I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 150

Games are “games that Taro played and enjoyed.” Events are “events that Taro attended and enjoyed.” Food is “food that Taro loves to eat,” and so on.

She’s practically a walking advertisement. Within subcultures, she’s regarded as a giant 3D billboard placed in high-traffic areas.

So, as the boss said, it was probably Taro's influence that led to the involvement of BCK and pro-gaming teams as sponsors.

However...

This may not have been a completely mutual decision.

Taro is, after all, part of Bachubachu. Even though she’s a second-generation member, she’s practically the queen of the KR branch.

In the end, this was likely a move to benefit her juniors.

Especially considering that five out of the six participants in this tournament were new fourth-generation members of Bachubachu, it seems clear that the tournament was blown up to boost the viewership and subscribers of her juniors.

“Well, in the end, it’s about giving more power to the fourth-generation Bachubachu members.”

[That’s true. The lineup of streamers already participating was strong enough to maintain high focus. There wasn’t really a need to add more sponsors...]

“If you’re curious, you can just ask her directly.”

The boss shook her head, saying no.

She gave me a subtle look, which, interpreted, meant, “You know, if we contact her personally, it might seem like we’re leeching off her.”

...True. That was the problem, which is why we had refrained from contacting her all this time.

It wasn’t something we had to know for sure, so we decided to let it slide.

What’s more important now is focusing on our own success.

The stage got bigger? Then we need to think about how to make the most of this larger stage.

“Well, it’s all for the best. We’ve already gotten a bit of recognition with the first-generation new song’s view count soaring, so now we can use this tournament to get a good result and appeal to the professional gamer fandom as a group of idols known for singing.”

[That’s a good point. People who don’t watch gaming streams or VTubers still listen to music. If they say, ‘Oh, these are the people who sang that song?’ we’d already be halfway to success.]

And to maximize this benefit, we need to make sure we land in the top ranks.

We need to defeat the countless competitors from various MCNs who share the same goal and move forward.

However, since there’s so much riding on the rankings, everyone was very selective about which participants to choose.

Aside from Bachubachu, who filled the roster with fourth-generation members, and Lapits, whose situation wasn’t too different from ours, most of the participants were platinum- and diamond-tier streamers.

Even the diamond-tier ones were far from ordinary. Former pros. Pro trainees. Second-stringers. Strong contenders.

Our team and the boss's team have to beat all of them?

I’m diamond (master rank), Dora’s iron, and Maru’s bronze. The boss is gold (been platinum for 3 years), Rain is gold, and Komari is gold.

It won’t be easy, but it’s worth trying. And, just like when I challenged Movgun, I feel my heart racing to beat these strong teams.

When I have a goal that’s just a bit higher than my abilities, my motivation explodes.

***

The first day of the MCN Tournament, which spanned two days.

Including the official broadcast channel, Movgun’s stream, a total of 250,000 people tuned in from the start, signaling the tournament's grand success.

[Movgun] [(🔴Live) MCN Tournament - Battle Colosseum (Day 1)] 👪70,445 #BattleColosseum #Pazijik #RapTopics #BCK

As with any streamer tournament, it all starts with a voice call over TalkCord to check in with each team and hear about their goals for the event.

This is where it differs from traditional pro leagues. While the tournament results are crucial, the personal appeal of each streamer is also important, and it’s a small courtesy for the streamers.

However, this time, there was one name that kept coming up unusually often during these pre-interviews.

"So, what’s Lapits’ goal for this tournament, Iona?"

[At least we want to get a better result than Magia's team.]

“Ah, that name again! What’s the reason for that?”

[The grudge from the Demon Castle in Wicker Town... I’m still carrying it deep in my heart. This time, I really want to pay it back.]

“It’s been months since Wicker Town ended. This isn’t UFC, you know?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

[Of course not. I just want to get back at her for what happened on stream. I haven’t had the chance until now.]

A total of fifteen MCNs participated. Each of them sent two squads, making thirty squads in total. It’s a tournament where 90 people compete per game.

As Battle Colosseum’s gallery started buzzing, the mention of Magia increased steadily. By the time it was Lapits’ turn for their thirteenth random interview slot, more than half of the teams had at least mentioned Magia once.

Especially for one MCN that’s been sharpening its claws for this tournament’s victory, they openly predicted that Magia’s team was a strong contender for the win.

At this point, it seemed odd not to address the topic, so after finishing the interview with Lapits, Movgun joked with the BCK official caster, who had come to help with commentary.

“By the way, caster, do you know Magia’s manager?”

“Yeah. I know. I actually did some research while preparing for today’s broadcast. This player is quite famous, huh?”

“Exactly. At least within the realm of Battle Colosseum, their recognition is pretty high. I might have helped a little with that.”

“I saw that Magia really hates you, Movgun. Was it because of this kind of self-praise?”

“No need to look into that... Ahem. Anyway, recently, there was a topic that really heated up the Battle Colosseum community surrounding this player, Magia.”

Magia vs. Pro Gamer 2nd string. Who would win if they faced off?

Many people debated based on their own reasoning, but no conclusion was ever reached.

Some said if they sat side by side, Magia would have the upper hand. The closer the distance between the two, the more Magia would have the advantage. Was it because Magia could do a chair shot in real life? Could Magia even land a chair shot? Or could a pro gamer get mad enough to do it?

Oh, if they land a chair shot, that’s an automatic loss, etc.

The debate started going into absurd territory, and the community consensus eventually became...

“The result is ‘We won’t know until we try.’ If we have an MVP in this tournament, we might be able to experience being a pro gamer for a day. Let’s wait and see, and when that happens, we’ll know for sure. So, aim for the win.”

“I’ve watched the videos, and I was really impressed by seeing even Movgun, who dominated the world in his pro days, getting outplayed.”

“Ah, you saw that embarrassing moment...”

“Back in the day, when I used to commentate on your matches, I couldn’t help but think... I don’t want to get old.”

“Wait, caster?!”

— ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ — “I don’t want to get old” at 30, lol — “Couldn’t even play well, huh~”

“But you know, Magia’s individual skills are outstanding, but I’m not sure about her teamwork. I keep saying it, but in team games, winning one-on-one doesn’t make you the strongest.”

“Right. That’s why they only do one-on-one in event matches.”

“With smoke bombs and shotguns, she can hold her own against pro gamers. That was the main point of the debate. But in the scrim with Movgun, didn’t you have sniper support and a good teammate heal?”

“Hmm, I agree. The enemy has to keep an eye on their teammates in the back, so in a way, that’s what led to Magia outplaying them. That’s how it can be viewed.”

— Oh, as expected. — Expert analysis is different. — Even pro gamers are saying the same thing, lol. — So in the end, no one knows how a 1v1 would go?

“Well, as the chat is saying, Magia might actually win a 1v1 against a pro gamer. That’s one interpretation?”

“Exactly. No one really knows. To put it nicely, she’s super cracked, right? Jump into the smoke, blast them with a shotgun. I’m sure pros could do it if they practiced, but I’m not sure if anyone’s as persistent as Magia when it comes to grinding.”

If this conversation ended there, it would’ve wrapped up like usual—Magia’s better, or the pro gamer is better, and the community would’ve carried on debating.

But what we can’t forget is that the six first-string pro gamers who were invited to the tournament were also watching the broadcast from their rooms.

One player was genuinely curious about whether Magia was as good as everyone said and wanted to face her directly.

“I’m curious. But has she ever mentioned being a fan of ours? If she’s chosen as the MVP, it’d be great if she picked our team.”

Another player wasn’t sure if there was a need for a 1v1, but wanted to do a duo squad event instead.

“It’d be fun doing a 2v2 squad with her with shotguns. Come on, guys. Isn’t it different playing with the guys or with an idol? ...Huh? She’s not an idol? # Nоvеlight # Really? She’s a regular office worker?”

One player, familiar with subcultures, was digging deep into who Magia really was.

“Office worker RP is possible too. Denying that she’s a VTuber is part of the RP. Trying to avoid doing VTuber stuff won’t get you anywhere. After all, she’s the one doing the broadcast, right? So she’s a VTuber. Do you have to debut on stream to be a VTuber? Isn’t she already building a fandom? Slugshot. Right?”

And they all agreed on one thing: Magia’s skill.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

“Watching the videos, she’s definitely not someone who would get overwhelmed by us. But her aggression is a bit much. Feels like she might lose some ground trying to catch up. Pro scene might not favor her. But she’s not bad.”

“Ah, she still hasn’t reached Master? Let’s see... Well, with this many games, it’s hard to call her a diamond player. You said she works at an office, right? Wait, she doesn’t only have this account? You’re saying it’s ten times more if you count them all? Hmm. Well, I guess we can’t know for sure.”

These expectations subtly crept in and were eventually conveyed to the viewers.

“I haven’t seen much, but for now, I’ll pick Magia as the MVP candidate.”

“MVP candidate? Already? Hmm... Magia? Assuming she wins, I’d say Magia.”

“Magia has two heavy sandbags, but if she wins with those, she’s definitely the MVP.”

As a result, the six professional players watching along with fifteen MCN representatives cast their votes for the Final MVP in the pre-voting.

[1st place: Magia’s Manager] [16 votes]

Magia dominated the vote with 16 out of 21 votes, securing first place.