I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 41

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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It went without saying, but upper-class monsters weren’t classified as such for nothing.

One or two enhanced magic bombs weren’t enough to take down an Ent.

“Yeah, but I’m going to keep going~”

But what if I did it ten times?

BOOM!

It might be a bit uncool, but as long as I could win without getting hurt, it was fine.

Safety first. Always.

Actually, this method was in the academy textbooks, although it could only be used in dungeons with large doors and spacious rooms.

It was a tactic that only worked if there was a large space that could withstand the explosions and walls that could block the blasts, but it was definitely effective since you could unilaterally attack a massive boss monster that couldn’t avoid the explosives.

Of course, it wasn’t a guaranteed win in a dungeon.

It wasn’t very efficient since you couldn’t just casually use expensive items like high-grade magic bombs, and the textbooks actually advised against it, but it wasn’t a wasteful investment for me since I was certain about this dungeon’s reward.

I didn’t have anywhere else to spend the money my family sent me anyway.

“One more!”

And more importantly, I had Enhancement, so I didn’t need as many bombs as others.

-Groaaaaan…!

I thought I heard the Ent’s scream from beyond the door, but perhaps that cunning monster was just pretending to be weak to trick us.

“Open wide! Here comes another one!”

Haha! The Ent was like trash!

The others seemed to be looking at me with slightly fed-up expressions, but so what?

Life was a battlefield! Looking cool wouldn’t feed you!

After detonating all ten bombs I had prepared, I signaled Cheon Yoo-hak, and he carefully opened the door.

-Gro…an…!

And surprisingly, the Ent was still alive.

Its entire body was charred black, and there wasn’t a single unscathed spot due to the explosions, but it was still breathing, so it was alive.

“…It’s effective, but I’m not sure about its efficiency.”

Cheon Yoo-hak muttered as he infused his spear with magic power.

Well, he probably couldn’t afford ten high-grade magic bombs even if he sold everything he got from the mobs we hunted so far, so it would seem that way to him.

But Yoo-hak! This place had a real reward room! I was only looking out for you.

-Gr… oan…!

The Ent, letting out a pitiful groan as if refusing to die, finally stopped moving after being hit by Cheon Yoo-hak’s spear.

Ah, Ent, you were the strongest opponent I have ever faced.

But I was just a little bit stronger.

Got a problem? It wasn’t the strongest who survived, but it was the survivors who were strong.

“Defeating an upper-class monster will give us a high achievement score.”

“W-well, that’s true, but…”

“Wow, looking at it like this, upper-class monsters don’t seem so tough.”

Where did all the scaredy-cats from just now go? Although they were dumbfounded, they couldn’t contain their excitement as they observed the Ent that Cheon Yoo-hak had finished off.

“The materials are mostly unusable. They’re either shattered from the impact or burned.”

Everyone seemed a bit disappointed, probably expecting some decent materials from an upper-class monster, but no one directly complained to me since it was a miracle they even survived encountering an upper-class monster, except for Cheon Yoo-hak.

“Well, let’s hope there’s something good in the reward room.”

Their faces brightened as I muttered, pretending not to know.

Yes.

Although they earned some extra income from the materials, the real highlight of a dungeon was the reward room.

Of course, since this wasn’t a game, difficult dungeons didn’t always have good rewards, but it was human nature to expect a reward after going through hardship.

And they definitely wouldn’t regret following me today.

A little further in from the boss room’s entrance, another large door, just like the one to the boss room, greeted us.

“They say empty vessels make the most noise, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.”

“You’re right. I think we can raise our expectations a bit here.”

Cheon Yoo-hak and Joo-ri entered the reward room with satisfied expressions.

“…Huh.”

And in the center of the room, a spear so magnificent that even the rarely surprised Cheon Yoo-hak let out a gasp, was stuck in the ground.

Cheon Yoo-hak, almost mesmerized, approached the spear emitting a golden aura, then stopped as he looked at me.

“I seem to have shown an embarrassing side of myself. A promise is a promise, so you choose first.”

Yes, I had made a deal with them before entering the dungeon, saying that I would choose one item from the reward room first in exchange for information about the dungeon.

Cheon Yoo-hak’s companions looked dejected as they recalled the agreement.

Joo-ri, in particular, looked incredibly disappointed. They were probably all assuming I would choose the spear.

Well, it was a weapon that suited Cheon Yoo-hak more than me, so his fans would naturally be disappointed.

Hero-grade artifact, Thunder Dragon Spear. The lightning surrounding the spear was a threat in itself, but its true value lay in its special ability, Thunder Transformation, that was usable once a day.

It literally turned the spear into lightning, and depending on the user’s skill, a simple throw could become a one-hit kill.

Well, they probably didn’t know that, but it was undeniable that it was a weapon suited for Cheon Yoo-hak.

“Now, then, I’ll choose.”

But I didn’t choose the spear.

I chose a round, rather unimpressive-looking object. The others tilted their heads as they looked at the grayish, round sphere.

“I’ll take this.”

They all looked dumbfounded when I declared that I would choose this seemingly useless object instead of the spear.

“…Kang So-hyun.”

“What, Cheon Yoo-hak? You’re not going back on your word, are you?”

“If you’re trying to be considerate, there’s no need. Choose the spear. Even if you can’t use it yourself, you can sell it and exchange it for another weapon.”

Huh, I was a bit surprised.

Cheon Yoo-hak was incredibly arrogant and fierce towards those he didn’t acknowledge.

The fact that he, a greedy and boastful person, was suppressing all of that and was offering to give up the spear meant he greatly respected me.

But Yoo-hak, that wasn’t it.

“What are you talking about?”

I knew the identity of the sphere I was holding.

The treasure that allowed a mere executive of the villain alliance to overwhelm the two protagonists simultaneously in the early stages of the story wasn’t the Thunder Dragon Spear, but this dirty-looking sphere.

Quasi-divine artifact, Ruyi Replica.

Yes, the measuring tool from the Dragon Palace used by Sun Wukong, the superstar of the monkey world and the protagonist of the Journey to the West… That was the true identity of this round sphere.

It was the most compatible weapon for me that I could obtain at this point. It was a weapon that could perfectly compensate for my shortcomings, and more importantly, the strongest weapon I could obtain right now.

Although it was currently sealed and was just a heavy sphere right now, I knew how to unseal it, so it wasn’t a problem.

You might ask why a replica of Sun Wukong’s artifact was in the Man-Faced Tree Dungeon, but there was a reason.

…Honestly, it wasn’t a good reason. It was how my friend wrote it though, so I just accepted it. What could I say when the author insisted that it made sense?

Anyway, it was the strongest weapon I could obtain at my current level and the most compatible with my talent.

“Now, I’ve chosen one as promised. The rest is up to the party leader… What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Everyone, including Cheon Yoo-hak and Joo-ri, was looking at me with impressed expressions.

Honestly, I was aiming for that reaction, but this was a bit excessive.

“…As the party leader, I’ll take the spear, but I won’t claim any other rewards. Any objections?”

Of course, there were none, so everyone shook their heads.

“Okay. Then I’ll take this spear.”

Cheon Yoo-hak carefully approached the spear.

Artifacts of hero-grade and above sometimes choose their owners based on compatibility, but I wasn’t worried about this spear.

It didn’t choose its owner based on personality or strength.

Just battles. Many battles.

The spear, seeking an owner who would use it in countless battles against numerous enemies, didn’t even resist the villain who was supposed to be its original owner. It simply enjoyed fighting.

There was no way it would reject Cheon Yoo-hak.

As he carefully grasped the Thunder Dragon Spear, a golden lightning bolt briefly circled him, as if inspecting its new owner.

He was handsome.

Cheon Yoo-hak, a blonde, sculpted young man, wielding a lightning-wreathed spear, looked quite cool.

“I swear.”

Huh? Swear what…?

“This weapon given to me by my friend who gave up his right to choose, is something I’ll cherish. I swear, on this spear and my name, that I’ll never lose to anyone as long as I fight with it.”

Oh, shit.

His reaction was way too dramatic. Were you that happy? I understood, but I wasn’t really into this kind of thing. I’ll politely decline.

“No, I seem to have gotten carried away. Now, there are still many items left, so let’s distribute them quickly.”

As Cheon Yoo-hak gave his permission, everyone started searching for items.

Well, since Cheon Yoo-hak and I had already taken the truly useful items, all that was left were some Ent fruits and Man-Faced Tree fruits.

It wasn’t a bad haul, but they would probably be dissatisfied after seeing the Thunder Dragon Spear.

Or not?

They seemed happy that Cheon Yoo-hak had become stronger, as if they had become stronger themselves.

Well, that was good.

Children grew through conflict, but it was best if they grew without fighting.

If Lilac was a friend’s son who I was worried about because he was too kind, Cheon Yoo-hak felt like a friend’s son I was worried about because he caused all sorts of trouble and fought with other kids.

In the end, they were both like my friend’s sons.

The group had a friendly discussion while glancing at me, and Joo-ri approached me as their representative.

“What?”

“We discussed it, and we think that what you pick is not enough considering your contribution and the value of the information you provided.”

…It was more than enough.

“…Thank you for giving the spear to Yoo-hak. We all feel the same way.”

I glanced at the healer and mage, and they waved at me.

It was heartwarming to see my friend’s son being so popular.

“So we decided to give you this fruit instead of including it in the profit sharing.”

“Huh?”

Joo-ri said that and handed me a large tree fruit.

An Ent fruit. I thought it would be sold, but it somehow ended up in my hands.

“Hey, this is expensive, you know? Sell it and we’ll split the profit.”

“You’re less greedy than you look. You should be more greedy if you want to hang out with Yoo-hak. Anyway, we’re giving this to you as a token of our respect for the leader, and it’s your right to claim it, so don’t feel pressured.”

No, Lira, I understood what you were saying, but I already took the best item…

“Well, I won’t refuse if you’re offering it to me.”

Although it wasn’t as good as the Thunder Dragon Spear or the Ruyi, this fruit was still a valuable treasure.

There was no reason to refuse such a gift.

Anyway, we successfully cleared the dungeon and distributed the rewards.

Everyone was in a good mood, so we just had to go back.

Yes, we just had to go back…

Ding.

That unpleasant notification sound.

-Confirmed acquisition of another character’s opportunity.-

Ah, shit.

That’s right, there was still this.

-Confirmed that the character has significant influence on the main story.-

-Penalty will be applied. Penalty level: E. Plot correction.-

I was scared because I couldn’t predict what kind of penalty it would be, but judging by the level, it didn’t seem that serious.

“Huh? What?”

“Ah, which bastards got here first?”

Just as the party members were happy that we just had to find the exit and leave, we heard the voices of uninvited guests.

This dungeon was originally cleared in early May, at the beginning of the academy arc in the original story.

In other words, there shouldn’t be any other intruders here now since it was still late April.

But this crazy novel, very much like its author, made a rather unreasonable plot correction.

“Ah, damn it, I thought it was strange that all the monsters were dead.”

The villains who were supposed to obtain this opportunity had entered the dungeon.

“Oh, there you are. You haven’t left yet?”

A group of about thirty, all armed, blocked our path.

“You kids worked hard clearing the dungeon, so we’ll let you go if you just leave the treasures. Now scram.”

Cha Ho-young, an executive of the villain alliance who tormented the protagonist in the early stages of the story after Choi In-ho and Jin Kyung-tae, stood before us.

…But you were a pushover without the Ruyi, weren’t you?

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T/N – Quite a good haul. The fact that there was a majestic spear in this dungeon makes me wonder if it was meant for Yoo-hak in the original story. Maybe he got it after defeating this villain? Also, I tried to search for the Ruyi artifact of Sun Wukong, but all I got was his staff, not an orb. But since the MC said it was a replica of Sun Wukong’s measuring tool (a clear reference to his staff’s power), maybe the staff replica is sealed inside the orb?

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