Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 26

Dungeon Journal – Episode 27

“Dominique.”

‘Yes, Master.’

“In the Underworld, where would a Drakon rank?”

At Kim Jin-woo’s question, Dominique paused, then spoke.

‘Drakons are not beings you can easily find. However, whenever they appear on the battlefield, the word spreads throughout the Underworld that Drakons should not be trifled with again.’

It seemed the Drakon’s power was more significant than he had thought. So, Kim Jin-woo devised a plan.

“Ortega.”

“Hmm?”

Ortega, who had been strutting at the forefront of the formation with his arms crossed, turned his head.

“Do as I say.”

“What do you mean?”

“When the Kyorongs come.”

“When they come?”

“Don’t think about the consequences, just stir things up.”

At his words, Dominique was horrified.

‘Master! We are not ready yet!’

“Act like you’re the boss and go wild. I’ll back you up.”

***

The Kyorongs waddled on their short legs, rolling their eyes. They were surprised by the unexpected presence of a Drakon, but they showed no intention of backing down easily.

Seeing the Kyorongs, Ortega’s eyes blazed.

“Judging by the way you’re rolling your eyes, you must not be here for anything good! I won’t let you get away with this!”

It wasn’t just talk; Ortega actually stomped towards the Kyorongs.

And in response, the Nagas in the rear guard rhythmically struck the ground with the tips of their tails, creating a threatening sound. It was a natural movement, as if it had been planned from the start. The Kyorongs, overwhelmed by the pressure, stepped back.

“If you have mouths, offer an excuse! It might be your lifeline!”

He’s completely thrilled.

Kim Jin-woo chuckled as he watched the Drakon spewing sulfurous flames and ranting excitedly.

But only for a moment. He quickly hardened his expression and gestured for the Nagas to push the formation forward even more.

Ortega, who had inadvertently been pushed forward by the Nagas, didn’t notice anything amiss and continued to rampage gleefully.

Growing impatient, he strode towards the Kyorong at the front and swung his fist.

Thwack!

The sound of a leather drum bursting filled the air as the Kyorong screamed.

The Kyorong, already terrified at the sight of the infamous Drakon, didn’t even attempt to retaliate, instead scurrying backward on its short hind legs.

Ortega grabbed the Kyorong’s tail and swung it around with great force.

[The battle with the Kyorongs has begun.]

As always, the message window announced the start of the battle.

***

The Kyorongs were defeated. It was a surprisingly easy victory compared to the initial commotion, and Ortega deserved much of the credit.

However, Ortega was looking at Kim Jin-woo with a dissatisfied expression, silently protesting.

“That’s enough for now.”

“But if you had given me a little more time, I could have caught the Kyorong that escaped.”

Ortega’s face was full of discontent, seemingly regretting the one Kyorong he couldn’t catch due to Kim Jin-woo’s intervention at the end of the battle.

“No, we need to let one live.”

That way, the news that this labyrinth is ruled by a Drakon will spread.

‘Anaxitus is terribly heavy-handed. It’s common for the masters of labyrinths to be like that, but Anaxitus takes it to an extreme. He’s so suspicious and cautious that he won’t move without 100 percent certainty. That’s why the Kyorongs haven’t been actively participating in the war.’

Recalling the information provided by Teacher Baek, he wore a satisfied smile.

In reality, Ortega was a mediocre Drakon who couldn’t live up to his name, but the Kyorongs wouldn’t know the inside story.

The Kyorongs would report Ortega’s exaggerated power to their master, and Anaxitus would be plunged into 고민 [Korean word meaning ‘worry’ or ‘agonizing’].

He was sure that Anaxitus would be reluctant to move easily, wary of the Drakon, who was burdensome simply by his existence, regardless of the odds of winning.

‘Master, why go to the trouble of using a Drakon… I don’t really see the point….’

Dominique tilted his head, his face showing that he didn’t understand what the brief victory meant.

“It buys us time. And time is what we need most right now.”

‘But it will be exposed eventually. And when that happens, it won’t be just a few Kyorongs, but an army of Kyorongs that comes.’

“That’s enough. That’s enough.”

With that, Kim Jin-woo instructed Dominique.

“For the time being, keep Ortega in a visible place and set up guards. It would be good to provide him with a residence near the gate, if possible.”

That way, Anaxitus, mistaking Ortega for the master of the labyrinth, wouldn’t realize the real owner was absent.

“I’ll be away for a while. If anything happens, I’ll come back, so please take care of the labyrinth until then.”

There was still a lot of time left until the labyrinth’s upgrade was complete.

Even if the labyrinth was upgraded right away, there weren’t enough Down Gems to summon the guardians to protect it.

The cost of summoning even the gatekeepers that could be summoned from a Tier 4 labyrinth was enormous, so he couldn’t imagine how many Down Gems would have to be poured in to summon the summons that would come from a Tier 5 labyrinth.

And Kim Jin-woo knew where to get those Down Gems.

***

“Are you really going alone?”

Lee Jun-young, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, asked several times.

“Even if Jin-woo is a Level 12 Dungeon Baby [A term for highly skilled explorers who grew up in dungeons], this doesn’t seem right……”

“It’s okay. I don’t plan to go too deep.”

He would have ignored her if it were anyone else, but he could feel such sincere concern in every word that Kim Jin-woo couldn’t continue to pretend he didn’t hear.

“Then why did you ask for a map up to the sixth floor?”

“Just in case.”

Lee Jun-young shook her head, seemingly exasperated by his nonchalant reply.

“What are you even doing? First it was those weapons, and now this. What are you planning? Are you going to war with the Underworld all by yourself?”

Kim Jin-woo responded with silence this time. He wasn’t good at lying in the first place, and he didn’t want to lie to someone who had feelings for him.

Seeing him like that, she looked 답답 [Korean word meaning ‘frustrated’ or ‘stuffy’], but didn’t try to stop him any further.

“I’m sorry. Was I meddling too much? I just don’t want anything bad to happen to Jin-woo……”

She seemed to think she had been nosy. But she didn’t forget to urge him to be careful until the end.

“Be careful. The Underworld is too dangerous to explore alone.”

Kim Jin-woo chuckled at that.

“Why?”

“No reason. It’s just… I climbed up from the 12th floor alone, so it feels a bit out of place.”

It wasn’t intentional, but he seemed to have embarrassed her without realizing it. He spoke softly to her, who had pursed her lips.

“I’ll contact you when I get back.”

At those words, Lee Jun-young’s face lit up more than necessary.

***

Having finished his preparations, Kim Jin-woo stood in front of the ever-crowded Paju Gate, as usual.

“Including your party, how many are there in total?”

A guard standing watch at the gate stopped him, finding it strange that he was passing through the gate alone.

“Ah, just me.”

The soldier looked at Kim Jin-woo as if he were crazy.

“I’m just going to wander around near the entrance.”

“Um. Could you wait a moment?”

He seemed suspicious of Kim Jin-woo for entering the labyrinth alone. It wasn’t the case now, but there was a time when criminals and debtors chased by creditors would secretly hide in the labyrinth. He probably thought Kim Jin-woo was one of those types.

Otherwise, there was no reason to enter the labyrinth alone. Even seasoned explorers and Dungeon Babies wouldn’t enter the Underworld without forming a team of at least five or more.

He didn’t want to cause a commotion, but things had gone awry. Kim Jin-woo, who had been waiting because there was no other way, silently handed something to the approaching noncommissioned officer.

“You’re not thinking of doing anything bad……”

The noncommissioned officer, who had been about to ask after hearing a brief report, widened his eyes when he saw the card he had been handed.

In a trembling voice, the noncommissioned officer barely managed to squeeze out a word.

“Le, Level……”

“I don’t want to cause a commotion.”

The noncommissioned officer was in a state of panic after seeing the explorer’s license clearly marked with Level 12.

It was no wonder, as he had just seen a Dungeon Baby from the deepest depths, one he had never seen before, and the highest-level Dungeon Baby in Korea. It would have been stranger if he hadn’t been surprised.

Moreover, Kim Jin-woo was the one who was already known to be dead among the Dungeon Babies and had been shrouded in mystery. He had a feeling that strange rumors would follow him quite a bit after today.

“May I go?”

“Yes, there are no problems at all!”

The noncommissioned officer, who was out of his mind, even saluted, and the explorers nearby quickly began to pay attention. He pulled his hood down low and passed through the gate.

“Hey! Gather the kids quickly! We’re clearing the second floor and coming back up within a week! Okay?”

“Okay!”

The area not far from the gate was frequently visited by people. It seemed that quite a few teams were going hunting together today.

Kim Jin-woo hurried his pace as he watched the explorers, who were traveling in groups of as few as five and as many as thirty.

“Hmm. That person seems to have lost his party?”

“Crazy. An explorer is lost? You’re talking nonsense.”

Some explorers tilted their heads as they occasionally saw him moving alone, but they didn’t pay much attention, assuming he had separated from his party.

Still, just in case, Kim Jin-woo pulled his hood down even further and passed through the labyrinth’s passage as if running.

After walking for a long time, he was standing at the entrance to the second floor. He stared at the deep pit for a moment, then took out a map from his pocket.

The map that Lee Jun-young had given him was densely marked with dangerous elements to avoid and the locations of abandoned labyrinths.

After briefly estimating the direction, he began to move his steps over the pit.

And that direction happened to be towards the abandoned labyrinth, which was marked on the map as a place to avoid.

Before long, Kim Jin-woo was able to find a wall engraved with a dungeon emblem that had now been erased.

He frowned as he looked beyond the labyrinth, where an unusually deep darkness was cast, even in the Underworld.

For some reason, his hands already felt prickly and his eyes felt stinging. And as if that wasn’t just a feeling, the world began to turn black and white.

[A Parasitic Creature…….]