Niruk Cup Kickoff: Blush and the Princess Awakens

"Hehehe, isn't this pretty?"

- Whoa;

- Heuuung

- Eyes

- Legendary today

Nam Haneul flashed a triumphant smile. She'd peeked at the chat window and was now strutting with puffed-up pride. Sure, her Intellect had gone up, but that didn't mean her personality suddenly turned scholarly. If anything, paired with her boosted Appearance stat, she was acting haughtier than ever.

Heh, hehehe. Worship me more...!

In short, her rotten core nature was unchanged. A little praise from chat, and she was instantly cocky.

Just by turning on her stream and smiling, she'd raked in nearly 200,000 won in donations. Life getting this easy just from prettifying up? Unreal.

"Hoo. Hehehe."

The world seemed like a pushover now, and with a bit more effort, she could probably fleece her viewers dry.

"Huh?"

"Ah~~ With so many folks tuned in and watching intently right now, we've got someone stirring up a ton of buzz, don't we?"

"Exactly! She's going by Sky Princess, and she's famous for being handpicked by none other than pro gamer Hong Suyeon—no, here she's Director Hong Suyeon."

"We can see she's streaming live right now, so let's check it out~"

"Alright~ Hello~?"

Her face popped up huge on the main broadcast screen she'd left running for commentary. Now, on top of her own viewers, she was beaming into streams from all sorts of other streamers.

"Wh-what?"

To repeat: her core nature hadn't changed. She cockily basked in praise, but deep down, she was an extreme introvert.

"Uh, n-no, wh-what."

She never imagined getting thrown into this massive introvert-killer spotlight without warning.

No, no. I've got Eloquence as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a stat now...!

Still, she mustered her confidence for a greeting. After all, she was a beauty adored by thousands now!

"H-hello there."

And Nam Haneul bit her tongue hard, failing to finish the greeting properly.

The moment she flubbed, her screen vanished from the main feed, replaced by the caster and commentator.

"Yes~ Aw, looks like she was super nervous!"

"Cute greeting, we saw it all!"

"......"

Nam Haneul's face on camera burned redder than usual. Biting her tongue in front of a massive audience? That shame exceeded her limits.

"H-huaaah!"

She clutched her hair with both hands, hiding her face. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Honestly, she wanted to kill the stream and hide forever.

"Euuugh-!"

Already mortified, the teasing chat made her grumpy. She shot a pouty glare at the camera.

No effect. Her expression softened only when the status window popped up.

'Huh?'

An Intermediate Authority unlocked. It reminded her of Hong Suyeon's stats surpassing 100.

Does that mean innate talents grant similar powers...?

Probably the geniuses dominating the era, like Hong Suyeon, all had stats over 100. And for her, it manifested in Appearance.

With the status window, maybe... others too?

She grinned, pondering her potential. Plus, the +5 Appearance boost meant she now sat at 105.

The change showed instantly. Stats past 100 transcended ordinary humans—true miracles. It wasn't just "5 points prettier." Anyone seeing her would be universally captivated.

This marked the moment her growth exploded.

After the greeting fiasco, she refocused on the broadcast. She'd snagged a new authority, and it was time for the main event: team building.

The process was simple. Directors got 100 coins each to bid on players in auctions. With fixed core mains already set, they just needed four more per team. Sixteen teams total, tournament style—that was the Niruk Cup.

"Hmm..."

Truth be told, Nam Haneul wasn't super knowledgeable about streamers. She'd binge-watched plenty holed up at home, but no true favorites. She preferred Ditube over live streams anyway, and even that paled next to her LoL time.

"Uh, higher tier's better, right?"

Not super eloquent, but Eloquence and Acting stats let her string words together decently.

Sixty-four streamers total: 8 Masters+, 10 Diamond~Emerald, 23 Plat~Gold, 32 Silver~Iron. Even among them, Challenger-turned-Masters and ex-pro Diamonds meant directors had to bid smart.

Cores—non-auction fixed members—were usually top tiers. Nam Haneul was the sole exception, stuck below Diamond. She pouted at chat, grumbling.

"I-I'm Emerald too, you know. I play ADC really well."

Viewers were split. Sure, she'd rocketed from Bronze to Emerald, but past Plat, her dominance waned—no more overwhelming games. Her skills still packed punch, but capped at a minute, it left some wanting.

"Euuu..."

She almost argued back but stopped. Frustrating, yeah—but she got it now: her stream thrived on her "getting bullied" image.

"Alright~ First player up for auction."

"Whoa, top-tier stock right off the bat?!"

No physical auction hall—players appeared online. Lemon, Challenger-turned-Master top laner. Once called "Suyeon's Top," his skill was renowned. Not quite Hong Suyeon level, but hot commodity.

"Auction~~ Starting at 1 coin."

"Climbing fast!"

"Great, player, give us your pitch!"

Auction started; players got one minute to sell themselves. Chubby-uncle-faced Lemon drummed his belly like a drum.

"Hearty gukbap, hearty Lemon. Take me to your team!"

"Hmm... Suyeon doesn't seem interested this round."

Hong Suyeon stayed stone-still, uninterested. Lemon fetched 48 coins, snagged by another director.

Auctions flew by. Prime stock first, then an Iron tier right after.

"Pitch away!"

"Aigoo, whatever!"

White tank top only, he shook his hips in a Zero-Two dance. Lemon needed no flair thanks to skill; this guy flaunted entertainment for lack thereof. It worked—low tiers often went unsold, but he nabbed 3 coins.

More passed, then another Master appeared.

Seol Yeoni (Saryami). The sole female Master streamer, support position. Her supp play was solid, but less impactful than other Masters—supports rarely dominate visibly.

"Ho..."

"Ah~~~ Director Hong Suyeon bids 30 coins right out the gate!"

Hong Suyeon, silent till now, jumped in.

"Wha...?"

Viewers and Nam Haneul got it instantly. Her position? ADC.

Team tailored extremely for Nam Haneul. Hong Suyeon's plan.

"Why?!"

Haneul freaked at the pressure.