Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Worst Part of Being a Streamer
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The worst part about being a streamer is having to act like nothing's wrong in front of everyone else.
My favorite VTubers always tell me to smile and keep a happy face. They say that's the reason they stream—to bring joy and laughter to the world.
The ideals of a dazzling idol are just too lofty.
"What a shitty day."
No, to be precise, it's been two days?
Wakamo Inarizushi is superhuman.
On top of that, [Idol's Body] always tries to keep Wakamo in peak condition.
When her mental state takes a severe hit and she suffers psychological damage, her mana gets chipped away.
At the same time, if too much mana drains out, she feels mental exhaustion, dizziness, and extreme fatigue.
In other words, what sustains Wakamo Inarizushi's body and mind is 【Mana】.
Where are Wakamo's soul and the organs of her flesh and blood? How do they even exist?
Wakamo doesn't ponder such things. Just like how people are curious about whether she has a soul but don't really care.
Pondering answers to the unknown is a waste of time.
She doesn't feel pain or tactile sensations unless the conditions are met.
She can at least taste food, but she doesn't get hungry. Sleep is the same.
She feels emotions, but only to that extent. She can sense external touch to some degree—but honestly, wouldn't a normal person go insane?
She gets dopamine and energy from watching VTuber streams. When someone graduates, she sobs and begs them not to go, but understands their situation and cheers them on through tears.
When a fun or touching scene pops up in major content, she clips it and shares it because it's too good to keep to herself.
Wakamo Inarizushi pursues her own happiness and wants others to be happy too, but she's not the type to force it on them.
She could be called innately kind.
In this cold, harsh era, even smiling, crying, or getting angry requires caution. Everyone's so sensitive these days. It's a selfish world where you can get sued just walking by for no reason.
In such a world, idols shine like beacons—laughing, crying, rejoicing together, and pushing toward dreams. How beautiful and blinding it is.
Even if it means becoming a moth diving into flames, Wakamo would throw herself in.
If she'd just streamed normally as a VTuber, maybe there wouldn't have been any issues.
She didn't need to climb the tower in the first place, or push herself stubbornly at work. She tripped over her own feet while chasing perfection.
And now here she was, wailing that it's all the tower's fault and playing the victim. In a way, wasn't Wakamo someone who couldn't truly become human... fitting to be called a beast?
The white-faced golden-furred Wakamo had truly become a feral beast, rampaging about.
Unfortunately, [Idol's Body] wouldn't even allow her to lose her mind.
Which meant Wakamo was perfectly sane right now.
[Idol's Body] couldn't create a clone—there wasn't even spare space for one.
In that sense, getting space from strengthening [VTuber Model] on the 53rd floor had been lucky.
Since [Appearance] changed completely, it could be seen as a [Transformation].
Wakamo, transformed into the golden-haired, nine-tailed [White-Faced Golden Fur], was grinning ear to ear.
"Poe poe poe poe!!!"
Words you shouldn't say on stream? In this form, they're fair game.
More precisely, she'd regressed to her clipper days before debuting as a VTuber—back when she had a gravelly voice, swore freely, did Super Chats like crazy, and lived wildly.
Sadly and pitifully, Wakamo was an intellectual who couldn't completely let go of herself.
She had to think of her viewers, her position as president, and how others saw her... Life as a social being was torture for Wakamo, who could live well without ever stepping into society!!
"It's okay to wear the same perfume as Oshi, the same clothes too!! I want to roll around in bed hugging an Oshi dakimakura!! Aah—!! If I wear the parka Oshi promoted and spray on her perfume, isn't that basically becoming one with her?"
-Wrong on all counts.
-Reasoning completely evaporated.
-Just turned into a creepy otaku.
-Isn't this just saying what she always wanted to?
-How her pent-up desires turned into this ugly Verbung...
-Terrifying in a way, but also kinda sad...
"Hey, asshole!! I even applied to Virtual Live saying I'd be their 'company dog'! But that'd just creep people out!! Someone like me belongs at the bottom, doing unfunny gags at Aogiri High School, which isn't even proper VTubing!! The ultimate form of VTubing comes from that wild abandon!!"
-This is straight-up drunk streaming.
-Aren't you just drunk?
-Regressed to ancient primitive streamer days, fuck lololol
-This is when she'd ramble about VTubers the second she turned on stream!!!
-Became an even creepier beast than usual.
-Watch your words, streamer. Community's gonna burn.
"Doing official streams, agenda streams, recording, editing—it's too much!! The Korean tower sucks!! Forcing a quiet guy like me to debut for their own greed!!! Why do I like VTubers? Why do I watch?! My soul's 19 years old, you idiots?! What's wrong with liking cute, pretty, lovable things!! Watch male VTubers too!!"
-"Eternal 19-year-old"
-At least has some conscience.
-Won't say body age lololol
-lololololololol
-Conscience stops her at 17?
-No, not in the tower—time for figs is later.
-And yet she's got 70 VTuber streams open, superchatting away.
-Crazy bitch lolololololol
-Big spender in rampage mode...?
-How's the minimum superchat 1 mil lolololololol
-Earning like a dog and dumping it all on VTubers...
-US, Japan, Russia, China... world tour or what?
-Give some to us too.
-Fr, give to us lololol
-Did you abandon your believers!?
"Believers my ass!! I hold your lifelines!! Fan cafe folks who draw comics or art well!! I check out the ero doujins you make too!! You know how well I take care of you?! Here's an ero manga where Wakamo tops a shota. And for some reason, there's vore stuff where she swallows 'em whole or turns into a furry. Let's make today's stream a Wakamo Inarizushi ero doujin review."
-lolololololol
-Stop!!!!!
-What the hell in front of 300k viewers!!!
-How many ero mangas lololol
-And she only grabbed Wakamo ones, for real?
"From the start!! If you wanna show me your ero art of me!! Why should I pay!! Offer it up yourselves, idiots!!! No concept of tribute!! No manners for an idol! Should I go Zeus on ya?!"
-Fucking scary threat lololol
-"Zeus" it up?
-Hating on Greek gods, that's dizzying.
-And loli Wakamo doujins are the most? Real?
-Police uncle's here.
-No Korean ones lololol why?
-Koreans actually kill you if caught.
-Gonna end up on streamer's controversy board.
"It's done for!! Burning up!! Gonna hit the anti boards!! Gotta defend with sock puppets!!"
-Yamada lolololol
-Copying the chairman lololol
-Knows every VTuber meme.
-The mad clipper returns...!!
-What was ancient Wakamo like...?
Wakamo was spewing whatever came to mind, doing whatever she wanted, forgetting all about tower climbing.
She bragged about her figures, fiddled with merch nonstop, pulled out signed albums—doing everything she never did normally.
From believers' view, since Wakamo's a girl, what's wrong with wearing Oshi's clothes, perfume, shampoo? They'd just laugh it off as creepy otaku WW.
But in truth, with her real body being male, Wakamo had, in a sense, cast everything aside and was reveling in resignation.
"Goddamn it, nothing in the world can stop me!! If anything tries to get in my way, I'll smash the heavens!!"
Stream however I want, game however I want, take breaks whenever...!!
-This guy's completely corrupted after 1 year of streaming lololol
-Finally, the beast's instincts emerged!!!
-Fox God's stress from perfectionism exploding.
-But even after breaking the seal, she holed up lololol
-Popular kid mask off, hikikomori pops out...
-Believers can't complain even if Wakamo hiatuses a month.
-With Cybernet as her subordinate, what can internet commies do?
-Sue her.
-Ah lolololol
"Yeah! Believers! In this world, nothing can't be solved with power!! Behold this power and influence...!! Heh heh heh...!! With my current status, I could get front-row Virtual Live concert tickets straight from the company, not scalpers!!!"
-Such humble ambitions lol.
-Blackened and that's her goal...?
-Just conquer the world or something..
-Try unifying Yurishia continent at least.
-Streamer's dreams are so modest...
-Blackening for legit front row with money/power...
-Scalpers get caught and you're dead for real.
-Paying money in the midst of it is the humor lololol
Ahh... rising... ecstasy... excitement... joy!!
People are more swayed by what they see.
The content is still Wakamo Inarizushi, but her rampaging as the white-faced golden-furred [VTuber Model], spewing nonsense—that was streaming entertainment!!
Anyway, believers all mistake her for a fox god, so Wakamo figured let 'em delusionally thrive—and decided to profit off it.
Manager Wanda On decided to contact the Japan side to pre-buy some tickets for the stream manager.
Thud—
She'd been yapping loudly alone, so naturally, she'd attract monsters.
As the rampaging Wakamo giggled, an elf magus in robes emerged from the darkness.
To viewers, it was a nostalgic monster in a way, and seeing it on the 54th floor made them realize just how brokenly easy her climb had been, greeting the familiar face warmly.
[Elf Sage, Knower of Magic] appeared before Wakamo.
Un-elf-like, with no beauty—just a wrinkled old face and long dangling beard, leaving an unforgettable impression.
Especially striking were the eyes: pupils milky white, as if blind.
Yet those fog-shrouded eyes could visually perceive mana flows.
"Hmm... One question. From the moment you entered, you've been afraid.... What are you afraid of? Me?"
Setting down her figure without turning, Wakamo spoke in a sage-like tone of omniscience, making the sage flinch.
The tense elf sage raised his staff, ready for battle.
"Sage, your fear reminds me of life's great task... What is the most basic thing humanity desires? It's 'comfort.'"
Removing fear and anxiety from life is humanity's primal survival instinct....
Sacrifices... desires... power... All stem from seeking a secure life, distancing from fear and terror. Or avoiding, ignoring it—a method too.
"You're trembling, sage... Afraid? Follow me, and you can escape that fear and terror, you know?"
-Too scary...
-(Shivering fox kon)
-Don't say lines like some 100-year-old vampire!
-No, why's the monster so scared?
-Like before, probably sees the mana.
-Streamer's mana pool supposedly over 1.5 mil per US estimates lol
-How much gap with top ranker wizard?
-Roughly 1 mil?
-Fuck lololololol
"[Root Flame Spear]!!"
-Called it!!
As she ascended, enemies clearly got smarter. Or elite. Flames spears spun fiercely around the chanting elf sage, launching at Wakamo.
"[Mana Discline]!!"
Her palm blackened, firing radial light blanketing the space. Whoosh!! Hitting air, the world's colors shifted momentarily before fading transparently.
Viewers wondered what skill, but the elf sage looked like something was definitely wrong.
Didn't use [Mana Burn]. She'd learned. Korean tower must've tipped them off?
Boom boom boom—!!
Flame spears slammed into Wakamo, exploding. The sage sprayed water, trapping her in a massive liquid orb, gripped a thunder spear, hurled it piercingly, exploding.
Lightning scattered, scraping ceiling and walls wildly. He grabbed the mana, whipped it like a lash—sharp thunder sword sliced the wall, precisely cleaving the room's center where Wakamo stood.
Or it should have.
Blocked by something, he canceled magic instantly, yanked sharp minerals from ground, fired as projectiles. Flicked fingers—minerals transmuted to mana, massive explosion.
Minerals hit something silent, so he switched judgment, attacked.
Chaining dozens of spells nonstop, the sage showed why [Wizard] grows deadlier per floor.
"Loosen up that face?"
Dust cleared, golden-haired Wakamo with nine swishing tails stood before him, speaking casually.
—Not a single attack landed? Aghast, he flinched as she raised her hand, raising his palm.
"So, what'll you do?"
To cast, but Wakamo closed in, palm as if to grasp hands.
"[Void Touch]!!"
Purpled hand echoed otherworldly.
Dust-inclusive mana-sucking secondary dimension grasp lunged to seize Wakamo's palm.
"[....?]"
"I'm fine with a handshake like this."
Didn't reach.
Couldn't touch—halted just before.
Alien sensation of something in between.
"Don't be shy. You're embarrassing me too♥"
Blatant scorn toward a fighting foe.
Veins bulged at the fox god's belittling gaze, sage's eye corner.
Believers watching the couple-like hand-hold turned red with envy/jealousy.
Before reacting, the elf sage flushed red too.
[Mana Discline]
This upper-class [Suppression System Magic] solidifies [Mana] completely, paralyzing it.
Fired flash-like from palm, near-impossible to dodge.
Cover helps, but doesn't shield fully—spreads burn-like.
Bans [Skill] activation, [Mana] use, causes muscle spasms to [Paralyze]—upper [Freeze (Temporary Halt) Spell].
Fast cast, hard to evade—so sage's judgment was spot-on.
If Wakamo hadn't recruited [Grad Student].
......
.....
"[Mana] is truly special. Its form is utterly free. [Form Change] lets body shift and revert... Mana is the most perfect substance, becoming anything in existence."
[Grad Student] Sebastian researched [Mana], so Wakamo asked for a lecture.
When explained [Mana Manipulation] is a [Skill] only for those perceiving, sensing, controlling mana flows.
Wakamo mostly used it for boosting or output, so questioned.
Via [Idol's Mineral], infuses mana to shape desired minerals, but process unknown to her.
Naturally, doesn't fully grasp [Idol's Body].
Various phenomena: expels mana, tears like mana, mental shocks chip mana—but still doesn't understand.
"Not the whole body 'mana'—limits handling otherwise."
Sebastian's words opened new understanding for Wakamo.
Excess mana auto-discharges as "Aura"—experienced fighting tower apostle saving Russia, tried herself.
Could she in this state?
—[All bodily stats 100% mana-based] and [Horizon Coordinate System fixed; all physics reference is self].
Wakamo distinguished shell from interior.
Then opposite?
Flipping body concept, spread [Red Mana] wide.
Realized widening mana gaps lets matter pass.
Like [inflating skin]?
Ultimately, pervasive mana was part of Wakamo's body.
Spread mana wide like clone control/manipulation. Simultaneously, transparent to invisible.
No camera needed—this state sensed skin-ripping attacks, auto-evade sans sight.
Plus visible『演出』 enabled.
[White-Faced Golden Fur] as rampage-desire-beast misconception.
Invisible, but Wakamo spread mana everywhere now.
Body extended; [Mana Burn]-incl [Mana Discline] severed lizard-tail-like on contact.
Yes, current Wakamo exposed [Idol's Body] raw—naked.
Already mana chips on hit, so cautious—same as baring heart.
Attacks on air hit Wakamo's mana—damage!!
But non-specific classes, incl believers, can't see.
Even if, transparent—sense mana at best.
Thus sage's [Void Touch] touched and didn't.
Mana draining second-by-second, tower warning "You'll die like this!!!"
To top clown Wakamo's daily tightrope over death— no threat.
"Visible Wakamo" split from "invisible Idol's Body."
Sage literally blocked by massive mana!!
"Ultimate Killing Strike: Severing Fang—!!"
Hand gripped tight, kick-launched him airborne, follow-leg sliced waist.
-Genoside Cutter...!!
Believers laughed spotting it—elf archers behind barriers loosed arrows at entering Wakamo.
Deep mana shave with incoming arrows halted right before her.
Fixed midair like grasped.
"BANG"
Finger-gun aimed, chant—[Idol's Storm] wind blades halved an elf.
"[Haaap!!!]"
Missing no gap, spirit-hidden elf spearman gripped spear, thrust Wakamo's head.
But spear-tip halted just before.
Panic-retrieve foot—but already inside Wakamo's gut equivalent.
Late mana-sense defense—crunch! Spearman evaporated.
No blood, crumpled air-swallowed, one gone.
Used [Weight of Faith] hidden [Idol's Form] to devour spearman.
—Eating restores mana.
Tongue tastes fully, so direct stomach?
"O~ Tasty, huh? Oops."
Mana filled more than expected—better than potions? Laughed.
Her body ultimately, so [Idol's Reality] etherealized entry possible; [Projection Setting] transparent—hard detect inside.
Mana drain huge—nine tails gulped potions—but stream's about show.
"Where you rushing off to?"
Escaping inner-maze elf archer floated airward.
Unused [Object Interaction] mana-lifted, pulled visible for struggling archer.
"[Aaaahhh!!!]"
Spirit power life-light broke bonds; arrow spirit-wind-fire-water [Spirit Arrow] aimed Wakamo's brow, loosed.
Flying arrow vanished en route.
Spirit links severed— backlash, archer vomited blood, horror-lifted head.
"Looking for this friend?"
Mouth open, tongue out, showed crumpled spirit inside—gulp! Archer arched writhing.
"Spirits damaging contractors on death unlike summons? Neat find."
Sneering voice, grinding-teeth archer drew waist sword, charged Wakamo.
"Maze with elves, not orcs/taurs—odd."
Leapt into Wakamo's embrace—crunch, gone.
"Ptooey."
Then spat severed ear rolled floor.
"Now I get ancient idol human sacrifices. But believers? Wakamo prefers your love~ Got it?"
New info: eating monsters restores mana. Wakamo grinned.
Human-like appearance, but monsters to kill—no qualms.
No taste—but mana gain, warning to viewers?
Camera fixed corridor-end.
Tail swish, Wakamo walked passage end.
Head swivel check sides—attacks from "both" sides.
Piiing—!!
Left/right elves loosed arrows—halted pre-touch again.
Kept firing, no hit, halted; fell only after Wakamo passed, echoes dark.
Camera no-follow—believers blind to corner Wakamo took.
Opposite: arrows flew, drawn-sword elf warriors bravely charged.
Crunch!! Grind!! Snap! Gnaw!!
Soon, opposite: agonized screams, crumpling/crushing sounds.
Still camera at corner mouth.
Elf warrior emerged Wakamo's corner.
"[Aaaah!!! Aaaaaa!!!]"
Flee-tripped warrior screamed terror, leg-grabbed dragged inward, vanished.
Splat—
Wall splashed red like paint poured.
Now viewers felt pity for endless arrows.
But incoming halted, shoved invisible—blood-splashed white-faced golden-fur leisurely walked opposite corner, vanished.
"[Kyaaaaah—!!!]"
Soon, ear-splitting elf scream echoed.
Tearing sounds, frantic footsteps, something's wail.
Camera faithfully lit Wakamo-passed hall—screen blacked.
※※※
Returning screen: Ichigo, Iosif.
Split screens showed Pirate, Lucia to believers.
Two teams: Wakamo party split maze.
Serious alert Pirate, Lucia.
"—Every fanart I see, her lower belly's bloated, bugs me."
"Huh? Isn't that the arousal point?"
"Like on period? Belly swells then."
-Gasp.
-??
-No.
-What're you saying!!!
-Fanart real-time slaughter site.
"But form-fitting clothes highlight navel shadow, rest slightly protrudes. Imagine organs inside, get aroused? Right, everyone?"
"Thought body/navel lines, but artist's terror on kids' Pirate stream.... Not kids-making stream~!"
"Praise for well-drawn! You can too! No suggest to untalented!! Men's brains in dicks, right? Practice horny fanart of us, succeed underground artist. If so, remember! Adolf Lucia!!"
"Party's stickiest two saying this ain't comedy bell?"
"Real pervs prefer us."
"Those real pervs draw dragons in fanart."
"Jealous Iosif...! That talent envy...!!"
"Anyway, our age love/money late ok, but jungle can't. Where's our jungler!!! Ichigo!!! Need pots!!!"
-lolololololol
-Ah Piratech.
-Toplaner mindset pure lololol
-Ichigo support or adc?
-Both.
-Noble commoner lololol
-Me hungry!!
-Why duo static comedy lololol
"I'm ascender, so gorge top too. Not gaming—towering!!!"
"Solo push troll, duo synergy.... Shows German orgy flow."
"Told ya, searched—only porn."
"Germany's cultural pride?"
-Fuck lolololololol
-Stream exploding!!!
-No tower!! Why duo tied!!!!
-These fuckers no move!!!!
-Join cautious till merge... pro moves.
-Pro or not, fucked lololol
-Streamer banned war crimes, went mad art....
※※※
"Wind feels artificial... spirits?"
"Definitely, life force. Ichigo sunbae. Likely elf foes."
"Aska scouting back?"
".....Why here...?"
"Look this way, Ichigo bodyguard duty. Super Aska stronger now. Aska's big sis."
Ichigo, Iosif, and somehow Aska.
Started duo, Aska naturally rear-emerged.
"Enemies coming."
Aska, Wakamo-held-back for unknowns, pointed passage: foes approach.
"Where... elf kidney 70.86in grip... finger joint 3.54in, arm 25.59in... calc.... Yep, 「511.81 inches」!!"
"Metric, Aska sunbae!"
"13 meters!"
Ichigo relayed, drew gun, pulled trigger.
Firing explosion.
Footsteps everywhere.
Blind-arrow-dodge Aska, whip-deflect Iosif.
"What now sunbae. Wait?"
"No."
Iosif/Ichigo... lacking feats, no?
Gas mask Ichigo drew sword, rolled shoulders.
"We push."
"WAAAAGH!!!"
"O..waaa...!!"
Maze danger/monster fear?
More important things.
"We won't be buried/forgotten by peers!!! Charge all!!"
"For Emperor!!!"
"Not glasses—Iosif!! Not glasses—Iosif—!!!"
Even ignoring Wakamo's stay-put, desperate reasons.
Alchemist-mocked-as-support Ichigo.
Supports vital as tanks—healers/buffers!! She gritted.
Glasses-won't-do Iosif followed.