Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 73

Dungeon Journal – 73

# 73

Dungeon Journal

Chapter 74

“Hmm…”

After the light faded, Yun-hee seemed different. Her unfocused, blurry eyes gradually sharpened, regaining their light.

“Do you recognize me?”

Kim Jin-woo, filled with anticipation at her clear gaze, spoke to her.

“Ah…”

A complex expression flickered across Yun-hee’s face as she looked at him.

“Yun-hee, do you know who I am?”

He asked the same question repeatedly, but she remained silent. He waited patiently for a long time, but she didn’t answer. After a long while, she only managed to nod.

Kim Jin-woo stared at her face for a long time, then sighed and took a step back. He left her with her head bowed and checked the state of the Party Hall.

[Festival Land Party Hall (Grade 5).]

[The Festival Land, abandoned without an owner, has now regained its original function. It has not reached its most glorious state, but the Labyrinth Core, now at Grade 5, is fully functioning.]

[1,400 Dungeon Energy is stored. You can summon creatures or order the construction of new buildings.]

[Would you like to participate in the operation of the labyrinth as regent?]

Until now, the defense of the Party Hall had been the responsibility of the Nagas, as he had prioritized the construction of facilities. However, with the war approaching, he could no longer afford to do so.

“I will participate. Summon creature list.”

At his words, a list of summonable creatures appeared before his eyes.

□ Shadow Servant (Grade 1) (1/2)

*A worker who takes care of the Party Hall’s tasks, big and small. Has no combat ability.

□ Shadow Guard (Grade 1) (2)

*The Shadow Guards, tasked with keeping unwanted guests away so that the Party Hall’s festival never ends, will do anything to protect the Party Hall.

□ Shadow Magician (Intermediate) (95)

*Magicians who perform dazzling magic so that guests invited to the party do not get bored. Shadow Magicians use ‘illusion’ magic to confuse the enemy’s mind.

□ Shadow Bard (Intermediate) (65)

*As long as the Shadow Bards continue to sing, the festival will never end. Their songs are so enchanting that they make those invited to the party forget their fatigue. They assist in battle with songs that weaken the enemy and strengthen allies.

□ Shadow Jester (Grade 3) (70)

*The Shadow Jester is the highlight of the festival. You will lose track of time watching their amazing feats.

They sometimes thrill the guests invited to the festival with their chilling and dangerous talents. The Jester’s movements are faster and more flexible than anyone else. They are also skilled at setting traps that surprise their opponents.

□ Shadow Storyteller (Grade 4) (130)

*The Shadow Storyteller appears when the lively festival is at its peak. Guests will be captivated by their witty stories of all kinds of heroic tales.

When they run out of stories, they take matters into their own hands to create new ones. The Shadow Storyteller’s other name is ‘The Knights of Jokes.’

They will not hesitate to fight even a earth dragon to create an interesting story.

The summon creatures of the Party Hall were all strange in some way. Looking at their playful names, he couldn’t quite understand what kind of beings they were.

The grades and Dungeon Energy required for summoning were all mixed up, making his head spin just looking at them.

“Twenty guards.”

[Would you like to summon twenty Guards (Grade 1)? 40 Dungeon Energy will be consumed.]

After much deliberation, Kim Jin-woo first summoned twenty of the easiest-to-understand guards. Then, he summoned each creature one by one to confirm their roles.

“Ugh. There’s not a single normal one.”

From the Shadow Jester, who immediately started showing off his acrobatic skills as soon as he was summoned, to the Bard, who appeared shouting loudly, there was not a single normal summon creature.

However, Kim Jin-woo was quite satisfied after confirming their powers. Despite their flamboyant and comical appearances, their powers were quite useful.

“For now, the Magicians and Bards will assist in combat, and the Jesters seem similar to patrols…”

The Magicians created illusions that confused the mind, and the Bards’ songs boosted strength.

The Jesters were able to set up all sorts of traps on the spot, and their agility was comparable to that of the Naga long-range patrols.

“The Storytellers are a bit expensive, but I’ll have to use them as the main force.”

Among them, the most useful were the Shadow Storytellers.

Despite their name, the Storytellers maintained a constant silence, wielding two swords with ghostly skill, their power surpassing that of the Naga Fighters.

Considering that the cost of summoning each one was higher than that of the Nagas, it was only natural that they would exhibit that level of power.

Kim Jin-woo summoned as many troops as Dungeon Energy allowed, then stayed in the Party Hall for a while longer before returning to the Naga Fortress.

Yun-hee hesitated and followed behind him.

“You’re back?”

Angela, who had been idly lounging in the Owner’s Room, greeted him with a bright expression.

“Yes, rest. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

As he dealt with Angela’s fuss, Yun-hee bowed her head once and left the Owner’s Room. As soon as she disappeared from sight, his expression hardened.

“Angela.”

“Yes?”

Angela, who had been chattering beside him, sensed the change in Kim Jin-woo’s tone and answered seriously.

“From today, don’t leave Yun-hee’s side for even a moment.”

“Okay. But from when?”

“From now.”

At his firm answer, her face momentarily fell, but she soon melted into the darkness [disappeared using her shadow powers].

Kim Jin-woo, left alone in the Owner’s Room after Angela disappeared, frowned and muttered to himself.

“She definitely regained her senses…”

Yun-hee’s condition had clearly recovered, with her eyes regaining their focus and a complex expression occasionally flickering across her face.

However, despite this, she pretended not to know something. It seemed like there was a story behind it, so he didn’t press her further.

“But why?”

Kim Jin-woo couldn’t think of any reason why she would hide the reason, and he fell into thought, losing track of time.

***

[An attempt to open a portal has been made in the Land of Gluttony. However, the portal cannot be opened without the Baron’s permission.]

[Would you like to allow the portal connection?]

At the sudden message, Kim Jin-woo immediately authorized the portal connection.

“Your Majesty!”

Uther, who popped out of the portal as soon as it opened, shouted like a scream.

“The nobles of the 10th floor have begun to move!”

“Already?”

It had only been a few days since the army that had set out from several labyrinths was crushed by bandits while marching through the underground, becoming utterly disorganized. Now, those nobles were starting to move again.

“C-Come over here and check it out!”

At Uther’s words, Kim Jin-woo immediately crossed the portal.

“Look! That swarm of black troops!”

Uther pointed to a large mass of gluttony [a substance or entity embodying excessive eating or drinking habits] hanging on the wall. The thinly spread mass of slime vaguely reflected a passage on the 10th floor.

“Where is that?”

“It’s only about three days away from the passage connecting the 9th and 10th floors!”

Kim Jin-woo frowned deeply at Uther’s report, which was almost a scream. He could see countless creatures filling the passage.

“Too fast.”

“Look over there!”

Uther pointed to another screen.

“Damn it!”

The screen showed a figure he had seen once before, Boreas of the Freezing Winds, marching proudly with his banner raised.

***

The number of enemies, including Boreas’s participation, reached a staggering 2,000. The number of participants from each labyrinth was not very large, but because so many labyrinths participated, the total number was enormous.

The soldiers were also incredibly diverse, ranging from small dwarves to giants who had to crouch to fit through the passages.

“What tricks did they use?”

The nobles of the 10th floor were addicted to luxury goods and even sold off the facilities of their labyrinths to pay for them. It had only been a few days since their forces, with their teeth dulled, were annihilated because they could not handle a single bandit.

But now, the creatures visible beyond the slime-made screen were definitely not a disorganized rabble, their eyes sharp and gleaming.

Kim Jin-woo could not quite grasp the changes that had occurred in just a few days.

It would be strange not to welcome a visiting black marketeer in the midst of all this.

“Tell me the situation!”

The black marketeer, taken aback by his abrupt tone that skipped greetings, immediately replied with a serious face.

“They moved from the 11th floor!”

“The Parthenon of Despair?”

Since they were already on hostile terms with the Parthenon of Despair, it was not surprising now.

What he wanted to know was how they had transformed the rabble of the 10th floor into such a force in such a short period of time.

“Count Parthenon has promised promotions to the nobles of the 10th floor!”

“Promotions? Could a count just do that as he pleased?”

“Normally, it would be impossible. However, if a noble under his command dies without designating an heir, the Count can arbitrarily choose the heir.”

“Crazy!”

A curse escaped his lips. There was no way that one of the nobles under his command would have died at this particular time, so it was obvious what had happened to the owner of the title offered as a reward for the promotion.

“What is Anatolius doing while they are moving so aggressively?”

At his annoyed words, the black marketeer replied with a dark face.

“Lord Anatolius does not have the capacity to monitor the situation on the 10th and 9th floors right now.”

A sense of foreboding washed over him. And as if to confirm that expectation, the black marketeer continued.

“Lord Anatolius is currently under attack by Lord Parthenon.”

At the unexpected words, Kim Jin-woo’s heart grew cold.

“The reason?”

“The reason is that a noble under Lord Parthenon was killed by the Iron-Blooded Knight under Lord Anatolius.”

It was getting worse and worse, and the black marketeer’s words were becoming increasingly absurd.

“Does that make sense?”

The Anatolius he had seen was a cold-blooded man who deserved the title of Iron-Blooded. There was no way he would have made such a blunder at a time like this.

“Whatever the truth may be, it is a fact that Lord Anatolius does not have the capacity to monitor the situation on the 9th and 10th floors. Lord Anatolius may be the strongest on the 11th floor, but Lord Parthenon also leads a formidable army…”

The black marketeer’s words were not yet over.

“Moreover, Lord Parthenon has the justification, so Lord Anatolius is not in a good situation either. The Knights, who pride themselves on their speed, are not suited for defense.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been listening quietly, summoned his commanders.

“Master!”

“Rickshasha, I will give you ten Dragon Knights. Immediately rush to the labyrinth adjacent to the passage leading to the 10th floor and tell them.”

His expression turned cold.

“The forces of the 10th floor are coming up. Their numbers reach a staggering 2,000, so tell them to prepare thoroughly!”

He was already a herald of the Naga Fortress, which had built up a record and power that no one on the 9th floor could ignore.

Even the owner of a labyrinth he had never met would not dismiss him without listening to his story.

“Balzac!”

“Balzac is here!”

“Tell the allied labyrinths. A large army of 2,000 is pushing up, so tell them to gather here if they want to live!”

With the orders pouring out one after another, Rickshasha and Balzac, as well as Quantus and Ortea, left the labyrinth.

“That may not be enough.”

“It’s not enough. Of course, it’s not enough.”

The black marketeer’s voice was dark, as if to convey the urgency of the situation, but Kim Jin-woo seemed to have already regained his composure and looked much more stable than before.

“Are you so calm knowing that?”

Kim Jin-woo shook his head at the black marketeer’s questioning words.

“There’s no way I can be calm. The forces I’ve already identified number 2,000, and there are 100 hero-level summon creatures among them. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.”

But the expression on his face did not seem very urgent, as if he had something to believe in.

“Do you perhaps have a plan?”

The black marketeer seemed anxious because he did not answer even after waiting for him to explain. Kim Jin-woo replied, looking at the black marketeer who was asking with an impatient face.

“There is no way to defeat them all right now.”

“Then why…”

“But there is a way to tie their feet.”