Chapter 19
The cheers that filled the set continued until we reached backstage.
A thrill that makes the hairs on my whole body stand on end.
I wasn't the only one who enjoyed this feeling.
"This is so much fun!"
"I'm proud that I did well!"
"I was really worried, but I'm so glad. Guys, we did so well!"
As soon as we returned to the waiting room, the
I ended up being completely stuck between Heo Yu-bin and Kang Si-yoon, to the point where I couldn't move.
So I just laughed with a relieved mind.
After walking around the waiting room almost three times, everyone finally calmed down.
Wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, leader Park Se-han slowly opened his mouth.
"I knew very well how important the first stage of the survival show was. That's why I wanted to show the audience a good performance. I was so happy to be able to meet such great team members from the beginning."
"Sehan hyung!"
It was a typical comment made in response to the cameras constantly moving around in the waiting room, but the trainees who were absorbed in the atmosphere had expressions on their faces as if they were about to cry at any moment.
"I hope we can be the same team again next time and create another great stage! Everyone worked hard!"
"How great would it be if we got first place in overall votes this time!"
"Honestly, we've done the best so far. Isn't that right, Karis?"
"hmm?"
Kang Si-yoon suddenly asked me a question.
I don't know if it's right to drink kimchi stew [something to happen before it really happens] when there's still half of the other teams' stages left.
I glanced at my teammates, who were giving me bright-eyed looks.
'It's okay to be proud once in a while.'
And honestly, I thought the same thing as Kang Si-yoon.
"Siyoon, you're asking such an obvious question, which is unusual for you. Of course, our team has shown the most perfect synergy so far. Didn't you hear the cheers of the fans who were looking at us? Has there ever been such a loud cheer before?"
"It wasn't there!"
"There weren't any, hyung!"
"Yes. That should be a sufficient answer."
Finally, with a smile on their faces, Ken Hashimoto and Heo Yubin nodded their heads vigorously up and down.
... When I'm with these two guys, I feel like I've gone back to my days as the crown prince in
Thinking back to my time in the game, the view I had seen from the stage came back to me.
I had similar feelings just a few minutes ago.
The audience cheered for us as we stopped after finishing all the movements.
The sight looked similar to the scenery I had seen in
When the news of victory was delivered in the Kingdom Square.
When I made a speech saying that I could defeat the Demon King's army in the future.
When I swore to protect the kingdom forever.
At all those moments, the same cheers greeted me as today.
'... I never thought I'd feel this way in reality.'
It was a very strange thing.
I thought I would never be treated this way in real life again.
Especially on stage.
'Yes, in the future, when they see me, they will continue to send me this kind of enthusiasm.'
As I continued to reminisce about that hot heat, a confident thought passed through my mind without me realizing it.
As the elation of successfully completing the performance faded away, the team members relaxed and flopped down on the sofa.
Looking at the extremely haggard state, it seemed like all the fatigue that had built up over the past few days was coming at once.
I sat in the chair closest to the TV in the waiting room.
And I checked the quest notification window that was created right after the
[Hidden link quest,
[Reward: 1 Lucky Draw Coin]
It seems that hidden linked quests like this are created every time
I looked at the lucky draw coin phrase written on the reward and bit my lip.
'Is it okay to hand out rewards like this?'
From what I've experienced, this 'Lucky Draw Shop' is the system that boasts the most fraudulent performance.
If the only way to use the store is to pay with coins, then lucky draw coins would be the most valuable item.
If every hidden quest rewarded me with coins, I would be so comfortable.
'Especially because I just saw the effects of this lucky draw coin with my own eyes.'
In the first round, I had to make sure that Karis von Walden's presence was felt.
In my experience, the advantage or disadvantage is determined by how much attention you can gather during the first stage and fan cams.
So I used the coins I was saving to turn the gacha, and I ended up getting an S-grade item.
[The usage time of the S-rank item, 'Skill Amplifier' has expired.]
[Items will be automatically destroyed.]
I watched the ▲ mark next to the 'Worship and Revere' skill disappear.
My skill, which had temporarily been at B rank, was lowered back to its original C rank.
'... It's a bit of a waste to use this item now, but it's okay because there are certain facts I've found out.'
The 'Skill Amplifier' from the Lucky Draw Shop literally increased the level of the skill I had by one level.
Ahead of the first round, I was able to very quickly decide which skill to use the item on.
I have to capture the hearts of the audience who come to the scene to get a high number of votes.
In order to win their hearts, I have to strongly appeal to them about what kind of trainee Karis von Walden is.
The skill that grabs the attention of those watching my stage and makes them empathize with me, 'Worship me and be in awe.'
I already knew its effectiveness because I had performed in front of the judges.
I wanted to test whether this skill, which matches so well with the SSS-class appearance stats, would work for the general audience.
'It was loud enough to cut through all the noise on stage.'
When I stood in the center,
When I come out to the front of the formation,
When I finished a solo part,
Every time that happened, cheers of incredible decibels erupted.
And it wasn't just cheering, it was screaming.
'I only went from a C grade to a B grade, and yet I got this kind of reaction. That means....'
This means that if my skill proficiency increases to A grade or higher without an item, I can have an unimaginable ripple effect.
I observed the other teams' stages being broadcast live on TV screens.
No matter how overwhelming the on-site response may be, there are plenty of trainees among the latecomers who can turn the tables.
In particular, friends who had placed in the top 7 in the previous survival were still showing off their good skills.
'You can tell just by looking at Song Hyeong-bin.'
It was the same during rehearsals and also during the live broadcast before going on stage.
Song Hyeong-bin's group surprisingly had nothing special about it.
Perhaps because the cells were assigned randomly, the grades weren't all that fancy.
A group with many upper-middle-ranked trainees with an average of Tier 2.
In some ways, it could have been a good environment, but their biggest problem was Song Hyeong-bin.
Because of his all-round nature, he ended up suppressing the rest of his teammates even though he didn't intend to.
In short, on the stage where Song Hyeong-bin stands, the other five are merely supporting actors, devices that make the main character stand out.
The trainees who made it to the top 7 all have special weapons.
I nodded silently as I watched a group that was just about to go up on stage.
'That guy too.'
Trainees wearing colorful uniforms were greeting the national managers.
Among them, one trainee at the center showed off his unrivaled physique and visuals.
He has a tall and small face, so tall that he is a head taller than the other trainees.
In contrast, he was a boy with an impressive, youthful appearance.
[Hello, we are!]
[The Color Rangers!]
[...Rangers.]
Even though it was a childish team name, the other trainees shouted it out in lively voices.
But the guy standing in the center just held his palm out in front without any change in expression.
It was the same in interviews, asking about how he felt.
[Hello, this is Ji Yoon-cheol.]
[Is there anything else you would like to say?]
[...I will do my best.]
Choi Sia looked even more flustered at the simple answer.
Ji Yoon-cheol is probably the only one who can maintain such an indifferent expression in front of an audience of 300 people.
'That guy hasn't changed at all since then.'
The top 7 spots, which are the debut spots, were also called 'immovable concrete'.
Because they captured a solid fan base so early on, there weren't many changes in the rankings until the survival show ended.
Among them, the trainee whose ranking didn't change the most was Ji Yoon-cheol.
An expression that looks rather dazed at first glance, eyes that seem far from lively.
However, he captured the hearts of the nation's managers with his genius dancing skills and visuals.
When I first went on
All I did was be in the same group as Ji Yoon-cheol and Chae Eun-gyu in the third round.
So, when the guy whose personality I had somehow figured out directly in front of me came up on stage, I felt a faint sense of joy.
No matter how blunt and stupid that kid may be.
"He's really tall."
"I know, right."
"I know who that is."
Everyone's attention turned to Park Se-han's words.
"Even though he hadn't been training for very long, all the trainees knew him. They said he was a good dancer and handsome."
"Even though they're from different agencies, rumors spread so quickly?"
"Because we are all competitors. Of course, we have no choice but to turn around."
Park Se-han, who is part of Awake and also belongs to the same company as Song Hyeong-bin, said something like that.
As if they all understood the meaning, the
They chose a lively and refreshing song called
"... Isn't that a scam?"
Kang Si-yoon's unconscious muttering represented everyone's feelings.
As soon as the song started, Ji Yoon-cheol put on a boyish expression.
The beautiful dance line shown from the center position was truly overwhelming.
If Kang Si-yoon, whose dance stat is A-level, has such an expression....
'Ji Yoon-cheol must be at least S-rank or higher in dancing.'
Now that I can check other people's status windows, I can feel even more vividly just how outstanding the stats of the trainees who made it to the debut stage were.
Chae Eun-gyu, another character to keep an eye on, also created a great stage.
"I think it was a bit unfair for that hyung to come out here."
"That's right. Didn't that person already debut?"
As Oh Tae-young and Ken said, Chae Eun-gyu is a trainee who has already debuted.
However, as the group disbanded due to various issues related to their agency, he decided to participate in
I recalled the joking tone of his voice that I had heard about ten years ago.
'This is my last chance, so I don't want to have any regrets. If I fail here too, who will accept me?'
'As expected, skills never go away.'
After identifying the key players, I felt that the next team battle was even more important.
"All trainees, please wait in the hallway!"
As the final stage came to an end, the staff went around each waiting room and made announcements.
The results of the on-site voting are about to be announced.
As I was getting up from my seat and stretching, I noticed Kang Si-yoon still staring at the TV with a slightly dazed expression.
I can guess roughly what you're thinking.
"Siyoon."
"Oh, oh? It's Karis. I'm surprised."
"It's time to get up now."
"Oh, yeah. That's right."
I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"You have a complicated face."
"Do I look complicated now?"
"You've had that same expression ever since we saw Ji Yoon-cheol on stage."
Kang Si-yoon scratched his head awkwardly.
"I guess I was doing that without realizing it. To be honest, it was a little shocking."
"Hmm, was it like that?"
Kang Si-yoon's eyebrows rose at my suspicious tone.
"You didn't feel that way?"
"They may have done well individually, but it didn't really come as a shock to me. Of course, this was a team match. I thought that as a team, they had much less presence than us."
When Kang Si-yoon heard those words, his eyes instantly opened wide.
Then he gave a short, loud laugh.
"Hahaha! Oh, seriously, you always talk so bluntly. That's talent, talent."
"Is this talent?"
"Yes, bro. That's a talent I really envy."
As I was leaving the waiting room and heading down the hallway, he gave me a firm slap on the back.
"...Thank you. For letting me not have any distracting thoughts."
"I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to be so dumb. Everything will come to fruition soon."
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