Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: How to Eat the Tower for Free (2)
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Full breakthrough. Full refinement.
Anyone who's mainly into mobile gacha games would be familiar with those terms to some extent.
Full breakthrough.
Full refinement.
To put it simply, in gacha games, pulling a single copy of a character doesn't unlock their full potential.
Pulling a duplicate (1 breakthrough) grants a special skill.
Another duplicate (2 breakthroughs) skyrockets their level cap.
Does just pulling the character solve everything?
No.
You need to pull their optimized weapon—the dedicated weapon—to truly unleash their abilities.
And even that dedicated weapon, if a single copy boosts critical hit chance by 24%, pulling it five more times for a total of five copies boosts it to 48%.
Maxing out all those specs is what full breakthrough and full refinement means.
You pull the character once, do six breakthroughs, and pull five copies of the weapon—for a grand total of "1 character + 6 dupes + 5 weapons" pulls.
Costs vary by game company, but most charge around 25,000 won for a 10-pull.
Talking about pity systems dives too deep, and since the 10-pull prices differ across the games I play, roughly speaking...
-Drop 2 million won~!!
On average, it costs about 2 million won to fully break through and refine one character.
Of course, you can save money using in-game currency from events, compensation gifts, story clears (like creation stones, sacred jewels, jewels, whatever they're called) to buy gacha tickets.
That's if you go bare-knuckle and spend straight cash.
And even that's if you're lucky—even 2 million might balloon to 2.5, or worst case 3 million. That's the reality of gacha games.
-Dropping 12 million and still no moonlight-
"...Ugh."
My head throbbed for a second, but that's an extreme case. Shake it off.
Yeah, gotta shake it off.
Otherwise, in this unprecedented situation, any immature response as the culprit behind it all would lead to disaster.
[A new record for humanity! How did you conquer the tower?!]
A reporter thrusts a mic at her.
From one of the oldest networks, mic emblazoned with their logo, shoved a bit too aggressively—not at anyone else, but at Elaine.
Clear sign of excitement.
Considering this interview would spread across Korea—no, the whole world—it's natural for a reporter to get hyped.
Anyone would understand the fuss.
If only the interviewee wasn't my summon, Elaine!
[I merely conquered the tower as Master instructed.]
Elaine answers calmly.
Her pronunciation is pure native Korean, like someone born and raised here for over 20 years.
The reporter flinches in surprise.
[M-Master...?]
[Yes. Master told me to conquer the tower, so I entered and eliminated all the monsters inside.]
Elaine nods toward the camera.
No big reaction, like it was the most natural thing. Her gaze clearly signaled one thing.
To me: mission accomplished.
If the crowd hadn't swarmed right after she emerged, she probably would've—
"Ah."
No way to contact her.
I told her to use the messenger app on the burner phone or data call via the Wi-Fi egg if needed, but with that mob, slipping away is impossible.
And with people that close, pulling out my smartphone to message might expose me instead.
'Good call.'
Elaine knows it too.
Her otherworldliness.
If she had a sloppy personality or was dim, she might panic, but Elaine's the Perfect Maid.
She'd never do anything to embarrass her Master.
'Need some way to get word to her.'
Any way?
A signal for her to sneak home without anyone noticing.
Without them yelling "23rd floor!!" and pounding on my door after she flies in through the window. Something super stealthy.
A way to signal without using my phone—
"........."
Telepathy or something? Nah, won't work.
Then borrow another superpower.
'Use the system's power?'
Might work.
"Status window. System. ...Summon management?"
No response.
Then pin my hopes on the only one who can advise me right now.
"Alice."
[Did you call me?]
"I want to summon Elaine back here. Any way? Like an emergency evac."
[.......]
Alice goes quiet for a moment.
Then, with a 'pop', a window launches on my computer.
"...A game?"
The game where I summoned Elaine.
I click the button like I'm possessed.
"......!"
And see it.
Elaine's missing from her character slot.
And in the party selection screen, far right—where she shouldn't be— she's slotted in.
"......This one's 2D, huh."
Her familiar form sparkles on screen, more natural to me.
Her idle animation different from usual: silently enduring gazes, clearly deep in thought. I glance at the TV.
'Synced?'
If real-world Elaine syncs with game Elaine, then to pull her out from there—
"Remove from party."
Pop.
She vanishes from the TV.
[Ahh! W-Where...?!]
[Hunter ability? L-Look around! We can't let it escape!!]
The reporters panic at losing their scoop, but I'm just as shocked.
Just in case.
No way, but.
'She didn't get summoned somewhere weird, right?'
Or like, right in front of that fountain.
"........."
Re-add to party.
Nothing happens.
But now the Alice app on my phone—the newly installed one—starts flashing.
"........."
Inside the app, a special UI with an SD popup of Elaine's profile.
[...Update complete. From now on, all summons can be managed through this app. Shall I try the command?]
Her tone's a bit stiff, but I follow her lead and tap the button.
Flash—
Elaine reappears before me.
No different from after clearing the dungeon, but she looks seriously pissed—
"...Master."
Elaine opens her mouth, face dead serious.
"From now on, I'll physically distance myself first, so please refrain from 'reverse summoning' me."
"Reverse summoning?"
"Yes. That...
She glances at the monitor screen with a complicated look.
"It felt like getting sucked back in there, and honestly, I had this anxiety I'd never get out."
"Ah."
I get it.
Her existing in reality is because I summoned her.
'PikOchu?'
Even that yellow electric mouse from the starter town master carries around hates its PokéBall—feels cozy inside? Nah, more like trapped in an abyss, wanting out.
What if a real being gets locked in a 2D virtual world, escape hinging on someone else's choice?
"Got it. Won't do it again."
"Only if you're in danger. What I mean is... keep me by your side like this normally."
"...Got it."
Not a fun experience, for sure.
"So if it happens again, what'll you do?"
"Put physical distance, then sneak in here from the rooftop when no one's around."
"........."
"Entry through the window for a while—"
"Elaine."
I calm her down.
"First, let's pick out some clothes."
I pull up the pre-opened internet tab.
"Clothes?"
"Yeah. Clothes. Like what the world's saying...."
[...Accordingly, authorities will spare no effort in tracking down the 'cosplay maid' who set the world record for tower conquest...]
"You can ditch the maid outfit, right?"
If they're hunting a hero, she needs a disguise for daily life.
"Clothes...
"Master."
Elaine taps the air, then mimes swiping a card and grins at me.
"The 'reward' for conquering the tower came in. How about we spend that first?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Meanwhile. Some government office in Sejong City. An executive's office.]
Beeeep.
"Damn it, who now."
A white-haired man in a suit grabs the old rotary phone on his desk.
"...Ah, Michael. I know. Yes, it's real. We don't know either. Really."
He scratches his head furiously, eyeing the maid on TV.
"'Unregistered awakener.' Unless it's one of our million registered ones, it's an unregistered from over there. Yes, of course."
He replies.
"Just like every citizen registers residency here, awakeners must register too. When they come to register... that's when we'll know... What?"
His polite tone turns red-faced.
"Hire? Offer 2 million dollars to make her a US citizen? Are you threatening us? That won't happen!"
Click.
He slams the receiver down, fuming.
"Chief of Staff!!"
"Y-Yes!"
"The US is offering that maid awakener 2 million to naturalize her! Make sure it doesn't happen—find spare contingency funds now!"
"Uh, 2 million... dollars equivalent?"
"Obviously!"
The man—Korea's President—shouts.
"For 2 million won? Hell, for 2 million dollars, if we could hire the one who cleared an A-rank tower, I'd empty my own pockets to snag her!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In a corner of Seoul, the tower at the fountain vanished after just 1 hour and 10 minutes.
With the emergence of at least an A-rank awakener, the mysterious [Maid].