Chapter 1: Invasion

“So basically, before coming here… you were some kind of formless entity drifting in an outer dimension?”  

“Correct.”  

“And the moment I created a VTuber model based on a similar concept, that became your portal into this world?”  

“It wasn’t just similar. It was a perfect match. That’s why it worked.”  

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh as I listened to the strange woman—who had, without warning, taken the seat I’d been in just moments ago—calmly explain this absurd tale.  

“Ahaha…”  

Honestly, it all sounded completely ridiculous.  

If not for the fact that a dark aura had been constantly seeping from her right eye and arm ever since she arrived—and that this aura just so happened to match the character concept I had personally created—I probably would’ve called the police by now.  

“Well then. Shall we go ahead and post your VTuber debut announcement?”  

No, seriously. Part of me still suspects that I might’ve finally lost it from all the stress.  

Because what else could explain this situation? An interdimensional being demanding a VTuber debut from me? Who would believe that?  

“Before that… could I maybe step out for some fresh air—”  

“Permission denied.”  

“…Got it.”  

As I quietly tried to slip out, a suffocating wave of murderous intent slammed into me, forcing me to sit my ass right back down on the floor.  

Only then did I glance behind me—and saw that the door had been completely engulfed by black tendrils.  

Yeah. Staying put was the right call. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.  

‘Dream or not, this shit’s terrifying. Let’s just play along for now.’  

In less than a second, I’d made up my mind. Flashing the most harmless-looking smile I could muster, I cautiously asked the invader a question.  

“Um… but why VTubing, of all things?”  

She tilted her head slightly, staring at me with curious eyes. Then, a soft smile spread across her face as she answered.  

“To be honest, I don’t really know what a ‘VTuber’ is.”  

“…What?”  

“Debut announcements? Community posts? I don’t know the details. All I did was catch fragmented thoughts from your mind before crossing over.”  

What the hell is she talking about?  

The whole point of the setting I created was that this being wanted to become a VTuber so badly, it broke through the dimensional veil.  

And now she’s saying she doesn’t even know what a VTuber is?  

“But I do understand one thing very well—VTubers possess immense power.”  

Despite the insanity of what she just said, her eyes sparkled with a kind of pure wonder.  

Maybe, just maybe, she’s not so bad after all. Just a scary-looking softie—  

“Before I came here, I survived by invading one dimension after another.”  

“O-oh, I see…”  

Never mind. She’s exactly what I created her to be—a crawling catastrophe, a nightmare from beyond, a literal dimensional invader.  

“I didn’t understand it at that time… but now I think I know why my conquests began to fail.”  

“W-what do you mean?”  

Now I was curious. If a being like her was suddenly interested in streaming on Earth, there had to be a reason behind it.  

“The beings you call ‘VTubers’… They all share very familiar faces.”  

“…Huh?”  

“Haha… No wonder. So that’s where they’re drawing that kind of power from.”  

The worst part?  

I didn’t even have the courage to interrupt this ominous creature as she murmured those cryptic words and let her black aura ooze out like smoke.  

“Um, I’m really sorry, but I still don’t quite get what you mean—”  

“You’ll understand in time,” she said coldly, cutting off my question without hesitation. “But that’s not important right now.”  

And once again, a chill ran down my spine.  

“More importantly, what’s the holdup with that debut post?”  

“It’s taking everything I have just to maintain this form. I need to gather strength—immediately.”  

Here’s the polished, novel-style English translation of Episode 1 – Invasion, Part 2:  

The only sliver of comfort in this whole insane situation…  

was the sense that this otherworldly being—who probably saw me as less than an insect—had a reason for letting me live.  

“…S-So, is the debut announcement going to give you power or something?”  

“Do you really not understand anything?”  

That was when I had a realization—this thing’s ignorance about our world might just be its only weakness.  

So, once again, I plastered on my harmless smile and tested the waters.  

“Your world must have gods and religions too, right?”  

“…Well, yeah. I don’t know if gods exist, exactly, but…”  

“What’s necessary for gods and religions to exist?”  

“…Donations?”  

“Not a bad answer, but not the one I was looking for.”  

The invader stared at me in silence for a moment, clearly unimpressed by my panicked response.  

But instead of incinerating me on the spot, she graciously gave me the right answer.  

“Faith. The belief of people. That is the most fundamental force that sustains divine beings and religions.”  

With that, everything started to make sense.  

I could finally see why she’d bother coming all the way to this world just to become a VTuber.  

“So what you’re saying is… you need people’s faith to exist?”  

“Not quite. I can exist just fine. But with their faith, I can become stronger. Now, get started on that ‘debut announcement’ you mentioned.”  

In the end, it all traced back to the model and lore I had originally designed for a VTuber audition.  

The concept just happened to perfectly match this invader’s situation—and so, here we are.  

If everything she says is true, then yeah.  

VTubing really is the best possible choice for her.  

I mean, look at her—black smoke billowing from every limb, completely clueless about how this world works.  

There’s no way she could pull off being a pop idol or an actress.  

But a VTuber? Totally doable.  

With a mic, a PC, and a streaming setup, even a one-person team could get started right away.  

“If you complete it, I shall acknowledge you as my first apostle.”  

“…What if I refuse?”  

“…What?” She tilted her head. “Ahaha…”  

Yeah, I’d been thinking too much. Her constant nagging got to me, and I’d blurted out the worst possible thing.  

“There is another way for me to maintain this form besides faith, you know.”  

Her response was so cold, so sharp, it shattered any lingering delusion I had that this was some kind of fantasy comedy dream.  

“…You wouldn’t want to become my sustenance, would you?”  

Unless I had a death wish, I needed to make this creature debut as a VTuber. Fast.  

“Um…”  

“Hm?”  

“There’s actually one very important thing we still need.”  

And to make that happen, there was one piece of information I absolutely had to know.  

“…Do you have a name?”  

I’d already finished the model, the background, even the OBS setup.  

But I’d never created a stage name—because I wanted to collaborate with the chosen VTuber on that part.  

“A name? Of course not.”  

“…Huh?”  

“This is the first time I’ve ever taken a physical form. Why would I have a name?”  

Right. Of course. A nameless, formless being wouldn’t have something as mundane as a name.  

“Well… the thing is, you need a name if you’re going to be a VTuber.”  

“…Are you sure you can handle that?”  

The moment I brought it up, the invader’s expression twisted into something unmistakably hostile.  

I mean, come on. It’s just a name. No need to act like I proposed eternal damnation.  

“Giving a name to a higher-dimensional entity like me isn’t something you do lightly.”  

“W-Why not?”  

“The moment I’m named, I stop being an unknowable, transcendent force and become something that can be identified—something bound to this dimension. Isn’t it obvious?”  

Wait…  

That kind of is like signing a contract, isn’t it?  

“Honestly? From my perspective, it’s the greatest insult a human can inflict.”  

“……”  

“In your terms, it’s a contract—one that binds me to this world. Even so… are you prepared to go through with it?”  

If I was understanding her correctly, then giving her a name would lock her in place, make her something I could manage.  

A harmless VTuber instead of a terrifying cosmic entity.  

“Alright then. I’ll try to come up with one before we go live. For now, I’ll just post a teaser silhouette with the debut announcement…”  

“Oh? You’re not scared?”  

Here’s the English novel-style translation of Episode 1 – Invasion, Part 3:  

“Hmm… so what should I go with? Since we’re in Korea, maybe a Korean-style name… No, wait. I should probably think globally too, right?”  

If I could pull this off, then I had nothing to fear.  

Sure, the company was on the verge of collapse, but technically—I was still a company.  

And she—this invader—would be contractually tied to me.  

That’s not an employer-employee relationship, that’s a straight-up power structure.  

I mean, I still wasn’t entirely sure whether this was real life or some kind of fever dream,  

but if I had a chance to make my all-in, last-hope venture a success…  

I was totally ready to make a pact with a demon.  

Or, well, in this case, an extra-dimensional being. Not much difference, honestly.  

“…Your eyes just changed.”  

“You’re the first human to look at me like that.”  

As I finally got a grip on my nerves and sat down in front of the computer,  

the invader watched with amused curiosity, tilting her head with a slight smile.  

“Hmm… So this is what it means to have a name…”  

Then, almost absentmindedly, she leaned over, resting a hand on my shoulder and whispering in a low, bitter tone:  

“I already feel like I’ve fallen… become some lowly, lesser thing…”  

“…If you’re serious about this whole VTuber thing, the first lesson is: watch what you say on stream.”  

I meant it half as a joke…  

But the more I thought about it, the more I started to see the potential.  

“Actually, wait. That could be your whole concept. Might even go viral…”  

I knew I sounded a little unhinged.  

But after everything I’d seen so far, there was no denying that this bizarre creature beside me… had VTuber potential.  

“Hoooh? I don’t know what that means, but it sounds fun.”  

“Yeah, no, please don’t start enjoying this already…”  

Blinded by the sudden hope of saving my dying business, I ended up doing exactly what she wanted.  

I uploaded her debut teaser.  

“…You’ll soon come to understand what it truly means to sign a contract with a higher-dimensional being, human.”  

And right as I hit the upload button, I just barely caught the chilling words she muttered under her breath.  

Meanwhile, at that exact moment…  

A supposedly peaceful online community—the biggest underground forum for secret VTuber activity in the country.  

[I accidentally activated sword energy during a motion-capture stream and injured one of the staff… what do I do?]  

[Currency exchange staff be skimming gold off our dono-conversions again. If you’ve noticed that too, upvote this. LOL]  

[Did a necromancy stream last night. Viewers say a ghost appeared in their rooms. So… that spell actually works on Earth??]  

[I tried explaining martial arts seriously but my face tracking broke, so it looked like I was just flicking my tongue the whole time. How do I delete the VOD??]  

[Why’s the cross-dimensional time lag so bad lately? Avatar and voice aren’t synced at all. Is this the universe telling off-Earth VTubers to quit? Zombies been crazy lately too. I might just jump. ㅇㅇ]  

So, no.  

Not actually a peaceful community. It was a chaotic cesspool where all the worst, washed-up VTubers gathered.  

And then—  

[Guys, what is this?]  

A new post by a site admin briefly appeared at the top of the feed…  

but like most things in that cursed forum, it was quickly buried and forgotten.  

[LINK: New VTuber Debut Announcement]  

[Okay, which dimension is playing jokes now? You do know unauthorized debuts are subject to sanctions, right?]  

No one realized at the time…  

But the VTuber linked in that post would soon unleash the worst storm that community—and the world—had ever seen.