Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 309

Dungeon Journal – 309

# 309

Dungeon Journal

310

The Lord of Depravity, whom he met again, still looked like a small, fragile girl. However, unlike before, she was no longer alone. The Beast King, who had cleverly escaped during the last battle, was with her.

“It looks like we’re finally all here.”

Instead of a greeting, the Usurper’s words caused Kim Jin-woo’s gaze to move past the chained Giant Lord on the ceiling to Angela, and then to the Beast King.

The Beast King flinched, seemingly remembering how badly he had been beaten last time. But he quickly composed himself and stiffly raised his head, looking as if he had steeled his resolve.

“Where is the Wish Stone?”

He scanned the surroundings with his eyes, then gestured at her question. Angela subtly stepped forward, tapped her chest, and then stepped back.

“As you can see, I entrusted it to the most trustworthy person.”

Angela smiled brightly, while the Lord of Depravity looked disappointed.

“It’s sad that the most trustworthy person isn’t me, but I understand. You can’t trust me right now.”

Kim Jin-woo scoffed at her hypocritical attitude. Her life was filled with deception and betrayal, and she was the one who had most acutely stabbed him in the back. He was certain that he would never trust her again.

But none of that mattered. Now was not the time to bring up old feelings and argue about who was right and wrong.

The gathering of the surviving High Lords, the Undercurrent Tree, and the Wish Stone—all the factors that could determine the future of the Underworld were gathered in one place.

He intuitively knew that the future of the Underworld, and even the future of the Overworld, would be decided here today.

Naturally, he became more sensitive. He didn’t want to overlook even the smallest clue or sign, and his senses picked up countless presences hidden in the shadows of the Undercurrent Tree.

– Master, I think it’s a trap.

Angela whispered telepathically. As someone sensitive to life force, she must have noticed the countless presences ambushing this place.

But he remained calm. Even though the number of ambushers seemed to be greater than the combined forces of the Einherjar [warrior spirits of Norse mythology] and the Nagas [serpentine beings], he didn’t waver at all.

He knew that things wouldn’t be resolved easily anyway.

– Don’t worry about the Beast King. He’s the kind of guy who would rather live as a fox than die as a wolf. He would never risk fighting me fiercely.

– But there are still too many of them. And this is their home turf.

Angela’s concerns were valid. No matter what the Beast King did, the important thing was the Lord of Depravity. She had reigned alone as the Usurper for so long that no one present could imagine, and this was her home turf, the forest of the Undercurrent Tree.

If she had prepared a trap, it would not be sloppy.

Therefore, Kim Jin-woo was wary of the Usurper. But his concerns were slightly different from what Angela thought.

If they were to suppress him with force, it would be fortunate. His power was now so unique that he couldn’t shrink back from a disadvantage in numbers.

He had absorbed the power of many and finally made it his own, and he was already more than a High Lord. His power was so great that he could overwhelm all the High Lords gathered here, even if they were to oppose him.

That was what he was worried about.

The Usurper must know that. Yet, the fact that she had allowed him to approach so easily and revealed herself meant that she had a secret plan to make up for the overwhelming difference in power. And it would be a subtle kind of trap that he couldn’t detect until it happened.

– If things go wrong, I’ll take care of only you, Master, regardless of the Wish Stone or the hegemony of the Underworld. Even if you punish me later for not following your orders, I won’t care.

While they were talking, Kim Jin-woo, who was looking around with sharp eyes, chuckled for a moment, forgetting the situation. He felt reassured by Angela’s determined voice.

After all, there was no trap in the world that the Lord of the Red Castle and the ruler of the Reverse Side couldn’t escape if she set her mind to it. The presence of a reliable helper made his uneasy heart feel much more comfortable.

– All that matters to me is your safety, Master. Nothing can take precedence over your well-being.

– I trust you.

Kim Jin-woo ended the short conversation and looked back at the Lord of Depravity. He thought she would have something to say, as she had been waiting for him.

“Now that the seals of the Nagas have been broken, it seems you’ve realized the truth about the Night.”

“I’ve learned another truth about the lies you’ve been spouting.”

She had clearly said that the Nagas were descendants of the Underworld Dragon. But the reality was completely different. They were descendants of the Underworld Serpent, Jormungandr [a sea serpent of Norse mythology], and the Night Clan.

“Is there even one truth among the things you’ve said?”

The lies she had told were not limited to that. She had said that the end of the Underworld would be caused by the Overworld, but the One-Eyed Lord had exchanged one of his eyes to see that the destruction of the Underworld was due to the ‘Night’.

With lies and deceptions overlapping, he could no longer believe anything she said.

“I didn’t try to deceive you.”

She was engaging in lies and deceptions, yet she said she didn’t try to deceive him. There was no greater contradiction.

“Your body isn’t entirely yours, is it? What you hear, the monster inside you will also hear. That’s not desirable for either you or me.”

He had no intention of listening to her excuses, but he couldn’t completely deny her words. In fact, his biggest concern was the existence of the Night, which might reveal its true colors and try to devour his body at any moment.

“You’re being awfully talkative for someone who feels that way.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Almost all the preparations are complete, and the time for choice has come. And that hateful monster won’t be able to overturn our choice.”

The Lord of Depravity, who seemed strangely excited, chattered as if she were enjoying a reward for the silence she had kept.

“Don’t arbitrarily call it ‘our’ choice.”

Kim Jin-woo expressed his displeasure openly.

“Don’t glare at me like that. When everything is over, you will definitely be grateful to me.”

He didn’t know what grounds she had for such confidence, but the Usurper’s face showed unwavering conviction.

“Whether I thank you or bow to you later, I’d like you to get out of the way for now.”

He took a step forward.

“I came here today to see the Undercurrent Tree, not you.”

At his cold words, she nodded as if she had expected it. But she didn’t step back even a single step.

“Are you going to stop me?”

“I’m not trying to stop you, but it might look that way.”

He was so used to her inconsistent attitude that he ignored her and took a step.

“I don’t know why you’re trying to stop me now.”

He had approached once before. At that time, the Usurper didn’t stop him. Rather, she was the one who first told him about the existence of the Undercurrent Tree and guided him to experience its divinity from afar.

He didn’t know what was different about himself now compared to then. But he knew what he had to do now.

“If you block my way, I’ll just break through.”

At his declaration, the atmosphere around them completely changed. The eerie air turned cold, and the silent forest began to stir.

“Then let’s continue our conversation after we’ve cooled our heads a bit.”

The Usurper, who had retreated slightly at his soaring presence, was already far away in the back of the forest.

“I don’t know if my head will cool down or get hotter.”

Kim Jin-woo smiled coldly as he saw the enemies revealing themselves one by one from the shadows of the rustling forest.

Following him, the silent Nagas bristled their scales and hissed.

“Kuaaaaa!”

The Beast King, who hadn’t shown a very impressive performance in the last battle even with the help of his allies, showed a completely different majesty this time.

Despite his huge size, he kicked off the trees and jumped into the middle of the formation, crushing dozens of Einherjar in an instant.

As if that wasn’t enough, his actions of devastating the surroundings were like a lion jumping into a flock of sheep.

Because of that, the Einherjar were struggling in the area where the Beast King was rampaging. Although they were only interested in battle, they were no match for a High Lord. To make matters worse, all sorts of ferocious beasts jumped into the gaps in the collapsed formation, making their lives miserable.

“You rat-like bastard.”

Kim Jin-woo rushed towards the Beast King to try to resolve the situation, but this cunning and sly High Lord thoroughly avoided encountering him.

Even if he ran into him by bad luck, he would immediately run away. Kim Jin-woo couldn’t recklessly use the Authority of Greed because of the Usurper’s gaze, which made him even more frustrated.

“The Beast King’s other name is the Ruler of the Forest. Although this isn’t the savage forest he used to rule, all the trees and grass here make him stronger and more agile.”

Dominique, who had become much more knowledgeable since realizing the forgotten lore, comforted her master as she watched the Beast King’s actions.

“Besides, no matter how much the Beast King rampages alone, the overall situation won’t change much.”

As she said, the Beast King was running around and stirring up the Einherjar, but that was only a partial advantage in the overall battlefield.

The battlefield was too wide, and the Beast King couldn’t stay in one place. The Einherjar in the area he left quickly restored their formation and pushed back the beast army.

The beasts were ferocious, but they couldn’t stand up to the war spirits, so the tide of battle was gradually tilting to one side.

“So it’s even stranger. What’s the point of all this?”

Kim Jin-woo tilted his head as he watched the Einherjar struggling but slowly advancing. He couldn’t understand the purpose of this meaningless battle.

At first, he thought there might be some kind of trap, but as the boring war of attrition continued without any particular threat, he became suspicious.

The Beast King didn’t seem to want to stop him, and the Lord of Depravity didn’t seem to want to step forward. Only the summons were dying, so the battle seemed to have no end in sight.

“But we can’t ignore them and move forward. If the Undercurrent Tree isn’t as benevolent as you say, Master, we need to prepare for the worst.”

That was why he, who was good at avoiding unnecessary battles and quickly striking at the weak points, had to continue this exhausting battle.

Considering the overwhelming divinity of the Undercurrent Tree, which he didn’t know how it would manifest, he had to eliminate external threats and variables as much as possible before facing it. And the Beast King and the Usurper’s army were enough to change the situation.