The Omniscient Mola Mola (2)
The moment those bright yellow eyes looked at us, a roar loud enough to rupture our eardrums echoed out.
GRROOOOAAARRR!
[Grade-7 Earth Dragon Species, 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' has recognized you.]
['Tyrannosaurus Rex' has activated the skill 'Predatory Fear'.]
[Exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall' has blocked the effects of 'Predatory Fear'.]
Thanks to [Fourth Wall], my mind was calm, but I couldn't stop the chills raising the fine hairs on my body. So this is what it means to be prey.
"Everyone, take cover!"
Jeong Heewon and Lee Ji-hye, who had frozen for a moment, snapped back to their senses. I grabbed Lee Kilyeong, who was right beside me, and dashed backward.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
A massive tail crashed through the forest ahead, demolishing everything in its path.
"KUAAARGH!"
The men who had been charging forward were struck in the back and coughed up blood as they were flung away. Fortunately, it looked like Jeong Heewon and Lee Ji-hye had just barely escaped the danger zone.
I set Lee Kilyeong down and shouted,
"Kilyeong, fall back! Heewon and Ji-hye, split left and right!"
Then, a message popped up beside me.
[Character 'Lee Kilyeong' has activated the skill 'Dinosaur Encyclopedia'!]
…Huh?
"Tyrannosaurus is relatively agile for its size, but it has poor vision and is vulnerable to attacks from its blind spot."
"…What?"
"I saw it in an encyclopedia when I was a kid."
"When you were a kid?"
"…Younger than I am now."
I stared at Kilyeong, speechless for a moment.
Well, now's not the time to nitpick.
GRROOOAARRR!
[Exclusive skill, 'White-Cheong Energy' activated!]
I began swinging my radiant blade wildly to attract the T-Rex's attention. Neither Ji-hye nor Heewon were tank types. And Kilyeong, obviously not. Which meant I was the only one who could take the risk here.
"While I draw its attention, you two—"
Before I could finish, Ji-hye and Heewon were already flanking toward the T-Rex's rear. Good instincts.
KRAAAAR!
I barely dodged its snapping jaws, but its hind leg came swinging right after. Before I could even raise my sword, its tail swept just above my head, sending shivers down my spine. With my stamina level over 20, I wouldn't die from a hit like that—but it was still nerve-wracking.
Maybe I'd been lucky up till now.
Maybe I was the real "mola mola" (ocean sunfish) who dies from just a bump—not Yoo Joonghyuk.
SWISH! SLASH!
Meanwhile, Jeong Heewon and Lee Ji-hye were steadily inflicting damage from behind. A combo of [Swordsmanship Training] and [Kendo]. Glimmering sword strikes cut into the T-Rex's thick legs, leaving deep wounds.
If [Demon Slayer] activates too, we should be able to take it down without too much trouble, even if it takes a bit of time.
"Hyung! I'll take the aggro!"
This brat—didn't I tell him to stay back?
"No, Kilyeong, you—"
"I can do it!"
Suddenly, Kilyeong stepped forward and started doing strange hand signals. I was about to ask what he was doing when a giant mantis flew in and jabbed at the T-Rex's eye before fleeing. It was that titano-something insect from before.
GRRRRAHH!
The mantis's erratic movements threw the T-Rex's gaze into chaos. Judging by Kilyeong's flashy hand gestures, he was clearly controlling it.
I looked down at Kilyeong again, now impressed.
Between that and the encyclopedia thing… is this kid secretly OP?
No wonder Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to recruit him.
KRAAAAR!
Thanks to Kilyeong's stellar performance, the tide of battle quickly turned in our favor. The T-Rex's movements had noticeably slowed, and Heewon and Ji-hye's eyes now glinted with a red, bloodthirsty aura.
[Demon Slayer]
It may have a weakness to mental attacks, but the more excited the user gets, the stronger they become. The sight of those two blazing through the forest was nothing short of spectacular.
Watching this, I couldn't help but feel bitter that I'd lost Ji-hye to Yoo Joonghyuk.
Still, in terms of growth potential, Heewon is overwhelmingly superior. Her trait, 'Judge of Annihilation,' is that powerful—and she hasn't even signed a yet.
The T-Rex's health seemed pretty low now. Maybe time to go for the finishing blow.
[Activating 'Blade of Conviction'!]
I began pouring all my remaining mana into the sword. I had no backing trait, and I wasn't as agile as Ji-hye or Heewon. But that didn't mean I was weak. I had a cheat item to overcome all that.
GROOOOHHH!
Aether Blade.
[Special option of 'Unbreakable Conviction' activated.]
[Aether attribute changed to 'Flame'.]
An immense amount of mana drained at once, and my body was wracked with fatigue. But I wasn't worried—I had ways to recover later.
The blade extended over a meter and was now engulfed in flame.
I charged at the T-Rex's rear.
"Everyone, clear the way!"
The moment the sluggish T-Rex hesitated, I jumped onto its tail. I didn't have the [Balance] skill, so I almost fell a few times, but I managed to stay on by driving my blade repeatedly into its hide.
GRAAAHHH!
The T-Rex roared, bleeding from all over, and began thrashing on the ground. I stabbed wildly. Flames burst from each wound.
Its yellow eyes, filled with pain, glared at me one last time before rolling back.
[You have successfully hunted the Grade-7 Earth Dragon Species 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' for the first time!]
[You received 1,000 Coins as a reward.]
"Ha… we actually killed it."
"I told you I could do it."
Heewon, panting, looked proud at my words. A T-Rex ranked that high among grade-7 monsters—she had every right to be.
Ji-hye arrived late and grumbled,
"I basically had it dead!"
"What? It still needed way more hits."
I said that while wiping off my blade. Heewon asked,
"Wait, was killing the T-Rex part of the movie?"
"Well, no—but isn't this way more fun?"
"…What?"
"In a fantasy-action-adventure genre, this is how it should go."
Just then, a system message popped up in my mind.
[The theater owner is satisfied with the altered movie ending.]
Heewon shouted, flabbergasted,
"Eh?!"
Exactly. The true strategy for the Theater Dungeon isn't reaching the original ending.
If it were, even Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't have cleared it. The key is crafting an ending the theater owner wants.
And this particular owner? Loves over-the-top, satisfying drama.
"Now you get it? Just destroy everything."
In other words, eliminate anything that gets in the way of the ending—and the story will naturally reach a conclusion.
[You may now proceed to the next floor.]
[Please move to the helipad on the upper level of the research facility.]
"Let's wait a bit before moving on. We need to collect the loot."
I said this and began searching around the T-Rex. Soon, I found one of the men who had entered before us. The rest had likely been eaten or torn apart.
"Hey, stay with me."
"U-ugh…"
Blood continued to pour from the man's back. The wounds from the T-Rex's claws. Judging by the exposed bones, it was already clear that recovery was impossible.
"Breathe slowly."
"Ku, kuhk! …Help… me…"
I gave him the water I'd brought. He gulped it down, only to cough up blood again. With no other choice, I decided to go straight to the urgent questions.
"How did you know about this place?"
"Se... Seers…"
"Who exactly are the ?"
The man's breathing grew harsher.
"Th... Those who… received revelations…"
…Revelations?
"I… want to… live…"
With a gurgling sound, a torrent of blood gushed from his mouth. The man slumped over as life left his body. Jung Heewon and the others approached from behind.
"What about him…?"
Shaking my head, I looked down at the fallen man.
'Revelation.' What an amusing load of crap.
Because among the abilities I know from "Obliteration Law," the only one remotely like that is "Precognition," and the only person with that power is the prophet Anna Croft.
Which meant there was only one answer.
…So I'm not the only one.
But they're not as familiar with things as I am.
The fact that they didn't show up themselves and instead leaked information to test us — that's the proof.
"Dokja?"
"Let's rest a little before moving on."
We covered the man's corpse with a large leaf and gathered near the dead T-Rex. We had to hurry if we were going to catch up to Yoo Joonghyuk, but pushing on without proper rest could lead to the party's destruction before we even found him.
I searched the T-Rex's corpse.
I checked the head and around the heart, but unfortunately, there was no monster core. Still, it wasn't a total loss. Jung Heewon, staring at the T-Rex, which had been thoroughly cooked by fire, gulped.
"...Do you think we can eat this too?"
"It was roasted by magic flames, so it's edible. We can use the mana stove to cook any underdone parts."
We sat in a circle around the T-Rex's leg. As we carved into the slightly roasted meat, steam wafted up. Lee Gilyoung let out a gasp.
"New meat!"
Impatient Lee Jihye dove in first for a bite, and the rest of us followed, each grabbing a sizable chunk. Meat this large — a luxury I could never dream of back when I was an office worker. Eyes closed, savoring the taste, Lee Jihye murmured in ecstasy.
"Ahh, it's the best thing I've ever tasted…"
And it really was delicious.
The firm muscle was perfectly marbled with fat, worlds apart from that of mole rats. That chewy texture wrapping around the tongue with every bite… If Yoo Sangah were here, she'd definitely cry while eating it.
After tearing at the meat for a long while in silence, we began to feel full and rejuvenated. High-tier monster meat has such benefits. Of course, not all of it is edible, so caution is required. Jung Heewon sighed in disappointment.
"Whew… That was amazing. It's so delicious I could cry from not being able to eat more."
After resting, we headed straight for the at the center of the island.
On the way, we ran into a few raptors, but since we'd taken down a T-Rex, raptors weren't a problem.
Inside the lab, flasks and ampoules were neatly lined up. In small incubators were embryos of dinosaurs, and there were amber pieces for blood sampling. The only thing missing was people.
As we entered the inner chamber, some intriguing items caught my eye.
[Stamina Enhancement Ampoule]
[Magic Power Enhancement Ampoule]
[Agility Enhancement Ampoule]
[Strength Enhancement Ampoule]
As expected. While the others were distracted, I began pocketing the ampoules. Just like with the [Ichthyosaur Core], these were rare comprehensive stat-boosting items only obtainable early in the scenario.
And there weren't just a few — nearly twenty bottles. With these, we could skyrocket our stat levels. I'd been saving coins specifically for this hidden scenario.
These ampoules could only be used if your comprehensive stat level was under 30.
"Hey, what are you packing over there?"
…This girl, always sharp.
"What, a strength enhancement ampoule?"
Lee Jihye's eyes widened as she swiped one.
"You're not planning to keep all these for yourself, right?"
"Of course not. I was going to share."
"Unnie, look at this! This guy's trying to—!"
The commotion drew the others over. Jung Heewon, reading the item info, gasped.
"Oh my god… these kinds of items exist?"
"...It's from a hidden scenario."
I replied, slightly annoyed.
Damn, this is tricky. I didn't defeat the T-Rex alone, so it'd be wrong to hoard them all… but it's still a shame to give them away…
[Some constellations who favor monopolization disapprove of your situation.]
Lee Jihye, still staring at the Strength Enhancement Ampoule, finally spoke.
"Can I have the strength ampoule? My strength stat is super low."
[Exclusive Skill: 'Character Profile Overview' activated!]
Displaying summary version for comprehensive stats only.
Character: Lee Jihye
Exclusive Trait: Wounded Sword Demon (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: [Sword Training Lv.4], [Demon Slayer Lv.1], [Absolute Sense Lv.2], [Ghost Steps Lv.2]
Stigmata: [Naval Combat Lv.1], [Large Army Command Lv.1]
Comprehensive Stats: [Stamina Lv.13], [Strength Lv.17], [Agility Lv.13], [Magic Power Lv.10]
This cheeky girl is totally lying…
"Huh? Heewon unnie, can I take that one?"
"Well, Dokja found them, so it's really his call…"
Honestly, I wouldn't mind if anyone else got one, but giving one to Lee Jihye? That stings a bit. She's on Yoo Joonghyuk's team anyway.
[The constellation, 'Demonic Judge of Fire' expects your fairness.]
Fairness, huh… Fine. I know one game that's perfectly fair.
I smiled and said,
"How about rock-paper-scissors?"
"Rock-paper-scissors?"
"The winner picks one item per round."
For a moment, greed flickered in Lee Jihye's eyes.
"Deal!"
"Well… if that's what you want, let's do it. But are you sure? One person could end up getting everything."
"Well, then that person's just lucky."
Lee Jihye was bouncing with excitement.
She must think she'll get a good haul, but I won't let that happen.
"Let's start with the Strength Enhancement Ampoule."
I held up the ampoule and looked at Lee Jihye.
"You're up first with me."
"I'm really good at rock-paper-scissors, you sure you want this?"
"Oh really?"
I smiled as I looked at her.
[Exclusive Skill: 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' Level 1 activated!]
[Character 'Lee Jihye' is preparing to play 'Scissors'.]