"How many floors do we have to clear?" Jihye asked.
"There shouldn't be much, as Yoo Joonghyuk must have already cleared most of them. So it shouldn't take long." Dokja replied.
Jihye and Heewon were discussing whether they can only enter movies, which's picture hasn't been ripped out.
"Let's hurry, we don't know how many movies we have to clear." Dokja said.
The Theatre dungeon is a movie theatre located outside exit number 1 of Chungmuro station. It has 9 floors in total, including the basement floor.
Luckily for them, all the posters on the second and third floor were ripped out. After arriving on the fourth floor, they entered the second movie.
"Barfh… oh god– barfh."
"A-are you okay?" Heewon asked.
"No… I.. have sea sickness." Jihye replied.
"Isn't this the movie where the ship sinks?"
"Looks like it."
"Do we have… ugh. There's an aftertaste from vomiting. So, do we have to sink the ship or something?"
As Jihye and Heewon were discussing among themselves, Ken was on the side, just enjoying the moment.
"Wah… I really am on a ship!" Ken exclaimed.
As he was going around, excited about it. Someone calls him out.
When he meets up with the others again. There is someone tied up.
"Um… did you guys just kidnap him?" Ken asked.
"Yeah, we did. He was the bad guy in the movie as far as I can remember." Jihye replied.
As they were discussing among themselves what to do. Jihye suddenly takes out her sword.
"Then we better kill him."
Others seemed a bit shocked at first, but they knew nothing here was real.
"Didn't you say that the theatre master is all about action? Then it's better to just kill him." Jihye calmly explained.
Just as she was about to deliver the final blow, Heewon stopped her.
"Uh… even then, he looks like a real person. Even though it's supposed to be just a movie."
"This isn't the time to be getting sentimental. We are definitely real. And he is just a character. It doesn't matter if he is even real, he is still a villain." Jihye replied.
Just then–Ken, who was quiet up until now. Feels his heartbeat starting to fasten.
He interrupts her before she could kill the person off.
"Do… you understand… what you just said?"
"Ugh… why do you guys keep on interrupting me?" Jihye asked.
"Tell me. Will you call him a character, just because we are inside a movie we know about– and that we are from the outside? Because we are real?!"
"What do you mean by that?" Jihye asked, annoyed.
"Tell me. If a story were to come to life, and every character you saw as fictional, are now alive, well, and in front of you. How would you react? Would you still consider them as just Characters?!"
"Suppose, what if even this world is just a made up story?! What if your life was a story which turned real, but you just didn't know. What if even if you turned into reality, and the real world is just another fiction?!"
"What are you going to do? Would the ones from the real world consider you as real? What if someone from the real world were to enter your fiction and just indiscriminately start to do batshit insane things."
"What will you do? What if they are like that? What if they act like this? Oh no, everything here is not real anyway, so I don't have to care about anything here, I can do anything, from murdering to any crime in existence, just because everything here is fiction?!"
Ken started to take deep breaths. As he takes out his sword, and immediately beheads the person.
"There is some kind of nerve in everyone's neck–even animals–if it is cut, the brain shuts down. So they won't feel the pain afterward at the least."
[The theatre master is pleased by the dramatic ending.]
[The door to the next floor has been opened.]
[You have reached the second end credit.]
[Main cast: Kim Dokja, Lee Jihye, Jung Heewon, Lee Gilyoung, Ken.]
[You have each received 500 coins for performance.]
At the same time, Dokja was thinking about something.
He… is right. What is the difference between a character and… a… real person, in a world where fiction has turned into reality…
—***—
[You have entered 5f, the reward room.]
[You are limited to 2 reward items per person.]
While everyone is confused at what it is, while also busy looking around.
Ken, on the other hand, is more quiet than usual.
He looked toward Heewon, and she took a sword from there.
On the other hand,Jihye was trying to take a replica of Thor's hammer, but she failed, but Gilyoung managed to take it, which is why got to keep it.
Dokja took a shield for Hyunsung, which he will use for the time being. While he also took some kind of armor, one that looks like a military soldier's vest and such.
Ah Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why?! Why did I do that?! Arghhhhhh! Ken was panicking on his own.
But… they indeed are… fictional, no? Jihye was originally from TWSA. And then they became reality, and… that is how ORV came to be. And… I'm a reader of ORV, who somehow came into it. Ken fell into a deep contemplation. But soon, he shrugs it off.
As he kept on looking around. He found something, a dark pair of gloves.
[Eclipse gloves.]
[Grade: S]
[Description: The more magic power the wearer has, the higher its durability. It is really durable on its own. It can redirect some of the shock from attacks that have been blocked, or parried by the wearer. It also can absorb some of the shock, and release it at wil.]
Dokja–noticing him, tells him to not take it. As it only protects the hands, but since it's an S grade, he will only be able to take one.
Ken takes off the gloves he had so far. The gloves of a thief.
He throws it towards Jihye, and says, "You can take it as an apology for what I said earlier, it will give an extra point to agility." This leaves Jihye confused.
He takes the Eclipse gloves, despite Dokja's warning. He speaks up to Jihye again. "I-I only gave that to you because I was taking this one anyway. So I don't need that anymore." Ken says, obviously nervous.
Jihye was a bit annoyed, as she was still not really happy with what Ken did earlier. But she takes it anyway.
"Didn't I tell you not to pick it? Having two A grade items is better than one S grade which won't do much for now." Dokja asked.
"Well… I just picked it up, as I need more MP than normal people, as my skill in itself runs on it. And the abilities of this were good too." Ken replied, still nervous.
After everyone picked up the things they had to, and continued.
Just when they reached the sixth floor. Joonghyuk was still not there. Every poster on the sixth floor has been ripped out, leaving only one.
Just when the party was about to run the movie. Ken found something and called them out. "Hey guys! There is another one–"
He saw the light hovering over them, meaning they were about to be transported.
Just when he was about to run towards them, the same light came over him. Meaning he is going to be transported in another movie, alone.
"Well… I'm fucked."