Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 148

Dungeon Chronicle – Episode 149

The army of the 9th floor surged forward, plunging into the dark passage.

However, Kim Jin-woo remained at the passage’s edge, watching their retreat without crossing over to the 9th floor.

“May you be safe, Master.”

Even Dominique, who cherished him, offered a brief farewell, as if prearranged, and vanished into the passage.

Time passed, and once most of the forces had retreated to the 9th floor, only Kim Jin-woo and the Nagas remained on the 10th floor.

The Moais are highly sensitive to the scent of Down Jem [a powerful energy source]. They can also hear the beating hearts of living creatures.

And they are most drawn to the Labyrinth Core, where the energy of Down Jem is concentrated.

Opening a portal in front of them was essentially summoning all the Moais present on the 10th floor.

That’s why he initiated this frantic charge.

Kuaaaa!

The Moais, lagging behind due to their inability to match the rapid movement, now approached, staggering as they rushed in.

“Quantus!”

“My King!”

Quantus, who hadn’t had a significant role in the battles until now, rushed forward eagerly at his command.

“We will establish a defensive line here!”

“As you command!”

Immediately after his declaration, the Nagas skillfully reorganized their formation.

The Naga Warriors planted their shields on the ground, while behind them, the Naga Fighters brandished their spears and swords. Behind them, the Naga Mages, who had been inconspicuously following the formation, raised both hands and began to chant an unknown incantation.

[The Naga Honor Guard initiates ‘Defense’.]

[The targets to protect are the Naga King and the passage to the 9th floor.]

[The Naga Honor Guard, whose abilities truly shine when protecting the King, is incredibly motivated in battle alongside him. They will relentlessly attack the enemy, even if their limbs are torn off.]

[Naga Honor Guard Captain, Quantus’s special ability ‘Iron Wall’ has been activated. The defense of the Nagas increases, and the formation becomes even more solid. The Nagas become resilient enough to withstand most attacks with their bodies. Furthermore, they will not move a single step out of the formation unless ordered by the King. It will require immense effort for the enemy to break through this formation.]

The Nagas, having solidified their formation, were enveloped in a hazy light. Amplified by the Triumph [a buff or blessing], the unique abilities of Iron Wall and the Honor Guard were activated, and the battle commenced.

“Now!”

The High Naga Mages signaled the start of the battle. The Naga Mages, who had seemingly freeloaded by consuming Down Jem all this time, unleashed tremendous cold as if venting their pent-up frustrations.

The cold was so intense that the Moais, who were charging with their eyes rolled back, froze in place.

Crack.

The Moais in the front row, their bodies frozen solid, were trampled by the Moais behind them and shattered into pieces of ice. The newly exposed Moais were once again swept up in the storm of cold and turned into ice shards.

“Don’t stop!”

Kim Jin-woo shouted as he watched the icy hell created by the Naga Mages.

“Kee hee!”

Some of the Naga Mages looked at him and chuckled.

The sight of the Moais trampling and crushing the corpses of their kin was terrifying, but the Naga Mages seemed strangely excited.

Their gestures, tilting the direction of the cold here and there while making low laughter, were as lighthearted as if they were splashing in water.

“Ugh.”

Kim Jin-woo couldn’t help but groan at the Naga Mages’ antics, which seemed inappropriate for the situation.

Regardless of his bewilderment, the Nagas steadily dominated the battlefield.

Enemies began to approach, overcoming the increasingly weakened storm of cold as their energy slowly depleted, but they slipped and fell on the frozen floor, unable to maintain their balance.

The Moais, who barely managed to reach the Nagas’ formation after struggling, were mercilessly killed by the Naga Warriors’ shields before they could even get up.

“Hold the formation!”

“Ha!”

Now it was time to pass the baton to the Naga Warriors and Fighters, who let out a loud whoosh as they slammed their shields into the ground at his command.

The Moais, who had been blindly rushing in, hesitated for a moment at the fierce momentum. But these subterranean mutants, who endlessly hated living creatures and craved Down Jem, soon revealed their true nature.

A Moai resembling an elephant with festering skin charged forward, swinging its tattered trunk.

Its massive size filled an entire passage, and its footsteps alone seemed to shake the entire area, creating an oppressive atmosphere. A direct collision would collapse the firmly solidified formation.

But instead of retreating, the Nagas lowered their stance even further, bracing for the impact. The Naga Warriors’ shields dug into the ground, becoming even more firmly fixed, and the Naga Warriors behind them wrapped their tails around their waists.

And the Nagas behind them wrapped around the bodies of their comrades.

In that way, they intertwined and became a giant snake coiled together.

“Brace for impact!”

Kim Jin-woo shouted on behalf of the Nagas, whose vision was obscured by their shields.

A roar erupted. It was a violent noise that was hard to believe was the sound of fabric and metal colliding, but the Nagas did not budge a single step.

They withstood the charge of the house-sized Moai, relying on each other’s bodies.

“Stab!”

The Naga Fighters, who seemed somewhat dazed as they had not fully absorbed the impact despite stopping the charge, raised their shields. In the meantime, the spears, axes, and swords that the warriors thrust out poured forth.

“Kuaaaa!”

The giant Moai was instantly butchered and screamed.

***

[The Naga Honor Guard has won the battle.]

[It was a difficult battle, but the Naga Honor Guard fought well with the pride of protecting the King. Although there were some casualties, they are minimal compared to defeating an overwhelming number of enemies.]

As the last Moai staggered away into the distance, dangling its severed arm, Kim Jin-woo finally realized that this boisterous war was over.

[A small victory has been added in the name of Triumph. Not retreating in the face of a frenzied army rushing in with their eyes rolled back was truly a courageous act.]

[You have now achieved a total of 159 major and minor victories.]

[The effect of the Triumph Commander increases slightly.]

[The Commander’s unique abilities and special abilities will not disappear as long as the victories continue.]

[But be careful. You can lose everything with just one defeat.]

“Damn it, I can’t do this anymore.”

Kim Jin-woo cursed as he looked at the message that popped up as if to mock him. The biggest reason he couldn’t turn back in a situation where everyone else had retreated was because of the title of ‘Triumph’.

Triumph Commander. Victory was his driving force and greatest strength, but it was also a shackle.

“Let’s go back!”

Kim Jin-woo, having recovered to some extent, sensed another army of Moais moving in the distance and crossed the passage.

Thus, his war without justification came to an end.

***

After the war ended, rewards were distributed.

“Hmm…”

Despite winning a great war, the expressions of the Labyrinth Owners who participated were not very bright.

They had been blinded by the potential rewards and had even been willing to sacrifice themselves to participate, but when they saw the actual rewards, their contributions seemed insignificant.

Perhaps that’s why the faces of the Labyrinth Owners lined up in the fortress’s plaza showed a particularly strong sense of war fatigue.

Sitting on a temporary platform set up in the plaza, Kim Jin-woo looked around at the Labyrinth Owners of the 9th floor.

The number of people who had filled the plaza until recently had been reduced by almost half. The remaining Owners also did not look to be in good condition, bearing large and small wounds.

Among them, Ariane and those who had attacked Bartholomew’s Labyrinth seemed to be in the worst condition.

Ariane, whose luscious hair had been cut off and was now disheveled, was in a state where no part of her body was intact.

Her internal organs were damaged by the ogre’s brutal punches, and her bones were broken. She did not seem to be in a condition to attend this event.

Nevertheless, she stood there with a body that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, likely worried about receiving disadvantages in the reward distribution.

Not only her, but everyone gathered there seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“I will now begin the rewards.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, which broke the brief silence, the gathered people sent gazes mixed with expectation and concern.

“First, I will uniformly bestow the weapons and armor used by the 10th floor army to everyone who participated in the war.”

The nobles, who could be said to be the most important, were all eliminated by Kim Jin-woo and his subordinates. Naturally, they monopolized the best rewards.

If things continued like this, they would regret participating in this war. Kim Jin-woo wanted them to participate enthusiastically in the next war as well.

So, after much deliberation, he released all the items obtained as spoils of war as rewards, except for the Down Jem and the Labyrinth Core.

It was far from enough to make up for the losses incurred in the war, but the Labyrinth Owners who received good quality weapons and armor that could not be found on the 9th floor seemed reasonably satisfied.

Well, the Labyrinth Owners had been using their subordinates like consumables, printing them out when they ran out, even before the Down Jem had dried up in the underground world, so perhaps this shallow trick worked.

“Morrigan, Heimdall, and Boreas, come forward.”

Those who had made great contributions were called forward at his summons. The Labyrinth Owners of the 9th floor glared at them with envy and jealousy.

“I will give you each the best weapons used by the nobles, and bestow Down Jem and Summoning Stones.”

Several Naga Workers who had been waiting in advance brought large and small boxes and handed them to them.

“Thank you for the King’s generosity!”

Boreas and Heimdall bowed their heads with satisfied faces. But for some reason, Morrigan did not receive the box that the Naga Workers handed out.

“Morrigan?”

At his call, she reached out and gently pushed the box away.

“It seems you want something else.”

She bowed her head instead of answering.

“I will request a separate meeting after this is over.”

“I have no idea what kind of request you will make, but I understand for now.”

Morrigan, Heimdall, and Boreas returned to their seats. The Labyrinth Owners greedily flashed their eyes as they looked at the Down Jem and Summoning Stone boxes that Morrigan had refused, but when the Naga Worker disappeared at Kim Jin-woo’s gesture, they soon licked their lips.

“Then let’s roughly wrap things up. Once again, thank you all for your hard work.”

***

After all the Labyrinth Owners had left, Kim Jin-woo had a private meeting with Morrigan.

“Is the reward not to your liking?”

Instead of answering the question, she asked back.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

Kim Jin-woo feigned ignorance, even though he had a hunch. Seeing him like that, Morrigan bit her lip and asked.

“Why do I feel His power from you, Master?”

He did not answer. Then it was Morrigan who became anxious.