Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 226

Dungeon Journal – Chapter 227

# 227

“We finally arrived!”

Bang Junhyuk cheered, his gaze darting between the open space in the distance and the map provided by the Association.

“Huh? But why does the atmosphere feel so hostile?”

The open space, large enough to be a schoolyard, teemed with Seekers. But the air was thick with tension.

Shiny blades glinted under the installed lights, and the Seekers’ eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity, mirroring the weapons in their hands.

The group strained their eyes, trying to understand the situation, but the sheer number of Seekers blocked their view, leaving them completely in the dark.

Frustrated, they pushed their way to the front of the crowd.

“What on earth…”

Bang Junhyuk, seeing the venomous look on a Seeker’s face, started to ask what was happening but stopped short. He finally had a clear view of the scene.

“Those crazy Chinese bastards…”

His shock was momentary. Bang Junhyuk drew his weapon, his face hardening with a murderous expression.

“Looks like a fight broke out before we got here. Some of our Seekers are down, and there are Chinese guys standing over them,” Lee Junyoung explained to Kim Jinwoo, having already scouted ahead.

“Apparently, the Association has asked them to avoid using force if possible, so they’re hesitant to act rashly.”

“That’s bullshit. Association or not, if they were going to step up, they would have already. It’s just an excuse.”

He could see it clearly. The Korean Seekers were intimidated. They had their weapons drawn and their eyes flashed with anger, but none of them radiated the focused intent of someone about to attack.

“A scared dog barks louder than it bites.”

“That’s…”

Lee Junyoung looked slightly ashamed at his harsh words. Of course, she knew. It was obvious that the usually aggressive Seekers were only putting on a show of defiance.

The Korean Seekers had their reasons for hesitating.

First, the sheer number of Chinese Seekers was overwhelming.

Most Seekers had scattered to search for other gates due to the Association’s reward, so only about a hundred had gathered in front of this gate.

The Chinese Seekers, on the other hand, numbered more than twice that. It was hard not to be intimidated.

Moreover, the Korean Seekers had a significant disadvantage: a lack of Deep Layer Dungeon Babies [Seekers who specialize in exploring the deepest, most dangerous parts of dungeons].

Unfortunately, China, with its massive population, had plenty of Deep Layer Dungeon Babies.

They weren’t mindless attack dogs willing to fight a losing battle. They were like wild wolves, prioritizing survival. Given their disadvantage, they had to postpone their revenge.

But Kim Jinwoo had no intention of waiting.

“I don’t like this.”

The sight of the man shouting loudly in front of him was particularly irritating.

He disliked seeing the Korean Seekers, unable to act and merely grinding their teeth, and he disliked the arrogant, noisy Chinese Seekers even more.

But if he had to choose which annoyed him more, he would point to the loud man without hesitation.

He wasn’t sure if it was a newfound sense of national pride or some ridiculous feeling of camaraderie, but the man’s voice grated on his nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.

He soon understood why.

[The opponent’s energy is familiar.]

[Although the scent is faint, the energy emanating from the opponent’s body is definitely that of a Nether Noble [A being of high status from the Netherworld]. The energy is too weak to be a Count and somewhat strong to be a Baron. Clearly, the opponent’s aura has its roots in the dignity of a lower noble.]

[The opponent is definitely a Nether Viscount.]

The man was a Nether Noble, a Viscount. The moment he realized this, he understood the source of his anger.

He was annoyed by the sight of a lowly Viscount blustering in front of him.

“Master?”

Lee Junyoung, seeing his cold expression and the slow build-up of his aura, was surprised and instinctively called him Master, then quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

***

It wasn’t as if Bang Junhyuk knew the Dungeon Baby rolling on the floor. Nevertheless, he felt a surge of anger.

“Damn Chinese bastards.”

But he couldn’t vent his anger. The power imbalance was too great to act freely. He had no choice but to bide his time.

“Ah…”

He belatedly remembered the Level 12 Dungeon Baby who had accompanied him and briefly entertained a flicker of hope, but quickly dismissed it.

“That’s bullshit. Association or not, if they were going to step up, they would have already. It’s just an excuse.”

Hearing the bitter voice and harsh words, he knew the Deep Layer Dungeon Baby wouldn’t intervene. The contempt in the tone was unmistakable.

But only for a moment. He widened his eyes and turned his head at the sound of footsteps cutting through the commotion.

“Move.”

Kim Jinwoo stood directly behind him, having approached unnoticed. At his sharp command, he involuntarily stepped back, and others unconsciously made way.

“Argh!”

As he reached the front of the group, a scream, not a jeer, erupted from the mouth of the Chinese Dungeon Baby who had been so confidently boasting.

“It’s good to show off your meager strength.”

He wrinkled his nose, looking down at the man who was belatedly trying to endure the pain and prepare for a fight.

“But you should have been more careful about the time and place.”

Screams began to echo from among the Chinese Seekers.

***

Initially, Kim Jinwoo had planned to leave after dealing with the arrogant man and restoring some semblance of order.

His purpose was to see the gate and assess the situation, and he had already accomplished some of his goals.

But he quickly changed his mind.

[The opponent’s energy is familiar. I sense the energy of the lowest-ranking Nether Noble in the opponent’s body.]

[The opponent’s energy is familiar. I sense the energy of the lowest-ranking Nether Noble in the opponent’s body.]

[The opponent’s energy is familiar. I sense the energy of a low-ranking Nether Noble in the opponent’s body.]

[The opponent’s energy is familiar. I sense the energy of the lowest-ranking Nether Noble in the opponent’s body.]

Surprisingly, many of the Chinese Seekers possessed the status of Nether Nobles. Anyone with a slightly stronger aura invariably had traces of Nether Noble energy. He was kept busy weaving through the enemy lines.

“Kkyooooot!”

Some were bold enough to attack him, but none could withstand the High Lord’s strike and were quickly sent sprawling.

“Ughhhhh.”

How long had he been engaged in this one-sided beatdown? By the time nearly twenty Chinese Seekers were writhing on the ground, no one dared to bare their teeth at him.

Just as the Korean Seekers had felt the power imbalance and lowered their heads, the Chinese Seekers gave up resisting. Nearly 200 Dungeon Babies knelt before him.

Kim Jinwoo’s expression remained unchanged. He wasn’t satisfied with this minor victory. It was more important to understand why so many Nether Nobles were among the Chinese Seekers.

But there was an immediate problem. He was Korean, and they were Chinese. They couldn’t understand each other.

“Is there anyone here who can speak Chinese?”

At his question, the Seekers’ gazes turned to a bloodied Seeker lying on the floor.

“Damn it.”

No wonder the Association executive was nowhere to be seen; it seemed he was the first casualty.

***

「Ugh, well done.」

Park Sungjin groaned as Kim Jinwoo, having taken the injured executive away from the gate, explained the situation.

“You asked me for two things. One was to confirm the existence of another gate. And the other was…”

「To crush any possible Chinese provocations.」

He might have been a little excessive, but he felt justified.

「Ah, don’t misunderstand. I was just worried about the fallout. What I was going to ask you to do wasn’t much different.」

Park Sungjin explained that a clash was inevitable and that it was better to be the one doing the stomping.

“Still, isn’t it problematic that we’re essentially blocking one of China’s gates?”

「Well, that’s the justification. The truth is that China has so much land that they have quite a few gates. There are over 40 official gates, and some have single-layer structures with disconnected inter-floor connections. It seems that the gate discovered this time is one of those.」

The government subtly hoped that the Association would prevent China from taking over another gate in Korea.

From his perspective, the diplomatic fallout didn’t matter much, but he had to prevent the government from discarding the Association, which he had painstakingly absorbed.

「We’re preparing on our end as well, so don’t worry too much.」

Kim Jinwoo, having wrapped up the troublesome conversation, ended the call after requesting a Chinese interpreter.

“Master!”

As soon as the call ended, a soft object collided with him.

“Angela.”

The vampire with honey-colored hair, Angela, rubbed her cheek against his chest.

“I missed you so much.”

“I sent you enough blood.”

He had been too busy with surface affairs to visit, so he had sent her blood transfusion packs several times.

Thanks to that, she looked healthy, despite not seeing her master in a long time.

“That’s only enough to barely keep me alive. I missed Master, not Master’s blood.”

Angela puffed out her cheeks, looking disappointed. But seeing her licking her lips and her eyes shining, he didn’t quite believe her.

“Ugh.”

He ended the reunion by offering his wrist. Angela, having savored every last drop of blood, belatedly asked the reason for his visit.

“I wish you had called because you missed me, but that’s unlikely. What’s wrong?”

“I have a favor to ask. And I wanted to ask about Father and Mother’s well-being.”

He hadn’t been able to visit because he was busy with Nether affairs, but he was curious about his adoptive parents.

“Father is completely healthy now, and Mother is doing well too.”

“What? Father, Mother?”

Kim Jinwoo frowned at the awkward titles as his cell phone rang.

“Mother…”

「You heartless fellow, aren’t you even thinking of coming home anymore?」

In a situation where excuses were useless, he could only apologize.

「Okay, come by sometime. Your new daughter-in-law wants to meet you, so make sure you’re home so you don’t miss each other.」

“New daughter-in-law?”

He asked in shock, and Angela, standing right in front of him, pointed at herself.