Leonard never really cared about who became the leader. No matter the position, once he stepped onto the stage, the fans would only have eyes for him!
He just hadn't expected Will actually to be so effective.
Leonard glanced at Joshua, only to find Joshua looking back at him—yet his expression was completely unreadable. Leonard couldn't help but recall what he had seen yesterday.
Closest with Justin, huh? What's so good about that ugly fool?
Leonard had even seen Justin pinching Joshua's cheeks this morning, and Joshua hadn't gotten mad!
What did Justin have that he lacked?!
Leonard pressed his lips together, his face darkening even more. Joshua was the first to smile: "Leonard and I have always been on good terms, right, Leonard?"
Seeing Joshua's polished, businesslike smile, Leonard felt angry, while a strange discomfort twisted inside him. So he, too, smiled: "That's right, we've always been on good terms."
Will, satisfied with this, nodded and began assigning roles. The center, of course, went to Leonard—there was hardly room for debate in a group with only one Rank A.
At that moment, Joshua suddenly raised his hand: "I want to take a dance break."
Will was about to nod when another voice interrupted: "Don't you think your body is a limitation?"
It was a Rank C trainee. His singing was terrible, but his dancing wasn't bad, and he had been eyeing the dance break part from the start. After all, how could he possibly lose to some fat pig?!
Leonard frowned, about to speak, but Joshua answered first: "No."
He sized up his body briefly, then said calmly, "By the time of the performance, I'll definitely be back in my best condition."
Joshua was chubby, not fitting the visual standards expected on screen. Though his round cheeks hadn't changed much, the others would be shocked if they knew how drastically his figure could transform.
Typically, if someone slimmed down so quickly, it would surely mean illness—but Joshua knew that wasn't the case for him.
It was connected to his exceptional ability from the apocalypse. Perhaps this body had already become his from the moment he had transmigrated.
With Joshua's firm declaration, the Rank C trainee could only stew in frustration, unable to say more. Will spoke up then: "Joshua's dancing skills are undeniable. I also think he's well-suited for the dance break."
Joshua quickly nodded, a faint smile curving his lips: "Thank you, leader."
"Although we already have the song and choreography, creating a concept is still challenging." Will muttered again, "We'll practice singing and dancing first. As for the concept, let's wait for our lesson with Mrs. Angelia."
It was undeniable that Will worked efficiently and smoothly. Not a single voice of protest was raised throughout practice; even if some had different thoughts, they could only bury them deep inside.
By the end of the session, hardly anyone still felt dissatisfied. There was only one thought left—exhaustion!
They pushed themselves hard because other groups were working even harder. There would be no debut spot for the lazy.
Joshua wiped the sweat from his face and opened his water bottle when fireworks exploded in his mind, accompanied by Nine's cheerful voice!
[Congratulations, Joshua, on completing your first mission!]
A pale-blue pop-up appeared before Joshua's eyes, its contents completely different now.
[First Mission: Collect 1000 Fame Points!
Time Limit: 10 days
Reward upon completion: New Voice Talent
Punishment for failure: Be buried together with this world.]
[Mission Progress 1000/1000]
[Congratulations on completing the mission! The reward "New Voice Talent" has been delivered to the storage. Please check and claim it!]
[Congratulations on earning your first 1000 Fame Points. A new achievement has been unlocked, and the Store is now available!]
[Would you like to open the Store? Yes or No]
Joshua selected [Yes] without hesitation while asking Nine, "Why did the mission suddenly complete?"
It wasn't even time for episode one to premiere yet. The minor online buzz wouldn't suddenly generate that many Fame Points.
Nine answered enthusiastically: [Because the teaser for Episode 1 of Shining Path III just dropped! But right now, let's celebrate completing your very first mission! Joshua, hurry and check out the new features!]
Joshua had already suspected as much, so he went ahead and opened his Personal Panel.
Now, a Fame Points counter was also displayed, currently showing 1098.
The Panel also contained a section for the Store.
When Joshua clicked on it, he saw countless items inside, ranging from ordinary to bizarre.
Some were related to idol skills, others were just simple food, and there were even fantastical things like resurrection potions and cultivation elixirs. However, they were all still grayed out.
Joshua was secretly astonished, but after glancing down at the prices, a string of zeros nearly made him faint.
How long and famous would he have to become to earn that many fame points?
At the same time, Nine's explanatory voice rang out:
[Fame points will be the primary currency used in the Store. There's nothing here that doesn't have a price— even a single blade of grass is listed correctly. The more missions you complete, the more items you'll unlock!]
[Fame points can be exchanged for Skill points, and they can also be converted into money in this outside world!]
Hearing that, Joshua couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What's the exchange rate?"
[One Fame Point equals 100 Parallels.]
Nine reported a figure that almost made Joshua dizzy on the spot. With 1000 fame points, he could exchange them for 1,000,000 Parallels!
"When will I finally get to quit being an idol and just live as a free billionaire?" Joshua couldn't help but ask.
[When you're ready to be destroyed along with this world.] Nine sneered.
Joshua: "..."
Then Nine added: [You're too naïve. Why choose, when we can do both at the same time!]
Joshua had to admit that it made sense.
He moved on to check the skill he had just earned.
[Skill: New Voice Talent
Note: Frustrated that your singing voice won't improve, no matter how hard you try? Don't worry—New Voice Talent is here! With one skill, instantly elevate your singing to a new level!]
[Confirm skill use? Yes or No]
Joshua immediately confirmed [Yes].
In an instant, his personal information was completely updated.
[Personal Panel
Name: Joshua Adonis
Age: 17
Height: 173
Sing: B
Dance: A
Rap: E (10/20)
Visual: ???]
In the blink of an eye, his Sing had gone from D straight up to B!
Joshua's eyes widened, and he could barely stop himself from bursting into song right then and there!
[The path to the center position is getting closer and closer! Keep completing missions to unlock new surprises!]
[Question: In Room 202, who is the clean freak? Answer to unlock the next mission!]
Joshua: "...what the heck?"
Nine muttered thoughtfully: [This is just a standard mechanism. An idol should maintain good relationships, that must be it! To answer, stare at the question and think of your reply.]
He seemed to be convincing himself, which made it clear that the Idol System wasn't Nine. Nine was probably working for something else, and the Idol System and Joshua were tools.
Joshua lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions in their depths. Staring at the question, he thought of brown hair and Arthur's gentle smile.
[Bingo, completely correct answer!]
[Mission: Collect 5000 Fame Points!
Time limit: 10 days
Reward upon completion: All-rounder x1
Punishment for failure: Be buried together with this world
Mission Progress: 0/5000]