Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 296

Dungeon Expedition Log – Episode 297

# 296

Dungeon Expedition Log

Episode 297

Contrary to Angela’s assurances, the Queen of Depravity was found far from her original location. Kim Jin-woo was somewhat impressed by the distance.

He had to admit that, at least when it came to finding life, he couldn’t match her.

The Authority of Greed was useful, but it was so picky that it rarely benefited him unless it was something that appealed to its taste.

He found the Queen of Depravity again in a dark cave in the basement, on a floor he couldn’t even guess. She was huddled in a corner, trembling, as if afraid of being seen. It was hard to believe she was the arrogant Countess.

“You’re quite a handful in many ways.”

Angela’s words were nonchalant, even after seeing her battered state. Not a single limb was intact, showing how much she had suffered.

It was a typical attitude for her, caring only about her master.

“Ugh…”

Brunhilde rolled her eyes back, as if displaying the suffering she had endured. The groan escaping through her teeth sounded like a frightened animal, and she looked as if she would faint if left alone.

“How did you even get here? You’re resourceful.”

Ignoring the irritated voice, Kim Jin-woo lowered himself to meet the Queen of Depravity’s eyes.

“Brunhilde.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off Angela, and only turned to him after he called her name several times.

“I’ve come to fulfill the deal.”

“De-deal?”

She must have suffered a lot, judging by the fact that she didn’t even remember what deal she had proposed.

“I accept your offer to guarantee your safety.”

Although Angela’s unexpected violence had hurt her a little, Kim Jin-woo didn’t care about such trivial things.

Broken bones would heal with time, and torn skin would soon recover.

“Now you are safe.”

Light returned to Brunhilde’s eyes, which had been clouded with pain and fear.

“Really, my safety…”

She seemed unwilling to let go of the hope she had barely grasped, clinging to him desperately. Kim Jin-woo smiled as he watched her approach, crawling and kissing his feet.

“Of course, you have to give me what you owe me first, right?”

But unlike his smile, his voice was cold.

“H-here.”

Brunhilde groaned and turned her body, then reached into her arms and pulled out a fist-sized stone.

[At first glance, it looks no different from a top-grade Down Gem (a type of magical stone), but this small stone is incomparably more valuable than an ordinary Down Gem.]

[This unique treasure of the underground world, filled with all sorts of wishes and desires, wandered through the underground world and reached the surface.]

[Originally, the Wish Stone should have been filled only with the purest desires of the underground world, but it has been contaminated by the aspirations of the surface dwellers. No one knows if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.]

[But in any case, the value of this ancient treasure will not change.]

[You have discovered the Wish Stone, a stone of wishes that grants desires.]

It was not a particularly unusual stone, but Kim Jin-woo couldn’t take his eyes off the Wish Stone after it left Brunhilde’s arms.

[The Authority of Greed awakens.]

[The Authority of Greed wants to devour the Wish Stone right away.]

[An insatiable appetite; your Authority is trying to run wild.]

[The energy of the Wish Stone is immense.]

But he only stared blankly at the Wish Stone for a moment. He broke out in a cold sweat as the heat that began to rise from somewhere inside his body began to burn him as if it would incinerate him.

[The Authority of Greed is clamoring for you to devour the Wish Stone immediately.]

[It’s dangerous. The Authority has begun to break free from control.]

[If you don’t control yourself quickly, you will be consumed by greed.]

“Damn it…”

He cursed, trying to appear calm, but he was in agony. As the message said, it was not easy to control the Authority, which was desperate to devour the Wish Stone. Greed, which had almost completely broken free from control, was running wild, and black energy began to scatter in all directions.

“Kugh.”

Kim Jin-woo gritted his teeth.

If it had been in the past, when he didn’t know what it was, he probably would have given in to greed. But not now.

The Authority of Greed was the most terrifying monster in the underground world, no different from the Incarnation of Night, so he desperately suppressed it.

The will, filled with malice, clearly wanted to annihilate the High Lords and eventually devour the underground world.

Although it had been defeated once in the past and did not easily reveal its true nature, he had to be wary in advance.

But it wasn’t easy. The Authority of Greed had already become his nature, and the Authority running wild was no different from his own heart being moved.

Now he felt an unbearable thirst, like a person who had been suffering from thirst for days and found an oasis, and his whole body was burning with pain.

He swallowed hard. Just close his eyes and give in to greed, and it would be over. The Wish Stone would surely give him a sense of fullness he had never felt before.

It would be the foundation for him to take revenge on the Duke of Betrayal and others who had deceived him.

No, he mustn’t give in.

Kim Jin-woo, who had unknowingly reached out his hand halfway, pulled himself together.

The subject of the greedy appetite was himself, but also not himself. It was the Authority and nature of Night, and the terrifying monster was waiting for this small and insignificant vessel to be filled.

When that vessel was full, Night would reveal its true nature. And he had known it from the beginning.

The monster wanted to be awakened again. Not the darkness that had been defeated once, but a new body that could encompass both the surface and the underground world, and was trying to devour the underground world again.

Night was a greedy bastard, but it wasn’t stupid enough to forget the power of the High Lords, and this time it wanted to annihilate them.

The human body was too small and insignificant to resist that hatred and greed. Even if he had ascended to the High Lord and his body had been reconstructed, it was still the same.

But he persevered.

Greed would not give up easily. This insignificant human body had inherited the power of the one-eyed lord who had driven out the monster, and contained the Authority of many adversaries. It would not easily give up such a body.

Besides, Night had seen a new world through this body. The monster had escaped the underground world, which was only darkness, and learned of the existence of the surface.

And the sunny surface must have been a very delicious prey for the monster.

Night would not want this body to be damaged until it had satisfied its desires.

Nevertheless, it was not easy to resist the will of the monster, which even the powerful Ten Lords of ancient times had struggled with. The only consolation was that this heat would not completely burn his body.

“Not yet; it’s not your time to run wild.”

Kim Jin-woo bit his teeth until they cracked.

How much time had passed? He felt the heat and thirst gradually subside. And at some point, the burning desire for relief completely disappeared.

[The Authority of Greed has subsided. But it’s still too early to rest assured. Greed is still anxious and will try to devour the Wish Stone whenever it gets the chance.]

[But not right now.]

Kim Jin-woo, who saw the message, belatedly took a long breath. The cold air made him feel as if the burning inside his stomach was finally cooling down.

[The mysteries of the underground world pay homage to your willpower, which has overcome terrible gluttony and greed.]

[And surprisingly, the mysteries of the underground world seem to have decided to pay you a proper reward.]

[It is not yet known what that reward will be. If you want to know, you must return the Wish Stone to its original place.]

[If you retrieve the treasure of the underground world and restore it to its original place, you will be given a tremendous reward.]

He smiled in the midst of the terrible exhaustion.

“For whose benefit?”

When Kim Jin-woo regained his composure, Brunhilde was gone.

“The black energy came out of Master’s body and swallowed her up.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned after understanding the situation from Angela’s words. It seemed that he had been so focused on the Wish Stone that he had not thought about Brunhilde. And unfortunately, the price of his carelessness was her demise.

“I had so much to ask her.”

He smiled bitterly. Rather than mourning Brunhilde, who had met her death as a reward for the safety he had promised, he only felt regret.

“Then let’s go back.”

“That?”

Kim Jin-woo shook his head at the Wish Stone, which was left alone in the place where Brunhilde had disappeared without leaving even a piece of clothing.

“It’s better for you to hold it for now.”

He had barely overcome one hurdle, but Night had not yet given up. So he decided not to touch the Wish Stone for the time being.

He didn’t explain the situation, but Angela was also an existence that lived by plundering the energy of others. She had been through the obsession with life enough to understand the situation quickly.

“Then let’s really go back.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, Angela picked up the Wish Stone.

It was not difficult to return to the Great Labyrinth. Although the terrain had changed and it was difficult to gauge the direction, he was so good at finding his way that he did not get lost.

Besides, he had smashed everything that stood in his way, whether it was nobles or labyrinths, so there was no way to go around. Naturally, his return did not take long.

“Then we’ll never know why Brunhilde had to desperately run so far with that body.”

Dominic looked disappointed after hearing everything that had happened.

“It’s not like I have no idea.”

“I have an idea too.”

Her gaze, receiving Kim Jin-woo’s words, was directed at the Wish Stone.

“Maybe there was someone who was after the Wish Stone.”

Otherwise, there was no way that Brunhilde, who had already decided to defect, would have run away without waiting for him.

“If that’s true…”

The culprit was limited.

“The other lords are suspicious.”

He didn’t know how Brunhilde had hidden herself, but that wasn’t important right now. In short, what was important now was who was after her, the Wish Stone.

And it was soon revealed who it was.

“Your Majesty! The enemy is coming this way!”

Kim Jin-woo stood up at Ricksha’s report, who suddenly appeared from the darkness.