Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 288

Dungeon Journal-Episode 288 (288/319)

# 288

Dungeon Journal

Episode 289

102. The Return of the Malevolent God

I had anticipated that the monster that destroyed a marquis-class dungeon in a single day would be an exceptionally dreadful being. However, the monster I actually saw was several times more hideous than I had imagined.

It had eight heads, and its torso was a sinister black, as if covered in filth.

The scales that grew backward looked as large and sturdy as a naga’s shield, and its fleshy torso was as massive as the walls of Valhalla.

It resembled a dragon, but nowhere in its grotesque appearance could one find the nobility or dignity of a dragon.

Behind such a monster, countless creatures, large and small, clung to the walls of Valhalla, gnawing at them with their jaws.

“A dragon…”

It seemed the seven-headed dragon that the Under Elf patrol had seen was the monster before my eyes. However, the fact that it had one more head than the reported seven was puzzling.

“The number of heads is different? Besides, I don’t think they mentioned it having subordinates.”

But the bewilderment was only momentary.

“Ah.”

Once again, Mjolnir [Thor’s hammer] struck, blasting a head off with a burst of flames. Where the head had been, two more grew in its place.

What had been eight heads had now become nine. And the severed head shattered into fragments, each fragment becoming a creature of varying sizes.

“What an absurd creature.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the sight.

Bang!

Mjolnir ignored those creatures and hammered away at the monster. Thanks to this, unlike the creatures that had approached right up to the walls, the dragon was unable to approach the walls of Valhalla easily.

But there was no room for complacency. Mjolnir, having unleashed all its power, would soon need to recharge, and if the monster attacked while the giant slayer was silent, there would be no way to stop it.

[Due to the sudden enemy invasion, Mjolnir, which activated on its own without the master’s permission, had limited energy to use. As a result, its power and usage time have been drastically reduced.]

[Mjolnir is entering recharge.]

As expected, Mjolnir, which had been spewing lightning, fell silent as feared. The Einherjar [warrior spirits of Norse mythology] were seen preparing for battle on the walls, but it was uncertain how much power they could exert against such a massive monster.

“Fall back, nagas.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had completed battle preparations in a short time and lined up the nagas, stepped forward.

“This battle will be fought only by the Einherjar and Valhalla.”

He had tested its operation against the Celestial Giant Lord, but he had not yet fully grasped its true power. He intended to use this opportunity to see how much power Valhalla could exert against a monster that had destroyed even a marquis-class dungeon in a single day.

But in life, things often don’t go as planned. The monster, which seemed ready to ram into the walls of Valhalla at any moment, straightened its neck and turned its head toward him.

[Finally! I’ve finally found you!]

At that moment, a murky voice seeped into his mind.

[How long I have waited!]

Unlike its hideous and clumsy appearance, there was something high-dimensional in the voice echoing in his head.

“You resort to petty tricks, unlike your appearance.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the monster’s malice, which directly penetrated his mind.

[To find you, I have endured eons of darkness, huddled in narrow burrows, living a miserable life!]

With incomprehensible resentment, the monster glared, its nine pairs of eyes flashing with hatred.

[But why do you appear in such a pathetic form! Master of Valhalla!]

“What on earth are you talking about, you monster?”

The monster babbled on for quite some time.

[In the meantime, have you forgotten me!]

“You don’t seem to listen to people at all.”

It seemed that the dragon, having just awakened, was not in its right mind and only said what it wanted to say, making it impossible to communicate.

[Votan! You cursed king of the guardians!]

However, there was a particular word that dug into his mind.

“What? King of the guardians?”

[It seems that even you yourself have forgotten in the face of flowing time. How pathetic.]

“Can you try talking so I can understand?”

But the dragon seemed to have no intention of listening to him at all.

[You arrogant lord who, under the guise of a ridiculous duty, oppressed tens of thousands of dragons! The enemy who cut off my only head! After a long time, I will settle my grudge with you!]

With that, the dragon cut off the conversation and charged at him.

“I need to create an atmosphere for dialogue first.”

Kim Jin-woo, watching the fierce momentum, slowly drew out the aura of the evil dragon that lay dormant deep within him.

In an instant, a black aura enveloped him, transforming him into the form of a giant evil dragon, and the most greedy monster in the underground once again revealed its form.

***

Both the evil dragon and the dragon were terrible monsters, but there was an insurmountable gap between them.

The evil dragon was an existence like an evil spirit that existed but did not exist, and the dragon’s fangs could not properly deal with its true form.

Naturally, the battle, contrary to its fierce appearance, was about to end in an instant. The dragon’s nine heads had been cut off countless times, repeatedly growing back, and now there were forty-six.

“For a guy with such an impactful entrance, you’re quite underwhelming.”

Watching the dragon weaken as its heads multiplied, Kim Jin-woo shed the form of the evil dragon.

[Why do you!]

[Have the same form as us!]

[You despicable guardian!]

[Embrace the darkness!]

The forty-six voices spoke at once, making his head throb as if it would explode.

“It’s noisy. I can’t understand what you’re talking about at all.”

He frowned deeply, saying this while blocking the dragon’s thoughts that flowed in regardless of his efforts.

“Why do you call me the king of the guardians?”

The reason he shed the form of the evil dragon even though the battle was not over was that there were one or two things that the dragon had said that bothered him.

At his question, the dragon narrowed its eyes and glared before suddenly starting to laugh.

[I see. Is that so? It seems that what has been lost over the long years is not just the power of our race.]

“You only say what you want to the end. You’re excellent at irritating people.”

He showed his killing intent once more, annoyed by the attitude of only saying what it wanted to say more than anyone he had ever seen. But whether he did so or not, the dragon still only babbled on as it pleased.

[The destiny of you all, which was said to never be severed as long as the underground exists, has now become meaningless, so the resentment of the persecuted race is no longer in vain.]

“The reason I’ve spared you is to hear something from that mouth of yours that babbles as it pleases.”

Since the difference in power was already clear, his words carried immense weight. But even so, the dragon only chuckled and mocked him.

[Ah! How pitiful! You dullard! As long as the underground exists, you cannot end my life. At best, ending this rusted body is the only victory you can achieve, as Votan did, and so will you.]

It seemed there was a reason why the powerful ancient lords had failed to eradicate the ancient monsters.

“Is that the reason for your fearlessness?”

Kim Jin-woo laughed instead. Even if they had a special destiny and were reborn even after death, he had the power to end them.

It wasn’t difficult. It would end simply by touching the dragon’s backward-growing scales.

[The Authority of Gluttony has been activated.]

[The unique Authority that devours even existence has begun to absorb the aura of the ancient dragon.]

The dragon, which had initially rolled its forty-six pairs of eyes, finally realized the situation and screamed.

[You bastard!]

[What are you doing!]

[Kuaaaa!]

[Noooo!]

The forty-six heads thrashed and made a fuss all at once, but once the Authority of Gluttony had been unleashed, they could not escape his grasp.

***

In the end, the dragon, unable to overcome the fear of annihilation, confessed everything.

[I have said everything.]

[Spare me.]

[No, kill me cleanly.]

[Please, this wretched body.]

[Grant me the mercy of ending it.]

And when all the stories were over, the dragon wanted a clean death, and he chuckled and activated the Authority of Gluttony once more.

[Kuaaaa!]

[Didn’t you promise!]

[Do you not have any oaths to keep!]

Kim Jin-woo said to the dragon, who was protesting urgently.

“Promise? When did I ever say I would spare you?”

Only then did the dragon realize that it had been blinded by the fear of annihilation and had not properly grasped the situation, and it lamented.

[Although that transmission was not continued.]

[That cunning, to the point of being wicked, and.]

[The shamelessness has been passed on, so.]

[The future of the underground is not bright either!]

[May there be a curse on your future!]

With a meaningless curse as its end, the dragon finally disappeared. It was a complete annihilation that did not even allow the power of resurrection, which it had been so confident in, to be unleashed.

Kim Jin-woo, who had dealt with the dragon in that way, did not have the face of a victor.

“The One-Eyed Lord was the king of the guardians…”

Although it was an insignificant dragon, the truth that flowed out of its mouth was by no means light.

The One-Eyed Lord, who he had thought was just one of the powerful ten lords, was actually the king and master of the guardians in charge of protecting the underground.

The moment he learned that fact, questions followed one after another.

“Don’t assume that dominating the guardians is necessarily a betrayal.”

The words that the Lord of Lamentation had once said came to mind. Did she know something? The moment the question arose, he immediately brought Angela and sought out Catherine.

The situation in her dungeon, which he found in that way, was not very good.

“What in the world is this mess?”

Catherine’s dungeon was being fiercely attacked by giants, dragons, and the dead. Unlike Kim Jin-woo, who had easily defeated the giant dragon thanks to Mjolnir and Valhalla, her dungeon seemed to be struggling quite a bit.

“You’ve come at a bad time.”

But Catherine, whom he actually met, seemed relatively relaxed, unlike the chaotic situation outside the dungeon.

“Don’t you need me to join the fight?”

“I was just about to step in anyway.”

Her aura, which had been quietly subdued, changed abruptly and soon became that of a powerful lord.

“Will you help?”

At the cheerful voice that did not match the gloomy aura, he nodded.

“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”