Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 252

Dungeon Chronicle – Part 253

# 253

Dungeon Chronicle

“He’s more sensitive than he looks.”

Kim Jin-woo clicked his tongue, watching the Duke slowly approaching.

To sense the energy that leaked out in that brief moment meant he was quite perceptive, contrary to his dull appearance.

Thump. Thump.

The ground trembled. Each step was extraordinary, befitting his large size. In the blink of an eye, a massive thigh was right in front of him.

Stretching his neck to look up, he saw two yellow eyes gleaming down at him.

“He’s damn big.”

He had been acting weak, pretending to have defeated Luyang by luck, but this time, he was genuinely daunted.

The oppressive feeling from the massive, muscular body that seemed to support the passage was unlike anything he had felt before.

It wasn’t just the size; it was the immense presence.

It felt like a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down from above. A formidable presence that couldn’t be compared to the likes of Luyang.

This was the true presence of the Duke.

He straightened his back without realizing it.

Woo-woo-woo-woo.

The Duke spoke softly. That small action alone made the surrounding air shudder.

“Translate.”

The Imp girl, completely overwhelmed and unable to even lift her head, showed little sign of regaining her senses despite his words.

He sighed softly and slowly raised his energy. The energy he had been carefully concealing leaked out, engulfing the surroundings.

It was different from the Duke’s violent presence that dominated the space itself. The energy that silently devoured the surroundings was denser and darker.

The Duke, who had been looking down at him with an arrogant face, showed a brief flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Ah…”

The Imp girl, who had been pale with fright, finally let out a suppressed breath.

“Translate.”

Kim Jin-woo urged again, without even turning his head. The Imp girl, barely free from the Duke’s presence, belatedly snapped to attention and spoke as if being chased.

“I have been wanting to meet you, Commander of the Inheritance.”

He hesitated for a moment. Should he continue to play the lucky opportunist as he had been doing, or should he reveal some of his power since things had come to this point? He couldn’t decide.

But the hesitation didn’t last long.

“Good grief. Everyone I meet says they’ve been wanting to meet me. It’s embarrassing.”

The pair of yellow eyes, revealing his inner violence, didn’t seem naive enough to be fooled by such a shallow act.

“In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you. King of the Blind Warriors, Ruler of the Tarus.”

He cast off the guise of a cowardly opportunist that he had shown to the Tarus until now and faced the Duke with an utterly expressionless face.

***

The conversation with the Duke wasn’t long. But in that short time, Kim Jin-woo gained quite a bit. He raised the corners of his mouth, recalling the conversation with the Duke.

“Isn’t it interesting?”

He spoke as if he couldn’t contain his joy. The summoned creatures, who hadn’t properly heard the conversation with the Duke, tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.

“The Ursus, with their cunning, are obviously thinking of something. They’re undoubtedly setting a trap and waiting for us. It’s just a question of what you hope to gain by taking advantage of the chaos.”

Unlike his dull appearance, the King of the Tarus was quite perceptive.

“But whatever it is, the Ursus will not be able to give it to you. Because I will be the victor.”

Moreover, he was arrogant. The Duke was confident that he could crush everything, even though he had already anticipated the Ursus’ trap.

He even had the *yoyuu* [余裕, Japanese for ‘余裕’, meaning composure or余裕] to offer a deal to a suspicious ally.

“It is solely up to you to decide whether to enjoy glory alongside the victor or drink poison with the loser. However, you must bear the responsibility for that choice alone.”

Kim Jin-woo, recalling the unfathomable yellow eyes, once again bared his teeth and smiled.

“Anyway, it’s going to be fun.”

The Duke would never know that what he desired was not just the spoils to be divided at the end, but victory itself.

He was the Commander of the Inheritance, but before that, he was the Lord of Greed.

***

The advance of the Tarus, joined by the Duke, was unstoppable.

They moved as one, maintaining only a minimal scouting force, and the entire underground world focused on the movement of the tens of thousands of troops.

“So many have gathered.”

Angela, with her sensitive senses, couldn’t seem to relax, bothered by the presence of spies hidden in the darkness.

“Two Dukes are fighting a battle of fate. It would be stranger if attention wasn’t focused on it.”

Kim Jin-woo soothed her appropriately, watching the King of the Tarus leading the army with a dignified air in front.

“It seems like they’ve gathered as much force as they can.”

There was no need to rush, especially since the Ursus were waiting with a trap, but with so much attention focused on them, it was impossible to avoid exposing their strength.

But as if to mock his concerns, the advance of the Tarus was excruciatingly slow.

The leisurely pace seemed as if they were waiting for something, and he frowned.

“Think. Figure it out.”

He desperately racked his brain, wondering what he was missing.

This war, involving two Dukes and a High Lord, was by no means a small war. Even the rulers of the deeper levels beyond the 9th floor were showing interest.

The outcome of this war would determine the shape of the 9th floor. The victor would gain immense spoils and rise to become a powerful force encompassing the entire 9th floor. A formidable power, among the top in all levels, would be created in a single war.

And as brilliant as the victor’s glory would be, the shadow of the loser would naturally be deep. If they hadn’t started in the first place, it might have been different, but now they had no choice but to exert all their strength, even to the point of desperation.

“Ah…”

The moment his thoughts reached that point, Kim Jin-woo realized what he had been missing.

The ruler of the West, Satyrus; the ruler of the North, Tarus; the ruler of the South, Ursus; and the Great Labyrinth in the center. Among these, the Satyrus had already fallen and been incorporated into the Great Labyrinth. That meant that virtually all the rulers of the 9th floor were participating in this war.

Except for one, the ruler of the East Labyrinth.

***

If the Duke’s confidence he had shown was not just a bluff but genuine, he couldn’t help but consider the worst-case scenario.

In the underground world, where nothing was certain, it was always too late to move when signs appeared. He knew that fact all too well, and so he moved without hesitation.

He secretly sent Angela to convey his concerns to the Ursus, while also requesting information from Mimir.

He also put more effort into the search operations of the Gluttonous Masses and the Under Elf Rangers.

In less than a day, he realized that his concerns were true.

“Damn it. The main target wasn’t us from the start.”

Rickshasha and Mimir confirmed the presence of a large army approaching from the East. But the direction of that army was strangely ambiguous.

“The direction they are heading is too vague. As it stands, it is impossible to tell whether their target is the Ursus in the South or the Great Labyrinth in the center.”

Morrigan expressed her concern with a very serious face. The enemy’s advance route, ambiguously straddling the center and south of the 9th floor, was threatening.

“Ugh.”

He hadn’t been careless. Assuming that things could go wrong at any time, he had considered all possible scenarios and made every effort to be able to withdraw at any moment.

But despite that, as always, the situation began to unfold differently from his expectations.

“Well, if he had shown only the degree of sincerity he had shown when making the initial secret agreement, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to bring in the East Labyrinth.”

Because he was bearing everything alone, he had overlooked something so absurd. He felt the absence of Dominique, who had always assisted him by his side, all the more keenly.

But instead of dwelling on past mistakes and blaming himself, he quickly pondered his next move.

“Morrigan, you and Heimdall lead the summoned creatures and return to the Great Labyrinth. In the worst-case scenario, you must buy time until I return.”

The Tarus would not stand idly by and watch the main force of the alliance withdraw, especially with a major battle ahead.

But he intended to send all the hero-grade summoned creatures, including Morrigan, back to the Great Labyrinth, even if it meant pushing himself.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? In the worst-case scenario, you may be surrounded and attacked by the Tarus.”

Kim Jin-woo was confident that he could escape even if that situation arose. However, the title of Inheritance that he would have to sacrifice in return was painful.

“The only time to retreat is now. If it is before the battle begins, your honor will be protected.”

“No, the King of the Tarus is not an easy opponent. He is a true powerhouse who cannot be compared to Luyang.”

He gave a bitter smile. It wasn’t just the Tarus and Ursus who had their feet stuck in the mud.

“I can’t open a portal, and I can’t escape. The moment I show any signs, they might try to deal with me first before attacking the Ursus.”

Just as he had done, they would have to make the alliance a wreck to be satisfied. Only then would there be no room left to harbor foolish thoughts.

“I’ll manage the situation here with just Angela and the Vampires. So, you all go back and do your best to prepare for a possible attack.”

“Please take care of yourself.”

In the end, all the hero-grade summoned creatures, including Morrigan, returned. All that remained were the Vampires who had come here with Angela.

They sensed the rapidly changing atmosphere and wore heavy expressions. They seemed genuinely worried about the future in the midst of an army of forces, none of whom could be taken lightly.

The current battlefield was far too harsh for the Mock Vampires, who couldn’t even guarantee victory against a single low-ranking Tarus soldier.

They were agitated, and because the Queen of True Blood was absent, they showed that agitation without restraint.

“They say they can’t see the Crows and Warriors. They’re asking where they’ve gone.”

“Tell them there was an unusual movement, so I sent them back to the Labyrinth.”

Since Kim Jin-woo had already shown some of his true colors when he faced the Duke, he no longer paid attention to the messenger.

“They say they are heading to the Ursus’ Labyrinth, so there is no need to worry, and they are demanding that you summon them back immediately…”

As expected, the Tarus already knew about the movements of the army approaching from the East.

If there was any gain, it was that, but he revealed his uncomfortable inner feelings rather than feeling pleased.

“I, their master, remain here with 2,000 troops. Does that mean that even the movements of a single subordinate must be approved by you?”

The Imp girl translated his sharp retort, sweating profusely. As he subtly exuded his presence and applied pressure, the Tarus’ messenger stammered, overwhelmed by his sudden change in attitude, and retreated.

The messenger returned as if fleeing, intimidated by his sudden change in attitude, but the Tarus’ protests did not end. The Duke himself came to visit immediately after the messenger returned.

“He says he cannot understand the intention of sending back the main force ahead of the decisive battle…”

The Imp girl was completely pale at the Duke’s fierce presence.

“He says that if all you have are worthless fake Vampires, you are not qualified to be an ally.”

The Duke’s words were reasonable in their own way. Although there were 2,000 Vampires, they were beings who were even embarrassing to consider as a force.

In the end, Kim Jin-woo quelled the Duke’s dissatisfaction by completely revealing his hidden presence.

“Whether they are here or not, the force does not change. After all, 90% of this side’s force is occupied by me.”

It was excessively arrogant for someone speaking in front of a dignified ruler of the deep levels, but the Duke did not object. He simply cast a wary gaze, looking somewhat surprised. In any case, he succeeded in convincing the Duke and was able to quell his dissatisfaction.

“Master!”

Then Angela returned. Angela said that the Ursus already knew about the existence of the army advancing from the East, and that it wasn’t just the master who had been hedging his bets.

“Now that things have come to this, we have to create as much chaos as possible.”

The plan had been completely derailed, but he had not yet run out of the cards he had prepared. He took out his trump card, which he had intended to save for later if possible.

“Now is the time for you to regain your honor.”

At his words, a giant who had been hiding among the Vampires suddenly revealed himself. The golden scales revealed beneath the deeply pressed hood gleamed brightly.