Showcase Day 3: The Wild Auction
In the Daga Gamdae showcase tournament, where a total of six teams compete, each team leader is given 1,000 points. The main highlight of the event is the auction that follows, where those points are used to bid on the remaining 30 participants to form teams. Being bought for a high price is a sign of recognition for one's skills, so everyone hopes not to go unsold. But as seasons progress, streamers come to realize the fundamental flaw in the auction system. What truly matters isn't personal value—it's the team's victory. The lower the points you're bought for, the stronger the rest of your teammates can be.
That said, the system's limitation—where deliberately undervaluing yourself gives your team a better position for picking others—makes it hard to believe everyone is giving their all in the upcoming showcase. Before the official team auctions, there are unofficial scrims held over about a week to gauge everyone's overall skills. Still, trusting that these streamers would do their best, Day 3 of the showcase arrived.
"Welcome! Welcome! It's Kariri~!"
"Is it... like this? Is that right?"
"Yes, yes, hehe. Welcome~!"
"Whoa, the first VTuber to ever enter Daga Gamdae! It's like a historic moment."
"Nice to meet you, Kariri. Lots of new faces got picked for this Daga Gamdae."
"You're quieter than the rumors say? Is this your usual style? Your videos didn't seem like it at all."
"Ahaha, yeees... I'm kinda like that 'basement Lü Bu' type... You know what I mean?"
"Hahaha, yeah, I get the vibe."
Unlike her broadcast persona, Kariri huddled in a corner of the waiting room, quietly chatting with viewers through her camera.
"Gotta work hard today to change Kariri's reputation!"
Despite her relatively high Platinum 3 tier, Kariri had barely been picked for 5 points in the mock auction on the first day. She'd just barely avoided going unsold. Part of it was her chosen character wielding the niche Wolverine Claws, and her solo playstyle with zero team communication made her an obvious pass for most. Viewers consoled her, calling it a natural outcome.
"What are they all saying! That's part of the concept, I swear...! I don't play like that in team games. I'll listen to briefings, okay?"
"Wonder if that person will show up today?"
"Yeah, they said they'd come on Day 3."
The target of the whispers among the early-arriving streamers was obvious without asking: the priest picked as the most erratic in the mock auctions. One moment someone drops 800 of their 1,000 points on her; the next, her popularity crashes and she's snagged for just 350. Everyone acknowledged her skill, but her performance spectrum swung wildly from one extreme to the other. With all combat power normalized to 50,000, it was hard to justify burning big points on a single healer. That evaluation would be settled in today's showcase.
NoName has entered DGD#3.
The moment the clock struck the hour, NoName entered the waiting room, drawing every streamer's camera like a magnet. Especially noteworthy was her main avatar: the minimum-age one that had a brief fad early in capsule adoption but was now abandoned by all due to the low eye level. The fact that she was only fourteen made it inspiring even in the streamer scene.
"The star always makes a late entrance."
A few nodded in agreement at the man's remark.
"Hello."
The innocent child's voice echoed mysteriously, as if the echo mic was built-in. Floating cameras around her, just like the others, proved she was a proper streamer.
It was a late Friday afternoon, the end of a grueling week. Even more people tuned in than for the official Wednesday showcase, so streamers amped up their energy to stoke the crowd's hype.
"Just one game today?"
"Yeah, but I'll do two each on Saturday and Sunday."
"Aww, the most hyped person in Daga Gamdae with the fewest showcase games? This auction's gonna be tough."
NoName barely met the minimum of five showcase games before auction day. But with LoL Worlds scrims in full swing, everyone understood.
"Alright, busy folks first—enter the first game!"
Following the unofficial showcase staff's guidance, the 12 streamers filed into the arena one by one.
"Yo! Welcome~!"
"Oh, you again, Kariri."
"NoName!"
"Yes?"
"Why'd you ignore all my messages? Did you block me?"
"Imagine whatever you want."
"Gasp, it was real?!"
Somehow, Kariri and I ended up on the same team again in Daga Gamdae. Surprisingly, she apologized for her past rudeness and encouraged doing well this time. She was talking about the message spam.
"I just really wanted to collab with you that bad!"
"We're not there yet. Honestly, it's uncomfortable."
"Ah, I'm fine with it!"
"No, I'm uncomfortable."
"Aha!"
Luna Pavilis vs Giselle Phoenix
Map: Remnant Academy
Luna Pavilis has joined your team.
Capture outposts to secure advantageous high ground.
"Split 3-3-3."
"Got it. Kariri, you go with NoName?"
"Y-yes! I'll go with NoName!"
"Send 3 DPS to one side for quick outpost cap. The other side, 1 tank, 1 DPS, 1 healer—stall till we link up."
"I'll follow NoName then—I'm the burstiest."
A quick, concise briefing unfolded before the game even started. A rare sight in normals or ranked.
These weren't high-tier players, but folks who'd poured real time and love into the game. We secured a side outpost firm, tasked with defending the center to keep them from taking it.
I headed into the dim castle interior with Kariri and a streamer named Brownie.
Can everyone heading to B outpost hear me okay?
"Yes, loud and clear, Yongchul."
"Clear here too!"
Whoa, Kariri's voice is booming! Oh right, hehe, Brownie—do you know Kariri's age?
We exchanged voice with the A region group. No enemy contact yet, so a brief breather.
"Yeah, Kariri, how old are you? I heard high schooler...?"
"Kariri is 3,004 years old!"
"Pardon? 3,004?"
Uhahahahaha!
"Who's laughing! Who is it?!"
"Hehe, but what's the detail, Kariri? Why 3,000 plus exactly 4?"
"VTubers are like this...! Dig too deep and you'll get hurt! Brownie, laugh and I'll claw you!"
Ah, so that's the vibe. In a VR world where everyone uses avatars, I wondered if distinguishing VTubers even mattered. Mystery solved: she's just a concept-obsessed monster.
"Do honey bee queens live that long?"
I asked out of curiosity.
"Uh... honey bee queens live about 8 years, but... I'm the king of honey bee queens!"
Ahahahahaha!
"Kariri, you've been a dictator for 3,000 years? Impressive."
Under Brownie's relentless probing, Kariri grew more flustered.
"W-well, you could say that...!"
"Why not be queen again? Can you leave the throne empty that long?"
"Ah... I got overthrown! Revolution! Guillotine!"
"Guillotine?"
Amid the laughter and chatter—thwang—an archer's snipe zipped in sharply.
Ting—
The arrow hit Kariri's shoulder dead-on, halving her HP in one shot.
"Eek... what?! I'm the tank—why'd I lose so much HP?"
"Max range hit, probably. But even then, that's too much."
"This bitch—I'm gonna find 'em and feed 'em to the crocs!"
"Wait—!"
Kariri bolted ahead, ignoring my heals, charging enemy lines on a suicide run.
"Argh, hurry and chase her, NoName!"
"Sigh, this is tricky."
Please, no more same-team draws later.