Chapter 137
『Alright! Now, does anyone have any other opinions? No? Then, let’s move on to Spoon, who lost to the unranked ‘Synchronization Rate 10.’』
The middle screen changed. The second A player. It was Spoon.
The introduction text was written exactly as Ark had said, without a single typo, just like it had been for Sojun.
“Is that really okay?”
Sojun asked the viewers with a smile.
Sojun had also received a request for permission from the operations team the previous day. Was it the same here?
-I have no idea, hahaha
-Seems like the operations team means business this time
-They gave permission for that?
『Alright. Spoon’s position is the main damage dealer, and they are an unwavering Challenger. While it seems they’ve been camped by someone recently, to viewers, they’re a carry machine that can lead the team to victory with just a little good execution! They’re the quintessential Bus Driver! Furthermore, being the only A-tier main damage dealer, their value is all the more unique!』
-True, can’t deny
-It’s good when the top player is the main damage dealer
-Since when were main damage dealers seen as royal nobles? Those spoonheads
‘Spoonhead’ was a derogatory term for main damage dealers from ages ago.
The idea was that main damage dealers always just piggybacked on everyone else’s hard work.
Alternatively, they needed to be spoon-fed to perform.
Or, they might as well be hitting with a spoon.
This sentiment no longer held.
“I have a bit of expertise when it comes to spoons. Well, more accurately, pipes.”
-Pipe killer, whoa
『Ah, I forgot to relay the operations team’s message. The introduction was created at Spoon’s request. They intend to persevere and take revenge. Haha. Just what kind of person is Spoon!』
So, it was like that?
* * *
The LoS pre-event ended two hours later.
『Please give a round of applause for the team leaders who worked hard so far!』
-Clap clap clap
-Wow!
-Clap
-Clap clap clap
That double “jjeut” was meant to express the sound of clapping rather than a clicking tongue.
『And to Ark-nim who provided commentary for us!』
Ha Yunho adeptly followed up.
『Wow, both the team leaders and Ark-nim are impressive. Out of 25 players, it seemed like they didn’t know a single one.』
-True, lol
-I still don’t know anyone except the Streamer-nim and Taewoo
-That’s what professionalism is
-They must’ve crammed the info for days
It made sense why Taewoo had been fixated on only videos for the last two days.
“I only know Alpaca-nim, Rumi-nim whom I met during the Point internal match, Softie-nim, and Wind Sword-nim.”
The new piece of information was that Alpaca was a mid-lane player?
-You only know people you’ve met personally, streamer-nim, lol
-Your lack of effort is staggering, lol
-Not like you’re a team leader anyway
That’s right.
If you’re not a team leader, there’s no need to get familiar with everyone.
Once the team is decided tomorrow, that will be plenty of time to learn.
“Professionalism is professionalism. So, I shall now take my leave.”
-Ah…
-Don’t you have a streamer mindset?
-Please, prioritize streaming over health!
-When will you learn?
-You grew up too fast…
-Find the original mindset
-No, don’t go back to how you started!!!
“It’s the tournament tomorrow. See ya.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sojun ended the stream and got up from his chair.
Having had an entertaining watch, he immediately went to Taewoo’s room.
“Hey, brother, why are you here?”
Taewoo hurriedly pressed Alt-Tab to hide the window on his monitor.
“What are you hiding?”
“Oh, it’s a matter of privacy. It’s the Bulbul folder!”
Crazy guy.
Seeing him trying to cover up with such a wild excuse proved that he was indeed a madman.
“Doesn’t seem like it? Were you perhaps strategizing?”
Sojun hadn’t seen any content.
He didn’t burst in suddenly; he quietly opened the door, but Taewoo read his presence the moment he grabbed the doorknob and swiftly pressed Alt-Tab.
Still, it was obvious what he’d be doing.
“Uh, correct. So what? I’m not showing you anyway.”
Taewoo readily admitted.
Sojun snickered, knowing this would be the case, and asked why.
“Why? I’m not a competitor, just a participant.”
“True, but I’m still not showing it. Do you think I’m crazy? Who knows what strategy you might use to mess with me?”
Oh.
‘He knows me too well.’
The reason Taewoo didn’t try to appease him was exactly this.
Since he couldn’t predict what Sojun might do!
However, Taewoo was unaware that Sojun had already involved Ha Yunho from the very start.
“I’m starting to think it might be wise to eliminate someone who knows too much about me.”
Sojun pondered seriously.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
However, he decided that it’s beneficial to have at least one friend who can be a reverse mentor in life, and scrapped his plan entirely.
“Well, just joking. I actually have something to discuss.”
“What is it?”
“Back at the beginning of the pre-event…”
Taewoo caught on to what Sojun was about to say and quickly got ahead of him.
“Oh right. I’m sorry!”
‘Though I might have slightly forgotten the detail, no false propaganda was spread.’
Taewoo tried to make excuses but realized it would be futile to say more.
“Oh, I’m really sorry!”
Guess it’s best to sleep at the family home tonight.
* * *
Taewoo’s intentions were good.
Going easy on Sojun was not a bad thing for him, either.
It wasn’t about wanting to go to Ha Yunho’s team.
Simply, it was beneficial for the auction to have him sold at a low price.
For that reason.
‘Winning would be easier.’
Sojun hoped to be moderately devalued, sold at a reasonable price, and end up on a reasonable team.
At that level, aiming for victory seemed worthwhile.
If he entered B, he wouldn’t have to worry much about the team, but post-victory streaming would be a concern, so that was out of the question.
Thus, Sojun displayed his skills but also exhibited some weaknesses.
There might be those who understood that a weakness voluntarily displayed by a beast is not a weakness but a trap, but they would reconsider nonetheless.
‘The league is not something one can handle alone.’
Honestly, it’s uncertain now, but seven years ago, he often experienced defeat.
It’s only natural in a team game.
‘Though past times were tough, highlighting the importance of team members regardless.’
He wanted to win.
Therefore, today’s auction held significance.
『Hello, everyone! The streamers’ grand party begins now! I’m Arin, your announcer for this LoS!』
-Wow!
-Arin nuna is beautiful!
-Streamer-nim would look prettier dressed as a woman
-Stay quiet
-The official start of LoS!
-Isn’t Sojun in A tier, 1st tier? Right, Sojun is 1st tier in A?
『And we also have Ark, a former professional Penguin, and Sun here for the commentary!』
Sojun was likewise seated and streaming today as well.
This was incredibly convenient.
“Except for Ark among the commentators, the others are former professionals.”
They introduced themselves briefly and exchanged casual conversations.
They talked about past events or stories known to ardent viewers.
Then, the caster began discussing today’s schedule.
『With a total prize of 100 million and the latest capsule worth an extra 100 million for individuals, this tournament’s grand prize is unprecedented! Today, we’ll auction to form teams, and later, decide which group to join in the group stage through a game. What that game is remains a secret for now!』
Ark added his remarks.
『If we reveal it now, they might choose players good at that particular game during the auction! The games will be disclosed only after the auction! After the teams have been formed!』
LoS proceeds with a group stage followed by a tournament.
In the group stage, each team forms a group of three, facing each other once each.
Then, they drop the lowest-ranked team from each group and proceed to the semifinals, the tournament stage.
‘Doesn’t ‘The League’s world tournament operate this way?’
If you think about it, european soccer leagues are run similarly.
『So, let’s talk about the auction system? The auction in LoS is unique, isn’t it? Penguin, can you explain?』
A window with the rules filled the screen, and Penguin began explaining the most basic system.
The points each team leader starts with vary.
Out of a total of 1,000 points, deductions occur based on the team leader’s LoS rank.
The deduction amount for each rank, considering the historical average winning bid in LoS, was as follows: E ranks cost 5, D ranks costs 50, C costs 100, and B costs 150.
In essence, a team leader with rank E would get 995 points, while rank D would get 950 points.
Until now, no team leader in LoS has been selected at rank A. This time was no different.
The order of players in the auction is set through a pre-draw.
The minimum bid point for the auction is 5 points, and responses must be made within 15 seconds.
If the bidding fails, the player’s turn moves to the end. Once all teams but one select players per rank, one remaining player naturally goes to the last team left.
『Is there anything special to note?』
『Of course there is. Unlike during the previous PC phase, when moving to virtual reality, the most mischievous aspect that’s changed is this auction system. The basic rules remain unchanged. But before, they grouped players of similar skills and matched positions for the auction, didn’t they?』
In the past, instead of dividing by skill levels, they just divided by position.
And each team could only recruit one player per position, ensuring nobody would suffer terribly.
『Yes, so I guess a team being a total mess rarely happened.』
『Exactly. Even if you missed the players you wanted or ended up with only unsuccessful bids, the players’ skills were similar, and positions didn’t overlap!』
『But now things are different, aren’t they?』
『Yes. Perhaps more people are familiar with this, but upon transitioning to LoS, the operations team started paying no mind to positions.』
Precisely, the moment they began grouping players based on skill, arranging them to perfectly have six players per line out of 30 became meaningless.
Thus, it’s crucial to perform well in the auction.
『Though the peculiar individual affecting this is selected by Penguin-nim, right?』
『Yes, which indeed raises suspicion.』
『Ah.』
『Anyway, they ensured obtaining at least one player of similar skill while ignoring positions, which might seem fair, but if teammates start overlapping in positions,there’s no answer to it!』
『Understandable.』
『So, lower-tier players reportedly scream about learning new lines every time.』
『That becomes another point to watch for! Now, let’s proceed with selecting the auction order through a draw, shall we?』
-Streamer-nim, what would be a good number for you?
-Were people going to buy anyone other than those with a strong mental though? lolf
-The drawing is rolling out
Players emerge randomly and the order is finalized.
The first was someone Sojun knew.
Rumi.
The second was an unknown streamer.
The third was the same.
And then.
『Oh?』
『Haha, an intriguing A player has appeared first.』
It was Sojun.
* * *
After unveiling the auction order, there was a brief interview with the team leaders.
All wore expressions as if they’d bitten into something bitter.
Sojun understood how they felt.
‘Regardless of the outcome, this would’ve been troublesome.’
The odds of the auction sequence unfolding in one’s desired narrative were slim.
The bigger issue was.
“The fact I’m in fourth place.”
It was unfavorable. Very unfavorable indeed.
Things might have been different if he had been placed further, once points had been somewhat spent.
“Ah! Rumi is going unsold! She received quite decent evaluations among D’s. Not even 5 points spent. She’s moved to the end. The next streamer is…”
The following streamer also went unsold.
And the third streamer.
『Mental – 5 points』
『A bid has been made! Mental is famous for buying impulsively in the previous tournament, isn’t he?』
『Yeah. He bizarrely assembles his team, yet his results aren’t altogether bad. Quite intriguing, this person.』
『No other bids? Do they go for 5 points? It’s always satisfying to acquire a desired C-level asset for just 5 points!』
『Ah! No other bids! Then the next player is Sojun. His evaluation wasn’t particularly good yesterday, so what’ll happen?』
The caster seemed to think Sojun would either go unsold or be bought by Mental for cheap.
But Sojun could only watch with a grim demeanor.
He seemed to know the outcome.
『Bidding starts now! Oh?』
Messages in the auction chat zoomed up momentarily.
『Mental – 5 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 10 points』
『Mental – 15 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 20 points』
『Mental – 25 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 30 points』
『Oh, they’re frantically smashing the bid buttons!』
『Team Leader Kim Taewoo, what’s your intention here? You talked trash yesterday. Are you telling Mental to give up on buying cheap?』
『Mental – 85 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 95 points』
『Mental – 100 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 105 points』
『Mental – 110 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 115 points』
『In less than 3 seconds, it surpasses 100! The two team leaders are rapidly clicking the mouse!』
Sojun felt a surge of unease. It wasn’t because the points were increasing in increments of 5 rapidly. A’s generally cost between 300 to 400.
The real issue was Ha Yunho.
Why is he staying silent?
The reason was soon made clear.
He was gearing up for something substantial.
『Ha Yunho – 500 points』
『Kim Taewoo – 505 points』
『What?』
Mental’s tapping hand paused. And Taewoo, also tapping furiously, was outbid.
Immediately, the next bid emerged.
『Ha Yunho – 600 points』
『They’ve lost it! Truly insane!』
Ha Yunho, raising by 100 per turn.
The confidence felt as though daring them to challenge his bid.
Yet, dropping out here wouldn’t be characteristic of a streamer.
Therefore, Mental pushed onward.
『Mental – 605 points』
Consequently, the next message appeared.
『Ha Yunho – 700 points』
『They’ve lost it! Truly insane!』
『This shows absolute commitment to securing him, right? Or simply driving up the price?』
『A stark contrast from the previous night!』
A silence fell, and for the first time, the auction’s timer dropped below 15 seconds.
『15』
『14』
『13』
『12』
…
And Sojun could only watch the monitor with a sense of absurdity.
Huh.
Phew.
‘Shouldn’t have asked for favors?’
He was in trouble.
Ha Yunho’s remaining points after winning the auction were 295.
It might seem like a lot, but it was just enough to acquire a popular top asset, given a bit of good luck.
Considering it’s an auction with bidding competition.
‘Quite spectacular.’
Given his acquaintance with Taewoo, it should have been anticipated.
‘It couldn’t be helped.’
Even so, this wasn’t bad.
In all likelihood, Ha Yunho had made calculations that this was the best setup allowing him to secure Sojun and build a balanced team.
However, both Sojun and Ha Yunho were unaware.
At this point, it was merely a lull.
『3』
『2』
『1』
“Will it end like this?”
『Kim Taewoo – 750 points』
The auction reignited.