“I really won…”
Manager Wanda Haye, who had been watching the live broadcast with bated breath, felt her legs give out.
The appearance of a golem that nullified mana-based attacks for Wakamou, assumed to have the [Shaman] profession, was bewildering even for her.
She wondered what he was thinking when he just asked for armor-piercing ammunition—who would have thought he’d make a hole with it, wrap it with wire, hook it, and throw it?
‘His courage is different…’
He must have crossed countless battlefields in his thousand years of life. If not, he would simply be a genius of combat.
‘He said he was a Taekwondo master, but that’s no longer the issue.’
He would snatch a ninja’s sword mid-scorpion-kick.
He even defeated Japan’s strongest, the King of Authority, in hand-to-hand combat.
“Urgh…”
When a shaman who cast [Mana Burn] appeared, she uncharacteristically screamed. Even the Association President watched with a grim expression.
Wakamou told his believers that he was weakened.
He was chosen as a Climber by the Tower, but it was more like his powers were sapped. Although the truth of his words was unclear, Wanda Haye had seen that his original form was a petite fox girl.
Thus, it was said that her massive form wasn’t real, merely an illusion created by utilizing [Mana].
Though a physical master in the realm of superhumans, in such a small state, she couldn’t use the martial arts she had accumulated.
How she physically composed herself through [Mana] was unknown to her, as Wakamou hadn’t explained.
To be honest, she just wished Wakamou would stop broadcasting.
Many countries, including [Six Legged Beast] and those who envied her fame, had tried various tricks. The more he broadcasted, the more of Wakamou was revealed.
‘He practically confessed he’s vulnerable to [Mana Burn] now.’
Her true form was a young fox girl, so the giant form she showed was nothing but a disguise to hide her true self.
It meant something similar to a VTuber hiding their red pill on a broadcast (No, it’s not).
‘There are more anti-magic or anti-mana skills than you’d think…but it won’t matter.’
Yet, she showed overwhelming performance that made Manager Wanda Haye’s worries unfounded.
She minimized damage from [Mana Burn]’s explosion by reducing her body size, endured, quickly closed the gap.
Then she grew massive, grabbed the wrist, and executed what could be considered a signature move of the 『King of Authority』.
She smashed its head into the ground.
Though it seemed simple, she flipped a self-enhanced orc shaman like a baby.
It appeared intact outside, but the shoulder was dislocated, and the body wouldn’t move even if flipped. Its lungs were so crushed it couldn’t breathe. Though [Mana Shield] protected its body from a broken neck, it also failed from [Mana Burn]’s explosion, reaching its limits.
Then came the execution.
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Uk1oK0sya3NRU1YxcUQyKzVnbkpjM3MvQ2srVWlNV3lxQVJXLzBHaU1xQw
‘The Tower imposes trials matching a Climber’s ability and level…’
Though people said, “It’s just the 20th floor, isn’t it? There’s a long way to go, so why glorify it so much?”
Government officials were frantically trying to reduce and keep the growing influence of Wakamou in check, while creating a confrontational structure together with the supporters of the Association President to prevent unreasonable regulations. It was the best the Climber’s Association could do.
It’s all over now.
Even the [Devourer of Flesh and Soul], a calamity emerging from the 50th floor in England, couldn’t beat Wakamou.
Wizards dread wraith monsters that absorb mana upon contact.
2,000 units of mana would be sucked in an instant, and it’d freeze you to death without time to realize.
It wasn’t a monster meant to pose a winnable challenge to a climber around the 20th floor, after all.
But he won.
He destroyed monsters with an unbeatable characteristic disadvantage to a [Shaman] live on air.
In the end, it wasn’t shown what kind of trump card it was, but the video she uploaded had a “bang” sound, followed by the screen flickering off momentarily. The sight of a scorched floor emerged.
The scene looked as if a bombing had hit, yet there was Wakamou standing unscathed.
Her appearance seemed as if she was saying she’d face whatever you bring.
With a formidable demeanor, refusing to back down against any foe, she offered a smile as always to her believers as a VTuber who brought them joy.
All they could do was be glad she was an ally.
‘She collapsed the Tower’s pressure against her weakness in front of the public. Weaponizing [Weakness] into targeting her vital points… the failure of the [Ninja] has become well-known. This indeed was confidence manifesting as the ability to respond to anything.’
Her body trembled.
Afraid… no? Wrong.
As a fellow Climber like Wakamou, it was the thrill of emotion from watching someone fight riskily alone or facing the Tower’s trials together.
‘It was the best broadcast.’
Even if someone inherits the climbing content after her, it’s unlikely anyone could make it come alive as Wakamou did.
Along with the dangers of the Tower, she demonstrated the top-tier skill a Climber could show.
Even recovering, climbing continuously through three floors, including boss stages?
What a kind of mental energy… It’s how different someone is who’s crossed battlefields countless times.
And not just the Manager, even the Association President watching along wiped his unknowing cold sweat with his sleeve.
“Haha… good grief. It’s thrilling enough to get an old man’s heart racing.”
The life-and-death battles captured by a camera like a pro.
In retrospect, the Tower seemed to only subject her to absurdly high-level trials from a certain point.
Despite it being the initial climbs on that Tower, already reaching such difficulty at 20 floors.
What awaits her next?
‘Haha’
For Climbers, information on the Tower was of utmost importance. Just hearing from someone who fought an opponent provided valuable intel.
Even if aiming for the 『Complete Strategy Layer』, it wouldn’t be worth more than a life.
Higher floor Climbers, though silent, would undoubtedly be watching Wakamou’s broadcasts.
It would be premature to feel relieved that she, someone enhancing her country’s reputation and gathering international attention, wouldn’t leave South Korea.
“By the way, isn’t the subscriber count growing? Is it always like this?”
“VTubers tend to not have the best accessibility, so that might be why…? But she’s still top-tier domestically.”
“Indeed!! How odd. Young folks these days don’t find this entertaining?”
“President…”
….
……
“Yes─!!”
The King of Authority, watching the tower climb together with disciples in the training hall, stood up moved by the overwhelmingly satisfying strike.
The flaw to a martial artist was naturally any class capable of long-range attacks.
It was like she had slithered in like a fox, exploiting weaknesses and taking the rear.
And the move she used was the very strike he failed against her!
“Did you see that? That’s the power of the technique I mentioned. Capable of instant death. It’s not a technique reserved exclusively for Karate. It’s a form of Gomusul….”
The King of Authority explained the workings of a technique negating even the possibility of a safe fall to his starry-eyed disciples.
Had it been the past, the dojo would have been vast if not barren, but now it was filled with would-be disciples, and tourists visited to see the fox deity shrine.
The King of Authority has completely become a fanboy of the VTuber, Wakamou.
To the reporters sniffing for stories, he had declared that Wakamou-sama was even a martial artist stronger than him, a true fox deity capable of establishing shrines, and that she was a messenger come to answer the wish he consistently offered at the Inari Shrine—
Had Wakamou heard this, he might have rubbed his neck in exasperation and sighed, wondering what to do with this old man.
“Come to think of it, didn’t my son say he wanted to become a VTuber?”
When a Delighted King of Authority asked a thought that popped into his head to his favorite disciple among those with a black belt, the disciple’s face darkened.
Living in dread and anxiety, fearing the eventual questioning, he felt like someone who had finally been delivered a death sentence.
A terminally announced individual wouldn’t wear such a crumpled expression, quivering as he nodded.
“Will Wakamou-sama like it?”
The favorite disciple imagined Wakamou splitting the King of Authority’s son in two with a karate chop.
‘How can I say Sensei’s eldest son livestreams as a VTuber using a voice changer to act as a cat-girl?’
Thinking he’d get his head crushed if discovered, the runaway friend was endlessly resentful; the disciple averted his eyes, claiming he had done his best.
Being born male didn’t mean one couldn’t be a female VTuber. But how should he convey a cheerful cat-girl VTuber show revealing he was a guy?
Unlike his father, who only had muscles for brains, the disciple, sick of his female sibling who ran off claiming she hated staying in a house hosting a meowing brother, exhaled a deep sigh in contemplation.
The child, who had once stormed out saying they’d climb the Tower as a [Wizard], unlike their brute-force father, hoped the child was doing well elsewhere… he thought of reaching out for contact.
Notifying that brother’s VTuber activities would soon be revealed to their father.
And the sister would prepare funeral funds, wearing a black suit, asking where the funeral was being held…
“By the way, I’ve been discussing with the Association President. Our daughter being a Climber makes it so—Wakamou-sama, being proficient in sorcery, wouldn’t it be safe if he takes on our daughter, a [Shaman]? Climbing alone is dangerous, isn’t it?”
‘Master… [Wizard] and [Shaman] are different….’
It’s hopeless…. Despite being a doting father, those muscle brains couldn’t be helped…
‘Sadako… What am I supposed to do?’
I’m not even part of your family. Why am I entangled in your family issues, I wondered as tears involuntarily welled.
Seeing the poor disciple of the King of Authority being tormented, the other disciples silently vowed not to grow old like that.
Japanese Association President Watanabe Tomoko was aware of how the King’s daughter was treated. Unlike her father, she was looked down on as a juvenile delinquent for storming out to climb the Tower on the [Wizard] path. She tried to earn a name for herself as a climber, but even after achieving the feat of conquering Osaka’s 30th floor tower, public opinion was too negative.
Therefore, she had quit climbing and was now diligently studying to enter civil service in the association.
But she knew. She still wanted to become famous as a Climber like her father deep down.
Wakamou Inarizushi desired to become a successful VTuber in South Korea. God knew why, but that’s what he loved.
It’s known that he was broadcasting as a VTuber in companionship with a Chinese girl named Liu Ying, also known as Hajime Ichigo, who had merely wandered the first 10 layers for ten years as an [Alchemist].
With the full support from the government, leveraging resources from the Complete Strategy Layer, her climb was already at the 25th floor! Arguably, she was at a higher stage than Wakamou.
With support, her layer is already at the 25th floor! It was actually a higher stage than Wakamou.
“From the 25th to the 30th floor, isn’t Incheon Tower called the Cooperation Layer?”
It was definitely parked there on purpose, waiting for Wakamou.
──Before that, let’s connect her with people from Japan to build a network.
The government of Japan had already been subtly informed by the Association President. Since she was the Daughter of the King of Authority, and the King of Authority and Wakamou were inseparable friends.
If needed, let’s create an excuse for her to come over to Japan.
“Did they say they treat Liu Ying like family? I hope they do the same for Sadako.”
With a father like that, she’s a child thirsty for love in various ways.
Wasn’t she really passionate about packing and heading to South Korea right after being given the opportunity?
“I can’t miss the chance to learn spells from a real Shaman, haha!!”
“Wizards and Shamans are different classes…”
Tetsuya, the councilor observing alongside the Association President, remained silent without pointing it out.
What could you expect from a country that calls anyone wielding a sword a Samurai.
※※※
Ring ring─
Unable to reach the 21st floor, Wakamou was filling their belly with Mana potions to replenish Mana while watching a VTuber Broadcast.
Cutting clips, uploading them, and checking the comments for the video titled “Simultaneous Strategy of 3 Layers!!”
Feeling a bit hurt when Liu Ying suddenly mentioned, “Parked at the 25th layer to go up with the boss today,” as if giving a surprise notice.
Hey.. couldn’t you at least say a word to me…? When did you start climbing alone without saying anything?
It’s like being focused on a princess-raising game and suddenly the princess runs away, chops off the head of a bandit boss, and returns, leaving me bewildered.
Diligently handling broadcasts, consulting with the Manager, packing various things, making tons of potions…. Thinking back, it wasn’t content preparation but climbing preparation.
Still at a pathetic 20th floor, Wakamou is sad…
“But why are these emergency notices ringing like this…”
[Urgent Notice]
A draft call-up notice from the Military Manpower Administration has been received.
Failure to respond may result in disadvantages.
For inquiries, check the link below.
“?”
Though it didn’t bother Wakamou that their phone was still under a fake ID(?), this was quite baffling.
Thinking it must obviously be a fake email, Wakamou searched the internet only to find chaos everywhere.
Seeing the commotion, unfortunately, it seemed real.
Being called up as a reservist, does that make sense…?
Contemplating the absurdity lasted only a moment… Wakamou scratched their head, pondering what to do.
Using a phone for so long without burning it down with the house, who knew it would come back like this?
Liu Ying, being a South Korean Climber, received the same message.
It turned out that Gimpo 40-story Tower had collapsed, and the comments of the climber who caused it were inciting public anger.
“Was curious what would happen if the option to collapse the Tower was selected. Apologies to the residents of Gimpo, and I will repay for the mistake with a climb like Wakamou─]”
“Hey, why are they dragging me into this”
Realizing how notoriously famous they have become as a Climber.
Well, I get it. The Manager said the Association President was grinning ear to ear thanks to Wakamou Tower’s expansive enlargement. Among domestic Climbers, I’m a superstar.
“Is this how you can just casually collapse a tower, President?”
“Uhmm…. apparently”
Towers can be strategized, and another one might emerge someday.
Lower level towers are hugely popular among novice Climbers due to fewer layers to strategize and engaging with partners is easier as the climbers of the strategized tower also have low layers. In this era, guilds are everywhere and even foreign visitors are not uncommon.
Just, when you reach the topmost layer of a tower, do not choose to collapse it.
Such a terrorist act befits the Six Legged Beast.
It clearly looked like a young individual lacking awareness. Who knows if they acquired a good skill or item, but─ perhaps we won’t see them again in the future.
South Korea is said to not have the death penalty, but that doesn’t apply to Climbers.
“Seriously, are you being thoughtless…?”
Being curious enough to press it, does that make sense? Did they snooze during Climber education time? Seeing them speak so shamelessly suggests it might be the case.
‘…..Isn’t it odd? That impressionable young kid strategizing the 40-story Tower to collapse….?’
Wakamou squinted suspiciously, despite the uneasy feeling, relief came with the understanding that there were no victims from the tower collapse. Luckily it happened out in some remote mountain corner, so there was neither popularity nor significant damage.
Could it be that carefully selecting a tower to collapse… is just my imagination..?
“Well, perfect. I was going to meet the manager anyway. Let’s check this out too”
“Mmhm”
The Mana was sufficiently restored. With the increased efficiency of skills, even after wasting a lot, it recovered instead to a level capable of full restoration just by drinking Mana potions and resting!!
At last, there’s no desperate need to hurriedly climb layers just for survival!!
Though I should cut back on watching VTuber broadcasts, let’s move on.
“But really, I did say I wanted some gear item, but this is what they gave me…”
Wakamou, draping the tattered Taegukgi obtained as a reward for strategizing the 20th layer around the neck.
No matter how you see it, it looks like I’m about to protest at Gwanghwamun Square. Isn’t there anything better to offer an Idol…?
“Dang it…! If the job were a Priestess, they would have at least handed over a sickle!!”
“Boss… it’s a Shaman who wields the sickle…..”
“….Oh, is it?”
Aren’t they the same thing…?
Anyway, the item to be given to the Manager.
[Acquired Artifact Level Equipment Item [Taeguk of Assembly]!!!]
[Taeguk of Assembly]
Grade: Artifact.
Equipment Section: Cloak
An authentic piece from the independence movement.
Contains resistance against oppression and indomitable fighting spirit.
A proud symbol of struggle, calling for unity.
Leadership +10%
Crowd Effect +10%
Party Member’s Energy Increase +20%
Charm +10%
Am I doing VTuber broadcasts claiming to be from Japan and China enough that it displeased Incheon Tower?
Do they really want to boast about a proud fox of Korea or something?
How could my first acquired gear be a Taeguk flag from the independence movement….isn’t this a nearly 100-year-old item?
“This belongs in a museum donation!”
Opening a portal and stepping out towards Incheon Tower, heading to the Climber Association revealed a swarm of climbers and reservists who gathered upon hearing the news.
Transforming into a little Wakamou, concealing identities with Liu Ying using masks and caps and entering with the help of the association staff, we were warmly welcomed by Manager Wanda Haye.
“Congratulations on strategizing the 20th layer. Did you come because you received a text too, Wakamou?”
“Technically, it’s under my old ID. For reservists, I wish it was just a scam message. Almost got PTSD from it.”
“Haha… It’s an emergency, but it’s manageable with military units responding sufficiently. Let’s just say ‘standby’?”
Manager Wanda Haye refrained from mentioning to Wakamou that the ‘President’ seemed to be playing some tricks.
Claiming Wakamou a millennia-old fox demon and insisting she was a threat that needed elimination, the president maintained an antagonistic stance. Even bringing a Complete Strategy Layer did not change his mind.
Showing the latest strategy video and him being terrified calling it a monster─ the frustrated Association President naturally clicked his tongue.
──Dragging up all of Wakamou’s previous identities that were not completely erased, trying to kill her insisting she preyed upon and stole it─ he argued she was an existential threat to mankind, secretly hiding among humans for ages.
No doubt about it, this insane act to lure Wakamou to Gimpo was orchestrated.
Wanda Haye, however, had no worries over that matter. It was more about could they really kill? Yet always, precaution against danger is essential.
Usually, the apprehended climber would face summary execution, but investigating the incident, they found him dead inside the prison, adding to the mystery.
“Wakamou, have you been to the military….”
“Yes..? Just to avoid misunderstandings but I never did any predatory plundering? I even attended school properly?”
Isn’t that more impressive? Living for a millennia while attending elementary school from scratch, could one adapt?
Manager Wanda Haye, gazing at the original independence movement Taeguk that Wakamou intended to donate, wondered how many times they might have served in the army.
‘But why with a male ID in the army…?’
Well, let’s not dwell on this. Instead, she felt reassured seeing that this Taeguk could be used at reenactments too.
“Do you know VR scenarios like, Wakamou? Including those filmed in virtual reality like anime or movies?”
“How could I not?”
“I’ve prepared a new content concept matching Liu Ying’s apocalypse-survivor setting. It seems perfect for a membership special.”
Promising an impressive corporate-like scale project supported by the Association, Manager Wanda Haye chuckled.
No matter how surreptitious the president’s maneuvers might be, surpassing them with greater achievements easily subdued those deeds.
“Shall we title it ‘Battlefield: Seoul Reclaim’? Let’s extravagantly use CGs like a game video! The budget is ample!!”
‘The Manager’s sense for names seems worse than expected’
Even a 3D CGI team was fully prepared.
With crises still turbulent from Gimpo Tower’s collapse, a mega-special broadcast aiming to quell people’s fears was to be filmed, according to the detailed plan Manager Wanda Haye presented.
“Shooting a video with the ‘setting’ of reclaiming Seoul territory lost due to the Seoul Tower collapse”
Why, is the Ministry of National Defense supporting VTuber content production?
Seeing the presence of both the army and air force, Wakamou was left speechless.
“Ah, simple things like ‘Virtual Gra’ of ‘Virtual Live'”
“What’s that?~?”
Even Liu Ying, seeing the extensive array of firearms list, baffled, turned to Wakamou to ask.
Wow~ A government-affiliated VTuber can receive support of airstrikes. That’s impressive~
“Why are you even showing this to me!!”
“Our broadcasts always strive for overwhelming reality through VTuber content!!!”
Dang it, the Manager has finally gone bonkers.
Black corporations are evil….
Wakamou is innocent….
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