I May Be a Virtual Youtuber, but I Still Go to Work-Chapter 152

“Trust me. It’s way more effective to win by any means rather than forcing a picture where the kids shine. You get what I mean?”

“Yes.”

If they win, the influx of new fans is definitely guaranteed.

Magia herself had experienced the spotlight on the first-place team, so she knew well what it was like—at the “Right” tournament, in the competitive division.

Even though the situation was tough due to a troll move by the coach, Youngun, everyone had expected the team to lose, but they pulled off a victory and exploded in popularity.

Parallel had used that attention, even pulling in content for the illegal duet, making the most of it until the last drop.

This competition would be no different.

Setting aside the fact that Magia had garnered enough popularity to be mentioned as a Final MVP candidate, and had received plenty of praise for her performance, her overall ranking was still only 5th.

The top four teams were fiercely competitive.

Before the latter half of the game began, the top-ranking teams that had been left alone as a nuisance started focusing on taking Magia down first.

The three semi-pros worked together with smoke screens, but only one person could go down with a double-barrel shotgun, so Magia could only take down two opponents at most.

The opposing teams were also all in, giving it their all for the competition. The prize money was big, and the tournament name had become so prestigious that it was only natural.

Regardless of that, the expectation was that Magia would win the Final MVP, but no one could be sure how she would get 1st place.

In other words, winning 1st place here meant writing a drama.

Once that drama was written, she would receive benefits on the level of or even greater than the competitive tournament—just like before.

Magia’s tournament edit video would be uploaded to Parallel’s official channel.

Watching it would lead to exposure to the algorithm, and naturally, viewers would start watching the other members’ videos too.

That was why Do-hee had been pushing so hard to get Magia’s video uploaded to the official channel.

But even though the strategy was perfect, there were still doubts about whether it would be realistically achievable.

The official caster for BCK and Movgun, too, were praising how the Parallel B-team maintained their rank, but the real question was, could they truly secure the first place?

Even Team Leader Ra Seunghyun shared the same doubts.

“Do you think we can win? Honestly, I’m not sure.”

At that time, Magia said:

“It’s not impossible. After all, it’s not a professional tournament, right?”

Humans are creatures that adapt to change, but not everyone can adapt to sudden changes.

That’s why we call those who can adapt and make a living from it professional gamers.

And so, based on the buildup she had created throughout the first half, Magia called her two team members for a secret strategy meeting to prepare for the final push.

“Maru, and Dora, let’s have a quick strategy session.”

[Strategy session?]

[Yes! Should I turn off the mic for a second? To prevent cuckooing?]

“Please do that. Maru, I’m counting on you.”

[Okay! Done!]

[Ready to go~]

Suddenly, the microphones of the three people disappeared, leaving the viewers confused and panicking.

For Magia, though, this was a critical moment.

She hadn’t revealed any part of the plan up until now, and now, she called the members over.

To be honest, she felt bad for Maru, but this was to prevent any leaks before the big moment.

As the saying goes, “If you want to deceive the enemy, first deceive your own people.”

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“From now on, you two will take the D-Bay. Keep your main weapons.”

Upon hearing this, both Dora and Maru were taken aback.

[We? We’re not even going to hit a single shot...]

“It’s fine. We’re not aiming to shoot people.”

[Then why are we even doing this?]

At Maru’s question, Magia answered in a calm voice.

“I’ll show you the magic where just by aiming, people will fall.”

***

The Start of Round 5.

Looking at the players pouring out of the plane crossing the large island, Movgun commented.

“Alright, the second half begins now! Caster, after four more rounds, Day 1 of the MCN War will be over. We’ll finally know who the ultimate team is. It seems like this fifth round will have a huge impact on the final standings. What do you think?”

“I agree. This round could be crucial, as someone might make a game-changing move.”

Immediately, the caster checked the status of the fifth-place team, Parallel B, who was currently in the middle of farming.

There was a hope that they might attempt something to flip the standings in the remaining four rounds.

And sure enough, they were attempting something.

The caster gasped and shouted in surprise.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Wait... why is Parallel B’s weapon composition like this?”

He nodded toward Movgun, asking for an explanation. Unlike the BCK or professional league casters, Movgun, who was familiar with the current broadcast, was more accustomed to such unexpected situations.

After checking the squad’s weapon configuration, Movgun chuckled, then cautiously spoke.

“Well, I have to say, I’m surprised too. This... hmm. I wondered if they were trying to throw the game, honestly, for a moment.”

Dora, who usually used a single shotgun and a double barrel.

Maru, same.

And lastly, Magia, instead of carrying her usual double barrels, picked up an SMG and a sniper rifle.

Even the character wasn’t using the Crazy Shotgun for extra damage, but rather the Revolt, with SMG bonus damage and special abilities focused on reducing distance quickly using grappling hooks and ropes.

— What's going on now?

— ??

— Wait, the shotgun ghost is using something else? LOL

— Who are you!

“There’s a lot to say, but as you can see from the chat, just the fact that Magia is using an SMG and a sniper rifle is a huge reversal.”

“Is it really that big a deal?”

“Yes. This player is a one-second smoke grenade expert. No one handles double barrels better than her. For her to suddenly pull out weapons she doesn’t usually use is essentially weakening her combat power on purpose.”

“Hm. It’s a curious choice for Parallel B, who needs to catch up to the top four teams.”

Movgun was confident in this assessment because Magia had previously used a sniper rifle in a kill match.

At that time, her speed was definitely slower than his.

Though she had managed to keep up with former pro speeds, it still felt insufficient to take on the diamond-ranked players in the top teams by herself today.

And SMG? She’d never shown any signs of using it. He had never seen her use it, so it was hard to make an evaluation.

Given that, Movgun couldn’t comment much on Dora and Maru’s double-barrel choice either.

But, still, if there was one thing Movgun °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° could reasonably expect based on what Magia had done so far, it was this:

A trickster. A prankster. A trickster—Magia fit those descriptions perfectly.

“I do have one guess, though.”

“Looks like you’ve done a lot of research on Magia’s strategies after losing to her a few times?”

“That’s not it! Anyway, what I expect is this: it’s a deception.”

“A deception?”

“Yeah. She’s trying to mislead people by making it seem like there’s a shotgun ghost in the smoke. But the person inside isn’t Magia, it’s just making others think so.”

The caster gasped in realization.

“So, the dead Kongming deceives the living Zhongdal?”

“Exactly! Because of the double-barrel sound in the smoke, most of the other players will think it’s Magia inside. They won’t even bother to check. What if they go in and it is Magia? The game could go bust.”

“So, they’ll be led to believe it’s a decoy, and in reality, the real Magia, who’s waiting outside the smoke, is preparing to strike. Since she’s been chosen as a Final MVP candidate, people will definitely keep that in mind and she’s using it against them... very clever.”

“While the double-barrel is her favorite and strongest, it’s not like Magia can’t use other weapons. The problem is, I’ve never seen her use an SMG, so I can’t confirm anything about that.”

SMGs are typically reserved for higher-tier play, and if used well, they’re often considered a game-changer, even surpassing shotguns.

With a better range than shotguns, SMGs can handle a wider variety of situations.

And if you land all the shots from an SMG's magazine, the DPS can even surpass a shotgun’s.

Though there’s a belief that no gun can beat the double-barrel in burst damage, once the combat stretches beyond 2 seconds or the range increases, SMGs hold the advantage.

Furthermore, while a miss with a double-barrel could lead to a crisis, with an SMG, even missing 5 out of 25 shots, you’re guaranteed to down at least one enemy, which is a significant advantage.

Of course, the recoil is a nightmare to control.

Due to its crazy rate of fire, the aim can go haywire, making it difficult to land shots on the enemy’s body or head.

That’s why Movgun was worried about Magia’s fifth round with an SMG and sniper rifle.

She had never used an SMG before.

Still, despite his concerns, Movgun couldn’t deny a growing sense of anticipation deep inside him.

“I don’t know why, but objectively it seems like a disadvantage... yet, I can’t help but feel like she’s going to show us something. Maybe it’s because I’ve been caught off guard so many times before...”

And in reality, Movgun’s anticipation wasn’t misplaced.

As soon as she used the sniper rifle, instead of the usual close-range combat where she would typically eat up enemies rushing at her, Magia was now able to harass opponents from a distance.

Meanwhile, she intentionally avoided making any headshots or kills.

Magia kept the fact that she was handling a sniper rifle completely hidden.

As a result, there were almost no close-range encounters for Magia personally.

This kept her secret intact, maintaining it perfectly until the final 5 teams were left.

And when that moment arrived, it was the perfect time for Magia to reveal what she had prepared.

Her opponents were complacent.

As seen with the team closest to the top rankings, they immediately attacked after seeing the smoke, following the same instinct they had all along.

But this wasn’t a stupid move.

If you’re going to face a team head-on, wouldn’t it be reassuring to first deal with the crack in the team that’s unpredictable—Magia?

And only Magia would use both smoke and a double barrel together.

She was the only one who had stuck with just one weapon type throughout the tournament.

As the enemies rushed forward, carefully hiding and forming a siege, the familiar loud sound of the double-barrel was heard.

It was the warning shot that had been going off between rounds 1 to 4.

“Magia’s here.”

“Confirmed.”

“Let’s take out the Iron Bronze that’s sticking out first. Suppression fire, go.”

“Grenade going.”

Boom, boom. The grenade canisters flew through the air in an arc, rolling across the ground.

While Magia stubbornly remained in the smoke, the other two quickly retreated to avoid it.

Just as expected, the sounds of footsteps crunching on the grass were heard, and soon one person emerged from the smoke.

As soon as they realized it wasn’t the Crazy Shot character, everyone simultaneously pulled their triggers.

Tatatatat!

Drrrrr!

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One enemy was definitely down, but somehow, the team that had formed a triangular siege also fell.

“What? Why did we die?”

While the teammates were surprised by the sudden death, the most shocked person was the one who had been shot in the back.

“Magia...? Wait, was it Magia who killed me?”