Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 228

Dungeon Journal-Episode 228

# 228

Dungeon Journal

Episode 229

His shoulders slumped, his face was etched with fatigue, and even his breaths came in heavy, weary sighs.

“I’m going crazy.”

The grumble he’d been holding back finally escaped.

“I’d rather be down in the Underworld, trading blows with the Dukes. That would be more comforting than this.”

Angela smiled brightly at his uncharacteristic moment of weakness.

“If only you hadn’t said such things… Haa, never mind.”

He scowled at her irritating face, then sighed, his voice trailing off.

His family, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, were as warm and affectionate as ever. Their embrace was so comforting that the troublesome issues of the Underworld quickly faded into the distance.

If it weren’t for Angela, he would be laughing and chatting amidst his family’s warmth, wearing a blissful expression.

“I’m really going insane.”

But now, the embarrassment he felt outweighed the warmth his family had provided. They treated Angela as if she were already his daughter-in-law, never leaving him alone for a moment.

“You’re not getting any younger, shouldn’t you be thinking about settling down soon?”

“She’s a good girl. Don’t let her get away and regret it. Your mother and father want to see their grandchildren before they get too old.”

Thinking of his mother and father, who had pressured him with unprecedented resolve, he couldn’t help but find Angela, with her carefree smile, incredibly annoying.

“What’s wrong with that? It might not be so bad to play the dutiful son for once.”

He couldn’t tell what had happened to Angela while she was on the surface, but she was speaking and acting like a surface dweller [a human from Earth].

He couldn’t be sure if it was the influence of the dramas she enjoyed watching or if it was her true nature, but it was true that she had become more difficult to deal with than before.

“Stop talking nonsense, Angela.”

The words he managed to squeeze out sounded ambiguous, neither angry nor complaining.

“Aren’t you curious, Master?”

Angela, who had been grinning, suddenly turned serious.

“I wonder how amazing the child who inherits a part of you will be.”

Dominique had also suggested that he should have descendants. And Kim Jin-woo was feeling the same discomfort he had felt back then.

The concept of heirs among the beings of the Underworld had a rather cold aspect, unlike the affectionate notions on the surface. It felt like adding another useful piece to a chessboard. It was a thought he couldn’t empathize with.

“I don’t want my child to be tied to this wretched Underworld.”

That was his honest feeling.

“But you are already a being of the Underworld, Master.”

However, she didn’t seem willing to stop there. A terribly cold reality flowed from her red lips.

“Whether you want it or not, that fact doesn’t change.”

“Then I’d rather not have children at all.”

If there was no way to escape, he would rather end everything with his generation. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. But Angela simply smiled.

Her smile seemed to mock him, as if saying he would never get his way, and he felt annoyed, but he pursed his lips and said nothing more.

***

「Yes, we will proceed with that matter.」

The gate issue on the second floor was resolved by Park Sung-jin reinforcing his forces to block the entrance.

The Chinese Seekers, who were constantly eyeing the Underworld of Korea, had suffered a significant blow, so they would be cautious for the time being.

Even if they didn’t hold back, it wouldn’t matter.

According to the information Ryu Zhifeng had confessed, the one who orchestrated this was Lü Yang, the Duke-class labyrinth’s ruler, the master of a labyrinth connected to the Great Labyrinth.

And he intended to shake Lü Yang up.

But before that, there was something he had to do first.

***

[The Parasitic Mana has sensed danger.]

[A hunting ground of the terrifying Antlion, a monstrous beast that devours even existence itself, has been discovered. This large and greedy monster has survived even the terrible earthquakes and boasts an unchanging, gruesome appetite.]

After wandering around for a long time due to the changed terrain, he finally managed to find the Antlion, which was completely different from before.

The already enormous body had become even more massive, as large as the widened passage, and the monster, which had been lying flat on the ground waiting for prey, was now fully exposed.

The dry, crumbly skin, the thick torso, and the massive maw filled with saw-like teeth, it was truly a grotesque sight.

“Disgusting.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the sight of the Antlion’s true form. Even in the Underworld, filled with bizarre and hideous monsters, its appearance was exceptionally repulsive, making him feel queasy.

But he didn’t take his eyes off the Antlion until the end.

The Antlion was doing something so outrageous that he couldn’t have imagined it, and it was a spectacle he wouldn’t see again.

[This monster of the Underworld, which has devoured countless beings, is now trying to add another unlucky labyrinth to its list of victims.]

[The Antlion is now trying to devour an entire labyrinth.]

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the Antlion was just starting its meal when he arrived. And that meal was not a creature, but the labyrinth itself.

Even Kim Jin-woo, who had known from the start that the monster was extraordinary, was astonished by the sight.

The Antlion, whether he was surprised or not, didn’t pay him any attention and focused on its task.

Crunch.

The passage shattered, and the poorly constructed entrance of the labyrinth was sucked into the monster’s maw.

Crunch, crunch.

The monster gnawed away at the outer parts of the nameless labyrinth, bit by bit, as if it were eating a biscuit.

First the entrance, then the passage, and then the warehouses and various facilities, which must have been built with considerable effort, were swallowed into the Antlion’s maw.

And finally, the core of the labyrinth was revealed, and the Antlion crunched its jaws more voraciously than ever.

“Kkeuaaak!”

The owner of the nameless labyrinth, trying to stop the monster by any means, was sucked into the massive maw with a scream, crushed, and finally, the entire labyrinth was devoured by the Antlion.

“Keueuk.”

And it let out a foul-smelling breath, as if burping.

“Oh, dear.”

Just as the Antlion was about to burrow back into the ground after finishing its meal, Kim Jin-woo barely managed to regain his senses. He belatedly remembered his purpose and stepped forward in front of the monster.

The Antlion, having just finished its meal, seemed full and stared blankly at him for a while.

But that was only for a moment. As if its insatiable appetite wouldn’t go away, it soon opened its hideous maw and lunged at him.

At that moment, Kim Jin-woo unleashed the full presence of the High Lord and whispered softly.

“Stop.”

As always, his voice, filled with his full force, became a will, an irresistible command, a Word of Power.

[The Antlion resists the Word of Power.]

[But unfortunately, the Antlion is a creature with low intelligence and a weak will compared to its immense physique. The monster, which only chases and devours prey according to its instincts, has failed to resist your Word of Power.]

[You have succeeded in stopping the Antlion.]

[The Antlion is temporarily listening to your words.]

Chasing the messages that appeared before his eyes, he whispered once more.

“Become my subordinate.”

[The Antlion is a creature with very poor social skills. The word ‘subordinate’ was too difficult and incomprehensible for the dim-witted monster, which only distinguished everything by whether it could be eaten or not.]

[It has failed to convey the meaning, but it has vaguely begun to feel that it must obey your command. The Antlion is very confused by this unprecedented experience.]

[If you don’t subdue it quickly, the confused monster may run wild.]

Just when he thought it had been caught surprisingly easily, the Antlion’s lack of intelligence and social skills held it back.

Seeing the monster stiffen its head again and show signs of rampaging, Kim Jin-woo took a step forward.

“Follow me, and I will make sure you are well-fed.”

[The words you have given to the Antlion, which is only moved by its appetite, were extremely effective.]

[The Antlion is very tempted.]

As expected of a stupid monster, simple commands were more effective.

“I will show you a place with delicious food that can’t even be compared to what you just ate.”

[The Antlion has now become completely interested in your words.]

Slurp.

The Antlion drooled thickly and leaned its face closer, as if wanting to hear his words from even closer.

***

Kuaaaaa.

Kim Jin-woo looked exhausted at the sight of the Antlion rampaging. It was not easy to lead a dim-witted monster.

The Antlion was truly stupid.

Just when it seemed to be listening well, it would often forget his commands and try to pounce on him, revealing its appetite as if it were the first time they had met.

Each time, he had to use the power of the Word of Power to coax the monster again, so the journey from the 10th floor to the 9th floor was by no means easy.

Even he, who was quite skilled, was suffering from headaches due to the side effects of overusing the Word of Power, and he had to consider giving up several times.

But now, it felt as if the arduous journey was being fully rewarded.

“Kkeuaaaak!”

Satyrs, monsters with the bodies of goats and humans, and the heads of eagles, were caught up in the Antlion’s rampage, crushed, torn to pieces, and passed into its large throat.

Crunch, crunch.

Fifteen Satyrs became the monster’s meal, and Kim Jin-woo clapped his hands and watched the scene.

Lü Yang would be out of his mind for a while. Unless the Duke himself stepped in, that voracious monster would continue to rampage, and the Satyrs would suffer considerable damage before realizing that fact.

“Ah.”

Kim Jin-woo, lost in thought, suddenly raised his head as he felt a foul-smelling breath getting closer.

[The Antlion is smacking its lips as it looks at you.]

[It has just finished its meal, but it was not enough to satisfy the Antlion’s hungry stomach after a long journey.]

[The Antlion has recognized you as food.]

But his joy was short-lived, and he had to dodge the monster’s head lunging at him.

“You damn thing!”

The monster was too stupid.

***

The Antlion was subdued again by the Word of Power. It was clear that it wouldn’t last long, but Kim Jin-woo didn’t care anymore since Lü Yang’s labyrinth was close by.

From now on, it would be Lü Yang and the Satyrs, not him, who would have to deal with the Antlion.

Without hesitation, he slipped away and headed for the Great Labyrinth.

Arriving at the Great Labyrinth, he left Valisha and Daedalus’s unfinished research behind and went straight to find Angela.

“The ritual is all prepared.”

Angela greeted him with flushed cheeks.