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

Blue Marble.
These days, it's rare to see families gathering during the holidays to play together, but once upon a time, it was a staple of real life.

Some people first encountered it as a board game when they were young.
Others got into it through PC or mobile versions.
It’s so well-known that there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know the game itself.
And the rules? Super simple.

You roll the dice and [N O V E L I G H T] move that number of spaces along a square board made up of 8 spaces per side.
Then you follow the rule of the space you land on.
If it's empty, you can buy the land and build on it.
If it's someone else's land, you pay a fee (like staying at a hotel), and you can even try to take it over.
If it’s your land, you can upgrade the building or build a landmark, making it impossible for others to take it.
Then there are things like Golden Key spaces—cards with random effects.
Desert Island, where you’re stuck watching for three turns unless you roll doubles.
And World Travel, where you can choose any space to go to.

You run around the board, collecting land and bankrupting your opponents.
That’s how you win.
But if you go bankrupt first?
You're dead last.

Today’s players are Crkemang, Youngun, and Magia—just the three of us.
The rule is simple: the one who comes in last gifts ten subscriptions to the winner.
So yeah, like Crkemang and Youngun said earlier—
If you want to rake in 100 or 200 subs, you better be ready to play Blue Marble all night long.
Each game takes at least 30 minutes.
Saying I’m ready to grind all night is completely unrealistic. Just me talking tough.

It's 6 PM now, so...
It’ll probably end around 3 or 4 in the morning at the latest?
Usually I’m fine with staying up all night, so people might wonder why I’ve been leaving early lately.
It’s because Parallel is working with Mind Network right now to pull off a massive project to wrap up winter break. Things are chaos.

Depending on how successful it is, the viewer base for Pazijik could blow up—so Magia is working like crazy right now.
This stream is technically still for Parallel’s sake, but since it’s not something I’m doing with Cheon Do-hee, clocking out on time is the proper thing to do.
Youngun seems like he’s sharpening his blade because he doesn’t want Magia to leave early tonight.
But Magia is leaving early anyway.

“Are we going over the rules before we start?”
“The rules? Wait, don’t tell me this is your first time playing Blue Marble?”
“I’ve seen it a few times, but this is the first time I’m actually playing it.”
“Whoa. A total newbie. How do you not know this game?”

Crkemang burst out laughing.
“Look at her face. Does she look like someone who’d know a game like this?”
“I mean, she could, bro. Gia just looks young—she’s not that much younger than me, y’know?”

“I know that, but these VTuber types? I’ve seen some of them. When they’ve got time to play Blue Marble, they’re off doing Cherry-O Party or whatever.”
“Oh yeah. Cherry-O Party… That was a thing.”
“Anyone born after the Tetris Switch era is like that.”

Youngun tilted his head, sensing something weird.
“Wait, hold up. Just how old do you think she is?”
“Teenager?”

“…?”
Magia chuckled softly.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever told you how old I am, huh, Uncle?”

“Eh? You’re not a teenager?”
“Nope. I’m already in my mid-twenties.”
“?”

Crkemang’s eyes widened like he was genuinely shocked.
Then he seemed to recall something from when we first met.
“Oh. Right. I think I did hear that. Now I remember! Ugh, my memory’s really going with age…”
Sure, Crkemang brought up memory loss himself—
But this misunderstanding happened because Magia just looks way too young.

Crkemang raised his voice like that didn’t even matter.
“Now’s not the time for this! The more we chit-chat, the less time we’ve got to take subs from each other. Youngun, you little punk, didn’t you say you were gonna bleed your niece dry tonight?”
“Yeah, true.”

“Then act like it. You shouldn’t be looking at me—you should be looking at our niece.”
“Hmm. But honestly, I kind of want your subs too, bro.”
“Me? Why me?”

“Well, not yours exactly. More like, I want the people watching your stream to sub to me.”
— ew cringe
— look at him being honest lololol
— damn lmaooo
— and here I thought he was just trying to get on uncle’s good side for once
“Hey come on now. Is it wrong for a streamer to leech a little? It’s not like I’m trying to leech from strangers!”

— suuuure
— yeah yeah
— go ahead then
— lol okay
Youngun announced he was gonna leech with such shameless confidence that even chat seemed colder than usual.
That’s because today, Youngun’s supposed to play the biggest role in helping launch Magia’s channel.

Crkemang has always been famous for his terrible luck.
You could see it—like a guy who’d been through a major flop in life.
He always comes in last in luck-based games.
People joke that he lives up to his name every time one of these games pops up.
So the idea of Crkemang losing and gifting subs to Magia?
Honestly, it’s pretty likely.

But the real problem is Youngun.
He’s actually pretty good at Blue Marble.
I know—“good” at a luck-based game sounds fake, but he really is.
You know how some card game pros say luck is part of skill?

Yeah, that.
And I already don’t like the guy, so letting him win and mess up the chance to open Magia’s channel? No way.
You could see that same dirty desire in chat from the Slug Squad too.

The same Slugs who usually trip over themselves trying to sabotage Magia were, for once, being totally pro-Magia.
— Gia, let’s erase Youngun
— for real lol
— even if he’s a JOAT as a coach, he’s a monster at Blue Marble. we better be careful
— it’s over now lol. the god of luck, Magia, is coming
— get ready, Youngun
— Magia beats Youngun and finally debuts~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why are Slugs acting like Magia winning is a given if Youngun is out of the picture?
Because Magia almost never loses in the luck department.

:: Anonymous supporter donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Honestly, even if Youngun’s lucky, he’s no match for Magia who pulled the Demon King in Wicker Town ::
— facts lol
— Magia’s luck is totally broken
— can’t even deny this one
Just think back to Wicker Town.

She got the one-in-a-million chance to become the Demon King—something no one else got.
Sure, she blew up after that thanks to the streamers’ Cringe Clip Museum, but still.
It all started because she beat absurd odds with her freakish luck.
And now, right as the match starts, Magia rolls first.

“I’m first.”
— Magia is literally the goddess of RNG lol
— rigged rigged rigged rigged
— totally rigged
— wow she’s already cheating lol she’s already cheating lol she’s already cheating lol
— unreal lol unreal lol unreal lol unreal lol
— is this thing on?
— now she’s using hacks in Blue Marble too wtf
— I’ll allow the hacks today lol anything for the Slugs
— Youngun’s got the Eye Gene? nah Magia was born lucky lol
All the “rigged” and “hacks” comments are sarcasm, of course.

If Magia wins, her personal channel gets to launch. But Slugs are trying to hide their true feelings and act casual.
Because no one knows what kind of trick Magia might pull if she sees chat openly rooting for her.
Like maybe she’ll blow all her money right before a death zone filled with enemy property, just to mess with everyone.

Regardless of what the Slugs were thinking, Magia’s lucky streak continued.
She rolled a double right out the gate: 6 and 6.
(Rolling doubles means you get an extra turn.)
“Double.”

— ?????????
— did she really just?
— this is real right??
— ??
— what is happening
— rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged rigged
— rigged af lolololololol
— she’s actually insane, Magia’s got talent in Blue Marble too?? wtf
She bought a property.
Then rolled another double—4 and 4—and moved 8 spaces.
Bought another property, then rolled 1 and 3, moved 4 spaces, and—
Cleanly landed on World Travel.

“I can loop the board right away.”
— ??????????????????????
— no way
— wow
— stop
— stop cheating stop cheating stop cheating stop cheating stop cheating
— Gia I’m with the CIA, news of your hacks just reached the White House. shut it down.
— I’m in Shanghai, China. our president knows too.
— Gia this isn’t it. MI6 from Big Ben is watching you now.
— When did Korea become a nuclear state?
— “nuclear state” LMAOO
And just like that, Magia caught up with the others in no time, even though they started after her.
She was already on her second lap, owning three properties like a rich landlord.

She didn’t just catch up—she overtook them.
A turn later, Crkemang was forced to pay her toll, and not just any toll—
A fat, upgraded second-lap building toll.
“Agh, I got wrecked!”

“What the hell, bro?! Why would you land on that?!”
“Kid, you think I wanted to land there? My luck said ‘step here,’ so what was I supposed to do?”
“Man. I even gave you my Eye Gene. Don’t do me like this.”

“Pretty sure I didn’t get it. Send it again.”
“RECEEEEEIVE ITTTTTTTTTTTT!”
— What’s with these guys?
— Is this a team match?
— It’s a team match, minus Magia lol
— Why is nobody on Magia’s side tho lolol
— Shouldn’t these two be banned for griefing Magia?
— WE NEED MAGIA’S CHANNEL TO OPEN!!!
— I guess… it's time to remove the eyepatch…
— I shall now unwrap the bandage on my right arm…

In Blue Marble, it’s totally normal for the leading player to get ganged up on, so Crkemang and Youngun teaming up to block Magia wasn’t surprising.
But today was the day for Magia’s channel to go live.
And the Slugs? They were ready to do whatever it took.

They infiltrated as fake fans of the other players—spamming donations right as Youngun rolled his dice to throw him off.
Fed false info to Crkemang, whose luck was already trash, to make his situation worse.
Basically, they pulled every sabotage trick in the book.

Not that Magia needed the help. Even without it, she probably would’ve won.
From start to finish, the goddess of luck had her back.
She kept rolling doubles and speeding ahead.

Landed on her own property and upgraded it into a landmark.
Pulled god-tier Golden Key cards like toll exemptions and free acquisitions.
By the time anyone blinked, she’d drained more than half of Crkemang and Youngun’s starting cash and shot to first place in total assets.

The Slug Squad got as desperate as Korean fans watching their national team one goal away from winning the World Cup.
— Please, anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul, please anywhere but Seoul
— Please please please
— As long as she avoids Seoul, it’s fine
— Seriously, Seoul is the only threat. Youngun’s got nothing else
— I’m dying out here
— Dice gods please Dice gods please Dice gods please protect Magia please Dice gods please
— NOT SEOUL NOT SEOUL NOT SEOUL NOT SEOUL NOT SEOUL
:: movgun has donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: Gia, it’s me, Movgun—I’ve actually won a tournament before ::

:: movgun has donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: I’m giving you my victory aura. Please, please win ::
This translation is the intellectual property of .
“I don’t need that.”

— Bro just leave
— GTFO
— We showed you respect ‘cause you’re the chairman, but now you’re doing too much
— OUT
:: movgun has donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: So what, y’all want Magia to land on Seoul and lose? ::
— no no no no no no no
— absolutely not
— hell no
— why would we ever want that lol

:: movgun has donated 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: See? That’s why you accept Eye DNA and then think about it. ::
— what
— die
— die, Movgun
— bro PLEASE shut up
— does this dude even know what DNA is?
— why are you giving out DNA? why are you giving out DNA? why are you giving out DNA?
— we’re gonna shed our Slug shells at this rate we’re gonna shed our Slug shells
:: :: PIN0 has donated 100,000 Clouds! :: ::
:: :: DNA??????????????? :: ::

Whether viewers and Movgun were arguing in chat or through donos…
In the end, Magia took the win.
Pretty easily, too.

The moment her 1st place victory was locked in, the Slug Squad instantly united after a brief internal civil war.
— KYAAAAAA
— THE GIA
— THIS IS IT LOL
— Time for the roulette? Time for the roulette? Time for the roulette?
— Hey Magia’s got a 16.67% chance lmao 16.67% chance lmao
— JACKPOT JACKPOT JACKPOT
— 16.67??? I’ll bet my whole life savings on that LOL
— LET’S GOOOOOOO
Magia silently pulled up the roulette and spun it, no warning, no ceremony.

If she were a typical VTuber, she’d be acting all cute like “Eek what if it lands on me~?”
But this was Magia.
The girl who insists she’s not a VTuber.
No hesitation. Just spun it.
The arrow started spinning.

Her win condition? The upper-right slice of the six-part pie.
It spun, and spun, and…
— fuuu
— fuuuuuuuuuuuuu
— please
— someone blow on it
— BLOW!!!
— huff huff huff
— spin spin spin
— just a bit more, please just a bit more, please just a bit more, please just a bit more, please just a bit more
— JUST A LITTLE MORE!!!

…Unfortunately, it stopped just before landing on Magia.
It hit Maru’s slice.
Immediately, the viewers watching both Magia and Maru’s streams cried out in pain.
— I’m a Donguri but this hurts
— I was ready to drop 100 subs the second her channel opened
— How does this happen, man T_T
— I wanted to drop 500 subs!!
— rigged rigged rigged rigged I’m suing
— now she’s rigging the roulette too?
— probably used some electro-whatever scam setup

Some of the commenters had names Magia recognized.
Even Maru’s top donator, the Chairman, was there.
Because Maru kept ending up in Magia’s “harem” antics, their audiences overlapped more than you’d think.
Magia muttered in a disappointed tone.

“Some familiar names here… people Maru would love to know about.”
— gasp
— no way
— oh crap
— don’t do this
“Maru’s kinda obsessive. If she finds out y’all went around gifting subs in someone else’s chat, she won’t let it go… I’ll pass the word along. Good luck, Chairmen.”

That kind of threat works because even within the same group, fans jumping streams is a big deal.
It’s like poaching core viewers.
And the Chairmen? They hate upsetting their oshi or making her doubt her standing.
Especially in Maru’s stream, where the vibes can get real clingy and wet-blanket-y.

— AAAAGH
— I’m sorry
— Just don’t tell her I tried to gift subs
— PLEASE keep it secret
“Well… if you go show your loyalty in Maru’s stream now, maybe I’ll keep it quiet.”
— on my way
— wait for me
— the Chairmen are scrambling LOL
— lmaoooo

It was only the end of the first round.
And yet Maru’s stream started blowing up with donations.
Over on Magia’s monitor, Maru suddenly grabbed the mic and started singing, visibly flustered.

Leaving your seat or not waving your glowstick when your oshi starts singing?
Honestly, that’s fan disqualification material. Especially if you’re a Chairman.
Magia, knowing this well, murmured:

“Okay. Took care of a few.”
— omg omg omg omg omg omg
— heads down, people!!
— is this her attack method now? lol
— MAGIA’S TRAP STRIKES AGAIN
— even her traps have evolved now lol
— she’s terrifying
:: Anonymous supporter donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Just asking, but… is there even a Magia slice on that roulette? ::

The roulette spun again—without fanfare—and stopped exactly on Magia’s slice.
— ?
— ??
— what
— she’s rigging it again
Magia stood her ground, completely unfazed.

“If it turns out to be rigged, I’ll just launch the channel and take the subs anyway. Works out, right?”
A bold declaration if there ever was one.
But after what everyone just witnessed in that first round?

They all knew one thing.
Today, Magia’s luck was insane.
What, you think she can’t win six rounds and land it once?

Even the Slugs were hyped and totally convinced.
— alright then, BRING IT
— we’re waiting
— YOU SAID IT, YOU SAID IT, YOU SAID IT, YOU SAID IT, YOU SAID IT
— LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
— if she ends up crying like a baby while launching her own channel later, instant like from me lmao