Boom!
Boom!
Boooom!
Lee Jihye's ghost fleet began bombarding the Japanese fleet.
A girl who had decided to overcome her tears.
A girl who had never experienced a real battlefield.
Now, she commanded the fray in order to survive.
Kiiiiing—
Boooom!
As if she wouldn't let a single ship escape alive, mirroring the triumphs of history.
She unleashed the cannons as though vomiting out all the resentment she had suppressed until now.
Boooom!!
Once Lee Jihye's talent bloomed, it took less than an hour for every single ship to sink.
I already knew how strong Lee Jihye was, but seeing it unfold in reality felt entirely different.
"Ugh, the smell of gunpowder is overwhelming."
"We used that many cannons; wouldn't it be weirder if it didn't smell?"
"I guess so."
[The Theater Owner is satisfied with the ending where the owner has changed.]
[You have reached the fourth 'Ending Credit'.]
[Cast: Kim Dokyun, Kim Dokja, Jung Heewon, Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyoung]
[Each participant has acquired 500 coins as a performance fee.]
They aren't even giving me time to breathe.
"Good job."
"Ugh... the motion sickness is back..."
"You took motion sickness medicine, so why are you still feeling it?"
"Do you think I'm like you?! The medicine's effect could have worn off quickly!"
Is that so?
Well, they do say dosage varies from person to person, and since motion sickness medicine is still medicine, maybe...?
[It's such a waste to hand this over to Yoo Joonghyuk.]
[Agreed. But it's already gone to her. Besides, we acted knowing we'd have to give it up.]
[True.]
Perhaps she would have overcome it eventually.
I had simply pulled forward the time when she could finally overcome it.
"General."
[The Constellation, 'Sea-Commander', tells you to wait as he will provide a reward shortly.]
"No, it's not that. Please let Dokja receive that reward instead. I already have enough."
After all, I had already received a skill book from Dokja.
More importantly, I could still confidently claim to be one of the strongest in the Seoul Dome.
[The Constellation, 'Sea-Commander', accepts your request.]
[The Bounty Scenario has been cleared.]
I am curious to see which Stigma Dokja will receive.
[The Constellation, 'Sea-Commander', finds your devotion to your family admirable.]
[You have received a sponsorship of 1,000 coins.]
1,000 coins?!
Most of the ones who sponsor me such large sums are Narrative-grade Constellations.
In contrast, the General is a Great Person-grade.
Even among arrogant Constellations, there is a clear hierarchy of rank.
I feel bad for the General, but the Great Person-grade is the lowest tier among Constellations.
Because of that, it must be difficult for him to acquire coins...
To someone who doesn't know, this might seem like nothing, but to me and Dokja, who know the behind-the-scenes, it's a touching sponsorship.
"Brother."
"Yeah?"
"...I heard you transferred the Stigma to me."
Ah, she's talking about that.
"What did you get?"
"... 'Sword's Song'."
"That's a pretty good one. Seeing as he sponsored me as well, I think he might have overextended himself this time. I wonder if he'll be alright?"
Considering the loss of a Stigma for those of us who aren't Incarnations, the sponsorship feels even more precious.
[Many Constellations express dissatisfaction with your attitude, which differs from their own.]
"Are you guys even comparable to the General?"
It's always the ones who have everything who complain the most. It's absurd that they're acting like this when they already know the truth.
Regardless, Dokja obtained a useful Stigma, and I obtained a weapon...
Even if Yoo Joonghyuk becomes my enemy on the 8th floor, I'm confident I can win.
Zzzzt.
"Ah, it looks like we're returning to the theater."
[The Constellation, 'Sea-Commander', expresses his gratitude to you.]
"!"
I looked at Lee Jihye, who was no longer crying.
She was clearly exhausted, with visible tear stains, just a child pretending to be okay.
Despite drawing Jung Heewon's concern and being drenched in sweat, she managed a smile.
Ah, our eyes met.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence fell between Lee Jihye and me.
Hehe.
"^–^✌️"
As if noticing my lingering worry, Lee Jihye gave a small laugh and flashed me a 'victory V' sign.
Yes, this is a happy ending.
.
.
.
The sea vanished, and we returned to the cinema.
As expected, the movie poster was torn.
"Well done."
Rub rub rub!
"Ah, you're messing up my hair!!"
"Your hair is already a mess. Just accept it. Why are you worrying about your hair after being forced to stand up?"
"You're the one who forced me up...!"
"Either way, you were forced up, weren't you?"
"Eeeeeee!!!"
Even after something like this happens, it's best to treat someone as you normally would.
If you show more consideration than usual because of a specific event, the person involved will only become self-conscious about it.
No matter how much you try to hide it, they feel it instinctively.
'Ah, this person is trying to be considerate of me.'
[Should we let her rest? Even if we go up, it's not a naval battle... she's likely more mentally exhausted than physically.]
[Yeah, I agree with my brother. That would be best.]
"Sit here and get some rest."
"What?"
"You're exhausted. We'll handle saving Yoo Joonghyuk, so just rest for a bit."
"But..."
Lee Jihye likely wanted to be of help in saving Yoo Joonghyuk.
As proof, she tried to force her exhausted body to stand up.
"Just listen to me."
"... ..."
"Listen to your brother, Lee Jihye."
With Dokja joining in, we managed to make her rest.
Lee Jihye had grown significantly in a mental sense.
She had even obtained a new Stigma.
However, this wasn't a naval battle, and I couldn't fight while protecting a completely drained Lee Jihye.
The master of this dungeon would certainly not be an easy opponent.
They would likely be more troublesome than any enemy we had faced so far...
"Brother, let's go."
"Right."
Tadadadad!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
We sprinted up the stairs.
Lee Jihye's true companion wasn't us, but Yoo Joonghyuk.
While we were allies, Yoo Joonghyuk was the one who would spend more time with Jihye in the future.
If such a Yoo Joonghyuk were to regress again, it would all be meaningless.
My stats were at the scenario limit.
I had also obtained a weapon as powerful as Mjolnir.
The only remaining concerns were skills and traits.
But even those weren't a huge problem.
I had already clashed with her twice recently.
Still, I didn't know what she had obtained inside the movie, so I had to be careful.
Step.
Whoosh—
[You have entered the 8th Floor, 'Sky Garden'.]
A cold wind brushed against my face, making it immediately apparent that we were in the 'Sky Garden'.
"Wait? Dokja-ssi, isn't that Yoo Joonghyuk?"
Where Jung Heewon pointed, a familiar silhouette stood.
Long, glossy black hair fluttering in the wind.
A figure whose curves couldn't be hidden even by a coat—perfectly balanced proportions.
And skin that looked faintly moist.
It was definitely Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Didn't they say her life was in danger? She looks perfectly fine."
I thought she might have died after being on a high floor for so long; it was a relief.
It seemed we had avoided the worst-case scenario.
Snap.
Step.
Veins popped on Dokja's face as he took a step forward—!
Step.
"...Brother?"
"Just in case, I'll go first."
"But..."
"Who else here can go toe-to-toe with Yoo Joonghyuk? Just me!"
[The Constellation, 'Thunder of Thursday', likes your confidence.]
[The Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire', worries and tells you to be careful.]
[The Demon King, 'Demon King of Wrath and Lust', looks forward to the ending of the scenario you will show.]
Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.
WHACK!
"That crazy...!"
"Oh my!"
[Many Constellations are shocked by your actions!]
[The Demon King, 'Demon King of Wrath and Lust', bursts into laughter at your behavior!]
Why is everyone reacting like that?
I didn't just slap the back of her head.
I hit her with the flat side of the axe—hard!
To put it simply, it was like hitting the back of someone's head with an iron club.
"Does it feel good to hog everything for yourself?"
Between the struggle Dokja and I went through to save her, and the effort of looking after Jihye, this was a light punishment.
I had wanted to beat her much worse than this.
"... ...?"
"Brother! Something is wrong!!"
"I know!"
This wasn't Yoo Joonghyuk's usual reaction.
Normally, she would have screamed 'I'll kill you!' and lunged at me instantly.
"...Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"Maybe she's just frozen in anger because Dokyun-ssi hit her out of nowhere?"
"With her personality, if she's angry, she tries to kill you. She wouldn't just stand there."
"That's true."
Jung Heewon, who had witnessed my fights with Joonghyuk several times, understood her well enough to nod cautiously.
"Seriously, what's wrong with her?"
I leaned down to carefully examine Yoo Joonghyuk's face.
That's when I saw it.
A look that was clearly alien to the usual Yoo Joonghyuk.
Her pupils were dilated, and her mouth was hanging open, unable to close due to the impact of the blow.
Slide.
After checking her condition, I turned my head toward the source of the gaze I had been feeling.
Ssh.
A gentleman wearing a fedora and a navy suit, leaning on a cane.
The gentleman tipped his hat in greeting.
I see.
So you're the 'Theater Owner'.
['Theater Owner Simulacron' has revealed himself.]
"At least he greets people before fighting. He's already much better than Yoo Joonghyuk."
Grin.
Simulacron smiled, seemingly pleased by my backhanded compliment.
What exactly is the situation?
If it were Dokja, she would have realized immediately.
[Dodge!]
A will transmitted directly into my mind via the red thread.
[...What?]
"...What?"
[I SAID DODGE!!!]
"DODGE!!!"
Why is Dokja panicking and breaking into a cold sweat like that?
"Huh?"
Before I knew it, Yoo Joonghyuk's vacant eyes were fixed on me.
"You know that expression is really creepy, right?"
Streeeeetch.
I wondered how far it would go and tried stretching Yoo Joonghyuk's cheek.
Her cheek stretched further than I expected.
Interesting.
Step.
Step.
"Are you finally moving?"
One step, then another.
Yoo Joonghyuk closed the distance between us.
Whoosh!
Clang!
A surprise punch from Yoo Joonghyuk.
But since I had experienced this before, I leisurely blocked it with my ax—!
Voom!
KABOOOOM!!
I was supposed to block it, right?
I definitely blocked it.
Despite that, the impact pierced through the axe and sent my body flying backward.
Fortunately, because I had blocked it properly, I only ended up sliding back, carving a trench into the ground.
There was no physical damage.
If Yoo Joonghyuk's raw strength had increased, my arms should have trembled.
Since that didn't happen, it was likely a skill.
"Fine, round four begins. I'll grind that unlucky face of yours with my axe blade."
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