Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 273

Dungeon Journal – 273

# 273

Dungeon Journal

Episode 274

Angela was right. The Moai, once again appearing in the underground, surrounded the walls of Valhalla and remained still.

“Where did all these Moai come from…?”

Even the underground, completely changed since the second restoration, felt cramped with the sheer number of Moai that had gathered. Dominique was overwhelmed by their immense numbers.

But only for a moment. Soon, with a determined face, she issued instructions to Quantus.

“It would be wise to prepare the Nagas, just in case.”

Although all the Nagas had evolved into Hero-grade summons, it was uncertain how well they could hold back the corrupted army.

The number of Moai was just that overwhelming. It was as if the entire underground was filled with them.

At her command, Quantus deployed the Royal Guard to the front lines and gathered the Guardian Dragons, who had barely recovered from their fatigue, in one place.

“How could I not have known this?”

Ricksha Shaw wore a guilty expression, but Dominique’s words were not a reprimand. She simply couldn’t understand it.

She couldn’t fathom where the Moai, who had vanished like the wind, had gathered from. Even though she had been holed up in the Great Labyrinth throughout the second restoration, this was too much.

“In the worst-case scenario, we might have to rely on the Great Labyrinth’s gluttony…”

The Great Labyrinth, having undergone repeated enhancements, would still possess its voracious appetite, even for Moai corrupted by malice. The only problem was how big its stomach was.

“Sister.”

Angela spoke to her as she frowned, lost in thought. “Did you forget? I am a High Lord, just like Master.”

Dominique turned her head at the sound of a voice that showed no sense of crisis. She saw the vampire’s face, which was as calm as ever.

“Ah…”

Only then did she remember that although the Master was away, another High Lord was with them.

Although her power was inferior to that of the Master, who had become a monster by devouring authority indiscriminately, she was undeniably a High Lord.

“Stopping them now isn’t the issue. The question is why they’ve gathered.”

Dominique was newly burdened by Angela, who called her ‘sister’ so readily. But she didn’t show it at all and responded to her words.

“I have a guess as to why they’ve gathered. The abode of warriors whose dreams were broken by despair and frustration—they must have instinctively sensed the aura of Valhalla and flocked here.”

It was a poorly supported guess, but it was enough. After all, everything related to the High Lords was an incomprehensible realm for summons other than the Lord.

There was only the result; understanding the process and cause was not allowed for her.

“That certainly makes sense…”

Morigan interjected, hearing her words.

“Even when the Lord was alive, most of those in Valhalla weren’t even worthy of being called warriors. Some were genuine, but most were battlefield ghosts whose eyes had rotted from failing their missions. These guys are also wandering spirits in the underground, so they’re perfect for filling the seats of the dead.”

Not only Morigan, but also Heimdall and other ancient Hero-grade summons nodded in agreement, finding it a plausible theory.

Angela smiled contentedly as she watched Dominique and the summons begin to exchange opinions.

Dominique was wise. The only thing she lacked was experience in the world outside the Great Labyrinth.

Just shifting her perspective outward allowed her to come up with inferences she hadn’t thought of, proving that she was indeed capable enough to act as the King’s proxy.

The Master was absent, and the number of Moai that had appeared was beyond counting, but Angela was not worried. Rather, she was looking forward to it.

Most of the recent changes in the underground had worked to the Master’s advantage. The same was true now.

Her eyes turned to the Moai that filled the underground like bean sprouts. Most were spirits who had lost their bodies and reason, but if they moved with a single purpose, they could become quite a force.

If they had come to become residents of Valhalla, as Dominique thought, then the Master would gain new power.

Ughhhhhh.

The Moai emitted a gloomy wail. The already unpleasant noise was amplified by thousands, making one feel as if their soul was leaving their body.

“Prepare for battle!”

Quantus shouted, startled, and the Nagas hissed. Their eyes, devoid of any fear, showed only fighting spirit and a sense of duty to protect.

Angela once again wore a satisfied smile and prepared to unleash the true power of the Red Castle in case of an emergency.

Ughhhh.

A sense of imminent tension pressed down on the entire underground.

But the Moai, who seemed ready to charge at any moment, still didn’t move. Only one, who seemed relatively intact among them, stepped forward.

It was a strange sight. The Moai, who would normally have rushed at the sight of the living, were taking their time, which was odd.

“Ah!”

But the appearance of the Moai that suddenly stepped forward was somehow familiar. The body was a mess, like any other Moai, so there was nothing special to be found, but the few pure white feathers clinging to its skin were familiar.

“That’s the one that lingered closest to Master among the Moai that roamed around him.”

Valisha, who had been watching and studying the Moai most closely among the Nagas, recognized its identity with her keen eyes.

“What on earth are they trying to do?”

Ricksha Shaw answered instead, as she asked, finding the Moai’s actions of stepping forward and emitting an unknown sob strange.

“I do not know why the dead have come forward, but I do know that they do not intend to attack immediately.”

As the leader of the Under Elves, who had an excellent ability to sense danger, Ricksha Shaw realized that the Moai’s strange behavior showed no hostility.

“Moai corrupted by the malice of the underground with no hostility, huh…”

Dominique narrowed her eyes and examined the Moai.

“It’s true. A battle won’t break out right away.”

She came to a conclusion after much deliberation, but she couldn’t help but prepare for the worst. So, she kept the Nagas on standby while watching what they did.

Originally, she would have pushed back the Moai gathered in front of Valhalla’s gates, but she decided to wait and see for a while because their actions were so strange.

At her command, the Nagas began to take turns resting, and a strange stalemate ensued.

“Hmm.”

But the Black Omen, who would normally go crazy and rampage at the sight of battle, was strangely quiet. No, she was not only quiet, but she also had a look of contemplation, as if she was lost in thought.

“Is there something suspicious?”

Heimdall, the brave Dawn Chicken who would fearlessly delve into the underground filled with Moai if he saw any signs, asked, seeing Morigan’s expression.

“That Moai.”

Morigan raised her finger at Heimdall’s words.

“Why does it look so familiar?”

The appearance of the Moai, a spirit with pure white feathers clinging to its mangled body, who lingered closest to the Master, was somehow familiar to her.

“Hmm, now that you mention it, I feel the same way.”

Heimdall nodded in agreement, belatedly feeling the same way. The other ancient Hero-grade summons felt the same way as well.

But no matter how much they put their heads together and thought about it, they couldn’t figure out the Moai’s identity. The body was so completely destroyed and mangled that they couldn’t even guess what it looked like before it became a Moai.

The only distinctive feature was the few pitifully sprouted feathers.

“Ah!”

At that moment, the feathers she had taken for granted filled Morigan’s eyes.

“Could it be…”

Born from the same womb, one became the Black Omen who roamed the battlefields, and the other became the White Crow who served the King. And now, Morigan was reminded of the White Crow by the Moai’s appearance, which was somehow familiar.

“It can’t be. It won’t be.”

The White Crow could not overcome the twilight. Only she remained. She tried to ignore the hideous Moai that kept catching her eye.

***

While Dominique and the summons were confronting the Moai that had suddenly gathered, a visitor silently arrived at the depths of the Great Labyrinth where Mimir was imprisoned.

Surprisingly, it was a young girl wearing a pure white dress that didn’t suit the dark underground.

The girl skipped and fearlessly stepped into the boundary of the Great Labyrinth, and the Great Labyrinth, which would normally have swallowed any intruder that crawled into its belly, didn’t move for some reason.

“That’s right, good. If you stay still, I won’t hurt you either.”

At the sound of the clear and slender intruder’s voice, the Great Labyrinth groaned. The sound was so pitiful, as if a wounded beast was sobbing in fear.

“Okay, good. Stay like that. I’ll go back the way I came when I’m done, so stay still.”

The voice soothed the Great Labyrinth once more, and the Great Labyrinth closed its mouth and fell completely silent, as if it understood the words.

The girl wore a white smile that didn’t suit the underground and skipped back into the Great Labyrinth.

As she walked through the wide and narrow passages, the Nagas encountered her, but strangely, they didn’t stop her. Some even greeted her as if they had known her from before.

Thanks to this, she was able to reach the depths of the Great Labyrinth where Mimir was without any hindrance.

Mimir, who had been rolling around on the floor aimlessly, imprisoned in an empty space without even a bed, stood up abruptly when he discovered the girl.

“Y-You came all the way here in person.”

The girl raised a finger to her lips at the sound of his surprised cry.

“Shh.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mimir, belatedly remembering that this was the heart of the Great Labyrinth, lowered his voice and apologized.

“A-As you commanded, I told him everything. The Lord seemed to have completely realized who was helping him from behind.”

When the girl didn’t say anything, Mimir carefully opened his mouth and began to explain the situation.

“However, unlike what you expected, the Lord doesn’t seem to feel much betrayal.”

“Hmm, has he already forgotten me? How disappointing.”

The girl not only said it, but she also made a face that showed she was really disappointed. She looked so pitiful and lovely that one would want to hug her, but the more she did, the more Mimir lowered his body and bowed diligently.

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that he’s not sure yet?”

“I wish that were the case, but I can’t jump to conclusions. Ten years is quite a long time for a human.”

It was an unpredictable conversation. They seemed to be rather disappointed that Kim Jin-woo had realized who was behind him and didn’t feel betrayed.

“Well, whatever. The order will change, but the result won’t change anyway.”

The girl quickly dropped her disappointed expression and made an excited face.

“The throne of Valhalla can see not only the present and the future. He will sit on Hlidskjalf [Odin’s high seat or throne] and finally face the truth.”

The girl’s words had an echo like a prophecy, and they had a strange power.

“And the truth is always ugly and sharp.”

She whispered softly, and at the end, it became so faint that it could hardly be heard.

“But please endure, even if it’s hard, promised successor.”

A whisper barely lingering on the edge of her lips, the girl smiled brightly.

“My little Jin-woo.”