Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 78

Dungeon Journal- Episode 79

#79

Dungeon Journal

#33. The Achievement of Succession

Three labyrinths fell. They collapsed in less than a day under Boreas’s relentless offensive, fueled by his heightened rage.

Understandably, a sense of crisis began to spread. Some even voiced concerns that blocking the Allied Nobles’ retreat to the 10th floor would cause unnecessary casualties.

However, Kim Jin-woo remained unperturbed.

On the surface, it seemed the war was turning in favor of the nobles again, but the reality was quite different.

The labyrinths they attacked had already been seized by Kim Jin-woo’s subordinates, who had extracted the cores, leaving them empty. The nobles had gained nothing but empty shells.

Of course, if this fact were to spread, the Allied Forces, who had barely managed to gain momentum, would fall apart. But he wasn’t worried.

After all, the dead tell no tales. The truth would remain buried forever for the lords of the 9th floor.

“It’s time to settle this.”

Repeated attacks had reduced the enemy’s forces to less than 500. Although the allied forces had also suffered considerable losses, the newly joined labyrinth forces meant that their numbers had actually increased compared to the beginning.

The number of troops increased in this way amounted to nearly 1,000, so it was truly time to decide the outcome.

Kim Jin-woo chose the labyrinth ruled by Gorintos, the King of the Swamp, who had slipped away in the middle of the conflict, as his battlefield.

While the enemies were occupying the empty labyrinths and feeling a sense of futility, Kim Jin-woo mobilized all his forces to drive them.

“You villain!”

And there, Kim Jin-woo faced Boreas again.

“I will get you, no matter what!”

[You are starting a battle against the enemy commander, Boreas of the Freezing Gale.]

[Both Baron Kim Jin-woo and Baron Boreas are lords of a territory and commanders leading troops. Their fight is not just a personal matter.]

[According to the laws of the Underworld, the victor will gain everything from the defeated. Whether it be title or inherent abilities, the defeated will offer everything to the victor. The defeated must obey the victor’s every command.]

A message he had never seen before caught Kim Jin-woo’s eye.

Perhaps this was why the nobles of the 10th floor kept each other in check and didn’t start wars.

The victor obtaining everything from the defeated was the same as on the 9th floor, but there was something forcing the defeated in battles between nobles.

“He must think he survived because he’s so great.”

Morigan tried to step forward, regretting that she had let Boreas go in the last battle, but Kim Jin-woo raised his hand to stop her.

“I’ll handle him this time.”

With those words, Kim Jin-woo drew his sword towards Boreas.

[The Parasitic Host’s special ability, Evil Eye, has been activated.]

[Power is temporarily amplified by the commander’s unique ability.]

***

“Hoo.”

As expected, Boreas was not an easy opponent. Despite the disadvantage of being outside his floor and losing his beloved warhorse, he was fast and strong.

The listless appearance he had shown during the war was limited to his capabilities as a commander. As a warrior, Boreas showed incredible strength even when surrounded by enemies in adverse conditions.

But in the end, Kim Jin-woo was the victor.

[You have won the noble war.]

[Whether it’s fortune or misfortune, Baron Boreas is still alive. The fate of the defeated depends on your words.]

[The victor can enslave the defeated or plunder all the power they have accumulated. Whatever it may be, victory in a noble war will be sweeter than any other victory.]

Boreas, with his limbs broken and gasping for breath, had a look closer to resignation than resentment in his eyes.

Although he had won, Kim Jin-woo was not unscathed.

His broken left arm hung limply, twisted grotesquely, and his cracked ribs caused him to groan with every breath due to the extreme pain. On top of that, every muscle in his body, pushed to its limit, was screaming.

“We won!”

“Victory!”

“Kuaaaa!”

Roars of victory erupted.

“He’s troublesome.”

He suppressed the urge to collapse and looked around. The troops, who had been shouting in victory, were looking at him with excited faces.

“We have finally won!”

At his declaration, the surviving troops shouted even more vigorously.

[You have won the war.]

[The mighty army of the 10th floor nobles has been completely annihilated, and the nobles have all fled.]

[The beings of the Underworld are in awe of your achievement, a great victory that cannot be compared to any victory you have achieved so far, reversing the unfavorable war situation and finally crushing your opponent.]

[The name ‘Commander of Succession,’ which has been secretly spreading in the Underworld, is now spreading throughout the entire Underworld. From now on, the beings of the Underworld will remember and call you the Commander of Succession, not just a baron.]

[Fame has increased unbelievably.]

[Charisma has increased unbelievably.]

Looking at the messages in front of him, Kim Jin-woo belatedly realized his victory.

***

Although they had won, the state of the Allied Forces was truly miserable. Only about 250 of the 1,000 troops who participated in the final battle survived.

Six of the labyrinth lords who participated were killed in action.

And the labyrinths that lost their lords were entirely in Kim Jin-woo’s hands.

It was the unique authority of the commander-in-chief.

No one protested. The surviving labyrinth lords were all friendly to Kim Jin-woo and Naga’s Fortress from the beginning. It almost felt planned.

That’s why the surviving labyrinth lords felt even more fear.

Many on the 9th floor said that there was no chance that the 9th floor would win this war. They were sure of it. The forces of the 10th floor that had pushed into the 9th floor were so large that they were unprecedented in the history of the 9th floor.

Their commander-in-chief had unilaterally pushed back such a powerful army.

Without the help of other allied forces, he had reduced the number of enemies by nearly half through two attacks. After that, he dragged those ferocious beasts around as if he were herding them, gradually depleting their forces. As a result, the Allied Nobles, cornered, could not leave anyone alive except for the nobles themselves.

Even Boreas of the Freezing Gale, whose name was highly regarded on the 9th floor, was defeated in a short battle and knelt before him. It was truly an unbelievable achievement.

But that wasn’t all. That ruthless commander-in-chief was looking several moves ahead.

Even in the midst of a war where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, he showed the ability to deal with the labyrinth lords who had been subtly testing him.

Although he didn’t directly use his hands, he drove them to the most intense battlefields and made them fight each other with the enemy. His ruthlessness and meticulousness were to be feared.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Kim Jin-woo, sitting on a high throne in the Swamp Labyrinth, where the traces of the last battle had not yet disappeared, looked down at the lords of the Allied Forces. It was complete condescension, but no one seemed to feel bad about it.

That’s because he had full authority over the distribution of rewards that would take place from now on.

The labyrinth lords swallowed hard and watched Kim Jin-woo’s mouth. From now on, his words would make some laugh and others beat their chests.

Without even realizing it, their backs were gradually bending and their eyes were becoming more respectful.

***

The number of labyrinths that lost their lords in this war was as many as nine. And the right to inherit them was naturally given to the surviving labyrinth lords.

None of the five surviving lords failed to gain a new labyrinth.

“That’s all.”

Although there were still as many as four labyrinths left, Kim Jin-woo finished the distribution of rewards.

The Down Jams [items dropped by defeated enemies] and weapons from the bodies of the fallen, which could be said to be additional income, had already been distributed.

“If anyone has any objections to the decisions made, speak now.”

The labyrinth lords did not raise any objections. It was a hard-won victory, risking everything, and now they had gained a new labyrinth, so there was nothing to say.

Moreover, they had witnessed firsthand the end of those who had rebelled against him, so they couldn’t say anything else.

“Then I’ll assume that no one has any objections.”

At his declaration, the surviving labyrinth lords bowed their heads or prostrated themselves on the floor, vying to praise the victory.

In this way, the spoils Kim Jin-woo obtained through this war were enormous. He had as many as five labyrinth cores that he had taken without the Allied Forces knowing.

He had preemptively occupied the Exile’s Labyrinth, and he had also extracted the core of the Swamp King Gorintos’s Labyrinth, which was known to have been destroyed by the Allied Nobles’ attack.

As a result, he had obtained nine cores.

“Once again, thank you all for your hard work.”

With Kim Jin-woo’s declaration that even the distribution of rewards was over, the Allied Forces, having finished their work, disbanded.

***

‘Master!’

Dominique, who was standing blankly at the gate of the Nagas’ Fortress, looked at Kim Jin-woo with tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m back!”

‘Master!’

Dominique, unable to say anything else, repeatedly called him Master several times and ran to hug him.

‘I’m so glad you’re safe. I’m really glad.’

Seeing her crying and leaning into his arms, as if she had worried more than he had expected, Kim Jin-woo’s eyes widened. It was because her usual sharp appearance was gone, and her appearance of crying and laughing repeatedly seemed like a child.

‘I-I’m sorry.’

Dominique, who stopped crying after a long time, seemed strangely embarrassed, perhaps because she remembered the disgraceful behavior she had shown.

‘Congratulations on your victory!’

At her words congratulating him on his victory, the numerous Nagas lined up at the gate bowed. Only after entering the labyrinth while receiving their greetings did Kim Jin-woo finally realize that the war was over and let out a long sigh.

***

“Congratulations on your victory!”

The dark merchant, who had come to the labyrinth, shouted while prostrating himself.

“The entire Underworld is amazed by the Baron’s victory. There is no one who is not impressed by the power that made even the violent Boreas kneel and the divine calculation that mocked [outmaneuvered] several times the forces.”

Since everything the dark merchant said was true without any flattery, Kim Jin-woo nodded without being humble.

“Well, the opponent has to be a bit stupid.”

It was an arrogant statement, but it was also true. The 10th floor nobles that Kim Jin-woo had experienced were extremely stupid.

Thanks to their complacent attitude, even though it was a war for survival, he was able to win without any major variables.

“The Underworld is a place ruled by power, and the strong simply crush the weak with force.”

Well, since their inherent power was extraordinary, they had never had to use any special strategies or tactics.

“Even that stupidity is a weakness.”

“That’s right.”

Perhaps because his achievements were so great, his words carried weight. The dark merchant praised his achievements several times with a truly impressed face.

“Now, shall we get to the point?”

Kim Jin-woo cut off the dark merchant’s words appropriately because he felt like he was constantly circling around the point. The dark merchant smiled obsequiously without showing any displeasure and rubbed his palms together.

“I was just about to do that.”

The dark merchant’s voice became even more ingratiating.

“The spoils of war you obtained this time, wouldn’t they be too big for the Baron to digest all of them? If you wish, we at Black Merchant will help you dispose of them.”

It wasn’t a bad offer. Leaving aside the Down Jams, which he would use in the future, the number of armor and weapons stripped from the enemy’s corpses alone was enormous.

As the dark merchant said, the sizes were not suitable for the Nagas to use, and their uses were ambiguous, so Kim Jin-woo readily accepted the dark merchant’s offer.

“Uh, also…….”

The dark merchant, who had been bending over halfway, raised his head, and his eyes were shining more brightly than ever.

“What are you going to do with the labyrinth cores you obtained as spoils of war?”

“I haven’t decided yet. If I decide to dispose of them, I’ll hand them over to you.”

The dark merchant’s face was not at all disappointed, perhaps because he was still coveting the labyrinth cores.

“More importantly, what happened to Anatolius?”

“Parthenon attacked fiercely, but the Iron-Blooded Knights were truly an iron wall. Both sides have reached a stalemate without any major damage or gains, and considering the past precedents, I think it will end like this.”

“He’s a guy who doesn’t help when you need him.”

The dark merchant subtly avoided his gaze at the words he said with a click of his tongue.

He couldn’t bring himself to agree with Kim Jin-woo’s actions of criticizing a count.

“You must have another business to discuss.”

Considering his experience so far, there was no way the dark merchant would have moved with just one deal.

“Oh my, you’re so good at pointing out the inside, so the nobles on the 10th floor had no choice. You really can’t deceive the Baron.”

The dark merchant, who had been chattering fussily, rummaged through his arms.

“There are quite a few this time.”

With those words, the dark merchant held out his hand, and on it were two envelopes and a wooden box.