With EmployeeD's unbelievable performance, Mugeon's team had wiped out an entire squad in an instant.
The chat, which had laughed at her bold declaration about winning first place, was now filled with sheer awe.
— What the helllllllllllllll?!
— Holy shit LOL
— ??????
— HOW DID SHE EVEN DO THAT?
— WOW
— INSANE
— Damn, what CAN’T EmployeeD do?!
:: Anonymous donor has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: She does perfect impressions, raps like a pro, is ridiculously cute, AND can solo-kill ex-pros in Battle Colosseum?! Just what ARE you, EmployeeD?!!! ::
— EMPLOYEED!!!
— DAMN IT, EMPLOYEED!!
— I found my new dopamine source.
— Seriously, is there ANYTHING she CAN'T do?!
— JUST DEBUT ALREADY!!!!!
— So is she actually "MugeonIsASecretMomoAnti"?
— Was she really the one who sniped Mugeon?!
Watching this unfold, Mugeon had a thought.
Sure, constantly reading out her full username had burned the name into everyone’s heads, which was great for her marketing.
But hadn’t she said she was here to promote 1st Gen’s Anniversary Song?
Because right now, it felt more like a damn EmployeeD showcase.
At this rate, if they suddenly announced "this is actually her debut stream," the whole chat would just nod in understanding and start clapping.
Feeling oddly concerned, Mugeon subtly tried to get her attention.
“1stGen1stAnniversarySongReleasesNov5, you remember what you're supposed to do later, right?”
But EmployeeD was too far gone, completely possessed by her double-barrel shotgun.
She was running across the battlefield like a madwoman, actively hunting for enemies.
... Yeah. No way they were having a conversation until the game was over.
Sighing, Mugeon repositioned himself and told their support, Won-hyuk,
"Watch her back. Don't let her die."
[She’s diving so recklessly I can’t even find a good way to enter with her...]
"What, you scared you're gonna die first?"
[She’s the one who broke down the damn door. If I run in after her, I’m just gonna get shot in the face by whoever was camping at the entrance.]
It was an accurate analysis.
EmployeeD's attack style was pure brute force.
Normally, when people got stuck inside a smoke cloud, they'd try to escape.
EmployeeD?
She just threw another smoke forward.
Retreating was simply not an option.
And yet—
Despite the fact that she was surrounded by pro-tier players, she wasn’t even slightly afraid.
Maybe that insane confidence was what convinced Mugeon to just roll with it.
"Don't follow her in. Just cover from the outside. She can handle herself."
[If she dies, though, it's just going to make things harder for us. YOU might not care because you make money from streaming, but I actually want to win the prize pool.]
"It’s just the warm-up round. And besides, you've been watching her move this whole time, right? Just bend your movement like she does. If she doesn’t die, we win."
Won-hyuk sighed heavily, already worried about the next round.
[Fine. But can I say one thing?]
"Go for it."
[This isn't really a strategy. It’s just brute force. The whole lobby has already seen it, so what’s stopping them from countering it next round?]
It was a valid point.
It looked like EmployeeD was steamrolling through squads effortlessly,
But this lobby was filled with high-tier players.
The only reason her plan had worked was because everyone underestimated her.
If they'd known in advance that she could nail headshots through smoke, they wouldn't have gotten caught so easily.
And once a tactic had been used once in the Mooving Crew’s in-house matches, people adapted immediately.
That’s why these scrims were so brutal.
What worked one round would not work the next.
"Whatever. 1stGen1stAnniversarySongReleasesNov5 told me not to hold her back, so I won’t. If she screws up, that’s on her."
[...Ugh. Fine. I’ll try my best to keep her alive.]
At that moment, a donation alert popped up.
:: Anonymous donor has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Mugeon, you’re way quieter than usual today. If this were Momo, you’d be roasting her nonstop. ::
Mugeon smirked.
"Come on, be realistic. Momo just talks shit without backing it up. 1stGen1stAnniversarySongReleasesNov5 actually has the skills to talk shit.
You guys just don’t know how to recognize real talent."
And that was when EmployeeD, mid-sprint, suddenly stopped moving.
It was only for a brief second.
Then she started running again—directly toward Mugeon’s position.
But by then, it was too late.
TING.
A grenade bounced off the rock behind him.
Mugeon’s soul nearly left his body as he slid backwards at full speed.
BOOM!
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His shield barely held on—two of the three bars shattered instantly.
On the kill feed, an ally’s username shifted side to side, as if they were shaking their head in disappointment.
Then, EmployeeD’s voice—silent for so long—came through the mic.
[Don't talk shit about my boss.]
— ????????
— WAIT, THAT WAS EMPLOYEED?
— I THOUGHT SHE WAS TOO FOCUSED TO LISTEN?!
— SHE JUST THREW A GRENADE AT HER OWN TEAMMATE LOL
— MURDER ATTEMPT???
:: Anonymous donor has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: Rumor has it, EmployeeD has been brainwashed by Momo. Can this be confirmed? ::
*
Of course, the news eventually reached Dohee, who was busy managing everything behind the scenes.
"Boss. Take a look at this."
Kang Ji-ho, the head of operations, handed her a short clip.
Judging by the footage, it looked like Magia was making waves—though for more reasons than just her in-game performance.
"...Might as well put up a giant neon sign saying she’s my number one simp."
"Fufu. But it’s cute, isn’t it?"
She kept pulling unpredictable moves, but each and every one of them had a raw comedic quality to them.
Judging by the chat’s reaction and the discussions popping up in the community forums, this whole thing was practically turning into Magia’s debut stream.
[ (🔴Live) Special Guest Joins October’s Week 4 In-House Match ] 👪 30,004 viewers
Even though the rate of increase had slowed a bit, the live viewer count was still steadily rising.
More importantly, "1st Gen's Anniversary Song Releases Nov 5" was already burned into the minds of everyone watching.
Even if the stream ended right now, the numbers on their return-on-investment sheets were laughing all the way to the bank.
After all, they hadn’t spent a single dime to make this happen—Dora had drawn the illustration for free, and Magia had dragged all the attention to herself through sheer chaotic energy (and that damn sniper takedown).
At this rate, it wouldn’t even be surprising if the finance and PR teams started bombarding Magia with questions about how the hell she managed to pull off this kind of viral marketing.
But Magia still had one last card to play.
The teaser video, which she had promised to reveal after the match.
The problem was finding the right moment to drop it.
Right now, everyone’s attention was locked onto Magia.
If they played the teaser at this very second, it might just confuse people instead.
Some might even get mad, going, "Wait, what?! Why isn’t this an announcement for EmployeeD's debut?!"
It seemed like Magia had caught onto this too, choosing to delay the teaser until the end of the match...
But she couldn’t keep putting it off forever.
If she could redirect all this attention, if she could take control of the moment—
Then this would be a defining example of Magia proving her worth as an influencer.
And that would solidify her importance within the company.
Right now, everyone in Parallel knew that Magia was an irreplaceable part of their machine—
But if she could pull this off?
Then they wouldn’t just see her as a necessary piece.
They’d start seeing her as a high-value asset.
And that perception could change everything.
***
The warm-up match was over.
And the result?
[1st Place - Mugun's Team | Mugun / Deunggulhwiep / 1stGen1stAnniversarySongNovember5Release]
— Wait, they actually won?!
— Must've been Mugun carrying lol.
— Rode the bus, drink up~
— ? EmployeeD did all the work, what are you talking about?
— As expected of The Mugun.
— King God D.
Some argued that Mugun carried, while others insisted EmployeeD did all the heavy lifting.
But in the end, it was a dual-carry strategy where Mugun and Magia took turns dominating the match.
As the teams prepared for the main games, the universal conclusion was:
"We underestimated EmployeeD too much."
Every single team had tried to counter her reckless charges—only to get wiped out first.
Once their formation collapsed, Mugun's pinpoint sniper support finished the job.
That said, many agreed with Park Won-hyuk, their support player, that this was just the first round.
"Now that we know how she plays, we just have to keep our distance and herd her like prey. There's no way we lose again."
But Mugun?
He was thinking the exact opposite.
"Let’s keep going like this. Feels good."
Magia shot back instantly.
[Feels good? Your support fire was a mess.]
— LMAO
— What do you mean, he literally did everything?!
— He sniped, pinged enemy locations, provided cover fire—what else do you want?!
— Damn, she's demanding LOL.
At this point, Mugun was well aware that Magia hated him.
It wasn’t just a casual rivalry—it had the feral energy of an obsessive anti-fan.
Not that it bothered him.
He’d been a streamer for two years now.
And he knew exactly how to turn this into entertainment.
"Oh, really? I thought the charging was the problem."
[Then who got more kills?]
"Oh, we’re doing kill counts now?"
— Hmm.
— She’s got a point.
— You lost. Twice.
— Wait, twice?
— Bro, we didn’t think you’d lose again, man.
"Damn, y’all really want me to go serious mode, huh."
— Bruh, weren’t you already trying?
— We saw you shooting, bro.
— Mid-gun, not Mugun.
Ignoring the teasing in chat, Mugun made a proposal.
"1stGen1stAnniversarySongNovember5Release. Since we’re already talking about kills, how about a kill wager for the next three rounds?"
It was a sudden challenge, meant to catch her off guard.
But Magia didn't take the bait.
[I thought the next round was the last one?]
"Come on. Kill wagers are fun. And one round isn’t enough—too many random variables. What do you say? Two more rounds? Final-final-final match extension?"
[No.]
— LMAOOOOO
— C’mon, old man, just two more rounds~
— I swear he’s not a bad guy, Magia-chan~
— Now that she said no, I wanna make her stay even more LOL.
— Don't gooooooo.
The chat was practically begging her to stay.
It wasn’t every day someone stood their ground against Mugun like this.
It almost felt like watching two veteran streamers throwing verbal punches at each other.
Riding the momentum, Mugun went all-in.
"Guys. Show some effort. You think you can just ask a busy person to stay for free?"
[That’s literally you—]
"Hurry up! Where’s the mission donations? Chop chop! If you don’t send anything, the next round will start, and then it’s over!"
Ding.
:: Mission ::
:: EmployeeD, please play two more rounds – 100,000 won ::
Magia muttered.
[We can’t just extend the match without discussing it with everyone.]
Mugun countered immediately.
"What are you talking about? We usually play at least four rounds. Today’s only shorter because 1stGen1stAnniversarySongNovember5Release is busy."
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
With over 30,000 viewers, the donations piled up instantly.
:: Mission ::
:: EmployeeD, please play two more rounds – 1,090,000 won ::
Even with small amounts like 1,000 or 5,000 won, it quickly surpassed a million.
But Magia wasn’t the type to be swayed by money.
The only reason she showed up on Rain's stream before was because it directly benefited Rain.
Fazizik (the streaming platform) ranked streamers based on daily, weekly, and monthly donations.
The 4.25 million won she pulled in that day put Rain on the front page, massively boosting his viewership.
But on Mugun's stream?
Why should she care?
Even if this mission money hit ten million won, it would only boost Mugun’s rankings, not hers.
:: Mission ::
:: EmployeeD, please play two more rounds – 1,845,000 won ::
So even when it neared a million in dollars, she still rejected it.
[Sorry, but I’m not accepting the mission.]
...But.
What if she could get something else instead of money?
[But I’d be willing to accept something else.]
Mugun stroked his chin, intrigued.
"Something else, huh. What do you want?"
From the moment the stream started, Magia knew she was at the center of attention.
But that attention?
She didn’t give a damn about it.
The reason she had been so quiet while playing?
She had been thinking.
[After the in-house match, host a Parallel Song World Cup.]
She had been figuring out how to redirect all this attention back to 1st Gen’s anniversary.