Debut or Die - Chapter 458

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 458
[…Your brother’s company got a System!?]
[?? And you can cancel it too??]
Yeah.
I watched Big Dal’s popup as he reacted with shock as if coughing blood, then looked at the company’s status window again.
Everything was arranged from recognition to owned artists, and even a comprehensive company assessment was displayed. It looked exactly like a demo version of a company management game.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
Just in case, I tried clicking on it.
[※This feature is not yet available.]
Reason: Before mission start
“….”
So there are features they do provide.
But they won’t show them yet because I haven’t started that damned ‘mission’.
‘Probably… it’s because of this popup.’
[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Do you wish to cancel usage?]
It seems I need to say I won’t cancel this for it to proceed officially.
[Phew, since it’s your brother’s item, you can do as you please…. Hehehehe, thank goodness….]
Right. I have a choice here.
[Um… but why are you hesitating instead of canceling right away?]
That’s because….
‘Gold… no, Kwon Hee-seung seems to have a System fragment.’
[!!]
A popup definitely appeared saying something like ‘Fragment owner of ■■■ confirmed’. It happened the moment Kwon Hee-seung mentioned the wish token.
[Ahhhhh the System reacted to that! Because Hee-seung has a fragment!]
So that’s it.
‘I might have to do this to extract it from that bastard.’
The fact that it reacted means it shows movement, so methods might emerge as I use it.
No matter how I think about it, having someone without a status window suddenly face mission failure penalties is dangerous—like headbutting the ground with no preparation.
And whether Gold 2 gets crossed out or not, I can’t just leave it… I owe that guy enough to have even given him a wish token.
‘…And one more thing.’
If one of the remaining System fragments is with Kwon Hee-seung, the pattern becomes fairly obvious.
There are four fragments total.
And if those confirmed so far are me, Big Dal, and Kwon Hee-seung, then the next one is highly likely….
‘…Chung-ryeo.’
This is the line of experienced users of this damned System business.
‘If things get rough, maybe I should tell him to make a wish too.’
I need to coordinate my words carefully.
But for now, I shook my head and returned to the urgent matter at hand.
So what do I do about this System?
If I were simply unilaterally bearing the burden of Gold 2’s mission failure, I’d frankly say it was excessive loss on my part.
A wish token or whatever—realistically, I would’ve cut my losses.
“To be honest.”
[…be honest?]
I rubbed my chin.
“I think I’ll actually benefit from this.”
[?!]
Think about it.
Trait draws, leveling up, status window checks—how thoroughly I’ve squeezed the System dry and used it well.
The problem was suddenly being told to become an idol in someone else’s body, and if I failed, I’d die.
‘Actually, this is a cheat code.’
[Hyun?]
But look at it now.
Growing the company? It aligns perfectly with my objective.
Failure penalty? If I can’t properly grow the company anyway, it collapses either way.
Besides, based on my experience so far, mission penalties weren’t as severe as abnormal status conditions. It wouldn’t be anywhere near the level where I’d die if I failed to debut.
And….
“No matter how I think about it, I don’t see myself failing.”
One mission, what of it.
[Huh, well.]
Yeah, fine. I’ve decided.
I was already worried about when I’d build up this startup company’s weight class to match Testa’s level anyway.
I nodded.
Judging comprehensively, there’s no reason to pass up a shortcut.
Still, let me just confirm one last time.
I asked Big Dal.
‘Does this look dangerous to you?’
[…This item doesn’t feel threatening, but this situation itself is terrifying! It’s so terrifying!]
[It feels like hyun is sacrificing himself for Hee-seung! That’s what it feels like?!]
If that’s all, we’re good. It’s just a feeling.
[!?]
‘The System is mine now?’
Good. I gathered fragments while escaping a collapsing building and enduring the hellish ordeal of body-swapping, so I’ll use it well.
I immediately summoned the popup again.
[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Would you like to cancel usage?]
‘No.’
In that moment.
Holographic fireworks exploded.
Light burst forth beyond the popup where Big Dal gasped in amazement.
[Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta) – Usage Confirmed!]
-‘■■■’ has become the Company’s 【System】!
The translucent hologram begins to take shape.
Borders form, colors fill in….
What emerges looks remarkably like a mobile game interface.
As that transformation completes, a popup flashes brilliantly at the top.
[Mission Created (NEW!)]
Mission: Achieve B-Grade for 【Stars Orbit Entertainment】
-Raise the target’s grade to recover ‘Fragments of ■■■’.
Hmm?
The moment I wonder what raising the company’s grade has to do with absorbing fragments, a help tooltip appears below.
[Help: As 【Stars Orbit Entertainment】’s grade increases, the owner’s 【System】 control strengthens.]
[With stronger 【System】 control, dominate the ‘Fragments of ■■■’!]
Ah.
So… since I’ve applied the system to the company, the stronger the company becomes, the greater my control over the system I possess. That’s how I can acquire other fragments too, then.
Kwon Hee-seung’s ‘wish’ and my objective align perfectly. Not bad.
However….
[Time Remaining: D-100]
-Upon failure, ■■■ ownership forfeited
“….”
The timeframe is ruthlessly merciless.
I don’t like that the failure penalty is vaguely explained either. I have no idea what exactly would happen.
[Then!! Why don’t you cancel it right now, bro!]
Well, should I give it a try?
[※Cancellation is impossible during an active mission!]
‘So it says.’
[Ughhhh….]
I ignore Big Dal’s popup and summon my status window instead.
[Company Name: Stars Orbit]
Recognition: C+
Performance: (-)
Revenue: (-)
Contracted Artists: Testa(★★★★★), Miry-nay(★★★★), Spacer(★★★) ….
Overall Rating: D+
Now it’s clickable.
The click option was… 【Detailed View】.
[Overall Rating Details: A promising startup agency with talented artists! However, there are still no achievements….
Generate revenue through artist activities!]
Let’s make money from the artist’s activities!
[Feature: Album – Unlocked!]
[Feature: Acting – Unlocked!]
[Function: Entertainment unlocked!]
The hologram burst apart in brilliant flashes, and new buttons gleamed into existence.
‘Things are getting chaotic.’
There’s quite a lot I can check now.
I chuckled softly and scanned through the list.
‘Acting and entertainment are handled for now.’
Regardless, there’s only one thing that’s truly urgent right now.
‘An official album release.’
If we’re talking about a proper group activity period, I need to push forward with what everyone naturally expects.
‘I have to make the first swing count.’
We need to make a swift and precise comeback with a powerful declaration of survival.
And if I’m prioritizing to grow the company… the most impactful group needs to be established first. Who else would it be?
‘Obviously Testa.’
Starting with the first tier.
I straightened my shoulders and spoke.
“Album function.”
The window changed immediately. A clean input interface.
[Album]
Personnel: (-)
Capital: (-)
Duration: (-)
*Start Production ← Click!
[Help: The higher the grade of personnel allocated, the greater the probability of beneficial effects occurring during production!]
What is this now?
‘Does it automatically create albums for me?’
That would be too much of a cheat, so probably not, but if it even provides assistance, that would be an enormous advantage.
I tapped the personnel tab first. Immediately, the company staff appeared in a list.
In card format.
“…!”
[Kim Na-jin (★★★) – AR Team]
[Kim Seo-won (★★★★) – AR Team]
[Na Se-jung (★★★★) – AR Team]
[Park Jin-woong (★★) – AR Team]
….
Quite impressive.
Clicking on the cards seemed to reveal speed, individuality, strong and weak genres, but I skipped ahead and searched for higher-grade personnel.
There weren’t many, though. Naturally they were concentrated in the AR Team, but the AR Team didn’t have that many people to begin with.
‘Right, if someone’s truly talented, they’d likely be running their own team and working independently.’
They’d make more money that way.
At the bottom was an ‘External Personnel Request’ button—let me try clicking that….
Huh, that one.
[Kim Rae-bin (★★★★★) – Testa]
“….”
‘I’m taking Kim Rae-bin with me forever.’
This guy was worth feeding six meals a day without hesitation.
Anyway, I set the personnel, capital, and timeline all reasonably.
Of course, it was just a pilot project.
‘Besides, if I make a pilot album, I just won’t release it.’
Moreover, this system’s UI was so sluggish and crawling that it seemed like a “Are you really sure?” confirmation button would pop up any moment.
So it was the instant I clicked ‘Start Production’.
Beep-!
The button bounced back, and a popup appeared.
“…?”
[※This feature is not yet available.]
Reason: Company Control Rating Insufficient
-Current Control: C
“….”
What now.
‘And how do I increase it.’
Another popup appeared, helpfully.
[Investment Required to Reach Control (B): ¥10,000,000,000]
I nearly rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
I read the unit again.
But even reading it again didn’t change anything.
‘One billion won.’
“….”
Did this bastard think a billion won was some dog’s name….
[Should I chip in, hyung??]
Are you insane?
I stared blankly at my status window.
That’s when it happened.
Zzzziiing-
“….”
A text came in from Kwon Hee-seung.
-Hyung!
-Oh my, that wish right… Should I cancel it? ㅠㅠ Did I put myself out there too much!?
“….”

* * *
[Help: ‘Company Control’ refers to direct influence over the company. The higher your control grade, the more System functions become unlocked.
[You can raise your grade through various methods, but the fastest way is investment!]
And this insane money-devouring beast demands 10 billion won just to climb from C to B.
‘Damn it….’
I stumbled out of the Bathroom.
Right. I’d been locked in the Bathroom doing all of this alone.
“Did you figure it out?”
“More or less.”
Just moments ago, I’d been staring into empty air in the Conference Room, shouting for a cancellation.
But when the actual cancellation window appeared, I’d deflated and slumped back into my seat with a lifeless expression.
-…?
Realizing naturally that this wasn’t an actual disaster, the members had cleared the space with surprising composure.
Though they did remain standing guard in front of the Bathroom.
“What happened?”
I’d thought I’d activated a rapid company growth package, but instead a far more sinister pay-to-win trap awaited me. That’s how I’d summarize it.
I suppressed a sigh before speaking.
“Does this company need an additional 10 billion won right now?”
“…??”
“No, well… first of all. We did acquire something that could help our activities.”
I gave them a rough explanation of the System applied to this company. The conversation flowed with half the members curious and half cautious, but they ultimately agreed with my assessment that ‘we can make use of it.’
However, after that conversation ended, Sun Ah-hyun suddenly grabbed my arm with a determined expression.
“W-wait, Moon-dae. Earlier, that, 100… about that.”
Yeah?
“If you need money, I can… give it to you…!”
“I appreciate it, but that’s not what I meant.”
Don’t forget that you and I receive similar settlement amounts anyway.
But since that seemed to come out of nowhere, everyone’s mouths fell open.
“Then… does the company really need that much more money?”
“That’s what I was asking.”
“Ah! Right, of course.”
Bae Sae-jin’s face flushed red. The others tilted their heads and murmured amongst themselves.
“I don’t think we need that much.”
“Our company has plenty of money. I saw those numbers.”
“Hmm~ Did we spend a lot when we bought T1 Stars? No wait, Moon-dae basically got it for a steal anyway.”
Right. It really doesn’t seem like we need it.
“But why are you curious about that, Moon-dae?”
“…If I put in 10 billion won, the company would run more smoothly.”
“…??”
Big Sae-jin’s face bore a rare expression of ‘what nonsense are you talking about.’ I had no idea how to explain this pay-to-win system. I held back a sigh.
Cha Yu-jin raised his hand sharply.
“That’s fraud talk!”
No. That wasn’t it.
“It’s not fraud—I’m saying I’ll invest in the company.”
…Wait.
I realized it as I spoke.
‘That’s right.’
I wasn’t sinking 10 billion into the System; I was investing it in the company.
In that case… the 10 billion wouldn’t just evaporate anyway.
‘I could make them return what I invested.’
If the album does well, if the tour runs properly.
It could grow into something much larger.
My mind cleared.
“…Anyway, I was just deliberating whether to invest in our company or not, so don’t worry about it.”
I chuckled softly.
“If we do well, it could multiply several times over.”
“OK!”
The conversation ended on that refreshing note.
…But putting in 10 billion would basically drain almost all my remaining money.
‘That’s a bit much.’
That was when it happened.
Kim Rae-bin approached cautiously and whispered.
“Hyung. If you’re in an urgent situation, I can try to arrange something…!”
“…Ah, thanks.”
He must not have heard the investment talk while he was worrying.
He’s the richest one here, but somehow borrowing money from him would feel like the biggest loss.
‘Still… it’s reassuring.’
Even in the worst case, I’d manage to eat.
I made my choice.
‘Let’s do it.’
Since I could recover it, let’s try.
10 billion in investment.
“Hello. Yes, I’m calling because there’s something I need to discuss….”
….
And right after negotiations with the company concluded.
A popup actually appeared.
[Remaining investment required for Control (B): ]
[Control upgraded!]
‘Phew.’
The 10 billion had gone through.
‘I’m going to sweat through my clothes at this rate.’
I unconsciously pressed my brow.
But… the Popup wasn’t finished yet.
[Dominance (C) → Dominance (B)]
-Reward: Hint Ticket (x5)
Hm?
[Help: ‘Hints’ are various pieces of information that aid in company growth or help during company crises.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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