The Goal is the Ending Fairy - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

Looking at the stat window located right below the profile, I couldn’t help but sigh.

Name: Seo Da-na (Female/19)
Current Status: Trainee under HON Entertainment
>Vocal: 10/100 (!)
>Dance: 5/100 (!!)
>Charm: 5/100 (!)
>Affection: 5/100 (!)
>Passive Skill 1: 『Mental Resilience』
>(Currently locked slot.)

I could overlook the others. But Vocal and Dance being this pathetic is just too much. 

I felt truly overwhelmed by the stat window that showed how long the road ahead was. 

Even the Affection stat is only this high after rising. It was completely zero before receiving the tutorial completion reward. 

The only comforting fact was that I was a trainee under a famous large agency. 

HON Entertainment, nicknamed ‘Hon,’ held a fairly prominent position within the game. 

It was a large agency that had vertically ascended with terrifying momentum in a short period. 

Even in its small-to-mid-sized era, it produced many hit idols, quickly establishing itself as a representative agency of South Korea… (This was content from the in-game story.) 

Well, it was clearly the agency that dominated the idol scene here, in name and reality. 

Especially in my previous playthrough, my idol and Hon’s groups often clashed like rivals. 

This was due to the frequent overlap in the ‘active periods’—the game duration—with the user playing that idol. 

The result was always my kids’ victory, as I had always been confident.

‘…What good are those brilliant records now? The stat window is as miserable as can be.’

The more I looked at the deplorable stat window, the more frustrated I became. 

It was while I was reading down the main screen with a sigh that I noticed something. 

“?” 

Only then did the exclamation marks in the middle of the stat window catch my eye. 

The Dance stat, in particular, had two exclamation marks. When I clicked on it first, a small message popped up next to it.

>>Currently achieved bonus EXP: 2.5/5.0 

It reminded me of the original reason I opened the screen, but it didn’t show the result I was expecting. 

“What…?” 

My mouth dropped open involuntarily. 

I’ve been grinding here for hours… The total bonus EXP that goes up in increments of 5, and I’ve only achieved 2.5 so far? 

From that state, I lowered my gaze to the Helper. It had been sprawled on the floor for some time. 

[I told you not to get tired so soon!] 

…But all I got back was this kind of petulant response. 

The Helper then flew right up to my face, nagging me about how I had listened to its explanation yesterday and telling me to go re-do the tutorial. 

[Aah! Don’t push me away again!] 

When I brushed away the creature that was huffing with its hands on its hips, the stat window once again dominated my view.

‘Isn’t this honestly too brutal?’ 

It was certainly difficult to raise stats with my actual body after only hitting keys in my room. 

Right now, my head is spinning, and I’m on the verge of collapsing. 

The road to hardship is clear, so very clear…

>Dance 5/100 (!) 

After checking the message, the exclamation mark next to the Dance stat also decreased. Now it was the same as the other stats. 

When I pressed the remaining exclamation mark, a message encompassing all stats appeared this time.

>>Quest Reward 『Stat Free Increase Coupon +10』 can be used! 

Ah, right. I hadn’t applied the reward I received yesterday yet. 

Unexpectedly, the system had given me a rather valuable reward right from the start.

‘Stat Free Increase Coupon.’ 

It was one of the important reward items in this <Happy Idol! Nurtured By My Own Hands!>.

This was because it allowed me to freely level up any desired stat. 

My mood improved slightly with this reward, especially since I was already depressed due to the low stats. 

>>Applying 『Stat Free Increase Coupon +10』 to ‘Vocal’ stat! Vocal stat EXP increases! 

>>Vocal: 10/100 → 20/100 

The stat I applied the reward to was none other than Vocal. 

Frankly, investing 5 into both Dance and Vocal wouldn’t be bad, but right now, raising both still gets me nowhere. 

In that case, it’s better to focus on the one with even slightly higher EXP. 

Above all, if you’re a singer, shouldn’t you be able to sing first?

‘While awkward dancing might be overlooked, being tone-deaf is unacceptable.’ 

This was a conclusion based on my past game records and its database. 

After applying the rest of the reward, no more exclamation marks were visible. It seemed I had checked everything in the stat window. 

Then, a question arises at this point.

‘Do I just keep practicing like this? Will they debut me automatically then?’ 

I asked the Helper about this several times, but the only answer I got was to ‘just follow the flow of the story well.’ 

It was like saying ‘study by the textbook and you’ll get a perfect score on the exam.’ It wasn’t helpful, not at all. 

I don’t know how I managed to reach the server’s 2nd place in such a reckless game. Hmm… 

“Ah.” 

[?] 

It dawned on me. 

I did acquire ‘that’ first to gain experience more efficiently. 

Though I can’t even remember how I got it now… 

“Hey, Helper. How did I get the 『Iron Stamina』 skill…?” 

As I mumbled the question, the creature touched the area presumed to be its chin. 

[Hmm… I’m not sure myself? Unlike Da-na nim, this is my first time running the game!] 

Great, you damn son of a bitch…. 

In the end, I couldn’t get any useful information and just turned on the music again. 

I called it hoping for a hint for the game. 

Considering I can’t even summon this thing whenever I want, it felt like a pointless call.

>Helper is currently in use! 

According to the tutorial I went through yesterday, a summoned Helper automatically disappears after a certain amount of time. 

Furthermore, once you use it, you can’t even call it again until the cooldown is over. 

I called it hoping it would help me stack stats or give me other information… This was nothing short of a waste.

‘I should just practice…’ 

From now on, I’ll be more careful about using the Helper. 

Since I’ve already used it, I should just focus on what I can do right now. 

Oh, and for the record, the dance practice to gain experience was quite simple. 

I just had to find any dance video, whether on MeTube or elsewhere, and follow the choreography exactly. 

So, does my body move as intended? 

Honestly, there are still a ton of rough patches. It was especially true since my dance level was still low. 

However, for me, this dance practice itself is a kind of ‘mini-game.’ I don’t need to learn the choreography, nor do I have to painstakingly repeat and memorize it. 

In other words, I just have to ‘play the game’ every moment I’m dancing. 

To explain, whenever I dance to the music, a game window clearly pops up in my head. 

If I play this, my body automatically dances. 

The game method itself is simple. 

Match the descending arrow directions and press the corresponding buttons at the right time. That’s it. 

It was a game familiar from arcades. 

As I diligently press the buttons alone in my head, I find myself following the video exactly. 

Additionally, the more ‘Perfects’ I score, the closer my dance becomes to perfection, and the more ‘Misses’ there are, especially if the deviation is severe, the more messy my dance becomes. 

Completing one song like this raises about 0.5 EXP, and even then, the ‘Perfect’ ratio must exceed at least 80. 

If I tried to follow an easy, rhythmic dance, it wouldn’t even count as practice… (It’s genuinely annoying.) 

Therefore, I need to follow at least the dance videos of a high school dance club to raise my level. 

More than anything, having to play a separate world game in my head alone is not easy. 

As I kept doing it, I felt like I was getting more used to it than when I first started… 

But that absolutely does not mean the mini-game has gotten easier. It just means it’s tolerable now.

– Miss!

– Miss! 

“Come on.”

I spoke too soon, and it happened again. How ridiculous. 

…Enough. Let’s do it again. 

After much ado, as I stood in front of the mirror, I sensed a presence at the practice room door. 

I turned off the music and turned my head, seeing a shadow through the translucent practice room door. 

Seeing them lingering for a while, they must have known someone was inside.

– Click 

The owner of the presence soon opened the door without hesitation. 

That person is… 

“Da-na, you were here.” 

A woman who looked much older than me. She was the staff member I had greeted earlier when I came in. 

Judging by her conversation with other staff members earlier, she seemed to be the manager in charge of the trainees. 

“Yes, what is it?” 

Did I cause some kind of trouble? 

But contrary to my worry, she smiled sweetly and gestured to me. 

“Shall we go to the consulting room for a quick talk?” 

“Pardon?” 

Why the consulting room all of a sudden…? 

“Ah, yes.” 

Still, when called, I had to pop out immediately. 

Putting aside the feeling of being called into the principal’s office, I quickly followed her. 

The distance between the practice room and the consulting room was short. We arrived quickly after leaving the door. 

The manager went in first and sat down at the desk with a laptop, and I quietly sat in the chair facing her. 

“Da-na, you need to debut.” 

This was the prelude that came out one second after I sat down.

‘Yes, well. I have to, right away, if I want to survive.’ 

As I slowly nodded my head, the manager placed both hands on the desk. She interlaced her fingers and said…

“How about debuting through a survival show?” 

She abruptly suggested debuting through a survival program. 

[Ooh!] 

The Helper was the first to react, even before me. 

[I told you not to worry! I said you just need to follow the story flow and wait!] 

The Helper, clinging to my shoulder, pompously expressed its delight into my ear. Thanks to it, my ear was on the verge of bursting. 

I almost lost my poker face, but I pushed the creature away regardless. 

Naturally, this behavior was invisible to others. 

“Excuse me for a moment. I think there’s a bug flying around my ear…”

[Ack! Why do you keep pushing me away…!] 

I vaguely swished my hand around my ear, sending the Helper flying far away. It huffed defiantly before disappearing into the system. 

Now it’s finally quiet. 

“I don’t know if the rumor has spread already, but our company is going to create a debut program this time. And there’s one vacant spot for a participant.”

 Only then did the words of the person sitting across from me begin to sink in. 

“And I recommended you for that vacant spot.”

Oh… 

Just as the Helper said, the timing is certainly good. 

The manager’s subsequent words were all great news. Objectively, this was a huge stroke of luck.

‘Debut survival? Good.’ 

Whether I debut through this show or not, it will be very good for building recognition among viewers. 

However, the stress will be doubled compared to preparing for a debut within the company. 

I’d have to worry about all sorts of public opinions and be exposed to cameras early on, even before debuting. That was a given. 

“It looks like it’s already been six months since you joined Hon. Of course, it’s not a very long time, but I see potential in you.” 

She put on a slightly sentimental expression. 

“After all, I was the one who scouted you.” 

The manager looked like she was reminiscing about our first meeting. Feeling awkward, I also feigned agreement with her forced trip down memory lane. 

“That… that’s right, ha ha.” 

In reality, everything, including the fact that I’m a six-month trainee, was news to me. 

“So, what’s your answer?” 

‘Sparkling eyes.’ This expression could actually be realised. 

The manager, with shining eyes, was clearly waiting for my positive response. 

I, for one, had nothing to worry about. 

It was clear that the debut survival had both positive and negative elements, but what did that matter? 

I wasn’t in a position to weigh such things. My answer had to reflect that. 

“Yes. Appearance…” 

“Of course you’ll appear, right? So many kids want this but aren’t selected.” 

“……” 

“So, I’ll take that as a yes?”

“……Yes.”

The manager, who had already decided the answer almost simultaneously with my words, asserted her opinion while pretending to ask for mine. 

This continued for a while with her self-willed explanations. 

Then, towards the end, she told me to leave, adding a ‘Got it?’ 

“As I said, tomorrow is the first shoot to revealing the first mission, so don’t be late! It’s just an explanation, so don’t be too nervous~ Fighting!”

– Slam 

“…?” 

What just flew past me? 

While listening to the manager’s words, I was suddenly standing right in front of the consulting room door.

‘…So it’s settled, anyway.’ 

I let out a faint sigh and looked up.

– Ding-dong! 

The message window that had been bothering me earlier. As I opened it, it immediately displayed the screen as if it had been waiting.

>>> [Important!] ’Main Event’ Arrived!

⇨ Succeed in debuting through the debut survival show held by HON Entertainment!

>>⌛ D-1 until Event Start!

>Event Reward: 『Undisclosed』

This was truly the calm before the storm.