Chapter 6
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 6
Chapter Title Unexpected Praise
I was on pins and needles, wondering if harsh criticism would come flying my way again this time too.
But an unexpected comment greeted me.
Friends with outstanding vocal talent tend to lag in dance, so I was actually pretty worried watching you. But I feel like I need to reflect on that preconceived notionyour fundamentals are so solidly in place. There arent any standout moves or points that grab your eye, but I could see the effort you put into perfecting this one song, and that was great.
Thank you...
Above all, like Senior Seo Inhwan said, the fact that you didnt tremble at all has to be the biggest thing, right? Karis, you werent nervous at all showing us that stage, were you?
I made every effort to avoid building up any inner tension.
The other skills whose uses I hadnt figured out before.
As I stepped out onto the level test stage, I recalled the skill activation message that had popped up.
Skill, Demon King Slayer C is in effect. Composure and calmness greatly increased.
It was probably a skill earned from slaying the Demon King in Grand Quest Saga.
Id apparently earned a reputation for having nerves of steel from battling it out in a fierce showdown against what was considered the most terrifying being.
I was never one to get nervous easily to begin with. But thanks to this skill, my mind was definitely more at ease.
It must have created an effect that stood out even more compared to the other trainees who crumbled under the pressure.
Thats how I managed to draw praise even from Bae Kangwoo, who made harsh critiques his main weapon.
Oh, and this might just be my personal take...
Bae Kangwoos evaluation continued, even though Id thought it was over.
Even more praise from Bae Kangwoo?
I stared at his expression, which was so at odds with his usual demeanor.
Scenes that would make perfect comparison edits were already flashing through my mind.
Bae Kangwoo even turned his head to ask the other judges.
Wasnt there this weird sense of elegance even in the simple moves? I thought it might be because of his height and long arms, but plenty of other contestants had good physiques too. But really, really uniquely, watching Kariss stage gave me that thrill you get from seeing something totally new.
It felt different from what you described, Kangwoo, but I got this sensation Id never felt before too. Its weird to put into words, but...
Baek Chaehyun, the famous former idol, backed him up.
She seemed to hesitate for a long time over whether to say it, then cleared her throat and spoke.
Its like I wanted to step down from this judges seat, get on my knees, and clap?
Hahaha! Whats that supposed to mean, Chaehyun?
Thats really how it felt, Senior.
What our Chaehyun means is that it was such a great stage she wanted to watch it from the front row as close as possible, right?
YYeah, lets go with that.
While Seo Inhwan teased Baek Chaehyun, Choi Sia smoothly repackaged her words.
By the time I, listening to this judges feedback, had no idea how to react.
Skill, Bow Down and Reverence C has stopped activating.
I instantly understood when I recalled that skill indicator that had appeared midperformance.
One passive skill boosts composure, and the other amplifies the awe people feel watching my stage.
The skill name alone was ominous.
From Bae Kangwoo and Baek Chaehyuns reactions, it seemed to instill special emotions in anyone watching my performance.
Bow Down and Reverence.
Just as the name implied, it made them want to kneel before the crown prince in worship.
Its only Crank right now, so the effect is limited. But if the rank goes up...
The level test stage right now naturally had plenty of shortcomings.
With my pathetic status window that didnt have a single Agrade stat yet, pursuing perfection was tough.
But judging from the judges feedback, any lack in technique seemed to be offset somewhat by my confidence and aura.
I thought ahead to the later rounds performed in front of over 500 audience members.
If I could raise the rank of Bow Down and Reverence by then, it would surely unleash even greater destructive power.
Anyway, I think it was an impressive stage with excellent fundamentals. But you still need to nail down the details and points that show off your unique personality. You clearly put in a ton of practice, but it didnt feel overwhelmingly superior. If you build on this and improve, I bet you could express that feeling I got from you even more effectively. So, work on those weak points and show us even more growth next time. Good work.
With Bae Kangwoos final remarks, my evaluation wrapped up.
Unlike with the previous trainees, the judges overall positive feedback had brightened their expressions.
Thanks to that, fortunately, there were no major surprises with my grade.
Congratulations, Trainee Karis von Walden. Tier 2. Please move to the Mainstream zone.
Ill make sure to prove even further growth moving forward. Thank you.
I felt a twinge of regret at not getting Tier 1.
But I quickly shoved aside stray thoughts as I recalled my still pathetic status window.
Getting this level of praise with a status window like this is already half the victory. From now on, I can steadily clear achievements, gather points, and raise my statsno need to worry too much.
I moved to the Mainstream zone, where so few people were seated you could count them on one hand.
The moment I sank into the plush leather chair, a refreshing sound announced the quest completion, and text appeared.
Hidden quest achieved! Receive Mainstream grade in first level test
As reward, Lucky Draw service has been unlocked.
Possessor has 1 Lucky Draw coin.
Unlocking a new feature, huh.
Id cleared plenty of achievements through all that practice so far.
Even repeating quests with the same names counted as legitimate achievements.
But this was the first time Id seen a hidden quest completion notice.
I tapped the small text at the bottom of my status window marked Lucky Draw service.
It was like accessing an online shopping mall, with countless items scrolling past my eyes.
I took a closer look at a few.
Stat amplifier ticket, EXP booster, trait gacha... All these items are ridiculously overpowered.
Having sunk no small amount of time into games, I could tell.
The items in this Lucky Draw system were gamechangers that could flip the flow in an instant.
I swallowed hard and clicked Use Coin, only for a slot machine to pop up out of nowhere.
Its not buying items with coinsits drawing them?
Come to think of it, the shop was called Lucky Draw.
Those gacha machines in arcades or gacha shops. The infamous gacha system any Kgamer would know.
It was a system that gave coin holders a chance to randomly draw highrarity items based on probability.
Just like that, I too could now randomly draw items usable in Idol Training Simulation.
I took a moment to sort through the situation in my head.
Then let out a faint sigh and closed the shop.
Lucky coins seem extremely rare no matter how I look at it. That means fewer chances to enter the Lucky Draw.
Hidden quests clearly wouldnt pop up easily.
I decided to save my luck for a real pinch and turned my attention back to the set.
NTT trainees are all Tier 4. Take numbers from the front.
The level test continued.
I hadnt expected to go through the experience of watching all 96 trainees take the stage one by one again.
This was something Id never get used to, no matter how many times it repeated.
But I was aware that every reaction I made would eventually get captured and used in edits.
The same went for the other guys.
Wow!
He dances amazingly.
So cool, so cool!
Trainees who lost the spotlight from the first hurdle gave even bigger reactions.
They were doing it to boost their own survival odds in their own way, but they seemed pretty strained cheering wildly even for utterly terrible performances.
I kept up appropriate expressions while observing the trainees.
The debut group kids havent shown up yet, huh.
I remembered every single one. Forgetting would be weirder.
Nothing had changed from my first attempt at Idol Training Simulation to now.
Which meant the guys whod generated massive fanbases and achieved debut dreams before were here too, unchanged.
Next up, trainees from Awake.
The moment I heard the agency name, I straightened up in my seat.
Finally, the guys I absolutely had to watch in this second game had arrived.
Hello!
Please take care of us!
Three trainees with striking visuals were greeting everyone.
I immediately locked eyes on the one in the middle and checked his status window.
Name Song Hyeongbin
Age 21
Vocal B
Dance A
Stamina A
Looks S
Charisma S
Trait Leader
Status Ailment Indecisive
...What destructive stats.
No wonder he breezed through that brutal survival show, holding the 1 spot solo and debuting straight through.
A status window screaming allrounder potential.
On top of that, Looks and Charisma were off the charts.
Awake Entertainment was called a male idol specialist agency.
Even as a midsized company, they had a stellar rep for producing killer boy idols.
The impact when they announced sending their prized trainees to Idol Training Simulation had been massive.
So even the trainees who came out with Song Hyeongbin put on solid stages.
But...
Whoa, my eyes are being enlightened.
Hyeongbin, whered you learn to dance like that?
The dance and singing were great, but that natural attitude popping up midstage was perfect. You cant fake that even if you try.
The judges eyes were fixed solely on Song Hyeongbin.
I watched him head to the empty Tier 1 area and made a mental note.
Dont face him as an opponent until at least Round 3.
As it went on, more familiar faces started appearing in droves.
The debut group members whod debuted with Song Hyeongbin wrapped up their stages smoothly too.
Not everyone got Tier 1, but no one headed to Underground.
Hello
I wanted to talk to you from the start! Youre so handsome.
Haha, such overly generous praise embarrasses me.
Your speech is so unique too!
Some of the people joining Tier 2 started chatting me up out of the bluewhether they were cameraconscious or not, I couldnt tell.
The shrewd ones probably knew I was prime editing material who could snag a ton of screen time in this level test and were playing accordingly.
The others... were just drawn to Karis von Waldens natural looks.
Building connections early is a good thing.
I exchanged greetings with appropriate smiles.
More connections meant more strategic options later, so it was worth enduring a bit of fatigue.
But just as I felt something off about the empty seats.
Hello! Im Kang Siyoon. Please take care of me!