I opened my eyes.
I shed my old self.
I awakened.
I broke free from my shell.
For someone’s perception to change and for them to transform into something new, there must be a defining moment.
For me, it was my Awakening, my power as a Summoner, and my escape to the United States.
And if I had to add one more thing—it was the abyss of this world that I came to see through Drei.
Some people only see the truth of the world after losing their sight.
Some only realize what they truly desire after losing something precious.
No matter what the catalyst is, if the transformation leads to the foundation of a new era and future, there is no reason to stand in its way—even if it requires stepping into the darkness for a moment.
Right now, I barely have enough time to clear the remaining S-Rank Towers, let alone think about what comes after.
Others might say, “Why don’t you just take a break?”
But time is limited for everyone.
Honestly, I’d love to summon a fifth summon that works like a Hyperbolic Time Chamber so I could run all the world’s mobile gacha games on 64 separate accounts.
Or maybe I’d just accelerate time for myself, speed-run my assignments, and grind out experience like a madman in a new game—just like how I adapted to Illinois’ auto-combat mode and took down bosses.
But before all that, there’s one thing I need to do.
“Let’s go clear a Tower.”
The people gathered in the command room blinked at my sudden declaration.
“We’re clearing the remaining S-Rank Towers. How’s everyone’s condition?”
“We’re fine, but what about you, Master?”
“I’m perfectly fine. No issues.”
“Shouldn’t you be sightseeing, traveling, and taking pictures now that you’re in the U.S.?”
“If I go outside, I have to worry about paparazzi. Walking around with you guys draws too much attention. Hunters might pick a fight for no reason. And if we stay here, a national park-like area is going to be swarming with people, completely ruining the natural environment…”
“And your real reason?”
“Seeing the A-Rank Tower break in Pennsylvania made me realize that sitting around isn’t an option.”
Just in case—
“If an S-Rank Tower breaks, we’ll be dealing with an all-out war. If something like a dragon or a giant kaiju emerges, the U.S. map will need to be redrawn.”
“So you’re saying you don’t trust that it won’t break?”
“Exactly.”
I pointed to the current locations of the remaining S-Rank Towers displayed on the screen.
“Four are on the U.S. mainland, and another one is in the middle of the Atlantic. We need to take them down before any unexpected breaks occur. We start with the closest one.”
Some might say, “Why are you suddenly making such a fuss?”
But this isn’t just a baseless overreaction.
The A-Rank Tower in Pennsylvania broke—monsters poured out from inside.
An A-Rank Tower.
“During the Tokyo Disaster, A-Rank Towers in places like Shibuya and Narita Airport started breaking one after another.”
I didn’t know it back then.
But after gaining access to classified information, I uncovered the hidden truths behind the catastrophe of an S-Rank Tower Break.
“I’m not being impatient. I’ve had enough rest… I wouldn’t say I’m fully refreshed, but I’m not in a position where I can afford to sit back.”
“Hmm, you say you’re not impatient? Really? It’s not because you need to spend more time clearing Towers than you’d like?”
“…”
Drei squinted at me with a smirk, while Elaine cleared her throat and looked away.
“…This isn’t about the upcoming update, is it?”
“I won’t deny it.”
I pulled out my smartphone.
“The update isn’t live yet. I need to get things done beforehand.”
Four days from now—
A major patch was scheduled for Granade Impact: ReDive, the game where Elaine appears.
And it wasn’t just any update—it included new banners and planned content, along with a big patch.
“NPia is really going all-in on making money with this update… Not only are they bringing back Elaine, but they’re also buffing her performance…”
“They’re making a previously limited 5-Star character permanently available for free while also adding exclusive equipment? I didn’t expect them to push a rerun character this hard, nyah.”
It was already being called the Elaine Patch by the players.
“Which means…”
“I need to clear the S-Rank Towers, speed-run the version story, fully refine the new weapon, and farm artifacts again.”
The S-Rank Towers can be cleared anytime, but powering up should be done as soon as possible.
“Elaine can become even stronger, so I can’t let an S-Rank Tower get in the way.”
* * *
[Meanwhile, at NPia Corporation, Test Server Room.]
“They call it a ‘rerun,’ but we just locked her exclusive weapon and artifacts behind a purchase. She’s effectively limited again.”
“That’s how it turned out, yeah.”
In the test server room, two men—the Granade Impact balancing lead and the planning team lead—sipped energy drinks as they scanned through the in-game data.
“What about the power creep?”
“We already agreed to go all-in. You know that. She’s been tuned stronger than the latest characters.”
“Tsk…”
What’s the most important factor in a mobile gacha game?
Character Value Retention.
If a limited-time character becomes obsolete in less than six months, who would bother pulling for the latest releases?
– Lol, why bother pulling now when it’ll be useless in half a year?
At first, bosses and enemies may be designed to favor a newly released unit, making it seem powerful. But six months down the line, those same enemies will take three to five minutes to defeat, while a new character will clear them in under a minute.
In that sense, Elaine, making her return in the limited banner, finds herself in an unusual position.
“Team Lead, do you really think these stats we set… will help [Master]?”
“That’s exactly why we created this weapon.”
The planning team lead pointed at the test server screen, where Elaine, wearing her usual unreadable expression, held a newly designed weapon.
“This ‘Dragon Slayer’—color-matched to Elaine’s aesthetic. But it’s not just about the look.”
“The performance is tailored too. If used by any other character, the efficiency drops to 85%.”
“Never thought we’d end up giving one character two exclusive weapons, but… it’s all a stepping stone for the future.”
The two turned to another monitor displaying a shimmering trailer.
“How’s development on [Elaine Soul] going?”
“It’s barely started. Even if we use our current assets, the earliest release would be winter.”
“Winter, huh…”
“Or, like the higher-ups have been discussing, we could just do a full ‘Re-ReDive’.”
“Dude, that would cause a riot.”
“Why? I mean, considering the Elaine ba—”
“Shh.”
The planning lead narrowed his eyes, signaling for silence.
“If someone overhears, they’ll think we’re about to make every character freely available next version. Got it?”
“Ahaha… Right?”
“Yeah. People will start assuming that after finishing the limited character storylines, those characters will automatically join the protagonist’s party. If they were already obtained, they’d get a free upgrade instead. And since that’s a surprise to be announced during the patch, you won’t be casually blurting it out. Got it?”
“Haha, of course… yes, sir.”
The balancing team lead sighed and gestured at the test play screen.
“So… we’re just rolling out the update without checking player data from the test server. Are we really good with this?”
A black-haired maid was cutting through enemies in auto-combat mode, effortlessly obliterating everything in sight.
“The president and chairman both agreed: ‘A little balance-breaking is fine.'”
The planning lead grinned as he watched a single sword swing register two million damage—a stark contrast to other characters, who struggled to hit 300,000 to 500,000 even at their strongest.
“She’s the Saint, after all.”
“…You’re going to make people actually misunderstand.”
“Sorry. But you get it, right? Not a literal saint… but the savior who’s kept our company alive.”
“Yeah. Which is why we’re now making all characters available at minimum rarity… Hah.”
The balancing lead scratched his head.
“Are we sure this game’s lifespan is going to be okay?”
“Who knows? That’s your problem, not mine.”
“No, seriously.”
“Yeah, yeah. If we push a character’s in-game lore and power too far, players might reject it. But for her, this level of favoritism is fine.”
The planning lead nodded confidently.
“Everyone else is fighting in a 3D world. But she? She’s stepped into 4D—into reality itself, tearing down real Towers. The least we can do as developers is give her something extra.”
“…So you don’t even see her as just a game character anymore.”
“Exactly. She’s beyond our control now. But we can at least offer some help.”
Click.
“All we can do now is hope [Master] summons his… what, fourth? No, fifth summon from our roster.”
“And make sure it’s an absolute waifu.”
* * *
[Meanwhile, at the White House.]
“Hah. Game companies must have it nice. Just making games helps Master.”
President Luigi slumped into his chair, exhaustion visible in his face.
Despite his usual overflowing stamina, the recent string of crises had left him with no time to rest.
Hunters only needed to clear S-Rank Towers, but his administration had to reconstruct governance in the aftermath.
He had to.
Control the flood of people rushing to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge—now Tower-free.
Approve budget reallocations to redesign traffic systems.
Sign reports concerning Panama Canal operations.
Shake hands with Hunters clearing Break Towers.
And the list went on.
“Hah…”
The workload was overwhelming. And delegating wasn’t always an option—some matters required his direct attention.
“I’m… a little tired, yeah?”
Then—an unusual alarm sounded.
President Luigi hesitated, then checked the DM notification that had arrived.
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Alright.”
In that moment, he realized something.
“I’ll work hard until I can take off this armband. Then I’ll retire and rest all at once.”
Beep.
“Yeah, it’s me. Scramble a fighter jet. Master…”
Luigi checked the DM request once more.
“…Needs a dropship.”
