Omniscient Sunfish (3)
We waited a long time for Park Jinwoo, who had fled into the forest to escape the Rex. Yet no matter how much time passed, there was no sign of him—not even his shadow.
“Why is this guy taking so long…?”
“He didn’t get taken out by the T-Rex or something, right…?”
Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye kept glancing toward the forest, clearly worried about Park Jinwoo’s continued absence. Lee Gilyoung seemed just as concerned, clutching the hem of my clothes as he stared into the woods.
……There’s no way that guy would go down that easily.
I looked at my companions fretting over Park Jinwoo and recalled everything I had seen him do so far.
Dumping the Demon on me, cursing the Constellations, picking fights with the Constellations, causing chaos with guns, impersonating a Constellation, turning a few people into eunuchs, tossing flashbangs at the Constellations, pointing a sniper rifle at Yoo Joonghyuk, acting ridiculously cocky toward both Yoo Joonghyuk and himself, holding off a monster wave alone for eight hours, and just now blinding one of the Rex’s eyes…….
He really is a complete madman….
Stringing together Park Jinwoo’s long list of exploits made it clear he was a truly spectacular lunatic. For someone like that to fall to a 7th-grade Rex? Recalling his abilities and track record, I simply could not picture it.
“This isn’t working. Shouldn’t we head into the forest ourselves and look for Jinwoo?”
“Yeah, he’s way too late. Something must have happened….”
Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye were pressing me with their opinion that we should go into the woods to rescue Park Jinwoo when a sound suddenly rose from deeper inside the forest.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“…Before we look for Jinwoo, it looks like we’ll have to deal with that first.”
Before I could even finish speaking, Jung Heewon, Lee Jihye, and Lee Gilyoung had already drawn their weapons and taken up defensive stances at the sound of something massive approaching through the trees. The source of that noise was almost certainly the Rex from earlier. Yet something felt off.
Is the Rex coming back this way? Then what about Park Jinwoo? Did it just lose him and decide to return here?
The approaching footsteps of the Rex sent my thoughts spinning. Had Park Jinwoo actually been killed by that thing? Would that absolute maniac die so easily?
GROOOOAR!
“I’ll draw its attention. Gilyoung, fall back. Heewon, Jihye—split left and right.”
Character Lee Gilyoung activates the skill Dinosaur Encyclopedia!
Huh?
“A Tyrannosaurus is pretty agile for its size, but its field of vision is narrow, so it’s vulnerable to attacks from its blind spots. Since Jinwoo hyung already blinded one eye, it’ll be even weaker to flanking attacks.”
“What?”
“I saw it in a field guide when I was little.”
“When you were little?”
“…When I was even littler than I am now.”
I stared blankly at Lee Gilyoung for a moment before closing my mouth. I had noticed it before, but this kid possessed a mental age that did not match his years. Most children would burst into tears if a dinosaur that size started drooling while staring them down….
KRAAAAAH!
The Rex crashed out of the forest and charged straight at us. Its massive bulk and the enormous, razor-sharp teeth filling its gaping maw made the terror feel anything but trivial.
“Crap! While I hold its gaze, hit it from behind—!”
I had not even finished speaking before Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon had already split left and right, racing into the Rex’s blind spots. They really were quick on the uptake.
7th-grade Earth Dragon species Tyrannosaurus Rex has targeted you.
In the blink of an eye the Rex was right in front of me. Whether it had marked me as prey or simply wanted to swallow me whole in one bite, it lunged with that enormous mouth wide open.
CRUNCH!
I barely twisted aside from its snapping teeth. A quick glance behind the Rex showed Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye already hacking away at its rear blind spot, landing solid damage.
Good. It’ll take a little time, but at this rate we can definitely take the Rex down.
“Noona, I’ll draw its attention!”
“No, Gilyoung, you—!”
“I can do it!”
A green aura flared around Lee Gilyoung’s body. Immediately afterward a fluttering sound rose from behind us. When I glanced back I saw the giant mantis he had been cradling in both arms earlier.
Kiiik—!
The giant mantis was far smaller than the Rex, yet it darted about with dazzling agility and successfully pulled the creature’s aggro.
Thwip!
KRAAAAAH!
Then the giant mantis stabbed its scythe-like forelimbs into the Rex’s remaining eye and fled. Having lost even its last eye, the Rex roared in agony, bloody tears streaming down its face, and staggered backward.
Whoa… this kid’s no ordinary talent either.
I looked down at Lee Gilyoung with fresh appreciation. Given enough coins and time, he would become a genuine powerhouse.
“Jihye, Heewon—now! Cut its legs!”
At my signal Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon carved deep gashes into the Rex’s legs, forcing it to limp. I did not miss the opening.
Blade of Faith activated!
Special option of Unbreakable Faith activates.
Ether attribute converts to Flame.
Ugh… my magic power level is still too low, so the drain is insane.
Activating Blade of Faith brought a crushing wave of fatigue. It was a side effect of my still-low magic power level. I forced myself to ignore the exhaustion and sprinted toward the Rex’s rear.
“Everyone fall back! You’ll get hit by its tail if you’re not careful!”
Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon retreated at my warning. I spared them a brief glance, then scrambled up the Rex’s tail.
Grrr… GROOOOAR!
Realizing I was climbing its tail, the Rex thrashed wildly, trying to throw me off. But I had driven my blade deep into its hide again and again, so I managed to stay on.
Grrk…! Grrk…!
The Rex seemed thoroughly worn down by our coordinated assault; thick drool spilled from its massive jaws. Yet it still refused to give up, swinging its tail in another attempt to dislodge me.
Whoosh!
I finally reached the Rex’s back, plunged my blade into the nape of its neck, and carved a long, deep cut across its throat.
KRAAAAH!!
I cut nearly halfway through its neck and it’s still thrashing….
Even on the verge of death the Rex continued to roar with surprising vigor. I poured additional magic power into the Unbreakable Faith that was still powering Blade of Faith.
Fwoooosh—!
GROOOOAR…!
A great blaze erupted from the wound where my blade was buried. The flames quickly spread across the Rex’s entire body. I yanked the sword free and dropped safely to the ground.
Gwaaaah…….
The Rex gasped in agony, its body trembling violently. At last it reached its limit; its massive frame began to tilt.
THUD!
You have successfully hunted the 7th-grade Earth Dragon species Tyrannosaurus Rex for the first time!
Reward: 1,000 coins acquired.
“Haa… everyone did great. No one got hurt, right?”
“We’re fine. I never thought we’d actually take down a dinosaur, though.”
“Right? Who in the twenty-first century ever expected to hunt a dinosaur?”
My companions looked thoroughly proud of having brought down the Rex with their own hands.
The Theater Owner is satisfied with the ending of the altered movie.
You may now proceed to the next floor.
Move to the helipad on the upper level of the laboratory.
“Let’s rest for a bit, then go look for Jinwoo.”
Everyone nodded at my words. While we rested I tried to organize my thoughts.
‘Prophets,’ and ‘Revelation’… so there were other people who knew the original work besides me….
Earlier, after Park Jinwoo had fled from the Rex, we had approached the sole survivor among the men who had entered ahead of us. He was already beyond saving. Hoping for even a scrap of information, I had asked how he knew about this place. With his dying breath he had muttered the words “Prophets” and “Revelation,” then expired.
I’ll need to be more careful from now on.
Knowing the location of the hidden Theater Dungeon and how to enter it meant the Prophets possessed at least some knowledge of the hidden pieces. That also meant the scenarios ahead could become considerably more difficult.
In Ways of Survival, the scenarios aren’t the only things you have to watch out for….
While I was lost in thought, Jung Heewon stared hard at the Rex, swallowed, and spoke.
“Do you think we can eat this too?”
I glanced at the Rex, which had been thoroughly cooked by the flames of Blade of Faith, and answered.
“It was roasted with magic fire, so it’s fine to eat. Any undercooked parts we can finish with the Magic Hearth.”
“Then let’s dig in already! It smells so good I’m starving!”
“I want some too, noona.”
Lee Jihye and Lee Gilyoung both eyed the Rex with glittering eyes and audible gulps.
“All right, let’s try it.”
We sat in a circle around one of the Rex’s legs. As we sliced off pieces of the perfectly roasted meat, steam rose in fragrant clouds. Lee Gilyoung let out a cry of delight.
“New meat!”
Just as the impatient Lee Jihye was about to dive in, a familiar male voice called out from behind us.
“Whoa, dinosaur meat! You’re really gonna eat without me? I’m hurt, you know?”
At the sound of that same playful male voice we all turned around.
“Jinwoo, you’re safe after all.”
“Of course! Even if it’s a dinosaur, a reptile’s still a reptile! Since when do reptiles get to mess with people?”
Jung Heewon, Lee Jihye, and Lee Gilyoung all sighed in relief that he was unharmed and approached him with smiles.
“Jinwoo! Why were you so late?!”
“Yeah! We thought the T-Rex got you, oppa!”
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Jinwoo hyung.”
“When that thing was chasing me I set off a flashbang and hid for a while, so I got delayed. And it turns out the Rex wasn’t the only one here.”
Lee Jihye looked startled by his words.
“Huh? I thought there was only the T-Rex here?”
“I watched this movie a long time ago so I don’t remember the details clearly, but there should be a few different kinds of dinosaurs. We already ran into raptors back at the lab, so yeah, that tracks.”
Wait—the lab?
The moment Park Jinwoo mentioned the laboratory, a wave of unease hit me.
“Jinwoo, when you ran from the Rex… did you escape into the laboratory?”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t smash everything in there, did you…?”
“Wow, the way you say that makes it sound like I go around smashing things and causing chaos every single day.”
“…You do cause chaos every single day.”
Park Jinwoo shot me the most wronged look in the world.
“…Did you happen to find any potions or anything like that inside the lab?”
“Po-potions? Nope, didn’t see anything like that.”
“Is that so.”
Thank goodness. The enhancement ampoules that appear in this movie are still safe….
I was quietly relieved by the innocent expression on Park Jinwoo’s face as he denied it—when a Constellation’s message suddenly appeared in my mind.
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire declares that lying is bad!
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire reprimands Incarnation Park Jinwoo, declaring that monopolizing is bad!
Uriel…? No, more importantly—lying? Monopolizing?
I fixed Park Jinwoo with a sharp stare. The moment our eyes met he casually looked away, avoiding my gaze.
“Jinwoo…? What is that supposed to mean?”
“I have no idea? Maybe that Constellation mixed me up with someone else?”
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire appeals to you that they did not mix him up with anyone else!
“She says otherwise.”
“Must be dementia. Archangels are pretty old, after all. Dementia wouldn’t be that strange.”
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is greatly shocked by Incarnation Park Jinwoo’s words!
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire insists they are still perfectly fine and is greatly indignant!
“Jinwoo.”
“………….”
“Why can’t you look me in the eye all of a sudden?”
“Because Dokja is so pretty my eyes are dazzled.”
“Want me to actually dazzle them for you? Be honest. You found potions in the lab, didn’t you?”
I pressed him hard. Park Jinwoo slowly backed away under my stare, still refusing to meet my eyes. The others, having no idea what we were talking about, simply watched us with puzzled expressions.
“Last chance. You got potions, right?”
“………Not potions. I did get some ampoules, though.”
“Ha…!”
Look at this? Playing word games with me?
I glared at him with an expression of pure disbelief. Park Jinwoo hung his head and naturally dropped to both knees. Then, in a voice full of profound injustice, he began to protest.
“Wait, just listen to me for a second, Dokja. I wasn’t trying to monopolize them….”
“And yet you lied? Then why didn’t you just tell the truth earlier?”
“…Because you said ‘potions’ earlier….”
“Ah, so now it’s my fault? Because I said potions instead of ampoules?”
“That’s not what I—.”
“Quiet! Just answer this. How many bottles did you get from the lab in total?”
“………I got twenty and drank them al—.”
“Demon-like Judge of Fire. Is Jinwoo telling the truth?”
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire snitches to you that it was exactly 32 bottles!
“Y-you… Archangel?! You’re snitching to the end? You said you’d keep it secret earlier!”
Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire refutes Incarnation Park Jinwoo, insisting they never said any such thing!
“Ha… still lying to the very end?”
“W-wait a second! Dokja! I’ll tell the truth!”
“Talk.”
I looked down at him. Park Jinwoo looked up at me and began babbling a defense.
“I ran into the lab to escape the Rex and found enhancement ampoules in some warehouse. Thirty-two of them. I drank twenty of them, so twelve were left. At first I was going to leave the lab and give the remaining ones to everyone, but I couldn’t find the exit and wandered around forever. When I finally found a way out I happened to stumble into some office—or lab—or something like that and found another twenty bottles! So I was going to give those twenty to all of you and hide the leftover twelve for Sangah and Hyunsung who are still outside!”
“Ah… so you lied in order to give them to Sangah and Hyunsung?”
“Yes! Yes! That part isn’t a lie! Please believe me!”
Park Jinwoo’s sparkling eyes and face that screamed “I’m completely innocent” left me utterly speechless. I was so flabbergasted I wanted to say something cutting, but I forced it down and smiled at him instead.
“I see. You should have just said that from the beginning.”
“Th-then… you’re forgiving me?”
“Of course. In exchange….”
I held out one hand and crooked my fingers in a beckoning gesture. Park Jinwoo stared at my hand for a moment, then looked back up at me with a “what’s this hand for?” expression.
“I’ll deliver those twelve bottles to Sangah and Hyunsung myself. So hand over the remaining twelve, you bastard.”