I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work - Chapter 76
What happens when you donate ten million won to the server?
—Like a myth, it’s the story of you and me♪
In the tutorial zone, instead of the background music casually produced by the admins, the original songs of VTuber Rapitsu’s first and second generations are played alternately.
[sponsored by RAPITS]
As those words boldly flicker on the way out, the food scattered around the server, the wicker bread, transforms into Rapitsu bread overnight.
Maybe that’s why the atmosphere in the chat has changed quite a bit.
– [Global] [Thagapdoe] Rubko: Thank you for the bread, Rapitsu guys~
– [Global] [Kkangkka] Serena: Rubko, are you still in debt?
– [Global] [Thagapdoe] Rubko: I just need to pay it back little by little~
– [Global] [Kkangkka] Serena: Oh dear… how sad.
– [Global] [Thagapdoe] Rubko: By the way, Serena, do you have any money? I’ve become credit insolvent, and now the Skeleton Knight won’t lend me money.
– [Global] Iona: Did you get scammed in some casino?
– [Global] [Thagapdoe] Rubko: There’s this brutal place called Strengthen Casino.
– [Global] Iona: Wow, you really are a loser.
It feels like the best publicity possible for money, right?
Considering my unpaid (well, I do get paid, so it’s not really unpaid) efforts in the game, this is definitely effective advertising with just one snap!
In terms of company finances, ten million won is actually quite a trivial amount.
But I didn’t feel any sense of crisis.
It’s not like Rapitsu’s songs are blasting throughout the whole town, and spending ten million won on their part isn’t instantly shrinking our difference.
However, the president, perhaps due to their position as the representative, had slightly different thoughts.
“I think tomorrow we should gather the promotional team leader and financial team leader and discuss matching the amount for sponsorship too.”
“Do you need ten million won? Should I break my savings account for it?”
“Hey. You don’t need to use your money.”
“Actually, I don’t have any. I’ve already sponsored everything to you, boss.”
“What? When?!”
“Without telling you~.”
*GRINDING NOISES*
A drill pops out from the crown of my head.
“Eww.”
Honestly, I’ve always been an observer in financial matters at the company.
Ultimately, it’s the president and the accounting director who decide the direction of the business.
I can throw in a comment here and there, but direct involvement is off-limits.
And the president’s intention isn’t to spend more money than Rapitsu to crush them but rather to match their sponsorship.
As we’re a VTuber group enjoying the same server, it’s like saying we should all carry the log together!
If this were company to company, it would be a given considering each other’s images…
But it seems fans don’t feel the same way.
The moment the broadcast went live, discussions about Rapitsu flooded in.
— Wow, but they’re paying back Rapitsu like this?
— It’s not strictly Rapitsu’s fault, though.
— Seems like they’re quickly crushing it with money through the broadcast ㄷㄷ.
— Hey, Parallel aggressively promoted too, though.
— Isn’t this just a back-and-forth exchange? Haha.
When I spotted someone trying to kick off a Galdr Cup the moment the broadcast began, I had to intervene.
“Please refrain from making speculative comparisons or stories about other broadcasters or groups. They’re all just trying their best to promote their own groups.”
— For real.
— No need to escalate.
— They both did what they had to do ㅇㅇ.
:: Anonymous Sponsor donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: Just a reminder, this person crushed all the malignant trolls in Momo’s broadcast. If you mess around, you’ll be the one getting kicked out! ::
— They’re not a mad dog, haha.
— Whoa, that wording is a bit harsh.
— Mad dogs are way too cute.
— Although, the ones who messed up were indeed all banned.
— But are there still people who remember that time?
— I started watching the first generation after catching Momo’s broadcast. Good times.
There are surely some really annoyed folks, but mainly, it’s a few trying to stir the pot.
The actual relationships between the members showcased on the broadcasts aren’t that bad.
As it happens, I communicate regularly with Serena.
— [Whisper] [Kkangkka] Serena: Jia, I got a weapon blueprint this time!
— [Whisper] [Kkangkka] Serena: Please visit with materials!
— [Whisper] [Kkangkka] Serena: I’ll make you the ultimate weapon again!
— [Whisper] Me: Sure!
Since Serena and Maru are recognized close friends, they often roam around town together giggling.
As it turns out, Maru chose to become a chef for their second job, and the meals they prepare often come with “Equipment Quality Enhancement Effects,” making them quite inseparable.
So, the next day, when the president donated ten million won to the Wicker server and received some sort of compensation, I thought it would be a smooth resolution.
“They decided to convert the sponsorship into Wicker coins, and we’re going to put up four large posters of our kids in the square.”
The decision not to play our songs separately seems to stem from the fact that gacha coins are worth more than bread, and we had already conducted a mini-concert for aggressive promotion once before.
Wicker, being an experienced broadcaster, found a pretty fitting compromise.
Our president wasn’t really dissatisfied either.
But when the next day came, more changes had appeared in the town.
Eight members from Rapitsu had bought land on one side of the user residences and built a giant tower.
Like a giant billboard on a Gangnam building, posters of four second-generation members were hung in all directions.
Compared to our kids’ posters in the square, they were much more visible from afar.
“…Word is they spent another ten million won.”
“Wow.”
“Is this the part where we gasp in astonishment?”
“Wait, they are our seniors in the industry, aren’t they? I don’t think it’s embarrassing to be beaten in capital.”
“Not really being beaten… What can we do? Let’s add another ten million won ourselves.”
But people must pass through the square when they come to town.
So, maybe the exposure was roughly the same whether it was Rapitsu’s tower with their posters or our kids’ square posters.
“Wait a second.”
More than anything, I kind of had an idea why Rapitsu suddenly went full throttle.
Yesterday, when I checked out the Bazijik Gallery, there were quite a few posts like this.
… ─ — Bazijik Gallery ─ ─ — …
[??? : Oh, not again with Rapitsu?]
Oh hell, this gacha coin is a total disaster.
Every time I spin it, it’s always Rapitsu that pops up.
— Oh no.
— Oh no.
So it’s really good! Hey!
Hunger and thirst? Oh? No problem—feel thoroughly satisfied, right?
That’s what Rapitsu bread is, guys.
Enjoy it while you can.
— Rubko’s deep dive ㅋㅋ
— For real ㅋㅋ
Hey, but look, people.
Honestly, it’s just that Parallel coin is a total failure.
I think they lowered the rates too much.
— What?
— Are you saying Parallel is trash?
What the heck man!
When did I say that?!
The coin is named Parallel Coin, which is different!
Just a VTuber GOAT.
Shout out to Parallel for dropping those cash handouts. Thanks as always.
…… (puffing) Oh hell, but when am I going to pay Jia back?
(Source: Yesterday’s Rubko broadcast)
[Comments]
— Bazijik002: Spinning the gacha suddenly turns into a defense against despair, haha.
— Bazijik485: To summarize, Parallel failure = Rapitsu bread, right?
— Bazijik020: Hey now.
— Bazijik852: To be honest, Rapitsu started the fighting first.
— Bazijik990: No way, Majia was aggressively promoting first.
— Bazijik025: Are you saying Majia, who’s throwing money around the whole server, did wrong?
— 🟦Bazijik04: Hey hey hey.
— 🟦Bazijik04: That’s enough.
… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …
Rubko may be a funny person, but they are indeed a large enterprise with a million subscribers.
They managed to humorously sidestep the crisis without a hitch.
Still, Rapitsu could have felt a bit sore seeing this.
Saying that getting a fail in Parallel coin just means getting Rapitsu bread feels odd.
Of course, neither our president nor theirs would have intentionally created this situation.
Seeing this post, the president was just as flabbergasted.
“No, that wasn’t intentional at all.”
“I think if we spend another ten million won here, it might come off like we’re trying to start a war on purpose. It’s still WWE-ish, and the trolls are just waiting for a chance to stir up trouble, so maybe it’s better to calm things down for now.”
“Hmm… Thanks for letting me know.”
“How about we prepare the concert for the kids more thoroughly instead? I end up earning almost all the money anyway.”
“…That’s a fact I can’t deny.”
Fortunately, with the president calling off extra investments, it looks like this chicken game will wrap up here.
But I felt like it would be wise to at least show our lack of ill intent.
Cleaning up that ‘Parallel fail = Rapitsu bread’ image created by Rubko would solve things in no time.
If I ignore it and let the fans’ disputes escalate, I could just blankly ban, ban, ban them, but…
I do feel sorry for Seungyeon, who’s monitoring things instead of me.
She’s been doing a good job, but she’s still a newbie.
If both sides suddenly start to get all serious about a fight, she’d surely be taken aback.
So, what to do?
The solution is simple.
Use the gacha coins accumulated from the donations received over the week.
[ Parallel Coin x 2,435 ]
Rapitsu bread was an item that only came in handy when filling hunger or thirst, so as the number of residents and sponsored people increased, it became extremely commonplace.
In fact, when I use 2,400 coins to spin the gacha, about 12,000 pieces of bread would usually pop out.
If I leave it be, the value of the bread would drop and consequently, the brand value would too; hence Wicker changed from Wicker bread to Rapitsu bread and added a certain effect….
Combine nine pieces of bread into one, and you get potions named after Rapitsu’s members.
For instance, Serena’s potion, known for its healing properties, fully restores health immediately after consumption.
This became the most popular recovery item among dungeon hunters.
To make it into a potion, you have to pass through an alchemist, which preserves the purpose of the alchemist job as well.
So when people get into scraps while hunting and their health dwindles, downing a Serena potion repeatedly should resonate with them.
It’s good because it’s made into a Rapitsu bread potion, right?
Isn’t Serena’s potion great for mindless hunting?
Why was Rubko hating so hard on it?
* * *
So, on the eighth day of the command room, I fired up the broadcast against the backdrop of the members’ posters in the square.
Right from the start, showing how many coins were in my mailbox left the viewers gobsmacked.
— What are those coins? Haha!
— Did we donate that much?
— No, no, most of it is from Pino.
— Oh, it’s Pino’s?
— If Pino had done this much, they’d already be dried up!
— Pino didn’t do this much, haha.
— Oh, but when did Wicker coins change to Parallel coins? Haha.
I pasted the gacha probabilities provided by the admin on the left side of the screen.
Since opening in lots of ten is tedious, I bundled them in hundreds.
— — — Parallel Coin Gacha — — —
50% – 10 pieces of Rapitsu bread
25% – 1 Town Return Scroll
10% – 1 Title Change Ticket
7% – 1 Skin Exchange Ticket
5% – 1 Enhancement Step Downgrade Prevention Ticket
2% – 1 Inventory Save Ticket
0.55% – [3-star guaranteed] Random Mount Exchange Ticket
0.33% – Special Skin Set Selection Ticket
0.1% – Special Invitation Ticket
0.02% – ???
— — —— — —— — —— — —— — —
As I was preparing, I noticed the viewers chatting about something.
— By the way, when will that question mark come up?
— No one’s got it yet, right?
— According to leaks, it’s supposed to be a rental space for that northern castle. Is that true?
— A castle?
— M?R.
The appearance probability of that question mark item was 0.02%.
Was there ever a castle?
Every time I visited the town, I’d just walk while looking at the ground.
But when I turned my head north, I saw what seemed to be a castle obscured by snow.
I’m not sure if it can be used in that state.
— We won’t know until we open it, but no one has won yet, haha.
— The odds are incredibly low, haha.
— Essentially, you need to spend 5,000 to win it, haha.
— It won’t pop out, haha.
As the viewers pointed out, an item that no one has yet won isn’t suddenly going to be handed to me.
Anyway, I started rolling the gacha in batches of a hundred to aim for my target of 12,000 Rapitsu bread.
.
.
.
[10 pieces of Rapitsu bread x10]
[1 Town Return Scroll x1]
[1 Skin Exchange Ticket x1]
[10 pieces of Rapitsu bread x10]
[1 Special Skin Set Selection Ticket]
— Wow, special one, haha!
— Whoa, that appeared!
— At 0.33%, it’s not unreasonable for it to come up, haha. Good good.
— What’s up? Doesn’t that mean the luck I have is way better than the president’s? Haha.
Only a few pulls in, and I already hit the 0.33% chance for the special skin.
Bread was the goal, but something started feeling odd from this point onward.
.
.
.
[1 Enhancement Step Downgrade Prevention Ticket x1]
[10 pieces of Rapitsu bread x10]
[1 [3-star guaranteed] Random Mount Exchange Ticket]
[1 Title Change Ticket x1]
— ?
— What?
— Hey, what’s this?
— What is that?
— A king?
— ?
— What is that?
Everyone was too busy raising question marks when suddenly, a whisper popped into my ear.
– [Whisper] Wicker: No way…
– [Whisper] Wicker: Jia, it seems like you really have some insane luck, haha.
– [Whisper] Wicker: You just hit a 0.02% rate!
— What?
— Haha!
— Is that a special item?
— The King’s Privilege?
— What’s that?
Soon, Wicker teleported in front of me to give me an explanation.
[Do you see that castle in the north of the village?]
It was that gigantic castle the viewers had pointed out.
It looked impossible to enter since it was buried in snow…
Could it be I can actually go in there?
[With this, you can use that as your personal space. Once you go inside, you’ll be shocked.]
As soon as Wicker said that, the server seemed to lag a bit, and suddenly, light flashed as the snow melted away.
Once the thick layer of snow vanished, a black castle was revealed.
Soft lighting was elegantly placed along the edges of the structure, and with the mist swirling around, it looked just like a castle of a demon king that belongs in a fantasy world.
— Kyaaaahhh!!!
— That’s crazy, haha!
— Insane!
— Is that going to be our house now?
— LOL!
— That’s insane, haha!
— OMG, haha!
[Isn’t it magnificent? If no one acquires it by tomorrow, we plan to keep it open for operation, and once a host appears, we’ll hand it over.]
“Aha….”
[By the way, the person who becomes the demon king gets the right to place monsters, decorating the castle like a dungeon. The stronger the monsters you place, the more it will cost, but once placed, they resurrect every time each guest visits, so you won’t incur additional costs.]
“Dungeon?”
[Yes. You’ll become the demon king, and the boss of the dungeon. This dungeon will be the hardest but also have the best rewards in the server.]
“I see. If I can prevent users from entering, I suppose there’s a reward for me too.”
[Exactly! If users win, they’ll receive ten times the entrance fee, while if you win, you get the entire fee. The entrance fee will be 100,000 Wicker per person, so it shouldn’t be lacking.]
I’m going to be the boss now.
This felt like something out of a real-life server where you get to create a whole new character and enjoy it in a roleplay server.
“But even if I become the boss, the users’ specs aren’t very different, so won’t I end up dying quite easily?”
[That’s why there’s special equipment granted when you’re the boss.]
Right then, Wicker started laying down the equipment.
It was a full plate armor adorned with cool red decorations on pitch-black metal.
The demon king armor had a damage taken -95%, and the demon sword unleashed energy waves with every swing.
Even someone clad in the -80% damage armor I was currently wearing would just drop dead after taking three energy strikes.
That’s far too strong.
[Of course, that equipment can only be worn while you’re the boss.]
“It’s going to have to be a must…”
I don’t know why it seems like all these situations are piling up on me throughout this server.
From a skeleton knight to a demon king?
Why does all this keep falling into my lap?
Please let it fall into the president’s or the members’ laps instead!
— Demon King Magia!
— Oh, great hero of bones…
— So you went from a skeleton knight to a demon king, huh?
— Mag(ician)ia!
— Celestial Magia!
At this rate, even the nickname is evolving again.
Hearing nicknames I’ve been referred to since childhood makes me feel nostalgic to encounter them here.
But this was also an opportunity for me.
“Can I still consume something like a Serena potion while in the demon king state?”
Wicker considered my question before answering.
[Yes, that’s perfectly fine as that’s an item acquired via sponsorship.]
Instead of mindlessly hunting while chugging down Serena potions, showing something along the lines of an immortal demon king to those coming to the dungeon will improve the image of Rapitsu bread.
Those visiting will definitely ask me.
Why on earth can’t you d*e?
That’s when I can keep repeating.
“Rapitsu potions are simply the best!
Rapitsu potions are simply the best!”