Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 18

EP.18 Broken Predetermined Fate Part 1

‘… Predetermined fate? The fall of the Saintess?’

The predetermined fate of Lucia likely meant that as a member of the hero party, she was destined to save the world.

‘But seeing that it’s combined with the Fall of the Saintess…’

It seemed that fate had been broken, leading her down a new path. Although Jeong-hyeon couldn’t know exactly what this new direction entailed or how it would affect him, one thing was certain.

‘At the very least.’

The fact was that he would be in her path.

He covered Lucia’s trembling hands with his own, maintaining the contact for a brief—very brief—moment until she calmed down.

“… Mmm. Sss.”

While he was calming Lucia, he heard Miria swallow loudly behind him as if she were deep in thought. Curious, he turned around to see Miria with her hair dishevelled, addressing him.

“Oh my, everyone’s dead by the time we get here. What should we do?”

Her voice was stiff, like she was reading from a textbook. She sighed deeply, clearly frustrated, and then snapped her fingers.

“There’s a trap zone near the source. How about we dump them there?”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but he was puzzled as to why she was helping him.

As if reading his thoughts, Miria explained.

“Huh? Oh, this? I’m doing it because I want to survive, so don’t worry about it.”

Miria briefly explained her position and then spoke loudly as if the two mages and the pig-like creature behind her should hear.

“I don’t think we should leave any witnesses who saw the Asiris Club members from the Academy—especially those with good backgrounds—being killed.”

He nodded silently at Miria’s sharp response, and the remaining individuals stared at him in horror. It seemed they had expected to be spared.

‘Too optimistic.’

Even if he could let the fire and water mages go, as they hadn’t committed any real crimes, what made the pig think he could survive? He was as stupid as he looked.

Miria continued speaking.

“Rather than dying here as a ‘witness,’ I thought it would be better to cooperate with you and survive as an ‘accomplice.’”

Hearing this, Jeong-hyeon pulled the sword from Erie’s chest and spoke.

“An interesting narrative. But when did I say I’d spare you as an accomplice?”

At his words, Miria showed a hint of surprise, but she quickly recovered and responded.

“Certainly, you never said that. But handling all these corpses alone would be impossible, so our help is needed…”

“I don’t need it.”

He interrupted her and gave a brief reply. Miria clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly, realizing how presumptuous she had been. Understanding that this approach wasn’t working, she immediately dropped to her knees in front of him.

“… Please, spare me. I’ll do anything.”

The phrase “anything” made him calculate the pros and cons of sparing her versus killing her. After a moment of deliberation, he came up with a good idea and outlined the terms.

“I’ll spare you, but there are three conditions.”

Miria’s expression showed she remembered how Jeong-hyeon had promised to spare someone earlier, only to kill them. Then he explained the conditions.

“First, as you suggested, you’ll help dispose of these bodies.”

The first condition was straightforward and merely a matter of convenience.

The crucial part was the second condition.

“Second, using a memory storage magic stone, you’ll record evidence that you four killed these people and hand it over to me.”

In other words, he wanted photos and videos that made it appear as though they had killed these individuals, excluding himself and Lucia. The four of them shuddered at this condition but did not protest. Any resistance would mean death.

“And lastly, you’ll follow my orders from now on.”

Promises fade with time, and so do the emotions felt. To ensure they wouldn’t forget, Jeong-hyeon decided to keep them close and use them.

“So, what will it be? Will you accept?”

“It’s weird to ask questions when you already know the answer… but I’ll do it.”

Miria nodded with a somewhat exhausted expression. He then turned to the remaining three and urged them to respond.

“I’ll give you three seconds. Three…”

As he counted, all three of the remaining individuals agreed to the terms.

Seeing this, he decided to start drafting the contract and asked the two mages behind him.

“Is soul contract magic possible?”

At this question, the two mages turned pale and nodded in agreement.

***

He fiddled with the memory storage magic stone, nodding in satisfaction. With this single item, even if evidence was gathered, it was enough to ensure that the remaining four would be imprisoned in his place.

As he watched the four of them toss the corpses into an endless pit, he slowly turned his gaze back.

‘Then, all that’s left is to destroy the source.’

Since the main quest involved reaching the source to achieve a high score, it was best to head there despite the hassle. Moreover, he was curious about the rewards for ending the dungeon’s rampage. So, after disposing of all the corpses, he decided to head to the source and addressed the four who were resting.

“Let’s head to the source.”

At the mention of heading to the source, Miria showed a relieved expression and slumped down onto the floor.

“… I’m relieved. Really… Ha. I’m glad you’re actually sparing us.”

It seemed that the moment they finished disposing of the corpses, she had been worried that Jeong-hyeon might kill them. Observing her reaction, he couldn’t understand why people showed such reactions.

‘Anyway, heading to the source is the right move now.’

Jeong-hyeon held Lucia’s hand, who was still staring blankly at the floor, and slowly headed towards the source.

***

Bishop Lea leisurely watched the frantic activity of the others as they ran around in a state of panic. She eventually approached the magic stone bulletin board displaying the list of missing and deceased individuals.

The list seemed to have around 200 to 300 names. Considering the combined total of 500 students in the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments, it was nearly a complete annihilation.

Lea offered a brief expression of sympathy for the headmaster, who would have to take on all the responsibility and step down. Then Lea began to scan the list.

‘Erie… there you are.’

Seeing Erie’s name listed as ‘missing,’ Lea smiled faintly, making sure no one noticed. She closed her eyes slowly, recalling her encounter with Erie the previous night.

*-*

The day before.

Lea had been searching for traces of the divine power she sensed in the infirmary. It was remarkably similar to the hero’s, making it a potential substitute for the deceased hero. However, she still had doubts about whether this person could become the ‘hero’ capable of defeating the Demon King, as the world needed.

‘That’s why it was necessary to verify the true divine power the person possessed, not just the remnants of it…’

Every time she tried to meet him, ‘unbelievable misfortunes’ occurred. She couldn’t explain it, but every attempt to meet him was thwarted by a series of misfortunes, preventing her from even seeing him.

‘So, even if I try to meet him directly…’

She knew that another misfortune would likely prevent their meeting. Thus, she decided to use a different method to determine if he could be used as a ‘hero.’

‘The method is simple.’

Divine power, much like mana, reveals its true nature when emotions are intense. Deciding to test if he was suitable as a hero by drawing out strong and clear emotions such as anger or sorrow, Lea turned her attention to Erie, who had just entered.

Seeing Erie holding the dungeon rampage device, Lea quickly grasped her situation and her weaknesses. With a sweet temptation, she whispered an offer that was hard to refuse.

“If you kill Lucia or bring her to the brink of death during this joint exam, I will stand behind you.”

If Erie could kill or nearly kill Lucia, Lea promised to overlook the dungeon rampage device and cover up any ensuing problems. Despite the alluring offer, Erie initially hesitated, showing signs of refusal. However, when Lea threatened her with the fact that she possessed the dungeon rampage device, Erie quickly caved.

“B-but if I do that, I need a reason to tell others why Lucia should be killed. I don’t have a valid excuse.”

Lea chuckled at Erie’s excuse. Given that Erie was planning to kill all first-year students with the rampage device, it was odd that she needed an excuse. Nevertheless, Lea, understanding the student’s psychological distress, decided to provide a way out.

“Then, you just need a plausible excuse. For example, you could say that you were looking for someone who’s always with Lucia…”

Lea deliberately trailed off, pretending not to know the name. Erie took the bait.

“Lee Jeong-hyeon?”

‘Lee Jeong-hyeon?’

It sounded familiar, like an important name she couldn’t quite place. Lea nodded and continued.

“Yes, you could ask for Jeong-hyeon’s whereabouts and use the excuse that Lucia refused to tell you, leading to violence.”

Violence, once started, was hard to stop. Coupled with the dungeon’s closed atmosphere, the likelihood of violence escalating until Lucia was dead or near death was high. Lea’s persuasion seemed to work.

“That doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible to know each other’s locations in a dungeon…”

Erie initially rejected the idea but accepted it after Lea revealed the truth.

“It’s not impossible. That child is more capable than you think. If it’s her, she could probably find Jeong-hyeon just from the residual traces.”

Even Erie, who was less talented than Lucia, could follow residual traces.

Lucia, with her far superior talents, would have no difficulty finding Lee Jeong-hyeon despite the maze’s constraints.

‘Even if it’s impossible.’

The important thing now was the excuse. As long as Erie had a plausible excuse, it would suffice.

“Besides, given Lucia’s personality, she would never reveal Jeong-hyeon’s location. Once you start pressing her, it’ll be easy to resort to violence.”

“……”

Seeing Erie still conflicted, Lea gently patted her shoulder, using divine magic.

‘Blessing of Fortitude.’

Though called a blessing, it was a buff that suppressed human emotions. It was used on paladins going to war, amplifying their violent tendencies while suppressing other emotions.

As the buff took effect, Erie’s expression changed. Lea watched with a calm smile.

*-*

‘Seeing that she went missing after the dungeon rampage, it must have gone well.’

Understanding this, Lea sipped her drink calmly and closed her eyes. With the situation somewhat stabilized, it was time to check the divine power emitted by Jeong-hyeon.

She turned her face in the direction where the divine power lingered.

‘I’m looking forward to this.’

If, by any chance, the divine power left by Jeong-hyeon was similar to the essence of the hero’s divine power, he could be a suitable replacement for the hero the world needed.

Hoping for the best, Lea slowly made her way there. When she arrived at a passage near the source, she saw the radiant remnants of divine power and smiled blissfully.

“… Found it.”