Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 191

Dungeon Journal – Episode 192

# 192

Dungeon Journal

“Do you think she’ll really leave with just this?”

Kim Jin-woo tilted his head, watching the direction Ariane had disappeared. The languid yet ferocious glint in his eyes from just moments ago had quickly faded, returning to his usual expression.

“It’s enough. Her fear of Master was not a lie.”

Dominique replied that it was enough, but he looked skeptical about how effective this meaningless charade would actually be.

He wasn’t sure if Ariane, who hadn’t given up on her mission even in the face of death, would fall for such an obvious trick.

“Master.”

She called to him as he was lost in thought.

“Master probably doesn’t realize it.”

“Realize what?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the sudden remark.

“How ruthless you are when dealing with enemies, and how much that terrifies them. Master doesn’t realize it.”

Conqueror and Commander of the Inherited—these two titles alone were enough to intimidate opponents.

Now, he had even gained the titles of Heir to the One-Eyed Lord Votan and Lord of Greed. There weren’t many who could withstand the murderous intent he deliberately exuded.

Without even realizing it himself, he had already become a monster surpassing a Count of the Depths.

“Is that so.”

He didn’t have much to say, so he shrugged it off, ending the conversation. He then asked about the condition of the nobles he had captured from the 10th floor.

“Those with severe injuries have been kept barely alive, and those with minor injuries have been dealt with separately to prevent them from thinking recklessly.”

She replied, then asked what he planned to do with them.

Boreas aside, the nobles of the 10th floor, though battle-hardened by a year of war, were too useless compared to the power they possessed, having already been corrupted.

“Originally, I was going to threaten them and use them, but I’ve changed my mind.”

Dominique waited for his explanation with a face that showed she couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

“Something has come up to test.”

His face took on its characteristic ruthlessness, and she simply pitied their misfortune without a word.

Since the topic came up, Kim Jin-woo moved immediately. He headed straight to where the imprisoned nobles were being held.

“Their condition is better than I expected.”

He spoke shamelessly, even though the other barons, except for Karkaros, who had been dragged in without much trouble, were all seriously injured.

“Ugh…”

They could have been angry, but the barons seemed to have given up on everything, merely showing their disgust.

“Hmm.”

Kim Jin-woo quietly observed them before gesturing. Several naga priests, who had returned to the labyrinth through the deal with the Great Labyrinth, quickly rushed to his gesture.

“I will give you a chance.”

The flashes of healing from the naga priests’ hands caressed their weakened bodies. The priests’ magic, now even more powerful than before, quickly restored their bodies to perfect condition.

As the pain disappeared and energy returned to their bodies, the barons looked bewildered. But it was only for a moment, as they soon glared fiercely, seeing no other forces besides the priests.

“Choose.”

He gestured again, and the naga priests disappeared.

Crack.

The ceiling collapsed, and the floor rose, blocking the passage. In the blink of an eye, they created a perfect sealed room, preventing anyone but themselves from entering this space.

The barons rolled their eyes at this sudden situation and soon revealed their true colors.

“Healing us before hearing our choice was your mistake.”

One of the barons, a giant covered in stiff fur, began to exude murderous intent, and the others quickly agreed, surrounding him.

“Is this your choice?”

Even though five barons were surrounding him with murderous intent, he remained calm. Karkaros, who had been watching the situation from a distance, was startled by his unchanging composure and spoke.

“I am different from them.”

As Karkaros said that, the other barons vehemently criticized him.

“You’re completely terrified.”

“Well, what can a blind, washed-up has-been do?”

“Considering your situation, we won’t hold you responsible for your current actions later.”

Despite the animosity suddenly directed at him, Karkaros kept his eyes fixed on Kim Jin-woo.

“You have a good sense.”

Kim Jin-woo admired him as he watched him.

“Although I have lost my sight, my senses are not dead.”

While they were talking, the furry giant, who had been slowly approaching, lunged like lightning.

“Kuaaaaang!”

Following him, the barons’ attacks poured out.

One used the advantage of his large size to rush in with brute force, another took the form of a beast and bared sharp fangs, and another chanted unknown spells with eerie energy in both hands. The barons attacked him with all the power they could muster.

Although they revealed their teeth, believing in their numerical superiority, they had not forgotten how they had been dragged here.

The barons’ attacks, unleashed with all their might, were right in front of him, but Kim Jin-woo praised Karkaros with a face devoid of any sense of crisis.

“Your sense has saved you.”

He gave a dry smile and raised his drooping hands. His presence, which had been faint, grew like a tidal wave, and his arrogance quickly turned into the ferocity of a wild beast, pressuring the barons.

“Resist until the end.”

“Kkeuaaaak!”

He grabbed the fist of the furry giant, who had flown in first, and crushed it, saying as he streamed blue light from his eyes.

“Your fate is already sealed anyway.”

He released the crushed fist, crushed the other hand as well, and turned to face the barons who had belatedly rushed in.

***

“Kkeueueu…….”

A scream turned into a groan, a groan back into rough breathing, and even that breathing soon disappeared completely, and a perfect silence came.

[The barons have lost their glorious past due to long corruption and war, and even their seals have been stolen. But the fact that they have long reigned as rulers of the Depths does not change.]

[The Authority of Greed consumed their source of power, even the last death throes, without leaving anything behind.]

[The source of life absorbed in this way gave you a sense of fullness that you have never felt before, a satisfaction beyond that.]

[The Lord of Greed’s ability has grown slightly. There is no immediate noticeable change, but amazing things will happen when all conditions are met.]

[Authority of Greed (Grade 1), Fullness 17%]

There was no time to check the messages filling his eyes. Kim Jin-woo couldn’t come to his senses from the sense of fulfillment and elation he felt for the first time in his life.

He had to tremble for a long time in that overwhelming ecstasy, as if his consciousness was flying away entirely. And it was quite a long time before he regained his senses.

“Hoo.”

His whole body was full of energy, as if he had been reborn. He couldn’t feel even the slightest bit of sluggishness, and he involuntarily exclaimed in admiration.

“This is the Authority of Greed…….”

Until now, he had been revered as a Conqueror and Commander of the Inherited, but in reality, he had no real authority.

Excluding combat power, he was actually in a worse situation than even the barons of the 10th floor. Even if he had the Eye of Truth, its effectiveness was greatly influenced by the surrounding conditions, so he couldn’t feel it much.

But the Authority of Greed was different. This gluttonous authority, which devoured even the enemy’s last death throes, was the proof of a true lord.

“I like it.”

If this was the case with the barons who had become corrupted, lost their past glory and power, and were just mediocre masters of the labyrinth, he was already looking forward to what it would be like when he absorbed the real nobles of the 11th floor.

Ddddd.

“Hmm?”

Kim Jin-woo, who turned his head at the sound of a thin sound like the noise of a tree branch swaying in the wind, was then able to discover Karkaros crouching in a corner.

The blue-scaled lizard was trembling all over as if he had seen a terrible sight.

“Karkaros.”

Kim Jin-woo called him in a languid voice like a satisfied cat.

“Your sense seems to be better than I thought.”

Karkaros was startled by his words and thrashed his limbs, having a seizure.

“Speak, Baron of Advance.”

He asked with a dry smile why Karkaros, who had already lost his sight, was trembling so much.

“What are you so afraid of seeing?”

Karkaros suddenly trembled all over as if struck by lightning. The blue lizard, drooling thick saliva and shaking his head as if he had lost his mind, did not answer his question.

***

Dark darkness, the scene he had always seen since losing his sight, had not changed. Nevertheless, Karkaros could feel the monster lurking beyond that complete darkness.

“Kkeuaaaak!”

The screams of the arrogant barons, and then even that disappeared.

The terrible noise was over, but he still couldn’t move his body. The stench of the predator’s breath was still right in front of him.

“Eueueu…….”

A groan flowed out through his teeth. He thrashed his whole body to get away from this terrifying momentum, but his wretched body couldn’t even do that and rolled on the floor.

“Karkaros.”

Then the ferocious beast called his name in an uncharacteristic soft voice.

“What are you so afraid of seeing?”

Thud, thud. The beast’s presence gradually approached, and when his steps finally stopped in front of him, Karkaros saw a monster that could not exist in a world full of darkness.

A huge monster with a body as black as the deepest darkness of the underground was staring at him, gleaming blue light in its eyes.

“Y-you are…….”

The monster shook its head extremely slowly at the scream-like voice that was filled with fear.

Shh.

The monster raised its hand with long nails sticking out and held it to its lips.