1,800 points.
Ponia had been saving her points for this very moment.
"Yes!"
As soon as the auction began, Ponia roared after pressing the bid button faster than anyone else.
Crazy.
Is this really the Ponia we know?
She said she was a hardcore fan, but seeing this makes it obvious.
Who knew our goddess wasn't a goddess but a devotee?
Damn it, I curse Pilgong!
The viewers were a little flustered by this side of Ponia that they had never seen before. Still, seeing their favorite streamer so happy, they decided to just let it slide.
Ponia had been aiming for this from the start and had even told her viewers beforehand.
"I realized it after trying yesterday. Among the SSR-ranked players, Pilgong is the strongest."
If he had not only game knowledge and strategy but also more time, he probably could have reached UR rank. That was Ponia's judgment, and before today's auction began, she had told her viewers in advance,
"I'll save as many points as possible, and even if I have to spend all 2,000 points, I'll make sure to win Pilgong."
With that declaration, she proceeded with the auction, and thanks to the other competitors spending their points early, she was able to secure Pilgong quickly.
"I'm first place."
Ponia was certain of it. The result of her taking first place was already decided in her mind.
"This is insane. What's wrong with her?"
It wasn't even a competition. The moment my auction started, she slammed down the maximum bid so no one else could even try.
At this point, what I had to do was simple.
"So I'm confirmed as the pack mule…."
Wow…
How do you just dump all your points like that?
She basically declared, 'This one's mine.'
Hahahahahahahaha
Bro, confirmed pack mule. Good luck.
The viewers seemed slightly flustered too, as if they hadn't expected 1,800 points to appear so quickly.
Everyone had said it would go over 1,000 points, but that was assuming there would be competition driving the price up. Instead, one person had boldly thrown in the points without any competition at all.
'Are you out of your mind? How do you even do that?'
It was a genuine question. No matter how hardcore a fan she was, if she spent that much, what was she planning to do about the remaining tiers?
While I was clutching my head, the auction for the low-tier players who had gone unsold began.
Since our team had essentially poured all its points into me, we had no choice in other tiers. We were assigned only the players left over after others had made their picks.
That situation continued until the end of the auction, and our team failed to secure a single proper signing.
"Ha… this is driving me crazy…."
I was going to have to carry a log. A ridiculously heavy, mind-numbing log. It would have been strange not to sigh.
After letting out a series of deep sighs, I entered the Quasdae channel and found our team room.
"Hello."
When I opened the door, everyone except me was already there. As I greeted them awkwardly, they nodded in return.
Since they all knew why my energy was low, they looked at me with something close to pity.
As I waited, still sighing, the door opened and Ponia walked in after finishing the auction.
"Hello, every—"
"Wait, let me talk to you for a second."
I grabbed Ponia by the back of the collar as she tried to greet everyone energetically and pulled her aside. She blinked, clearly not understanding what was happening, while the team members waved as if sending her off with a "good luck."
I took her to a place where we could be alone.
"What were you thinking?"
"What do you mean…?"
"The 1,800 points you used on me. What on earth were you thinking to do that?"
"Oh. That?"
When I asked, she answered as if it were nothing. Truly, truly as if it were nothing.
"If I bring Pilgong, we're guaranteed first place."
"What?"
I was so dumbfounded by her answer that I couldn't speak. How could bringing me alone guarantee first place?
If she meant that as a fan she'd already won by getting me, then I'd have nothing to say.
But the moment I looked into Ponia's eyes, I understood.
'She's serious.'
She genuinely believed that bringing me meant first place.
She looks serious.
Isn't 'guaranteed first place if you bring him' a bit overhyped?
Whoever possesses Pilgong shall claim first place or what?
What kind of thought process leads to that conclusion?
His mechanics were good, but even in yesterday's scrim he only got first in the first game.
Like me, the viewers judged the situation coolly.
Because it was such a levelheaded assessment, the question naturally followed: what kind of reasoning leads to that conclusion?
"Ha…."
I sighed. There was nothing more I could say.
If her reason for spending 1,800 points on me was absolute confidence that we would get first if she brought me, what else could I even argue?
"Shall we head back?"
With that, Ponia immediately returned to the team room. Watching her back, I asked the viewers,
"Don't you think I got caught in something?"
Good luck.
Hahahahahahahaha
If you get first, we'll 인정 it.
Just type 'real lol' for real lol.
Just like me, the viewers decided to stop thinking about it. In this situation, laughing was the only answer.
"Whatever happens, happens…."
Muttering that, I followed Ponia back to the waiting room where the team members were.
"She's done something crazy."
Outside the capsule.
At Quazic headquarters, Seungwook, who was monitoring the Quasdae auction, muttered to himself.
The first issue that had arisen after he took overall responsibility for Quasdae—and the one who had joined to solve it—was Pilgong. Because of that, he hadn't expected much.
Dongmin had been a top-tier player in the PC era, but capsules were a completely different domain. Moreover, placing Pilgong in SSR when he hadn't even been in capsules for a month could be considered a gamble.
'But if we hadn't taken that gamble, Quasdae might not even be happening right now.'
In that sense, Seungwook felt he owed Pilgong, Dongmin.
"It seems choosing you wasn't a mistake."
Yesterday's mock auction had been followed by a temporary scrim to check the balance of each rank. Seungwook had monitored it and watched Dongmin's performance in full.
Dongmin performed at a level you could believe was UR, not SSR. However, he also showed a critical flaw—without someone giving orders, issues arose in farming and positioning.
UR mechanics, N brain. A very fitting mix.
As he watched the auction progress and saw Pilgong's name appear last, Seungwook smirked. Knowing his friend's personality, he was probably screaming in despair at being last.
Then the final turn came. After witnessing Ponia's stunt with his own eyes, Seungwook muttered,
"This could… become controversial."
1,800 points. Nearly 90 percent of the 2,000 points given to a team leader.
She had spent that in one go on an SSR-ranked player. If it had gone up through competition, it would have been one thing. But Ponia had spent the points in a way that declared she wouldn't even allow competition.
If they ended up taking first place, people might say the balance had been poorly designed.
"What do we even do about this…."
Seungwook thought it over, but this wasn't the kind of issue that had a clear solution. It had to be left purely to skill and luck.
There was a way, technically. But he was extremely reluctant to use it.
"I could ask him to hold back and not take first… but that's not right."
He had no intention of solving one problem by creating an even bigger one later. In the end, all Seungwook could do was hope that no controversy would arise.
"Hello! Team Ponia."
"Hello!"
At commentator Sung Jinyu's greeting, Ponia, as the team representative, began speaking. After finishing the other teams' interviews, it was finally our turn.
And there was one thing that couldn't be left out of our team's interview.
"You selected Pilgong without a moment's hesitation, spending 1,800 points. Could you tell us why?"
"I already told my team members and him earlier. 'Because if I pick him, we're guaranteed first place.'"
"Guaranteed first place if you pick him?"
It seemed even Sung Jinyu doubted his own ears a little. Given how boldly she had said something so unusual, that reaction was only natural.
Even the person picked and the team members couldn't fully accept it, so it would have been stranger if a third party had immediately agreed.
"That's some incredible confidence. Then what does the man worth 1,800 points think about it?"
"I'll start by saying that was nonsense from our team leader."
The arrow of the interview turned to me. I opened my mouth boldly, trying to rebuild the expectations that Ponia had just blown sky-high.
I felt a bit sorry for Ponia, whom I had only just met yesterday, but if she said things like that and piled on the pressure, I wouldn't be able to perform properly.
"So does that mean first place is unrealistic?"
"I don't think bringing me guarantees first place. However, we'll aim for first and do our best."
"Understood. Then let's hear what the other team members think."
After my interview ended, Sung Jinyu immediately turned to the others. While they were being interviewed, Ponia came over to me and asked,
"Why did you say it like that just now?"
Her face clearly said, 'I'm upset.'
As a hardcore fan, she had tried to hype up the person she liked, only for that very person to reject it.
Still, I answered calmly.
"I don't like it. Carrying that kind of burden."
"No, that's not what I meant…"
"I've already taken on enough pressure with 1,800 points. I refuse to take on more."
"…Okay."
At my words, she looked dejected.
I wasn't going to comfort her. If she were just an ordinary fan, maybe. But she was a streamer. She could handle this much.
That's cold.
I get it though.
Hardcore fan or not, piling on pressure like that would be annoying.
He literally told her earlier that it was burdensome. What was she thinking saying that openly in an official interview?
Honestly, he was being pretty nice about it.
The viewers sympathized with me. Still, I didn't want this kind of talk to escalate, so I drew a clear line.
"Thanks for understanding, but please don't go to communities or her stream to say anything. This ends here."
Even after saying that, some people would still do it. But mentioning it would at least reduce the number of those who might.
Yeah.
Okay.
Got it.
Okay.
Yeah yeah yeah.
The viewers at least showed agreement. That would minimize any harm to the other side. Just as I was wrapping things up, the other team members' interviews also came to an end.
"Alright then, Team Ponia, thank you for the interview."
"Thank you."
With that, the interview ended and only our team remained. The first to speak was our coach, Fisher.
"Alright then, let's start by introducing ourselves."