Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 33

Dungeon Journal-33

# 33

Dungeon Journal

Chapter 34

‘Can only be killed by a terrestrial weapon imbued with flames.’

“What?”

The words were too abstract, and Kim Jin-woo involuntarily questioned it. Seeing his reaction, Dominique began reading the document again.

‘While common Gyoryongs have softer skin around the middle of their jaw and chest, making it a weak point, the Gyoryong King has no weak points anywhere on its body. Even its eyeballs and mouth are incredibly hard, so it cannot be killed with ordinary subterranean weapons.’

Dominique’s clear voice continued.

‘If there is anything that can wound the immortal Gyoryong King Anaxthus, it would only be the powers possessed by the nobles of the deep layers. However, if Anaxthus were to die at the hands of a non-noble, it would be by a being who walks above ground, in a place full of sunlight, not underground.’

Instantly, countless thoughts raced through Kim Jin-woo’s mind.

Mr. Baek had said that Gyoryong King Anaxthus was too suspicious and had never actively engaged in the war with humanity, with only the Gyoryongs themselves fighting a few local battles.

Therefore, Kim Jin-woo judged that Anaxthus was extremely calculating and suspicious and did not participate in wars where victory was not certain.

“But that wasn’t it.”

Anaxthus wasn’t suspicious; he was afraid. He feared being killed by the almost unique beings who could kill him, the humans of the surface, and as a result, he couldn’t actively participate in the war.

‘I heard that the Gyoryongs clearly had the power to annihilate our people back then. After all, that area is their territory. But strangely, they were cautious. There must be something. And another strange thing is, I checked with the Labyrinth Management Office. I wanted to find out if there were any Dungeon Babies who had escaped from the Gyoryong King’s labyrinth. But there weren’t any. There were no Dungeon Babies who came from the Gyoryong King’s labyrinth.’

Recalling Mr. Baek’s words, Kim Jin-woo was convinced that the black marketeer’s information was not false.

“Ha, hahaha!”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

It was such a coincidental event. It was as if it was a setup prepared just for him. The Gyoryong King had initiated a war against a surface being, the Naga’s labyrinth ruled by humans.

A terrible irony. The uncertainties of the underground were something even the labyrinth owners couldn’t avoid.

‘Master, shall I continue reading?’

Dominique asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“Continue.”

‘Yes. The Gyoryongs…’

Dominique’s clear voice continued for quite some time.

***

A new facility was added to the labyrinth. The laboratory and smithy, ordered to be built to harness the power of the Bloodscale’s Heart, had just been completed.

The laboratory was filled with all sorts of flasks and unidentified tools. As if waiting for this moment, the Naga magician strode in and took his place. Kim Jin-woo handed him the Bloodscale’s Heart.

[Researching the Bloodscale’s Heart (Top-Grade Dawn Gem). There is only one magician in the laboratory. Moreover, their grade is only intermediate. The research will take a long time (719:59:59 until research completion).]

[Would you like to summon more Naga magicians to increase research efficiency?]

[The labyrinth’s maximum capacity has been reached, so you cannot summon any more.]

Kim Jin-woo nodded, roughly estimating the longer-than-expected research period, and headed to the smithy.

[Refining the Bloodscale’s Heart (Top-Grade Dawn Gem). There is only one worker in the smithy. The work will take a long time (719:59:59 until research completion).]

[Would you like to additionally deploy Naga workers to increase work efficiency?]

[Once a Naga worker is assigned to the smithy, they will walk the path of a blacksmith. They can never be assigned to other tasks again. Would you still like to proceed?]

There was no need to think about it. He called out a few Naga workers who were currently gathering resources at the workshop and assigned them to the smithy, immediately reducing the work time by 20 percent.

[Naga workers are reborn as blacksmiths. The smithy’s poor facilities and the novice blacksmiths’ inexperience greatly reduce work efficiency.]

He wondered if adding more Naga workers would improve efficiency further, but it seemed that adding more manpower wouldn’t make a big difference for the time being.

“In the end, is this also a battle against time?”

With the completion of the laboratory and smithy, there was nothing left to do but wait for the labyrinth’s upgrade.

Quentus, the magician, and the priest had grown, already exceeding the labyrinth’s maximum capacity long ago, so he couldn’t summon any more summons. Nor could he go hunting at this point, with the tension with the Gyoryongs increasing.

[The 4th-grade Naga Labyrinth is being upgraded to 5th grade. Currently, there are 19:14:59 seconds remaining until the upgrade is complete.]

The only consolation was that the upgrade completion time was not far off.

In the meantime, the Naga Labyrinth had made remarkable progress.

Initially, the Naga Labyrinth was just a single stone chamber owner’s room without even a door, but now it had become a real labyrinth with numerous passages intertwined like a spider web, including the laboratory and smithy.

Naga warriors and workers constantly moved through the passages. If it weren’t for the war with the Gyoryong King, it would almost seem lively.

As Kim Jin-woo passed by the busy Nagas and returned to the owner’s room, he suddenly stopped.

Because he saw a Myoin [cat-like demi-human] woman sitting alone in the unusually subdued atmosphere of the tavern, which was empty because all forces were on standby.

As their eyes met, the Myoin woman prostrated herself on the floor again, expressing extreme respect.

“You haven’t left yet.”

‘In fact, this underground is not a very good place for demi-humans to live. Demi-humans are relatively weak and few in number.’

It seemed that the Myoin woman had decided to stay in this tavern.

‘Shall I send her away?’

“Does it cost a lot to maintain because of customers who come like that?”

‘Not really. Even if nothing else, the Myoin don’t eat much, and they don’t cause any trouble.’

“Then just leave her alone. But don’t forget to keep a close watch on her in case she shows any suspicious movements.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, Dominique grabbed a warrior who was passing nearby and stationed them in front of the tavern. Kim Jin-woo stared at the Myoin woman’s slender shoulders for a moment before turning back.

Sitting on the Naga throne, Kim Jin-woo checked the labyrinth’s status window.

[Naga Labyrinth] (Active)

□Owner Kim Jin-woo (6th Grade) (Valiant Commander)

□4th Grade Labyrinth (Size 42×42) (18:59:43 until upgrade completion)

□Dungeon Energy 500/500

□Durability 5611/5611

□Facilities

*Owner’s Room (3rd Grade)

*Portal (Cooldown 13:21:48 0/1)

*Gate (900/900)

*Warehouse (6781/6800)

*Naga Nest (203/150)

-The nest’s additional capacity has been exceeded. You can no longer summon Nagas.

*Tavern

*Laboratory (1st Grade)

*Smithy (1st Grade)

-5th grade facilities must be upgraded to be activated.

□Troops (366/150)

-Troops have exceeded the labyrinth’s total capacity. If not resolved urgently, troops may desert.

*Naga Maid (Dominique/Hero) 1×10

*Naga Warrior (Quentus/Hero) 1×60

*Drakan (Dracanus Orteaga/?) 1×100

*Under Elf Ranger (Rickshasha/?) 1×31

*Ronin Swordsman (Inu/?) 1×15

*Naga Gatekeeper (3rd Grade) 1×25

*Naga Magician (Intermediate) 1×25

*Naga Priest (Intermediate) 1×23

*Naga Archer (2nd Grade) 1×10

*Naga Warrior (2nd Grade) (Elite) 5×6

*Naga Blacksmith (1st Grade) 4×4

*Naga Worker (1st Grade) 21×1

Unlike the beginning, the status had become somewhat complicated, and among them, the phrase that the capacity limit had been exceeded particularly caught his eye.

Now, even if it wasn’t for the war with the Gyoryong King Anaxthus, the labyrinth’s upgrade was urgent. He was in a situation where the summons and mercenaries he had worked so hard to gather could desert at any time.

‘Master, Rickshasha has returned!’

Kim Jin-woo, who had been lost in thought while looking at the status, raised his head at Dominique’s voice. However, her usually clear and calm voice was trembling severely, which meant that something must have happened.

“Tell her to come in!”

‘She’s too injured to move right now. The Naga priest is tending to her, but she won’t be able to move right away.’

As expected, bad premonitions never failed to come true.

“Damn it!”

He cursed and got up from his seat, leading Dominique.

“What the hell happened?”

‘There seems to have been a battle. I haven’t heard the details yet.’

Rickshasha, who had been spying on the Gyoryong’s labyrinth, had returned injured. He had a bad feeling about this.

“My Lord.”

“Damn…”

Rickshasha, whose waist was almost completely torn, greeted him with a pale face. She tried her best to raise her body in her battered state. The Naga priest was pressing her down, constantly chanting spells.

“Stay still.”

Kim Jin-woo said firmly, watching Rickshasha try to get up and pay her respects several times. After hesitating for a moment, she lay back down and explained the situation.

“The Gyoryongs have set out! Prepare defenses quickly!”

She said urgently, without even wiping the blood from her mouth.

“How far away are they?”

“We encountered the Gyoryongs just a day ago. Although we hurried, they will come without rest due to their natural stamina, so it won’t be long before they arrive here.”

Her voice was gradually getting smaller, but Rickshasha didn’t stop talking.

“The total number of Gyoryongs who have set out is fifty-six. They are clearly the advance party, and among them, there were Gyoryongs who appeared to be hero-grade.”

“What about the Gyoryong King? Didn’t you see the Gyoryong King?”

He didn’t want to burden the injured, but he had no choice because the situation was so urgent.

“I couldn’t confirm the Gyoryong King’s presence. If the main force is following behind, he will surely be in it…”

At that moment, Rickshasha’s voice was cut off. Kim Jin-woo was startled and checked under her nose, and there was a faint breath coming in and out.

‘She fell asleep. She lost too much blood and overexerted herself. She probably ran straight here without resting after the battle.’

Dominique said, reassuring Kim Jin-woo. She bit her lip.

‘For an Under Elf, she did quite well this time.’

She frowned, looking dissatisfied, and then straightened her expression again.

‘Considering the Under Elf’s running speed and the Gyoryong’s movement speed, we don’t have much time. A day at the shortest, two days at the longest.’

Another time limit had been set. With only about eighteen hours left until the labyrinth’s upgrade, the battle against time had begun.

Kim Jin-woo bit his lip and shouted, jumping to his feet.

“Activate the traps and gather all troops at the gate!”