[{"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-80":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},1319831,1753,"Chapter 80","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-80",80,"\u003Cp>Chapter 80\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no longer any warmth coming from Joo Sarang’s body, which lay in my arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at her, now turned into a golden statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression looked peaceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, it didn’t feel like the emotional outburst I had experienced back when it happened with Seo Da-hee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I thought my body would remember enough to at least shed a few tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, instead, I felt calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—maybe I should say I felt relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emotional turmoil I used to feel whenever I looked at her was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the absence of that constant torment brought me an immense sense of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gently laying her down, I stood up and looked toward the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I had made her a promise—I couldn’t just leave her like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only light that pierced the darkness of the cavern was now descending from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Star of Art.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the very reason I came to this Hidden Dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a small jewel, no bigger than my palm, emitting a beautiful glow, settled into my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gentle warmth radiated from the Star of Art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a tremor ran through the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dungeon was collapsing now that it had been cleared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still holding the Star of Art, I walked over to Seo Da-hee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to fulfill the promise—to bring her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No… maybe “bring back” wasn’t the right word, since she wasn’t completely dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, when a Demon dies, nothing remains in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s because a Demon is a being completely bound through a contract with a devil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment of death, a devil’s hand appears to collect the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her body still existed, and no devil’s hand appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant—she wasn’t dead yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though, if I left her like this, she might truly die eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those devils were tenacious and insidious creatures; they could send another being to attack her at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took out a beautiful jewel that emitted a crimson light from my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good thing I kept this, just in case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jewel’s blood-like glow reflected the radiant light of the Star of Art, scattering in a beautiful shimmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a fragment of Lia’s heart that she had given me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Homunculus Core could be divided, just like Frankenstein’s Heart, and Lia had entrusted me with a piece of hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d said something about it being like “marking her territory,” or something along those lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo Da-hee had been so embarrassed when she heard that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, this fragment of heart retained some of the original functions of the Homunculus Core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It couldn’t create a new Homunculus, but it could still absorb and release energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I infused the Power of Restoration into Lia’s heart fragment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah—maybe I should use the Star of Art together, just in case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Star of Art had healing and purification effects, so it could help bring her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang’s condition, in game terms, was equivalent to being afflicted with a fatal status ailment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I channeled mana into the Star of Art, a soft, radiant light began to spread, illuminating Joo Sarang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like watching a lighthouse pierce through a dark sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, time to do this properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I created a small hollow near Joo Sarang’s chest, now turned to gold, and embedded Lia’s heart fragment inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The incomplete Power of Restoration could only be used by the one who possessed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with Lia’s heart, that limitation could be slightly bypassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the Power of Restoration began to spread from Lia’s heart fragment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As crimson wisps of light drifted out and touched her body, her golden skin slowly regained its natural color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The starlight from the Star of Art and the restorative glow from Lia’s heart blended together, creating rippling waves like an aurora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared blankly at the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the light finally faded, Joo Sarang had completely returned to her original form, lying still on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chest rose and fell faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she hadn’t regained consciousness yet, her breathing and bodily functions seemed fully restored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like her recovery was complete. Maybe I should retrieve the heart now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached toward the spot on her chest where I had placed the heart fragment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lia’s heart fragment had melted into her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...I was going to get an earful from Lia for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d told me to keep it safe for emergencies, and I went ahead and used it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what else could I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this wasn’t an emergency, then what was?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lifted Joo Sarang into my arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was so light—perhaps she hadn’t been eating properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding her, I looked around at the collapsing space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I had taken the dungeon’s core, the Hidden Dungeon itself was crumbling apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White light filled my vision completely—and then vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had returned to the original labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But strangely, I didn’t sense anyone nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it made sense. I had been in the dungeon for quite some time. Park Siwoo and Dan Chun-woo had probably cleared it long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labyrinth was still cold and damp, but the unpleasant demonic energy that had filled it was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, from the distance, I heard voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s definitely a mana reaction coming from this area.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see light over there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? I told you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, a bright light flooded the dungeon, and someone appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Found you! You troublemaker!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Instructor Mabel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hurried over and pinched my cheek hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack! Smack! Smack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What! Were! You! Thinking!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand struck my back sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could someone who used magic have such strong hands?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With my cheek pinched, I couldn’t even dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you always disappear whenever something happens?! What kind of mess were you trying to make this time?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep going, Instructor Mabel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Kang Jae-seok, who had come along, glared at me with sharp eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...I must’ve really worried them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My goal had been to clear the dungeon before Park Siwoo or Dan Chun-woo, but thanks to certain interruptions, things hadn’t gone so smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But who’s that cadet behind you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s one of the students from my Class B. Though that’s strange… I’m sure they weren’t even on the same team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I averted my eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I told them I’d discovered and cleared a double-layered dungeon, they’d probably freak out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Instructor Kang Jae-seok spoke up at just the right moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since we’ve found the last of the missing students, let’s return to the Academy. There’s much to discuss, and no reason to linger here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, I handed the unconscious Joo Sarang over to Instructor Kang Jae-seok, and we returned to the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she came to, she sat up blankly and looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several beds were arranged nearby, and other people were sleeping in them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she suddenly sat up straight and rubbed her eyes at the familiar scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Am I... alive? My power went berserk, I should’ve...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She should’ve died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang couldn’t accept the fact that she was alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was an illusion created by a devil to toy with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her mind raced, a voice spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re awake, lie back down and go to sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The school nurse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman, holding a pen in her mouth, sat cross-legged on a desk with an irritable expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you tell me what happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not going to. So just lie down and sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang’s brows twitched at the sharp tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was already too disoriented to grasp the situation properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a brief moment, irritation welled up inside her, but she barely managed to suppress it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word school nurse meant that this wasn’t some devil-made illusion or a hellish Wonderland—it was the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, when she looked around, the scenery was unmistakably that of the Academy’s infirmary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant… she was really alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting out a sigh, Joo Sarang lay back down on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had countless questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From how she was still alive—to where Seongwoo was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even know what was going on right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep was the last thing that would come to her. The rustling of her body on the bed grew louder as she tossed and turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re so noisy I could die. Worried about your boyfriend that much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The guy you came in with. The healthy, handsome one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right. Is he... not here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nurse spat out the pen she had been chewing and reached into her pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, realizing there were no cigarettes there, her expression twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn that principal. Won’t even let me smoke on school grounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Isn’t a school supposed to be a non-smoking area?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang thought so but kept her mouth shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She figured that provoking the woman might keep her from getting any answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening a drawer, the nurse took out a lollipop, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, thank you. But what about him? What happened to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you tell, since he’s not here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she heard that, Joo Sarang’s heart sank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be… something bad had happened because of her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The infirmary doesn’t take patients who aren’t injured or sick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then... you mean he’s fine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. Your boyfriend’s perfectly fine. Now go to sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still many things she wanted to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at least the biggest question had been answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nodding quietly, Joo Sarang lay down again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, she suddenly remembered the words he’d said to her before she lost consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d said that if they survived, she would owe him anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to see him again soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only the first person she saw upon waking had been him instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah, ah. Groom? I saw you using the device—nothing happened, right?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice suddenly echoed inside her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Startled, Joo Sarang shot up and looked around in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no one nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you just... say something to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nurse gave her a baffled look, as if wondering what nonsense she was talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop spouting nonsense and sleep. You’ll wake the others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking she must have imagined it, Joo Sarang lay back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, once again, a voice rang out in her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded like that of a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You’re not the Groom! Who the heck are you—and why are you holding the device I gave to the Groom? You didn’t do anything to him, did you?!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice pierced through her mind like a sharp noise, making her cover her ears instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it wasn’t a hallucination after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang quietly spoke toward the voice in her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For god’s sake, what are you even babbling about? And who the hell are you supposed to be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s my question. Answer me—nothing’s happened to Seongwoo, has it?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seongwoo…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes! The only reason I can talk to you right now is because of the device I gave Seongwoo! So why do you have it?!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joo Sarang searched herself, but no matter how much she patted down her clothes, she couldn’t find any so-called “device.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she could guess one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice in her head was probably someone Seongwoo was supposed to communicate with secretly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant… most likely, this was the person he met every weekend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know what this ‘device’ is, but Seongwoo’s fine. Why don’t you just contact him directly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah-ha.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice grew quiet, as if realizing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That told Joo Sarang one more thing—whoever this person was, they didn’t seem very smart for someone supposedly working to bring down Pandemonium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the nurse appeared in front of her with a grim expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still chewing on her lollipop, she bit down hard with a crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you to lie still and sleep. Guess my warning wasn’t clear enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the furious nurse glared down at her, Joo Sarang recalled the voice that had suddenly disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That voice... it called Seongwoo Groom.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now she was very curious to see the face behind that childish-sounding voice.\u003C\u002Fp>",2018,"2026-06-05T19:04:26.866Z",1,"novelbin.me","101a1de805557cecdb21b9190e69ceb3515f804c9f9252f15ed664b1587dabeb","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-133","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-132",137,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-cover.jpg"]