Japan.
When China lost half of its land and capital due to the collapse of the Tower, North Korea was shattered, and South Korea fell into a dire state losing its capital.
While South Korea quickly adapted because of the popularity of the Tower climber genre, Japan was the holy land of otaku. At the moment the world turned into a fantastical realm, otaku got excited thinking they were the protagonists and jumped into the Tower solely to grow stronger.
Japan didn’t completely escape the damage from the Tower collapse, but since their land wasn’t vast like China, the impact was less severe. At the same time, Japan had many people preserving traditions.
There were various dojos across the nation with their unique martial arts styles. Martial arts like Aikido, Kendo, Judo, and Karate continued to pass down their legacy. Unlike South Korea, many people had at least some experience from club activities, and access to martial arts was high. Awakened climbers climbed the Tower to prevent it from collapsing and fought off the Monsters pouring out if it did.
However, Japan suffered more because of frustratingly inefficient administration and sluggish government response. Instead of urgently acting, the cabinet Prime Minister was overwhelmed with fear of the powerful climbers, resulting in chaos where disaster relief from the Tower collapse was an absolute mess.
Eventually, a climber who couldn’t take it anymore went as far as assassinating the Prime Minister, showing how severe the could-be disasters had become.
The relationship between the South Korean and Japanese government remained at its worst, still.
Despite that, in every country, climbers who strived to save even one more person during the whole ordeal became the current Association Presidents.
※※※
“Wow~ So this is a shrine.”
Arriving at the Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, Wakamou looked around like a country bumpkin who just came to the city. “It’s Japan, so even if I wander the streets, I can bluff it as cosplay, right?” she said boldly. Manager Wanda Haye had a lot to say but held her tongue.
Wakamou had been requested to deliver soy sauce marinated crabs by the Japanese Association President, and she had to deliver it before it spoiled.
The shrine, which had been around since the Edo period, was also known for having about 10,000 torii, the shrine gates. Walking under these, Wakamou thought the view was incredible and wagged her tail in delight.
With a camera in hand, Wakamou took photos happily with Liu Ying like a tourist.
“This is all experience!! Telling fans about what you see and feel during travels can be content too!”
“Right!”
Whether she came for leisure or for content, wasn’t important. As long as they were having fun, wasn’t it enough?
From the tourists’ perspective, a giant with fox ears and a tail appeared at the shrine where the Inari Deity was worshipped, making them wonder if she was a deity. Some thought it might be an event and tried to take photos, while others talked to Wakamou, but she simply claimed they had mistaken her for someone else and insisted she was a tourist.
With her fox ears perking up, she claimed boldly, “I’m just cosplaying.”
Liu Ying felt too embarrassed to even raise her head. Couldn’t she wear a hat or change clothes?
Not transforming was just to conserve mana as much as possible. Surely, not because spending time watching VTuber broadcasts and clipping highlights took a toll on her mana.
“Wow, so this is a shrine. It’s my first time visiting one.”
“B-But it’s Sajangnim’s first time at the shrine…?”
She’s not even the Inari Deity, nor the Fox Deity, yet it’s her first time at the shrine. Liu Ying found it hard to believe. Initially, instead of sightseeing when visiting Japan, Wakamou was stuck in the hotel to catch up on VTuber broadcasts due to waiting in line to buy goods from the previous day. So she simply said it was her first time.
“They say the main road is a path for gods.”
“So… Sajangnim should head to the main road, right…?”
Liu Ying tried to contradict why they were walking together, but Wakamou responded it would be disrespectful.
Having come all this way, they took photos together.
Liu Ying felt unsure as she posed with the Fox Deity in front of the fox statue.
Meanwhile, noticing a shrine maiden sweeping with a broom, they approached her. Wondering if she was a real shrine maiden, Wakamou approached eagerly, only to see the shrine maiden nervously rubbing her eyes at the sight of the fox deity approaching.
Although the fox was black in color… Was it a yokai…?
“A real shrine maiden?”
Startled by the polite question, the shrine maiden answered with a hiccup, “It’s a short-term part-time job… I don’t think there are real shrine maidens these days…?”
Even among the climbers, there weren’t any with a job as a shrine maiden.
“But there are Miko among VTubers.”
“Sajangnim….”
Liu Ying grabbed Wakamou’s wrist and pulled her away, preventing further awkwardness for the shrine maiden. The absence of real shrine maidens might have been a disappointment to the Fox Deity. Luckily, Wakamou didn’t try to enter the shrine, which Liu Ying was relieved about.
Of course, if asked, Wakamou would have replied, “Where do gods even exist in this world?”
“When you visit a shrine, there’s something you must do! This is an ema. It’s a drawing board on which you write wishes to dedicate to the gods. At Inari Shrine, it’s fox-shaped! Here, Liu Ying, write your wish.”
“I hope to do collab broadcasts with Sajangnim.”
Writing enthusiastically in Hangul, Wakamou smiled contently beside her while writing her wish on an ema as well.
[Please let me buy the limited edition VTuber figure during this trip] she sincerely wrote and prayed.
Please…. Inari Deity…. Fulfill this wish…!!
Fervently, she placed a 10,000 yen note into the donation box. Surely, this amount would be enough for such a wish!!
Afterward, they had a leisurely time sightseeing. There was actually quite a bit to see. The scenery was beautiful too.
“Japanese swords have their own charm…. I kind of want one. Do you need a sword license…?”
While walking, the vibrant design of a katana displayed on one of the shrine walls caught her eye.
Wouldn’t it be cool for the Fox Deity to wield a katana…? Since she’s always in perfect condition, maybe wielding three swords and performing santoryu would be okay?
“Sajangnim, where are we going now?”
“Since there’s been a VTuber collaboration in Kyoto, let’s go find some items at secondhand shops, check out the collab cafes, and visit the figure shops in Kyoto. If we have time, I want to go to Akihabara too.”
“I want to eat lots of delicious food, Dadangnim!!”
“Granted. Buy anything you want…!!”
“Yay!!”
※※※
“…..Are you really sure about this…?”
“Tetsuya Member!!”
“Y-yes!!”
“Haa─ I’m older now and have higher ranks, shouldn’t I be more upright and confident? The old man found another Association President candidate; you can tell they’re short on talent, just like my complaints suggest.”
Scolding the timid and shy-looking parliamentary member was none other than Watanabe Tomoko, the head of the Japanese Climbers Association.
Looking out from a tall skyscraper high enough to see the cityscape and capture the towers standing among it, she scrunched her face.
Having cleared a total of five Towers with the highest record reaching the 70th floor, she was undoubtedly one of Japan’s top-ranking climbers. Yet, there she was, stating that there was no need to worry. Nevertheless, sending someone like that was ─ no different from declaring they’d do as they pleased.
“Did the Japanese Shaman Association and that foolish guy move?”
“Yes, yes… They’re prepared to exterminate the evil yokai that have come to Japan…”
“A climber who crossed from Korea was truly impudent. They’ve crossed the line strongly!! It’s no different than mocking myself!!”
“I can’t understand why the Korean Association President has released such a monster…”
“Well, because they’re the strongest.”
A climber hailed as definitively the strongest in Korea, a peer who once shared battles alongside them was staking their reputation on it.
There was no need to question it. She merely grew tired, as always, of the Japanese government who didn’t even say a word of thanks to those who rushed to help during Japan’s crisis.
If every climber from South Korea were to gather and attack, that old man would be able to strike them all down. Besides possessing overwhelming skills─ that person could perceive the flow of mana and instinctually grasp the situation’s danger.
They could recognize how many people had been killed and sniff out a doppelganger impersonating humans at a glance.
Such a person, describing them as a “good climber,” surely leaned toward being the kind to favor humans.
“I was so worried I even had a tail planted. They’re just playing around like tourists… What’s there to be concerned about.”
Grumbling, she mulled over actually migrating to Korea, much to the desperation of Tetsuya Member, who pleaded for her to refrain.
“The people in political circles lack such a sense of reality.”
Times had changed rapidly.
Climbers wished to preserve the civilization they were accustomed to, and they already knew from countless movies and works what would happen if it disappeared. In some cases, they attempted coups to awaken the inept nation─ but unless the climbers were genuinely overwhelmingly powerful, they could not win against military forces.
“They treat me as their hunting dog, killing climbers left and right.”
“Haha…”
“So conversely, let me ask you this. What if it really is the Inari Deity instead of a yokai?”
“Excuse… me…?”
“Wouldn’t it be a major problem if the climber killings weren’t carried out because it was a yokai, but because it was genuinely a deity?”
Of course, the young member, who was abruptly thrust into the role, couldn’t say a word in response to her question. He was just a scapegoat meant to take the blame, not even a representative. However, listening to her, he imagined if it really were the Fox Deity….
Even if it weren’t, this was already a diplomatic issue.
“And anyways, we decided to do things our way as well. The 【King of Authority】wants to meet.”
“…..Excuse me?”
“So, we said it’s okay to do as we please.”
“A-ah, you can’t just do that willy-nilly, isn’t that….”
“Then, do you have complaints? If they have complaints, they should come to say it directly.”
Driving the Member who had hoped to discuss things with Manager Wanda Haye out discourteously, the association president, disgruntled already at the beginning of a mess, sensed things spiraling bigger than necessary and simply contacted the Diet.
The message was conveyed…. Japan’s strongest man was on his way to meet the Fox Deity!
To fight, that is!!
※※※
Battles between climbers depend largely on how much information each side can conceal.
Just because one’s occupation is revealed, it doesn’t mean all their [Skills] can be deduced. There are weapons, consumables, accessories, and armors to consider.
Moreover, since this would be a battle outside the Tower, even if the opponent appears weaker, if they carelessly pull out a gun they could end up dead.
Once, an American Tower Conqueror was unluckily shot dead during a random shooting.
Conversely, this means climbers, typically, don’t quarrel much among themselves.
They’re too busy fighting monsters and climbing Towers.
If someone picks a fight, it could be an assassin trained to kill them or a weapon crafted by the government, warranting running away.
Of course, the government might just kill them politely using long-range sniping.
(removed encoded text)
“Can’t eat anymore, ughhh…”
Liu Ying stuffed herself to near explosion and shivered, covering her mouth.
Returning to the hotel where they already reserved and dumped their baggage, Wakamou immediately created a portal to store all the VTuber goods, including all the figures she purchased. She brought so much that she couldn’t possibly carry them all by herself.
She swept the market of nendoroids, these cute deformed figures of VTuber members, to the point of decimating the figure shop. Fuelled with the intention to transform her studio residence into a gallery, Wakamou was energized to an extreme degree.
The surpassing number of purchases meant she couldn’t even fit into the portal to her own home.
She packed them all in plastic bags and stacked them starting from the restroom—a space she never thought was so small.
“I bought only, like, 700 figures!!!”
Of course, they were just figures; she wasn’t saying how much other impulsive items cost. Once she cooled her head, she wondered about the massive expenditure, but soon her lips curled with joy at the mountain of VTuber goods.
“Hohoho… This is happiness… Wakamou is happy!!!!”
With excitement reaching past the stratosphere, puffy-tailed Wakamou announced that not only did she buy VTuber characters’ 7th game, but she powered on her console excitedly.
While there were poorly-put-together games meant mainly to exploit character popularity, and other fan-made ones, Wakamou didn’t mind.
“So this is! The newly released 7th VTuber game!”
-Yes…. Ah, yes…
-When will the Japan trip impressions come out?
-Listening to VTuber merchandise talks for two hours.
-Is this a VTuber presentation?
-Professor’s class is ongoing, please have a seat.
-Not calling for attendance is nice…
-Hajime Ichigo also started streaming o o….
-What does she say over there?
-Chairperson bought so many figures she couldn’t enter her house. Heard she bought around 2,800 items and couldn’t believe it.
-…Excuse me?
-What, w-what…? How is that even possible…?
-Including figures and other items, it’s quite a lot…? Like keyrings and various others…
-Say, building a pharaoh’s tomb or something? Planning to make a VTuber museum.
Her voice tone heightens to cloud-piercing levels due to euphoria. Flapping her ears and laughing hysterically, Wakamou communicated with her viewers for almost four hours. Whether this counted as communication was uncertain, but she wanted to share travel tales, much like her favorite queen did with hers, recounting what food she tried at collab cafes during the trip.
“So you know, this meal, the VTuber featured is…”
-Is it review time?
-Wake me up when Professor Wakamou’s lecture ends….
-Does the final cover everything about this?
-The hardest exam ever, this semester’s doomed sigh.
-I heard it’s open book?
-Even so, it’s impossible. Lol
-But why remember all that???
-(Info) Channel Head memorizes all the public profiles.
-The embodiment of terror holding onto VTuber’s dark past…
As the VTuber ramble continues like a hail of bullets, some listeners tuned into Ichigo to hear tales of delicious dishes. There, she shared feelings of her first trip to Japan with friends, even showing photos of Fushimi Inari Shrine she visited.
Although it seemed like the marvel’s widespread reveal was met with a monumental negative response, Liu Ying assuredly responded that Wakamou was just a VTuber model composed in her broadcasts. Viewers, not in the mood for nitpicking anymore, took it at face value, saying, “Ah, I see.”
-Fox Deity visiting Inari Shrine.
-There’s a Fox Deity that can’t go down the path only gods walk?
-Photo of Fox Deity taken beside a fox statue, no?
-Feels kind of sad seeing her disappointed due to no real shrine maidens.
-No shrine maidens nor deities in the shrine….. Must feel lonely.
-Isn’t the shrine owned by the channel head..?
-Did she visit a friend? A fox friend that doesn’t come when called….
-But why doesn’t the channel head visit China?
-What’s left to visit there lol
-Lmao everything burneduplol
While Ichigo and Wakamou streamed and mulled over other activities to do in Japan, viewers asserted Wakamou would probably just go seek out VTuber items and weren’t expecting much. In the middle of a chat, she had her arms crossed, lost in thought.
While she had honed Taekwondo in Korea─ honestly, it felt like hitting a limit.
A wide variety of martial arts schools teaching distinct weapons existed in Japan, not to mention Karate, Judo… weren’t there plenty of places to learn from? Kendo even had a wide selection of styles to learn from.
Registering somewhere to learn seemed like a good idea in case─ contemplating, Wakamou worried whether it was okay.
1:1 private lessons could solve the red pill issue, but how much money would hiring such a master cost…..
‘Monsters are one thing, but who knows when I might have to fight a climber.’
Depending on the monster, crushing it was fine, but she preferred not to kill climbers if possible, making learning various fighting methods priority.
Manager Wanda Haye noted that approval for [Tower Climbing Authority] took a while, so she could enjoy more sightseeing. The Japanese Association President had personally contacted Wakamou saying she could dive in as she pleased. Just do it… approving rather recklessly.
Still, she politely refused, as it was a possible diplomatic issue.
It was the first appearance of the item known as the [Tower Climbing Authority]. Both the Japanese and Korean climber associations confirmed and registered the item’s information, meaning climbers worldwide would now know of its existence.
Although personal, preventing theft.
Being able to ascend as if for the first time by negating the Tower penalties, it was a tremendous advantage.
In essence, for climbers who had already conquered a Tower, it meant being able to progress again with lower difficulty levels, providing them with an opportune chance to grow stronger and even aim to complete the ‘Complete Strategy Layer.’
The reason foreign countries weren’t enticing Wakamou into defecting was clear.
Climbing a foreign Tower required resetting it, losing all past abilities.
There was no assurance that lost skills or abilities could be reclaimed, and items not transferred would vanish, known as Tower reset.
Wakamou’s origins led countries to believe that despite a reset she’d maintain her prowess, and dispatched operatives to curry favor, according to Manager Wanda Haye.
Those operatives intriguingly attempting secret contact weren’t swallowed by the red pill showcasing, taking care of it tactfully, presumably not lethal.
Regardless, should Wakamou acquire such an item again, a country might force her to assault her Tower, issuing an audacious threat.
Imagining the scale seemed rudely significant… regardless for Wakamou….
If someone threatened using Wakamou’s beloved VTuber possessions housed in her studio, she might succumb.
Irreplaceable goods annihilated would certainly create a cursed Fox Deity without a doubt.
‘For such reasons, I want to fight smarter’
The concept of restoring mana while climbing the Tower had inadvertently generated speculation of exaggerated strength.
In truth, the skills rendered unduly harsh constraints, unlocking beyond-norm battles that risked life’s countdown.
Truly, flexing power to confront swathes like the rhinoceros and goblins imbued devouring mana spoke volumes, requiring no further explanation.
‘──And with a studio, showcasing learned martial moves in performance seems delightful’
Despite change, Taekwondo engaged fans overseas with performances.
The more techniques to display, the richer Wakamou’s VTuber broadcasts became.
Studying Japanese instruments or dances… further education was also appealing….
Thus, let’s raid a convenience store for VTuber collaboration items tomorrow.
Puzzling resolutions aside, Wakamou prepared her plans diligently.
….
……
“I wanted to meet you, Fox Deity.”
The next morning, just as they left the hotel, Wakamou’s flawless plan crumbled when an imposing martial artist intercepted their path.
With the gallant ambition to camp in line since dawn for the merchandise laid ruin!!!
“──Who are you?”
“While grandly named the 【King of Authority】… a mere martial artist seeking an encounter. I came this far wishing to meet you and engage.”
Would you grant me a duel?
Impeccably polite and conferring respect, the man’s name was known even to Wakamou, usually disinterested in fellow climbers.
The invincible Japanese climber who subdued the chaos-ridden Floor 90 of the Osaka Tower single-handedly with clout alone…!!
‘…..But why a duel with me…’
How monstrously inflated the illusion of her power has become.
With a faint sigh, Wakamou bid a quiet farewell to the products she had planned to buy….
Apologizing for not greeting them, convenience store collab goodies…
Having contemplated for a moment about asking the peacefully sleeping Liu Ying, Wakamou felt like utter garbage, sinking into a mood.
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