Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 173

Dungeon Journal-173

# 173

Dungeon Journal

66. The Gears Turn Again.

[The Labyrinth’s rank has been elevated from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Locked facilities have been newly activated.]

[The Labyrinth has been activated. Normally, nearby beasts and creatures should recognize the Labyrinth, but this is above ground, not underground. There are no beasts or creatures to recognize the Labyrinth’s existence.]

[However, you cannot rest assured. Any living being can sense the energy emanating from the Labyrinth.]

[The piled-up earth and sand cannot hide the Labyrinth’s existence forever. Expansion of facilities is urgent.]

[Locked facilities have been activated. Summoning of new familiars is now possible.]

It was the deepest core of the Labyrinth he possessed, so he planted it as a bulwark on the surface. However, it was his first attempt to upgrade a Labyrinth above ground, so he was constantly worried about potential problems.

But contrary to his concerns, the Labyrinth was successfully upgraded and finally began to stir to life.

[The Evil Spirit Fruit is a species that only grows in the deepest parts of the underground. They are beings like evil spirits, born from the resentment and fear of creatures who met a sorrowful death.]

[These Evil Spirit Fruits, resembling human figures, sometimes scream for incomprehensible reasons. Their screams are a dirge [a lament or mournful song] that leads the faint-hearted to their death.]

[They are also sorcerers skilled in curses. But the origin of these evil spirits, born from sorrow and curses, is so terrible that they even curse themselves and eventually devour their own masters.]

[The previous master, and the one before that, also met sorrowful deaths.]

Kim Jin-woo frowned deeply upon seeing the belated messages. He belatedly recalled the route through which he had obtained this Labyrinth.

One year ago, when the rooster crowed [a metaphor for the start of a major event or crisis], a war that the 9th floor could not handle began, and Kim Jin-woo had to accept the requests of the 11th floor’s Counts to overcome the situation.

The Labyrinth provided as a base in that process was this Evil Spirit Fruit Labyrinth.

The Evil Spirit Fruit, also known as the Mandragora Labyrinth, had a previous master who was sacrificed as a pawn to pressure Anatolius of Parthenon.

As usual, the underground system’s grandiose introduction suggested that the previous owner’s end was truly unfortunate.

However, Kim Jin-woo soon relaxed his expression and smiled.

What if there is a curse, and what does it matter if the previous owner’s end was unfortunate? This was the surface world, beyond the reach of the underground’s mysteries. Even if the curse were real, it couldn’t follow him here.

No, even if the curse really did befall him, he wouldn’t care. No curse in the world could be worse than being born in the underground.

Once he thought that way, the unease he felt upon seeing the first message disappeared.

-Available Forces

□ Evil Spirit Fruit Worker (Grade 1) (2)

* Evil Spirit Fruit Workers can extract resources and handle minor and major tasks in the Labyrinth by extending roots and branches.

Their branches and roots are not suitable for combat, but they are tough and durable enough to hold back intruders.

□ Evil Spirit Fruit Guardian (Grade 1) (4)

* Unlike the Workers, once the Evil Spirit Fruit Guardians take root, they cannot move again.

However, their roots and branches are long and sturdy enough to cover the entire vast Labyrinth. Guardians let out a terrible scream at the moment of death, taking intruders with them.

First, Kim Jin-woo checked the list of summons and threw a Down Gem onto the altar. The Down Gem was converted into dungeon energy, and he immediately summoned an Evil Spirit Fruit Worker as he pleased.

Flash!

The appearance of the Evil Spirit Fruit Worker that appeared with a flash was bizarre.

Except for its plump, swollen body, it resembled a wild ginseng, and the leaves sprouting above what was presumed to be its head were as red as blood, making it ominous.

“First, we need to twist the passage a bit.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Evil Spirit Fruit Workers began to move, making rustling sounds.

“Hmm……”

But the speed was so slow that he couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he watched.

The sight of them waddling around, about the size of an average child, was simply ridiculous.

But it was only for a moment. Following Dominique’s skillful command, the Evil Spirit Fruits scattered here and there began to take root and branches, instantly compacting the ground.

“The work efficiency is better than I thought. They’re as good as the Naga workers.”

Kim Jin-woo nodded in agreement at Dominique’s enthusiastic report.

“Summon Evil Spirit Fruit Guardian.”

First of all, it was a matter of urgency to know the characteristics and abilities of the summons, so he deliberately summoned an Evil Spirit Fruit Guardian, which was not very necessary in the current situation.

“I’m going crazy.”

Kim Jin-woo rubbed his head after confirming the Evil Spirit Fruit Guardian that popped out with a burst of light. The guardian’s appearance was not much different from that of the worker.

Its plump body, like that of a newborn baby, and its waddling appearance were ominous, but not threatening.

“It’s not hard to see why Parthenon abandoned it.”

He had high hopes for the potential of the Labyrinth core obtained from the deepest part and installed it on the surface, but at this rate, it would become a bizarre Labyrinth that was neither here nor there, contrary to expectations.

As he watched the guardian move towards the entrance of the Labyrinth with a somewhat troubled face, Dominique approached and said.

“I think we should wait and see a little longer. If they were really useless, they would have been culled before Parthenon abandoned them.”

It was a reasonable point, so Kim Jin-woo threw another Down Gem onto the altar and proceeded with the Labyrinth’s upgrade.

[The Labyrinth upgrade has begun.]

***

While the Labyrinth was being upgraded again, Kim Jin-woo headed to the underground after a long time. Rickshasha, who had taken over the management of the Labyrinth from Dominique, had gained a lot of experience in the meantime, but she could not be compared to the true King’s proxy.

So he took the risk of the Labyrinth’s malice invading his consciousness and visited the Great Labyrinth of Greed again.

“My King!”

Kim Jin-woo, who was lucky enough to encounter Rickshasha without having to rummage through the vast Labyrinth, asked about the recent state of the Great Labyrinth.

“There have been several attacks by the Moai [stone statues of human faces on Easter Island], but the Labyrinth moved on its own and annihilated them all.”

As expected, the Great Labyrinth was eating the Moai and filling its insufficient satiety on its own.

-Great Labyrinth of Greed (Grade 1)

-Satiety 66%. Not completely full, but moderately satisfied.

-Hunger 00%.

-The Great Labyrinth in a state of hunger is a dangerous being.

-When satiety reaches 0%, hunger begins to rise. When hunger rises above a certain level, the Great Labyrinth randomly devours the residents of the Labyrinth.

-Fortunately, the Great Labyrinth has found a suitable prey instead of filling its belly with pitiful residents. As long as there are Moai coming like moths to a flame, the Great Labyrinth will not go hungry.

The status window of the Great Labyrinth was also quite stable.

“That’s a relief, nothing major has happened in the meantime.”

But it seemed that not everything went as he wished. Rickshasha, who had been listening quietly, hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

“There are no those who dare to oppose the King’s authority, but there are not enough lowly servants to solve some problems.”

Kim Jin-woo was about to open his mouth as he watched Rickshasha confess her incompetence and ask for punishment when Morrigan appeared from afar.

“My King!”

Having seen Kim Jin-woo after a long time, she ran to him in an instant and knelt before him.

“It’s been a while, Morrigan.”

Morrigan’s face, flushed with the joy of reunion, was like a puppy meeting its owner after a long time.

It didn’t suit her usual arrogant appearance, so he chuckled, but somehow Rickshasha’s expression looked very uncomfortable.

Looking at Rickshasha, who was glaring at Morrigan with a subtly dissatisfied look while bowing her head, he could roughly guess what she was about to say.

Morrigan, this arrogant and violent crow, must have done something. It would have been impossible for Rickshasha to properly control her, as even he had struggled to handle the violent crow before ascending to High Lord.

“You don’t have to tell me what the problem is. You may step back for a moment.”

If Rickshasha were to speak ill of her in front of the proud Morrigan, this ill-tempered crow would not stand still. He didn’t want unnecessary disputes, so he dismissed Rickshasha and had a private conversation with Morrigan.

“Morrigan.”

“Speak.”

Kim Jin-woo couldn’t quite adapt to Morrigan’s face, which was flushed and looking up at him, looking like a girl in love.

But he knew her essence too well to be deceived by that blind affection.

So he scolded her in a stern voice.

“While I’m away, Rickshasha is my proxy. I hope you don’t do anything to make things difficult for her.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Morrigan’s face, which had been so excited, instantly hardened.

“If you understand, answer that you understand.”

Morrigan, with a prideful face, hesitated for a long time before answering that she understood. Judging from her tightly clenched expression, she would not disobey the order immediately, but it didn’t seem like she would treat Rickshasha with a good heart.

“Ugh.”

In the end, Kim Jin-woo, who let out a groan, decided to take Morrigan, a time bomb that could explode at any moment, up to the surface instead of leaving her in the Great Labyrinth.

But if he told her that fact right now, Morrigan, who was already strong-willed, would become even more so, so he ordered her to stay confined for the time being.

As he watched her disappear with a dejected face, Rickshasha reappeared.

“Morrigan won’t be causing any trouble for the time being.”

“This inadequate servant has only added to the King’s troubles.”

“Nonsense.”

Kim Jin-woo, who was newly impressed that a wandering Under Elf who had wandered into the tavern and settled in the Labyrinth as a mercenary had become such a reliable being, praised Rickshasha for her hard work.

Just hearing those words made the somewhat haggard face of the Under Elf bloom with a bright smile.

“I’ll be stopping by the Labyrinth for a short time from now on, so please continue to work hard, Rickshasha.”

“Even if this body dies and disappears, I will surely watch over it.”

Kim Jin-woo, leaving behind Rickshasha’s somewhat burdensome answer, dismissed her who was trying to follow him and went to find Ariane.

Ariane, not forgetting her position, was sitting quietly in her quarters, and upon discovering him, she jumped up and paid her respects.

“I was just wondering when the King would come.”

Whether it was because she was convinced that he wouldn’t do anything to her right away, Ariane seemed to have regained some composure, unlike her terrified appearance the day before.

“You were looking for me?”

“It’s not that I was looking for the King, but the Lord of Nightmares was looking for the King.”

At her words, Kim Jin-woo asked with a serious face.

“Why is Dinarion doing this again?”

“He told me to tell you that the war on the 11th floor is roughly over.”

He frowned as he belatedly realized that the one-month deadline that the Counts of the 11th floor had mentioned, the deadline needed to push back all the Moai, had passed.

He was worried because the gazes of the Counts, which had been diverted by the Moai’s disturbances, were now directed back to the 9th floor.

As he thought about the future for a moment, he sighed as he realized anew that there were many pending matters, not just the work on the surface.

“Hoo, is that all?”

“He said that he wants to have a private meeting with the King because he has something important to say, but he doesn’t have the power, so he asked me to let him know.”

Ariane said that she could guide him to Dinarion and asked him to set a suitable time.

Kim Jin-woo, who just said he understood and turned around, quickly moved his steps again. The malice of the Great Labyrinth, which was slowly invading his consciousness, was getting stronger, so he needed to hurry.

He quickly roamed around the Great Labyrinth, checking if there were any problems that Rickshasha had not checked.

The Underworld Trees were growing vigorously, receiving the light emitted by the two cores, and the Malaks and the owners of the Labyrinth, each assigned their own residence, were busy finding their own way to survive.

The beastkin women also seemed to be doing well in their own way.

Fortunately, the Great Labyrinth was peaceful.

The only problem was that the missing Nagas had not yet returned, which made the vast Great Labyrinth feel quite empty.

And that feeling was felt even more acutely when he met Lee Jun-young.

Inside a room with only a makeshift bed as furniture, Lee Jun-young was waiting for him, having already heard the news.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to come for a while, but you came sooner than I thought. Or is it late?”

She seemed to be quite stressed from being alone in a place with no one to talk to, but her complexion was better than before.

She was somewhat rambling, as if the flow of time had become ambiguous.

“I have something to ask you.”

Lee Jun-young, who showed a disappointed face as if she had expected something, waited silently for him to open his mouth.

“The Explorer’s Guild, and Song Jong-cheol. Why were you so hostile to them, Jun-young?”

Looking back now, Lee Jun-young and her group were more wary of Song Jong-cheol and the Explorer’s Guild than necessary. So Kim Jin-woo thought that she might know something.

Lee Jun-young asked back instead of answering his words.

“I’ll tell you everything, so will you grant me one wish?”

She paused for a moment and then said.

“Let me out of here.”