131 Premiere (Bonus Chapter)

[The debut of Sakaar's first idol group, Seven Sins, will take place tomorrow. The location is...]

For the past few days, messages like this had permeated every street and alley of the city. The stir Jos had caused during the open auditions was no small matter, and the name of the idol group was already known to most. Furthermore, in the days that followed, Jos had compiled the audition footage into promotional clips, having people carry holographic projectors everywhere to broadcast them. The visuals, which were stimulating in every sense, gave a fierce jolt to the people of Sakaar, whose lives were otherwise starved of any real spiritual entertainment.

"Hmph, a bunch of little girls twisting and turning, singing things I can't understand. What's the point?"
"Exactly, exactly. How could that be more interesting than the gladiator pits?"
"I won't go. Even if I were bored to death, even if I died right here and jumped off the top of the arena, I wouldn't go watch some idols."

However, considering the goal was to build popularity rather than hoard wealth, Seven Sins’ performance was free of charge. This meant that anyone who had the spare time could come, which led to a gathering of quite a few idle souls. The result was that even though many still acted dismissive toward the concept of "idols," their bodies were very honest as they arrived at the scene.

"It’s free anyway... might as well take a peek, right?"
"Yeah, you’re right... besides, there aren't any famous fighters at the arena today, so let's go check out that idol show."
"How delightful!"

It turns out that the essence of human nature—eventually coming to enjoy what one initially resisted—is universal, regardless of the universe, planet, or species. Similar conversations were happening all over the city. By the time the performance began, nearly two to three hundred people had gathered in front of the stage—and that was without counting the staff Jos had prepared in advance to pad the crowd.

"To have this kind of turnout for the first show is a pleasant surprise. At this rate, the final stage of my plan might not be too far off."

Jos stood at a distance, chin in hand, watching. He had absolute confidence in the girls’ performance. After these few days of practice, they were far better than even he, the one who provided the original songs and choreography, had expected. They had reached a level where he could no longer offer guidance. The costumes, inspired by the anime *Seven Deadly Sins*, were a style never before seen on Sakaar. These rough-hewn people, accustomed only to armor and rags, were instantly captivated by the girls' appearances.

"Hello everyone, I am Lust. Today is the first public performance for Seven Sins here on Sakaar, and in this world. I hope you enjoy it!"

After introducing each of the seven members by name, Ilson delivered the opening declaration, and the performance officially began. The atmosphere at the venue instantly reached its peak! Even Jos, who had prepared himself mentally, had not anticipated the sheer magnitude of the cultural shock in a place like Sakaar, where entertainment was practically non-existent beyond fighting and scavenging.

And it didn't end there. As the show progressed, more people were drawn in by the lively atmosphere, bringing the total headcount to nearly five hundred. After all, the girls were exceptionally talented; even in a professional idol circle, they would be competitive, let alone in a "backwater" region like Sakaar.

"Cute is cute, and the singing is nice... but I still don't feel the punch, brother," a lizard-like man said, nudging his robot-like companion after watching half the show.
"Yeah, it's too soft. Not very interesting," the robot, addressed as "brother," agreed with a nod.

In fact, many shared this sentiment. Given the harsh reality of life on Sakaar, these soft, beautiful things, while pleasant to look at, felt far too unreal—things the local people could never touch in their lifetimes. By comparison, the blood-soaked, adrenaline-pumping intensity of the gladiator pits seemed more appealing.

"ROAR!!!!!!"

Suddenly, a heart-shaking bestial roar erupted from the stage, cutting off their conversation. Looking up, they saw a girl with an incredibly aggressive gaze standing in the center of the stage, microphone in hand.

"Now, it's time to feel the power of Wrath, motherf***er!"

Following Keli’s ferocious roar, Slipknot’s "Psychosocial" blasted over the stage. The atmosphere shifted completely; the guttural, screaming vocals instantly ignited the part of the audience that had felt the show lacked "kick." As Keli finished, the next song shifted to a completely different style—beautiful, fresh, and full of vigor.

How could Jos not have anticipated the audience's mindset? The seven girls represented seven distinct styles, and just as the group’s name implied, Jos intended to satisfy everyone by tapping into the seven most instinctual human desires! The crowd, which had been whispering just moments ago, fell silent, only to erupt into loud, heartfelt cheers for their favorite idols.

Of course, there were occasional interjections:
"How dare you not like Miss Lust! She is clearly the best!"
"Screw that, Gluttony is the best!"
"You guys don't know a thing! Look at how cute my lazy Sloth is! You all need to correct your thinking!"

Well, never mind. It was better to leave them to it. Jos turned his head and scanned the crowd, noticing that many were subconsciously raising their blades, clubs, and sticks, waving them fiercely at the sky as if trying to transmit their own strength to the girls on stage.

"Oh? A bunch of natural-born 'callers'? It seems the plan to produce glow sticks needs to be moved up."

Although the idol show was free to build popularity, Jos had no intention of running a pure charity. Besides, if the funds couldn't circulate, even his reserves would eventually run dry. Beyond standard operations like VIP seating or handshake tickets included with CD purchases, he would have to add some new twists to the glow sticks.

One hundred Sakaar credits per stick, drawn at random. The most common was a plain white glow stick, better ones had built-in flashing effects, and the high-end ones featured multi-colored scrolling lights. What? You want to express your love for Miss Greed? Then you’d better pull an SSR-tier Greed-exclusive glow stick, right?

"Just you wait, Grandmaster," Jos thought, glancing toward the tallest building with a wicked, charming smile, "sooner or later, you'll be standing here waving a glow stick, too."