Chapter 13
◎ Climbing Rule 2.
Even if information about the tower is available, never forget that the tower is a place where life and death hang in the balance. Even if you distrust the association, always be prepared.
◎ Climbing Rule 3.
The tower adjusts so that individuals can climb up to the 9th floor based on their abilities, but for climbing the 10th floor, always consult with the association or your affiliated guild.
T/n: Rule 0 and 1 mentioned in Ch 3.
※※※
“Hello there! My young brothers!! Ah, the martial world has been quite noisy these days!! Hmm? What is the Supreme Martial Artist MZ Hero doing?”
A righteous VTuber, who never breaks character and always highlights his strengths in broadcasts.
Today, he received a video donation of the rampaging Fox God.
“Did the lord say it’s a divine beast? Catching it will yield a divine elixir? Oh, but how could a righteous martial hero harm an innocent maiden!! Ha!! I am certainly not afraid!” The viewers spread the video everywhere.
Even those who weren’t particularly fond of VTubers but didn’t want to watch were fed the algorithm of YouTube. The ranking rose, making it one of the trending videos.
It didn’t stop there. People who loved promoting and spreading things were all over the place. The most important part was that there were no channel rules, and since the Fox God herself didn’t forbid it, the chaos spread unchecked.
Naturally, some people felt displeased about content unrelated to the original broadcast.
However, the glamorous combat of a 1v1 monster fight inside the tower naturally drew attention.
The furious guitar sound accompanied the breathtaking solo performance of the Fox God’s invincible moves, culminating in the bullet-cutting finale. The scene of her snapping a fan open with a crisp sound, throwing it to pierce through an enemy’s head, was reminiscent of martial arts techniques from wuxia stories. It spread even among non-VTuber fans and other streamers.
As such, it was inevitable that what they called “YouTube reaction creators” began to proliferate.
They cut clips from the video and added effects or AI voices, turning them into shorts.
It was a common occurrence when something gained popularity.
Especially if the opponent was a prospective top-tier Climber who might really be the Fox God herself, a holder of the “Complete Conqueror” title.
However, most people openly ridiculed such behavior.
Why ridicule? Because those shorts began to disappear, and in some cases, the channels vanished as well.
No matter how skilled they were, the Fox God was still only famous in South Korea. Even if she was a promising talent, she was still at the lowest level.
But even so, South Korea had very few Climbers.
Naturally, the government was backing promising talents, even if they were unaware of it themselves.
※※※
Regardless of how the world was turning, Wakamo Inarizushi was once again watching her own broadcast today.
It had already been the 4th day of streaming. Truly, a career that could be described as that of a complete newbie.
Even for long-term survival, she would have to continue as a VTuber, so after reflecting on herself and considering her VTuber career, Wakamo noticed one problem while watching a replay of her fierce battle footage.
She had gone back down to the 8th floor, set up two cameras to capture the perfect angle, and proceeded to smash the Dwarf’s head.
But… wasn’t it too one-sided? While dominating a fight may indeed provide viewers with refreshing satisfaction and a good dose of dopamine,
The VTubers Wakamo had watched were those who sometimes struggled with games, throwing tantrums and complaining, shouting out, “What the hell is this?!” in bewilderment, and screaming in an exaggerated manner, being loud and clumsy even over trivial matters.
Take that shark from across the Atlantic, for example. Didn’t she earn love with her curious and innocent voice, full of curiosity, examining everything around her like a child?
And she skillfully delivered professional commentary in the midst of it all, while also being a talented singer as a VTuber. There was never a dull moment for her viewers.
It’s no wonder she’s a top-tier VTuber in the vast continent of America.
But this gigantic figure… the only thing worth boasting about is the chest. Could she tease the audience with playful language while staying within the lines like that blue orca? That seemed impossible.
The essence of being a VTuber is the character. Though it’s an advantage to change outfits and appearances freely, at the end of the day, the essence remains a man.
Even though Wakamo spoke gently to her believers, could it truly compare to the overwhelming motherly affection emitted by those married VTubers? Certainly not!!
“My stream lacks a sense of crisis!!”
After being chosen as a VTuber, burning her old life to the ground, vowing never to return again.
On the second day, after resetting her resolve and conviction as a VTuber.
Though she possessed top-tier content with her tower climbing and action-filled performances, which were rare strengths for a VTuber, Wakamo realized that her combat was just too one-sided.
In martial arts comics, isn’t it more popular for the protagonist to face crises and overcome them, rather than always winning easily?
Of course, there are cases where everything is defeated in one punch… But if that pattern continues, believers might be disappointed if Wakamo starts to struggle while climbing the tower.
Humans eventually hit a limit.
Even VTubers, when they throw themselves into their streams with all their passion, inevitably face burnout at some point.
Though people might joke, what burnout could Wakamo possibly have after only 4 days of streaming?
As for the wisdom needed for tower climbing, Wakamo already had more than enough, even if she wasn’t a VTuber.
Don’t be surprised—most VTuber viewers would likely have it as well.
“There’s something called the Venus of Willendorf, a relic of the ancient idol worship from at least 22,000 years ago. In other words, the history of otakus spans 20,000 years! Even if fantasy became reality through the tower, it’s only been 10 years!”
Tell me, believers… What happens when a Korean otaku, who knows everything about tower climbing, is given power?
Ordinary monsters, magic, traps, and situations—otakus have already seen it all in anime, surpassing their wildest imaginations.
Beyond that, there are movies and dramas! If manga seems too difficult, wouldn’t anime, with its fierce action, suffice?
“Eat, watch movies, and sleep. That’s all a man needs for training!!”
He said confidently!!
But that was precisely the problem with the Wakamo Inarizushi model.
As mentioned before, she never got tired. Before that, she didn’t even need to breathe. On the flip side, this became a weakness—because she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t recover mana through sleep, making her a ticking time bomb.
Unless she conserved mana, not watching VTuber streams was simply out of the question… She’d rather die than miss those.
No one knew how the weight was decided, but she could perform tricks like doing a handstand with just one finger or balancing her body on her big toe.
If she mastered [Mana Manipulation], wouldn’t even crazier things become possible?
“So, after much deliberation, I registered.”
In her heart, she wanted to fill it with guns and laser swords, but for now, she settled on preparing the effects needed for her stream.
Even the VTuber model with all sorts of functions, like Tank VTuber Randolph in Korea, placed great importance on effects.
Shooting beams from her eyes or mouth would surely entertain the viewers, wouldn’t it? Adding a simple eye-flash would make things much more fun.
[VTuber Asset]
- Same functionality as ‘Virtual Chat.’
- The number of assets increases based on the floor conquered by the [Climber].
- [1/1 Asset Registered]
- [Blinding Light (colour can be changed)]
Now, I can shoot rainbow beams from my hands.
The downside was that the mana consumption was severe. It was like a power leak.
In the purest sense, it was just “light,” so it did no damage. There was no increase in temperature, but I could freely change the colours and alter the shape.
I thought maybe I could even make a Wakamo clone hologram, but it was harder than expected due to a lack of proficiency.
It wasn’t clear, but there were faint afterimages or shapes being projected.
If I had added it as a feature of the VTuber model rather than an asset, I might have used it more comfortably, I thought in hindsight. Then I realized that there were also model features like removing the outer coat or making the tail appear and disappear. But where did all that go?
Why couldn’t I make the tail appear with my actual body, even though I could with the 2D Live model…? Is it because my floor level is still low?
“Oh, oh… swish, swish…”
While watching boxing videos, I practiced moving around here and there, all while watching VTuber streams on the side.
To others, they might say I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and bursting with talent, mocking me.
Every day, I’d say, “VTubing is a realm beyond human comprehension,” and “I have no talent at all,” belittling myself. But now, it was time to make up my mind and jump into action.
“Nice to meet you, my believers! How are you! I am Wakamo Inarizushi!”
-“Nice to meet you, sea cucumber.”
-“Is this a foreign streamer? LOL”
-“Well, she is a beast, so in that way, yes.”
-“Are you finally climbing the 9th floor today?”
-“What comes out on the 9th floor?”
-“An Orc Fighter.”
-“Coming to give the streamer a massage?”
-“LOL not wrong, though.”
“Today, I plan to quickly ascend the 9th floor and try out the new [Dark Ring] DLC. Honestly, I’ve never played this kind of game before… But it’s trending! Gotta follow the trend, right, believers?”
-“Trend?”
-“Well, with the new DLC, it makes sense, but isn’t it a bit late now?”
-“The streamer knows too much, it’s like they’re cursed with knowledge.”
-“From what I know, more than 40 VTubers have already streamed [Dark Ring].”
-“If it’s the streamer who watched Taesan’s 24-hour stream for 48 hours, they can definitely do it!!”
-“Already memorized all the patterns in your head, LOL.”
-“What are you talking about? You’re the trendsetter, play a different game. Go up to the 10th floor!”
-“Believers… If you ascend the 10th floor of Incheon Tower unprepared, you’ll die…”
-“Who, the streamer?”
-“Give the 10th-floor boss time to prepare their heart…”
-“LOL”
As I continued to stream for the fourth consecutive day, I paid close attention to my believers’ reactions, who seemed to be enjoying it. While the viewer count slowly rose, I casually mentioned that I had watched a boxing movie today. I said I wanted to learn how to throw punches properly and even watched a Chinese movie, and my believers’ responses were quite varied.
-“Want to learn martial arts?”
-“Every day, I stray further from the path of the void.”
-“Believers, Wakamo goes to the tower to become stronger!!”
-“Eating endlessly to become stronger!!”
-“Is this the level of human martial arts…”
-“But, streamer, if Bruce Lee hit you, would it actually deal damage?”
-“Can you even call it a punch if it’s slower than a bullet?”
-“The lowest-floor Climbers have the strength of UFC fighters… That’s humans for you.”
“Hey, stop teasing me. I actually earned a black belt in Taekwondo at Cheongdo Hall. Hmm! I’m quite the master!”
-“What’s Cheongdo Hall?”
-“A Taekwondo dojo, nothing special, established back in the 1940s.”
-“Dude, how do you even know this stuff?”
-“If you trained at Cheongdo Hall, you’re basically a master of the Taekwondo source material, LOL.”
-“You could say it’s the equivalent of being a Marine from the very first class.”
-“Isn’t the streamer not from the first Marine class, but a Korean War veteran?”
-“Were you on the red team?”
-“What’s this crazy dude talking about, LOL?”
Well, I had actually just learned at a normal Taekwondo academy, but I said it to fit the character, and everyone played along, making me quite pleased.
After about 30 minutes of casual chat, I announced that it was time to climb the tower and entered the 9th floor with the [Tower Entry] skill.
According to the neglected Incheon Tower information, the monster that appears is [Orc Fighter].
It’s essentially the first properly humanoid monster I’ve encountered. The Corrupted Dwarves, by comparison, were treated more like goblin-like creatures because of their small size.
A blinding light illuminated my vision, and as soon as I dodged the black shadow cast over my face, a green-skinned, muscular figure standing about 1 meter and 70 Cm tall was furiously swinging its fist.
Was death by surprise attack one of the reasons Climbers die during tower ascension?
After getting hit while in a defenseless state right after ascending, if I hadn’t gathered the information in advance, I might’ve been caught off guard.
-“Wow, that surprise attack is BS.”
-“No wonder Climbers die from ambushes like this.”
-“This is why Incheon Tower isn’t popular, even though it’s in the capital.”
-“Yeah, if you’re not a close-range type, you start off getting hit in the face no matter what.”
-“When I got hit by that thing and my nose collapsed, it reminded me of the trauma from being beaten by a bully.”
-“Dude… don’t cry… what’s your class…”
-“Alchemist.”
-“Cry harder. Your life’s already over.”
-“I’m already crying without you telling me.”
The chat window I had open on one side was quickly filling with messages as more viewers who had heard the rumours joined.
Was casual chat streaming not as popular?
Even though the green-skinned Orc Fighter had suddenly launched a surprise attack, hardly anyone seemed worried about Wakamo. Did they have faith that I wouldn’t get hurt, even if I got hit? It was clear that I was missing a sense of crisis.
Well… if I can cut down bullets, what’s there to worry about?
[You are climbing the 9th floor of Incheon Tower.]
- “Get used to combat! Practice against the [Orc Fighter]!”
[Platinum Achievement Conditions]
- Dodge an attack from the [Orc Fighter] (1/5)
- Block an attack from the [Orc Fighter] (0/5)
- Take no damage from the [Orc Fighter] (0/1)
This is a rather troubling condition.
Even though it’s a properly humanoid monster, making me engage in a duel right after reaching the 9th floor? Most Climbers would’ve been so disoriented from the surprise attack that they’d focus on winning the fight. But those who know what’s coming would quickly dispatch it without worrying about it.
“Come at me with your fists.”
I smiled leisurely, waggling my fingers to provoke the orc, not forgetting to keep one hand behind my back.
As the punch came fiercely through the air, I watched it with sharp focus and narrowly avoided it by pulling my neck back.
Thanks to the 200% utilization of the hardware capable of fully exploiting the superior dynamic vision built into the software!
“Krahhhh!!”
As the orc’s punch missed, it angrily swung its arm downward, but I slipped forward, lowering my body to avoid the blow.
The orc’s arm swung wildly enough that its elbow bent behind its back, but I, who had lowered myself down to its thigh level, narrowly avoided getting grazed by the attack.
Annoyed by its missed strike, the orc lashed out with a kick, but I avoided it by using my toes to pivot from the ground, propelling myself vertically into the air, spinning as I dodged and landed lightly.
Without turning my back, I dodged the punch aimed at me and spun to the side. Twisting like a dancer, I quickly moved behind the orc.
Though it belatedly tried to grab my hair, I used [Mana Manipulation] to slip out of its grasp, positioning myself behind the orc.
I tapped the back of its knee lightly with the tip of my foot, making it stagger.
“Can’t you do a little better than that?”
I had a camera set up behind me.
Thanks to the added function of [Viewpoint Sharing] within [Video Recording], which had taken me a lot of effort to get used to, I could see the attack from behind without having to turn around.
And this meant that the viewers could also see the orc’s back from the camera placed where I had been standing.
I checked whether the video angle was nicely captured with [Viewpoint Sharing] and smiled.
The orc, interpreting my smile as provocation, let out a furious roar and, with bloodshot eyes, charged at me.
I deflected the incoming punches with the back of my hand and pressed down the kicks with my palm, blocking and parrying like a master of Jeet Kune Do.
It was a martial arts action sequence straight out of a Hong Kong film, and the chat window exploded with excitement.
My hands and feet moved in harmony with the orc’s attacks as if we were exchanging blows choreographed to perfection, but the viewers knew that this wasn’t staged, which made them even more excited.
I observed with my eyes, and with my superior body, used [Mana Manipulation] to accelerate my movements, reacting to the orc’s heavy strikes with ease.
As a result, my mana was being drained at an alarming rate.
Without showing any signs of concern for the depletion of mana, I continued to smile and leaped into the air to avoid the orc’s final strike, a powerful front kick aimed squarely at me.
Once airborne, you can’t dodge anymore.
-“What do you mean, where else can you dodge if you dodge upwards?!”
-“Look at that disgusting grin on the crazy Orc’s face.”
-“Did the streamer reflexively jump, or are they screwed?”
Both the viewers and the believers knew that Wakamo had made a mistake, and they realized that the Orc Fighter had lured her into it.
Just from seeing the sly grin on that ugly face, which was so repulsive that even the viewers felt uncomfortable, they could tell!
“Kieeeek!!!”
The Orc let out a scream filled with murderous intent as it threw a punch.
Wakamo’s foot came down in a hook-like motion, aiming at that very punch.
-“Wow!”
-“Is she stopped mid-air right now?”
-“No, she’s not stopped; she’s standing on it!!”
-“With just her toes?!”
Wakamo’s foot had curled her toes into a hook, digging into the Orc’s wrist.
And right after that, the Orc was dragged down as if sucked under Wakamo, spinning violently three times in mid-air like a top as Wakamo pulled it along.
Boom!
With Wakamo’s foot crashing down into the ground, the Orc’s head was smashed into the floor, leaving it literally crushed.
“Ta-da! Did you see that? I tried copying something I saw in the martial arts movie today. How was it?”
-“Saw it and copied it (for real).”
-“She lured the attack into the air, countered it mid-air, and slammed it down…?”
-“I feel sorry for the Orc Fighter… It tried its best…”
-“It felt good when that ugly pig that hit me got smashed, but now I feel bad for it.”
-“This isn’t the fight of a Climber!!!”
-“What’s wrong with the strong trampling the weak?”
-“She used fists, so I responded with fists.”
[The 9th floor of Incheon Tower is now unlocked for all of humanity as the Platinum Achievement has been reached!!]
“Woohoo! V for victory! Wakamo wins big!”
Wakamo, with a bright smile, made a “V” with both hands and waved them happily, showing off to the viewers.
The believers were delighted, calling her cute, while the viewers cheered at the fact that she had fully conquered up to the 9th floor, achieving the “Complete Conqueror” status.
“Well then, everyone take a little break! See you when we stream [Dark Ring]!”
Though the intended crisis scene didn’t quite work out, it seemed like she managed to recover somehow, feeling relieved as she switched the stream to another screen.
The tower conveniently (?) provided the conquest condition just in time, allowing her to film a scene right out of an action movie!!
Honestly, having a high-performance body made it feel like anything I thought of was possible. What should I do if I get good at games too…?
As my hidden talent as a VTuber slowly blossomed, I wondered if I might actually become one after all.
“Could it be that I have a natural talent for VTubing?!”
With a grin spreading from ear to ear, I indulged in my happy daydreams.
Mmm~ Wakamo doing collabs with famous VTubers… But being so tall would be a hassle…
[Due to the Platinum Achievement in the Tower, the rewards have increased.]
“So, what’s the reward for clearing the 9th floor..?”
I shrugged my shoulders and, riding high on the “Wakamo is awesome!” energy, bit my lower lip, unable to contain my happiness, and checked the rewards.
[Please select one reward]
[Idol’s Form]
- Uses the mana you possess to create a form.
[Idol’s Protection]
- Provides a buff to your believers proportional to the tower floor.
[Weight of Faith]
- You can become lighter or heavier in proportion to your believers.
“No attack skills…? Really…?”
What are these skills even for? No matter how I look at it, two are clearly for show, and one is just to help my believers.
[You have acquired the skill “Idol’s Form”!]
Well, at least it could be used for intimidation… But then, what about the asset… Didn’t I just waste it on the light effect…?
My moment of happiness quickly vanished, replaced by an inexplicable sadness that seemed to fill me.
Why… why are there no attack skills… Give me back my fiery devil fruit… Give me my Chidori!!
“Sigh, maybe I’ll get one on the next floor….”
What’s done is done.
Since my believers were waiting, I used [My Worlds] to return to my personal space and get ready for the next game.
I couldn’t help but think, with just [Internet Connection], do I even need a computer anymore? It feels like I’m living in the future. I can move everything with just my will, without needing a mouse or keyboard… And since my mind can respond instantly to my thoughts, I’m confident I could dominate any game.
I’d already studied [Dark Ring] extensively through countless VTuber streams.
With my believers eagerly anticipating it─ I went straight for the “No Item Cheetos” route, which only experienced players dared to attempt.
-“Whoa, the streamer’s confidence is something else.”
-“Even the Association acknowledges this confidence, LOL.”
-“Just wait!! The primitive ancient VTuber is on the way!!”
-“She’s choosing based on instincts, the kind she remembers from her past life.”
-“Our streamer really loves ‘Uga Uga’.”
“Uga Uga.”
Picking up on her believers’ jokes, Wakamo confidently advanced her character toward the field boss of [Dark Ring], commonly referred to as the “Refund Guardian.”
The boss, known as the [Tree Guardian], was a tutorial field boss infamous for making countless streamers and VTubers give up. Even though fighting it wasn’t necessary, Wakamo boldly charged forward.
“I’ve memorized all your patterns! I’ll finish you in one try!!!”
And 17 hours passed…
“Ughhh!!! Please!! Why can’t I dodge this?! Why can’t I dodge it?! I rolled!! I dodged!!”
After getting beaten to a pulp by the [Tree Guardian] without even managing to raise a dust cloud, Wakamo died and died and died again.
“Huh? Why did that hit me? Shouldn’t it have missed? Why did it hit?! I didn’t touch it!!”
Aha! Got it! (Not really). As Wakamo endlessly repeated this cycle of retrying with pure determination, she finally…
“Waaaahhh!!”
She admitted defeat 18 hours in, running away saying she’d watch some VTuber streams instead.
The [Tree Guardian] avenged the grudge of the [Orc Fighter].
And the streamer’s utter lack of gaming talent was fully exposed, becoming a joke among the believers.
Indeed, an extreme lack of talent…!!
A gamer with absolutely zero combat talent!!
Later, one of her believers shared the news that Wakamo spent another 7 hours in her next session but still couldn’t beat the [Tree Guardian], and the fan café was filled with laughter.
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