KDA? It's Big! (1)
Late at night.
The opening day of the CrazySmurf group stage had ended in triumph. Accordingly, interest in the tournant had only grown larger.
Now that the match results were out, every Mystic League community was being swamped with massive traffic.
[Seriously, this CrazySmurf is the best ever, lol]
[Surprisingly, not a single thing Wanggeom said was wrong]
[If the group stage is this fun, there's nothing more to say, lol]
[This Group A is all-ti legendary]
On the first day, groups A and B had finished playing. People's attention was overwhelmingly focused on Group A.
The reason was simple.
[How did they go undefeated from scrims all the way to the group stage?]
[Purging! Only purging!]
[What's up with PerG-Day's na, lol]
[Why isn't anyone dying in this so-called Group of Death?]
[Death (other people's business)]
It was all because of PerG-Day's unbeaten streak.
[Honestly, plus Alpha was pretty easy to take out]
[Who would've thought LattePro would get swept 2–0, lol]
[I really thought it would be at least 2:1; that's insane]
[PerG-Day is just too good, I'm telling you]
[Breaking news) Nobel Committee creates Nobel eSports prize, 'Top candidate: Uhwooper']
[Oh lol, because Uhwooper is also science!]
Talk about the match results didn't stop there.
As with any ga community, each Mystic League forum had its share of self-appointed "experts" hanging around.
[The ban-pick mistake for Plus Alpha was just too big]
[LattePro's problem was being way too complacent against PerG-Day]
They debated the reasons for each match's outco—at least on the surface.
[What was the jungler doing when Purple was holding down bot?]
[Honestly, didn't Pride just play scared?]
[How did he even get a dal, lol]
[Why invade early if you're just going to play safe in the opening as LattePro?]
[They were dood from the mont they missed the initiation in the teamfight, lol. Their reaction ti was so slow]
[They should've used Gravity Field first before anything else. Damn...]
But in reality, they were just hunting for scapegoats—in other words, "finding the culprit."
[Ugh, here co the shit-stirrers again]
[Pretending to be fans and then sowing discord is just gross, right?]
[Please, just go play in your own neighborhood!]
[It really is the season of tournants, huh...]
[Why does the script never change year after year, lol]
They claid to be fans of each team, pretending to offer "advice" in hopes the team would improve, but their real intentions were different.
Shit-stirrers and anti-fans of each team or mber started acting out by pretending they had a "just cause."
[If all you do is analyze, then what is a witch hunt?]
[Co on, lol, just look at the KDA, they're not entirely wrong, right?]
[Does Mystic not know how important data is?]
[So many clueless fans, lol]
Even criticism needed justification, so they frequently referenced official statistics from the organizers, especially the KDA ratio.
Kill, death, assist.
It was an analytical thod using the three stats comprising an individual's record in Mystic League.
[Just look at Plus Alpha's average KDA, can't even break 2, lol]
[If every position is like that, are they just that bad?]
[Pride is the team leader and his KDA is 1.3, lol]
KDA calculation is simple.
Add kills and assists, then divide by deaths. The higher the number, the greater the player's in-ga contribution.
[Caffeine really needs to pull himself together, huh?]
[For real, lol, how does a forr pro not break a 3 KDA?]
[The teammates who trusted Caffeine have low 2's for their KDA, lol]
Originally, the organizer intended to use these stats as a basis for MVP selection, but anti-fans used them for other purposes.
And it wasn't just Group A—teams from Group B were also embroiled in battles between anti-fans and supporters.
But there was one team that was an exception.
[There's usually a lot of Geno antis, but why is it so quiet now, lol]
[Yeah, anti-fans, co on out already]
[Anyone want to take a shot at PerG-Day?]
[They haven't lost, so what would you criticize, lol]
PerG-Day's team was at peace.
Since they'd never lost, there was no reason to play the bla ga, and even shit-stirrers and anti-fans had no excuse to speak up.
Thanks to that, their fans could enjoy the victories and celebrate the players' achievents in peace.
[Except for Geno, everyone's a first-ti competitor, and what's with these OP KDAs?]
[Seriously, what's up with Ecl getting a 6.31 KDA, lol]
[Surprisingly, Geno's holding the line]
[If he kept a 4.57 KDA even against Caffeine, he really played it safe]
[Golcho duo pulling a low 4's KDA is seriously impressive]
Complints flooded in for every mber, but as always, the one who stood out was Purple—Lee Gyeongbok.
[Wow, lol, but seriously, godple is on another level]
[How can soone go a whole series without dying even once?]
[Isn't 0 deaths a first in CrazySmurf history?]
[And in the death group, lol, not dying a single ti, lol]
[Nietzsche's proven wrong again~]
[How many consecutive gas is that? LOL]
[Nietzsche: God is dead (except for Purple)]
[Are we polytheists now or sothing, lol]
Because the denominator of Lee Gyeongbok's KDA was 0—deaths—it wasn't even counted. Funnily enough, players called this a "perfect" record.
[Godple's handle really lives up to itself, lol]
[PerfectPlay gets a perfect record. That's just common sense, right?]
[If the denominator is zero, mathematically, that's "undefined,"
LOL]
[It's scientifically proven, okay?]
[Oh co on, don't judge a god by human standards!]
[Godple was talking about himself; what's the issue?]
[???: Mathematics is the language of gods]
[Damn, all the pieces are falling into place?]
Thanks to such overwhelming results, Lee Gyeongbok's fans could genuinely rejoice.
Even so, so expectations lingered.
[Is PerG-Day really set to sweep all the way to the championship?]
[According to Uhwooper, it's possible, lol]
[Is this what you call scientific victory?]
The tournant wasn't over yet.
Would PerG-Day keep the win streak going?
And even greater expectations followed.
[Can Godple really record 0 deaths all the way to the end?]
[Man, I can't wait for Kemalcon!]
[If you think sothing is impossible, ask yourself if Purple did it]
[For real, lol, if it's Godple, maybe it's possible?]
Would Lee Gyeongbok keep a 0-death, "perfect" record in every ga until the end?
[PerG-Day winning every ga is nuts, but LOL]
[Let's be honest, a perfect score in a winning streak is on another level]
[Win streaks can happen, but a 0-death record in every ga? That might never be broken]
[That's a real "myth" right there]
[That's the record that fits Mystic League best, lol]
If that could happen, Lee Gyeongbok's feat would be unprecedented in CrazySmurf history.
Fans had only one wish.
[Ah! When are the playoffs?]
[Whenever Godple does sothing, ti just crawls on Earth]
[Seriously, ti is moving way too slow]
[Damn you, einstein!]
[Why did you create relativity, lol]
[Collective Purple withdrawal symptoms, lol]
No matter what, as soon as possible.
They wanted to see Lee Gyeongbok in action.
* * *
The next day.
Day 2 of the CrazySmurf group stage.
"Welco!"
Geno greeted the team brightly at the studio.
There were no PerG-Day matches today, but they were there to monitor Groups C and D, potential rivals.
With matches yet to start, the team passed ti chitchatting.
"Did everyone get a good rest yesterday?"
At Lee Gyeongbok's question, skullkim let out a cry of amazent.
"Wow, my heart was pounding so hard, I couldn't sleep."
" too! Playoff berth, and an undefeated one at that? It just didn't feel real."
Bakjapcho nodded beside them in agreent.
"Well, now that it's confird, I feel at ease."
"It's because things went well that we can all laugh together. If sothing had gone wrong, we'd be on a live apology stream right about now."
Eclipse added, and Geno joked in response. After everyone laughed, skullkim raised a hand.
"Ah, but honestly, regardless of results, I'm just grateful to be here at all."
"Right, just making it onto PerG-Day is a life-turning mont for , honestly."
With Bakjapcho joining in, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes went round, while Eclipse and Geno smiled knowingly.
"You know, after yesterday's match, my subscriber count doubled."
"Yeah, I was honestly shocked. It wasn't just the playoff berth that kept up all night—seeing that blew my mind too."
Both Skullkim and Bakjapcho had seen a surge in their Q-tube subscribers.
"It did start gaining montum after passing the audition, right?"
"Yeah. Both Skullkim and I were right at 100k! Finally, the silver button! That's what it felt like."
Back during the PerG-Day intern audition, both had around 50,000 subscribers. But after appearing on the live audition broadcast, that number soared.
"Then this morning, all of a sudden, I hit 200,000!"
"Yeah, seeing that, it just hit ."
The two of them exchanged glances, nodding.
"Purple Coin, this is the real deal."
"If you play alongside Purple, you're guaranteed to shoot to the top."
"What? No, it's because you two are good!"
Lee Gyeongbok gave a sheepish laugh at this, but the others disagreed.
"I get what you an! I really struggled until I got my silver button too... Congratulations!"
"It also took a long ti to get to 100,000. Sincerely, congratulations."
With Geno and Eclipse empathizing, Lee Gyeongbok felt a bit left out.
'I heard it was hard, but was it that tough?'
That was because he'd earned the silver button qualification practically overnight.
"Hey, don't fake-relate just for the sake of it. That's even more deceitful, you know!"
Geno teased, seeing Lee Gyeongbok's awkward expression. Eclipse chid in as well.
"Everyone knows Purple is special."
"If you're talking about deceit, your very existence is one of a kind......"
"It's not even deceit—it's more like reverence."
With Skullkim and Bakjapcho's amused voices joining in, Lee Gyeongbok could only laugh it off.
"Anyway, congratulations. If you say it like that, it'd be rude to refuse any credit."
Lee Gyeongbok said playfully, then smiled softly.
"But you wouldn't have gotten such results without your own effort."
"Huh?"
"Our effort?"
"They say luck is 70 percent and skill is 30, but if you're not prepared, luck is aningless. You passed the audition with your skills, right?"
Originally, skullkim and Bakjapcho were mbers Geno had prepared. If they'd just joined, people could say it was pure luck—just a chance opportunity from knowing Geno.
But Lee Gyeongbok changed that. Thanks to him, there was an audition, and both proved themselves before everyone.
"Only those who're prepared can seize luck."
Both nodded, practically entranced. Geno smiled, then clapped his hands to get everyone's focus.
"Alright, it's about ti. Let's focus on the monitoring."
With that, the broadcast appeared on the studio's big screen.
* * *
The second match of Group C had ended.
But all five of them looked bored.
"I don't know, but the Group C teams feel pretty average."
"Yeah, I agree. Not much different from ranked gas."
Group C didn't have any serious contenders. It felt much like practicing 5-stack ranked gas before the tournant.
Even that, it was just at the Diamond and Platinum tiers.
"What we really need to watch is Group D, money Damas."
"They were last year's champions, right?"
Lee Gyeongbok responded to Geno's comnt, thinking back.
"The manager summarized the info—they're a pretty unique crew, right?"
Park Juho had compiled and shared info about Money Damas. Since they were a strong favorite, there was more detail than for other teams.
"Yeah, most crews form from strears getting close while broadcasting."
"But Money Damas is bound by blood ties, so it's totally different."
Skullkim and Bakjapcho agreed. The mbers of Money Damas were relatives.
"Well, strear couples aren't unheard of, even if it's rare. What's crazier is that Donkak's sibling is also a strear, and even his wife's siblings are strears too."
Both sets of siblings were strears, so it was natural for them to form a crew.
"Either way, the important thing is skill, right? If you were last year's champions, you're definitely a threat."
"Actually, being 'family' turns out to have an impact on their skills, too."
Geno responded to Eclipse, drawing everyone's attention.
"Money Damas is especially strong in team gas, you know? There's a real difference between 'like a family' and literally being family. First off, the sheer ti together is different."
"I an, even the closest crews don't spend every second together."
"Right! By sheer practice hours, even Plus Alpha would bow out to them."
Lee Gyeongbok cocked his head.
"Athletic backgrounds also do group training, right? Is the difference that huge?"
"Sure. But for athletes, they only gather for group training when there's a major event. Money Damas isn't like that."
The response made Lee Gyeongbok let out a short exclamation.
"Oh, right. They're family, so they're always together."
"Exactly. The ti they've practiced together can't be limited to just this tournant. Plus, being family, they barely ever have internal conflict, unlike other crews."
"True. If any problem cos up, you just confront them directly or the parents get involved."
Eclipse's comnt had Geno nodding.
"Being together like that also makes orders more detailed. LattePro's Caffeine is known as an analyst, right? But no matter what, it's impossible to know everything about your mbers."
"For Money Damas, they'd know everything—strengths, weaknesses, even little habits."
"Exactly. All those details and experience add up, and their teamwork rivals professional eSports teams."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded, thinking of TierOne's team house.
'Makes sense—there's a reason pros live together in team houses.'
Even in the era of virtual reality, team houses survived so players could spend more ti together and learn about each other in depth.
"Money Damas are definitely strong in team gas."
"Just look at their championship history: Sudden Assault, overclock, craftstar. All team gas."
Skullkim and Bakjapcho shared what they knew. Money Damas had won tournants across several team ga genres.
Silence then swept over them. Confronted with Money Damas's resu, they all realized the team was a serious threat.
While everyone wore stiff expressions, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes were shining.
"If they're that good, then they'll reach finals, right?"
"Huh?"
"Structurally, and for viewers, it'd be most exciting for us to et in the finals."
The others suddenly got it.
Lee Gyeongbok wasn't intimidated or discouraged by strong opponents. He was the type to get more excited the harder things were.
Geno was the first to chuckle.
"Wow, you're already talking about finals like we've won semis?"
The playoffs hadn't even started, but here he was talking finals.
Lee Gyeongbok smiled in response.
"Who plays in a tournant planning to get eliminated?"
Every match was about winning by default. That line had everyone smiling too.
"Purple confidence really is different."
"You know, sitting next to Purple just fills with confidence, too."
"Actually, it's not wrong."
"If they're that good, then odds are we'll et in the finals."
"Structurally, and for viewers, seeing us clash in the finals would be best."
Lee Gyeongbok didn't worry about strong opponents—he just got excited for the challenge.
"Huh?"
The others had a mont of realization.
Geno said brightly.
"Do you know why our team's motto is Uhwooper?"
He turned to Lee Gyeongbok and finished.
"It cos from this very confidence."
Everyone burst out laughing in agreent.
The looming playoffs.
With Lee Gyeongbok, there was nothing to worry about.
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