Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 193

Dungeon Journal-193

# 193

Dungeon Journal

Episode 194

“No way.”

Once again, my worries were confirmed. I couldn’t see Valishus, so I asked about his whereabouts, hoping against hope, only to be told that the test subject who had become a Moai [a large, monolithic human figure carved on the Chilean island of Rapa Nui] was indeed Valishus.

“This is driving me crazy.”

I had to commend them for their change of perspective, but the person who was supposed to be in charge of the research had become a Moai, and I was already getting a headache thinking about what to do. Even if I tried to obtain a new body through necromancy, I doubted whether I could properly handle the Moai’s body.

“Kyak! Kyak!”

Whether they knew about his worries or not, the Naga [a race of serpent-like beings] mages excitedly chattered, boasting about their achievements.

At this point, even the rational Kim Jin-woo was starting to wonder if they were spies sent by the Abyss Count.

“Sigh, is there a way to turn him back?”

The Naga mages nonchalantly assured him that they could just experiment on Valishus.

However, remembering the previous experiment where the flesh had failed to restore in the final stage and completely collapsed, it sounded like a death knell to him.

“I’d rather create a new Moai; Valishus is out of the question.”

Considering the usefulness of the army of the dead and necromancy, it was absolutely unacceptable, and he vehemently refused, causing the Naga mages’ eyes to gleam.

“What? You need test subjects?”

As if they had been aiming for this from the start, the Naga mages seized the opportunity and begged him for test subjects.

However, no summon would readily volunteer to have their perfectly good body ruined and turned into a Moai that might not even be restored.

“What about the Succubi [female demons]? They’re going to be used as sacrifices by the Queen of Nightmares anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to use them instead of the Nagas?”

Dominic, who had belatedly rushed over, grasped the situation and suggested a compromise.

Kim Jin-woo, who didn’t care about anyone who wasn’t part of his group, accepted her proposal.

“The Succubi were born thanks to Master’s grace in the first place; if they can be used effectively, they might find it rewarding.”

Thus, with the Succubi’s will disregarded, new test subjects were supplied to the Naga mages.

“Kyaaaaak!”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been watching the frenzied Naga mages with a complicated expression, discovered Down Jams scattered around the workshop and froze.

“Where did these come from?”

The relaxed expression from just moments ago was gone, and in his hand, he held a Down Jam that had lost its light.

Its appearance was exactly the same as the empty, shell-like Down Jams he had seen on the surface before.

***

The Down Jam shells were byproducts of the Naga mages’ process of artificially creating Moai.

When Kim Jin-woo learned this fact, he couldn’t help but think of the empty Down Jams held by the Explorer’s Association.

“Hmm……”

His mind was in turmoil. The Down Jams held by the Association might have been obtained from another underground world that had already lost its potential for regeneration.

No, that was much more likely. There was no way there were people like the Naga mages on the surface conducting such absurd experiments.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t separate the Association and the underground world in his mind.

So, he headed to the surface for the first time in a while. However, the new Association Master, Park Sung-jin, knew nothing about the empty Down Jams. Mr. Baek was the same.

It occurred to him that perhaps only the person behind the scenes that Song Jong-cheol had mentioned before his death knew the whole story.

However, Song Jong-cheol, who could have been a link, was no longer in this world, so there was no way to investigate further.

“Report on the situation so far.”

Just in case, he left various instructions and visited Yoon-hee in the surface labyrinth to check on her condition and Ricksha’s well-being.

“The labyrinth’s growth is slow because the environment is different from the underground world, but we’re still seeing some progress.”

Yoon-hee, who looked cheerful as she reported that the growth of the party hall was going smoothly, showed no signs of betrayal, contrary to his concerns, and Ricksha was safe under the protection of Morrigan [a figure from Irish folklore] and the mistletoe trees.

“This is driving me crazy. Something is definitely happening in a place I don’t know about, but I can’t figure it out.”

No matter how deep his doubts were, there was no way to find out immediately, so he informed Lee Jun-young of the general situation and instructed him to keep a close watch on the Association’s movements, ending his short outing.

The Great Labyrinth he returned to was unchanged. The only difference was that Ariane had locked herself in her quarters and gone into seclusion.

Kim Jin-woo could undo her seal as easily as twisting a child’s wrist, but knowing the general situation, he didn’t bother to check on her condition forcibly.

Perhaps she would only return when she no longer placed nightmares before the name of Nightmares.

Kim Jin-woo, who had set the table and was waiting for the rice to cook, felt an unbearable boredom.

The twisted ancient heroes were crouching outside the labyrinth, waiting for something, and the Great Labyrinth was still voraciously devouring intruders.

Except for the commotion caused by the Naga mages every day, the Great Labyrinth was too quiet.

“How boring.”

For him, who had lived through days of life-or-death struggles, it was a very dull time.

Perhaps that was why he was so glad to see someone break through the Moai horde and come to the Great Labyrinth.

“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well?”

The short body, the exaggerated greeting of waving short arms and legs, Kim Jin-woo’s face hardened when he saw the Imp [a small, mischievous devil].

“Seeing you in good health, my worries were all for naught.”

The Black Merchant’s fence greeted him with a bright smile.

***

“It has been a while.”

Despite the sudden visit, Kim Jin-woo was not flustered. Traces of the Black Merchant had already been discovered in the 10th floor labyrinth, so their return was expected.

So, he could accept the fence’s greeting with a stiff face.

“Oh dear, oh dear… It seems the Count is not happy to see me. I am so overjoyed that I don’t know what to do.”

The Black Merchant’s fence, whom he had met after a long time, was still flamboyant and shameless.

“Where have you been and what have you been doing to only come now?”

In fact, Kim Jin-woo had experienced quite a bit of trouble when they went into hiding because his dependence on the Black Merchant was not insignificant. In such a situation, there was no way his tone towards the fence would be pleasant.

“Oh my, why are you acting like you don’t know? The entire underground world is in an uproar because of that damned monster, and even the brave nobles are losing their strength. What kind of magic tricks do merchants like us have to wander around the underground world?”

Kim Jin-woo scoffed at the pretense.

The number of Moai gathered on the 9th floor alone was not small. The fact that they had broken through them and arrived here showed the potential of the Black Merchant.

“Clean up the Moai heads dangling from the mercenaries’ spear tips before you start talking.”

The Black Merchant’s escort, composed entirely of hero-grade summons, was bloody but showed no signs of fatigue.

“Oh my! You guys look terrible! Don’t confuse the eyes of such a precious person, and get rid of that hideous thing right away!”

Despite the fence’s threats, the mercenaries did not budge. They were on high alert, watching the numerous Nagas and hero-grade summons surrounding them.

“They seem to think that’s a trophy, so they don’t listen to me at all. As you know, they are very fierce and barbaric, so I’m having a hard time with them.”

The Black Merchant’s attitude of offering an apology that was not an apology was extremely natural.

However, the way he looked at the various aspects of the Great Labyrinth in the distance was very sharp, so Kim Jin-woo slowly raised his momentum and pressured the fence.

“Hoo, hoo.”

The escort mercenaries who followed the fence took a deep breath with stiff faces.

He showed an even more ferocious expression as he watched the mercenaries surreptitiously reach for the blades at their waists.

“If you draw, you die.”

This time, a truly murderous aura pressed down on the mercenaries. It was a spectacle to see hundreds of mercenaries overwhelmed and retreating by a single person.

The Black Merchant’s fence only let out a small exclamation after seeing all of that, and did not take any action. Looking at his narrowly opened eyes, it seemed like he was exploring the existence that he had changed into.

Kim Jin-woo hardened his expression and stepped forward at the unpleasant gaze.

He decided to set an example for the arrogant mercenaries before dealing with the shady fence and aroused his killing intent.

However, as always, the Black Merchant’s cunning fence intervened at the perfect timing.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t given you the gift yet.”

The fence, who had taken a step forward, rummaged through his arms with an innocent face as if he didn’t know anything about the surrounding atmosphere.

The comical sight of him putting his short arms into his plump chest and rummaging through his arms in a flamboyant manner made the fierce atmosphere pale.

“Our Black Merchant is sincerely pleased with the Count’s safety, and we have prepared a small gift with this in mind. Please accept it, even if it is a trivial gift, and do not reject it as worthless.”

He did not like the mercenaries who still had their hands on their sword hilts, showing their claws and teeth, but he stepped back at the right timing.

After all, dealing with the mercenaries was just a small act of venting, a mere side issue. It was time to bring up the main point.

“You have a long story, whether in the past or now. I wish you would slowly bring up the main point now.”

He didn’t even look at the small box that the fence had taken out, and he exaggeratedly expressed his discomfort and urged him.

“It seems that the Count has no desire for material possessions and is not very interested in gifts. Please accept it, young lady. I guarantee that the young lady’s master will absolutely love this item.”

The fence changed his target this time and handed the box to Dominic, who was watching from a slightly distant place.

“Come on, hurry up. I need you to receive this first so that it will be easier for me to talk.”

Dominic, who had been watching Kim Jin-woo’s intentions, quickly ran over and accepted the box with Kim Jin-woo’s permission.

“Open it.”

This time, Dominic opened the box without waiting for his permission.

“This is……”

She looked at the contents of the box and looked at her master with a surprised face.

“It’s a Count’s seal.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t think that it might be a noble’s seal at all. The Black Merchant always brought him the things he needed in an amazing way.

Moreover, if it was the Black Merchant who had swept away the nobles on the 10th floor, they would have so many noble seals that they would be rotting.

But even so, he thought it would be a Baron’s or Viscount’s seal, but he couldn’t even imagine a Count’s seal.

“What does this mean?”

The fence’s eyes sank deeply as he looked at him with a stiff face. The lightness he had shown until now was gone, and the fence, with eyes that shone like transparent glass beads, said in a low voice.

“The rank of Viscount is too insignificant for the commander of the great inheritance and the one and only conqueror of the underground world.”

In the past, he would have accepted the Count’s seal without any doubt. He had received the Baron’s seal like that, and he had also received the Viscount’s seal like that.

However, it was an unsuitable gift for him, who had already risen to the position of High Lord and abandoned the rank of underground noble.

“There is no need to think deeply. I just delivered it, and the Count just received the item. We have done our jobs, so isn’t what happens after that each other’s freedom?”

The fence said subtly as he looked at him, who had closed his mouth with a somewhat complicated feeling.

“So, do as you please, Count. Whether you accept the seal or leave it alone. Or else……”

The fence twitched one side of his mouth and showed a dry face.

“Eat it, for that matter.”