Trapped in the Idol Universe
Chapter 160
A sudden burst of flame swelled up and swallowed the van whole, and the shockwave slammed straight into Roy’s body.
“Kerheuk!”
Roy was launched into the air, flipped several times, and was hurled onto the road.
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears, and his vision was filled only with fire and smoke. And then...
“Kiik!”
“Kieaek!”
As the crackling flames suddenly died down, shadows began to writhe beyond the smoke. Blood Fiends, one by one, emerged from the charred remains of the fire. Behind them stood the van, blackened to a skeletal frame.
‘...I couldn’t save the others.’
The terror that had been crouching inside Roy finally opened its maw, ready to consume him.
✧
Meanwhile, Yeonwoo and Taeeon watched Roy’s fight from the waiting area. Five minutes had passed since Roy entered the blue portal. They were both secretly curious what could possibly frighten him—he had seemed fearless. But no sooner had he shown a burst of unexpected idol charisma upon entering than the appearance of Yeonwoo, Taeeon, Seo Han Gyeol, and Kim Hojin sent the arena into an uproar. The crowd’s cheers sounded as if the stadium itself would take flight, and the live stream went down under the weight of the traffic.
Just as things seemed to stabilize, the Blood Fiends finally appeared.
Sensing that the real show was about to begin, the chat window erupted once more. But on screen, Roy simply stood frozen, staring at the van’s blackened skeleton. Frustrated, Yeonwoo pounded their fist against their chest.
“No, seriously, he’s just standing there? Are we dead already or what?”
Their tone implied that since it was fake, why be so shocked. Taeeon, sensing Roy’s distress, offered an awkward smile.
“It feels kinda weird thinking he’s dead...”
“You’re not actually dead, what’s weird about it?”
Yeonwoo shot back, glancing at the ticking timer before raising their voice.
“Come on~ time’s running out, what are you doing?!”
Yeonwoo jumped to their feet and wagged a finger at Roy on screen.
“Get a move on! I said the crash was fake! The real one’s right here, get it?!”
Yeonwoo’s animated gestures were broadcast live on the giant screen, prompting someone in the community to post:
[Title: Roy, that one’s fake]
(idol Yeonwoo Awakener Yeonwoo composite.jpg)
Don’t be fooled
Viewers were still buzzing over the idol versions of Yeonwoo, Taeeon, Seo Han Gyeol, and Kim Hojin—completely unaware that the jokey comments were half-serious.
[Title: Did Roy ever have a crash?]
It’s like an insane collab of idol offer + crash awakening theory + loved ones for max terror
└ Kind of dead-eyed
└ Dead-eyed? No, that’s not dead-eyed—it’s the frozen look of guilt and despair over not saving his friends; how is that dead-eyed? Never seen dead-eyed?
└ This is dead-eyed (wilderness boyband photo.jpg)
The “dead-eyed” debate flared briefly, then died down. Still, Roy’s condition remained unchanged: he stood dazed and immobile.
“Please...”
Kim Hojin clasped his hands together in the audience, praying. He didn’t care if Roy didn’t win—he only wished that Roy emerged unscathed in any way possible. Yet it pained him that the one causing Roy harm was himself in this virtual space. Just as tears welled in his eyes, thousands of Blood Fiends began to surround Roy on the big screen.
“...No.”
Hojin’s face went pale. He had never seen a Blood Fiend horde this large. Taeeon’s earlier fear trial had shown something similar, but at least then the terrain—a coffee plantation—was still recognizable. Now, tens of thousands of Blood Fiends had filled the screen and, as if signaled, charged Roy at once.
[Blood Fiend: Kieeek!]
Frozen in shock, Roy was buried beneath the swarm and vanished from view. A stunned silence fell over the arena. The supportive chat, the community discussion—everything stopped in disbelief.
✧
Only after a minute did a new post appear in the community.
[Title: Uh... is he done for?]
(bloodfiend mountain capture.jpg)
There’s someone in there...
Black = not trees but Blood Fiends
└ 222 I was most hyped for Seo Han Gyeol and Roy but they’re the least entertaining
└ Viewer betrayal
└ Maybe he isn’t dead yet...
The Blood Fiend horde grew into a grotesque mountain. Viewers’ shock soon turned to disappointment—expectations had been high. The chat filled with protests: why hadn’t the match ended? But as one netizen pointed out, Roy’s life hadn’t yet been taken.
“Kieeek!”
“Kiik!”
At the moment the swarm engulfed him, Roy snapped back to consciousness. His blurred vision focused, and his brown eyes, tinged red, deepened into a vivid crimson. A fierce heat began to boil through his body, as if pent-up rage had finally erupted.
“Kieeek!”
The Blood Fiends nearest him recoiled, screaming at the unbearable heat. Yet the rest pressed on, colliding in a frenzy. The horde’s mass churned into a living mound, piling ever higher above Roy’s head. Then—
“Hwareuk!”
A massive pillar of flame exploded outward from Roy’s body.
“Kieeek!”
Blood Fiends close by melted instantly. Beneath their feet, dark red blood mixed with unburned flesh and bone into a muddy slurry, the stench of char filling the air. Roy couldn’t breathe. With Fiends surrounding him, there was nowhere to run—he would have to burn them all away to escape.
“......”
Roy watched the burning Fiends calmly, lost in thought. Left to simmer like this, they would all turn to ash eventually. But he couldn’t wait. He didn’t want to spend another second in this hell without his friends.
“Flareuk!”
As he resolved to act, a brilliant spear formed in Roy’s hand—sharper and more defined than any he’d summoned in the survival trials. Raising it high, he drove it into the ground without hesitation.
“Kuung!”
【SKILL ‘24-HOUR FURNACE’ IS CAST.】
As the Status Window appeared, the earth around the spear’s impact point instantly began to dry and crack.
“Jjeojeojeojeok—”
Moisture vaporized in an instant, and spiderweb cracks spread outward. Red light seeped through the fissures, and molten lava slowly welled up from beneath the surface.
“Kugugugung—”
The rising lava soon reached ankle height.
“Kieeeek!”
Fiends trapped on the ground wailed in agony as the molten flow overwhelmed them. The colossal Blood Fiend mountain began to collapse from below.
But it wasn’t enough. This amount of lava couldn’t kill all the Fiends covering him—and even if it could, it would take too long. He needed something greater.
Roy lowered his gaze to his feet.
‘If only I could control this lava at will...’
Then he realized: like the Fiends, he stood upon the lava—but it didn’t burn him at all.
“......?”
In that moment, Roy changed. Until the survival trials, he had feared his own flame. Despite gaining fire control, he still doubted himself, limiting his skills. He knew he had to becomefriend to improve, but instinctive aversion made it hard. Yet now—he felt no pain at all.
‘Perhaps the heat I feared was only what I wanted to believe.’
As he attained this revelation, the lava at his ankles felt cool on his skin. He had finally embraced the fire fully. At once, a familiar ping sounded as multiple Status Windows appeared in rapid succession.
【PROFICIENCY HAS INCREASED TO LEVEL 3.】
【PROFICIENCY HAS INCREASED TO LEVEL 4.】
【PROFICIENCY HAS REACHED THE THRESHOLD.】
【CONDITION MET.】
‘Condition met?’
Before Roy could question it, another Status Window popped up.
【ALL SKILLS UNLOCKED.】
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