Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 256

Dungeon Journal-Episode 257

90. The Red Castle

Kim Jin-woo was the first to notice something hidden amidst the heightened malice and fighting spirit of the fierce battle beginning to reveal itself.

He sensed a wave of immense energy suddenly emerging from the intensified military spirit and quickly realized it was a trap set by the Ursus.

But there was nothing he could do. By the time he sensed the ominous signs, it was already too late.

“Evade!”

The explosion was instantaneous, and all he could manage was a hurried warning and the release of his suppressed High Lord power.

콰앙!

Flash, roar, and impact. The world turned white with heat that felt like it would melt his body.

***

The Dragon Lord was not keen on this expedition. Venturing beyond the floor was always dangerous, even for a powerful duke, and the fact that monsters no less formidable than himself lurked on the 9th floor made him hesitate.

Even the valiant descendants of the Dragon race, who knew no fear, tried to dissuade him.

But he had no choice but to step forward.

Without realizing it, his gaze followed a Drakon who shone particularly golden among the three thousand Drakons.

The last descendant of the Gold Dragon lineage, the prince who would stand at the pinnacle of ten thousand Drakons, his son, was there.

“Hmm.”

A rare, heavy sigh escaped him; his feelings were complex as he looked at his proud descendant.

The evidence of diluted blood, a half-baked individual who lacked spirit and valor and had only inherited a decent appearance—that was his son.

And that half-baked Drakon was the cause of all this.

If it weren’t for that reckless Ortea, he, the taciturn one, would not have been bound by Dragon Words [a magical contract enforced by dragons].

But there was no choice. Only a descendant of the Gold Dragon could lead thousands of Drakons, and even if he was half-baked, Ortea was undoubtedly a precious being who inherited the blood of the Gold Dragon.

Even if many of the clan were sacrificed due to this decision, they had to avoid severing the link that could unite the Drakons.

The clan’s power was immense, but the savagery of the underground could not be underestimated, even by the descendants of the mighty dragon.

“All Dragon Knights have completed their formation.”

The Drakons, who had crossed the portal hastily prepared by the Black Merchant, reported after completing their formation.

“All Dragon Knights, advance. Direction: North.”

At the Dragon Lord’s quiet command, a thousand Drakons began to move forward in unison.

Charrrr.

Suddenly, his scales bristled. The Dragon Lord soon knew why.

Gooooooo.

His body reacted involuntarily to the intense wave of energy felt from somewhere so distant that he couldn’t even grasp how far away it was.

“What is this….”

***

“Ah.”

Morigan, who had been guarding the Naga eggs with fiery eyes, froze. She wasn’t the only one. Balzac, who had been tossing his head on the floor to alleviate his boredom, and Heimdall, who was preening his feathers with his strong beak, all froze like her.

“The connection with Master is severed….”

The summons, who lived only for their master, had lost their connection with him.

“Could he have gone to the surface….”

Balzac hesitated to speak, but Morigan shook her head before he could finish.

“No, it’s different.”

They didn’t have the ability to exchange telepathy with their master. They had no means to grasp his intentions like a king’s proxy. But even so, they could feel their master’s presence.

But now, that connection was completely severed. The fullness in the corner of their hearts, which they felt even when their master went to the surface and the connection became faint, had disappeared.

A terrible feeling, as if the world had collapsed, as if a part of their body had been cut off and left empty. Morigan knew very well when she felt this way.

She had felt the same sensation when she lost the one-eyed lord, the great ruler and her master.

“Ah, no. Not again….”

Morigan, who was usually arrogant beyond confidence, shuddered at the terrible sense of loss.

“Calm down, Morigan.”

Balzac, at least, straightened his head, which had been rolling on the floor, and spoke.

“If something had happened to Master, the Labyrinth wouldn’t be intact, would it?”

Come to think of it, the Labyrinth, which should have stopped functioning with the demise of its lord, was still standing.

***

“Master! Master!”

Kim Jin-woo could barely react to the shrill scream that pierced through his dreamlike, hazy senses.

“Ah, Angela?”

“Master, are you alright?”

No matter how many times he blinked, all he could see was pitch-black darkness.

The floating sensation, already disorienting as if he were wandering in a dream, combined with the lack of vision, made it feel incredibly unreal.

In that world of darkness, Angela, with her honey-colored hair and pale face, suddenly appeared.

“Where is this?”

He hadn’t lost consciousness, but his memory was hazy.

“This is the Reverse Side.”

“The Reverse Side?”

He only knew how to distinguish between the Upper, Lower, and Deep Layers; he had never heard of the Reverse Side. As he looked bewildered, Angela calmly explained.

“The negative boundary that exists between layers. The world of the Reverse Side, where only those with True Blood can enter.”

He continued, “The lords who once ruled the underground were not all High Lords from the beginning. Some were recognized for their power and later ascended to the position of High Lord; he was the Vampire of True Blood, the Ruler of Darkness.”

“The Lord of True Blood left nothing behind….”

“To be precise, it’s not that he left nothing behind, but that no one knew.”

From the moment she stepped into this place, she seemed completely different, so relaxed. Moreover, that wasn’t the only strange thing.

The Lord of True Blood, unlike other High Lords who scattered even fragments, left no trace in the underground, let alone fragments.

Yet, she was talking about True Blood as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

When he asked her about this, she immediately replied.

“I just knew it automatically.”

It wasn’t strange. Gaining authority was instantaneous, and the moment you gained it, you couldn’t help but know.

“Shall I tell you what else I’ve learned?”

Angela shrugged her shoulders with a face that seemed to say she was enjoying herself to death. It was hard to believe that just a moment ago, she had been on a battlefield where blood was spurting and flesh was flying.

“I told you, didn’t I? That only those with True Blood can enter this place.”

She said, as if singing, that because she had obtained True Blood while maintaining her blood contract, she had achieved an imperfect awakening, allowing her master to enter the Reverse Side.

“In other words, the only people who have entered this place since ancient times are you and me, Master.”

Her words sparked a fire in his mind.

“Could it be that….”

As he trailed off in a dazed tone, Angela laughed gleefully.

“That’s right. This is a place that no one has ever found.”

Her white fingertips pointed to somewhere far away.

“It is the tomb of a king and the labyrinth of a forgotten High Lord.”

The world of darkness changed as her fingertips touched it.

[In the days when the High Lords ruled the underground, vampires were great beings who stood shoulder to shoulder with the old lords. The True Blood’s ability to control darkness was something that even the mighty lords could not easily handle, and the countless vassals and creations who followed the True Blood were as powerful as the High Lords’ armies.]

[The High Lords finally acknowledged this powerful Ruler of Darkness as a lord and recognized his dominion over the underground, thus preventing the creation of a terrible enemy.]

[What the High Lords feared most was the domain of darkness, which did not even reveal its substance. The base of darkness, which was real yet unreal, existing everywhere but undiscoverable by anyone, always made even the mighty lords look back at their shadows.]

Beyond the message window flashing before his eyes, a corridor with a red carpet was revealed.

[You have discovered the Red Castle, located on the Reverse Side, the boundary between layers.]

[The Red Castle is the domain ruled by the mighty vampire lord, whom even the High Lords of the past avoided.]

[You are fortunate to have entered the source of True Blood’s power, a place that no one has ever found, a place that no one has ever entered.]

Angela exaggeratedly bent her back and said to him.

“Welcome to the Red Castle, Master.”

While labyrinths that emphasized practicality might have a solemn and solid feel, they were often crude and monotonous. In contrast, the Red Castle was the epitome of luxury.

The sculptures, full of vibrant life, were elaborate and beautiful, and the paintings hanging on each wall were bizarre but elegant. The feel of the carpet underfoot was also perfect.

“Let’s go quickly, Master.”

Angela urged Kim Jin-woo, who was staring blankly around.

“Where are we going?”

He asked, as her attitude of humming and pressing him was so reckless, and she replied as if it were obvious.

“It would be strange not to check out such a big gift, wouldn’t it?”

Angela was very excited.

The vassals she had gathered over a long period were annihilated. She had not directly witnessed their demise, but it was impossible for them to survive such a violent explosion.

Her mind already knew it, and her body felt it.

It was a painful blow to the Vampire of True Blood, whose power grew stronger as her vassals increased. She seemed to want to make up for that loss through the newly discovered Red Castle.

“Now, let’s go.”

“Ugh.”

He had found the legacy of another High Lord without any clues, so his heart was pounding as well.

But he couldn’t just be happy. He had been on the battlefield just a moment ago. Although he had avoided the trap prepared by the Ursus by entering the Reverse Side, he was too greedy to simply be grateful for surviving.

Moreover, if he lingered in the Reverse Side like this, someone else would take the spoils of war that he had worked so hard for.

Even if it wasn’t just the spoils, the dukes of the 9th floor were enemies he would have to defeat someday, so he had to prevent whoever won from becoming exponentially stronger by monopolizing the victory.

But even so, he couldn’t immediately shake off Angela’s hand. The legacy left by the Lord of True Blood was that attractive.

Even though he didn’t think he could become the owner of the legacy passed down through blood, unlike other High Lords, just taking a few of the artifacts around it would be a huge benefit.

“Don’t worry, they’re still fighting over there.”

Angela said with a smile, as if she had noticed his worries.

“Can you know the situation over there?”

“I don’t know the details, but I can tell that violent and powerful life forces are flickering.”

Kim Jin-woo thought about her words. And he decided that there was still time left.

After all, if he went back now, he would only lose strength between the battered Tarus and the Ursus burning with revenge.

He made a decision and began to move his stopped steps again. Angela led him excitedly.

How long had they been walking like that? Kim Jin-woo was able to reach the heart of the Red Castle, passing through the ornately decorated corridor.

[The Red Castle, which has been neglected for a long time without an owner, is ready to accept a new owner.]

A red core that looked like it was dripping with blood throbbed and greeted him and her.