The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

It had been a few days since the promotion for Dungeon Seeker began.

December 24th, 3 a.m.

Hanabane Rui, who had been tirelessly working on the Dungeon Seeker collaboration throughout the day and evening, was still at her desk.

“…Christmas Eve, huh.”

The realization struck her, and a sigh of irritation slipped out.

It was the time when couples across the country were at their most fervent. If they were going to burn with passion, Rui thought, they might as well boil over to 100 degrees Celsius and perish together.

It wasn’t that she particularly wanted a partner.

Rui had never thought about experiencing love herself—no more than Aurora had.

She simply didn’t like seeing people happier than herself.

“Should I take a little break…?”

Rui leaned back against the chair.

She had been working on materials (mostly PPTs) for an upcoming broadcast project.

‘Things are going smoothly,’ she thought.

To prepare for the Aurora Contest broadcast, there were things that needed to be done beforehand.

First, getting the Leviathan team members to bond.

These days, the team members had been frequently collaborating on Dungeon Seeker streams, so by now, the viewers would have the impression that they were friendly with one another.

However, Rui wanted to cement that impression further.

So, she was planning a lighthearted team event for the Leviathan members. Since Rui didn’t have the capacity to handle it herself, she intended to leave it to someone else.

She had pitched the event idea to Inui Kirin, who would likely handle it on their end.

For now, Rui was preparing Anna’s Punishment.

“…I’ve really gotten good at making others work for me.”

Though the thought was absurd, Rui couldn’t help but chuckle.

It had been Laura’s request. She had mentioned wanting to do “a specific project” as Anna’s punishment.

And since Rui’s participation was essential for carrying out that project, she was taking on the preparation herself.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

The Anna’s Punishment segment was set to air on Rui’s channel, which would further solidify her connection with superstar Laura.

“…I’ll rest for a little and then get back to work.”

Rui muttered to herself.

-Ding!

At that moment, a Discord notification chimed.

The source was the Leviathan server.

“……At this hour?”

Rui opened the Discord window.

【This_Code: Leviathan Server】

Online──3

Hanabane Rui / Working

Aurora / Playing Labyrinthos: Dungeon Seeker

Kaga Mero / Playing Labyrinthos: Dungeon Seeker

Three people were online at this late hour.

And the one who messaged was none other than their superstar, Aurora.

===

[@Hanabane Rui]

[Come.]

Just two lines. That was all.

…Come? Where, exactly?

Surely, she wasn’t asking Rui to come to Korea, was she? Rui had never traveled abroad even once in her life.

“Is she streaming…?”

Rui checked YouTube, only to find that Aurora and Mero were streaming together.

It didn’t seem like a planned collaboration; it looked like Aurora had started streaming alone and invited Mero midway.

Rui found it a bit unexpected.

Given how harsh Dungeon Seeker was on players, it made sense. If it had been a typical game, Aurora would never have needed to call anyone. She would have easily wiped out enemies solo.

But in this game, Aurora’s usual overwhelming prowess wasn’t enough, so she had likely called for Mero.

And now, apparently, even Mero wasn’t enough, so she was calling for Rui.

‘I do want to keep working, though.’

Still, it was just the right timing for a break.

The Anna’s Punishment broadcast was slated for next week or the week after, so while Rui wasn’t exactly swimming in free time, there wasn’t any immediate rush.

In any case, showing camaraderie between Leviathan members would always be beneficial.

Resigned, Rui powered up her VR equipment.

She logged into Dungeon Seeker right away.

【System: Aurora used the “Summoning Stone” item.】

【System: Will you respond to the summon? Y/N】

As soon as she logged in, a message popped up.

The Summoning Stone was one of the items purchasable from the Dungeon Seeker shop. It was a costly item, priced at a whopping 1,000 gold.

When Rui pressed the Y button, her vision wavered.

The scent of stagnant water tickled her nose.

There was a faint mix of blood and vomit in the air.

The unpleasant smell seemed to seep into every corner of the space.

“You’re here?”

Aurora asked.

Mero’s figure… was nowhere to be seen.

【Holy Church Heretic Tracking Squad “White Crows” Unit Status】

【Healer Aurora: Online】

【Scout Hanabane Rui: Online】

【Survivor Kaga Mero: Unknown】

“…Where’s Mero?”

“Who knows? I haven’t seen her for a while now. She’s probably dead, don’t you think?”

“…Why are you so cheerful about it?”

“Death is common in this game. Since it’s come to this, go and find Mero’s corpse for me.”

Aurora gave her orders—this fresh-faced rookie who hadn’t even been active for six months yet.

Her senior still treated her quite harshly.

Not that she minded much.

“I’ll head this way; you go that way.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine alone?”

“Is that concern I hear? Or could it be that you’re afraid of being apart from me?”

With a chuckle, Aurora walked off. …It felt like being penalized for worrying.

That cheeky junior was endearing.

And splitting up was more efficient anyway.

‘Aurora should be fine.’

Despite Aurora’s class being Healer, which had very low survivability, she strangely inspired trust. After all, she had never died even once since starting this game. How she managed that was a mystery.

Regardless, Rui started moving as well.

In this game, there were six classes in total, broadly categorized into three groups.

Scouting and Exploration were for navigating maps.

Survival and Protection were for combating monsters.

Gathering and Healing were for earning more resources.

The Scouting class focused on detecting creatures and objects nearby, while Exploration specialized in mapping terrain.

Rui’s class was Scouting.

As Rui carefully moved forward, she heard a sound in the distance.

Just from the sound alone, she deduced it was footsteps.

And from the footsteps, she could tell the person was slightly taller than herself and humanoid in form.

‘Is it Mero’s footsteps?’

The rhythm was identical to the ones she remembered from Mero. But Rui wasn’t one to approach without caution.

“…….”

She opened a door.

Beyond it was what appeared to be a laboratory.

Shelves holding test tubes were toppled over, shards of flasks littered the floor, and even the experiment tables were thoroughly destroyed. Moss grew here and there.

However, one locker in the corner of the room appeared intact.

In games like these, opening a locker often meant something would jump out, but thankfully, Rui’s class was Scouting.

Using her skill to confirm that there was nothing dangerous inside the locker, Rui stepped in.

‘I’ll wait here for now.’

The source of the footsteps seemed to be wandering around the area and would likely pass by soon. That was Rui’s conclusion.

As she held her breath, the sound of footsteps grew louder.

Click.

Clack.

The noise was unmistakably the sound of shoes. Of course, it was absurd to think that a monster would be wearing shoes.

However, what appeared next was not human.

It was Mero.

But it wasn’t Mero.

Something was embedded in her chest. Something leech-like.

Not just one. Upon closer inspection, there were also black things attached to the crown of her head and the back of her neck.

Like spreading spiderwebs, black lines veined across Mero’s skin, and her eyes had lost all focus.

“Ah, uh.”

A dry, cracked voice.

Rui had seen Mero get infected during one of Laura’s Aseosal broadcasts before. It was similar but felt distinctly different this time.

She must have fallen victim to a monster.

“I found Mero,” Rui quickly reported to Laura through her transmitter.

[Oh? Can you describe her location?]

“…It’s a place that looks like a laboratory. I’m hiding in a locker, and Mero seems to be parasitized by some strange monster.”

[What are the monster’s characteristics?]

“Well, uh… It looks like a leech…”

[Ah, one of those annoying ones. Unless you burn it, it won’t die. Can you get out of there?]

Hearing this, Rui peeked out to assess the situation.

“I’m not sure… It’s right in front of me…”

[Well, that can’t be helped.]

Laura sighed audibly through the transmitter.

Smack!

Mero’s head jerked to the side.

At some point, Laura had entered the laboratory, wielding a steel pipe.

“Uh, ah…”

Smack!

Crack!

The sound of something breaking echoed sharply.

Despite being struck, Mero didn’t seem to feel any pain. She reached out toward Laura like a zombie.

Laura, unfazed, swung the steel pipe again and again as if she found it bothersome.

Smack!

Another loud crack followed.

In the midst of it, a snake-like tail sprang out from Mero’s waist.

The pointed tip of the tail darted into Laura’s blind spot and aimed for her leg.

“Hmph.”

Stomp!

Laura casually stepped on the tail, stopping the attack effortlessly.

Smack! Crack! Smack! Crack!

The steel pipe swung freely, leaving large bruises all over Mero’s body.

As the pipe bent under repeated strikes, Mero’s movements grew weaker and weaker.

It seemed her bones had taken damage. She could no longer support her own weight.

“Rui, do you have any rope?”

Deeming the steel pipe no longer useful, Laura tossed it aside and spoke.

She then picked up a wooden stick that had probably once been part of a desk. …Was she planning to fight with that now?

“Rope…? I don’t have any on me, but let me look for some…”

Rui exited the locker and used her Scouting skill to search for rope. Luckily, there was some nearby.

By the time Rui returned with the rope, Mero was crawling on the ground, completely subdued.

“I’ve got the rope.”

“Hand it over.”

Laura took the rope and deftly tied Mero’s hands and feet.

Although Mero struggled, it was futile. Laura had tied her so tightly that she couldn’t resist.

“You’re good at this…”

“I learned it from books. Knowing how to tie knots is quite useful for survival.”

“Survival? Oh, right, you’re into camping, aren’t you?”

“Not exactly. I’ve just done a lot of sleeping outdoors.”

“And yet you’re a duchess. Why have you slept outdoors so much…? Anyway, what are we going to do with her?”

Rui gestured toward Mero with her eyes as she spoke.

Burning the parasite seemed to be the only way to kill it.

However, there didn’t appear to be any tools nearby to start a fire. Then again, Laura was exceptionally skilled at starting fires, so maybe it wasn’t a concern.

“I want to try something. Would you help me?”

“Try something?”

Rui tilted her head in confusion.

Ten minutes later.

Rui was carrying Mero (along with the parasite) out of the dungeon.

“Ughhh…”

Drool dripped from Mero’s mouth, wetting Rui’s shoulder.

…How did things come to this?

***

RE:sir Company, Phasmophobia, Content Watching.

When you think about it, they’re all games designed to make money. Though, strictly speaking, Content Watching is a bit different.

Dungeon Seeker was also a game about making money.

According to the game’s lore, dungeons had appeared all over the world, and raids were being organized to conquer them.

To facilitate these raids, scouts—us, the players—were sent ahead.

Thus, any information about the dungeons became valuable.

– Records of dungeon ecosystems.

– Mapping data of dungeon layouts.

– Rare ores or items found only in dungeons.

– Even parts of monsters’ bodies.

‘If we could transport an entire monster, wouldn’t it fetch an even higher price?’

That’s why I ordered Rui to bring Mero along.

Meanwhile, I remained in the dungeon.

There was no need for both of us to leave, especially since transporting Mero only required one person. It was far more economical for me to stay behind and earn additional money.

As I continued mapping the dungeon and collecting items, my bag quickly filled up.

【Exploration Results】

【Dungeon Creature Submission + 50,000G】

【Party Member Revival Cost (Employee Discount) -100G】

It seemed Rui successfully got Mero out of the dungeon.

50,000 gold.

Not bad.

‘Usually, one exploration earns about 10,000 gold.’

Games like RE:sir Company, Phasmophobia, and Content Watching all treat monsters as something to avoid.

The same applied to this game, where very few monsters could be killed.

Even if a monster could be defeated, the methods were often highly restrictive.

Given the difficulty of taking them down, monster parts or corpses were priced steeply, while capturing them alive fetched an even higher premium.

I’m not sure if this was intentional on the developers’ part, but it worked.

【Summoning Stone (1,000G)】

【Weight: 0.5 / Consumable】

【Use this item to summon a party member. If the party is already full or the member refuses, the item is automatically canceled.】

【System: Used “Summoning Stone” to summon “Kaga Mero.”】

“…Selling people now, are we?”

Mero’s voice was incredulous as she was summoned.

“Beating me up like a punching bag! Seriously, I was shocked. You were like some kind of yakuza, hitting me with that pipe. What part of you is supposed to be a duchess? Be honest, miss. You used to be a thug, didn’t you?”

“Oh my, what a wild misunderstanding, Mero.”

“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding? You sell people like slaves, beat your teammates when they’re parasitized, and—wait, do you secretly hate me? Is that why you beat me up?”

“Of course not. I care about you deeply.”

I wrapped an arm around Mero’s neck. We’re friends, aren’t we?

“Mero, think about it. Who else but you gets to have this kind of physical contact with me?”

“Uh… no one, I guess. But this is totally like being a gopher…”

“And how many people in the world would game with you at this late hour? Only someone as close as I am would do this.”

“Hmm.”

Mero started to speak but stopped. It seemed she couldn’t think of a retort. Perhaps she was even a bit happy to hear the word friend.

I’d noticed recently that Mero was slightly like Ainatsu—subtly lonely in her own way.

“Ahem. Well, if we’re friends, treat me a bit better, okay?”

“Of course.”

As Mero’s hand slyly moved toward my backside, I swatted it away with a grin.

“My dear friend Mero, I have a favor to ask while we’re here in the dungeon.”

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Get parasitized one more time, would you?”