The flavor of the meat Roy just ate made every other meat he had ever tasted on the As continent seem like it was a tier lower.
He licked his lips, savoring the memory of the meat that had disappeared in an instant.
From that point on, a silent war began. Roy, still clumsy with chopsticks, snatched pieces of meat from the grill the moment they lost their pink.
Feeling threatened, Minkyung picked up the pace.
Even Doha, whose eyes always sharpened during meals, joined in.
Guman, who had been grilling without tasting a single bite, also reached out with the tongs to claim his share.
And Chan, who had never tasted premium Korean beef before, didn’t even need to be mentioned.
“That’ll be 1,203,000 won.”
“How much?”
“1,203,000 won, sir.”
Feeding five people high-grade beef came with a steep price.
With trembling hands, Guman handed over the company credit card.
As the employee smoothly swiped the card, it felt like Guman’s heart was being shredded.
“Look at the boss’s face. I guess we really did eat a lot today.”
Knowing Guman’s stingy nature, Minkyung whispered to the others huddled together.
Only Roy, still unfamiliar with Earth’s sense of money, remained expressionless.
“So, what are you all doing about housing?”
“Housing?”
At Roy’s question, Chan kindly explained.
“A place to sleep. I want to move into the company dorm, if that’s okay?”
“Of course. You can move in anytime. Right now, only Doha’s staying there. What about you, Roy?”
“I’ll move in too.”
Roy had no other option.
Earth was finally quiet again.
While the planet had helped him get an ID, he didn’t have any money.
“Boss, I’ll head home now.”
“You sure you don’t need a ride?”
“Yes. It’s within walking distance. See you tomorrow. Bye, guys!”
Minkyung waved and disappeared quickly.
Leaving work was always a joy for office workers.
Her footsteps were light as she walked away from the company.
***
“Where’s the dorm?”
“Just nearby.”
“Wow, it really is close.”
“There aren’t many trainees right now…”
The dorm was separated from the office by just one wall.
Once past a door with a lock, there was a space with a living room, two bedrooms, and one bathroom.
“Pick whichever room you want. Doha’s using this one.”
With an awkward smile, Guman gave Roy and Chan a detailed tour of the dorm.
“Which room do you want, hyung? I don’t mind either one.”
Both rooms had bunk beds.
The one Doha was using was slightly bigger, but the difference was minimal.
“Do you snore?”
“Ahem.”
Roy’s blunt question made Chan blush.
Avoiding eye contact, Chan gave a small nod.
“You too?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then I want my own room.”
After confirming with Doha, Roy pointed to the vacant room.
He was a light sleeper—whenever he went on missions, he always struggled to sleep when sharing a tent with teammates.
He especially remembered Heis’s snoring, which was so loud it shook the whole tent. Roy worried Chan might be just as loud.
“Looking forward to it, Doha hyung.”
“Same here.”
With Roy’s decision, Chan and Doha became roommates.
Guman clapped his hands together and addressed them.
“Alright then, get some good sleep tonight. If you have things to bring, do it tomorrow. We’ll have a meeting to plan our next steps.”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
As the group answered in their own way, Guman gave a broad smile and stepped out of the dorm.
Having successfully recruited two trainees who could debut even at a top-tier agency, he couldn’t stop grinning.
“I’m going to bed first.”
Roy headed into the empty room.
Click.
The door shut behind him, and he slid down against it. It was just a small room, but now that he was alone, all the tension in his body finally melted away.
“Inventory.”
A translucent inventory window appeared in front of Roy.
He reached for a book-shaped icon.
The cover read: [A Friendly Guide to Earth], the letters scribbled awkwardly.
Roy, flipping open the thin book—only about a finger joint thick—went straight to the section on how to return to the As continent.
The guide was filled with miscellaneous information, but what he wanted was written on the very last page.
“‘The Gaia Pendant, embedded with orichalcum—the mineral of the gods…'”
Roy’s hand went to the pendant hanging on his chest.
‘Roy, make sure to wear this at all times.’
It was something his master had given him just before passing away.
‘Now that I think about it… the pendant glowed right before I ended up here.’
A round gem sat at the center of the otherwise plain pendant.
The shape was crude, with no visible engravings.
Even the gem itself looked dull and gray.
Roy had only just realized that this might be orichalcum.
‘There are currently three known pieces of orichalcum on Earth. Two are in the hands of top-ranking hunters. The remaining one is rumored to be circulating on the black market.’
“Earth?”
Roy muttered the word without realizing.
That’s when he heard an unexpected response.
[Did you call me, Hero?]
“Your name’s Earth, isn’t it?”
[That’s right.]
“But this planet’s name is also Earth?”
[Exactly! Isn’t my name super cool?]
Roy’s home world, where the As continent existed, had been called Gaia.
“So I need to get orichalcum to go back?”
[As expected of you, Hero! You’re so smart!]
“How do I get it?”
[You need to make an insane amount of money! Like, ridiculously huge amounts! That’s why the job of Hunter Idol is perfect!]
Roy turned to the guidebook and flipped to the section labeled ‘Hunter Idol.’
There were many reasons why people wanted to become Hunter Idols.
Sure, some simply loved dancing and singing in front of crowds—but more importantly, Hunter Idols leveled up faster than regular hunters.
If even one fan had a buffing ability, it was like giving the idol wings.
The more fans they had, the stronger the buffs became, fueled by their devotion.
And once someone made it to a first-tier idol group, they raked in just as much money as S-rank hunters in top guilds.
Currently, the highest-earning Hunter Idol group in South Korea made more annually than several mid-sized hunter guilds combined.
It had gotten to the point where major hunter guilds were founding their own entertainment companies to train Hunter Idols themselves.
“Dancing and singing, huh.”
Roy pointed to the section in the book where it said those were essential for a Hunter Idol.
His pitch-black eyes lost focus, not looking at the book anymore but somewhere far away.
‘Roy, want to hold Mommy’s hand and dance?’
Roy’s mother had been the most famous dancer on the continent.
A free spirit, she traveled from place to place, dancing wherever there was space for her to move.
Until the day she fell ill and passed away, Roy and his little sister had sat side by side, watching their mother paint stories with her movements every single day.
“So in this world… dancers aren’t looked down on?”
[Of course not! These days, being a Hunter Idol is the number one most desired job among teens!]
‘If only Mother had been born into this world… she could’ve lived a life filled with love instead of scorn.’
Roy’s fingers, gently brushing over the book, began to tremble ever so slightly.
“I’ve never really danced or sung properly before.”
He shook himself out of his thoughts and told the system the truth.
He had learned to dance from his mother when he was little, but that was long ago—nothing more than a distant memory now.
[No worries! Earth here will do my absolute best to help you!]
“I’m counting on you.”
[Ahem!]
The messenger window floating in front of Roy trembled like an excited puppy.
Roy gave a small smile as he recalled his comrades, who had bled to protect him until the very end.
He also thought of the spirits he had lost—companions separated from him when he lost his powers.
‘I’ll regain my strength as fast as I can. So please, just hold on a little longer.’
Time might flow the same here as it did in that world—or it might not.
Even if he obtained orichalcum, he’d still need to find a skilled blacksmith to get the pendant working again.
Every task ahead felt almost impossible.
But hope still existed.
Roy’s eyes, even in the dim room, burned with unshakable determination as he held the pendant tightly.
***
“I need to start preparing for the audition.”
“Do you think they’ll hold it again?”
“Of course. K Entertainment already secured a venue and built the set for the survival show. They even received investment. To avoid losses, they’ll have to go through with it. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.”
Hwang Guman pulled up a screen on the meeting room wall.
It showed a video summarizing key information about K Entertainment’s survival show, Vote for Your Hunter Idol!
“According to my sources, the people who already passed the first round will stay on, and they’ll accept new applicants. That’s good news for you, Roy.”
Kim Chan and Lee Doha had already passed the document screening.
But Roy hadn’t submitted anything yet—he’d have to start from the beginning.
“Roy, once the trainers arrive, we’ll first assess your current level in dancing and singing.”
“Alright.”
Roy didn’t actually know what to do when it came to singing and dancing, but his voice was full of confidence.
“I already know how skilled Chan is, but we still need to see where the trainers can help. So you’ll join us too, Chan.”
“Yes!”
“And Doha, finish up that song you were working on.”
“Will do.”
“Alright, Roy and Chan, follow me to Practice Room One.”
Practice Room One was the largest training space in Bada Entertainment.
One wall was made of mirrors, and the room was equipped with the latest audio gear.
“Kim and Jung are already here.”
A man and a woman who had been sitting inside stood up.
The woman, with her long hair tied in a ponytail, shrugged at Hwang Guman and smiled.
“Of course we are. A new trainee finally joined our company. Your standards are so high, we hardly ever get any new kids. Teaching Doha is great and all, but there’s not much left to teach him anymore—it was getting boring.”
Looking a bit sheepish, Hwang Guman scratched the back of his neck and introduced them to Roy and Kim Chan.
“This is Kim Jungah, your vocal coach. And this is Jung Hojun—he’ll be in charge of dance. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”
“Hello! I’m Kim Chan!”
“Wow, you’re full of energy. I haven’t even heard you sing, but your projection is already a pass.”
Kim Chan’s voice echoed through the entire practice room as he greeted them loudly.
“This one’s a bit more stoic, huh?”
Jung Hojun, who had a fixed smile on his face, stared intently at Roy.
Roy didn’t avoid his gaze.