Chapter 38

4 Unfortunately, Junghyeok Yu wasn’t on the sixth floor. On the bright sight, the movie on the sixth floor was easy to clear. It was a thriller with a twist ending, which I had seen before. We were able to clear the movie quickly by killing the culprit since I already knew who it was. [The Cinema Master is satisfied with the altered ending.] [You have received 500 coins as an appearance fee.] Jihye was incredulous. “So the real culprit was—” “Stop. Don’t spoil it. Some people haven’t seen the movie yet.” [Constellation Secretive Plotter hates spoilers.] Anyway, the reward was quite unique, fitting for a thriller with a twist ending. [You have acquired the skill book “Sharp Observation.”] “Sharp Observation” was quite a useful skill. It let you see people’s overall stats. “Character Profile” didn’t work on people like Sangah and Gilyeong, so this would come in handy. My guess was that I received this skill because I figured out who the guilty party was despite their great acting. [You have acquired the exclusive skill “Sharp Observation.”] That said, I did feel a bit disappointed that it wasn’t a combat skill. I wished we had gotten a movie about gladiators or wars. This was a sore point for me because I still didn’t have a good passive skill for combat. I could purchase something like “Weapon Proficiency” from the Goblin Shop, but I didn’t want to spend coins on a low-grade skill. “I’m tired of movies already.” I agreed wholeheartedly with Huiwon. I didn’t want to even look at another movie theater for a while. I just needed to be satisfied with making a lot of coins from appearance fees. We headed to the seventh floor right away. I thought we’d find Junghyeok Yu there but… Damn. Most of the posters on the seventh floor were torn. That meant Junghyeok was already at the boss chamber. There was no time to waste. “Let’s run. We’re almost at the last floor.” We started running. We had to catch up to Junghyeok as quickly as possible before he lost his mind and gave up on everything. We ran down the hall and passed the theaters. The posters on the seventh floor were a collection of movies from countries all around the world that had set box office records. Please, please be all ripped up… But despite my wish, the last poster was intact. “Crap…” [The screening will now begin for this floor.] The blue spotlight enveloped my group, and the scenery changed at once. A moment of dizziness, and I sensed salty air on the tip of my nose. Once again, the stage was an open sea. But…it wasn’t a cruise ship this time. The stinging smell of cannon fire. The feel of a wooden deck underfoot. The moment I looked up on the shaky ship, we heard someone’s voice. “Everyone, get down!” The moment we ducked by reflex, a barrage of bullets zipped through where our heads had been. Soldiers who were hit crashed to the floor, clutching their bleeding wounds. “Turn back! Retreat!” Soldiers in Joseon Dynasty naval uniforms rushed to prepare the cannons. The ominous winds of a battle sent chills down my spine. The whirlpool of Uldolmok. The sound of maritime war drums. Damn it. Every Korean knew this movie. After all, it was one of the top box office hits in the history of Korean cinema. Huiwon came closer to me and mumbled as she looked at the horizon. “Um…how do we win against that?” The Cinema Dungeon only accepted decisive, satisfying endings. Boom! Boom! Boom! The enemy’s armada of three hundred and thirty ships blanketed the horizon. I quickly turned to assess our own forces. I mean, this movie’s based on a historic battle, so there’s still hope……right? “What the…?” There were supposed to be twelve ships on our side, but there was only one left. I rushed to grab a soldier nearby. “Where’s the admiral?” “…Th-the admiral?” “I’m talking about Admiral Yi Sun-sin!” The soldier did not seem to know who I was talking about. My heart sank. This was different from the movie I knew. The Cinema Master had changed the plot. The distance between us and the enemy was rapidly decreasing. It didn’t make sense. We had to win the Battle of Myeongnyang without Chungmugong’s help? I looked around urgently. “Jihye Lee!” I had thought this might happen. In fact, I had brought Jihye with me not only for her combat power but just in case of this situation. [Constellation God of Naval Warfare regards incarnation Jihye Lee with sympathy.] It wasn’t hard to find Jihye. There was only one ship, and Chungmugong’s indirect message was coming from only one direction. “U-urgh… Hngh…” She was gagging uncontrollably in a corner. “Hey, are you okay?” Jihye looked up at me with teary eyes. “I can’t…I-I can’t do it…!” She wasn’t saying those words to me. [Constellation God of Naval Warfare tries to encourage incarnation Jihye Lee.] “N-no. Never! I’m not going out there! Urgh…!” She continued to vomit. I knew the reason why this girl who hated the sea and didn’t care about justice was chosen by Chungmugong. [Your exclusive attribute improves your memory of the pages you’ve read before.] Pages of TWSA flipped through my head. This scene was definitely in there, around chapter forty. “Hey, how did someone who’s scared of the sea like you get chosen by Korea’s legendary naval commander?” “I’m not sure. Apparently, one of my ancestors was an admiral. Maybe it has to do with that?” “…Wait, are you saying you’re a descendant of Chungmugong?” Around chapter forty of TWSA, when the connection between Jihye Lee and Admiral Yi Sun-sin was revealed, the few remaining readers were outraged, saying there was no way Korea’s greatest hero would give special treatment to someone just because they were related to him. However, as someone who had read every chapter except the epilogue, I knew that Jihye wasn’t a descendant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, often referred to by his posthumous title of Chungmugong, meaning “Lord of Loyalty and Valor.” [Constellation God of Naval Warfare longs for his old comrade as he gazes at incarnation Jihye Lee.] “Then are you from the Deoksu Lee clan?” “Nope, I’m a Jeonju Lee.” Jihye was a descendant of Yi Eokgi, a comrade of Chungmugong. Admiral Yi Eokgi. With Chungmugong, he led the Korean army to victory at the Battle of Danghangpo and Hansando. When Chungmugong was framed for treason, Yi Eokgi was one of the few who spoke up in his defense. However, he didn’t leave behind enough stories to become a constellation. [Constellation God of Naval Warfare gazes at Jihye Lee with sorrow.] For this reason, Chungmugong had chosen Jihye. Lending his power not to his own bloodline but to a descendant of his brother-in-arms. It was an honorable act befitting Korea’s most revered hero. I was sure Chungmugong couldn’t bear to watch the descendant of his dear comrade become twisted by guilt and trauma after being forced to kill her friend. Well…according to TWSA anyway. [A bounty scenario has arrived.] <Bounty Scenario - Those Who Seek Death Shall Live, Those Who Seek Life Shall Die> Category: Sub Difficulty: B+ Mission: The God of Naval Warfare has asked for your help. Encourage Jihye Lee, the incarnation of Chungmugong, and lead the Battle of Myeongnyang to victory. Duration: 2 hours Reward: One of Chungmugong’s stigmas Penalty for Failure:— I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was rare for one historical-grade constellation to ask for a bounty scenario on their own. I thought something was odd, so I looked closer. The reward was extraordinary. …One of Chungmugong’s stigmas? In other words, I would gain the ability to use one of Chungmugong’s signature abilities without a sponsoring contract. I gave Jihye a shake. “Jihye, get up already. C’mon.” “No! Blergh… You guys take care of it!” “Can’t you endure it for just a bit?” “…Endure it? You don’t understand.” “You don’t understand”… Yes, you say that a lot. But I don’t have time to play along with your tantrum right now. “I do understand. Enough to know it’s not seasickness that’s got you like this.” “…What?” “This was your dead friend’s favorite movie.” Jihye flinched like a boxer who had taken a punch straight to the chin. It was obvious what scene was going through her mind. The scene of herself strangling her friend in the first scenario in Taepoong Girl’s High. “H-how…how did you…?” “Don’t ask me how I know. There’s no time to explain.” She looked up at me in disbelief. “Are you gonna die here after killing your own friend to survive?” Hooks penetrated the first-floor deck. I grabbed one that was flying at Jihye with my bare hand. She looked up at me, shaking uncontrollably. “Whether you flee or not, you’ll never be forgiven. But—” Rahhhh! The sound of a battle cry. The enemy were boarding the ship. “If you get up now, you can at least save a few people.” Leaving behind the trembling Jihye, I headed for the upper deck. Gilyeong and Huiwon were already surrounded. I pulled out my weapon. The enemy were ordinary soldiers. There was no way that I’d lose a one-on-one fight. The problem was there were too many of them. “Arrrgh!” I struck down enemy after enemy, but there was no end to them. In the distance, I could see their battleships firing cannons. If this ship sank, we were done. The movie would roll credits with a tragic ending, and we’d die here. “Jihye Lee!” Now I understood how great Chungmugong was. Just how did he manage to lead this battle to victory? “Snap out of it already!” This was a cursed scenario. Chungmugong or his allies weren’t here. No Captain Song Yeojong. No Commander Jeong Eung-Doo. Only a weak girl protected by Chungmugong. That girl staggered toward the upper deck. “I-I’m disgusting. I…don’t deserve to live…” Yes, you’re disgusting. And I’m even worse for using you like this. “There’s no such thing as deserving to live.” “Ah, ahhh…” Tears kept flowing from Jihye’s eyes. I stood in front of her using the Shield of Hercules to block incoming cannonballs. “But you lived, so take responsibility! Either atone for what you’ve done or continue to live your despicable life! It doesn’t matter how. Just keep surviving.” The ship was damaged all over from the constant cannon fire. I gave Jihye a cold stare. “Or do you really want to die here?” [You have a substantial understanding of character Jihye Lee.] I could sense different emotions from Jihye as she wiped off her tears. Rage, self-loathing, seething anger toward the world—it was a dense ball of negative feelings. But among those dark emotions, a single honest feeling was sprouting. [I don’t want to die.] Constellations were fickle. They didn’t always answer their incarnations’ pleas for help. Some didn’t even care if their contracted humans died. But… …no constellation abandoned their incarnation on the stage of their tale. [Constellation God of Naval Warfare reacts to incarnation Jihye Lee’s resolve.] A blinding flash of light, then a bright red aura emanated from Jihye’s body. You can thank me later, Junghyeok. Well, I guess I’m getting something out of this, too. [Character Jihye Lee has acquired a new stigma.] Scarred Sword Demon Jihye Lee would one day be known as “the Naval Commander,” thanks to this peerless stigma. The history of the battles Chungmugong had endured began to flow out from Jihye’s blade. […I still have…] Jihye looked at the ocean as she gripped her sword. There were innumerable enemies but no allies. She wordlessly brandished her sword at the world. […twelve ships left.] A bloodred battle aura surged forth from the tip of her sword. [Character Jihye Lee has activated stigma “Ghost Fleet” Lv.1.] Fsssh— Fog rose across the churning ocean. Pillars of water shot up everywhere. Twelve ghost ships materialized out of thin air. [If I can get revenge on our enemies…] The enemy banged their drums in a panic. Cannon fire fell upon the ghost fleet. But the intangible ships could not be damaged. […I will have no regrets even if I die here.] Finally, Jihye’s fleet began to advance. The twelve ships sailed through the barrage of cannon fire, cutting through the waves. Their white-hot cannons opened fire, and enemy ships in their way were reduced to splinters. Kaboom, boom, boom! The girl who did not cry commanded the battlefield. The enemy ships were overwhelmed before the might of the ghost fleet. Huiwon, Gilyeong, and I watched with our mouths agape, unable to take our eyes off the spectacle unfolding in front of us. This was the power of a real stigma. This was the power of Chungmugong, who never lost when it came to naval warfare. As the sun set, the screams of the enemy scattered over the smoke from the blazing cannons. The whirlpools of Uldolmok sucked up their dead bodies. The enemy fleet was wiped out. It didn’t even take one hour. [The Cinema Master is satisfied with the altered ending.] [You have arrived at the fourth end credits.] [Cast: Dokja Kim, Huiwon Jeong, Jihye Lee, Gilyeong Lee] [You have each received 500 coins for your performance.] As soon as we received the ending credit reward, more messages followed. [You have cleared the bounty scenario.] [You have received God of Naval Warfare’s stigma as a reward.] To be honest, I felt a bit hopeful. Perhaps I’d receive “Ghost Fleet.” If I had that, I wouldn’t need to rely on Jihye in the naval battles to come. [You have obtained the stigma “Song of the Sword.”] I couldn’t believe the message I’d just heard. The stigma “Song of the Sword.” It was something Jihye didn’t obtain until much later in TWSA. I couldn’t believe Chungmugong had given me something so valuable. [Constellation God of Naval Warfare expresses his gratitude.] In a way, this stigma was more useful to me than “Ghost Fleet.” Now I could be ready for whatever we faced on the eighth floor. The scenery around us shifted again, and we were back at the theater. Exhausted, Jihye stared at me. “…Hey.” “You rest here for a while. We’ll save Junghyeok.” “But…” “Listen to me.” I had acquired a powerful new stigma, but it was far too early to celebrate. It’d all mean nothing if Junghyeok regressed and this world ended. I had to save him to prevent that from happening. I drank up all the ampoules I’d saved up and increased my stats. The cost for boosting stats went up every ten levels, so I maximized efficiency by spending coins first, then drinking the ampoules. [You have spent a total of 4,000 coins.] [You have used ampoules for increasing overall stats.] [Stamina Lv.18 -> Stamina Lv.24] [Strength Lv.18 -> Strength Lv.24] [Agility Lv.11 -> Agility Lv.20] [Magic Power Lv.10 -> Magic Power Lv.15] [All your stats have been increased greatly.] We stepped onto the last set of stairs. “Everyone, get ready.” [You have entered the eighth floor, the rooftop garden.] The cinema’s eighth floor was the rooftop garden. It was surrounded by a transparent dome resembling that of an opera house. The moment I stepped onto the rooftop, I spotted what I’d been searching for all this time—the Regressor standing with his back to us. Ah… I suddenly grew angry at the thought of how much hardship we had gone through to save that bastard. Luckily, he looked just fine, ready to receive a good smack from me. “Hey, Junghyeok!” I ran straight to him and slapped the back of his head.