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

At the start of Wicker Town, the average viewer count for Parallel and Lapits' second-generation talents was pretty similar.
Both started around 4,000 to 5,000 viewers, reaching about 7,000 thanks to the special status of being starting members. They thought the server would progress with friendly competition between them.
However, after a day and then two, the gap between the two grew noticeably.

The reason for that was Magia.
On the first day, while everyone was busy leveling up, Magia tossed out money and created a legendary moment for the server. On the second day, after revealing her hidden job, she effortlessly promoted in front of a crowd of viewers, drawing them in as though it was nothing.
Even the Community Chat Room stream had quite a demand.
There was no better place for dopamine-seeking viewers who didn’t want to miss out on any of the server's events than Magia's stream.
Usually, people would have to leave their streams on or monitor the community to find where the action was happening, but for Parallel members, Magia would find everything herself and display it prominently in the main frame, cutting down on their efforts.

As days passed, Parallel's viewership skyrocketed.
However, Parallel’s success also became a concern for Lapits.
Naturally, the company was sensitive about viewer counts, and the members were constantly reminded to push harder to compete.
However, things got complicated when the special invitee, Iona, was delayed in joining the server due to an impromptu original song recording.
So, Serena and Merisha, who were new to the team, had been running around like headless chickens, managing the load themselves.

For the first few days, they tried swapping roles—one would work, the other would interact with the fans—but despite their best efforts, it wasn’t easy.
On day three, when the money-making strategies were starting to stabilize, big news spread throughout the server:
The Dungeon King Movgun and Skeleton Knight Magia had teamed up.
Even more shockingly, just before the server closed that day, Movgun’s stream revealed that Magia’s earnings from a day of dungeon hunting totaled 380,000 WK.

People who had been laughing at the "Skeleton Magia" nickname were stunned when they heard the number.
They were struggling to earn 150,000 WK, and Magia made 380,000?
Immediately, everyone had the same thought.
This server was already financially dominated by Magia and Movgun.
Instead of competing with interest, it seemed wiser to just ride their coattails.

By day four, other streamers who had been lurking began to approach Magia,
And once again, her average viewership increased.
The newcomers were flocking to her Community Chat Room stream.
Soon, the gap in average viewership between Parallel and Lapits grew to almost 1.5 times.
The company had warned to be cautious when interacting with competitors' VTubers, as fan conflicts might arise,
But Serena was desperate.
After all, Lapits had to benefit from the "Magia drop."

She needed to make money quickly so she could bring in all the members, communicate more, and promote the group.
She didn’t know how long they’d have to keep struggling.
And she felt that as long as she didn’t make any major mistakes, things would work out.
Then, by chance, Merisha found a blueprint for the strongest defense armor in the server while out in the field and handed it to Serena.
For Serena, who was a blacksmith, this was the perfect opportunity to work with Magia.
"I’ll make you the strongest armor on the server," Serena said.

She approached Magia with an offer, hoping that Magia would show the same generosity she had shown to new players by giving her a share.
"How about I give you all the materials from the hunt in two hours? If you need more, just let me know."
Magia gladly accepted Serena’s offer.

"Wow… thank you so much. I’ll never forget this kindness."
"It’s no problem. We’re helping each other out. I needed good gear too."
"...Thank you so much for saying that."

Serena immediately set to work, using all her skills and resources to craft the best gear.
She could have made some more money and bought another invite ticket, but this seemed like a chance to take a break and prepare for the future.
After transferring the enchantments from the gear Movgun gave her to the new equipment, Magia became an unstoppable monster.

All damage reduced by 80%.
Attack and movement speed increased by 150%.
Magia had already been unmatched in dungeon hunting,
But now, even the average person couldn’t keep up.
Serena, after observing Magia hunting, was certain of it.
This would make money!

Everyone would want to own the armor Magia was wearing.
[What kind of armor is this? The stats are insane.]
“It’s the highest-tier armor added to the Wicker server. If I had to compare, it’s better than Void, which is the top tier in Vanilla?”

[Isn’t Void better than Obsidian? This is amazing.]
"Exactly, it is."
[Oh, I feel bad receiving this for free…]

“No, it’s not free. You provided the materials.”
[Even so, when you receive something, you should give something in return.]
"Just wear it and tell everyone I made it. That’s all I need."

[Ah, I get it now. Alright, I’ll head off to hunt. If you need money, let me know. I can lend it to you with zero interest.]
As soon as she heard that, Serena immediately thought of 200,000 WK.
One invite ticket.
Enough to invite a fellow Lapits member.

"Wow, really? Can you lend me 200,000 WK? I want to buy one more invite ticket..."
Despite knowing that Magia might be generous, she didn’t expect much, considering that adding more competitors was a risk.

In the server, Magia looked like a skeleton with dazzling gear, but in reality, she was still a loyal member of Parallel.

However...
[Sure. Here you go.]
Magia was incredibly generous once again.
She was quick to respond, and the check was handed over just as quickly.

“It’s too much... you’ve worked so hard to earn this money.”
Magia’s frustration, however, was directed more at the "Gia" joke.
[It’s fine. I didn’t starve. And anyway, it’s money I’ll get back.]

The 200,000 WK check dropped with a soft thud.
Magia bowed lightly and casually walked away, muttering, “Let’s go hunting, let’s go hunting.”
Soon after, Magia’s message echoed throughout the server.
[All] Magia: With the armor Serena made, I’m already way too fast even on floor 8!
[All] Magia: If all goes well, I could make 450,000 today! 😱
***

It became clear the next day that Serena's decision to align with Magia had been the right one.
[All] [Ttakapdoe] Lupko: Serena, I want to make some armor too!
[All] [Ziju] Ronze: When are you going to pay back the Skeleton Gia's money? Haha
[All] [Ttakapdoe] Lupko: What's the big deal? I’ll just earn it back! I'll pay it back by earning more!!
[All] [Ttakapdoe] Lupko: I’ll earn it back, just watch!!
Starting with Lupko, people who had followed Magia into the dungeon to make money began to gather materials and start crafting armor.
Since Magia started using Serena’s armor, she began earning 450,000 WK a day, so even at a slightly lower price of 400,000 WK, it sold easily.

Even though the armor wasn’t as good as Magia’s best, it still sold like crazy, causing a bit of a problem.
Magia bragged about raking in money from the dungeons, causing even people who hadn’t been interested to flock to the dungeon.
However, Magia had been hunting with a small screen, so it wasn’t widely known. She was parrying all the ranged attacks and using headshot stuns to avoid close-range hits.

The efficiency of her hunting was on another level, and with her hidden job, the difference in earnings was naturally huge.
Still, even with this advantage, casually chatting with viewers while making money, she managed to consistently earn around 300,000 WK per day.
Soon, the opinion formed that there were "still no fools not going to the dungeon?", and the dungeons became saturated within a day.

There were disputes over dungeon spots, but Serena simply laughed.
By day five, after starting to sell the armor, there were already eight first and second-generation Lapits members gathered in one place by the evening.
And then, the joyous moment for Lapits came. She had finally returned.

"Hey, sorry! I made you wait for so long,"
[Hey!]
[You must be exhausted from the recording!]
"Yeah, yeah. How’s everyone? Have you been doing your work? I need to talk to Serena for a bit."
[Yes!]
[Yes!]
The largest among the first-generation Lapits members, with 660,000 YouTube subscribers and an average of 7,000 viewers—Eona, who was the first to join the server with a special invite but had been delayed due to an additional recording schedule.

[Eona, senior!]
She was waiting in the house plot she had been building for Lapits, and shortly after, Serena used her return scroll and hurried over, hopping in front of her.
"Sorry, Lena. Did I make you wait too long? But how’s the house? You two, you and Risha, are making money, right? Wasn’t it tough?"
[Ah, we have a lot of money now. We have about 1 million WK together!]
"Really? How did you gather it? I’ve been watching, but I didn’t get the full story since I’ve been busy with the recording."
[Well, it’s a long story…]
From Serena’s mouth, the events from day one to day five of the server unfolded in detail.

Day 1: The massive fight for 10,000 WK in the plaza.
Day 2: The appearance of the first hidden job and the business partnership between Magia and Movgun.
Day 3: The reveal of Magia’s earnings and the confirmation of server hierarchy.
Day 4: The story of how Serena approached Magia and made a deal.
As of day 5, the top tier of the server was still occupied by Dungeon King Movgun and Skeleton Knight Magia.
While Serena had benefited from Magia’s "drip-down," Lapits had also grown considerably and was no longer a weak force.
After hearing all this, Eona couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.
Had it not been for the original song recording, she could have been leading the server and drawing attention.
She wouldn’t have been lagging behind Parallel like this.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

"Yeah. You really worked hard. It must have been tough, making money,"
[No, it wasn’t hard. After I made the deal with Magia, it wasn’t too tough. I made a lot of money yesterday, so now I’m actually quite relaxed.]
"Really? She helped you a lot, huh? I’ll go thank her on behalf of everyone."
[Oh, you don’t have to go visit her.]
"Why?"
[She’ll probably come to see me soon.]
Serena explained that there was a thing called the "Support Fund" for new players who entered the server.
It was something everyone had to receive once they joined, and now, everyone in Parallel and first-generation Another knew about it.
Of course, beneath the surface, the name "Magia" had become more famous than the rest.
But Serena didn’t seem to care about that.

As Serena said, it wasn’t long before Magia came to find Eona.
Without wasting time, she handed over a check as soon as she arrived.

[Hello, Eona. This is the server entry support fund from Parallel Another.]
None of Eona's juniors or fellow first-generation members were the picky type, so no one would have turned down money from Magia.

But Eona was different.
She was at the top of the first generation.
She was supposed to be the pillar that newer players could lean on.
"Nice work. I heard a little about it, but you’re really making a lot of money."
[Yeah, I’m making 450,000 WK a day. I want to give back to the server, so I’m sharing the wealth.]
"Oh, I’m fine. Please support others with that money. We’ve settled in a bit and now we need to help others."
[Ah, understood.]
Magia put the check back in her inventory.
Eona bowed deeply.
"I heard from Serena that you helped out a lot while I was away. I’ll thank you on behalf of the others."

[It’s no big deal. I also received help.]
"Still, I was about to make things really tough for the others, but thanks to you, it went smoothly."
[No problem. Well then, I should leave before the losses start piling up.]
"Oh, of course. Go ahead. You came to give me the support money, I’ve held you up too long."
[Okay, see you again.]
As she watched Magia walk off, Eona thought:
"... Seeing her in person, she's no ordinary person."
She was quick to notice, smart, and even had the audacity to act without hesitation.
Even when Eona openly showed suspicion, Magia calmly continued the conversation, taking back the money when necessary and wrapping it up as "mutual aid."

Magia was hunting nonstop for an hour a day without rest in the chaotic Community Chat Room, switching the members' screens while doing it.
It felt like a professional who had survived all sorts of battles was now playing a masquerade ball with an innocent character.
‘She’s definitely not a broadcasting newbie or a regular staff member.’
Magia’s presence in Wicker Town was exceptional.
She was at the heart of the server.
A portion of the viewers were always flowing toward her.
A prime example of this was Serena’s stream.

By day 3, her average viewership was 7,000, but after a certain point, it began fluctuating wildly.
Today, it was above 9,000.
Despite the thorough analysis, the exact moment when the viewership spiked was clear.
It happened when Magia made contact with Serena.
They made a deal, Serena crafted her armor, and the era of dungeons opened, filling Serena’s workshop with reserved customers.
The viewer count graph jumped three times in total.

So much so, that even the Lapits community, which usually didn’t pay much attention to competitors, started mentioning her name.
… ─ — Lapits Gallery ─ ─ — …
[What the heck is this person in Parallel?]
How much money is she making that she shows up every time a new player logs in and gives them a 20,000 WK settlement support?

[Comments]
— Lapits935: Great Gia
— Lapits881: Just the King God Skeleton Gia
— Lapits357: If you don’t know, go watch her stream and donate to thank her
— Lapits357: Thanks to her, the new players are joining the server way faster
— Lapits735 (Original Poster): ??
— Lapits827: Ah, she just gives money and helps Serena make money, the Great Gia
… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …
Eona couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.

It wasn’t just the buzz within the server that would’ve been fine, but now that Magia’s name was being repeatedly brought up in Lapits’ community, it was a somewhat dangerous sign.
Because, no matter how friendly the competition is, if this trend is left unchecked, the pie could be stolen in an instant.
“Everyone, just a moment. I’ll grab some water.”

Microphone off.
Without hesitation, Eona contacted Lapits’ operations team.
“Team leader, I have something to suggest.”
***

The next day, before starting day six in the Wicker server chat room, I felt an odd sense of discomfort.
“Huh?”
As a Skeleton Knight, I didn’t need to eat, so I hadn’t taken the Wicker Bread that came with the donations.
However, the members had handed it to me, telling me not to skip meals, so I carried it in my inventory like a good luck charm.

But yesterday, the Wicker Bread, which usually had the Wicker icon—a disco ball—on it, now looked strange.
Isn’t this the Lapits logo?
“Hmm?”

I hovered my mouse over it, and the name popped up.
[ Lapits Bread x52 ]
The bread’s name had changed.
It was now under the name of Lapits, the competitor to Parallel.

I quickly captured the screen and went down a floor to show it to the boss before leaving for the day.
“Looks like Lapits is doing something,” I said.
“… It’s true? Wait, let me ask Wicker.”

The boss made a call, spoke with Wicker for a bit, and then I was soon able to learn what had happened.
“Lapits paid 10 million WK for server operating costs?”