Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 13

Dungeon Journal – Episode 14 (14/319)

# 14

Dungeon Journal

Episode 14

No sooner had Kim Jin-woo finished speaking than the air cracked open, and a door appeared. From beyond it, Nagas poured out.

[Nagas join the battle. Having left the labyrinth for the first time in their lives, the Nagas are momentarily bewildered. It seems they need some time to adapt. The combat power of Naga Warriors, Naga Archers, and Naga Soldiers is reduced.]

It wasn’t exactly welcome news, but the die was already cast.

“Prepare for battle!”

[Dungeon Owner Kim Jin-woo commands the battle. The Owner’s participation raises the morale of the Nagas.]

Clack, clack.

The Naga Warriors, with the portal at their backs, blocked the passage and formed a wall of shields. Behind them, Naga Soldiers gripped their spears tightly, their throats vibrating with low growls.

The Naga Archers, with their long arms, fully drew the strings of their massive bows, their eyes gleaming.

Their fierce momentum caused the Hell Spiders that were rushing forward to halt in their tracks, pacing in place.

A hair-trigger tension stretched taut, but the standoff didn’t last long. The Hell Spider at the very front leaped up to the ceiling.

Whoosh!

And at that moment, the Naga Archer’s massive arrow pierced the Hell Spider. The Hell Spider, its eye pierced in an instant, plummeted straight to the ground.

Screeeee!

The Hell Spiders charged. The Naga Archer drew the bow again. An arrow was fired. Another spider fell. But the number of spiders following behind was still vast.

Uwooooo!

The Naga Warriors roared, tightening their grip on their shields, preparing for impact.

Soon after, the Hell Spiders slammed into the shield wall with all their might, and the Naga Warriors staggered back from the impact.

And at that moment, Kim Jin-woo kicked off from the shoulder of a Naga Soldier and leaped forward.

“Hap!”

The Hell Spider saw him and opened its hideous, split jaws wide. He thrust his sword straight into the exposed flesh.

The spider shrieked and snapped its jaws shut, but he had already leaped onto the spider’s head, seeking another target.

Kyaaaaak!

Enemies were everywhere. He leaped and darted between the hideously hairy legs of the spiders, tearing open their exposed bellies.

The spiders roared fiercely, clamoring to trample him to death, but the spiders were particularly vulnerable in their abdomens.

So, he was able to quickly tear apart the spiders, both large and small.

“Woo! Ah! Woo! Ah!”

The Naga Warriors thrust their shields forward, their throats vibrating. The wall made of shields began to advance in unison. The massive Hell Spiders retreated in disarray before the onslaught.

And the Naga Soldiers didn’t miss the opportunity. They brandished their spears, somewhat long for use in the narrow passage, and stabbed at the Hell Spiders’ hard shells.

The round surface was slippery, so even fierce spear strikes often slid off, but occasionally, a lucky attack pierced a joint.

Kkieeeek!

The spiders screamed. The predator of the underground was frightened by meeting another predator.

It wasn’t that they were overwhelmingly weaker than the Nagas. The only difference between the spiders and the Nagas was whether or not there was a commander.

Emboldened by Kim Jin-woo’s performance, the Naga Warriors boldly opened their shields and smashed the spiders with maces covered in protrusions. The hard exoskeletons shattered instantly, and disgusting fluids flowed out.

“Aaaaaaa!”

Among them, one Naga Warrior stood out particularly.

Not all Naga Warriors were the same; this Naga Warrior, a head taller than the others, mercilessly crushed the Hell Spiders’ shells and smashed their heads.

Cough.

Perhaps it was because he was momentarily distracted by the Naga Warrior’s exploits. Kim Jin-woo, who had discovered a spider approaching from behind, drew his sword and stopped, hesitating.

It was because he saw the arrow that had sunk deep into the spider’s hideous eyeball, with only the tail remaining.

Chaos. The only light was the blue light leaking from the portal opened behind him. In the dim passage, the roars and screams of the spiders, and the Nagas’ resounding shouts, erupted.

***

[You have achieved victory against the mighty spider army. Unfortunately, two Naga Soldiers have fallen in battle.]

[The proficiency of all troops has increased. They are no longer recruits. Combat power greatly increases.]

[The Nagas are impressed by your courage in successfully leading the first battle outside the labyrinth. Charisma greatly increases.]

[Kim Jin-woo has advanced from Novice Commander to Ordinary Commander.]

No sooner had the message window appeared than light burst forth from the bodies of the surviving Nagas.

And when that light had completely faded, the Nagas had changed, somehow becoming fiercer and more valiant than before.

“Kuaaaaak!”

The Naga Warrior who had been particularly rampant in the previous battle let out a victory roar, and the other Nagas followed, vibrating their throats. Although the surviving Nagas were only two warriors and one archer, their roar was thrilling in itself.

[The Naga army has won against the Spider Duke’s forces. Rumors about the Naga’s labyrinth have begun to spread little by little in the underground. Fame has increased.]

Kim Jin-woo, who had been staring blankly at the Nagas for a moment, frowned at the message window flickering before his eyes.

Until now, only he knew that the Naga’s labyrinth existed. But now, the thought that rumors about the labyrinth’s existence would spread weighed heavily on his mind.

But Kim Jin-woo shook his head and brushed away the distracting thoughts.

It was already a foregone conclusion. From the moment he decided to chase after the Hell Spiders, he had vaguely anticipated this.

There was no time to regret it now. It would be wiser to strengthen the labyrinth even a little more in that time.

‘In total, nine mid-to-high-grade Down Jams came out.’

Dominique, who had appeared after the battle, said as she examined the spiders’ corpses that the Naga workers had dismantled.

Kim Jin-woo, who had been exhausted and slumped on the floor, couldn’t help but be surprised at those words.

“Nine?”

‘Yes. And the Hell Spiders’ corpses are good materials for making traps.’

Dominique said, looking at the spiders’ corpses being transported by the Naga workers with a pleased expression.

“I’ll trust you with it. I survived this time thanks to you again, Dominique.”

It wasn’t an empty compliment. He had told her just in case, but she had immediately sent troops when needed and diligently managed the labyrinth in his absence.

If it hadn’t been for her dedication, he wouldn’t have been able to roam around underground with such peace of mind.

‘All glory belongs solely to Master.’

Dominique playfully bowed her head, curving her eyes.

“Then, you know that bag I left with you last time? Please bring it to me.”

At his words, Dominique handed him the bag she had prepared in advance. As he turned around with the bag, a low whisper echoed in his mind.

‘Then Master, please return safely to the surface.’

***

“Hoo-ah!”

After drinking a spicy hangover soup that made his mouth tingle, Kim Jin-woo finally felt like he had survived, ridiculously enough.

In fact, this whole venture was quite an adventure for him.

Before entering the underground, he had summoned the Nagas in advance to have a rehearsal, but he couldn’t accurately gauge the combat power of the Hell Spiders and Nagas.

As a result, he lost two Naga Soldiers. Even the Naga Warriors he had trusted struggled against the spiders, so it was truly a precarious battle.

But in the end, he was the victor.

High risk, high return.

As much as he had taken the risk, Kim Jin-woo had obtained a corresponding reward: mid-to-high-grade Down Jams, a profit that would be worth more than 300 million [Korean Won, approximately $250,000 USD] even if calculated at market price.

He wouldn’t be able to dispose of them right away, but the profit he made this time would be useful someday.

Was it because he smiled without realizing it at that thought? Someone picked a fight with him.

“Some people couldn’t even sleep because they were worried, but what’s so good that you’re smiling like that?”

He raised his head and saw Lee Jun-young biting her lower lip.

“Is that hangover soup delicious? Is it so delicious you could die? That’s why you’re smiling like that.”

Unlike her sharp tone, her face held an ambiguous expression, neither crying nor laughing.

“Do you want to eat some?”

When Kim Jin-woo brazenly offered her the leftover hangover soup, she snorted as if she was dumbfounded.

“I don’t want it.”

But her words and actions were separate. Sitting in the chair opposite him, she took the spoon and took a bite of the hangover soup, then frowned.

“It doesn’t even taste good. This place really can’t cook, but they charge a fortune.”

“That’s how all the gate restaurants are.”

Just as he was about to nonchalantly take the spoon back and eat the hangover soup, Lee Jun-young hid the spoon behind her back. When Kim Jin-woo frowned with a ‘why?’ expression, she said.

“Let’s go. I’ll treat you to some real food.”

“There’s no need…….”

“Are you kidding me? You went through all that trouble and came out, only to eat this tasteless hangover soup.”

He waved his hand, saying he was really okay, but he got up from his seat when he saw Lee Jun-young’s expression. Her face, filled with gratitude and apology, looked like it would burst if touched.

“But how did you know I came up?”

“I asked the gate security. I told them to contact me immediately if someone who looked like this came up in a disheveled state.”

It seemed that her saying she couldn’t sleep because she was worried wasn’t a complete lie.

“What happened?”

No sooner had she gotten into the car than she asked about the situation. She couldn’t understand that he, who she thought was dead, had returned alive.

Kim Jin-woo leaned back in the car seat and replied nonchalantly.

“I was lucky.”

“Are you kidding me? There were at least ten Hell Spiders, and you’re saying you escaped because you were lucky? Then are all the explorers who died to those monsters idiots?”

“I just ran away before the dust settled. I suffered really hard, but I survived because I was lucky.”

“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you right now?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at her attitude, which was irritable no matter what he did. When his expression changed, Lee Jun-young was startled and apologized.

“I didn’t mean to argue. I’m just like this originally. I’m just so grateful and happy that Jin-woo is back alive.”

She was a woman who wasn’t honest. But he didn’t dislike that side of her.

She was desperately trying to resolve her gratitude and apology somehow. When he first saw her, he thought she had a fairly generous personality for a woman, but now she was only watching his every move.

Feeling a little sorry for her, Kim Jin-woo said seriously.

“Since we were born and raised underground, there’s no such thing as owing a debt. We’re just living an extra life since we’re here in the first place.”

People say. They say that the dungeon babies came up to the surface because the war was over. But that wasn’t true.

‘You are free.’

The owners of the labyrinths declared. And that declaration was literal. They had simply released the dungeon babies.

It was entirely up to the dungeon babies to break through the terrible underground passages and come up to the surface.

They didn’t care how many people would be sacrificed to the creatures and beasts in the process.

“Do you still think this is underground? If you owe a debt, it’s only natural to repay it.”

But she was quite a stubborn woman. In the end, he was treated to a super-class hotel meal, a luxury suit he didn’t even want, and various other things.

She was spending money like crazy, as if she was going to show him what a successful dungeon baby was like.

Hundreds of thousands of won were spent on a single meal, and millions of won were spent on a few pieces of clothing. But she was still eager to buy him more, so Kim Jin-woo got tired of it.

“Jun-young, it’s okay now, so I’m going to go home. I want to rest.”

“W-Would you like to get a massage? There’s a good place.”

Her appearance, trying to repay her debt somehow until the very end, was rather tearful. Kim Jin-woo was finally able to escape from her only after promising to meet again.

[30,000,000 won has been deposited from Lee Jun-young.]

The phone vibrated. He shook his head when he checked the depositor’s name. 30 million won was far too little as compensation for the danger.

But it was too much to be considered compensation for a failed mission.

The advance team’s profit would have been just one mid-to-high-grade Down Jam that they barely managed to get.

“I’m home!”

Since he had left home saying he was going on a trip, his mother greeted him casually.

“Did you eat? What did you buy again?”

“Ah, someone gave it to me as a gift.”

His mother narrowed her eyes at the word gift and checked the contents, causing a horrified scene, but he enjoyed the peace of his long-awaited home.

A brief rest, but also a peace that he could not enjoy forever.

Dragging his tired body, he soon opened the portal. As soon as he crossed the portal, Dominique greeted him, as if she had been waiting.

‘Congratulations on your safe return.’

Kim Jin-woo nodded roughly at her greeting and sat on the Naga throne.