When I first got the skill book... I wanted to use it myself.
It was a shame it wasn't a combat skill, but it was still useful enough.
It would be incredibly valuable for people like Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung... or my brother, for whom the [Character List] didn't work.
How would he react if he found out about my skill?
That I read the inner thoughts of others and exploited them.
That I was using him, too.
He would probably just be happy for me, or perhaps react with a calm curiosity and let it pass.
And there wouldn't be a single lie in his voice.
I hate that I can predict his reaction so perfectly.
I hate that I know too much, and that I use that knowledge so effectively.
So, this was a form of atonement.
The best reward I could offer right now—the only thing I could do for him, since I have read his mind, used him, and will likely continue to do so.
I also poured a silent prayer into the gift: that once he received this, he would avoid opponents who were too strong.
Unlike me, who had to rely on a skill, he simply nodded, as if he understood my heart without needing any supernatural aid.
I felt a wave of guilt, and an equal wave of gratitude.
It was truly ironic.
That we hurt each other because we cared so deeply, and that we hid those wounds from one another.
To see the end of this scenario together, I was the one pushing the most precious person in my life toward the brink of death.
And yet, knowing that, he continued to throw himself into danger for my sake.
Because we valued each other more than ourselves, the wounds only continued to multiply.
Isn't it a cruel contradiction?
The one person who understood me best and always stayed by my side, yet the very enemy who kept me in a state of constant anxiety.
I ran and ran, trying to shake these thoughts away, but they clung to me with stubborn persistence.
"Do we really have to run this fast?!"
"It's because some idiot spent way too much time in the reward room!"
There I go again.
That's not what I actually wanted to say.
I'm so embarrassed that only words I don't mean come tumbling out.
Really... why am I like this?
[You have transferred the skill book: 'Cool-Headed Observation'.]
"Here, you take this."
"Huh? No, you use it."
"I already have a similar skill."
"...Thanks."
As we passed the torn posters, I thought we might be able to clear the final 8th floor easily.
—Flash!
[The screening for this floor is beginning.]
...Right. This is 'Ways of Survival' for you. Nothing ever just 'passes' easily.
[I guess there was one last thing left.]
[...Damn it.]
[Dokja, watch your language.]
[...Oops.]
He wasn't joking; he actually meant it.
To be so composed that he could make a comment like that in a situation like this...
In some ways, my brother possesses a side of him that is beyond the word 'abnormal.'
—Swoosh!
The smell of salt... the ocean again?
"Everyone, get down—!"
"!"
My brother was the first to react to the shout.
—Rat-tat-tat!!!
"Pull the ships back!"
He blocked the hail of bullets with the broad blade of his axe, while I used the shield I had intended to give to Lee Hyunsung to cover us.
Damn it. This is a movie any Korean would know. Why did that bastard Yoo Joonghyuk have to leave behind such a difficult movie...
"How... how do we win against that?"
Jung Heewon pointed toward a fleet of Japanese warships closing in on them.
Then, I saw a broad back.
That unforgettable back that had always opened the path before me.
My brother.
Even for him, a naval battle is too much! But since it's based on historical fact, there must be some hope...!
There wasn't.
With nothing behind us, our single ship remained alone and desolate.
...What is this? There should be twelve other ships... why...
—Boom!
While I was distracted, Mjolnir flew back into my brother's hand.
I had forgotten that he was capable of wielding Mjolnir.
I see.
He already knew what was happening when he stepped forward. He did it to protect us.
—KABOOM!
This time, the axe returned to his hand.
He was holding them back as best he could, but it wasn't enough.
"Kim Dokja."
"Y-yeah? What?"
"Go find that deserter brat right now."
"You mean Jihye...? Got it."
"Call me when you find her. Don't try to bring her back yourself. There's probably a reason why she's not here."
Since when had she been missing?
Just when did he notice?
For now, as he said, finding Lee Jihye was the priority.
"Where is the Naval Commander?"
"Na-Naval Commander?"
"I mean Admiral Yi Sun-sin!"
"... ...?"
Did that theater owner change the story?!
He expects us to win the Battle of Myeongnyang without the Admiral's help?
—Rumble!
—Crash!
I looked to the side; my brother was relentlessly hurling his axe, sinking the Japanese ships one by one.
Was there ever a weapon that powerful in 'Ways of Survival'?
—Whoosh!
—Boom!
I turned my head and saw Gilyoung following my brother's lead, throwing Mjolnir to sink the ships.
Could it be... that my brother has been so competent that the world implemented its own balance patch?
"Lee Jihye...!!"
—Ding!
[Due to the effect of your exclusive attribute, your memory of the books you have read is increasing.]
「"Hey, but you're terrified of the ocean. How did you get chosen by the Admiral?"」
「"I don't know either. I heard one of my ancestors was a general; maybe that's why?"」
「"...Wait, are you actually a descendant of the Admiral?"」
Around chapter 40 of 'Ways of Survival,' when the details about Lee Jihye and the Admiral were revealed, some of the remaining readers had criticized the plot, asking if the great Admiral was really that obsessed with bloodlines.
Even then, my brother's perspective had been different.
"Is the Admiral not human? Of course he'd care about his descendants."
"...You think so?"
"They say blood is thicker than water. No matter how much you try to ignore it, blood ties always linger. We know that better than anyone, don't we?"
"...I guess."
"The land he and his men risked their lives to protect was facing ruin. In that moment, his descendant must have caught his eye."
"And?"
"Because she was his kin, he probably hoped she would save the Korean Peninsula once more, just as he had. That's why he chose Lee Jihye."
Yes, he had said that.
To be reminiscing in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield...
I don't know if I've gone crazy like him, or if I've simply grown accustomed to such sights.
And finally, I found Lee Jihye.
"Lee Jihye! Hey, are you okay?"
Her state was unstable.
It was likely because a friend who had passed away loved this movie.
"Call me when you find her. Don't try to bring her back yourself. There's probably a reason why she's not here."
The moment I opened my mouth, my brother's words echoed in my mind.
"...Brother! Over here!!"
"Right...! I'm coming!!"
How does Lee Jihye look to him right now?
A hindrance?
A high school student?
Or perhaps... the 'past version of me'?
The 'past me' who was trapped in a swamp of agony.
***
"Alright, my little deserter... care to give me an excuse?"
"Ugh, ugh, uuu..."
"What's wrong with her? Is she motion sick again?"
"I can't... I can't do it! I'm never, ever going out there! *Gag*..."
Tears were streaming down her face, and her pupils were constricted... this was definitely more than just motion sickness.
Besides, the motion sickness medicine I took hadn't even worn off yet, so there was no way hers had.
"You're not talking to us, are you? Who are you talking to? Your Sponsor?"
[The Constellation 'Sea-Commander' looks at 'Lee Jihye' with pity.]
The reason I don't make plans, despite having the second-most knowledge of 'Ways of Survival' after Dokja, is simple.
It's because I cannot trust my own certainty.
Human memory is distorted and damaged more easily than one would think.
Dokja is a true 'Reader' who meticulously read every single chapter, but I am merely a 'Listener' who heard the stories from such a reader.
I forget things that happened to me personally; how much more would I forget about a story told to me by someone else?
Therefore, while I have guesses as to why Lee Jihye is in this state, I cannot be certain.
It is common sense that incomplete information is often worse than having no information at all.
"I'll handle things here. Go on."
"But..."
"Take this."
I temporarily handed my axe over to Dokja.
"Protect Dokja. You know you're the strongest one here after me, right?"
—Vrrrrm.
The axe emitted a vibration filled with discontent.
It certainly possesses a will of its own...
"Brother, you really seem like a crazy person right now. Talking to a weapon."
"I think so too."
Even for a Constellation, talking to one's favorite weapon would look insane.
"I trust you... so, I'll go now."
"...Yeah."
Dokja left to join the battle, carrying the axe I had given her.
Look at her, acting all dissatisfied until she actually gets to hold it, and then she immediately relaxes.
Now, it was just me and the panicked Lee Jihye.
"That's enough. Get up. You might still be a kid, but you're past the age where you can just throw a tantrum."
[The Constellation 'Sea-Commander' encourages the Incarnation 'Lee Jihye'.]
"I don't want to! *Gag*... You four just figure it out yourselves!"
"Get up. This isn't a request."
"...You don't understand, old man."
—Grab.
I grabbed Lee Jihye's arm and tried to force her up.
"What are you—!"
—Slap!
The smell of gunpowder and blood overwhelmed the scent of salt...
The sound of gunfire and screams filled the air.
Cutting through it all, the sound of a slap echoed across the battlefield.
But unlike before, the one who had been slapped...
Was Lee Jihye.
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