Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 52

EP.52 Quick and Easy Loot

Jeong-hyeon couldn’t gauge the exact value of the holy sword in this world. However, recalling the immense worth and power of the rosary that Bishop Lea carried, it was likely that the holy sword matched—or even vastly exceeded—that value and power.  The fact that the holy sword was merged and restored through its interaction with the sapling was certainly a favorable outcome, but the surrounding strangeness led him to harbor two significant doubts.

‘What kind of extraordinary sapling is this that can merge with the holy sword? And why was such a sacred artifact locked away in an auction house with a reputation for illicit activities?’

Unable to understand the situation, Jeong-hyeon turned his head, telling Lucia to take care of the sapling for now.

‘In time, I’ll find out on my own.’

Thinking there was no need to rush, he rested his chin on his hand. Suddenly, a word flashed through his mind.

‘The World Tree.’

The thought made him glance at the sapling with a look of disbelief. Almost as if responding to his gaze, the leaves rustled.

‘There are a few things that don’t add up, like its excessive consumption of divine power, its merging with the holy sword, and the description mentioned that someone was desperately searching for it. All of these pointed to the possibility of the sapling being the World Tree.’

However, without conclusive evidence, he couldn’t definitively declare it as such. He decided to observe and let it reveal its true nature over time. As he watched the sapling grow, his expression mixed with complexity.

Miria, who had gone out and returned, approached with a document in hand.

“I’ve found information on unexplored dungeons and monsters.”

“Already?”

It seemed like less than ten minutes had passed, yet she had completed the task, which was astonishing. He thought to himself that Miria was becoming truly miraculous.

“It wasn’t too difficult. The unexplored dungeons and monsters within the academy are quite well-documented.”

He wondered why, despite the detailed information, these had not been conquered yet. Although this question arose, it was more important to review the documents Miria had prepared. He pushed aside his curiosity and examined the papers.

*-*

[1. Shadow Dungeon]

[2. The Mysterious Art Room]

[3. The Forbidden 13th Room]

*-*

While some names seemed straightforward, most of them read like urban legends, leaving Jeong-hyeon looking at the list with a mix of confusion and surprise.

He couldn’t understand why the names were so eerie, almost like something out of a horror story. Miria, noticing his expression, calmly explained.

“The names are a bit unusual, aren’t they?”

“A bit? More like a lot.”

Miria gave an awkward laugh and explained the reason.

“Dungeons are often discovered under unexpected circumstances. So, when people first encounter them, they usually think of it as some kind of ghostly or supernatural phenomenon rather than an actual dungeon.”

“So that’s why they name them like this?”

“Yeah and giving them these kinds of spooky names also makes it easier to spread rumors. It gets people talking.”

He chuckled softly at the amusing explanation and continued to review the list. There were about 30 dungeons listed. While exploring all these dungeons wouldn’t be a bad idea, he decided it would be more efficient to filter out the unnecessary ones.

“Among these, is there…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Miria handed him a paper with a playful smile.

“You want me to pick the dungeons worth going to, right? I thought you might ask, so I prepared this in advance.”

He wondered how she had become so skilled. She had always been capable, but this was a whole new level. Perhaps his investment in her had produced these results. He pondered as he examined the two dungeons listed.

*-*

[3. The Forbidden 13th Room]

[21. The Altar of Sacrifice]

*-*

He wondered what criteria she had used to select these. Miria calmly added an explanation.

“By the way, I selected these based on the strength of the monsters that appear at the entrance. Generally, the stronger the monsters at the start, the higher the difficulty and the better the potential rewards.”

That was a pretty good standard. He nodded and decided to head to the first dungeon she had recommended.

“Can you guide me to the 13th Room?”

“Uh… right now?”

He nodded nonchalantly, and Miria, looking a bit flustered, responded.

“Usually, when entering a dungeon, the standard practice is to notify the academy and make various preparations… but I guess it’s okay since it’s you, Jeong-hyeon.”

He nodded slightly, and Miria sighed before agreeing.

“…Alright, I’ll guide you right away.”

Jeong-hyeon nodded at her response.

***

While heading toward the 13th Room, a question popped into Jeong-hyeon’s mind.

“By the way, there seem to be quite a lot of dungeons inside the academy.”

“Yes, there are quite a lot.”

Seeing her casual reaction, Jeong-hyeon expressed his curiosity further.

“Don’t people usually try to clear dungeons as quickly as possible? So why is the academy leaving this one alone?”

“Well, there are a lot of ways they can be useful. Plus, the academy has magical protections in place to keep the monsters inside the dungeons from escaping, so it’s not a big deal as long as no one goes in.”

In other words, as long as no one entered, there wouldn’t be any issues.

“And more importantly, you can always come right back out if you need to, so as long as you’re careful, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Still, it seems like there’s a high possibility of it being misused.”

“I mean, it’s not surprising, given how the academy doesn’t really care about students who are falling behind. I get the feeling they’re intentionally leaving the dungeon behind as well, but… I don’t know the exact reason.”

For an academy that’s considered prestigious, there seemed to be quite a few sloppy areas. He was certain there was something more to it, but unable to pinpoint what it was, he shook off the thought and looked at the door in front of him.

“So, this is the entrance to that dungeon?”

“Yes.”

With that, Jeong-hyeon drew his sword, kicked the door open, and shattered the entrance.

“Alright, I’m going in.”

“Why did you have to destroy the door…? Never mind, just be careful.”

Miria sighed as she watched him disappear into the dungeon.

***

[Congratulations! You have cleared the intermediate-level Dungeon ‘The Forbidden 13th Room’ and earned achievements!]

[You are close to leveling up with only a few achievements left!]

After defeating all the monsters inside, a message popped up announcing that he had cleared the dungeon. Although he hadn’t leveled up this time, he did receive a dungeon completion reward.

[Low-Grade Elixir of Growth]

– Increases training efficiency by 10% when used.

*Can be used in conjunction with other elixirs.

Though not as high a percentage as the previous elixir he obtained, the fact that it could be stacked with others was a significant advantage, and he couldn’t help but smile.

‘I really want to level up.’

He had planned to rest for a day before moving on to the next dungeon. However, the dungeon was easier than expected, and he hadn’t used much stamina, so he decided to head straight to the last dungeon.

“…So, you’re going straight to ‘The Altar of Sacrifice’?”

Miria asked, looking at him with a complex expression.

Jeong-hyeon gave a brief nod.

“Every time I see you, my sense of logic crumbles, whether in a good or bad way.”

Miria said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Jeong-hyeon just shrugged.

Miria sighed, gestured for him to follow.

“Alright, I’ll lead the way.”

He nodded and followed her. After a while, as they were walking, Miria spoke with a hint of concern in her voice.

“There’s a rumor… or rather, an ominous one about ‘The Altar of Sacrifice.’ Among the various rumors, the most notable one is that while you can obtain immense rewards if you clear it, there’s a condition that makes it impossible to ever truly clear this dungeon.”

“A condition that makes it impossible to clear?”

Jeong-hyeon asked again. Miria shrugged and sighed.

“Yeah, it sounds like a bit of a tall tale. I tried to find out exactly what it was, but not a single person would say what the condition is, so I don’t know.”

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

“That’s true.”

With that, Jeong-hyeon wondered what could be inside to inspire such rumors as they descended to the third basement level, where the Altar of Sacrifice was located.

[Storage Room – Basement Level 3]

“Who’d have thought it’d be hidden in a place like this?”

“Right? It’s surprising.”

Miria looked around at the dust piled on the floor, then squinted her eyes and pointed to a stack of boxes.

“They say the Altar of Sacrifice is behind those boxes. If we move them, we should be able to get in.”

“Got it.”

Nodding, Jeong-hyeon moved the boxes aside with his hands. Behind them, he found a narrow passage leading to the Altar of Sacrifice.

“Over there.”

After getting confirmation from Miria, he nodded and entered the passage.

***

Upon entering, a message appeared before his eyes.

[You have entered ‘The Altar of Sacrifice’!]

As soon as the message appeared, the room was filled with the eerie sight of countless skeletons crawling out of the walls and ceiling. Their menacing red eyes focused on him with hostile intent.

‘Perfect.’

The swarming skeletons were an ideal opportunity to level up his Domain Declaration skill. Drawing upon a large amount of divine power, Jeong-hyeon filled every visible space around him with it.

The skeletons, unable to resist, collapsed one by one. As he watched them fall, Jeong-hyeon slowly walked forward, heading towards the altar. There, in the center of the altar, he saw an inscription.

─ Sacrifice ten people, and the true path of this place shall be revealed.

Realizing why others had not spoken of the condition and why no one had cleared it, he thought this dungeon would be easy to exploit. He began to summon the ones he had kept safely in his subspace.