Chapter 49
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 49
Chapter Title Just Once
Just once.
Karis von Walden, who possessed superior physical abilities and intelligence, had nearly lost to an opponent just once.
When an assassin slipped into my tent due to an unexpected surprise attack by the Demon Kings forces.
The assassin had lunged straight for my throat to stop me from crying out after I woke to the faint noise.
Guhk.
And now. The moment the system imposed its penalty, an even more intense pressure than back then clamped down on my airway.
My legs buckled from the sudden pain.
I instinctively reached out and grabbed Song Hyeongbins shoulder, and he whipped around at an astonishing speed.
Ah, howd we lose by just two votes Wait, Karis? You okay?
My face must have drained of color in an instant.
I tried my best to keep my expression neutral, but with my breath cut off, I couldnt respond right away.
Hey, hey. Karis? You good? Youre breaking out in cold sweat
Hup. Hoo. Im fine.
I barely managed to draw in a little air and signaled that I was okay.
But the constriction hit again, sealing my lips once more.
It said my stats would drop, but it never mentioned this kind of pain.
Originally, Grand Quest Saga was infamous as a trash game for its brutally unfair difficulty.
There were so many sudden penalties and popup stages that it made you wonder if it was even meant for players to clear.
I never imagined it would hit me with a penalty that inflicted physical pain like this.
I didnt ask for that garbage trashgame system intact. I wanted one that would actually help methis is supposed to be compensation for the last ten years of hell?
The God of Grand Quest Saga had clearly promised beneficial rewards.
A system to help fulfill unachieved dreams.
It was bizarre that a system infused with divine power contained such malicious elements.
But I had no way to figure out what was going on right now.
All I could do was seethe inwardly with frustration I couldnt voice.
In raw time, it lasted maybe thirty or forty seconds.
But with cameras everywhere, those seconds felt like thirty or forty minutes as I desperately managed my expression.
The pain crushing my throat began to slowly fade.
I forced a smile and reassured Song Hyeongbin once more.
Im fine. I guess I was just too disappointed about coming in second by two votes to speak.
You looked so pale it scared me. First or second, it doesnt matter, right? Were both heading to Music K Showdown anyway. Dont sweat it.
Yeah.
The tangible benefits were the same, but Id missed out on precious skill points.
On top of that, my Vocal statthe one Id focused on raisinghad dropped.
This is a disaster. I never saw this coming.
I thought Id done everything I could.
Id used my boosted stats to reclaim the center position.
And for any contingencies, Id even spent my saved Lucky Draw coins to boost my odds of first in the second round.
The Lucky Draw was the root of the problem. If it had boosted something other than Looks, I couldve shown more. No. Would it have been better to hold back the remaining Lucky Draw coins?
The despair of failure right in front of me only fueled pointless whatifs.
I swallowed my emptiness and listened to Choi Sia wrapping up the shoot.
Idol Training Simulation, the intense second round has now concluded. Trainees, youve all worked so hard to deliver amazing stages for the National Producers. Great job!
We exchanged words of encouragement and applause for our efforts.
Turning left, I spotted Kang Siyoon far off, flashing me a thumbsup.
All results are in. The teams earning the full group benefit are Cell 9, Cell 11, and Cell 12. Trainees in those cells each get 10,000 votes and a special guest spot on next weeks Music K Showdown. Congratulations!
At least that was some good news.
A prime chance to boost our visibility.
Next shoot starts in four days. Rest up until then. Little spoiler its outdoors next time. Make sure to recharge your stamina!
Huh?
Outdoors?
Ignoring the trainees confused questions, Choi Sia waved and descended from the stage.
The slate clapped, officially ending the second round shoot.
Like I said earlier, but Ill say it again. You all did amazing, and thanks for sticking with your lacking leaderit mustve been tough. Lets have fun on the Music Show stage too!
Yeah!
Our cells the best!
Great job, everyone!
Before leaving the set, the Cell 12 members hugged it out.
Caught between Heo Yubin and Song Hyeongbin, I handled the final words.
Everyone gave their all, so this was only natural. From our first practice, I knew wed snag the benefit for sure. And I knew I couldnt find better teammates than this. Heres to good results in the third round too.
Whwhats with the speech, bro?
Karisnims words are so moving!
Where do you even pick up these memes, Ken.
Theres so much fun stuff online!
Park Jaehoon shook his head at Hashimoto Kens fluent Korean meme usage.
Song Hyeongbin burst out laughing at the sight and made a suggestion.
Before everyone heads home or to the dorms, wanna grab dinner together? Rumor has it theres special menu for the second round wrapup.
Sure!
Sounds good!
Karis is coming too, right?
Huh? Ah.
The juniors had already perked up with eager yeses.
Bailing now would look pretty lame.
But foods the last thing on my mind right now.
I put on my most apologetic face.
Sorry. Not hungry right nowmind if I rest in my room a bit and join later?
Adrenaline crash after the stage, huh? Makes senseyou were super pale earlier. Sleep it off and come down. Im not heading home tonight.
Got it.
I waved to the team and hurried toward Cell 12.
Slipping into the camerafree bathroom, I let out a deep breath.
Status Window.
Today was the first time this golden effect made me sick to my stomach.
Name Karis von Walden Han Jihyuk
Age 20 28
Vocal B 2230
Dance B 1630
Stamina A 1060
Looks SSS Fixed
Charisma B 1830
Traits Prince of the Kingdom, Surpasser of the Demon King
Status Ailment Otherworldly Being Possessor
Vocal really had dropped to B.
I splashed cold water on my face, trying to steady my rattled nerves.
Whats done is doneI cant undo it. Have to accept it. If Id used even surer methods to secure first, this wouldnt have happened.
In the end, the one to blame was my own complacency.
Water dripped from my hair as I stared into the mirror.
Stat drop is bad enough, but the physical pain that comes with it is the real issue.
I rubbed my throat.
Vocal drops hurting the throat with vocal cords makes some twisted sense.
So if I failed another hidden quest and Dance or Stamina dropped?
Throat pains nothing compared to whatever havoc it could wreak on my body.
Especially if it hit during a shootthatd be a nightmare.
The breathlessness I could grit through with willpower, keeping it internal.
But if it squeezed my heart or other organs, staying composed would be near impossible.
One more variable to account for, in other words.
Drying my face with a towel, I ground my teeth.
The Princes status ailment could flare anytime. Hidden quest penalties randomly hit unknown stats, with unknown physical effects.
I thought grabbing the system would smooth everything out.
But reality? The opposite.
More factors to consider now.
More obstacles in my path.
And yet, I wont stop.
So what if variables pop up? Same as alwaysprepare perfectly, plan meticulously, and dont fail quests. Learn from this failure.
My mind cleared, a smile tugged at my lips.
The storm of frustration and anger cooled into quiet, burning ambition.
Adversity and hardship were always my companions.
Even in Grand Quest Saga, not every battle was a win.
Even on impossible routes everyone called quits on, I kept pushing and cleared them.
When the legion commander fell for the filthy demon spys trap.
When the rear supply lines got raided, leaving resources in desperate short supply.
In the end, I always came out on top, severing the Demon Kings head.
Maybe thats why.
These interferences almost felt welcome.
Too smooth, and its no fun. Now, finally, somethings igniting inside.
Hardships breed joy.
Adversity yields fruit.
As my hot ambition contrasted with my cool head and heart, a system alert appeared.
Trait, Surpasser of the Demon King is activating. Judgment and composure surge dramatically.
Id only seen the text for passive skills activating beforethis was the first time one of mine triggered.
There was a passive skill like this.
Demon King Slayer, which massively boosted composure and poise.
But it differed from that skill and my exclusive trait.
Demon King Slayer prevented tension on stage.
My trait Surpasser of the Demon King, though, pulled me back to cold clarity fast when failure plunged me into despair.
Thanks to that clarity, perhaps.
I opened the system achievements tab without a second thought.
Blown the skill point reward.
Stats down two whole tiers? Simple fix.
Farm more skill points to restore them.
And heaps of skill points slumbered in these achievements.
Tons left unbroken.
I scanned for ones I could smash quickly.
With juicy rewards.
Two caught my eye right then.
First Music Show Appearance Appear on an official music show and make your name known! Reward 5 Skill Points
MiniGame Master Win various minigames in the survival program! Progress 13 Reward 8 Skill Points
Idol Training Simulations second round wrapped at a brutally late 1120 PM.
Homemasters with cameras needed time to sort previews.
Plenty wanted to write detailed recaps, but rest came first.
So at midnight sharp, only short snippets popped upno full spoilers yet.
As National Producers rolled anxiously for crumbs.
One halfforgotten update exploded out of nowhere.
Guys guys breaking news!! 2nd global votes open, wtf check this shit
It was the debut of Fever Timethe biggest turning point in the second vote.