The stage lights burned bright above him, but to Kenji Sato, they felt more like cruel spotlights exposing his weakness.
His hands trembled as he clutched the microphone, the cheap metal stand wobbling under his grip. In front of him, the small crowd of students whispered, chuckled, and even groaned. Their laughter was louder than the music track playing behind him.
Kenji opened his mouth to sing, and the sound that came out cracked—high, sharp, and utterly broken.
"Bwahaha! Is this karaoke or torture?" someone in the back shouted.
Another voice followed. "Kenji, your voice is worse than my grandmother's!"
His chest tightened. Sweat rolled down his temples. He tried again, pushing out a note with all the strength he had, but it came out strained, almost painful. The crowd booed. Some even pulled out their phones, recording the disaster.
Kenji's heart sank.
When the song ended—if it could even be called a performance—silence fell for a moment. Then the audience erupted in cruel applause, clapping not for admiration, but mockery.
"Encore!" a boy jeered. "Come on, sing us another death cry!"
Kenji's fists clenched. He bowed his head and hurried off the stage, his legs heavy as stone.
Backstage, the laughter still echoed in his ears.
Kenji slammed the microphone down on the table, his breath ragged. He was eighteen years old, a senior in high school, and music was supposed to be his dream. Since childhood, he had imagined standing on great stages, moving hearts with his songs.
But reality? Reality was cruel.
He couldn't sing. No matter how hard he practiced, his voice cracked. His pitch wavered. His throat strained.
He had been rejected by every music club in school, laughed out of every karaoke night, and tonight's performance was the final nail in the coffin.
"Maybe they're right…" Kenji whispered, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His messy black hair clung to his forehead with sweat, and his eyes, usually so full of determination, looked hollow.
"Maybe… I was never meant to sing."
But then, just as despair gripped his chest, a strange sound rang in his head.
Ding!
Kenji froze. He looked around, but the room was empty.
Then the voice came—mechanical, clear, and cold.
> [Initializing… Rhythm God System…]
Kenji's eyes widened. "What…?"
> [System successfully bound to host: Kenji Sato. Congratulations. You have awakened the Rhythm God System.]
"What the hell is going on? Am I hallucinating?"
> [No. This system exists to turn you into the greatest musician in the world. Every note you sing, every melody you create, every rhythm you master will be enhanced through this system.]
Kenji staggered back, his heart racing. "The greatest… musician?"
He had read webnovels before. He knew about systems—those cheats that made weaklings into gods. But those were stories. Fiction.
And yet…
> [First function unlocked: Vocal Perfection. Sing, and your voice will be optimized in real time. Pitch, tone, breathing—all errors will be corrected instantly.]
Kenji blinked. "You mean… even if I'm tone-deaf?"
> [Correct. With this system, no human ear will ever hear your voice crack again.]
His heart thudded. This was insane. Impossible. Unreal. But if it was true…
Kenji swallowed hard. "Prove it."
> [Mission Unlocked: Sing a song immediately. Reward: Beginner Music Pack. Penalty: None.]
The karaoke machine was still running backstage. Kenji's palms sweated as he picked up the microphone again. He scrolled the list of songs until he found one he loved—an old ballad he had failed at countless times.
The music started.
Kenji took a deep breath, expecting the usual strain. But as the first note left his throat, something miraculous happened.
The sound was smooth. Strong. Clear.
His pitch was perfect. His tone carried warmth.
The broken, trembling voice he hated was gone. In its place was a voice that was natural yet powerful, as if he had been born to sing.
The lyrics flowed from him effortlessly. Every note was in place. Every emotion resonated in his chest and spilled into the air.
Kenji's eyes widened as he heard himself. He almost dropped the microphone. "This… this is me?!"
It was beautiful. Too beautiful.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't ashamed of his voice. For the first time, he felt like a real singer.
And then—
> [Mission Complete. Reward granted: Beginner Music Pack.]
> [You have obtained: Skill – Perfect Pitch (Passive), Skill – Breath Control Lv.1, Item – Virtual Studio Access.]
Kenji's hands shook. His voice cracked—not from weakness, but from overwhelming joy.
Tears blurred his vision as he whispered, "So… it's real."
That night, Kenji walked home under the cold moonlight, clutching the microphone like it was his most precious treasure. His classmates' laughter no longer stung. Their insults no longer mattered.
Because now, he had the Rhythm God System.
His voice… would shake the world.
And this was only the beginning.