Chapter 04
“Hey, isn’t it insane?”
“What is?”
“Everyone at school is only talking about you. Everything you did.”
“No, it’s what *we* did.”
“Is that so? Hahaha!”
Lunchtime, on the way home after eating. Even though he had debuted as a Vtuber, he was still a student, so he had to attend school. But strangely enough, all the high school seniors with nothing to do were gossiping about the Vtuber ‘Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun.’ They were even watching the Tusin match video together. It was a curious phenomenon.
The Vtuber culture itself couldn’t exactly be called mainstream. No, since it originated from internet broadcasting culture, it was closer to the underground. From the old-school Vtubers and the first generation, which was fully 3D, to the second generation, where live 2D was mainstream unlike today, all sorts of risqué characters were abundant. Pink-haired shrine maidens, blue rabbits, perverted pirates, cat yokai, demons… and so on. Of course, there were also wholesome ones like the Imperial Management’s fictional historical preservation officer (Vtuber), monks, curators, and the Namgung Clan, but to the general public, it was clearly a “what-the-heck-is-this-genre” type of thing.
However, with the advent of virtual reality, the Vtuber industry rapidly rose. Numerous internet broadcasters switched to VR, using avatars, and ordinary people also began using avatars as they got into VR games. As the number of broadcasters and their exposure increased, even unusual Vtubers became known to the general public.
And the video of ‘Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun,’ who appeared like a comet, rode the algorithm and had now surpassed 800,000 views. The Tusin match shorts edited by Sang-hyun had over 2 million views, enough to be on the lips of the main viewing demographic for a while.
“Some kids glance at you because your name is the same. They probably can’t imagine it’s you, right? Well, I guess they can’t imagine anyone else using their real name besides you.”
Virtual streamers are streamers who present another version of themselves. They change their names and their appearances. It’s common for Vtubers to not reveal the person behind the avatar, wanting to avoid being identified. Myeong-yun’s case is special. He changed his appearance but kept his name. Of course, even though the name was the same, the atmosphere, his usual voice, and his broadcast voice were completely different, so no one thought he was the same person in reality.
‘…Another self, huh.’
Myeong-yun smiled faintly. His past self was real, and his current self was real. Even if others didn’t know, Myeong-yun felt there was no need to distinguish between real and fake.
“I’ll come to your house before the broadcast starts tonight. Get ready.”
“Okay.”
The two parted at the apartment entrance. Myeong-yun, alone at home, turned on his smartphone to check the harvest of the past two days. His Chwitter followers had surpassed 40,000, and his YouTube subscribers were exceeding 80,000. It had only been a day since his debut, so it was a formidable number. Tens of thousands of Vtubers have debuted, failed to reach even 1,000 subscribers, let alone 10,000, and disappeared. Compared to them, Myeong-yun was what you’d call a ‘big rookie.’
However. It was a far cry from surpassing the records of the past. Sang-hyun said that some corporate lady Vtuber had reached 1 million YouTube subscribers in two weeks, becoming a hot topic by revealing her internal organs during her debut broadcast. Even though he wasn’t corporate but independent, he still wanted to aim for the top if he was going to do it.
‘It reminds me of the struggle for the Young Master position.’
The time when he had to kill other Young Master candidates to rise to the position of Young Master. It was a similar situation now. He was absorbing all the buzz that should have been distributed among other Vtubers. Myeong-yun’s appearance even overshadowed the debut of a domestic corporate Vtuber group.
‘Sang-hyun also said the key is how long we can maintain this buzz.’
He said that if we could keep this momentum going, it wouldn’t be impossible to surpass past glories. Today would be a hurdle. If we couldn’t attract the same level of attention as yesterday, he’d end up as just a flash-in-the-pan, mediocre Vtuber.
“To achieve what I want, it’s better to become famous.”
Even though in his past life he had attained the state of Tal-gak and shed all desires and emotions, becoming human again made his desires surge. Myeong-yun laughed, realizing anew that he had become human once more. How enjoyable longing and desire were, he thought.
“Let’s have some fun again today.”
◎[Heavenly Demon Divine Cult User Manual]◎
-Standby, 3, 2, 1… Start!
The broadcast began with Sang-hyun’s signal. Myeong-yun slowly opened his eyes and greeted the viewers.
“Children, welcome to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
Current concurrent viewers: 8,000. It had dropped significantly from yesterday, but the fact that 8,000 people came to watch the second broadcast meant there was potential for even more growth in the future.
“First, rewards and punishments must be dealt with clearly. I shall commend your efforts. Thanks to you, YouTube monetization was approved, and I can now collect cult funds.”
As Myeong-yun spoke, a Super Chat, a donation, came through.
●100,000 won●
HeavenlyDemonFollower: Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!! Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!! Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!!
100,000 won. It was the first income earned from broadcasting. People expected Myeong-yun to react to the sudden large donation, but he mercilessly shattered their expectations. He smiled faintly and said.
“Thank you for your tithe.”
That was it. As if that amount was nothing. But how many hearts were stirred by the gentle smile emanating from his avatar?
●100,000 won●
HeavenlyDemonCultLowerWarrior: Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!! Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!! Hail, Hail!! Hail, hail, hail!!
●100,000 won●
HeavenlyDemonCultLawEnforcementHallMaster: Announce the resurrection of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to all of the martial arts world!! Heavenly Demon Returns!! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Awe!!
Large donations came in succession. It was an unusual form of support. It’s rare for someone to donate such a large sum right at the start of a broadcast. Myeong-yun thanked them for their tithes as well, and said he would express his gratitude for the smaller donations that came in later after the broadcast ended. The number was so enormous that if he kept talking about donations, it would be impossible to proceed with the broadcast.
“Before starting the game, I will share some basic information. These were also mentioned in the questions.”
As Myeong-yun snapped his fingers, a screen with text appeared. It contained information necessary for future fan activities.
Faction Name (Fandom Name): Heavenly Demon Divine Cult
Live Broadcasts: #HeavenlyDemon_Broadcast
Clips: #HeavenlyDemon_Recollection
Fanart: #HeavenlyDemon_Propagation
Everything related: #HeavenlyDemon_Chronicles
“From now on, I shall call you all Heavenly Demon Followers. I’ll also post this on Chwitter and YouTube, so please refer to it.”
A Vtuber’s essential virtue. Providing a framework for fandom activities. In fact, even though fanart had been sprouting like bamboo shoots since yesterday, it was hard to search under the name ‘Heavenly Demon.’ In this day and age, there were all sorts of Heavenly Demons—masseuses, cooks, BJs… and so on. As Sang-hyun said.
-Fandoms are very important. They’re the people who will take your side and help grow the scene. We also have things we need to do for those people.
Or something like that. Myeong-yun didn’t know much about the unwritten rules of the Vtuber industry. If he had the skill, they would follow him on their own. But Sang-hyun’s opinion that it was necessary and Myeong-yun’s own understanding of the importance of a supporting base aligned. The reason he was able to reach Tal-gak was thanks to the faith of his followers.
And now, it was time to start the broadcast.
“I’ve also updated the broadcast rules, so please check them… and I’ve given careful thought to the game we’ll play today.”
Actually, Sang-hyun had picked it for him. Numerous game titles orbited around Myeong-yun. Most were games that could showcase his physical abilities, and they also served as spoilers for future games. Myeong-yun reached out and grabbed one of the orbiting titles. He held it out for everyone to see.
“There was only one choice. Something that Your Sovereign and all of you would enjoy.”
The game title Myeong-yun grabbed was ‘Narak.’ Along with the title image, large letters appeared prominently. The title image depicted a massive black hole and countless people diving into it.
▶Narak is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
▶He’s playing this as his first game? Isn’t the difficulty high?
▶I bought Narak and quit after three hours. The tutorial alone is over two hours? I couldn’t even get a refund, dammit
Narak. It’s a famous martial arts-style roguelike VR game. Anyone who enjoys VR has likely passed through it at least once. It’s a popular game with a large fanbase due to its inherently hard difficulty. Plus, without needing to set a separate avatar, it conveniently allows using the avatar registered in New World.
“The decision was aided by the Chief Military Advisor. He is the second-in-command of the Heavenly Demon Cult, who will assist with the broadcasts from now on. All of you, treat him well.”
▶Thank you, Chief Military Advisor!!!!!
▶ChiefMilitaryAdvisorPleaseTakeCareOfMe!!!!!!!!
▶Chief Military Advisor? Is that the manager?
▶Seems like it
▶I am the Chief Military Advisor of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Please take care of me. ^_^
After introducing even Sang-hyun, who served as the broadcast manager under the title Chief Military Advisor, Myeong-yun immediately launched the game. He read the chat from time to time and didn’t forget to comment on it. Communication with viewers, which Sang-hyun had constantly emphasized, was also important.
“This is my first time playing a proper VR game. The ones I enjoyed in the past lacked realism, so they didn’t pique my interest at all.”
▶He’s a completely fresh newbie
▶What?? He said he hasn’t played much VR? And he chose Narak as his first game??
▶He’ll be crying for a refund soon lol
Even though they had seen Myeong-yun’s skill through the AI mannequins, the viewers were still betting on his defeat. That’s how notoriously well-made and challenging Narak was. Unlike the mannequin match, which involved fighting a single entity in an environment with no outside interference, Narak was filled with all sorts of unfairness. A game full of branching paths that necessitate multiple playthroughs!
That was Narak.
Before Myeong-yun’s eyes, before the viewers’ eyes, Narak’s opening cinematic appeared.
A deep, rich narration voice flowed along with a grand BGM, quietly setting the scene. What unfolded next was the sight of martial artists heading towards the hole and the endless black pit.
-A massive black hole appeared in the middle of the Central Plains.
A person who was sucked into the hole returned with enough treasures to last a lifetime.
-The martial artist who returned with treasures and martial arts manuals said:
Inside, it’s littered with dangers, but it’s also filled with all sorts of gold, silver, jewels, precious items, and martial arts manuals…
Thus, martial artists from all factions began to dive into the black hole to become the greatest under heaven. But only a handful returned.
-And so, people named the black hole a hell from which one does not return.
Narak.
As the opening cinematic ended and Narak’s title screen appeared, Myeong-yun smiled faintly and said.
“Now, let us go.”
