Chapter 40

Unfortunately, Yoo Jonghyuk wasn’t on the sixth floor .

The only comfort was that the movie on the sixth floor was easy . It was a typical thriller directed by Bryan Singer . I knew the killer so it was possible to clear it quickly .

[The theater owner is satisfied with the changed ending of the movie . ]

[You have obtained 500 coins as compensation . ]

Lee Jihye asked as if she was dumbfounded .

“…He was really the killer?”

“Don’t tell me it is a spoiler? There is actually someone here who hasn’t seen it . ”

[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ hates spoilers . ]

In any case, an item was rewarded due to the movie’s unique characteristics .

[Skill Book: Calm Observation . ]

Calm Observation . It was quite a useful skill .

This skill allowed the user to see the movements of the target and figure out their overall stats . It didn’t mean much to me since I could use Character List, but it would be quite useful for people like Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung . This skill would be good against enemies excellent at acting .

[The exclusive skill ‘ Calm Observation’ has been acquired . ]

Still, I felt a bit sad . It would be nice to experience a movie like Gladiator .

I had yet to obtain a suitable combat passive skill . He might purchase the skill Weapons Training but it wasn’t a good idea to spend coins on the skill right now .

“…Now I am tired of movies . ”

I agreed with Jung Heewon’s words . I didn’t want to look at a movie theatre for a while . I should just be satisfied with the high performance fee .

We went directly up to the seventh floor . Maybe this time we could see Yoo Jonghyuk’s back…

Damn . Most of the posters on the seventh floor were torn . Yes, Yoo Jonghyuk was now in the boss room . Under these circumstances, there was really no time to delay .

“Run . It is almost the last floor . ”

We started to run . We had to catch up with that guy as fast as possible . Before he gave up everything .

We passed through the auditoriums and ran down the aisles . The posters on the 7th floor were of Korean movies popular in the past .

Shit, please let all of them be torn…

However, unlike what I hoped, the last poster was still intact .

“Damn…”

[The screening will begin . ]

The blue spotlight covered the party and the scene changed . My head spun and a salty smell entered my nose .

The stage was the sea . But… this time it wasn’t a cruise ship . There was the smell of artillery . The rough texture of the Panokseon could be felt . (Panokseon wiki link)

The moment I turned my head on the shaky boat, I heard someone’s voice .

“Everybody, down—!”

I reflexively fell down and there was a bombardment of gunfire around me . Tang tang tang tang― A few soldiers collapsed while bleeding .

“Protect the ship―!”

The soldiers dressed in old military garb were rushing around . An uneasy wind blew as war took place . The turbulent Myeongnyang Strait was swirling and there was the distant sound of drums .

Dammit .

There was no Korean who didn’t know this movie . It was because this movie had been watched by most South Koreans .

Jung Heewon looked at the horizon and muttered .

“This… how can we win?”

The ending of Theater Dungeon would only open when the master was satisfied .

Kukukukung!

300 Japanese warships filled the sea . I hurriedly confirmed the power on our side . Still, this was a movie based on historical facts . There was hope .

“…What is this?”

There was only one Panokseon where there should be 12 . I hurriedly grabbed one of the sailors around him and asked .

“Where is the commander?”

“Comman…der?”

“Admiral Yi!”

The navy sailor had no idea at all . My chest became cold . It was different from the movie I knew . The theatre master changed the story .

In no time, the enemy narrowed the distance . This was ridiculous . How could we win the Battle of Myeongnyang without help from the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare?

I looked around and hurriedly exclaimed .

“Lee Jihye!”

(TL: For those who won’t know, this movie is The Admiral: Roaring Currents about Admiral Yi Sunshin, which broke records when it was released . Wiki link here)

* * *

I thought that this might happen . If fact, I brought Lee Jihye not just for her power but to consider the ‘what if’s . ‘

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is sorry for Lee Jihye . ]

It wasn’t difficult to find Lee Jihye . There was only one boat and the place where Duke of Loyalty and Warfare’s messages could be heard was limited .

“U-Uhhhh…”

She was vomiting in a corner of the first floor deck .

“Hey, are you okay?

Lee Jihye looked up at me with moist eyes .

“I can’t, I can’t do it!”

This wasn’t about me .

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is encouraging ‘Lee Jihye’ . ]

“Never, I will never do it! Oof…!”

She vomited once again .

I knew . The reason why this person was chosen by Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, despite hating the sea .

[Due to the effect of your exclusive attribute, the memories from the books you have read will increase . ]

In my head, a scene from the 40th chapter of Ways of Destruction passed .

「 “Hey, how did she get chosen by the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare when she is afraid of the sea?”

“I don’t know . Um… maybe because she has the admiral in her ancestry?”

“…She is the descendent of the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare? 」

There was considerable criticism from a few readers apart from me who made it to the 40th chapter of Ways of Destruction .

No, did it make sense for her to have the blood of the great Duke of Loyalty and Warfare?

But I had read all the chapters except for the epilogue of Ways of Destruction so I knew . Lee Jihye wasn’t of the bloodline of the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare .

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ misses his old friend when he sees ‘Lee Jihye . ‘]

「 “Then are you a Lee from the Deoksu clan?”

“No, I am a Jeonju Lee . ” 」

(TL Note: As with all Korean family names, the holders of the Lee surname are divided into different lineages, known in Korean as bon-gwan, based on their ancestral seat . Most such clans trace their lineage back to a specific founder, and are generally not related to one another . Wiki Link)

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ looks at the descendant of an old friend . ]

Lee Jihye was the descendant of Lee Eokgi, the companion of the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare . (Lee can also be romanized as Yi . I chose to make it Lee to match with Lee Jihye, his descendant . Wiki Link)

Duke of Firmness and Compassion, Lee Eokgi .

Along with the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, he led the navy to victory in the Battle of Tanghangpo and the Battle of Hansan-do . He was one of the few who defended the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, Yi Sunshin when he was arrested on unfair charges . However, he didn’t have enough myths and didn’t become a sponsor .

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is looking at ‘Lee Jihye’ with sad eyes . ]

Due to that, the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare selected Lee Jihye .

She wasn’t his descendant but the descendant of his closest confidant . Maybe it was simply the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare’s choice .

Perhaps the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare didn’t see it .

The fact that the descendant of his deceased confidant and friend would be killed by his own hands and become a demon .

Well… this was according to the setting of Ways of Survival .

[A bounty scenario has occurred!]

+

[Bounty Scenario – Those who seek death shall live . Those who seek life will die]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: B+

Clear Conditions: The ‘Maritime War God’ is asking you for help . Encourage Lee Jihye, incarnation of Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, and win the Battle of Myeongnyang .

Time Limit: 2 hours

Compensation: A stigma from the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare .

Failure: ―

+

I doubted my eyes for a moment .

The bounty scenarios were rarely requested by a constellation alone . I looked closely because it was strange and saw that the reward was also extraordinary .

…The stigma of the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare?

If I cleared this scenario, I would be able to use one of the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare’s stigmas without signing a contract . I shook Lee Jihye .

“Lee Jihye, stop it . Quickly . ”

“I don’t want to! Urgh… The three of you can handle it!”

“Can’t you endure it a little bit?”

“…Endure? Ahjussi doesn’t know . ”

I didn’t know…

Yes, this was her manner of talking . However, there was no time to accept her childish actions .

“No, I know . You aren’t like this because of seasickness . ”

“…What?”

“It is because your dead friend liked this movie . ”

Lee Jihye shook, like a boxer hit in the jaw . It was like a scene rushing into her head . It was the first scenario at Daepo Girls’ High School . She strangled her friend with her bare hands .

“T-That… How did you…?”

“Don’t ask how I know . There is no time to explain . ”

Lee Jihye looked up at me with blank eyes .

“You killed your friend with your own hands only to die like this?”

The first floor deck was pierced with a hook . I grabbed the hook shooting towards Lee Jihye with my bare hands . Lee Jihye shook as she looked at me .

“You can run away here or not . You will never be forgiven . But―”

There were loud shouts . I could hear the sound of Japanese raiders jumping on the ship .

“If you wake up now, at least you can save some people . ”

I came up onto the second floor deck with the trembling Lee Jihye .

Lee Gilyoung and Jung Heewon were already surrounded . I raised my weapon . The enemies were ordinary Japanese soldiers . We wouldn’t lose in a one on one battle . The problem was that there were too many numbers .

“Kuaaak!”

I sliced at the incoming soldiers but couldn’t seen an end to it . The enemy ships were firing from a distance . We were finished if this ship sunk . The movie would end tragically and we would die here .

“Lee Jihye!”

I realized the greatness of Yi Sunshin .

How did he lead this battle to victory?

“Wake up now!”

This was a cursed scenario . We didn’t have Song Yeojung or Jung Eungdoo . (Apparently close companions of Yi Sunshin)

All we had was a weak girl protected by the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare . The girl staggered on the deck of the second floor .

“I-I’m disgusting . I…I don’t deserve to be alive…”

Yes, it was disgusting . I was disgusting along with the way that I was using her .

“No one would be qualified . ”

“U-Ughhh…”

Tears endlessly poured from Lee Jihye’s eyes . I held Hercules’ Shield and stood in front of her .

Kwang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

“Survive and take responsibility! Atone for the rest of your life or live a garbage life . Just somehow survive!”

The ship was being broken by the indiscriminate shelling . I turned to her with cold eyes .

“Or do you really want to die here?”

[Your understanding of the character ‘Lee Jihye’ has increased . ]

All types of emotions came from the crying Lee Jihye . She was drowning in the dark emotions of resentment, self-contempt and disillusionment with the world . Nevertheless, there was a straightforward emotion under it .

「 I don’t want to die . 」

The constellations were selfish . There were those who didn’t support their incarnation or didn’t care if their incarnation died or not . But .

As long as any constellation was in the stage of their ‘myth’, they wouldn’t turn away from their incarnation .

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ has responded to the will of ‘Lee Jihye’ . ]

A brilliant red light burst around Lee Jihye’s body . It was good for Yoo Jonghyuk but I didn’t get nothing . I had something to gain .

[The character ‘Lee Jihye’ has received a new stigma . ]

The third stigma of Sword Demon Lee Jihye . It was the strongest stigma that would later make her a maritime admiral .

“…To God . ”

Lee Jihye held the hilt of her sword and looked at the sea . There were many enemies and no allies . She quietly turned her sword towards the world .

“There are still 12 ships left . ”

A radiant beam emerged from the end of her sword .

[The character ‘Lee Jihye’ has activated the stigma ‘Ghost Fleet Lv . 1!]

Water vapor rose in the area . Water sprayed all over the place and 12 ghost ships appeared in the sea .

“Get revenge on the enemies . ”

The drumming paused like it was embarrassed . Shells flew towards the ghost fleet . However, the ghost fleet was disembodied and didn’t suffer any damages .

“Die in this place . ”

Finally, Lee Jihye’s fleet started to move forward . 12 ships moved through the water, creating countless ripples . The white barrels started firing and the ships blocking the path collapsed helplessly .

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The girl who didn’t cry led the battlefield .

In front of the ghost fleet, the warships were completely overwhelmed . It wasn’t just me . , Jung Heewon and Lee Gilyoung also gaped at the scene .

This was the real power of a ‘stigma . ‘ It was the power of the admiral that wasn’t pushed by anyone in a maritime war .

In the fading light of the sunset, the screams of the Japanese were heard from among the smoke . The whirlpool of Myeongnyang Strait sucked in the dead bodies . It took less than an hour for the last enemy ship to collapse .

[The theater owner is satisfied with the changed ending of the movie . ]

[The fourth ‘Ending Credit’ has been reached . ]

[Performers: Kim Dokja, Jung Heewon, Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyoung . ]

[You have obtained 500 coins as compensation . ]

As soon as we received the ending credit, additional messages came up .

[The bounty scenario is cleared . ]

[You have received the Maritime War God’s reward for the bounty scenario . ]

Frankly, I was filled with expectations . Maybe I would get Ghost Fleet . If I could just get it then I wouldn’t be envious of Lee Jihye .

[The stigma ‘Song of the Sword’ has been acquired . ]

I thought I heard wrong when the message popped up .

The stigma Song of the Sword . This was originally a stigma that Lee Jihye acquired midway in the story . Yet the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare gave me this stigma .

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ thanks you . ]

In a sense, this skill was something I needed more than Ghost Fleet right now . If I had this stigma, I might be able to prevent the worst from happening on the eighth floor .

The surrounding scenery slowly changed and we returned to the inside of the movie theatre . The exhausted Lee Ji-hye was staring at me .

“Ahjussi . ”

“You rest here . We will go to save Yoo Jonghyuk . ”

“But…”

“Listen up . ”

I obtained a new stigma but I didn’t have time to laugh . No matter how good the stigma, there was no meaning if this ‘world’ was over . In order to prevent that ‘end’, I had to save Yoo Jonghyuk .

I distributed the ampoules I gathered to everyone . When raising the stats level, the coins consumption was increased every 10 levels . Therefore, I would use my coins first before the ampoules .

[4,000 coins have been consumed . ]

[The comprehensive enhancement ampoules have been used . ]

[Physique Lv . 18 -> Physique Lv . 24]

[Strength Lv . 18 -> Strength Lv . 24]

[Agility Lv . 11 -> Agility Lv . 20]

[Magic Power Lv . 10 -> Magic Power Lv . 15]

[All stats have increased significantly!]

We climbed the last stairway .

“Everyone, get ready . ”

[You have entered the eighth floor, the Heavenly Garden . ]

The eighth floor of the theatre was a rooftop . It was a small dome reminiscent of an opera house . As soon as I stepped on the green grass of the rooftop, I found the back of the regressor I was looking for .

Ah…

When I thought about all those who would suffer if he died, my anger soared . Fortunately, the back of his head was good enough to be hit .

“Hey Yoo Jonghyuk!”

I ran towards Yoo Jonghyuk and hit him in the back of the head .