Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 213

Dungeon Journal – Episode 214

# 213

Dungeon Journal

Episode 214

It was a message he had seen several times, but that didn’t diminish its significance. Kim Jin-woo focused, staring intently at the flashing window.

[The labyrinth architect’s quest and desire to reach the truth were genuine. That pure obsession with the truth has finally touched the mysteries of the underground.]

Just how much did Daedalus desire and yearn for this, that the mysteries of the underground intervened? He knew Daedalus’s desire was as strong as that of the Naga mages, perhaps even to the point of madness.

[The Great Labyrinth’s grade has increased once again.]

[The Great Labyrinth’s grade has changed from ‘Rare’ to ‘Unique’.]

[The Labyrinth of Greed will now embark on its own unique path of growth. All abilities the labyrinth gains in this process will be unique and never found in the Great Labyrinths of other High Lords.]

[The labyrinth architect’s wish has interfered with the unique ability the Great Labyrinth will gain.]

[The Great Labyrinth has gained the unique ability, ‘Reversal’.]

[You can now completely reverse the structure of the labyrinth by using half of the energy stored in the core.]

[Unfortunately, you cannot yet use the Great Labyrinth’s unique ability.]

[The unique ability, ‘Reversal,’ has been deactivated.]

[The moment the Great Labyrinth acknowledges you as its true master and submits, the locked unique ability will be activated.]

The Great Labyrinth had feigned submission and even fawned over him because of the Spear of Mana, but it seemed it hadn’t truly submitted. The message stated that activating the unique ability depended on true submission and domination.

Koo-o-o-o-o-o.

The moment the message ended, the Great Labyrinth suddenly roared again. However, this roar felt completely different.

The warm breeze that had celebrated the labyrinth’s upgrade turned into a biting wind, and the entire labyrinth began to exude malice.

“He’s so easy to read.”

He thought he had finally uncovered its insidious intentions and suppressed its malice, but the intervention of the mysteries of the underground had reset everything.

The Great Labyrinth, which had bowed before the growing monarch and the majesty of the Spear of Mana, bared its fangs once more as soon as its grade increased.

“Ah….”

Dominique and the other summons staggered, their faces pale from the thick, sinister malice.

Daedalus and the Big Head Dwarves, who had been jumping for joy, also hesitated and fled from the Owner’s Room.

Kuaaaaaaaa!

The Great Labyrinth roared again, boasting its power, and Kim Jin-woo, who was sitting on the throne, jumped up at the arrogant roar.

“Now that it’s come to this, I have to see it through to the end.”

In the past, he would have been consumed by malice and his consciousness muddled, but now he had grown and awakened, and he was no longer shaken.

The Great Labyrinth had grown two stages, but he had achieved even more than that, so he intended to completely subdue the Great Labyrinth this time.

“Let’s see who has grown more, you or me, this time.”

As he gripped the Spear of Mana and steeled his will, the spear, which had been only 1 meter long, instantly grew to 4 meters, and the shaft, which had been awkwardly bent, stood upright, emitting an aura that was incomparable to usual.

The spearhead, which had been swaying like a leaf at the end of the spear, also straightened its blade and trembled violently.

Chrararararara.

Every time the spearhead trembled, it sounded as if thousands of trees were swaying in the wind.

Kuaaaaaaaa.

The Great Labyrinth roared once more, and Kim Jin-woo slowly closed his eyes instead of fiercely shouting back.

Soon, his vision went dark, and even the Great Labyrinth’s roar, which seemed to tear his eardrums, disappeared.

And at that moment, he reached the realm of will, beyond the physical body.

Krrr.

In a world of complete darkness, a hungry beast suddenly appeared.

A grotesque beast that was neither a snake nor a dragon. The way it licked its lips, its black snout wide open, was extremely greedy.

You are greed itself.

Kim Jin-woo glared, facing the foul-smelling breath. His black eyes shone blue, and blue flames began to burn wherever his gaze reached.

At that moment, the black beast, Greed, roared and charged.

He watched Greed rush in so quickly and raised the Spear of Mana. The Spear of Mana, which had grown to over 4 meters, aimed at the beast’s heart.

If it had been the old me, I would have already rushed forward.

Kim Jin-woo thrust the spearhead, thinking of something that did not suit the urgent situation.

Kyahhhhhhhhh!

The Spear of Mana roared, and the spearhead pierced the beast’s chest accurately.

Keee.

With an unpleasant scream, the black body scattered like smoke.

Too futile an end for such a fierce momentum. Instead of rejoicing in victory, he smiled coldly and readjusted his grip on the spear with both hands.

Suddenly.

Red eyes appeared in the darkness where nothing had been. And the eyes that appeared were not just one.

Fierce growls flowed out from all directions, front, back, left, and right, and all around was filled with the foul odor spewed out by the black beasts.

“I’ll go first this time.”

He whispered quietly, not even twitching an eyebrow at the suddenly proliferated Greed. At that moment, the Spear of Mana, Gungnir, rushed in once more, aiming for the enemy’s heart.

***

[You have won the battle!]

[As its reputation suggests, the roaring Spear of Mana, Gungnir, never misses the enemy’s heart. Thanks to it, you were able to subdue a difficult opponent without much difficulty.]

[The ferocious beast that wanted to dominate you is now a well-behaved watchdog. The fangs of greed will never be directed at you again.]

[Although it was a victory achieved in a place no one knows, your achievement of kneeling one of the twelve ancient beasts is invaluable.]

[Charisma has increased tremendously. Dignity befitting a monarch now settles in your voice. The loyalty of summons has increased, and there is no longer any fear of betrayal from the different races residing in the Great Labyrinth.]

[You have gained the ability ‘Monarch’s Edict’.]

[Once a month, you can now suggest to your summons to follow you. Summons under suggestion will unconditionally believe and follow your words, and may even produce results that transcend their abilities in order to prove their loyalty to you.]

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the expression ‘twelve ancient beasts’. He guessed that the ancient beasts were the authority of the High Lords themselves. Considering that the Great Labyrinth and his true name were not different, the possibility that his thought was wrong was not high.

But as far as he knew, the number of High Lords that existed in ancient times was ten in total. It did not match the number twelve.

No, he even doubted whether the authority of greed had existed since ancient times.

Because all the beings of the underground, and the system, had said that the number of ancient monarchs was ten. He felt his head getting complicated and pondered repeatedly, but the question was not resolved.

[Congratulations. You have finally become the complete master of the Great Labyrinth!]

[The Labyrinth of Greed has finally recognized you as its master. You have succeeded in completely dominating the ego of the Great Labyrinth!]

[You can now construct labyrinth facilities through the energy stored in the core!]

[Locked facilities are now appearing in the list!]

[The Great Labyrinth’s unique ability, which had been deactivated, has been activated!]

[You can now use the unique ability, ‘Reversal’!]

On the day he knelt the beast called Greed, Kim Jin-woo was finally able to become the true master of the Great Labyrinth.

***

The Great Labyrinth, which came under Kim Jin-woo’s complete control, developed dazzlingly.

The Great Labyrinth, which had already been enhanced by Daedalus’s hands, was constantly filled with the sound of Naga workers tinkering, and buildings and facilities were springing up every day.

In this way, the Great Labyrinth was transformed into a fortress existing in the underground.

“Oh! The Big Head Dwarves seem to have done their part!”

Mimir, who had come after a long time, admired the changed Great Labyrinth.

He stroked the sparkling ice walls of the labyrinth several times, saying that even the Great Labyrinth ruled by the One-Eyed Monarch was not this splendid and beautiful.

“Well, you could say that.”

Kim Jin-woo didn’t bother to explain the relationship between the Labyrinth of Greed and himself. Instead, he mentioned the situation in the depths that he had seen and asked Mimir for that information.

“Originally, we were going to distribute them to the dukes first, but for some reason, the dukes’ reactions are not very enthusiastic.”

Mimir complained that the dukes he had been aiming for didn’t show much interest in the Great Labyrinth’s replicas, which disrupted his plans, so he had to consider the counts as well.

“Then you received payment from the counts?”

“We received Down Gems first, and the insufficient amount was paid with treasures. And the remaining amount is still being collected by sending tax collectors.”

The way he was talking like a loan shark wasn’t a very good sight, but from his point of view, it was more profitable the more the counts overdid it to pay the price. He hoped that Mimir would oppress the counts as viciously as possible.

“I see. Was this what you meant by the depths shaking?”

“That’s not possible. The counts’ finances have been disrupted, but the existing forces are not going anywhere. The years they have reigned in the depths are too long to shake their roots with just this.”

“Well, I’ve been sick of seeing their power for the past year. It won’t be easy.”

“But as powerful as they are, the counts are arrogant and heavy-handed. They didn’t even care when the lower nobles at the entrance of the depths were completely wiped out, so you can see how arrogant they are, right?”

Perhaps because his identity had been revealed, Mimir showed a bitter face that he had never shown before.

Mimir’s eyes, which acknowledged the counts’ power but mocked their arrogance, were dangerous.

“They’ll be cut off their hands and feet and blinded and deaf while they’re stretching out like that. And in my opinion, that time doesn’t seem too far away.”

As soon as he heard that, Kim Jin-woo was sure. Mimir’s plan didn’t include the fake Great Labyrinth without an owner.

Mimir had simply sold the fake Great Labyrinth to stiffen the counts’ financial management capabilities, and he was clearly not thinking any deeper.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put in so much effort, leaving the counts’ labyrinths, which would naturally come to the table if he waited.

“I see.”

Kim Jin-woo hid his true feelings and listened to the information about the depths that Mimir was spouting.

***

Not long after Mimir returned, another guest arrived. The visit of the guest who came in this way was not sudden.

The guest, who had already been promised a long time ago, had only come now, but Kim Jin-woo had completely forgotten about it because the situation had been so busy.

“You’ve come.”

The guest standing at the entrance of the Great Labyrinth looked around the changed labyrinth with bewildered eyes, and then froze as he found him.

“It’s been a while.”

At his words, the guest rolled his eyes, still frozen, and looked only at his feet.

The golden scales were faded and less noble, but the straight neck and strong limbs were a humble sight that did not suit the magnificent appearance.

“Yes, you ran away without a word, and now we meet again like this.”

A voice full of laughter. But soon his attitude changed. A cold light of contempt flickered in his cold eyes, and the corners of his mouth were twisted with ridicule.

“Nice to meet you. Orthea, the runaway.”