VTubers Don't Exist in Reality (Fact)

People's opinions of goblins changed considerably after the Towers appeared.

If only one or two appear, they are not much of a problem, but they tend to spring out in groups.

More importantly, they possess enough intelligence to use strategies such as coating their weapons with poison or setting traps.

They are the weakest and least intelligent humanoid monsters, but there are so many of them that their numbers are irritating.

Goblins are weak enough that a [Combat Class] user can kill one in a single blow with a proper hit.

Yet whenever the Tower makes a Climber encounter them, it drops them into a cave or forest where they cannot see even an inch ahead.

They are crafty and clever hunters.

They dig tunnels and hide, hang from trees, or disguise themselves before ambushing and killing Climbers.

Since [Tower Exit] is possible, one can escape by keeping one's wits about them, but if they are knocked unconscious, the goblins might eat them alive or drag them away to suffer horribly.

Even if they manage to escape alive, the goblins' hunting methods are so filthy that they can leave their victims traumatized.

That is why goblins are among the most troublesome monsters to emerge from Tower collapses.

The goblins that made it outside even know how to fire the guns they acquired.

With their small frames and sturdy bodies, they climb walls, dig tunnels, and attack private homes.

That was why the believers were worried about Wakamo.

She was so large that she would stand out anywhere.

An overwhelming presence. Her flamboyance(?) was unavoidable as a VTuber, but in response to the believers' worries, she blurted out something completely unrelated.

"Believers, remember this. VTubers don't exist in reality!!"

They wondered what kind of absurd nonsense she was spouting this time. But who did not know that? Everyone understood and played along with the setting so they could enjoy the broadcast, laughing and chatting together.

Some believers tried to retort, No, but you're a VTuber and you exist in reality.

-What is this? What happened??

-???? Is this sorcery too????

-W-what Skill is that? Is it something like a Thief Skill?

-I heard [Log] has a Skill like this too...

-Did Ichigo make that potion?

-Ichigo can only make poison.

They were looking at the inside of the Tower through the screen, but could not understand what was happening. Moreover, Wakamo had clamped her mouth shut and remained silent, so all the believers could see was a camera pointed at empty air.

The camera began filming goblins that had evolved into [Elite Monsters] and were now roaming the forest, much more heavily armed than an ordinary goblin group.

Some goblins were armed with crude crossbows and spears, while there were even goblin riders mounted on wolves. Considering that they wore leather armor and carried shields, the believers whispered that they had not been given the title of Elite for nothing.

"Kree, kirik."

Three goblins began moving through the forest, perhaps to scout, parting grass that had grown as tall as their bodies.

Feeling a strangely sinister aura that was stronger than usual today, one goblin pricked up its ears and walked along the assigned patrol route with its companion, carefully checking whether anything had been caught in the traps they had set.

Fwoosh─!

"Kiek! Kieeek!"

"Kireuk, kireuk!!"

Two goblins drew poison-coated swords and hurried toward the sound of the trap going off.

They rushed over excitedly, thinking a trap had been triggered along the path they had just taken, only to see the goblin who had set out with them lying dead after falling into a trap and being impaled on stakes.

"Kiek?"

"Kieeuk?"

Had it tripped over its own feet, or fallen in because it did not know where the trap was?

But as one goblin looked at its dead kin, whose face was frozen in terror, it felt an ominous premonition.

The unnaturally quiet forest felt so unpleasantly artificial that it could not shake the feeling that some man-made space had been created around them. The goblin who was about to suggest returning to the village for now looked behind it—and met the back of its companion's head, which was turned away.

They both looked over their shoulders, wondering whether something was behind them.

Then it realized that its companion was not looking behind itself; its head had been turned around. It belatedly tried to blow the whistle around its neck, but—

Stab─!!

The companion's hand moved, and its twisted neck drove the blade straight through the goblin's throat.

"Kik, kiek..?"

As the sound of air escaping rang out, the goblin could not understand why its companion, whose head was twisted around, had attacked it.

No—before that, it could not understand how it had even moved. Fumbling at the knife that had stabbed it with that bewildered expression, the goblin soon rolled its eyes back and collapsed with another wheezing sound.

The three goblins who had gone out to scout died in an instant.

The viewers watched a scene from a horror movie appear on camera, unable even to type casually in chat as they nervously observed the situation.

They felt only a sense of déjà vu, as though they had seen something like this somewhere before.

No matter how they thought about it, they felt afraid that the 『Fox's Hunting Method』 the head mod had promised to show them was seriously wrong.

And a dark cloud was gathering over the goblins who knew nothing about what was happening.

Rustle, rustle.

The goblin guarding the entrance to the village immediately aimed its weapon at the sound coming from the grass, but laughed, "Kireuk," when it saw a rabbit hop out.

"Kiek! Kiek!"

It nudged the waist of the sentry standing beside it with an elbow and pointed at the rabbit staring at them with a stupid expression. Its companion grew excited at the appearance of delicious meat, became even more agitated, and threw its spear.

When the rabbit dodged the spear flying through the air and fled behind a tree in surprise, the two goblins who were supposed to guard the entrance chased after it to eat it.

"Kkiik!"

While running, one goblin glanced back at its companion tripping over something and falling, laughed at it for being stupid, then rounded the tree to find the rabbit hiding behind it.

There, it met the eyes of the companion goblin lying behind it.

The goblin froze when it saw its companion's head rolling across the ground and realized that something had gone wrong, but—

Whoom─

It could not scream.

The goblin rose into the air on its own, unable to move a muscle as though something had seized it.

On the believers' screens, all they could see were the struggling goblin's legs.... The desperate movements of something fighting to live were vivid enough to make their skin crawl.

And then.

Crack.

With the sound of something snapping, the goblin's leg went limp and disappeared from the screen.

Still, nothing at all was visible on the screen.

"Kiek! Kieeek!"

"Kireuk, kireuk!!"

"Kiek! Kiek!"

Then, accompanied by the goblins' cries ringing through the forest, three goblins burst out of the grass.

The goblins who had gone out to scout casually walked into the village.

They were holding one another's hands and pressed tightly together, making them look like a single mass.

The goblins came running out when they saw the huge beast carcass the three had dragged in.

At that moment, every goblin in the village had gathered in one place.

Immediately afterward, the brightness on the believers' screens suddenly dropped, as though a setting meant to protect their eyesight had activated, and then a dazzling flash burst outward from inside the screen.

If the brightness had not been lowered, the radiance would have been enough to blind the believers who were watching with such focus.

Naturally, the poor goblins clutched at their eyes and writhed in pain.

By then, the goblins who had gone out scouting had disappeared.

In their place, Wakamo burst forth like heat haze, like a mirage appearing as the fog cleared, and charged like a beast.

The goblins were hunted and toppled in an instant, her movements stretching out as though leaving afterimages.

"They didn't notice me, right?"

No believer rashly answered Wakamo when she spoke with a carefree smile. They were too busy trying to understand what was happening.

As she announced that she would begin, Wakamo's new form vanished.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she became invisible.

They thought the camera was continuing to show the scenery, but in fact, it was showing Wakamo's figure to the believers.

She had suddenly created a 『Rabbit』 that could not possibly exist inside the Tower and used it to lure the goblins.

She had even created three goblin scouts who should have been dead and made them move around.

"Believers, this is how you hunt."

-I-I see....

-Now I understand why people get bitten by snakes while hiking... They can't see them...

-No, this really is invisible.

-Is this what it means to be bewitched by a fox? What the hell is this?

-I guess I'll sleep with Mom tonight, haha...

-Invisible Wakamo is fucking strong....

-There weren't any witnesses left, so I guess it really was an assassination.

-Is this what a true stealth assassination looks like...?

-This was definitely a support player's fault for not placing wards.

-You're blaming the support player here???

Judging by the intense and passionate response, the performance must have satisfied her, because Wakamo proudly congratulated herself.

Through the broadcast, she had come up with the idea of creating a "misunderstanding" in addition to hiding her weaknesses.

The figures created by the Skill [Idol's Form] were merely mirages that could not deal any damage at all, but surely they could still be useful in their own way.

Of course, it was difficult because she had to instantly create and reproduce a model the moment she saw it. She simply did not tell the believers, but Wakamo was always working hard behind the scenes to make every broadcast satisfying.

On top of that, she could create light by using [VTuber Assets]. It was the same flash she had used for the finale.

Just as a magician never reveals the tricks behind their magic, Wakamo alternated between these two Skills.

She could not move violently, which was a disadvantage, but she projected the surrounding scenery onto herself and blended in. She enlarged herself by combining her size with the goblins' clustered bodies and the carcass they were dragging, then crawled along the ground on her stomach.

She extracted recordings of the goblins' cries captured with [Video Recording] and played them using [Internet Connection].

If she had possessed ordinary Skills like [Stealth] or [Invisibility], she would not have needed to go through all this trouble, but this was one of those so-called "bluff" types.

'Honestly, that was fucking close....'

She had actually panicked, wondering what she would do if she got caught!!

But she had done it. If she had pulled it off, that was all that mattered...!!

'Seriously... I'm glad I have this body....'

She was always in perfect condition. No matter how intensely she concentrated, she never felt tired.

That was precisely why she could not tolerate making a mistake. Professionals must always show perfection on a stage like this, right?

She had thought several times that it was fortunate her body could not break out in a cold sweat, and she forced herself to keep smiling.

"No, but I'm a fox. Even if I can't use sorcery, I can at least do this. If I couldn't hunt, I'd starve, believers..?"

She calmly displayed this as though it were perfectly natural, keeping her emotions off her face and crossing her arms so that the believers had no chance to question or think about it.

-The Fox God's kid definitely doesn't look like they'll ever go hungry.

-They say foxes have lots of babies, so I guess her food tank really is huge.

-Uuu... ddeu-ttya.... I completely forgot what happened....

-I'll go hunting for something to eat at the convenience store too.

-You mean you'll pay for it and bring it home?

-Right...?

-VTB-bro...?

-Is the wilderness really so harsh that you have to become invisible to hunt?

"That's right. What are you going to do if you run into a tiger, the king of the mountains? Transformation is a basic skill!"

-Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That's trueㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-You have to learn invisibility if you want to avoid the king of the mountainsㅋㅋ

-Is the reason the head mod is afraid of ghosts because of a changgui??

-What's a changgui?

-There's a Joseon tiger monster, yeah..

-Stealth is a jungler's basic skill.

Then she naturally maintained her RP while waiting for the reward to appear.

Honestly, she had been worried that she might be discovered because she could recognize the "enemy attack" even though she could not be seen, but the judgment was surprisingly lenient.

[Incheon Tower Floor 12 has achieved its Platinum conditions and is being opened to all of humanity!!]

'Phew......'

She maintained her relaxed pose, standing with one hand on her waist as though she had known all along that this would happen.

She even made a double peace sign and waved it around, doing whatever she could to distract the viewers and keep them from thinking about anything else.

[Rewards have increased due to the Tower Platinum clear]

[Please choose one reward]

[Flame of the Idol]

-Consumes the mana you possess to create a flame.

[Weight of Faith]

-Can become lighter or heavier in proportion to the number of believers.

[VTuber Model]

-Has the same functions as 『Virtual Chat』.

-The number owned increases according to the number of floors cleared by the [Climber].

-[Registerable Models 0/1]

"......"

Was [VTuber Model] not a Class-exclusive Skill...? She had no idea what the difference was supposed to be.

She raised her finger, intending to choose [Attack Skill], but... Model... Model..... Did that mean she could cosplay as a game character in reality?

Could she completely transform into another VTuber character?

Not a mere illusion like [Idol's Form]...?

No, that would be a nuisance, so she should not do that... but would it not be better than having such a gigantic body?

She covered her mouth with one hand and considered it carefully.

"I can't pass up cosplay..."

[You have acquired the Skill [VTuber Model]!]

'Little Fox God Wakamo or even Furry Fox God Wakamo mode should be possible too, right...?'

There was no way she could choose anything else.

"All right, believers! Since this broadcast didn't show you very much, let's go up one more floor. You have to join me on a date with the Fox God!"

-Isn't this pushing yourself too hard?

-We're fine with itㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-We really didn't get to see anything...

-No, but seriously, how did you become invisible???

"Huh? I made my avatar invisible in 『Virtual Chat』, didn't I? VTubers don't exist in reality!! No getting too immersed in the setting!"

-?

-?

-Ah, yes.

-S-so that's your concept....

-Then I suppose that's how it is....

-This is why our head mod doesn't breathe!

-Ahㅋㅋㅋ It's a VTuber broadcast, so we all knew thatㅋㅋㅋ

-If she existed in reality, we'd immediately report a wild fox.

-If you did that, the government would drag you away for knowing too much.

-Welcome to reenlistment, believer!

Mm-hmm, she was relieved that everyone was playing along so well.

"Then shall we head up!"

She chatted with the believers for about five minutes before climbing toward the next floor without hesitation.

Then darkness suddenly rushed in, and Wakamo reflexively produced a light at her fingertip.

This time, there were no torches either, so she could not see anything in front of her.

-It's pitch-black... I can't see anything....

-They didn't give us a torch? It's a cave? Could it be???

-Is this possibly "that bastard"ㅋㅋㅋ?

-No way, rightㅋㅋㅋ.... That would be a disaster.

-Head mod, if you're going to turn it on anyway, you should make the light brighter.

-At this point, the head mod is genuinely playing a different game by herself.

-I hate these bastards giving advice after looking at the wiki even though they aren't climbing.

-Her life is directly on the line, so of course we'd give advice, fuckㅋㅋㅋ

Wakamo had not noticed yet, but the viewers seemed to have realized what was happening and were making a huge fuss.

[You are climbing in the Incheon Tower Floor 13 World]

-[Wakamo Inarizushi]'s achievement as a Climber increases the difficulty!

-Defeat the [Elite Monster]!

-Defeat the [Hungry Denizen of the Dark]!

[Platinum Achievement Conditions]

-Take no damage from the [Hungry Denizen of the Dark] (0/1)

-Defeat the [Hungry Denizen of the Dark] (0/1)

Where its eyes should have been, its face was covered in flesh, and it had elongated batlike ears and gaunt arms and legs. It had the shape of a human, but its grotesquely twisted body looked like something out of a horror movie. It trembled as it tilted and shook its head from side to side.

-Head mod, don't say anything. This is seriously fucked.

-Why is the bastard from Floor 30 here?

-The Denizen hears breathing and heartbeats and tracks you as if it had activated a wallhack.

-The nasty thing about these bastards is that not even a single light enters underground, yeah..

-If you space out in the darkness without knowing what's happening, it'll rip your heart out immediately.

-They're nasty bastards who target wherever they hear sound, and their specialty is piercing hearts.

The believers frantically gave Wakamo advice, worried that she might say even a single word.

Wakamo embroidered the words [No Backseating] in light across the air, leaving the believers dumbfounded, but she shrugged as though she could not see what the problem was.

The [Denizen] that appeared on Floor 30 was highly dangerous because it possessed enough attack power to pierce even metal armor wrapped in mana.

On top of that, it moved with incredible agility and could hear breathing and heartbeats, tracking Climbers to the very end.

It was a hunter lurking in the darkness.

But conversely, as one could tell just by looking at its form exposed by the light, it was also a monster that could be killed in a single blow if one landed a critical hit.

It was as though the Tower wanted Wakamo to experience the opposite of what she had done when she hunted goblins with stealth.

While the viewers worried that the Tower might be trying to kill the head mod,

one viewer soon voiced a question.

-But why isn't it moving?

Even if someone held their breath, a human heart would never stop beating.

That was why it was almost impossible to approach within breathing distance of the Denizen without making a sound and remain undiscovered.

But Wakamo, who was standing behind the Denizen with her arm around its shoulders, waved at the camera.

The light source began swaying gently above the camera.

Whoosh──!!

Wakamo grabbed the Denizen's head and vanished into the darkness, where a chilling crunch!! rang out.

[Incheon Tower Floor 13 has achieved its Platinum conditions and is being opened to all of humanity!!]

The good news spread through the Tower, but the believers remained frozen, as though they could still hear the phantom sound of squeaking.

It was a scene that looked as though a single light bulb in a basement were providing all the illumination.

In the unpleasant silence, where it felt as though time had stopped,

a beautiful woman's hand slowly emerged from the darkness and waved toward the screen.

"Believers, thank you for watching the broadcast. Did you dream of me?"

Along with the delighted voice of the Fox God, the light went out with a pop!

Wakamo played a scream at precisely the right moment, and the broadcast ended.

-ㅋㅋ.....ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ....

-I'm going to sleep with Momㅋㅋ....

-I think I peed a little.

-I'll become a good believer who listens to the Fox God!!!!

-A black-suited man coming to take me away would be more humane....

-What does a fox hunt in the city...? I don't want to know....

Anyway, today's broadcast seemed to have been a success in many ways.