Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Don't Call Yourself Sister
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Three days had passed since the magic that transformed her body—the second time she'd endured it.
The ICK preliminaries were now in their final stretch, with only the last hurdle standing between Min-ji and advancement to the main tournament.
If she cleared this third preliminary, she could finally claim the Ias custom PC she'd been dreaming of.
But if she failed?
All the effort she'd poured in up to now would vanish in an instant.
So, it would be weirder if she wasn't tense right now.
Of course, given the Nice Squad's performance so far, dropping out of preliminaries wasn't even a worry—they could realistically aim for the championship.
White Dragon Pavilion? Sure, he was impressive, but they had the mighty Blood Witch on their side!
Still, letting her guard down in a situation like this was no different from stacking layer after layer of defeat flags.
So Min-ji resolved not to allow even a shred of complacency this time.
⚙ STREAM ALERT ⚙ "Whoa, Blood Witch! You're here!" "I told you not to call me that..."
The moment she entered the team Discord channel, Suha Yam's voice—dripping with amusement—greeted her first.
Ever since the second preliminary, Suha had seized every chance to tease Min-ji with that nickname.
Min-ji, who usually brushed off jokes with indifference, reacted especially sourly to that one, so Suha kept poking at her just to see that face.
But the fun didn't last long.
⚙ STREAM ALERT ⚙ "Tch, your reactions are no fun lately." "Then stop..."
A few days in, Min-ji's sour responses had fizzled out, and Suha was losing interest too.
-lolololol
-Whoa! Blood Witch!
-Blood Cult forever! Forever! For-ev-er!
Min-ji's viewers, on the other hand, showed no signs of tiring.
Don't these people ever get sick of it? It's not even that funny.
At first, the nickname had felt a bit off-putting, but now Min-ji was numb to it.
Whatever, ignore it long enough and it'll die down—
🔔 DONATION ALERT 🔔 Anonymous donated 105,000 won! "You foul Blood Cult witch, what color are your panties?" ...I'm gonna lose my mind.
"...Did you tack on an extra 5,000 won just for the profanity fee?"
-That guy's insane lololol
-Preemptive strike ON
-He's gonna get banned, right?
🔔 DONATION ALERT 🔔 Anonymous donated 1,000 won! "Yep." It was her own doing, saying it was fine to call her Blood Witch or Lower Blood Witch or whatever.
She'd even said harassment or insults were okay as long as the donation rate was right.
Now she wondered if she should've just nixed that nonsense from the start.
Min-ji belatedly realized she'd traded her dignity for pocket change.
"Sigh... Black."
-She's always around that color
-You don't change your undies, do you?
-Wasn't it black yesterday too?
-Yesterday was white lol
"Are you nuts? I change them every day."
So what could she do? Just take the money and go "Woo, cash!" to heal her wallet.
Money was the cure-all, after all.
If anyone denied that, they probably just weren't rich enough—worth a thought.
⚙ TEAM CHAT ⚙ "Behold, I have arrived." Only then did the last team member—and leader—Eder finally show up, completing the Nice Squad lineup.
⚙ TEAM CHAT ⚙ "Tardy fee: 50,000 won." "Score."
⚙ TEAM CHAT ⚙ "One minute late..." "No excuses." There was a minor incident—a 50,000-won tardy fee despite being just one minute late past the appointed time—but anyway...
Full squad assembled!
After exchanging fighting spirits once more, they prepared to face the third preliminary... only to find:
⚙ TOURNAMENT ALERT ⚙ "Uh... Nice Squad?" "Yes?" "...Your opponents forfeited. You've advanced to mains by default win. Congratulations." It was a happy outcome, but they hadn't really done anything to earn it.
A strangely bittersweet victory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ She later learned that forfeits were surprisingly common in online PVP prelims.
With everything remote, people overslept and got default losses, or emergencies kept them from logging in altogether.
"Urgh..."
Thanks to that, her custom PC was secured—but a nagging unease lingered in Min-ji's heart.
She'd prepared so hard; wouldn't it feel better to win it with her own hands?
Someone might call it ungrateful griping after snagging prizes on a walkover, but Min-ji had a surprisingly strong competitive streak and thirst for glory.
Otherwise, why would she throw tantrums over lack of praise or pull those ugly stunts no one could watch with eyes open?
That said, her brain wasn't so addled she'd reject a default win yelling "I can't accept this victory!"
Bittersweet or not, she'd take the sure gains.
Min-ji wasn't the type to haughtily spit out free meals shoved her way.
"Hmm..."
As for why this girl was sprawled on her bed looking all mopey?
[Ias Winter Showcase Invitation] Some main tournament entrants got invites to the winter break showcase.
What was a showcase? RPGs' ultimate super-special-awesome nuke, unleashed just twice a year like a grand ritual—their biggest festival.
It answered users' "Do these devs even work?" gripes after half a year,
and decided if they'd rake it in this peak season or bust—the all-in bet on the game's survival.
Ias was staking big on this winter showcase.
Reason? They'd royally botched the summer one.
Peak season was crucial for RPGs: lure newbies, retain olds.
A flop could revive a dying game or tank a hot one.
And Ias? No new influx, even chased off existing players—a disaster.
Lucky they were #1 in RPGs then; any other game would've flatlined.
They'd barely clung on with oxygen—now this showcase was do-or-die surgery.
"Sounds fun, but..."
She'd boldly promised her stream "Please wait, it'll be worth it"—so it'd be packed to bursting.
Stream or in-person, content was the same, but...
The vibe's different, right!
"Ah... Go? Nah? Go? Nah?"
Contrary to what people thought, Min-ji's love for Ias was genuine.
Otherwise, why drop millions cash on a Mythic Weapon,
or return after it tanked her wallet?
Every Ias player dreamed of attending showcase live—and Min-ji did too, but—
"Someone might recognize me..."
The thought of being spotted made her hesitate.
Truth was, she hid her face for a simple reason.
If the orphanage kids, Pastor Kim, or the director saw her stream... they'd be heartbroken, disappointed.
She didn't know her body's original owner's life,
but Pastor Kim teared up mid-chat, radiating gratitude and guilt.
Min-ji couldn't show him her stream of harassment and slurs.
"Still... I wanna go to the showcase..."
Min-ji's small, empty head spun in circles.
Go? No? Go? No? Loop.
Unable to decide, that's when—
[Suha Yam: Min-ji! You going to the showcase?] [Suha Yam: Let's go together!! >< ] A DM from her one-and-only same-sex friend (something to be eternally grateful for), Suha.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Around the same time Min-ji agonized over the showcase, another faced similar woes.
"Urgh..."
A figure curled small on a chair, knees hugged tight by both arms.
Scrawny limbs and tiny frame screamed "kid?"—but shockingly, they were twenty-one.
An adult.
What's more, porcelain pale skin smooth as flowing water, long soft eyes fringed with unusually lengthy lashes.
Cute yet pretty, pretty yet cute—a hazardous critter sparking "I wanna keep it" urges in viewers.
But the world slipped one fatal flaw with this adorable being...
-Rattle!
"Hey, little bro! Boil some ramen for your big sis!"
"...I told you not to call yourself sister."
This creature was born male, not female.
The woman bursting through the door grabbed the huddled boy's shoulders, shaking pleadingly.
"C'mooon~ Big sis ramen, boil it~ Boil it~"
"Buzz off, noona."
The boy—smaller than his sister—shook like a leaf, but held firm.
If she kept claiming "언니," no ramen for her!
"Hmm... I bought pudding for our Yong-ho, but whatever if you don't want it."
"Ugh."
The boy's name: Yong-ho.
At twenty-one, "boy" felt off, but who wouldn't call him that?
"Girl" fit better visually, but as a clear male, that'd be a grave insult.
Mistaking him for female was one of Yong-ho's biggest complexes.
Guys confessed endlessly—but girls he liked? "Don't like anyone prettier than me." Rejected.
Zero dating experience.
"...Just do it, fine."
"Eek! Big sis is touched!"
"Ah, quit calling yourself sister!"
His noona teased relentlessly regardless.
She kept it up, but Yong-ho couldn't hate her.
She covered his food, clothes, shelter; without her, he'd return home.
[Exercise! The path to manhood is exercise alone!]
Back there? Endless strength training. Better teased in her nest.
"Here, eat."
"Egg in it?"
"Yeah."
"Such style!"
As he turned to leave post-ramen, she piped up:
"Oh right, heading out?"
"...Huh?"
"Clothes out in your room—that criminal getup."
"...Not criminal."
Yong-ho loathed looking girly, so he hunkered indoors to dodge stares.
Outfit? Always the same one.
Pulling it out signaled an outing.
"...This."
She teased freely usually, but as his full benefactor, he stayed polite.
No lies to noona, ever—including now.
"Lemme see... What? Ias showcase?"
"Yeah."
"These draw crowds, right? You gonna be okay, little bro?"
"Yeah."
"Good for you—get some air, meet friends, yeah?"
"...No friends or—"
Suddenly, a face flashed in his mind.
[No way, it's our little secret, me and Yong-gak.]
"Not none, but... uh... friend...? Kinda... yeah, maybe..."
Ambiguous existence.
"Eh?! What?! For real?!"
His noona freaked more than him.
"Our bro has a friend? Impossible... No, wait! Hold on! I'll pick your outfit!"
"Eh? No need. Wait, why her closet?! That's women's clothes!"
"What? To your big sis?? You done?"
"Why pull more out then—hey, why the skirt?!"
After thirty minutes of bloody battle, Yong-ho stuck with his original criminal look.