Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Fox at Inari Shrine
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Japan.
When China lost half its land and its capital to the tower collapses, North Korea was smashed to pieces, and Korea was left in a wretched state without its capital.
If Korea adapted quickly because tower-climbing stories were all the rage there.
Japan was like a holy land for otaku. The moment the world turned into a fantasy straight out of their wildest dreams, otaku leaped into the towers, buzzing like they were the chosen protagonists. All for the sake of getting stronger.
Japan wasn't spared from the tower collapses either... but compared to China, its land was so much smaller.
And Japan also had plenty of people carrying on age-old traditions.
Dojos of various schools dotted the country, keeping the lineages of aikido, kendo, judo, karate, and other martial arts alive.
Unlike in Korea, plenty of people had picked up at least some basics through club activities, and martial arts were highly accessible. So the awakened climbers climbed without letting the towers crumble, and when they did collapse, they banded together to fight the monsters pouring out.
Japan's real damage came from exasperatingly sluggish bureaucracy and half-hearted government responses. In a crisis that called for the prime minister to act swiftly, they obsessed over the dangers posed by these overly powerful climbers, botching disaster relief from the collapses.
It got so bad that a climber finally snapped and assassinated the prime minister.
Relations between the Korean and Japanese governments were still at rock bottom.
But even in that mess, climbers in every country worked to save as many people as they could. Those were the ones who became the association presidents today.
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"Wow~ So this is a shrine."
Wakamo arrived at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto and gawked around like a total country bumpkin fresh in the city.
Since it's Japan, she brazenly claimed she could wander around in cosplay and no one would bat an eye.
Her manager, Won Da-hye, had plenty to say but held her tongue.
The association president back home had asked her to bring back some fermented soy sauce crab before it spoiled.
The shrine dated back to the Edo period and was famous for its ten thousand torii gates.
Walking beneath them, Wakamo thought it was a true spectacle and wagged her tail back and forth.
Camera in hand, she snapped photos with Yu Ing like any excited tourist.
"This is all part of the experience!! Sharing what I see and feel on the trip with viewers during streams? That's content gold!"
"Yeah!"
Was she here to enjoy a vacation or hunt for content?
Either way, if she was happy, that was what mattered, right?
To passing tourists, a giant with fox ears and a tail had shown up at a shrine dedicated to the fox goddess Inari. They whispered: was it a god?
Some figured it was some event and tried snapping photos. Others approached Wakamo, but she shot back with shameless lines like she'd picked the wrong target and insisted she was just a tourist.
She proclaimed it all while perking up her fox ears.
Totally cosplay, of course.
Yu Ing was too mortified to even lift her head.
Couldn't she at least wear a hat or change clothes?
The lack of disguise was purely to conserve mana as much as possible.
Absolutely not because she'd been busy watching VTuber streams and clipping highlights, burning through mana.
"Wow, so this is a shrine. First time seeing one for real."
"P-President... been to a sh-shrine before...?"
Not like she owned the Inari Shrine or anything, but a fox goddess visiting one for the first time?
Yu Ing couldn't believe it.
But Wakamo couldn't exactly admit she'd been lining up at shops from the day before arriving, holing up in her hotel to watch VTuber streams instead of sightseeing.
"The main path is for gods to walk."
"Sh-Shouldn't President take the main path then...?"
Yu Ing sniped, but Wakamo shot back that it'd be rude not to walk together.
They took photos anyway.
Yu Ing snapped shots of the fox goddess posing next to a fox statue, wondering if this was even real.
That's when she spotted a shrine maiden sweeping with a broom and hurried over.
Was this a real working miko?
Eyes full of expectation, Wakamo approached.
The maiden, mid-sweep, rubbed her eyes frantically at the sight of a fox goddess striding over.
Black fur, but... a fox... a yokai?!
"Real miko?"
The polite, courteous question left the stunned maiden sweating bullets. She gulped and stammered a reply, craning her neck way up at the giant height.
Facing those half-lidded eyes that might be squinting or closed, the maiden confessed she was just part-time help.
"Uh... I'm just doing short-term part-time work. Real mikos... probably don't exist anymore...?"
No climbers had the miko class.
"Some VTubers are mikos, though..."
"President..."
Yu Ing grabbed Wakamo's wrist and dragged her away before embarrassing the poor girl further.
A fox goddess might be disappointed there were no real mikos, but Yu Ing was relieved she didn't try entering the shrine building asking if other gods were around.
Of course, if asked, Wakamo would've just said gods didn't exist in this world.
"There's something I've always wanted to do at a shrine! This is called an ema. You write your wish on these wooden plaques and dedicate them. Inari Shrine's are fox-shaped, just like they said! Here, Yu Ing. Write your wish."
"G-Go on broadcasts with President."
Yu Ing scribbled diligently in Korean.
Wakamo smiled warmly beside her and wrote her own wish on an ema.
[Please let me buy limited-edition VTuber figures on this trip.]
She clasped her hands and prayed with all her heart.
Please... Lady Inari... grant this wish...!!
She stuffed in 10,000 yen pre-tax.
That oughta cover a wish like this!!
After that, it was leisurely sightseeing time.
There was more to see than expected. Nice views too.
"Japan's got its own charm... I kinda want one of those. Wonder if I need a sword carry permit...?"
Mid-stroll, her eyes locked on an ornate katana displayed against the shrine wall.
As a fox goddess, wouldn't she look cool wielding a Japanese blade?
Always at full power, so why not try three-sword style?!
"P-President, where to next?"
"We did the sheep collab in Kyoto, so hit up some secondhand shops for goods, check out the collab cafes running now, then browse figure shops here. Akihabara if we've got time."
"Eat lots of yummy stuff, please, Manager!!"
"Permission granted. Buy it all...!!"
"Yay!!"
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".....Uh... is this really okay...?"
"Tetsuya, councilor!!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!!"
"Sigh─ You're not some kid anymore. You've got rank now─ time to puff out your chest and act with some dignity, no? I hear even that old hag's lined up her successor. If only I had talent like that... cut me some slack for my endless sighs."
A sharply dressed elderly woman scolded a timid-looking man in the councilor rank, who seemed scared of his own shadow.
She was Watanabe Tomoko, president of Japan's Climber Association.
Gazing out from a skyscraper high enough to overlook the city, she frowned at the towers rising amid the urban sprawl.
She'd conquered five towers, with a personal best of 70 floors─ undeniably one of Japan's top climbers.
She had no reason to worry, yet she'd sent this councilor anyway─ meaning they planned to act on their own whims.
"The Japanese Sorcerer Association and that idiot finally making moves?"
"Y-Yes... To exorcise the wicked yokai that came to Japan..."
"What a joke, targeting a climber from Korea. They've crossed the line!! It's practically insulting me!!"
"I can't fathom why Korea's association president would unleash a monster like that..."
"Because she's the strongest."
Unequivocally the strongest in Korea's climbers, vouched for by a comrade who'd fought back-to-back, staking his honor.
No need for doubt.
Japan's government ingrates couldn't even muster a thank-you to the one who'd rushed to help in their crisis. It just made her sick, as always.
Every climber in Korea could gang up, and that old man would still flatten them. She was overwhelmingly confident in his skill─ he could see mana flows with his eyes, sense danger intuitively.
He could tell how many lives someone had taken, spot doppelgangers mimicking humans on sight.
For a guy like that to call her a "good climber"─ she had to be a total human-lover.
"Worried so much I tailed her, and she's just sightseeing like a tourist... What was there even to fret about?"
Grumbling, the association president vented about maybe naturalizing in Korea for real.
The councilor begged her not to.
"Politicians have zero grip on reality."
Times had changed drastically.
Climbers didn't want to lose the civilization they'd grown used to─ movies and stories had drilled in what happened without it.
Some tried coups to wake up this incompetent nation, but unless a climber was overwhelmingly superior, they couldn't win against the military.
"They treat me like a hunting dog to slaughter rogue climbers."
"Haha..."
"Then let me flip it: what if it's not a yokai, but the real Inari goddess?"
"P-Pardon...?"
"Not killing a promising Korean climber, but exorcising a yokai. What if it's a real god? Then what?"
Her question left the young, pushed-into-this councilor speechless.
He was just a figurehead, a punching bag, not a true rep.
But hearing her out, if it really was a fox goddess...
Even if not, this was already a diplomatic incident.
"And we've done our share of freelancing anyway. 【Fist King】 wants to meet her."
".....Pardon?"
"So I said go ahead♥"
"N-No, you can't just─"
"Got a problem? Then come tell me yourself."
The councilor fled after she coldly dismissed him, saying she had to talk with Director Won Da-hye─ beat it.
The mess had been problematic from the start, but he sensed it ballooning further and contacted the Diet.
The message: Japan's strongest man was heading to meet the fox goddess!
To fight!!
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Climber vs. climber fights hinge on how much info each hides.
Even knowing a job doesn't reveal all [skills]. Factor in weapons, consumables, accessories, armor.
Outside towers, you might get cocky thinking they're weaker, only to eat a sneaky bullet.
Heck, one American tower conqueror got gunned down randomly passing by.
Flip side: that's why climbers rarely fight each other.
Too busy battling monsters and climbing.
If someone's picking a fight, it's likely an assassin-trained climber or government weapon come to kill you─ better run.
Governments would snipe from afar smartly, of course.
"Can't... eat... anymore... ugh..."
Yu Ing trembled, hands clamped over her mouth, belly bloated from overeating.
Wakamo unpacked at their pre-booked hotel, then opened a portal and stuffed in all the VTuber merch, figures included.
Even hugging armfuls, she couldn't carry it all.
She swept up Nendoroids─deformed figure versions of Virtual Alive members─and ravaged figure shops, planning to turn her studio home into a display gallery.
She'd bought so much, her portal home was too clogged to enter.
Packed in plastic, piled from the bathroom─ who knew our house was this tiny...
"Only 700 figures!!!"
Figures only, of course. Impulse buys of other stuff? Not mentioning.
Cooling off, she wondered if she'd gone overboard... but eyeing the mountain of VTuber goods, her grin stretched ear to ear.
"Ehehe... This is happiness... Wakamo happy!!!!"
Sky-high energy surpassing limits, Wakamo's tail puffed balloon-like as she fired up her game console for a VTuber character game she'd bought.
Tons were barebones cash-grabs on characters with crude gameplay, or fan-service specials, but Wakamo didn't care.
"So this is it! My seventh new VTuber game purchase!!"
-Right... uh, yeah...
-When's the Japan trip recap?
-2 hours of VTuber merch talk now.
-Is this a VTuber info session?
-Professor's lecturing, so sit tight.
-No roll call, nice...
-Ichigo's streaming too.
-What's she saying?
-President bought so many figures she can't get home. 2,800 items. Thought I misheard.
-....Huh?
-W-What...? That many...?
-Figures plus keychains and misc? Yeah, piles up...
-No way, built a pharaoh's tomb? VTuber museum?
Her voice pitched sky-high from hype. Ears flapping as she giggled nonstop, Wakamo chatted with viewers nearly four hours. Questionable "chat," but her queen oshi had recapped her Japan trip, so Wakamo wanted to share too─ what collab cafe foods she tried.
"So in this dish, the VTuber collab is this VTuber─"
-Quiz time?
-Wake me when prof's done...
-All this on the exam?
-Crazy CSAT, semester's doomed sigh.
-Open book tho?
-Open book and I'd still fail. LMAO
-Why memorize all that???
-Info: Guild master's got all public profiles memorized.
-Terror holding VTubers' dark histories...
Viewers fled the merch barrage for Ichigo's food talk.
She shared first-time Japan feels with friends, showed Inari Shrine pics from Kyoto.
Red pill exposure disaster to anyone watching, but Yu Ing brushed it off as VTuber model compositing per orders.
Viewers were past nitpicking that, just nodding along.
-Fox goddess at Inari Shrine.
-Fox goddess who can't use main path cuz gods only?
-Fox goddess posing by fox statue─ real?
-Sad she was bummed no real mikos.
-No gods, no mikos at shrine... kinda lonely.
-Isn't that shrine the guild master's...?
-Visiting a friend? Fox friend won't come out...
-But why no China trip?
-Gotta have somethin left to visit lol
-Fr real, all torched lol
As Ichigo and Wakamo streamed parallel Japan plans, fans had zero expectations for VTuber visits from Wakamo.
But mid-chat, arms crossed, Wakamo pondered.
She'd learned taekwondo in Korea─ but honestly, hitting limits.
Japan brimmed with schools teaching diverse martial techniques: karate, judo... kendo sects galore.
Maybe sign up somewhere, learn a bit?
1:1 private lessons could dodge red pill issues, but inviting a master? Cost?
'Monsters are fine─ brute force kills 'em. But might fight climbers later.'
Monsters: smash. Climbers: rather not kill casually, so learn varied combat.
Director Won Da-hye said climb permit approval would take time─ enjoy sightseeing.
Japan's association president messaged Wakamo directly: enter whenever, no issue. Do it.
Declined politely─ diplomacy risk.
[ Tower Climb Permit ] was unprecedented.
Japan and Korea associations cross-checked and registered the item info, so every climber worldwide knew.
Unique, so no plundering.
Bypassing penalties for fresh climbs? Priceless.
For repeat conquerors, lowered difficulty meant easy gains─ even aim for full clears.
Why no naturalization pressure on Wakamo?
Climbing another nation's tower mid-climb required reset: lose all stats.
No guarantee recovering skills/stats, items vanish if not transferred.
Won Da-hye said some nation sent agents figuring Wakamo's "strong from start" myth meant reset fine.
Agent tried covert contact─ red pill impossible, so handled it. Not killed, hopefully...
If Wakamo snagged another, nations might threaten: conquer our tower or else.
Scale was insane... Wakamo didn't care, but...
Threaten her studio's VTuber collection? She'd fold.
Irreplaceable treasures burning? Cursed fox goddess for real.
'So, wanna fight smarter.'
Tower climbs restored mana, letting over-the-top shows build "strong" illusion.
Reality: skills so sloppy, couldn't control power─ overoutput shaved lifespan.
Real effort? Rhinos/goblins eat mana similarly─ need more proof?
'─Studio too, so martial arts demos as performance.'
Taekwondo did overseas shows.
More techniques = richer VTuber streams.
'Japanese instruments, dances... study up...'
Tomorrow: raid convenience stores for VTuber collabs.
What kinda resolution was that? Anyway, Wakamo planned diligently.
....
......
"I've wanted to meet you, Fox Goddess."
Next morning, stepping out of the hotel─ a sturdy, dignified martial artist blocked her path like he'd been waiting.
Perfect plans shattered before even meeting him.
Epic plan to camp out at dawn for store queues!!!
"─Who?"
"Called by the grandiose title 【Fist King】... but just a humble martial artist. Came from afar hoping to meet you."
Would you spar?
His polite, courteous request bore a title even tower-indifferent Wakamo knew.
Japan's strongest climber─ soloed Osaka's 90-floor demon tower with bare fists!!
'.....But why spar me...'
How bloated had her strength illusion grown?
Sighing inwardly, Wakamo silently bid farewell to the collab goods she'd planned to snag...
Sorry I can't make it, convenience store collabs...
Wakamo moped─ briefly considered waking sleeping Yu Ing, felt like trash for it.