Cosmic Blade
Cosmic Blade.
The Cosmic Blade that had always given me strength, whenever I was lonely or struggling. Just as it had in my previous life, I would be relying on it again in this one.
In my last life, I’d run into every limitation imaginable, from rotten luck to simple lack of funds, and only barely managed to claw my way into the top tier. But this time was different.
-If you reroll, you lose full-transcended Mika, though?
-Lol, exactly
"I’m not joking. The closer Cosmic Blade gets to its limit, the more absurd the return on investment becomes. I’d normally go on another Unknown Universe horror story and repeat what I just said, but..."
-At that point it’s a bargain, honestly.
-200 million is cheap, yeah.
"Still, with my luck, I figure one or two hundred million should come pretty cheap, right?"
-Kyaa~
-Our Great Haruru
-She actually might be able to pull it off
-Spoiler) Later she gets hit by average reversion and cries her eyes out
"I’m not getting hit by average reversion later, and I’m not crying my eyes out. Watch till the end. Whether Unknown Universe wins or I do... the result will speak for itself."
-Whoa
-That line is insane...
-There she goes setting flags again
"I will definitely... stand at the pinnacle of Cosmic Blade. No, beyond that. I’ll become the pinnacle of Unknown Universe itself."
-Kyaa~
-She’s really not holding back
-I admit it, you’re the real deal
-Lol
-Haruru fighting!
"Thank you, everyone... then..."
That was when it happened. The emotion didn’t last long.
Right after my job change, this message appeared.
◈ Purchase time remaining: 00:04:59
"Ah! Dammit. I already spent all my money and now a surprise package shows up."
-Kyaa lol
-Surprise package incoming lol
-You can’t skip this? You can’t skip this?
-Look at how loaded that bundle is, whoa
Of course I couldn’t skip it. Because, as it said right there, it was six times the efficiency!
-Kyaa, that’s a big donation
-GreatHaruru123 succeeded
"Thank you, but it takes time to come in... and right now there isn’t a single won in my account..."
-You’re skipping the surprise package?
-He’s gone off the rails
-Not even having 5,000 won and still going Cosmic Blade... hmm.
"No. I’m not skipping it..."
"W-What are you talking about! I mean, sorry, but..."
I picked up my phone and made a call. To my emotional pillar, Chairwoman Chaemoney.
"Ah... hello? Boss? Are you busy? I’m live right now. Could you maybe do a voice cameo?"
-Boss Chaemoney incoming lol
-Whoa, she actually called
-You really are dying to get fired, huh...
"I’ve got a moment. But why are you calling in the middle of a stream? What’s going on..."
As expected of the boss, she caught on before she’d even finished speaking and hummed softly in understanding.
"You’re asking to borrow money, aren’t you?"
-Boss really does have sharp instincts
-Boss, hang up fast
"...Yes."
When I answered in a voice so tiny it might’ve belonged to an ant, she replied in a warm tone, as if telling me not to fret.
"What do you need it for, Unknown Universe?"
"Yes. It’s Unknown Universe, but... there’s a reason I absolutely have to buy this, even if I have to borrow money urgently. There’s something called a surprise package, and it gives 30,000 won worth of value for just 5,000 won..."
Maybe because my conscience was pricking me, my voice started trembling at the end.
"So that would be... six times, right?"
-Lmao
-She’s seriously asking to borrow money
-Haruru’s surprise collection drive, whoa
-Boss Chaemoney, you poor thing T_T
-This crazy cheapskate is extorting even her boss
"If I don’t buy this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Right...?"
As always, I went straight down the proper route and said everything I wanted to say. All I had to do now was wait and see how she’d respond. But why did I keep swallowing dryly? Then, like salvation, her voice came through the receiver.
"Fine. If it’s six times, then you should buy it. I’ll transfer the money."
"Ah... on Earth there are two gods. One is the goddess who governs luck. The other lives on as the CEO of Shining Parade. Ah, I simply worship you, my light, my idol, my emotional pillar..."
"I’m really losing it."
-Kyaa lol
-How much longer is this going to get? lol
-Should we just graduate Haruru, Boss?
"And I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to add it to the debt ledger."
Then she laughed and showed the magnanimity of a true adult.
"What’s 5,000 won? You don’t have to pay it back."
-Boss angel
-Seriously, wow... her character...
-Is she a god? Is she a god?
-Haruru, you better repay Boss Chaemoney someday, okay?
When a person gets this much excessive kindness, how are they supposed to react? I’d always wondered, and before I knew it, I was spouting nonsense. This is what I said.
"B-Boss, kyaa~! Then you spent 5,000 won and made 30,000 today. You just sat there and made 25,000 won. Congratulations. Buy me a meal sometime."
"You’re the one who profited, and I’m supposed to buy the meal too?"
-Lol
-What a complete piece of trash lol
-So Ru Ru
-The ultimate JOAT
-Get out of here
-Boo! Trash!
"No, no, no! That’s not what I meant! Sorry! I’ll buy you a meal sometime!"
"It’s fine. I’m joking. Do you even have money? Work hard on stream. I’ve got a work meeting, so I should go... Oh, right. I uploaded an edited video to your NewTube, so promote that for me. The reaction’s insane right now, so it probably doesn’t need promotion, but do it anyway."
-She even cares about NewTube, what a saint
-Ah... Boss Chaemoney, I finally understand
-Seriously, today’s video was crazy good
"Yes. Take care, Boss Chaemoney."
After hanging up, I looked over the chat. Trash, downfall, it was plastered everywhere. Honestly, this time I couldn’t even make excuses.
-Seriously, seriously
-That’s a bit harsh, lol
"That’s right. Roast me to your heart’s content... This trash! Borrowing 5,000 won from busy Boss Chaemoney’s work meeting just to buy a surprise package, trash Haruru! Haruru deserves to die! You can insult me even more harshly if you want!"
-LMAOOOO
-Don’t do that lol
-Her self-awareness is great
"Heyyyy!!! That’s a little too far."
-Whoa
-Whoa
-What?!
-No holding back lol
-I love Haruru
-I love Haruru
"Ungh... I wonder what kind of curse is hiding inside that ‘I love you.’ Now I feel even weirder."
"Yeah, well, if I’m going to buy it before I die, I should buy what needs buying. I’ll get it fast."
-Yeah, for real
-You do what you’ve got to do
-GreatHaruru making money again today
-Her life’s really taking off lol
"Why is it, I bought a six-times-efficiency package and yet I still feel this emptiness... I really should be nicer to Boss Chaemoney."
-Yeah, be nicer for once
-Boss Chaemoney T_T how did she end up picking up this cheapskate?
"The surprise package is six times efficient. Then I’ll pay Boss Chaemoney back later with ten times the efficiency!"
-Heh~
-Great Haruru
-If it’s ten times, I’ll accept it
That was when it happened. A clear, lovely donation message arrived. This wasn’t a one-thousand- or ten-thousand-won alert. It was, in fact...
"Aaaaagh!! Fifty thousand won! I already made ten times the efficiency!"
-Whoa, what the hell
-Kyaa~
-As expected, the Unknown Universe folks really have deep pockets
"Thank you. Seriously, thank you. Fine, I don’t care anymore! Boss Chaemoney, pick up the phone!"
-Lol
-She said she’s in a meeting
-She’s lost it again lol
-Haruru... that’s your boss...
"Yeah. I’m in a meeting. I’ll call you back later."
"Yes, ma’am."
-Cut off at the door lol
-Why are you even calling lol
-Haruru absolutely insisted on talking, lol
-She literally just said she was in a work meeting...
-T_T
-You lasted two days, that’s plenty
"I was just so hyped that I got a little excited and forgot for a moment. Anyway... um."
I calmed my raised spirits for a moment, and before diving into Unknown Universe for real, I decided to check out my NewTube. Boss Chaemoney had asked me to promote it anyway.
Come to think of it, I’d never actually looked at it before. What even did it look like?
@BlackFoxHaruru_official
Current subscribers: 1,000.
One thousand subscribers. It might not sound like much, but this was huge. After all, the channel itself had only been created two days ago.
"Thank you, Haruru~."
-Cute
-Her donation reactions are seriously top-tier. Makes me want to donate.
"W-What? Is that not the official spelling? It should be right..."
I don’t have much education, so my English is pretty weak. I only barely know the alphabet. So I checked the mood in chat.
-Not that, the black ox
-Black ox
-It says Black Fox
These bastards. They were all ganging up to call me a black ox. So that’s what the donation earlier meant!
"It’s not black ox, it’s black fox!"
-???
-So you finally admit it
-Right, black ox, yeah
"Ah, no! I said it backwards! You keep saying black ox this, black ox that, and now I’m saying it too. Black fox."
-Black ox
-Black ha
-Moo~
"Fine, call me whatever you want..."
Anyway, what exactly had Boss Chaemoney seen that made her call it a hit? I found out the answer almost immediately.
"What the hell. My video made it into the game’s trending rankings?"