Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 20

EP.20 Promotion Exam Part 1

Regina silently watched the three empty seats before her, then slowly turned her gaze to the tea set gifted by Erie. The luxurious tea set, handcrafted by the prestigious magic family, L’rusié, was a symbol of their craftsmanship. High-ranking mages and renowned artists from L’rusié poured their efforts into creating each delicate piece.

‘A precious luxury item crafted by one of the three great magic families.’

Simply possessing it elevated the owner’s value and showcased their connection with L’rusié. Yet Regina threw the tea set to the floor without hesitation. The cup rolled and struck the ground but remained unscathed due to numerous protective spells. Those who witnessed this would forever remember that it had been thrown to the ground.

“It’s useless now.”

Even without visible damage, the fact that it had touched the dirty floor would drastically diminish its value. No one would think it held the same worth as before after seeing it scraped against the filthy ground. Regina bit her lip until it bled as she stared at the tea set nestled in the corner.

‘The second-year students, especially Erie…’

As a scion of the L’rusié magic family, Erie had the potential to be a great asset to her in the future. Losing her was a significant blow. It was akin to losing a valuable decoration that elevated its owner’s status just by being in their possession.

‘Therefore…’

To cope with this immense sense of loss, she intended to hold the person responsible for breaking her decoration accountable.

“Hillaton, how’s the matter I mentioned last time coming along?”

The man who had been sipping wine in front of her calmly responded to her call.

“I found nothing. No family, no background, not even a birthplace—it’s all been burned to the ground.”

“… What?”

“So, I dug into what he did during the first semester at the academy, hoping to find something… but there’s nothing. He just attended classes to avoid expulsion.”

Regina stifled a laugh at Hillaton’s words. Normally, in such situations, she would leverage the responsible party’s family to exert pressure.

‘No parents, no guardians, no relatives… no one.’

She couldn’t use her usual methods. With nothing to protect and nothing to lose, there was no way to threaten him. It was an unimaginable scenario for her, leaving her feeling utterly bewildered.

“Oh, right, he’s recently been involved with a girl named Lucia. Hmm, but it might be better not to touch this one.”

“Tell me. Who is Lucia?”

Hillaton glanced around before leaning in to whisper to her.

“This is top secret, so keep it to yourself. There are rumours that Lucia is a saintess who appeared after a hundred years.”

“… A saintess?”

Regina couldn’t hide her shock. A saintess was a figure who brought immense influence, second only to the Pope in the Order’s hierarchy. And yet, they had sent such a person to the academy without informing anyone?

‘And without any escort?’

This didn’t make any sense. At first, Regina thought Hillaton must have received incorrect information.

‘Given Hillaton’s character, that’s unlikely.’

Knowing his skeptical nature, he would have verified such an unbelievable story multiple times before finally accepting it as truth. The fact that he was speaking so assuredly meant that Lucia being a Saintess was almost certainly true. Yet there were three perplexing questions that arose from this story.

First, why had the Order sent a saintess to the academy without any announcement? Second, why hadn’t the Order ordered her return after the dungeon rampage that killed so many students?

‘And lastly…’

Why didn’t the saintess, who had no combat abilities, have an escort, when even bishops were provided with bodyguards?

‘… Wait, come to think of it, didn’t Bishop Lea, who was appointed as an instructor this time, also not have any guards?’

Regina sensed that there were layers of secrets she wasn’t meant to uncover. Her experience told her that meddling in such matters could lead to losing everything. Therefore, she had no choice but to abandon her plan to involve Lucia.

‘In that case, I’ll have to hold the individual directly responsible.’

It wasn’t her preferred method, but she had no choice. Regina told Hillaton to make the necessary preparations, then silently stared at the tea cup lying on the floor.

***

As soon as Jeong-hyeon had some free time, he returned to the dormitory to check on two things.

‘First, the seed.’

He had been steadily infusing the mysterious seed he received as a reward with divine power. Even though only three days had passed, it had already sprouted and grown rapidly.

*-*

[Mysterious Sprout]

– This sprout is desperately sought after by ■■. It is currently growing rapidly, thanks to the abundant supply of high-quality divine power.

*-*

The description had changed, likely due to its growth. Watching the sprout swaying as if responding to his words or the divine power he provided gave him a strange sense of amusement.

‘I’d love to find out what this really is.’

He recalled the article he had read about the scarcity of divine power holders and decided to hold back. Given the increased value of anything related to divine power, he couldn’t predict the impact this sprout might have.

‘Hopefully, it’s not some kind of carnivorous plant.’

Jeong-hyeon moved his attention to the next item: the white key.

Looking at it, he sighed. He had wanted to use it immediately after acquiring it, but he had been subjected to relentless questioning about whether he had caused the dungeon rampage under the guise of being a witness.

Jeong-hyeon sighed, thinking to himself, ‘What good are these things even in death?’ as he turned the key in mid-air.

[Would you like to use the Key of Growth?]

He nodded, and a white door appeared where he inserted the key, slowly opening as if inviting him in. He stretched lightly and stepped inside.

***

Upon entering the Trial Chamber, a message appeared.

*-*

[The promotion exam is starting.]

– Reach the destination.

* If you die during the trial, you will be resurrected at the starting point.

* Time flows very slowly here.

* If you give up midway, you will never be able to level up again.

*-*

The fact that there was no penalty for dying and being resurrected at the starting point meant there were many deadly challenges ahead. He wondered what kind of trial awaited him to warrant such warnings.

Looking ahead with a sense of unease, he saw a series of terrifying traps.

‘… It’s like they gathered every trap in the world here.’

The traps were so cruel and relentless that he wondered if it was even possible for a person to get through and reach the destination. He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

‘This is way too extreme.’

‘I have no choice but to keep going.’

He calmed his mind and began to run forward. The first trap he encountered was a vertical wooden platform, resembling a jump map in a game, where he had to step from one piece of wood to another to advance.

It would have been manageable if it had been just that, but—

Sharp wooden spikes were scattered endlessly at the bottom, warning that falling meant certain doom.

‘That’s going to hurt.’

Even for someone accustomed to pain, falling onto those spikes would be excruciating.

Determined to avoid falling, he carefully stepped onto the wooden platforms. It was easier than he had expected.

The stats he had accumulated provided him with superhuman physical sensations, so stepping on the wood itself wasn’t difficult. However, the strong winds blowing from the sides and the arrows shooting from various directions kept creating obstacles, making each step a heavy burden.

‘Damn it…’

But giving up wasn’t an option. He tried to steady his mind as he prepared to leap to the next platform. Suddenly, hundreds of arrows rained down on him, and he realized he was in trouble.

‘Damn it.’

The moment he was struck by the sharp metal, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

[You have died.]

[Resurrecting at the starting point.]

(Deaths: 1)

The horrific sensation of his body being reconstructed was unbearable. Having experienced death before, he managed to endure it, but the pain and sensation still left his body trembling.

‘Damn it.’

If they were going to resurrect him, why include such painful sensations? Annoyed by what he perceived as sadistic behavior, he calmed himself again and ran toward the wooden platforms.

***

[You have died.]

[Resurrecting at the starting point.]

(Deaths: 5)

After dying repeatedly in the same spot, he found himself laughing hollowly. Despite trying every possible way to avoid the hundreds of arrows, he still couldn’t dodge them.

“Damn it. Seriously. This is bullshit.”

‘Even so, shouldn’t there be a way to dodge it?’

He grumbled, feeling both wronged and sore all over. As he grit his teeth, a message appeared in front of him:

[You have acquired the skill: Lowest Grade Tough Skin (Lv: 1)!]

– Health and defense have increased.

[Your stats have increased!]

‘A new skill… and stat increase?’

Seeing this, he suddenly felt a surge of energy return. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. This could be an unexpected opportunity to grow immensely.

‘Moreover…’

* Time flows very slowly here compared to reality.

Even if he spent a long time in this place, time would move very slowly in the real world. This meant he could work on his stats without any interruptions.

Realizing this, he clenched his fist and grinned widely.