Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 179

Dungeon Journal – Episode 180

# 179

Dungeon Journal

Episode 180

Bang!

Before the scream could even finish, the door shattered into pieces. Beyond the splintered wood, a blue light flickered ominously.

“Ah!”

A scream erupted right beside him, but Song Jong-cheol couldn’t move. An immense pressure, rendering him unable to even twitch a finger, pinned him in place.

Thud, thud.

The sound of wood fragments scattered on the floor being crushed echoed in his ears. Song Jong-cheol shuddered at the horrifying sound, as if it were burrowing into his eardrums.

“You…”

“I should have done this from the start; I took too many detours.”

Before he could even finish the single word he managed to squeeze out, a low voice reached him. Kim Jin-woo, covered in blood, appeared before Song Jong-cheol.

“Nice to see you, Song Jong-cheol.”

He stared intently at Song Jong-cheol with eyes overflowing with blue light, then grinned.

“You treacherous bastard.”

The moment Song Jong-cheol saw the eerie smile on Kim Jin-woo’s face, his vision blurred. He quickly played his trump card.

“Don’t you care what happens to your adoptive father?”

He thought that Kim Jin-woo, who cherished his family, would be swayed by his words. But even that was a futile hope.

“I was hoping you’d show some backbone at the very end.”

Only after hearing the emphasized word ‘end’ did he realize that all the measures he had prepared were useless.

He quickly sat down on the floor and pleaded.

“I didn’t want to do it! I was just following orders from above…”

Before he could finish speaking, his vision flashed, and a terrible pain surged through him, followed by nausea.

White fragments of teeth fell along with bright red blood. Song Jong-cheol clutched his completely shattered jaw and screamed.

“I never thought you’d be the ringleader anyway.”

Kim Jin-woo said as he strode closer.

“W-wait a minute!”

Fearing that he would be killed without any negotiation or deal, Song Jong-cheol pleaded, clutching his rattling jaw.

“I-I’ll tell you everything I know!”

He slammed his head on the floor and desperately clung to him.

“I’ll do anything you want! Money, fame, power! I’ll give you everything you want! No, if you’re not interested in the surface world, I’ll fulfill any wish you have in the Underworld! Behind me is someone you can’t even imagine…”

“I’m not interested, you bastard.”

Song Jong-cheol’s head shot up at the chilling voice. He couldn’t bear the feeling of something tickling the back of his head.

And in that moment, he saw Kim Jin-woo raising his right foot.

Bang!

The corpse with its shattered head trembled, its limbs twitching. Kim Jin-woo stared at the scene without a change in expression. Then, his gaze swept around the office as if searching.

“Why don’t you show yourself already?”

There was nothing to be seen but the corpse, but Kim Jin-woo was staring intently at one corner of the office as if someone were there.

“You’ll regret it if you keep testing me.”

“I see you noticed.”

Surprisingly, the air rippled, and a parched voice echoed.

“Are you just going to hide and run your mouth?”

“I’m a coward, you see. I don’t have the guts to show myself before an enraged High Lord.”

The moment the word ‘High Lord’ came out, Kim Jin-woo’s murderous intent intensified.

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down. I’m not your enemy.”

With a rustling sound, the voice faded away. Narrowing his eyes, he scanned the surroundings. When he no longer sensed any presence, he took a long breath and suppressed his murderous aura.

“Since you know my identity, it seems this will be a long story.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to get information from Song Jong-cheol than from me?”

“That’s true, but usually, these guys try to stall for time at the end, and you’re likely to get backstabbed.”

As he said that, Kim Jin-woo’s gaze stopped somewhere in the air. The voice, which had seemed ready to applaud and agree, fell silent instead.

It seemed they were worried about their location being discovered.

But he didn’t budge at such shallow tactics.

“And as for information…”

He gestured, glancing slightly at the empty air.

Flap!

Before the sound of flapping wings could even end, Morrigan appeared. She grabbed the neck of a strange being that hadn’t existed until just moments ago.

“It’s easier to get it from the Underworld.”

***

Kim Jin-woo left the Association after finishing his business.

After selecting and eliminating only those deeply involved in the Association’s affairs through Park Seong-jin, there were no survivors left in the Association building.

The inside of the Association was so rotten that it was beyond repair, and the Dungeon Babies were also corrupt.

So, he had to completely revise his plan to take over the Association. Absorbing such a rotten Association would yield nothing, and he was bothered by the figures behind Song Jong-cheol.

“Ugh, can you let me go now?”

The unidentified being, who had suffered from Morrigan’s rough grip until he completely left the Association, continued to groan.

“Let him go.”

Judging that the area was now deserted enough and sufficient for conversation, Kim Jin-woo readily granted the request.

The unidentified man coughed dryly a few times and belatedly introduced himself.

“I may have seen you a few times during the last war, but this is the first time I’m greeting you like this. Nice to meet you, Great Conqueror. I am Tyrenon, the messenger of Brunhilde, the Countess of the 11th floor, the Lord of Wisdom, and the Queen of Sages.”

The man who introduced himself as Tyrenon had a gaunt body and unusually pale skin, making him look like a dried-up corpse, but at first glance, he didn’t seem much different from a human.

“Seeing the majesty of the Inheritor before my eyes like this, I realize the rumors were not exaggerated at all.”

Tyrenon waved his emaciated arms wildly, striking what he thought was a splendid pose.

“If it isn’t a messenger sent by the Lord of Corruption.”

“The name ‘Corruption’ is just a name made up by those who don’t know Brunhilde well. It’s not a name that suits the wisest and most benevolent queen in the Underworld.”

Tyrenon’s exaggerated words were ridiculous, but there was no hint of a smile on Kim Jin-woo’s face.

Brunhilde was one of the dignified Counts of the 11th floor and the most unknown of them all. Meeting her messenger on the surface, not in the Underworld, made his head spin.

“So, what brings the wise queen’s messenger to the surface?”

Kim Jin-woo’s eyes gleamed like glass beads. The Eye of Truth had been activated for a long time, and he was watching Tyrenon’s every move.

Perhaps feeling uneasy about the gaze, Tyrenon subtly avoided his eyes but didn’t stop talking.

“Honestly, I want to tell you everything, but the Queen doesn’t like those who are loose-lipped.”

“Wouldn’t it be more detrimental to displease me than the Queen who is far away right now?”

Tyrenon feigned distress at the subtle threat.

“How can a small fry like me endure if you speak so harshly? Please have mercy and protect my loyalty.”

Even as he made dying noises, Tyrenon’s eyes gleamed slyly.

“Then, I will ask a few questions within the bounds of your loyalty. If you don’t answer even these, I won’t be able to hold back any longer, so think carefully before answering.”

Kim Jin-woo drew a firm line and declared that there would be no further concessions. Tyrenon could no longer avoid answering and quietly waited for his questions.

“How did you know I became a High Lord?”

“I just knew it the moment I saw you.”

“Then does your master also know this fact?”

When he robbed the Association’s vault a while ago, he had felt a strange gaze.

At the time, it was a presence that even the Parasite couldn’t detect, so he didn’t pay much attention to it, but after meeting Tyrenon today, he became certain.

This sly Underworld envoy had already seen him that day.

“The Queen knows everything, so she must know this as well.”

It was a somewhat vague answer, but he didn’t delve further and asked another question.

“What is your relationship with Song Jong-cheol?”

“He and I were just in a relationship of buying and selling what we needed.”

“Is the backer Song Jong-cheol mentioned the Lord of Corruption?”

“Would the great lord of the Underworld back a mere human?”

“Then is it your master’s intention to deliver the Labyrinth Core to Song Jong-cheol and his gang?”

“There was just a Labyrinth Core among the items for trade; there was no other intention.”

“Are there any other humans you are trading with besides Song Jong-cheol?”

“If the price is right, who wouldn’t I trade with?”

Tyrenon was now answering with complete ease, as the questions were less significant than he had thought.

Kim Jin-woo’s questions continued for a long time after that, and Tyrenon answered without difficulty. And when the questions and answers were over, he readily let Tyrenon go.

“The Queen is also very interested in the High Lord, who is the great conqueror and commander of the Inheritors. If you allow it, may I build a bridge [establish a connection or relationship]?”

He didn’t answer, but Tyrenon disappeared with a delighted face as if he had received approval.

“Didn’t you let him go too easily? If he tells his master about the fact that you are the High Lord, you might be in trouble.”

Morrigan stared at the spot where Tyrenon had disappeared and expressed her concern.

“The Lord of Corruption probably already knows that I have become the High Lord. Just because I prevent him from returning doesn’t mean that what he already knows will become unknown.”

“That guy is not just an ordinary messenger. If you try to catch him again next time, you probably won’t be able to catch him at all. It would have been a great help if you had forced him to spit out information, even if it was against his will.”

Morrigan seemed to regret letting Tyrenon go so easily. But Kim Jin-woo shook his head at her.

Tyrenon’s concealment wasn’t exposed because he lacked ability. He had deliberately revealed his presence from the beginning with the intention of showing himself to him.

He didn’t know that at first, but he became certain when he saw Tyrenon’s concealment ability after leaving his last greeting.

Neither Morrigan nor he could find the disappeared Tyrenon. If he was discovered, it was because he had decided to appear himself.

It seemed that Tyrenon, or his master, had something planned. And Kim Jin-woo already knew what that plan was.

What they want is probably the secret behind the High Lord’s power, or the power itself. Just as Anatolius did, and just as Parthenon and Dinarion did, Brunhilde would be the same.

“What’s the point of telling me to do my best to keep it a secret? Everyone knows about the High Lord.”

At this rate, the message window telling him to hide from the eyes of the Usurper was becoming ridiculous. But this situation wasn’t necessarily bad.

As long as the Counts of the 11th floor want the power of the High Lord, they won’t stop trying to hide the 9th floor from the Usurper’s gaze.

So, he sometimes pressured Tyrenon, who mixed lies and truths in his answers, with the presence of the High Lord, and sometimes pretended to be fooled and played along.

There was no reason to make an enemy of the Lord of Corruption right now.

In the current situation, it would be better to exploit their moderate greed.

“The one who laughs last is the real winner.”

Kim Jin-woo, staring at the spot where Tyrenon had disappeared, wore a chilling expression.