Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 48

Dungeon Expedition Log – Episode 49

The woman’s listless gait and dull eyes, as if she had resigned herself to death, showed no reaction even when faced with the horde of monsters filling the hall. Kim Jin-woo couldn’t tear his eyes away, as if he were seeing a reflection of his past self.

“As you know, since the last agreement, the ‘Undergrounders’ [people born and raised in the Underworld] have been virtually wiped out. Occasionally, some, with their characteristic fearlessness, are caught returning to the depths, but they’ve been tainted by the surface dwellers, their personalities completely changed!”

Ignoring the presenter’s babble, he stared blankly at the Dungeon Baby.

“But this product is an early Undergrounder, untouched by such corruption! Obedient, doing as they’re told, even pretending to die if asked. A submissive creature that knows no rebellion! Moreover, being from the deep layers, it’s tough and doesn’t die easily, even when handled roughly!”

As if to demonstrate, the presenter kicked the Dungeon Baby’s shin and pinched its flesh. Despite the sudden pain, the Dungeon Baby merely let out a short ‘Ah’ sound.

“Did you see that? This product is the Undergrounder itself, just as you remember it!”

His heart felt constricted. Kim Jin-woo, his face as hard as stone, called out to Dominique.

“Dominique?”

‘Yes, Master.’

Dominique replied, straightening his posture, his voice frighteningly subdued.

“How much Down Gem [a type of currency] is available?”

‘If we dispose of the Blood Mark’s heart, we could probably get up to 18,000 Gems.’

The hall was already buzzing with excitement. Kim Jin-woo said coldly,

“We’ll participate in this auction.”

Dominique didn’t question it. He simply nodded, his face full of enthusiasm.

“This is the last chance to fully vent the resentment you’ve suffered at the hands of the surface dwellers! I guarantee that after today, pure Undergrounders will never be seen in the Underworld again!”

The presenter was spouting nonsense, and the participants, surprisingly, went wild as if responding to his words.

“Give it to me! Give it to me!”

“Shut up! Do you know how much humiliation I suffered because of those Undergrounders! If anyone interferes with this auction, I’ll chase them to the ends of the earth and make them regret it!”

“Who are you to talk! Everyone shut up! I, Urtus, am the rightful owner of this product!”

Apparently, not all Dungeon Babies left the Underworld peacefully when they were released from the labyrinth. Seeing the participants gnashing their teeth and shouting, the presenter smiled contentedly and held up his fingers.

“2,000 Gems! Let’s start at 2,000 Gems!”

“2,100 Gems!”

“2,300 Gems!”

Some participants bid wildly, and the atmosphere became overheated.

“4,000 Gems!”

The Beastman assistant whispered into the mouthpiece of the VIP room’s viewing box.

“Ah! 4,000 Gems from the VIP room! It seems that even the esteemed have a grudge against the Undergrounders!”

The participants fell silent at the bid price, which had doubled in an instant.

It was good to vent their resentment, but they didn’t want to invest so much money in a Dungeon Baby, a product that was worthless as an ornamental item or a worker.

“It’s not a bad idea to suppress their spirits with a large sum from the start. If you raise the price half-heartedly, participants with a grudge might ruin the game.”

The assistant seemed to have her own know-how, her face unwavering. But as always, the situation didn’t go as she wanted.

An Imp below the stage went up and whispered something to the presenter, who looked back and forth between the Dungeon Baby and the hall before shouting cheerfully.

“We just received information! This product has a very special ability that only deep-layer Undergrounders possess! What is that ability? It’s the ‘Guide’ ability! With time and effort, it can grasp the surrounding terrain and create a more complete map!”

The moment the presenter finished speaking, one of the participants in the hall raised his hand.

“4,200 Gems!”

“5,000 Gems!”

No sooner had someone bid than the Beastman assistant raised the price again. The participants began to murmur at the boldness of raising the amount by the equivalent of half a top-grade Down Gem at once.

“The nobles didn’t lose anything at the end of the war. Why are they so obsessed with the Undergrounders? Just curiosity?”

“The ‘Guide’ ability isn’t that great, so I don’t understand why they’re so eager.”

The participants made all sorts of speculations with dissatisfied faces.

“5,000 Gems! Are there any higher bids! If not, the Dungeon Baby will go for 5,000 Gems…”

“5,500 Gems!”

Whether he had a deep grudge or coveted the ‘Guide’ ability, one of the participants gritted his teeth and bid again.

“What should we do?”

The Beastman assistant seemed a little embarrassed that there was a participant following so closely. Seeing her, Kim Jin-woo fell into thought for a moment.

It was quite a high price to pay for cheap sympathy. But at the words ‘Guide’ ability and map, he decided to go a little harder.

“6,000 Gems.”

Kim Jin-woo answered briefly, and she looked a little surprised before grabbing the mouthpiece of the viewing box.

“6,000 Gems.”

“Ah! 6,000 Gems! It seems that the esteemed guest has made up their mind! 6,000 Gems is enough to buy two decent-sized large creatures!”

The presenter’s words were subtly pressuring the participants in the hall.

It was a consideration, not a consideration, to know their place, as raising the price any further might offend the Underworld nobles.

As if understanding the meaning, the participant who had been competitively following the bid took a rough breath and closed his mouth.

“Then, congratulations to the honorable person who won this auction. Please give them a round of applause!”

It was like a scene from a comedy. Kim Jin-woo, watching the participants clapping reluctantly, once again took in the Dungeon Baby’s appearance.

***

[You have acquired the Dungeon Baby ‘Yunhee’.]

[Born and raised on the 11th floor, she is a natural explorer. Although she has never had the opportunity to use her abilities until now, her ability is absolute in the maze-like Underworld.]

[‘Guide’ ability: She can perfectly remember a path she has taken once. Her ability to never get lost may even allow her to vaguely estimate the direction of paths she has not yet taken.]

[Sharing some of ‘Yunhee’s’ abilities.]

The auction house worker handed her over like a piece of luggage, deeply asleep at Kim Jin-woo’s request.

He was reluctant to show his face because he had not yet decided whether to treat her as a surface dweller or an Underworlder.

“It seems that the Baron has acquired all of the event items from this regular auction. Others will be quite envious if they find out.”

“Nonsense. When you think about it, you also owe a debt to Angela’s former guardian. Stop talking nonsense and send the items on time.”

At his indifferent words, the black marketeer gave him a send-off with a look that said he was giving up completely this time.

“Thank you once again for participating in the auction and gracing us with your presence, and we hope that you will attend the next regular auction as well. Then, please have a peaceful journey.”

Receiving the black marketeer’s polite greetings, Kim Jin-woo left the auction house with twice as many people as when he first arrived.

***

Having returned from the auction, Kim Jin-woo instructed that Angela’s residence be prepared in a suitable place and headed straight to the owner’s room. In his arms was the newly acquired Dungeon Baby ‘Yunhee’.

“Hoo.”

Kim Jin-woo carefully placed her on the flat altar and belatedly examined Yunhee’s appearance. Compared to Angela, she had a very ordinary appearance, with a slightly low nose, slightly raised eyelids, and a skinny body that was even pathetic.

But knowing the truth, she was the one who made Kim Jin-woo spend the most money at the auction.

There was no regret. After all, he had relieved the pressure on funds through his deal with the black marketeer.

And even if that weren’t the case, her ‘Guide’ ability was quite useful.

Unlike the other labyrinth owners who had long been established in the Underworld, he and the Nagas had only just begun to grasp this vicinity.

At this moment, when he had to draw a big picture to encompass the entire 9th floor, her existence would be of great help.

Also, even if it wasn’t the 9th floor where the labyrinth was located, there were many places to use her.

If he provided plausible maps to the explorers wandering the lower floors without proper maps, he could recover the invested money in an instant.

But despite this, the reason he was so troubled was that she was a ‘human’ being, not an Underworlder. Like him, she should seek the light and go to the surface.

But now, a full 10 years after the last Dungeon Baby ascended to the surface, he wasn’t sure if there was a place for her in the world above.

No, more than that, he was most worried that her presence would reveal him and the existence of the labyrinth to the world.

Moreover, she had already been bound to him by the system.

He couldn’t be sure what would happen if he released her to the surface.

“Damn it.”

Kim Jin-woo, looking at her face as she slept curled up, finally made a decision.

“It can’t be helped.”

Soothing himself, he shook the deeply sleeping Yunhee awake.

“Ah…”

Perhaps because she was asleep under the influence of drugs, she woke up after a long time and let out an ambiguous sound that was neither a sigh nor a groan, her face dazed.

But that was only for a moment. Soon, realizing her situation, she slammed her head roughly on the floor with a thud.

Kim Jin-woo, watching her trembling, tried to harden his expression and said.

“I am your…”

He hesitated several times, unable to finish the sentence, and finally opened his mouth.

“Guardian.”

At his words, Yunhee didn’t even think of raising her head and continued to tremble.

***

Angela quickly adapted to the labyrinth. She roamed the entire labyrinth without a sound, and when Kim Jin-woo appeared, she quickly took the seat next to him, which made Dominique’s mood very uneasy these days.

Hoya also didn’t seem to like Angela very much, baring his teeth and cackling fiercely whenever she appeared.

“That cat doesn’t seem to like me.”

“There’s no reason for him to be happy.”

And that was the same with Kim Jin-woo’s feelings.

He had taken her in for various reasons, but she was nothing more than a burden he had been forced to take on. He was tempted by her abilities, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

“I guess I’m still not trusted.”

Her pitiful face and downcast eyes were so captivating that any man would lose his mind, but Kim Jin-woo was indifferent.

“What can I do to make my lovely master trust me? As I said, my relationship with the Black Merchant is all there is to it. My former guardian wanted me to meet my real master, and the Black Merchant only did the bizarre thing called an auction to look good to my former guardian, and there’s nothing else.”

“And the Black Merchant asked you to dig up my information.”

“I’ve already refused. If I had other intentions, there would be no reason to say it from the beginning.”

Even as he watched her droop her eyes as if she were sulking, Kim Jin-woo was firm.

“If that’s true, why don’t you tell me about your former guardian?”

He had asked her several times, but she never answered. Thanks to that, Kim Jin-woo’s suspicions about her former master only grew.

“If I tell you, will you trust me?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at Angela’s different attitude than before.

“If you answer my questions obediently, there’s no reason not to trust you.”

“Okay. After all, my body and mind belong to you, Master. I’m worried about my former guardian’s favor, but I’ll keep it as a burden on my heart for Master’s sake.”

She wiped her eyes as if she were the heroine of a tragedy, and her words and actions felt like a play, lacking sincerity.

“Is the thing you want to know most the identity of my former guardian?”

“There are more, but for now.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s answer, she strode closer and put her lips to his ear.

“My former guardian is…”