Three days later, I was once again watching Rasian play her game.
"Like this, over here..."
The game Rasian was currently obsessed with was Mastercraft.
She hadn't played Mastercraft for three straight days, but aside from her "break times," she spent every moment breaking and stacking blocks in the game.
During these breaks, she would read physics books or, at her request, the math and science textbooks and educational broadcast materials I had ordered for her online.
'How is studying a form of recreation?'
It was clear she hadn't won the title of Archmage in her world through some gamble; Rasian's intellect was so brilliant it felt utterly beyond my reach.
A genius.
A great being, talented in every field.
A day might come when the only thing I have over her in the VTuber industry is my experience.
But even if that day comes, or if Rasian eventually says, "Thank you for everything," I won't let it consume me.
'It's no different from a talented VTuber leaving an agency to be reborn as an indie.'
It would just be a shame.
I had already witnessed countless partings with VTubers in Japan, and I'd often watched their "reincarnations" through the monitor screen.
Corporate versus independent.
Just as in the idol industry, where issues with payment distribution lead idols to go independent or start their own agencies, the VTuber world is the same.
If a VTuber can handle the agency's tasks on their own, or hire staff to manage all related work, they can simply become a one-person corporation.
Whether it's due to health issues, creative differences with the company, or profit-sharing disputes, it's common for a VTuber to leave an agency and reincarnate as an indie.
It's just like that.
A disappointing and bitter moment may come, but that future is a definite possibility.
So, while I don't know what this otherworlder is thinking, I have to proactively help her debut as a VTuber until that time comes.
If someone were to ask why I'm so invested in this...
'How could I not be?'
Anyone in my position would do the same.
Those who covet her talent and authority as a mage from another world would cooperate to gain all sorts of experiences and wealth from that world.
Those who wish to control the danger she represents would do so to prevent a meteor from dropping into the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
And me?
I feel a bit sorry for Rasian, but I'm also using her to some extent.
A specimen like this is a first for me.
"Elder Dragon, defeated."
"Whoa."
Rasian flashed a grin, making a V-sign with her fingers.
On the monitor, a pixelated dragon was dying, emitting a white light.
The hero who slew it was the default character, but they were decked out in diamond armor and weapons.
Did it take longer than expected?
Not at all.
On the contrary, the fact that she reached this point in just three days was a testament to how insane she was.
It was astonishing that she had reached the Elder Dragon on her own, without looking at any guides or receiving any backseating.
Of course, I did give her a few hints when she was completely stuck, but once those issues were resolved, she immediately powered through, as if releasing the frustration of being blocked.
She could have solved it easily by watching a Mastercraft guide video.
But Rasian didn't look up a single tip.
Thanks to that, I was able to identify another one of her traits.
'I'll have to be strict about banning backseaters.'
If a VTuber were to play Mastercraft for the first time for three days, could anyone truly say that no one would try to backseat them on their way to the Elder Dragon?
Not a chance.
Backseaters exist everywhere.
And if it took not one or two, but three days, even patient viewers would start to get antsy and say, "Come on already..."
Besides, if there was a fundamental reason it took three days...
"Rasian."
"Yes."
"The White Magic Tower you built on this server... can I upload it?"
If it took her 1.5 days to log in, gather resources, and defeat the Elder Dragon, the other 1.5 days were spent building a colossal sky tower made of nearly 10,000 blocks.
"Upload it where...?"
"After registering the copyright, we'll post it on the community hub. Under your name, Rasian."
"Hmm...?"
"Your magic tower has been perfectly recreated in this block world; we can't just let it sit here. This is also a path to debuting as a VTuber."
"This is?"
"Of course. Some people might look down on it, but debuting as a 'block builder' is a major route into the industry."
While it's closer to being a YouTube content creator than a VTuber, the number of people debuting through Mastercraft increases every year.
"Being able to build something this well is a talent. Especially for VTubers who debut in generations, there's an unspoken rule that at least one in five should be a Mastercraft expert."
"Does this count as being an expert?"
"You're an expert at building. Things like mending, enchanting, and flying with an elytra are techniques you'll have to learn, but creating structures like this is a matter of artistic sense."
There are even people who make a living building structures on Mastercraft servers.
Just as subculture fans commission illustrators to draw their original characters, there's a demand everywhere for structures built using Mastercraft materials.
And if it's for something like an RP server, then—
'No, that's not something to think about right now.'
Rasian isn't about to debut and join a server with 50 or 100 other streamers, so there's no need to talk about her strengths on an RP server just yet.
"What's clear is that you're the best builder I've seen among all the VTubers I've watched."
"Hmm..."
"Want to look online and compare? There are YouTubers who earn a yearly salary just from building things like this."
"That's alright. I think it's more meaningful to recreate the structures of my world as accurately as possible than to build for others."
My knowledge grew.
Rasian is a bit stubborn when it comes to information and knowledge.
In other words, it's a pride in her own world, a reflection of her self-respect as an Archmage.
"Alright. Let's put Mastercraft aside for a moment. How about we test something else?"
"Something else?"
"No matter how good a gamer someone is, everyone has a weakness somewhere. A player with amazing mechanical skills might be bad at 5v5 games, or a pro in team-based competitive games might be terrible at rhythm games."
Everyone has different talents when it comes to games.
"And there's one genre of game that every VTuber inevitably has to play at least once."
"What is it?"
"Horror games."
I turned off all the lights in the room, creating a dark atmosphere before launching a game.
"Time to party. Let's have some fun."
"A horror game... does that mean it's a game designed to provoke fear?"
"Exactly."
"In that case... hmm."
Rasian gripped the controller, her expression as calm as ever.
"What's the big deal? Let's give it a try."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
So, what exactly is a horror game?
It's a game where you enjoy the thrill of surviving and escaping from psychological horror elements, be they jump scares or clever mechanics, all maliciously placed by the developers.
However, once you've played a horror game enough, it ceases to be scary.
Once you figure out where and how the ghosts appear, you can just strategize around them. And once you master the patterns for escaping a terrifying pursuer, you can practically do it one-handed.
"Alright, everyone. It's time for another Poppy Playtime stream~"
— Chat [Booo.] — Chat [Boring.] — Chat [Just play LoL, ffs] - This user has been timed out for 10 minutes.
"Hey, what's with the hate? Poppy Playtime is so much fun. Shall we go meet our cute little friend again today?"
The horror game specialist streamer,
"Today, I'm going to attempt a no-death, no-hit speedrun."
— Chat [Again?] — Chat [Ah.] — Chat [You already hit rank 2.]
"But I'm not number one."
He was well aware that the viewers' reactions weren't great.
It was because he'd been playing the same game on repeat for the past week, showing nothing but his speedrun attempts.
It had gotten to the point where even the viewers knew the patterns so well they could watch the horror game while eating dinner, a clear indicator of how many times it had been played on this stream.
A message from
The news from his manager made him a little nervous, but Reaper-Ajo had a plan.
"Guys, if I don't beat the number one speedrun record today, I'm giving out Cyburgers. I'll do a raffle for everyone who stays until the end."
Oooooooh.
The chat scrolled by rapidly, and the viewer count stopped dropping.
"Alright, then, let's get started—"
💰 DONATION 💰 FurryLoverFootLicker has donated ₩10,000!
"Hey. You just got dethroned from 2nd place."
Right before he started, a donation came in.
"Oh my, thank you FurryLoverFootLicker for the ₩10,000 dona—"
"....?"