WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 39: Episode 9 - Omniscient Sunfish (3)

[The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your trick.]

[A constellation who enjoys hoarding has gifted you 200 coins.]

The winner of the rock-paper-scissors game was decided in an instant. Gilyeong’s face was slightly flushed, Huiwon looked satisfied, while Jihye sat down with a dumbfounded expression.

“...This can’t be happening!”

Unfortunately for her, I couldn’t read Gilyeong’s thoughts, so he ended up with two of the ampoules.

“You didn’t have to give them to me...”

“Just take them.”

I patted Gilyeong’s head. I also handed two vitality ampoules to Huiwon, who accepted them with a smile.

“Thank you. I was struggling with my stamina anyway.”

The only one who didn’t get any ampoules was Jihye.

“How can someone win 18 out of 20 rounds on their own? You cheated, didn’t you?”

“I’m just good at rock-paper-scissors.”

“Were you using mind-reading or something? Come on, just give me one...”

“Why don’t you ask Junghyeok?”

I watched Jihye’s eyes glisten with tears as I opened one of the ampoules in front of her. Huiwon patted her sulking shoulder, glancing at Jihye’s shiny sword, and then at me.

“Hey, Dokja-ssi.”

“Yes?”

After hesitating for a moment, Huiwon scratched her head and opened her ampoule.

“Thanks, I’ll drink it.”

The helicopter’s rotors whirred as we flew away from the dinosaur island. Lee Gilyeong looked out and asked,

“Hyung, can’t I take him to the next floor?”

A giant praying mantis, the same one Gilyeong had befriended earlier, was perched on his knee, rubbing its antennae against his chin.

“Unfortunately, we can’t take him with us.”

With a sad expression, Gilyeong gently picked up the mantis, trying to part ways.

“...Goodbye, Titano.”

He had even named it. Sadly, the creatures created in the Cinema Dungeon couldn’t move on to the next floor. However, items could. Like the stat-boosting ampoules we’d acquired earlier and the item I was currently holding.

[Tyrant T. rex DNA Ampoule]

This small, golden ampoule was the key reason I’d chosen this particular movie. When consumed, it temporarily boosted all stats by +10 for 30 minutes. Although it could only be used inside the Cinema Dungeon, it was essential for clearing the final floor of the dungeon.

Especially if Junghyeok was caught in the worst situation I could imagine.

The mantis Gilyeong released flew off into the darkening sky, which soon began to fade away.

[You have reached the first Ending Credits.]

[Cast: Kim Dokja, Jeong Huiwon, Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyeong]

[You have each received 500 coins for your performance.]

When I regained my senses after a slight dizziness, we were back on the ground floor. The movie poster of the film we had just escaped from was torn and plastered on the wall. That was proof that we had cleared it. Naturally, Jihye was complaining again.

“How many more floors do we have to do like this?”

“Junghyeok must have cleared a few already, so it won’t take as long as you think.”

We headed straight up the escalator to the second floor. From here, the Cinema started to resemble a typical cinema, with smaller, confined spaces. Huiwon asked,

“Nothing’s happening here?”

The environment on the second floor remained unchanged, no matter how long we waited. There were no cameras, and the screening didn’t start. Looking closely, all the posters on this floor were torn. Lee Jihye seemed to have caught on as well.

“Maybe only the movies with intact posters get screened?”

I inspected the torn posters one by one.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim[1]... A movie about giant robots fighting? Too bad. If it were intact, the reward could have been something like ‘Enhanced Armor.’

Christopher Nolan’s Inception[2]... Well, thank goodness it was torn.

“Aw, I wanted to see this one.”

I glanced at the poster Jihye was pointing to.

“You like superhero movies?”

“Yeah.”

“Good thing it was torn. You’d probably hate them after experiencing it.”

“True.”

In one of the ripped posters, a green monster was roaring at us. We continued up to the third floor.

“Another floor wiped clean.”

Just like the previous floor, all the posters on the third were torn. It looked like Junghyeok had thoroughly swept through. Considering the dangerous films on this floor, it was a relief.

James Wan’s Final Destination[3]... How did Junghyeok even clear that?

“This might go faster than we thought,” said Huiwon cheerfully, but I grew more anxious with every floor we ascended. Clearing the Cinema Dungeon required a bit of luck. Some of the posters represented films not even covered in Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. Junghyeok hadn’t cleared every movie, either.

As soon as we stepped onto the fourth floor, a system message appeared.

[You have entered the fourth floor.]

Before we could even find the posters, a spotlight shone down on us. Huiwon clasped her hands together, almost as if she were praying.

“Please, no ghost movies...”

I glanced at her, surprised by the uncharacteristic comment. She quickly explained,

“You can’t kill ghosts with swords.”

[The screening is starting.]

With a whooshing sensation, the surroundings changed, and when we opened our eyes again, we were standing on the bow of a ship, facing the sea breeze.

“What is this...?”

The salty air and the endless horizon spread out before us. It had been so long since I’d seen the sea that I momentarily lost myself. With work piling up every day, it had been years since my last vacation.

“What movie is this?”

Next to me, Huiwon was wearing a long, flowing dress. From inside the ship, I could hear the sound of a violin and the cheerful chatter of excited guests. It was so romantic that it was almost hard to believe it was just a movie recreation...

Ah, I knew what film this was.

Jihye’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Ugh, I suddenly feel...”

When I turned, she was retching into the air. Huiwon ran over to pat her back. After a prolonged bout of dry heaving, Jihye looked miserable.

“I get seasick.”

“It’s okay, just let it out.”

...I had always wondered why Jihye was chosen by Admiral Lee Sunsin’s will[4]. Actually, I knew from reading the novel, but I almost wished I didn’t.

“Unnie, this movie... it’s the one where the ship sinks, right?”

“Seems like it.”

“Do you think you’re the female lead?”

Jihye eyed Huiwon’s dress with envy, then glanced over at me.

“Then is that guy the male lead...? Bleeeeegh!”

Seeing her throw up while making such a remark soured my mood. Just then, Gilyeong popped out from behind.

“Hyung!”

He was dressed in a rather shabby outfit. There was a strange sense of familiarity to it... but never mind. The whole group was here.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s plan the ending.”

The ship would sink. But unfortunately, Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse didn’t have a solution for this film. How were we supposed to create a ‘satisfying’ climax with a sinking ship? Were we supposed to fight the ocean itself?

Jihye spoke up first.

“If the ship’s going to sink anyway, why don’t we just make it sink faster?”

“That’s a bit...”

Not ideal. If this were a smash-and-dash kind of film, we could have cleared it easily.

“Maybe we should beat up the villains, hyung.”

Gilyeong suggested.

I wasn’t sure if this movie had clear villains, but we didn’t have a better idea, so I decided to follow his lead.

“Let’s deal with the antagonists first.”

We set off, but how were we supposed to identify the bad guys in this film? I hadn’t seen it in years... Turns out, we didn’t need to figure it out; the villain came to us. Only then did I remember. Right, this movie was about a villain tormenting the protagonist. A man in a slick suit, with neatly combed-back hair, glared at us.

“You!”

But he wasn’t pointing at me.

“...Me?”

...Wait, was Gilyeong the male lead? I sighed, looking at him.

Soon, we had the person we assumed was the film’s antagonist tied up. But there was no reaction from the Cinema Master. Apparently, simple kidnapping wasn’t enough...

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Well then...”

“Let’s just kill him.”

Jihye jumped the gun, drawing her sword. The bound man struggled in panic.

“Didn’t you say the Cinema Master likes cathartic endings? Then killing this guy should be the right move.”

Honestly, I thought the same. No, I was certain. TWSA had a similar situation where the solution was to kill the antagonist.

But then, Huiwon, who had been watching the terrified man, said something unexpected.

“But... he looks like a real person.”

“Huh?”

“This is a movie, right? But he seems real.”

Hearing this from Huiwon, who had mercilessly dispatched villains just days ago, felt odd. She once told me she didn’t want to become a monster just because she was forced to kill. Jihye asked,

“Unnie, is this really the time to get sentimental? So, what, don’t kill him?”

“No, it’s not that...”

“If we don’t kill this guy, we’re dead. We’re definitely alive, but he’s just a ‘character’!”

Character. The word made me pause.

“...I suppose that’s true.”

“Even if he were a ‘real person,’ he’d still be a bad guy, right? What’s wrong with killing someone like that?”

Jihye’s logic might have been right. The man was clearly an ‘antagonist’ in the scenario, destined to do bad things. So it was fine to kill him. But ironically, this was the same logic Yu Junghyeok often used in Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.

「“The future is already determined.”」

Just as I was about to say something, Jihye abruptly stood up and thrust her sword.

“Geez, why are we even hesitating? We have to save Master!”

The blade, descending from above, pierced the man’s chest. Blood gushed out, so real it was hard to believe it was fake. A system message soon followed.

[The Cinema Master is somewhat satisfied with the revised ending.]

[A passage to the next floor has opened at the stern.]

“See? I was right.”

Jihye said triumphantly. Indeed, the solution worked. The Cinema Master acknowledged it as a ‘satisfying’ ending, and the constellations would reward us with coins for our actions. With those coins, we’d survive. That was the way of life in a doomed world.

But... when we reached the end of this world, would we still be able to look each other in the eye?

[You have reached the second Ending Credits.]

I didn’t have the answer to that.

[Cast: Kim Dokja, Jeong Huiwon, Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyeong]

[You have each received 500 coins for your performance.]

There were no significant reward items from this movie, so we followed the system’s guidance and moved straight to the next floor.

[You have entered the fifth floor, the Room of Rewards.]

After ascending the escalator, the ‘Room of Rewards’ finally came into view.

“Room of Rewards? Doesn’t seem like a movie is playing here.”

“Looks like this was originally a place to showcase movie props.”

I knew that already, but I played along.

Inside a glass case at the center of the room were props from various movies. Weapons, outfits, stage equipment, once used by movie heroes... The fun part was that these were no longer just ‘props.’

Huiwon gasped as she approached the glass case.

“Oh my gosh, look at this sword!”

[Mikazuki Munechika[5] - Replica]: Grade A Sword

I nodded at Huiwon, who was admiring the shining weapon.

“Finally, you’ve got a decent sword, Huiwon-ssi.”

“Wow...”

It was clearly a high-quality blade, easily surpassing the horned sword she’d been using, and even superior to Jihye’s longsword.

Huiwon swung the sword a few times, clearly thrilled.

“This is amazing! It’s sharp, and so light!”

It was the first time I’d seen her so excited.

[The character Jeong Huiwon feels deep gratitude toward you.]

The primary reason for tackling the Cinema Dungeon was the rewards on this fifth floor. It was an excellent spot to farm equipment early on. This sword would definitely make Huiwon stronger.

[Reward items are limited to two per person.]

Although these were technically props, they had characteristics unique to their replica versions. While not true ‘constellation artifacts,’ these Grade A items were still overpowered for the early stages.

It seemed Junghyeok had already been here, as two items were missing.

“Pick out your items, everyone. You can take two each, so choose wisely.”

I helped Huiwon select another item that might suit Sangah, then picked out something for Hyeonseong. I found just the thing.

[Shield of Hercules[6] - Replica]: Grade A Shield

Perfect... This would be a major upgrade over his ‘Worn Iron Shield,’ maximizing his abilities.

Meanwhile, Lee Jihye, self-proclaimed superhero fan, was struggling to retrieve something from a corner.

“Why won’t this thing come out?”

I went over to see what she was fussing over. There it was.

[Mjölnir[7] - Replica]: Grade A Bludgeon

The hammer of the Thunder God Thor. If this were the real deal, it would have been an unbelievably powerful item... Still, even as a replica, it was formidable.

Watching Lee Jihye strain to lift the unmoving hammer, I said,

“Isn’t that only for special people?”

“Damn it, I’m special too!”

Then, Gilyeong casually reached out and grabbed Mjölnir.

“Hey, kid! That’s mi—”

Mjölnir effortlessly settled into Gilyeong’s grip. He swung it around a bit and then turned to me.

“Hyung, can I have this?”

“Sure, it suits you.”

Jihye’s face fell, defeated once again.

“Why am I the only unlucky one...?”

Ignoring her, I turned to look at the remaining items.

Let’s see, what should I take for my second?

[Reinforced Armor Suit - Replica]: Grade A Armor

Considering what lay ahead, it was best to have some extra protection. As I put the suit on, the joints clicked snugly into place.

[You have gained an additional 10% damage reduction.]

[Your enemy detection abilities have improved.]

[You begin to feel more agile.]

It felt a bit tight, but it was still better than being without it, especially with the upcoming battles.

Alright, everything was set.

Since the dungeon hadn’t changed, Junghyeok must still be alive. We’d probably catch up to him by the sixth or seventh floor. Even if he was fighting the boss on the eigth floor, at least it meant he was still alive.

Now, let’s see what our regressor has been up to, shall we?

Footnotes:

[1] In Pacific Rim, a war ensues when the Kaiju, the monstrous sea creatures, attack human beings. The scientists develop massive robots, Jaegers, to combat them. However, they seem futile against the Kaiju's onslaught.

[2] In Inception, Cobb steals information from his targets by entering their dreams. He is wanted for his alleged role in his wife's murder and his only chance at redemption is to perform a nearly impossible task.

[3] Final Destination has intense scenes of violence and gore peppered throughout. The death of the victims in these scenes is not caused by another person, but instead by circumstance and "chance" instigated by the shadowy figure of Death, who is sometimes seen as a blur in the background.

[4] Lee Sunsin / Yi Sun-sin was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon period. The exact number of naval engagements conducted by Admiral Lee against the Japanese is a subject of historical debate.

[5] The Mikazuki Munechika is a legendary katana named after its creator, Sanjo Munechika, a renowned swordsmith from the Heian period (794-1185 CE). It's considered one of the "Five Famous Swords Under Heaven" (Tenka-Goken) due to its exceptional craftsmanship and historical significance.

[6] Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.

[7] Mjölnir is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings.

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