Prologue
Grrrrr...
Our situation was the worst it could possibly be.
Two F-rank Hunters, the weakest rank.
One E-rank Hunter.
One D-rank Hunter.
That was the full strength of our party.
And even then, none of us had much stamina left.
Our opponent was a B-rank monster—a Black Wolf.
No matter how I looked at it, we had no chance of winning.
That thing was as huge as a house. Even a single swipe from it would probably kill us.
So there was only one answer.
Run.
"Let's run."
Han Siwoo tried to pull me toward the side where there were no Black Wolves.
But I couldn't go.
Because my brother was right there in front of us.
He was telling us to run away.
But how could I possibly leave my brother behind and escape by myself?
I took a step toward him.
Han Siwoo's grip around my hand tightened.
"Kim Jia."
He called my name in an anxious voice, almost as if he were warning me.
Han Siwoo seemed to know what I was planning to do.
Even though there was no way he could.
This is why I hate guys who are too quick to catch on.
"Your brother is already beyond saving."
As if trying to persuade me, his urgent voice continued in an oddly calm tone.
"That's why we have to run. If we don't leave now... we're all going to die."
There wasn't a single thing wrong with what he said.
From a logical point of view, his judgment was correct.
Hunters dying inside dungeons was common.
Instead of everyone getting wiped out while fighting a battle they had no chance of winning, those who still had a chance to survive should escape.
Normally, I would have thought the same way.
But I had known for a long time that a situation like this would eventually happen.
Because most of the events so far had unfolded exactly like the novel I had read.
And according to that novel...
Today,
I would die here.
I was nothing more than a disposable supporting character whose death existed to trigger the protagonists' awakenings.
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of obediently dying.
I had already prepared a countermeasure.
"If you can't run, then fight with us instead. If that's what you want."
At Han Siwoo's added words, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're an F-rank, yet you sure talk a lot to a D-rank Healer."
"I'm not joking right now!"
Yeah.
Of course he wasn't.
If I could choose, I wanted to run too.
But there was a reason I couldn't.
"If I don't step in, we're all going to die anyway."
I was the only one who could save everyone.
Han Siwoo gave me a sharp look.
"So what? Are you planning to sacrifice yourself?"
His sarcastic words unexpectedly hit the mark.
Sacrifice, huh.
Right.
A sacrifice.
Until now, my companions had sacrificed themselves countless times to save me.
So...
Wouldn't it be fine if I sacrificed myself just this once?
I raised my chin and looked ahead.
Then I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Guys! You trust your noona, right?!"
The eyes of countless Black Wolves instantly turned toward me.
Their chilling gazes sent a shiver through my entire body.
I clenched my fists tightly.
It's okay.
Just as I'd intended, even the Black Wolves that had been focused on the others turned their attention toward me.
With this, everyone else should be safe.
"You...!"
Han Siwoo stared at me in shock as I slowly stepped backward.
For a moment, the strength disappeared from the hand holding mine.
I quickly slapped his hand away.
"Watch me."
Watch what I'm about to do.
I immediately turned around and started running toward an area with no Black Wolves.
Like predators that had just spotted their prey, dozens of Black Wolves began chasing after me like mad.
"Are you fucking crazy?! Kim Jia!"
My brother's voice rang out from behind me.
He looked injured earlier, but apparently he still had enough strength to shout.
That was a relief.
"Noona!"
I heard Lee Junhyeok's horrified scream.
He should hurry up and run instead of worrying about me.
What was he going to do if the Black Wolves targeted him too?
Well...
I wasn't exactly in a position to worry about other people.
The ground shook beneath the paws of the pursuing Black Wolves.
It felt as though I would fall flat on my face at any moment.
I shut my eyes and ran with everything I had while thinking to myself.
Once this succeeds, my role should finally be over.
After this, I'm retiring from being a Hunter.
Then I'm going to enjoy a peaceful life as an unemployed bum.
Just wait, guys.
I'll make every one of you S-rank.
ROOOAAARRR!
Why were these things so damn loud?
Their howls were loud enough to make my ears go deaf.
This should be far enough.
I gradually slowed down and finally stopped, gasping for breath.
When I turned my head, I saw every Black Wolf in the area charging straight toward me.
It was almost funny.
All those monsters rushing over just to kill one person.
How many were there?
Twenty?
Twenty-five?
Thirty?
I had no idea.
Probably somewhere around there.
Looking at them, I smiled widely.
They say those who wish to live will die, while those prepared to die will live.
Fine.
Come on, then.
Let's all fucking die together.
When only a few meters remained between the Black Wolves and me, I activated the item I was holding.
Immediately afterward, I activated a skill.
The only offensive skill I possessed.
[Using Exclusive Skill, 'Sacrifice Lv.1'.]
[Exclusive Skill, 'Sacrifice Lv.1', will annihilate all enemies within the surrounding area. The designated area will not be affected by the skill.]
I was familiar with those messages.
I'd read them countless times.
This skill could only be used once.
Its effect was incredibly powerful.
But in exchange...
The user had to pay with their life.
In the novel, I died after using this skill.
If I hadn't read the novel, I probably would have made the same choice as the original Kim Jia.
But unlike in the novel...
I wasn't going to die.
If I were going to die such a meaningless death, I wouldn't have struggled this hard to get here.
The moment I activated the skill, the mana that had been gathering inside my body exploded all at once.
No.
It didn't feel like the mana was exploding.
It felt like my entire body was exploding.
Only then did I understand why the skill was called Sacrifice.
The Black Wolf's vicious fangs appeared right in front of my face.
At the same moment, brilliant light erupted from inside my body.
Then a system window appeared.
[As the price for using Exclusive Skill, 'Sacrifice Lv.1', your HP will fall to 0%.]
All of it happened in a single instant.
BOOOOOOM—!
The deafening explosion felt like it would tear my ears apart.
My vision flashed again and again.
Pain like countless needles stabbing into my body overwhelmed me.
My consciousness rose and sank repeatedly.
By the time I started thinking that simply dying might be less painful...
Everything finally came to an end.
The voices that had been swallowed by the explosion finally reached my ears.
"NO!"
"Noona!"
"Kim Jia!"
Ding.
A strangely cheerful sound rang in my ears.
[Due to the effect of 'Undying Diamond Body', your HP cannot fall below 1%.]
[Remaining HP: 1%]
The pain finally reached its end.
A numbing ache dominated my entire body.
The brilliant light that had seemed ready to blow my body apart disappeared.
And in front of me were the mangled corpses of the Black Wolves.
I did it.
The thin thread of consciousness I had barely managed to hold onto finally snapped.
Ding.
[Congratulations! Main Scenario I, 'Noble Sacrifice', has been successfully completed.]
[You have acquired the title 'One Who Does Not Die Even in Death'.]
[Due to accomplishing a Hidden Achievement, your class has changed to 'Immortal Sacrificer'.]
[Rewards will be granted for completing Main Scenario I, 'Noble Sacrifice'.]
Chapter 1
Ah... I'm so bored.
It was another boring, ordinary day, just like always.
If there was anything different from usual, it was probably the fact that our very first lecture of the day had started with a group assignment.
Just my luck.
Why did professors have to assign projects in every single class?
Would it kill them to take turns assigning them?
Complaining silently to myself, I followed the professor's instructions and formed a group with the people sitting nearby.
I'd barely exchanged a few words with any of them before, so the atmosphere was painfully awkward.
Still, we couldn't remain silent forever.
I figured things would go more smoothly if we at least started talking, so I threw out an awkward greeting into the silence.
"H-Hello?"
Only then did the man sitting across from me give a halfhearted nod.
"Yeah, whatever."
Another guy sitting comfortably beside him spoke to him.
"What are you doing during class?"
"None of your business, punk."
"You delinquent bastard. Playing on your phone during a lecture?"
"You're doing the exact same thing."
Hearing the two of them snicker, I could already tell that this group assignment was halfway doomed.
Why did I always have such horrible luck with group members?
"What's with that expression?"
Han Siwoo was staring at me.
The hope that had been disappearing inside me slowly began to return.
Was this what people meant when they said there was a silver lining?
Han Siwoo wasn't just another student from the same department.
We had also been friends for a very long time.
In other words, we were what people would normally call childhood friends.
Because of that, I could confidently say that I knew him quite well.
For example, he was kind and friendly toward everyone.
He was also quite smart and had a strong sense of responsibility.
At the very least, I wouldn't end up carrying this entire group assignment by myself.
I felt genuinely relieved.
"Hey, I'm glad you're here, at least."
"What?"
I grinned and shook my head.
"It's nothing."
"Really? Ah, more importantly... you're Lee Dohyeon and Kang Woojin, right?"
When Han Siwoo mentioned their names, the two briefly glanced toward us before returning their attention to their phones.
"Yeah."
A careless answer came a moment later.
A careless answer came a moment later.
Han Siwoo took out a notebook and wrote Group Members at the top.
Then he wrote the names Lee Dohyeon and Kang Woojin.
After that came my name.
Kim Jia.
I could feel it.
I could definitely feel it.
This ridiculously responsible guy was clearly going to volunteer to become the group leader.
I barely managed to stop the corners of my lips from rising.
Well...
It's not like there's anyone else here who could be group leader besides him.
Han Siwoo was just about to write down his own name last when—
RUMBLE—!
A tremendous noise suddenly came from somewhere.
Then the ground began shaking violently.
"W-What is that?"
Startled, I instinctively looked around.
Everyone else was staring around in confusion just like me.
