"Today feels oddly quiet at ho, seems like everyone went out. I'm glad to see that you're growing more independent."
"I don't quite understand what you're implying, Archetype."
"There's such a thing. Just take good care of Gaia, alright?"
July 5th, 6 PM, Seoul.
After finishing various tasks in another world, I returned ho to find no one around. I wondered if they might be hanging out at Dice's house, the lounge bar, or the restaurant downstairs, so I sent out a pulse radius of 500 ters, but there was no sign of them.
It was sumr, so the sun was still out, and the evening was just beginning to settle in. The red-hued skyline of Seoul gradually filled my view through the window. Today was Friday, and the number of people strolling around the area was increasing.
In such a busy ti, I wondered where they had gone, but asking via phone or text felt like an overstep. I wasn’t one of those obsessive parents who asks where their kids are every minute.
Moreover, if the house was empty, there was sothing else I could do.
"Back at ho for a change, huh, our little cha recruits? Gaia must be experiencing this for the first ti."
"Right. After leaving us here for so long, it feels a bit too much, don’t you think, boss?"
"Is this really a proper city…? It’s so full of life! People everywhere! From the edge of my sight, all I can see are buildings and people…!"
"…Our new recruit is geeking out over the city’s terraforming."
Well, people did have all sorts of things they enjoyed geeking out over, like trains or buses.
In fact, considering how so people might not even understand a fascination with guns, I couldn't exactly judge. Being into cities was probably on the quieter end of things.
In any case, aside from that, today I brought Nasty along. Now, we had a party of five. The cha Bi-Yams could now form a squad on their own. I wasn’t sure if Gaia could be deployed in battle just yet, though.
The larger the group, the harder it was to manage everyone, so I kept it simple with the rule: "Break sothing, or cause trouble, and you’re out imdiately." Then I switched into a more hands-off mode.
I pulled up Tricky.
'If they went outside, there’s a good chance the rumors have already reached here…'
Even without turning on a broadcast, this was the case.
Harmony and Dice had beco famous worldwide, and Iris—while her na value might not be as high—was still soone who could be spotted anywhere based on her appearance. With her snow-white tail, hair, and ruby-like, transparent eyes, anyone who saw her walking the streets would undoubtedly take a second glance.
Well, even if Tricky wasn’t live, there wasn’t much of an issue. She’d probably return soon, either today or tomorrow. That was sothing I didn’t need to worry about.
But—
"…Looks like I’ve hit the jackpot today."
"Huh? Did you say sothing, Archetype?"
"No, it’s nothing. But, Marv, aren’t you interested in a walk?"
"Mm, I’d be happy with anything as long as we’re going together."
"Just don’t sneak in any cuddles, it’s heavy…!"
Just leaning against alone was enough to feel a 400kg pressure on my back…
As I struggled with that weight, I arranged Tricky’s live viewer count. Though it wasn't a big deal since I hadn’t turned on my own broadcast, the rankings were still decent, and Harmony didn’t have a broadcast today either.
Dice still had irregular broadcasts, so there was no imdiate concern, but as I ntioned earlier, today I hit the jackpot—the broadcast at the top of the list had 1.1 million viewers.
Normally, without turning on a broadcast, the top rank usually had around 500,000 viewers, which was still quite a lot. But setting that aside, I checked the title of the 1.1 million viewers’ broadcast.
Even though it was a Korean broadcast, the viewer count was still massive.
With the familiar na "Stella Universe" and the oddly suspicious words "Special Guest," it was pretty clear what this was about. There was no need to consider any other possibilities.
So I clicked on the broadcast, and just like that, I beca one of the 1.1 million viewers. As expected, donations were partially blocked.
The reason I say "partially" is that donations were allowed only for strears who had been broadcasting for a certain amount of ti or had reached a specific viewer count.
Anyway,
[So, uh, what’s this place again…? I actually don’t co here often! Who on earth assigned us this tour—!?]
[Whoa, there are three Bi-Yams here! I think I’m going to lose my mind…]
[Iris, why are you so fast with everything? I didn’t expect that!]
[Well, the topic just ca up. Anyway, it’s nice to et you in person for the first ti.]
"…But they still don’t reveal who the people inside are. Well, I guess that makes sense…"
"Did you say sothing, Archetype?"
"Go on and enjoy yourselves. Take good care of Nasty and Gaia."
"Of course, we’re having a blast, heh."
As I scratched the heads of the cha Monnani’s, reacting to every little thing I did, I refocused on the screen.
As I muttered before, the avatars visible through the screen weren’t real people—they were avatars used in virtual reality. They weren’t Harmony, Dice, or Iris, but rather the so-called "third-generation" crew.
There was no need to guess what that was about. Before I revealed myself a couple of years ago, I hadn’t walked around like that either. To be more precise, I had lied about walking around like that.
But when I thought about it, those functionalities—naly, the hologram overlay feature for drone caras—were a real thing, so everyone had been fooled. And that proof was right in front of .
As Nasty’s body temperature increased, I kept her pinned to the couch.
"I want to go out, Archetype. With Nasty’s cuteness, I’m sure the whole world will accept her… Waaah! Don’t ss up her hair!"
"Stop saying weird things and stay in the balcony. I’ll take you out later. It’s not like you’ve never been out before."
"I’ll wait!"
I have no idea how these guys would manage without .
Thinking this, I typed on the hologram keyboard. Since there was still so spare change in Tricky, and sending a donation would likely be more effective than a ssage or a call.
Nasty, who had evolved from a cha Monnani into a new type, was going out for the first ti. I figured I could throw a donation or two her way as a complint.
I finished the ssage and sent it off.
With a soft clink, the partially blocked donation system started working again.
[I’m not sure how you got there, but go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I’m assuming I’ll eat dinner first, so I’ll start without you. Hope the third-gen does well! XD]
[Wait, Yujin, how did you know we were broadcasting?]
[Wow, Yujin just sent a ssage of encouragent to the third-gen! This is insane! I’m keeping this as a nto!]
[This is all thanks to Iris!]
[…Eh, were you watching us?]
500,000 KRW hahaha
What’s going on here? Hahahaha
How did they know we were on? Hahaha
Big sister vibes, haha
Are they really living together??? What does “starting dinner first” an???
When did Dice move in next to Bi-Yam’s place? Hahaha
A nto, huh?
Thanks to my sudden donation, the atmosphere in the stream beca even more intense. However, the third-gen guests who had been hosting seed to be growing more stiff.
They must’ve been nervous.
Anyway, there were no broadcasts scheduled for today, so I assud the evening would end with a visit to the Stella Universe tour.
As the cha Monnani continued to watch the stream, they kept pouring out childish comnts like "There are so many Bi-Yams! What is this!" but my attention was entirely focused on Iris.
‘To be honest, I felt it the last ti too, but there’s no need to worry about Dice and Harmony.’
Their bodies hadn’t changed that much, and their relationships with their families weren’t drastically different.
They just had snake tails, ears, and sharp fangs added to their original bodies, so it was only natural that my attention was drawn to Iris, whose transformation was a far more remarkable one.
Adding to that, Harmony and Dice didn’t require my focus.
My acquaintance was much more likely to grab my attention.
And then—
Beep beep!
"Just as I thought, I figured a call would co through around this ti."
Considering the group call from Lauren Tina, Logan, and Olivia, it beca clear who was paying attention to Harmony and Dice.
And as soon as the call started, a familiar voice echoed.
"I’ll empty my account and buy three one-way tickets to Virginia Beach. Tell those friends of yours to get there imdiately, youngest! I can’t let the army steal any more of our new recruits!"
"Shut him up, Yujin. I’m going crazy."
"Don’t worry, Jin. I warned them that Shark’s after them."
"…I’m losing my mind here."
It felt like my eardrums were going to burst.
Looking back, I realized my acquaintance farming had gone wrong in many ways.
"By the way, Iris, how is the revenue distribution for hologram idols?"
"…Suddenly asking?"
"Well, it’s a bit abrupt, but I heard Iris-chan’s avatar concept was inspired by Yujin’s . I was wondering if Yujin ever ntioned anything about revenue sharing."
"Ah, so that’s what you ant..."
Suddenly? Hahaha
So random haha
Random? Revenue share is a 'major issue'...
But I don’t think Bi-Yam would care about that, haha
Yujin’s probably made so much money by now that they don’t care about cash, haha
Revenue…?
As the red glow of the sunset surrounded Seoul, the artificial lights began to gradually push away the darkness, and suddenly, that question tickled her ear. It was a question she had never considered before, which made it oddly thought-provoking.
‘Let’s see… Honestly, except for the early days, even back then, I didn’t really care much about the revenue I earned through Iris.’
By June, the money Iris earned had surpassed the editor’s salary by a considerable amount—but Yujin never took a cut from that.
As Iris recalled and explained, everyone nodded in understanding.
"Maybe the early viewers would know, but basically… our employer is a complete hands-off type. So, unless it causes harm to them, they don’t really care about revenue… maybe?"
"Why the question mark at the end?"
"I’ve never caused any harm, so that’s why. I’m super careful about how I broadcast. For and my employer, no news is good news."
That’s true hahaha
If Bi-Yam suddenly said "I think our editor’s been getting a bit too cocky lately," they’d pee themselves right there hahaha
Talk back, and you’ll feel a threat to your life wwwww
Oddly enough, Harmony and Dice talk nonstop without breaking a sweat…
I guess they have more than one life haha
I glanced at the chat and saw Harmony and Dice turning their heads awkwardly, as if caught. Iris, watching them with a slightly bemused look, added:
"And, honestly, this might be embarrassing, but… over the past few months, more than half of the money I’ve earned as Iris has gone back into donations and purchasing rch."
Huh.
"...Doesn’t this an the revenue issue should be fine?"
"Isn’t that like a tenth tithe? Maybe more like a fifteenth?"
Hahaha so true
Seriously, pretending to be a nun and actually donating like this hahaha
Truly, it’s pure love haha
Bi-Yam nun with white hair and red eyes—why does this feel so real haha
Even Dice and Harmony were shocked by this statent ww
At the sa ti, all the eyes in the room seed to lose their composure for a mont, then, as if trying to act casual, they nodded, as if saying "I guess that makes sense."
In truth, Iris's character was modeled after a Bi-Yam nun—a servant of the Bi-Yam god—and, as ntioned before, the third-gen crew shared similar traits. So a tithe was sothing that could be understood in terms of the setting.
No one had expected it to actually happen, though.
"And Iris-chan, are you, like… actually using divine power or sothing?"
"Throw a beam from your hands, you can bless us right? Show us your powers!"
"Wow, these guys are completely nuts. Harmony and Dice are here, too, and they’re making a scene! We should head to the studio imdiately!"
"...Mina. Should I donate more? It might be worth it."
"I guess I could say it’s a fee to pay the toll..."
"They’re all crazy!"
Sonia hahaha
No sane person herewwww
But is there a studio? Do any of the strears there actually broadcast? I feel like there are a ton of people nearby trying to hit the jackpot with so red pills.
We don’t need to know about that haha
But honestly, it’s really well-decorated
Of course, there was one thing they completely overlooked—the fact that there weren’t many normal people here.
Under Sonia’s skilled but tough leadership, the three guests quickly moved toward the studio. Everywhere they looked, there were nurous goods and fantastic facilities waiting to greet them.
And amidst all this, the questions and conversations continued.
"Wow, they’ve got soundproof walls, green screens, and top-notch acoustic materials. But I don’t think many people actually use them..."
"Oh, that’s not a problem. I heard it’s mostly indie artists who book the place. By the way, how’s Iris’s broadcast setup? I bet she broadcasts sotis in reality too."
"That person? These days, they always stay at Yujin’s house. Harmony stays at mine."
"Wow."
Most of the conversations were light and casual topics.
And as the tour wrapped up, even though the building itself was huge, it wasn’t fully used, and they only rented out a few floors for office space.
After completing the tour, they returned to their starting point. It took about 30 minutes. Along the way, Harmony suggested having dinner together, but, of course, it was rejected because of the red pill situation.
It wasn’t the shortest nor the longest ti, but in that ti, the emotional distance between everyone in the room had decreased, and they were comfortable enough to joke around.
They returned the temporary IDs and badges. It was ti to go.
As the drone cara fild the ending shots for the broadcast, soone spoke up.
"So, you guys are EM-level now, right?"
"That’s right."
"Well, I’ve been following your broadcasts here and there, and there’s sothing I’m curious about. Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
As the elevator they’d called arrived, the question continued.
"Since you’re EM-level now, your physical abilities must have increased drastically. I have a feeling that one of the people who always hangs out with Yujin when he’s in the US might be pretty jealous..."
"..."
"…"
"…Eh, wait a minute. Why are you all silent?"
That's the danger zone haha
The shark who’s scarier than the devil haha
Wait, honestly, I feel like I should’ve received a ssage from them earlier haha
Look at their faces, they’re frozen haha
At that mont, the three of them realized that this was not just any ordinary issue, but a deeply unsettling one that they had been trying to bury in their minds.
The last conversation ended, and it was obvious that the topic would be considered taboo between them from now on.
The first outing of the Triple Bi-Yams ended sowhat uneasily.
"Looks like it's finally ti for the long-term deploynt in Korea for tactical exchange. Perfect timing."
"Finally, the chance to go to that place you’ve been singing about all the ti, is it?"
"Heh heh, maybe it’s ti for you guys to travel abroad for reasons other than deploynt. I’m sure no one will oppose that."
anwhile, thousands of kiloters away:
The Hamrhead team of the renowned Gold Squadron in the United States was giggling while holding a piece of paper detailing the long-term deploynt in Korea for tactical exchange.
It was just a matter of days before Shark would once again assault Korea.
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