Chapter 234: Lulu, Go All-In With Your Wallet!

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Finally, the day of the tournament arrived.

Before starting the stream, I was on Discord with the members to calm my nerves.

Even the CEO joined, making things quite lively.

『Da-jeong, you seem really nervous? You’ve been quiet for a while.』

“Y-yes. Just… a little.”

『Doesn’t sound like just a little.』

CEO Kang continued with a noticeably playful tone.

She definitely knew I was nervous and just wanted to tease me.

Ugh, so mean, CEO Kang…

Couldn’t you at least encourage me a little?

I am technically your employee.

『You’re auctioning today, right?』

“Yes, that’s right.”

『Sounds fun. Unnie will be watching with the Star Pieces. I’m sure Da-jeong will fetch a high bid.』

“N-no! I’d rather not get picked—it’d be less stressful!”

『Huh? Isn’t getting picked a good thing?』

Seems like it was Jia unnie’s first time seeing an auction-style tournament.

Her voice was full of confusion at my protest.

To be fair, she had a point.

Getting no bids would mean no team leaders wanted me, which would sting a little.

But that logic only applies to streamers who are actually worth picking!

I don’t care about that!

I’d rather go unpicked and blend into a team quietly!

I just want to be a background prop, like a broom left in the corner!

『Oh right! I saw that clip recently—where Empire was begging Glow to pick Da-jeong.』

『I saw it too. Da-jeong looked like she was about to cry, screaming “Stooop!”』

“Ugh… Don’t remind me. Glow wouldn’t actually pick me, right…?”

At Yuna and Ra-hee unnie’s words, I shuddered like I had PTSD.

N-no way. I believe in Glow.

He wouldn’t make such an irrational choice.

Who’d overinvest in a Gold mid-laner?!

If he blew all his points on me, he’d have to fill the rest of his team with unpicked randos!

『Hey, Da-jeong, have some confidence! You beat me one-on-one!』

『Wow, saying that out loud is so embarrassing.』

『You wanna die?!』

Meanwhile, Chae-yoon unnie and Yuna were already fighting, as usual.

『Anyway, Da-jeong, cheer up. CEO Kang’s rooting for you to land a good team today.』

『I’ll cheer for you too!』

『Our youngest’s already standing on her own…』

『You’re not abandoning your unnies, are you?』

『You’ll win for sure.』

As everyone started leaving Discord to prepare for the stream, they all cheered me on.

Sure, Chae-yoon unnie and Ra-hee unnie threw in some teasing remarks…

“Hehe, yeah! I’ll do my best and come back with a win!”

But I knew it was just to lighten the mood.

With a smile, I quickly left the Discord call.

For the next week, I wouldn’t be Lulu of Blue LUV—I’d be the streamer Lulu, giving it my all.

***************

While waiting for the auction, I chatted with the cherries on stream.

Before I knew it, 5 PM—the auction start time—rolled around.

With a nervous heart, I entered the official channel.

『Yes! The moment all fans have been waiting for—the official streamer tournament, Capitalism’s Monstrous Brainchild, aka Capmon, is about to begin! And what better way to kick it off than with the always-entertaining auction phase?』

『Indeed. This is where team leaders engage in fierce battles of wits. Personally, the auction is my favorite part of Capmon.』

The energetic commentators’ voices boomed, so I turned the volume down slightly.

Rubbing my hands nervously, I kept watching.

“Phew… I wonder who I’ll end up teaming with?”

• I’m curious too lol
• Sanchaekkun’s praying to end up on Lulu’s team
• Our shy Lulu would do better with people she knows, right?
• Would be fun if she teamed with Nyangtamon.

As expected, the cherries saw right through me.

Yeah, I do hope there’s at least one familiar face on my team.

Even if Sanchaekkun wants to team with me…

I might want it even more than they do.

Same goes for Nyangtamon unnie.

It’d be so nice to team up.

『Now that we’ve heard the team leaders’ declarations, let’s dive into the auction! First, a quick rundown of the rules.』

Holding onto a sliver of hope, I focused on the screen as the auction format scrolled by.

The key points:

• Each team leader starts with 1000 points.
• Players are auctioned in a pre-drawn order, with a minimum bid of 5 points.
• Unpicked players re-enter the pool for later rounds.

There was also a new twist:

This year, the organizers scheduled all scrims in advance to avoid viewer confusion.

Huh, that’s actually a pretty good system.

『Our first player up for auction is Chu Hayang! A familiar face in Capmon, isn’t she?』

『Yes! Known for her utility support plays. Let’s see what the team leaders think!』

• Lmao, here we go again
• Chu Hayang shows up every time
• At this point, she’s family

Chu Hayang was picked for just 10 points.

That’s way too cheap… But according to the cherries, her champion pool is narrow, and her mental is a bit fragile.

『Next up… Ah, this player! Sanchaekkun, who couldn’t participate last year due to being Master—but now that they’ve fallen to Diamond, they’re determined to compete!』

• Bro really flexing his rank drop

Watching this feels like watching my stocks plummet…

After several players went through the bidding process…

The sixth player up was none other than Sanchaekkun.

Given their high tier—undoubtedly one of the strongest in the tournament—I had no doubt they’d be picked immediately.

But then…

『Huh? Wait, is Sanchaekkun about to go unpicked?! The countdown’s almost over! Are they really…? Unpicked!』

“Wha—?!”

• LMAOOOOO THEY GOT SKIPPED
• AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
• Tbf watching their solo queue makes me wanna skip them too..
• Shouldn’t have played like a dinosaur smh

I never expected this outcome.

Sanchaekkun, of all people, went unpicked.

Most cherries seemed to have seen it coming, though.

Turns out, Sanchaekkun’s infamous for their “no-brain” solo queue plays, so few believed they’d mesh well in a team setting.

Okay, fair point.

『Next up: Nyangtamon! A support player whose application read, “I’ll do whatever you tell me.”』

『A familiar face in tournaments, though she’s yet to win one. That hunger for victory might work in her favor.』

• knock knock…Who’s there? Second Place!
• The eternal runner-up
• How does this keep HAPPENING
• Three silver medals is still impressive!

A few more players cycled through before Nyangtamon unnie’s turn.

Her record showed three second-place finishes—a bittersweet streak.

Sure, silver’s nothing to scoff at, but three times? That’d weigh on anyone.

『Wait, could Nyangtamon go unpicked too?』

『Looks like it. With few mid or ADC picks so far, team leaders seem to be conserving points.』

“Nyangtamon unnie got skipped too, guys?”

• Damn, didn’t see that coming.
• Like the casters said, they’re saving points for carries.
• She’s way too good to be skipped tho.

I mean, right?

I’ve never seen Nyangtamon unnie play, but three finals? No way she’s unpickable.

She’ll probably fetch a high price in the later rounds—just got sidelined for being a support.

『Now, our first newcomer: Lulu!』

『An unusual case. She’s relatively new to ranked, and as a mid-laner—the team’s backbone—leaders might hesitate to bid.』

“M-my turn…”

• HERE WE GOOOOOO
• LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO
• EMPTY YOUR WALLET!!!!!!!!

Finally, my name flashed on screen.

Objectively, I was a wild card—no one would logically invest in me.

Especially after Sanchaekkun and Nyangtamon unnie got skipped.

I’d already accepted my fate: unpicked, stress-free.

But then—

Ding!

[Glow (Team Leader) – Lulu – 500 Points]

『What?! Glow just bid 500 points on Lulu?!』

『That’s highest bid so far! What’s the reasoning here?!』

“H-Huh…?!”

• AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
• casually drops 500 points
• NO HESITATION JUST BID
• Glow’s built DIFFERENT

The very source of my anxiety, Glow, had just thrown half her points at me.

Huh?!

I get that Empire talked me up, but—was this necessary?!

You could’ve gotten me for 10 points! No one else would’ve—

Ding!

[Manjae (Team Leader) – Lulu – 600 Points]

My brain short-circuited.

Wait…

Who even ARE you?!

Manjae, we’ve never spoken!

『Manjae just upped it to 600?!』

『Most bids go up by 10—this is a statement!』

Before I could process it—

Ding!

[Glow (Team Leader) – Lulu – 900 Points]

90% of his total points.

900.

A bid so high it shattered tournament records.

『900 POINTS?! This is the highest bid in Capmon history!』

『Season 2’s winner, Candel, went for 650—this is unprecedented!』

• LET’S GOOOOOOOOO*
• I BELIEVED IN YOU!!!!!!
• Lulu supremacy!!!
• Glow just nuked his wallet…

While the casters and cherries erupted, I just… stared.

900 points.

For me.

This had to be a glitch. A prank.

Hey…

Why would you do this to yourself?

And Empire… what did you say about me?!