Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 239

Dungeon Journal-Episode 240

# 240

Dungeon Journal

85. Lord of Greed

Although he rose to the rank of Duke, Luyang was still a Dungeon Baby [a creature recently spawned from a dungeon core, often characterized by raw power and instinct]. Preferring to rely on his physical strength rather than unfamiliar powers, the giant ‘Satyr Transformation’ suited him well. Opponents he couldn’t defeat with hand-to-hand combat alone were forced to yield to his impulsive strength and Dungeon Baby-like combat instincts, amplified by his immense power.

However, the man before him remained unsubdued even by the Satyr’s strength and the Dungeon Baby’s unique combat sense.

He realized this as the magic spear in his opponent’s hand repeatedly struck, showing cracks in his sharp beak and severing his claws.

At that moment, Luyang unhesitatingly unleashed his power: ‘Black Shadow Whip,’ the first ability he gained upon becoming the ‘Demon Lord of Sin’.

A terrible curse that burned the opponent’s skin and dried their blood flowed from his fingertips, filling the surroundings.

“I knew you wouldn’t be an easy opponent, but now I really have to admit it.”

Knowing he faced a formidable foe, he used his energy from the start, holding nothing back.

Swish.

Even as hundreds of whips lashed out, the opponent didn’t flinch. He simply waved his hand slightly.

With that simple gesture, the Black Shadow Whip crumbled.

“Hmm.”

He hadn’t expected such a powerful opponent to be defeated easily. But he also hadn’t anticipated his power being countered so effortlessly.

Disappearing

Before his eyes, hundreds of black tendrils meekly withered away. As if they had never existed, they vanished without a trace.

From Luyang’s perspective, who had confidently unleashed his power, it was a chilling moment. But instead of being frightened, he became even more aggressive.

“A bizarre fellow, as strange as a labyrinth!”

Roaring fiercely, he charged at the man again. The power he gained upon rising to the rank of Duke was not just ‘Black Shadow Whip.’ An ominous energy began to emanate from him.

***

[Duke Luyang’s power is ominous in itself.]

[But the scattered energy is merely good prey in front of the Lord of Greed.]

[The power of Greed has devoured all the energy Luyang emitted.]

[This energy, full of hostility and malice, is not suitable for storing in the body. But it is quite substantial for immediate use.]

[The energy devoured by the power temporarily amplifies the strength of the flesh.]

When the hundreds of whips first flew towards him, Kim Jin-woo couldn’t help but feel momentarily perplexed about how to respond.

But it was only for a moment. As if waiting for it, the power of Greed, Gluttony, suddenly emerged and devoured the opponent’s attack without leaving a trace.

“Oh ho.”

He was slightly impressed by the new utility of Gluttony, which he had thought could only be used to plunder the opponent’s lifeblood and vitality.

In this way, it would be even easier for him if Luyang used his power.

And fortunately, Luyang did not disappoint his expectations.

Black mist began to rise from Luyang’s entire body.

The black mist, which looked ominous at first glance, grew rapidly and soon covered the surroundings.

He instinctively tried to step back from the eerie and fierce energy, but stopped as he saw the messages appearing before his eyes.

[The power of Greed resists Luyang’s curse.]

[The terrible curse, which would normally rot the skin and burn the lungs just by touching it, is blocked by the power of Greed.]

[The power of Greed devoured the curse.]

[Unfortunately, this messy and polluted energy has no nutritional value.]

[The power of Greed spits out the energy without swallowing it.]

It was a power with a picky appetite.

***

Luyang felt something was wrong when he noticed that the black light of the ‘Corrupting Poison Mist’ he had released was somehow different.

Clumps of faded gray stains formed within the black mist. Those stains touched his body.

Swish.

The feeling of his skin tingling, as if he had been thrown from a cold bath into a scalding hot one, made his skin crawl.

A sensation like ants crawling on his skin, and then biting him, “Ack!”

As if burned, his skin swelled up and then collapsed, rotting away. Thanks to the powerful regeneration he gained from the Satyr Transformation, the blackened skin quickly regenerated, but even that regenerated skin soon emitted a foul odor and rotted again.

“Could this be…”

A very familiar phenomenon. The terrible curse that eventually rotted the muscles inside the skin and even melted the bones was the effect of his own power.

The only difference was that it was now happening to his own body, not his enemy’s.

Moreover, numerous powers he had gained upon rising to the Demon Lord of Sin, all sorts of curses that reduced the opponent’s combat power to the maximum, overlapped and pressed down on his body.

“You bastard! You stole my power!”

The trump card that had always brought him victory was now strangling him. Luyang screamed at the absurd situation.

***

Angela groaned. When the terribly ominous energies created by Luyang covered all directions, she trembled for the first time as she faced the power of a Duke.

A longing for powerful life force, and fear of that overwhelming malice.

Conflicting emotions made her body sway. But even more surprising was her master, who was so unharmed in that terrible energy.

Although she couldn’t see him properly because he was hidden in the mist, her master’s presence was shining more brilliantly than ever.

“This is a real fight between rulers…”

It was just before that she had been disappointed by the mindless melee. But now she felt a sense of self-doubt about her disappointment and groaned.

The Great Labyrinth trembled. The solid ground caved in from the collision of enormous energies, and the walls melted.

Just being caught in the energy was enough to melt those tough Satyrs into puddles of blood.

Nevertheless, her master was perfectly fine. Feeling it from afar, it felt like her master was enjoying this battle.

Well, perhaps only that powerful and pitiful Duke thought it was a battle. Her master was now a glutton who had a delicious and plentiful meal in front of him and picked up a fork and knife. And he seemed satisfied enough with the meal.

“Master!”

She called out to her proud master with a flushed face.

A being who could not live without plundering the lives of others, a king who was more like a vampire than a vampire, eating and eating and leaving nothing around him in the end, was there.

The fact that this powerful being was her master, and that she shared some of that life force, made her tremble with joy more than ever.

“Master!”

She once again uttered a meaningless exclamation, a blind following and a scream of enthusiasm for her master.

***

The battle was one-sided. At first glance, it seemed like the Naga King [a powerful being with a serpentine lower body], surrounded by black energy, was struggling, but Ariane knew better than anyone which way the battle was truly leaning.

Beyond imagination.

The power of the High Lord, which she thought had not yet fully bloomed, was far beyond expectations. All the powers that the mighty Duke had unleashed were crumbling and scattering so futilely.

‘I have to report to Him.’

There was no need to see more. It was obvious who the winner was without watching to the end. What was a shame was that she didn’t get to see the Naga King use his full power.

But if she stayed here any longer, there was a high possibility that she would not be able to complete her mission. So Ariane turned around without hesitation.

She was going to pull out and report everything she had seen and heard to her one and only king, the true ruler.

The Naga King is dangerous.

The power of the One-Eyed Monarch [a legendary ruler known for their wisdom and strategic prowess] that he inherited is incredibly powerful and of high caliber. That’s why, even in the era when the Ten Monarchs ruled, the One-Eyed Monarch looked down on the underground from the highest place with arrogance. But,

The power that the Naga King is using now is completely different from the power of the One-Eyed Monarch. The One-Eyed Monarch was a sage who pursued the truth and a spear that pierced the battlefield, not such a gluttonous monster.

There is something I don’t know. Maybe the Naga King is….

“No, the judgment is up to Him.”

The Watcher is only His eyes and ears, and thinking is not her job.

Ariane looked at Luyang, who was gradually showing signs of defeat, and the Naga King, and slipped away.

***

Kim Jin-woo’s eyes flashed. From the moment he realized that Luyang’s power posed no threat to him, he had been paying attention to Ariane’s presence.

If she was a Watcher, and if her purpose was reconnaissance as he expected, he thought she would subtly disappear around this point.

And the moment he saw her subtly backing away, he moved his lips.

“Stop her.”

The ground where his gaze reached, which had shown no signs just a moment ago, began to shake.

Crack.

The tremendous vibration made Ariane, who was trying to slip away secretly, stagger. And soon, she was swallowed whole by the suddenly cast shadow.

The Antlion [a monstrous creature known for creating pit traps], which had swallowed the Queen of Dream, smacked its huge jaws and smacked its lips.

“Don’t swallow her.”

At the quiet whisper, the Antlion paused after swallowing its throat. It twisted its body for a moment as if dissatisfied, but did not refuse his command.

“Noisy.”

Kim Jin-woo gave a cold look at Luyang, who was shouting noisily at him for being distracted during the battle.

The Dukes he had seen through the memories of the Magic Spear were by no means easy opponents. Although each one did not reach the level of a High Lord, their powers were bizarre and persistent.

Even the mighty One-Eyed Monarch could not shake off the Dukes at once.

But Luyang was not. He was not as persistent or insidious as the real Dukes. He simply sprayed energy mindlessly and used his powers in a fragmented way.

It was no wonder. He had risen to the rank of Duke, but he had not yet escaped the mold of a Dungeon Baby.

He was just stronger than other Dungeon Babies and had a few special talents.

Kim Jin-woo, who was looking at Luyang with clear eyes, said coldly.

“I should finish this soon.”

The difference between him and Luyang was that he knew better than anyone how a High Lord should fight through the memories of the Magic Spear.