Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 94

Dungeon Journal-94

# 94

Dungeon Journal

Episode 95

The group of nearly 100 Seekers moved with the precision of a well-oiled machine, resembling a highly organized army.

The way they cornered the creatures was skillful, as if they had rehearsed the maneuvers countless times, moving together seamlessly.

Their momentum was so overwhelming that even the one-armed monkeys, notoriously difficult to deal with on the 6th floor, found no chance to escape and were being relentlessly pushed into a corner.

“Which team are you from?”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been observing the Seekers’ battle, turned at the sudden shout and met the gaze of a Seeker staring directly at him.

“Which group are you with? What’s the message this time? Tell your team leader to take it easy!”

Mistaking him for a messenger from another team, the Seeker, who appeared to be the commander, started off with a curse.

“Ah, Team Leader Cho, I don’t think that guy is with Line [Likely referring to a specific guild or organization of Seekers]?”

“What? Why is someone who isn’t with Line here?”

“Maybe he’s just a Seeker passing through?”

However, when a regular Seeker beside him offered this correction, Team Leader Cho’s expression quickly changed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I mistook you for one of our guys.”

With that, the person called Team Leader Cho explained the situation.

“This area is chaotic because we’re driving the creatures, so it’s best to go to another floor. Don’t get caught up in it.”

“Why are you driving them?”

Instead of backing down, Kim Jin-woo took a step forward and asked. Team Leader Cho frowned at him and replied.

“We have to get something for our trouble, don’t we? And while we’re at it, we’ll clean up the 6th floor a bit.”

“Isn’t this dangerous? If you systematically drive out the creatures like this, I don’t think the Underworld will stay still.”

Only 10 years have passed since the war ended. Moreover, it wasn’t a case where one side was too weak and gave up, but a truce was signed after both sides suffered heavy losses.

If they continue to stir things up on such a large scale, it wouldn’t be surprising if another war broke out at any time.

“Ugh. It’s not a secret anyway, so I’ll tell you. Hey, you bastards! I’ll crack your skulls open! Take it easy! Huh? Do you want to go back empty-handed?”

Even as he spoke, Team Leader Cho shouted instructions to the Seekers in an angry voice, then sighed and continued.

“We received instructions from above. We’re allowed to move freely on the 6th floor. We’re trying to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Labyrinth, but if it’s unavoidable, we’re moving in a way that eliminates any survivors.”

The creatures had already disappeared from the 5th floor, and on the 6th floor, a massive front line had formed, driving the creatures further down.

No wonder things were so chaotic up to the 8th floor. Moreover, Team Leader Cho’s words implied that they were prepared to wipe out the Labyrinth if necessary.

“Are there other teams doing this?”

“There are about four teams moving together. Why are you so curious?”

Perhaps he had been asking too many questions, as a wary look appeared on Team Leader Cho’s face. So, Kim Jin-woo mumbled vaguely and stepped back.

“Don’t go east. There’s a pile of creatures pushed down from the upper floors over there.”

Ignoring Team Leader Cho’s warning, Kim Jin-woo hid in a suitable place and activated his stealth ability. Then, he crossed the 6th floor, avoiding the Seekers as much as possible.

“Kkaeeeek!”

“Krrr!”

When he felt that the Seekers were far enough away, he began to see groups of creatures in the distance.

Fierce, cunning, large, and small creatures were gathered together, moving in the same direction, looking like a procession of refugees.

The creatures, with their bodies scorched and wounded, were moving towards the 7th floor with listless steps.

“Ah……”

Seeing this, Kim Jin-woo felt a strange pang of sympathy. For some reason, at this moment, these fierce creatures did not seem like predators.

In fact, since the end of the war, unlike the beings of the Underworld who have never ventured to the surface, the surface dwellers have been constantly going in and out of the Underworld.

Now, it wouldn’t be strange if the surface dwellers seemed like invaders. Of course, that doesn’t mean he sympathizes with them.

After all, whether it’s humans or other predators, the weak are eliminated; that’s the law of the Underworld.

He just felt an indescribable feeling as he watched the creatures moving with dead eyes, like a procession of refugees.

While some creatures were moving in groups like that, others were moving alone.

They hid in the darkness and occasionally attacked creatures from the 5th floor that had strayed from the group. It seemed that the creatures from the 5th floor, exhausted from the long journey and weakened by the difference in the floors, were easy prey for them.

Thus, sporadic battles continued in the west and east. It was a complete mess of eating and being eaten.

And even in that chaos, most of the creatures were heading towards the 7th floor.

“It’s terrible.”

While following the creatures, he saw a Labyrinth being attacked. Unfortunately, it had gotten caught in the creatures’ evacuation route.

The forces defending the Labyrinth were fighting desperately against the endless waves of creatures.

“Kuaaaak!”

“Kkaegaeng!”

The Labyrinth soldiers, resembling dogs standing on two legs, brandished spears and attacked the creatures, but they were vastly outnumbered.

The creatures, always looking for a chance to attack the Labyrinth, were even more relentless in this situation. They fearlessly rushed towards the Labyrinth.

A bloody battle ensued. The Labyrinth soldiers, who received a slight amplification effect from the Labyrinth, fought valiantly, but they couldn’t stop the situation from gradually worsening.

Soon, the Labyrinth would be overrun by the creatures. Even at this moment, countless creatures who had lost their territory to humans were approaching this way.

Paat!

But at some point, the unique energy that had been overflowing from the Labyrinth disappeared. At the same time, the Labyrinth soldiers began to lose their balance and soon collapsed.

“Ah……”

Watching this, Kim Jin-woo could tell that the owner of the Labyrinth had given up on it. He had probably extracted the core [The source of the Labyrinth’s power and its owner’s life force] and started to flee by now.

As evidence, the surviving soldiers who had been defending the front of the Labyrinth until the end quickly began to retreat.

The owner of the Labyrinth was probably where they were heading.

As the soldiers disappeared, Kim Jin-woo hesitated and then turned around, watching the creatures instinctively rush towards the depths of the Labyrinth.

It was the direction the soldiers had retreated.

Before long, Kim Jin-woo was able to find the owner of the Labyrinth. The being, who was twice as large and stronger than the other soldiers, kept looking back and grinding his teeth.

“Damn it! Creatures! Damn surface dwellers!”

Judging by the way he was cursing, he seemed to have grasped how the situation was unfolding.

“Damn it!”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been watching the owner of the Labyrinth continue to curse, deactivated his stealth ability and revealed himself in front of them.

[You have met the rightful owner who rules the Labyrinth of Nortos, the King of the Canine race.]

[The unique ability of the Underworld noble, the Dignity of a Lower Noble, has been activated.]

[The opponent cannot resist the overwhelming dignity.]

[Unless it is an act of forcing or harming one’s own body, the opponent will try to follow your words exactly.]

[The oppressive effect may be released if subjected to a strong shock.]

He looked at the King of the Canine race, who was trembling all over and prostrating on the floor, with a complicated expression.

***

It wasn’t just the Canine race that was attacked by the creatures. The creatures, spreading in all directions and heading towards the 7th floor, attacked every Labyrinth they encountered.

Some Labyrinths managed to protect their territory with difficulty, while others, like Nortos’s Labyrinth, were pushed back by the creatures.

The worst were the few Labyrinths where the owner was killed after the creatures flooded the depths of the Labyrinth without even giving them time to extract the core.

The creatures that had rushed into the owner’s room indiscriminately tore apart and devoured the core of the Labyrinth, and before long, no trace of the core remained.

And the creatures that had devoured the core underwent a change.

[The creatures that have swallowed the essence created by the mystery of the Underworld, the aggregation of life force, are undergoing a change.]

[They will overcome their wildness and finally be reborn as new beings.]

The beings whose bodies were twisting and changing in the brilliant light—if they had remained as they were, Kim Jin-woo would have been able to witness the birth of a new species.

But the Underworld was not so forgiving.

The creatures that were emitting overflowing life force all over their bodies were attacked by other creatures.

Before their bent feet could straighten and their hunched backs could fully straighten, the creatures that were being reborn were torn to pieces.

And they were swallowed by countless creatures.

Change happens again, and again they are killed and eaten.

As time passed, the light of change weakened, and finally, when the creatures that had eaten the corpses no longer changed, the carnage of Asura [A chaotic battle or struggle] ended.

He had witnessed even more horrific scenes than this, and just a while ago, he had experienced a war in which thousands clashed.

But even so, Kim Jin-woo felt nauseous.

In a world of wildness and barbarism where not a shred of reason existed, he smashed the heads of the creatures that were voraciously chewing on corpses.

Then he left the scene.

***

“Ah……”

Kim Jin-woo said to Yoon-hee, who was looking at him with a blank face, with a tired expression.

“Yoon-hee, the situation is worse than I thought. The surface dwellers are moving systematically.”

With that, he pointed beyond the darkness and said.

“The current defenses are not enough. We may have to move the Labyrinth.”

“What do you mean……”

“It’ll be okay for now. But the surface dwellers have reached the 6th floor right above us. The upper floor is a complete war zone.”

As he explained everything he had seen so far, her face also became serious.

“If the surface dwellers change their minds and aim for the 7th floor, you will never be able to protect the Party Hall. The Party Hall is too close to the passage.”

The geographical weakness had been compensated for by the Party Hall’s unique disruption ability, but if the Seekers entered the 7th floor, her Labyrinth would be exposed. There were plenty of Seekers who were adept at detecting hidden objects or creatures.

“For now, keep it in mind. In the worst case, we’ll move the Labyrinth.”

With that, Kim Jin-woo opened a portal. Behind him, Nortos, the King of the Canine race, and a few others were standing, having appeared at some point.

“I picked them up on the 6th floor.”

Kim Jin-woo left a short word to Yoon-hee, who was questioning their identities with a glance, and disappeared beyond the portal.

Yoon-hee, with a bewildered face, looked in the direction he had disappeared, then turned her head and examined those who remained.

Their appearance was a mess, and their own power was not very great, making them seem insignificant, and a cold light appeared on her face.

“Hmm.”

Nortos and the owners of the Labyrinth, who were intimidated by the appearance of the Party Hall, which was on a different level from their own Labyrinth, cautiously watched Yoon-hee’s stern expression and slyly followed Kim Jin-woo.

“Ah……”

And before their eyes, beyond the portal, a new world unfolded. The magnificent Labyrinth, Naga’s Fortress, which was so brilliant that even the great Labyrinth they had just seen could not compare, was revealed in front of the owners of the Labyrinth who had been driven out of the 6th floor.