Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 21

EP.21 Promotion Exam Part 2

Jeong-hyeon once saw an interview that went something like this:

– “Through systematic and efficient training, we nurture our athletes to become the best in the world. Maximum growth with minimal training.”

Minimal training for maximum growth.

As a child, he had been drawn to this idea and adopted it as his motto.

‘But now, I’m the exact opposite.’

Forget system or efficiency.

He was just recklessly wielding his divine power, charging forward, and repeatedly falling while either deflecting or dodging arrows.

‘I’m probably more reckless than a green-skinned muscle monster or a troll.’

Even undead creatures, who weren’t afraid of death, would recoil in terror at his relentless approach.

He continued training without any regard for his own safety.

‘Of course, there’s a reason for this.’

First, he intentionally died to grow his Tough Skin and stamina. Second, in this place, no matter how many times he died or got injured, he would return to his original state. This allowed him to engage in extreme training that he couldn’t do elsewhere.

If Lucia heard his second reason, she would probably grab him by the collar and yell at him. But since she wasn’t here, it was fine. With that thought, Jeong-hyeon propelled himself forward again.

(Deaths: 21)

However, he felt his mental state wearing down rapidly despite the minimal pain. No matter how much he became accustomed to it, the feeling of his entire body being reconstructed after death was unbearable.

‘But still.’

The horrors of the past, the searing humiliation, the crushing shame – they were mere shadows compared to this. He could accept this, even welcome it with a faint smile. There was a significant difference between being forced into something and choosing it himself.

‘Most importantly…!’

[Lowest Grade Tough Skin level has increased!]

The more painful it was, the faster his stats and skills improved. How could he not continue? Of course, that didn’t mean he intentionally got hit by arrows or fell off cliffs. He needed to gain not only stats and skills but also combat sense and crisis management abilities. So, he kept struggling on the logs, falling repeatedly.

(Deaths: 22)

“Damn it. This is seriously messed up…”

He endured the sensation of his body twisting as he got up. The training was far from over.

***

(Deaths: 31)

His unrealistic genius guided him on the direction, and the life-risking training allowed him to progress at the fastest possible pace. Now, dodging arrows while navigating the logs was no longer difficult.

‘But that’s all it is—nothing more, nothing less.’

To be honest, merely dodging arrows was the best he could do, and that was far from satisfying. This level of skill only allowed him to evade, not to counterattack.

‘At the very least…’

He needed to be able to not only avoid the arrows but also catch them and send them back. So, he decided to stay in this trap until he could do it perfectly, practicing catching arrows.

(Deaths: 37)

He managed to catch the arrows but throwing them back was a different issue. His attempts to throw the captured arrows were clumsy, leading to chaotic results. It seemed that his throwing posture was off, causing him to lose balance and fall. He concluded that finding the most efficient throwing posture was key and began to devise a solution.

(Deaths: 56)

Although he succeeded in catching and redirecting arrows, the targets seemed to realize his ability to counterattack and began evading.

‘I need to make the flow of catching and throwing more natural. Or find a better approach than just returning the arrows.’

He pondered over possible solutions and decided to experiment with different methods.

(Deaths: 63)

Through experimentation, he discovered the concept of parrying.

After trying various ways to deflect the arrows, he identified three types of parries:

Deflecting or diverting the attack.

Deflecting while simultaneously stunning the opponent.

Reflecting the attack back at the opponent.

Armed with this knowledge, he practiced these techniques and continued moving forward.

(Deaths: 77)

(Deaths: 89)

:

:

(Deaths: 121)

Death became less impactful. Jeong-hyeon paused, a bit taken aback by the realization that he no longer felt any hesitation towards death itself.

Believing his mental state was holding up well, he started noticing subtle changes that hinted at potential issues. He briefly considered addressing them, but ultimately decided against it.

‘It’s still okay.’

Whether due to his own resilience or some external influence, his mental state remained stable enough to function. He prioritized dodging the arrows over dwelling on the subtle mental changes he’d noticed.

Initially overwhelmed by the deluge of arrows, he was now able to handle them with composure.

[You have successfully parried!]

He reached a level where he could catch and deflect incoming arrows calmly. However, this alone was not enough. He advanced further to the point where he could accurately shoot the arrows back to their origin, but…

‘Still not enough.’

He had yet to master the technique of using the force of the arrows against them. So, he resolved to continue training until he could achieve this and made up his mind to keep dying until he could reach his final goal.

***

(Deaths: 200)

After reaching 200 deaths, he decided that he had extracted all he could from this training and decided to end it.

‘That was long.’

His hunger had reached such an extreme that he no longer even felt it. He smiled wryly, realizing that he had lost track of time, but it was clear that quite a lot of it had passed.

Now, it was time to move on to the next stage. He advanced quickly, facing another barrage of arrows. He caught the first arrow that flew toward him and used its recoil to shoot it back, marvelling at his success.

‘This is it.’

He had endured countless deaths for this. As he shot arrows back at those who had been shooting at him, he heard screams from a distance, signalling his progress.

‘Made it.’

After 200 deaths, he had finally passed the first trial. Though long and arduous, the rewards were substantial.

He decided to put off assessing his gains after clearing the Trial Chamber. For now, his focus was on completing the trial.

‘Alright… let’s see, another trap.’

Although it was a different kind of trap from the previous one, they were still just traps—nothing more, nothing less. He quickly overcame them, charging toward the next destination.

‘At this point, I could do this with my eyes closed.’

Even though these were traps he had never seen before, the trajectories were so obvious that he could easily dodge them. He continued to evade countless traps, moving forward.

Despite the variety of traps, he found them manageable. He swiftly bypassed them and reached the final destination.

‘This must be the last one.’

In the plaza, he saw numerous wooden soldiers moving in grotesque ways, watching him. A smirk appeared on his face as he realized he hadn’t had a proper battle in a while. Now, the wooden soldiers were approaching, providing the perfect opportunity to relieve that frustration.

‘Let’s see.’

He noticed weapons scattered on the ground, among which he found one similar to the sword he used. He quickly grabbed it. The familiar, reassuring feel of the weapon in his hand made him smile.

Unlike when he fought against the group of Erie’s companions, these emotionless enemies would not be swayed by intimidation or flashy tricks. Despite knowing this, he was not worried at all.

‘In fact…’

He observed how the divine power he used before had become more refined and potent. Narrowing his eyes, he continued his thoughts.

‘I’m confident I can win even more decisively than before.’

Comparing himself now to how he was before made him feel a bit embarrassed. Although others might view this confidence as arrogance, he felt justified in expressing it. The results spoke for themselves, showing just how much he had grown.

He easily defeated all the wooden soldiers and folded his arms, reflecting on how the final stage was even easier than he had expected. While he was lost in thought, a message appeared.

*-*

[Congratulations! You have cleared the Trial Chamber!]

[Open the white door in front of you to proceed and you will be able to ‘level up’ accordingly!]

*-*

‘Normally, they would give the reward to you right away after you clear it, wouldn’t they?’

… But why did he have to go outside the room to get it?

Realizing there must be something inside the room, he smiled and spoke aloud.

“Screw that. I’ll raise my sword skill level before I leave.”

With that, he picked up the wooden sword behind him and walked past the door in front, determined to see what lay beyond. At first glance, it seemed empty, but he noticed a corner that was rippling slightly.

‘Isn’t that the same kind of thing that was shooting arrows at me earlier?’

He couldn’t see the exact shape, so he slowly approached them. It could be that there was a better reward waiting for him there than leveling up.