Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 30

Dungeon Journal – Entry 31

# 31

Dungeon Journal

The information was more detailed than I expected. I wondered just how much they knew, and cold sweat trickled down my back. Unaware of Kim Jin-woo’s inner turmoil, Mr. Baek continued to ramble.

“It seems to be attracting the attention of some higher-ups.”

“Attention, you say?”

“Yeah. They must have nothing better to do. What’s so great about those dark tunnels? Honestly, if it weren’t for the Down Gem, would anyone even bother going in there? Besides, quite a few people have died. I mean, it’s one thing for you and me since we make a living off this, but I just can’t understand why they’d be interested.”

Whether it was just the idle curiosity of someone with too much money or if they were after something specific, he couldn’t quite figure it out at the moment.

“Anyway, I need you to go and check it out. Just confirming the location will set you up for life.”

“The location, sir?”

“Yeah. Just confirm where it is and let me know, and you’ll get 1.5 billion [Korean Won, roughly $1.2 million USD]. And if you guide us there, it’s 4 billion [Korean Won, roughly $3 million USD]. How about that? Sound tempting?”

1. 5 billion or 4 billion—those were ridiculously large sums, but they weren’t important to Kim Jin-woo.

At this moment, more than anything else, he wanted to know how this information had spread. But Mr. Baek had only received the request and didn’t know the details.

“Just tell me if you’re interested or not. Frankly, this job requires strict security, so we don’t want too many people involved. The client doesn’t want that either. But you’re skilled, and you’re traveling alone, which is perfect. That’s why I’m telling you this.”

“So, the approximate location of the labyrinth is already known?”

Kim Jin-woo’s question was met with a sharp response from Mr. Baek, who insisted he decide whether he would take the job first.

“It would be troublesome if I failed. It would just make my mouth bigger.”

“Then succeed. And what’s the big deal if you fail? Even if there is one, I’ll cover it all. I’m Mr. Baek, not someone to be trifled with.”

That wasn’t very reassuring. If something went wrong, Kim Jin-woo knew that Mr. Baek would be the first to throw him under the bus.

But despite that, Kim Jin-woo had no choice. He needed to find out if the labyrinth Mr. Baek was talking about was Naga’s Labyrinth.

“Which floor is it on?”

In the end, after much deliberation, he gave his answer. Mr. Baek grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth in a grotesque smile.

“The 7th floor!”

***

Back home, Kim Jin-woo spent a long time contemplating.

He was already at his wit’s end dealing with the Kyorong King Anaxthus, and now this sudden appearance of an unowned labyrinth? The timing couldn’t be worse.

But he couldn’t ignore it either. Both matters were too important.

The survival-dependent relationship with the Kyorong King and the existence of an unowned labyrinth that could change the future of the underground—these two concerns clouded Kim Jin-woo’s face with worry.

Fortunately, unlike the Kyorong King, who could attack at any moment, confirming the unowned labyrinth wasn’t an urgent matter.

‘Even if the underground is vast, I can’t spend an unlimited amount of time on this. I didn’t get the full story, but it seems like there’s someone else working on this besides us,’ he thought.

Kim Jin-woo sighed as he recalled Mr. Baek’s words. And as soon as the sigh ended, his expression changed.

Brooding didn’t suit him. He preferred action over thought. His hands moved quickly, packing his backpack and exploration gear.

Kim Jin-woo began exploring the labyrinths again. There were still countless abandoned labyrinths, and he had the ability to completely clear them out.

Two weeks passed, and he managed to gain as much as he had during his first solo exploration.

Although he wasn’t lucky enough to find any fragments of abandoned labyrinths this time, he was able to obtain a significant amount of Down Gem.

Kim Jin-woo took the Down Gem he had obtained through his exploration and headed to the labyrinth.

[The 4th Grade Naga Labyrinth is upgrading to 5th Grade. Approximately 348:32:01 seconds remaining until the upgrade is complete.]

As soon as he entered the labyrinth, the time remaining until the upgrade was displayed.

About two weeks left. Now that he had secured enough dungeon energy to summon a new summon, he needed to focus on the labyrinth rather than solo exploration.

“Today, I will go out with the Nagas myself.”

‘I will be on standby,’ Dominique responded telepathically.

The Nagas had become noticeably stronger recently. And among them, Quantus was showing remarkable growth.

He hadn’t yet had the opportunity to rise to the hero rank, but even now, he was showing strength comparable to the Gatekeeper.

Kim Jin-woo intended to create an opportunity for Quantus himself.

‘Master, except for the minimum forces needed to defend the labyrinth, all troops are on standby at the gate,’ Dominique informed him.

“Let’s go.”

At Dominique’s words, he rose from his throne.

The Nagas all looked so similar that it was difficult to tell them apart. There were some differences depending on the type of soldier, but it wasn’t easy to distinguish between individuals of the same type.

But Quantus was different.

He was taller than the other Naga warriors by a head, and his valor didn’t hide his imposing aura. The moment Kim Jin-woo saw him, he could pick out Quantus.

“You’ve gotten stronger than I thought.”

‘The Nagas have been steadily gaining combat experience while you were away, Master. And while the other Nagas took turns going out to hunt, Quantus was the only one who never missed a hunt,’ Dominique explained.

It seemed that Dominique had deliberately favored Quantus, knowing that he was keeping an eye on him. And her efforts had paid off.

Quantus, who had been considered slightly weaker or on par with the Gatekeeper, now seemed even stronger than the Gatekeeper.

“Quantus.”

Admiring his strength, Kim Jin-woo inadvertently called his name. Quantus stepped forward and bowed his head.

Behind Quantus, the Nagas all bowed their heads in a display of utmost respect.

“Four Naga warriors, one mage, and one priest?”

‘Yes. It’s nearly 40 percent of the labyrinth’s forces, excluding Drakan. So, please don’t overdo it,’ Dominique cautioned.

Hearing this, he was once again reminded of the gap between him and the Kyorong King Anaxthus.

Even with the forces revealed, it was a pathetic force compared to Anaxthus, who possessed one hundred and forty-two Kyorongs and two hero-grade Kyorongs.

“Ortega, I entrust the defense of the labyrinth to you while I’m gone.”

“Even if you didn’t say so, I wouldn’t let anyone in,” Ortega boasted.

As always, Ortega’s boastfulness and pride were more than that of an underground duke.

“Then, Rickshasha, lead the way.”

The Under Elf, who had subtly revealed herself from the darkness, took the lead, followed by Kim Jin-woo and the Nagas.

Thanks to the constant clearing of the labyrinth’s outskirts, they couldn’t find any creatures even after wandering for a long time.

Eventually, they had to rely on Rickshasha to track down the creatures’ traces.

“I have found it.”

Using some method, Rickshasha quickly found the traces of the creatures.

But there was a problem. The traces she had found happened to belong to a super-large creature that claimed this area as its territory.

“It is a fierce and ferocious creature that has survived by establishing itself on the border between labyrinths. If you would grant this humble servant some time, I will find traces of a suitable creature,” Rickshasha suggested.

After a moment of consideration, Rickshasha offered her advice with a worried expression.

“How does it compare to the Kyorongs?”

“This being does not dare to compare them. However, I suspect there is a reason why the Kyorongs have left such a dangerous creature in their front yard. Please consider this.”

Her words made sense. It was a creature that hadn’t budged even while the Nagas were making a fuss cleaning up the vicinity.

If it had felt its life was threatened, it would have moved its nest long ago. In the end, it meant that it was a creature that the Nagas alone couldn’t handle.

“We’re going this way.”

But Kim Jin-woo didn’t give up. Instead, his eyes lit up. Since they had already come this far, Quantus would gain something from meeting a proper creature.

If they kept catching mediocre creatures as they had been doing, nothing would change.

In that case, it was better to take a risk. And if they were lucky enough to find the creature and succeed in hunting it, they might be able to obtain the highest-grade Down Gem that he had only heard about.

According to rumors, the highest-grade Down Gem possessed a mysterious power unlike other Down Gems.

The 9th floor was where the strongest and toughest creatures appeared, excluding the deepest levels.

Among those creatures, it wouldn’t be strange if an exceptionally strong one possessed the highest-grade Down Gem.

“I’m not hoping for luck, but this time, I have to catch it, even if it means taking a risk.”

“As you wish.”

Rickshasha, who had opposed him several times, eventually had no choice but to follow Kim Jin-woo’s opinion.

After all, she was just a mercenary who had been sold for Down Gem, not a trusted advisor like Dominique.

But Kim Jin-woo hadn’t completely ignored Rickshasha’s advice.

“Weapons ready! Quantus in the lead! Mages and priests in the center! The rest support from behind!”

His eyes, which were organizing the formation in preparation for a possible attack, were now filled with a blue glow.

“The creature is not far away.”

The large footprints engraved on the ground were as big as Quantus’s head. A creature that left behind footprints of this size must have been at least twice as large as a Hell Spider.

It was a mystery how such a large creature could roam through the not-so-wide underground passages.

“Do you have a sense of what the creature is now?”

Kim Jin-woo asked, looking at the footprints that clearly showed the marks of four sharp claws. Rickshasha shook her head.

“However, I suspect it is on par with Ortega.”

“Is that so? Well, the only way to know for sure is to see its tail and find out if it’s a snake or a bear.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, Rickshasha began to gauge the direction again.

“Hmm…”

A fishy smell pierced his nostrils.

“I smell blood.”

Seeing him frown, she pointed to the darkness beyond with her finger.

Bloodstains, so red they were eerie, were everywhere. Unidentifiable pieces of flesh and bone fragments were scattered and rolling across the floor.

“It’s not a very clean one,” Kim Jin-woo said, his face as hard as stone. The size of the bone fragments, which appeared to belong to its prey, was extraordinary.

He could already feel the back of his neck stiffening, wondering how large and ferocious the creature that hunted such a thing could be.

“Master, if we are to turn back, now is the last chance. Please reconsider,” Rickshasha pleaded in an earnest tone, as if the creature’s existence was quite burdensome. But Kim Jin-woo shook his head firmly.

He couldn’t even dream of fighting the Kyorong King if he couldn’t catch a stray creature like this.

Even if it meant taking a bit of a risk, he had to find an opportunity to help Quantus grow into a hero-grade warrior. And Kim Jin-woo intended to find that opportunity in a battle against a strong enemy.

Now, Rickshasha was completely silent. She occasionally gestured, stopping the group or changing direction, but she no longer spoke.

Just by looking at the tension on her tightly set face, one could tell how nervous she was.

Even without her saying anything, Kim Jin-woo and the Nagas could tell. They instinctively realized that they had now fully entered the creature’s territory.

And Kim Jin-woo vaguely felt that the creature was not far away.

It was hiding its presence well, but it couldn’t hide the eerie energy that seemed to prick his entire body.

After walking for a while, Rickshasha suddenly stopped.

“Rickshasha.”

Kim Jin-woo called out quietly, sensing something was wrong with her attitude, which lacked any gestures or explanations. She slowly turned around.

“Master.”

“Rickshasha?”

Rickshasha, whose bluish skin, typical of Under Elves, had turned pale, spoke with difficulty.

“There was more than one.”

Kim Jin-woo belatedly noticed that Rickshasha’s body was trembling slightly and hardened his expression. At that moment, a message window appeared before his eyes.

[The Parasite has sensed danger.]