"Urgh, blegh, blegh!"
Inside a cramped, dimly lit room of less than fifteen square meters.
A young man with an overly burly frame rushed into the bathroom, clutching the toilet bowl as he vomited nonstop.
Joshua only felt his head still reeling, buzzing with a dull roar. His body was unbearably heavy, as if filled with molten lead. The thunderous explosion that had torn the entire laboratory apart seemed to keep replaying in his mind—the screams, the crashes, the endless detonations.
Wait... the explosion... then why was he here?
It was only at this moment that Joshua noticed something was wrong.
He stood up, panic flooding his eyes as he looked around. The gray walls were peeling in patches, water seeping through cracks as though the place had been abandoned and left unused for years—completely different from the laboratory’s blinding lights and sterile white walls.
Where is this... and that person in the mirror... who is it?
Inside the cracked bathroom mirror, despite the splinters running across its surface, Joshua could still see the reflection clearly—a body far too obese, flesh bulging outward, eyes squeezed so tightly by fat that they could hardly open. It was utterly different from the appearance he remembered.
After all, back in the laboratory, where his blood was drawn daily, there was no way Joshua could ever have grown this fat.
Almost unable to control himself, Joshua bolted toward the main door, his pounding heartbeat thundering in his ears, pupils trembling. Even his massive body couldn’t suppress his desperate movements.
Bang!
The door burst open, and blinding light stabbed into Joshua’s eyes, so painful it made him wince. Yet he didn’t even blink—he just stood frozen, staring blankly at the sight before him.
Sunlight. Actual sunlight. Not the crimson sky of a blood-soaked apocalypse, nor the harsh glow of laboratory lamps.
The neighborhood looked poor, but people bustled about freely—something that could never exist in a post-apocalyptic world!
[Ding, congratulations, you have activated the Idol System!]
[System number 009 is at your service!]
W-what the hell is this...
His entire worldview collapsing around him, Joshua stiffened in shock as the sudden voice rang inside his mind. His whole body jiggled with fat from the tremor.
"Hey, you’re blocking the way!"
"Hey!"
A sharp shout snapped him out of it. Joshua flinched, hurriedly bowed his head to apologize, and returned to the room.
The woman carrying a large basket of fruit glared at his hulking back, muttering a curse under her breath.
But Joshua couldn’t hear it anymore. He had already slammed the door shut, and his pounding heartbeat sounded louder than ever in the room’s silence.
He, Joshua, had transmigrated to another world after death—a peaceful world, without apocalypse, without laboratories!
I... I’m free now?
No more needles, no more blood being drained, no more being cut open... I...
Joshua’s hands trembled, his body shaking so much he couldn’t stand. He collapsed onto the floor, laughing loudly in excitement.
[Please calm down, sir. While it’s natural for an ordinary person to feel overjoyed upon suddenly activating a system, I must ask you to compose yourself! From this moment on, we must always remain calm, because we need to maintain the most beautiful appearance!]
That voice rang out again, and Joshua finally picked up the crucial information hidden within its words.
This thing is claimed to be a system. It assumed he was happy because he had suddenly gained a system—perhaps it didn’t realize that the soul inside this body had already changed.
He pressed his lips together, forcing himself to calm down. Having faced too many ordeals, Joshua had long developed the habit of confronting everything with composure. What just happened was too unbelievable. After the wave of excitement, he regained some of his usual calm: "What are you?"
[Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Idol System, number 009. You may call me Nine.]
[Do you wish to live an ordinary, uneventful life? To rot away as a useless NEET in this shabby rental room? Others have girlfriends, others have luxury cars, others have mansions. And you—what do you have? Don’t you feel it’s unfair? That’s why I have appeared, to lead you to the pinnacle of life, to become someone adored by the entire nation!]
[First mission: Collect 1000 Fame Points!
Time limit: 10 days
Reward upon completion: New Voice Talent
Punishment for failure: Be buried together with this world.]
Joshua: "..." His body stiffened, and he couldn’t help but confirm: "If I fail the mission, not only I, but the entire world will be destroyed?"
Nine responded without the slightest hesitation: [That’s correct. You must work hard to become famous and gather as many Fame Points as possible!]
This casual attitude was truly something worth studying.
How strange. He was nothing more than an outsider soul from another world, yet he was suddenly entrusted with the role of savior. But even if he didn’t want to accept it, the truth was already in front of him.
Whether or not he was connected to this world, he would live—and live an entirely new life.
Joshua glanced around the room.
It was piled high with trash, mostly instant noodle cups and soda cans. Only a single PC remained lit, its screen displaying a seductive 2D elf girl, lying provocatively with her ample chest exposed.
It seemed this body wasn’t fat because of good nutrition. While tidying up the place, Joshua asked Nine: "How do I collect Fame Points?"
Nine was extremely enthusiastic; it didn’t even sound like the usual icy system voice but rather a typically arrogant tone:
[Have you forgotten my name? Idol System! The more famous you become, the higher your reputation climbs — the more Fame Points you’ll earn! Spoiler: After you finish the first mission, many surprises will be waiting for you. Come on, work hard, become a global superstar!]
Joshua: "..." He wished he could be as upbeat as Nine.
Because he’d only just tidied up a bit and this body already couldn’t take it — he was weak-kneed, lungs heaving, sweat running down his face.
"You want me to be an idol in a body like this?"
Joshua’s previous world fell into an apocalypse when he was seventeen; a year later, he was locked in a laboratory, and three years after that, the lab exploded, and he came to this world. In that world, entertainment programs and media were abundant — Joshua knew too well that no idol with an oversized body could become famous.
[Bingo! Then your side mission has arrived!]
[Side Mission: Run 10 km
Time limit: 10 hours
Reward: Slimming Pill x1
Penalty: None]
[Come on, my future superstar — the first step will lead you to countless others. If you don’t act, you’ll be the one regretting it! The Idol System dislikes lazy people!]
Nine’s voice was excited to the point of being ear-piercing.
Joshua panted; just from a bit of cleaning, this body was already like this... Run 10 km in 10 hours — who knows if he’d even be alive to take the slimming pill by then...
Bang!
Joshua opened the door; the sound reverberated loudly. Fortunately, his place was on a side street, so no one paid him any mind unless they happened to pass by.
Come on — even if I have to crawl, I’ll run. There will be no chubby idol. He had to complete the tasks, whether side missions or main missions. He wanted to live, and he wanted this world to live.
Flashes of red and black crossed Joshua’s mind. He shut his eyes tight, planted his feet, and pushed off the ground. The sunlight hit him — warm like never before. He would not let this world become like his old one.
He wanted to live... to live in a peaceful world.