The Goal is the Ending Fairy - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

—– —–

>>SECRET Quest: ‘Get Mentioned by People’ Successful! Reward: Affection Stat EXP +10! [Claim]

>>SECRET Quest: ‘Make Your First Fan’ Successful! Reward: Charm Stat EXP +10! [Claim]

>>Achieved simultaneous rapid growth in ‘Affection’ and ‘Charm’! Bonus: Vocal and Dance Stat EXP +5! [Claim]

—– —–

Well, look at that.

The game seems so excited, that it’s just raining rewards.

Even so, the stat experience points were still low, but I liked that it was providing them right on time for the first mission.

[Shall I claim them for you?]

I gave a slight nod.

As I moved my head faintly, the Helper clicked ‘[Claim All]’ and took the rewards.

It was for the best, considering I was currently on set with the other trainees for the first mission.

The best policy was to avoid drawing suspicion by gesturing into empty space.

>>Rewards have been distributed successfully!

[I’ve applied all the rewards as well!]

Nod, nod.

As the screen windows followed with the Helper’s explanation, I moved my head again.

“Whoops, Dana, stay still~”

“Yes.”

I had nodded a bit too vigorously this time and got a playful scolding from a staff member.

Only after having my outfit double-checked by a nearby stylist was I finally able to head toward the waiting room.

This was the set inside TBQ, the broadcasting station for <Hi.Light>.

Despite walking through the corridors of the filming set, I didn’t feel particularly nervous. It was likely thanks to the 『Mental Resilience』 passive and some herbal calming medicine.

When I arrived at the waiting room shortly after, well, familiar faces were waiting for me.

Most of the trainees in the group pre-arranged for the first mission were people I knew.

For the record, I’m the very first performer of Group 3.

The order will probably be scrambled during editing anyway… so the current order didn’t mean much.

At least for someone like me who doesn’t get stage fright.

“Unnie!”

At Lee Jinyoo’s “Unnie” cry, which was starting to feel like a permanent ringing in my ears, I walked over to her with resignation.

Meeting my eyes, Lee Jinyoo was patting the seat next to her as if it were a given.

Her face screamed, ‘I did good, right?’ for saving my spot.

Not only that, but Yoon Heejo, who came in right after, also plopped down right next to me.

Immediately upon spotting me, at that.

It was all so natural that I was the only one dumbfounded.

Lately, whenever the trainees gathered, we somehow ended up sitting in this combination.

With me in the middle, Jinyoo on the right, and Heejo on the left.

Somehow, the seating order always looked like this.

“Maybe because there are no eliminations in the first mission, I feel a bit more relaxed~”

“True. I just want to finish well and get my phone back.”

“Right! I’m so curious about the reaction to my intro video that I can’t even sleep…!”

The two of them chatted amiably with each other, leaving me quiet in the center.

However, I did agree with them.

About a week ago, after the trainees’ Self PR videos were released, we couldn’t see our own videos except for that first day.

Why? Because the company confiscated our phones.

Since the broadcast was coming up, it seemed they were starting to manage us strictly to prevent any mishaps.

Thanks to that, I had to practice singing using an MP3 player provided by the company.

I understood why the young kids didn’t know how to use it, but the problem was that I, who wasn’t exactly young, didn’t either.

I wasn’t particularly interested in music tech, and by the time I thought about getting an MP3 player in my past life, streaming apps had already taken over.

So, I had to listen to the explanation alongside the kids while the staff showed us how to use them.

What I’m saying is, I didn’t know the reaction to my video either, except for the day it was posted.

Not knowing the public opinion helped me focus on practice, but sometimes it made me so anxious that it had the opposite effect.

But if I had to choose, not checking at all was more peaceful.

Thanks to that, I could immerse myself in practice, and my skills had improved significantly.

I leaned my upper body against the backrest to escape the two chatterboxes and called out internally.

‘Main Screen.’

—– —–

>Vocal: 45/100

>Dance: 40/100

>Charm: 20/100

>Affection: 15/100

>Passive 1: 『Mental Resilience』

>Passive 2: 『Iron Stamina』

—– —–

My current stat window looked like this.

And at the bottom, still…

>(Currently locked slot)

…Which meant there were still many stats or passives left to acquire.

However, for now, it was better to raise the experience points of my current stats than to struggle to acquire new abilities.

New abilities would be given as rewards anyway; it wasn’t something I could control.

One thing I was quite satisfied with:

I was maintaining a fairly even balance between Vocal and Dance.

First, thanks to Kim Se-yi’s help, I was able to master the singing much faster and almost perfectly.

Apparently, Kim Se-yi also found it helpful to study by teaching me and practicing together.

So, I accepted her help without hesitation and brought my vocals to a fairly high level for my current capacity.

Afterward, I gradually shifted the weight of my practice toward dancing, allowing the two levels to match.

Actually, I wanted to keep raising my vocals, but for the time being, it was a waste of effort.

Because I had reached ‘that zone’ where it’s hardest to increase ability points.

Whether it was intended by the game developer or not, strangely, as the Dance and Vocal stats approach 50, the character hits a ‘slump.’

In other words, there’s a limit to how much a character can raise their stats through self-practice alone.

So, from here on, it’s better to pass ‘that zone’ by gaining experience through quest rewards and then hitting the practice hard again.

Regardless, I shouldn’t skip practice.

I already had that ‘insincere’ title among the other trainees, didn’t I?

I couldn’t afford to give the impression that I was slacking in either Vocal or Dance.

Even in a zone where practice doesn’t reflect much in the numbers, getting complacent could lead to disaster.

“Guys.”

Suddenly, something was thrust in front of me.

“Want some water?”

For something that approached so abruptly and out of the blue, it was a very ordinary object.

“Yes!”

“…Yes.”

At Yoon Heejo’s offer, I took a bottle, took a sip, and passed it to Lee Jinyoo next to me.

Everyone seemed to be getting thirsty as the start of filming approached.

I wasn’t really nervous; I just drank it for vocal maintenance.

While I was loosening up my throat and chatting with the two, a staff member who had been moving quite busily finally approached our waiting room.

“Trainees, all the cameras here are about to turn on. Just watch what comes up on the monitor and give us good reactions.”

“Yes!”

In contrast to the staff member’s weary tone, the trainees answered brightly to the kind explanation.

It meant that the first group’s evaluations would soon show up on the monitor, and we should fill up the reaction footage for the broadcast ourselves.

It also meant that the real filming was about to begin.

A silence mixed with a bit of tension descended over the waiting room.

After some time had passed…

The monitor in the waiting room turned on automatically, showing the stage currently being filmed.

On a small stage with no audience, lights began to turn on one by one, eventually focusing their beams on one spot.

And there…

“Hul?!”

“High Attack!”

“Isn’t that Hanyul Sunbaenim…?”

A member of a senior boy group from the same agency was there.

I knew him. I had seen him in the character selection screen when I first started the game.

‘High Attack’.

He was the only character in the game whose play started from a post-debut point.

If things had gone differently, I might have been transmigrated as him instead.

“Wow…!”

“Amazing…”

Soon, genuine reactions of surprise popped out, even without being conscious of the cameras.

A relaxed, experienced voice flowed from the monitor.

“A new girl group being born from HON. Who will be the new ‘Light’ to burn their ‘Soul’ and shine?”

The man, holding cue cards in one hand and a hand mic in the other, shouted energetically, emphasizing certain words.

Some trainees even covered their mouths with both hands as if that one simple sentence gave them goosebumps.

“Hello. I am Hanyul, a member of High Attack, and I will be the MC for <Hi.Light>.”

As he bowed 90 degrees politely, the waiting room was filled with cheers and applause.

“Finally, today. The trainees who have earned the chance to head toward the true light will perform on stage for the first time on broadcast.

It reminds me of my own trainee days… in a way, it’s just amazing that I’m now in a position to cheer on my juniors as a senior.

Time is cruel… Haha.”

He still looks young, what is he talking about…?

Anyway, like all survival shows, Hanyul added various comments.

Then, his commentary naturally transitioned into introducing the CEO.

Only after the CEO’s greeting, the introduction of the judges, and the explanation of the first mission did the filming get to the main point.

“…Yes. Then without further delay, let’s have Group 1 come out!”

And with Hanyul’s cue, ten people appeared.

All of them entered the stage looking quite nervous, but with their hair and makeup more polished than ever.

The filming format for the first mission was as follows:

The groups would come out and wait sitting on a small stage on one side; then, the person whose turn it was would perform in front of the judges and return to their seat.

When a group finished, they would return to the waiting room and become reaction bots again.

The next group would move to the largest waiting room to practice briefly before standing on stage…

In this manner, once all three groups finished their stages, the total scores and rankings would finally be revealed.

We still don’t know what will happen based on those rankings. They probably intend to tell us only after announcing the rankings at the very end.

I stared at the monitor, drawing out the easily predictable scenario in my head.

Naturally, I didn’t skip the reactions.

When a solid high note came out, I marveled appropriately, and if someone messed up the choreography or went off-pitch, I pretended to be intensely disappointed, as if it were my own problem.

Group 1 passed by in a flash; there wasn’t much to see.

The good ones were just ‘okay,’ but honestly, most of the trainees were lacking.

It felt like they had intentionally gathered all the low-expectation kids into Group 1.

However, Group 2 was actually worth watching. No, more than just worth watching, there were quite a few talented people.

First, Kim Se-yi’s vocals were overwhelming.

By the time this aired, the comments on her stage video would likely be flooded with “She killed it.” Her singing was that excellent.

Her dancing wasn’t as good as her vocals, but it wasn’t a distraction either. It was quite decent.

Won Chaeseo? She was good too.

I heard she went to a famous audition program in middle school and reached the semi-finals, and it was entirely understandable.

Vocal and dance were standard, and she even had relaxed facial expressions. She fully showed off the poise of an audition veteran before stepping down.

The surprise was Chae Sunha.

Since I’d only seen her sharp side and we used separate practice rooms, this was the first time I saw her actual skills.

I only just realized that Rap was her main position.

“Sunha is definitely good at rapping. Is this what a ‘Student Rapper’ runner-up looks like?”

“Thank you!”

The fact I learned from the CEO’s critique was that she was also a survival show veteran.

She has a visual that suits rapping well… but I didn’t expect her to have been a runner-up in a survival show.

Even I, who doesn’t know much about hip-hop, found it fun to listen to, so she was clearly talented.

At the same time, I felt a slight worry: ‘What if we meet in a team mission since our positions are so distinct?’

Hmm… I suspect she might dislike me because of the rumors, but she makes it impossible for me to even speak to her to clear up the misunderstanding…

Anyway, the filming alone is exhausting enough, and that is a real headache.

Clatter

“About half of Group 2 is left, so we’re going to move waiting rooms~”

After spending quite a while analysing the trainees, the time had finally come for our group to move.