Chapter 13

Chapter 012

The movie was just a typical battle between good and evil.

The righteous Tyranno 'Rex' resurrected from ancient times, and the cyborg mechanical Tyranno Rex created using the genes of the Tyranno Rex.

It was a magnificent battle of beasts, with Rex facing off 1-on-1 against his own cloned predator, a mechanical Tyranno equipped with the armor of modern civilization.

- Go, Rex! Combine your mana with mine to defeat your clone!

- Roar!

Tyranno was a hero with the power of mana, and the mechanical Tyranno was the villain.

- Hahaha! My hypothesis that dinosaurs are made of mana was correct! With this mechanical Tyranno, everything will come under my control!

- You wicked person! To do such a thing for your own desires!

- I will do anything to rule the world! Even if it means trampling and killing everything with my own hands!

There was always a villain trying to revive ancient beings to do strange things, and the mechanical Tyranno, controlled by the villain, destroyed everything with the power of mana.

- It's dangerous! Because of the dinosaurs' resurrection, the cosmic energy is trying to destroy the Earth!

- An asteroid?!

- Hahaha! As I suspected...! The cosmic energy that destroyed the age of dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period was to kill the mana life forms, the dinosaurs! Oh, will of the entire universe! Destroy the Earth! Hahaha! Let this world be destroyed!

But then, an asteroid??

A massive asteroid fell from the sky, and the world was filled with chaos.

- Get on my back, Rex! We'll stop the asteroid together.

- Roar!

- We failed 200 million years ago, but now we have the will of humanity! Let's go! For the future of all life on this land!

Rex climbed onto the mechanical Tyranno, and they rammed the asteroid with their heads.

Boom.

The asteroid was destroyed.

The mechanical Tyranno self-destructed, completely annihilating the asteroid, and Tyranno fell from the sky, becoming a meteorite that landed in the Pacific Ocean.

The ending credits showed a tiny Tyranno, the size of a puppy, being born.

"That was really interesting."

"Really?"

I had heard rumors, but watching the video was overwhelmingly ridiculous.

Unable to resist my curiosity, I came to see the movie, and the ending was so brain-bending that I ended up being caught by the hero and taken out to eat.

'This is the worst.'

Putting aside the story and visuals.

'It was clearly propaganda trying to feed us crap.'

The villain scientist was clearly a caricature of our organization.

The villain was so ugly and disgusting that I thought, 'Even if the leader is like that, [Doctor] would be furious,' halfway through.

It felt like the villain was based on [Doctor].

"Do you not like the food?"

"No, it's not that. I've rarely eaten in a place like this."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just came to a place I'm comfortable with...."

Baek Seul-hee, Snow White, smiled sheepishly and gestured around the restaurant.

"You can talk to me freely here. 'Control' is in place."

This was a fine dining restaurant where the food came out as a course.

I had never been to such a high-end restaurant, even before I fell through, let alone after.

Good?

It's good.

"I'm paying, so don't feel bad and enjoy it."

"Thank you."

Since I wasn't paying, I was just getting a free meal.

Eating at such an expensive restaurant, where a single course meal costs 300,000 won (per person), was something I could never imagine.

It felt like my eyes and ears, which had been corrupted by the movie, were being purified by the high-quality food.

"Let me explain. This dish is...."

"Ah, it's okay. I'll ask you next time."

"...Ah. Yes. Enjoy your meal."

But Baek Seul-hee easily dismissed the waiter, who was trying to explain the food.

There must be a specific English term for such a waiter, but I had never been to a place like this, so I didn't know what to call them.

"It's a steak made by grinding scallops and clams and then grilling it. Do you dislike seafood?"

"No. It's just been a long time since I've had it, so it feels unfamiliar. I used to eat it often, but I rarely get to eat it properly these days."

"It's a bit difficult to catch fish in the East Sea these days."

After the asteroid fell.

Not only humans but also fish received the mana buff.

Fish became so intelligent that they could distinguish between the bait humans threw.

So fish became incredibly expensive.

While they always felt expensive, the world where you had to pay 10,000 won for a single mackerel had arrived.

Ultimately, in this world, it's hard to eat anything other than meat from land animals.

The author must either hate seafood or be obsessed with meat.

Of course.

This doesn't apply to our S-class hero, who is wealthy.

For her, the atmosphere and the fact that people don't bother her are more important than the taste of the restaurant.

"Do you come here often?"

"...Not really."

"Surprising. I thought you would visit frequently."

"...I come every time."

Baek Seul-hee blushed and cut the abalone steak with her knife.

"It's a government collaboration restaurant, so it operates as a hero's dining place on weekdays."

"Then, is it...?"

"Not today. The restaurants are designated by day of the week. I'm just a regular customer today, so it's fine. ...I've done them a lot of favors, so I can come in without a reservation."

"I see. Then, would it be inconvenient for you to have me here for dinner?"

"Why?"

Baek Seul-hee tilted her head, puzzled.

"Wouldn't it be troublesome if a scandal broke out while we're eating together?"

"Scandal...?"

"Yes. These days, paparazzi take photos and post them just because two attractive young people meet. Especially someone like you...."

"If I were to publish a story without permission, the guys in sunglasses would come after me."

Baek Seul-hee smiled bitterly and continued cutting the abalone.

"The government strictly manages the abilities of government-affiliated psychics. I'm someone the country pays a lot of attention to in many ways."

"You are one of only seven S-class heroes in South Korea, and the fourth-best among the 30 S-class heroes in the world."

"...It's a bit embarrassing to hear, but yes."

Baek Seul-hee smiled proudly and placed her hand on her chest.

"I may not be the strongest, but I am the pride of Busan. I'm not S-class for nothing."

"I'm proud. Thanks to you, I can live comfortably today."

"Thank you. But...."

Baek Seul-hee put down her utensils and looked at me.

"It's surprising that you don't see me as that kind of person."

Painful.

"Even during the movie, you were engrossed from the middle, and after we came here, you immediately relaxed after I placed the order. You don't seem like an ordinary person."

Could it be?

"...Are you, by any chance, an 'unregistered' person? Someone who has awakened to their ability but hasn't registered with the government and has the ability to hide their mana?"

"Me? Haha. I'm just a regular person with no mana at all."

"Really?"

Chilly.

Her gaze, like a dagger, pierced my chest.

No, it didn't.

I have nothing to be intimidated by.

In fact, I shouldn't stop now.

Baek Seul-hee isn't certain.

She has no reason to think I'm a goblin.

Just because she has a hunch?

No matter what, that's not a reasonable basis.

"It's an honor and a pleasure to meet someone like you, but the reason you find my gaze strange is... because today is your day off."

"......?"

"You came to see the movie not as the hero 'Snow White,' but as a regular Busan citizen, Baek Seul-hee, right?"

"......."

"No matter how famous a hero is, they can't just interfere with their daily lives. I don't want to make a fuss, asking for autographs or photos, or posting on social media that Snow White came to see a movie alone."

Even if I weren't here, others would pester her, so I don't want to do that.

"Or do you want me to look at you that way?"

"...No. It's refreshing. I appreciate you saying that."

"There must be a few people like that around you, right?"

"...I'm sorry. I don't see anyone like that."

Baek Seul-hee smiled bitterly and sipped her tea.

"Everyone either wants to do something to me, use me, win my favor, hate me, or envy me."

"If you want, I can look at you that way."

"No, no. This is perfect. It's a connection, and I hope we can meet often in the future."

"...What?"

Is this woman sane?

"About the movie we just saw."

Baek Seul-hee's eyes started to sparkle.

"Can a psychic, if they have enough mana, break through the atmosphere like the mechanical Tyranno and survive in space without breathing, like Tyranno?"

"......."

"What did you think of the movie? You seemed really interested."

"...It was exciting."

A movie where a dinosaur rides a mechanical dinosaur into space and self-destructs to stop an asteroid.

"Everything is new to me. I haven't seen any of it."

When I return to Earth, I will definitely create novels, webtoons, movies, or anything from it.

And I will definitely bring it with me.

The countless 'ongoing works' that have concluded in this world.

"My hobby is watching 21st-century comics, movies, novels, and all kinds of 'literature' in a world where superpowers have become reality. That's why I decided to become a librarian."

A spoonful of plausibility for public consumption.

"Eventually, I want to write novels or screenplays and tell stories."

I will definitely return to Earth.

"I want to continue the future of a world that someone else ended."

I will store the conclusions of all these ongoing works in my mind and for the many readers eagerly waiting on Earth.