“Wakamou, think! Think!!”
As a [Summoner], their summonings are linked with their own being.
The idol’s emissary, Aoi Asuka, would be connected to Wakamou in such a way too.
Thus, Asuka’s rational thoughts were akin to Wakamou’s common sense.
Criticizing blindly climbing without preparation was correct.
However, when I heard VTubers I followed could improve their health…
Well, even if they are retired and only the channel remains…?
If they reincarnate, wouldn’t it be possible to repay them for their hardships?
Of course, those who disappointed fans with malicious intent were exceptions.
──By climbing the tower, one can gain such skills.
At this moment, the tower whispered reasons why VTuber Wakamou Inarizushi must definitely climb it.
Even as the tower couldn’t hide its sadness at Wakamou’s trivial intelligence, diving thoughtlessly into the trap at the tower’s coaxing.
In such cases, the tower’s rewards were always certain.
“La la lala la la”
Asuka hums a tune.
Gohwaekjo, clothed in a hat and feathers like a bird cloak, rotated its neck freely, waiting for a reaction.
Though viewers wondered why Asuka hummed in this situation.
“Bong Bong Kitsune!”
Pointing and declaring, the flying foxes burst forth from behind Asuka.
Seeing them, Gohwaekjo slowly revealed a sword from its bosom.
With a chilling swish, the burning foxes were sliced in half.
“Boom!”
Yet, as they were cut, Asuka’s command caused them to expand and explode in a chain reaction.
Like fireworks bursting into vibrant colors, the fiery blossoms bloomed gloriously!
But both Asuka and Wakamou were looking elsewhere.
From the opposite cliff, Gohwaekjo gleefully smiled while charging towards them.
“Asuka, hold on!”
“Yes!”
Wakamou stood horizontally against the shear cliff.
The believers’ screens rotated until it resembled entering a dark cave, but the wind direction was unilateral.
– Is he clinging to the wall now?
– Didn’t you know? Wakamou is a ninja!!
– Even in Kojiki, the Fox Deity is mentioned as a ninja.
– It’s also mentioned in Samguk Sagi, don’t you know?
– Attacking without even a greeting! Asuka lacks ninja qualities!
– Isn’t it irrelevant because she’s not a ninja but a tengu?
– LOL
– But what monster is this?
Wakamou, matched Gohwaekjo’s swinging blade with his own, countering resiliently, keeping the ground firm.
As Asuka hanging on his back summoned White Flame Foxes launching attacks, Gohwaekjo couldn’t easily close in, stepping back and forth in retreat.
“Hello, Gohwaekjo-san, I’m Wakamou Inarizushi,” Wakamou said introducing himself casually while mumbling the monster’s name.
Yet the viewers in the tens of thousands wondered, what is Gohwaekjo? Which tower is it from?
Already, Kyoto Tower had witnessed higher-staged tengus—but records still existed for one like Aoi Asuka.
Though it wasn’t clear if they were the same entity, a “female-type tengu” did exist in Japan.
However, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese viewers didn’t know ‘Gohwaekjo’…?
“「Greetings, Wakamou=Inarizushi=San. I am the scarlet Night Traveling Courtesan Gohwaekjo. I shall end you」”
“…Did it speak?”
Mimicking Wakamou, Gohwaekjo clasped its hands and formally greeted, smiling at Wakamou’s reaction.
With crescent-moon eyes and a mouth stretching almost to the ears.
While having the face of a beautiful woman, it grinned a monstrous smile a human couldn’t muster, gripping its sword hilt, spreading its wings.
Amidst Wakamou’s attacks that cleared the feathers fired from the unfolding wings, a feather managed to embed itself in Wakamou’s shoulder.
[[Gohwaekjo Poison] afflicted, [Mana Recovery] is unavailable!]
With the warning notification rising, Wakamou sprinted along the cliff slipping like a slide.
Gohwaekjo unfurled its wings wide, surpassing the speed shown earlier like it was a jest, catching up to Wakamou loudly, with a whir!
Though deflected the feathers shot, there was one hidden among the linearly shot ones.
Designed to avoid Wakamou’s ‘eyes’.
Designed to escape the view of surrounding cameras.
The attack hid a feather within a feather, recklessly piercing Wakamou’s body.
There wasn’t any hint in aiming for vital spots─ more of a notion to wear him down gradually without retaining distance, flying in apparent mockery.
Had Wakamou raised his [Image of Idol] to heighten physical ability, he could keep up.
But currently, Wakamou’s [Mana] sources were too vast.
Since Liu Ying and Sadako were still broadcasting, mana flowed there too.
With no recovery, this situation was dire.
Pulling out Liu Ying’s antidote and drinking it yielded no healing, not even reaction.
Bang──!!
Falling back and retreating to higher ground, but catching wind and soaring like a swallow, Gohwaekjo approached Wakamou with a drawn sword.
“「[Dispersing Air Sword Technique]」”
– It’s Amifa’s Female Swordmaster!!
– That sword technique, here????
– I’ve never seen that skill before!!
Quickly─ and as suddenly as it appeared.
A mesmerizing sword technique, like a mirage, enveloped Wakamou─ and blossoms arose on Wakamou’s blade too.
Clang─!
Before the first clash fell, Wakamou swung naturally at the severed blossoms, intercepting miraculous swords appearing from empty air.
Ordinary, conventional rationale had to be discarded.
The [Skills] provided by the tower made everything possible!
Both landed feet forward, retreating and spinning once, clashing blades as they leapt.
Due to the cliff, lifting off already meant falling─ but Wakamou instead widened his eyes at Gohwaekjo’s charge.
In the furious exchange of blades, up had become down!
Such that with just a flick of the wings, feathers flung severed the scattered blossoms Wakamou wildly threw.
With [Kusanagi’s Sword], the light dispelled the darkness as Wakamou shined, attempting to view shapes in the shadow.
“「[Yuhe Three-Six Sword]」!”
The drawn blade streaked straight toward between Wakamou’s eyes.
To the acutely heightened sense of Wakamou adjusted by combat, the engulfing blade felt immense─ and in the moment focus drew to the sword tip─ with reflexive motion nearly instinctive, palm strike swung to guard his throat.
As it wasn’t by the sword technique, but reflexively using mastered Taekwondo for defense, the blade of Gohwaekjo pierced Wakamou’s arms.
Even though the sword route seemed as if slowed─ threatening shadows in deceptive emptiness, aiming perfectly to decapitate Wakamou.
“You are skilled!!”
Wakamou seized the half-embedded blade in his arm, holding it in place, grabbing Gohwaekjo’s collar; with a puff, the feather erupted, vanishing the striker into the precipice while Aoi Asuka soared, winged flight resumed.
Holding one wing feather, taking up a swordsman’s stance again.
Annoying.
So it even holds escape tactics just in case?
Swish─
Whoosh.
“What…!”
Missing a slight mental slip, Gohwaekjo severed the cliff Wakamou stood on. Wakamou frantically dashed atop detached debris, desperately lurching toward the precipice.
And so, Gohwaekjo sent the feathers toward the conveniently airborne opponent.
Predicting Wakamou’s leap off the summoned camera, piercing his back, unbalancing as Gohwaekjo closed in.
An intelligent, humanoid monster.
Besides, a newly discovered type never seen before!
Executing swordsmanship, disrupting mana utility amid confined terrain and–
Standard climbers would likely struggle against it!
So, what would Wakamou do now?
Instead, she plucked the embedded sword from her arm and hurled it at Gohwaekjo.
Catching the incoming blade, Gohwaekjo puzzled, and seeing something reflected in the sword hesitated, only to be kicked in the face.
Gohwaekjo’s back and head scraped across the cliff, submerging halfway as Aoi Asuka soared again after unfurling her wings.
Aoi Asuka.
“Let’s show them─ the pinnacle of the Shaman’s skill!”
A fox fire rising in the air.
Flames sprouted unpredictably around Asuka, transforming into spears that shot towards Gohwaekjo.
Then it spread its wings and closed the distance to Asuka in an instant─
“[Kuzunoha Style Spell]”
Talismans thrown from her hand unraveled a [Restraint Formation], binding Gohwaekjo’s arm in midair.
As she flipped herself to face the immobilized foe, she shouted.
“Come forth, [Winged Garment Kitsune]!!”
With those words, a sudden gust extinguished everything.
Even in magic, there exists a paramount level.
And it’s the same in spells.
An intelligence stat of 1,000, a figure hard to achieve by a typical Climber.
Having gained enough ability points from acquiring 100 Complete Strategy Layers, she could unleash top-tier spells as long as she had enough 『Mana』.
Perched on Asuka’s shoulder was Wakamou’s legendary bird.
Sharing with Wakamou meant sharing with Asuka too.
After hastily cutting A4 paper to make poorly crafted talismans through a portal opened by Wakamou, Asuka consumed vast mana.
She cast the [Kuzunoha Style Spell].
A gigantic fox sprang up from below the cliff.
A white fox with nine tails roared and charged at Gohwaekjo.
A shock as if intending to collapse the entire area─ silent yet trembling and trembling.
The massive Gumiho, summoned through sorcery, rampaged, carving the cliff and creating a plain with such power.
So tattered and torn that no Form could remain, the white fox bit and ripped apart Gohwaekjo, spitting it out on the ruin it created and trampling it.
Pssss─
Then, as if it were all an illusion, the giant fox melted away like snow, vanishing like a mirage.
The monster fox that seemed like it should appear beyond the 90th floor.
Its sheer presence and swinging its body could alter the landscape with its destructive power.
The pinnacle of [Kuzunoha Style Spell], summoning a Gumiho as large as a building!!
The viewers were speechless at the grandeur of a [Skill] that could wipe out a city if desired.
“They said it takes 20 minutes to cast and uses 400,000 mana…”
Of course, the truth hidden behind such grandeur wasn’t spoken.
It wasn’t summoned for long, disappearing in mere 30 seconds.
Wakamou, who climbed up the cliff and stood on the Gumiho-created plain, caught his breath, and Asuka approached to hand him a mana potion.
Gazing at Gohwaekjo’s corpse in the distance—wondering if such beings would keep appearing with even Wakamou’s mana called upon, they felt precarious…
At that moment, Gohwaekjo’s figure faded away like a mirage.
With a pop, what emerged was a doll.
– It’s a curse doll!!
– No, that’s the thing! It’s an item Shamans use to take hits instead….that.
– It’s called a [Passing Straw Doll].
– ….Then?
– It means he’s not dead.
Clang─!!
Without looking, he raised his sword and swung it into the air, clashing blades as Gohwaekjo widened the distance with a surprised expression.
‘Useful.’
Detecting even the faintest ‘refraction’ from the dim light emitting continuously.
It was an impromptu thought, but as a Clipper focusing on filming, Wakamou caught the very slight distortion.
-??? How did he hit that??
– Because he couldn’t hide his intent to kill.
– This is truly how the masters fight.
– The Leader who strikes at the unseen, truly a grand master…
– Just how strong were the generals from Three Kingdoms?
The believers were now watching with serious intensity.
‘A headache.’
Had Wakamou attacked for an instant kill with body enhancement, grazed by a feather, he could have died unable to heal.
Thus, if they lowered consumption to minimum when disabling an overwhelming target,
and as they were marginally safe, while pretending to be dead, if they stood up? Then it was Wakamou’s certain defeat.
──And they read this far.
The Tower always observes Wakamou. Not just Wakamou, but all Climbers.
If Climbers fight using familiar methods, the “Tower” pierces them with unfamiliar tactics.
Even production roles, after asking to mine ore to make pickaxes, could suddenly change to knitting clothes, presenting such situations.
Gohwaekjo stood proudly, laughing─ then unsheathed not a sword but a crescent blade, taking a stance.
Muscles swelled instantly, transforming into a 2-meter giant, all traces of previous slenderness gone as they charged, weapon swinging, rivaling even Wakamou’s physique.
When the sword and crescent blade clashed, Wakamou let out a groan.
Behind Gohwaekjo, Asuka fired up a kick, flames bursting forth.
Gohwaekjo pushed Wakamou harder, teetering as if it was a struggle just to parry the crescent blade.
Eventually, forced to the cliff’s edge, Wakamou slumped as if weakened and fell.
Gohwaekjo pursued, crescent blade raised high.
Clashing eyes with Aoi Asuka wielding Kusanagi’s Sword.
A fake, crafted with [Idol’s Form].
Then, who was the Aoi Asuka mounted on Gohwaekjo’s back?
Fixing coordinates upon mounting the back.
No matter how much Gohwaekjo twisted and squirmed, Wakamou stood firmly as if using the broad back as a foothold.
“Finisher─!!!”
Grabbing an arm and a leg each, twisting joints while riding the wind.
Even from behind a screen, it was breathtakingly fast, diving towards the cliff, accelerating further as Wakamou embedded Gohwaekjo’s head into the wall.
“Wakamou Inferno!!”
An exclusive finisher only Wakamou could unleash, assured of never falling!!
With immense shock, webs of cracks formed in the cliff as Gohwaekjo was lodged in up to the upper body.
“Is it over?”
As soon as Asuka finished speaking, wind blew from below to above.
Both sides of the cliff flipped unexpectedly.
Following his hair rising to the heavens, what Wakamou saw was Gohwaekjo standing in a battered state.
Though they seemingly had an ace up their sleeve, raising both arms,
Asuka was quicker.
“Allow me to take care of you.”
Obscured from view, but what Gohwaekjo couldn’t see. Through Wakamou’s corporeal form… even from his hand extended a fishing line.
Realizing it was wrapped around his neck, Gohwaekjo panicked, trying to sever it.
“Killer Fox! First Bomb!”
With a snap of fingers, fire coursed along the fishing line, enveloping Gohwaekjo’s neck.
“『Idol’s Flame』. It has no weakness!”
Boom─!!!
A white lily blooming uproariously.
The incandescent blaze engulfed Gohwaekjo’s head, leaving not even fragments of his body, devouring everything in another fierce explosion as fissures opened, splitting apart.
“With this, tonight we can… peacefully… manage the community….”
Wakamou, secretly retrieving the fishing line, patted Asuka’s head, who posed with flair as if handling a familiar beast.
“Asuka wins!!”
Delighted by praise, Asuka jumped and smiled.
Courageous enough to display words and actions a grown woman would be too shy to express, viewers laughed along.
[The Incheon Tower 33rd floor has achieved Platinum conditions and is now open to all of humanity!!]
[Rewards increase due to the Tower’s Platinum conquest]
[Climbers are awarded an additional 10 attribute points]
After being unable to exit and clearing 10 floors for the first time, the Tower awarded Wakamou with the territory now known as Wakamou’s 1st floor.
Then, what commensurate reward would follow this trial…
“……Hmm….????”
The exceedingly subtle reward left Wakamou with a profoundly complex expression, difficult to articulate.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
