Chapter 59: Fan Mission Part 2

“Everyone’s probably wondering what was behind me, right?”

Lee Jian pointed to a huge box covered in black cloth.

Everyone was trying to guess what kind of monster might be hidden inside this time.

But to think it wasn’t a monster, but a fan.

Once again, the production team had pulled a shocking twist—no less surprising than the doppelgänger mission.

“Let me introduce you to your fans!”

Even before Lee Jian finished her sentence, the black cloth flew up into the air.

When the fans were revealed, the contestants were caught between joy and worry—unsure whether to be happy about seeing their supporters or anxious because those fans were now locked inside cages.

“Kyaaa!”

“Doha! Lee Doha!”

“Song Doyun! I came for you!”

“Lee Junah!”

Unlike the confused contestants, the fans were thrilled to see the idols they’d been voting for.

As names of high-ranking contestants from the first ranking ceremony spilled from the fans’ mouths, the atmosphere heated up.

“Roy!”

Among the voices, someone even called out Roy’s name.

He didn’t miss it and turned toward the fan who shouted for him.

‘That face… it looks familiar…’

Something about the fan’s face stirred a vague memory.

Not quite someone he knew personally, but maybe someone he’d passed by before.

[She’s the one who blushed bright red after seeing you last time!]

‘Last time?’

[During the team match!]

Roy finally remembered when he had seen the fan shouting his name.

‘She’s been my fan since then…?’

There were other contestants with better looks, stronger singing and dancing skills.

But this fan had chosen him.

Thanks to that, Roy felt like he finally understood why so many contestants were fighting so hard to become Hunter Idols.

***

“Wow. Hearing all this cheering is really getting me fired up too!”

Lee Jian’s already large eyes widened in genuine surprise as she looked at the crowd of fans.

“Jian unnie! You’re insanely pretty!”

“Oh, thank you!”

When one of the fans complimented her, Lee Jian’s lips curled up into a smile that almost reached her ears.

Being called pretty was always a pleasant thing.

“But I feel bad ruining such a good mood… Still, we have to continue with the mission, right?”

As soon as Lee Jian said this, the rules for the upcoming mission flashed across the large screen above them.

The contestants who hadn’t yet stood on the live theme song stage stared at the screen with wide eyes, reading every word carefully.

The production team had already announced that the second ranking ceremony would follow right after this mission.

For many of the contestants, their broadcast airtime was lacking—which meant they were in serious danger.

Everyone felt the urgency.

“Fans, please flip the pendants you’re wearing around your neck!”

Following Lee Jian’s instructions, the fans turned over the pendants to reveal the names written on them.

“Whoa, I got my one-pick!”

Fans who saw their favorite contestant’s name erupted in cheers, while those who didn’t looked visibly disappointed.

“From here on, you’ll need to enter the monsters’ den and rescue the fan who has your name around their neck!”

The contestants hurriedly checked which fan they were responsible for.

Roy did the same.

His fan seemed to be lucky.

And because he was assigned to rescue her, Roy was lucky too.

“Fans can freely apply buffs to the contestants!”

The contestants’ eyes widened in surprise.

Lee Jian’s announcement meant one thing—every fan here was a buffer.

In order for a Hunter Idol to grow faster than an ordinary Hunter, they needed plenty of buffers among their fans.

Meeting those buffers before even debuting was an enormous advantage for a trainee.

“Ugh, who even is this no-name…?”

Of course, not everyone was happy—especially the fans who were assigned to contestants they weren’t supporting. Some muttered sharp complaints.

***

“There’s no time limit for this mission! Once you’ve rescued your fan, fire the signal flare into the sky!”

The rules were simple.

Contestants could also freely use any weapons they’d acquired so far.

“It’s best to level up as much as you can during this,” Han Jihoo quietly advised his close teammates.

While dancing and singing were crucial, a Hunter Idol couldn’t afford to neglect their combat skills.

This mission had no time limit.

Plus, it was a rare chance to receive buffs from actual fans.

The island was overflowing with high-level monsters—more than enough for contestants to grind experience.

“Let’s all come back safely after completing the mission.”

Kim Jaemin looked around and spoke, as if to wish everyone well and uninjured.

“We’ll now begin moving the fans!”

Before the mission could start, the staff began sending the cages—each containing a fan—flying across different areas of the island.

“Kyaaa!”

The island echoed with the fans’ screams, like people on a dangerous amusement park ride with no safety restraints.

“Are they gonna be okay…?”

The contestants looked on with concern as their fans were flung through the air.

Even if this had been agreed upon in advance, the thrill was enough to make someone with a weak heart faint on the spot.

***

“Contestants! Are you ready to rescue your fans?”

“Yes!”

“Then begin now!”

Roy immediately sprinted in the direction Shin Jimin had disappeared.

“Growl! Bark bark!”

[Hero! There’s a monster up ahead!]

As soon as Roy crossed the safety line marked by the production team, a dog-like monster charged straight at him.

“Ber!”

“Beeep!” (Trust me!)

Ber flew up in front of Roy and blasted a surge of flames at the monster.

The monster’s face quickly melted under the heat.

Roy spun and finished it off with a powerful back kick, smashing the half-melted face completely.

[Your level has increased by 10.]

‘Status window.’

[Name: Hwang Roy]

[Age: 22]

[Class: Spirit Summoner]

[Summon 1: Water Kiber (Status: Dizzy Chick)]

[Level: 11]

[Rank: ?]

[Physical Ability: ?]

[Mana: ?]

Roy let out a quiet sigh as he looked at the status window still full of question marks.

‘It’d be better if I had clearer stats like everyone else.’

Still, he supposed it was a relief that his level kept rising steadily.

‘I need to reach at least level 30 with this mission.’

People said once you debut by winning the survival show, your level increases rapidly—but Roy wanted to raise his level as much as possible before then.

The faster he regained his original strength, the closer he’d be to his goal of revenge.

“You want to see the other Spirit Kings too, don’t you, Ber?”

“Beeep?” (Nope.)

Ber said no, but Roy didn’t miss the way his eyes wavered.

Even if they bickered, the Spirit Kings had spent ages together—far longer than humans could imagine.

Of course Ber would want to see them again after being separated.

“Let’s level up and summon them back.”

Roy didn’t know who would come next, but he figured the summoning would follow the same order as before.

“Beeep.” (If that’s what my contractor wants.)

He didn’t say the rest aloud, but the way the feather on his head trembled showed he was excited too.

[Did you see which way she went?]

‘Roughly.’

Even while taking down monsters with Ber, Roy kept track of the direction Shin Jimin had flown.

“Who are you?”

“Sorry.”

Sometimes, he ran into fans who weren’t Jimin.

Thankfully, it seemed the staff had cast protective magic on the iron bars, keeping the monsters from getting close.

Roy passed by the fans—who looked at him with hopeful eyes—and threw himself deeper into the monster hunt.

[There’s a group of monsters over there! Perfect for wiping out all at once]

Just as Earth said, bee-like monsters the size of Roy’s forearm were swarming around a massive hive, buzzing loudly.

“Ber.”

“BEEEPP!!” (Trust me!)

Ber puffed up his chest and engulfed the cluster of monsters in flames.

The burning monsters flapped their wings desperately, but the flames only grew stronger.

[Hero! Watch out!]

The surviving monsters—those still breathing or able to fight—rushed toward Roy.

The sound of countless wings filled the air as they swarmed him.

Roy scanned the area, then dove into the lake.

He held his breath and hid underwater.

A system message appeared before his eyes.

[Your level has increased.]

‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire.’

No sooner had he escaped the bee monsters than a snake-like creature shot toward him.

Its body was only as thick as Roy’s wrist, but the problem was its length—it was far longer than Roy was tall.

The monster circled Roy, watching for the right moment to strike and coil.

“Beeeeep!” (There are too many, contractor!)

Bubbles rose around Roy.

His lung capacity was strong, but he wasn’t a sea creature—he couldn’t stay underwater forever.

He couldn’t surface either.

The sky above the lake was darkened with so many bee monsters, they blocked out the sun.

“O”

To make matters worse, the snake monster began wrapping around his body.

Roy struggled, trying to free himself, but his movements were sluggish underwater.

‘Aqua…!’

More than ever, he longed for the Water Spirit King.

[What do I do, what do I do…!]

Earth was panicking just as much.

[The hero can’t die like this…! But helping him myself breaks the rules…!]

Roy couldn’t hear the voice in his head, but he still reached out, trying to tear the monster off him—his strength fading.

[But I can’t just sit by and watch…! Even if I get penalized later…!]

Earth made a decision.

Roy was already submerged in the middle of the lake—an ideal place to summon the Water Spirit King.

As Earth activated his power, a glowing window appeared in front of Roy.

[You have a summonable spirit. Would you like to summon it? Yes/No]

There was no hesitation.

Roy chose “Yes” instantly.

He was out of breath—there was no way he could refuse.