Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 160

Dungeon Journal-160

# 160

Dungeon Journal

Episode 161

Kim Jin-woo, having discovered the vein, pondered. In the past, he would have protected the Down Jam [a type of mineral or resource] by creating a defensive labyrinth here and stationing troops.

However, he currently lacked the resources to defend a vein somewhat distant from the Great Labyrinth. Yet, abandoning the bonanza as it was felt wrong, given the vein’s immense value.

Ultimately, after much deliberation, he commanded Woosuh:

“Release the Gluttonous Masses to conceal this passage itself for the time being.”

Woosuh was aghast.

“Completely enveloping a passage of this size will reduce my body to less than half its size. No, less than a quarter of its original form.”

Woosuh had concealed a vein in the same manner once before, but Kim Jin-woo’s request felt excessive.

He was peering deep into the passage, beyond Woosuh’s sight, and desired to conceal an area just as vast.

“I’m asking you.”

“Is it really worth that much?”

Kim Jin-woo, using the rarely uttered word ‘please’ and earnestly entrusting him, seemed incomprehensible from Woosuh’s perspective.

In Woosuh’s view, the King of the Nagas [a powerful race or entity], even with a cluster of Down Jam, was not idle enough to place such value on something not yet fully matured.

This was partly because Woosuh was unaware of the vein hidden beneath the cluster of Down Jam, and partly because he was ignorant of the situation in the Great Labyrinth, where elite troops had vanished.

“Value, you say…….”

Kim Jin-woo briefly surveyed the passage.

“Its value depends on how you use it.”

The slight upturn of his lips suggested he had something up his sleeve.

***

“Oh! We’re here! Finally!”

Woosuh, his body smaller than that of an average imp, discovered the outskirts of the Great Labyrinth and leaped for joy.

Unlike the gleeful Woosuh, Kim Jin-woo frowned, sensing a strange unease. Despite Woosuh’s exhaustion slowing their pace, the return journey felt subtly shorter. He soon understood why.

“Impressive, it’s still expanding.”

Rickshasha’s and the Under Elves’ reports were astonishing. Since its emergence, the Great Labyrinth had been steadily expanding its boundaries.

As a result, the Great Labyrinth of today was entirely different from that of yesterday.

The expanded boundary now required a full day’s walk to traverse from end to end, and the number of residents living within it exceeded 1,000.

Although still somewhat desolate due to the poor facilities relative to its massive size, it was more akin to a city than a labyrinth.

Kim Jin-woo eagerly anticipated the day when he would fully unlock the secrets of the Great Labyrinth and bring everything under his control.

However, there were more pressing matters than the distant future.

“Morrighan.”

Having dismissed Rickshasha, he summoned Morrighan and the other Ancient Heroes.

“Surely, you know something about the Great Labyrinth.”

He began, looking around as he spoke.

“Our labyrinth is constantly expanding its outer limits. And I…….”

The increasingly compliant Morrighan and the Ancient Heroes quietly listened to his words. Observing them, he declared as if making a proclamation:

“I intend to influence the direction in which the labyrinth expands its boundaries.”

“Ah…….”

His words were so unexpected that none of those gathered could readily speak.

“Do you have something specific in mind?”

Dominique, who had been silently observing, asked on behalf of everyone.

“The goal is to expand the Great Labyrinth to here, precisely.”

Kim Jin-woo pointed to a location on the ninth floor’s map, which was updated several times a day by the patrols after the evolution into the Great Labyrinth. The location was somewhere two days’ journey from the labyrinth, where Woosuh had discovered and Kim Jin-woo had confirmed the existence of a vein in the ninth floor’s underground.

“If we can secure this place, the labyrinth will expand endlessly.”

Although a considerable amount of energy was lost in the process of converting it into dungeon energy, the Moai [stone statues or constructs] were a reasonably good source of energy.

And the Moai were drawn to Down Jam, unerringly pinpointing its location and swarming towards it.

If the vein in the ninth floor’s underground could be brought within the boundaries of the Great Labyrinth, the Moai would continuously flock to it like moths to a flame, filling the Great Labyrinth’s belly.

“Ah… to think there was such a place…….”

Those who heard his explanation exclaimed in admiration. Even for the ancient beings who had lived in the underground for so long, the underground vein seemed unfamiliar.

However, their admiration was fleeting. They soon began to divulge everything they knew at the king’s urging.

***

The Overlord’s Room quickly became noisy as the Ancient Heroes shared what they knew.

However, Morrighan and Heimdall spent more time roaming the battlefields than confined within the labyrinth, so they were of little help.

The same was true for Rickshasha and the Under Elves. Until recently, they had been wanderers, unable to even find their roots in the underground.

There was no way anything would come of them putting their heads together.

“All useless things.”

Kim Jin-woo’s words silenced those who had been excitedly chattering away. They belatedly realized that they had strayed far from the topic and wore embarrassed expressions.

“Instead of longing for past glories, find a way to overcome the current situation.”

At his somewhat dry response, everyone lowered their heads in unison.

“Tsk.”

Seeing them like that, he clicked his tongue. At that tsk, Morrighan and the others lowered their heads even more guiltily.

“We need to find a way, a way.”

He frowned, constantly seeking a solution.

The Great Labyrinth filling its belly with intruders, the existence of a vein that would attract those intruders—if these two premises could be linked together, there would be no need to worry about the residents being sacrificed if the Great Labyrinth’s satiety level dropped.

Moreover.

If he succeeded in placing the vein within the Great Labyrinth’s territory, there would be no need to waste energy fighting with the Moai.

The Moai would continuously fill the Great Labyrinth’s belly with energy, and they would become fierce watchdogs, protecting the ninth floor from the numerous intruders who were constantly eyeing it.

“Master, you’re not doing so well, are you?”

Kim Jin-woo, lost in thought, raised his head to find the source of the whispering voice.

“What do you mean?”

Dominique’s expression was filled with a strange sense of pity, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.

“I was wondering if you’ve been too rushed lately. You seem to have lost your composure recently.”

Come to think of it, he had stopped genuinely smiling and laughing lately. He always wore a dry smile on his face, and he couldn’t even remember the last time he had truly laughed.

“Please, find some composure. Although you haven’t been able to recover the lost Nagas, the current labyrinth is something no one can easily covet. And if they do, they will soon regret it, like the Rioters [a group of troublemakers] and the Moai.”

He must indeed be lacking composure. Kim Jin-woo, who would have usually responded to her words, shook his head with a dry expression.

“Does anyone else have anything to say?”

Instead of responding to Dominique’s words, he concluded the fruitless meeting.

“Do you have something to say?”

Even though everyone had left, Dominique couldn’t bring herself to leave. The king’s appearance, which she would have normally overlooked, seemed somehow off.

So, she offered her advice, even to the king’s somewhat brusque tone.

“Master, please find some composure.”

No sooner had she spoken than the king contorted his face in displeasure.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Dominique was now certain. The king was not normal. Others may not have realized it, but she, as the king’s advisor, could tell.

Something was wrong with the king.

“How about going up to the surface for a while?”

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt that it would be better for him to leave the underground for a while.

Whether it was because the great conqueror’s homeland was the sun-drenched surface, or for some other reason, she herself couldn’t say, but she advised him to visit the surface.

“If you go to the surface, you might regain some composure…….”

“Dominique.”

However, the king didn’t listen to her until the end. With an abruptness he had never shown her before, he said in a frustrated tone:

“Even though I have obtained the qualifications of a High Lord and acquired the Great Labyrinth, we are still weak. There are nobles in the underground who have destroyed ten Great Labyrinths, and they desire the power of the High Lord. Moreover, the Moai are roaming like stray dogs, trying to plunder the ninth floor, which has become a no man’s land.”

It was the first time. The king had never dismissed her words like this before. Perhaps that was why she was caught off guard.

“I was just…….”

“Dominique.”

But again, the king didn’t listen to her until the end. He spoke softly with an angry face. The expression he wore as he suppressed his anger was so alien.

“I’ve simply prioritized things and am doing what needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less. So, Dominique, go and do what you need to do.”

It was gentler than how he treated others, but his words were a clear dismissal. Realizing that her advice was no longer welcome, she let out a long sigh.

As if even that sigh had displeased the king, his expression became even more severe.

Her suspicions were gradually turning into certainty. Seeing the king’s excessively abrupt behavior, she gritted her teeth and took a step forward.

Being disliked by the king was a punishment worse than death, but she wanted even less for the king to make a wrong choice.

“Your Majesty.”

For the first time, Dominique called him not Master, but King.

“Remember Angela, whom you left on the surface. Your Majesty knows the importance of the mission entrusted to her, and we are deeply concerned about her well-being, bound by a blood contract. Please, Your Majesty, consider this.”

At this moment, she was not a lowly Naga maid, but a true advisor to the king. Her gracefully shining purple eyes were filled with determination, and her resonant voice was filled with undeniable loyalty.

This was a change and an awakening that she herself was unaware of.

The king, faced with the voice of his advisor, who had awakened as a true advisor, wore a troubled expression.

“Please regain your clarity and ensure that nothing is missed with your unclouded eyes.”

The king, who had been unable to hide his discomfort, nodded this time, unable to ignore her words.

But only for a moment. After bowing and stepping back, she felt a stinging gaze on her back.

Even without looking back, she could feel the king glaring at her with cold eyes.

After she left, he sat alone on the throne, surveying the somehow desolate Overlord’s Room.

The Overlord’s Room had been transformed into something incomparably more splendid than before, but at this moment, the view from the throne was not so pleasant.

“Composure…….”

He quietly mulled over Dominique’s words.

“If I’m so relaxed, my head won’t be left on my shoulders.”

His voice was as dry and parched as his expression, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

The year-long, desperate war had truly been hell. In those days, when all he could trust was his own body and the Nagas, distinguishing between friend and foe was meaningless.

The owners of the labyrinths were not at all loyal, despite the vassalage contracts, and were cunning. Although they had submitted to his power, many of the vassals wished for his downfall.

In a way, it was only natural. In this underground world where survival was a virtue, he was enjoying far too much and possessed great power.

His power and glory were enough to arouse the envy of the greedy.

After all, once he died, the unique dual-core nucleus and labyrinth in the underground would become unclaimed treasures. If they could get their hands on the Naga’s labyrinth, they could rule the entire ninth floor and wield power.

They wished for Kim Jin-woo’s death, and the Moai-infested underground was enough to put him in danger.

It was a lonely battle, and he had fought countless times, waiting for a helping hand that never came. When the battle was over, they would belatedly show their faces and apologize, but their dark intentions were all too clear.

So, he had stopped seeing the owners of the ninth floor’s labyrinths as allies.

And when he finally overcame all sorts of adversities, rose to the position of High Lord, and gained the Eye of Truth, he felt disgusted.

Greed, jealousy, hatred.

He remembered the gazes of the many who had been hiding all sorts of vile emotions and looking at him.

He was truly enraged by the hypocrisy of those who hid their greed behind their glittering eyes and coated their jealousy and hatred with smooth words.

So, he thought it was rather fortunate. He thought it was fortunate that they had become Rioters and were rampaging, giving him an excuse.

It was fortunate that the still incomplete Great Labyrinth could not accept them all.

“Heh.”

A burst of laughter escaped him. Those who had been gossiping behind his back with greed and hatred were now gone.

He gave a twisted smile, stared into the air for a moment, and then rose from his seat.

“Since there are things to take care of anyway…….”

He wasn’t following Dominique’s words. It wasn’t that he lacked composure, nor was he so weak that he would break down if he didn’t find it.

He was simply heading to the surface because there were things left to do there.

“Portal.”

The air split and a portal opened, and Kim Jin-woo stepped towards the surface. And at that moment, he felt an unknown sense of unease and groaned.