Chapter 43
"Phew, inhaaale──"
Wakamo deliberately wore pretty and cute clothes.
There wasn't much of a reason.
Pirate's older brother was a professional virtual cross-dresser who used a female model to create all sorts of content for men, saying, "A man understands a man's heart better."
Don't think you can't do something because you were born a man. Do it because you want to.
How shocked had Wakamo been when she heard that?
The resolve to become a virtual cross-dresser because you want to be a female VTuber.... That's on another level....
He had enough passion to use himself as material for ASMR, erotic doujinshi, and erotic games, even finding voice actors for them.
He was a celebrity Wakamo had even seen while clipping streams.
Cat ears, a sporty girl, bloomers, twin tails, a busty beauty.... There was no way she could not know him.
He was that terrifying virtual cross-dressing old man who kidnapped acquaintances and turned them into virtual cross-dressers...!!
Anyway.... In a way, wasn't she also a man who had become a woman?
If so, shouldn't she do a little more to please her viewers' eyes?
As she agonized over it again and again, she wanted to bring out the charm of the VTuber Wakamo Inarizushi more than her own shame and embarrassment.... But she continued to worry that exposing too much might be a bad thing in its own way.
In the end, she even read women's fashion magazines from cover to cover. She considered what cosmetics and perfumes women used, and what thoughts and attitudes they lived with.
Of course, one hundred percent of this was simply because she wanted to do VTuber streams more diligently!
Wakamo, is it time for you to learn about women...!!
She wasn't one to flatter people. Wakamo was an attractive woman.
She was a little tall, but had ideal, model-like proportions.
And─ if she wanted to, she could even modify them to some extent.
As she practiced with it, she realized that the range of applications for the skill she had initially received was far broader than she had expected.
'I need to study the skills of my class.'
[Idol's Body]
-Every physical stat is composed of 100% Mana.
-Fixed by the geospatial coordinate system, with oneself as the reference point for all physical laws.
-Mana increases in a one-to-one ratio with the number of worshipers.
-Disappears when Mana reaches 0.
She had recently discovered that she did not slip on an ice rink.
She still couldn't quite grasp the idea that Wakamo was the center of the reference point for all physical laws, but she understood the phrase "all physical stats."
The explanation that they were composed of 100% Mana meant that although all of Wakamo's Mana was not displayed as [Stats] in her status window,
Mana was being distributed among her stats in appropriate proportions even when Wakamo herself was unaware of it.
She had fought while thinking she was strengthening her body with Mana.
But that meant the [Skill] appropriately distributed her stats to keep her body in peak condition!!
'So if I put my mind to it, I can do something like a supersonic hedgehog.'
Wakamo's body tried to remain in peak condition at all times.
When she strengthened her body with Mana, the proportions divided themselves automatically.
If she raised her physical strength, Mana would also be invested into her durability─ and she would suffer recoil damage, including the Mana consumed for it.
In the end, her Mana dropped sharply no matter what she did, so she also needed to increase the number of her believers.
"How do I look, believers? Does it suit me?"
Wakamo had said it before, but she was essentially always naked. Rather than changing the model of the clothes she was wearing or casting an illusion over them, she had altered their shape purely through Mana manipulation.
Perhaps it was the result of practicing her skill? It would return to normal once an intense battle began, but she had reached a level where she could use it without issue in daily life.
The [Mana Manipulation] skill had helped as well.
'I suppose all sorts of things are possible.'
After researching it this way and that, she had discovered something unpleasant that would be difficult to show on-stream.
Her neck could spin around like a robot's, or her arms and legs could stretch and bend freely.
She could even become a boneless, flabby mass of flesh and crawl around like a lump of meat.... At that point, she would no longer be a fox god, but something shaped like one.
She could easily be mistaken for an alien life-form like Parasite or Venom.
No, now that she thought about it, wasn't that exactly right since her form was so flexible?
The techniques she had researched and created using another unexpected red pill were things she decided to use someday when she had to fight another Climber outside of a broadcast, if she found herself at a disadvantage.
As before, she could transform an unseen part inside her sleeve and create a rotating flesh grinder in her hand, like a drill.
It was best to remain within the framework of a fox god, like hiding a sword in her body and storing potions in her tail and stomach for timely use.
Wouldn't it be strange if a fox god suddenly started using something like a Gum-Gum Pistol!!?
'It would be nice if I could release Mana for a direct attack like that.'
She did have the Shamanry skill, but it was useless because she couldn't use it, so she wanted at least one or two small spells.
She also possessed the magical-skill-like [VTuber Asset], but Wakamo was still thinking hard about what to add with [VTuber Asset], so she had not decided on anything in particular.
There were no empty slots yet, but wouldn't one appear soon? She had to keep that in mind.
She wasn't even sure whether creating fire with an asset would make it count as real fire. Since she could not cancel something once she chose it, she had to be careful before using it haphazardly.
If she brought it out at just the right moment as though it were a new ability, it would really liven up the stream, but wouldn't it be a problem if it was too mediocre?
'I don't even know whether guns and ammunition are classified separately.'
Anyway, there was a lot she needed to research, but the fact that she could never turn back after making a decision was painfully limiting. She had so many floors left to climb─what if she wasted it and suffered some kind of loss?
'Ugh....'
On top of that, Pirate had cautiously asked Wakamo to teach her Shamanry because she wanted to learn it.
Wakamo wondered whether a Climber could teach skills.... But since [Mana Manipulation] had been learned naturally by moving the Mana in her body, it did not seem impossible.
'[Wizards] often share common skill branches, so maybe it really will work?'
After all, [Alchemists] could also craft things with the help of another [Alchemist] if they had a recipe.
In that sense, unfortunately, Pirate's expectations were not something Wakamo could fulfill.
'If only something like a blessing that transfers skills would appear.... Or something that lets me buy skills for believers with points.'
She had thought of it on the spur of the moment and immediately regretted it.
Because this Tower really might give her one.
"All right, shall we all start by climbing Floor 21?"
She killed time with a chatting stream, watched Ichigo's broadcasts, and checked Pirate's insane streams while smiling contentedly.
The moment the believers saw Wakamo smile, they teased her by asking whether she was watching another VTuber stream, but she did not hide it.
Instead, she shamelessly said she would upload a clip before leaving, posted Pirate's bug-eating video, committed an act of terror, and coolly headed for the next floor.
[Currently climbing the Incheon Tower Floor 21 world]
-[Wakamo Inarizushi]'s difficulty increases according to the Climber's achievements!
-Defeat the [Elite Boss Monster]!
-Defeat the [Pack of Ultrasonic Cutter Bats].
[Platinum Completion Conditions]
-[Defeat the Pack of Ultrasonic Cutter Bats] (0/3)
-[Defeat the Pack of Ultrasonic Cutter Bats simultaneously] (0/1)
The moment she entered, a window floated up, accompanied by an unknown, ominous feeling that made her hair stand on end.
Perhaps because she had strengthened her body before entering? Despite being unable to see anything, Wakamo sensed something and immediately left the spot.
The floor split with a crack! as though it had been cut by a sword. Dozens of invisible slashes intersected and carved marks into the ground, and as Wakamo elegantly dodged them with windmill spins, she discovered bats flying too high for her to reach.
The bats, which never crossed paths and instead wandered in wide circles, made no sound.
However, it was only that Wakamo could not hear them. They were still bombarding her with attacks without pause.
'I feel this every time, but the completion conditions keep getting easier as I climb higher."
It was somewhat difficult, but the completion conditions were becoming easier, as though the Tower was gradually adjusting itself to Wakamo. Judging by the viewers' reactions, these seemed to be monsters that normally appeared on higher floors.
The boss monster that would appear on Floor 40 of the Incheon Tower had appeared not alone, but in a pack, and they were even elite monsters.
Was it lowering the hurdles to match the difficulty?
'At least the Tower never creates a situation that cannot be conquered.'
In a way, Wakamo could be said to be climbing the Tower with an open book. She could determine what kind of monster it was the moment she entered. Even now, she was learning from the viewers' chat that it was vulnerable to sonic attacks.
Pavavavak──!!
-How the hell is she dodging without even seeing them?!
-Fool! Lady Wakamo is a martial-arts master of the murim!!
-She can dodge the Tang Clan's hidden weapons, so what are a mere beast's slashes to her!
'This is more efficient than I expected.'
Wakamo once again dodged without looking, performing a somersault through the air.
As though completely ignoring gravity, she stuck horizontally to the wall and began running along it like a ninja. It was possible only because Wakamo was the reference point: once she planted her foot there, the system judged that place to be the ground for her.
Wouldn't she look like she was truly flying around while practicing martial arts to believers who did not know the truth?
'[Idol's Body]'s maintenance Mana has been increased.'
If she normally consumed between 1 and 5 Mana while standing still, she was now consuming 1,000 Mana per second.
She had no idea how strong that was, but it was clear that her entire body felt light enough to fly away.
'Instead of turning the output on and off for brief moments during a fight, I can raise the output constantly...!!'
If she truly resolved to risk her life, she might be able to display superhuman strength for sixty seconds with 10,000 Mana per second. But she also had to consider that fighting like that would drain all her Mana through recoil, meaning she might not last even ten seconds, let alone sixty.
-But it's too dark to see anything. Where is she?!
-Attacks are flying in from places where she can't even be seen, and the host is incredible.
-I would've died ages ago..
While checking the believers' chat as they simply marveled, Wakamo inspected her body once more.
When she drank a potion, it went into her stomach, so her body must include at least a digestive system. She might have created it unconsciously. She must have lungs as well─she had been able to inhale. If she practiced her techniques a little more, she might even be able to change her voice.
A VTuber's voice was more important than anything.
She could not abandon the deep, resonant voice that was Wakamo Inarizushi's defining trait now.
But she could use it as a weapon.
"Hoooooo──!!!"
Wakamo's chest swelled dramatically, and the believers' cheers rose.
"─────!!!!!"
Soon, along with a piercing ringing in their ears, an "audio pressure" that the believers could not even hear reverberated throughout the entire floor.
It was a roar powerful enough to shake the floor. But humans could not hear it. Since they were watching from beyond the screen, they could not be harmed, either. Wakamo had thoroughly muted the stream as a precaution, and since she did not even need to breathe, she circulated Mana and released an endless, limitlessly loud scream.
Boom─
Three bats plummeted headfirst to the ground and died.
"Haa─"
-...? What did she do?
-Did she just use a Lion's Roarㅋㅋㅋ?
-Did they take the host's song head-on....
-That's a critical hit even if it only grazes you.
"No, my singing really is powerful enough to kill people. Don't worry, believers, I muted it."
-What?
-I will never ask you to do a singing stream.
-There are some songs you can only hear once.
-I don't think I could even listen to that once all the way through.
She had said that a sonic weapon could kill people, and since there was no limit to her breathing, she wondered whether screaming at full power while using Mana would have an effect.... It really worked. The only problem was that it was a wide-area attack that could not distinguish friend from foe.... She could use it like a Lion's Roar as a surprise attack, though.
'This doesn't incapacitate them. It kills them instantly.'
Wakamo shook her head as she looked at the large bats that had died horribly.
If even an elite boss monster with sensitive hearing could not endure it, could a Climber? If she screamed directly beside someone's ear at close range, their head might explode.
[The Incheon Tower Floor 21 has fulfilled its Platinum conditions and is now open to all humanity!!]
[Calculating rewards for the Tower Platinum clear]
[Please choose 1 reward]
[Idol's Protection]
-Grants a buff to believers according to the floor reached.
[Blessing Acquired]
-[Price of Faith]-Can grant skills to believers in proportion to points.
[Companion Buff]
-Believer recovery speed +50%.
[Idol's Phantom]
-Can overlay [Idol's Form] on believers only.
-Maximum size is limited to the believer's physique.
"Wow."
It really gave it to her.
The Tower seemed to have read Wakamo's thoughts and included a skill that said, What a good girl...! I shall give this to you, who thinks of others before yourself!!
Where was the [Attack Skill].... She wanted so badly to see your face....
[You have acquired the skill [Idol's Phantom]! ]
They were planning a collab on Floor 25. It did not matter for now, but she also had to think about the possibility of Ichigo growing larger later, so she decided to learn this first.
Mare Pirate's class made it possible for her to maintain an appearance identical to her VTuber model, so there was no need to worry about her.
In another sense, it was the worst possible class, with even worse efficiency than [Non-Combat Classes], but as a Climber VTuber, she had taken a top-tier Wizard skill tree.... Or something like that?
She wanted to tell Pirate, but that would make it half as fun. For now, she would keep it a secret.
'I can't wait to see the believers' reactions during the collab.'
"Come on, let's hurry up!"
She clapped her hands to draw the believers' attention.
They had been pointlessly debating whether Wakamo was responsible for the legend of the Ghostly Cries because her singing was not merely bad enough to kill people, but had truly reached that level.
Whenever they kept spouting nonsense, she threatened(?) to ambush them with a song during a viewer-participation stream, so the believers quickly quieted down.
'A VTuber who can't sing.... That's a little sad....'
Flash─
Charr-r-r-r──!!
A familiar sound rang out the moment she reached Floor 22.
Wakamo immediately leaped backward to dodge, but it seemed to be an unavoidable forced effect, as shackles locked around both her legs and the chains pulled taut.
The instant she jumped, Wakamo automatically landed on the ground. Before her stood a beast even larger than she was.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The bull-headed monster that had left her with nothing but unpleasant memories of being chopped and sliced to pieces stared at Wakamo while snorting roughly.
[Currently climbing the Incheon Tower Floor 22 world]
-[Wakamo Inarizushi]'s difficulty increases according to the Climber's achievements!
-Defeat the [Elite Boss Monster]!
-Defeat the [Hell Chain Executioner Taurus].
[Platinum Completion Conditions]
-Defeat the [Hell Chain Executioner Taurus] (0/1)
-Do not lose any body parts to the [Hell Chain Executioner Taurus] (0/1)
-Wow! A Floor 50 boss monster from America!
-No, look at that weapon. It's firing a chainsaw.
-A fire chainsaw cow, holy shit....
-The Tower is introducing us to a crazy cow level.
-I'll be the fire cow...
-No, this isn't the time to joke around! The host is going to die!!
The blade of the enormous greatsword in its hand spun with a Krrrgggghhh!! sound, spewing something that might have been molten metal or sparks. The Executioner Taurus accelerated as it raised the two weapons called [Hell Chains], glowing bright red as though they had just been pulled from a furnace.
The Taurus leaped "backward," radiating such crushing pressure from its massive frame that it took Wakamo's breath away, apparently intending to pull her toward it, but
Boom!
Rather than being dragged away, Wakamo did not move an inch, causing the Taurus to land in place and stare at her in confusion.
-She didn't move at all.
-The strength of a mere 500-kilogram cow wouldn't be enough, surely.
-An inverted triangle can't beat a triangle....
-She ran at full power and didn't move her even an inchㅋㅋㅋ
The believers were simply enjoying themselves, but Wakamo was anxious. What kind of completion condition was "don't lose any body parts"...?
Even if she showed an arm being cut off and then reattached or regenerated, wouldn't the viewers be more likely to recoil in horror than marvel?
"One For All!!"
For now, she would lightly use 5,000 horsepower....
-What?
-Stop! Her body won't be able to endure it!
-Where did the host get that quirkㅋㅋㅋ
-She's resolved to quickly crush you and go watch the stream....!!
-By using the binding of shaving away her life to draw out the limits of her power...!!
-The British detective just scheduled a song unarchived stream, host!!!
-You bastard! If you tell her that, she'll fully open the Eight Gates!!
-The host's Bankai is coming..!!
What? That precious song unarchived stream?
"100% Full Cowl!!!"
[Stats]
Mana: 605,321 -> 555,321.
[Additional Stats: 35]
She activated [Idol's Body] on the condition that it consumed 50,000 Mana per second!! In that state, she used another 50,000 Mana to activate [Mana Manipulation] and strengthen her body!!
Boom!!
With a forceful stomp, dust and stones surged up and the ground split. But everything seemed to move in slow motion, as though someone had applied a slowing effect.
Even within that, whether it had used Berserk or not, the Taurus swung its [Hell Chains] at a tremendous speed, faster than Wakamo herself moved. It was absurdly fast, enough to bewilder Wakamo even though she had been attacked first. Like the distance-ignoring slash she had seen before, by the time she noticed it, the saw was already shaving away at her.
But she endured it.
The [Hell Chain] spun and tried to cut through her exposed skin and neck, but it did not even leave a scratch.
"Fluffy Brain-Muscle Leader Punch──!!!"
[Stats]
Mana: 555,321 -> 4,652.
[Additional Stats: 35]
Wakamo's punch struck the abdomen of the Taurus, which wore armor made of an unknown black metal. The recoil from the force of the blow exploded through the Mana inside Wakamo's body. Even she was stunned by the absurd level of power she had unleashed, but
Fwoosh-sh-sh-sh.....
How could anyone have been more shocked than the viewers watching the Taurus's upper body vanish completely from the single punch, leaving only its lower half standing without even knowing it had died?
"Are you really doing the song unarchived stream?"
-Y-yes, we are.. Dobby does not tell lies!!
-That's right! I'll post the link!!!
-A VTuber never lies to the host!!
-Please, stop baiting her after seeing this... you'll really die!!!
-I just wet myself. What do I do...?
-What do you think? Stop her....
"There is no time to climb the Tower──!!! We are running to Floor 25 at top speed, believers!!!"
-Yesss!!!
-Fasten your seat belts. This is going to kill us.
-I've never seen a monster evaporate before....
-Just how ridiculously strong is she?
Strong, my ass!! She's just a muscle balloon showing off because she can heal by climbing the Tower!!
Wakamo stamped her feet impatiently so she could hear the precious song unarchived stream as soon as possible.
[The Incheon Tower Floor 22 has fulfilled its Platinum conditions and is now open to all humanity!!]
[Calculating rewards for the Tower Platinum clear]
[[Idol's Body] has gained the function [Additional Clone Creation]]
[[VTuber Asset] has gained more registerable assets]
[[Idol's Form] has gained the function [Increased Mana Efficiency]]
"....?"
[Additional Clone Creation]...? What was that supposed to mean...? Would she get two bodies? Then what about her consciousness?
──Just when she had finally learned how to use her skills, the Tower was making things even more complicated.
It was good that she had gained one more asset. She could experiment with all sorts of things.
─Climbing the Tower makes you stronger. That was an unchanging truth.... But she could not shake the feeling that her class was putting on some kind of "strongman show." An idol's life, where you could not even receive applause unless you got a perfect score of 100, was damn hard to live... or something like that?
Even modern idols, the idols of today, were no different, since people tore them apart over every little mistake....
Thinking that, she reflexively dodged an arrow that flew at her the instant she entered the next floor.
Admiring her own talent for seeing and dodging it with her eyes, Wakamo checked the information window while grinding her teeth and thinking, They really are hell-bent on killing me.
[Currently climbing the Incheon Tower Floor 23 world]
-[Wakamo Inarizushi]'s difficulty increases according to the Climber's achievements!
-Defeat the [Vile Human-Hunting Elven Archer]!
-[Vile Human-Hunting Elven Archer] must be defeated.
[Platinum Completion Conditions]
-Defeat the [Vile Human-Hunting Elven Archer] (0/1)
-Do not leave the area (0/1)
-What?
-Was that an arrow flying in?
-Is it an elf if it's shooting a bow?
-But shouldn't that only appear in the Denmark Tower...?
-Is the host climbing some kind of multinational Tower??
-More importantly, we can't even see where it is.
Beyond bewilderment lay sheer confusion. Dodging another incoming arrow, Wakamo noticed a circle drawn on the ground with herself at its center.
Was she supposed to remain inside it and kill an elf shooting arrows from a forest so far away that she could barely see the top of its head beyond the horizon?
It was so distant that she even wondered whether an arrow thrown that far could hit anything at all.
-Host! There's a bow below! There's a bow!
-Ahh.... This familiar feeling... It's time to return to being an archer of Joseon....
-Isn't the host in the perfect position to be shot by a seonbi?
-Ah, this is trauma.
-This is fox abuse!!!
In desperation, she grabbed the bow lying on the ground.
[This is not a [Class] that can be used.]
"Then why did you leave it there?!"
-For realㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Are you making fun of herㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Does the host have a class that can't hold a bow???
-There are fewer classes that can use bowsㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Who uses bows these days... Go to America and shoot guns.
-Exactlyㅋㅋㅋ
Barely suppressing the curse that was about to escape her in disbelief, she caught an incoming arrow. But the arrow immediately vanished into light.
As though trying to show her that she could not use it even in reverse, Wakamo stared blankly at her empty palm where the vanished arrow had been.
The sheer hopelessness was so overwhelming that she nearly became dizzy.
Even if climbing the Tower had been too easy at the beginning, wasn't this trial far too harsh???
If Wakamo's eyesight had not been this good, she would already have been turned into a pincushion by those arrows!!
She had been skillfully dodging this way and that, but as time passed and the area began to shrink, the corner of Wakamo's eye twitched.
If you're going to do this, add a time limit!!!!
"Hooooo...."
She grabbed her hair and tore at it. The viewers were delighted and horrified by the appearance of short-haired Wakamo, but Wakamo had no attention to spare for the chat.
The arrows flying toward her were gradually getting faster.
What looked as though she had torn her hair out was actually just her moving it into her palm, kneading its shape into a bow, pulling the bowstring made of hair with all her strength, and casting [VTuber Asset].
An arrow appeared on its own.
Wakamo had decided to save it carefully for an important moment─but the moment she used it, she felt as though the Tower had snatched it away, and indignation surged through her.
Ping─!!
The [Camera] attached to the arrow she fired with all her strength chased after it.
Thwack!
-Wow!
-No way, how did she do that??
-Can she see it??
Wakamo demonstrated the miraculous feat of shooting down an incoming arrow with another arrow. But when she immediately dodged the next arrow to the side, an expression of certainty appeared on her face. She lowered her stance, drew the bowstring with all her strength, and fired.
-Ooh, ooooooh.
-Wow, that's fucking fast!
-How does that even work??
The viewers watching from the arrow's perspective could only be astonished.
The arrow flew powerfully across the blue grassland and into the forest. An elf camouflaged in the forest, hiding and sniping from somewhere far inside rather than near the entrance, soon appeared on-screen.
Unlike what they had imagined, its ragged appearance reminded them of an Amazonian indigenous person, while its eyes rolled white, making it feel even more unpleasantly like a monster in human form.
The viewers could only marvel at Wakamo's archery as the arrow she had fired from an invisible position flew precisely toward the elf.
-No, but why are you so bad at shooting guns?
Even in the middle of this, one believer asked the harsh question(?) out of genuine curiosity, but.....
Clang!
-A shield????
-It blocked it with a spirit!!!
-No, it blocked that with wind??
A wind spirit that had been hiding invisibly blocked and knocked away the incoming arrow. The elven archer immediately searched for another sniping position and moved without looking back, but
The instant he turned his head, the arrow that had been spinning in the air stopped dead and aimed its tip precisely at the archer's head.
A moment later, with a ping! from the air, the arrow fired itself and pierced the back of his head.
The archer turned in surprise at the snipe that had come from a direction it could never have flown from, but he could not discover the truth. His breath soon left him, and he fell.
"Phew."
─Wakamo's special guaranteed-hit snipe using [Mana Manipulation] and [Viewpoint Sharing]!
'So this works....'
She had worried whether it would work because the distance was so great.
It was similar to the method she had used to open a portal during the Reclamation of Seoul.
"It's been a while since I fired one... I'm glad it hit. A bow really is better."
When she tossed the bow in her hand away, it scattered into the air, and Wakamo's cut hair instantly returned to normal.
-Is this the ability of a general who fought under Cao Cao..?
-Your skill from the Battle of Dan-no-ura is still as impressive as ever.
-Being good at shooting a bow means you can be good at dodging one, too....
-Everything living in Joseon is good with a bow.
-You can feel that she practiced archery to survive against the seonbi.
"No teasing the believers."
[The Incheon Tower Floor 23 has fulfilled its Platinum conditions and is now open to all humanity!!]
[Calculating rewards for the Tower Platinum clear]
'This is bad....'
She had begun to enter the realm where, no matter what she showed them, people simply accepted it with, Well, that's just because it's Wakamo.
Was it already time to move past gasping in admiration and saying, Amazing~!!? This was happening too fast.
But the Tower pressured her to give it her absolute best, so she had to show some danger as well.... She was worried about how to balance it....
[Please choose 1 reward]
[Idol's Flame]
-Consumes Mana to create flames.
[Blessing Acquired]
-[Price of Faith]-Can grant skills to believers in proportion to points.
[Companion Buff]
-Believer recovery speed +50%.
Thump─
The skill she had wanted so desperately to meet....
The one she had kept searching for....!!
Your name is!!
[You have acquired the skill [Idol's Flame]! ]
'No, don't smile yet.... Don't declare victory, Wakamo....'
Twitch, twitch....
Wakamo's lips trembled, and she giggled, nearly mad with joy.
The believers, not knowing why she was laughing, cautiously asked her to tell them, wondering whether she had gotten something good.
They knew that Wakamo's information leak would not benefit her, so their attitude was more or less, We'd be grateful if you told us, but if you don't, there's nothing we can do.
But Wakamo said nothing and walked lightly toward the next floor.
"Believers, I'm in a good mood right now."
The instant she entered, she caught the fire attack that now flew at her as though it were only natural with smoke created by [Idol's Form].
Because she could identify the type of magic just by looking at its form, Wakamo responded quickly.
What kind of idiot in this world would foolishly leave their weakness unguarded?
"Is that [Mana Combustion]?"
The burning smoke was devoured by the fire and disappeared, revealing a [Wizard] holding a staff and glaring at Wakamo.
[Currently climbing the Incheon Tower Floor 24 world]
-[Wakamo Inarizushi]'s difficulty increases according to the Climber's achievements!
-Defeat the [Elven Sage Who Understands Arcane Arts]!
-[Elven Sage Who Understands Arcane Arts] must be defeated.
[Platinum Completion Conditions]
-Defeat the [Elven Sage Who Understands Arcane Arts] (0/1)
-Subdue the [Elven Sage Who Understands Arcane Arts] with magic (0/1)
-Do not use physical attacks against the [Elven Sage Who Understands Arcane Arts] (0/1)
The advanced Wizard appeared as though to immediately [Counter] her the moment she obtained a flame-based skill.
The elite monster known as the Elven Sage was said to use at least three elements. It might even possess more than four, or unleash a skill from the Wizard line that Wakamo could never have imagined.
Wakamo caught her breath and considered how to defeat it, thinking that if it had learned [Mana Combustion], it could probably use [Mana Burn] as well, when
[The Arcane Sage casts [Discern Ability]!!]
The Elven Sage cast an emotion-type skill, smiling viciously as though it intended to see through Wakamo and exploit her weakness.
It was practically the equivalent of wasting a turn, but the Elven Sage was a Wizard powerful enough not to need even the shortest incantation.
That was why Wakamo intended to see what it would do and then respond, but
[The Elven Sage is afflicted by [Fear]!!]
"Eeeek...!!"
Wakamo would never know
what she looked like from the perspective of someone who could see [Mana].
With more than 600,000 Mana, Wakamo's form had vanished, leaving only surging, burning Mana. The Elven Sage was frightened as though facing a gigantic monster and flinched.
It was an expression of fear often seen in humanoid monsters.
'It's afraid of me...?'
Wakamo was bewildered instead.
"Don't be so frightened. I won't punch a sage....... Take your stance."
As she spoke, an ember rose from Wakamo's fingertip.
Unlike what she had imagined, the flame that sprang up with crackling sparks and a roaring sound─was a pure white color she had never seen before.
A milky-white flame.
Even the Climbers watching Wakamo's stream were unfamiliar with this strange flame. The Elven Sage, frightened as it watched her produce white flames that almost looked holy, created flames of its own, and Wakamo smiled.
"Yes, good."
She poured Mana into it.
She was certain that it would work anyway.
"Let's have a firepower contest."
The two stood facing each other, holding their breath as they continued to produce flames.
The Elven Sage was terrified and covered in a cold sweat, while Wakamo smiled leisurely.
"[Devouring Spirit's Hellfire]─!!"
The Elven Sage shouted the [Skill Name] clearly as it fired its flames. They said that intelligent monsters spoke like that, but none were known to be capable of communication.
Fascinated to hear a humanoid monster speak for the first time, Wakamo exclaimed in admiration─then fired her own flames in response to the spirit's incoming fire.
"[Idol's Flame]"
In a sense, this could be called Wakamo's first "skill incantation."
The skill she fired while carrying the hope she had longed for so desperately─
The scorching white flame swallowed the spirit's fire as though that were only natural. The sage belatedly tried to defend itself, but a spark extending from Wakamo's fingertip touched the sage's chest with a sizzle─
Before the incoming flames could even reach it.
Boom─!!
"So cooooooool!!"
The Elven Sage flailed inside the blazing white flames before eventually collapsing.
As long as Wakamo's Mana did not run out, the flame would never die, merely swaying and dancing endlessly.
"Come on!! Look at this, believers! Manager! Look at these beautiful fireworks!"
-Ohohoho, the pointy-eared ones are getting burned at the stake!
-The moment it faced Wakamo, there was no way it could be allowed to live....
-Is this real Shamanry...??
-Isn't this not magic, but the Great Lord of Flames??
-More importantly, what was that business with blocking it with smoke....
[The Incheon Tower Floor 24 has fulfilled its Platinum conditions and is now open to all humanity!!]
[Calculating rewards for the Tower Platinum clear]
[Please choose 1 reward]
[Idol's Protection]
-Grants a buff to believers according to the floor reached.
[Blessing Acquired]
-[Price of Faith]-Can grant skills to believers in proportion to points.
[Idol's Lion]
-Creates a lion by permanently consuming Mana.
-Maintenance cost depends on the Idol's Mana.
-Can be raised by consuming [Stats].
"Uuung~~?"
Wakamo tilted her head, flustered by the unfamiliar skill she had never seen before.
No, if she was the incarnation of a fox god, then she was Inari.... Wasn't she herself? Wakamo Inarizushi.
Well, did it matter!
[You have acquired the skill [Idol's Lion]! ]
Wakamo stretched and stood with the blazing white flames as her backdrop.
The white flames did not burn Wakamo.
Could she finally say that she had obtained a skill that did not harm herself?
Inside the pure white flames, Wakamo returned to the clothes she had originally been wearing and looked at the camera to give a "preview."
"Believers, next is a three-person collab. You can look forward to it.... A Climber party is climbing?"
She followed it with a smile and a wave.
With her half-lidded red eyes opening gently, Wakamo smiled, slightly revealing her shark teeth, and said goodbye.
"Then I'm off to watch a stream."
She was delighted to have finally obtained an [Attack Skill].
Wakamo gave a refreshing smile that only a victor could wear, and her broadcast ended.
The remaining believers then opened the community, following a pattern that could now be called a routine.
They wanted to share how they felt after watching the host set things ablaze again today!!
Coming up next!
The one-and-only three-person party of Climber VTubers!