I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 67
… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ — …
[Guessing Season 2 of Wicker Town]
Momo and Maru are starting!
With special invitation rights from donations, Dora and Rain are invited.
Then, the two invite Komari using their donation rights.
As people whine, “Can’t we just have Majia join? I guess they’re not a real broadcaster,” suddenly, one unexpected person gets invited.
.
.
.
(Majia_AnotherLogo_Mashup.jpg)
W E L C O M E
P A R A L L E L, 1st, A N O T H E R
The Fifth member
M A G I A D E R I
[Comments]
— Parallel282: Can’t keep up with the trends in Pal-Gal these days…
— Parallel355: When’s it gonna become Temple Run? LOL
— Parallel834: Wait, was it even possible to invite Majia?
ㄴ Parallel741: Not impossible if you have over 5,000 followers.
ㄴ Parallel242: ? That’s only counting the official channel, LOL!!!
ㄴ Parallel095: If Majia only streams there, isn’t that their channel? Seriously, are you that clueless? LOL
ㄴ Parallel910: In any case, you just have to draw from the special rights.
ㄴ Parallel910: With special rights, even a couch potato like Maru can get invited, just saying.
ㄴ Parallel452: Wouldn’t Wicker have a problem with that?
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… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ — …
[But seriously, they’re really persistent]
Even when everyone’s telling them to debut and stream, they ignore it all.
Even Wicker, the big shot of Paziz, called out Majia for being a broadcaster right there on the server…
Then when they join, they pull the same stunt again.
“I’m not a broadcaster, I just came to promote the members!”
While the no-namers, worse than Majia, whine away.
I see it all.
[Comments]
— Parallel006: Oh, I’ve seen all of Wicker Town Season 2.
— Parallel754: This brat seems to know Majia well, should’ve gone and streamed instead, Gank-chan?
ㄴ Parallel533 (Author): No way, they’re totally clueless.
… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …
… ─ — Parallel (VTuber) Gallery ─ ─ — …
[Other than that, I guess suspicious drifters will gather and cause a ruckus]
Experts in broadcasting who hit the level of being suspicious gather around.
“I mean, why was that person invited when they’re not even a broadcaster? It’s uncomfortable!”
It’s obvious they’ll cause a firestorm on Pal-Gal and Wicker.
Ironically, during Season 1, there were some celebrities who loved games but didn’t stream.
You can’t block the invite through special rights anyway, LOL!
It’s kind of like watching a judge swing a hammer aimlessly—can’t wait for that to unfold. LOL
[Comments]
— Parallel841: Why aren’t you posting?
— Parallel005: Wisdom points.
— Parallel472: d*mn it, Wicker Town hasn’t even started, and I got spoiled.
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* * *
As expected, the next day, Maru was summoned straight to the company after recording a cover song.
This was the situation the members feared most.
If it’s not a phone call but a direct summon to scold, it clearly means the President is seriously angry.
“You really messed up this time, Seok Yewon?”
“I’m sorry….”
And they even called her by her real name, not her stage name.
Given that Maru’s had a variety of leaks lately, it was clear that the President wasn’t going to go easy on her this time.
So why was I there while Maru was getting scolded?
Well, it was my fault for accidentally giving her the 64 Cubics 101 while she was busy, so I couldn’t just leave her hanging.
The small motion studio on the 9th floor, where the President often scolded the members, was where I saw the President come storming out of their office, so I quickly followed.
… I mean, if I followed, I might as well get my front-row seat.
“President! Please don’t be too hard on Maru. I could have stopped it if I had known!”
The President cut me off sharply.
“Shut it, Majia. Unless you’re gonna clean up the mess in her place.”
“… Isn’t it your fault for being angry at something that you didn’t even have to clean up?”
The glare I received back could k*ll a puppy.
Consider that a warning not to b*tt into the performance they were doing.
I immediately shrank back, trying to help preserve the President’s dignity.
Still, due to my intrusion, the President’s rage didn’t last too long.
“Ugh. I can’t say anything when you’re around. Why did you even follow me?”
“Because if you keep blowing up and end up with wrinkles on your face, it could be troublesome.”
“Hey! I’m not that old yet!”
A smile crept onto Maru’s previously stern face.
Quickly shifting expressions in fear of a scolding, but her mood definitely seemed lighter.
Heh.
With a short sigh, the President ruffled Maru’s hair and said, “I saw in the community that there are talks of favoritism. But don’t worry about that too much. It’s not something anyone can block anyway since it’s through special invitation rights.
Besides, Jia was approved by Wicker, the server master. If we start with a competitive edge with Rapitsu, it’ll be better.”
Seeing Maru smile in relief, the President grabbed her head with all five fingers.
“But how come you never fail to exceed my expectations, huh? If I hadn’t anticipated this, we’d have had a one-hour meeting today, you know?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Well, just be careful about leaks moving forward. Now that you’ve brought it up, you absolutely must bring Jia to the server using the special invitation rights. It’s a matter of trust.”
Broadcasting statements often cause a butterfly effect.
Even one thoughtless statement can suddenly become a matter of course.
In reality, it had barely been a day but the fandom practically accepted my joining as a given.
So, if I couldn’t get a special invitation and my participation seemed uncertain, things would obviously go haywire.
“Yes! I’ll definitely get Jia invited. I’m so sorry, President…”
A seasoned player can earn enough to buy a ‘regular invitation right’ with a lot of hard work, but there are strict criteria.
It had to be over fifteen streaming dates in the past month and over two thousand followers.
So I was definitely unable to join without a special invitation right…
But to get a special invitation, the estimated amount needed is ten million won.
And if luck is against me, it can cost double or triple that.
Moreover, neither the President nor Maru would be able to use their special rights directly on me.
They may be coyly waiting for their turn, but they still have to watch their viewers’ reactions.
Oh wow, special invitation rights!
Dora and Rain are also entering the server, so I watched expectantly.
But if Majia suddenly pops out of nowhere, that’ll create a serious awkward situation, leading to some serious broadcasting mishaps.
In other words, Maru has to safely draw two special invitation rights.
Only then can she invite her classmates and me as well.
At a minimum of twenty million won in total!
Being a gacha with no ceiling means the max cost is impossible to tell.
Looking back at Season 1, I figured we might get around twenty million won in donations again for the server early on.
But if I couldn’t draw anything, that’s when the headaches start.
“…”
Maru’s expression darkened, a sign that even she, bad at math, was beginning to see a bleak future.
The 64 Cubics server created by Wicker is an oasis filled with interesting elements.
Filled with gacha elements that drive people crazy.
Choosing the jobs you want and enjoying the job RP.
Decorating your own space beautifully while engaging with various people for two weeks in a life game.
Since the economy is driven by what players do inside the server, amusing scenarios unfurl regularly.
“Seriously, is the price of fish for real? And what about crops?”
You guys do realize during all of this, only the livestock farmers are raking it in, right?!
And the mere fact that you can only enjoy it for two weeks creates this anxious energy.
It leads everyone to scramble to enjoy all the content and climb the ranks, sacrificing their sleep!
Yet in the wonderful Wicker Town.
Poor Maru, a d*e-hard 64 Cubics enthusiast, can’t even enjoy the server and has to focus entirely on getting special invitation rights.
It was a brutally harsh punishment for her.
Maru usually keeps her broadcast persona well, but it seems even she can’t hide her true feelings in front of her favorite game.
She worried that her mood might dampen the broadcast.
So I packed my outerwear and headed down to the first floor with Maru.
I wanted to treat her to some fish cakes from the street vendor who’s open today.
Had it been before, I would have just ignored it.
But part of my job as Oshi entails managing moods.
While I signaled her to come along, Maru followed me with a smile, albeit still somewhat down.
“Ugh. You talk too much…”
“It’s alright, it’ll somehow work out.”
“I hope so. But… based on Season 1, getting two special invitation rights seems like an impossible feat. Back then, I could barely snag one, and I ended up calling later with a regular invitation, remember…?”
“That happened.”
Sad is sad, but hunger is hunger.
After getting a scolding, I think she might’ve gotten hungry, as Maru’s throat is happily gulping down fish cakes and broth.
After filling her stomach, she seemed to feel a little better, eventually smiling as she boarded the bus home.
“Thanks for coming out here in the cold. Hurry back! I believe in you, Jia—somehow it’ll work out.”
If I want to ensure she doesn’t worry, she better be smiling properly.
Behind the screen, she’s all brave, yet can’t hide her feelings in real life.
Vroom-vroom.
As soon as the bus carrying Maru left, I pulled up my banking app.
“Hmm.”
0s piled up, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
It had only recently matured, starting with a single 1, in an eight-digit figure.
Originally intended as savings to donate to the President.
But hey, I can always earn money again.
Half of the donation after fees goes to the company anyway…
So, let’s just consider that half of it given to the President.
Like a kind of advance payment.
* * *
Starting from that day, I kept the kids’ streams on the side and played 64 Cubics for four hours every day.
I need to foster my skills, as the money to draw those special rights matters, but supporting the members in the server requires them too.
And so, day after day passed until the third day.
When I first played with Maru, the tech tree stalled in the Stone Age, but now, I managed to push through all the way to the diamond tier in just four hours from scratch.
And not just that, I didn’t finish at merely obtaining diamonds.
I gathered four sets of diamonds from the deep underground of Green World, our starting point, and made a trip to Red World, filled with lava and terrifying mobs to progress to the next tech tree.
I also learned about enchants by asking Maru along the way.
Using enchants like increased mining yield and mining speed were crucial for speeding up progress.
Going up to the surface to gather food and water was getting tiresome, so I also learned how to survive using the skeletal water and zombie meat obtained from defeating monsters.
Though it does take away some health due to the rotten fluids, it only brings me down to a sliver of health, nothing below that.
Living underground while dodging arrows, blocking attacks, and taking down foes while munching on fallen meat taught me plenty.
It was tense, not knowing when I might meet my end, but this way, the amount of mining became massive.
At least no one could say, “You’re a noob in 64 Cubics” wherever I went.
Anyway, after making all those preparations.
Finally, it was the day of the Wicker server’s opening.
Today, I had assigned monitoring tasks to Seungyeon and settled in early at the personal broadcasting room on the 9th floor.
[ Nezumi Maru / NEZUMI MARU ]
A first-generation member of Parallel, 🎙Singing Hedgehog Nezumi Maru🎶
[ (🔴Live) Feels Like Coming Back Home (Wicker Town Season 2) ] 👪7,548
#64Cubics #Maru #Parallel
Since the number of starting members for Wicker Town is capped at twenty, the audience counts for both the President and Maru were higher than usual today.
— When’s the API integration coming? When’s the API integration coming? When’s the API integration coming?
— I’m dying to donate! Ah! I’m dying to donate! Ah!
— Um, there are clouds stuffed up everywhere.
— Integration, integration, integration, integration, integration, integration, integration.
— Wicker! Come on with the integration!
On top of that, everyone was able to donate in-game coins, leading to a noisy chat.
While it’s a necessary process at the start of the server.
Everyone’s just as hyped as Maru, making it a challenge for her to calm them down with the tutorial reading.
Luckily, it seems Wicker has made a lot of efforts to reduce the initial waiting times that were problematic in Season 1 since everything was set up in just ten minutes.
– [Whisper] Wicker: Maru, the integration is complete!
– [Whisper] Wicker: Enjoy Season 2! ^^b
– [Whisper] Me: Thank you!!!
— It’s done!
— Let’s get in!!!
— Just going to shove coins right into Maru’s bowl!!!
Anyway, the start of the donations.
I entered fifty thousand won on the donation screen I had opened earlier.
I had to split it into smaller amounts; if I tossed a million won all at once, the President might notice and give me a smack.
So I would donate fifty thousand won at a time, padding my donation messages nicely.
The first message should say something like, “Let’s aim for first place on the hidden job ranking in Season 2!”
That way, I’d come off as a nice viewer who has been watching Maru for a long time….
But just as I was pondering how to donate and what messages to send.
Bam!
– [Server] Maru received 1,000,000 clouds and ascended!
Suddenly, with the one million won donation, Maru was catapulted high into the sky.
She experienced a straight drop from the highest possible amount allowed by the integration system.
Before long, Maru came crashing down, after soaring beyond the clouds.
[Ahhhhhh——!!]
– [Server] Falling Maru did not have wings….
– [All] Movgun: Wow, congrats!
– [All] Ronze: Congrats!
– [All] Serena: Whoa, congrats, Maru-chan!
Until that point, it was merely a lighthearted happening, as it was still the server’s launch.
“Look, the Chairman has arrived,” and everyone could casually brush it off.
But when everyone finally recognized the donator’s name, they were left in shock.
:: :: Pino donated 1,000,000 clouds! :: ::
:: :: 1 :: ::
Bestowed with the alias of “Lolicon,” it was Pino’s grand entrance.
— ???
— What? Is this the real Pino?
— ?
— What’s Pino doing in the realm of the loudmouth brigade?
Truth be told, if it ended there, it might’ve just been a simple episode.
However, Maru continued to be launched into the sky many times after her fall.
:: :: Pino donated 1,000,000 clouds! :: ::
:: :: 2 :: ::
:: :: Pino donated 1,000,000 clouds! :: ::
:: :: 3 :: ::
:: :: Pino donated 1,000,000 clouds! :: ::
:: :: 4 :: ::
As Maru flew into the air repeatedly, she let out a shrieking scream.
[No, Pino! Stop! How high are you gonna take me?! Aahhhhhh!!]