I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 70

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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I heard a lot from Sun Wukong.

“…Ruyi has that kind of function?”

-Yes, did you really think a divine treasure only had the effects of getting heavier and bigger?

It was strong enough even with just that in the original story though…

-Of course, what you have now is just a fragment of Ruyi Jingu Bang, so you can’t use its full power. If you want to fully control it, you have to find my other divine treasures or the other fragments of Ruyi.

“Well, that’s…”

…It seemed sufficient as it was already.

There were three special abilities Sun Wukong told me that I could use immediately.

Excluding Transformation, which I was already using well enough, there were two more, and they were quite absurd abilities.

The ability to borrow the power of Sun Wukong from the legends.

And Cloning.

The ability to create a clone completely identical to myself. That alone was amazing, but furthermore, it was possible to switch places with the clone when the main body was near death.

Originally, there was no limit to the number of clones that could be created as long as there was enough energy, but since the Ruyi wasn’t in perfect condition, the current limit was two clones, which was honestly already overpowered.

Cloning alone had an effect that surpassed most hero-grade relics, so the Ruyi was indeed worthy of being ranked near-mythical grade.

The last one was even more amazing.

Fusion.

The ability to let Sun Wukong’s spirit directly take control of my body and fight in my place.

It was a simple power, but that was what made it so absurd.

Of course, if the original body’s specs were low, it might not have much effect, but he said that if I used this ability, then even with my meager body, I could easily handle the boss of this dungeon.

The penalty was severe fatigue after exceeding my limits, but I would have thought it was strange if there were no penalties.

Honestly, it was completely unexpected.

I chose Ruyi as my main weapon because it had infinite uses and was the strongest weapon I could obtain early on.

Additionally, I thought it would make things easier for the others early on if I took away the fortuitous encounter that a villain was supposed to obtain.

But if what Sun Wukong said was true, Ruyi was a weapon far beyond what I had imagined.

But at the same time, it was also incomprehensible.

…Why would a villain forcibly use such a weapon? And in an incomplete state at that?

In the original story, after the protagonist retrieved and purified the Ruyi from the villain, it didn’t appear again until the point where the story was dropped.

Since it wasn’t mentioned much in the settings book either, I couldn’t know for sure, but perhaps it was being prepared for one of the protagonists.

Thinking about that, I started feeling a little uneasy.

Was it really okay for me to use this…?

-You’re quite interesting.

“What?”

Sun Wukong spoke to me as I was lost in thought, unable to speak.

-You usually act so confidently as if you know everything, but you get flustered like this when something you don’t know comes up. You seem to view the world as if it’s fixed within a certain frame.

In a way, it was a pointed remark.

-So, what are you going to do? If you’re going with the original plan, I’ll help you.

After hearing about the Ruyi’s hidden functions, a certain picture was forming in my mind.

It seemed like I could modify the story in a slightly better direction than what I had originally planned.

I put on the mask and wrapped Ruyi around myself like a tailcoat.

-…Hmm?

‘I can still use the Cloning and Fusion functions in this state, right?’

-Well, there’s really nothing you can’t do. You can also use that Black Shadow thing as a weapon. But what are you thinking?

‘What am I thinking?’

I was thinking of putting on a good show.

Originally, I wasn’t planning to reveal this form until I finished recruiting comrades, but if I had a way to briefly go on a rampage alone, that changed things.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be bad to show the protagonist the mastermind of the academy.

First, I used Cloning to create a clone.

Of course, it was Kang So-hyun in his school uniform without the mask or the Ruyi.

‘Now, let’s put on a show.’

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“Oh…! Yoo-na! Ga-eul!”

Lilac ran towards them with a smile.

He was happy to finally reunite with his friends after reaching quite deep into the dungeon.

“Huh?”

And it wasn’t just them.

The travel club seniors seemed to be safe as well, and judging from the expressions of the citizens following them, there didn’t seem to be any casualties among them.

“Is everyone alright?”

And as the professor and the inspector joined them a bit later and checked the number of people, thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any casualties among the trapped civilians.

However, even after confirming the last person, Ha-ni and the professor’s expressions didn’t brighten.

“…Wait, where’s So-hyun? Wasn’t he with you?”

Inspector Kang Na-hyun’s face turned pale as she asked the crucial question.

That was right. They thought everyone had already gathered, but So-hyun wasn’t with any of the groups.

Professor Cathy tried to calm her down with a strangely composed attitude, but judging by her trembling hands, she seemed quite shocked as well.

“So So-hyun is alone…?”

Ga-eul gasped at Ha-ni’s words, and even Yoo-na frowned.

“Then we have to find him quickly…! We all came from different directions, so there’s only one path left!”

That was right.

To prevent anyone from getting left behind, they had thoroughly searched every corner of the dungeon.

The only path left was probably the one leading to the boss room, and it was highly likely that Kang So-hyun, unfortunately, had started alone near there from the beginning.

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“So-hyun will be fine.”

Cathy, trying to calm her racing heart, said so to the cadets.

At least the So-hyun she knew wouldn’t have done anything reckless.

He wouldn’t have challenged the dungeon boss alone. He would be hiding near the boss room or searching for others instead.

Yes, nothing bad could have happened.

She forcibly suppressed her rising negative thoughts and gave instructions to the cadets.

“Let’s organize our formation and search slowly as we go.”

Na-hyun was already half out of her mind.

Unfortunately, she was the only one who could take responsibility for them, so she couldn’t afford to lose her composure.

‘So-hyun, please be safe.’

Everyone there prayed for his safety as they explored the dungeon.

But the closer they got to the boss room, the more they instinctively felt the end of the dungeon approaching, and the more anxious they became.

Because no matter how far they went, they couldn’t find the boy they were looking for.

If he had been injured by a monster, there should be some trace already.

But no matter how far they went, no matter how thoroughly they searched, there was no sign of his battle.

There were occasional traces of other people’s battles, but it didn’t seem like Kang So-hyun had been traveling with them.

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“…”

Lilac felt the air grow heavy.

The more they couldn’t find any trace of So-hyun, the more the others lost their composure, and that atmosphere spread to the ordinary citizens as well.

Even Professor Cathy, who usually maintained her composure, had a cold expression that she never showed them before, which meant she was almost at her limit.

Just one person.

His friend, who was always relaxed and confident.

Just because he wasn’t there, everything felt so different.

Would things have been different if he had been able to grab his hand back then, if they had started the dungeon in the same place?

-Hey, don’t be ridiculous. Anyone would think I’m dead if they heard you.

He suddenly thought that So-hyun would have said something like that right now.

Right, it wasn’t like anything had actually happened yet.

He would have survived somehow, even if he started right in front of the dungeon boss.

And if he was alive, Yoo-na would heal him while they dealt with the boss.

‘So please, just be alive. Please.’

Everyone would be relieved if they saw him safe.

After finishing this terrible dungeon, they would laugh and say it was a good memory, grill meat together, laugh and chat, and everything would go back to normal.

He would grumble about the food while eating it with a sullen face, but since he couldn’t lie, he would admit it was delicious.

Yes, that was how it should be.

Then, the boss room at the deepest part of the dungeon opened.

Lilac hadn’t given up hope until the very end.

Or perhaps he was just denying reality and clinging to hope.

What they saw there was quite different from what they expected.

A man was standing there before the dead Rose Dragon that had been pierced by jet-black shadows, and there was also Kang So-hyun, collapsed and covered in wounds.

Lilac shuddered at the realization that the ominous aura, which everyone had assumed belonged to the dungeon boss, was actually the sinister energy emanating from this man.

[Have you arrived?]

The man turned around, revealing a pure white oni mask.

A tailcoat and a pure white oni mask.

As he brushed his hand, the head of the Rose Dragon, pierced by shadows, fell off, and the giant monster dispersed.

[You’re a little late.]

It was a voice that couldn’t be identified as male or female, old or young.

As he lifted the collapsed So-hyun, the boy’s body limply rose.

[You should have come a little sooner. Then he wouldn’t have ended up like this.]

His words made them assume the worst.

“Who are you?”

[Do I have a reason to answer you?]

“What did you do to So-hyun?”

[Well? I don’t know if I have a reason to answer that either. Ah, he did manage to run away from the Rose Dragon quite well.]

“…So-hyun fought that monster?”

Although he was the one asking, the others were already almost losing their minds.

[Fight? I said he ran away. He ran desperately until the very end, buying as much time as possible. As if he was expecting someone to come and save him. Ah, that would be you, right?]

He shuddered.

“…I’ll ask one last thing. You’re the one who defeated that monster, right?”

[That’s right.]

“It looks like you finished it off in one blow.”

He suppressed his anger. This wasn’t righteous anger.

“…If you were watching, couldn’t you have saved So-hyun before he ended up like this?”

[You’ve been saying strange things.]

It was as if he could see the expression behind the oni mask.

[Why should I?]

The man was clearly mocking them.

“…You bastard…!”

Ha-ni and Inspector Na-hyun were the first to rush out.

“Die.”

Facing the flames in the shape of a tiger and the swordswoman wielding a chillingly cold sword, the man in the oni mask simply extended his hand leisurely.

[Not bad.]

And as he extended his hand, the flames dispersed, and he caught Ha-ni’s sword.

[But, don’t you think you’re directing your anger at the wrong person? You’re the ones who couldn’t save him, he’s the one who couldn’t run away, and the Rose Dragon is the one who killed him. Why are you taking it out on me?]

He brushed his clothes as if he was annoyed and distanced himself from Ha-ni.

[Don’t blame others for what you lost because of your incompetence. It’s disgusting.]

He said so and took a stance.

A natural posture.

A flawless stance disguised as being full of openings.

[Well, if you’re still angry, then come at me. I’ll be your opponent.]

As if they couldn’t hold back any longer, the others also rushed at him.

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The Rose Dragon.

A chimera created by the genius known as the Rose Alchemist during his repeated experiments to achieve his goal.

Since it was created using the bones of a dragon and the plant known as a rose, it wasn’t as powerful as a real dragon, but it was a high-ranked monster, much stronger than the Ent from the Man-Faced Tree dungeon Cheon Yoo-hak and I visited before.

And I, no, to be precise, Sun Wukong, who borrowed my body, easily dealt with such a monster.

-Hmm, that was easier than I thought. Even if you have great power, it’s useless without the intellect to control it. Since it was being controlled by a plant, it couldn’t fully mimic the dragon’s energy.

No, but it was still incredibly strong.

A high-ranked monster was, strictly speaking, a disaster-class monster.

Excluding special monsters like high-disaster rank or ultimate-disaster rank, which were practically impossible to encounter, it meant that they were the strongest monsters one could possibly meet.

-Tsk, anyway, what are you going to do now? Why did you beat up the clone you created?

‘Ah, they’ll be here soon.’

-Your friends?

‘Yes, they’ll probably get really worked up if I look like I’ve been defeated.’

-…And then what?

‘I have to provoke them by pretending to be dead. And then, when they rush at me in a rage, I’ll cough and get up, deliver the ending line, and it’ll be perfect.’

-…I don’t understand. Why do you have to put on such a show?

‘Well…’

As I was briefly talking with Sun Wukong, I started to sense their presence.

‘It’s like a signal announcing the arrival of the academy’s cheerful mastermind, right?’

[Have you arrived?]

Lilac and the others looked at me and their faces hardened.

But they seemed a bit more agitated than I expected…?

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T/N – Oh wow, the Ruyi is actually better than I thought. Transformation, Cloning, and Fusion with a powerful spirit inside the weapon are all pretty OP, and this is the Ruyi being incomplete. I really wanna knock the MC’s head. He didn’t ask about the Ruyi’s capabilities despite having a fragment of Sun Wukong that he could talk to at any time.

Also, of course he would do something like this as soon as he discovers that he can clone himself and have Sun Wukong fight for him. And the MC says he doesn’t like drama.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.