“Congratulations to the 100 Awakened Ones who have made it to the main event after the first and second preliminary rounds. We sincerely congratulate you.”

Geum Yu-na’s unique, soothing voice echoed through the air. She was showing a stable performance, having done this a few times before. If nothing unusual happened, she might be invited as an MC for a new program or even become a radio DJ. Her hosting was that clean and elegant.

“Before we officially start the main event, some of you may know the participant next to you, while others may not. Let’s watch the elevator speeches that were conducted beforehand.”

“…Here?”

Elevator speeches. The idea is to capture the investor’s heart within 60 seconds, from the moment you enter the elevator until you exit. But it wasn’t like they suddenly conducted it in the elevator before entering the studio. With 100 participants, it would take over an hour if each person took the elevator one by one. Instead, there were 10 small pre-prepared rooms where the elevator speeches took place. However, the participants had no time to prepare in advance. It was a test of their situational judgment, quick thinking, and crisis management skills.

Among the production team, some joked that it was more like interpreting dreams than anything else, but surprisingly, all the judges agreed, and any opposing opinions quickly faded away. It was a time for self-introduction to the viewers, but it was also a chance to appeal to fellow participants. Since the competition would be collaborative until the top ten were decided, it was an important opportunity for participants to gather information.

“The interview order was determined by the reverse order of studio arrival. The person who arrives last is likely to be remembered the longest. It seems diligence pays off.”

“Ah, man… If only I hadn’t had that accident earlier, I would’ve been the first to arrive.”

“There was an elderly lady who collapsed in front of the subway…”

The viewers’ participation in the birth of a hero was minimal. Of course, the text voting system was still in place, but its impact on the results was significantly lower compared to other audition programs. While being loved by the public is good, it’s not a necessity for a hero. However, it was still considered one of the hero’s potential strengths, so the text voting system was introduced.

People in a panic tend to follow familiar faces rather than strangers, driven more by instinct than reason. And if that familiar face is a hero? That’s where the influence of public love and support comes into play. The participants were briefed about the text voting system, and some, conscious of the viewers, were making all sorts of excuses.

PD Choi had intentionally written in Geum Yu-na’s script that diligence pays off, and thanks to that, the judges’ pens were already moving.

‘It’s good to care about the public, but you shouldn’t be swayed by them. Especially not to the point of lying.’

The 100 participants had been under observation from the moment they left their homes, monitored by guild agents. Who was making up excuses for being late? Who was quietly helping others without saying a word? All this information was being relayed in real-time.

The screen switched, showing a participant’s face. She was dressed in a fusion hanbok, her hair tied up with a hairpin, and had a somewhat indifferent expression. She was a Taoist Girl.

“Hello, I’m Cha Seo-rin. I’m not a mage, but I’m an Awakened One in the Magic Category… I can handle all the abilities you might think of. My specialty is talisman magic. My hobby is… Do I have to talk about my hobby?”

“You can speak freely, but it wouldn’t hurt.”

“…My hobby is playing with butterflies. The elegant fluttering of their wings, the vivid colors. Isn’t it beautiful? If you zoom in on a butterfly’s wing, you’ll see a layered nanostructure. It’s called structural color, and butterflies can emit light without pigments, all thanks to this structure. Did you know that if you rub a butterfly’s scales, they become colorless? And the eye patterns on their wings…”

Once the Taoist Girl started talking about her hobby, she couldn’t stop. She was a true butterfly enthusiast. Her speech ended with butterfly talk.

The other participants’ speeches were generally similar. Even without a set format, it felt like there was a template: name, age, origin, specialty, hobby, and Awakening Category. After that, some rambled on, while others just froze and ended their speeches. Some tried to sell their sob stories or evoke sympathy.

Just as the repetitive speeches were starting to get tiresome, an Elf Girl appeared.

“Wow… Some participants look like they were chosen just for their faces.”

“You know our conversation is being broadcasted, right?”

“W-what? Did I say something bad? I was just complimenting…”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

As soon as the Elf Girl’s face appeared on the screen, the participants started murmuring. She was in the Physical Category, skilled with bows, crossbows, daggers, traps, and poison. She was like a rogue or ranger in a game. Her speech focused on how her abilities would be most effective in certain situations, making it the most useful speech so far.

“Hwang Bo-seung here. I’ve mastered the Thunder God Fist and am currently training in the Giant Strength Heavenly Axe. There are few monsters my axe can’t cut through. I may be slow, but I make up for it with destructive power. Isn’t strength and destructive power what makes a man? No matter what missions come up, I’m confident I won’t be outmatched in strength.”

Hwang Bo-seung, expecting joint missions, introduced himself accordingly. Apart from the Elf Girl and Hwang Bo-seung, more participants started talking about how they could maximize their abilities in certain situations.

With 100 participants in the main event, it was predicted that there would be more joint or team missions than individual ones. The sudden interviews were more about gathering information for team formation than for broadcasting to viewers.

The judging had already begun, focusing on intuition, situational judgment, quick thinking, and prediction.

“…And that’s why I’m here for my family.”

With the last sob story, all the participants’ speeches came to an end.

“Now that each participant knows the others’ abilities and information, the upcoming missions will be team-based. You’ll need to form teams, but not just anyone can be a team leader. Based on the speeches, a vote will be held to select the team leaders. From now on, no conversation between participants is allowed. Only the content of the speeches will be used to select the team leaders, who will then form their teams.”

The 100 participants were guided by the staff to various parts of the studio. The voting began in the rooms where the speeches had taken place.

Team Leader 1: Hwang Bo-seung from China.

Team Leader 2: Elf Girl Shin Hyeon-joo.

Team Leader 3: Taoist Girl Cha Seo-rin.

Team Leader 4: Ragna Gunnarsson from Iceland.

While Hwang Bo-seung and Shin Hyeon-joo were expected results, Cha Seo-rin and Ragna were surprises. Cha Seo-rin, who only talked about butterflies, and Ragna, who only talked about Norse mythology, were chosen thanks to their performances in the second preliminary round, though they themselves thought their speeches were impressive.

Each team leader engaged in an unprecedented rock-paper-scissors battle to select their 25 team members. The rock-paper-scissors game, where magic was allowed, was more thrilling than expected. If you couldn’t throw one of the three options by the count’s end, you lost. Direct attacks were prohibited.

Cha Seo-rin used talismans to create illusions to confuse her opponents (she had to inform the production team in advance what she would throw). Elf Girl Shin Hyeon-joo countered with smoke bombs. Hwang Bo-seung showcased his martial arts by breaking illusions and dispersing smoke with his Thunder God Fist. Ragna Gunnarsson, for some reason, only threw rock.

In the end, Taoist Girl Cha Seo-rin won 9 out of 25 matches. Elf Girl Shin Hyeon-joo won 7. Hwang Bo-seung won 7. Ragna, who only threw rock, managed to win 2 matches.

After the team formation, the members gathered around their respective leaders.

“The scenario for the main event is simple. Two teams will pair up to save a city in crisis. Team leaders, please discuss with your members and decide which team to form an alliance with.”