Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 159

Dungeon Journal-159

# 159

Dungeon Journal

Episode 160

61. The Vein of the Underground

[The battle ended before it even began. The Moai, who approached the border, disappeared, becoming a meal for the Great Labyrinth.]

[The Moai have been weakened by a long period without consuming Down Jams and distorted by prolonged, unprotected exposure to the malice of the underground. Converting the life force absorbed from such Moai into Dungeon Energy is not very efficient. A significant amount of energy was lost in the conversion process.]

[Nevertheless, the Moai’s blind obsession and energy have satisfied the Great Labyrinth.]

Kim Jin-woo had been worried about the Moai appearing near the Labyrinth’s border, but the situation resolved so quickly it felt anticlimactic. He felt foolish for even worrying about the power vacuum, given the Great Labyrinth’s strength.

Moreover, the fact that the Moai had fed the Great Labyrinth eased his concerns, as he didn’t know when the Labyrinth, with its depleted satiety, might devour the residents.

With the current state of the underground, the Moai were abundant, so perhaps there was an easier way to maintain the Great Labyrinth’s satiety than he had thought.

However, he couldn’t be entirely pleased.

The Moai had advanced to the doorstep of the Great Labyrinth, which was in the center of the 9th floor, only a few days after the upheaval.

His year of hard work, driving them back beyond the passages, had been rendered meaningless.

Now that all the labyrinths that formed the defense line had disappeared, the 9th floor was practically unclaimed territory. The Moai, who had been eyeing the 9th floor, would not miss such an opportunity.

To make matters worse, Kim Jin-woo, with his depleted forces, was holed up in the Great Labyrinth. Only the information occasionally provided by Rickshasha and the Under Elves served as his sole contact with the outside world.

However, with every soldier being precious, he couldn’t send the Under Elves into the dangerous Moai hordes. It was clear that he would become isolated over time.

At this rate, all his efforts would be in vain, and it was only a matter of time before the Moai completely occupied the 9th floor.

That’s why Usher’s existence was so important. The Gluttonous Masses were the only alternative to replace the eyes and ears of the 9th floor that he had lost.

In that sense, it was fortunate that Usher had come to the labyrinth instead of straying off course. Of course, it was suspicious that he, who he expected to arrive first, was the last to arrive, but there was no reason to refuse his help.

“You’ve arrived.”

Lost in thought, Kim Jin-woo looked up as he felt a boisterous presence burst into the Owner’s Room.

“My King!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at Usher’s frivolous voice, which matched his exaggerated entrance. The sight of him covered in Gluttonous Masses, like wearing water pouches, was amusing.

“You’re quite late.”

He chuckled before adopting a serious expression and asking sternly.

“The labyrinth! The labyrinth!”

Seeing Kim Jin-woo’s expression, Usher desperately tried to explain what had happened to him. Kim Jin-woo, already aware of the situation, waited indifferently for him to finish before speaking.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know how to revive a destroyed labyrinth.”

He repeated the explanation he had given to Okonutoshi and the others who had lost their labyrinths. Usher listened silently, his face complex, at his seemingly indifferent attitude.

Without even using the Eye of Truth [a skill that allows the user to see the true nature of things], it was clear that he was struggling with anger and despair, as his body repeatedly softened and hardened.

In fact, the state of Usher as revealed by the Eye of Truth was not much different from his expectations.

“If you wish, I can provide a place for you to stay in my labyrinth. It won’t compare to your previous life as a king, but it will prevent you and your clan from wandering the underground like beasts and being devoured by it.”

Usher did not answer easily. It wouldn’t be easy to accept his situation, having lost his thriving labyrinth overnight, becoming homeless, and now having to live as a dependent in someone else’s labyrinth.

However, if there had been another option from the start, Malakus and the others would not have ended up living in the Great Labyrinth.

Usher, like the others, had no choice but to accept Kim Jin-woo’s offer.

[Usher and the Gluttonous Masses have become residents of the Great Labyrinth.]

[Usher is a special being. Although his combat abilities are not particularly outstanding, his survival and reproductive capabilities are exceptional.]

[While others can only increase their clan through the summoning ability of the core, Usher and the Gluttonous Masses can divide their bodies to increase the number of their clan as long as they are provided with sufficient energy.]

[These gelatinous masses, whose forms are not even fixed, have a knack for making their dwellings slimy. If you are not careful, the entire Great Labyrinth may be covered in slime.]

Usher had a unique aspect. He was like the others in that he had lost his labyrinth and was now living in the Great Labyrinth, but Usher and his clan had not completely lost the possibility of prosperity.

This was the first time this had happened, so Kim Jin-woo narrowed his eyes and examined Usher.

However, he could not find anything suspicious.

“Oh! I almost forgot. The reason I was late is…”

“Get to the point.”

Knowing Usher’s personality, that he would bring up everything whether it was relevant or not, Kim Jin-woo cut him off immediately.

As he expected, Usher flinched and shrank back, then cautiously opened his mouth after a long pause.

But his expression was like that of a child eager to show off something.

“I happened to find something.”

Kim Jin-woo urged him on with a look instead of an answer.

“First, look at this.”

Usher, looking somehow triumphant, vomited something up.

“Hmm…”

He couldn’t help but frown at the unbearably disgusting sight. In fact, Usher was a gelatinous mass whose form was not fixed, so what he vomited was not actual vomit.

Nevertheless, the stone that Usher spat out was soaked in a sticky liquid, making one involuntarily frown.

“Do you know what this is?”

But whether Kim Jin-woo was disgusted or not, Usher proudly proclaimed.

“What is it? It just looks like a stone to me.”

Usher shook his head at Kim Jin-woo’s indifferent answer.

“It’s not fully ripe yet, but it’s definitely a Down Jam. Although it’s not quite a Down Jam yet.”

It was still just a dark, dull stone without the characteristic luster of a Down Jam, but it was definitely a Down Jam.

“You managed to get that in the meantime. You must have been lucky.”

However, Kim Jin-woo was not surprised. Although Down Jams had been almost depleted since the Moai started causing trouble, they had not completely disappeared.

If you were lucky, you could find a few unripe or low-grade Down Jams.

But Usher was flaunting such a Down Jam.

“It’s just an ordinary Down Jam, of course. But what if there were a whole bunch of these?”

This time, even Kim Jin-woo had to jump up from his seat.

“There’s a whole bunch of these?”

Usher grinned and replied to his surprised voice.

“Yes, they’re definitely not fully ripe, but there were a whole bunch of these Down Jams.”

There was no need to think about it. Kim Jin-woo spoke as soon as Usher finished speaking.

“Lead the way.”

***

The place Usher led him to was an ordinary underground passage with nothing special about it. However, the passage, as confirmed by the Parasite’s ability, was by no means ordinary.

[The Parasite’s ability ‘Exploration’ is activated.]

[A seed of Down Jam has been discovered.]

[The seed of Down Jam, which has just begun to ripen, has almost no energy, but it is definitely a Down Jam.]

[A seed of Down Jam has been discovered.]

[A seed of Down Jam has been discovered.]

[A seed of Down Jam has been discovered…]

[A seed of Down…]

Almost the entire length of the long passage was glowing green.

“This is…”

It was an incredible sight that he had never seen even after wandering the underground countless times. The sight of the passage surrounded by green light was rather awe-inspiring.

“It hasn’t been long, but it’s already gathered this much energy.”

The Gluttonous Masses, which had been scattered to prevent the Moai from discovering the seeds of Down Jam, were already clinging to Usher’s body.

Usher, who saw the seed of Down Jam that one of them was holding, spoke in a surprised tone.

But at this moment, Kim Jin-woo couldn’t hear Usher’s words at all. The Parasite’s senses and the system message window were going crazy.

[A vein of the 9th floor has been discovered.]

[Discovering a vein through which the energy of the underground flows is a great fortune. It is usually impossible to find a vein hidden deep in the underground, but it seems that the tectonic shift on the 9th floor caused by the evolution of Naga’s Fortress into the Great Labyrinth has removed the rock that was covering the vein.]

[It is still only a seed of Down Jam with insignificant energy and grade, but the vast energy flowing along the vein will rapidly grow the seeds.]

[The vein of the underground is an existence that can rather be called a Down Jam lode [a rich deposit or supply].]

It wasn’t just a seed of Down Jam. It was a lode. Kim Jin-woo had discovered a lode where Down Jams were growing in abundance.

“Originally, I would have taken it all for myself, but as you know, I’ve lost my labyrinth, and if I’m too greedy…”

Usher clicked his tongue with regret. After all, if the seeds of Down Jam had accumulated this much energy in just a few days, they would soon become complete Down Jams.

The scent of the Down Jams that would be created would be more than enough to attract the Moai scattered throughout the underground.

The Moai were excessively sensitive to the energy of Down Jams.

And Usher did not have the ability to protect the Down Jams from the Moai.

That was why the greedy Usher had no choice but to show him the vein of the 9th floor.

“Amazing.”

Usher babbled on, taking credit for it. But the scenery that Usher and Kim Jin-woo saw was completely different.

Usher had only seen a bunch of Down Jams, while Kim Jin-woo had gone one step further and discovered the vein of the 9th floor.

If Usher had known its true value, he would have monopolized the vein, even if it meant fighting endlessly against the swarming Moai.

Kim Jin-woo tried to make his face as expressionless as possible. After twitching his facial muscles for a moment, he created a perfect poker face that did not reveal even a trace of surprise at the existence of the vein.

“I must reward you. Is there anything you want in particular?”

Although he couldn’t tell him about the existence of the vein, Usher’s contribution was so great that he couldn’t completely ignore him. So he was willing to grant him any reasonable request.

“I didn’t do it for a reward…”

“I won’t ask twice. Answer carefully.”

“Then allow me to reside in the best place, and give me a portion of the Down Jams from this place.”

Usher, who had been smiling slyly and taking credit, quickly changed his attitude at Kim Jin-woo’s cold words and began to rattle off his desires.

“Alright, I’ll grant them all.”

Kim Jin-woo readily granted Usher’s requests.

Usher, who had been cautiously saying this and that, looked regretful when he granted his requests more easily than he had expected. It seemed that he wanted something more.

But he had already said what he wanted, and Kim Jin-woo had accepted. And his king hated to go back on his word.

Usher missed the opportunity of a lifetime.