The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 64

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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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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (64)
The mock competition matches had all concluded.
For team events, rewards were distributed in three tiers based on contribution levels.
The player with the highest contribution received the honor of MVP.
The team that won the baseball event was our Baseball B Team.
So the MVP of our team should naturally be Kang Hae-soo, who hit the game-winning home run…
“The MVP of the mock competition baseball event is… Kim Chowol!”
Huh?
I widened my eyes at this unexpected result.
Me as MVP instead of Kang Hae-soo?
“Congratulations, Chowol!”
“Either Hae-soo or Chowol deserving it wouldn’t be strange.”
The Baseball B Team members surprisingly accepted that I had become the MVP without complaint.
I laughed awkwardly and spoke.
“I thought Hae-soo would receive it.”
“I thought you would receive it, Chowol.”
Kang Hae-soo continued decisively.
“When performances are similar, pitchers are typically valued slightly higher than batters.”
“Is that so?”
“And since I played baseball until high school… it’s only right that you, a beginner, receive this recognition.”
Kang Hae-soo truly understood baseball far better than I did.
After accepting the result through my teammates’ congratulations and Kang Hae-soo’s explanation, I reviewed the results and MVPs of the other events.
‘So only Okada won in the other events?’
Yoo Sung in badminton, Seo Ijae in relay, and Okada in volleyball.
Okada, who had ended up on the same team as someone she got along with, ultimately won the volleyball event and became the MVP.
From what I heard, she flew around receiving, spiking, and blocking all by herself.
‘So Sung-i and Lee Jae came in second…’
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange for anyone to win or lose in the mock competition.
Except for special cases like Kang Hae-soo or Okada, everyone’s skill levels were fairly similar.
“The MVP of the mock competition chess event is… Han Theo!”
The trainees’ gazes turned toward Han Theo.
Han Theo, still wearing his formal suit, smiled with ease and nodded.
“Insane, Han Theo came first in chess?”
“Yeah, don’t even mention it. Han Theo’s chess is seriously good. He’s on another level.”
“How is he so good at chess? Is he really from a wealthy family?”
The trainees began murmuring at the news that Han Theo had become the chess MVP.
Envy and jealousy were mixed into the trainees’ tones and expressions.
“Lucky bastard. He’s going to debut anyway, and now he gets good rewards too.”
But I was actually relieved that Han Theo had received the MVP.
Because of it, the fact that I had become an MVP didn’t draw significant attention.
I feel a bit sorry for Han Theo, but I need to survive first.
“By the way, does everyone remember the explanation I gave about rewards before the mock competition started?”
The MC, who had just announced the MVPs for all events, suddenly asked.
‘Please keep in mind that the fewer people who win item and trait rewards per event, the better the rewards you’ll receive!’
The trainees who recalled the MC’s words nodded their heads.
“Before announcing the rewards, I’d like to first introduce a special reward that only MVPs from niche events can receive!”
A special reward!
The expressions of the niche event MVPs brightened instantly at the MC’s explanation.
But it was short-lived.
The trainees who remembered something suddenly froze in place.
They had recalled the special reward from the first sub-quest—the PR video shoot.
[Sub Quest Special Reward!
Trait: Thief’s Appearance
You can steal one Dungeon clear reward from another person.]
The first special reward had been genuinely troublesome—whether you used it or not.
The niche event MVPs couldn’t hide their worried expressions, wondering if they might receive an inconvenient trait like Thief’s Appearance.
‘Still, it should be better than Thief’s Appearance, right? Probably….’
Either way, if I ended up with it, it would definitely be an inconvenient reward.
Fortunately, I was a team event MVP, so there was no chance I’d receive it.
‘Which MVPs have a possibility of receiving the special reward?’
First, Han Theo, the MVP of chess, an individual event, and the archery MVP.
And the badminton MVPs, who were a two-person team.
Volleyball, with three people on a team, could barely be considered a niche event, but….
Based on the data accumulated so far, volleyball almost never receives the special reward.
“And the special reward goes to….”
The MC paused meaningfully, building suspense.
The niche event MVPs swallowed hard, their expressions tense.
“…Congratulations, Han Theo!”
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Some trainees clamped their mouths shut with expressions of displeasure.
I could roughly guess what they were thinking.
‘Isn’t this just pure luck-based garbage?’
Otherwise, how could Han Theo receive not just a regular reward but a special reward too?
But I wanted to say something to the trainees who thought it was unfair.
‘If you knew what the special reward actually was, you’d think Han Theo was lucky to receive it.’
As the murmuring died down, the MC spoke again.
“The special reward Han Theo will receive is….”
The large screen behind the MC changed once more.
[Sub Quest Special Reward!
Item: One More Time!
you get another chance to perform]
Another chance?
What exactly do they mean by doing something one more time?
“If you use the special reward ‘One More!’ from the second sub-quest, you can do anything one more time!”
Despite MC’s explanation, most of the trainees still didn’t fully understand what the ‘One More!’ item was.
“Um, so if we get eliminated midway… does using the item mean we can perform on stage one more time?”
A trainee who had been nervously rolling their eyes asked carefully.
Every trainee in the auditorium stared at MC with tense expressions.
“Of course! If you use ‘One More!’ when you’re eliminated at the ranking announcement ceremony, the elimination becomes void and you can perform on stage one more time!”
At MC’s clear answer, the trainees drew in sharp breaths.
So the special reward item ‘One More!’ was essentially like an ‘elimination exemption pass’.
“Well, at least that’s a relief… Han Theo won’t need to use an elimination exemption pass anyway.”
Someone muttered in a low voice.
I nodded inwardly and looked around.
‘Everyone seems to understand now.’
Even the trainees who hadn’t hidden their dissatisfaction quickly shifted their stance and congratulated Han Theo on receiving the special reward.
They seemed to have realized it was better for Han Theo, who was almost guaranteed debut, to receive it rather than a trainee on the edge of elimination.
‘If Han Theo gets it, there won’t be any unnecessary noise either… Hmm, was that what Jang Hyuk-soo was aiming for?
But… Jang Hyuk-soo is someone who prefers creating noise rather than eliminating it.
I honestly don’t know what he’s thinking.
“Then let me announce the other rewards right away!”
The large screen changed and the rewards for the winning team and MVP were announced one by one.
There were items that allowed for additional PR video production, and there were special traits that granted lessons from the judges.
And my reward as the group event MVP was….
[Sub-Quest MVP Reward
Item: Together with the Judge
You can produce and upload a special cover stage video together with a judge]
A cover stage with a judge….
Someone’s face flickered in my mind.
‘It’s not like I have anything to lose. Should I ask them?’
* * *
After the sub-quest ended, the second ranking announcement ceremony took place.
After this ranking announcement ceremony, trainees ranked 61st to 100th would be eliminated.
“Should we ask Han Theo for the item?”
Some lower-ranked trainees, their stress reaching its peak, began spouting nonsense.
“Are you crazy? Why would they give that to you?”
“But… Han Theo won’t need to use it anyway. If we talk to Director Jang Hyuk-soo the right way… couldn’t we…?”
“No matter how unnecessary it is, they wouldn’t give it away for free to someone they’re not even close to.”
“Y-yeah, you’re right. Ugh… I said something stupid.”
I ignored the restless lower-ranked trainees and took my seat.
My seat at the previous ranking announcement ceremony, where I had placed fourth, was the fourth from the top.
‘Han Theo is first, Yoo Sung is second…’
I gazed at the three trainees seated above me and contemplated.
‘I really want to place at least third in this ranking announcement.’
But since things don’t always go as I wish, I should empty my mind and accept whatever comes.
As long as I don’t drop—as long as I don’t drop…
“We will now announce the rankings!”
Like the first ranking announcement, this one would also announce only positions one through twenty-five in reverse order due to time constraints.
“The 25th place trainee is….”
The rankings began flowing out steadily from twenty-fifth place onward.
I sat quietly in my seat, waiting for Seo Ijae’s and Okada Hiro’s names to be called.
“Next, we announce the 18th place trainee. The 18th place trainee is… Congratulations! Seo Ijae!”
Oh.
Seo Ijae’s ranking had risen from twenty-first to eighteenth.
It was likely thanks to episodes five and six, which Jang Hyuk-soo had carefully edited.
While the broadcast centered on me, Yoo Sung, and Ju Gilhyung, Seo Ijae and Okada Hiro, who were on the same team, also became recognized by the public.
“Next, we announce the 9th place trainee. The 9th place trainee is… Congratulations! Okada Hiro!”
Okada Hiro’s trajectory was similar to Seo Ijae’s.
From twelfth to ninth place.
The margin of improvement wasn’t dramatic, but the fact that both were trending upward was what mattered.
‘If things go well, both of them could even aim for debut, couldn’t they?’
They both had skill and good personalities.
With good editing like episodes five and six and just a bit of fan support, they could debut with stable rankings.
I nodded to myself in agreement.
“Now only the announcements of positions one through four—the top four trainees—remain!”
The MC pointed to the scoreboard behind the stage.
The top four trainees appeared on the divided scoreboard screens.
The top four positions hadn’t changed from the first ranking announcement.
‘Me, Han Theo, Yoo Sung…’
First and second place were probably Han Theo and Yoo Sung.
To surpass those two would require superior skill and more buzz—I was lacking in several ways.
“The 4th place trainee is… Congratulations! Lee Han-soo!”
After the fourth place trainee was announced, I clenched my fist internally.
“The 3rd place trainee is… Congratulations! Kim Chowol!”
Yes!
Seo Ijae and Okada Hiro’s rankings had improved slightly, and I too had climbed one step from fourth to third place.
Now Han Theo just needed to maintain first place and Yoo Sung second place.
Then this second ranking announcement would align perfectly with my predictions without a single deviation.
“The 2nd place trainee is… Congratulations! Han Theo!”
Huh? What did he just say?
Every trainee seated in the room turned their gaze toward MC and Han Theo.
So… Han Theo was in second place?

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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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