Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 217

Dungeon Journal – Episode 218

# 218

Dungeon Journal

Episode 218

Kim Jin-woo, who would usually try to accommodate Daedalus’s requests, found himself unable to answer easily this time.

This was because the Sea Dragon’s Heart was a precious item he had obtained after countless hardships. It was important enough to determine the future of the Naga race.

It wasn’t easy to readily give away such an important item.

“No way!”

Dominique, who rarely objected to his decisions, intervened and expressed her strong refusal. She didn’t want the Sea Dragon’s Heart, which held the future of their race, to fall into the hands of another.

Not only her, but also the Naga heroes, including Quantus, who had been silently doing their jobs, were glaring at Daedalus as if they wanted to devour him.

“I have never asked Master so earnestly. Please, Master…”

Seeing him hesitate, Dominique spoke in an almost pleading tone. But even so, Kim Jin-woo didn’t answer.

“What will change by doing that?”

“Master!”

“My King!”

Hopes and fears were mixed. The Nagas turned pale, and Daedalus smiled.

“It’s not just about strengthening the Nagas with the Sea Dragon’s Heart, but also about strengthening the Labyrinth itself once again.”

“That’s quite an appealing story.”

Now, despair was beginning to settle on the faces of the Nagas, including Dominique.

“Furthermore, I guarantee that the Nagas will achieve growth beyond what they could with just the Sea Dragon’s Heart.”

“Hoo, it’s all good things. But you know.”

Kim Jin-woo glanced at Dominique, who had her head bowed, and then looked back at Daedalus.

“If there are things to gain, there are also things to lose.”

A coldness was already present in his expression.

“State all the risks involved in such a task. I will listen to everything, and if I judge that there are no flaws, I will grant your request.”

Daedalus looked at him with an ambiguous face, not quite smiling or crying, as he gauged his reaction.

“But if I judge that your request is merely for your own vain desires…”

Blue light dripped from Kim Jin-woo’s eyes.

“I will tear you apart for the crime of insulting my beloved Nagas and feed you to the Great Labyrinth.”

At his words, Dominique, who had been bowing her head, suddenly raised her face.

“Master…”

“I was the king of the Nagas from the beginning, and I will remain the king of the Nagas in the future. So, you don’t have to worry too much.”

The Labyrinth, which started with a few Naga workers and soldiers, had now become a powerful labyrinth with thousands of troops, and he himself had risen to High Lord and received the True Name of Greed, but he still called himself the king of the Nagas.

This was because he believed that even if everything in this underground world turned its back on him, the Nagas would never betray him.

“My King!”

The Nagas, including Quantus, knelt down with faces full of emotion and praised him.

Only the Naga mages looked back and forth between Daedalus and the Sea Dragon’s Heart, with somewhat regretful expressions.

“So, you’d better tell me everything without hiding anything.”

As the atmosphere flowed in a different direction than he had expected, Daedalus rolled his eyes with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Speak quickly, I don’t have much time.”

Kim Jin-woo looked down at Daedalus with stern eyes and urged him.

“Well… there is a very minor risk.”

“Speak. Whether it’s minor or not is for me to judge after listening.”

As if he had given up everything, Daedalus closed his eyes tightly and revealed everything.

“If things go wrong, all the energy that should go to the growth of the Nagas may be absorbed by the Great Labyrinth. If that happens, the Nagas will not be able to achieve any growth. Of course, I am confident that in no case will the existing Nagas be in danger.”

It was a transparent story.

To Daedalus, who was obsessed with the Labyrinth, the future of the Naga race was just someone else’s story. From the beginning, he had only thought about growing the Great Labyrinth once again through the Sea Dragon’s Heart.

In other words, it was the same as weighing the future of the entire Naga race against the growth of the Great Labyrinth.

But to Kim Jin-woo, the Nagas were not just mere summons. He himself was the king of the Nagas, Nagaraja (Dragon King), before he was a High Lord.

“What are the chances of that happening?”

He had already made his decision. The question he was asking now was no different from a judge’s confirmation before executing a sentence. Daedalus, realizing all this, lowered his head in despair.

“Half… it’s half.”

With this, Daedalus’s fate was sealed. Although he had outstanding talent and Kim Jin-woo wanted to keep him by his side, Daedalus repeatedly hesitated, driven by his own selfish desires. If left unchecked, he was a being who would cause trouble someday.

“Imprison Daedalus and do not provide him with any convenience. Send the Big Head Dwarves to acquire his knowledge completely. His life and death will be decided after that.”

If it were the Frost Big Head Dwarves, who were imprinted with loyalty from birth, they would not attempt to deceive him like Daedalus.

“Master! Please wait a moment.”

But at that moment, unexpectedly, Dominique stopped Daedalus’s imprisonment.

“Are you dissatisfied that I am not summarily executing Daedalus?”

“How dare I argue with Master’s will? I am only asking you to give us a moment. I would like you to make a decision about Daedalus after that.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned for a moment at Dominique’s words, unsure of what she was thinking, but soon nodded.

“Thank you, Master!”

Dominique led the Naga heroes, including Quantus, out of the owner’s room. It seemed like they had something important to talk about, and it took a considerable amount of time for Dominique, who had left like that, to return.

“Is it done now?”

“Yes, Master.”

Dominique, who approached him lightly and knelt at his feet, suddenly spoke in a serious voice.

“Please accept Daedalus’s proposal.”

What was this all about? He had a dumbfounded look on his face for a moment at the unexpected words.

Dominique explained the will of the clan to him in a coherent manner.

“In fact, our clan has been feeling sorry lately that we have not been of great help to Master. Even Quantus, the strongest among us, cannot match the crows, let alone other hero-level summons, so the situation will only get worse in the future.”

“You were thinking that? But as long as the Sea Dragon’s Heart is in my hands, those worries will be over.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at Dominique’s voice, which contained even sorrow, as he had not guessed that they had been thinking that way.

Her words were undoubtedly true.

In fact, only the Dragon Knight unit was doing its part, and the Naga heroes were not making any significant contributions.

If they were to encounter the elite of the Deep Layers in the future, the helpless state of the Naga heroes would only worsen.

Knowing this fact well, Kim Jin-woo was also trying to use the Sea Dragon’s Heart as soon as possible.

However, Dominique dissuaded him from imprisoning Daedalus, saying that even if they used the Sea Dragon’s Heart, they didn’t know how much help they could be.

Her logic was that with normal growth, the Nagas could not reach the strength of the summons from the 12th floor.

“Even if the future of our clan completely disappears as a price for this, we will never resent Master. Rather, we are more afraid that we will not be of help to Master even after using the Sea Dragon’s Heart that Master worked so hard to obtain.”

Quantus also stepped forward and repeatedly emphasized that the entire Naga clan agreed with her opinion.

“Please accept our request and make our clan not ashamed of Master.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been contemplating for a long time, turned his gaze to Daedalus.

The dwarf, who had returned alive from the edge of the cliff, was making an expression of anticipation, shining his eyes. His face was so hateful that he frowned.

“Daedalus.”

“Speak.”

Daedalus answered calmly, trying his best to hold back the corners of his mouth, which were full of joy.

“I will give you a chance.”

Daedalus’s face brightened.

“Absolutely change the half probability you mentioned. If you do, I will no longer hold you accountable for the crime of deceiving me and deceiving my loyal warriors.”

But that was only for a moment, and Daedalus’s face turned white at the following words.

If such a thing was possible in the first place, he would not have incurred the wrath of the Lord. At his words to make the impossible possible, the dwarf hurriedly opened his mouth.

“That’s…”

“I will not accept any objections. If you cannot follow my words, I will immediately extract all of your knowledge and use your useless body, torn into a thousand pieces, as food for the Guardian Dragon.”

At the firm tone that left no room for doubt, Daedalus eventually bowed his head.

***

Thanks to the commotion, the use of the Sea Dragon’s Heart was postponed again.

In a situation where nearby labyrinths might rise up at any time, new power was desperately needed, but he decided to push himself a little for the Nagas.

If the gamble was successful and Daedalus completed his mission, there would be nothing better than that, so there was enough reason to take the risk.

Kim Jin-woo, who had barely settled the complicated problem, was faced with another new problem.

“Rikshasha is acting strange!”

Lee Jun-young, who was assigned to the labyrinth on the surface, came to him with a flustered face.

“Rikshasha?”

She had taken refuge on the surface to avoid the possible clutches of Dinarion.

As a descendant of the Fairy Lord and related to the succession of the High Lord, she was that important.

But Kim Jin-woo couldn’t help but be surprised to hear that something had happened to her.

He hurriedly visited the labyrinth on the surface and groaned when he saw Rikshasha lying down as if suffering from a fever and unable to get up.

“M-Master. Humble servant…”

“Just lie down.”

Rikshasha’s body, which was trying to force herself up, was soaked with sweat.

Her already pale face had turned blue like that of a corpse, and her lips had turned purple, making her look like she would die at any moment.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. She was fine until a few days ago, but she started to ail about two weeks ago and suddenly collapsed and wouldn’t get up.”

Morrigan, who was in charge of close protection, reported the situation with a bitter face. And Kim Jin-woo’s face, after hearing the story, hardened like a stone.

Two weeks ago was when the first restoration occurred in the underground world.

Could it be a coincidence that Rikshasha, who is deeply related to the succession of the Fairy Lord, collapsed at the right time?

He couldn’t shake the feeling that her fainting and the succession of the High Lord were deeply related.

“Anything else strange?”

Kim Jin-woo, who was looking at Rikshasha’s pale face as she had fallen asleep again, asked Morrigan. But she had no way to explain this sudden situation.

It was the mistletoe trees that had been placed on the surface that solved his question.

“She is the noblest of the fairy bloodline. She was not in the necessary place at the necessary time, so if she continues like this, she will wither and die day by day.”

As the wisest sages in the underground world, the mistletoe trees seemed to know something about Rikshasha’s condition.

“What do you mean?”

The mistletoe trees answered in unison.

“The promised time is near, but she has not been able to deliver the seed that she must deliver because she has not found a suitable owner, so the seed is germinating on its own and eating away at her weak body.”