Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 105

Dungeon Chronicle – Episode 106

# 106

Dungeon Chronicle

Successor?

Kim Jin-woo, taken aback by the sudden question, asked back in bewilderment.

“Now that the fortress is at its peak, Master’s life force is more abundant than ever. And now, a successor who receives Master’s essence will inherit some of that powerful strength.”

Dominique’s unexpected question momentarily confused him, but he soon realized that the successor she had in mind was completely different from what they meant in the Underground.

Dominique said that a successor born at the height of prosperity is one of the forces that can most quickly increase the labyrinth’s power.

In other words, a successor in the Underground is closer to a trusted assistant.

Of course, there are places like the Nightmare’s Dinaron that encourage successor competition based on the principle of survival of the fittest, but most masters appoint them as their representatives to strengthen their forces.

“Now that the Naga’s fortress is more prosperous than ever, Master’s successor will surely be born with great power.”

What Kim Jin-woo needed most was strong power, and perhaps a successor was the fastest way to fill the lacking strength.

If a child born with just half of his power could exert strength beyond that of a decent hero-grade summon, that would be ideal.

But there were problems. Nagas are born from eggs and take less than a year to reach adulthood.

But Kim Jin-woo was not a Naga. And human children take a long time to grow. The question was whether it was worth waiting that long.

No, before that, he couldn’t decide whether to pass on this cursed fate, this Underground karma, to his child.

Lost in thought, Kim Jin-woo felt a stinging sensation on his face and turned his head.

“Hmm?”

He belatedly discovered Dominique staring at him without blinking, and he involuntarily stepped back.

“That issue needs to be reconsidered slowly. It’s not something to decide right away.”

“Everything is as Master wishes.”

Same attitude as usual, same answer as usual, yet he felt uneasy about Dominique’s expression for some reason. So, he unconsciously avoided her gaze.

***

Having settled the successor issue for the time being, Kim Jin-woo once again faced the troublesome Naga mages.

“So, the Nagas included in the summoning stones are separate from the fortress’s troop capacity limit?”

As he showed interest, the high-ranking Naga mage, who had been somewhat intimidated by repeated scolding, nodded with a look of delight.

If the Naga mage’s words were true, the Naga fortress had found a solution to the stagnant troop increase. And the words of the Naga mages, who had thrown themselves into the summoning stone experiments even at the cost of their own bodies, would not be wrong.

Even now, the Naga mage was stuffing his companions into the summoning stone before his eyes to prove his point.

In fact, the troop capacity status shown in the labyrinth’s status window decreased exactly by the number of Naga mages who entered the summoning stone.

“Stop, stop! I understand enough. So, stop now.”

He shouted at the Naga mage, who seemed ready to crawl into the summoning stone until the last one was gone.

Poof!

When the Naga mages were summoned again using the summoning stone, the value in the status window returned to its original state. This proved that the Naga mages’ words were true.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

If it were dangerous, they wouldn’t have volunteered as test subjects, but seeing their obsession and madness for research, Kim Jin-woo asked again, just in case.

The Naga mage proudly stated that there was a possibility of being trapped in the summoning stone forever if too much time passed, but stability was guaranteed for short-term use.

“Other labyrinth lords must know this too.”

If there were only good points like this, other labyrinth lords would have used summoning stones. At those words, the high-ranking Naga mage shook his head and replied.

“You crazy!”

Kim Jin-woo couldn’t help but curse when he heard the high-ranking Naga mage’s words. It was because he heard that the material for the summoning stone was at least a mid-grade or higher Down Gem [a type of magical gemstone found in the Underground].

His gaze turned to the table.

Over fifty summoning stones were piled high on the table, and several times that amount of Down Gems that had failed to be processed into summoning stones were scattered beneath it.

***

Kim Jin-woo shuddered as he left the laboratory. He felt like he would be haunted by the madness of the Naga mages if he stayed in the laboratory any longer.

But only for a moment, then he began to think about something with a serious expression.

Although it was costly, the Naga mages’ research performance was not bad. If the synthesis of the core last time was close to a probabilistic gamble, this summoning stone research was relatively clear in calculating consumption costs and easy to predict results.

Naturally, there were endless ways to utilize it.

It was possible to temporarily inflate the troop size by loading elite troops into summoning stones and summoning new summons.

Of course, troops exceeding the capacity limit had the weakness of weakened cohesion over time. However, even considering the desertion of troops, it was certainly a method worth trying at least once in wartime situations.

In addition, it certainly had great advantages in increasing troop mobility and catching the enemy off guard, but there was a problem.

It was the cost.

The Down Gems used by the Naga mages in this experiment alone amounted to five thousand when converted to dungeon energy, which was an enormous consumption cost.

Perhaps this is why other nobles know about the existence of summoning stones but do not utilize them.

“Master?”

He must have reached the owner’s room while lost in thought. Seeing Dominique’s puzzled face, he explained the Naga mages’ research results as they were.

“Master.”

Her face showed an excitement that she couldn’t hide after hearing the story.

“The summoning stone research is definitely a great achievement!”

Apparently, she hadn’t expected the stable production of summoning stones when she heard the explanation last time. But now that the mass production of summoning stones has succeeded, she began to passionately explain the value of summoning stones.

“It certainly has strategic value, but it’s impossible to use it long-term. Besides, there’s a risk of troop desertion, and the cost is too high. It’s likely to become a one-shot tactic.”

“Master.”

As Kim Jin-woo shook his head and showed a skeptical reaction, Dominique called him without even blinking.

“There’s something you’re forgetting.”

“Hmm?”

Wondering what she was talking about, he looked at Dominique’s face and asked for an explanation. She licked her lips several times as if they were dry and answered.

“What I consumed to become the King’s advisor.”

At her words, Kim Jin-woo remembered one fact he had forgotten and widened his eyes.

“Summoning stones are the greatest fruit for us to grow.”

***

Kim Jin-woo felt like he had been hit on the head after hearing Dominique’s words. Her words were that groundbreaking.

“Then, if we mass-produce summoning stones and provide them to the Nagas?”

“That’s right. An unprecedentedly strong army will be created. Some may break the limits of their species like me, and some may even rise to the hero level. Even if that’s not the case, it’s clear that their strength will be enhanced.”

Kim Jin-woo pondered her words and finally exclaimed. Then, unable to contain his excitement, he hugged Dominique tightly.

“Master?”

“Dominique is a genius! A true advisor!”

Kim Jin-woo was shocked by the potential results of using summoning stones to enhance his forces, especially with the upcoming mock battle against the Saktum’s Warriors [elite warriors from a powerful faction in the Underground].

He was reluctant to advance to the 10th floor right away, so it was a top priority to improve the quality of the troops somehow.

But now Dominique had presented the solution. It would be strange if he wasn’t happy.

“If we use summoning stones well, we can create a powerful army that won’t be inferior to the nobles on the 10th floor! It’s all thanks to Dominique!”

“M-Master.”

Dominique, who was being led around in his embrace, had a face that was both smiling and crying, knowing and unknowing.

But judging from the slightly raised corners of her lips, she didn’t seem to dislike being in Kim Jin-woo’s arms.

***

Kim Jin-woo immediately set out to hunt creatures. Blood didn’t splatter and flesh didn’t fall, but consuming summoning stones was quite similar to eating.

However, he couldn’t provide the summoning stones of his own kind, the Nagas, to the Nagas in order to improve the quality of the troops right away.

That was why he set out to hunt creatures.

“Discard all the small fry. Only drive the decent ones.”

The Naga Dragon Knights who followed him on the hunt drove the creatures while riding the Guardian Dragons. The appearance of the barbarian creatures, who once shared the 9th floor with the labyrinth lords, was too pathetic. But that was because a buffer was needed between the labyrinths when the labyrinth lords were only focused on their own survival, and the creatures that did not belong to the labyrinth played that role. These creatures, who had nothing but wildness left, were fair to everyone.

Kuaaaaak!

“Process the small fry on the spot and capture the strong ones!”

But at the point when Kim Jin-woo unified the 9th floor, they lost their place. No, rather, they became the target of attack.

Since the excuse to attack labyrinths belonging to the same faction and take their power had disappeared, the labyrinth lords had been supplementing their power by hunting wild creatures.

And now, the Nagas, who had the largest force among them, had left the fortress all at once.

The creatures screamed and ran away, but the Dragon Knights’ mobility was too fast to shake off.

Even if they were lucky enough to escape them, they were soon trapped in the encirclement by the long-range patrols, who were natural trackers.

“Transport them!”

Numerous creatures, from those resembling panthers to creatures with bizarre shapes that had been completely crushed, were captured and transported to the Naga fortress.

“They are also beings that make up part of the Underground. Without them, the balance of the Underground will collapse.”

The dark merchant who visited at that time tried to dissuade his radical actions as if he were an environmental activist. But Kim Jin-woo would not listen to that story.

“Survival of the fittest, survival of the fittest, wasn’t that the only law of the Underground?”

He hunted because he was stronger, and he was hunted because he was weaker. His logic was clear, and it was difficult to refute.

But the dark merchant did not give up.

“But if things continue like this, the 9th floor will be filled with ambiguous beasts that are neither creatures nor anything else, just like the entrance to the Underground. It will take a long time for them to grow as strong as creatures again. That will definitely not be good for you in the long run.”

The dark merchant repeatedly dissuaded him, saying that if the creatures all disappeared, the labyrinth’s summons would eventually wither away because they couldn’t find anything to eat.

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the more earnest attitude than usual.

“If the creatures are wiped out on the 9th floor, we can advance to the 8th or 10th floor and find a way to make a living.”

“If you eat everything like that, there will be nothing left. What are you going to do then?”

The dark merchant protested in a strong tone at the blunt answer. But Kim Jin-woo didn’t bat an eye.

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but you are forcing me to look too far into the future.”

“Lord.”

Looking at the current appearance, it’s hard to tell who is human and who is an Underground being. But perhaps Kim Jin-woo’s current appearance is the most human-like.

A brutal and selfish conqueror who destroys many things, causes extinctions, and eventually places most of the territory under his feet, that is the nature of human beings.

And Kim Jin-woo was one of those humans.