Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 94

EP.94 The Demon King Part 1

After sending the Pope a carefully curated gift, Jeong-hyeon finally had the chance to review the level-up rewards he had overlooked amidst the chaos.

[Congratulations! You’ve leveled up!]

[Based on your performance in the Trial Chamber, a new trait has manifested.]

*

[The Leader]

– When this trait is active, the stats of subordinates and creations are enhanced.

(Stat increases are proportional to the amount of Divine Power consumed.)

*

‘Not bad.’

The detail about boosting subordinates’ strength in proportion to divine power usage intrigued him. Unlike most, Jeong-hyeon had the unique ability to wield Divine power without limitations.

This realization led to an idea.

‘If I saturate them with Divine power, their stats should hit the maximum.’

While he wasn’t entirely certain of the extent of the enhancement, his experiences in the Trial Chamber suggested that each subordinate could rival—if not surpass—a paladin in strength.

‘Perhaps they’ll become even stronger than that.’

The only way to be sure was to test it himself.

With that in mind, Jeong-hyeon decided to visit the nearby mountain while his golden goblin busied itself recording footage.

The day was already filled with promising developments, and he couldn’t suppress a grin as he made his way to the mountainside.

***

Upon arriving, Jeong-hyeon retrieved a corpse from his subspace pouch and infused it with Divine power.

“… Grrrhhh.”

Its voice was far from human, but its actions were surprisingly lifelike. The creature moved with an uncanny mimicry of the habits it must have displayed in life. From a distance, it might have passed for a living person.

Jeong-hyeon tilted his head in approval.

To measure the creation’s basic abilities, he decided to conduct a straightforward test.

“Punch that tree,” he ordered.

The simplest way to gauge raw strength was direct action.

Without hesitation, the Holy Zombie launched itself toward the tree and struck it with full force.

Bang!

The tree splintered under the impact.

‘Impressive.’

Jeong-hyeon observed, a satisfied smile crossing his face.

The result was promising, but he wanted more. He activated the [The Leader] trait, channeling an immense amount of Divine power into the Holy Zombie. Then, pointing to another tree, he issued the next command.

“Now, hit that one.”

The Holy Zombie roared as its body surged with Divine power, charging toward the tree with renewed ferocity.

BOOOOM!

The result was overwhelming. The tree wasn’t merely broken; it was obliterated, fragments scattering in all directions.

Jeong-hyeon’s eyes widened in delight. He hadn’t anticipated such a dramatic increase in strength.

‘“This… is extraordinary.’

He estimated that the empowered Holy Zombie could easily overpower even the most formidable paladins. The potential was staggering.

“If I unleash hundreds, no, thousands of these, how would the Pope react?”

Although he knew such overwhelming strength required a massive amount of Divine power and wouldn’t be feasible for all his creations, even the weaker ones would prove to be a devastating force.

The thought alone made Jeong-hyeon chuckle softly as he watched his creation obliterate another tree, satisfied with the results of his experiment.

The sheer destructive power of the Holy Zombies left Jeong-hyeon confident. While they wouldn’t bring about the total annihilation of the Church, even a single well-coordinated attack could inflict devastating losses.

The thought sent a thrill down his spine.

‘How will the Pope react?’

Jeong-hyeon wondered, already envisioning the chaos.

As he mulled over possible terror tactics, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

“The golden goblin’s brought the footage!”

Miria called, waving him over.

It seemed the goblin had returned. Jeong-hyeon quickly stashed the test subject back into his dimensional storage and headed toward the lodging to review the footage.

***

Inside, Jeong-hyeon watched the recording, his expression shifting between intrigue and mild disappointment.

‘It’s not bad… but it’s missing something.’

He had imagined the Pope recoiling in sheer horror, utterly shaken by the gruesome gift. Instead, the Pope appeared outwardly composed, his rage simmering beneath a veneer of cold determination.

“Hm.”

The scene left Jeong-hyeon with one clear conclusion—he needed to send something far more impactful next time.

‘If this is just the beginning, I’ve got plenty of room to escalate.’

Resolved to push forward, Jeong-hyeon began considering more elaborate terror tactics.

While deep in thought, he felt something latch onto his leg. Looking down, he saw Hana wrapping her tiny arms around him.

“Daddy! Daddy! I saw a cookie this big!”

She exclaimed, stretching her arms wide to demonstrate.

Jeong-hyeon wasn’t entirely sure what she meant but nodded anyway, gently patting her head. Hana giggled, clearly enjoying the attention, and began excitedly rambling about the “big cookie.”

Her words, however, were nearly incomprehensible, muddled by the endearing quirks of a child’s speech. Still, Jeong-hyeon humored her, nodding and pretending to follow along.

Hana stopped mid-sentence, gazing up at him with sparkling eyes. Suddenly, she stretched out her arms in a clear demand.

‘Does she want me to pick her up?’

Testing his guess, Jeong-hyeon scooped her into his arms. Hana beamed, wrapping her small hands around his face.

‘Looks like I got it right.’

He thought, standing still as Hana clung to him like a contented sloth.

Just as he began enjoying the peaceful moment, the door burst open, and someone rushed inside.

“Is everyone okay?!”

The urgency in the voice made Jeong-hyeon glance over. It was Charlotte, her eyes darting around the room before landing on them.

Seeing that everyone was unharmed, she exhaled in relief.

“…I’m glad no one’s hurt.”

Jeong-hyeon offered an awkward smile and gently pried Hana’s grip from his face. Calming her down, he finally spoke.

“I was thinking… it’s about time we meet the Demon King. What do you all think?”

The room froze.

All eyes turned to him, a heavy silence settling over the group. Jeong-hyeon noticed Lucia’s face twisting into a grimace, her expression resembling The Scream by Munch.

Breaking the silence, Miria spoke, her voice laced with panic.

“A-As much as I trust you, going to meet the Demon King is a bit… extreme, don’t you think?”

Jeong-hyeon couldn’t understand the reactions of his companions. If they were unaware of the Demon King’s situation, his plans might have seemed outlandish. However, they knew the truth: the Demon King had been betrayed by the evil Pope, killed, and sealed. Given that, his companions’ reluctance was perplexing.

Gently patting Hana’s back, he asked.

“Why? Do you think I shouldn’t meet him?”

Lucia was the first to respond, her tone hesitant.

“Well, it’s not that… It just seems a bit strange for the Hero to be going to meet the Demon King. And, well… the Demon King has always been portrayed as the source of evil, killing innocent citizens and all…”

The idea of meeting the Demon King felt unsettling to her.

“After all, he’s been like a nightmare to us since we were kids,” Lucia added.

Charlotte, too, seemed uncomfortable, but Jeong-hyeon realized why they felt that way. He gave a small nod, brushing off their concerns.

“It’s fine. The Demon King and I have the same goal in the end,” he assured them.

A heavy silence filled the room. Lucia appeared unaffected, but the others didn’t know how to react to Jeong-hyeon’s declaration. He understood their hesitation.

‘They’ve never harbored hatred for this world like I have.’

Deciding it was something to address later, Jeong-hyeon continued.

“Anyway, I need your help to meet the Demon King. As soon as possible.”

Miria, though still uneasy, reluctantly nodded in agreement.

***

The prospect of allying with the Demon King had significant implications, but the most crucial one was that it marked the end of any hope for humanity.

Jeong-hyeon’s thoughts were clear:

‘The Hero is supposed to be the one who brings salvation. But now, I’m teaming up with the very being who’s bent on humanity’s destruction.’

The idea of a Hero joining forces with the Demon King was absurd, a sign of the world’s inevitable downfall.

With this in mind, Jeong-hyeon quickly got to work, discussing everything from the Demon King’s exact location to the logistics of getting there and the preparations needed.

However, as he delved deeper into the plan, he encountered a major issue: the safety of those traveling with him.

‘If we’re going to the Demon King’s lair, we’ll have to be away from the Academy for an extended period.’

Without anyone left to defend the place, leaving would expose them to potential attacks.

The solution? “Let’s all go together.”

But Charlotte immediately vetoed this idea.

“As the First Princess, I can’t leave for long. Even if I use Karina to explain my absence, I can only be gone for a week at most. It’s impossible to reach the Demon King’s location in that time,” she explained.

Frustrated, Jeong-hyeon was deep in thought, unsure how to proceed when Lucia offered a solution.

“What if we use the teleportation device? We can travel there quickly, and we can use the Demon King’s power to return.”

Teleportation? Jeong-hyeon smacked his forehead for not thinking of it sooner.

“That sounds good. Let’s do that,” he agreed.

Lucia’s face lit up with pride.

“Did you see that? When I put my mind to it, I really get things done!”

Jeong-hyeon chuckled and decided to start searching for a teleportation device that could get them close to the Demon King’s location.

“So, where are we going again?”

“The Elven Lands!”

Jeong-hyeon hesitated. Was it really a good idea to bring Hana, the world tree they had been protecting, into the Elven Lands? But he knew that leaving her behind could lead to unforeseen dangers.

‘If it gets too dangerous, I can always store her in the subspace pouch.’

He thought, though he’d prefer to avoid using it as a storage space for her.

With that, Jeong-hyeon decided it was time to head to the Elven Lands.