Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 235

Dungeon Journal- Episode 236

# 236

Dungeon Journal

Episode 236

“Gone?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned, looking at the empty dwelling of the Nightmares. He belatedly searched the surroundings, but Ariane was nowhere to be seen.

“Find the Queen of Nightmares!”

At his urgent command, the summoned creatures scattered to locate the Queen of Nightmares.

“She’s not here!”

The summoned creatures returned a moment later, their faces grim, reporting that they couldn’t find any trace of her.

“Damn it!”

Kim Jin-woo cursed, belatedly regretting his oversight.

Ariane is a traitor. She was a spy sent by Dinariom, and she had already suffered the consequences of that fact being exposed once before.

Because of that, he unconsciously dismissed the possibility that she might be a Watcher [a being that observes and interferes with events].

He couldn’t have imagined that she would conceal her true identity beneath layers of masks.

No, now that he thought about it, wasn’t all of this Ariane’s plan? Being approached by him under Dinariom’s orders, revealing her identity on the day when thousands of rioters were massacred—now everything seemed suspicious.

After all, it was reckless for her, a mere low-ranking noble, to plot against her master, Dinariom of Nightmare, the Count of the Deep.

Since she was untrustworthy, he had nothing to lose even if things failed. So, he let her do as she pleased.

But he was furious because all of that was no different from being played by her.

Stupid, so stupid.

He blamed himself, but at the time, there was no reason to suspect her at all. Who would have imagined that she was wearing another mask under her mask?

“I have found traces of the Queen of Nightmares!”

Kim Jin-woo gritted his teeth at Ricksha’s report.

By the time he moved according to Ricksha’s report, Ariane had already left the Great Labyrinth.

“Damn it!”

He pounded the innocent floor and vented his frustration, but it was already too late. The vampires guarding the front gate exchanged indifferent glances before turning away.

Kim Jin-woo, already simmering with anger, was further enraged by their irresponsible attitude.

“Kugh!”

The vampire, seized by the neck by a brutal hand, let out a suppressed groan.

“What have you done so well that you’re acting so stiff-necked right now?”

The vampire’s pale face turned even whiter at the harsh voice that seemed to chew each word.

*Sasa삭* [onomatopoeia for a rustling or whispering sound].

“These bastards?”

Was it a sense of camaraderie, or did he look easy to them? Flames sparked in Kim Jin-woo’s eyes as he glared at the vampires surrounding him.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”

The furious aura of the High Lord was something the vampires had never experienced before. They belatedly realized their mistake and trembled all over.

“Master!”

Angela rushed forward and knelt before him, intervening in a situation where the vampires seemed about to be crushed to death.

“Please calm down. They don’t know who the Queen of Nightmares is.”

Kim Jin-woo knew it too.

The reason why the Queen of Nightmares was able to escape the Great Labyrinth so easily was due to the chaotic situation within, not because of them.

Because he was worried about the Watcher’s rampage, all the trustworthy summoned creatures were guarding the center, and the vampires, who had not been in the Great Labyrinth for long, were in charge of the outskirts.

Of course, the security of the Great Labyrinth could not be as tight as before.

But now, none of that mattered anymore.

The fact that the vampires showed their teeth to him was outside the authority Angela had been granted, and he had no intention of letting this go.

“Are you going to defend them?”

Angela slammed her head on the floor so hard that blood splattered on her beautiful forehead.

“I would never do that. I’m just saying that catching Ariane, that cunning bitch, is the priority right now.”

She was so overwhelmed by her master’s fierce aura that her usual playful expression was gone, replaced by a terrified look.

“I gave you power because I judged you to be trustworthy.”

Angela, who had to wander on the verge of death several times for him.

So, he didn’t budge at the direct words of other summoned creatures who were checking and wary of her. He trusted her, and he thought it was necessary.

“I am grateful for that, too.”

She couldn’t even think of wiping away the blood flowing down her forehead, and repeatedly bowed her head to him.

“Only once, I’m holding back.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been glaring at her, belatedly released the vampire he had been holding. But he had not forgiven them.

His tolerance was only applied to his own, and it only applied to Angela.

Unfortunately, the vampires proved that they did not belong to him.

“Kkeu, kkeu-ak!”

The vampires’ screams were soon swallowed up by the commotion of the Great Labyrinth, and soon it became quiet.

“Kkeureureuk.”

The vampire, who was lucky enough to have avoided the disaster because he was outside the border of the labyrinth, had his neck cut off by the hand of the queen he had served.

“I promise this will never happen again.”

Instead of answering, Kim Jin-woo just stared at her for a while with eyes full of blue light.

***

Angela left the Great Labyrinth on her own. Whatever the cause and effect of the matter, it was to make up for the vampires’ mistakes on her own.

Vampires, who are terribly good at catching the energy of the living, were more capable trackers than anyone else.

No matter how elusive the Watcher was, as long as red blood flowed through her body and her heart was beating, she would not be able to escape her eyes.

As Angela left the Great Labyrinth, Kim Jin-woo secretly borrowed the name of ‘Frost’ and summoned newly summoned alien races.

Ariane’s case proved that the Eye of Truth could not catch the Watcher.

The possibility that there might be Watchers among others could not be ruled out. So, he ordered the newly born alien races, especially the ‘Frost’ alien races, to monitor the clan.

Those who swear allegiance to the Great Labyrinth instead of their king would be able to fulfill the surveillance role well.

Just as he was about to wrap up the Watcher’s work, another incident broke out. As if the peace of the past was a lie, once an incident broke out, incidents continued to occur.

It felt as if the underground time that had been stopped had started flowing again.

“Satyrs [creatures that are part human and part goat] are constantly appearing in the vicinity. Several patrols have confirmed that the number is by no means small, and the movements are so organized that they are presumed to be reconnaissance groups with a large-scale unit behind them.”

“Damn it, why now when Angela is away.”

As things flowed urgently, the situation kept getting twisted. Thanks to Angela, who stepped up to make up for the mistakes of her subordinates, the vampires’ feet were tied.

Now that the queen was away, they couldn’t be trusted. Without the queen’s orders, they would only passively take on their existing duties.

He had to buy time.

He clenched Gungnir [Odin’s spear in Norse mythology] tightly and left the Great Labyrinth.

It was just as Ricksha had reported. Kim Jin-woo was able to meet the satyrs wandering nearby not long after leaving the labyrinth.

[You have won the battle.]

He shook off the blood on the magic spear and looked around.

The battle was easier than he thought. There was nothing to get in the way since he only had to take care of himself without thinking about the inferiority of his allies. So, he went ahead and eliminated the satyr units as soon as he saw them.

But even so, the enemy’s advance speed did not decrease at all. The intense military force felt from afar was still getting closer to the Great Labyrinth at this moment.

However, it was somewhat strange that the direction was not exactly towards the Great Labyrinth but was changing from moment to moment as if searching for something.

Wouldn’t that make it seem like they were searching for something else rather than aiming for the Great Labyrinth?

Kim Jin-woo was soon able to realize why they were stirring up the 9th floor like that.

“Damn ant hellhound.”

He could easily guess the reason. He had released the ant hellhound near the satyrs’ labyrinth to shake Luyang, and the ant hellhound would have indiscriminately devoured the satyrs as he intended.

Otherwise, there was no way they would have chased the ant hellhound all the way to the vicinity of the Great Labyrinth, far from their labyrinth.

Perhaps they had been chasing the ant hellhound that they had failed to cut off the breath of.

“Didn’t clean up everything?”

Kim Jin-woo spat out a bitter word and shook his head. There was no way Angela would have missed the enemy.

It was more convincing to think that the satyrs had followed the traces and set the direction.

Although the Under Elves, including Ricksha, tried to hide the traces as much as possible, it was almost impossible to completely conceal the path that a huge monster had passed through.

After organizing his thoughts, he continued to eliminate the satyr reconnaissance teams and secretly visited the Great Labyrinth and dragged out the ant hellhound.

“Rage.”

The excited ant hellhound rampaged and made the passage a mess.

After a while, the enemy’s advance speed noticeably decreased.

They seemed to be reorganizing their ranks because they could not find their way after seeing the suddenly created traces of the ant hellhound.

Kim Jin-woo hid the ant hellhound in a suitable position again and secretly approached the main force.

“Hmm.”

Kim Jin-woo let out a groan without realizing it when he saw the satyrs. He had roughly expected it from the military force felt from afar, but the military force was beyond imagination.

The number of satyrs, filling the passage that had widened to the point where it could not be compared to the underground in the past, and the end of the line was not visible, was enormous.

In the distance, at the corner, and beyond the corner again, there were satyrs everywhere.

It was as if the entire 9th floor had been occupied by satyrs.

What would happen if all of them entered the Great Labyrinth? Could the Great Labyrinth really stop them? He couldn’t be sure.

The Great Labyrinth had already swallowed thousands of rioters, but it was unknown how far its appetite and greed would go.

If it was an army of satyrs that was different in quality from the rioters at first glance, the Great Labyrinth might get indigestion before swallowing them all.

If he was lucky enough to make the entire group the food of the Great Labyrinth, there would be nothing better, but he had no intention of testing his luck by betting his entire foundation.

“Hmm?”

Kim Jin-woo, who was lost in thought and counting the satyrs with his eyes, frowned at the familiar energy that had intervened in the meantime.

“Ariane?”

It was not easy to find out the identity of the energy, although the satyrs were too big to see with his own eyes.

Ariane was probably close to the energy that seemed to belong to the Duke, Luyang. A momentary ominous feeling flashed through his head, and as always, the feeling was right.

“You crazy bastard!”

In the meantime, the satyrs turned their heads. The head of the army, which had been swaying here and there following the traces of the ant hellhound, was now pointing directly at the Great Labyrinth.