Chương 88: ABSOLUTE OATH

Jimin left the Boss's lair to return to his party. He could still sense the mark he left on Yuna. So, tracking them was easy. However, he deliberately avoided taking the direct route. After all, suddenly emerging from the direction of the Boss's lair would raise questions. So, he took a different path through the forest instead. A while later- The party was resting beneath a large tree. Everyone looked exhausted. Yu-jun was leaning against the trunk while drinking water.

Min-ji was sitting on the grass, staring blankly at the sky. Min-su was sprawled on the ground. Even Yuna looked tired. Then, Jimin suddenly emerged out of the forest. Of course, at a distance from them.

"I'm back, guys!" he shouted. Several heads turned toward him. But the party was clearly exhausted. So, they didn't show much enthusiasm.

"Take some rest, Jimin," Yuna replied with a defeated tone. She stretched her sore shoulders.

"We'll be on our way soon." Jimin blinked. Then his expression changed.

"WHAT are you talking about?" His tone was different from usual, unlike himself. It carried a hint of infectious enthusiasm and optimism. And it infected everyone successfully, sparking their curiosity. Grabbing their attention. Their gaze shifted to Jimin. Yuna had a confused expression on her face. Why does he sound so motivated? Min-su narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Did he swallow goblin blood by chance? A brief silence followed. Then Yu-jun spoke, trying to match Jimin's energy.

"What are YOU talking about?" Jimin pointed dramatically toward the depths of the forest.

"Come on. It's our last raid before the final evaluation." The others listened quietly.

"We should finish it in style," Jimin said, as a grin spread across his face.

"So, chug your potions and get ready." Then he pointed forward like a commander issuing orders.

"Let's end it by killing the boss." The words hung in the air. Nobody replied on the spot. The proposal was tempting. Very tempting. It put the rest of the party in deep thought. There was still some hesitation. But it appealed to all of them. As deep down, every single one of them wanted the same thing. The successful clear from several days ago had given them confidence. And now this was their final opportunity. Their last raid before the evaluation. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Yuna, Hye-jin and dong-hyun looked toward the others. Gun-woo scratched his head. Min-ji bit her lip. Even Min-su looked tempted. Eventually, Yu-jun sighed and stood up.

"... Damn it." A grin appeared on his face.

"I'm in." That broke the hesitation.

"Fine," Yuna said.

"We're already here anyway."

"Let's do it."

"Yeah!" Gun-woo immediately jumped to his feet.

"That's what I'm talking about!" The atmosphere instantly changed. Exhaustion still remained. But motivation had returned. The party quickly consumed recovery items and rested for a little longer.

Soon the monsters respawned. Then, the second attempt officially began. The party advanced through the forest with renewed determination. There was only one thing driving them forward. One motivation. One objective. Killing the Boss on their final raid. And eventually- They succeeded in entering the boss's lair. And successfully killed the Goblin Chief. The battle was almost a replay of their last battle. But it was quicker and way smoother than the last time. The party's joy knew no bounds.

It made their growth clear, giving them confidence. The atmosphere remained lively for several minutes. Then attention gradually shifted toward the loot chest. Almost simultaneously. several pairs of eyes landed on Jimin. A sigh escaped his mouth.

"You guys are unbelievable." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"We choose you," Gun-woo declared dramatically.

"The chest opener." Everyone immediately nodded.

"Agreed."

"Definitely."

"Absolutely." Jimin rubbed his forehead. Then, he opened the chest. The process had become almost ritualistic at this point.

Though there was no D-rank item this time. Instead, there was an extra D-rank mana crystal. Everyone was impressed. The atmosphere remained cheerful. Eventually, excitement settled down. And reality returned. It was all real and so was the exhaustion. So, the party finally took some time to recuperate. Which meant it was Jimin's time to do his own shenanigans. A grin slowly formed on his face. Perfect timing. [Current LP: 3114] Finally… He immediately commanded Mi-mi to create 'Absolute Oath'.

[Skill Successfully Created]'Absolute Oath' – Acquired. Total LP: 499 His expression glowed up instantly.

【Heightened Positive Emotional State Detected】 The Manaborn is experiencing a heightened positive emotional state. Reward: +22 LP Total LP: 521 Without wasting any moment, Jimin immediately commanded Mi-mi. Command. Analysis mode. Activate 'Absolute Oath'.

"Activated." Instantly, a new window appeared before him.

Oath Title: Type: Soul-Bound Contract Authorized User: Sam Jimin Promiser: Conditions: Special Enforcements: Applying this will disable punishment. Punishment: [True Torture] - An immediate, excruciating phantom pain will trigger instantly upon any intent to violate the terms. completely incapacitating the target to prevent the actual breach from happening. Duration: Permanent (Until conditions are met / revoked by the User) Cost: 40 MP [Establish] [Modify] [Draft] [Cancel]

"Woah..." he murmured quietly. Jimin carefully analyzed every section. Suddenly-"Would you like to establish an oath?" asked Mi-mi. The question immediately made his expression serious for some reason. His gaze slowly shifted away from the floating window. Toward the people resting nearby. His friends. I created this skill so that I could protect my secrets… And those who are close to me. His gaze shifted to the 'punishment' section of the window. His brows furrowed slightly. No…

The idea of forcing something like that upon his friends left a bitter taste in his mouth. Even if they agreed. Even if it was technically harmless so long as they obeyed. It still felt wrong. Jimin shook his head. The punishment wasn't necessary. Not for them. Instead, he immediately got to work. With the assistance of Mi-mi, he quickly came up with an initial draft of the skill.

Oath Title: Non-disclosure Oath (Friends) Type: Soul-Bound Contract Authorized User: Sam Jimin Promiser: Conditions: The promiser won't disclose information about User's skills. Special Enforcements: If interrogated about the target condition, the promiser will forget the information. Only revealing pre-determined skills.

(Modifiable even after the oath has been established) Duration: Permanent (Until conditions are met / revoked by the User) Cost: 40 MP [Establish] [Modify] [Draft] [Cancel] He carefully reviewed it from top to bottom. Then nodded. Yeah… This is fine as an initial draft. It won't do them any harm. And I can even modify it later,... His eyes narrowed slightly. In case, more of my skills become public.

"Should I draft this oath?" Mi-mi asked suddenly. Jimin didn't hesitate. Yes... Draft it. The window flickered for a while. Then a notification appeared. ['Non-disclosure Oath (Friends)' has been drafted] A small smile appeared on his face. Perfect. He took a deep breath. Well then. It's time to leave. The party rested for a little longer before finally departing. Soon afterward, they exited the Rift. The raid was officially over. And as usual, the group headed straight toward appraisal services.

Then, they went to Golden Scale to exchange their loot right after. It turned out to be a money rush for the party this time. The total value of everything came out to approximately 35. 8 million won. Which came down to around 4. 5 million won per member after cutting costs. Eventually, the party dispersed. Soon, they parted. And Jimin went on with his usual routine. Appraiser work, selling his personal loot and returning to the orphanage afterward. Eventually, he climbed into bed. But he had trouble sleeping.

As tomorrow, he was going to the arena to watch Hyun-woo fight. Today's exhaustion eventually put him to sleep.

At the hideout of Umbral Shadow's South Korea branch- Baek Sang-hoon was quiet, unlike his usual self. The atmosphere couldn't have been more different. A dimly lit room. At the center sat Cardinal Jin Mu-ak. He was at his usual table, just cutting the call he was on. His phone slowly lowered from his ear. And a smirk lingered on the Cardinal's face. One filled with malice. Meanwhile on the other side of the call, Baek Sang-hoon remained completely silent. His phone was still pressed against his ear.

His gaze was intense. Expression tense, as a drop of sweat slid down by his temple. While on the other side, the Cardinal just laughed menacingly.