novelraw Chapter 189 : Group of Purging (1)
Chapter 189 : Group of Purging (1)
Group of Purging (1)
Mystic League developer, "Light Games"
Korea branch.
It wasn't just the participating streamers preparing for the upcoming tournament.
"Whew, everything's hectic when it's tourney season."
Just like the contestants, every related department inside the company was busy during tournament season. Of all of them, the busiest by far was the E-sports team.
"MCK is booming and all, but the workload is really something else."
With the main league, mCK, in full swing, the E-sports team was spending frantic, tiring days.
"We still have to handle CrazySmurf, so compared to the other side, we really are getting it easy. Seriously."
Even the regular league kept them so busy that there was no way they could manage an amateur tournament on top of it. That's why the CrazySmurf event was handled directly by the PR team.
Instilling a sense of purpose in the staff, the PR team leader cleared his throat and looked around at his team.
"Are all the teams picked?"
"Yes, we've selected 12 teams and 8 alternates."
Among the many applicant teams, the finalists were narrowed down to a select few.
Given the popularity of Mystic League and the large number of streamer participants, teams were picked mainly for skill and recognition, not entertainment.
"All right, good work. Notify the selected teams and confirm their participation."
"Understood."
After quickly wrapping up the rest of the meeting items, the team lead clapped his hands and stood up.
"Let's give it our all today, too."
Returning to his office, he barely had time to breathe before a new visitor arrived.
"Hello, manager Choi."
The man who entered with a polite greeting was the head of the Community Team—usually in charge of coordinating with the North America headquarters.
"Ah, manager Park. Sorry to keep you waiting. The meeting ran longer than I expected."
"Oh, no, not at all."
"Haha, so what brings you here today...?"
The PR manager asked cautiously.
He'd been wondering ever since he got the message; there wasn't usually any reason for the Community Team to come looking for him.
"Oh, um, nothing major, but HQ had an inquiry—thought it'd be better to talk it through directly."
"An inquiry? From HQ?"
"Yes, yes. About the upcoming CrazySmurf tournament, actually."
Looking puzzled himself, he continued.
"They're wondering... if real-time translation or English subtitles can be provided. Possible at all?"
"Excuse me?"
Now the PR manager understood why he hesitated. It was just such an unexpected request, the question burst out before he could control it.
"It's probably tough, right?"
"Why the sudden need for that?"
The PR manager frowned at the expected response.
"There's never been English support for the amateur tournament, has there? Headquarters barely cared about these events before."
"Exactly, up until now. But something seems different this time."
"Different how?"
"Inquiries keep coming in to HQ about it. HQ knows it's a tough ask, but they need an official response."
That explanation left the PR manager even more wide-eyed. Why, all of a sudden, would foreigners care about a Korean amateur tournament?
But he shelved his curiosity—there was too much else to deal with at the moment.
"Anyway, it's impossible. We don't have the staff, especially not compared to the E-sports team. If HQ would provide a separate budget, maybe we could outsource it, but then we'd use it for MCK."
"Oh, of course, I totally understand."
He nodded quickly at the barrage of words. He had expected this result.
"I'll send you an email. Please give an official reply—that should resolve it with HQ, so there shouldn't be any further issues."
"Yes, well... sure."
"Thank you. Have a good day."
Left alone once more, the PR manager let out a short sigh.
"Honestly, I just don't get it..."
Not even a pro-gamer tournament—just a Korean amateur event. What in the world had made it suddenly draw this attention, when past seasons hadn't?
"How many foreigners could possibly turn up anyway?"
Clicking his tongue, he shook his head and got to work replying to the soon-arriving email, as discussed.
* * *
A few days later, the day of the group draw.
As the broadcast began, viewers flooded into the Light Games Korea official channel.
As the countdown ended and the stream began, viewership topped 50,000.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Mystic League gamers all across Korea! I'm Wanggeom, your host and caster for this season's CrazySmurf!"
The scene cut to the three commentators. Wanggeom, in the center, greeted everyone with an energetic voice.
― WA! Debut album singer!
― Wang Myungsoo! Wang Myungsoo! Wang Myungsoo!
― Hyung! Matjji's doing the opening act, right?
-??? : The age when passion fades?
― Encore! Encore! Encore!
― What the lol, he hasn't even done anything and people are calling for encores
The chat had all of them laughing before they could even introduce themselves.
"Whew, looks like we need to hear Wanggeom sing before the show starts!"
"Come on, don't do this to me. It's a big day, you know? If Light Games ever hosts a concert, I'll think about singing."
"Oh? Is that a promise to host your own concert?"
He was even more high-tension than fellow caster Jung Soyoon and preferred to hype everyone up rather than calm things down.
As laughter spread through the chat, he prompted the panel.
"Of course I'm joking. C'mon, please introduce yourselves!"
Once all three had introduced themselves, wanggeom jumped right in.
"All right, today it's Mystic's streamer friends! The CrazySmurf group draw! But before that, don't you want to know how many streamers applied this season?"
"Yes, I'm really curious."
"There were a lot last season too, right?"
Wanggeom lifted the corners of his mouth and waved a hand.
"Forget last season. This one's a blockbuster!"
"Oh, is it really that big?"
"I dunno, wanggeom, I can never take your word for it. You're always so high-energy, every time you talk it feels like it's 'record-breaking' or something."
The chat quickly filled with "ㅇㅈ" and "ㄹㅇㅋㅋ."
But Wanggeom kept a straight face.
"You know why that is?"
"Why?"
"Because every CrazySmurf tournament breaks its own records! This time, we had the most team applications yet!"
"Again?"
"That's right! We had 200 team applications this time! Multiply that by 5 per team, and you've got a thousand streamers applying!"
― Whoa, a thousand applicants?
― This actually is next level!
― That many streamers in Korea? Wow
― King honestly, all the really small streamers probably tossed their hats in for the exposure lol
-rn just being picked will shoot your recognition through the roof
― Even with that, though, that's a lot!
Reading the flood of chat, wanggeom continued,
"And yes, it's not just that the number of streamers rose. The popularity of Mystic League is soaring, and this proves it!"
"Absolutely. You nailed it."
"As expected from Wanggeom. Nailed the point."
― He really spun that lol
― Capitalist caster lol
― King-level hypeman for sure
― No wonder they call him Wang Myungsoo
Wanggeom cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"We'd love to have all the applicants, but it's just not realistic. So after strict review by Light Games, we've picked 12 teams!"
― PerG-Day! PerG-Day! PerG-Day!
― Victory's Money Damas! Victory's Money Damas!
― LattePro for the win! LattePro for the win!
― PlusAlpha let's gooo!
As soon as he finished, the chat filled with fans cheering for their favorite teams.
After all, fans had already gotten word of which teams made it.
"All right, before the draw, let's recap the tournament for any new viewers."
On Wanggeom's cue, the screen split into four sections labeled A to D, each subdivided into three slots.
"The 12 teams are divided into four groups of three, as you see. So how many matches does each team play?"
"They play against each of the other two teams in their group. But there can be a tie, with one win and one loss."
Wanggeom raised his voice,
"That's right! If there's a tie, kDA and team stats determine who advances. It's not just about winning—every kill and assist could decide who gets to playoffs!"
The screen then focused on the top slots of each group, then lines connected the slots and a trophy appeared, forming the final four bracket.
"The winners of each group make the semifinals, and the final winner gets the trophy and the grand prize—50 million won!"
Winner's prize: 50 million won.
That meant 10 million won per member. No wonder the competition was fierce.
Wanggeom cleared his throat again.
"With the tourney intro wrapped up, let's move to what you all came for—the team introductions and draw!"
"Ah, I saw the entries before the broadcast and was honestly amazed."
"You weren't kidding, wanggeom. 'Record-breaking' is not just talk this time."
With the formalities done, it was time for the main event: team introductions and group assignments.
"Longtime CrazySmurf fans know the drill, but for newcomers, let's explain the draw."
Wanggeom flipped a cue card.
"The order of introduction is by highest average tier on the team, and the draw happens right after each team's profile."
"So the favorites come out first."
"Tier isn't everything, but it usually means more experience. It's a fact—higher tiers have higher win rates."
The chat agreed.
― You can't ignore experience lol
― Seriously, people who equate bronze=silver=gold=platinum have never been any higher themselves
― Why are they excluding Diamond? Because it's overcrowded? lol
― But why do they do it this way?
― It's so strong teams have less chance of facing each other early
― If you draw early, there's less risk of overlap
― Why not just throw everyone in at once?
― Then there's no tension!
Wanggeom glanced at the clock—still early in the broadcast. But if he wasted too much time, he'd have to rush through the later teams, so he kept moving.
"All right, first reveal. Highest average tier—who's on top?!"
As Wanggeom's voice cued the transition, team info appeared on screen: team name, tiers, and main champions.
"First up is Money Damas! Three Masters and two Diamonds—a powerhouse of skilled streamers!"
"Absolutely. Especially team leader, donkak—everyone knows him."
"If you watch CrazySmurf, you must know. He was MVP in last season's championship!"
― Money Damas! Money Damas! Money Damas!
― Sweep that money up lol
― Let's get that repeat championship!
As the team was introduced, fan support flooded the chat. As last season's champions, they were the clear favorites.
The scene shifted to the waiting room, showing the Money Damas team.
"Look at Donkak waving! He's right at home!"
"That means he's not tense at all, right?"
"It's that vibe, 'Been there, done that—no big deal!'"
All five members looked totally relaxed, as if here for a break. Wanggeom gave the cue with a quick throat clear.
"All right, money Damas is assigned to Group D! We'll do quick interviews for each team after all the draws. Next up!"
As the second team was revealed, more reactions bubbled up.
"Second is LattePro! All Diamond players, except for one reason they're seeded second...?"
"That's right! Any long-time Mystic League fans know this guy—former pro-gamer, caffeine!"
"And he's the only Grandmaster in the tournament—a stand-out, no question!"
― LattePro! LattePro! LattePro!
― If there's a Grandmaster, enough said!
― Their Diamond ranks are probably all Caffeine's coaching anyway lol
― At this point they're basically a semi-pro team
― This is surely a main pick for the win!
When the camera cut to their waiting room, it was a stark contrast to before.
"They look like they're under military discipline! Look at those straight backs! Looks like the team leader runs a tight ship!"
"Wanggeom, don't make the viewers think he's really like that."
"Caffeine likes the strict, old-school persona. It's performance, don't misunderstand!"
Wanggeom played along with exaggerated innocence.
"Please don't take it the wrong way. I've got nothing against him. Just trying to make the broadcast fun. All right, here's the result! LattePro is in Group A!"
"Ah, good! They won't face Money Damas right away."
"That's right. If those teams meet, it'll feel like the finals from the start! Better to save that matchup."
The chat echoed the sentiment as team three was announced,
"Third is Plus Alpha! Diamond members with Master-tier team leader Pride! And this person is not your average competitor!"
"Shocking, right!? I was stunned too. Who'd have thought?"
"Pride always said he liked Mystic, but I didn't expect him to play so seriously!"
The chat filled with surprise:
― I've seen that face before?
― You don't know Pride? lol
― He's the Olympic shooting gold medalist!
― He did retire a while back though lol
― This guy's got insane competitive drive!
― Once he's in, he's all in!
― Time for a gold medal in CrazySmurf!
In their waiting room, wanggeom feigned nervousness in his comments.
"Isn't this unfair? Did Plus Alpha get the small waiting room? Those guys are huge!"
"Don't worry! It's an optical illusion!"
"All members have athletic backgrounds—you can't help but notice."
As viewers laughed, the draw concluded. This time, wanggeom was genuinely shocked.
"Oh! What's this? Plus Alpha in Group A!"
"Unbelievable! Now predictions are even tougher! LattePro is great, but never underestimate athletic potential!"
"With LattePro and Plus Alpha together, only one can reach playoffs!"
"Check out Money Damas's team—they're laughing even more now! Am I just imagining this?"
The broadcast shifted between team waiting rooms. The expressions of the two newly grouped teams turned serious.
"But the results are what they are. Bracket luck is part of the tournament. And now, the fourth team!"
As Wanggeom managed the flow, the most explosive reaction yet followed.
"Oh! The dark horse of the tournament—the fourth team, PerG-Day! Four Diamonds and one Platinum, a lower average tier, but is that all?!"
"Exactly! Team leader Genome didn't get great results last season, but this year he's different!"
"And the really big factor—this person! If you don't know him, you're not a gamer! Maybe not even Korean! It's Purple!"
The energy was totally different from previous introductions—but no one thought it odd.
― PerG-Day! PerG-Day! PerG-Day!
― Purging day is here!
― Hotha! Purging party!
-???: God exists, and he is Korean
― Godple descends! Godple descends!
― Legend ON! Legend ON!
― It's game over already
― Uhwooper! Uhwooper! Uhwooper!
Chat was on fire.
"He was always an amazing player, but if you saw this MCK, he's impossible to forget!"
"Yes, especially after Elephant mentioned Purple in the opening ceremony interview—that made massive waves."
"An amateur helping a pro-gamer? Makes no sense—unless it's Purple!"
"And it's not just Purple. There's also Eclipse, whose mechanics are off the charts. Plus, less known but Skullkim, bakjapcho, and Golcho have great chemistry according to everyone."
The panel was energized. If Jung Soyoon had been hosting, she might have calmed them down, but not Wanggeom.
"Oh? Listening to you guys, no one's mentioning Genome, the team leader. He might feel left out, right?"
"Ah, Genome is..."
Wanggeom's joke left the others momentarily speechless and hiding their mouths.
― Gasp!
― Completely at a loss for words... (crying emoji)
― PlantWiki/Wanggeom/Controversy
― What was that public execution lol
― He really turned it around
― What karma has Genome brought upon Wanggeom now?!
― So was it all Genome's fault after all? lol
As the viewers teased, wanggeom lifted his hands.
"Of course I'm joking. Genome is an all-rounder, so it doesn't stand out. He played very flexible styles last season."
"Right, he's so versatile in ban-pick, some might call him the most adaptable."
"I wonder what he'll show us this tournament... Oh? What's going on!?"
Just then, the chat was overtaken by English.
― Where is purple?
― Hello! korean guys!
― Viva PerG-Day! Viva PerG-Day!
― Hey guys, don't interrupt them.
― Sorry, I'm learning Korean, but my skill is not that good.
Suddenly, the chat filled with English, viewership shot up to 70,000.
The commentators quickly realized,
"Uh... we have international viewers? They're all looking for Purple and PerG-Day."
"Looks like overseas fans joined in! As some know, Purple's a world-class name."
"There's never been this many foreigners watching CrazySmurf! Were there ever any foreign viewers before?"
― That's crazy!
― The very definition of 'world-class' lol
― Local tournament just became global?
― A sudden prestige boost, what is this
― This must be the Purple Coin mooning
― Foreigners? I only see Koreans in the chat though?
― If you check Purple channel, only small streamer fans, lol
― Show some love for overseas Koreans!
Wanggeom scanned the chat rapidly.
But, pro that he was, he didn't panic. He had heard about this scenario.
'They told me some foreigners might watch...'
He'd been briefed by the Light Games PR team before the show.
'But this many?!'
The scale was beyond anything he'd anticipated, but he at least had a rough plan.
"To our international viewers, unfortunately, this broadcast won't include foreign language support. Korean only, understand? My English doesn't go far."
The chat filled with "yes" and "ok."
Viewers weren't expecting more.
"All right. Sorry for the delay, but let's draw PerG-Day's group now!"
With his cue, the outcome appeared on screen. For a while, none of the commentators could speak.
"Wait... what!?"
"How did this happen!?"
"We've had unpredictable results all the way through!"
Suddenly snapped awake, all three spoke up at once—even if their voices overlapped.
"PerG-Day is in Group A! Group A is chaos now!"
"Of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seeded teams, only one can survive! PerG-Day had a one-in-nine chance of being in Group A—but still!"
"No, that's not high odds! There was an eight-in-nine chance they wouldn't be! Group A is officially the group of death!"
Instinctively, the camera cut back to LattePro and Plus Alpha, their faces grim. They couldn't have seen this coming.
"They were just watching each other, but now with PerG-Day thrown in, it's all up in the air!"
"That's right! Nobody can relax! With only one advancing, playoffs are so uncertain!"
"What? Look at PerG-Day's waiting room—it's totally different!"
But PerG-Day's room was calm. Lee Gyeongbok led the team in sunny smiles and quiet nods.
Genome took something out for the camera.
"Genome's taking something out?"
"What's that?"
"A portable electronic display!"
Commentators and viewers alike were confused.
Genome typed something, then turned it to the camera.
"AAAAAAAAAA!"
"Team leader Genome! Classic Genome!"
"He's not an all-rounder after all! His specialty is this!"
The commentators burst out laughing.
On the display, it read:
['Uhwooper' Is Science]
Just that phrase.
"A provocation! Genome is shaking the other teams' mental game!"
"On his channel, Genome calls himself a trash talker at the genetic level! Truly living up to the name!"
"Not an all-rounder, an all-mouther! The mouth just doesn't stop!"
With that, the panel enjoyed a good-natured roast.
― Not stopping lmao, what the heck
― All-mouther LOL
― Trash talk in front of 70,000 viewers?
― Why am I the one embarrassed...
― Uhwooper is science, though?
― And also, why is Uhwooper not in English lol
-lol if you're going to worry about international viewers, go all the way
― Genome being Genome again
The worried viewers felt the same. Laughter returned, and confidence filled the chat.
Lee Gyeongbok looked at the camera and gave a big, bright thumbs-up.
― Not even a hint of nerves?
-lol, Purple confidence is Godple's signature
― Grandmasters, gold medalists—what do they matter! PerG-Day has Godple!
― Group A? The group of death? No—it's the group of 'purging!'
With this, the viewers were reassured.
So A group, decided as 'the group of death'...
But for PerG-Day, they were the ones dealing out death—a 'group of purging.'