Chapter 72
The waiting room had a more cheerful atmosphere than ever.
"Great job, guys! "
"I thought I was going crazy because I was so nervous, Hyung! "
"Oh, I'm so glad I didn't make a mistake."
"I think we'll get first place! No, it'd be weird if we didn't get first place! "
As a result of the lottery to determine the stage order, the group that we considered to be the strongest opponent went up before us.
So I was able to closely watch the stage from backstage.
I think it was not only me but also the other team members who clearly saw how loudly we received the cheers.
"I'll just say one thing. We got the loudest cheer. This is a must."
"Yeah!"
We received such a huge response that even the usually calm Chae Eun-gyu got excited.
So much so that a clear difference is revealed when compared to the original.
Everyone was aware of this fact and was filled with great excitement.
Only Baek Si-hwa had a somewhat dissatisfied expression on his face.
Chae Eun-gyu, who was hugging his younger brothers and dancing passionately to Ganggangsullae, soon looked at me and smiled.
"Karis, you made a different heart shape than when you practiced? Where did you see that? "
"Ah, haha.... It just suddenly occurred to me before I went up on stage."
"It was my first time seeing a heart made with the index and middle fingers, and it was new and nice."
"Was it really okay? "
"Are you asking something obvious? "
The corners of Chae Eun-gyu's mouth went up further.
"The reaction was the biggest when you came out."
"I see. I was so focused that I didn't hear it."
People's reactions were also good, and the team members who were watching from behind praised it as if it were the best.
I breathed a sigh of relief inside.
'Is gambling a success?'
It would not be an exaggeration to say that today's third competition was a watershed moment in the
A lucky draw coin that allows me to draw an item that can change the game.
I currently have only one coin left.
It appears as a reward when the system hands down a hidden quest, but the criteria for creating this hidden quest are vague and the reward is not always in the form of a lucky draw coin.
Moreover, since it is a probability item, if I am unlucky like last time, even if I use lucky draw coins, I may not receive any real help.
So my decision was to go for the third round without using any lucky draw coins.
Because everything has to be on the line in the final round.
'In short, it was a situation where I had no choice but to rely solely on the Crown Prince's body and my experience.'
It was a huge gamble.
Because I had to maximize efficiency in a situation where I couldn't even occupy the center.
Take the bridge that can create the killing part of the song and create a special scene within it.
I kept this thought in mind and devoted myself to practicing.
Originally, I was going to go with the regular heart that Cha Eun-gyu had come up with the idea for.
But just before I went on stage, the system gave me a sudden message.
[Hidden prerequisite quest, 'Get 410 or more team votes in Round 3' has been created.]
[Reward: 15 Skill Points]
[※Guide※ When the prerequisite quest is completed, a linked quest will open.]
[Linked Quest Clear Reward: 1 Lucky Draw Coin]
It was a new type of quest.
A linked quest that opens after clearing a previous quest.
Clearing all quests will grant me skill points and lucky draw coins.
I had to grab this opportunity no matter what, so I made up my mind even stronger right before going up on stage.
I thought I had to risk my life on the bridge part.
'Getting 410 votes is not as easy as it sounds. It is a number that can only be achieved by getting votes from almost all 500 audience members.'
I looked back at the quest window and closed my eyes slightly.
I didn't want to fail again.
I didn't want to feel the penalty of lowering my stats or the pain inflicted on my body.
And above all, I wanted to get the best score among all the groups and get the benefits.
'If you look at the immediate response, 410 votes is not an impossible number. The problem is what kind of linked quest will come out.'
I put my complicated thoughts aside for a moment and watched the rest of the teams' performances.
The next turn is the R&B pop genre.
One thing that immediately caught my eye was Kang Si-yoon, who was showing off his sensual dance moves in the center position.
'... He is definitely a guy who is incredibly quick at judging situations.'
At the time of selecting the mission song, I recommended
Actually, Kang Si-yoon went straight to the
He said that after seeing Song Hyung-bin and Ji Yoon-chul, who had already taken their seats there, he voluntarily left during the readjustment time.
'Hey, you know how when you open the door and go in, it's suffocating? There are not one but two powerful guys, so my head spins for a moment. No matter what I do there, I'll never be able to get the center. I thought my portion there would be like space dust, so I ran away to
I smiled as I recalled Kang Si-yoon's face as he stroked his forehead.
Kang Si-yoon made the right choice.
If things went like this, he would have received a generous amount of material during the practice session.
If he maintained this upward trend, he may even make it into the Top 7, which is the debut rank.
And the last remaining stage was the future EDM genre.
Here, Heo Yu-bin once again fully demonstrated his qualities as a main vocalist.
"Yubin sings really well."
"His pronunciation is really good.... I'm jealous."
My teammates who were watching the TV in the waiting room also exclaimed in admiration.
In terms of high notes alone,
Hitting those high notes live in front of an audience of 500 people can be a huge burden.
Heo Yu-bin showed off his stable pitch, as expected.
Although he didn't take center stage, it felt like the focus was on the main vocalist due to the structure of the song.
'If things continue like this, it seems like both Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin will be able to achieve good results.'
I felt joy at the promotion of my Cell 31 roommates, who started
Kang Si-yoon, who pours in a huge amount of time and effort as the phrase 'practice bug' suggests, and Heo Yu-bin, who has risen to 13th place from underground rank.
It's always nice to see a colleague you share your heart with do well.
"Trainees, let's gather back at the filming set!"
After the final stage, the time has finally come for the results to be announced.
Choi Sia was waiting for us with an unchanging attitude.
"To all the trainees who have completed the third round, thank you for your hard work."
Gentle applause echoed throughout the set.
"Just like the previous round 2, there are special benefits this time too. First, there is the group-team benefit. Among the five teams, the team that receives the most votes from the national managers will receive a benefit of 50,000 votes for all members."
"5, 50,000 votes? "
"Did I mishear that?"
As soon as the benefit numbers were announced, everyone looked visibly taken aback.
The benefit, which was 10,000 votes per person in the second round, increased by a whopping five times this time.
If we recall that the difference between life and death in the last ranking announcement was just 9,000 votes, this benefit is incredibly important.
"In addition, the trainee with the most individual votes from each team will also receive a benefit of 50,000 votes."
Personal benefits are also the same figure.
Even the top-tier trainees, including Song Hyung-bin, were starting to stiffen up due to increasing tension.
'Because there's barely any gap between the concrete layers, the rankings can change significantly depending on whether or not there are 50,000 votes.'
Choi Sia delivered the final news to the noisy trainees.
"And this time, the team that wins the group vote will be given the opportunity to perform on KNet's music show, Music K Showdown. Let's find out right now which team will win the hearts of the national managers."
It's a trembling moment.
I swallowed dryly as I glanced at the quest notification window.
'I can never fail. It's not the reward that's important; it's the penalty that's suddenly imposed when I fail.'
Sudden physical pain and forced stat drops occur when I fail to complete a hidden quest.
Now that I've invested a ton of skill points into restoring my singing ability, I don't have the luxury of filling in another stat.
And it was not human to endure pain and control one's expression in front of everyone watching.
"Please show us the results of the first group."
The numbers that had been spinning around slowly stopped.
[Funk Pop — : 312 votes]
[1st place trainee: Park Sang-hyuk]
A total of 312 votes.
'The first group results were not as high as expected.'
This means that slightly more than half of the 500 people voted.
I felt slightly anxious as I recalled the 410 marks set as the quest goal.
If all groups stay in the 300s overall, the quest will be a clean failure.
But the powerful firepower of the soon-to-be-announced trumped these concerns.
[Deep House ― : 435 votes]
[1st place trainee: Ji Yoon-chul]
The monstrous feat of obtaining a whopping 435 votes out of 500.
And there was a huge difference in the number one trainee as well.
"Congratulations, Yoon-chul!"
"Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Ji Yoon-chul defeated Song Hyeong-bin and took first place in the individual vote.
All the team members were congratulating Ji Yoon-chul and patting him on the back.
Ji Yoon-chul only smiled slightly, his expression still showing little change.
'I guess the influence of the center cannot be ignored.'
There's nothing I can do.
It's natural that the center position gets the most screen time and attention.
"Please show us the results."
So, I also decided to put aside the personal vote for number one for a moment.
I just need to pass my quest goal in the group vote.
'Since they got over 400 votes, we will definitely get 400 votes as well. It makes no sense to stop at 300 votes.'
A few dozen seconds later,.
The result was enough to make me sigh in relief.
[Synth Pop — : 451 votes]
[1st place trainee: Yoo Min-ha]
The hidden quest was also successful, achieving 451 group votes.
We surpassed our most formidable rival,
Meanwhile, the protagonist of number one was at a loss for words for a moment, the complete opposite of his usual self.
"...."
"Yoo Min-ha!"
"Min-ha!"
"Congratulations! Oh, this is really awesome!"
Chae Eun-gyu, Kwon Dae-hyun, and Heo Jun-oh shook Yoo Min-ha's body roughly.
Yoo Min-ha, who fluttered like a paper doll, continued to stare at the screen with his mouth open.
I also reached out to him and patted his shoulder.
"Thank you for your hard work, Min-ha."
"... Wow. First place. Is this real?"
"It's a perfectly perfect reality."
Yoo Min-ha laughed out loud, clenching his fists as if my words had made him feel real.
Tears welled up in his eyes, something I had never seen before.
"Thank you all so much!"
Baek Si-hwa, who had been hesitating behind him, seemed to be conscious of the camera and quietly congratulated Yoo Min-ha.
"...Congratulations."
"Thank you, Sihwa!"
Although it might have been a little awkward, Yoo Min-ha laughed heartily, as if he had completely forgotten the memories of that morning.
There was no longer any anger in Baek Si-hwa's eyes.
Only a vague sense of defeat and emptiness coexist.
'Everything comes back to you as karma.'
Meanwhile, a golden effect sparkled in one corner of my vision.
[You have successfully completed the hidden prerequisite quest, 'Get 410 or more team votes in the 3rd round.']
[15 skill points will be awarded as a reward.]
[※Guide※ A hidden linked quest will be created.]
[A hidden linked quest, 'Achieve 1 million stage views' has been created.]
[Reward: 1 Lucky Draw Coin]
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