Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Hacker Who Handles Server Shutdowns (2)
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Everyone playing mobile games has their own situation, but they all tend to give the same answer to a certain question.
Q: Is this game a god game?
A: Nah, it's trash. Don't play it lol If that's the response, it means the game at least has some fans and generates decent revenue, even if opinions are divided.
For some people, it's a god game.
But for truly trash games with barely any players or ones on the verge of server shutdown, there's a standard reply.
— Anonymous Gamer Yeah, quit already~ The game will collapse without you~ It's when every single player is precious.
When concurrent users hit rock bottom and keeping the servers running is pure loss.
No matter how hard individual players try to boost revenue, game companies need massive funds just to operate.
That's why gamers wish their games would become hits.
Even if newbies cause drama or fights, they hope to avoid seeing the same 50 nicknames every day exchanging lines like "You're here again today... hehe."
And so, a rumor started circulating in online communities.
— Forum User That person is a goddess who descended from the heavens to save our game. Gamers began praising the Cosplay Maid one by one.
Not just company employees, but players too hoped an S-Rank Hunter would cosplay their game's characters.
Just for the gacha pulls?
For some games, even 30 more users would be a godsend.
Especially if it was popular in the past.
But that hope fizzled out.
— NPia Fan She's NPia's goddess lol — Another Fan Elaine specialist cosplayer, don't even try. — Gamer NPia's god games... gotta play 'em, right? When footage from conquering the Ganghwa S-Rank Tower revealed her as "Secretary Elaine," other gamers' hopes began to fade.
Ah.
The Cosplay Maid likes cosplaying game characters, but it's limited to Granad Impact: Redive.
Even for other games, it'd be NPia internals like Permata 8X.
In their frustration, gamers started giving up one by one.
There are two S-Rank Towers.
Dokdo and Jeju Island.
Unless swimming across the ocean or sneaking by boat under darkness without being spotted, their identity would be exposed.
Dokdo is in the distant sea.
With warships guarding the S-Rank Tower, any swimmer would be detected first.
What about Jeju?
Fly, swim, or boat—it feels physically reachable.
Would the Cosplay Maid then do a new cosplay?
Appear in Jeju in Elaine's other outfit, the "swimsuit"?
Would game companies, government, or agencies approach her, exposing her identity?
Meanwhile.
Busan, BEXCO.
Once host to cosplay worlds and game fests, now no more.
Before a soaring A-Rank Tower piercing the sky.
A woman stood at its entrance.
Wearing a black windbreaker-like jacket, holding a pistol.
If not for the orange color part on the barrel, it looked real enough to fool anyone.
She stood waiting for something.
Then, another group approached her.
"Hello!"
Energetic smiles, each carrying their own firearms, the women approached the pistol-wielding one.
"Are you cosplaying 'Agent 4577'...?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Wow, your voice is amazing...! I thought you were 'Maman' from back there, not Agent 4577...!"
"......"
"Oh, sorry! So, shall we take a photo together?"
The Agent 4577 cosplayer gave a wry smile at "Maman," but soon posed with the others, making V-signs for the camera.
Click.
"Sorry for asking out of the blue. With our game shutting down servers..."
"I know. That's why I'm cosplaying and came here."
"Really? Me too! Good thing this 3-year-old outfit from storage didn't rot. Whew, almost missed the last hurrah."
The rifle-wielding woman fidgeted with her revealing outfit, shuddering.
"It was a true god game, but the sequel got canned because of the Towers..."
"......"
"It was always called generous since it didn't cost a fortune, so the company wasn't raking in cash. All we could do was buy gacha tickets or packages to help."
"I see."
"Where do we go now? It's such a shame to lose all those characters."
"Let me ask you one thing."
Agent 4577's golden eyes sparkled as she asked.
"Uh...?"
"If a Hunter cosplays while conquering a Tower, would that help the game company?"
"Depends on who..."
"What if it's an S-Rank Hunter?"
"......Eh, no way."
The cosplayers who posed with Agent 4577 shook their heads.
"Elaine doing 4577 cosplay here...? Huh?"
Some cosplayers realized it.
"Why's the chest armor...?"
When cosplaying certain characters, body type issues prevent perfect fits for most.
Many gave up on Agent 4577 due to chest stress, opting for alternatives.
4577, electronic warfare form.
Via hacking, it distorts real-world cosplay data, enlarging the chest part massively.
Optical illusion from electronic warfare?
No.
Cosplayers know best: padding, silicone, or real—it's obvious.
Agent 4577's electronic warfare module chest part was unmistakably "real" at a glance.
Just like the Cosplay Maid's Elaine cosplay.
"U-um, excuse me...!"
"What's wrong?"
"Why A-Rank Tower instead of S-Rank...?"
Shrugging at the question, the woman removed the pistol's color part and pocketed it.
"Because the Tower is there."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...This should do it."
I'd sent Elaine to Busan.
Using women's clothes and disguise tools from U.S. President Aizen A. Luigi's aide Patrick, she took a bus to Busan and blended into the crowd cosplaying with our third summon, the "Hacker."
Now, conquering the A-Rank Tower.
At home in Seoul, I sat at my computer: one dual-monitor screen watching Elaine, the other scanning community reactions.
"Everyone's going nuts."
"As expected, nya."
Kiharu, perched near my mousepad, maneuvered the mouse to point at a live chat comment.
"Already trolls asking why cosplay a Chinese game, nya."
Not NPia's Elaine, but Agent 4577 from Chinese company ChaoChao Play.
— Live Viewer I knew it. Cosplay Maid's a game corpse. Less than half a day after server shutdown announcement, sharp-eyed folks in nearby live streams speculated on the cosplay.
⭐ Top Comment — Insightful Viewer She's trying to save [Girls'roid Frontline]. Cosplay boosts sales, so this is a protest to delay shutdown. "Smart cookie."
"Smart, sure, but your partner's not just seeing that now, is he? One of 29 comments that just flew by in live."
"One out of 29 nailed it spot-on."
The internet's full of clever folks.
But such insights get buried under live chat barrages, lost as mere brainstorming.
"Not sure if that's good."
"If it's this side, truth coming out wouldn't hurt, nya?"
Kiharu pointed to another comment.
"Some interpret it as a signal to go Chinese."
"Expected that. Whatever I picked, netizens would've spewed anyway."
NPia game? NPia simp.
Japanese? Traitor.
Chinese? Jjajang slur.
"Just baseless crap from those who can't see games as games. I just need one solid, convincing explanation."
I showed Kiharu the SNS reply.
"See? Even our friend Luigi gets it."
"Worrying if cosplaying a Chinese character pressures the U.S. President politically. Summoning's tough work, nya."
"He's our sponsor; of course."
Rushed into 4577 first, but next A-Rank Tower: U.S. game cosplay.
Separate from summoning.
No big issue with random cosplays, and cooperating with summoned 4577 could speed up U.S. trip.
"If we control info on us, going abroad's no biggie."
"What if China calls for her, nya?"
"Told Luigi about that too."
As apology for prioritizing Chinese cosplay.
"Want Cosplay Maid for S-Rank Tower? Get U.S. President's permission."
"......"
"Gotta give that much for the quid pro quo. Even friends keep secrets."
"Focusing only on games?"
"Yeah. Saving companies too."
One way: Ask U.S. President to buy the company and halt shutdown.
📰 Presidential Query I'll grant the favor, but why acquire that game company? Just a whim? They'd suspect.
Not game powers, but heavy interest in buying companies?
— Hypothetical Threat Oh, Mr. Summoner. If you don't care only about America, I could smash all your precious game servers. Preemptive work to prevent that.
Trust Luigi, not fully America.
His term's ending soon; hide saving game companies from U.S. too.
This mess.
She alone solves it.
"Luigi won't talk directly, but coordinating schedules saves face... Ha, really. Do I have to babysit presidents too?"
"What about that guy?"
Kiharu pointed to the real-time news: President at press conference.
"Korean President?"
"...For now."
I pointed to the screen: Elaine ignoring pistol in left hand, hunting beasts with frost sword in right, climbing BEXCO A-Rank Tower.
"Trying to spoon every Elaine spot kills any will to help."
A subtitle flashed in the live presser.
President deploys Iron Blood.
"Sending two S-Rank Hunters into an A-Rank Tower."
"Not deploying—crashing. While Elaine buys time..."
"Summon time."
Right now.
I'm multi-playing two games.
One: Reality-linked game via Elaine and summon app.
The other: Our third comrade.
Hacker.
Training for buried new content just finished.
"Alice. Training done—summon ready?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Possible.] [Proceeding.] ?
"Good. Then..."
Prep complete.
"...For the savior of game companies, ripping all their data."
Acquire the company?
'Why bother.'
Our third summon, ace hacker, can yank the whole server.
"Time to rip clients and clone. For our own servers."