Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 39

Dungeon Journal – 40

# 40

Dungeon Journal

[The newly established Labyrinth Core has begun its activation process. During this process, the two cores have recognized each other’s presence and begun to resonate.]

Kim Jin-woo, seeing the urgent message, looked at the altar where the cores were located with a tense expression.

Two cores, one large and one small, were resonating, emitting blue light and green radiance. He belatedly worried if he had done something terrible, but the die had already been cast.

[The Labyrinth Cores have finished resonating. The two cores are now fully connected.]

[The existing core (Rank 5) has become the Main Core, and the new core (Rank 7) has become the Sub Core.]

[The Main Core and Sub Core have different ranks. The Sub Core cannot exert its full power. The Sub Core’s rank has been temporarily adjusted from Rank 7 to Rank 5. When the Labyrinth’s rank increases, the Sub Core will regain its original power.]

[The efficiency of both cores has greatly increased compared to their ranks. The Main Core’s total Dungeon Energy capacity has increased from (1700) to (2500).]

[The Dungeon Energy conversion rate of Down Gems has greatly increased. From now on, you will gain even more energy from using the same Down Gems.]

Kim Jin-woo’s expression changed from moment to moment as he watched the messages pouring in. His face, which had been frowning when the Sub Core’s rank was readjusted, brightened again when he saw the message that efficiency had increased.

[The Main Core’s ID, ‘Naga’s Heart,’ has completely transformed upon meeting the Sub Core’s ID, ‘Kyo-ryong’s Heart’.]

[New summons have been added to the list of available summons.]

[Construction of new facilities is now possible.]

When the two cores finally settled into place, Kim Jin-woo was able to exhale the breath he had been holding.

‘Master?’

Unless one was a Dungeon Owner, there was no way to know anything other than that the two cores had completely settled into place. Looking at Dominique’s tense face, he said,

“It’s a success.”

Dominique was about to cheer at his answer, but Kim Jin-woo preempted him with a bitter smile.

“But it’s not all good news. More than half of the Dungeon Energy accumulated in the Kyo-ryong Core is gone.”

‘Ah…’

Kim Jin-woo and Dominique couldn’t be entirely happy, as Dungeon Energy equivalent to almost a top-tier Down Gem had been lost.

But only for a moment. Checking the list of available summons, he opened his eyes wide and wore a surprised expression.

□ Naga Rider (Rank 6) (140)

*A new type of unit that does not exist even in the long history of the Naga. The Naga Riders, who have tamed the fastest and most agile Kyo-ryong among the fierce Kyo-ryong, will fight more bravely than anyone else on top of the Kyo-ryong. The charging power of the Naga Riders, armed with lances for cavalry, exerts a powerful force when breaking through dense formations.

-The Blacksmith’s rank is insufficient.

□ Giant Kyo-ryong Battle Weapon (Rank 7) (1510)

*The incredibly giant Kyo-ryong possesses the stamina to carry dozens of Naga without tiring. This giant battle weapon, carrying Naga archers, long-range patrols, or mages, will be a disaster for the enemy. However, it requires a large space to operate due to its massive size, so there are not many opportunities to be active. Moreover, it requires a terrible amount of food to maintain its huge body.

-The Blacksmith’s rank is insufficient.

A giant Kyo-ryong was the monstrous creature that had devastated the Naga’s Labyrinth.

He was somewhat tempted by the absurd achievement of pioneering a completely new passage, but the enormous Dungeon Energy required for summoning made him shake his head.

“This one is unusable.”

It was not very useful in the underground, where most of the passages were narrow, due to its high cost and many restrictions compared to its power. On the other hand, the Naga Rider was a quite attractive unit.

He had been feeling a lack of attack power even after being able to summon a Fighter to supplement it.

A Naga Rider with strong breakthrough power would surely be a great help in a confrontation.

However, this one could not be put into service immediately either.

“Upgrade the Blacksmith and the Laboratory, and increase the number of workers.”

Kim Jin-woo, looking at the 2000+ Dungeon Energy stored in each of the two cores, ordered all existing facilities to be upgraded and new buildings to be constructed.

In an instant, more than 40% of the total Dungeon Energy disappeared. His stomach ached as he felt that he was spending a lot of money today, but he held back, thinking it was an investment for the future.

‘Then I will go to supervise the workers’ work. The workers are diligent, but they don’t know what efficiency is.’

The Naga workers who received the order diligently scattered to various parts of the Labyrinth, and Dominique even disappeared after them.

Sitting in the owner’s room, which had become empty, he belatedly thought of the Myoin tribe woman.

It had already been a week since he had heard about the demi-human [a creature that is part human and part animal] from Mr. Baek, but he only remembered her now.

“Hmm, I wonder if she’s still at the tavern.”

Muttering to himself as a habit, he belatedly realized that Dominique was not there and got up from his seat.

Once he thought of her, he suddenly became concerned about the Myoin tribe woman’s existence.

“Was she still there?”

Arriving at the tavern, Kim Jin-woo frowned at the sight of the Myoin tribe woman paying extreme respect to the floor, just as he had seen before.

Perhaps it was because he had heard Mr. Baek’s story that he felt particularly sorry for her, as she was lying flat on the floor, trembling without even thinking about taking care of herself.

“Just one question. Why didn’t you leave the Labyrinth?”

The Ronin tribe warrior, who had been recognized for his usefulness and sworn allegiance, quickly ran away when the situation became unfavorable.

Even though the Labyrinth could be destroyed at any moment, and she was in the tavern, she couldn’t have been unaware of the urgency, yet the Myoin tribe woman did not leave the Labyrinth.

He couldn’t understand that point at all.

“Aaaah…”

However, instead of an answer to his question, Kim Jin-woo had to listen to a suppressed groan of some kind. At first, he wondered what that sound was, but soon he was able to figure out the situation.

“Can’t she speak?”

Only after seeing the Myoin tribe woman making suppressed sounds as if in response did he realize why she hadn’t defended herself last time.

The Myoin tribe woman was mute.

“Tsk.”

Kim Jin-woo clicked his tongue without realizing it, and the Myoin tribe woman trembled. She seemed to be afraid that she had somehow offended him.

She’s terribly skinny.

Looking at the Myoin tribe woman’s emaciated shoulders, which were much thinner than when he first saw her, he frowned.

There was no way there would be suitable food for demi-humans in the Naga’s Labyrinth. Dominique was not the kind of person to take care of outsiders who were not members of the Labyrinth, and it was a wonder that she had not starved to death until now.

For some reason, he saw his old self in her, so Kim Jin-woo rummaged through his pockets and handed her a chocolate bar.

He had been bringing food because there was nothing to eat in the Labyrinth, but he never imagined it would be used like this.

The Myoin tribe woman stared at the chocolate bar that had fallen on the floor for a while, not knowing what it was, and quickly picked it up and tucked it into her arms.

“Peel off the wrapper and eat it. It will relieve your hunger a little.”

With those words, Kim Jin-woo turned around. He felt sorry for her, but he had already been disappointed by the Ronin tribe warrior, so he didn’t want to take in another demi-human. Moreover, she was just a freeloader who had not proven any ability.

If it were on the surface, it would be different, but in the underground, he was not Dungeon Baby Kim Jin-woo, but Dungeon Owner Kim Jin-woo. He had too much to bear on his shoulders to take care of each and every situation.

“Damn it.”

He was about to leave the tavern when he suddenly cursed. Turning back, he asked the Myoin tribe woman.

“Is there anything you can do? If so, do you remember the maid who used to follow me around? Show her. Maybe there’s a place for your small body to rest in this Labyrinth.”

With those words, he left the tavern, stomping his feet roughly.

Showing such compassion in the underground is really a stupid thing to do.

His expression was ambiguous, neither smiling nor frowning, but somehow his expression seemed brighter than before.

***

Kim Jin-woo, who had left the Labyrinth, began to prepare to enter the underground again. There was not much to prepare as the equipment he had used before was still there, but there were a few things he lacked.

First of all, he didn’t have the most important map.

The map that Lee Jun-young had given him before only showed up to the 6th floor. And even that was not properly made, so it was impossible to continue exploring with just that.

The goal of this exploration was the 7th floor.

“The 7th floor?”

Lee Jun-young, whom he had met after a long time, forgot her joy and shouted in surprise.

“Yes. I hope it’s a map that shows as much detail as possible. I don’t care how much it costs.”

If he could, he wanted to get all the maps up to the 9th floor and use them as a reference for operating the Labyrinth in the future, but even for the 6th floor alone, there were far more areas that were not marked on the map than areas that were marked.

He couldn’t even be sure if there was a map of the 9th floor.

“What the hell are you doing alone?!”

Kim Jin-woo sighed at Lee Jun-young’s astonishment. It was no wonder she was surprised.

No one in Korea would ever enter the lower floors alone. But she was asking for a map up to the 7th floor, not even the 5th floor, so from her point of view, he would look like a madman.

“It’s just for reference.”

“Does that make sense? Even if Jin-woo is a level 12 Dungeon Baby [a low-level dungeon explorer], this is crazy.”

Lee Jun-young’s voice was full of concern rather than disbelief.

“If things go wrong, I have the skill to get out of here.”

However, Kim Jin-woo still only asks for the same thing without wavering. Eventually, she gave up and sighed, saying she would get a map of the 7th floor.

“Are all the Dungeon Babies in the deep layers like Jin-woo? Well, they are the ones who have survived from the deep layers to the surface, so it’s not surprising.”

Perhaps she was no longer shocked, Kim Jin-woo emphasized once again to Lee Jun-young, who was talking to herself and agreeing with herself.

“I don’t care how much it costs. If possible, I want maps not only of the 7th floor but also of deeper places.”

“I’ll try. But I’ve never heard of a map of the underground above the 7th floor. Except for the military.”

Kim Jin-woo belatedly looked apologetic at Lee Jun-young’s words as she shook her head. He realized that he had been asking for favors without giving anything in return.

“If you’re so sorry, why don’t you buy me a meal?”

She said, pouting her lips. When he laughed and told her to make an appointment anytime, a smile quickly appeared on her lips.

“But you’re not really going to go to the 7th floor alone, are you?”

Lee Jun-young asked again while they were having a friendly conversation. Kim Jin-woo could only sigh instead of answering.

“I’ll go. I’ll try to get it, but don’t expect too much. From the 7th floor, only a really big team or a high-level Dungeon Baby will have information.”

Lee Jun-young spoke in a somewhat unsure tone and left, but not long after, she succeeded in getting the map of the 7th floor that Kim Jin-woo wanted so much.

“This is…”

“I used some connections. Fortunately, Chan-sik knows someone in the military. It’s a map that I managed to get through that side. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get anything below the 8th floor, but the 7th floor is quite detailed.”

As she said, a significant portion of the 7th floor was marked in detail on the new map.

Kim Jin-woo, who was indifferent to the world, knew how much effort it would take to get this kind of map.

That’s why he couldn’t help but look more apologetic than grateful.

“It’s okay. I don’t owe you much anymore.”

She grumbled and left, saying that she would be treated handsomely next time they met.

He felt somehow dazed, so he stared blankly at the place where she had disappeared for a while, but he belatedly came to his senses and looked at the map.

“If there is one, is it around here?”

He muttered, pointing to somewhere on the map, looking at the map for a long time.

***

“Hoo.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had passed through the 6th floor and finally stood in front of the entrance to the 7th floor, took a deep breath.

It took more than two weeks to get here. It was a speed that would make other explorers scream, but he was indifferent.

This is because he himself knew that a schedule that was several times more dangerous and difficult than before would begin from now on.

Kim Jin-woo, who was standing in front of the hole that was gaping like the mouth of a demon, soon moved his steps towards the entrance of the 7th floor.

An extraordinary darkness that even a Dungeon Baby like him could not distinguish an inch ahead, and a strange sense of incongruity, the passage from the 6th floor to the 7th floor greeted him in that way.

“Hiss.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had crossed the pitch-black darkness in the passage, inadvertently inhaled the strong smell of blood that pierced his nose as soon as he entered the 7th floor.