The Blood Cult's Master?
Blood Cult's master? Well, judging an entire group just by their team name was a bit of a stretch. After all, just because Minji's team was called the Nice Squad didn't mean every member was a freeloader—though Minji herself had no right to complain. Still, the preconception was hard to shake thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult team's chaotic antics that had burned themselves into everyone's memory. Those guys hadn't just role-played; they'd completely blurred the line between themselves and their characters, reaching a state of total immersion. As a result, Minji was the only one who ended up stuck with the ridiculous nickname "Blood-Splattered Witch." Of course, some might argue it wasn't such a bad moniker, but it was never used in a purely complimentary way.
For all those reasons, Minji wasn't particularly fond of the "Blood-Splattered Witch" title. Her uncontrollable stream viewers kept spamming "Whoa! Blood-Splattered Witch!" to tease her regardless of how she felt about it. In any case, when Minji saw the name Blood Cult, her first thought was: Please let these guys be normal people. She was the type who never considered how she herself appeared to others. After all, she couldn't even tell when her own behavior was out of line.
"Last time it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and now it's the Blood Cult. Seongna's not gonna get another weird nickname this time, right?"
"Ugh, I really don't want that."
Well, there was no guarantee these Blood Cult folks were the same breed as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult crew, so maybe jumping to conclusions was a little premature.
"So, are we going with a gimmick map this time? I heard they only picked combat maps on their way to the finals."
Ias's PvP annihilation matches were largely divided into two categories: "combat" maps focused on defeating opponents, and "gimmick" maps with completely different victory conditions per stage. The circular arena was a classic combat map, while Gregory's Ghost Island was a prime example of a gimmick map. Teams confident in their PvP skills usually preferred combat maps, and the Blood Cult—their finals opponent—seemed to follow that trend. What about the Nice Squad? They leaned toward combat maps too, but they didn't outright avoid gimmick maps either. Even with Suha as a clear weak point, the presence of standout fighters like Seongna and Eder gave them a solid edge in raw power. All in all, they were a dark horse no opponent wanted to face—too unpredictable to gauge.
"Well, that's probably the way to go. Or... if Minji's in good shape, we could just go combat map."
A team that could adapt their map choice based on the opponent and tilt the situation in their favor before the match even started. That was the Nice Squad's unique strength. Especially on days when their ace Minji was at peak condition, they would pick combat maps without hesitation and turn the match into a one-sided massacre. Though, considering how the "Blood-Splattered Witch" nickname was born, maybe her off days weren't much different.
"My condition?"
And today, Minji's condition was? Absolutely peak.
"I don't think I've ever felt better. Right now I feel like I could beat anyone who shows up. Baek Ryong-gak? Tell him to come at me. Actually, should I just open a custom room? Is Ryong-gak online? He's got a match today too, right? We could do a quick 1v1—"
"Okay, okay, I get it."
Playing in the comfort of her own home, wearing whatever she wanted, there really was no better environment. She was in that rare state where she genuinely believed she could slaughter anyone who dared log in.
"She's so excited just because she's at home. How's the gear feeling?"
"Not bad, actually."
With roughly twenty minutes left until the finals match, everyone was warming up in the practice range when Minji suddenly spoke up.
"Wait, this is bad...!"
Her voice carried a distinctly uneasy tone.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Is something not working? Did an error pop up?"
If Minji had been at a PC bang, this would've been easily solved by just moving seats. Unfortunately, she was at home. Any equipment issue could jeopardize their participation entirely—especially with so little time left that even rushing to a PC bang might not work.
"Should we just run to a PC bang right now? Think we'll make it in time?"
"Uh, um... What do we do? Should I message the admins? They might give us a few extra minutes... but maybe not?"
While Suha and Eder were panicking, wondering if there was any way to buy time, Minji casually dropped:
"Huh? There's no problem with the equipment, though."
Question marks practically floated above Suha and Eder's heads. If it wasn't the computer, then what exactly was the emergency? Technically, she had only said something was wrong—she never claimed it was the PC—so it wasn't a lie.
"Then what exactly is the problem?"
Suha, who was slowly becoming more like Minji, finally couldn't hold back.
Minji's answer was:
"I'm bored of snacks and there's literally nothing to eat at home."
The sheer absurdity left Suha and Eder staring in stunned silence, their question marks now carrying an entirely different meaning.
"Nothing to eat? What are you even—"
Eder had briefly entertained the wild hope that she meant something normal, but that was his mistake. He had foolishly expected basic common sense from Minji, and the price was:
"At a PC bang you can just order snacks, but you can't do that at home. I'm starving right now and there's nothing here. If this isn't an emergency, what is?"
She had everyone on edge for nothing, only to drop the most ridiculous complaint. It was peak trolling—drawing everyone's attention just to reveal it was all nonsense.
"Minji."
"Yeah?"
If someone who shared Minji's trolling blood had been watching, they would've clapped and nodded in approval. Unfortunately, Suha and Eder were not those people.
"Do you actually want to die?"
"Eh? Why...?"
In the end, Minji's pre-match trolling ended as nothing more than a light-hearted incident.
—
Right now, one of the most talked-about teams in the ICK was undoubtedly the Nice Squad. Suha, the corporate streamer, needed no introduction. Eder, who had started gaining attention with newbie guide videos a few months ago and had since reached mid-tier status. And finally, Seongna—currently worshipped as a goddess in the Ias underground community. A team that was impossible to ignore.
Today, as the official ICK broadcast began, viewers flocked to watch the Nice Squad's match. Eder, now known for his warm image as the "Newbie's Father" and "Ias Kindergarten Principal," still had the skills from his old "Kind Demon" days? Suha, once infamous for her terrible hands, had supposedly been beaten into shape by Seongna—how good was she now? And most importantly, would Seongna—the "Goddess of the Ias Gallery," "Symbol of Trolling," and "Embodiment of Vulgarity and Lewdness," also known as the Blood-Splattered Witch (a name that would make Minji furious if she heard it)—turn on her face cam today?
The expectations were strangely focused on one person, but since she herself had shown that side of her during the unboxing stream, she had no right to complain. Incidentally, the Ias staff who watched that broadcast had all thought the same thing: What the hell is this? This would get instantly demonetized on YouTube. At this point they should just slap an adult rating on it. What was the PD thinking when they hired this person as an official streamer? Director Jeon Gangseop had even begun doubting his own judgment and started listening more carefully to others' opinions. In a way, it had been a positive influence.
That said, because the Nice Squad was receiving so much attention from all angles, interest in their opponent was just as high. When people checked the bracket and saw who the Nice Squad's round-of-16 opponent was, they reacted with: Blood Cult? What the hell?
Normal people would ask, "Blood Cult? What's that?" while those familiar with wuxia stories would go, "Oh! Blood Cult, you say?! Those absolute bastards!" But to current Ias players, the name Blood Cult carried a slightly different meaning.
So these guys were also concept-crazy roleplayers like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult lot? Ever since that infamous concept guild had surfaced, other RP-oriented guilds with similar vibes had started getting attention too. Thanks to that, Baek Eun-ha—the leader of the Blood Cult team and master of the [Blood Cult] guild—had been suffering from extreme fatigue lately.
No, seriously, why am I getting dragged into this because of those Heavenly Demon idiots... This is so embarrassing.
To put it bluntly, the Blood Cult was indeed a gathering of concept enthusiasts just like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. However, that was only how the old members used to act. The people still in the guild now had no real interest in that kind of roleplay. They stayed because they wanted to keep the bonds they'd built over time. The members who stubbornly clung to the ridiculous wuxia concept had dwindled to a handful, practically extinct. It was like the Ship of Theseus—the guild still used the name Blood Cult, but it had become something completely different from the original.
Meanwhile, both the [Murim Alliance] and [Heavenly Demon Divine Cult] were making a fuss, claiming the Blood Cult's silence meant they were plotting something. It was almost pitiful how they still hadn't grown out of that mindset even at their age.
Anyway, after ditching the concept and just enjoying the game for fun with everyone laughing together, a few guild members who wanted to participate in the PvP tournament had joined, and that was that. So why—
Why did she have to be treated like this? And it wasn't even their fault—it was because of those Heavenly Demon idiots. Up to this point, Baek Eun-ha could have brushed it off with a "Well, I guess it can't be helped..." But there was one more problem.
Even among the originally normal members, one or two had started getting consumed by the concept. The worst part was that the ones who had been consumed just so happened to be the ones participating in this tournament.
"...You guys handle it yourselves."
That single fact alone had pushed Baek Eun-ha's fatigue past its limit.
Once this tournament is over, I'm really leaving the guild. Bonds or whatever, I'm done.
But as guild master, stepping down required selecting a successor. Since everyone who wanted to leave had already left and only the shell remained, it probably wouldn't matter who took over. Still, handing the master position to some random passerby didn't seem wise—the concept freaks probably wouldn't stay quiet.
"Ughhh..."
"Shut up."
While Baek Eun-ha was clutching her head, her eyes landed on a certain nickname written on the bracket.
[Seongnyeo Naise]
Seongnyeo Naise—the person who'd been getting a lot of attention lately. She had some weird nickname too, right? Blood-Splattered Witch? No, that wasn't it. Anyway, "witch"? "Blood"? It matched the Blood Cult perfectly... Wait a second?
Successor found. She'd be perfect for the job. Not because I want to dump it on her or anything—it's just that it really suits her. Seriously.