[At that moment, Seoul. The Presidential Office at the Blue House.]
“Ha, you rotten bastards. You really see the public service as a dirty trick.”
President Shin Min-guk of South Korea, sitting in his office chair and staring at the situation board, unconsciously made a gesture as if holding a cigarette before clenching his fist.
“Haaa… damn it…”
Anyone, Korean or foreign, would know what words should follow. However, he refrained from speaking further—not because of self-control, but because he wasn’t alone in the office.
“Director of the National Intelligence Service.”
“…Yes, Mr. President.”
“So, you’re telling me that some of our men—these so-called ‘Awakened Public Officials’—tried to raid the house of someone suspected to be a Master?”
“T-That’s correct.”
“…”
The NIS Director turned pale and lowered his head.
“I told you, didn’t I? Just because someone Awakened doesn’t mean they should be hired as civil servants through special recruitment.”
“Well, I-I mean…”
“You mean you didn’t see this coming? Ha. They didn’t pass a civil service exam or the administrative test—just happened to Awaken while lying around in the streets, and we handed them a government job at Rank 5. And now look at this. They have absolutely no regard for the integrity of public service.”
“Mr. President, your dignity…”
“My dignity? The whole country is on the verge of turning upside down!”
The President slammed his fist on the table and shouted.
“A gunfight in the middle of Seoul—does that even make sense?!”
“I-It’s not like we fired first…”
“The problem is that you provoked them in the first place! Why would you stir up a hornet’s nest? Why?! Be honest. Did you know about it or not?!”
“I-I didn’t know… I had no idea our men were working with the Russians…”
“You’re done after this mess. You know why, right? I don’t even need to say it.”
The NIS Director’s ears flushed red, but he only clenched his fists on his lap and nodded.
“Damn it. Back in my day, when the President told you to sit, you sat; when he told you to stand, you stood. The world has changed way too much. And not in a good way.”
The President covered his face with one hand and pointed at the TV in the situation room.
“Does this seem normal to you? Huh?”
On the TV screen—video footage.
“The President of the United States is openly announcing that he’s leading an aircraft carrier into the East Sea. Does that sound normal?”
Journalists from the White House were interviewing a man, and that man was batting back their questions like Zhang Fei at Changban Bridge.
[Sea of Japan? No. That is the ‘East Sea.’ In Korean, ‘Dong-hae.’ Please be clear about this. If O-Map says otherwise, then the map is wrong.]
“But, Mr. President, isn’t the U.S. President clearly supporting our claim over Dokdo?”
The Foreign Minister carefully interjected.
“Moreover, he didn’t say ‘Takeshima’. He explicitly called it ‘Dokdo’. Given how the previous administration handled this issue, perhaps this is an opportunity…”
“So you’re saying we should just sit back and let America spoon-feed us our own territorial claim?”
“…Mr. President. That’s just how the situation is right now.”
The Foreign Minister sighed with a grim expression.
“The U.S. President’s actions have gone beyond what anyone predicted. Neither Wall Street, Silicon Valley, nor Washington’s political circles know what direction he’s heading in.”
“Isn’t it your job to figure that out?”
“Well… according to our analysis…”
“Go on.”
“Depending on the timing of the Dokdo operation, the aircraft carrier might head to Jeju Island next.”
“…Ha.”
Hearing this, the President covered his face with both hands.
“This is the end times. Any updates from Jeju?”
“No. The last report we received came from an A-rank Hunter who exited the Tower to deliver information. Apparently, the raid party has already entered the Boss Room.”
“…Hah.”
No clear solution in sight, just endless sighs.
“When the mass Awakening of one million people first happened, I thought we’d find a way to manage it. But the world has gone completely mad. There’s no longer even a semblance of order in governance or public administration. Is this even a country anymore?”
“…..”
No one had an answer.
“And the one causing the biggest international stir is…”
[Is Dokdo U.S. territory? No. Dokdo is Korean land. Is Korea the 51st state of America? That kind of remark could be disrespectful to Korea. Please be cautious.]
“The President of the United States.”
“Mr. President…”
“What now?”
“Perhaps, in preparation for what comes after both the Jeju and Dokdo Towers are cleared… would it be wise to start drafting a speech?”
“For both?”
“Yes.”
“…”
A headache was a headache, but in the end, a politician must make decisions for the country and its people—even in the midst of chaos.
“…First, we’ll issue a formal statement expressing deep regret over the unannounced deployment of an aircraft carrier. We will also publicly support the success of the S-rank Tower raid at Dokdo. Ha, should I even be thankful for this?”
The President shook his head.
“Is this situation better than Tokyo’s, where their territorial dispute ended overnight?”
His aides gave awkward smiles and nodded slightly.
Well.
At least South Korea still had the luxury of hoping for the successful raid of the S-rank Tower in Dokdo.
Japan, on the other hand… was probably praying for failure.
For the Master’s failure.
* * *
[Limousine.]
After Patrick left, only Elaine, Kiharu, and I remained.
“Master, about our conversation…”
“I don’t care if it gets recorded. If anything leaks, that’s America’s problem, not mine.”
Since we were in an American vehicle, I didn’t need to worry about black boxes or surveillance.
“Instead, I should plant some bait in advance. If anything gets out, I want it to be entertaining.”
“…Still, we should be careful.”
“That’s my line, isn’t it?”
I pointed a finger at Elaine.
“Can you solo this?”
“I’ll give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll return.”
Elaine nodded toward Kiharu, who was curled up on my lap.
Since Drei wasn’t with us at the moment and Kiharu had chosen to act as my bodyguard, Elaine had to tackle the S-rank Tower alone.
“I’ll be off, Master.”
Elaine maintained perfect etiquette as she knocked on the limousine door. I simply gave her a slight nod in response.
Whooosh!
As the limousine door opened, a strong gust of wind rushed in.
The scent of the sea—completely different from the city air.
As soon as Elaine stepped out, the limousine door closed again. I switched to the live CCTV feed to observe the outside.
“…Hah.”
Standing ahead of the limousine.
U.S. Marines lined up on both sides with solemn expressions, and in the middle, several high-ranking officers in uniform stood.
Thump!
As one of them stomped his foot, all the officers saluted Elaine in unison.
Their shoulder and chest insignias matched those of generals one could easily find on military Wiki pages.
They were generals.
Under orders from our dear friend Luigi, the naval commander who had led an aircraft carrier from Okinawa was now standing before Elaine—saluting her.
And it seemed like they had already heard some things.
Even as Elaine walked past them, the generals continued saluting in the direction of the limousine.
“…”
Just in case, I rolled down the limousine window slightly and waved my hand through the gap, signaling them to lower their salute.
Only then did the generals lower their hands and turn their gazes toward Dokdo.
“…”
Feeling a vague sense of awkwardness, I quickly closed the window and turned my attention to the Summoning Management App on my smartphone.
[Kiharu: Controlling American generals with just a hand gesture… You’ve truly become a big shot, nyah.]
Kiharu’s message came through the app.
After all, no matter how open-minded Americans might be, having a cat speak directly would likely be too shocking. It was best to introduce them to the concept gradually.
[That also means more responsibility.]
Why else would they treat someone who was just an ordinary corporate employee A before Awakening with such deference?
It was because they wanted their Towers to be cleared.
‘If they’re offering benefits because they want me to do it, then I might as well.’
That was the whole reason I left home in the first place. If I had no intention of tackling these things, I would have just stayed locked inside.
“…Haa.”
A deep breath.
With Kiharu staying behind to protect me, I had to fully focus on Elaine’s raid on the Tower.
Vrrrrr.
The aircraft carrier was heading toward Dokdo.
Between the two islands, a towering white ivory Tower loomed, standing tall against the sky. It had never been fully cleared—not even the Boss Room.
Even Japan had secretly deployed S-rank Hunters, only to be forced to retreat. Some even said this Tower’s difficulty was beyond S-rank, possibly SS-rank.
[Elaine. Can you handle it?]
[Elaine: Of course.]
Elaine wasn’t just any S-rank.
Tatadadadak.
Elaine started sprinting down the aircraft carrier’s runway.
From the limousine, she dashed toward the bridge—where fighter jets were supposed to take off. Instead of stopping, she sprinted straight ahead, leaped onto the railing at the end, and propelled herself into the air.
“Whoa…”
The Marines standing outside let out gasps of awe.
Trailing behind her, light from her mana shimmered as she soared in an arc toward the Tower.
Immediately, I turned on my smartphone and launched the Summoning Management App.
Slide.
Lying back in the limousine, I gripped the phone in landscape mode.
Inside the tower.
Even though it stood atop Dokdo, the Tower had its own distinct atmosphere.
A vast wilderness.
As if the ocean had been transformed into endless plains, the first zone was an expanse of barren land.
Rumble.
The ground trembled.
And then—something.
Kicking up clouds of dust, a wave of monsters surged forward like a tidal wave.
Slide.
Left hand on the movement controls.
Right thumb hovering over an inactive button.
At the moment Elaine gripped her sword, I pressed forward and tapped the screen.
Kyaaaak!!
Something massive lunged from the front.
Elaine left behind only a streak of white light as she blinked forward, charging straight into the horde.
Dokdo S-rank Tower.
A place where no clear path to the top was known.
Inside, countless worm-like A-rank demonic beasts poured out endlessly.
There was nowhere to rest—only an unrelenting tide of monsters.
[Elaine: Master. Please assist me.]
Inside this Tower, Elaine calmly unsheathed her sword.
[Elaine: Activate my new buff—‘Final Art’.]
A buff granted by the game company.
A new button, separate from the usual ones, flashed at the right moment.
I pressed it.
And then—
Slice.
The screen.
The world split apart.
Elaine’s new buff.
It wasn’t just a stat adjustment or a limit break.
– We will add a special skill for all characters!
– You will receive one free permanent character summon ticket! Try out the new ultimate skills for Elaine and the others!
A custom ability prepared by the game company, exclusively for Elaine.
