Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Tower Climbing Rules Chapters 2 & 3
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◎ Climbing Rule Chapter 2.
Even if the tower's information is known, it's a place where lives hang in the balance, so don't forget to prepare, even if you distrust the association.
◎ Climbing Rule Chapter 3.
The tower is calibrated so individuals can climb from a minimum of 5 floors up to a maximum of 9 floors on their own, but for the 10th floor climb, consult the association or your affiliated guild without fail.
※※※
"Well now, greetings! My little brothers!! Hmm! The martial world has been quite rowdy lately!! Huh? What have I, the MZ-generation supreme master of the jianghu, been up to?"
A model VTuber who never breaks character, playing to his strengths and running a wholesome stream.
Today, a video of the fox god going wild had landed in his lap.
"The governor called it a monstrous calamity? Said if you catch the spirit beast, you'll get spirit pills? Tsk tsk, any true righteous hero of the orthodox sects wouldn't harm an innocent little creature!! Onward!! I'm not scared at all!"
Viewers everywhere started spreading the video far and wide.
Even people who didn't particularly hate VTubers but didn't want to see them got force-fed by YouTube's algorithm. It was the ripple effect of the video climbing the ranks into popular territory.
And it didn't stop there. It loved buzzing around and promoting itself everywhere. Most importantly, there were no channel rules, so with no bans from the fox god herself, it rampaged freely like a colt off the leash.
Naturally, some got annoyed at unrelated streamers popping up.
But the flashy hand-to-hand combat of one-on-one monster fights inside the tower was impossible to ignore.
Amid blistering guitar riffs, the fox god's dazzling display of unmatched prowess culminated in a bullet-slashing finale. Folding her fan with a crisp snap! and hurling it to pierce the enemy's skull—it was straight out of a wuxia novel. The clip spread not just among VTubers but to other streamers too.
That's why the so-called YouTube leeches started leeching it.
Snagging the footage for edits, slapping on AI voices for shorts, that sort of thing.
A common plague once something blows up.
Especially when the subject was a hyper-promising climber who held a "perfect clear floor" that might actually be a real fox god.
But most people openly mocked those leeches.
Why? Those shorts started vanishing naturally, and sometimes entire channels disappeared.
No matter how sly they were, the fox god was still only famous domestically. Promising or not, she was at the lowest floors.
Even so, Korea had so few climbers.
Naturally, the government had her back, whether she knew it or not.
※※※
No matter how the world turned, Wakamo Inarizushi was watching her own stream today as always.
Day 4 of streaming. A total newbie career.
Even for long-term survival, she'd have to keep up the VTuber gig, so after some deep self-reflection on the role—
Watching her intense combat footage, Wakamo spotted one issue.
She'd gone back to the 8th floor, smashed a dwarf's head using two cameras for perfect angles.
But wasn't it too one-sided? Dominating fights gave viewers that refreshing catharsis and dopamine hit for sure.
But the VTubers she'd watched flailed when they sucked at games, threw snarky comments like "What's that supposed to be?!", screamed and overreacted to the point you'd wonder if games could even be this hilarious, and lit up with excitement over tiny details.
Take that shark from across the ocean in Atlantis—she got love for her pure, childlike curiosity, poking at everything with an innocent voice and antics.
And she mixed in pro commentary and killer singing skills, keeping viewers hooked.
No wonder she topped the vast American continent.
But this massive body... The only thing worth flaunting was her chest. Pull off blue whale-level teasing while staying in character? No way.
VTubing was about character. Swapping outfits freely was a plus, but the core was a guy. Women's unique performances? Tough. Soft-spoken sweetness to fans couldn't match a married woman's maternal aura!!
"My streams lack crises!!"
Chosen as a VTuber, she'd burned her house down, vowing never to return.
On the second day, recommitted to her new resolve and faith as a VTuber.
With prime content like tower climbing and action perks tough for most VTubers(?), Wakamo realized her battles were too lopsided.
Even in fighting manga, protagonists who face real peril and overcome it were more popular than one-shot wins.
Sure, one-punch kills existed... but if that pattern stuck, fans might bail if she hit a wall climbing the tower.
Humans hit limits eventually.
Even VTubers burn out after pouring passion into streams.
Sure, mock Day 4 Wakamo for burnout talk.
She already had the wisdom for tower climbing, VTuber or not.
Don't be shocked—most VTuber fans had it too.
"There's this prehistoric idol relic called the Venus of Willendorf... At least 22,000 years old. Meaning otaku history is 22,000 years!! Even if the tower turned fantasy real, that's just 10 years!"
Tell me, believers... What happens when Korean otakus, who know every tower-climbing trope inside out, get power?
Average monsters, magic, gimmicks, scenarios—all mastered beyond imagination via anime.
Movies and dramas too! If manga’s too static, watch the animated explosions!
"Eat, watch movies, sleep. That's all a man needs to train!!"
Said with gusto!!
But this Wakamo Inarizushi model made it possible—that was the problem.
As mentioned, she never tired. Didn't even breathe. Downside? No sleep meant no mana regen via rest—terminal condition.
Skimp on mana? Absurd for a VTuber. Better die.
Weight mechanics unknown, but finger handstands or big-toe body supports? Doable.
Master [Mana Manipulation], and wild tricks galore?
"After agonizing, I registered it."
Wanted guns or lightsabers, but prioritized stream effects first.
Even tank VTuber Randolph crammed his model with effects domestically. Eye/mouth beams for fun? Subtle glowing eyes too.
[VTuber Assets]
- Functionality identical to 『Virtual Chat』.
- Ownership increases with climber's cleared floors.
-[Registrable Assets 1/1]
-[Dazzling Glow (color changeable)]
Yes, now rainbow blasts from my hands.
Massive mana drain too. Leaks like crazy.
Pure "light," zero damage. No heat, free color/form shifts. Hologram clones? Proficiency too low—tricky.
Faint afterimages or shapes, barely.
If added to VTuber model core, might've been easier. Late regret. Outer clothes toggle, tail in/out? Where'd those go?
Why can 2D live model pop tails but not main body? Low floors?
"O, o... whoosh whoosh.."
Practicing punches from boxing vids, half-watching VTuber streams.
Others might call it talent-baiting a gold spoon.
Daily "VTubing's inhumanely tough, I'm talentless" self-deprecation, but time to commit.
"Nice to meet you, tail wag! Wakamo Inarizushi here!"
-Nice to sea cucumber.
-Thought you were a foreigner streamer lol;
-Same beast side, yeah.
-Climbing 9th today?
-What's on 9?
-Orc Fighter.
-Boss massage delivery?
-Lmao not wrong lololol
"Today, quick 9th floor, then the latest DLC [Dark Ring]. Never played this type... but trends! Gotta follow, right believers?
-Tren?ds?
-DLC out, fair game, but late means scraps.
-Boss knows too much—cursed with knowledge?
-I hear over 40 VTubers streamed [Dark Ring] after watching boss.
-Taesan's 24-hour stream watched 48 hours by boss? He can do it!!
-All patterns memorized lololol
-Nah, you're the trendsetter. 10th floor!
-Believer... Incheon Tower 10th unprepared = death...
-Who? Boss?
-Give 10th boss mental prep time...
-Lmaooooooooo
Day 4 straight stream had believers thrilled. While numbers climbed, casual chat about boxing movies. Learning punches, watched kung fu flicks too—mixed reactions.
-"Wants to learn martial arts"
-Daily heart drifts from nothing.
-Believers, Wakamo climbs tower to grow strong!!
-Endless devour to power up!
-Human martial arts... this level?
-But boss, Bruce Lee hits register damage??
-Punch slower than bullets?
-Bottom-floor climbers UFC strong... humans, yeah.
"Psh, quit teasing. I got black belt at Cheongdo-gwan. Hmm! I'm a master!"
-What's Cheongdo-gwan?
-Taekwondo dojo ㅇㅇ Oldest from 1940s, no biggie.
-Dummy, why know that?
-Cheongdo-gwan = taekwondo origin master?
-Marine 0th gen equivalent.
-Boss ain't Marine 0th, fought Korean War?
-Red team?
-This psycho what lololol
Actually just regular taekwondo academy, but fit the concept—glad they bought it. 30 mins chit-chat, time for tower. [Tower Entry] straight to 9th.
Forgotten Incheon Tower info: [Orc Fighter].
First proper humanoid monster. Fallen dwarves were goblin-sized.
Blinding light, dodged black shadow lunging—1.7m muscled green-skin swinging fists huffing. Climber deaths included ambushes?
Post-summon vulnerability—without info, toast.
-No, ambush total bullshit.
-This why climbers die to ambushes.
-Incheon Tower unpopular despite capital cuz this ㅇㅇ
-Yeah, non-melee eat face punch start.
-That nose-crusher reminded me of Iljin's trauma.
-Dummy....don't cry....job??
-Alchemist.
-Cry harder, life's fucked.
-Crying sans words.
Chat exploded on side screen, new viewers piling in. Casual stream unpopular?
Sudden green-skin ambush, but few worried for Wakamo. Tank a hit faith? Definitely crisis shortage.
Well... bullet-slasher.
[Tower Incheon Floor 9 World climb in progress]
-Get battle comfy! Practice vs [Orc Fighter]!
[Platinum Achievement Conditions]
-Dodge [Orc Fighter]'s attacks (1/5)
-Block [Orc Fighter]'s attacks (0/5)
-Take no damage from [Orc Fighter] (0/1)
Weird conditions.
Humanoid sure, but 9th-floor sparring? Most eat ambush, recover win; informed speedrun.
"Fists, eh? Come at me."
Smug smile, beckon finger. One hand behind back.
Tracked slicing straight punch, leaned back razor-thin dodge.
Software dynamic vision at 200% via hardware!
"Krarrak!!"
Missed punch whipped down irritably—slid leg forward, crouched under. Orc arm swung wild past waist; at thigh-low, barely grazed chest.
Furious kick—released toes, heel-slammed ground from prone-ish, vertical leap spin-dodge, twirl land.
Back-turned, sensed incoming punch via side-step, waltzed behind in tangle.
Late hair-grab swing—[Mana Manipulation] slip, claimed back, light toe-kick to Achilles, staggered.
"Try harder?"
Rear cam.
[Video Recording] extra [View Share] adaptation hell, but saw back ambushes sight-unseen.
Viewers saw it too from orc-back angle.
Checked [View Share] angle—perfect, smiled.
Orc roared rage, bloodshot charge.
Deflected punch with forearm, palm-blocked kick—Jeet Kune Do master style, parried flurry. Hong Kong flick action lit chat ablaze. Looked choreo, but realness hyped them.
Eyes tracked, body + [Mana Manipulation] overclocked absurd moves.
Mana drained fast.
No crisis-script worry shown, grinned outwardly—leaped over "finisher" front-kick big windup.
Midair? No escape.
-No, dodging UP then where?!
-Crazy orc grinning gross af.
-Boss reflex jump? Fucked???
Viewers/believers clocked mistake, orc bait.
Ugly mug's sleazy grin screamed it!
"Kieeek!!!"
Murderous straight punch.
Hook dove in.
-Woah!
-Froze midair??
-Nah, stepped!!
-Toe??
Wakamo's thrust foot curled hook, stabbed orc wrist-toe.
Instant, orc yanked under, Wakamo spun top-like 3+ aerial turns clutching orc.
Kwang!
Wakamo's slam-foot planted orc headfirst—smashed flat.
"Ta-da! Copied from today's wuxia flick—how'd I do?"
-Saw and copied (real).
-Lured aerial, midair counter-slam...?
-Poor Orc Fighter... tried hard....
-Pig that hit my face felt good smashed, now pity can't watch.
-This ain't climber fight!!!
-Strong crushing weak—where's the harm?
-Fists? Fist-fought back.
[Incheon Tower Floor 9 Platinum achieved! Open to all humanity!!]
"Yay, V V! Wakamo big win!"
Sunny grin, double-V shake for cams.
Believers cooed cute; viewers cheered full "perfect clear floors" to 9.
"Alright, short break, everyone! Catch ya for [Dark Ring]!"
Crisis flop salvaged somehow—relief, swapped stream screen.
Tower handed perfect(?) action scene!!
Body specs OP—ideas executable easy. Games next? ???
Hidden VTuber talent blooming?
"Turns out I'm a natural VTuber?!"
Grin ear-to-ear, happy delusion.
~ Famous collabs... height nuisance tho....
[Tower Platinum clear boosts rewards]
"So, 9th rewards...?"
Shrug-shrug, "Wakamo amazing!" hype, bit lip ecstatic, checked.
[Choose 1 Reward]
[Idol's Form]
-Consume mana to shape form.
[Idol's Protection]
-Buff believers proportional to floors.
[Faith's Weight]
-Lighten/heavy per believers.
-No... attack skills...?
Wtf these. Two for show, one believer perk.
[Acquired skill [Idol's Form]!]
Seemed threat-useful... wait, [Assets]... light wasted...?
Joy vanished, unknown sorrow filled.
Why no attacks... Gimme fiery fruit back... Chidori!!!
"Sigh, next floor maybe...."
Inevitable.
Believers wait—[My Worlds] to personal space, game prep.
[Internet Connect] = no PC needed? Mouse/keyboard obsolete, mind-control futuristic... thought-speed perfect—ace any game confident.
[Dark Ring] studied via tons VTubers.
Expectations high—went noob-killer [No-Gear Speedrun].
-Wow, boss confidence where.
-Assoc certified lololol
-Wait n see!! Primitive ancient VTuber primitive go!!!
-Picked dongseol instinct post-start... nostalgia unstoppable....
-Boss just loves uga-uga...
"Uga-uga"
Caught believer drips, charged [Refund Guardian] aka [Tree Guardian]—optional field tut boss that wrecked streamers/VTubers. Wakamo advanced cockily.
"All patterns injected! One-shot!!"
17 hours later.
"Uwaaa!!! Pls!! Why can't dodge!! Rolled!! Dodged!!"
Dustless pummeled by Tree Guardian, death loop.
"Huh? Why hit? Shouldn't? Why!! Didn't touch!!"
A! Got it!(Nope) infinite, grit retries.
"Uwaaang!!"
18th hour, shameful defeat—fled to "VTuber stream time."
Orc Fighter's grudge repaid by Tree Guardian.
Boss gaming trash talent exposed—believer ridicule.
Innate hell talent...!!
Paper-thin gamer no-talent!!
Later believer checked [Dark Ring] time/achieves: +7hrs post-game, still loss. Fan cafe bloomed laughter.