Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 248

Dungeon Journal- Episode 249

# 249

Dungeon Journal

88. Playing Both Sides

“This is just great…….”

Kim Jin-woo chuckled, watching Tarus and Ursus glaring at each other, growling fiercely. They were acting like children, whining for him to take their side.

But he couldn’t keep laughing forever.

The situation might seem amusing now, but this was a war waged by Grand Dukes of the Deep. A war where blood would splatter and flesh would fly, a war where tens of thousands of summons could be torn apart without a trace. That horrific war was right around the corner.

And they were the ones hosting that terrible war. Just because they looked childish and ridiculous now didn’t change their true nature.

In fact, the vampires and other forces he had deployed as a precaution were stiff with fear, utterly overwhelmed by their wild energy.

“What am I going to do with this?”

Even though he knew exactly what they wanted, Kim Jin-woo pretended not to know, playing dumb. This only made the envoys from both sides more anxious.

Ursus’s side, having a prior agreement, seemed relatively relaxed, but Tarus’s side was restless, desperate to get a definite answer from him.

“They hope that if you cannot help them, you will at least not interfere in this war,” the imp girl, who still hadn’t left the Great Labyrinth since that day, translated Tarus’s words, carefully watching the white bears.

“It’s ridiculous to just stand by when they’re making such a ruckus in my labyrinth’s front yard, isn’t it?”

The two labyrinths, which had initially fought quite far away, had recently advanced to the vicinity of the Great Labyrinth, battling so close that the stench of blood was palpable with just a turn of the head.

It was only natural, as the Great Labyrinth was at the center of the war between the northern and southern labyrinths.

“They are sorry about that. But they say that with the white bears standing firm, they can’t avoid them and choose another battlefield.”

“That’s the same for us! You’re just rampaging maniacs who complain that the underground is too small!”

A fierce roar, unlike the usual gentle white bear. If left unchecked, they would continue to tear each other apart with harsh words.

Kim Jin-woo, who had already endured their bickering for quite some time, quickly grew annoyed and shifted the increasingly hostile atmosphere.

“Since the place where you’re causing trouble is practically the front yard of my labyrinth, it’s hard to turn a blind eye to your misdeeds.”

It was a rather arrogant and overbearing attitude, but the envoys from both sides didn’t complain.

After all, they were in a situation where they needed all the strength they could get, and it wouldn’t be wise to provoke the powerful Saturos slayer who had recently risen to prominence.

“So, I have a proposal for you.”

Kim Jin-woo thought. The power of the Grand Dukes and their labyrinths was probably evenly matched.

The Tarus and Ursus clans, who had clearly been in conflict for quite some time, still hadn’t reached a conclusion, and this war was likely to end as just another one of their many clashes.

He didn’t want the war to end like that. But he didn’t want either side to win decisively either.

Looking back at his own rapid growth after absorbing Luyang’s power, he knew that the victor would gain a great deal.

And having such a rapidly rising labyrinth remain near the Great Labyrinth was not a good thing.

So, he proposed.

“There’s a suitable space not too far from here, roughly in the middle of your labyrinths to the north and south. How about settling your conflict there?”

It was a statement that could be heard as either arrogant and presumptuous, as if he were an observer or a mediator.

But Tarus and Ursus obeyed his proposal without complaint. They were probably burdened by causing a disturbance in the front yard of the powerful Saturos slayer.

Having a battlefield prepared where they could fight to their hearts’ content, they seemed rather pleased.

After that, individual meetings took place. The envoys from both sides requested support and promised many rewards.

Ursus offered to divide all the spoils of war equally and maintain close cooperation in the future, while Tarus promised to hand over the Down Gem and various treasures they possessed immediately.

Neither offer was disadvantageous. Considering the situation, the proposals from these Grand Dukes were quite extraordinary.

They were willing to sacrifice pride and material losses, as long as they could defeat the opposing labyrinth.

Kim Jin-woo was very pleased with the situation, and he gladly accepted their proposals.

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

Angela spoke to him after the envoys had all returned.

“What don’t you know?”

“I can’t figure out which side Master will take. I’ve been thinking about it, but I just can’t tell.”

It was no wonder she was confused. After all, he had given positive answers to both sides’ envoys.

“Well.”

“The conditions offered by the Tarus are a great opportunity to replenish the labyrinth’s currently lacking finances. But the Ursus’s proposal is also attractive. The biggest jackpot is always obtained by plundering on a battlefield where the outcome is decided. We have nothing to lose, no matter which side we help.”

She laid out her thoughts in her own way. Kim Jin-woo simply nodded at her words.

“Ah, I can’t stand this frustration. Can’t you just tell me clearly?”

Angela, who had been making various guesses, finally revealed her 답답한 속내 [frustrated feelings].

“Angela, even though those two are watching my every move right now, I don’t think they truly acknowledge my power. For example, they only sent envoys, and the Grand Dukes themselves haven’t even shown their faces.”

If they really recognized the Great Labyrinth as a powerful opponent, the Grand Dukes themselves should have come to persuade him. But they tried to finish the matter by sending envoys to the end.

“They think that once they win this war, they can crush someone like me at any time.”

“But aren’t the Ursus already in a secret agreement with the Black Merchant? They’re supposed to be quite trustworthy…….”

Kim Jin-woo laughed at Angela’s words.

“A secret agreement? And trustworthy? You’re talking nonsense.”

What word is more meaningless than trust in the underground? The ancient underground, which valued honor and faith, had already perished, and all that remained was an underground full of beasts eager to devour each other.

And the two Grand Dukes were the apex predators among those beasts. How long would the two predators, who had filled their bellies with the entrails and flesh of their prey, just pat their full stomachs?

The Grand Dukes Kim Jin-woo knew were beings who never knew satisfaction. They would soon abandon their secret agreements like worn-out shoes and bare their teeth at new prey.

And when that happened, the Great Labyrinth would be in a precarious situation.

The summons of the Great Labyrinth would not be able to stand against the white bears and bulls, and the two Grand Dukes, who had not yet revealed themselves, would not easily expose themselves to danger like the insane Luyang.

He didn’t know any secret strategies to overcome the situation.

So, he was planning to block such a situation from the source.

“How…….”

Angela still didn’t understand his intentions and had a face full of curiosity.

“It’s simple.”

Kim Jin-woo smiled, revealing his teeth.

“I’ll make both the winner and the loser completely tattered.”

The two beasts would be so busy tearing at each other’s vitals that they wouldn’t be able to turn their heads until the very end.

They wouldn’t be able to turn the muzzles that were biting into each other’s throats until the moment the hunter approached with a net and a spear.

Because if they showed an opening, the fangs embedded in their throats would tear them to shreds.

“So, I’m going to make the war even bigger.”

He seemed to have something planned in advance, giving a confident smile.

***

“What does that…….”

“Wise Ursus clan envoy. Think about it.”

The Ursus envoy rattled his huge muzzle, unable to hide his bewildered expression.

“Since the outcome won’t be decided in a single battle, what difference does it make to add one more victory? Your drawn-out war won’t end anyway.”

The white bear rolled his eyes at the lengthy explanation.

Even though the underground had become wider since the earthquake, there was no battlefield where those giant monsters could stick together and fight by the tens of thousands.

In the end, even if they won the war, they would only deplete the enemy’s forces to some extent. Moreover, as long as the leader was alive and well, those wealthy Grand Dukes would replenish the lacking summons at any time and send them back to the battlefield.

An endless war, that was why the Ursus and Tarus had never been able to stop their long, long war.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to make the 판 [game/situation] even bigger?”

Even a Grand Duke-level labyrinth with Down Gems rotting away had damages that could never be recovered.

And Kim Jin-woo revealed his plan to lure out and annihilate a large number of Tarus’s forces.

“So, I’ll pretend to side with the Tarus at first. When they gain an ally and become arrogant, you should give the Tarus a fake defeat.”

When the Tarus, intoxicated with victory, become thirsty for even greater victories, that will be the time when the long war is decided.

“When they try to end the war by taking advantage of the momentum, I will side with you again.”

The Ursus didn’t give an immediate answer.

They must have been desperate to end the war, but they couldn’t grasp how much damage they would have to endure to show enough weakness for the Tarus to plan a total offensive.

The Ursus envoy, after meeting his master and returning, finally answered that he would follow his proposal.

“I hope you are not a 승냥이 [sly person] who is riding on a momentary whim.”

The Ursus’s expression was not pleasant, perhaps because he didn’t like his plan, which was based on the blood of his clan.

Kim Jin-woo, who had negotiated with the Ursus envoys, also made a secret agreement with the Tarus. The only difference from the white bears was that he told them that he would help the Tarus with all his might from the beginning.

The Tarus sent the promised Down Gems and precious items with very satisfied faces, and Kim Jin-woo sent them back with a smiling face.

That was what had happened just a few days ago.

The battlefield was prepared quite far from the Great Labyrinth. It was the largest of the open spaces created after the last earthquake, making it a suitable place for huge creatures to clash on a large scale.

“You don’t have any complaints about this, do you?”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, the Ursus and Tarus nodded with satisfied faces. They weren’t fools, and there must have been many things holding them back from fighting near the powerful labyrinth.

“Then start whenever you feel like it.”

At his nonchalant words, the bulls and white bears sent meaningful glances.

“Wow, is this what they call 양다리 [two-timing]? Master, you’re such a bad boy. How much of a sense of loss will they feel later when they find out they’ve been deceived?”

Kim Jin-woo nonchalantly retorted, watching Angela, who was spouting nonsense as if she had picked it up from a drama.

“It’s not 양다리 [two-timing]. I never dated either of them in the first place.”

Angela made a blissful face at the shameless answer. She seemed very much looking forward to the festival her master had prepared.

Well, she was a vampire. A festival full of blood would be nothing short of a blissful party.

“It looks like they’re about to start.”

Each with 5,000 white bears and bulls roared, signaling the start of the battle.