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Stay-at-Home Summoner Chapter 34

Hacker Summoning Until the End of Service (1)

When deciding on the third summon, we had no choice but to consider various conditions.

 

First, assuming we wanted a hacker supporter and decided to summon an electronic warfare expert.

 

What if, for instance, we summoned an existence like Ultr**?

 

A robot equipped with a super AI created by a contemporary genius scientist, capable of dominating the world, from an American superhero gacha game?

 

– For a pure and pristine Earth, all humans must disappear. Since you are my master, I’ll kill everyone except you.

 

…Such a situation might arise.

 

And that’s one of the lesser evil scenarios.

There’s no guarantee that the summoned creatures will be as amicable as Elaine or Kiharu.

 

– E-hehe… So I’m just a mere game character, and everything I’ve experienced was fabricated by someone else. Living through such torment, only to end up like this… Uhuh, uhuhuhu…! This world would be better off destroyed…

 

Imagine summoning something only to have them spiral into mental despair, vowing to end the world faster than the Towers’ destruction could manage.

 

Given these concerns, we eventually landed on a candidate for our party—a being who meets our needs.

 

“Someone with decent combat power, who can accept that they were a character in a game brought to reality, and has the mental resilience to face the darkness of the world and combat its abyss.”

 

After much deliberation, we reached a single conclusion.

 

“A humanoid android.”

 

An android specializing in electronic warfare from a near-future game.

 

“Fending off hacks should be no problem. We can ask President Eisen Armstrong Luigi to supply the necessary equipment.”

 

Given their experience with underworld dealings, they’d likely provide adequate backup for protecting our information.

 

“Even if they’re not human, they were designed to be close to humans, so organic material processing shouldn’t be an issue.”

“What if their fuel or battery isn’t compatible, partner?”

“That’s a concern.”

 

The only minor issue is that the android isn’t human, merely close to human.

 

“But it’s not like this is 2,000 years into the future. It’s less than 100 years ahead, and no exotic particles are required.”

“If it operates on simple electricity…”

“If compatible, we might even recharge it electrically. Plus, it’s a summon, so it might run on mana rather than electricity. If future technology is needed, we’ll develop parts discreetly.”

 

No one knows what influence her “near-future virtual world technology” might have on reality.

 

“It might be a bit of a shock or confusion once summoned, but I’ll handle the explanation as best I can.”

 

Despite various issues, I figured I could convince her after summoning her.

 

“There’s just one thing that’s bothering me…”

 

One small concern remained.

 

“It’s not Korean-made?”
“No. It’s from a Chinese mobile game.”

 

It wasn’t a domestic game.

 

“Mobile games come from a variety of developers. Many foreign games are published in Korea.”

 

Unlike Elaine and Kiharu, whose origins could be traced back to Korean game companies, she came from a Chinese game.

 

“China, huh?”
“Does it have to be from China?”

 

Kiharu’s expression looked noticeably displeased.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to solve everything within Korea rather than adding more foreign variables?”
“Because I’m Korean?”
“It’s not just that. It would be simpler to secure the game company and server if everything was kept within Korea.”
“I see. It’s wise not to put all your eggs in one basket, but that doesn’t mean scattering the baskets all over the place either. Keeping them within the same space is ideal.”

 

We agreed to limit the game company to Korean ones for simplicity.

Securing only Korean game companies and servers would suffice, eliminating the need to protect assets scattered across China, Japan, or the U.S.

 

“I’ve already thought of a solution to that problem.”
“A solution?”
“I’ll retrieve the servers.”

 

I showed them a photo.

 

“In case the game company intentionally or unintentionally decides to shut down the service, we’ll hack the servers and copy them to back you up.”

 

The photo depicted a massive server room.

The space was far larger than my current home, but it was nothing President Luigi couldn’t secure for us.

 

If I asked for it as compensation for conquering an S-rank Tower…

 

“A server room…?”

“I understand what you mean, but if you’re going to hack the servers and extract the data anyway… hmm…”

 

Unlike Elaine, Kiharu tilted her head with a slightly bitter expression.

 

“Games might not have borders, but wouldn’t it be better to limit variables to within Korea? Or perhaps the U.S.? Regarding the target of the summon.”
“The problem is that Korean and American hackers pose significant risks of world destruction.”
“Ah.”
“That’s why, as part of risk management, I chose what I believed to be the safest option.”
“Safer to choose something made in China? People in my world would faint hearing this.”

 

Kiharu still wore a sour expression, but it couldn’t be helped. There’s an inevitable gap between beings from reality and those born of imagination.

 

“Who knows? Maybe being from a Chinese game makes the hacker even better at hacking.”

 

It’s not for nothing that people say they excel in electronic warfare.

 

– Hey, her chest parts look off.

– Ahem, this character was originally ‘well-endowed’.

– No, no. She’s a flat-chested character who hacked reality to make her design more extravagant—let’s not throw around baseless accusations.

 

The joke persisted that even if the character was designed with a flat chest, her proficiency in hacking forced illustrators to consistently draw her as busty.

 

“That feels oddly discriminatory, but I’ll let it slide because I’ve thought worse.”
Ahem. Anyway, someday, whether in this country or another, we’ll need to establish a proper base for ourselves.”

 

We couldn’t stay in this studio apartment forever.

 

“It won’t be immediate, but the day will come when we’ll have to leave this place.”

 

For now, we were keeping a low profile, but if we ever secured a facility with proper security that even paparazzi or S-rank Hunters couldn’t breach, we could relocate there.

 

“Whether we move to the U.S. or return to Korea afterward, I want to set up a base for all of you. Considering that ‘in-game data’ manifests as real-world abilities, this is something I want to achieve.”
“Hacking to do that might actually be safer. Since no one in the world knows yet that your ability is ‘summoning beings from games’, it keeps things under wraps.”
“Exactly. It might be revealed someday, but I’ll be ready when that time comes. If game companies find out about my ability, they could nerf my summons or even delete them entirely.”

 

Even if someone destroyed the game servers in the future to weaken or delete my summons, the backup in a secure location would ensure there was no problem.

 

Even if hacking the servers wasn’t feasible, just knowing about their value would be significant. Protecting the game’s main servers could align with our future plans.

 

 

“Elaine, what do you think?”
“If Master is summoning someone to protect us, I won’t mind even if it’s a woman flirting with you.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve adjusted my perspective. Let’s say I had a change of heart after a discussion with Kiharu.”

 

Elaine gave Kiharu a bright smile and gestured around the room.

 

“Perhaps it’s better to have a space filled with women rather than adding more male summons. Although living with so many women might be uncomfortable for you, Master…”
“I’ll manage.”

 

Minor inconveniences are easy to solve.

Besides, who in their right mind would complain about cohabiting with beautiful women who accommodate their needs?

 

“So, will you summon them now?”
“Not yet.”
“Is it because it’s a limited-time pickup?”
“It’s the 10th anniversary, and there’s a multi-banner pickup event happening now, so that’s why I brought it up.”

 

All that was left was to summon her and her weapon.

 

The stats were already sufficient; I only needed her in-game and lore-based abilities.

 

“Let’s summon first. There’s a pity system, so it shouldn’t take… huh?”

 

Just as I opened the game to summon my third summon, I felt a strange unease from the game launcher.

 

“Why are there so many announcements… wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh…”

 

I froze.

 

“They’re shutting down the servers.”

 

* * *

 

[Meanwhile, Shanghai, China – Game Company <ChaoChaoPlay>]

 

“Should we close the servers?”

 

A man in his late 30s, balding and gaunt, sighed deeply as he stared at the ceiling from his chair.

 

“Ten years. It’s been a long run.”

 

Ten years of running a mobile game.
The game, once ambitiously launched, had reached its 10th anniversary.

 

There were celebrations.
There were commemorative messages.

 

But no players.

 

Ten years ago, the game was hailed as “a revolution in mobile gaming”.

But a decade is an eternity in the mobile gaming industry.

 

They had already started developing a new game.

 

The money earned from the game’s popularity was used to develop a new game.

 

The company was divided: new recruits were assigned to the original game, while the seasoned veterans who had been with the company since its inception were tasked with creating their next big hit.

 

Then disaster struck.

 

A Tower unleashed its horrors, and monsters poured forth, consuming the entire company, along with its longtime colleagues.

 

There was no one to turn to for help.
The sudden breakouts and monstrous floods from the Tower had already claimed countless lives.

 

The only option was to do their best in the circumstances given.

But now, it was time to pull the plug.

 

“…We’ve been in the red for three years.”

 

This was the fate of a failing game company.
Even using personal funds to pay server fees and employee salaries had reached its limit.

 

“I’m sorry, Liu Fei. The avant-garde dream we envisioned couldn’t overcome the harsh reality.”

 

The man, Chao Chao, tightly closed his eyes.

 

“Ten years. Shut down the servers.”

 

* * *

 

“…That can’t happen.”

 

No way.

 

“Even if she’s flat-chested, she’s exactly the kind of talent we need right now.”

 

Shutting down the servers? That meant she couldn’t be summoned anymore, even if I wanted to later.

 

“Do you have any idea how much money I’ve sunk into this game?”

 

I’d spent over 3 million won on it so far. I wasn’t an early adopter, having started midway, so my expenditures weren’t exorbitant.

But even back when my budget was tight, I survived on instant noodles just to afford summoning cards and buying her skins.

This was a game I was deeply attached to.

 

“No. Absolutely not. I spent days racking my brain to find the perfect hacker, and I’m not letting this slip away now.”

 

This wasn’t just a summoning anymore.

 

It was a rescue mission.

 

“Elaine, can you do me a favor?”
“A favor? Please, Master, command me as you wish.”

 

Elaine straightened her posture and respectfully bowed.

 

“I need you to cosplay. Specifically, I want you to cosplay as our third summon in advance.”
“Then…”
“Yeah. Even if we live in the Age of Hunters, whether it’s China, Japan, or anywhere else…”

 

At the very least, there’s one principle that remains unshaken.

 

“There are no borders for gamers.”

 

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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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