Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Idol's Messenger
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Wakamo's other broadcast had been an explosion in every sense of the word.
The community was flooded with posts to the point where it was overwhelming, and even people uninterested in VTubers were complaining about the same posts over and over—only to check the content and dive into the discussions themselves.
Academia had always been conducting extensive research on the question: "What is the Tower?"
The Tower possessed a will of its own.
And it chose its climbers.
The common traits among climbers were that they didn't fear monsters, shunned no battles, and possessed strong wills.
Of course, they were still human in the end.
There were those who broke under pains they'd never experienced in life, their spirits crushed. There were climbers who developed traumas and phobias toward monsters.
But the moment one became a climber... they rarely questioned climbing the Tower or fighting the monsters that emerged from it. They might agonize over whether to ascend, but battling the Tower's monsters was a given.
Some wondered if the Tower twisted human perception, but it had long been established as truth that the Tower selected only those who were "like that from the start."
It granted them a "Class" suited to who they were.
It analyzed human civilization and created fitting "Items" and "Skills," even crafting life forms like the "Summons" of a [Summoner].
The Tower was not an entity seeking humanity's destruction.
Scholars speculated that it desired humanity's survival, hoping for progress and evolution in tandem.
And then there were the bizarre, twisted things called "Legendary Classes."
Sometimes dazzlingly radiant and noble.
But utterly random and incomprehensible... classes that only one climber in the world could ever possess.
There were all sorts of classes, but right now, the researchers, scholars, and professors were most fixated on "Wakamo Inarizushi."
She wasn't a monster from outside the Tower.
Evidence overflowed that she had existed plainly before the Tower even appeared.
That was why her race had changed due to her Legendary Class occupation.
That was the prevailing opinion... until the Kyoto Tower addressed Wakamo directly on the 30th floor, flipping everything on its head.
The [Kyoto Tower] had summoned its "messenger" to Wakamo Inarizushi and challenged her to a duel.
The only class that subdued through battle and forced submission to make them follow was [Summoner].
But [Summoners] researched monsters they wanted to tame, formed summon contracts, and turned them into [Skills] through effort—there had never been a single reported case in academia of one popping out like this and demanding submission.
—Of course, it might just not have been reported.
Factions that wanted to monopolize climber information might know.
The dazzling sword dance between the fox god and tengu raged fiercely, and after an intense battle, Wakamo—who seemed to unleash her power—displayed unnatural movements and combat prowess, claiming victory.
Right after, along with news of achieving full conquest of the floor, a window appeared visible to viewers too.
[The Kyoto Tower cedes [Idol's Messenger] [Izuna Clan Female Tengu] to Wakamo Inarizushi!]
—Yes, the Tower itself had handed over a monster from the 30th floor as a reward to Wakamo Inarizushi.
[Humanoid] monsters were among the hardest to tame.
They had high intelligence and strong hostility toward climbers.
The reason for their extreme choice—preferring death over submission—remained unknown.
It wasn't impossible, so some [Summoners] did summon [Humanoids].
Even then, they had almost no intelligence, merely sharing abilities with their summoning climber and obeying orders in a mechanical fashion.
A [Humanoid] monster displaying wondrous abilities like the one Wakamo fought was virtually the first from the 30th floor.
Why on earth?
Ten years after countless deaths from [monsters] emerging from the Tower, monsters were still objects of fear and terror.
Yet everything about them was a subject of research.
If the Tower truly created even the monsters—then what exactly was the Tower?
A fragment of the answer had just been revealed directly by the Tower itself.
"【The [Kyoto Tower] sends its messenger to the [Idol] to challenge her to a duel! Oh exalted idol of Korea, try subduing it through victory!】"
What was an [Idol]?
It meant something modeled after a god.
That meant Wakamo Inarizushi was an idol modeled after a god.
She always introduced herself as a fox god.
—In essence, she was the last remnant of mystery from modern East Asian mythology, the sole living idol.
Then what of the Tower? The identity of the Tower that sent a messenger to that idol...??
Some claimed the Towers were alien invasions, but at this moment, one thing was all but confirmed.
The Tower minimized combat for production or non-combat classes.
Conversely, it ramped up trial difficulty for powerful combat classes.
Then what of Wakamo?
Her strength that didn't look ordinary at all, her extraordinary actions. Innumerable abilities whose class origins were impossible to guess.
It was certainly a Legendary Class... but she often laughed and said she had weakened.
She had been forcibly reassigned to the Legendary Class [Idol] by the Tower and was climbing it.
Ascending not by her own will, but by the Tower's—didn't that mean she knew the Tower's truth?
"No... I don't know either...."
"You don't know...?"
Wakamo, being interviewed alongside the Japanese Association President and Fist King with one reporter in tow, answered with a genuinely troubled expression.
The sole living idol of the modern era!! A fox god modeled after a deity!! A worshipped being climbing the Tower to save humanity!!
"Then, are you the idol?!"
"Ah, yes!! I am that idol!! Existing right here!!"
"I knew it!! Disciple!! Bring sake for the shrine altar!!"
"Yes!!"
"No, that was a joke—don't take it seriously!!"
Wrong. No matter how much Wakamo insisted, no one would believe her.
Especially since the Kyoto Tower had arbitrarily dumped the [Idol's Messenger] on her, leaving her in utter distress.
The Tower had declared through her broadcast that it would challenge the "idol" directly!! And it had spread everywhere.
Plus, Wakamo had wailed pathetically worldwide about what kind of reward this crap was.
"This is really troubling! I'm just a normal climber, you know? Not a god or anything—just an idol!"
"What thriftiness...."
"Shouldn't we do more VTuber collabs, Association President?"
—Laugh, and the whole world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone.
Why did that line flash through Wakamo's mind?
She wanted to flop down, sob that she was just a VTuber, and bawl her eyes out.
But her head's market value must have skyrocketed, so she held back.
Killing Wakamo was one thing, but mentioning VTuber might make crazies threaten a VTuber's safety.
To Wakamo, it just felt like the Tower checking if she qualified to raise a messenger and handing it over.
"......"
Meeong—
The [Izuna Clan Female Tengu], wings hidden, hadn't uttered a single word even when brought out.
As if it lacked a self entirely. No response to any question from Wakamo.
"Um... Association President... if it's not rude, does taming a [Humanoid] as a [Summoner] feel like this...?"
"Usually, yes. And furthermore, [Summoners] reportedly feel emotions toward their tamed monsters identical to their own. Some climbers scale the Tower targeting beautiful humanoid monsters—perverts driven by lust, you see."
"I didn't want to hear that last part...."
Sighs escaped her involuntarily.
The reporter asked various questions, but the female tengu reacted to no external stimuli.
"Try smiling?"
The female tengu smirked.
Without a word spoken, she tilted her head and smiled as if pledging utmost obedience to Wakamo's command.
She smiled, but her eyes held no emotion—purely robotic, inorganic.
Her blue hair and blue-sleeved garb aimed for bold exposure.
Especially... her underwear was shockingly a thong. Was this the Tower's taste? The suspicion hit hard.
Her skin was impossibly pale white.
Less human than doll... no, something mimicking a person. The tengu swayed her hips gracefully, flaunting cuteness.
Her decadent allure was so excessive it bordered on risky for broadcast restrictions.
"....[Idol's Messenger]"
[Idol's Messenger]
[Name: None]
[Origin: Kyoto 100th Floor Tower]
[Owner: Wakamo Inarizushi]
[Occupation: Idol (VTuber)]
[Held Skills]
- [None]
[Stats]
Vitality: 1
Mana: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Health: 1
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 1
Charm: 1
'Fucking Tower bastard....'
VTuber is an idol, sure, but not this shit.....
No exaggeration—she'd die if lightly tapped. Cold sweat beaded.
Finally, with a heavy heart, Wakamo checked subscriber count.
[Wakamo Inarizushi]
Subscribers: 2.45 million.
'Just endure one day...?'
If this one tripped and died, a perfectly fine skill would vanish permanently.
Tower, you saving good skills for late-game freebies? No way lololol, hihi countermeasure fired!! It looked like mocking—must be imagination...?
'I'll invest mana permanently... Wakamo bows to the Tower... please have mercy....'
[Status Window]
[Climber: Wakamo Inarizushi]
[Occupation: VTuber]
[Age: 1,000 years]
[Stats]
Mana: 700,000
Idol's Messenger: 1,750,000
[Additional Stats: 154]
'Pet stronger than owner? Makes sense..?'
[Additional Stats: 1,750]
[From now on, additional stats can be consumed to grow stats]
'Euhuk....'
Tower's ripping off my hard-earned subscribers...!! Everyone!! We're getting scammed by the Tower!!!
Can't complain anywhere; Wakamo swallowed her sorrow inwardly.
'........Come to think, what happens when I allocate stats?'
Pitifully, Wakamo had never allocated additional stats in her life, so she didn't know what rose how much.
Classes differed too; as an [Idol], she'd never touched [Idol] stats.
'Reset stats?'
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Health: 51
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 1
Charm: 1
Additional Stats: 1,700
"........"
She boldly invested in the most vital: vitality first. About 10x? Then mana?
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 5,100
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Health: 51
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 51
Charm: 1
Additional Stats: 1,650
"....?"
Why does this one's mana stat rise so high..?
No plans for charm..... Wait, average it out?
[Stats]
Vitality: 510
Mana: 5,100
Strength: 51
Agility: 51
Health: 51
Intelligence: 51
Wisdom: 51
Charm: 51
Additional Stats: 1,450
'Hmm.... Skill purchase window...?'
[Available Skills for Purchase]
-[Learning Ability]: 10 stats.
-[Superior Thinking]: 10 stats.
-[Izuna Style Sorcery]: 10 stats.
-[Kuzunoha Style Sorcery]: 10 stats.
-[Internet Connection]: 50 stats.
-[Video Recording]: 10 stats.
She nearly swore in emotion..... But yeah? With stats, she can use normal [Skills]?
Owner can't use them—why can this one? [Idol's Body] sucks....
An indescribable peak of injustice made Wakamo tremble.
Clenching her eyes, she spent 100 stats to buy every available skill in the list.
'Wait, I can't see skill descriptions'
Should she ask the Association President to inquire with the sorcerers' association about skills?
Bold investment yielded no drastic changes.
"So now it's like Wakamo's 'shikigami'?"
"How about naming her? Blue, so Aoi.... Name.... Hmm...."
"Aoi Asuka."
Wakamo caught the surname muttered by Fist King and voiced the name.
No desire to agonize long. It had ranked #1 for girls' names in Japan at times.
VTuber names could be unique and distinctive—or safely mundane.
"Explanation."
"Hm?"
"The name 'Asuka' derives from Gojoseon's first capital 'Asadal.' 'Dal' is an old word for 'mountain,' but 'Asa' echoes Asuka, ancient Japanese capital; 'Asu' in Japanese means 'tomorrow.' In ancient times, it signified 'next morning's dawn,' holding complex meaning in ancient Korean and ancient Japanese alike."
".....Did you just say that?"
"It can also mean 'asa' for morning, and in Korean, like 'assa!' from 'exciting!'"
Suddenly, with boosted intelligence, she spewed unsolicited trivia. Last bit wrong, right?
Sounding robotic, Wakamo shrank back; the reporter thrust the mic.
"Can you speak? How did you acquire it? Are you a sentient monster?"
"I speak because owner Wakamo Inarizushi granted me sentience. Currently, I access the internet via Wakamo's abilities to learn and respond. A kind of living AI, less monster than messenger serving the idol. In Japanese culture, akin to a shikigami."
"Stop talking..."
Asuka rattled on flawlessly.
Fearing escalation, Wakamo spoke; she clamped her mouth shut.
But gazes now saw her as a god granting sentience to shikigami—tears welled.
More than that, learning from internet...? For real...?
No prior thought on purchase list, but such malice hidden?
"....Fist King. For now, I'll add companion buffs and head back to Korea..."
"Then, fox orb or Inari dew as thanks?"
"Impossible."
Checking companion tab for purchases, Asuka suddenly spoke.
Not even pressed to live yet, she stared at Wakamo and hammered words precisely.
"Aoi Asuka, shikigami of Wakamo, bears form suited to VTuber per Kyoto Tower. Optimized as 24/7 broadcast entity: learns to lead and mingle with believers as proxy. Meaningless points wasted on [attack skills], so none of those items purchasable."
"F-f-f-fuck.... ....Wh-why....didn't....you....tell me...?"
"Tower presumed Wakamo Inarizushi's lack of intelligence."
Should I hit her? Endure...
Fist trembling, Wakamo summoned superhuman patience to quell rage.
Can't swear in front of reporter, right?
Already swore big on broadcast, but disciples here too.
Both buffs needed 60 stats each.
If no attack skill bought, could've gotten one!! Didn't know!!
Thirsting for [attack skills], I messed up!!
'D demolish Kyoto Tower...? No. Hold my inner rage...'
Clutching collab goods, Wakamo decided to return home. Done with Japan.
Told Fist King companion buffs next time...
Brashly offered to pay, opened wallet—found empty. Embarrassing, turned away.
mortified...
"Good thing!! Beauty promoting has merit!! How about shikigami hawking owner's goods? Here, Wakamo tail fur pillow!!"
Back in Korea, greeting Wakamo was her tireless, hardworking manager.
Fluffy, lush tail fur pillow. Even sold high, slim margins—but Wakamo rich, used premium materials.
Gifts for fans—sell cheap!!
Community buzzed with anticipation for shikigami broadcast.
Nothing as wondrous as a talking monster(?).
Wakamo announced: shikigami-type VTuber, not monster.
Believers laughed: lol back to primitive AI era lol.
"First mission: sell stuff... Got it?"
"Understood."
"Then study online product promo and try."
Half anxious, half expectant... Tower-given shikigami, after all.
Kyoto Tower's personal gift to Wakamo: [Idol's Messenger]!!
Custom shikigami(?) tailored for VTubing!!
Believe, my Aoi Asuka!!
"Esteemed viewers, I intrude on this broadcast to introduce a truly essential product."
Screen lit: blue-haired woman, emotionless face and tone, held tail pillow and spouted nonsense.
"Behold the item. Pillow with fur. Expert term: merch. Made in Korea. Ignore north or south; most reasonable price. Low price, mere! 39,800 won each."
"Out."
Wakamo gripped paper fan, smacking Asuka's occiput.
Idiot for trusting internet-taught shikigami VTuber.
No debut for her... Need to micromanage....
"Try again."
"Yes."
"Lower lifeforms, begone."
"Out."