Became the Mother of Virtual YouTubers - Chapter 109
Recently, the broadcasting platform ‘Pasta’ has seen a surge in RP server-centric content targeted at streamers.
Using sandbox-style games like ‘Blockcraft’ or ‘Adventurer’s Forest’ as a stage, the core trend was to create unique stories while acting out the roles they had set for themselves.
However,
“I always feel like something is missing when I watch such content, like 2% off.”
Roji tapped the brim of her witch hat with her fingertips, expressing her disappointment.
“That’s true, it’s hard to really immerse oneself sometimes.”
Still, VTubers, whose very existence is role-playing, had a certain level of acting ability. On the other hand, many regular streamers struggled with even capturing their roles properly, let alone acting.
“I don’t think this is the streamers’ fault.”
It may be a revelation, but streamers are not professional actors. It was natural not to expect perfect performances realistically.
In the end, to enhance their acting abilities, there needed to be external motivation. That is, immersion had to be triggered.
“I think the real problem is that the ‘servers’ released so far are too poorly done, making it hard for streamers to fully immerse. If the ‘world’ were a truly realistic stage, wouldn’t the immersion naturally increase?”
Thus, she emphasized that it should be an RP world, not just an RP server. Roji raised her voice eagerly. This woman was clearly more than just excited.
“Just look at Summer! How fun is her broadcast? She completely immerses herself in her role and shows off method acting!”
“…Isn’t that just because Summer is a master at immersion?”
“Well, she definitely is on another level… but anyway!”
At Jin Ha’s sharp comment, Roji awkwardly cleared her throat.
“Anyway! If this world is designed to be more realistic, I believe anyone can easily immerse themselves. You agree, right, Jin Ha?!”
Roji had a point. Even if it wasn’t specifically to enhance the streamers’ immersion, to attract viewers, it was essential to decorate the world in more detail.
“Well… I don’t know about much else, but it seems entertaining. Building the world.”
Jin Ha looked up and gazed at the enormous tower located in the center of the village.
“If NPCs are naturally wandering around here and streamers are immersing themselves and having fun, then I wouldn’t have to worry about drifting due to a lack of broadcasts for a while.”
“What do you mean ‘for a while’? Even just collecting the key clips would be enough to last the whole year!”
“…What scale of a world do you have in mind?”
“Hmm~ about 200 streamers, enough to enjoy it for a month?”
Jin Ha furrowed his eyebrows at Roji’s words.
“Isn’t that a bit too much?”
Roji confidently swung her arms around and replied, “Actually, I’ve been preparing this for a long time! Thanks to you and Summer waking the little child inside me, I’ve been working hard and cutting down on sleeping time since then!”
“Did you give up on the official release of Yu Da-hee’s raising?”
“…Ah, ahhhh!!”
“Did you forget? I will definitely relay this news to Summer.”
“I-I didn’t forget! It just got pushed down the priority list a bit. I’m sure when Summer sees this world, she’ll understand…”
Roji fumbled for excuses but quickly tried to steer the topic back.
“Anyway! This world is really being prepared properly! I’ve already received a lot of investment from streamer MCNs and various AI research companies, and Pasta is also giving immense support!”
“Then if I participate in the project, that means I’ll get a decent amount of money too.”
At Jin Ha’s playful remark, Roji burst out laughing and gave a thumbs up.
“Of course! My partner, do you want to have a look at the proposal?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a large hologram window unfolded in front of Jin Ha’s eyes. The pressure of scrolling was overwhelming, causing Jin Ha to flinch momentarily.
“…Do I have to read all of this?”
“Take your time~ I’ll wait.”
Should I really read all of this? Jin Ha let out a small sigh without realizing it.
*
Jin Ha quickly skimmed through the proposal with a languid expression.
“…Oh?”
Initially, he planned to only look at the main points. However, as he scrolled down, his expression changed gradually. What started as slight interest turned serious. By the time he skimmed through more than half of the content, Jin Ha’s eyes began to sparkle.
The details in this proposal were more meticulous than expected. Starting from a clear goal setting to perfect level design, it became evident how many months of preparation had gone into this.
In particular, when he read that a new conversational AI model for the NPCs had been designed as part of this project, he felt a sense of awe.
“You’ve been busy, but you still found time to write a paper and upload it to the archive.”
“Just summarizing the experimental results is enough for a paper, right? Didn’t you write the paper you submitted to SIGGRAPH like that?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Jin Ha scratched his head. Both Roji and Jin Ha were simply natural-born researchers.
“By the way! I saw your presentation. Congratulations on winning the Best Paper Award. I thought it was a sure thing when I saw the paper on the conference’s official website.”
“Haha. Thank you. Let me congratulate you in advance on your paper acceptance, ‘Oroji.'”
“Ahhhh! Don’t call me by my full name!!”
He was surprised to find that Roji was her real name. He was quite shocked when he saw the author’s name on the paper uploaded to the archive.
After lightly scratching Roji’s head, Jin Ha looked over the proposal again.
The world that Roji had sketched began to quickly take shape in Jin Ha’s mind.
In a beautiful medieval-style village, the first thing that came to mind was the image of the NPCs he created coming to life. Imagining the various avatars adorned with the 3D asset bundle he provided freely roving the world made his heart swell with excitement.
“Everything is fine, but…”
After confirming the proposal, Jin Ha slowly opened his mouth.
“How about changing the references? Instead of ‘Sword Master Online’, something else.”
“What?! But SomaOn is romantic…”
“Let’s give a little ground. We’re not eliminating the logout button to trap streamers in the world.”
“…”
“…Were you actually thinking of trapping them like in the original?”
“You’re perceptive…”
“…Have you lost your mind?”
“No, of course not! I mean, I haven’t thought about it at all! I do have a sense of reason, you know?!”
“That’s a relief. I won’t have to see Roji in the news for any unpleasant events at 8 o’clock.”
“…Ugh.”
“Anyway, unless there’s a really important reason, let’s use ‘Elf Fairy Online’, which is a sequel to SomaOn. What do you think?”
Jin Ha suggested gently with a slightly apologetic expression, and after a long hesitation, Roji reluctantly nodded.
“Hmm… If it’s Elf Peon, I can compromise. But why? Is using only close melee weapons a problem?”
“Magic is one thing, but I want to offer a more immersive way of transportation within the world.”
Jin Ha shrugged and continued.
“Having entered a highly immersive virtual reality, just sitting still while the character walks around seems a bit dull, right?”
“That’s true, but… are there any other means of transportation?”
In response to Roji’s question, Jin Ha answered with a significant smile.
“We should give fairy wings!”
“…?”
“Not for fashion, but real wings.”
“…!!!”
*
[Jin Ha, I heard. You’re participating in the streamer RP world project that Roji is preparing, right?]
“…Wow, you’re quick to catch on. It hasn’t been long since I talked with Roji. Where did you hear this?”
[I heard it directly from Roji. They say they charmed you, a rising star in the 3D generation research field.]
Jin Ha burst out laughing.
Roji had a knack for making people feel embarrassed.
[She also threatened you to increase investment since you’ll need to pay her a lot of money.]
“Wow, that’s some blatant extortion. So? Did you end up paying her?”
[Of course! She threatened me using the name Jin Ha, which is scarier than a g*n. How could I not pay?]
Jin Ha awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his head. He sensed sincerity behind Young-Jun’s playful tone, making his forehead heat up slightly.
[By the way, we’re not the only ones putting in more money. Other MCNs have also thrown in their support. Moreover, those who hesitated to invest at first changed their minds when they heard about your involvement.]
Notably, NiseLive was one of them. The once aloof king of the VTuber industry, who wouldn’t even glance at any collaboration or project, was suddenly interested when he heard about Jin Ha joining.
“I guess I have to work even harder.”
[No! You’re already doing too well, and if you work even harder, what will the others do?]
“It’s just a matter of mindset, haha.”
As Jin Ha laughed and added this, Young-Jun let out a dry sigh.
[Well, it’s an interesting situation. Jin Ha reaching out to us first.]
“Actually, I wanted to propose some content to CosmoLive. Technically… a kind of technology test, if you will?”
[Just say anything. If it’s Jin Ha’s content, we will make the schedule available no matter what.]
Jin Ha hadn’t even started to elaborate yet, but Young-Jun blurted out an okay.
Until now, the relationship between Jin Ha and CosmoLive had mostly been CosmoLive expressing needs first. Now, not only was Jin Ha making the first phone call, but he was also asking for something in return? This was one of the few opportunities for CosmoLive, wanting to foster a closer connection with Jin Ha.
“Actually, I’d like to test a feature that will be included in the streamer RP world through the members of CosmoLive. It would also serve to promote the world a bit. Would that be okay?”
[Of course! If it’s okay with you, could you send a brief summary of the proposal? I will check it quickly and support you.]
“Yes, I will send it right away.”
After a brief silence, a trembling voice emanated from Jin Ha’s smartphone.
[This… is it really possible? I can really… fly?!]