Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 41

EP.41 I Like Alleyways

Upon entering the auction house of the Black Market, they were greeted by a host of employees in elegant uniforms. The reception was even more extravagant than the VIP treatment at the gambling den a few days prior. As he stood there, chuckling at the lavish welcome, an attendant approached, bowing respectfully to Regina.

“It is an honor to serve you. Allow me to guide you immediately.”

The attendant focused all attention on Regina, nervously ensuring her comfort, and began leading her skillfully to the designated location. Watching this, Lee Jeong-hyeon inwardly smiled with satisfaction.

‘Good. It would have been troublesome if the attention had been on me.’

He knew that if word spread that a commoner had spent million gold to buy the extract, it would attract unwanted attention. It was better to keep a low profile.

‘Let the attention be on Regina, while I reap the benefits.’

Determined to avoid drawing any attention, he followed Regina silently.

***

The auction house, in a word, was more like a ballroom than an auction. Instead of being arranged for focused bidding, the seating was organized to encourage conversation, with tables and chairs set up for socializing. Private spaces, where the auctioneer’s voice wouldn’t reach, were plentiful. It seemed the place was designed more for socializing than for actual auctions. As he considered this, Miria nudged him, whispering.

“Look over there.”

Following her gaze, he saw a familiar face.

‘Marpe.’

The newly appointed chief swordsmanship instructor. Finding his unexpected appearance quite interesting, he noticed Miria looking worriedly at him.

“I heard that Marpe has been holding a grudge against you ever since you beat him up last time. He’s been waiting for a chance to get back at you, so you should be careful not to draw attention here.”

Her concern sparked a good idea in his mind. He calmly told Miria.

“I have somewhere to go. Can you get the extract for me instead? The budget is up to 200 million gold, so make sure to secure it.”

“200 million gold should be enough, but… where are you going?”

He nodded, giving a brief answer.

“I found a new target… no, a new collection. I think it would be good to have a little chat.”

At his words, Miria glanced at Regina, who was trudging along in front of them, and then shuddered as she spoke to him.

“O-okay? See you soon.”

Watching Miria, Jeong-hyeon thought to himself that she was indeed quick-witted, and then he headed towards where Marpe was.

***

Marpe, the commander of the 2nd Knight Order and recently appointed chief instructor at Melheim Academy, was a key figure in the faction of the second princess. However, after a massive blunder, he was currently self-isolating in penance. Despite his efforts to restore his shattered reputation and position by leveraging his connections, the intense defeat he suffered in the training grounds overshadowed all his attempts.

‘The impression I left in the training arena was too strong…’

No matter what he did, it was meaningless. The image of his crushing defeat had dragged everything down. Everything he had built up over the years was destroyed by a single loss to a mere youngster, and it was laughable how futile it all seemed.

Having lost his purpose, Marpe found solace in drinking, but a sudden surge of intense anger made him unable to contain his emotions. He threw his glass to the ground and gritted his teeth.

‘If it weren’t for that damned brat…!’

Even in the battlefield, where only instincts clashed, he had never lost control of his emotions like this. But that damned youngster had shattered his restraint, and just thinking about him made his anger boil over.

‘I must… I must get my revenge on that brat, no matter what…!’

At this point, he clenched his teeth and grabbed a new glass, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that now was not the time for revenge; he needed to focus on expanding the second princess Karina’s influence. So, he decided to bide his time and wait for the right moment to exact his revenge. He poured himself another drink when he heard a familiar, almost memorized voice from behind.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Chief Instructor Marpe. I wonder if the wounds from our last encounter have healed.”

The mocking tone was unmistakable. Marpe immediately turned around to see the one person he wanted to kill more than anyone else: Lee Jeong-hyeon.

“Or maybe I should be the one worried since I got hit last. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about my well-being, Instructor Marpe?”

Jeong-hyeon continued to provoke him with his mocking tone, strutting closer with a smirk on his face.

“So, Instructor Marpe, how did it feel to use your full sword aura against a student for the first time? Did you enjoy it?”

“… Shut up.”

“What, you didn’t enjoy it? That’s a problem… You’ve managed to disgrace the kingdom and the second princess’s efforts, earning yourself a disciplinary action. If you didn’t even enjoy it, what’s the point?”

Switching between formal and informal speech, Jeong-hyeon continued to dig into Marpe’s mental state, relentlessly taunting him.

Even though there were too many prying eyes and his self-imposed penance period wasn’t over, Jeong-hyeon suddenly proposed something Marpe couldn’t refuse.

“So, here’s the thing. You didn’t get to go all out last time, right? How about we have a real fight this time?”

A lowly commoner, ignorant of his place, was daring to provoke him, relying solely on his status as an academy student and his limited skills. The audacity was laughable. Determined to show him that there was always someone better, Marpe gripped his sword, which he hadn’t touched for a while, and replied.

“Fine. But there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“No matter the outcome or the process, you won’t speak of this to anyone.”

“That’s what I want too.”

“And you won’t hold a grudge even if you lose your life.”

At these words, Jeong-hyeon clapped his hands as if he had been waiting for this and spoke.

“That sounds great. So, when do you want to do this? Right now?”

“That’s not a bad idea, but…”

Seeing the attention they were attracting, Marpe decided to postpone the duel.

“There are too many eyes on us now… After the auction, come to the alley behind the auction house. It’s a secluded spot.”

Jeong-hyeon burst into laughter at the mention of an alley.

“What’s with you guys and alleys? Every time it’s ‘meet me in the alley.’ Anyway, got it, Instructor. See you later.”

With that, he walked away without looking back. Marpe watched him go, clenching his teeth and gripping his sword tightly. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he stared at the spot where Jeong-hyeon had stood.

‘I will kill him.’

Even if he couldn’t kill him due to various reasons, he vowed to at least take one of his limbs. With that resolve, he gritted his teeth once more.

***

‘Teabagging him was so much fun.’

Jeong-hyeon thought about how enjoyable it had been to mock Marpe, smiling in satisfaction. He wondered why elite noble brats, no matter their background, seemed to act the same. With these thoughts, he headed back to where Miria and Regina were.

“… You’re back?”

Miria greeted him in a frightened voice as he returned. She glanced at his hands and body, then sighed in relief.

“I thought you might have beaten up Instructor Marpe like you did with Regina and stuffed him into the subspace pouch.”

The spot-on remark left Jeong-hyeon momentarily speechless as he stared at Miria. Seeing his reaction, Miria looked flustered.

“… That’s not true, right?”

He hadn’t done it yet, but since he was planning to do so soon, he just smiled.

Miria, sweating nervously, seemed like she wanted to say something but then shook her head and spoke.

“… No. It’s nothing.”

At her response, Jeong-hyeon shrugged and got straight to the point.

“Anyway, has the extract come up yet?”

Miria looked a bit flustered and replied.

“I’ve told you many times before, there’s no guarantee that the top-grade extract will appear at the auction. It’s purely a matter of luck. So even if we come expecting it, without luck…”

─ “Next up… Oh! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this item! The highly anticipated top-grade extract!”

The announcement of the extract’s appearance cut her off. Miria turned around, pressing her eyes with both hands, and spoke to him.

“Being with you feels like common sense is constantly being overturned.”

Jeong-hyeon didn’t respond to that remark, simply looking down at the auction below. Then, placing a hand on Regina’s trembling shoulder, he spoke.

“Well then, Senior, I’ll leave this to you.”

When Regina didn’t respond, he took a dagger from his subspace and placed it on her thigh. Only then did she quickly nod, agreeing to cooperate.

Jeong-hyeon thought that now he could finally absorb the power of the Rosary. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of selling it off after draining its power. Eagerly, he anticipated the extract falling into his hands.