Hobbyist VTuber-Chapter 248

Actually, the idea of making Diah eat pineapple pizza as a punishment had come from Hida’s viewers, the Henzels.

After all, many Henzels were originally from Noeulis—and even Hida herself had once been a Noeuli.

—Ding.

[User ㅇㅇ has donated ₩10,000!]

: How about making Diah eat pineapple pizza as a punishment?

“...Pineapple pizza... for Diah-senpai?”

The donation message arrived just about ten minutes before the Illusionary Realm team battle was set to begin.

And almost immediately, the chat began to stir.

— Gasp

— LMAO

— What the hell

— Pure evil

— You’re a genius

— This is why dark Noeulis are terrifying...

— Hida, this is it.

The Henzels flooded the chat with excitement.

Da-yeon hesitated for a moment.

There wasn’t a single dissenting opinion in sight.

And honestly, when it came to punishments, nothing seemed more fitting for Diah than pineapple pizza.

Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen Lee Ha-eun eat pineapple pizza before.

Just as Da-yeon’s resolve was starting to waver—

—Ding.

[User eternalyg has donated ₩10,000!]

: No harm in trying, just go for it.

“...Should I?”

— YES

— Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, you know?

— Just go for it, we’ll figure it out later LOL

— This will be hilarious

— Wait, but can Diah actually lose?

— Battle of Legends is a 5v5, so you never know...

With the flood of encouragement from donations and chat, Da-yeon’s decision was made.

To be honest, she really wanted to see Diah scream while eating pineapple pizza.

That was how, when Battle of Legends finally began, Da-yeon suggested the punishment during the stream.

After all, it wasn’t like pineapple pizza would kill her.

[The losing team must take a punishment chosen by the winning team!]

“Oh, then... if Diah-senpai loses, can we make her do a pineapple pizza mukbang?”

[ W-What? ]

— LOOOOOOOL

— Look at Diah panicking!

— It’s happeninggggg~

— Please, for the love of god, win, Diah.

— This just proves that Diah’s natural counter is Hida.

At the time, Da-yeon didn’t think much of it.

A punishment was only relevant if Diah actually lost.

If she did, it would make for amazing YouTube content.

And if she won? Well, Da-yeon would be just slightly disappointed.

Nothing was set in stone.

So, why not make it more interesting?

The one thing Da-yeon hadn’t accounted for—

[ I-If Hida loses, she has to call all the Henzels ‘oppa’ for an entire day—!! ]

— OH.

— Holy sh—

— LMAOOOOO

— GO DIAH GO DIAH GO DIAH GO DIAH GO DIAH GO DIAH GO DIAH

— Baby voice Hida LET’S GOOOOO!

Hida wasn’t the only one who could dish out punishments.

What goes around comes around.

“W-Wait, hold on!”

[ I’ll turn you into the ultimate aegyo machine!! ]

[ Ahaha, look at Diah clenching her teeth~! ]

[ Well, if you want to make Diah eat pineapple pizza, you need to be ready to pay the price. ]

And thus, the ultimate guillotine match was born.

One of them had to suffer.

That was why, when Da-yeon joined the Illusionary Realm 2nd-gen team voice chat, her voice was brimming with determination.

“We have to win. No matter what, we absolutely must win.”

[ Ahaha~. ]

[ Let’s go, let’s go! ]

[ A battle between the youngest members? Can’t miss this. ]

[ I’ve never seen Hida this fired up before. ]

***

Battle of Legends.

Commonly known as Baole.

Set in a medieval fantasy world, this 5v5 AOS game was slowly gaining popularity as it reached its first anniversary.

This was also why all the members of Illusionary Realm had gathered for an internal scrimmage.

Being a streamer meant keeping up with trends, and it was only natural to be drawn to a newly trending game.

Ha-eun, too, had been casually playing Baole since finishing her college entrance exams and had already climbed to the Platinum tier.

I was planning to hit Diamond like Ocean before streaming it.

Although her rank was lower than Ocean’s, who was particularly skilled among the second-generation members, Ha-eun had a certain level of confidence.

After all, no one could deny that Diah was a "gamer VTuber."

No way I’m giving up that title.

If only Ha-eun’s schedule had been a little more relaxed, she was sure she could have reached Diamond like Ocean.

No, she could have gone beyond Diamond to Master or even Grandmaster.

That’s how much fun Baole was.

The reason she had never streamed Baole before was simple.

She wasn’t yet at a level where she could maintain top-tier gameplay while also entertaining an audience.

Trying to stream both Baole and her usual Diah content at the same time would inevitably split her focus.

So, Ha-eun had set a rule for herself—she would only stream Baole once she had reached a high enough level, like with Battle Island.

But now...

“Um, unnie. Can I play Rogue?”

[ Sure! ]

[ Okay, so Diah is playing Rogue. Now we just have to pick the rest of our team... What should we go with? ]

[ Oh yeah, was Ocean also playing Rogue? ]

There was no escaping it now.

Illusionary Realm’s Baole scrimmage was happening.

And to make matters worse, the penalty for losing was a pineapple pizza mukbang.

“If we lose... the next collab will be a funeral stream for me. We cannot lose.”

[ Gasp. ]

[ No way! Protect our maknae! ]

[ Okay, okay! Let’s go, let’s go! ]

To Diah, pineapple pizza was pure poison.

Not in the literal sense—eating it wouldn’t actually kill her.

But in terms of preference, she absolutely despised it.

For the sake of maintaining Diah’s RP, the pineapple pizza mukbang had to be avoided at all costs.

If it came to that, Diah would surely pass out mid-stream.

That was how committed Ha-eun was to this anti-pineapple pizza RP.

And so, after a brief moment of preparation...

As soon as all players had entered the battlefield of Baole—

“Just stay alive! I will come back for youuuuu—!”

[ W-Wait, take us with you, Diah! ]

Among the many classes in Baole, Diah had chosen Rogue, while Cream had picked Archer.

Together, they dove into the portal leading to "The Ruins."

It was a strategic move.

“If we take out Ocean first, we can definitely win. Focus Ocean!”

[ O-Okay! ]

Baole’s battlefield was divided into two main areas.

One was the Siege Lane, where the game’s ultimate victory or defeat was determined.

The other was The Ruins, where players could earn special buffs and large amounts of gold.

The Ruins were the most unpredictable area in the game.

Controlling The Ruins meant significantly increasing the chances of winning.

“Oh, this time it’s a Golem and a Werewolf.”

[ Is that a good thing? ]

“If we take them down, we get a buff that boosts attack power and HP. It’s especially good for Warriors.”

[ Ohhh. ]

If the teammates who went to The Ruins returned to Siege Lane with powerful buffs and items, they could completely turn the tide of battle.

Meanwhile, the three remaining teammates in Siege Lane just had to hold out.

The goal was to finish up in The Ruins as fast as possible and regroup in Siege Lane.

[ T-There! Ocean! Over here!! ]

[ Cream-sunbae, just stay right there~!! ]

[ AAAH! DIAH, SAVE ME!! ]

“U-Unnie, where are you?!”

Unfortunately, Cream got ambushed first.

Since this was Cream’s first time playing Baole, she didn’t last long and was quickly captured.

And almost immediately—

She was eliminated.

[ AHHH! ]

< Creamimi has been slain by Ocean0. >

The worst part?

Just as Diah arrived to help, Cream had already been killed.

So, the first thing Diah saw when she got there—

Was Cream’s lifeless body.

Standing beside her fallen form were Ocean and Neon.

[ Looks like you’re all alone now, Diah-sunbae. ]

[ Surrender yourself! ]

Cream’s respawn timer had ten seconds left.

Adding in the time it would take her to return to The Ruins, that left a thirty-second gap.

In other words—

Diah had to survive alone for twenty seconds against Ocean and Neon.

That was flat-out impossible.

A Rogue isn’t a Tank.

So, Ha-eun made her decision.

She was going to run.

—Dash!

[ H-Hey! Get back here! ]

[ How dare you run away?! ]

If Diah died too, The Ruins would be completely taken over by the enemy team.

Letting the second-generation members farm uncontested in The Ruins would make winning the game impossible.

That meant she had to stop them.

If Ocean and Neon got too far ahead in levels, there would be no coming back.

And so—

Diah sprinted across The Ruins, trying to lure the second-gens away.

—Whirr!

[ Got you! ]

Neon had used Teleport, the Mage’s special skill, to block Diah’s escape.

At the same time, she drew her dagger.

But instead of running, Diah charged straight at Neon.

[ W-Wait, Fireball! Fireball! ]

—Fwoosh.

A burning fireball shot from Neon’s staff.

But it never touched Diah.

—Twitch.

—Swerve!

At the last moment, Diah stopped her charge.

Then, she instantly shifted her momentum.

A hair’s-breadth dodge.

The blazing heat barely grazed the ends of Diah’s short hair.

And as soon as she closed the distance—

Her dagger lashed out at Neon.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Neon, disregarding her own HP, desperately cast another Fireball.

But then—

—Pause.

[ Huh? ]

Diah’s dagger, aimed at Neon’s chest, suddenly froze mid-air.

—Flash!

A brilliant light.

In the blink of an eye, Diah’s Rogue vanished.

For a moment, Neon’s eyes filled with confusion.

[ W-What? Where did she— ]

The moment Neon turned her head—

—Shk!

“This is for Cream.”

[ GAAAH! ]

The dagger appeared from Diah’s blind spot behind Neon, piercing her shoulder.

A flurry of rapid strikes followed.

Momentarily stunned by Diah’s ambush, Neon was unable to react, taking continuous damage until she was ultimately eliminated.

< Ne5on has been slain by DiahCarry. >

Right after that, Ocean arrived, having been chasing after Neon, who had teleported ahead.

[ Ah, seriously. I told you not to go alone. ]

"Now it’s just the two of us, Ocean."

[ ...Come at me...! ]

Neither of them hesitated.

Their daggers flashed toward each other at the same time—

Yet, neither of their blades landed a hit.

Diah’s strike stopped just before registering a hit, her short-haired Rogue abruptly lowering her posture and slipping under Ocean’s attack.

Ocean’s bald-headed Rogue instinctively flinched, stepping backward.

—Whoosh!

A dagger slashed through the air exactly where Ocean’s neck had been moments ago.

Realizing Ocean had retreated, Diah immediately closed the distance.

Ocean’s blade lashed forward, cutting through the air toward her.

The angle of his blade suggested he had predicted her dodge—

But then—

[ What?! ]

Diah stopped just before reaching Ocean’s dagger, twisting her body mid-motion.

Then, she launched a high kick.

The arc of her foot struck Ocean’s right hand, knocking his weapon off-balance.

At that exact moment, a blade flashed toward his neck.

The attack was so fast that Ocean couldn’t even register it.

—Shudder.

His screen suddenly turned red.

There was no time to react—Diah’s blades never stopped.

It was a speed that couldn’t be calculated—as if she wasn’t even human.

Ocean desperately tried to counterattack, but—

Every attack missed by a hair’s breadth, while Diah continued delivering flawless trades.

Each time Ocean’s arm twitched to attack, Diah would take a half-step back, only to immediately step forward again with another strike.

It was an unbelievable cycle.

[ N-No, this doesn’t even make sense! ]

"It does!"

She was reading his attacks, dodging them before they even connected.

It was like she was playing in first-person.

She was right there—but just out of reach.

—Wow.

—She’s kiting with daggers.

—Wtf is Diah???

—Is this really a streamer battle?

In the end, Ocean’s bald-headed Rogue lost all of his HP and collapsed.

His shiny scalp glowed in the grass of The Ruins.

The chat exploded.

"Diah Carry."

—D I A H

—This is insane.

—We worship... we worship... we worship...

—Dominance established.

—She just wiped two of them solo lmao.

***

After the First Set of the Illusionary Realm Scrimmage

The intense 1v1 between Diah and Ocean became a huge topic in Baole’s online communities.

A battle worthy of the “Heavenly Tier.”

Clips of their duel were quickly edited and spread across forums, drawing the attention of Baole players everywhere.

—"Korean VTuber skills.gif"

—"I was sweating watching this, fr."

—"Diah <<< Any amateur is getting stomped by her."

ㄴ "She's only Platinum, but people are acting like she’s a pro?"

ㄴ "Her reaction speed and mechanics aren’t Platinum level at all."

—"Isn’t Rogue a trash champ? Why does she look so OP?"

Because this was an Illusionary Realm full-member collab, the overall viewer count was climbing.

And since Baole was already a trending game, the match was drawing in new viewers.

More importantly—

Baole’s popularity wasn’t just a Korean phenomenon.

Soon, clips of Diah vs. Ocean began spreading overseas.

Even across the sea—to Japan.

"Wow, wow!! Diah is insane!!"

"Maknae is the best!!"

A Japanese user posted the clip on Twitter.

It started getting shared.

And shared.

And shared again.

Until—

❮Hm...?❯

It popped up on Lucid’s feed.

Lucid had been scrolling Twitter as usual.

The reason a Korean clip got recommended to her?

It was because she had been looking up information about the actress Ha-eun and her drama God and the Goblin.

Since she was already searching for Korean news, the algorithm fed her the clip.

And that’s when—

That name.

A fragment of a long-lost memory resurfaced.

‘This is a showdown! Prism Live! Diah-senpai is coming!!’

❮...Diah.❯

A name that had felt so faint until now—

Became clear the moment she watched the clip.

Lucid froze.

❮Why is an actress... a VTuber? Is the Korean VTuber market that big?❯

A slight crease formed on Lucid’s otherwise emotionless face.

She thought.

And thought.

But no answer came to her.

And so—

—Step.

—Step.

—Creeeak—

❮I’m here.❯

❮Ah, welcome, Goto-san.❯

Even the next day, when she arrived at the streaming studio, Lucid was still thinking about Ha-eun and Diah.

Maybe that’s why—

❮I saw a Korean VTuber on Twitter. ‘Diah.’ She’s cute. Good at games, too.❯

❮Oh, yeah, you’re talking about Battle of Legends. I play that too.❯

During her stream, Lucid casually dropped Diah’s name into the conversation.

Then—she voiced an idea.

❮I kind of want to meet her. I think it’d be fun.❯

❮Huh? Is this a love call? Well, yeah. Maybe I should send a video message. I don’t know if she’ll see it, though.❯

And so—

She recorded ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) a short video letter, inviting Diah to collab.

A message from a VTuber with over 2 million subscribers.

And just like that—

The clip exploded across the internet.

***

"For now, I’m open to it. I need to check with the others, but I think they’ll be fine with it."

“...Is this AI? How is this even real?”