Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Awakening as a Summoner (3)
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Aside from the somewhat ominous story Elaine had shared, the world right now was pure chaos.
"Kyaaahoo!"
"I awakened! I awakened!!"
Even the shouts coming from outside my officetel made that clear.
Just like the phrase "God's blessing," a million people worldwide had awakened.
There were probably plenty more besides those out on the roadside yelling that they were Awakeners.
News sites, SNS, and community boards were flooded with people posting proof of their own awakenings.
"......."
And among all of them, I hadn't heard a single story of anyone awakening to the same ability as mine.
"Tch...."
Summoning.
Not just calling forth some otherworldly being, but summoning a character from a mobile game.
It was blatantly what you'd call an "anomaly," and I knew I should report it to the Awakener Management Headquarters—but
"Master. Would you like some fruit?"
"Uh, thanks... You don't have to go this far."
"Yes. You're busy gathering information right now, Master."
Elaine had carved an apple into a bunny shape and was holding it toward my mouth.
In a drama or comic, this would've been one of those "aaah" feeding scenes, but with Elaine doing it, it felt like she was aiming the slightly protruding fork tip at me.
"......."
"My apologies, Master."
"No need to apologize. I just zoned out for a second."
"You were thinking...."
At my words, Elaine pulled the apple off the fork and held it in her hand instead.
"What were you thinking about?"
"...That Valentine event where you were stabbing monsters with a fork."
Since she knew she was a game character anyway, I had no choice but to talk to Elaine—my ability's manifestation—about my power.
Straight to the point.
No beating around the bush.
"This 'Master' thing—is that part of my ability? Or the game?"
"......."
I pointed to the game's launch button, where Elaine was supposed to exist originally.
The PC client's avatar—the core character of the game—wasn't Elaine specifically, but she'd appear right away if I launched it and went to the character setup screen.
And as this game's player...
"Do you wish for me to call you '[Captain]'?"
I was the captain leading the mercenary corps, and Elaine was the maid who joined and called the captain "Master."
"I prefer the title of Master."
"Why?"
"As your devoted servant and a perfect maid, the title is an important part of it."
"Well...."
Click.
"You're not worried that if I summon the other mercs, they'll form a 'corps' or something?"
"......."
Elaine fell silent at my question.
Hitting the nail on the head in this situation could be risky in all sorts of ways, but I had to ask anyway.
"I have a feeling I could summon other characters besides you...."
"Am I lacking in some way?"
Elaine hurriedly offered the apple toward my face.
"I'll fulfill everything you're missing. You can just stay comfortably inside the house, Master."
"......."
"So, please... don't...."
Outwardly tough, inwardly soft—maybe that's how to describe her.
She looked like the flawless perfect maid on the surface, but peeking into her event stories revealed that fragile inner side.
"...Hah."
It's complicated.
With my in-game experiences overlapping reality, my head kept aching over which rhythm to follow.
"Whew, alright. Then one last question."
I launched the game and pointed at the screen with a serious face.
"I played the protagonist as a 'female captain,' but I'm still your Master?"
"......Ahem."
When I pointed at the screen after logging in, Elaine blushed slightly and turned her head.
Yeah, figured.
After all, I—
"Ah."
Come to think of it.
"Hold on."
I'd forgotten I'd equipped the recently released swimsuit skin on the captain.
Click, click.
I quickly unequipped the skin and pointed at the character that now clearly looked like a female warrior captain of the mercenary corps.
"Even though... in-game, I played as a female character?"
"That's what we've decided."
Elaine clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
"When the gods descend to earth, they take human form, and gender distinctions mean nothing to them. In the process of fighting alongside me, Master, the choices you made were undoubtedly yours."
"......."
There were some choice options, but as a mobile gacha game, the protagonist's choices were mostly scripted by the game's scenario writers.
"I know what worries you, Master. How about thinking of it this way?"
Elaine looked at me with a serious expression.
"We'll create it from now on. Your story and mine."
"...Ahem."
"Master. Do I feel like just a character chatting in a game event right now?"
Elaine placed her hand over mine.
"I'm alive like this. Even if I was summoned thanks to your ability, I'm a 'person' who can serve you however you need and become your strength."
"...Yeah."
A person.
"At least it's a relief that androids or demon gods didn't get summoned instead."
"......Master?"
"Elaine, I'm really glad it was you who got summoned."
What was there to agonize over?
She wasn't trying to kill me by pointing a knife at my throat, and even if such thoughts ever crossed her mind, the key was to make sure that never happened.
"Elaine."
"Yes, Master."
"I have a very important mission for you starting now."
"Please tell me. I'll handle it perfectly, no matter what."
"Then first...."
I pointed at Elaine's maid outfit.
"You have to hide that you're Elaine."
"......?"
Absolutely.
No way in hell.
I would never open those R18 illustrations tagged with Elaine on X.
And I wouldn't let anyone find out about Elaine's existence.
If they did...
'The otakus worldwide would do unspeakable things to me.'
Especially the Elaine fan clubs.
'Or I could get hit with a copyright lawsuit, or the game company could drag me through the courts somehow.'
She was too perfectly Elaine for anyone to buy that she was just some otherworldly being.
"Listen carefully, Elaine."
I grabbed Elaine's hand and struck a serious pose.
"From now on, you're a cosplay Hunter perfectly and thoroughly role-playing as Elaine."
"......."
"So—"
Weeeeng.
My smartphone buzzed.
With a tone different from the government's disaster alert.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This is a notice for all Awakeners.] "Alice?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [In 5 minutes, 300 Towers will rise across the entire Earth.] "......!"
Suddenly, words that had flashed by during the awakening moment, including Alice's, came back to me.
Humanity's awakening level is too low.
Therefore, we'll awaken as many humans as possible.
That meant—
—You guys aren't ready yet!!
Humanity lacked the strength to face the coming new disaster, so a divine being had poured everything into a miracle to boost our forces.
And so—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [We wish all Awakeners good fortune.] "...Elaine."
"Yes, Master."
I needed to check.
"How much power can you output? ...Can you fight?"
"Master."
Elaine pointed to the game I'd opened—or rather, to that world.
"Have you forgotten what my base class is?"
"...Combat Maid?"
"Yes."
Elaine.
"Cleaning up filth is what I do best."
She smiled brightly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Did God bestow a blessing upon humanity capable of enduring the trial before sending down the ordeal itself?
Or was it because humanity couldn't handle the coming catastrophe that God granted the blessing?
Either way, the world was in a total state of emergency.
The most critical spot was where the "Towers"—humanity's species-wide trial—were about to rise.
"Hey, get back, people! Hey, don't film your live stream here!!"
Agents in black uniforms shouted at the crowds gathered in the plaza.
The people ignored the agents' yells, holding up their smartphones and flashing photos nonstop.
"Damn it, when are the Hunter Agency guys showing up...!"
"Until monsters overflow from the Tower, it's just a Tower."
"Team Leader!"
The agents' leader shrugged while pointing at the holographic Tower shimmering above the fountain.
"At least people are being mature about it. Nobody's crossing the line. Back in the day, some idiots touched the forming Towers with their hands, and others even dived in before they opened."
"The first lost a hand, and the second died. If citizens hear that, it'll cause a scandal later."
"They won't hear. Everyone's glued to Tower live streams or busy filming."
The team leader let out a hollow laugh, gesturing at the crowds beyond the police line made of duct tape—even regular box tape wrapped around trees, not proper no-entry signs.
"The Awakener Management Committee has it the worst. Think about it: a million Awakeners worldwide, how many in Korea?"
"...A hundred?"
"Come on, this is Korea. A hundred's too low. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands?"
"...Anyway."
One of the field agents pointed ahead.
"I see the concept kids are already here."
"...Oh."
Thud, thud.
A single maid hopped over the tape in one leap, parting the crowd left and right.
"Excuse me—"
"I just awakened."
"...Um."
"Yes."
"Your name?"
"......."
The black-haired, golden-eyed maid closed her eyes briefly.
"Elaine."
"...Khk."
The team leader covered his face with one hand and extended a device forward.
It resembled a metal detector, and as it scanned the maid named Elaine, it immediately flashed blue.
"To awaken while cosplaying and still step up to conquer the Tower... Hunter, you're... khf."
"......."
"Hunter authentication complete. Registration isn't... yet."
"Make it Elaine, and I'm heading in to conquer the Tower. Then—"
"W-Wait!"
The team leader swallowed hard, his face brimming with anticipation as he asked,
"A-Are you going to do... that?"
"...."
Elaine walked toward the Tower with an expressionless face, slowly opening her mouth.
"For my Master."
"Kyaaahoooo! Whoa, chills!! Whoa, even the voice is perfect! Sync rate insane!"
"Team Leader...."
"......."
Fwhoosh.
A Tower generated near a certain officetel's fountain plaza.
The black-haired, golden-eyed maid became the first to enter.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...Thank goodness it's Seoul Cosplay World day, phew."
No women's clothes, and I almost sent her out in men's clothes.