Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 302

Dungeon Journal- Episode 303

# 303

Dungeon Journal

Episode 304

The Ceiling Giant Lord and the Wailing Lord, forcibly dragged here, were a pathetic sight.

The dwarf’s chains, which coiled around their bodies like hungry vipers, were bad enough, but being hung on the walls of Balhall for all sorts of nobles to gawk at had left them utterly exhausted.

Clang, clang.

The grating metallic sound ceased, and the two lords, finally thrown before Kim Jin-woo, looked up at him.

Though their eyes were dulled, the light hadn’t completely died; they were beings who had endured all sorts of hardships in the deepest layers of the dungeon and reached the pinnacle.

But that would end today. Today, one of them would be sacrificed to the Throne of Truth.

In return, Kim Jin-woo would lift one of the veils of truth hidden in the mist, but the sacrificed lord would gain nothing.

No, perhaps the throne would demand not just a part of them, but their very existence as the price.

It was a miserable end for those who had once dreamed of being kings and stood closer to the pinnacle of the underground than anyone else, but he felt no sympathy.

He wasn’t soft enough to pity those who had sought his life and deceived him.

Thus, he gazed upon them with the dry detachment of an executioner looking at a condemned prisoner on the gallows.

“I will give you a chance.”

Instead of rushing forward or pleading, the two lords quietly waited, their eyes gleaming with a flicker of hope, for what he would say next.

“Become sacrifices for me.”

At the word ‘sacrifice,’ the expressions of the two lords hardened. But only for a moment, as Kim Jin-woo’s explanation reignited the light in their darkened eyes.

“If you do, you will gain freedom.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘sacrifice’?”

The one who spoke first was the Wailing Lord, Catherine.

“I need a price to offer to the Throne of Truth. I don’t want to offer a part of my body like the One-Eyed Lord.”

It was a brief explanation, but enough for them to understand the situation.

“How can we trust you?”

Kim Jin-woo retorted coldly to Catherine’s question.

“If you don’t like that, you’ll have no choice but to become food for the Malignant Gods.”

The two lords, recalling how much the Malignant Gods coveted the bodies of High Lords, turned pale.

“I, I will do it.”

This time, the Ceiling Giant Lord stepped forward first. Following him, Catherine also said that she would gladly become a sacrifice. Only then did Kim Jin-woo drop his cynical demeanor and wear a satisfied expression.

“Ah, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

The two lords, who were clinging to him with the eagerness of those desperate to regain their freedom, shut their mouths at those words.

“I only need one.”

There was no need to sacrifice both of them. Too much truth could complicate the mind and weigh down the body. Sometimes, it was necessary to simplify things. Now was exactly that time.

All he needed was enough truth to take just one step forward in the mist-shrouded underground.

“Then, what happens to the one who isn’t chosen?”

“I’ll have no choice but to use them in a deal with the Malignant Gods. You are both too dangerous to be released completely.”

At his words, Catherine and the Ceiling Giant Lord simultaneously turned to face each other. And immediately, they shouted as if competing.

“I will be the sacrifice!”

“I will become a sacrifice for you!”

At their desperate cries, Kim Jin-woo wore a face of feigned contemplation. But in reality, he was mocking the two lords clamoring to be chosen.

No one knew how much the Throne of Truth would demand as a price. If they were lucky, they might lose just an eye like Botan, or a part of their body, but it might take more than that. In the worst case, there was a significant possibility of losing their very existence.

He secretly sneered at the two lords’ squabble, who would have been at each other’s throats if they weren’t bound.

Miserable, miserable.

His heart grew cold at the sight of the dignified lords’ unsightly 모습 [Korean: appearance]. The more they clamored, the deeper the abyss of their fall became, and the deeper the abyss, the more intense the hatred that filled him.

If he had failed to stop their attack, he would have been in that state.

“Dominic, who do you think would be better to sacrifice?”

At Kim Jin-woo’s question, the two lords, who had been shouting, froze.

“Rather than painfully choosing between the two, I’ll do as you say.”

Their faces turned red, perhaps feeling humiliated that their fate depended on the words of a mere summon.

They seemed to belatedly realize the ugliness of their behavior, having been blinded by the word ‘freedom.’

But soon, they changed their expressions and gave the Naga woman a desperate look.

“The Wailing Lord planned all of this from the beginning. I never intended to be so hostile to you!”

The Ceiling Giant Lord did not hesitate to slander the Wailing Lord. It was the 모습 [Korean: appearance] of an underground being who would not refuse any humiliation to survive.

Kim Jin-woo didn’t simply see it as pathetic. In this barren world where survival was the only virtue, the Ceiling Giant Lord was doing what he could. He had no intention of criticizing him for it.

If they were to be blamed, it was because they had lost, because they were less cunning and weaker than him.

“Perhaps the condition for the sacrifice is that it must belong to you?”

In contrast, Catherine was calm. She had cleverly pointed out the problem he had in mind.

“That’s right. It would be a problem if I offered a sacrifice, but the reward was given to someone else.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

The Ceiling Giant Lord rolled his eyes with a blank look, unable to follow their conversation.

“Dominic, if you can’t decide, I’ll make the decision now.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, Dominic nodded.

“The one who will be the sacrifice is…”

His gaze briefly turned to the Ceiling Giant Lord. But the name that came out of his mouth was the Wailing Lord’s.

“Catherine.”

“Why!”

The Ceiling Giant Lord shouted with a face as if he had fallen from heaven to hell in an instant.

“It’s too much trouble to explain the whole situation to a stupid guy.”

It was simple, but more than enough reason for Kim Jin-woo. From the beginning, the value of the High Lords he was thinking of was only that much.

“Wait! Then what happens to me?”

Kim Jin-woo, after briefly looking at the giant who kept asking stupid questions, raised his hand instead of answering. At his gesture, the summons waiting nearby immediately dragged the Ceiling Giant Lord away.

“No, this can’t be! You’ll regret leaving that cunning woman alive!”

As he followed the Ceiling Giant Lord, who was shouting that he couldn’t understand, with his eyes, he looked at Catherine. As soon as their eyes met, she immediately opened her mouth and swore allegiance.

“I swear by the mysteries of the underground, with my authority and true name granted by death. I will be your most loyal servant from now on.”

It was a vow that might be meaningless. From the beginning, they were beings of the underground and beings of the surface, and the mysteries of the underground couldn’t truly bind them.

“Good. I will accept your loyalty.”

Kim Jin-woo, who knew this well, accepted her vow without showing any sign. That’s because all he needed was a word from the Throne of Truth, governed by the mysteries of the underground, to acknowledge her as his own.

If it wasn’t accepted, he wouldn’t lose anything. He could just find another way then.

All preparations were completed by simply sitting on the Throne of Truth.

“I’ll ask you one last thing.”

Catherine opened her mouth in a cautious tone, as if trying to maintain some formality.

“How far does the price I have to pay go?”

“I don’t know either. All I know about the Throne of Truth is that if you offer something valuable, it will show you the truth worth that price.”

Kim Jin-woo gave her an honest answer this time.

“It could be an eye, or if you’re lucky, something less significant. Of course, that’s not very likely.”

“That means that in the worst case, I’ll have to pay an even greater price.”

She held back her words, but she knew exactly what situation she was in.

“So, do you regret it? If you want, I’ll bring the Ceiling Giant Lord back now.”

Kim Jin-woo nodded at her answer, which was a mixture of resignation and expectation.

“Then, let’s start right away if you’re ready.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Catherine knelt in front of the throne as if someone had told her to. When he looked at her with a puzzled expression, she mumbled an excuse.

“I don’t want to be rejected after making up my mind.”

She seemed to want the Throne of Truth to recognize her as his as much as possible, and she was prepared to not hesitate even in humiliating 자세 [Korean: posture] for this. From his point of view, it was what he had been hoping for, so he did not blame her and began the ritual to reach the hidden truth as it was.

“Throne of Truth, show me the truth beyond, in place of my eyes.”

[The power of the Throne of Truth is activated. Once activated, the ritual cannot be arbitrarily stopped midway.]

[Would you still like to proceed with the ritual?]

He nodded without hesitation.

“Proceed.”

[Peeking at the truth is never easy. Moreover, what you want is something heavy that encompasses the past, present, and future. The price will not be small.]

[If the price is insufficient, the Throne of Truth may show you something unexpected.]

[Would you still like to proceed with the ritual?]

Once again, he nodded, and the branches of ash tree engraved on the Throne of Truth stretched out and wrapped around him.

“What I will offer as a price is Catherine, a High Lord with the power of wailing granted by death.”

[It is the first time that something other than one’s own body has been offered to the Throne of Truth. But apart from that, the price you have offered is valuable enough to peek at the truth.]

While he watched the progress of the ritual with a tense face, Catherine, who was kneeling, opened her mouth.

“I, Catherine, the Wailing Lord, willingly become the weight on the other side of the scale according to the will of my master. I hope that my value is not lighter than the truth my master wishes to see.”

Perhaps she was worried about being rejected, she called herself a sacrifice several times and appealed to the Throne of Truth. Whether that effort worked, or whether the Throne of Truth had decided to accept Catherine as the price from the beginning, the ritual that had stopped for a moment began to proceed again.

[The Throne of Truth has recognized the value of the price you have offered.]

[Until the ritual is over, you cannot know how far the price the Throne of Truth will take will go.]

[But that price will never be heavier or lighter than the truth you have demanded.]

The last thing he saw was the ash tree that had been surrounding him slowly reaching out and wrapping around Catherine, and at some point, he felt his vision brighten.