Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Gaming Industry's Anguish (1)
If everyone had the chance to access all the data in the world, they'd probably open that door at least once.
And the moment they confronted the myriad abysses beyond it, they'd have to make a choice.
Whether to keep staring into those abysses, surveying all of humanity's data on the other side.
Or to shut the door forever and never look again.
Or maybe to turn a blind eye to certain issues and just cherry-pick the information they need.
In that process, the path I chose was the last one, but I've settled on a clear direction and stuck to it.
"Commander, did you know? The number of people getting arrested by the FBI lately is spiking."
"Who are the main ones getting nabbed?"
"Child porn possessors, major drug traffickers, deepfake creators, and... well, maybe I shouldn't say this one?"
"Spit it out. I'm ready to face the abyss."
"Furry BL games—"
"Okay, stop ri... wait, furry BL?"
"Wanna see?"
"There's actually people making games like that?"
"Can't say there aren't."
"......."
Before I summoned Dry, I had no idea this world harbored such a wild array of tastes.
But the depths of human depravity truly knew no bounds.
"What should we do? Hack in and wipe all their data?"
"Nah. They're not hurting real people or anything. It's just how they make a living. No need for me to play judge. Just tip off the FBI and CIA about the real dangerous stuff."
Drugs, child crimes, and all sorts of other issues.
By feeding them intel on these crimes, I've got the crime agencies swimming in evidence these days—real boom times.
But you solve one problem, and ten more pop up.
"Dry, people these days handle important talks analog-style, right?"
"Yeah. Handwritten letters in CCTV dead zones, chats in warehouse backrooms, or even pen-and-paper notes. Even in China."
"Guess they've all wised up to the fact that digital convos get you caught every time?"
"China leaking hunter intel, the US suddenly having evidence drop for crimes that were buried deep... Sure, some are legally questioning the sources, but..."
"That's for Congress to sort out."
It's not illegally hacked info.
Their apps or phones just glitch out and auto-send photos or videos to CIA inboxes.
All program errors, nothing more.
So now, criminals are starting to communicate like it's the early 1900s.
Crime syndicates bulk-buying stationery and pens left and right. Politicians turning aides into pigeons, slipping notes into sandwich napkins delivered to other offices.
When push comes to shove, folks find a way to survive.
That said, one thing's clear: crimes from the abyss are dropping—not just here, but worldwide.
"The Master knows everything and watches it all, but he's too busy conquering the Tower to bother with small fry like us regular crooks~ Something like that, right?"
"Pretty much spot on."
I'm no detective in the violent crimes unit; I can't chase crooks forever.
I'm a hunter.
A climber of the Tower.
And my method? A summoner who calls forth game characters.
Naturally, my focuses boil down to three things.
First: summons.
Second: the Tower.
Third: sources to bolster my forces—games.
Mobile gacha games top that list, and sure enough, I'm still grinding dailies on my usuals while scouting for new ones.
The problem.
"Dry, why do you think games get made?"
"Better to cut the fluff and point it out directly, no?"
"...Are these game devs out of their minds right now?"
"True, but you skipped a ton in between."
"Ahem."
One story floating around the internet rags.
It was so absurd it drove me to dig into the industry's abyss—leaked docs and all.
"Saying they'll base future games on the beings they hope I'll summon. What the hell does that even mean?"
"Classic case of inverting priorities."
"......."
"I get the curiosity, though. If you summon an ancient being, maybe it'll spill hidden history? Aren't you wondering if Joan of Arc was really stacked?"
"...That's the inversion right there."
Summons are for climbing the Tower—for firepower.
"Not to peek into human history or stroke some nation's ego by pulling their heroes."
I pick the best fit for the situation, not to assign meaning.
But.
The world's gone mad.
"What game company in their right mind says their core purpose for making games is 'to create beings for the Master to summon'?"
The gaming industry has lost its damn mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Meanwhile, Tokyo, Japan. A conference room in a high-rise building.]
A spacious meeting room, not a single digital file in sight.
"Everyone."
A middle-aged man wheeled over a whiteboard, flipping through sheets to point at bold text.
"Analysis of the beings Master is estimated to have summoned so far."
Color printouts cut into four types.
Maid, cat, special agent, and one battleship.
"Master's shifting from 'waifu picks' to 'meta picks' for summons. At first, no one knew why, but rumor has it..."
Flip.
The next sheet showed a full-size print of a game screen.
"Full doll pool raise. The only time Master did a full doll pool in that game..."
"What's 'pool doll full raise'?"
"Full overlap."
"Ah, got it."
"Yes. Continuing, Master was the first to fully overlap that character back then. And kept doing it with others, leading to..."
Flip.
"From this, we deduce Master's summon criteria in games: full development."
"...I see."
Full development.
"In Korean terms, hitting 'max level' and gearing with the 'endgame set'."
"Good. So the proposal?"
"Thus, HQ's job is... this."
Flip.
"Focus investments on games useful for Tower raids—'combat' helpers. Craft overpowered 'broken chars' in them to tempt Master into pulling."
Specific game logos loomed large up top; smaller ones huddled below.
"Shift funds from these..."
"Hold up. Pull investment from the horse racing game? That cash cow?"
A middle-aged exec slammed the table, shooting to his feet, cutting off the presenter.
"Unacceptable! The headaches we went through getting racing licenses!"
"And does it help climb the Tower?"
"What?"
"Fastest horse beats a human at best. What's a summon like that do for raids?"
"You little—!"
Vulgar curses flew from the exec, but the presenter unflinchingly flipped ahead, confident in his logic.
Flip.
"Better to push that other company's beast into summonable form."
"Gahk!"
As if anticipating the outburst.
There: a horse in armor, red antennae flapping from its head, wielding a polearm with jaws agape.
A centaur, maybe.
Lower body pure horse, but where the neck should extend—a muscular human torso gripping a weapon.
Head still equine.
"Word is it's B-Tower capable, but we can hype it up. Rumor says they're prepping Korean and US historical figs as next 'servants'."
"...US has had a few already. Korea too?"
"Yes. Taboo till now, but..."
Flip.
"After seeing the 'impossible fifth battleship' raiding S-Towers, how can we sit still?"
"Hmm..."
"Tokugawa, Toyotomi as pullable chars for us. Overpowered ones. And that power... it'll protect us, Earth."
"Is that... a game?"
The chairman sighed heavily.
"Making and selling characters for that purpose—is it really a game...?"
"Why not?"
Flip.
"Fifth slot. Get picked, and you're rolling in cash."
The empty fifth spot.
Above it, sales data from three companies.
"Maid-and-cat game's dev stock hit Korea's top, over 2 million won per share. Special agent game? China prez declared it a 'national key project'—full state backing, no Party meddling. Battleship control game..."
Flip.
"They're collabing with the neighbor's 'shipgirl moe' game. New Jersey and Iowa-class already in; new chars for collab? Piece of cake."
"......Hmm."
"Just Illinois alone shot shipgirl games into app store top 10. So, what should we invest in?"
Flip.
"The [Ultra Girl] project...!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Partner. Word is this studio's making an Ultra Girl game?"
"What insanity?"
"Who knows. Hellbent on slotting their IP as Master's fifth summon?"
"......."
The industry’s plunged into the abyss.