The hallway behind the audition stage buzzed with noise the moment Max waltzed through the door.
This was where all those who passed to the next stage waited.
Contestants crowded the narrow corridor like Medical students after a very annoying Anatomy exam.
Some laughed loudly while some paced with nervous energy, others were staring at their phones like the screens might magically change their fate.
This was a tight competition where anyone could be eliminated.
Just like Max, some of them felt reasonably confident in their chances of making it further, but most of them didn't know their fate yet and they could not help their anxiety levels shooting through the roof despite passing the first stage.
Max walked through the middle of the hallway with his guitar slung across his shoulder, his thoughts still lingering on the praises of the judges.
"Man... I actually did it!" He mumbled in disbelief.
He had passed! Three green lights, three judges saying yes!
This was literally the best case scenario that he could have ever hoped for.
A few days ago before his transmigration, he would have never even imagined a scenario like this and yet here he was, living it.
For a brief moment he almost laughed out loud.
He couldn't help it- his old life flashed through his mind as he quietly looked at the other contestants. He remembered the humiliation of walking off a stage while security gently pointed him toward the exit like he was an irritating twat.
Yet, here he was now.
"Yo!" A voice suddenly called out to him from the side.
Max turned his head and saw a tall guy leaning on the wall just beside him with his arms crossed.
It was a stranger.
His brown hair was neatly braided, and he wore a silver chain on his neck. His posture had the relaxed confidence of a self-assure man who knew exactly how good he was.
Max raised his eyebrows. "Yo!" He returned the greeting.
"Nice performance out there," the guy said.
Max shrugged lightly. "Appreciate it man".
The guy pushed himself off the wall and walked closer with a confident gait. "The name's Jalen Cross".
Max accepted the handshake and nodded at him. "Max".
"Yeah I heard," Jalen said, smirking slightly, "The judges said it twice, they don't always do that".
Max chuckled. "I guess that means I didn't fuck up too bad, huh?"
Jalen studied him carefully for a moment, his eyes gleamed with curiosity like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.
"You feel that?" He asked suddenly.
Max blinked. "Feel what?"
Jalen tilted his head toward the stage.
"Your performance... it left something in the air".
Max froze slightly.
Before he could answer, the System whispered in his mind.
["Artifice Resonance detected nearby".]
["Singer Class detected."]
["Basic Rank."]
Max tried not to react outwardly. 'So, that's how it works' He thought.
Real Singers could sense each other.
Not exactly like seeing power levels but something close to that, like feeling vibrations in the air.
Max rubbed the back of his neck casually. "Man, I was just singing".
Jalen laughed.
"Nah bro, don't play dumb with me fam". He chuckled, then he suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"You awakened, didn't you?"
Max raised an eyebrow. "Ain't that what auditions are for?"
Jalen stared at him for a few seconds in disbelief, then he chuckled again. "Damn, you really are a noob in this, how did you become that good? Self-taught?"
Max shrugged. "I guess so".
Jalen stepped back and stretched his arms. "Well, welcome to the game".
"What game?"
Jalen spread his hands toward the crowded hallway. "The Artificer game, man. This show ain't just some talent contest".
Max leaned against the wall beside him. "Oh yeah? What is it then?"
Jalen's grin widened. "Training ground".
He pointed upward toward the ceiling. "You think they just let random singers generate Artifice energy on national TV?"
Max tilted his head. "Pretty sure that's exactly what they're doing".
Jalen chuckled. "Nah homie, this show is where they scout for future stars".
He lowered his voice even more.
"And future weapons".
Max's eyebrow twitched. "Weapons?"
Jalen nodded, then he grinned again. "You know about the Network right?"
Max nodded. "Barrier protecting Earth?"
"Exactly". Jalen chortled and tapped his chest. "Singers help power it".
He looked around the hallway, then he leaned in slightly as if what he was about to say could get him hanged for treason.
"But when things get ugly out there..."
He pointed upward again. "They don't just need singers who can make people cry…" He winked.
Max understood immediately, he completed the sentence in his head. 'They needed singers who can fight'.
Before he could ask anything else, a loud voice echoed down the hallway.
"Next batch, move to the waiting room!"
The contestants in Batch C moved as they began shuffling toward a large double door at the end of the corridor.
Jalen pushed off the wall. "Looks like we're in the same batch".
Max slung his guitar back over his shoulder. "Guess we'll see each other around then".
Jalen smirked. "Yeah, bet. We definitely will".
As they walked toward the door, Max felt something strange again. He felt a faint pulse in the air and the system reacted immediately.
DING!
["WARNING!"]
[" Powerful Artifice signature detected!"]
Max glanced toward the stage entrance.
There, one of the judges had just stepped out into the hallway. He was an older man with sharp eyes and silver hair, dressed in a simple black suit- Judge Adrian Vale.
Max recognized the name from the memories he inherited, he was a famous producer with multiple platinum artists under his record label.
But the moment Vale's gaze landed on Max, something strange happened.
The air tightened instantly, almost like gravity had quietly increased!
DING!
The System rang with an urgent alert.
["Advanced Rank Artificer detected!"]
Max nearly choked.
'Advanced Rank?!' That was several levels above him.
Vale stared at him for a long moment, then the judge smiled slightly. "Interesting". He muttered.
Max shuddered. 'Why do I feel like I've been marked?'
The waiting room doors finally opened and the contestants poured inside.
Max took one last glance at Judge Vale before stepping through the doorway. Somehow, he had a strong feeling that this man had already started watching him very carefully.
And Max had the weirdest feeling that his journey in this world had only just started getting complicated.