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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The All-Nighter and the Traveling Merchant
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Hye-sung gritted her teeth and pushed through the practice. Thanks to the recent lesson and her newfound motivation, her proficiency soon reached 1%.
[Choreography: Chance! (Proficiency 1%) Achieved!]
[Quest successful! Reward: 1 Lucky Roulette Ticket]
‘I’ll use it later. Practice comes first.’
She saved the reward and continued to alternate between solo and group practice. Before she knew it, the clock had ticked past midnight.
“Ah… I’m so exhausted. I’m too tired to keep going. I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Me too. I’ll sleep now and wake up early to practice.”
Once it was past 1 a.m., most of the F-Class trainees headed back to the dorms. They seemed to think they had practiced just enough to avoid getting scolded in tomorrow’s class.
“Hye-sung Eonni, aren’t you going to bed?”
Na Yeon-woo asked, opening a water bottle and handing it to her.
“Ah, thanks. I’ll sleep when I’m dead…”
As a complete beginner who was essentially dancing for the first time, Hye-sung struggled to keep up with the other trainees, who, despite being in F-Class, had prior training experience.
“What about you, Yeon-woo? Are you heading to bed now?”
“Yes… But I’m going to practice just a little bit more.”
Na Yeon-woo stood next to Hye-sung.
“Let’s run through it ten more times, then I’ll go.”
“Oh? Okay.”
The two practiced repeatedly without a break. They sweated so much that their already damp shirts became soaked all over again.
Na Yeon-woo, who had said she would only do it ten more times, still hadn’t returned to the dorm even after the twentieth run-through.
“…I got it! I got it, Yeon-woo!”
On the 21st try, Hye-sung finally made it through the first verse without missing a beat.
Of course, she had butchered most of the details, but just not missing the beat was a huge accomplishment in itself.
“Eonni! You got it! Just keep doing it like that!”
The clock now pointed to 3 a.m.
“It’s okay to go to bed now, right?”
Na Yeon-woo said, glancing at the time.
“Uh… Can I?”
[Choreography: Chance! (Proficiency 10%) Achieved!]
‘It shot up all of a sudden just because I did it without messing up!’
Seeing the sudden jump in proficiency, a wave of ambition washed over Hye-sung. She forced her heavy eyelids open and said.
“I’m going to practice a little more. You go ahead, Yeon-woo.”
“Wake-up is at 7. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. You go first.”
Just as Na Yeon-woo was about to leave the practice room, the door burst open and someone walked in.
“You’re still practicing?”
“Ye-in Eonni! Weren’t you already in bed?”
Im Ye-in had been nowhere to be seen since a little after 1 a.m.
“Ah, I was practicing my singing alone in the vocal room. You know, vocals are my biggest problem.”
“Is your singing any better now? My dancing has improved a bit.”
Hye-sung said, sounding quite proud of herself for having achieved a mere 10% proficiency.
“I don’t know. I’ve been listening to my own voice for so long, I can’t tell if it’s right or wrong anymore…”
“Eonni, then try singing now. Hye-sung Eonni and I will listen.”
Im Ye-in, who had also started speaking casually to Hye-sung, brightened up and turned on the music. She held a water bottle in her hand as a substitute for a microphone, looking as if she were about to perform a live dance vocal.
“…Haa… The one who’ll shine… *heuk*… is already decided… *heuk*.”
‘It’s like 90% air, 10% noise.’
“…How was it?”
Im Ye-in asked, panting. Her strangely expectant expression flustered Hye-sung.
“Well, you almost…”
“Almost?”
“Didn’t seem to be singing at all…”
*Clang!*
Shocked, Im Ye-in dropped the water bottle.
“How about you try singing while just standing still?”
“Okay.”
The result was disastrous. Her voice was loud and completely off-key, making it painful to listen to. Sensing this was another major problem, Hye-sung suggested they practice together a little longer.
“By the way, on my way here, I saw that more than half of the Ace-Class kids are still practicing.”
‘The ones who are the best are still practicing.’
“Ye-in Eonni, Yeon-woo. Can you guys teach me the dance break part right now?”
Hye-sung asked, spurred on by a mix of accomplishment and newfound motivation.
“Right now? You think you can do it?”
“I’ll just try it out once.”
“I’ve only memorized the moves myself, so I’m not perfect either… but just watch for now.”
Na Yeon-woo and Im Ye-in stood in front of the mirror and played the music. Infinitely divided beats were followed by steps so fast they looked like shadow clones, interspersed with a flurry of jumps and turns.
“It’s da, da-da, jump, da-da-da, dan! And then a turn.”
“Just think of it as floating in the air for a second.”
“Floating in the air…?”
Hye-sung’s determination instantly deflated.
“Da, da-da, jump! Da-da-da, dan! And then a turn…”
*Thud!*
Trying to imitate the complex steps and turn after the jump, Hye-sung’s feet got tangled, and she fell over.
“Eonni!”
“Hye-sung!”
“Ah… I’m okay. This is really hard. You could get hurt if you’re not careful.”
Hye-sung stood up, brushing off the knee that had hit the floor.
“It’d be better to do this after tomorrow’s lesson. Your legs have given out, haven’t they? Your stamina is shot right now, Hye-sung. I think it’ll be dangerous if you push yourself any further.”
As it was already past 4 a.m., the three decided to head back to the dorms.
The dorm rooms had two bunk beds for four people, and trainees were assigned rooms with others from the same class. However, since the numbers didn’t divide evenly, Hye-sung ended up sharing a room with trainees from a different class.
“…I wonder if they’re sleeping.”
The door was slightly ajar. Hye-sung tiptoed inside. Including her, there were three people in the room.
‘I feel so self-conscious sharing a room with someone from the Ace Class…’
Hye-sung turned on the small lamp by the empty bed.
“You’re back? Hurry up and wash up so you can sleep.”
“Gasp!”
She thought they would be asleep, but a voice came from the bed behind her.
“Oh, did I scare you?”
“I thought you were sleeping…”
“We just got back and finished washing up ourselves. You must be tired, so hurry and get some sleep.”
“Okay…”
* * *
-♪ take a Chance!
Chance! Chance! ♪
As soon as it turned 7 a.m., a loud wake-up bell blared throughout the entire building.
“Ugh…”
Hye-sung rubbed her sleepy eyes and stretched.
“You’re awake?”
She turned her head and saw the face of a trainee with a towel around her neck. It seemed she had already washed up.
“Ah, hello. You’re up early.”
The trainee sharing her room was Lee Ju-ha. The one who had performed right before Hye-sung during the class evaluation.
“You’re tired, right? I know you want to sleep more, but let’s wash up quickly and go get breakfast.”
“Okay…”
After Hye-sung groggily got up and washed her face, she returned to find the third roommate, who hadn’t been there moments ago, now putting on socks.
It was Han Young-won.
“Hello. Did you sleep well? I hope I wasn’t too loud last night…”
Hye-sung, who had greeted her first, immediately felt unnecessarily intimidated. Unlike Lee Ju-ha, she seemed cold.
“It wasn’t loud. I wore earplugs.”
Han Young-won replied nonchalantly and stood up. Then she asked Hye-sung.
“Shall we go down if you’re ready?”
Before she knew it, Hye-sung was heading to the cafeteria sandwiched between two Ace-Class trainees—two of the very top-ranked ones at that.
The food was quite good. There was a fresh salad, an omelet topped with a pork cutlet, a clear miso soup, and for dessert, Hye-sung’s favorite chocolate milk from Company H.
‘I’m so nervous I can’t even tell what I’m eating.’
But even while eating the delicious meal, being stuck between Han Young-won and Lee Ju-ha felt incredibly awkward. This was despite the fact that Hye-sung’s actual age was closer to theirs.
“Hye-sung Eonni!”
From the opposite side, Na Yeon-woo, holding a tray, called out cheerfully to Hye-sung. Next to her were Im Ye-in, Rurika, and another F-Class trainee.
‘Rurika is in the same room as her. She must have whined to Yeon-woo nonstop, right? And Yeon-woo probably put up with all of it, right? Oh, Lord. Why do you give such trials to my sweet, innocent girl?’
Despite having no religion, Hye-sung cried out to a higher power.
“Can we sit here with you?”
Im Ye-in asked.
“Of course, please sit down.”
Lee Ju-ha greeted Na Yeon-woo’s group with a smile, and Han Young-won gave a slight nod.
As they continued their meal in this strange combination, something even stranger appeared before Hye-sung’s eyes.
[A Traveling Merchant has arrived!]
[Ding-dong♪ Hello, customer. This is the all-purpose bundle uncle who only visits on special~ days.]
‘…What is this? I thought a package arrived.’
[This is a visit from a traveling merchant who sells items.]
‘Is this some kind of princess-raising game? If you’re going to do this, why not give me a butler too?’
[I don’t come every day. I’m the all-purpose bundle uncle who only visits on special~ days. If you miss me, who knows when I’ll be back.]
‘The system’s whole gimmick is absurd. Just show me what you’ve got.’
As soon as she thought it, an endless scroll of items appeared. Most of them were grayed out, as if they were locked.
‘Wait, was there a currency system? What do I have to pay with? It better not be my lifespan or something.’
[You can purchase items with Stat Points. ☆ (half a star) can be converted to 50P.]
‘You’re trying to get blood from a stone. Forget it, I’m not buying. No, I *can’t* buy.’
[You can also convert the proficiency of registered songs and choreographies into points. 10% equals 1P.]
[Currently convertible points: 7P]
Song: Love is… a Lilac Scent (Proficiency: 67%)
Choreography: Chance! (Proficiency: 10%)
‘Chance is an absolute no, and if I convert Lilac Scent for 6 points, I’ll only have 7% proficiency left… That’s a week’s worth of hard work.’
But she probably wouldn’t be singing anymore. Hye-sung decided to make the conversion.
‘Show me the item list again.’
[Lucky Four-Leaf Clover (Common) 5P]
[Clear-Your-Head Blue Potion (Common) 5P]
[This-and-That Potion (Common) 5P]
[Martial Master’s Pill (Common) 10P]
.
.
.
All items except for the common-level ones were locked and unavailable for purchase.
‘And I don’t have enough points anyway.’
After checking the details, she found that the [Clear-Your-Head Blue Potion] was a mental digestive aid, and the [This-and-That Potion] was a fatigue recovery item. However, their effects only lasted for three hours, and the listed ingredients were arginine, taurine, and 20 types of amino acids, making them seem no different from actual fatigue recovery drinks rather than something with magical effects.
‘I’d be better off just buying something from a pharmacy.’
Hye-sung thought for a moment, then her interest shifted toward the first item on the list, the [Lucky Four-Leaf Clover].
[Lucky Four-Leaf Clover (Common) 5P]
[Description: Lucky Cha-Cha-Cha! Attracts good fortune. Always active. 20% activation chance.]
‘This seems pretty useful, doesn’t it? Ah, I wish it would activate when I buy a lottery ticket.’
Forgetting that minors couldn’t purchase lottery tickets, Hye-sung was filled with vain hope.
After converting her points and purchasing the [Lucky Four-Leaf Clover (Common)], a metallic, four-leaf clover-shaped brooch materialized out of the status window, floating like a ghost passing through a wall.
‘This looks real. What if the others can see it?’
Startled, Hye-sung pretended to swat a mosquito, quickly snatching the brooch out of the air and shoving it into her pocket.
“Eonni, what is it? A bug?”
“Huh? Oh, I think so.”
“Rurika hates bugs!”
Hye-sung gave Rurika, who was hiding behind Na Yeon-woo like a shield, an unimpressed look before quickly finishing her meal.
