Omniscient Ocean Sunfish (4)
Unfortunately, Yoo Joonghyuk was not on the 6th floor.
The only consolation was that the movie on the 6th floor was relatively easy. It was a classic twist thriller directed by Bryan Singer, and since we already knew who the culprit was, we were able to quickly clear it by killing him.
[The theater owner is satisfied with the altered ending of the movie.]
[You have earned 500 coins as appearance fee.]
Lee Ji-hye asked incredulously,
"…Was that guy really the culprit?"
"Don't say it, it's a spoiler. Someone here might not have seen it yet."
[Constellation 'Secret Schemer' dislikes spoilers.]
Maybe because of the nature of the movie, the item we received as a reward was unusual.
[You have obtained 'Skill Book: Cold Observation'.]
Cold Observation. It was a pretty useful skill.
This skill allowed the user to roughly estimate a person's overall stats by observing their movements. It wouldn't matter much against those we could already use [Character List] on, but for people like Yoo Sangah or Lee Gilyoung, for whom [Character List] didn't work, it would be quite handy. Maybe I earned this skill because I was able to identify a well-acted villain at a glance.
[You have acquired the exclusive skill, 'Cold Observation'.]
Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Something like a gladiator-themed movie would have been nice.
I still didn't have a proper passive combat skill. I could spend coins to buy something like [Weapon Mastery], but at this point, using coins on a mid-tier skill felt like a waste.
"…I'm sick of movies now."
I wholeheartedly agreed with Jung Heewon.
I didn't want to set foot in a movie theater again for a while.
I had to be content with just the decent amount of coins we earned.
We moved straight to the 7th floor. I thought maybe—just maybe—we'd catch a glimpse of Yoo Joonghyuk's back this time…
Damn it. Most of the posters on the 7th floor were ripped too.
Which meant Yoo Joonghyuk was already in the boss room.
At this point, there was no time to waste.
"Let's run. The next one is the final floor."
We started sprinting. We had to catch up with him as fast as possible.
Before he lost his mind and gave up on everything.
We dashed past the screening rooms and down the hallway. The posters on the 7th floor were lined with Korea's all-time box office hits.
Please, please let them all be torn…
But once again, our hopes were crushed—the last poster remained intact.
"Damn it…"
[The screening for this floor is beginning.]
A blue spotlight engulfed us, and the scene changed. The surroundings spun wildly, and a sharp tang hit our noses.
Once again, the setting was the sea.
But… it wasn't a cruise ship this time.
The acrid smell of gunpowder. The rough texture of a panokseon warship.
As I raised my head from the swaying deck, someone shouted:
"Everyone, get down—!"
The moment I reflexively ducked, bullets tore through the air. With rapid tat-tat-tat sounds, several soldiers collapsed, bleeding.
"Retreat the ship—!"
Soldiers dressed in old Joseon naval uniforms scrambled to prepare the cannons. The uneasy winds of war raised goosebumps. The churning whirlpools of Uldolmok, and the sound of war drums echoing from afar.
Shit.
This was a movie every Korean would recognize.
Because, as of now, it's the most-watched movie in Korean history.
Jung Heewon murmured while staring out at the horizon,
"How the hell are we supposed to win this?"
The ending of the 'Theater Dungeon' only opens if the story builds to a satisfying climax.
Kugugugugu!
330 Japanese warships darkened the sea.
I quickly checked our own side's forces. Surely there'd be hope, since the movie was based on real history…
"…What the hell?"
There was supposed to be twelve panokseon ships left, but there was only one. I grabbed a nearby soldier.
"Where's the commander?"
"Co… commander?"
"I mean Admiral Yi Sun-shin!"
The soldier looked completely clueless.
A chill ran down my spine.
Something was off. This wasn't the movie I knew.
The 'Theater Owner' had altered the story.
And the enemy ships were quickly closing in.
This was insane.
Win the Battle of Myeongnyang without Admiral Yi?
I frantically looked around and shouted,
"Lee Ji-hye!"
I had considered the possibility of something like this happening. I hadn't brought Lee Ji-hye just for her combat abilities, but also as a precaution—for the "what if."
[Constellation 'Admiral of the Sea' sympathizes with incarnation Lee Ji-hye.]
It wasn't hard to find her. There was only one ship, and the places where Admiral Yi's message could be heard were limited.
"Ugh, uh, ugh…"
She was in the corner of the first deck, retching with her head down.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Lee Ji-hye looked up at me, tears soaked under her eyes.
"I can't… I-I can't do it!"
But she wasn't talking to me.
[Constellation 'Admiral of the Sea' encourages incarnation Lee Ji-hye.]
"No way. No way I'm going out there! Hurk…"
Another wave of dry heaving.
But I knew. I knew why this girl—who hated the ocean and wasn't particularly righteous—was chosen by Admiral Yi.
[Thanks to a unique trait, your memory of the books you've read is enhanced.]
Pages from Eradication Law flipped through my mind. Around episode 40, a scene went like this:
"Hey, you're scared of the sea. How did you get chosen by Admiral Yi?"
"I don't really know. Umm… I heard one of my ancestors served under him? Maybe that's why?"
"Wait, are you saying you're a descendant of Admiral Yi?"
Back when Eradication Law was around episode 40, some other readers were still following the series. That part sparked quite the backlash.
Come on, how could our great Admiral Yi care about bloodline?
But I, who had read all of Eradication Law except the epilogue, knew the truth.
Lee Ji-hye wasn't a descendant of Admiral Yi.
[Constellation 'Admiral of the Sea' looks fondly upon an old comrade's descendant.]
"So you're a Deoksu Yi?"
"Nope. I'm a Jeonju Yi."
[Constellation 'Admiral of the Sea' watches over the descendant of an old comrade.]
Lee Ji-hye was the descendant of Yi Eok-gi, the Naval Commander of Jeolla Right, and Admiral Yi's trusted comrade.
Lord Yi Eok-gi.
He fought alongside Admiral Yi in the victories at Danghangpo and Hansando, and he was one of the few who defended Yi Sun-shin when he was wrongly accused and imprisoned. But because he hadn't been mythologized enough, he never became a myth-class constellation.
[Constellation 'Admiral of the Sea' gazes at Lee Ji-hye with sorrowful eyes.]
That was why Admiral Yi chose Lee Ji-hye.
Not his descendant, but the descendant of the comrade who protected him. In a way, it was the most Yi Sun-shin-like choice of all.
Perhaps Admiral Yi simply couldn't stand by and watch.
To see the descendant of a dear friend fall into evil, killing loved ones with her own hands.
Well… according to Eradication Law's lore, anyway.
[A Bounty Scenario has arrived.]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: B+
Clear Condition: The 'Admiral of the Sea' has requested your help. Inspire his incarnation, Lee Ji-hye, and lead the Battle of Myeongnyang to victory.
Time Limit: 2 hours
Reward: One of Admiral Yi's Stigmata
Failure: ―
The moment I read the message, I doubted my eyes.
It was incredibly rare for a myth-class constellation to issue a bounty scenario alone. Something was off. Looking more closely, the reward was indeed extraordinary.
…Admiral Yi's Stigma?
If I cleared this scenario, I'd be able to use his stigma without making a .
I shook Lee Ji-hye.
"Lee Ji-hye, come on. Get up. Now."
"No! Hurk… You three go deal with it!"
"Can't you endure just a little longer?"
"…Endure? You don't understand, mister."
You don't understand…
Yeah, that's your usual line.
But I don't have time to coddle you anymore.
"No, I do understand. I know it's not seasickness that's doing this to you."
"…What?"
"Your dead friend liked this movie, didn't she?"
Like a boxer hit squarely in the chin, Lee Ji-hye's jaw trembled.
The scene flashing through her mind was obvious.
The first scenario at Taepung Girls' High School.
Strangling her friend to death with her own hands—herself.
"H-how… How do you know that…?"
"Don't ask how. There's no time to explain."
Lee Ji-hye looked up at me with dazed eyes.
"You killed your friend with your own hands to survive. And now you're just going to die like this?"
CLANG! A hook shot through the deck from the first floor. I caught it with my bare hand before it reached her. Trembling, Ji-hye looked at me.
"Whether you run away or not… you'll never be forgiven. But—"
A loud cheer erupted. I heard the sounds of invaders boarding from outside.
"If you get up now, at least some people can be saved."
Leaving the trembling Ji-hye behind, I climbed to the second deck.
Lee Gil-young and Jung Hee-won were already surrounded by enemy soldiers.
I drew my weapon.
The enemies were just regular soldiers. One-on-one, I couldn't lose.
The problem was the sheer number of them.
"Raaagh!"
I cut them down, one after another, but they kept coming. In the distance, enemy warships fired shells toward us.
If this ship sinks, we're finished.
The ending of this movie will be a tragedy, and we'll die here.
"Lee Ji-hye!"
Now I understand the greatness of Yi Sun-sin.
How did he lead such a battle to victory?
"Snap out of it already!"
This is a cursed scenario.
There's no Commander Song Yeo-jong of Nokdo. No General Jeong Eung-du of Pyeongsan.
All we have left is a fragile girl blessed by Admiral Yi.
That girl staggered up to the second deck.
"I… I feel sick. I… I don't deserve to be alive…"
Yeah, it's disgusting. You are.
And so am I, for using you.
"No one deserves anything."
"Ah… ahhh…"
Tears streamed endlessly from Ji-hye's eyes.
I stood with my back to her, blocking enemy fire with [Heracles' Shield].
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"If you survived, then take responsibility! Atone for the rest of your life, or live on as the trash you think you are. Just survive, no matter what!"
Shells rained down, tearing the ship apart.
With cold eyes, I looked back at her.
"Or do you really want to die here?"
[Your understanding of the character 'Lee Ji-hye' is considerable.]
A flood of emotions came from Ji-hye as she wiped her tears. Rage, self-loathing, and deep disillusionment with the world. But within those dark feelings, one honest voice rose.
「I don't want to die.」
Constellations are fickle. Just because an incarnation asks doesn't mean they'll help. Most don't even care if the incarnation lives or dies. But—
In the stage of their own 'myth,' no constellation abandons their incarnation.
[Constellation 'God of Naval Warfare' responds to incarnation 'Lee Ji-hye's will.]
With a blinding burst of light, a red aura erupted from Ji-hye's body.
Good for Yoo Joong-hyuk, I guess. But oh well.
I gained something too.
[Character 'Lee Ji-hye' has acquired a new 'Stigma.']
The third stigma of the wounded sword ghost, Lee Ji-hye.
The ultimate power that would later make her a naval admiral was awakening.
"…To God—"
Holding her sword, Ji-hye looked out at the sea. The enemy was vast, and there were no allies.
She quietly unsheathed her sword to the world.
"There are still twelve ships left."
A dazzling light split from the tip of her blade.
[Character 'Lee Ji-hye' activates stigma: 'Ghost Fleet Lv.1'!]
With a trembling roar, steam rose across the entire sea.
From bursts of water throughout the area, twelve ghost ships emerged from the ocean.
"If I can avenge them…"
The surprised enemy ships beat their drums. Shells flew toward the ghost fleet. But the ghost ships, lacking solid form, suffered no damage.
"Then I have no regrets dying here."
Finally, Ji-hye's fleet began its advance. Twelve ships cutting through waves and enemy fire.
As their cannons blazed, the enemy ships were helplessly destroyed.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The girl who no longer cried led the battlefield.
Before the ghost fleet's terrifying might, the enemy was completely overwhelmed. Even Jung Hee-won and Lee Gil-young were left speechless.
This is the power of a real 'stigma.'
Yi Sun-sin's power, invincible in naval warfare.
In the twilight glow, the screams of the enemies scattered in the gun smoke. The whirlpools of Uldolmok drank in the bloodied corpses of the enemies. It didn't even take an hour for the last enemy ship to sink.
[The theater master is satisfied with the changed ending.]
[You have reached the fourth 'Ending Credit.']
[Cast: Kim Dok-ja, Jung Hee-won, Lee Ji-hye, Lee Gil-young]
[Each cast member has received 500 coins.]
As soon as we received the ending reward, an additional message appeared.
[You have cleared the Bounty Scenario.]
[As a reward, you have received a stigma from 'God of Naval Warfare.']
Honestly, I had been hoping—
Maybe it'd be the 'Ghost Fleet.'
If I had that, I wouldn't envy Lee Ji-hye during naval battles.
[You have obtained the stigma 'Song of the Sword.']
When I saw the message, I thought I misread it for a moment.
The stigma 「Song of the Sword」—
Originally, Ji-hye only gained this in the mid-to-late part of the story. But Yi Sun-sin gave it to me.
[Constellation 'God of Naval Warfare' expresses his gratitude to you.]
In a way, it's even more useful to me than 'Ghost Fleet' right now.
With this stigma, I might even stand a chance on the 8th floor—if the worst happens.
As the surroundings shifted slowly, we returned to the inside of the theater. An exhausted Ji-hye looked at me.
"Mister…"
"You rest here a bit before heading up. We'll rescue Yoo Joong-hyuk."
"But…"
"Just listen to me."
I had gained a new stigma, but I had no time to celebrate.
No matter how powerful the stigma, it's meaningless if this 'world' ends.
And to stop that 'end,' I have to save Yoo Joong-hyuk.
I drank all the comprehensive stat-enhancement ampoules I had been saving. Stat upgrades cost more coins every 10 levels, so I used the coins first and then the ampoules for efficiency.
[You have spent a total of 4000 coins.]
[You have used a Comprehensive Stat Enhancement Ampoule.]
[Stamina Lv.18 → Lv.24]
[Strength Lv.18 → Lv.24]
[Agility Lv.11 → Lv.20]
[Magic Power Lv.10 → Lv.15]
[All base stats have significantly increased!]
We climbed the final staircase.
"Everyone, get ready."
[You have entered Floor 8: 'Sky Garden.']
The 8th floor of the theater was the rooftop. Surrounded by an opaque dome, it looked like a small opera house. As I stepped onto the green-roofed garden, I saw it—
The back of the regressor I had struggled so much to find.
Ah…
Thinking of all I had gone through to save that guy, anger suddenly flared up.
Thankfully, his head was in one piece—perfect for smacking.
"Hey, Yoo Joong-hyuk!"
I ran straight at him and smacked the back of his head.