The World Is Wide (2)
Any organization places great importance on its successor. People aren't immortal; eventually, they all return to nature's embrace. Knowing this fate, everyone scrambles to leave a legacy behind. A successor is part of that effort. A successor with strong legitimacy is vital to any group. If that legitimacy is lacking, they'll face constant checks from subordinates or underlings, making it hard to inherit the position.
In that sense, the Blood Demon Wi Ho Chang's designated successor was originally Geumjang. Not only was he the first subordinate Wi Ho Chang accepted, but he was also utterly loyal. On top of that, he had the leadership to guide people, so the Blood Cult remnants planned to follow him without question.
Until Cheonma suddenly appeared and snapped Geumjang's neck.
"What do we do now?"
A frail, aged voice echoed like a reverberation. The group sat facing each other by the light of a single lantern. When the eldest man in the head seat spoke, all that returned was heavy silence.
"Geumjang fell to Cheonma. Who are we supposed to follow now?"
Not even a sigh answered his lament. They couldn't respond. It made sense—no one could speak when their long-dreamed-of Blood Cult revival was crumbling right before it could happen.
They'd only gathered thanks to the ambitious post Geumjang had uploaded to the Gallery, calling them to the holy site to proclaim the cult's return. But shortly after, a video went up of him being toyed with by Cheonma.
"...We need to worry about survival before thinking about who to follow."
"What do you mean by that?"
"As Elder Taejung said, we lack a proper successor, and now we've lost our focal point."
The relatively young middle-aged man spoke, drawing groans from the others. He wasn't wrong about a thing. The Blood Cult wasn't just failing to revive—it was on the brink of extinction.
"And most critically, we have almost no initiates. Especially the young ones; our seed has dried up."
On top of that, the cult had virtually no new members. Sure, the Blood Demon had fame in the Gallery, but it was all as a meme. In the past, most who joined were drawn to Wi Ho Chang's feats. But the Blood War was fifty years ago. If it had been ten, maybe—but half a century had passed. Even those in their twenties back then were now silver-haired elders. The adults who'd been in their prime? Forget it.
Over half the elders died in the Blood War, and another half succumbed to aftereffects or old age. Even the youngest cultists among them were over fifty. That said it all.
"That's... a serious problem. Without new faces, the Blood Cult will fade away naturally. Do you know why?"
"Hmph. It's because the young whippersnappers don't know the Blood Cult's majesty."
"Back in our day, initiates were as numerous as the sea..."
"It's all that damned Murim Alliance's fault."
No, it's because of you lot. The middle-aged man smirked inwardly, curling his lip. Drunk on past glory, they couldn't face reality. When the Blood Demon was around, blindly following worked fine—but he'd ascended to the heavens. Plus, the Murim Alliance, victors of the Blood War, had exposed every ugly truth about the cult.
The Alliance had its own dirt, of course, but winners take all, and losers get what's coming. Just look at the Blood Demon—he'd massacred civilians. Hard to win hearts with that; the group had a rotten reputation all around.
Yet the Gallery was poorly managed too. Info spread like wildfire, and fake self-proclaimed Blood Cultists—real or not—stirred up chaos, turning the cult into the poster child for every dickhead. Now, mention anything Blood Cult-related, and you'd get cockroach jokes and mockery.
"Quiet down, all of you! Complaining like this changes nothing—you know that! Give me solutions!"
"If we show our power like the Blood Demon did..."
"Geumjang Elder got played by Cheonma—us? We'd just boost her prestige."
Debate raged on, but no real solutions emerged. Most were old, their strength and vigor long gone. In Gallery terms, they were boomers stuck in the old world.
"More importantly, who will we choose as successor?"
"What?"
"We need someone to lead us, no matter what."
"..."
Let's pick a successor first. Silence fell at those words. They all knew arguing wouldn't unify them. So designate someone and follow their lead—that was the idea.
"Ahem. With Geumjang Elder fallen..."
"Why not you, Elder Taejung?"
"I'm too old. This frail body won't last long before returning to dust."
"Then who do you nominate as successor?"
"Since we're the Blood Cult, why not do it the Blood Cult way?"
The Blood Cult way was simple: fight until one died. Fine in their heyday, but not now. With so few members, every life was precious.
"We should hold off on that. Infighting's bad enough, but it'd tarnish our legitimacy too."
"No one matches Geumjang's legitimacy..."
Blood Cult legitimacy boiled down to how much direct teaching you'd received from Blood Demon Wi Ho Chang. Geumjang had even shared martial arts with him, making him the top pick. All moot now, though.
In that sense, the one with the strongest legitimacy was...
"Didn't the Blood Demon personally teach an ape?"
"Not an ape—a primate. Specifically, a great gorilla."
"You can't mean making that beast our successor?"
Declined or not, they were human. The revulsion at crowning a mere primate was inevitable. Pride aside, it was fundamental—and even Blood Cultists half-agreed. But...
"Has anyone here received the Blood Demon's full martial arts transmission?"
"..."
"Maybe a bit of teaching..."
"But no one got the complete set like those great gorillas. Their skills are top-notch—no slacking there."
"Even so, primates..."
"We're just naming it successor. No need to revere it."
The elder's point: designation and worship were separate. Squeeze it for all it's worth, then kill it on the sly. Especially if they could snag the martial arts from it. And since it could talk, learning wouldn't be hard.
"True..."
"Not a bad option."
"It's just a primate at worst."
Through half-hearted persuasion, they settled on making the primate—i.e., gorilla—the successor. No matter how smart, it couldn't outsmart humans, right?
"Obviously the leader gorilla. It's the strongest."
"Ridiculous! Didn't you hear? It exiled its own brother, the white gorilla! The Blood Demon himself was banished for looking different—we can't accept that!"
"Where'd you hear that? Never heard it myself."
"It was on the Gallery."
"You believe that?"
Even within the cult, Blood Demon info was muddled. And so the shitshow began: leader gorilla or Kkobong? Strength or legitimacy(?)? What should've been a lame debate turned into...
What the actual fuck? To the middle-aged man, it was peak village idiocy. Hidden by the Blood Demon's legends, the cult itself was pretty dim. Smart ones existed once, but the Blood War wiped them out. No real 'brains' left—more like no reality-checkers.
Where did the smart ones go? Murim Alliance or Ma-gyo. The split was conformists vs. malcontents. No one sane joined the Blood Cult.
What do they think the Four Seasons Forest is? The man had plenty to say, but too much to bother. Couldn't pinpoint where it all went wrong.
Fine, nominating a gorilla—whatever. But fetching it? Stepping into the inescapable hell-purgatory of the Four Seasons Forest themselves?
Grills had revealed much lately, but it was a drop in the bucket. Dangers unknown, escape? Doubtful.
"Um... before that, something to consider."
"Ah, yes. What's your take?"
"Not that—the primates are in the Four Seasons Forest. Finding them is secondary; can they even get out?"
"Alone? Tough."
Alone was impossible. In other words...
"So why not all of us go into the Four Seasons Forest?"
"Together... you mean?"
"Yes. United we stand—that's our Blood Cult way. Same for the forest."
"..."
"Plus, there's already a survivor inside. We can get support from him."
No plan. Teaming with these planless idiots was suicide. Just hold hands and march to death? Ignorant of the forest's infamy, or seeing it as noble quest?
The world was wide and madmen many, but this transcended it.
No—the Blood Cult is a den of psychos. And he was in it. The man gaped, soul visibly draining in crushing realization.
Mistaking it for admiration, the elder smiled warmly at the cultists.
"Looks like we've converged on a plan. But the Four Seasons Forest is known as a demon realm. We should prepare thoroughly."
"Agreed. Gather as many cultists as possible."
"Don't like making a primate successor, but... no choice."
"What about that survivor we meet?"
"He enslaved our successor? He deserves heavenly punishment."
Brains ossified? Truly believing survival? Or just thick-skulled?
"And you—what will you do?"
"Ah... I need to head to my hometown for a bit."
"Something come up?"
"Heard there's someone wanting to join."
"Oh, good news. Understood."
The day the Blood Cult began preparing for the Four Seasons Forest, the middle-aged man fled.
******
Title: It Was Filthy Being Together (Photo of old men laughing and chatting)
Never meet again, you fucking boomer shits
ㄴWho the hell are you? Boss?
ㄴYeah boss but it's all old fogeys. Fucked off cuz of it.
ㄴTough break. Jungwon folks got extra boomers.
ㄴWhat's next?
ㄴHead home, farm or something. Used to do heavy labor, should be fine.
ㄴWhy do those guys look so evil? Faces are brutal.
ㄴNow you get my hard life? Looks like we had a resignation today. Dug it up on the Gallery.
Sometimes rumors pop about Blood Cult heading to Four Seasons Forest—whatever.
"Alright, repeat after me. Park."
"Park."
"Jong."
"Jong."
"Hyuk."
"Hyuk."
"Put it together?"
"BitchX."
"What the fuck. Where'd you learn that?"
"Park Jong-hyuk."
"You little..."
How do I make this gorilla listen? The world is wide and crazies abound, but getting verbally owned by a gorilla? Never saw it coming.
This fucker's mocking me, so he's definitely smart. Show the cult this, and they'd worship him as successor.
Nah, impossible. That's beyond crazy—worse than gorillas.