Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 222

Dungeon Journal-222

# 222

Dungeon Journal

Episode 223

“As I mentioned, when the time comes, I will reveal myself before the Lord.”

“I won’t say much. Answer the question.”

Mimir barely managed to answer, his face flushed and blood vessels bulging. But Kim Jin-woo hadn’t used the Commandment [a magical compulsion forcing obedience] just to hear that.

“Have I ever seen the Eternal Archive?”

A more specific question. This time, Mimir simply shut his mouth. His face, with its protruding blood vessels, looked as if it would burst at any moment from resisting the Commandment, but Mimir endured.

But only for a moment. Eventually, a thin stream of blood trickled from his nostrils, and Mimir opened his mouth.

“Uh… yes.”

“I see.”

Was he trying to end the conversation there? Knowing that couldn’t be the case, Mimir clung to a sliver of hope, restless.

“Then, is the Black Merchant’s headquarters the Eternal Archive?”

As if mocking Mimir’s expectations, Kim Jin-woo asked the question. It felt as if the conversation, which had been circling the periphery, had suddenly pierced the center.

The Imp stared with wide eyes, not answering. But he couldn’t hide his bewildered expression, his eyes darting around wildly.

“It is.”

There was no verbal answer, but it was as good as one. In a situation where falsehood was impossible due to the pressure of the Commandment, being unable to deny it was the same as affirmation.

“Mimir, Keeper of the Eternal Archive.”

Kim Jin-woo called out to the Imp, who was bowing his head, with a cold smile.

“Speak.”

Mimir, unable to bear that piercing gaze, answered with a resigned expression.

“I wish to see my archive.”

***

In the end, Kim Jin-woo couldn’t see the archive. He wasn’t qualified.

“Inherit all the legacy left by the One-Eyed Monarch. That is the only way to open the door to the Eternal Archive.”

“Legacy?”

“You have inherited the Magic Spear and the name, but not the Monarch’s Castle, so you are not yet qualified to open the archive’s door.”

Mimir, who had been sparing with words, eventually revealed everything, unable to ignore the inevitable.

“The One-Eyed Monarch’s Castle….”

The authority and glory of the old monarchs had been scattered and divided throughout the Underworld, but their Castles remained intact in the deepest places. To open the Eternal Archive, he had to head to the deepest levels.

“I’ll have to postpone it until next time.”

He was eager to see what treasures were in the archive, but there was no other way.

There were too many obstacles to overcome to receive the final legacy: Counts who coveted the old authority, and beyond them, Dukes. He had to overcome them all to reach the deepest part of the Underworld.

Right now, just dealing with the Dukes of the nameless deep layer connected to the 9th floor was already a daunting task.

“Still, I never imagined that the entire Black Merchant’s headquarters would be the Eternal Archive itself.”

Kim Jin-woo, lost in thought, was awakened by Dominique’s voice from beside him.

“How many treasures did the One-Eyed Monarch possess?”

The space that the Black Merchant used as an auction house was once filled with treasures, so she couldn’t even fathom how great that glory must have been.

“No, what’s more amazing is that the space itself doesn’t exist in reality.”

But Kim Jin-woo was more interested in the archive itself than the treasures that filled it.

No wonder the Usurper and the greedy nobles had left the tempting prey of the Black Merchant alone; from the start, the headquarters was not a place that could be reached on foot.

A world like a mirage that could only be reached through a gate of space. That was the Eternal Archive and the Black Merchant’s headquarters.

“I’m just uneasy because I can’t read Mimir’s mind.”

Dominique was concerned that too much power was concentrated on Mimir, whose true intentions were not yet revealed. She repeatedly advised him to be wary of Mimir, with his unknown number of hero-level escort mercenaries and impregnable headquarters.

“Leave it as it is for now. When the time comes, everything will return to its original place.”

He had not yet acquired all of the One-Eyed Monarch’s legacy. For the time being, there was no reason to stop Mimir from roaming the Underworld wearing the guise of the Black Merchant.

Just as the Usurper had done, he also wanted Mimir to put in a little more effort.

And even if Mimir was hiding other schemes, he had a solution.

A leaf hanging from the end of a poorly stretched branch. It looked shabby, but its power and inner strength were by no means ordinary. A weapon was in his hand.

The wailing Magic Spear, Gungnir, was the key to opening the One-Eyed Monarch’s Castle and the only key to opening the Eternal Archive.

“I’ll be away for a while, so please take care of the aftermath.”

“Please take care of yourself.”

Watching Dominique clasp her hands together and bow, Kim Jin-woo struck the ground with Gungnir.

“Portal.”

***

The portal led to the Black Merchant’s headquarters.

Seeing the surrounding facilities, which were untouched despite the fierce battle that must have just taken place, Kim Jin-woo looked for Mimir.

“Is there anything else you would like to say?”

Although the pressure from the Word of God had lifted, Mimir still seemed subdued, wearing a listless expression.

“Now that I think about it, even if we can’t open the door right away, I’d like to take a look around.”

Mimir sighed and turned away.

“I will guide you.”

Kim Jin-woo gave a satisfied smile and followed Mimir.

After passing through the corridor he had traversed several times during the auctions, they walked for a long time before reaching a massive door. He exclaimed at the sight of the door, which was several times larger and more magnificent than the stone door he had seen when facing the Dragon Lord Agrippina.

“Is this the place?”

Instead of answering, Mimir fiddled with something on the wall for a while. After some time, the door opened with an unpleasant grinding sound, revealing a large open space as vast as the door itself.

“This is where we keep junk. The real Eternal Archive is further inside.”

Mimir simply dismissed it as a place to store junk, but the shelves that lined the entire wall and the precious items displayed on them were by no means insignificant.

There were plenty of valuable swords, armor, and shields emitting auspicious light, the likes of which he hadn’t even seen at the auction.

Precious items that would make the participants’ eyes pop if they were put up for auction. But Mimir didn’t seem interested at all and didn’t even offer a single explanation.

“This way.”

Kim Jin-woo, who was half-entranced [넋 놓고 – a Korean expression for being mesmerized or넋 놓고], looking at the precious items on the shelves, reluctantly moved his feet at Mimir’s urging.

He walked for a long time after that and stopped in front of a shabby wooden door that didn’t match the grandeur of the glittering warehouse.

“Beyond this door is the entrance to the Eternal Archive.”

“Finally, I get to see it.”

Kim Jin-woo pushed Mimir aside and tried to open the door, but a chubby hand grabbed his waist.

“There is one thing you must keep in mind.”

He was about to grab the doorknob when he turned his head at the unusual tone.

“What lies inside is a completely different space from anything you have seen so far. Even though it is still the Eternal Archive, this inside is the true essence of it.”

“So?”

“No matter what happens beyond this point, do not lose your composure and protect yourself. If you show even the slightest weakness, the Eternal Archive may swallow you whole.”

“Swallow me?”

“Those who were blinded by greed and reached out without being qualified became prisoners, forever wandering the eternal prison. Please heed my words.”

He wasn’t trying to enter the warehouse, but just to peek around the entrance, yet the warning was so grave.

But he couldn’t just ignore it because Mimir’s expression was so serious, so he steeled his resolve.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Then please, be careful.”

Kim Jin-woo steeled himself once again and pulled open the shabby wooden door.

Squeak.

With an unpleasant noise, darkness rushed in from beyond the door. Kim Jin-woo shook off the darkness that wrapped around his body and slowly stepped through the doorway.

Thud.

Whether Mimir closed the door or the old door closed on its own, a heavy sound echoed from behind. And complete darkness pressed down from all sides.

And in the world where the light had vanished, the Eternal Archive finally revealed its true form.

“Ah…….”

Faint purple flashes swirled. Red light that pierced through the gaps tangled and untangled like threads.

Like a small microcosm repeating expansion and compression before his eyes, it was a mysterious sight. The entrance to the Eternal Archive was so enigmatic, as if it led to another world entirely.

He belatedly let out a groan and stood before the swirling light.

“This is the Eternal Archive!”

Perhaps this is how a traveler who must turn away from an oasis in the desert feels.

He already knew from Mimir that he couldn’t enter the real archive yet, but now that he had it right in front of his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. He trembled all over with a deep sense of loss.

The dazzling flashes repeated their flickering before him as if tempting him.

He was blankly staring at the scene when he inadvertently took a step forward and reached out to grab the swirling light.

The gateway was so close that he could reach it immediately. At that moment, he suddenly snapped back to his senses.

“Those who were blinded by greed and reached out without being qualified became prisoners, forever wandering the eternal prison. Please heed my words.”

Mimir’s warning echoed in his mind belatedly. He took a step back reflexively and retreated from the passage.

Kkyaaaaaaaa!

Only then did he hear the chilling cry of the Magic Spear, Gungnir, which he didn’t know when it had started wailing. It seemed that he had been momentarily mesmerized by the dazzling light emanating from the passage and had lost his grip on his sanity.

He felt goosebumps all over his body at the terrible temptation that even the High Lord’s strong spirit was struggling against.

“Why is everything so…….”

He was fed up with the spear’s eagerness, as if it was anxious not to be able to devour its owner.

[The power of Greed has succeeded in resisting the temptation of Eternity.]

[You almost got sucked into the Eternal Archive and became a prisoner wandering for countless eons. But the power of Greed is an insidious force that takes and covets everything. Unless you crave and desire it yourself, there is no room for that terrible obsession to creep in.]

Once he came to his senses, the surrounding scenery had completely changed. The darkness no longer looked calm, and the light emanating from the passage no longer looked mysterious.

It was just dark and eerie.

Tuk.

He shuddered and glared at it, and the passage regurgitated something as if it were retching.