Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 281

Dungeon Journal – Episode 282

# 282

Dungeon Journal

Episode 282

100. What the Old Monarchs Left Behind

Kim Jin-woo, sitting on the Throne of Truth, wore a deeply troubled expression.

“The Mortal Spear, is it….”

It was a terrifying name that didn’t match the small, unimpressive appearance of the twig, which hardly seemed like a spear.

“It is a branch of a race that could not grow, unable even to sprout leaves, because it is not bound by the laws of the Underworld. Therefore, it is something that cannot be stopped by any authority or law.”

It was a hard story to believe, but it was unlikely that the one-eyed monarch, a High Lord, would have feared it enough to lock it away in the Eternal Vault if it weren’t a weapon of that caliber.

“Hmm.”

It was beneficial that a weapon he had obtained by chance possessed such great power. Nevertheless, his expression was darker than ever.

This was because the one who created this spear was the ancient specter he had been trying so hard to avoid.

“The monarch, who wandered aimlessly through the Underworld, personally visited the tribe and cut off the branch of the youngest member.”

“Could it be….”

“The Monarch of Wanderings is the one who created that strange spear.”

The ominous premonition never failed, and this time was no different. The spear made from the branch of the youngest mistletoe tree was a legacy left by the Monarch of Wanderings.

“What on earth was he planning to do with this?”

Moreover, what troubled him even more was that this mortal weapon might not be the only one.

“The Monarch of Wanderings took the child rejected by the Underworld and left. Not being blessed by the Underworld is a terrible curse, but with him, that child might have survived and be thriving somewhere by now.”

The mistletoe tree asked him to find the lost child of the tribe, but he couldn’t bring himself to promise.

How could he, who had only obtained this small spear by chance from the Eternal Vault, possibly find the missing mistletoe tree?

Besides, even if he could find it, it would be foolish to seek out the traces of the Monarch of Wanderings, whom he should avoid at all costs.

“Ugh.”

He wanted to offer a part of his body to the Throne of Truth right away and retrieve the missing piece of the puzzle, but he barely managed to resist the urge.

Eventually, the truth would reveal itself without him having to search for it. He only hoped that he wouldn’t be consumed by that truth. And he was confident.

He was the Monarch of Gluttony, the one who ‘devours,’ not the one who ‘is devoured.’

***

The labyrinth that had been planted on the surface was moved again, and the mistletoe trees and Lee Jun-yeong also returned to the Underworld.

She showed a brief sign of joy at seeing familiar faces, but she still seemed burdened by the fact that she might have to turn her sword against the surface.

“In the worst-case scenario, I will exclude you from the forces if you don’t want to.”

It wasn’t consideration. Having gained a military force that was incomparably stronger than before, he was not in a position to dwell on the power of just one Dungeon Baby [a creature born and raised within a dungeon].

She seemed to realize this fact as well, and her expression became even more miserable.

“I was just a little confused.”

Lee Jun-yeong seemed more concerned about being deemed worthless to him than about antagonizing humans. She belatedly braced herself, and he accepted her decision without hesitation.

“I hope you don’t regret it.”

The words sounded ridiculous even to himself. Even he, who had placed more value on the Underworld, felt this uneasy, so how much more would she?

But he didn’t bother to show such feelings.

“I need to change the plan. I’ll postpone cleaning up the surroundings for the time being.”

He declared at a meeting where all the key figures were gathered. With that one statement, the war of conquest that seemed about to begin was postponed indefinitely.

“They will fight for me at the cost of their lives without even realizing it.”

He sent messengers to each labyrinth of Count-rank or higher to inform them of the situation on the surface. On the other hand, he constantly sent patrols to check the situation on each floor.

“Do you think a real war will break out?”

“Right now, the chances are high. The humans up there are greedier than the labyrinth owners. Behind the flimsy excuse of protecting their territory, they’re scheming to suck the marrow out of the Underworld.”

He didn’t think they would lose. As before, the Underworld was not suitable for surface dwellers to fight in, and that was the same even if it had become vast unlike before.

At least as long as they didn’t leave this place, the surface would be defeated without even using half of their precious firearms.

However, what he was worried about was not the war itself but what would happen afterward. If there was someone who instigated this, the question was what they were aiming for.

“Perhaps this is also part of the process of blurring the boundary between the surface and the Underworld.”

Dominique’s opinion was quite plausible. The more the beings of the Underworld and the surface mixed, the more blurred the boundary would become, and in that sense, the actions of the countless explorers who had swept through this place might have been intentional.

The most effective way to thwart that someone’s plan was to suppress the war itself.

But for now, there was no particular way, so he simply preserved as much of his forces as possible to prepare for the worst.

The messengers who had left with news of the surface returned one after another.

None of the Counts feared the invasion, and they had no doubt that they would be defeated after only stirring up the upper and lower floors.

However, at the same time, they acknowledged the need to establish close cooperation in preparation for the worst.

“Is it that the neighbors of the Underworld are more trustworthy, even if they are more ferocious than the surface dwellers?”

Since they had the same roots, it seemed that there was some will to unite in this case.

“But we can’t completely trust them. It’s inevitable that they’ll look out for their own interests during the war, but we have no way of knowing which of them are henchmen of the Usurper right now.”

Having been backstabbed by Ariane several times, and even Yoon-hee, whom he had put quite a bit of effort into, turning away, Kim Jin-woo was more cautious than ever.

“No, the Counts aren’t the threat to us right now. The real enemies are the Usurper and the High Lords, whose thoughts we can’t fathom.”

In that sense, a meeting with the other High Lords, whom he had never seen, was urgent.

However, since there was no way to find them, who were nowhere to be found, he could only hope that the Monarch of Lamentation would properly serve as a messenger.

While he was busy preparing for the war, Morrigan came to visit.

“Haven’t you met Baek-o yet?”

She arranged a meeting, saying that Baek-o was among the Einherjar [warriors who have died in battle and are brought to Valhalla]. He realized that the being he was looking for was closer than he thought and sought him out with a pleased expression.

“Are you Baek-o? You’re different from what I expected.”

“Fearing that the king’s eyes would lose their purity at my hideous appearance, I dared not stand before the king with dignity. If you wish, I will reveal my unsightly body even now.”

He had restored most of his power by becoming an Einherjar, but even the power of Valhalla [a majestic hall in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin] had not been able to completely restore his ruined body.

Baek-o was wrapped in pure white bandages, revealing only a pair of blue and red eyes.

“There’s no need to do that if you don’t want to. I didn’t seek you out to see your appearance.”

With those words, Kim Jin-woo immediately got down to business.

“Morrigan doesn’t know as much as I thought. She said that unlike her, you served the old master up close, so you would be able to answer my questions.”

“I am sorry to say that I, too, lost myself and wandered for a time, so many of my memories have been lost.”

It was truly an unfortunate story.

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

Baek-o bowed and repeatedly apologized to Kim Jin-woo, who showed an openly disappointed face.

“It’s fine. It’s not that important now anyway.”

It was somewhat late to meet Baek-o, unless it was before he obtained Valhalla.

The Throne of Truth had already shown him the ancient memories he was most curious about, and the legacy of the one-eyed monarch, which he had been searching for so long, was already in his possession.

“Although I have lost many memories, fortunately, I am not without something to tell the king.”

Even at Baek-o’s words, he didn’t look very expectant. He simply raised his chin and waited for the next words.

“The old master said that there would be something the king needed in the deepest, deepest Underworld.”

“Explain in detail.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been deeply buried in the throne, raised his body halfway, and his expression was completely different from before.

“The old master was worried about the future of the Underworld and offered a precious sacrifice, so he already knew of the king’s existence at that time.”

“He offered his eyes to the Throne of Truth!”

Until now, he had been curious about what truth the one-eyed monarch had glimpsed by offering his eyes. But he found a clue to it in an unexpected place.

“So, what is in the deepest part of the Underworld? No. What is the truth he saw?”

He urged Baek-o with a rare look of impatience.

“I cannot know what he saw, but he only said that a humble servant would come before the king when he was most needed, and that one word would be enough for the servant’s role.”

In the end, it was a story that even he didn’t know.

“Damn old monarchs, they never tell you everything properly at once.”

Kim Jin-woo cursed the one-eyed monarch who had now disappeared.

“In the end, the only option is to go there myself.”

But finding a clue in a situation where everything was as hazy as if surrounded by fog was a great gain.

“The deepest, deepest Underworld….”

It was the place where the Monarch of Depravity, once called by the name of Benevolence but now called the Usurper, Sohee, was.

Kim Jin-woo did not move easily, even though he had found a clue to explain the chaotic situation in the Underworld.

This was because he couldn’t trust Baek-o’s words 100 percent, as deceiving and being deceived was so common in the Underworld.

“It’s too dangerous. It might be a trap set by the Usurper.”

Dominique also expressed strong concern, and she dissuaded him, saying that perhaps even Baek-o’s existence was a lie.

“I guarantee that she is real.”

Morrigan stepped forward, swearing on her own honor that she was not a fake, but in the current situation, her words could not be given much weight.

“Even if Baek-o is real, even if the words of the one-eyed monarch she conveyed are true, the danger does not change.”

Dominique glared at Morrigan with resentful eyes and dissuaded him again. She was clearly afraid that he might throw himself into a trap set by the Usurper.

“Your Majesty!”

While his summons were arguing over his actions, Quantus, who was in charge of the nearby border, rushed in.

“The Monarch of Lamentation has arrived!”

“The timing is perfect.”

Kim Jin-woo rose from his seat with a tired face from the long discussion.

“I will meet her. Lead the way.”

“But, that is.”

Quantus added a word as he looked at him.

“There are those who came with the Monarch of Lamentation!”