Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 195

Dungeon Journal-Episode 196

# 196

Dungeon Journal

Episode 196

73. Invitation from the Black Merchant

Winter had come to the Great Labyrinth.

Icicles dripped from every surface, and snowflakes swirled through the air. The labyrinth’s facilities, which had been functioning perfectly, were frozen solid and ground to a halt.

The fires in the hearths, cherished by Malaksu and the dwarves, went out, and the flimsy shelters of the relocated refugees became virtually useless against the cold.

Even the Under Elves, who rarely complained, huddled together, barely able to thaw their frozen hands.

Everyone waited for the sudden winter to pass as quickly as possible. But the cold snap showed no signs of letting up.

“Hoo.”

Kim Jin-woo swept away the ice particles clinging to the throne and sighed.

The anomaly that had struck the Great Labyrinth was due to the attribute contained in the Count’s seal he had absorbed.

He had never imagined that the power of a mere Count’s seal, not even a Duke’s or Marquis’s, would be so great, and he was simply bewildered by the current situation.

The Nagas, born with a strong resistance to cold, were gleefully frolicking as if it were their element, but half of the Great Labyrinth’s population was frozen and unable to perform their duties.

The dwarves, who should have been producing weapons for the Nagas, were idle because of the frozen hearths, and the Under Elves could not go on guard duty with their bodies stiff from the cold.

The Great Labyrinth, a massive living entity, had ceased its activities as if it had fallen into hibernation.

“This is driving me crazy.”

No matter how much he pondered, the winter that had come to the Great Labyrinth showed no signs of leaving, and his worries deepened.

“This, this doesn’t look good at all.”

The Black Merchant’s fence [a go-between or broker], who had come to visit in the midst of all this, was bundled up in thick clothes as if he had foreseen everything.

The fence’s leisurely face, adorned with fine fur of unknown origin, was utterly detestable.

“Just in case, let me tell you that the seal I gave you is flawless. You would be mistaken to think that I had tampered with it.”

The fence, noticing his unkind gaze, belatedly made excuses, but his expression, once soured, showed no signs of improving.

Perhaps to soothe his mood, the fence unusually cut to the chase.

“It won’t be a fundamental solution, but I brought it in case it might help.”

Come to think of it, the fence’s procession was unusually long and bustling today. Giants and monsters, several times larger than the usual escort mercenaries, each carrying a load, approached and dumped it in front of him.

“That’s…….”

“It’s a coat made from the skin of a creature that lives only in a place somewhere in the Underworld where the cold lasts all year round. It will help you get through the cold for now.”

Although he was pleased with the coat, which could be used quite usefully, Kim Jin-woo was more angry than grateful.

Judging by the fence’s actions, it seemed that he had foreseen this disaster from the beginning.

However, regardless of how angry he was at being mocked, taking care of the summons shivering in the cold was a priority.

At his gesture, the Nagas who had rushed out carried the luggage dumped by the mercenaries and disappeared into the depths of the labyrinth.

“I’ll thank you for now.”

Saying that with a face that showed no gratitude at all, the fence pouted with a face full of resentment.

“I was just about to tell you what I came for.”

After a moment of silence, the fence hurriedly opened his mouth. Kim Jin-woo, who had been about to press the fence, awkwardly smacked his lips.

The fence looked at him and rummaged through his pockets, handing him an envelope. But that envelope was the same as the Black Merchant’s regular auction invitation he had seen before.

“The regular auction has become meaningless due to the chaos in the Underworld, but we can’t just keep resting, can we?”

It seemed that it was not just his imagination. The fence returned to his usual groveling attitude, rubbing his hands together and asking him to attend the regular auction without fail.

“We at the Black Merchant have put in extra effort this time for the many people who may have been disappointed that the regular auction skipped a year! From never-before-seen rare items to rare creatures, I guarantee that this auction will have everything except what’s not there!”

The fence, who had been talking for a long time as if he were a door-to-door salesman selling cheap goods, looked at his face and said.

“This auction will probably be an even more special event for the Lord.”

Even without the fence’s cheap comments, Kim Jin-woo had already made up his mind.

He had gained quite a bit of profit from the auction he had attended without knowing anything and obtained Angela and Yunhee, so he was already looking forward to what he would get this time.

Moreover, unlike in the past when he was not financially well off, a huge amount of Down Gem obtained by raiding the association was piled up in the warehouse.

If there were decent items, there was no reason to refuse the Black Merchant’s invitation.

The fence probably knew that fact as well, but he subtly released information, perhaps to get a definite answer.

“Many of the items prepared this time are related to the ancient Underworld. We have managed to obtain what the 심층 [shimcheung – deep layer] nobles had left untouched because they were difficult to deal with and prepared them as auction items.”

“Ho-oh.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been expressionless, could not help but show interest this time.

Since everything was veiled in mystery in the ancient Underworld, he thought that if he could obtain even one item related to it, he would be able to find out a considerable amount of information.

“How is it? Does it pique your interest?”

The fence asked with a smug look on his face.

“Not bad. But is the situation in the Underworld stable enough to hold an auction already?”

Taking this opportunity to ask about the movements of the Underworld, the fence readily answered.

“Well, the people in the lower levels don’t have the means, but this auction is not for them. In the current situation, wouldn’t it be at least a Baron or higher who could attend the auction?”

Kim Jin-woo, who had not been able to obtain information about the lower levels, listened to the fence’s words with a serious face.

“Among them, the people who will bid at the auction will probably be Counts. They must have been quite stressed as well, so this auction will be quite competitive.”

In addition, the fence chattered on for a long time about the movements of the Underworld, even though he had not asked.

“Hmm.”

When he showed a bored face because all the useful information had already come out, the fence was startled and shut his mouth.

“Oh my, look at my mind. I was holding onto a busy person and talking nonsense. Oh dear, they say that when you get old, you lose your sense, and I’m exactly like that.”

The fence, who looked particularly young due to his round face and exaggerated gestures of waving his short limbs, looked as if he could be believed to be his nephew if you only looked at his appearance.

It was ridiculous to see him shamelessly chattering with such a face, but he did not bother to point out that fact.

It would only lead to unnecessary chatter. As expected, the fence, who had been mumbling as if he had something to say about his age, asked.

“Aren’t you curious about how old I am?”

“Not really.”

“Is that so? I thought you would be a little interested…….”

The fence, looking dejected, was embarrassed and immediately brought up another topic.

“Ah, and by the way. Once this auction starts, you cannot leave the auction house in the middle.”

“That’s crazy.”

In the past, the Black Merchant’s flag was said to have suppressed wars, but in the current Underworld, where the Moais were rampant, a mere flag could not protect the peace of the labyrinth.

But he could not understand why they would impose such a condition.

“We have our own difficulties in making this decision, so please understand.”

The matter was too important to be convinced by just that much.

If something were to happen while he was participating in the auction, he would have no choice but to be helpless, so it was a condition he could not accept at all.

“Ugh, actually, I was going to tell you this on the day of the auction.”

The fence, seeing him contemplating whether to participate in the auction, unlike before, said in a helpless tone.

“Among those participating in this auction, there is someone who is not from this Underworld.”

Kim Jin-woo’s posture changed at the unexpected information.

“And there is a story that that person is in the same situation as the Lord.”

“What?”

Kim Jin-woo, who involuntarily 반문ed [banmuned – questioned back] at the meaningful words, suddenly felt his heart pounding.

“Perhaps that person is also a High Lord.”

He had already heard that another High Lord had been born in the Underworld, but he could not help but be surprised once again when he heard it like this.

“Is that reliable information?”

“Have I ever lied to the Lord even once?”

He could not not attend the auction after hearing this much information. So he changed his mind once again, albeit with an unwilling face.

“So please be sure to attend this auction and grace the occasion. I promise that it will be a very beneficial time for both our Black Merchant and the Lord.”

The fence, with a triumphant smile, left a 여상스러운 [yeosangseureoun – affectedly feminine] comment instead of a greeting and urged the escort mercenaries to disappear into the darkness of the Underworld.

***

The summons, who were about to freeze to death from the cold, were able to avoid the immediate cold by wearing the coats delivered by the Black Merchant.

“I don’t know how they’re going to survive in this harsh Underworld.”

Dominique, who was unaffected by the cold, lamented as he looked at the Under Elves and dwarves wrapped in thick coats.

“Well, there’s always compatibility.”

Conversely, if the attribute of the Count’s seal he had obtained was fire, it would have been the Nagas who were suffering.

Thinking about it now, he could not help but feel relieved, and he belatedly let out a sigh of relief.

But he knew very well that all of this was not just a coincidence.

Considering the Black Merchant’s actions, who suddenly appeared and delivered what he needed, as if scratching where it itched, he could guess that this situation was also arranged in some way.

Thanks to this, he was able to absorb the Count’s seal before he could steal Parthenon’s and Dinarion’s seals, so the profit was great, but the problem was that he still did not know what the Black Merchant’s purpose was.

But as always, the problems of the Underworld cannot be solved by 고민 [gomin – worrying] alone.

“I’ll be able to get some information if I go to this auction.”

“Be careful, Master. No matter how I think about it, I can’t shake the feeling that this auction has some purpose.”

“I feel the same way. But there’s nothing we can know if we just cower like this.”

He stared blankly at the invitation to the regular auction, which was right in front of him, and tore open the envelope and took out the portal scroll inside.

“So I’m going to face it head-on.”

At the same time as he spoke, he tore the parchment and a portal to the Black Merchant’s headquarters opened before his eyes.