The system didn't disappear.
It followed me.
I realized that when I tried to blink it away in the dorm bathroom, cold water dripping from my chin as I stared at my reflection. The blue screen hovered calmly at the edge of my vision, like it had always belonged there.
Unmovable. Unignorable.
Mine.
[DAILY QUEST SYSTEM UNLOCKED]
RESET TIME: 00:00 KST
My stomach tightened.
Daily quests.
The kind of thing that didn't ask if I wanted to comply—only how badly I wanted to survive.
A new window slid open.
DAILY QUEST — DAY 1
1. Vocal Training: 2 Hours (0 / 120 minutes)
2. Dance Practice: 3 Hours (0 / 180 minutes)
3. Mental Conditioning: 30 Minutes (0 / 30 minutes)
4. Nutrition Compliance: 100%
REWARD:
• Stat Points x10
• Skill Random Box (R–SR)
FAILURE PENALTY:
• Stat Degradation (Random)
• Fatigue Accumulation (24 Hours)
I stared.
Three hours of dance. Two of vocals. Mental conditioning. Perfect diet.
In my old life, this would've broken me.
Here?
I felt something else.
Excitement.
Because this time, effort meant something.
The dorm hallway smelled faintly of detergent and instant coffee. Trainees moved in clusters, some loud, some silent, all of them exhausted in that uniquely hopeless way only trainees understood.
As we lined up for breakfast, whispers floated through the air.
"Did you hear? Monthly evaluations are early this time."
"They're cutting five people."
"No way… already?"
Five.
My grip tightened around my tray.
Min-joon's memories surfaced uninvited—ranking low. Always hovering just above the danger zone. Never impressive enough to stand out. Never bad enough to be eliminated.
The kind of trainee who disappears quietly.
Not anymore.
[ALERT: HIGH-STAKES EVENT DETECTED]
MONTHLY EVALUATION IN: 14 DAYS
RECOMMENDED ACTION: AGGRESSIVE GROWTH
The system wasn't subtle.
Neither was the pressure.
The practice room was already alive when I walked in. Music blasted through the speakers, bass vibrating through the wooden floor. Sweat, ambition, and desperation hung heavy in the air.
And then—
I felt it.
Eyes on me.
Across the room, a trainee leaned against the mirror, arms crossed. Tall. Sharp features. Confidence etched into every movement.
Kang Jae-hyun.
Ranked first among the male trainees.
Center material.
The kind of guy managers smiled at without realizing it.
He met my gaze and raised an eyebrow, lips curling faintly.
Oh.
So this was the wall Min-joon had never climbed.
Dance practice began.
The choreography was brutal—fast footwork, sharp isolations, no room for hesitation. Normally, Min-joon struggled during the second chorus.
This time?
The music hit—and my body moved.
Not perfectly.
But hungrily.
[SKILL: BODY OPTIMIZATION — ACTIVE]
MOVEMENT EFFICIENCY +15%
STAMINA DRAIN REDUCED
My muscles remembered what they were supposed to do faster than my mind could panic. I adjusted mid-step, corrected angles instinctively, landed turns cleaner than I ever had.
I caught my reflection in the mirror.
My eyes were different.
Focused.
Alive.
One by one, trainees started glancing my way.
Even the instructor paused.
"Min-joon," he said slowly. "Do that last eight-count again."
The room went silent.
I did.
Perfectly.
The instructor's lips twitched—not quite a smile, but close.
"Good. Keep that."
Kang Jae-hyun stared now, no amusement left in his eyes.
Interesting.
Vocal practice nearly broke me.
Not because it was hard—but because it was terrifying.
When it was my turn, I stepped into the booth, headphones settling over my ears. The instrumental began, soft and unforgiving.
I opened my mouth—
And the note came out clean.
Too clean.
[SKILL: PERFECT PITCH — ACTIVE]
VOCAL STABILITY: MAXIMIZED
I adjusted instinctively, breath control perfect, tone warm and steady. The sound filled the booth, rich and controlled, wrapping around the melody like it belonged there.
The vocal coach slowly stood up.
"…Since when could you sing like that?"
I smiled politely.
"Since today," I almost said.
By the time night fell, my body screamed for rest.
But the system wasn't done.
[MENTAL CONDITIONING REMAINING: 30 MINUTES]
I sat alone in the dark practice room, lights off, legs crossed, breathing slow.
Memories tried to claw their way back in.
Rain. Rejections. That final step into the street.
I let them come.
And then—
I let them go.
[MENTALITY STAT INCREASED: F → D]
The final alert appeared just before midnight.
[DAILY QUEST — DAY 1: COMPLETE]
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED.
SKILL RANDOM BOX (SR) — OPEN?
My heart raced.
I tapped YES.
The screen flared.
NEW SKILL ACQUIRED:
CAMERA INSTINCT (PASSIVE)
Automatically locates and dominates camera focus during performances.
I laughed quietly.
A real laugh this time.
Outside, the city lights glowed.
Inside, a countdown had begun.
Fourteen days.
Five eliminations.
And a system that demanded everything—but promised even more.
I lay back on the practice room floor, staring at the ceiling.
"Alright," I whispered. "Let's see how high I can climb."
The clock struck midnight.
And somewhere in the system's depths—
Day Two initialized.