Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 146

Dungeon Chronicles – Part 147

# 147

“I recommend heading to the western front first. The battle here is almost over, but we’re stalled because we can’t defeat the boss.”

Dominique calmly explained her strategy, as if she had already considered all the angles.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go where they’re losing?”

“Of course, if you join, Master, the tide will turn, but that will take time. It’s more efficient to conquer as many labyrinths as possible and then concentrate our forces.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. Of course, if he followed Dominique’s advice, the losing front would suffer even more. However, the benefits of a concentrated force afterward would be significant.

“Okay, I’ll take Dominique’s advice.”

He didn’t hesitate long. He had never suffered a loss by taking Dominique’s advice, and he didn’t have time to waste pondering.

As soon as he made his decision, Kim Jin-woo climbed onto the Guardian Dragon.

“I’ve divided the main force in half. I’ve organized the troops mainly with Dragon Knights and Rangers who have high mobility, so they won’t slow you down, Master.”

“Ugh, alright. I’ll accept it.”

He couldn’t help but groan at her words, which showed her determination to prevent him from jumping into the battlefield alone.

It seemed she was worried he would try to move around the battlefield solo to maximize his impact.

“Take good care of Master, and don’t ever leave his side.”

Dominique’s gaze was fixed on Kim Jin-woo as she instructed the Dragon Knights.

“Ahem, then I’ll be off.”

He cleared his throat awkwardly and left the main force. A hundred Dragon Knights closely followed behind him.

***

The battlefield was quiet. As Dominique had reported, they had gained the upper hand early on, and all the allies had entered the labyrinth, leaving behind only corpses and the wounded.

Thanks to this, only small scavengers, drawn by the smell of blood, were bustling around the outskirts of the labyrinth.

“Shoo!”

Kim Jin-woo swung his sword in its scabbard, driving away the large rats. The giant rats, which had been gnawing on the arms and legs of corpses, scurried away in surprise.

“What a mess.”

He had thought that the battlefield was doing well because they had gained the upper hand, but seeing the corpses everywhere, that didn’t seem to be the case.

It seemed that they had pushed too hard, blinded by achievements and rewards, as most of the corpses were those of allies.

He saw a summon, half of its arm torn off by scavengers, groaning in agony, unable to resist due to its severe injuries. He left three Dragon Knights on the battlefield to preserve the corpses and tend to the wounded.

“There will be a battle soon, so everyone, prepare yourselves.”

Even before his instructions were given, the Guardian Dragon and Naga Dragon Knights, excited by the smell of blood, followed closely behind him with shining eyes.

The western labyrinth was completely different from the noble’s labyrinth he had seen before. The entrance, which had been excessively decorated with various luxury goods, had been completely transformed into a functional one, and it was covered with all kinds of traps. However, even those facilities and traps had already been triggered, leaving only traces, showing how recklessly the allies had attacked.

The passage was also full of allied corpses. There were occasional enemy corpses, but not many.

It was clear that the enemies had retreated not because they were truly outnumbered, but to secure a more advantageous battlefield.

As evidence of this, the plaza that appeared not long after was piled high with allied corpses.

However, it seemed that the allies had not been defeated without resistance. Originally, this place would have been the enemy’s defense line, but the allies seemed to have crushed the enemy’s defense line with force.

If that were not the case, the faint screams and roars would not be coming from deep within.

“Increase speed!”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been maintaining a somewhat slow pace in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, increased his speed.

“Oh….”

After passing through several passages and turning corners here and there, he finally joined the battle, but he frowned at the situation on the battlefield, which was different from what he had expected.

In a corridor that was neither narrow nor wide, where five burly adult men would feel cramped shoulder to shoulder, the allies were standing close together.

Naturally, the enemies were blocking the narrow passage, easily stopping the allies’ advance.

“There’s not a single one that catches my eye!”

Among them, a giant who was wielding four arms wildly, slaughtering the allies’ summons, caught Kim Jin-woo’s eye.

“Since you guys aren’t coming, I’ll go!”

The giant, rushing in with a thud, swung the sword, axe, spear, and shield in his four arms with great vigor.

And every time the giant’s weapon was swung, the summons pushed by the allies were unable to dodge properly and gave their bodies to the axe and sword.

“Wait here.”

There was not enough space for the Dragon Knights to pass through because of the soldiers filling the narrow passage. So he left the Dragon Knights as they were and squeezed into the long line of allies.

Krrr!

When his hand touched it, a summon, who had been glaring and growling roughly, quickly lowered its head and moved aside.

“Thank you.”

Kim Jin-woo, patted the shoulder of the summon who had managed to make room in the narrow space, and dug into the gap.

Kwack!

Krrr!

The same situation was repeated. The summons, who were angry at someone squeezing into the narrow space, gave up their seats one after another, and the summons who turned their heads at the unexpected commotion also found him and quickly moved their bodies.

Kim Jin-woo was slowly but steadily approaching the enemy. There was a way to jump over the summons and run, but he didn’t do that.

There was no need to provoke the enemy’s vigilance.

“Be careful. The enemy’s strength is not to be trifled with.”

When he had passed about two-thirds of the line, someone who recognized him spoke to him. He didn’t remember the name, but it was the master of the labyrinth who had moved from the 8th floor.

“What happened?”

When he stopped for a moment and asked, the other person answered with a look of exhaustion.

“At first, we succeeded in entering the labyrinth by taking advantage of our numerical superiority, but a significant number of our troops were killed in the plaza right before here. There are not many troops left now, but the enemy is also in a difficult situation, so we are trying to find a way.”

“Find a way? It looks like you’re just waiting for your turn to die?”

He clicked his tongue at the sight of the enemy boasting overwhelming power in the narrow passage, and the long line of allies looking like prisoners waiting for execution.

Instead of making excuses, the other person pointed to the giant who was slaughtering the allies in front and said.

“That is Gorgon, the Baron of Valor, the master of the labyrinth.”

***

“Oh, now some decent guys are finally coming out.”

Gorgon, the baron of the 10th floor of the dungeon and the king of the brave four-armed giants, was intrigued by the sight of the enemy, who was slowly regaining momentum.

He thought they were just apathetic guys waiting in line for execution, but he seemed to be getting excited because a decent guy was coming out as he went back.

“Get out of the way! I’m just about to get excited!”

Gorgon, who was swinging his sword and axe in a frenzy, frowned at the sight of a small soldier popping out of the group.

“If you don’t get out of the way, I’ll take care of you myself!”

He was full of anger because his blood, which had barely warmed up, was about to cool down again.

“Huh?”

The opponent, who he had no doubt would have his head smashed by his attack, was somehow standing there unharmed, looking at him. But the sword in that opponent’s hand looked familiar. It wasn’t just the sword that looked familiar.

One arm pierced on the end of that small, insignificant hand particularly caught his eye.

“Kk, kkeueueueue.”

And suddenly, he felt a pain as if one of his arms had been torn off. It wasn’t just a feeling. In fact, one of his four arms had been torn off.

“The balance is off. I’ll give it back to you.”

The moment he heard a low but mocking voice, Gorgon suddenly came to his senses.

He grimaced and glared alternately at his severed arm and his opponent, gnashing his teeth fiercely. Although he had been careless and had one of his arms torn off, he was, without a doubt, the most valiant king of the four-armed giant clan in the dungeon.

He didn’t scream like a lowly *jabjol* [Korean slang for ‘cannon fodder’ or ‘lowly soldier’] at such an injury.

“Are you the one who sent these guys?”

He immediately realized that his opponent was no ordinary person and carefully regained his posture.

“I was originally aiming for your head, but you’re surprisingly nimble.”

The small soldier who said that smiled, and his momentum changed completely from before. Not only that.

As the soldier’s momentum changed, the enemy’s military discipline, which had been suppressed by his power, began to revive. No, it was reviving and rushing in as if it had taken shape, baring its teeth.

“Nice to meet you, Gorgon.”

The moment his eyes, from which blue light was flowing down, were directed straight at him, Gorgon felt fear for the first time in his life.

***

Gorgon’s attack towards him was extraordinary. Although it was an attack that he unleashed without a second thought, the great power contained within it echoed in all directions.

No wonder the soldiers can’t come to their senses.

He clicked his tongue briefly, dodged the enemy’s attack by turning his body halfway, and quickly drew the sword from his waist. Then he swung it as it was.

He cut it. But it wasn’t the neck he was aiming for.

“Huh?”

Although he heard a brief dazed sound, Gorgon quickly regained his composure and made a cautious face. Seeing that, Kim Jin-woo admired him inwardly.

“I was originally aiming for your head, but you’re surprisingly nimble.”

He praised him with sincerity, even though he was an enemy, and then released the momentum he had been trying to hide.

[The Commander of Victory has joined the battle.]

[The morale of the allies, who had been overwhelmed by Gorgon’s outrageous majesty, soared at once. They forgot all the sacrifices and fatigue they had suffered so far and recovered their combat power as if they had just started the battle.]

[The allied forces, who have completely escaped the inter-floor penalty, receive an amplification effect due to the commander’s participation.]

The effect of the commander of the battlefield, which had been forcibly deactivated, dominated the battlefield at once. The soldiers, who had been forcibly bound by achievements and rewards, had a fighting spirit in their eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Gorgon.”

Kim Jin-woo smiled as he saw the allies’ military discipline soaring.