Chapter 59 : Art Competition (4)

The draft had begun.

The order was said to be decided randomly.

Of course, the E-live members would be picked first.

There were five E-live members in total.

Soseong said,

“I will take Hamomo.”

“Ah, haha, is there any particular reason you’re taking Hamomo?”

“Because I’m a fan.”

“I see. For reference, Hamomo’s tier is Silver 4.”

“Oh, looks like I picked wrong. Can I change?”

“Nope. Okay, moving on.”

For some reason, I heard Hamomo shouting inside my head:

-What did I do! What did I do!

Given Hamomo’s personality, it really seemed like that was happening.

Next was Muruz.

Muruz spoke up:

“I will pick Naruna.”

“Yes. Her aim is way better than her tier suggests.”

“Hehe, haha, but you know Naruna isn’t that good at the game, right?”

“I know. I just picked her because of my personal bias.”

” Of course. Alright then. Next is Nanmi!”

It was my turn.

I boldly declared:

“I choose Rino.”

“Rino! The youngest of E-live! Any reason for picking Rino? Honestly, it’s surprising from Nanmi’s perspective. I thought you’d definitely

pick Inaring for the only remaining healer spot.”

“I want to take Rino and try her out as a dealer.”

“What!? A dealer?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“Well… the coaches are excluded, but teammates can switch positions.”

“Then I’ll make Rino a dealer. Hehe.”

“Wow… this is really unexpected. No one else but Nanmi saying Rino has dealer talent. I’m really curious how Rino reacts.”

The screen switched to show Rino’s reaction:

“Wow~ Rino, I’m so jealous~”

“See! Sisters! That’s me!”

“Wow, our Rino, even Nanmi recognizes you~ as expected, our adorable youngest.”

Rino screamed like a pterosaur and was getting lots of love from the older sisters.

Definitely, ahem—she’s cute.

But do they realize their faces are on screen?

“Alright! Moving on! Last is Danding! Please pick.”

“I’ll choose Saeum.”

“Saeum! Wow, I was wondering why Saeum wasn’t picked. Even if not at time click, he’s a diamond-tier player in Vaillant.”

“Yes. That’s why I picked him.”

“Hehe, Saeum’s aim is definitely good. Now, the last person left is Larne. Larne isn’t picked by the coaches. The person chosen by random

will have to take him.”

The only person not picked in this draft was one.

Larne.

He would be randomly assigned, and one of the coaches would be forced to take him.

That’s when I smiled slyly.

Things were going according to plan.

I raised my hand.

“Eungtae.”

“Huh, yes?”

“Can I take Larne?”

Eungtae’s eyes widened.

So did the others.

No need to pick one more low-tier Gooji player.

“Ah, no, I didn’t expect that. Any particular reason?”

“I want to make Larne a tank.”

Well, that wasn’t really the true reason…

If Rino was a strategic pick, I also wanted to satisfy some personal bias like the others.

Moreover, there was a follow-up benefit.

“Wow… Could it be that you see tank talent in Larne? Everyone knows Nanmi has another nickname: the charging knight, the Inaring sniper.

Before becoming a dealer, she played paladin every day. That playstyle is famous even among high-tier players. Could it be? That you see that

kind of talent in Larne?”

“Not a paladin, but yeah.”

“Hahaha! Okay, great. Larne joins Nanmi’s team! Confirmed!”

Okay, so far, everything went as planned.

I waited for Eungtae’s next words.

Eungtae said:

“Since you took two E-live members, Nanmi will have the first pick for balance. Who will you pick?”

“I will…”

I boldly said,

“I pick Yuzu.”

Nanmi’s decision was quite surprising.

I thought she’d pick the highest-tier Vtuber besides Nanmi herself, Inaring, or someone from Hololive like Nana with a connection.

“Really? “

“Yes.”

“Any particular reason?”

“I have a strategy and have already planned the team.”

“Wow! That’s really unexpected! Does that mean Inaring and Nana aren’t needed in the strategy?”

“Yes. The strategy works without Inaring and Nana.”

I had already said this the day before:

I don’t plan to pick either of them.

Rather, I provoked them.

-My instinct is a sniper… Sorry, I don’t want to pick you. Let’s meet as opponents.

-Eep, I joined to be on Nanmi’s team.

-Sorry, Nana. Think of this as a substitute. We’ll duo later.

-All day?

And Inaring—

-No! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!

-Inaring, don’t act like a child.

-No no no! I want to be on Nanmi’s team!

-Inaring, you’re good even without me.

-Ugh, then duo later! You’ll be dealer then!

Inaring regressed to a childlike state.

Of course, as they’re both part of Blue Art, she accepted it cheerfully.

Anyway, I don’t plan to pick two Vtubers in this competition.

The three I picked were none other than:

Yuzu, Akemi, Mirya.

Those three.

Eungtae smiled and spoke after I picked them:

“Wow… This was really unexpected. None of the three are related at all.”

As Eungtae said, one belonged to a crew, and two were independent Vtubers.

Still, except for one person, I picked all the first-choice members.

In other words, perfect!

With these three, my team completely changed.

Eungtae continued:

“Now that the draft is over, let’s meet the team members. Each has a Discord room ready, so coaches and players please join your channels

and talk.”

Alright then.

Shall we go meet our team?

Coach: Nanmi.

E-live: Larne, Rino.

Sun Crew: Yuzu.

Independent: Akemi, Mirya.

And the positions:

Tank: Larne, Yuzu.

Dealer: Rino, Akemi.

Healer: Nanmi, Mirya.

I thought our team was harmonious.

Each of the tank, dealer, and healer lines had high-tier players.

For tanks, Master 5 Yuzu.

For dealers, Diamond 2 Akemi.

For healers, me, Nanmi.

I could say the balance I envisioned was perfect.

I entered the Discord channel.

“Ah! Here!”

“Nanmi! Hello!”

“Hello~”

“Wow!  Nanmi, thank you so much for picking me!”

“Me too, Nanmi! Thanks so much for picking me.”

With so many voices, it was hard to tell who was who.

But I’d get used to them as we talked.

I spoke:

“First of all, nice to meet you all. I’m really glad the team is exactly who I thought.”

“Wow… Did all the players really come as expected?”

“Yes. You can think of the strategy as made for you.”

All coaches, including me, as Time Mage heroes, could be seen as conductors.

One skill, Time Acceleration, controls the team’s speed.

In a way, the coach’s quick decisions can overturn the whole game.

I said:

“Let’s try to keep the hero lineup mostly unchanged. Think of it like playing just one match repeatedly. Except for Larne and Rino, each has

heroes they’re good at, right?”

Since Larne and Rino’s positions would change, skip them for now.

Yuzu plays Paladin.

Akemi plays Capturer.

Mirya is a new hero, the Female Gunner.

Hmm… thinking about it, this isn’t strategy but my personal taste a lot.

Anyway.

“Since that’s decided, shall we try a match together?”

Trying a match would be better than explaining it in words.

It’d be easier for me to explain too.

But, hmm… yeah.

I let them play freely without orders at first, and as expected:

[Defeat]

We lost.

Even in quick matches, not competition mode.

The lowest-tier Larne and Mirya apologized:

“Gomen nasai.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t keep up with the tempo.”

“No, no. Honestly, I expected the loss.”

No lie, it’s true.

I anticipated a sniper strategy because of the team.

That’s why I suggested a trial match.

“I just wanted to check everyone’s style, especially Larne and Rino.”

And Rino exceeded my expectations.

Her tier was gold, but her skill was platinum.

She definitely has talent for the game.

Anyway, having checked their styles, it was time for changes.

I spoke to Larne:

“Larne.”

“Yes?”

“Can you play Monkey Man instead of Gravity Mage?”

“I’ve never tried before, but I’ll try.”

“It’ll probably be easier than Gravity Mage.”

And so, the lineup changed!

Our team’s lineup became Paladin, Monkey Man, Outlaw, Capturer, Female Gunner, and Time Mage.

The tank line looked odd to anyone, but it was the most necessary for my strategy.