[A few hours later, at the entrance of the Panama Canal.]
“Oh, these crazy bastards.”
Martin, an American A-rank Hunter known in the world as [Spear Wing], stood on the deck of Illinois in San Diego, utterly dumbfounded by the scene unfolding ahead.
“What the hell are those lunatics doing?”
“…They’re securing a spot?”
“What?”
“A spot. I heard it’s a common phrase in the Korean gaming industry.”
Martin flinched at the sudden voice beside him. The woman who had spoken was Crimson Witch, another Hunter who had joined him for this battlefield.
First, he was surprised because she rarely spoke to him.
Second, her outfit—
“Are you cosplaying right now?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I signed a contract. A collaboration. I wear the costume and participate in combat, and they pay me.”
“Wow.”
It was something straight out of a comic book.
“You used to complain about people saying your abilities looked exactly like something from a comic, and now…”
“Back then, I wasn’t getting paid. Now I am. More importantly, are those guys even sane?”
Crimson Witch pointed at the pile-up at the entrance of the Panama Canal.
“Do they really think blocking the canal with container ships will stop us from entering the Tower?”
“Hmm…”
The passage leading into the Panama Canal was completely blocked.
For some reason, three cargo ships had collided, creating a massive obstruction at the entrance.
“When did this happen?”
“Five minutes ago.”
“…Of all times, five minutes ago?”
“Obvious, isn’t it?”
Illinois gradually slowed down.
Even though it had been moving swiftly along the route, it had to reduce speed upon approaching the canal entrance.
Especially with multiple cargo ships involved in a collision right in front of them.
“Clearing that out is going to take a while. Has Panama said anything?”
“The news says they’ll remove it as quickly as possible, but do you really think they’ll make a serious effort? They’re stalling for time.”
“Why?”
“Who knows? Maybe some people don’t want the S-rank Tower in Panama to be conquered.”
Crimson Witch turned her gaze southward.
“Maybe those who have been profiting from the canal being closed. Or maybe those who just don’t want the Master to clear the Tower. Ah, you’re not one of those lunatic supporters, are you?”
“What the hell? If that guy became president, America would turn into a gangster state.”
Spear Wing coughed and tapped the American flag emblem on his shoulder.
“If the Master really sent troops to ‘help’ nations suffering from Towers, they’d probably end up exploiting resources instead. Not that the Master himself would be in on it.”
“Exactly. The problem is… some people would take advantage of it.”
Crimson Witch made a circle with her fingers.
“While they stall for time with the grounded ships, someone is definitely up to something behind the scenes.”
“Damn it. It’s not like they have long-term investments banking on the Panama closure. Why go this far?”
“Maybe they do have something at stake. Imagine if the Master didn’t exist. What would’ve happened to Earth?”
“It would’ve been the same as before. The same cycle over and over… The rich, already overflowing with money, trying to squeeze out even more.”
Both Hunters sighed at the same time.
“That money won’t mean a damn thing if the world ends.”
“They probably think they’ll survive in some underground bunker.”
“The whole human race would be wiped out, and we don’t even have spaceships to escape into space yet?”
“That’s why they’re insane— Wait, what?”
Rumble.
Suddenly, Illinois began to pick up speed.
“Wait. Master? Master!?”
“He never listens when we shout, but don’t tell me he just hit the booster in the bridge?”
“…Jump?”
The battleship showed no sign of slowing down, despite the blocked passage ahead.
And then—
BOOOOOM!!
Illinois charged forward as if the grounded ships were nothing more than minor obstacles.
Rather than stopping, it climbed over the ships, literally rolling over them to push through the entrance of the Panama Canal.
“H-Hahaha…”
Screeeeech!
For a moment, they worried about explosions or casualties on the ships below.
But Illinois didn’t even hesitate—it simply kept going forward.
“Crimson, do you sense any life on those ships?”
“Not at all. It was a setup to block the entrance in the first place—there was never anyone on board.”
As if they already knew the ships were empty.
“What if they had taken hostages and used them as leverage?”
“…We wouldn’t have blasted them away with the main guns, but we probably would have just jumped over them.”
After passing the ships that had been blocking the entrance, Illinois proudly entered the Panama Canal, advancing toward the Tower floating in the middle of the waterway.
“Master is incredible.”
“…Do you think he’ll show his face once we enter the dungeon?”
The Hunters’ eyes were fixed on the bridge, which was invisible from the outside. They nodded in unison, their gazes filled with unwavering trust toward the being inside.
Meanwhile, inside Illinois’s bridge—
Beep, Beep, Beep.
Illinois, operated entirely by its onboard AI, had no one inside.
Beep, Beep, Beep.
Only numerous screens glowed as they processed input commands and executed maneuvers autonomously.
* * *
“This is getting ridiculous. Drei, did you track down the ship owners?”
“Hmm… Looks like they’re not complete idiots. We found the culprit, but the real mastermind behind it is hiding beyond the reach of digital traces.”
Drei, driving with one hand, waved a hacking-enabled smartphone in the other.
“They must have sent handwritten letters or passed messages directly through intermediaries.”
“For real?”
“They avoided CCTV as much as possible, but there are still traces of their vehicles moving toward certain locations. Want me to keep digging?”
“No need. You don’t have to do it yourself.”
I took the phone from Drei’s hand.
“I’ll send the data to the intelligence agencies and let them handle it.”
“They might not find anything.”
“They don’t need to. Just making them know we’re watching is enough.”
If the CIA and FBI got involved, the opposition wouldn’t be able to act so freely.
Just as they had stalled for time, we needed time as well—time to clear the S-rank Tower before they could orchestrate their next move.
Before they could scheme further, we had to finish this as quickly as possible.
“Master, why are they trying to block the canal?”
“It’s all about leverage.”
Kiharu answered Elaine’s question.
“Since the Master is clearing Panama’s Tower, Panama now ‘owes’ the Master something. They want to use this to rally public opinion and pressure President Luigi through the politicians.”
“…”
“Partner, is there anything you want from Panama?”
“Free passage?”
I pointed at the Panama Canal on the video feed of Illinois approaching the Tower.
“Basically, I want Illinois to pass through like a highway toll-free, no fees.”
“And if another ship is in the way?”
“Of course, we’ll have basic courtesy. We’ll schedule passage in advance and move at designated times. If it’s really urgent, we’ll go in immediately, but generally, we’ll request priority clearance for Illinois.”
To move quickly between the Pacific and Atlantic, unrestricted canal access was crucial.
But that didn’t mean I intended to abuse that privilege.
“Kiharu, do you know why I skipped over the S-rank Towers in China and Japan and came straight to the U.S.?”
“Because you don’t like China and Japan?”
“Not exactly hate, but they were using the S-rank Towers in Korea to push their agenda.”
Back then, it was frustrating.
Whether it was Jeju Island or Dokdo, every time I saw an article saying, ‘If we clear this Tower, you owe us something in return,’ it pissed me off.
Of course, from an economic and political standpoint, it was a rational decision.
In fact, in Europe, some countries had officially ceded parts of their territories in exchange for clearing Towers.
“But Towers are a matter of human lives. Using them for power plays, economic gain, or to expand personal wealth… sure, it’s possible. People will do it.”
If I had grown up in an environment where that was the norm, maybe I would have accepted it, too.
“But as someone who was just an ordinary citizen, I don’t want to operate that way.”
I had lived in a world where people like me had no choice but to suffer through those power struggles.
I refused to use S-rank Towers as leverage for excessive personal gain.
I just wanted two things.
First—
The Summoning Ticket Fragment (1/6) from clearing an S-rank Tower.
Not that such an item officially existed, but that’s what I called it for convenience.
Second—
A sincere token of gratitude.
If they were truly grateful, they would offer something on their own accord, thinking, ‘This is the least we can do.’
Of course—
If they thought they could take me for a fool, I wouldn’t have to step in personally.
President Luigi.
He would handle all of that.
“…Kiharu.”
“Yeah?”
“If President Luigi were to die or disappear, who would become the next president?”
“The Vice President would take over. Then, the election candidates would push for an urgent election, saying the world can’t afford to be without a leader during this crisis.”
“…Then, about your <Resurrection> ability—”
“No.”
Kiharu firmly shook her head.
“If we put it in gaming terms, it would be different if he were a playable character, but my skill doesn’t work on NPCs.”
“Not even with the Goddess’s power?”
“It’s possible. But—”
Kiharu pointed at me and raised a single finger.
“My resurrection stacks exist only for you, Partner. Don’t forget that.”
“…”
“Whoever becomes president next, someone will take the position. Even Luigi himself said so, remember? He told you to use him.”
“…Yeah. Maybe I’ve started thinking of him as a friend because he keeps calling me one.”
A friend.
If someone had helped you make a video with two billion views and generated a fortune from it, you’d naturally be concerned about their safety.
Which meant—
I had to clear the S-rank Tower fast.
Once I could summon the fifth summon, my options would expand dramatically.
“Commander. We’re right in front of it now—should we charge straight in?”
Before I knew it, we had arrived at Crater Lake National Park.
A single towering structure stretched up from the center of the massive lake.
The second S-rank Tower within the United States.
“Yeah.”
“What about prying eyes?”
“The world’s attention is locked on Panama. There’s no reason for anyone to be in such a quiet national park… though—”
It is an S-rank Tower, after all.
“Elaine, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
As the car came to a stop in the parking lot, Elaine immediately stepped out and opened the door on my side.
“Hacking CCTV—complete~! Do it now!”
“Master, are you ready?”
“Go ahead.”
Drei had already seized control of the surrounding data, while Elaine extended her hand toward me.
And then—
“Excuse me.”
—I let Elaine carry me in a princess hold.
Embarrassment? Oh, it’s there.
If someone saw this, I’d never live it down.
But there was no time to argue.
Pa-at!
Elaine kicked off the ground at full speed, dashing straight toward the S-rank Tower.
The world blurred momentarily, and the next thing I knew, we were inside the Tower.
“We’ve arrived, Master.”
“Yeah, we’re in the Tower… So, uh, Elaine? You can put me down now?”
We were inside.
Which meant I could walk on my own two feet.
“Unless I’m needed in battle, I see no reason to put you down.”
Elaine gestured around us.
A vast jungle, reminiscent of the Amazon Rainforest.
Unlike the open seas, Illinois wouldn’t be able to move through this dense forest.
“If a situation arises where I need to fight, then I will put you down, Master. But for now—”
“…What.”
Elaine grinned, gripping my arms and thighs tightly.
“Lounging on a moving sofa while playing a game is the most comfortable position, isn’t it?”
“…You sure this isn’t personal?”
“Of course not~”
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
“I’ll handle protecting you, so just relax, Commander☆”
“…At some point, I need to summon a suit character. A mobile tank that can carry me around.”
Sure, being carried is comfortable, but this is…
“Huh—well, at least…”
Flash.
“Even if the Towers are different, I can still control them.”
From the Summoning Management App, the Illinois in-game avatar appeared.
“Wanna make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“If I clear the Panama Canal Tower first with Illinois, I win. If you guys clear this Tower while protecting me, you win.”
“…”
“Hmm?”
Elaine quietly lowered me to the ground, drawing the sword at her waist.
“Just this once—an alliance, Drei.”
“Eh, fine by me~ I’m in.”
“…”
“Commander.”
Kiharu patted my shoulder.
“Better start thinking about what wish you’ll grant us when we win.”
…
I have to win.
