Chapter 9
A world where fantasies had become reality.
A world where the fantasies once seen only in books had burst into reality!
Some people were disappointed that it wasn't a Gate-type world. But they were relieved that participating in the Tower was not mandatory, and that most Climbers who ascended the Tower had good character while also being prepared to fight and kill─.
Most of them considered climbing the Tower only natural.
Was it because honor and glory awaited them above, along with the exhilaration of conquering the Tower? Of course, that was part of it──but so was the dopamine that came from strength beyond human limits!!
The power to seize and shake the world through sheer physical strength! That~ too, but there was also the simple fact that they could make a lot of money. They made and spent a lot of money, increasing the circulation of wealth, and society functioned well as a result─ the world had become a little more comfortable to live in than before.
The country had barely collapsed and recovered in a half-assed, slapdash fashion, so Tower climbing had simply been added to society at large. The Towers were classified as natural disasters, and it ended with people merely training to respond to Tower collapses whenever they occurred. The overflowing weapons and trained soldiers were used to repel the monsters that appeared during Tower collapses, so from the nation's long-term perspective, there was surprisingly no major disadvantage.
And the ghosts of internet communities continued living much the same lives as before.
They posted bait like “A Tower-dweller has awakened,” or uploaded proof shots of themselves genuinely awakening and climbing.
Since these people actually risked their lives climbing, others only teased them to a reasonable degree. But because Climbers faced enormously severe punishments for committing crimes, their treatment under human-rights laws could truly be called the aristocratic class of the modern age. Of course, those benefits came with the corresponding responsibility of serving the people as aristocrats.
In the end, Climbers ascended the Tower for all sorts of broad reasons.
[Poster: ㅇㅇ]
[Title: VTuber Means the Strongest Fighter on Earth.]
(GIF of the Fox God instantly killing a charging Feral Deer with a knife-hand strike)
In an age overflowing with countless VTubers.
At last, VTubers had expanded their influence to Tower climbing.
The endpoint reached by metaverse technology, which advanced with every passing day.
It was truly primitive violence!!
ㄴI nearly pissed myself when I heard that heavy sound.
ㄴCompared to the boss, the bullies from my school days were fucking weaklings.
ㄴForum bro.... Climbers are UFC-level by default...
[Poster: Braised Tangerine Praise Bat Brigade]
[Title: Enlarged Shot of the Fox God's Breast Mole Count]
Sorry, guys, it was actually bait. There isn't anything like that here.
More importantly, I'm in a desperate hurry, so I drew a lewd picture of our boss.
Does our boss have human rights? What if I get sued?
ㄴIf you're a Climber, you gain even the human rights you didn't have.
ㄴPlease donate some lewd art. Our little buddy is starving...
ㄴWhen that happens, you draw an even more arousing picture and get forgiven, right?
ㄴFor real, this seems like the answerㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ(GIF of the Fox God saying, “Don't hold back, just blow your load.”)
[Poster: If You Trade Stocks You're Not Human]
[Title: Is This Really Right? Is This Really the Boss Who Used to Post Animal Dick Pics Every Day, Calling Them Lewd Pics?]
Thinking about it again, they were lewd pics because the boss was a beast.
A person who traded stocks wasn't human, but succeeded because they were a beastly bastard.
Newton was such an idiot. He should have become disqualified as a human and qualified as a beast like the boss insteadㅎㅎ.
(Image plastered with red stock charts)
I have worshiped our Wakamo from the very beginning.
There aren't any gullible idiots who didn't believe, right? I bought YouTube stock on the very first day of her stream.
But that's amateur hour.
(Image of Wakamo Coin being created)
All in, win or lose.
ㄴThis is fucking insane and stupid. I'm dumping everything into it right now.
ㄴThe one who made the coin is the one who'll die anyway, not meㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴThe entire community has become a vortex of madness because of one truly insane boss.
ㄴNo, we really didn't know she wouldn't be a human being.
[Poster: Long Live Her Majesty the Queen of the Inch Law]
[Title: Uu... Wakamo mama... Your maternal-love pockets are so huge, mofu..]
Putting that aside, is this really a VTuber...?
No matter how you look at it, isn't she just an internet streamer? A streamer?
Why on earth does she call herself a VTuber?
If she conquered the Tower, then she's real, isn't she?
A two-meter-tall, huge-breasted, fox-eared, closed-eyed, shark-toothed, sheltered-maiden-like goddess really exists in reality!!
ㄴHuh? We'll be watching her through a screen for the rest of our lives anyway, won't we?
ㄴOur boss has staked her life on VTubers, so why does that matter?
ㄴDo you have proof that's her real appearance? What if she's actually a thousand-year-old thicc loli fox god?
ㄴWakya-pyah-heok, thicc loliㅋㅋ
Wakamo's fame spread across internet communities as if someone had poured oil onto a fire. Of course, most of them were cheering because, despite being two meters tall, she had a model-like figure and overwhelmingly huge breasts─especially when they swayed like water bags with every knife-hand strike....
More people chose to respect the line with a “I'm afraid of getting sued, so I'll stop here!!” But most still couldn't shake their bewilderment over why she was a VTuber.
Anyone who entered the channel saw over 2,000 videos and more than 200 VTubers and understood, but many things still didn't sit right.
Couldn't she just become an internet streamer?
Would that really be so wrong...?
But everyone who pointed that out was permanently banned without exception. Besides, the boss had been a VTuber while hiding her identity all this time. Since it still wasn't certain whether she was really a fox god─and people were watching her through a screen anyway, unable to know whether the appearance she showed was real, the prevailing opinion was that she was a VTuber after all.
In the midst of this, some people argued that Giant Pengpeng, who lived while wearing a penguin mascot suit, must also be a VTuber, while others countered that Jegal Nuri wore a mascot suit too but wasn't a VTuber.
Eventually, they even arrived at the dictionary definition: wasn't an internet broadcaster who conducted a show through a character that represented them simply a VTuber?
Honestly, more people didn't care about any of that. What they needed was a massive hit of dopamine.
In this ever-advancing metaverse age, they were getting addicted to the violence displayed at the endpoint of humanity's technology.
There were plenty of strategy videos and monster-hunting videos filmed by Climbers, but every one of them was flashy, sparkling, and fast─they were filled with footage that truly felt like watching a movie. In an age when everyone fought with weapons, people who fought purely with their arms and legs like the Fox God were rare enough to count on one hand.
The appeal of primitive violence displayed by returning to the beginning of time.
Overwhelming realism that could never be created through imagination alone!!
People were flocking to the martial power produced by a VTuber who climbed the Tower while presenting a character other than herself as her representative.
A VTuber's stream could be enjoyed in edited form, too.
But wouldn't everyone agree that an overwhelming live broadcast was more thrilling?
※※※
"Stand! Attention! Hello. I am Wakamo Inarizushi."
-Are you really going with that as your greeting?
-Stand at attention, comrade! You too!
-Are you climbing Floor 5 today?
-Are you really a fox god, or is it just a concept?
"I'm still thinking about my greeting. I'm also thinking about my streaming rules. I really am a fox god. You've seen the real thing, so worship me."
-Why am I getting oddly excited now that you're suddenly speaking kindly?
-Is it just me, or does it feel like my eyes are on her breasts even though I'm only typing comments?
-If the boss quits streaming, who's going to climb the Tower for us.....
-The Tower climb is on the line, so I really acted like a pathetic simp. If she quits streaming, the NIS will probably show upㅋㅋㅋ
-Gasp!! I wasn't typing in chat! This is our feisty cat act!
-But seriously, are you just doing this half-assedly without even deciding on a greeting?
"How many VTuber greetings do you think I know?"
-TMI) Even using them in rotation, you could fill almost an entire year.
-Can you really do that?
-The boss watches VTubers from America, Japan, and Indonesia too.
-It feels like just yesterday that I sobbed and unsubscribed when the red pills of Chinese VTubers were revealed en masse....
-I came here because of the knife-hand strike. Is the boss a crazy VTuber fiend?
-Our newbie really learns quickly!! What a clever bastard! Why are you here with intelligence like that?
-Her breasts.
-This bastard is fucking honest.
-I didn't say it, but most of us came here for pretty much the same reason.
-The rigging is so elaborate that it really looks real!
-Ahㅋㅋㅋ Be careful what you type in chatㅋㅋㅋ
To the viewers who seemed to be teasing her by saying, “It's obviously reality, with her climbing a Tower, and she's just insisting she's a VTuber,” Wakamo floated an internet window in midair.
Just as a VTuber might display a schedule on their desktop, she brought up a calendar and showed an approximate Tower-climbing schedule... along with the insane declaration that, barring any changes to her plans, she would climb one floor a day. Seeing the densely packed schedules of VTuber streams and the live broadcasts of three VTubers playing beneath the calendar, the viewers were beginning to feel afraid.
-You're coming to stream for us again tomorrow too! I'll trust you, Fox God!
-What the fuck is this passion for watching a broadcast while broadcasting yourself?
-Wait, are you clipping without looking over there right now? How the fuck do you do that, you bitch!
-She even sent a donation in the middle of itㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Well, well, it seems you never intended to communicate with us in the first place?
-You don't even open donations. Isn't it obvious if you watch?
"I know exactly what would happen if I opened video donations and regular donations, so what are you arguing about!! Just stare at my tits, you bastards."
-I was already looking, but thank you for giving us permission.
-I heated up my Hetbahn. May I take a bite after watching it three times?
-Since you're telling us anyway, please tell us the color of your panties too.
"Anyway. It's my second day of streaming, and I feel like my content is a little lacking while climbing the Tower. I opened a communication segment because I wanted to hear your opinions─ oh, our baby bird started an unarchived stream."
-No, fuck, you have no intention of communicating with us!!
-Is it for real that she went to listen to a song because an unarchived stream started in the middle of this??
-How are you using the internet inside the Tower????
"Because I'm a VTuber?"
-Aha! That was exactly the information I wanted. Thank you, you beastly bastard.
-This pisses me the fuck off, but when you put it that way, I can't refute it.
-Huh? Isn't she an internet streamer, not a VTuber? [This user has been permanently banned].
-See? There's no way to refute it.
-Look at her being invincible.
"Anyway, I'm shamelessly getting content for free. I'm such a fucking shameless bitch that I keep whining I have nothing to do. Give me some advice, VTuber bros."
-This pisses me the fuck off, but you showed us your belly button, so I'll think about it politely.
-Why is she so bewitching while lying on her side? This is driving me crazy.
-It would be rude to say I want to lick your collarbone just once, so I'll hold back.
-I'd like to see how your model is implemented. Could you show us the soles of your feet, perhaps?
-You fucking pervert, get out!!
-Modokini? Why are you here instead of turning on your stream!
-Wouldn't it be enough just to show us climbing the Tower?
Unfortunately, even the indoor types who watched streams and enjoyed communities every day were all cut from the same cloth. From the outset, it was only natural that she would be better at this than these people, since she consistently watched VTuber videos, clipped them, and edited them herself.
In response to the request to show her soles, she wiggled her toes, showed them, brushed herself off, and stood up.
Then she turned the camera and showed them a massive bull as large as a truck, snorting excitedly as it looked this way. Among the [Monsters] that could be seen in the Tower, it was the simplest sort of creature─but in a sense, it was the [Killer Ankole Watusi], known as a newbie killer.
-Wow, shit....
-It's fucking huge. Holy shit.
-The zoo can't even compare.
-Is this really a Floor 5 monster???
-Boss, you're unarmed. Are you okay??
The difference was enough to make the two-meter-tall Wakamo look small. The [Killer Ankole Watusi], whose horns were as large as its torso, scraped the ground wildly with its forehoof, snorted as though it were ready to charge at any moment, and shook its head roughly.
It was large enough to fill the screen. From an angle where they could see the back of Wakamo's head, the viewers met the eyes of Floor 5's newbie killer and instantly understood what it meant that [Climbers] had fundamentally different standards from ordinary humans.
Even if it wasn't the exact same monster, something that huge appeared as early as Floor 5.
Then what lay above? They realized that the Climbers really were risking their lives, and at the same time─
they began to worry that the boss might overexert herself for the sake of the broadcast and die.
"Woooaaaah──!!!!"
The enormous cow that people would mock as a “black cow” when they saw its color charged straight at Wakamo. Some were overwhelmed by the momentum of the massive monster charging forward, while others felt fear despite watching from beyond the screen. However, a few of them noticed that the camera had not moved at all.
They realized that Wakamo was standing still in that spot and panicked. Even so, when they tried to force their worries away by telling themselves she must have some kind of [Skill] allowing her to do that─
"Hup!!"
She spread her arms as if embracing the heavy bulk, pulled its head into her arms, grabbed its horns, and stopped it. Could a monster that had built up that much speed really stop from something like that?
"Uooogh!!!"
The [Killer Ankole Watusi] cried out in pain. Its neck sank into its body like a turtle withdrawing its head into its shell, as though a car had crumpled against a wall, its hind legs flying into the air while the back of the enormous monster cow gradually arched like a bow.
She had stopped it. Without being pushed back even a little from her original position!
"Ugoooogh!!!!"
A fist drove precisely into the space between its eyes. Its head caved in.
By the time the lower half of the [Killer Ankole Watusi], its eyes half bulging out and foam bubbling from its mouth, crashed down onto the ground with a thud, the already-dead [Killer Ankole Watusi] was slowly collapsing onto its side without even being able to close its eyes. Its lower body toppled over belatedly after the upper body collapsed.
Catching it was shocking enough, but so was the physical strength that killed it instantly with a single blow.
And her indifferent expression, as though none of it was particularly surprising.
-Wow! What did you do?!
"Huh? I'm clipping it."
-Fuck, that's not what I was asking.
"This is the Fox God's sorcery: physical force indistinguishable from magic."
-Excessive physical force is indistinguishable from magic meme.
-I want to see sorcery, but is this really sorcery?
-So, wait, is the stream really ending with this?
-But can you eat that too?
Wakamo stared at the chat flying by at bullet speed, then her eyes sparkled when she saw one believer's comment. Depending on their type, [Monsters] could also be used as ingredients. In other words─she could acquire not only simple Tower-climbing content but also a new kind of content called [Monster Cooking]!!
But she had no cooking tools. What should she do, then?
-??? What is the boss doing? Is she going to loot it?
-Why is she going toward the hind leg if she's going to loot it?
-Do Climbers normally smell things before looting them?
The viewers were afraid because she was such a crazy lunatic that they had no idea what she would do. Trembling with fear as they tried and failed to guess what would happen next, they watched.
Crunch.
She grabbed and lifted the thigh of one of the hind legs attached to the torso, took a huge bite, and began chewing with her mouth full. The viewers screamed as they watched the boss.
-Aaaaaaaah!! Eeeeyaaaaaah!!!
-Wow, so this is the wild.
-A thousand years ago, this was everyday life!
-Humanity has hunted and eaten meat like this for generations.
-I believe you; you're definitely a fox god.
-No, fuck, why are you eating it raw?
-Because she's a fox?
-Could be?
-Why are you accepting that?
"It's very chewy, and the texture is pretty good too! It's a little more glutinous than yukhoe... It'd be incredible with sesame oil dipping sauce and a bowl of instant rice."
-Even our weird-food club can't approve of this...
-Boss, blood is streaming down your chin. Wipe it off.
-Why does she eat it so deliciously?
-Info) The skin and muscles of the Killer Ankole Watusi are thick, so they're used as armor materials. What the boss is eating is armor material that could be used through Floor 10.
-?
-?
-?
-They said foxes are canids, and it's true after all!
Wakamo had the intense feeling that something had gone wrong.
VTubers did mukbang streams too... and they often did cooking streams as well, so where had things gone wrong..?
"Do I eat... strangely?"
Wakamo tilted her head, scrubbed her mouth with her sleeve, and looked dejected.
-Looking at it again, she's really cute.
-Why is the boss so cute when she's feeling hurt?
-Eating what you hunt is proof of being strong, so it's fine.
-We feel full just watching you eat, so eat plenty, boss....
"Wait. I'll start a fire."
After saying that, Wakamo improvised a hand drill and started rubbing it crudely to generate frictional heat. “I can roast it and eat it!” she declared, and the viewers' reactions were mostly the same.
-Seriously, they said she came out after being sealed away, but she really gives off an ancient-person vibe.
-Are you saying she really crawled out of some kind of freezer?
-I guess it really is true that she came from Japan. She likes eating things raw.
-A primitive human obtains prey through primitive physical strength, then makes a fire.
-I feel like I'm watching the Discovery Channel.
She had zoned out while clipping and listening to an unarchived stream, so she had been hit by the headbutt and was trying to salvage the situation somehow.
Anyway, the viewers were reacting well, so Wakamo decided that was enough and made a fire.
Contrary to the viewers' worries that it would be tougher than a rubber tire if roasted, everyone became a little kinder to the boss when they saw her tearing into it without trouble.
※※※
"Phew...Chairman Yoo Gyeong-yeon. ──After the surveillance team's investigation... We failed to confirm her identity for now, but we found her residence. Things became complicated because of a double sale of the property. Apparently, the mansion where Climber Wakamo Inarizushi lived burned down completely in a fire on the day she climbed the Tower."
"Did someone target her from the beginning? Or did she destroy the evidence herself? Either way, it will be a headache. But if she's a fox lady who has lived for a thousand years, she must have dug dozens of dens. Is there no way for us to make contact, Department Head? You wouldn't have come to me if there weren't."
If we had failed, I would have received only a report. The department head would not have come in person.
Watching the department head look back with absolute confidence in success, the chairman smiled and stroked his chin, pleased that he had raised his successor so well.
Whatever the reason, she was an entity that had burned down her own residence and hidden somewhere. As a Climber, she was already an incredible superhuman. Even if the ID she carried really identified her as a fox god, there was no certainty that it truly belonged to her. They had to consider forged identities and everything else.
Because their opponent might be a fox who had lived for a thousand years!
Of course, while watching the broadcast, the chairman sometimes felt a pang of sympathy. Her attempts to somehow communicate with the viewers reminded him of himself trying to fit in with young employees and act all MZ. Looking at her, she probably wasn't dangerous. Maybe she was just....wild?
Thinking of her as a migrant worker struggling to adapt to modern civilization and avoid causing trouble made him feel even more sorry for her.
"For now... We need support. A large sum of money sufficient to persuade the seller... as well as the means to bribe the staff so that, if necessary, we can quietly spirit the items away. We also need personnel who can handle matters while discreetly erasing traces, so that no damage is caused by whatever happens."
"You'll have all of it. What's the success rate?"
"If we acquire just one of those items, 100%. But if we acquire both, 200%."
"Oh-ho.... Items that can draw in the Fox God.... They must be quite expensive. Can I hear what they are?"
"They are figures: 【『Figma NO.777! Virtual Live 5th Festival Commemorative! Paradise's Guerrilla☆Explosive☆Bunny☆It's Pekoyama!』 AnimeMinus Shop Korea-Region Limited [Limited Quantity & Autograph Included]】. It also includes 【Collab Commemorative Finishing Move! Domain Expansion Backrooms Abduction Pro Charisma White Fox Limited 1/7 Statue】."
".....Hmm, what if we're caught trying to spirit those away?"
"Wouldn't an enthusiastic fan who missed out on the opportunity stab us...?"
"We'll have to handle it carefully. Very well, Department Head Won Da-hye. With my authorization, all support is approved, so give it everything you've got."
"Yes, on the day of the AnimeMinus Shop collaboration. Wakamo Inarizushi will definitely come. No, she has to come. It's the first one in Korea, and she's been waiting for it so desperately...!"
They would be able to meet her as long as they prepared for the scheduled day of battle.
To meet her oshi, the fan-café manager who had seen straight through the oshi's weakness narrowed their eyes.
The operation had to proceed in absolute secrecy. Wakamo would insist on buying the merchandise honestly, after all!!
Operation name: Otaku Hunt... no, [Fox Hunt]!!