Chapter 30: “I’m a bit on the introverted side.”

“Alright, with that, the auction comes to an end!”

“Wow, what an unexpected combination of teams we’ve got here.”

“For the directors who couldn’t recruit their desired players, it’s unfortunate, but these are now your team members. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to work together for the next two weeks.”

“The semifinals will start in two weeks, right?”

“Yes, it’s a relatively short amount of time. Two weeks from now, at this same time, the semifinals for Group A and Group B will take place. Each match will follow a best-of-three format.”

“Each team is given two ban cards. The directors will have to diligently analyze who the ace players are on the opposing team and what their main picks are in order to use those ban cards effectively.”

“Indeed, the ban-pick phase is one of the highlights of team battles. You can almost hear the directors’ heads spinning from here.”

“With that, we’ll conclude the broadcast for the introduction of rules and participants of the 1st *Agent of War* Streamer Tournament of 2030.”

“Thank you to all the viewers for tuning in.”

The hosts at the desk bow their heads respectfully.

Finally, it’s over.

I glanced at the chat window and mentally organized the team I had been assigned to.

So, my team was led by the director “Jacky.” I had the highest tier on the team, with the others being Platinum, Gold, Gold, and Silver.

Apparently, Grandmaster and Challenger players weren’t allowed to participate in this inaugural tournament due to balance considerations.

With Master being the highest tier in the competition, it reminded me of a PC café tournament I once participated in with my friends.

Jacky’s team was composed of a Platinum, two Gold players, and a Silver player. Out of these, one Gold and the Silver player were unclaimed leftovers from the auction.

Their nicknames were Tex, Ryua, and Cheolwoo. And the last one… What was their name again?

I couldn’t remember.

Still holding the ramen noodles in my mouth, I scratched my head, trying to recall the name of the last team member. Should I rewatch the broadcast?

At that moment, a notification popped up.

[Jacky_ : Mollru, could you hop onto Discord right now?]

It was a message from our team director, Jacky.

Oh, right now?

Do teams usually hold meetings as soon as they’re formed?

[Mollru >> Jacky_: Sure, I’m available.]

I quickly moved the pot of ramen off my desk, sent my Discord ID, and was promptly invited to a Discord room.

The other five members were already present.

Seeing the active call and the glowing profiles, it was clear I was the last to join.

There’s nothing more awkward than jumping into a conversation already in progress.

Sliding into the ongoing chatter, I greeted everyone.

“Hello…”

“Ah, can you hear me? This is Tex speaking.”

“Loud and clear.”

“It’s a bit choppy on my end; give me a moment.”

A cheerful male voice with a slightly higher pitch, but not overly brash—this must be Tex.

Responding to him were the deeper tones of Cheolwoo and the director, Jacky.

Tex’s excited voice echoed between their replies.

“I’m really looking forward to this! When I first got the offer to join the tournament, I was genuinely surprised. I wanted to participate, but I wasn’t sure I’d get in.”

“Same here! I’ve never had this many viewers before! It’s also my first time playing with other streamers like this. It’s going to be so much fun!”

“I’m a bit… nervous, honestly. The scale of this is massive. And the prize money, too.”

A high-pitched, lively female voice chimed in, echoing Tex’s enthusiasm—this must be Ryua.

In contrast, another woman’s softer, more delicate voice mumbled quietly.

The timid-sounding streamer, Papijoa, seemed visibly nervous.

“Well, it’s not entirely a good thing. If you lose, people start pointing fingers, and the pressure increases because of the viewer count. Plus, there’s a lot of backseat gaming.”

From practice to tournaments, everything is watched closely.

Cheolwoo, the only streamer whose name I already knew, finally spoke up.

I remembered watching his videos a few times on YouTube.

Real name: Lee Cheolwoo. Streamer alias: Cheolwoo.

Known as “Cheolhyung” on his streams, he’s a veteran in the streaming world, with a solid base of regular viewers.

Unlike most participants, who join tournaments to promote themselves, he seemed to have a different purpose.

His introduction stated that he participated in this tournament simply because he wanted to play games with other streamers.

As the oldest and most experienced member here, his comments reflected the inevitable shadows that come with tournaments like this.

“Ugh… Backseat gaming. Now I’m getting worried. What should I do?”

Ryua, who seemed to have had her fair share of bad experiences, reacted immediately to the mention of backseat gaming.

Tex and Cheolwoo quickly comforted her.

But… did no one hear my greeting?

I couldn’t find the right timing to greet them again.

It was hard to interrupt when everyone seemed so comfortable chatting.

I mean, it’s not even awkward for people meeting for the first time. There’s no dead air at all.

Why is everyone getting along so well?

“Is everyone here? I know you’re all busy with your streams, so thank you for coming together. Today, we’ll keep it short. I just wanted to chat briefly instead of having a big meeting.”

The director, Jacky, finally spoke.

“Director, I don’t think Mollru has joined yet.”

“Mollru isn’t here? I sent the invite earlier.”

“Did something happen? Let me check their stream to see if they’re still live.”

Cheolwoo’s deep voice turned the attention toward me.

Suddenly, everyone was looking for me.

“I-I’m here! Ahem, I’m already in the call.”

Caught off guard, my voice cracked slightly.

The viewers watching had a field day mocking me.

[“Teacher, you should’ve introduced yourself loudly so we’d know you were here LOL.”]

[“Wait, they were here? I couldn’t tell because they were so quiet.”]

[“This is the first time I’ve heard them talk.”]

[“Ahahaha.”]

[“Childhood trauma unlocked…”]

[“This hits me hard.”]

[“Same energy as us introverts. I feel you, Mollru.”]

[“Acting all loud on their stream but now they’re just a keyboard warrior?”]

[“They were pretty tough on Sua and Daesik, though.”]

[“Yeah, but both of them are kinda easy targets lol.”]

[“Real men don’t waste words. Mollru’s a legend I respect.”]

[“Uh, Mollru’s a woman, though?”]

[“LMAO.”]

[“LMAO indeed.”]

The chat had been mocking me since the start of the conversation, and this time, I couldn’t deny any of it. I stayed quiet.

“Oh, you were here! Alright, then we’re all present. It seems like everyone’s introduced themselves briefly. Today, let’s talk about the agents each of you use and brainstorm some team compositions.”

“Team compositions are crucial for team games.”

“Director, don’t we need a team name too?”

“A team name, huh? That’s a good idea. Let’s decide on that today as well.”

Cheers erupted from the group, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere.

Through my headset, I could hear applause and shouts of agreement.

Unable to match their tempo, I just awkwardly clapped along.

**<Donation from Mollru’s Loyal Masochist Daesik: 1000 KRW!>**

[“Is this person always this awkward? Why are they so quiet?”]

Ignoring the infuriating donation message, I focused on what the director was saying.

“Now, let’s each talk about the picks we can handle. Tex, you’re listed as a veteran soldier, scout, outlaw, and bomb expert, is that right?”

“Yeah, I’ve tried other agents a bit too. If needed, I can practice with other picks. Oh, recently I’ve been using the swordsman a lot, and that’s one of my main picks.”

“Who are you showing the swordsman to right now?”

Cheolwoo’s voice, mixed with laughter, made Tex respond with a startled “Ah!”

The swordsman had already become my trademark.

It didn’t matter if someone else used it, though.

“Oh, right, Mollru’s here. I’ll skip the swordsman then.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Tex, speaking enthusiastically, and Jacky, tapping on his keyboard.

Tex was the next highest-tier player after me, at platinum.

He would likely take the dealer position.

One by one, each person listed their main agents as Jacky took notes, and the process repeated.

“PapiJoah, you’re good with Medic and Bard. Have you tried Witch?”

“No, should I try it?”

“No, let’s leave it for now. If it becomes necessary, we’ll try it later during practice.”

Finally, it was my turn.

“Mollru, you’re good with Swordsman, Sniper… and you can handle any other agents, right?”

“Yeah, I can handle all of them.”

“So does that mean you’re just as skilled with other agents like Swordsman or Sniper?”

“Yeah. I can handle all roles, from dealers to tanks.”

When I listed my most-picked agents, I decided to show my full range of abilities.

Honestly, I mainly played Swordsman and Sniper after my physical stats improved, but before that, I focused on more strategic roles like Veteran Soldier or Scout.

Aside from those, I was experienced with most agents that didn’t require extreme physical skills.

Although I haven’t used them recently, those experiences weren’t something I could forget.

“Wow… that’s impressive. I don’t quite get it, but it seems like building a composition will be much easier now. I feel more confident.”

I’m weak to blatant compliments.

As I awkwardly smiled, Jacky shifted the topic to something else.

“Alright, we’ve looked at the picks. Now, let’s come up with a team name. Any ideas?”

“Hmm, what about ‘Mollru’?”

“Isn’t that a bit too focused on Mollru? How about ‘Cheonje,’ like ‘Cheonha Jeil,’ meaning the best in the world?”

“That’s too old-school, bro. It’s not the vibe these days…”

Several other suggestions came up, but none were very promising.

“Something like ‘Mollru,’ or Moll?ru. Mollrrrrrrrru.”

Most of these were just Tex rambling.

Why does Tex keep trying to use my name for the team name?

“Mollru, how about that?”

“Is it just from the first letter?”

“Oh, I just threw it together.”

Ryuah, who hadn’t said anything until now, suggested something.

“Doesn’t that sound a bit forced? Since ‘Papi’ sounds like a dog’s name…”

“That’s ‘Puppy,’ not ‘Papi.’ There’s also a brand called Papi nowadays.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“…I think this is the best option out of everything that’s been suggested so far.”

Tex was stopped by Ryuah, and PapiJoah agreed.

Cheolwoo, who had been sulking after hearing that his suggestion was too old-fashioned, spoke up.

“But, don’t you think the director’s name is missing?”

“Oh, I’m fine with whatever. It’s hard to come up with a good combination anyway.”

After much discussion, the team “Cheoltexpapi is Mollru” was formed.

Among the cheering people, I stared at the monitor with a somewhat confused expression.

What a weird name… I hope this team does well.

To be continued.