Chapter 53
[Posted by: Kaido-kun]
[Title: I Won't Raise a Tengu Because People Will Call It a Yokai or Whatever]
There are plenty of tengu among the yokai, but it's hard to say they're all that strong.
There is one insanely powerful tengu who is counted among the "Three Great Yokai," though.
From the way she's talking, it seems like she has the ability to raise one....?
??? : If you don't obediently listen to me, I'll unleash the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. The approval ratings will become as entertaining as the rankings at a horse race.
-The boss who can actually resurrect the dodo can't do anythingㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴThe academic world is in an uproar right now. Apparently she can resurrect extinct birds too.
ㄴPapers can be copied now, fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴWhat? A real Yatagarasu? Please let me see it just once!!
-But how far does "bird" go? Can Hohimi give birth to a phoenix too?
ㄴThe manager's project to resurrect things in the modern world has begun.
ㄴIf phoenixes and firebirds are possible, isn't that insane???
-"Korea doesn't seem to be making money, so I'll make some for it."
-They say conglomerates keep the country afloat, but this is on a completely different scale.
-This was normal in my day, though? Korea's smaller than China, too.
ㄴFuckㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's hilarious that this is actually trueㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴTransportation is convenient too, so making money must be easy.
ㄴEven so, the way she diligently supports farmers does make her seem like someone from the old days....
ㄴDo you not understand that military provisions are the most important thing...?
-But since she's the boss, she might refuse to raise a phoenix, saying she recognizes only one firebird: the manager.
ㄴIt's funny because I can really see her doing thatㅋㅋㅋ
-The only owner of KFC is you, Kiara Phoenix!!
-Dinosaurs are birds too!!
-If it gives birth to one, it's a bird. Let's prove whether tyrannosaurs had feathersㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Yatagarasu, Goguryeo, Liaodong... It's time to march north!!
-I'm crossing the blazing Manchuria to get to you~
ㄴMy heart is pounding!!
ㄴBurn bright, Ssangseong Chonggwanbu!
ㄴI'm carving it! The beat of the Half-Moon!
[Posted by: Cat Butler]
[Title: Why Are the Boss's Subscribers So Low Compared to Her Fame?]
Having 700,000 subscribers in Korea as a VTuber is definitely a huge number.
She's the greatest Climber in history and the only VTuber who streams climbing.
She's connected to keywords like gumiho, Daji, Tamamo, and the fox god, too.
She shows off ancient relics and even fully conquers floors.
She even shows us resurrected extinct birds.
With content this packed, why doesn't she have a million subscribers yet?
When the boss turns on her stream, does she stammer while worrying too much about the viewers' comments?
If not, does she refuse to tell them anything when viewers ask, saying it's a secret?
When she does just chatting, does she spend all day introducing VTubers and talking about VTubers?
When she plays games, has she ever even launched something like a VTuber game?
Or is it because she's Wakamo Inarizushi, but her channel is called [Wakamo Inarizushi], so YouTube only shows it if you include the brackets?
Do people go in, see more VTuber clips than Wakamo videos, mistake it for a clipper channel, and leave?
Do people subscribe, get bombarded with thirty VTuber clips a day in their YouTube subscriptions, and flee in terror?
Does the boss not offer paid subscriptions, membership streams, or donations?
She's been introduced to all three countries, so how are there only 700,000 subscribers?
Even if the stream isn't entertaining, with that level of buzz, couldn't people come out of simple curiosity and subscribe?
-This guy knows her way too wellㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Apparently subscribing to the boss comes at a steep price.....
-She thinks she doesn't need to sleep, watches VTuber streams, clips them, and uploads them to her channel.....
-Great entertainment comes with a great price, yeah....
-The 700,000 people are the ones who can endure their channel being plastered with VTuber clips.
-Everyone above is talking nonsense. You can check the subscription notifications and turn them offㅋㅋㅋㅋ....
-But in that case, there are more viewers who just check in whenever the community gets heated and then leave.
-Why doesn't the boss just separate her channels, though?
-Because VTubers are more precious to her than she is to herself.
ㄴIt sounds insane, but that's right.... The boss values small VTubers more....
ㄴThere are instructions in the notice for subscribing without getting your videos terrorized, so take a look.
ㄴWakamo promotions always come with a warning.
ㄴWhat is this, some kind of Japanese horror storyㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴRule 1: Subscribe to Wakamo's channel and immediately turn off notifications.
ㄴRule 2: If you failed to follow Rule 1, watch the clips.
-This is seriously terrifyingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-If you want to know every VTuber in the world, go to the boss's café....
ㄴThere was even a broken-egg VTuber.
ㄴThere is also a ladybug-personified VTuber.
ㄴThere was even a gigantic giant VTuber....
ㄴHuh? Isn't that just a site for heterosexual sexual desire....?
-There's even a board where people post porn of animal genitalia.
ㄴWhy does that exist, fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴBecause the boss is a beast...?
ㄴAh.
ㄴI didn't know about that either.... (solemn).
ㄴI'm going straight there to post a picture of a monkey masturbating.
ㄴIs this guy insane?
Wakamo had even begun receiving absurd emails asking her to run as a proportional-representation candidate.
Meanwhile, Yun Wei had somehow managed to find her email address and was reporting to Wakamo on the progress of the conquest of China.
On top of that, he was turning relics found in places he had liberated from the Chinese government into items with the [Collector]'s skill, or so he said.... A few days ago, he had contacted her to say that after searching for a long time, he had found an item with a job restriction usable only by [Idols], though he had been too obsessed with Wakamo last time to show her everything.
"There are way too many emails~"
Wakamo had told Manager Won Da-hye that she would entrust Yu Ying and Sadako's care to her and manage the inbox herself, but there really were too many emails.
There were also many from broadcasting stations, starting with offers to appear on shows, so she blocked and deleted them all.
She sorted the emails from overseas separately because they contained research requests and other inquiries concerning the resurrection of extinct birds.
She reviewed viewers' complaints about Wakamo's channel and replied that she was sorry, but they should give up because she had no intention of changing it. To viewers trying to push her around and tell her how the stream ought to be run, she replied, "Would you like me to curse you?"
"The subscriber growth curve is good, but...."
Wakamo was aware that, by her own reckoning, she was standing at a very advantageous peak.
On top of that, her stream's content was gradually expanding, and [Wakamo Inarizushi Floor 1] had combined Floors 1 through 30 into an area of 830 square kilometers, even creating a region believed to be an ocean.
She even remembered Manager Won Da-hye saying that university professors had submitted requests because rare fish that appeared only in the Tower's ocean were showing up there.
The young generation heading to rural areas was provided with broad, safe land, and even the monsters that appeared there could all be used as food or materials, allowing Incheon's guilds to hunt more safely and develop the Climbers' abilities.
Thanks to that, she saw prices fall for the first time.
The minimum wage was rising while milk prices were dropping. Wakamo had asked the Association president to do something, but she was surprised in several ways because she had never expected the Association president to go this far.
Their goal was even to introduce a four-day workweek and create an environment where people could watch streams.... I might even fall for them, regardless of gender.
In other words, it meant Korea was obtaining far more resources. She was a little surprised when she heard there might even be mineral veins.
She was somewhat worried that America might come if they heard that digging into the ground could produce oil, but....
It was being promoted as a tourist destination where even non-Climbers could enter, including a safe floor to use if the Republic of Korea collapsed─and when the Association president said they would also build a facility there to raise extinct birds, Wakamo handed them the [Yatagarasu].
Even so, it was a living creature, and Wakamo, who was no expert, had no confidence in raising it.
The Association president who received it wore a complicated expression, as if wondering, What in the world is she trying to do...? Is she telling me to become a king or something...?
"Have we really reached that point....."
Apparently, the performance she had shown in China had been quite impressive.
There were many comments asking why this person uploaded other VTubers' clips instead of her own streams, and saying they couldn't tell whether this was Wakamo's personal channel or a Wakamo clipper channel, but....
"I will never compromise on this!!!"
She could tolerate anything else, even abandon her identity as a man and become a woman, but she would never bend on this.
"I did make subscribing a condition for entering my floor... but the growth rate lately has been absurd...."
People subscribed for all sorts of reasons: to move into Wakamo's Floor 1, to watch her climb the Tower, to see the famous person everyone was talking about, or because they thought they might be able to watch a broadcast about raising extinct birds....
[Wakamo Inarizushi]
Subscribers: 2.2 million.
"There are so many that it's overwhelming. I feel like throwing up."
She would have to get used to it if they were going to keep rising. But at this rate, was she going to become the world's number-one VTuber...?
Me, of all people?
"Uweeek."
The pressure was so severe that it became fatal, and she vomited Mana. The sense of responsibility was far too heavy.....!!
"Gueeeek."
The highly concentrated Mana pouring from her mouth began to melt the floor as smoke billowed out.
"Huff.. huff... deep breaths... Wakamo, deep breaths!!! Think happy thoughts!! VTubers from Sichuan and VTubers who returned from hiatus are appearing in China right now, and VTubers who shook off their past lives and came back are appearing too!! Everyone is happy!! Those people are saying things like, 'Thank you, Lady Wakamo,' right?"
Pwoooosh─
Wakamo collapsed face-first onto the floor, Mana—not blood—pouring from every opening in her face in addition to her mouth.
[Stats]
Mana: 4
[Additional Stats: 35]
The mental shock was so great that she passed out with her eyes open without thinking about anything.... Though it wasn't really passing out. Wasn't it closer to entering a state of complete emptiness?
Wakamo watched her Mana steadily recover as long as she remained still.
[Stats]
Mana: 700,000
[Additional Stats: 35]
Then she let out deep sighs as she saw the limit hit exactly where expected.
"What, this damn job has a restriction too...? The skills have terrible efficiency, there aren't even any good ones, and to be blunt, I'm increasing everything through my own abilities..... There aren't any good items either.... Ugh...."
After roughly covering the melted ground with dirt, Wakamo stretched her arms high.
"You did it...."
[Hajime Ichigo]
Subscribers: 590,000.
[Mare Pirate]
Subscribers: 330,000.
She did not know why VTubers were measured by their subscriber counts as a success metric, but Wakamo was lost in thought, wondering whether she should release more original songs and do covers, when King of Fists Ohyama Masahiko, who had come to pick her up, approached and she waved.
"Welcome, Lady Wakamo! You've become incredibly famous since I last saw you!"
"Well, that's how it turned out."
"It was the same for me, but many of the [Six Great Calamities] are bloodthirsty people who want to fight strong opponents. They may suddenly try to kill you because they want to know what defeat feels like, so be careful."
"That's a very violent warning to give someone the moment you see them...."
"That ninja fellow even had one of his arms cut off once! Hahahaha!!"
As long as you stayed alive, losing an arm was fine because it would recover when you climbed a floor.
Even so, was it really okay to talk about having an arm cut off as though it were nothing?
Wakamo walked through the streets of Kyoto with the King of Fists.
He was climbing Kyoto Tower to conquer more floors, just like Korea's Association president, and said he had so many students entering his dojo that even two bodies would not be enough. He also talked at length about how [Companion], Wakamo's shrine, needed its owner to visit from time to time.
"Our daughter is a bit of a problem child, isn't she?"
"She seemed like exactly the sort of person who would become a VTuber."
"Well, then, that's fine! A brother and sister who are both VTubers and get along well. It makes me so happy that Sadako keeps practicing karate because she wants to become as strong as her father."
"So, King of Fists, the Kyoto collaboration is tomorrow, right?"
"That's right."
"Then I'll start lining up here today. See you the day after tomorrow?"
"Uh... huh?"
Wakamo stopped in front of the entrance as soon as they arrived at the collaboration venue.
Even the clerk came out in surprise and said, "But it's tomorrow...? It's only noon right now," but Wakamo would not budge.
The sight of the fox god sitting on the ground and insisting that she would be first in line to buy the collaboration goods tomorrow left even the King of Fists looking troubled.
"Ahem, if you want, I can talk things over with the Kyoto Tourism Bureau and arrange a virtual live collaboration stream. We could even do a joint stream, so you don't need to be this obsessed with the merchandise...."
"Then let's do it──!!!"
"Oh!"
"Even if they want to collaborate, they should know their place and refuse!! And if they give me special merchandise, that would inconvenience the fans who love them!! So from now on, this Wakamo Inarizushi will sit here all day and endure it!! I even brought a tent!!"
"Uh.... Then.... I'll give you a number ticket."
"Are you a genius?"
The clerk gave the admiring King of Fists a bitter smile and said, "I'm used to this kind of thing...." He put ticket number one in Wakamo's hand and chased him away.
""""Hello, Master!!!""""
"Yes! The fox god has come to visit today! Don't cause any trouble!!"
"Wow."
The dojo had been so spacious when she came before, but now it was packed with people and felt like an entirely different place.
There were even tourists taking pictures of the students training hard before leaving.
When Wakamo entered, they asked if they could take pictures, but the King of Fists pointed at the rules.
[Taking pictures of the fox god directly is considered rude. Please do not offend her.]
She wasn't even a god worshiped at some shrine... Still, since her red pill would be exposed, it was probably better not to be photographed.
Even so, since they were fans, Wakamo at least shook hands with them... and signed autographs for those who asked.
She wondered whether she should make merchandise too, if only for the believers who would soon become jealous.
"It's sparkling...?"
"Huh? Isn't that obvious?"
The shrine had been given directly by the fox god. The King of Fists looked hurt, as if asking what she took him for, and said that neglecting a shrine handed over by an idol was impossible for a Japanese person who respected the gods.
"Haha....."
But if she wasn't an idol, people couldn't even join that shrine, so wasn't it just decoration...? It did have the [Companion Buff], though....
Ding.
[Would you like to spend Additional Stats to increase the [Companion Buff]?]
[Available Purchases]
[These buffs apply only to believers who worship Wakamo Inarizushi]
-[+5% Life Recovery within the [Companion] range]
-[+5% Mana Recovery within the [Companion] range]
-[+5% Stamina Recovery within the [Companion] range]
-[+5% Disease Recovery within the [Companion] range]
-[+5% Mental Recovery within the [Companion] range]
-[+5% Productivity within the [Companion] range]
-Expand the [Companion] range
-Produce a small amount of [Fox Orbs] at the [Companion]
-Produce a small amount of [Inari's Dew] at the [Companion]
.....
"There are so many...!!!"
She was horrified by the enormous list.
Wait, this function existed?!
For now, she quickly wrote down and checked several options before showing them to the King of Fists.
"......"
He looked at her with a shocked expression, but she had not expected this either.
'...No, but if this is possible, shouldn't [My Worlds] also have a function to add buildings with stats?'
[The Tower adopts Wakamo Inarizushi's suggestion]
"Huh?"
[From now on, you can spend Wakamo's Additional Stats to add [Buildings] to [My Worlds]! ]
"....Then shouldn't I receive stats for every floor I've climbed...?"
There was no answer.
It merely tossed out a message with the feeling of, I felt bad that I had so few rewards to give you, but if you'd be happy with something like this, I can do that, and disappeared.
'You fucking bastard....'
Why had it created such a 『Legendary Class』 in the first place!!! It was an insult to VTubers!!!
Give me my rewards, you damn bastard....!! You tried to kill me when I didn't climb the Tower, and now look at you adding updates after barely figuring things out...!
Was this the sorrow of being an early adopter? At this point, shouldn't she at least prepare a notebook for the successor who might become a VTuber after she died?
How should she put this... she had so much she wanted to say.
'It's a game that combines farming simulation with RPG and fantasy elements. You work hard to earn money, only to find that other regions use different currencies and make you start over. It's like a game that artificially extended its playtime by forcing you to grind without telling you anything until after you made your choices....'
The analogy was difficult.... She lacked the vocabulary to express how fucking awful this was.... Wakamo had no talent as a VTuber!!
"......[Idol's Lion]"
[You can permanently consume Mana to create a lion]
[The current number of believers is 2.2 million. The total available Mana is 2.2 million]
[It can be [Developed] by consuming Additional Stats]
'So... assuming I can use up to 1.5 million Mana since my current limit is 700,000, what would its approximate specs be...?'
[Wakamo Inarizushi can distribute 1,500 stats]
[For the lion's growth, including basic intelligence and skills, consume Additional Stats]
"So it's an AI VTuber!! The Tower does the programming, and I'm the one throwing money into it!!"
[According to the information confirmed through Wakamo Inarizushi─ that is similar]
'Fucking bastard.'
[If the lion dies, the [Idol's Lion] skill, along with the added Mana and stats, will be permanently lost. Only one can be created]
'You great fucking bastard....'
Let's think calmly.... This was something that would be better to create as late as possible.
If she created it when her subscriber count was at its peak, she could make an extremely powerful Climber.
But Wakamo had no interest whatsoever in Climbers.
'How am I supposed to make an AI VTuber...?'
She was merely dreaming of the ambition of raising Intelligence with Additional Stats, creating an AI VTuber, and having it stream twenty-four hours a day.
"Can't be helped, I suppose...."
"Are you all right?"
Only then did Wakamo realize that everyone's eyes were focused on her. She had been muttering to herself, getting angry, and frowning. .....How embarrassing.... She raised a hand and apologized, deciding she should be honest.
"No, the Tower told me to climb it if I wanted to add blessings to the Companion...."
"Ah...."
The King of Fists understood it as, She must have received a revelation from the Inari god~ and nodded.
As expected, the fox god really was different from the rest!!
"Then, are you thinking of climbing Kyoto Tower?"
"I suppose I should? I'll have to reach the thirtieth floor."
"Oh!"
Wakamo headed toward [Kyoto Tower], where she had finished conquering the tenth floor.
She could receive more Additional Stats by fully conquering it, but time was precious.
'If I conquer every floor one by one, the difficulty will only increase, so I'll conquer them in groups of ten...!!'
With that, Wakamo boldly stepped forward.
Since the King of Fists had many students at his dojo, she decided to use martial arts while leaving out any special performances.
A martial artist must not disregard the martial arts they have trained in!!
To be blunt, she simply wanted to have some fun because even if she enhanced herself with [Idol's Body] and fought, she had enough Mana recovery speed to spare!
[You are climbing the Kyoto Tower Floor 11 world]
-Climber, test and prove your martial arts.
[Platinum Achievement Conditions]
-Defeat the [Yokai Nodepo] with an [Attack Skill] (0/1)
-Face it with the resolve to never retreat...
"I'm sorry, but─this is me venting my anger!!!"
Before the message window could fully appear, Wakamo spewed bats from her mouth, and the enormous beast that came pouncing forward shot toward Nodepo and drove its fist into the monster's torso.
The blow was so powerful that, with a booming sound, the straight punch tore a huge hole through Nodepo's body.
[The Climber has been granted 3 Additional Stats]
[You have acquired 1 【Broadcast Point】. Current: 672]
'Come to think of it, there were Broadcast Points too! And blessings!!!'
There are three separate currencies I have to spend? You damn shitty Tower─!!!
"Achoo─!!"
What appeared on Floor 12 was ten Maikumi that charged in with only their heads flying through the air. Wakamo summoned a camera in midair, stepped on it to leap upward, and rained down kicks as though demonstrating a taekwondo board-breaking routine.
She smashed their skulls as if breaking boards, used them as footholds to leap higher, and lashed out with her arms and legs alongside flashy spinning kicks, making the Maikumi burst like balloons.
On Floor 13, a samurai's vengeful spirit appeared, drawing its sword.
Three Mangnyeong Muja surrounded Wakamo and swung their swords, but... she took down the deathless warriors too.
There was no way ordinary monsters from the lower floors, let alone elite monsters or elite bosses, could still be a match for Wakamo.
She caught the swords swinging from both sides with both hands, then kicked one foot backward and caught the remaining blade with her toes.
"Too slow!!"
She spun around one leg as an axis and sent them flying, then even performed the feat of kicking away their swords and impaling the airborne Mangnyeong Muja with the blades.
Even if there were no blind spots through the camera, moving her body while sharing that perspective was an entirely separate matter....
It was obvious to Climbers, but Wakamo displayed such brilliant combat sense that she surpassed even that, rampaging like a master.
On Floor 14, when the shapeless mass of flesh called Monohutfoo surged like a giant wave and tried to engulf her, she once again made it burst like a balloon with a single straight punch.
On Floor 15, Bakotsu, a horse engulfed in flames, fled from Wakamo while spewing scorching heat.
It seemed intent on covering the entire field in fire and killing her, but....
She ran faster than the horse and caught up, then pounced and sent it rolling as though showing what it meant for a fox to hunt a beast, completely breaking it apart and crushing it to finish it off.
On Floor 16, Sunakake Baba charged with her claws raised, spraying sand that [Blinded] Wakamo's vision the moment she arrived and emitting a grotesque laugh.
But Wakamo normally kept her eyes closed anyway, so she rotated her wrist to deflect the attack and decapitated Sunakake Baba with a knife-hand strike.
On Floor 17─the Shirime yokai, with no eyes, nose, or mouth on its face but an eye on its butt, fired beams and spread a barrage of bullets.
Wakamo simply took the hits and charged like a tank, smashing into it with her enormous body and causing the crushed Shirime to burst miserably.
On Floor 18, Yama-arashi fired a storm of spines that were as difficult to pull out once embedded as porcupine quills, crying, "Ke-ke-ke!!" as it tried to turn Wakamo into a cactus, but.
When even the sharp tips of the spines could not pierce her in the slightest, Yama-arashi tried to flee, but the captured beast was rolled up and crushed into a ball between Wakamo's two hands.
Floor 19─
"Dieeeeeee──!!"
A foul-looking oni wearing a straw raincoat and holding a kitchen knife charged toward her.
"Hooh... what splendid fighting spirit."
Clang!
The kitchen knife touched her chest, which seemed like the softest place, but the sound that rang out was metallic.
"Those who wield only blades... need only concern themselves with that alone....."
Wakamo's smooth arm was revealed beneath her flowing sleeve.
When she exerted her strength, the skin curled around her arm and transformed like scales.
"Only brute strength matters!!"
With a single swing, the [Namahage], whose head had vanished, staggered and collapsed.
As though no one could stop her stride, Wakamo boldly climbed to Floor 20. The moment she arrived, the enemy standing before her roared.
"Gwoooooooh!!!"
[You are climbing the Kyoto Tower Floor 20 world]
-Climber, fight, survive, and overcome.
[Platinum Achievement Conditions]
-Do not retreat against the [Yokai Bear Oniguma] (0/1)
-Defeat the [Yokai Bear Oniguma] within 10 exchanges (0/1)
-Win a contest of strength against the [Yokai Bear Oniguma] (0/1)
-Do not get injured (0/1)
-Defeat it within 1 minute (0:01)
"Come on, then."
The yokai bear, only slightly smaller than Wakamo, flinched in surprise at her fighting spirit.
Vast amounts of Mana were visible enough to take shape with the naked eye.
Wakamo activated the maximum level of physical enhancement she could calculate without dying, and the savage bear instead turned around and tried to flee.
"When the match is decided, the elevation... the height above sea level...."
But Wakamo gave it no time, rushing forward and locking fingers with the bear's raised forepaws.
"The one who keeps their head higher.... is the winner, right?"
"Grr... grooo...."
The bear's knees bent.
Unable to withstand Wakamo's brute strength pressing down from above, the yokai bear's body folded backward.
"You can't run away from a Climber... can you, Tower...?"
An extraordinary fighting spirit overflowed from Wakamo as she muttered with the corners of her mouth raised and her red eyes flashing.
The King of Fists swallowed as he watched Wakamo's face on the screen.
Was the fox god who had returned to the modern world hungry because there was no strong opponent worth fighting...?
He had warned them, yet the oppressive feeling coming through Wakamo's screen was as if she wanted them to come to her instead, and he smiled.
A life-or-death battle against a strong opponent, risking one's life.... Something impossible, and forbidden, in this age...!!
"It's not that I want to return to those days, but.... I don't want to imagine what it must have been like...."
[Kyoto Tower Floor 20 has achieved its Platinum conditions. Announce the Climber's honor and glory]
[Rewards have increased due to the Tower Platinum clear]
[The Climber has been granted 30 Additional Stats]
[You have acquired 10 【Broadcast Points】. Current: 732]
[Status Window]
[Climber: Wakamo Inarizushi]
[Job: VTuber]
[Age: 1,000 years old]
[Stats]
Mana: 700,000
[Additional Stats: 72]
"Not bad...."
The lower floors... She had no skills, but it was still only Floor 20.
Thirty Additional Stats was.... satisfactory.
-Lady Fox God, why are you so angry....
-Was the offering insufficient...?
-Don't tell me the merchandise already sold out?
-Did some VTuber graduate?
-Did the Queen take a break?
-Why is every single one of these idiots assuming it's because of a VTuberㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-That's the only thing the boss gets angry aboutㅋㅋㅋㅋ
"Shall we go farther?"
How should she put it─things were so effortlessly easy that even Wakamo felt empty inside.
There were no floors that required cooperation in [Kyoto Tower], so she could simply keep climbing.
Would the Incheon Tower give her Additional Stats from now on too if she conquered it?
What if it demanded stats, gave her no skills, and only handed out stats?
More importantly, why wasn't the restriction being lifted even though she was climbing the Tower?
With all sorts of worries on her mind, Wakamo boldly climbed to Floor 21.
'I used to climb to survive, but now it's ridiculous that I'm climbing because I need stats.'
First she had worked hard playing the game and raised her character, only for a sudden update to create a situation where it seemed better to raise a new character from scratch....
'Mana, subscribers, Additional Stats, Broadcast Points... fuck... It isn't going to keep increasing, is it? This is a terrible game...!'
At this rate, wouldn't the Tower eventually say things like, I did everything you wanted, Wakamo.
I normalized the Legendary Class for you. Anyway, you're healthy now, aren't you?
"Squeee!!"
When a flying squirrel came swooping in as if asking to be hugged, Wakamo unconsciously caught it, and it clung tightly to her chest.
As its face became buried between them, the believers' chat exploded.
In the midst of that, Nobusuma, which had sharpened its teeth, bit down on Wakamo's chest to suck her blood, and the chat evolved into a rocket.
"...Come to think of it, would something come out if it sucked?"
-What?
-What did you just say?
-Wakamo Mama!!!! Waaah waaah waaah!!!
-Please, just let me bury my face there once!!
-What comes out?! Are all the unicorns going to die?!
-Enough!! Even unicorns make an exception for milfs!!!
-Isn't she a widow?
-Fuckㅋㅋㅋ Everyone's gone insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
No, when she thought about it, she vomited and even her tears flowed as Mana, so couldn't something come out of her chest too...? Judging from the believers' reactions, this was a streaming disaster.
For now, Wakamo beat down all twenty Nobusuma and climbed higher to calm herself.
On Floor 22, a Nozuchi containing a Tsuchinoko emerged, with a triangular head and a thick, short body like a beer bottle.
It charged boldly, but its upper and lower jaws were seized and torn apart from side to side.
On Floor 23, an old woman monster appeared, dressed in a yukata with an elongated head extending far backward.
When the famous Nurarihyon appeared, the believers became noisy.
Its slimy movements were disgusting enough even while it was hiding, but the moment it attacked Wakamo, its position was revealed, and a single kick split it in two.
On Floor 24, the giant snake yokai Numagōzen burst out of the lake and transformed into a six-meter-tall giant woman, grabbing Wakamo's body and lifting her.
Naturally, it could not budge her, let alone lift her.
Wakamo grabbed its arms and threw it into the ground.
On Floor 25, Tofu Kozō appeared, and anyone hit by the tofu it threw would sprout mold all over their body, but... since Wakamo did not grow mold, she split its head with a knife-hand strike for playing with food.
On Floor 26, a swarm of ground sharks swimming through the earth tried to attack all at once, but Wakamo increased her weight and devastated the ground with a single jump, killing them all.
On Floor 27, the giant wall yokai Nurikabe tried to crush her, but they shattered into pieces....
On Floor 28, a monk ghost appeared and used spells while swinging blades, but when it cast a spell, Wakamo answered with the flames of the idol and turned it into ash.
On Floor 29, a monstrous crab... a gigantic Bakegani emerged and tried to cut Wakamo with its pincers, but when its arm was torn off, it pierced her chest.
-No, she's way too strong....
-Is this right...? Are all Climbers this strong?
-Naturally, the boss really is insane, yeah.
-This is a clear we can't use for reference at all....
"Don't get so discouraged, everyone.... Huh?"
When she stepped onto Floor 30, an announcement rang out.
Something she had never heard before.... No, a situation that had never occurred until now had unfolded.
"【[Kyoto Tower] has sent a lion to [the Idol] and challenged her to a duel! O revered idol of Korea, win and make it submit!】"
-????? Did the Tower just speak???
-It called her an idol? Did it just call Lady Wakamo an idol?
-Is this some kind of special event for her job class?
-The Towers do differ by job class, but....
-Different races really do make all kinds of things happen.
[You are climbing the Kyoto Tower Floor 30 world]
-Revered idol, show all people your will.
-Overcome it, defeat it, make it follow you, and force it to submit.
-[Kyoto Tower] sends a lion to [the Idol] and challenges her to a duel.
[Platinum Achievement Conditions]
-Do not retreat against the [Izuna-type Female Tengu (飯綱系 女天狗)] (0/1)
"The Izuna god?"
The tengu that appeared before her silently drew its sword, and Wakamo raised hers as well.
Then pure-white flames rose up.
Wakamo's eyes went wide when white flames bloomed on the tengu's sword rather than her own.
-The same color...?
-What is this? What in the world is happening???
-Even the boss is surprised????
-Flame breathing incoming!!!
The tengu flew toward her using swordsmanship qualitatively beyond anything Wakamo displayed, spinning and drawing circles through the air.
Wakamo immediately swung [Kusanagi's Sword] to parry, but the tengu spread its wings, leaped, flipped its body, and moved behind Wakamo in an instant.
Wakamo retreated while parrying the rapid sword strikes that whipped around with flames covering the tengu's entire body, and a gust of wind swept through.
Wind coiled around the blade.
Before long, the blade multiplied into nine and stabbed through Wakamo.
The believers marveled as she spun her hands in a wide arc and parried every one of them.
When she turned and launched a kick, the tengu wrapped itself in lightning, transformed into light before her eyes, and vanished.
'[Idol's Lightning]!'
It had to be that skill Wakamo had never learned!
'The same class...!!'
The tengu before her was an idol just like Wakamo!!
The incredibly fast sword strikes poured down with peals of thunder and spat fire, while sharp whirlwinds shaved away at Wakamo.
The believers grew anxious as the tengu's swordsmanship looked like the sight of a natural disaster itself and Wakamo seemed to be pushed back.
Wakamo followed the sword with her eyes and used both hands and feet, but her opponent was a true sword expert and master in every sense of the word.
And what about the way it had wings, allowing it to leap freely without being bound by gravity?
Every area except the ground belonged to the tengu. Wakamo, who had enhanced her body, was reduced to frantically parrying its attacks, and no further explanation was needed.
It was as if the situation were saying, This is the true strength of an idol that you don't know!
Ding─!
[A promotional broadcast for the collaboration! The black-and-white duo has arrived!].
-Oh, a broadcast notice just popped up.
-It starts in thirty minutes?
Crack─
Wakamo's concentration broke, and the tengu's blade cut through the arm holding her sword.
In the middle of the crisis─far from panicking, Wakamo's eyes were fixed on the broadcast notice that had appeared.
'A character card with a signature included as a special limited bonus?'
"I will factorize all my sorrow and rage toward the Tower!!"
The believers saw it. They did not know about the existence of the [Phoenix's Descendant] skill, and since Hohimi was not here, they could not see it either.
They saw the severed arm reconstruct itself as she activated the skill, which could be used even from a distance.
She boosted her stats from 10,000 to 100,000─it could only be maintained for seven seconds, but she recovered more Mana than she consumed.
In other words, it was a limiter release lasting seventy seconds..!!
Kwaaang──!!!
Wakamo reached the far end of the Tower in an instant; when she slammed into it, she braked, leaving a straight mark across the ground.
The tengu only realized belatedly that Wakamo had passed it and turned its head.
Wakamo recovered her sword while running and infused it with Mana. The trembling blade began to swell and lengthen──
She sliced down everything visible beneath the airborne tengu's feet in a single strike, bringing the entire landscape crashing down.
It looked as though she had cut through space, but in reality she had merely infused the blade with Mana and extended it.
That was even more threatening.
The tengu flew through the air, maneuvering to avoid the slashes that came hurtling toward it as Wakamo wildly swung her sword from a distance.
Moving through an area where there was not the slightest opening, it accelerated faster and faster without suffering a single wound, parrying with its sword while wrapped in flames and lightning. It felt almost divine.
The tengu flexibly twisted its body and created a sonic boom with a bang! The moment it accelerated and flew toward Wakamo.
The forms of the tengu and Wakamo crossed simultaneously.
The floor was devastated, shredded by swords in every direction.
The two swordsmen crossed like a scene from a movie... and, after a brief moment, suffocating silence descended.
The tengu, its chest cut open, dropped to its knees while spraying blood.
Wakamo pulled the sword embedded in the tengu's neck free and threw it away, then adjusted the camera angle, stylishly sheathed her sword, and brushed back her hair.
"It was a good fight, Tengu."
[Kyoto Tower Floor 30 has achieved its Platinum conditions. Announce the Climber's honor and glory]
[Rewards have increased due to the Tower Platinum clear].
[The Climber has been granted 30 Additional Stats]
[You have acquired 10 【Broadcast Points】. Current: 947]
[Stats]
Mana: 700,000
[Additional Stats: 154]
"Whew─ that was tough...."
[Kyoto Tower transfers [Idol's Lion] [Izuna-type Female Tengu (飯綱系 女天狗)] to Wakamo Inarizushi!]
".....What?"
"Cough, cough...."
This tengu was bleeding to death from her wounds. She was my lion?
"Heal her before you go, you fucking bastard!!!! Oh god, she can't die!! Wake up, my friend!!!"
She slapped the tengu's cheeks to keep her from passing out, then frantically sprayed potions and staunched the bleeding.
Fortunately, the Tower did heal her.
And it reset her stats too.
"You fucking bastard!!!! Give her back, you damn strong tengu!!!"
[If the level is too high, it will not obey its owner's commands]
"Then did you send someone with a high level to kill me?! Before that, monsters had levels? If I can't see a level, does that mean it isn't level 0? Is this Pokémon?! At least give me a badge!!!"
Wakamo collapsed face-first onto the floor and sobbed miserably like someone who had lost their home.
The believers were left speechless because the Tower's notification window had appeared in a way that made it impossible to miss.
Watching Wakamo cry as though the world were ending, the believers cried along with her.