Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 182

Dungeon Journal-182 (182/319)

# 182

Dungeon Journal

69. Second Awakening

“Master!”

Dominique screamed, as if spitting blood, and embraced her master.

In that instant, she was enveloped in a blinding flash, and scorching heat radiated from her entire body.

“Kyaa!”

She shrieked from the terrible heat, but she didn’t let go of her master. As a result, her beautiful skin was instantly burned and horribly disfigured.

“You idiot! Get off!”

If Morrigan had been even a moment slower in forcibly pulling her away, the Naga [a mythical serpentine creature] woman, vulnerable to fire, would have melted completely.

“M-Master!”

Dominique, who usually didn’t bat an eye even in the face of considerable danger, looked completely dazed.

“Ah…….”

“Stay still if you don’t want to die!”

Morrigan glared, pressing down on Dominique, who seemed more worried than in pain and kept crawling towards her master.

“What on earth is this…….”

She was surprised by the sudden burst of energy and snatched Dominique away, but she didn’t know what was happening either.

Her gaze, searching for the king swallowed by the intense light and leaving no shadow, was filled with confusion.

But despite that, she was able to remain calm because the intense energy emanating from the king’s body was familiar.

“What’s happening to Jinwoo right now?”

“Watch your mouth. You’re not worthy to call him by that name.”

Morrigan snarled at Lee Jun-young, who belatedly intervened, and threw Dominique aside like a sack of goods.

Morrigan, having dealt with Dominique, didn’t give Lee Jun-young a chance to grasp the situation before rising to her feet and heading towards the center of the scorching heat.

Kkaaaaa!

Morrigan screamed, a sound that was either a scream or a roar, as if her whole body was burning. Then, she began to transform, soon becoming a giant raven.

“I don’t know what’s going on…….”

She spread her wings wide and stood as if to shield the flash.

“At this rate, this wave will spread to the outside.”

Like Dominique’s scales, the raven’s feathers melted away in an instant, but she didn’t back down an inch.

“Ah!”

The intense flash and the powerful energy waves repeated compression and expansion. Dominique grasped the situation and stretched out her hands.

“I’ll help!”

When the light of healing emanating from her hands touched the raven’s wings, it regenerated the wings that had been charred and unsightly.

“Damn it, what kind of power is this…….”

Morrigan, who had stepped forward with determination, began to be pushed back little by little. Even with Dominique’s healing power, the flash she couldn’t completely block was leaking out.

She desperately wanted to retreat, but she knew that her master didn’t want this labyrinth, neither above nor below ground, to be exposed. So she couldn’t stop her perhaps meaningless efforts.

“N-No more…….”

But the heat of the flash was terribly intense, and loyalty to her master alone couldn’t suppress it. Against her will, she slowly opened her tightly closed wings.

At this rate, this tremendous wave of power would be exposed to the ground as it was, and a sense of urgency appeared on her face.

But then,

Gooooooo.

Something emerged from beyond the portal.

“Netherwood!”

Dominique, who was assisting Morrigan from behind, cheered. The Netherwoods that had crossed the portal spread their branches all over their bodies and embraced the flash.

“Damn it, if you were coming, you should have come sooner.”

Morrigan didn’t know why the Netherwoods had suddenly crossed the portal, but she breathed a sigh of relief.

The branches and leaves spread by the Netherwoods intertwined, creating a huge cocoon. Surprisingly, the Netherwoods didn’t let a single ray of the flash, which even the infamous black omen of the Nether couldn’t block, escape.

They didn’t care about the intense heat and trembled, uttering long, excited sounds as if they were enjoying a sunbath.

Gooooooo.

At first glance, it looked like they were enjoying photosynthesis. Morrigan collapsed as she was, without even being surprised by the bizarre sight.

Even though she was a complete mess, her face was somehow strangely full of anticipation.

***

“Ugh…….”

When Kim Jin-woo regained consciousness after a full day, the first thing that greeted him was the message window that had now become completely familiar.

[The High Lord’s true name is more than just existence.]

[High Lord Kim Jin-woo has learned the High Lord’s true name, which he never knew before.]

[The name of the One-Eyed Monarch has tremendous power in itself. It has become a forgotten name now, but at one time, the true name of the One-Eyed Monarch was an object of fear and envy. Just by realizing the name of the great monarch who reigned over the underworld with unrivaled power, you were able to gain the immense power contained in that name.]

[You have inherited the name of the One-Eyed Monarch, ‘Bhotan’.]

[The ability of the body is dramatically strengthened.]

[The body, which has gained the strength and hardness of a giant, has undergone another transformation.]

[Your body has already awakened once as the Naga King. The power of the giant and the power of the Naga have fused, causing an amazing change.]

The message window, flashing frantically, was moving so fast that his mind, which had not yet fully awakened, could not even keep up.

[You have become the most noble and powerful Naga, Nagaraja (Dragon King – 龍王).]

[If there were dragons that have disappeared, they probably wouldn’t look much different from you.]

[You have become so similar to a dragon that even the proud Drakans would envy you.]

This time, even Kim Jin-woo, who had been half-conscious, couldn’t help but jump to his feet. At the message that his body had undergone another mutation, he couldn’t help but scan his body.

But fortunately, nothing happened that would suddenly turn him into a monster. His fair skin, without a single scratch, was still the same as that of a human.

[But no matter how powerful a Nagaraja you are, you cannot always use the power of the dragon. To use that power, you must meet quite demanding conditions.]

He thought he didn’t care about his appearance, but that didn’t seem to be his true feelings. At this moment, he ridiculously sighed in relief that the power of the dragon would only be activated when certain conditions were met.

[The Eye of Truth ability has been further developed. Unlike before, you can now read not only the state of the other person, but also their simple thoughts, albeit in a limited way.]

[You can now read the thoughts of beings lower than you. Although you cannot grasp complex thoughts or look into the hearts of beings with strong hostility, looking into the hearts of others will bring you tremendous benefits.]

[There are not many beings higher than you, the most noble king of the Nagas, the Dragon King, and the High Lord. If you want, you can look into the hearts of almost everyone you know. Of course, that’s not necessarily a good thing for you.]

The message still wasn’t over.

[With the awakening of the body, the Parasite was also able to be reborn as a new being.]

[The Parasite has become a Parasitic Demon (寄生魔).]

[The Parasitic Demon is still an incomplete being that cannot survive on its own, but it is clear that it has entered the path of independent evolution.]

[The Parasitic Demon can now leave the host’s body for a short time. If you are lucky enough to find a new body at this time, you can control the body for a limited time.]

[The beings that the Parasitic Demon can control are only those that are not very high in rank. But if you’re lucky, you may find a body in a special situation that cannot resist the Parasitic Demon.]

The Parasite, whose presence had become somewhat faint in recent years, was reborn as a new being. Before he could even check the utility of the changed Parasite, Kim Jin-woo felt something moving around him.

“Netherwood?”

In the last moment, he desperately opened a portal to the ground to escape the encroaching evil of the Great Labyrinth.

If he had failed to escape the Great Labyrinth, he would have already been consumed by it, but now he was only somewhat confused and could not feel any unreasonable anger or impatience.

So he couldn’t quite understand why the Netherwoods were in front of him.

“Master!”

But before he could sort out his thoughts, Dominique jumped in through the space that the Netherwoods had cleared by clearing away their branches.

***

“So, I was suddenly surrounded by light, and a tremendous amount of energy was released? And Dominique and Morrigan were struggling to prevent the power from leaking out, and suddenly the Netherwoods crossed the portal.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, Dominique nodded her head so hard that her neck hurt. As he watched her give various additional explanations, he fell into thought.

The sudden change was clearly related to the true name of the One-Eyed Monarch. The message window also informed him that he had inherited the name ‘Bhotan’.

But it was too big of a change for just inheriting a name.

Of course, he knew that the true name of the One-Eyed Monarch was not just an ordinary name, but just that alone made his body reach Nagaraja [Dragon King] and the Parasite become a Parasitic Demon.

“At one time, he was even called a god. It’s no exaggeration to say that his name contains divinity.”

Only after hearing Morrigan’s excited answer could Kim Jin-woo forcibly understand the changes that had happened to him.

“But why are the Netherwoods in that state?”

The Netherwoods, which had been located near the core of the Great Labyrinth, had turned completely white as if they had been hit by snow. Their appearance was completely different from the gaunt appearance of the previous day, so he couldn’t understand the reason at all.

[After a long period of perseverance, the Netherwoods have finally regained their true appearance as mistletoe trees.]

[For a long time, the Netherwoods, who have spent winters in the cold and dark underworld, will no longer be weakened by the cold and darkness. They have already received enough light and have completely regained their past appearance.]

[The real name of the Netherwood is the mistletoe tree that does not shed its leaves even in the cold wind.]

[They are the monks of the underworld, the knowledgeable sages, and the seekers of mysteries.]

The mistletoe tree opened its mouth and explained the situation to him, who was full of questions.

“When we moved to find the light we longed for, it turned out to be by the king’s side.”

Surprisingly, the mistletoe trees no longer strangely elongated the ends of their words as before, even though they were slow. He showed a somewhat surprised face and then smiled and praised their efforts.

“I see. Anyway, thanks to you, I was able to avoid the conflict. Thank you.”

Morrigan and Dominique said in unison that if it hadn’t been for the Netherwoods, the tremendous wave of energy would have spread out and attracted the attention of those around them. Now that the situation was over, they couldn’t be more grateful for the help of the Netherwoods.

“At that time, we were not fully awake and were just foolish beasts. We did not intend to do it, so the king’s praise is excessive.”

After that, the conversation between Kim Jin-woo and his subordinates continued. It took quite a while to figure out the changes that had occurred while he was unconscious and to check various things.

“Let’s talk about the rest later, because there’s something I need to take care of first.”

With that, he opened the portal.

“Your Majesty!”

The summons of the Great Labyrinth, who could not enter and leave the labyrinth on the ground without a separate order, knelt down with joy when they saw him.

“Where is Ariane?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Quantus dragged Ariane, who had been beaten to a complete pulp.

“I thought the changes that happened to the king were her doing…….”

The summons hurriedly picked up their words as if to make excuses, perhaps misunderstanding his frowning face.

“I’m not trying to blame you.”

But Kim Jin-woo didn’t particularly blame them. After all, what he was going to do was not much different from what they had done.

“Ariane.”

“Y-Your Majesty.”

Fear filled Ariane’s face as she answered with a mumble with her lips completely burst.

“How much did you reveal?”

Ariane rolled her eyes diligently under her swollen eyelids, but did not answer easily. But Kim Jin-woo had already heard her answer.

-He doesn’t know yet. If I keep denying it until the end…….

Through the Eye of Truth, which would normally only show a simple psychological state, he could see right through Ariane’s heart.