บท 22: Power Up!

The trainees woke up with the sound of the signal song blasting through the speakers. They groggily got up, hair sticking in all directions and dried saliva on their cheeks. Among the tired trainees stood an enigmatic force.

June stood in the middle of the room, dressed in his neon orange shirt and bright pink cat mask.

Jisung screamed as he saw him, causing their two other roommates to jolt awake in their beds.

"Ahh!" Hoon screamed. "What the hell are you doing there?"

"I'm waiting for the song to finish," June said. In reality, he was trying to capture the notes of the song. The trainees had only heard it once, so he wanted to learn it as soon as possible to get a good night's sleep.

"I can't believe you're wearing that mask so early in the morning," Hoon grumbled, finally getting up.

Jaeyong clicked his tongue and sent him a small glare. June pursed his lips. His patience was slowly thinning for this kid. From what he recalled, he hasn't even done anything wrong to him! June was about to tell him off when Fu's screen appeared before him.

[Another side quest had opened! This time, you can earn a booster. The title is Power Up! Gain a boost of strength or motivation once activated. Good for one day. Affects close proximities.]

June frowned. Where the hell would he use this kind of booster? It would honestly be better to give him another set of missions since the current ones were too difficult.

[Do you accept this side quest or not?]

'No,' June responded. The last time he agreed, the consequence was a regression of skill. He didn't see the need for the booster, so he quickly denied it.

[Are you sure? Confirm to cancel the side quest. Side quest cannot be brought back once declined.]

June let out a long sigh. Now, he felt conflicted. The last thing he wanted was regretting not grabbing such a mission.

"Ah, heck," Hoon clicked his tongue as he bumped into June. "Why the hell are you standing there like an idiot? Get going, weirdo," he whispered.

'I accept,' June quickly said in his mind. He realized he might actually need a Power Up booster when people tested his patience. He was about to retaliate right then and there!

[Wise choice, host. Here is your quest: Be a helper! Help upgrade other people's skills. Inspire three trainees so they can increase their skills by one point. The deadline is 24 hours. Failure to complete the mission allows one point deduction from one skill. Your timer starts now!]

June was right. The consequence was the same. Although he felt more thankful since the deadline was in 24 hours.

After agreeing to the side quest, June realized he was the only one inside the room. He quickly placed on his shoes and ran after the sea of orange. The little oranges entered the training room meant for three-star trainees. As they entered, they saw Mentor Gun waiting for them inside.

Some of the three-star trainees immediately felt dreadful. June understood their fear. He had watched the previous seasons because of Mei Ling, and Gun was a mentor during the second season. He was known for being a strict dance mentor during his time. However, he must have changed in the span of two years, right?

"Move faster!" Gun said in a strict voice, causing the trainees to bump into each other as they tried to secure a spot.

Seems like he hasn't changed at all.

The trainees lined up in five rows, with June staying at the very back. He didn't want to bring much attention to himself since he knew he wasn't a good dancer.

However, that was practically impossible with his bright pink mask. Gun's eyes naturally gravitated toward him.

"Alright," Gun clapped his hands. "You only have less than three days. You'd be performing this song the day after tomorrow, so I expect you to learn fast," he set the tone. "I won't hesitate to call you out if you're lacking in any way. Three-stars should at least have dance fundamentals. If you don't have that, consider going to zero-stars instead."

June couldn't help but feel apprehensive. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen. He knew that the standards and expectations would only rise as the star levels increased. He was set up for failure since he was only a D- in dance and has no theoretical background in dancing.

"I will only show it to you once," Gun said. "Then, we'll go over the moves one by one. I expect you all to familiarize yourselves with the moves until noon. This is the only time you'd be learning the dance, so make sure to listen well."

Gun faced the mirror and started the music. He started with the first verse. It was relatively easy. It didn't require much vigor, but a sense of elegance was embedded in his movements.

It looked easy to the eyes of an amateur, but June knew that it took some skill to make it look good. Then, it only got worse after that. The chorus was filled with acrobatic movements and jumps, making it practically impossible to sing while executing the moves. It calmed down during the second verse but got even more difficult at the bridge. The dance break even involved some floorwork!

What did Azure think of the trainees? Some goddamn robots who could learn such choreography in less than three days' time?

The atmosphere in the different classes was all different. The five-stars wore bright smiles, excited to learn the new choreography. The four-stars, too, beamed with happiness as their vocal mentor asked them to sing one by one.

It starts crumbling in the three-star room. Of course, some trainees were still excited as they watched the choreography. Jisung was practically peeing himself in excitement. Trainees like Jaeyong, on the other hand, were more serious than ever.

He had already started memorizing the moves when Gun performed them. The trainees at the back, those in June's row, seemed to be the least confident.

"Poor kids," June muttered.

[You should worry more about yourself, host.]

'Shut up, Fu.'

It's not even worth mentioning the zero-star and two-star trainees. The mentors assigned to their classes already wanted to give up because of the trainees' lack of enthusiasm and skill.

"There," Gun said after finishing the routine, only mildly out of breath. "Now, it's your turn. I would expect you to pick up the chorus part, at least."

"Yes, mentor," the trainees in the first few rows said. June frowned. He doesn't have a clue about what the first move even was.

"Trainees at the last row," Mentor Gun suddenly said. "I only want to see your row standing up."

The trainees in the last row looked at each other with confusion.

"The first four rows, sit down," he instructed. "Let's monitor your learning skills. The last row, all of you shall dance to the chorus."