all about timing! Sure, we’d look like fools if we failed, but since we succeeded, it’s all good, isn’t it?”
The president’s confidence left Shin PD speechless.
On the surface, he might seem lighthearted, but the man’s decisiveness had brought NPia from a small startup to its current position as a recognized powerhouse.
“The Elaine Patch—releasing it right now was the perfect move. Heheh.”
“Yes. Though it looks like a very intentional timing…”
“It was intentional. We were going to announce it officially a week later anyway; all I did was push the announcement forward. Heheheh.”
President Park waved the large tablet in his hand, showing off the patch notes.
“Patch notes. Sure, they’re common in mobile games, but nobody expected such a massive update like this.”
“Indeed. Especially one that enhances older characters instead of releasing new ones. Borrowing a strategy from that Japanese company, no less…”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s about character growth through training. Just bumping stats wouldn’t feel as satisfying, but doing it this way gives the impression that the character is truly evolving.”
“True. Even internally, this is unprecedented. Our game has always focused on newly released characters rather than updating older ones…”
“Let’s be honest, what’s the point of patching old characters? You can’t sell them right away, and by the time you can, new characters will have come out.”
In mobile gacha games, limited-time characters released during special events are only sought after later by players who missed out or joined the game late.
Developers, focused on monetization, invest heavily in balancing and testing new characters before their initial release, ensuring they’re ready to perform well at launch.
NPia had maintained a rigorous approach, with its development team spending one to six months crafting battle styles, and its balance team fine-tuning stats.
Playtesting with select users began six weeks before release. In the company’s history, only one character had ever been buffed post-release, during the infamous [Receipt Incident].
That sole buff occurred when thousands of users protested, claiming a 5-star limited character didn’t match its lore-based power. The uproar even led to collective demands for cash receipt records.
After that, there hadn’t been a single buff for any character—until now.
The Elaine Patch changed everything.
“Elaine conquered the S-rank Tower of Ganghwa in real life, and now, in the game, she strengthens herself by overcoming the Tower of Trials. That’s marketing!”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that. What, worried about what the real Elaine might say?”
Noticing Shin’s uneasy expression, President Park pulled up a news clip.
“What do you think this outfit looks like?”
“…It’s the collaboration costume Elaine wore during our department store partnership.”
“Exactly!”
On the news screen, the [Cosplay Maid]—no, now better known simply as [Cosplayer]—was wearing what seemed to be a regular business suit.
But to fans of its expanded lore, the outfit clearly referenced the in-game collaboration costume.
“This cosplayer even brought our game’s collaboration outfit to life! She’s clearly passionate about our game—especially Elaine. I’d bet she’s at least completed a Full Limit Break on her.”
“…Boss, you’re not bringing this up because of that incident, are you?”
“What incident?”
“The one with the National Intelligence Service.”
“Ah-hem.”
At the mention of the NIS, President Park immediately straightened his posture.
“Producer Shin. She’s a fan of our game who went out of her way to cosplay our character. Do you think it’s right to hand over her personal data to those suits who showed up unannounced?”
“….”
At one point, men in black suits had stormed into NPia’s offices.
Believing the cosplayer to have summoned Elaine, they demanded user data from the company to track her down.
Conducting a full survey of all mobile game users?
Narrowing down candidates among South Korea’s 20-something women was a daunting task, but cross-referencing with user demographics made it feasible.
“Talk about ungrateful. Imagine if she’d cosplayed a character from another company—an angel or elf, for instance. What would’ve happened then?”
“We’d probably either be begging that company for a collaboration or watching their sales skyrocket while seething with jealousy.”
“That’s right. And they must have been praying too. ‘Please, let them cosplay one of our characters this time!’ But what was the result? Another Elaine streak. The same person who recreated even our collaboration artwork.”
Park Gi-woo leaned back in his chair, relaxing with a satisfied grin.
“Next time, will it be Battle-Ready Elaine? If they show up in a swimsuit version, oh man, it’s going to be absolute chaos.”
“I doubt they’d wear a swimsuit.”
“Huh?”
“If the Hunter cosplaying Elaine is as meticulous about authenticity as they seem to be… Even though Hunters have some freedom regarding their attire, I highly doubt they’d wear something as revealing as a swimsuit.”
Producer Shin’s voice was firm with conviction.
“That Hunter’s… uh, her master —probably her boyfriend or husband—wouldn’t want to share such a revealing sight with everyone.”
“Oho, is this the Father of Elaine instinct kicking in?”
“Father, you say.”
Shin shook his head briefly.
“What father in the world would want to exploit their own daughter’s image for profit?”
“Considering that revenue from Elaine is projected to break all company records? It’s only January, and we’ve already surpassed last year’s earnings up to March!”
“Even though I designed Elaine’s lore and character, and even though I drew fans to her, I can’t help but worry.”
“Worry?”
“Yes. Honestly, I kind of wish… that cosplayer Hunter would cosplay a character from another company just once.”
Park Gi-woo was about to voice his outrage—’What kind of nonsense is that?’—but froze when Shin suddenly bowed his head a full 90 degrees.
“…You can’t mean…”
“I think… I’m burnt out.”
Shin’s head hung slightly, as though it had become hollow.
“No way! You’ve always been full of ideas!”
“Thanks to Elaine, my workload has skyrocketed. I can’t even go home anymore; I’ve been in crunch mode for weeks.”
The Crunch—
The dreaded period in the gaming industry when developers work around the clock, eating and sleeping at the office.
“Revenue’s great, sure. It’s nice that Elaine and our game are gaining attention. But I need to survive too, don’t I? At this rate, I might actually die.”
“….”
“Handling just the game side of things is hard enough, but now we have to deal with the Awakened Management Committee, the Hunter Guild, and even the National Intelligence Service. Boss, are we absolutely sure that cosplayer has no connection to our company?”
“Why would they?”
“The [Cosplay Maid].”
“Of course not. If there were any connection, I’d have told you. Look, after this patch is done, take a break.”
Park pulled out his smartphone and tapped at it.
“Check this.”
Ding!
Shin’s phone chimed. With a puzzled expression, he checked the notification—and his eyes widened in shock as he stared at the banking app.
“A bonus?”
“Yeah. You’re the PD, so you get that amount. As for the other employees, they’ll see an internal notice soon. Think of it as an advance before their vacation.”
“…Are you planning to buy everyone imported cars or something? What on earth is this…”
“Well…”
The president looked out the window and answered.
“A big investor from the U.S. reached out, specifically saying, ‘Take good care of Elaine.'”
“…….”
“I thought they were planning to buy the rights and almost panicked. But no, it was basically pressure—money pressure. As if to say, ‘Give us more versions of Elaine.’ Ugh.”
“Uh… while it’s great to shower us with this much generosity.”
Shin said, lightly raising the hand holding his smartphone.
“How about we post an announcement featuring the Business Suit Elaine illustration? Let’s celebrate the S-rank Tower clear by giving all players 30 free summons.”
* * *
“Cheers!”
We clinked our cans of beer from the convenience store in celebration.
Celebrating what?
The conquest of the S-rank Tower in Ganghwa.
It was an achievement worthy of celebration—not just for South Korea but for the whole world. So we decided to join in.
And there was one more reason.
“Congratulations, Elaine.”
“I never imagined I’d get patched.”
The Elaine Patch.
It wasn’t a nerf but a buff.
When Elaine’s performance improves in the game, the real Elaine becomes stronger as well.
What if her version gets patched again?
According to Alice, the Summoner Management Assistant, Elaine’s current abilities are intricately linked to the live server’s stats.
In other words, if the live server grants her a buff, Elaine herself can grow stronger.
…On this joyful day, we chose not to dwell on the unpleasant possibilities of nerfs or deletions.
“I fear it. Just how strong could I become?”
Slightly tipsy, Elaine’s smile was warm and unguarded, her mood buoyant from the celebration.
Elaine seemed more relaxed than usual, showing a side of herself I’d never seen before. She never even touched alcohol in the game, so this was entirely new territory for me.
It was fascinating.
“Aren’t you already strong enough? In the game world… ‘Granade’, you were the strongest.”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Well…”
Elaine, slightly tipsy, seemed to be dropping her usual filters.
“In my world, Master, uh… this might be a spoiler.”
Her loosened demeanor hinted at a rare vulnerability.
“By the standards of my world, I wasn’t the strongest.”
“….”
“There were at least five people stronger than me. And I know who they are, Master. I…”
Elaine glanced briefly at Kiharu, who was quietly sipping her beer, then straightened her posture and gestured toward the smartphone on the table.
“When you control me, Master, it feels like I’ve reached their level. That’s why I’m so grateful to you.”
“…”
“Are you curious about who they are? There’s one in particular…”
Elaine raised her index finger.
“I know someone who isn’t as dangerous as certain others but could still be of great help to you.”
“Are you taking a jab at this body, nyah?”
Kiharu growled softly, her ears twitching in mock irritation.
“Master, if you summon a third, I recommend calling upon a ‘known strong one’ from my world.”
The celebration unexpectedly turned into a strategy meeting for tackling the next Tower.
It couldn’t be helped.
After all, I’d revealed something important.
The outcome of this conquest wasn’t just the satisfaction of clearing an S-rank Tower or the economic support we’d now be receiving from Luigi. It was the change in my own ability—something new had unlocked.
2 / 3.
The living room sofa still had plenty of space, enough for one more person to sit comfortably.
“Hey, Alice. Can I summon two people from the same game?”
[As long as the conditions are met, it is possible.]
It was possible.
“And the next character on the pickup schedule… one of those strongest.”