WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 40: Episode 9 - Omniscient Sunfish (4)

Unfortunately, Yu Junghyeok was nowhere to be found on the sixth floor.

The only consolation was that the movie on this floor had been relatively easy. It was a thriller with a twist I had seen before, and since I already knew who the culprit was, we cleared it quickly by killing him.

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

[You have earned 500 coins for your performance.]

Jihye looked baffled as she asked, “Was that guy really the culprit?”

“No spoilers. Someone here might not have seen it yet.”

[The constellation Secretive Plotter dislikes spoilers.]

The reward from this movie was also rather unique, likely due to its nature.

[You have obtained a Skill Book: Cold Observation.]

Cold Observation. A pretty useful skill.

This ability allowed one to estimate a person’s overall stats by observing their movements. It was pointless for characters where [Character Profile] worked, but it would be quite handy for those like Sangah or Gilyeong, where [Character Profile] didn’t apply. Maybe I earned this skill for accurately pinpointing the deceptive culprit.

[You have acquired the exclusive skill Cold Observation.]

Still, I felt a bit disappointed. It would have been nice if we had gotten a movie featuring gladiators or war. After all, I still didn’t have a passive combat skill that activated automatically. I could purchase skills like [Weapon Proficiency] with coins, but it felt like a waste at this point.

“I’m sick of movies,” Huiwon said, and I completely agreed. I didn’t want to see a movie for a long time after this. We would just have to be content with the hefty appearance fees.

We moved straight to the seventh floor. I hoped that this time, I would finally catch up to Junghyeok... But damn it. Most of the posters on the seventh floor were torn too. This meant that Junghyeok was in the boss room.

Given the situation, there was no more time to waste.

“Let’s run. The next floor is the last.”

We started sprinting. We needed to catch up to him as quickly as possible, before he lost his sanity and gave up on everything.

We dashed past the screening rooms, running down the corridor. The posters on the seventh floor were lined up, showing blockbuster films from around the world.

Please, please let them all be torn...

But once again, my hopes were dashed. The final poster was still intact.

“Damn it...”

[The screening for this floor is starting.]

The blue spotlight enveloped us, and the scene changed. The image blurred and distorted, and the smell of salt hit my nose.

The stage was set at sea again.

But... this time, it wasn’t a cruise ship.

The sharp stench of gunpowder. The rough texture of a warship’s deck. As I lifted my head from the swaying deck, I heard someone shout.

“Everyone, get down—!”

I instinctively ducked, and gunfire tore through the air around me. Ratatatat! Soldiers fell, bleeding, as bullets hit their mark.

“Turn the ship around—!”

Soldiers in old Joseon navy uniforms were frantically preparing cannons nearby. The winds of war raised the hairs on my skin. The swirling maelstrom of the Myeongnyang Strait and the distant beating of war drums from an approaching fleet...

Damn it.

There was no way any Korean wouldn’t know this movie. After all, it was one of the most-watched films in Korean history.

Huiwon, who had sidled up next to me, looked out over the horizon and muttered.

“How are we supposed to win against that?”

The Cinema Dungeon’s ending required a ‘satisfying’ climax to open.

Rumble, rumble...

The sea was dark with the shadows of 330 enemy ships. I quickly assessed our side’s strength. Still, this was based on historical fact, so there should be hope...

“...What the hell?”

There should have been twelve of our warships left, but only one was here. I grabbed a nearby sailor and asked urgently.

“Where is the commander?”

“...Commander?”

“I mean Admiral Lee Sunsin!”

The sailor looked completely bewildered. My heart sank. Something was wrong. This wasn’t the movie I knew. The Cinema Master had twisted the story. The enemy ships were closing in fast.

This was insane. Were they seriously expecting us to win the Battle of Myeongnyang without the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare?

I looked around frantically and shouted,

“Lee Jihye!”

I had considered this possibility. In fact, bringing Lee Jihye along wasn’t just to boost our fighting strength; it was a precaution, just in case.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God feels sympathy for his incarnation Lee Jihye.]

Finding her wasn’t difficult. There was only one ship, and the faint whispers of Admiral Lee’s indirect messages could be heard.

“Urgh, ugh...”

She was huddled in a corner of the deck, retching.

“Hey, you okay?”

Jihye looked up at me with tear-streaked eyes.

“I can’t do it. I-I can’t do this!”

She wasn’t speaking to me.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God encourages his incarnation Lee Jihye.]

“I’m not going out there, no way! Urgh...”

Another round of dry heaving. I knew why. Despite hating the sea and having little interest in justice, she was still chosen by Admiral Lee.

[The exclusive attribute enhances your memory of what you’ve read.]

The pages of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse flipped through my mind. Around chapter 40, there was a scene.

「“Hey, how did a kid who’s afraid of the sea end up chosen by Admiral Lee?”」

「“I don’t really know... Um, I heard one of my ancestors was an admiral, so maybe that’s why?”」

「“...Are you saying you’re a descendant of Admiral Lee?”」

When this chapter was serialized, a few other readers besides me complained about it.

People couldn’t believe that the great Admiral Lee Sunsin would care about something as trivial as bloodlines.

But I knew the truth, having read every chapter except the epilogue. Jihye wasn’t Admiral Lee’s descendant.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God gazes wistfully at his incarnation Lee Jihye remembering an old comrade.]

「“So, you’re from the Deoksu Lee clan?”」

「“No, I’m from the Jeonju Lee clan.”」

[The constellation Naval Warfare God looks upon the descendant of an old comrade.]

Lee Jihye was the descendant of Lee Eokgi[1], the Eastern Jeolla Fleet Commander, who had fought alongside Admiral Lee.

Duke of Firmness and Compassion, Lee Eokgi.

He was one of the few comrades who defended Admiral Lee when the court accused him of false charges and played a key role in battles like Dangpo and Hansando. Yet, due to a lack of stories passed down, he couldn’t become a great historical constellation.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God gazes at Lee Jihye with regret.]

So, Admiral Lee chose her. Not his own descendant, but the descendant of a dear friend who had defended him. It was the most Admiral Lee-like decision imaginable.

Perhaps Admiral Lee couldn’t bear to see the descendant of his comrade fall into despair, becoming a demon who killed her own friends.

Or so Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse suggested.

[A Bounty Scenario has arrived.]

+

<Bounty Scenario - Those Who Seek Death Shall Live, Those Who Seek Life Shall Die>

Category: Sub

Difficulty: B+

Clear conditions: The Naval Warfare God has requested your help. Encourage the incarnation of Admiral Lee, Lee Jihye, to lead the <Battle of Myeongnyang> to victory.

Time limit: 2 hours

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

Penalty for failure: ―

+

I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

It was rare for a great historical constellation to request a bounty scenario alone. Suspicious, I looked closer, and sure enough, the reward was extraordinary.

...A stigma from Admiral Lee?

This meant that clearing the scenario would allow me to use one of Admiral Lee’s stigmata without a patron contract. I shook Jihye.

“Jihye, get up. Now.”

“No! Ugh... Let the three of you handle it!”

“Can’t you hold out a little longer?”

“...Hold out? You don’t understand.”

You don’t understand... that was her go-to excuse. But I didn’t have time to entertain her tantrums.

“No, I do. This isn’t just seasickness.”

“What...?”

“You’re thinking about your friend, the one who loved this movie.”

Jihye’s jaw trembled, as if she’d been punched.

I could guess what was flashing through her mind. The first scenario at Typhoon High. Her strangling her friend with her own hands.

“How... how do you know that?”

“Don’t ask. I don’t have time to explain.”

Jihye looked up at me with dazed eyes.

“You killed your friend to survive, and now you’re just going to die here?”

A loud crash interrupted us as a hook pierced the deck near Jihye. I grabbed it with my bare hands before it could snag her. She looked at me, trembling.

“Whether you run or don’t run, you’ll never be forgiven. But—”

The shouts of enemies echoed as they boarded our ship.

“If you stand up now, at least some people might live.”

Leaving Jihye trembling, I rushed up to the second deck. Gilyeong and Huiwon were already surrounded by enemy soldiers.

I drew my weapon. The enemy was just ordinary soldiers, so I could handle them one-on-one. The problem was the sheer number.

“Arrrrgh!”

I slashed down the advancing enemies, but there was no end in sight. I could see enemy ships firing at us from a distance. If this ship sank, it would be over. The movie would end in tragedy, and we would die here.

“Lee Jihye!”

I could understand the greatness of a true hero. How had Admiral Lee led them to victory under such conditions?

“Snap out of it!”

This was a cursed scenario. There were no comrades who had fought with Admiral Lee here. There was no Song Yeojong[2], no Jeong Eungdo[3].

The only one here was a fragile girl under Admiral Lee’s protection.

And she was staggering up the stairs to the second deck.

“I... I’m disgusting. I... I don’t deserve to live...”

Maybe she was disgusting. But the more disgusting thing was that I had to use someone like her.

“Deserve? No one ‘deserves’ anything.”

“Ah... ahh...”

Tears streamed down her face. With the Shield of Hercules absorbing the blasts, I stood in front of her, my back shielding her.

“If you survive, you’re responsible! Whether you spend your life atoning or live like trash, you keep going!”

The ship groaned under the barrage of shells, splintering apart. I turned to her with cold eyes.

“Or do you really want to die here?”

[Your understanding of the character Lee Jihye is now excellent.]

[The exclusive skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Stage 2 has been activated!]

Her emotions surged through me—rage, self-loathing, disillusionment. But amid all that, a single clear thought emerged.

「I don’t want to die.」

Constellations are fickle. They don’t always support their incarnations, even when begged, and some don’t care if their incarnations die. But...

When it comes to the stage that defines their legend, no constellation turns their back.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God responds to the will of his incarnation Lee Jihye.]

A radiant light burst from Jihye, enveloping her body in a crimson aura. It was a sight to see, though Junghyeok would be pissed. Still, I was gaining something from this too.

[The character Lee Jihye has acquired a new stigma.]

The Scarred Sword Demon, Lee Jihye. The strongest stigma that would someday make her a naval admiral was awakening. Through her swordsmanship, the history Admiral Lee had endured on the battlefield began to flow.

「...I still have twelve ships left.」

She raised her blade, facing the ocean. There were many enemies, and no allies. She quietly drew her sword toward the world.

「If I can take revenge here, I will die without regret.」

Scarlet energy radiated from her blade.

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

With a low hum, mist began to rise across the sea.

With water jets bursting around the area, twelve ghost ships surfaced from the ocean.

「I shall not regret, even if I die here.」

The panicked enemy ships sounded their drums. Cannon fire rained down on the ghost fleet, but the spectral vessels suffered no damage.

「With these ships, I will bring justice.」

Jihye’s fleet began its charge. Cutting through the waves, defying the maelstrom of gunfire, the twelve ships advanced. As their cannons fired, enemy ships crumbled like dry leaves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The girl who did not cry commanded the battlefield.

Before the overwhelming might of the ghost fleet, the enemy was utterly crushed. Even Huiwon and Gilyeong stood slack-jawed, unable to look away from the scene.

This was the true power of a stigma.

In a naval battle, no one could match the might of Admiral Lee Sunsin.

Amid the setting sun, enemy screams echoed and dissipated into the smoke. The whirlpools of Myeongnyang Strait sucked in the blood-soaked bodies of the enemy. The last enemy ship sank within an hour.

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

[You have reached the fourth Ending Credits.]

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

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

As we received our rewards, an additional message appeared.

[You have cleared the Bounty Scenario.]

[As a reward, you have received a stigma from the Naval Warfare God.]

Honestly, I had hoped for this. If I could get the ‘Ghost Fleet,’ naval battles would be nothing to fear.

[You have acquired the stigma Song of the Sword.]

For a moment, I thought I misread the message.

The stigma [Song of the Sword].

Originally, Jihye would have acquired this stigma midway through the story. But Admiral Lee had given it to me now.

[The constellation Naval Warfare God expresses his gratitude.]

In a way, this was more useful than the ‘Ghost Fleet’ for my current situation. With this stigma, even if the worst-case scenario awaited us on the eighth floor, we might have a chance.

As the surroundings slowly reverted, we returned to the Cinema’s interior. Jihye, exhausted, looked at me.

“...Old man.”

“You stay here and rest. We’ll handle Junghyeok.”

“But...”

“Just listen to me.”

Even with the new stigma, there was no time to celebrate. No matter how powerful, it wouldn’t matter if the world ended. To stop that ‘end,’ I needed to save Yu Junghyeok.

I drank the remaining Stat Ampoules I’d saved. The cost of leveling up stats increased with every 10-level interval, so it was better to use the ampoules first to get the most out of them.

[You have spent 4,000 coins.]

[You have consumed the Stat Boosting Ampoules.]

[Vitality Lv.18 → Vitality Lv.24]

[Strength Lv.18 → Strength Lv.24]

[Agility Lv.11 → Agility Lv.20]

[Mana Lv.10 → Mana Lv.15]

[All overall stats have increased significantly!]

We ascended the final staircase.

“Everyone, get ready.”

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

The eighth floor of the cinema was the rooftop. It was a small dome, transparent and arched like an opera house. Stepping onto the grassy rooftop, I finally saw the back of the regressor I’d been chasing for so long.

Ah... Seeing him now, all the hardships I’d endured trying to save this idiot came rushing back, making me irrationally angry.

Fortunately, his head was still intact enough for me to hit it.

“Hey, Yu Junghyeok!”

I ran up to him and smacked him on the back of the head.

Footnotes:

[1] Lee Eokgi / Yi Eok-gi (Korean: 이억기; Hanja: 李億祺; 3 September 1561 – 27 August 1597) was the commander of the Korean Eastern Jeolla Fleet and later came to be the commander of the Western Jeolla Fleet. At age 32, despite being 15 years younger than Supreme Naval Commander Yi Sun-sin, Yi Eok-gi became his most trusted commander and companion during the Seven Year War.

[2] & [3] Admiral Lee’s companions.

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