Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 17

Dungeon Journal – Episode 18

# 17

Dungeon Journal

The sudden appearance of the message window startled Kim Jin-woo, making him look around.

Fortunately, everyone else was asleep. He let out a silent sigh of relief and checked the message window again.

[The Parasite’s ability ‘Exploration’ is activated.]

Before he could even grasp the meaning, Kim Jin-woo frowned as he felt a burning sensation in his right eye.

Afraid that another seizure like the last time might start, he was surprised by the unfamiliar sensation instead of pain, and his eyes widened.

His right eye felt uncomfortable. The whole world appeared gray, as if covered by a gray film. When he closed his left eye, a completely black and white world greeted him.

“Huh?”

In the world of only black and gray, there was a place that shone with color. It was the altar that Kim Jin-woo had been examining just moments before.

The spot where the brilliantly shining core of the labyrinth once was, the center of the altar, glowed with a green light.

As if possessed, he reached out and touched the floor, but it was just flat. However, when he pressed down, the floor caved in.

A small stone fragment, smaller than a joint of his little finger, was found in the hole.

[You have discovered a fragment of the labyrinth. The master of the labyrinth, defeated in the war against humanity, took all the valuable items but could not take everything. You have found a fragment of the labyrinth that has been neglected for a long time.]

[Abandoned Labyrinth Fragment (11/30): This fragment, exposed to dungeon energy for a long time, is still usable despite the passage of time.]

Kim Jin-woo, holding the sharp fragment in his hand, felt someone approaching and quickly put the fragment in his pocket.

After taking a moment to calm down, he glanced at the source of the noise and saw the Explorer tossing and turning, seemingly uncomfortable in their sleep.

He watched them for a while, and the Explorer fell back asleep.

Only after confirming that the Explorer’s breathing had returned to normal did he let out a sigh of relief.

[Abandoned Labyrinth Fragment (11/30)]

Looking at the fragment that seemed quite useful, he smirked.

***

Fortunately, nothing happened during the night. Thanks to this, the Explorers, having recovered from their fatigue to some extent, quickly made their way through the labyrinth.

“Jin-woo?”

Kim Jin-woo flinched at Lee Jun-young’s voice.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange for a while now.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Are you sick or something? You keep touching your eyes.”

He must have been touching his eyes without realizing it.

[The Parasite’s senses have detected something.]

[The Parasite senses something is wrong.]

[The Parasite is…]

Lee Jun-young’s appearance was black and white.

“No, I’m really okay. I think something got in my eye.”

“Really? Be careful. In the labyrinth… Ah, I don’t need to tell you that. You know better than I do.”

Watching her turn away, Kim Jin-woo checked the wall again.

[Not yet fully ripened Down Gem (3/10): It is insignificant now, but it will shine someday.]

There was a slightly protruding bump on the green glowing wall.

It seemed that Kim Jin-woo’s Parasite was specialized in finding things rather than fighting. The Parasite was able to find all sorts of things buried in the walls and floors.

Thanks to that, the number of Down Gems he found along the way was quite valuable.

Some of them he couldn’t collect because he was worried about the others, but even what he had obtained so far was worth about one mid-grade Down Gem.

An unexpected windfall, he easily obtained precious Down Gems without having to fight creatures to the death. For him, who needed to grow the labyrinth, there was no greater luck than this.

[You have obtained an unripe Down Gem.]

While the group paused, he plucked the ‘unripe Down Gem’ hanging on the wall.

No one noticed him naturally touching the wall and putting his hand back in his pocket.

In this way, Kim Jin-woo was able to obtain Down Gems without anyone knowing.

After walking for a while, the group finally found the end of the labyrinth. The Explorers, seeing the straight tunnel after passing through the complex passages, looked relieved.

“It’s fortunate that we didn’t encounter any creatures in the labyrinth, but this is where the problem starts.”

Jung Chan-sik, who was at the front, said after checking the surroundings for a moment.

“There’s no way to avoid a fight no matter where we go.”

He looked back at the group with a worried expression, indicating that there were creatures nearby.

“Then the answer is obvious, isn’t it?”

Lee Jun-young stepped forward, glancing back at Kim Jin-woo as if she trusted him.

After all, a level 12 Dungeon Baby [a low-level monster] was the most reliable person in the vicinity of the 4th floor.

Kim Jin-woo shrugged at her gaze.

“A forced breakthrough?”

“Go big or go home!”

The Dungeon Babies took out their weapons in preparation for battle, and the Explorers also took out their shields and spears. The group’s eyes began to shine fiercely.

Among them, Kim Jin-woo also took out his sword, but he was actually checking the message window that appeared in front of him.

[Abandoned Labyrinth Fragment (11/30)]

[Not yet fully ripened Down Gem (3/20)]

[Not yet fully ripened Down Gem (2/13)]

[Fragment of a broken Down Gem (1/5)]

These were the things he had found through the Parasite while passing through the labyrinth. Although it was now a ruin, it was once the place where the master of the labyrinth, who had wielded great power against humanity, resided.

There were many things hidden there, incomparable to the tunnels of the underground.

Of course, many of them were useless due to the passage of time. And there were quite a few that he had left behind without checking in order to keep up with the group’s pace.

Looking back with regret, Kim Jin-woo vowed to revisit this abandoned labyrinth someday.

“Then let’s go!”

While he was looking back at the labyrinth, the group had finished preparing and started moving again.

***

“Hoo, we can rest assured now.”

Jung Chan-sik, who was at the front, said, looking back at the group.

“Damn bat bastards.”

“Those bastards aren’t worth anything…”

Behind him, the Dungeon Babies cursed. The group, which had been somewhat neat when passing through the abandoned labyrinth, was now completely messed up.

The general Explorers had emergency bandages on various places, and the Dungeon Babies also had yellow liquid smeared everywhere, their initial dignified appearance nowhere to be found.

That was because they had to fight a fierce battle just before arriving here.

Thanks to Jung Chan-sik’s ability, they had avoided battles so far, but they happened to encounter Carni Bats, which were difficult to deal with even in the underground.

These giant bats, with a wingspan of over 3 meters, were predators that hid in the darkness and attacked passing beasts or creatures.

Each one was not a big deal, but once they were encountered, a dozen or so would appear, making them a dreaded beast among Explorers.

They had encountered as many as 30 Carni Bats.

These ridiculous bats could not spread their wings due to the narrow passage and hopped around, attacking the group.

If it hadn’t been for Kim Jin-woo’s warning, who had noticed their approach in advance thanks to the battle messages, there might have been deaths among the general Explorers, if not the Dungeon Babies.

“But we got a few Down Gems, right?”

Jung Chan-sik grinned and comforted the group.

“They’re just cheap ones that aren’t even mid-grade. We didn’t even break even. The cost of the liquid we sprayed to get rid of the smell and the arrows is already in the hundreds.”

However, the Dungeon Babies didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

“If we were going to encounter something, it should have been a Four-Eyed Snake. Tsk.”

“You’ll meet the Four-Eyed Snake you’ve been looking for, whether you like it or not. It’s the 5th floor now.”

As he said that, a dark pit yawned open in front of him.

“From now on, refrain from talking and only speak when there’s a suspicious sign. On the 5th floor…”

“Great-Eared Lizards live there, right? I’ve been in this business for a day or two. Let’s go quickly without dragging it out.”

“What a temper.”

Jung Chan-sik clicked his tongue at his colleague, who responded cheerfully, and led the group into the pit leading to the 5th floor.

“Hmm…”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the sensation of something sticky and unpleasant pressing down on his shoulders.

The air was different from the 4th floor. Complete darkness with no light, stuffy air, and the sound of wind coming from somewhere, everything was irritating.

The path the group had taken so far was only the entrance to the underground, where relatively safe routes had been established by veteran Explorers and Dungeon Babies.

But the 5th floor was different. The 5th floor was the ‘real underground,’ which still remained an unknown area.

From here, even a moment of carelessness could lead to being sucked into the labyrinth and getting lost, or to the gruesome death of a comrade by creatures that approached silently.

“Keep the same formation. Stay alert and move slowly.”

Following Jung Chan-sik’s quiet instructions, the Dungeon Babies in the front row began to move. The Explorers followed behind, holding body bunkers [protective shields].

Finally, Lee Jun-young and Kim Jin-woo followed the group.

Some Explorers were already breathing heavily with tense faces. Although they had been carefully selected, the air on the 5th floor seemed too heavy for them, who were just ordinary people.

But there was no one who was noticeably terrified or anxious, perhaps because they had experienced it several times.

They were said to be a successful team, and that was indeed true. With this level of pressure, inexperienced rookies would have been terrified already.

However, the Explorers in the center were faithfully guarding their surroundings, albeit with tense faces, and advancing.

Kim Jin-woo nodded and admired them.

At that moment.

“Stop.”

Jung Chan-sik, who had been leading the group, stopped and pressed his ear to the ground.

“200 meters ahead, five? No, there’s one more. Six. The size is at least medium.”

It seemed they had found a creature. At his words, the Explorers quietly took off their backpacks and placed them on the ground, preparing for battle.

“Are you ready?”

A low voice, almost a whisper. The Dungeon Babies bared their teeth and grinned fiercely.

“What’s so good about it that you’re smiling again, you funny guys.”

Jung Chan-sik clicked his tongue at their appearance, which was more excited about the upcoming battle than nervous.

“Let’s go, you crazy bastards.”

Before long, his face had the same expression as the other Dungeon Babies.