Chapter 112

“Sleep… Akane-senpai. You’re too strong. How much did you practice the game?”

“Akane isn’t a senpai. She’s the Demon King.”

A few days had passed since the Demon King event occurred.

Mai, with her chin resting on her hand, was busy sorting through various clips.

Currently, the Life Server had most of the Novel Live members participating.

Because of this, it was bound to be a hit, but even with all the members participating, it only guaranteed a minimum level of success. The real hit depended on how entertaining the content was, and the Novel Live fans who watched this Life Server were very satisfied.

It was all thanks to Akane.

If it weren’t for Akane suddenly going wild, the clips wouldn’t have been mass-produced like they were now.

【Novel Live】Akane plotting with a suspicious black figure【Yukimura Akane】

Mai narrowed her eyes.

When she clicked on the video, Akane appeared, talking to a suspicious woman in a black robe.

She checked the comments.

– Akane looks so friendly lol

– Where did Yoorim-chan, who used to play with Mai, go? And now Darkness-chan appears?

┗Isn’t that a clone magic?

Other videos had a similar vibe.

Akane fighting Novel Live members, Akane doing situational roleplay with Novel Live members, Akane slaughtering Novel Live members, etc.

All the videos were centered around Akane.

After skimming through all the clips, Mai glanced at the time and put on her VR device.

After finishing her research, she had a good idea of what concept to go with.

The current Life Server was declaring the overthrow of Akane and rallying around one person.

That person was Minaz Yozora.

If Akane was the founding hero and the Demon King, then Minaz Yozora was the successor threatening Akane’s position.

Akane was so dominant that she was considered the top, but excluding her status as the founding hero, Minaz wasn’t far behind.

In terms of gaming skills, viewership, various metrics, and especially broadcasting sense, Minaz was similar to Akane.

There were even rumors that Minaz, who was just a year younger, would soon catch up to Akane. With opinions divided on whether a one-year gap could be closed, it was a close battle.

A few days ago, right after the Demon King event occurred, Minaz had a big showdown with Akane.

Of course, Akane won, but listeners who saw Minaz desperately struggling nominated her as the hero of the Life Server.

Legend vs. Successor.

It was a magical format that even boosted viewership for sports with over $10 billion in revenue.

So, the core of this server was how spectacularly Minaz and Akane would duel, and the other members would play along like WWE.

This was a broadcaster server, after all.

It was common sense to act accordingly to make the situation more entertaining.

In such a scenario, Mai’s role was obvious.

The slightly goofy, easy-to-tease senior.

It wasn’t much different from before.

With that concept in mind, she just had to throw in some comments from the sidelines, and the rest would revolve around Minaz and Akane.

When Mai logged into the game, she woke up in an abandoned factory.

“Mai unnie. Are you already here?”

Next to her, Han Yoorim was chattering away.

Mai casually turned on Yoorim’s broadcast, which she had bookmarked.

Offline. She hadn’t started broadcasting yet.

Lately, Yoorim had been sporadic with her broadcasts.

She used to diligently broadcast 12 hours a day when the Life Server started, but after a few days, she either didn’t broadcast at all or only did so for a few hours.

Seeing how she always welcomed Mai whenever she logged in, it seemed she was still playing the game, but what kept her so busy was beyond understanding.

…No. Now it made sense. She was busy because she was pulling strings behind the scenes.

Anyway, it worked out.

Before starting her own broadcast, Mai decided to say what she wanted to say.

“Nice directing. Are you a super developer?”

“Mai unnie. What are you talking about?”

“So, you’re not a super developer?”

“I am a super developer. And what directing?”

Beginner level Han Yoorim usage.

Mention the super developer.

This increases the chance of getting the desired response.

“You were manipulating things behind the scenes. Thanks to you, Akane, Minaz, the other members, and the listeners all love it.”

“I didn’t manipulate. I just stimulated the darkness in their hearts.”

“But how do you do two things at once? From the clips, you were talking to Akane even when you were with me.”

“It’s easy for a super developer.”

“Clone magic?”

“That’s one way to call it.”

So, it was clone magic after all.

Well, Yoorim was the one who freely manipulated Thierry’s water element ultimate skill, [Doppelganger], to engage in extreme combat. It wasn’t surprising that she could handle clone magic in this relatively relaxed RP server.

“You said you didn’t know about magic.”

“Sigh. Mai-nim. Isn’t it a cliché for a naive child to have secrets?”

“I wasn’t naive.”

“What are you talking about? Mai unnie. Yoorim-chan is naive.”

Yoorim-chan mode activated again. In this state, Yoorim was so immersed in RP that proper conversation was impossible.

Taking it as a sign that the conversation was over, Mai adjusted her settings to prepare for her broadcast.

“Mai-nim. What about you?”

—And then, Yoorim’s sudden question made her pause.

Mai, still frozen, only moved her lips.

“Why Mai?”

“Akane-nim…”

“Hey, Minaz and the listeners liked it, but you didn’t say anything about Mai, did you?”

“Mai…”

Mai trailed off.

She wasn’t sure.

Was the current situation fun or not?

Good or bad?

Mai had worked too hard on the broadcast to worry about such things.

“Does it really matter?”

After all, broadcasting is entertainment. It’s acting. It’s a lie.

The broadcaster’s emotions weren’t that important.

At least, that’s what Mai thought.

Some say that broadcasters need to enjoy themselves to make the broadcast fun, but Mai didn’t agree with that.

A pro doesn’t produce different results just because the situation changes. A pro has to deliver the same result, no matter how hard or boring it is.

That’s the courtesy owed to the listeners.

“No. It does matter. It’s important.”

But Han Yoorim cut straight to the point.

She was so firm that it was almost startling.

“Why?”

No matter what I think, whether I find the broadcast fun, boring, enjoyable, or not, it’s not like you, Han Yoorim, care, right?

You’re not interested, are you?

Right?

In response to Mai’s doubts, Han Yoorim wagged her finger.

As if to say, “I’m disappointed you don’t even know something so basic.”

“Well, because I’m a Super Developer. If there’s a user who can’t enjoy the game, it’s my duty to figure out why and fix it. So, how was it? Did you have fun?”

Mai chuckled at Han Yoorim’s words.

That damn Super Developer again.

Really. She was as consistent as ever.

Mai slowly opened her mouth.

“It wasn’t fun.”

“Oh no.”

“Mai. I was kind of looking forward to getting involved with the Player Family. But if you wipe them out overnight, what am I supposed to do?”

“I didn’t wipe them out. Akane did.”

“Plus, Mai. I prefer chatting happily with my juniors. Not this apocalyptic vibe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d been this honest about her feelings.

It felt refreshing.

“…I think I was this blunt back in Okinawa too.”

Everything feels meaningless when Han Yoorim is around.

Her worries, societal norms, her ability to read the room—all of it.

Mai stretched as if relieved and pursed her lips.

“Fine. Mai doesn’t care anymore. I’ll do whatever I want.”

“An excellent choice. Do you need my help?”

“Yeah. Help me out, Yoorim-chan.”

*

As mentioned, Novel Live was filled with all sorts of people.

Ambitious people, those who wanted to take things slow, those who half-heartedly did broadcasts, those who worked hard, interesting people, boring people, talented people, talentless people.

Among them, Minaz was one of the ambitious ones.

In the VTuber industry, there’s a concept called “rebirth.”

It means abandoning your existing avatar and account to start fresh with a new one. Generally, you leave behind everything you’ve built up.

What you’ve accumulated in past broadcasts can’t even be mentioned in future ones.

Minaz was a VTuber who had undergone such a rebirth.

Even though she had over 500,000 subscribers as an individual VTuber, she abandoned it all and joined Novel Live.

Being part of Novel Live had many advantages, but also many disadvantages.

First, the revenue. Unlike individual VTubers who keep 100% of their earnings, corporate VTubers have to split profits with the company.

There were also content restrictions and other downsides.

So even though joining Novel Live meant a different level of push, most would hesitate if they’d already built up nearly 500,000 subscribers as an individual VTuber. But Minaz joined Novel Live as soon as the opportunity arose.

Her ambitions had clear limits as an individual VTuber.

It was either the top or the bottom.

That was Minaz’s way.

That’s why this project was so important to her.

How much she showed here would determine her next growth momentum.

Minaz stepped into the Demon King’s castle, which floated above the Sky Garden.

Then, from afar, Akane flew through the empty space toward Minaz.

She was here.

Minaz prepared for battle.

Now, the long-awaited fateful showdown was about to unfold—

“Akane. There’s an intruder. Judging by her aura, she’s overflowing with ambition. She’s probably desperate to cut you down and stand at the top. Show her what you’re made of.”

“Akane. No mercy for the enemy.”

……The weirdo chattering beside her ruined the mood.

But it didn’t matter.

Regaining her focus, Minaz conjured a magic circle in the empty space.

Start with a bang—literally.