Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 149

Dungeon Journal-149

# 149

Dungeon Journal

Episode 150

From Kim Jin-woo’s perspective, there was no reason to assuage Morrigan’s doubts. She was unpredictable and occasionally gave him unsettling, dangerous looks.

Even though he’d taken her as a subordinate, he couldn’t fully trust her due to too many unsettling aspects.

“I’m tired. Let’s continue this conversation later.”

He turned away and closed his eyes, a clear dismissal. But she didn’t back down easily.

Even with his eyes closed, he pretended not to notice her gaze and presence, which he clearly felt.

Step, step.

After lingering for a while, Morrigan finally moved. He thought she’d given up, but realized she was heading away from the owner’s room exit.

A wave of unease washed over him, and he reflexively opened his eyes. She was close enough to feel her breath.

He saw her red eyes, gleaming with an ominous light, and instinctively jumped up, shaking off her hand.

Morrigan didn’t resist the touch.

“What are you doing?”

He grabbed her neck as if to strangle her, growling fiercely.

“Keugh.”

She coughed, as if suffocating, and spoke in a suppressed voice.

“Please, it’s important to me.”

The desperation, so unlike the violent and arrogant crow he knew, made him unconsciously loosen his grip. As soon as she could breathe, Morrigan pleaded again.

The fragment of the one-eyed monarch [a powerful, ancient being] he obtained after absorbing Ustus must be related to her behavior.

But he still couldn’t understand her desperation.

If it were longing for her old master, Morrigan’s nature had always seemed too cold for that.

She was the true harbinger of doom, mocking the enemy’s courage and ridiculing their death. The sight of that heinous reaper of the battlefield clinging and begging as if she would kneel at any moment was truly unimaginable.

“What makes you so desperate?”

Morrigan remained silent instead of answering Kim Jin-woo’s question.

“You don’t have to tell me. But don’t expect anything from me, either.”

He had nothing to lose. He was curious about her desperation, but it was just curiosity, not a desire to know.

He wasn’t just saying it; he truly didn’t intend to listen. He looked at her coldly and pushed her away.

“If you don’t go, I’ll go.”

He clicked his tongue, watching Morrigan sitting as if she were the heroine of a tragic love story, staring up at him blankly.

“Wa, wait a minute!”

A desperate voice called out, but he ignored it and moved on. Then, she grabbed him again.

“Morrigan.”

Kim Jin-woo’s voice dropped sharply. Blue light flickered in his black eyes, and a fierce energy slowly filled them.

“Don’t test my patience.”

His gaze was so terrifying that even ordinary creatures of the underground couldn’t meet it. But Morrigan didn’t lower her head; she looked him straight in the eye.

“Ah…”

But her look was truly strange.

He was glaring at her as if to kill her, yet she, receiving that fierce gaze, was flushed and breathing heavily. She looked both dazed and enraptured.

“I said clearly, Morrigan. I won’t tolerate it twice.”

He growled, feeling uncomfortable with her sticky gaze. Angry energy flowed out, dominating the surroundings.

But unlike before, the energy felt more like the dignity of a king than a ferocious beast. He didn’t seem to realize it, but it was a different kind of power than before.

It was a change that occurred after absorbing Ustus’s power.

The overwhelming and arrogant energy was unapproachable, yet she staggered forward as if possessed, rather than backing down.

“Don’t resent me.”

Kim Jin-woo spat out the cold words. He would punish her mercilessly if she took another step.

But,

Thud.

Morrigan, who had been approaching as if to pounce, suddenly knelt and bowed her head.

A gesture of extreme respect, her head touching the floor. She went even further, approaching on her knees and kissing the back of his foot.

“My king.”

The moment her voice, filled with emotion, was heard, a message window popped up.

[The crow of the battlefield, who served the mighty one-eyed monarch right by his side, has amazingly sensed the power of the old master dwelling within you. To her, who you are and how you found the forgotten fragments of power is completely unimportant. At this moment, her mind is filled only with the soul contract that she failed to protect to the end.]

[The ancient war hero, the crow of the battlefield, Morrigan, has sworn allegiance with a sincere heart. Subjugation according to the summoning contract is the true loyalty she offers herself.]

“Your Majesty!”

Morrigan called out to the king again, filled with a madness that was impossible to sympathize with. Even Kim Jin-woo, who had experienced almost everything, was sweating at her blind devotion. But whether he was surprised or not, the underground system diligently informed him of her changes.

[Morrigan is a born warrior and strategist. But even the abilities she has shown so far do not match her original power. Her true power shines only when she is with the High Lord.]

[Morrigan has found her lost true name. The name she lost is ‘Black Harbinger’, the name of the reaper who leads warriors to death.]

[All of Morrigan’s abilities increase dramatically.]

[Unique ability, ‘Dirge’, can be used.]

The moment he saw the message, Kim Jin-woo knew. He was certain that the power of the one-eyed monarch he had absorbed from Ustus had somehow affected her.

And as if to prove it, his whole body began to shine.

“Ah…”

A world buried in light. He felt his eyes widen. A world several times brighter than he’d ever seen welcomed him.

[The authority of the fragment obtained by absorbing Ustus has not yet awakened. But surprisingly, the mystery of the underground has intervened!]

[The Black Harbinger, Morrigan, is the one who served the one-eyed monarch in the closest place. The fragment of the one-eyed monarch has fully awakened with her awakening.]

[But unfortunately, the fragments of the monarch you have collected are not complete. You have become able to use ‘some’ of the power of the one-eyed monarch.]

[One-eyed monarch’s ability, ‘Eye of Truth’, can be used.]

Beyond the message, another unfamiliar window popped up.

[Black Harbinger, very excited.]

The message, clearly Morrigan’s psychological state, was something he couldn’t have imagined, even with his vast experience.

But the messages popped up one after another, giving him no time to process the confusion. Moreover, the message that popped up this time forced him to make a choice.

[The moment of choice has come faster than expected.]

[You have already obtained the qualifications of the High Lord, but this was only temporary.]

[At this moment, you must choose whether to inherit the qualifications of the complete High Lord or not.]

[If you choose the High Lord, you will be deprived of the title of Underground Baron. You will lose all the privileges you enjoyed as an underground noble.]

[If you give up the qualifications of the High Lord, the title of Underground Baron will be maintained and no changes will occur. But the awkwardly bloomed energy of the High Lord will remain in your body for the rest of your life, attracting the attention of the usurper.]

[Keep in mind. Even Morrigan, who was only a limb of the old monarch, was able to find the energy of the fragment. The usurper is a being of a much higher level than the Black Harbinger. You will never be able to escape the usurper’s eyes.]

There was the word choice, but the message window was forcing only one option, pushing him to the edge of a cliff.

“I…”

Kim Jin-woo opened his mouth, looking at the messages flashing before his eyes.

“The qualifications of the High Lord…”

His gaze turned to Morrigan, lying flat on the floor, seeking the king. Then he looked deeper, beyond the 9th floor underground.

The days of living like a beast in a cave, and the images of the cave dwellers who died to save him, flashed through his mind. The connections of that time, none of whom survived, vividly came to mind.

‘You are free.’

The Spider Duke’s declaration, devoid of contempt or emotion, echoed in his mind. Recalling those clear eyes, he finally decided.

“I will not give up.”

[The birth of a new High Lord is clearly a meaningful event that should be blessed by the entire underground, but the current underground is by no means favorable to the High Lord. Perhaps all the beings of the underground will turn their backs on you.]

[Will you still inherit the qualifications of the High Lord?]

It was dangerous either way. He answered again without hesitation.

“I will inherit.”

[The choice can never be reversed.]

If the message felt like a threat, was it just his imagination? At this point, Kim Jin-woo felt relieved.

“There is no choice in this world that can be reversed from the beginning.”

He murmured, as if talking to someone.

[…Starting the succession of the High Lord.]

[The title of Underground Baron Kim Jin-woo has been revoked.]

[All unique abilities of the underground nobles have been deactivated.]

Nothing much changed just because the title of nobility was revoked. He often didn’t realize his noble status unless the dignity of the nobles was occasionally activated.

But there was one thing he enjoyed as a noble, and that was…

[The Knights are an ability only allowed to underground nobles. All contracts with the masters of the labyrinths that had been subjugated have been automatically terminated.]

It was the Knights.

This was also expected.

Through the war with the 10th floor, he realized the 9th floor army couldn’t use its power in battles with the nobles. So, though it pained him, he endured the loss.

But the authority of the High Lord seemed stronger than he thought. He opened his eyes wide at the new message.

[Although the oath of fealty has been broken, the fact that the entire 9th floor is under your control remains unchanged.]

[By the authority of the High Lord, the entire 9th floor has been integrated into one.]