Chapter 54
Wakamo's other broadcast was a massive explosion in more ways than one.
The flood of posts on the community became impossible to handle, and even people who had no interest in VTubers began complaining that everyone should stop posting the same thing—only to check the content and jump into the discussion themselves.
Academia had long been conducting extensive research into the question, 『What is the Tower?』
The Tower possesses a sense of self.
And it chooses Climbers.
The common traits of Climbers were that they did not fear monsters, did not shy away from conflict, and possessed strong wills.
Of course, they were still human in the end.
There were certainly some who became frustrated and had their spirits broken by pain they had never experienced before. There were even Climbers who suffered from trauma and developed phobias of monsters.
But the moment they became Climbers.... They might agonize over whether to climb the Tower, yet most of them never seriously questioned fighting the monsters that emerged from it.
People had wondered whether the Tower twisted human perception, but it had been discovered long ago that the Tower chose only 『people who had always been like that』 in the first place.
It gave them the 『class』 suited to them.
It understood human civilization, created the appropriate 『items』 and 『skills』 accordingly, and even created life such as a [Summoner]'s 『summons.』
The Tower was not an entity seeking to destroy humanity.
On the contrary, scholars believed that it seemed to desire humanity's survival, as well as its development and evolution.
And then there were the bizarre and twisted classes called 『Legendary Classes.』
In some cases, they were so dazzling and noble that they seemed almost divine.
Yet they were also utterly unexpected and incomprehensible.... Among all Climbers, only one person could possess each of these classes.
There were countless classes of every kind, but.... the existence currently receiving the most attention from researchers, scholars, and professors was 『Wakamo Inarizushi.』
She was not a monster that had emerged from the Tower.
There was overwhelming evidence that she had clearly existed since before the Tower itself appeared.
That was why most people believed that her species had changed because of a Legendary Class.
That was the prevailing opinion.... until the moment the Tower spoke to Wakamo on the thirtieth floor of the Kyoto Tower, turning everything upside down.
The [Kyoto Tower] had summoned its "emissary" and challenged Wakamo Inarizushi to single combat.
The only class that subdued monsters through combat and made them submit was the [Summoner].
But Summoners studied the monsters they wanted to tame, formed summoning contracts, and worked to turn them into [Skills]─a case where one suddenly appeared and demanded that a monster be subdued had never once been reported in academia.
──Of course, that only meant it had never been made public.
Organizations seeking to "monopolize" information about Climbers might have known about it.
A spectacular sword dance between the fox god and the tengu continued fiercely, and after a grueling battle, Wakamo claimed victory by displaying extraordinary movements and combat ability, as though she had finally unleashed her power.
Immediately afterward, a window rose into view for the viewers as well, announcing that she had achieved a complete floor clear.
[The [Kyoto Tower] grants [Idol's Emissary] [Izuna-style Onna Tengu (飯綱系 女天狗)] to Wakamo Inarizushi!]
──Yes, the Tower itself had given Wakamo Inarizushi a monster from the thirtieth floor as a reward.
[Humanoid] monsters were considered among the most difficult to tame.
They possessed high intelligence and intense hostility toward Climbers.
No one had yet discovered why they would choose death rather than submit.
Since it was not impossible, some [Summoners] did summon [Humanoids].
Even then, they possessed almost no intelligence, shared abilities with the Climber who summoned them, and did nothing but mechanically obey commands.
It was practically unprecedented for a [Humanoid] monster capable of displaying such astonishing abilities, as Wakamo had, to emerge from the thirtieth floor.
Why on earth?
Even now, ten years after countless people had died to the [Monsters] that emerged from the Tower.... monsters remained objects of fear and terror.
At the same time, everything about them was a subject of research.
If the Tower really had created even the monsters─then what exactly was the Tower?
The Tower had revealed a fragment of the answer by saying so directly.
"【The [Kyoto Tower] sends an emissary to the [Idol] and challenges her to single combat! Revered idol of Korea, defeat it and make it submit!】"
What was an [Idol]?
It meant something modeled after the form of a god.
That meant Wakamo Inarizushi was an idol modeled after the form of a god.
She had always introduced herself as a fox god.
──She was effectively the last mystery remaining from modern East Asian mythology, and the only living idol.
Then what was the Tower? What was the nature of the Tower that had sent an emissary to that idol....?
Some had claimed that the Tower was an alien invasion, but at that moment, it was practically confirmed.
The Tower minimized the importance of combat as much as possible for production-oriented and noncombat classes.
Conversely, it continually increased the difficulty of trials for powerful combat classes.
Then what about Wakamo?
Her strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Climber, and her actions were anything but ordinary. She possessed countless abilities that made it impossible to guess what class she had.
She was unquestionably a Legendary Class, but.... she often laughed and said that she herself had grown weaker.
The Tower had forcibly changed her class to the Legendary Class called [Idol], and she was climbing the Tower as a result.
Since the Tower was making her climb against her will, could it be that she knew the truth of the Tower?
"No... I don't know either...."
"You don't know...?"
Wakamo was being interviewed by the Japanese Association president and the Fist King, accompanied by a single reporter, and answered with an expression of genuine bewilderment.
The only idol alive in the modern age!! A fox god modeled after the form of a god!! A worshiped being climbing the Tower to save humanity!!
"Then are you saying that you are an idol?!"
"Ah, yes, indeed!! I, the idol that is me, exist right here!!"
"I knew it!! Disciple!! Go buy some liquor to place on the shrine altar!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
"No, I was joking, so please don't take it seriously!!"
It was hopeless. No matter how insistently Wakamo denied it, no one was going to believe her.
She was already so troubled that the Kyoto Tower had arbitrarily dumped the [Idol's Emissary] on her.
Then the broadcast had spread the Tower's direct declaration that it would challenge Wakamo Inarizushi, the "idol," to the entire world.
And to top it all off, Wakamo had sobbed her heart out, asking why it had given her such a thing as a reward.
"This is really troublesome! I'm just an ordinary Climber, you know? I'm not a god or anything—I'm just an idol!"
"What an incredibly modest person....."
"Shouldn't the Association president arrange more VTuber collaborations?"
──Laugh, and the whole world will laugh with you. Weep, and you will weep alone.
Why was that sentence running through Wakamo's mind?
She wanted to collapse to the floor, sob, and whine that she was just a VTuber, but.
Wakamo held it in because the bounty on her head had probably become ridiculously high.
She did not care if people came to kill her, but if they mentioned VTubers, crazy people might threaten her by taking the VTuber's safety hostage.
From Wakamo's perspective, it simply felt as though the Tower had checked whether she was qualified to raise an emissary and then handed one over to her.
"......"
Blank──
The [Izuna-style Onna Tengu], who kept her wings hidden, had not said a single word even by the time Wakamo brought her outside.
It was as though she did not possess a sense of self at all. No matter what Wakamo asked her, she never answered.
"Um... Association president... if you don't mind me asking, is this what it feels like when a [Summoner] tames a [Humanoid]?"
"That is usually the case. To elaborate, [Summoners] are said to feel as though their tamed monsters are one with themselves. There are even lustful Climbers who climb the Tower while targeting beautiful humanoid monsters."
"I could have done without knowing that last part...."
Wakamo could not help sighing again and again.
The reporter asked the tengu all sorts of questions, but she did not react to any external stimulus whatsoever.
"Would you like to smile?"
The Onna Tengu grinned.
Though Wakamo said nothing else, the Onna Tengu tilted her head and smiled as though promising to obey Wakamo's command to the greatest extent possible.
Although she was smiling, the robotic, inorganic quality in her eyes, which held no emotion whatsoever, was overwhelmingly strong.
Her blue hair and blue-sleeved clothing were designed to expose quite a daring amount of skin.
In particular.... her underwear was shockingly a thong. Wakamo could not help wondering whether that was the Tower's preference.
Her skin was an almost unnaturally pure, pallid white.
Rather than a human, the tengu strongly resembled a doll... no, something that merely resembled a human, and she gently swayed her hips as she showed off her cuteness.
Her decadent charm was so excessive that Wakamo wondered whether the broadcast might be restricted.
"....[Idol's Emissary]"
[Idol's Emissary]
[Name: None]
[Mother: Kyoto 100-Floor Tower]
[Owner: Wakamo Inarizushi]
[Class: Idol (VTuber)]
[Skills]
-[None]
[Stats]
Vitality: 1
Mana: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Constitution: 1
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 1
'Tower, you fucking bastard....'
A VTuber was an idol, sure, but not this kind of idol.....
This was not an exaggeration: it looked as though the thing would die if she lightly tapped it. Cold sweat ran down Wakamo's back.
In the end, Wakamo checked her subscriber count reluctantly.
[Wakamo Inarizushi]
Subscribers: 2.45 million.
'Could it survive for just one day...?'
If it fell over and died, a perfectly good skill would disappear permanently.
Was the Tower making fun of her, as though it were saying that it was saving the good skills for later so it could coast through the endgame? Not a chanceㅋㅋㅋ Heehee, countermeasure launched!!...
'I will permanently invest Mana.... Wakamo bows her head to the Tower.... Please, show me some mercy....'
[Status Window]
[Climber: Wakamo Inarizushi]
[Class: VTuber]
[Age: 1,000 years old]
[Stats]
Mana: 700,000
Idol's Emissary: 1,750,000
[Additional Stats: 154]
'Is it really right for the pet to be stronger than the owner..?'
[Additional Stats: 1,750]
[From now on, you can use Additional Stats to increase your stats]
'Awwww....'
The Tower was ripping away the subscribers she had worked so hard to earn....!! Everyone!! The Tower is scamming me!!!
Unable to complain to anyone, Wakamo swallowed her sorrow inwardly.
'........Come to think of it, what does investing in each stat increase?'
Poor Wakamo had never invested even a single Additional Stat in her entire life, so she did not know what to raise or how much it would increase.
Moreover, the effects differed by class, and Wakamo had never invested in the stats of an [Idol] despite being an [Idol] herself, so she had no idea.
'Can I reset my stats...?'
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Constitution: 51
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 1
Additional Stats: 1,700
"........"
She boldly invested in Vitality first, since it was the most important stat. Was it about ten times as effective..? Then what about Mana?
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 5,100
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Constitution: 51
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 51
Charisma: 1
Additional Stats: 1,650
"....?"
Why was this thing's Mana stat increasing so much?
She had not intended to invest in Charisma at first..... No, would it be better to raise everything evenly?
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 5,100
Strength: 51
Agility: 51
Constitution: 51
Intelligence: 51
Wisdom: 51
Charisma: 51
Additional Stats: 1,450
'Hmm.... A skill purchase window...?'
[Available Skills]
-[Learning Ability]: 10 stat points.
-[Exceptional Thinking]: 10 stat points.
-[Izuna-Style Sorcery]: 10 stat points.
-[Kuzunoha-Style Sorcery]: 10 stat points.
-[Internet Connection]: 50 stat points.
-[Video Recording]: 10 stat points.
She nearly choked and swore, but..... Wait. Come to think of it, if she had stat points, she could use ordinary [Skills], couldn't she?
Why could this thing use them when even the owner could not? [Idol's Body] was the worst....
Wakamo trembled as she felt an indescribable and utterly unreasonable injustice.
She squeezed her eyes shut and spent all 100 stat points to purchase every available skill on the list.
'Wait, but I can't see the skill descriptions.'
Should she ask the Association president to contact the Sorcerers' Association and find out what skills there were?
Although she had invested her stats boldly, there was no particularly dramatic change worth mentioning.
"Then from now on, it'll be something like Lady Wakamo's "shikigami," won't it?"
"How about giving her a name? She's blue, so Aoi.... The name could be.... Hmm..."
"Aoi Asuka"
Wakamo caught the surname the Fist King had muttered and blurted out the name.
She did not particularly want to spend a long time thinking about it. It had even once ranked first among girls' names in Japan.
A VTuber's name should be somewhat unusual and distinctive, but something ordinary would be fine too.
"Explain"
"Huh?"
"The name 'Asuka' comes from 'Asadal,' the first capital of Gojoseon. 'Dal' is an old word for 'mountain,' while 'Asa' refers to Asuka, an ancient capital of Japan, and 'As' means tomorrow in Japanese. In ancient times, it meant 'the next morning,' and it carries complex meanings in both ancient Korean and ancient Japanese."
".....Did you just say that?"
"It can also be understood as asa (あさ), meaning morning, or as 'assa' in Korean, meaning 'How exciting!'"
Her intelligence had suddenly increased, and she began rattling off unsolicited trivia. More importantly, wasn't that last part misinformation?
It really felt as though a robot were speaking, and when Wakamo grew uncomfortable, the reporter thrust a microphone toward her and asked.
"You can speak? How did you learn? Are you an intelligent monster?"
"I can speak because my owner, Wakamo Inarizushi, bestowed intelligence upon me. I am currently accessing the internet through Wakamo's abilities, learning, and answering. I am a form of biological artificial intelligence, and rather than a monster, I am an emissary serving an idol. According to Japanese culture, I am closer to a shikigami."
"Stop talking..."
Asuka had begun speaking fluently without the slightest hesitation.
Wakamo told her to stop because she felt things would grow complicated if she let her continue, and Asuka immediately clamped her mouth shut.
But everyone was already looking at her as though she were a godlike being capable of granting even intelligence to a shikigami, and Wakamo's eyes filled with tears.
More importantly, was learning from the internet really okay.... seriously...?
Had there really been such malicious intent hidden in the otherwise unremarkable list of available skills?
"....Fist King. I'll just add buffs to the companion for now and return to Korea...."
"Then could you request a fox orb or Inari's Dew?"
"Impossible"
Wakamo was checking the companion category to purchase something when Asuka suddenly spoke.
Before Wakamo had even pressed the purchase button, Asuka looked at her and delivered a precise verbal beating.
"Aoi Asuka, Wakamo's shikigami, was created by the Kyoto Tower according to her owner's requirements. She is optimized for twenty-four-hour broadcasting with an appearance suitable for a VTuber, and for acting as an agent who leads and interacts with believers using knowledge acquired through learning. In other words, because you invested your points pointlessly in [Attack Skills], you cannot purchase a single one of the items you just mentioned."
"F-Fu... fu... fuu.... ....Wh... why.... didn't you tell me that?"
"It is presumed that the Tower did not account for Wakamo Inarizushi's lack of intelligence."
Should she hit her? No, endure it...
Wakamo's fist trembled violently, but she calmed her anger through superhuman patience.
She could not bring herself to swear in front of the reporter, could she?
She had already unleashed plenty of profanity on stream, but there were disciples here too.
When she tried to buy them, each of the two required 60 stat points.
If she had not bought even one Attack Skill, she really could have bought one of them!! She had not known that!!
I was so eager for [Attack Skills] that I ended up making this mistake!!
'Should I destroy the Kyoto Tower...? No. Endure it, Daji within me....'
Holding the collaboration merchandise against her chest, Wakamo decided to go home. She did not want to stay in Japan any longer.
She told the Fist King that she would add the companion buffs next time....
She boldly opened her wallet, declaring that she would pay, only to create the embarrassing situation of discovering she had no money before turning away.
I'm so embarrassed I could die....
"That's wonderful!! A beautiful woman promoting it has value in its own right!! How about saying that the shikigami is promoting her owner's merchandise? Here, a Wakamo tail-fur pillow!!"
And the manager, who had been working tirelessly without taking a break, was there to welcome Wakamo when she returned to Korea.
It was a soft, fluffy, luxuriant tail-fur pillow. Even selling it at a high price would barely leave any profit, but Wakamo had plenty of money and insisted on premium materials.
She had no choice but to sell it cheaply, thinking of it as a gift for her fans!!
The community was already filled with viewers eagerly awaiting the shikigami's first stream.
After all, nothing could be more fascinating than a talking monster(?).
Wakamo first introduced her in the announcement as a shikigami-type VTuber, not a monster.
At the regression past a bygone era to even primitive ancient AI, the believers merely laughed and said, "Ahㅋㅋㅋ I seeㅋㅋ."
"I'll give you your first mission... You have to sell something... understand?"
"Understood"
"Then study how to promote products online and give it a try."
Half anxious and half expectant... Still, she was a shikigami given to her by the Tower.
She was the [Idol's Emissary] the Kyoto Tower itself had given to Wakamo!!
A customized shikigami(?) created specifically to let Wakamo stream as a VTuber!!
I believe in you, our Aoi Asuka!!
"I have taken the liberty of joining this broadcast because I wish to introduce you to one product you truly need."
The screen lit up, and a blue-haired woman with an emotionless expression and tone began spouting nonsense while holding a tail-fur pillow.
"Now, let us examine the product. This pillow has fur growing on it. In professional terminology, we call it merchandise. Made in Korea. Please do not concern yourself with whether it is from the north or the south. At an incredibly reasonable price—a low price, a mere 39,800 won for one pillow!"
"Get out"
Wakamo clenched her folding fan and smacked Asuka on the back of the head.
I was an idiot for trusting a shikigami VTuber who learned from the internet.
I shouldn't let this thing debut... I'll just make her tag along on my streams....
"I will try again"
"Fine"
"Disappear, inferior life-forms"
"Get out"