Virtual Voice Fight Day – Luna-ri Crushes the 32-Strong Round

The day of the Virtual Voice Fight 32-strong round. Two hours before the tournament started, the main screen of the LINK platform had already changed. Normally, thumbnails of various streamers were lined up in order of viewer count, but today, a tournament-exclusive banner took up half the screen. A countdown timer ticked away there, with the 32 participating virtual streamers lined up in a row. It was bewildering. Was this event getting this much hype? ...How the hell did Luna-ri even get in? He scanned the other VTubers one by one. Unlike his old self, who used to distinguish characters just by hair color, now even the subtle differences caught his eye. Thanks to studying up on virtual streamers—it was surprisingly complicated. At first, he'd thought half an hour to an hour would be enough to get it... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but wow, the rabbit hole never ended. 2D, Live 2D, 3D. Traditional, RP, original, booth, commission, rip-offs. Corporate, indie, reincarnated, reborn, and so on. The scope was so vast that at some point, he just gave up trying to understand. Eh, that exists, moving on. No real need to dig deeper anyway. As long as he could gauge Luna-ri's opponent, that was plenty.

Pink eyes and hair. Luna-ri, smiling cutely with her twitching cat ears, was charming. But he could confidently say she looked the scrappiest among those profiles. No helping it—this industry was pricey. High-quality avatars, varied outfits and accessories, flashy effects. Everything visible cost money. Popularity brought cash, and that cash went right back into their setup. Motions got smoother, prettier. If you had the dough, it was like endless plastic surgery with no side effects. Luna-ri's shabby avatar stood out in a sea of surgically enhanced beauties—for entirely different reasons. Well, standing out was better than being ignored, right? It wasn't an avatar contest anyway; it was a singing competition....

"Hope she does well."

He grabbed a bag of jelly instead of popcorn and waited for the event to kick off.

Korea's one-and-only live streaming platform, LINK. LINK practically monopolized the live streaming market in the country. Nertube had live features too, but being video-focused, its live ecosystem wasn't as tight-knit as LINK's. Naturally, most live streamers set up shop there. LINK viewers were wary of the usual monopoly shenanigans, but LINK kept investing in growth and stayed consumer-friendly. Spotting the booming virtual streaming scene, they'd quickly added a dedicated VTuber category—and this Virtual Voice Fight was a natural extension of that momentum.

"Hello, everyone! Connecting you to the world—LINK! I'm Hyun-dong, your MC for the inaugural Virtual Voice Fight—"

LINK-exclusive MC and streamer Kim Hyun-dong skillfully hyped the crowd.

"It's only a real festival if we all enjoy it together, right? The winner will be decided by the judges' scores and your votes! You get to pick the champion with your own hands!"

One viewer vote, plus one each from two judges—for a total of three. Majority wins. LINK's approach maximized immersion by involving viewers directly. But communities buzzed with mixed reactions.

As a platform-pushed event, even those unaware came via the massive ad thumbnails dominating the site. Viewers from all categories mixed with trolls in a chaotic harmony as the judges were introduced.

"Virtual streamer Lilié!"

"Hello~ It's Lilié~ I'm no expert!! But I'll score from the public's view! Following my heart with conviction!"

Lilié, one of LINK's longest-running VTubers. With over 300k followers, she was well-known—not for singing, but games and talk—so her mainstream sensibilities made her a perfect judge pick. Somewhat spoiled in advance, chats rolled with "Oh, as expected, mmm, same old flavor."

Next up:

"Singer-songwriter from IG Entertainment, Shin Se-young!"

Viewers buzzed. IG Entertainment was mid-to-large tier, but its artists were top-shelf. Shin Se-young stood out with steady music releases and her stunning looks—practically an idol among idols.

"Hello! Huge fan! Your new song was amazing. Never dreamed I'd meet you here. Honored."

"Thank you... I'm embarrassed."

The shy Shin Se-young took her seat after a bashful thanks. She was quite face-conscious; her low variety show presence despite fame stemmed from that.

Oh, interesting. He glanced at the fast-scrolling monitoring chat. Why had she taken this random live gig? Sneaking peeks. Ears... cute... dog tail? So fluffy? Oh, she's pretty too. Simple: Shin Se-young was a closet VTuber otaku. A quiet hobby she kept from everyone.

"Alright, time for the bracket draw!!"

Heart pounding like he'd stepped into the live world he'd only watched on monitors. Exciting. Hope it becomes a fun memory.

32-strong and 16-strong in one day meant a whopping 48 songs. MC Hyun-dong kept a blistering pace. A massive digital roulette spun center-screen, auto-assigning streamers.

Ding! His eyes locked on Luna-ri's name. Scrolling down... there.

"Phew."

A light sigh of relief escaped. Around 5k followers. Soria did K-pop covers—decent skill, stable but... lacking flair? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Winnable. Dodged the nightmare of facing a top seed early. Good enough.

Favorites Sion and Baek-ah landed in opposite blocks. Organizers must be grinning. He checked the rest.

"Huh."

Baek-ah in match 6, right after Luna-ri's 5. ...Win this, and 16-strong against Baek-ah. At least not power vocalist Sion. A matchup disaster otherwise. She'd gone to the far block—no finals clash unless both reached the end.

"Hmm."

Dice rolled; no take-backs. He'd just enjoy as a viewer. Luna-ri, meanwhile, was shaking on stream from nerves, spamming "So nervous, so nervous, so nervous" in Discord.

Simple cheer sent, then he enjoyed matches 1 through 4. One VTuber was so wrecked her singing suffered—goat bleats. God, please not Luna-ri.

Viewership climbed steadily toward 40k. Luna-ri's turn neared.

Cat ears twitched at the MC's cue. Pink-haired avatar center-stage, movements stiffer than usual. Tension showed even through the rig—news to him.

Trembling voice. Cheers from curious onlookers flooded chat.

Quick intro, backing track kicked in.

Dong— Acoustic guitar's opening note rang out. Chat hesitated. Not the familiar upbeat beat they'd expected. Decadent bassline under vintage acoustic melody.

Luna-ri's cautious yet intoxicatingly alluring, languid first verse rode the beat.

Stripped of its brash edge, Luna-ri's vocals clung stickily to the minor bass rhythm, seizing viewers' eardrums instantly. As the track built to the killer chorus he'd crafted, his fist clenched, jelly slipping from his grip.

All spotlights zeroed on Luna-ri as sounds cut out then exploded in climax.

Not even singing, yet breathless, he gulped air. Chat crawled slower amid tens of thousands. Frozen, almost. Were they as dazed as him? Chorus erupted; chat exploded.

Question-mark song ended with an exclamation. Luna-ri's vocals melted perfectly into the track, devouring the stage.

Even better than usual, no exaggeration? Competition mode real? As the final verse faded plainly, judge Shin Se-young blinked blankly; screen-shared Lilié jumped screaming "insane."

Luna-ri's overwhelming first strike crushed her foe. Soria's pitch wobbled from the start, cracking on the key high note. Result: obvious.

Luna-ri advances from 32-strong.

Only after the official call did Luna-ri smile.

Bowing amid pouring congrats. Post-match chat still flooded with her performance talk—his mood soared. Partly 'cause he had a hand in the win. Especially gushing from Shin Se-young.

Validation from a pro composer—how could his ego not swell? Sure, she'd been kind to priors, highlighting positives. But his good vibes were enough.

He flinched at that last bit, but Luna-ri would keep his identity secret. Smiling at chat, he belatedly noticed blinking messages.

Grinning at the messages—sent who-knows-when—he smiled too.