I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 75

At the start of Wicker Town, the average viewer count for Parallel and Rapitsu’s second-generation VTubers was about the same. They began with a humble 4,000 to 5,000 viewers, quickly shooting up to around 7,000 thanks to the starting members’ special boosts, all while playfully competing with each other as the server chugged along.

Both the VTubers and their fans thought things would continue smoothly.

However, as days drifted by, a significant difference suddenly became apparent. The culprit? Majia.

On the first day, amid all the frantic leveling, Majia tossed cash around like confetti, creating a legendary scene within the server. By the second day, they pulled a hidden card and, in front of a cloud of viewers, shamelessly promoted themselves, effortlessly raking in the audience.

Even the Command Room broadcasts were gaining traction. It turned out there was no better hub for dopamine-seeking players who didn’t want to miss any events happening in the server than Majia.

Originally, everyone had to keep all their broadcasts on or watch the community for incidents, running around like headless chickens. But for the members of Parallel, Majia was doing the legwork, putting everything right into the mainframe, which saved them a lot of hassle.

As days passed, the audience on the Parallel side showed a tremendous growth spurt. However, this good news came with worries for Rapitsu. The company was understandably sensitive to viewer counts, prompting regular discussions about being more proactive among the members.

Things took a turn when Iona, the first-generation member invited with special privileges, got delayed in joining the server due to sudden original song recordings. So, only Serena and her fellow member, Merisha, were left frantically running around like head girls.

Day three rolled around. Just as people’s earning ventures were stabilizing, a big newsflash broke across the server. Dungeon King Movgun and Skeleton Knight Majia had shockingly teamed up!

Even better, right before the server closed for the day, Movgun’s broadcast revealed Majia’s daily dungeon income had shot up to a staggering 380,000. Those who had laughed at the name Majia were now dumbstruck by the number. They were barely scraping by with 150,000, while Majia had 380,000?

In unison, everyone had the same thought: this server had already put Majia and Movgun in a financially superior position. Competing against them felt pointless; it was better to get a taste of their leftovers.

On the fourth day, other streamers, who had been playing it cool, began flocking to Majia, causing their viewer numbers to soar once again. The influx shadowed over the Command Room broadcasts. Before long, the average viewer count for Parallel and Rapitsu had begun to stretch to over 1.5 times more than before.

The company cautioned against getting too tangled with competing VTubers, fearing fan disputes might arise. Nevertheless, Serena was desperate. She knew Majia’s good fortune needed to positively impact Rapitsu as well. They needed to earn money fast to bring everyone to the forefront, so they could communicate and promote collectively.

The thought of being stuck in a rut didn’t sit well with her. If only they could avoid slip-ups, that would be terrific.

Coincidentally, Merisha had lucked upon the best armor blueprint on the field and handed it over to Serena.

For the blacksmith Serena, this was her chance to snag a connection with Majia.

“I’ll make the best equipment for you, Majia!” she exclaimed.

And off she went, taking her shot at negotiating. Please! Oh please, bestow upon me the mercy you used to distribute 20,000 WK to the newbies! Don’t draw any lines between us and Rapitsu!

“I’ll give you all the materials I gather in two hours of hunting, so just let me know if you need more!”

Thankfully, Majia accepted Serena’s offer.

“Wow… thank you so much! I won’t forget this favor.”

“What favor? It’s mutual! I needed good gear myself,” Majia replied casually.

“Just hearing that is already enough gratitude for me!”

Serena went to work with a bounce in her step, pouring her skills and resources into crafting top-notch gear. Sure, she could’ve saved more money for another invitation ticket, but in a way, she was taking a moment to prepare for the future.

Once she infused the enchantments from Movgun’s gear into her new equipment, Majia transformed into a beast among beasts.

All damage? -80%.

Attack and movement speed? 150%.

No wonder Majia was already dominating dungeon runs; now, ordinary folks simply couldn’t catch up!

After watching Majia hunt for a bit, Serena was convinced this could earn her some serious dough! Everyone would surely desire the armor Majia was sporting.

“What kind of armor is this? The options are unbelievable!”

“It’s the highest grade gear added to the Wicker server. If we’re being technical, it’s on par with the Void, which is the best tier in vanilla!”

“No way! Void is better than Obsidian, right? This is amazing!”

“Right? Right!”

“Oh gosh, I feel awful getting this for free.”

“No, it’s not free! You already provided all the materials!”

“Still, I feel like I should give something back!”

“If you wear that and brag it’s from me, that’s more than enough!”

“Okay, I get it. Off I go for hunting! If you need money, let me know; I’ll lend it to you interest-free, Serena!”

At that, Serena’s mind sparked with the thought of 200,000 WK. That was the price for one invitation ticket, enough to pull in a reliable teammate from Rapitsu.

“Wow, really? Then could you lend me 200,000 WK? I want to buy just one invitation ticket right away…”

Of course, no matter how benevolent Majia was, she couldn’t let the competition’s members swell, so Serena didn’t expect much.

In the server, while she was decked out in dazzling armor, she was still fiercely loyal to Parallel.

Yet…

“Sure, here you go.”

Majia was incredibly generous once again, responding quickly and handing over the check without a second thought.

“Isn’t this just too much to give away? You earned this cash with your own hard work!”

Majia appeared briefly annoyed when the topic veered toward hunger.

“I’m not hungry… and it’s money I’ll get back eventually.”

Just like that, the 200,000 check was handed over. Majia nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world and swiftly left, mumbling something about hunting.

Before long, her comments echoed across the server.

– [All] Majia: Wearing the armor Serena made, I’m zooming through the 8th floor!

– [All] Majia: If things go well today, I might rake in 450,000!

* * *

Serena’s choice to align herself with Majia turned out to be the best decision she could’ve made—it became clear the next day.

– [All] [Caught] Rubko: Serena, I want to make an armor too!

– [All] [Landlord] Ronze: Seriously, when are you going to pay back that money from Skeleton Majia? Lmao.

– [All] [Caught] Rubko: Who cares! We can pay it back by earning!

– [All] [Caught] Rubko: Just grab the materials and pay it back!

Starting from Rubko, everyone who ventured to the dungeon with Majia to earn money began bringing back materials and crafting armor.

Since Majia was pulling in 450,000 WK daily from dungeon runs, setting a price slightly below that at 400,000 WK still sold like hotcakes.

Even though some quality was intentionally reduced to keep from touching Majia’s top-tier gear, it was flying off the shelves!

As Majia bragged about raking in money from dungeons, even the previously uninterested players started flocking there.

However, Majia had the advantage of a small screen, making her hunting skills less known. She perfectly parried all ranged attacks and dodged close-range assaults using headshot rigidity.

The hunting efficiency was on a whole different level, and with the hidden job differences, the profits naturally varied.

But even still, chatting away with viewers while hunting brought in a casual daily income of about 300,000.

Naturally, an opinion began brewing: “Is there really anyone still not hitting the dungeon?” Until, in just one day, the dungeon became completely saturated.

Although conflicts about dungeon spots erupted, Serena was just laughing.

Just to give an idea of the scale, by the evening of the fifth day, a whopping eight members from both first and second-generation Rapitsu gathered together.

And in the midst of Rapitsu’s joyous occasion, Iona finally returned.

“Hey, guys! Sorry for making you wait so long!”

[Big Sis!]

[Senpai, you must’ve had a tough time recording!]

“Yeah, yeah. Did you all manage well? Are you keeping up with your tasks? I need to have a word with Serena when she arrives.”

[Yes!]

[Yep!]

Among the first-generation members of Rapitsu, the largest number—around 660,000 YouTube subscribers with an average of 7,000 viewers—was Iona.

She had initially secured her spot in the server with a special invitation but was delayed about community connections by three days due to an unexpected extra recording schedule.

[Iona Senpai!]

While she waited at the construction site for Rapitsu’s new house, an energetic Serena dashed in, bouncing in front of her.

“Hey, sorry I kept you waiting! But wow, have you already put together this house? Has it been tough for you and Risha to make money?”

[Oh, we’ve got plenty now. Together, we’re sitting on around 1 million WK!]

“Really? How did you manage that? I caught bits and pieces here and there, but I’ve been too busy recording to piece the whole story together.”

[Well, it’s a long story…]

With that, Serena began recounting the events from Day 1 to Day 5.

Day 1, a chaotic brawl for 10,000 WK in the plaza.

Day 2, the debut of the first hidden and the business partnership between Majia and Movgun.

Day 3, Majia’s income reveal solidified server hierarchy.

Day 4, Serena’s venture to deal with Majia, and so on.

Now, on the fifth day, the top tier of the server still belonged to Dungeon King Movgun and Skeleton Knight Majia. They had certainly enjoyed plenty of benefits from Majia’s influence, but it looked like Rapitsu had also made considerable progress to hold their ground against other factions.

After hearing it all, Iona felt a bit bitter. If not for the extra recording session, she might have led the charge on the server, drawing attention her way. There’s no doubt she wouldn’t be trailing this much behind Parallel.

“You really have worked hard. I feel bad you had to grind like this for money.”

[No, it’s fine. Once I struck a deal with Majia, things got a lot easier. Yesterday, I earned so much that I actually have some leisure time now.]

“Oh? Sounds like you received a lot of help. I should go express my thanks on behalf of the others.”

[Oh, you really don’t need to!]

“Why not?”

[They’ll probably come find me soon enough.]

According to Serena, there was something called the newcomer support fund. Anyone who joined the server apart from the starter members was guaranteed to receive it, and now, almost no one in the server was unaware of the names Parallel and the first-generation Others.

Of course, peeling back the layers, “Majia” was turning out to be quite the famous name too. She didn’t think that was very important though.

Just as Serena said, Majia soon came looking for Iona.

And right off the bat, she showed her the check.

“Hello, Iona. Here’s the server entry support fund from the Parallel Others.”

It wasn’t as if any of Iona’s peers or juniors had a particularly fussy personality, so nobody would’ve batted an eye when Majia came bearing cash.

But Iona was different.

She was among the best of the first generation.

She was someone who should become a pillar for the incoming juniors, a support for them.

“It’s great to see you doing something so nice. I caught wind of it and it sounds like you’re earning quite well!”

[Yeah, I’m bringing in 450,000 a day. I want to share this, so I’m distributing it like this to help the server.]

“Oh, I’m all good! You should just double the support for others. We’ve started to find our footing and we’re prepared to help others as well.”

[Ah, understood.]

Majia tucked the check back into her inventory.

Iona gave a slight bow.

“I heard from Serena that you’ve been helping everyone a lot while I was gone. On behalf of the kids, thanks so much!”

[It’s not like I did anything special. I received help too.]

“Still, I’ve felt overwhelmed due to the sudden scheduling changes, but thanks to you, the kids managed well.”

[No problem. I should really get going before I suffer losses in cash.]

“Oh right, right! You have your support money to hand out—you’re free to go!”

[Yes, see you again.]

Watching Majia’s retreating figure, Iona thought to herself, ‘… in person, they really are something extraordinary.’

She was quick-witted and sharp. And what’s more, she was even audacious enough to navigate the conversation without batting an eyelid. When Iona made her concerns visible, Majia adapted smoothly, even putting the supposed ‘support fund’ away, just claiming it as mutual assistance.

While hunting day after day without rest in the Command Room filled with a chaotic influx of players, free of the endless grind and screen switching, she projected the persona of a cute character, having the experience of a long-time pro who’s seen it all.

‘Definitely not a streaming newbie or just another staff member.’

In Wicker Town, the presence of Majia was exceptional.

She was virtually the heart of the server.

Parts of the user traffic were inevitably following her flow.

A prime example? Serena’s broadcasts.

While securing an average of 7,000 viewers until Day 3, as of yesterday, her viewer count began to bounce wildly and results came in today at 9,000.

Despite various analyses, the jump in viewership was clear.

It happened when Majia first connected with Serena.

Once they established a contract, Serena tailored equipment for Majia, and the Era of Dungeons commenced—filling Serena’s workshop with customers.

Those three instances caused the viewer count graph to leap.

So much so that even the community of Rapitsu, which used to steer clear of any news related to competition, began to mention her name.

… ─ — Rapitsu Gallery ─ ─ — …

[What in the world is this Majia person?]

How much money is she pulling in that she shows up every time our kids log on, passing around 20,000 WK as entry support?

[Comments]

— Rapitsu935: The Great Majia

— Rapitsu881: Just a Godly Skeleton Knight

— Rapitsu357: If you don’t get it, go and thank her on stream, just support her.

Replying to Rapitsu357: Thanks to her, the kids’ server join has sped up enormously.

Replying to Rapitsu735 (writer): ??

Replying to Rapitsu827: Just giving away money while helping Serena earn too, what is she up to?

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

Iona couldn’t shake off a sense of crisis.

If it were just noisy chatter about Parallel moving within the server, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but hearing Majia’s name repeatedly within the Rapitsu community was a slight cause for alarm.

After all, even with the most benevolent competition, allowing this trend to continue could mean losing a significant piece of the pie in the blink of an eye.

“Guys, just a moment. I’m going to grab some water.”

Mic off.

Just like that, Iona quickly reached out to Rapitsu’s operation team.

“Hey, team leader. I have a suggestion I’d like to discuss.”

* * *

The next day, before starting the sixth day in the Wicker server Command Room, I logged in early and felt an odd vibe.

“Huh?”

As a skeleton knight, I didn’t need to eat, so I didn’t grab the Wicker bread distributed alongside the sponsorships, but the members had insisted I take some to avoid skipping meals—like a charm I kept in my inventory.

However, that bread, which had previously been adorned with Wicker’s mirror ball icon, now looked wrong.

Was that the Rapitsu logo?

“Hmm?”

Hovering my mouse over it, the name revealed itself.

[Rapitsu Bread x52]

The bread’s name had changed, branding it with the name of Rapitsu, now competing for the same slice of the pie as Parallel.

I quickly took a screenshot and went downstairs to show the President, who still hadn’t clocked out.

“Seems like Rapitsu is up to something.”

“… Seriously? Hold on, let me ask Wicker.”

The President made a call, and after a brief conversation with Wicker, I learned how things had unfolded.

“Rapitsu apparently dropped 10 million won for server management costs?”