Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 75

EP.75 Let’s Live Together

“Ta-da! It’s your beloved hero.”

At those brief words, Karina froze as if time had stopped just for her. It felt as if she had turned to ash, consumed by an overwhelming flame. Jeong-hyeon watched her, noting how she stared blankly, and added,

“Did you miss me? I really missed you.”

Upon hearing that, Karina seemed to regain her senses, attempting to respond, but Jeong-hyeon was quicker, striking her down again.

“What? Were you about to say that you killed me because I was useless? Save it.”

“Ugh… that’s not it!”

“Then what is it?”

He grinned, prompting her to speak, but Karina struggled to find the words, trapped by the very thoughts he had planted in her mind long ago.

“See? You were definitely thinking that.”

Jeong-hyeon sneered, kicking Karina onto her back and shoving her face into the muddy ground, pressing her forehead down until her hair became soaked in the dirt. He leaned closer, eyes glimmering with delight, and spoke,

“Did you know? Until recently, I acted solely out of a desire for revenge against you. But now, things have changed.”

Even with her face pressed into the muck, she seemed to respond, raising a trembling hand as if trying to reach for something. Jeong-hyeon seized the opportunity, stabbing his sword into the back of her hand, forcing her to drop it.

“Now, it’s not about revenge. It’s simply more fun to torment you.”

“Ugh… urgh.”

“You see? Even now, I find it quite entertaining.”

He had heard that seeking revenge could lead to a sense of emptiness afterward. While that might be true for some, Jeong-hyeon felt a sense of fulfillment instead. Perhaps, if he achieved his revenge, he would throw a celebration instead of wallowing in despair.

With that thought in mind, he hoped Karina would resist him more fiercely. After all, the more she fought back, the more satisfying it would be to break her spirit.

‘So, what should I do next?’

He mused, continuing to press his foot against Karina’s head. He contemplated dragging her off to settle old scores, but leaving her to wallow in defeat also had its appeal.

As he watched the dark brown dirt stain with a reddish hue, he squatted down, gazing at Karina, who lay helplessly, face down in the mud.

“What should I do with you?”

Despite being known as a master swordswoman, Karina hadn’t fainted yet. She trembled and tried to lift herself up at his words. Watching her struggle, Jeong-hyeon reached a conclusion.

“Right, considering the bond we’ve shared for so long, it feels a bit heartless to just let you go, doesn’t it? So how about we…”

He plunged his sword into her uninjured forearm, continuing,

“Let’s relieve some of our regrets while we’re here.”

“Ugh! Ugh…”

It seemed Karina found his proposal somewhat agreeable, flailing about as if to express her approval. Jeong-hyeon felt relieved that she was on board with his idea. Determined to release the pent-up feelings between them, he raised his sword once more.

***

─ As trash, you should act like trash. Fulfill your role.

When he was dragged around, unable to bear the pain or when things didn’t go her way, Karina would grip the collar around his neck and choke him until he was nearly unconscious. The sensation of struggling to breathe mixed with a sense of injustice echoed through his entire being.

Each time he gagged or screamed in pain, Karina would smile with satisfaction, as if she had accomplished her task.

─ That’s the way you deserve. Don’t forget it.

She would often leave him crumpled on the ground, surrounded by discarded refuse and the remnants of his own vomit.

He spat the sour bile onto the floor, feeling utterly defeated. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t eaten properly for days, or perhaps the overwhelming sense of injustice rendered him immobile.

‘Shit.’

As he muttered curses he had spoken thousands of times before, he coughed weakly. This time, Daisy, who had been watching, scoffed at him and spoke.

“You really are pathetic. If I were you, I would’ve killed myself by now. Why are you even still alive?”

She walked away, seeming disinterested, and this sparked a thought in Jeong-hyeon.

‘Suicide, huh…’

Bound by the collar around his neck, he saw no way to take revenge on them. But what if he could turn that very situation into an opportunity for revenge? With that in mind, he vowed to seize the cruelest way to take his revenge—their happiest moments would become the moments of their despair.

He had waited eagerly for that moment to arrive.

As he recalled those long-ago experiences, Jeong-hyeon let out a hollow laugh. Back then, he had thought that suicide was the ultimate form of revenge. However, now that he had the strength to seek vengeance, his perspective had completely changed.

‘Now, my main thought isn’t about revenge, but rather how I can torment you in the most excruciating way possible.’

Jeong-hyeon wiped the rain from his face as he observed Karina, her body marred with wounds, thrashing around like a fish in pain. He found great satisfaction in her suffering.

Leaning closer, he whispered to her.

“Thank you. Thanks to you all, I’ve discovered the joy of tormenting.”

“… Ugh… ugh.”

“What? You’re glad I’m enjoying myself? What can I say? You taught me all this.”

He chuckled at his own rhetorical question. It was no fun to tease someone who didn’t respond, so he decided it was time to move on. Gripping her by the hair, he lifted her head.

‘As much as I’d like to stab her more, I can’t let her die like this.’

If he left her as she was, she might truly perish. It would be better to heal her or take her to Lucia.

‘It would be a shame to kill her like this.’

With that in mind, he decided to toy with her for just a little longer before placing Karina into the pocket dimension and stretching his limbs.

‘This is fun.’

It had been a long time since he felt such satisfaction after arriving in this world. He resolved to return to Lucia quickly, deciding it was time to wrap things up with this incident.

‘The first thing I need to do is set up the scene where Charlotte defeats the corpse golem.’

Issuing a command to the corpse golem to lose to the first princess, Charlotte, he slowly advanced to retrieve the flower of life embedded in the golem.

***

Facing the massive corpse golem alone was already a significant achievement, but if she managed to defeat it, it wouldn’t just be a remarkable feat—it would be recorded in the annals of history.

‘Moreover, if the master swordswoman fled and a mere student like the first princess accomplished this, the tale would grow even more sensational.’

After the corpse golem fell, Jeong-hyeon approached Charlotte, who remained behind to assist the injured, chuckling to himself.

“Well done, Princess.”

Her response was somewhat exasperated as she pressed her head down.

“… Thanks to you.”

While he laughed at her words, Charlotte glanced around, then stepped closer to him.

“I can’t deny that this turned out to be bigger than I expected… but still, thank you for fulfilling my request.”

It seemed she felt awkward expressing gratitude directly, as she shyly averted her gaze while thanking him. Jeong-hyeon nodded, feeling a strange warmth from her sincerity.

“In any case, if you ever need my help again, just let me know. Honestly, I’m not sure if you’ll need my assistance, but if there’s anything I can do, I’ll gladly help.”

As Charlotte had said, there wasn’t much in the way of help he needed, so Jeong-hyeon merely nodded in agreement. However, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘The dormitory.’

When he lived alone, it hadn’t been a problem, but now that Miria and Lucia were constantly around, along with the recent addition of another member, he felt the need to move to a larger and more suitable space.

‘This old dormitory has become quite inconvenient for various reasons.’

Therefore, he decided to ask Charlotte for assistance with this matter.

‘It should be simple enough to request a spare room in the royal residence, right?’

Of course, many would oppose a commoner like him moving in, but with Charlotte’s authority having risen so dramatically, he thought she could push through any objections.

‘Well, if it doesn’t work out, I can always solve it with money.’

Since it wouldn’t be feasible to build a new structure within the academy, there was the downside of being farther from the dormitory or royal residence, but he could easily buy land nearby and construct a building or purchase a shop, so he wasn’t too worried.

Deciding to bring it up casually, he opened his mouth.

“Then, can I ask for a favor?”

Charlotte seemed taken aback, her expression showing surprise that he would ask so suddenly, but she nodded nonetheless.

He then briefly conveyed his request to her.

“Let’s live together.”

At those words, Charlotte wore a blank expression like he had never seen before, staring at him in shock. Realizing at that moment that he had chosen his words poorly, Jeong-hyeon felt a twinge of regret.