Movie World Domination System: Chapter 4

"Gosh... if an E Level mission requires me to defeat such a formidable opponent, what would the higher levels be like?" Julio sighed.

The game didn't limit the time players had to throw the bean bags, so he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. While the game seemed to rely on strength and precision, there were actually tricks to increase one's chances of winning. The blocks were stacked in a three-tiered pyramid shape—three at the bottom, two in the middle, and one at the top. Striking them at an angle would create a larger impact than hitting them straight. Additionally, contestants could aim at the bottom row because it formed the pyramid's foundation. Friction was the greatest between the bottom row and the game table in the entire structure due to the larger contact area, which would also contribute to a stronger impact. Once these blocks were hit, they'd bring down the two rows above them as well.

Besides internalizing the physics behind the winning strategy, Julio possessed a special skill few people mastered: the Finishing Strike. Julio loved Eastern action films, especially those scenes in silent duels where a swordsman seized the moment and won with a single strike. He didn't believe this technique lacked basis. In a state of extreme focus, the body, mind, and soul fuse into one, and every part works toward achieving the goal. Julio grasped this concept from Bruce Lee's martial arts philosophy, though it was a waste that he only applied this valuable insight to throwing bean bags.

"Let go of yourself... Become the bean bag..." Julio closed his eyes as he felt the bean bag in his hand becoming part of his body. Everything around him began to disappear, gradually leaving only him and the blocks. The distance between them continuously shortened until he and the blocks became one.

Bang! Julio successfully knocked away all the blocks.

Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a notification that read "[Mission completion status: 20%]." Julio suddenly wondered if this might all be just a game—if the sensations weren't so realistic, he'd seriously doubt whether he might revive after death. After all, according to Max's description, Steve didn't leave a corpse after dying but dissipated like the characters in souls-themed games, suggesting he might have been transported back to the real world. However, the third rule clearly warned that death in the movie world was real. Either way, making an effort was better than nonchalantly giving up.

Julio won effortlessly in the second, third, and fourth rounds, while all other contestants—including Lewis—missed at least once. Julio's bean bag throws always carried perfect force, making it seem as though Lewis wasn't seriously competing. The audience's cheers shifted toward Julio, and the chubby boy and his gang were now screaming continuously and loudly praising the champion who was about to win them the first prize.

Lewis became furious upon hearing the audience cheer for Julio. He wasn't interested in the first prize; what he truly cared about was others' admiration, and this kid—who should have had no chance of winning—had stolen his spotlight.

"You play well, little one. But you should know that there's never just one way to win a competition," Lewis taunted. After speaking, his right foot stomped hard on the ground. While inhaling, he traced a perfect arc from front to back with his right hand while holding onto the bean bag, before slightly adjusting his body angle like Julio had done. Just when Julio thought Lewis was imitating him, Lewis's body suddenly twisted as he smashed the bean bag toward Julio's blocks. His aim was precise, hitting the top row. The top and middle rows were knocked away, but the bottom row, though scattered by the impact, remained on the game table.

"Oh no!" the children cried out. Their hopes were seemingly about to be dashed.

"Sorry, my friend. Now that we're in the last round, I'm a bit nervous and accidentally threw in the wrong direction," Lewis apologized to Julio with false sincerity.

Julio felt angry, but confronting Lewis wasn't wise at the moment, especially since he might need his help later in the storyline. So he just smiled and pretended to be undisturbed by his actions. This attitude, however, only made Lewis more furious.

"Calm down, calm down," Julio thought to himself, though calmness might prove useless. The remaining blocks were too scattered, and he couldn't possibly hit all of them simultaneously with a single throw.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Julio's mind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something only he and Max could see—the phone that didn't belong to this world. Holding both the phone and the bean bag in his palm, Julio made an exaggerated gesture to attract everyone's attention. Just as the crowd wondered what he was up to, he took a deep breath and took a powerful swing.

Julio succeeded! The phone and bean bag knocked away all the blocks! Although many spectators couldn't clearly see how he'd done it, they all cheered enthusiastically for him. Lewis stormed over and questioned him: "You cheated, didn't you?" Julio shrugged his shoulders in feigned innocence.

"He definitely cheated!" Lewis shouted as he rushed forward to inspect the game table, hoping to find something besides the bean bag that'd been thrown, but he found nothing. He didn't know about the phone's special property: after leaving a certain range, it'd return to Julio's pocket.

"Maybe you should admit you lost!" someone shouted, and it was followed by a chorus of boos from the crowd.

"You'd better not let me see you again!" Lewis spat before storming off. Julio was unfazed because the lovely game master brought him the plush, while the group of children excitedly gathered around him, looking at him with admiring eyes. "Here, I've fulfilled my promise to you," Julio said as he handed the plush to them.

"My name is Rick, sir. Nice to meet you!" said the chubby boy.

"Hello, Rick! I'm Julio, and I'm pleased to meet you too!" Julio immediately responded.

Rick smiled, but his expression suddenly became conflicted, as if he was making a difficult decision. Then he pulled out a Spider-Man mask from his backpack and held it out to Julio, saying, "This is a prize I won from another game. Please accept it. I know our reservation passes weren't worth trading for your plush toy."

Julio initially planned to refuse it, but his phone began vibrating intensely. It was most likely triggered by the mask.

"Thank you, and I hope you all have a pleasant evening." Julio accepted the mask, and the children walked away excitedly with the plush toy.

Now, Julio finally had a chance to take out his phone and see what messages he had received.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked an exclusive skill!]

[The exclusive skill becomes stronger as your understanding deepens!]

[Exclusive skill awakening: 1% complete]

[Exclusive skill awakening: 2% complete]

[Exclusive skill awakening: 5% complete]

"Exclusive skill? Is it referring to my Finishing Strike? That's so cool. I haven't even decided what to call it yet, though 'Finishing Strike' isn't bad."

"I can't believe this place really is like a game. Will I become a superhero here? No, wait, this isn't a superhero movie."

[Lewis's friendliness has decreased]

[Lewis's friendliness has significantly decreased]

[Note: Lewis's attitude toward you has turned cold. You'll not receive any cooperation from Lewis]

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, he barely cooperated with Wendy in the movie, and ultimately, he paid the price for his arrogance."

[Side Quest completed: Jack's Wish]

[Reward earned: 10 Dominion Power points. When you reach 100 points, you'll unlock the Movie World Store]

"Movie World Store? Does that mean I can buy equipment that appears in movies? I want to buy an EVA from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'! That's probably too expensive. A lightsaber from 'Star Wars'? Who knows how many points that'd cost? By the way, 10 Dominion Power points is pretty stingy, considering it takes 100 to unlock the store! Does this mean the cheapest item in the store costs 100 points?"

Julio sighed and continued scrolling through his phone to view his rewards. Although he still lacked understanding of the currency value of Dominion Power, he felt that it was no small feat for a weak, ordinary person like him to defeat a jacked athlete. However, Rick unexpectedly brought him a surprise.

[Rick's friendliness has increased]

[Rick's friendliness has significantly increased]

[Note: You have successfully earned Rick's respect]

[You have received Rick's gift: Spider-Man mask]

[Spider-Man mask: One-time consumable item. Shout out Spider-Man's classic line, and you'll gain Spider-Man's abilities for 30 seconds]

["With a louder voice comes greater power" — Maker of the Spider-Man mask]

"Wow, does this mean I can become Spider-Man? That's incredible. Good thing I didn't refuse Rick's offer. If I'd rejected his gift, I'd have really missed out!" Julio thought in amazement. Among all Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man was his favorite. He always believed Spider-Man was Marvel's most essential core character—without him, the Marvel universe would completely collapse.

"By the way, who exactly is Jack? Given how these kids were so eager to give that plushie to Jack, there must be more to the story. I should have asked more questions—maybe it could have unlocked a new side quest."

"Never mind that now, I need to tell Max about this mask's abilities."

Julio was excited to share this news with Max, but he quickly realized the limitations of the mask: First, Spider-Man wore a full head mask, not just a face mask. Although there were many Spider-Man variants across the multiverse, and perhaps one did wear this type of mask; so who knows if its powers would match the original Spider-Man's? Second, being a one-time consumable item, he wouldn't use it except in a critical moment—but when that moment came, how useful would 30 seconds really be?

"More importantly, I don't even have a backpack. It's not appropriate to wear it now, and it's not convenient to just carry it in my hand..."

While Julio was still deliberating, Max called out to him: "Julio, let's go! Wendy has left the rest area. We need to follow her!"

...

Julio and Max arrived at the roller coaster entrance and joined the queue. Despite having reservation passes, they still needed to wait for everyone ahead of them to finish their turns. The roller coaster was clearly a popular attraction.

"Alright, Julio, tell me your plan!" Max asked as they walked in line.

"What plan?" Julio asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"What??" Max's eyes widened. "Are you telling me you don't know how to prevent Wendy's first death?"

When Julio had suggested exchanging reservation passes with those children, Max assumed Julio's clever mind already had a well-developed plan. Max had considered directly telling Wendy about the impending roller coaster accident, but such an approach seemed too abrupt. They hadn't had enough time to establish trust with her. Besides, in this series, protagonists who warned others about accidents were typically the first to be suspected. Those saved by the protagonists rarely felt grateful—instead, they often accused the protagonists of orchestrating the accident.

Julio had so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to mention that the Spider-Man mask might be useful, though given its limitations, he wasn't sure if it could actually change anything. He wanted to explain that everything was happening too quickly, forcing him to think on his feet. Just half an hour ago, he'd been at home worrying about his future; in the blink of an eye, he'd been transported to this world and pressured by a suspicious system to complete tasks. He desperately wanted to know why Max was here too, and about Steve who might be permanently dead. He even considered joking that dying in this movie world might not be so terrible—after all, his real life was already a mess, and since arriving here, he'd at least earned the admiration of a group of children. But he couldn't voice any of this—partly because there was no time, but mostly because the very real Max was standing right in front of him. This person whom he barely knew yet already considered his best friend. He couldn't let Max die here too.

Perhaps sensing Julio's dejection, Max reassured him: "It's okay, Julio, don't overthink it. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know about the existence of a second chance. And hey, I just received a reward of 10 Dominion Power points. Though we need 100 points to unlock that shop, it's better than having nothing, right?"

Hearing this, Julio felt grateful. "I'm sorry, Max. Perhaps we could..." He wanted to suggest ambushing Wendy and her friends from a distance to lure them away, but this plan wasn't entirely reliable. In fact, the whole sequence—the protagonists sensing death omens, experiencing death, reviving, and then successfully escaping Death's design—was precisely what convinced them and their friends of Death's existence. Even if Julio and Max successfully prevented the group from boarding the roller coaster, the group might still encounter another accident due to their lack of trust in the duo.

"Time... time... if only everything wasn't so sudden, if only I had just a bit more time..." As Julio continued pondering, the system sent another notification.

[New Destiny Path detected: Prevent Wendy from activating the Eye of Death Reversal]

[Path Mission now available. Generous rewards will be given based on completion status]

[Details of Path Mission visible only after acceptance]

"A mission where you only learn the details after accepting? And both the rewards and difficulty are unknown..." Julio sensed the danger in this.

"Looks like your analysis was right, Julio!" Max exclaimed excitedly after seeing the mission notification.

"Besides, since the system has issued the mission, it means we have a chance to complete it—otherwise there would be no point in the system doing this, right? Come on, Julio, let's try!"

"I have a bad feeling about this, Max. The system is likely issuing this mission now because we arrived here early and triggered a checkpoint, and not because we're actually qualified to complete it."

"It's okay, Julio. If we fail, we still have a second chance. If we refuse now, we'll not only miss out on potential rewards, but we could still be affected by Wendy's ability. In all the installments in this series, after the protagonists reset time, they were the only ones to remember everything that happened during the accident."

Julio fell into contemplation. Max's logic made sense. After weighing the pros and cons, accepting the mission did seem more beneficial than refusing it. Besides, he could still transform into Spider-Man for 30 seconds—though brief, it could somewhat improve their chances of success.

"Alright! Let's try it!" Julio looked up to see Max, whose thumb was already hovering over the "Yes" button. He was waiting for Julio's nod to press it.

Julio smiled helplessly. Taking a deep breath, he solemnly nodded and pressed "Yes" together with Max.

[Path Mission accepted]

[Path Mission: Ride the same roller coaster as Wendy and minimize casualties]

[Good luck, brave ones!]

"Well then..." Max looked at Julio and winked.

Movie World Domination System: Chapter 5—Roller Coaster Hurtles toward Hell