[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-76":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s Final Boss",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1319823,1753,"Chapter 76","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-76",76,"\u003Cp>Chapter 76\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left my teammates behind and stepped into the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the outside, the cave was pitch-black, allowing not even a speck of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t bother to turn on any light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lighting a fire here would’ve been no different from suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After descending a long flight of stairs for quite a while, I eventually sensed that the steps had come to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was definitely uncomfortable not being able to see anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after about five minutes of walking down, my eyes didn’t adjust to the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must’ve been some kind of rule applied to the dungeon itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I operated the Asura Divine Art and unfolded my domain, only then did I begin to grasp the things around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inside of the Hidden Dungeon wasn’t much different from the structure outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long corridor stretched endlessly ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I slowly walked through it, I recalled the information about this Hidden Dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was The Chamber of Gu Poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, it was a massive dungeon created by a certain dark sorcerer to give birth to the strongest living creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea why such a place existed inside the Academy’s mock dungeon, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe that dark sorcerer had once belonged to the Academy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basic principle was no different from the gu poison we commonly knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless species and monsters were thrown together into the pitch darkness, and you waited until only one remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why the method to clear this dungeon was simple and straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kill every monster that existed here—and be the only one left alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty was similar to The Nameless One’s Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, I sensed movement from somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instinctively, I turned my head toward the source of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But within a radius of about three meters, I could sense nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from the sound, it seemed to be some distance away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I released my domain and spread my sensory perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, something was caught within the waves of mana spreading out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a monster— a person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My first thought was of the teammates I had left outside the entrance of the Hidden Dungeon, but it wasn’t them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because only one person was being detected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who could it be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, no one else ever appeared in this dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t tell me... the clear conditions had changed again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that the dark sorcerer was actually still hiding somewhere in here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch. This was about to get troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silently, I concealed my presence and moved toward the source of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other person remained motionless, simply waiting for me in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I got close enough, I expanded my domain and struck at the target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tak, papat, puk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attacks I unleashed to suppress the opponent bounced off as if deflected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, a counterattack came flying in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp killing intent aimed right at my neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the opponent was already within my domain!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the flow, I caught the incoming strike, seized the wrist, and drove my fist forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, instead of resisting, the opponent threw their body toward me, dodging the attack and using that momentum to tackle me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hup!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I instantly leapt backward, gathering mana in my hand and firing it to block the flurry of incoming blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sharp clang of metal, the dagger in the opponent’s hand flew off into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good. The weapon’s gone—this should end it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was when a thin voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I surrender!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hand froze at the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice felt strangely familiar, and I frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t noticed during the fight, but the wrist I’d grabbed felt slender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Joo Sarang…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I followed my leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her unnecessarily confident tone made me sigh automatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all places to follow me, it had to be here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to scold her, but suddenly, an indescribable rush of emotions welled up from within me, making my chest ache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emotions that weren’t mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body was reacting to feelings that didn’t belong to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was seriously unpleasant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if I were being mind-controlled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have any idea where you’ve followed me to!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice came out harsher than I intended, stiff with irritation born from the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t meant to sound that angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An awkward silence fell between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, breaking it, Joo Sarang suddenly shouted at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the one who kept avoiding me, you bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Wait, wasn’t I the one who was supposed to be angry right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every time I try to talk, you ignore me or run away! I come to your class and you hide in the bathroom! And when I try to contact you, you block me! Are you kidding me right now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuming, she grabbed me by the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes turned red, glowing faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the pitch-black dungeon, that crimson light shone vividly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a light that reflected her fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh… yeah. I guess I was in the wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, she was right—I had been avoiding her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t help it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like how my heart had reacted the instant I saw her just now, whenever I met Joo Sarang, emotions that weren’t mine would surge up uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was already exhausted dealing with Berid and the others; I didn’t have the mental strength to manage this on top of everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even earlier, when I’d lashed out at her—it wasn’t really her fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, meeting Joo Sarang here had been shocking, but it wasn’t something to get angry over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when I realized she had entered The Chamber of Gu Poison, rage had boiled up inside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the reason for that anger—was worry for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this dungeon could only be cleared when one person remained alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, before I knew it, my voice had risen without control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha… what a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang still didn’t seem to have calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy surrounding her was growing violent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you disappear without a word back then? Do you even know what we went through?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, Joo Sarang retrieved the dagger that had fallen to the ground and swung it at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dagger sliced through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t an attack meant to kill, but one intended to subdue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slightly tilted my body to avoid the blade grazing my nose bridge—and in that fleeting moment, Joo Sarang swept my leg out from under me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although I could clearly perceive her movements within my domain, I didn’t block or dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be exact, my body simply didn’t move as I intended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pinned me down and glared at me from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears welled up in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After you abandoned us… I—no, we waited for you. All this time…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her tears brought back a flood of old, worn-out memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories that weren’t mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cruel training and torture carried out in a room where not a sliver of light reached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human experimentation so brutal it was unspeakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Children who leaned on one another to survive in that hellish environment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as tears streamed down her cheeks, Joo Sarang continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After you left, so much happened. Jiwoo… she couldn’t endure the training and died. Dongwook was beaten to death by a Demon, just like that…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know? Of all the kids who were there, I’m the only one who survived. Do you know why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They made us do it on the last day… told us to kill each other. Said only the last one standing could become a true Demon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, emotions that weren’t mine surged up violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My face twisted from the disgust of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I killed them all. The kids who were like family to me, with my own hands…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a burst of rage, the Infernal Flame of Asura Divine Art ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosion of mana sent Joo Sarang flying off me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gritting my teeth, I glared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, I knew. I knew how pitiful you all were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, you were still Demons—nothing more than Berid’s pawns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no desire to hear about your past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew well enough that the feelings she held for me weren’t mere affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not when she looked at me with those eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would’ve been an idiot not to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were children who had endured all kinds of torture and human experimentation to become elite Demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way their minds could’ve remained intact after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a slow, deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold, damp air helped cool the heat that had risen in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what do you want me to do? You didn’t come all the way here just to tell me how miserable you are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bastard…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cursed at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was thick with a tangle of emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, miserable. Then what—an interrogation? Or do you want to vent your resentment? I was curious, you know. That’s why I wanted to hear it. So answer me. Why did you abandon us? Why didn’t you come back for us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really want to know? Why I disappeared?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You already know—because you pried into Yoo Seongwoo’s memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang met my gaze and nodded without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll tell you. The reason I had to leave you all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I summoned the Power of the Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darkness rose from my shadow, covering my body before transforming into black armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I extended my hand, demonic energy formed into a longsword, and as I poured more power into it, the pitch-black blade began to burn with crimson light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang’s eyes widened in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This damn body was chosen to become the vessel for the descent of the Lord of the Archdemons! That’s why I left! To offer my soul and body to some demon bastard I didn’t even know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I spoke, the emotions within me boiled over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, I didn’t suppress them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine—let it all out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe if I expelled these feelings, I could finally regain my composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the person she wanted to talk to wasn’t me, but Yoo Seongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did I disappear without a word? Why didn’t I come find you even after becoming the Devil Knight? Because I couldn’t! Those damn watchers and the cursed Demons kept me from doing anything! You think I didn’t want to see you again?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did you avoid me at the Academy?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think pretending to know you at the Academy would change anything? Berid’s been watching me like a hawk! Don’t act spoiled! I’m still a vessel meant to offer everything to the Demon, and…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, I stopped shouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang said nothing, only letting tears stream down her sorrowful face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a Demon herself, she surely understood better than anyone what this situation meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her like that made the pain in my chest worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, something entered the range of my perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not one—many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Multiple presences were converging through the labyrinth’s corridors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was when I remembered the Infernal Flame that had erupted earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was exactly why I hated this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting swept up in emotions that weren’t even mine, and ending up trolling like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop crying and pull yourself together. This isn’t the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang snapped back irritably, but soon her expression shifted as she realized the seriousness of the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s happening all of a sudden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The explosion from earlier drew aggro. Big time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wasn’t this supposed to be an Academy mock exam zone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seriously came here without a single thought, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No light of any kind could be used in this dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like its name—The Chamber of Gu Poison—the monsters here had been deprived of light and left to starve for ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such conditions, any trace of light would be mistaken for the exit, drawing them in droves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I’d played this part in the game, I’d thought the detail was impressive—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but facing it in reality, it was nothing short of grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the presence of the beasts approached right before our eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stood back to back, drawing up our power.\u003C\u002Fp>",2061,"2026-06-05T19:04:26.866Z",1,"novelbin.me","7f925417dd44c6e21a3170d12c443474746d067805dd39f616fc20b3525cb8b7","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-129","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-128",137,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-cover.jpg"]