Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 304

Dungeon Journal-Episode 304 (304/319)

# 304

Dungeon Journal

Episode 305

[In the Underworld, there existed a darkness deeper than its deepest depths. This endless pit, untouched even by the Underworld, was called the ‘Abyss’.]

[The pit was a world of pure darkness, dominated by a cold so intense that even the thickest-skinned creatures struggled to survive.]

[An inhospitable environment for life, the inhabitants of the Abyss had to warm themselves with the blood of their kin, tearing at their flesh to sate their hunger. The beings of the Underworld shunned their miserable existence, branding them as ominous fiends and treating them with hostility.]

[The Underworld Serpent, Jormungandr, was the ruler and savior of this Abyss. Only Jormungandr could stand against the lords of the Underworld who had built high walls, and he could fill the empty bellies of the wretched prisoners.]

[But even Jormungandr could not stop the vicious cycle of devouring the flesh and drinking the blood of his own kind.]

[Jormungandr resolved to end the tragedy of his kin and waged war against the Underworld. That war was the Ancient Twilight.]

[But the Twilight was defeated. Jormungandr, too, suffered great wounds fighting the old lords. He lamented and grieved the plight of those who had followed him out of the Abyss only to be miserably driven back. He came to hate the arrogant and greedy old lords who monopolized the vast Underworld without offering even the slightest concession.]

[The hatred buried deep in his marrow eventually transformed him into a completely different being.]

[Jormungandr could no longer use his true name and came to be called ‘Night’.]

[Night was cursed for invading the Underworld, afflicted with an unquenchable thirst and an insatiable hunger. The inhabitants of the Abyss were also cursed, unable to find rest in death.]

Truths seen through the Throne of Truth poured out like a message.

[The inhabitants of the Abyss, defeated in the Twilight, faced a time more terrible than war. Their maddened ruler began to endlessly devour his own kind.]

[The tragedy lasted for a long time. And Night ended the tragedy by destroying his own body. But the curse of the old lords made it impossible for him to die.]

[Night became a complete monster, consumed by hatred for the world outside the Abyss, and eventually forgot himself. But his desire to liberate his clan remained, and so he decided to exploit the millennia-long scheme prepared by the High Lords.]

[The method was not difficult. The memory of the wandering lord he had devoured in the Twilight battle was now his. Night waited for the opportune moment, and after a long time, he finally got his chance.]

[He discovered Kim Jin-woo, an Underworld being who had inherited the power of the Earth Dragon Lord.]

[Night decided to use this promised High Lord in the making. The power of the Earth Dragon was perfect for hiding his own power and his clan from the other lords. But the power of his clan was too formidable and potent to be that of a mere Underworld being. So, he sealed most of that power away.]

[In exchange for concealing their true nature, the clan lost most of its power and forgot its traditions.]

[Now, after a long time, coincidence and necessity have combined to bring back the forgotten traditions of the clan.]

At that moment, the Nagas, who had been half-dazed trying to calm their chaotic minds, began to tremble, their bodies rattling.

The gleam in their eyes faded to white, and their blue and red scales lost their luster.

[The Nagas have recalled the lost traditions of their clan.]

[Thanks to remembering their traditions, they have been able to regain their sealed power.]

[The Nagas are entering the process of molting.]

[Once the molting is complete, the true power of the Nagas will be unleashed.]

[23:58 seconds remaining until molting is complete.]

As the message ended, all the Nagas who had gathered to welcome their master’s return fell into a deep sleep.

“Move all the Nagas to the Great Labyrinth.”

Kim Jin-woo calmly picked up Dominique as if he had anticipated the sudden change in the Nagas.

“This is not a good place for them to sleep.”

The one-eyed lord, who had mercilessly crushed the wishes of the Abyss inhabitants and played the biggest role in defeating Jormungandr, was the Nagas’ enemy.

He was not particularly keen on them regaining their true forms within the castle of such an enemy.

As the Einherjar [elite warriors in Norse mythology] and Under Elves rushed to move the Nagas, Angela followed him.

“Amazing. Nothing in the Underworld is a coincidence.”

She glanced at the unconscious Dominique and explained what had happened with Catherine.

“I see. So, it ended up that way.”

Was he expecting that as well? He remained unshaken.

“But she said something strange. She said that everything was destined to turn out this way from the beginning.”

Angela was puzzled, as it sounded as if the other High Lords were just supporting actors.

“That’s none of your concern. Unlike the other High Lords who awakened through fragments, you awakened properly through the thoughts of the True Blood Lord.”

Perhaps she was worried that she, too, might have a miserable future like Catherine, as Angela looked considerably relieved at his words.

Meanwhile, Kim Jin-woo, having arrived at the Great Labyrinth, carefully set Dominique down.

“Do not seek me out until they awaken.”

Angela looked dissatisfied, as there were still many stories she had not heard, but she did not bother to argue. This was because her master’s face was heavier and more somber than ever before.

Such a look was not unreasonable. Right now, he felt like his head was about to explode.

The Throne of Truth had shown him too much. Among them were things he wanted to know, such as the story surrounding the one-eyed lord and the truth about the Nagas, but it also included truths he never wanted to know.

And finally, having learned all the truths from the past, present, and future, he realized that the time for choice was approaching.

A solution to prevent destruction and a key to ensure it were simultaneously given to one person, and that was himself. Naturally, the future would be completely different depending on which choice he made.

Heavy. And uncomfortable.

In fact, he didn’t care about the world. All he wanted was to survive and to take revenge on the Duke who had treated him like a beast. He had never wanted such grand choices.

But it was already too late to turn back, and knowing this well, he pondered. And he made a decision.

“I will go to the Underworld Stream when the Nagas awaken.”

There, the last piece of the puzzle that had not yet been completed remained. Only after he had it in his hands would he finally carry out his decision.

A day passed. And the Nagas, who had fallen into a deep sleep, awakened. Contrary to expectations, there were no major changes in those who awakened.

Their red and blue scales had merely turned black.

But the fact that they didn’t seem to have changed much was only in appearance.

Were they merely hero-grade summons? The aura of the Nagas, which had not been very prominent, had completely changed.

The coldness surrounding them remained, but the underlying ominousness was unprecedented.

Kim Jin-woo knew the identity of that ominousness.

The endless greed rooted in unquenched thirst and insatiable hunger was the identity of the ominousness. And it was exactly the same as the power of greed he possessed.

[The Nagas have regained their sealed power.]

[The Nagas have been imbued with the powers of gluttony and voracity that the inhabitants of the Abyss should possess, which they had forgotten.]

[The Nagas are already far too strong to be considered mere summons. However, their current form is not their true power. They will become stronger and more greedy as they win battles, just like you.]

[The Nagas, having recalled their origin, the Abyss, have regained their unique ability, ‘Carnage Festival’.]

[The inhabitants of the Abyss, suffering from endless thirst and hunger, have filled their bellies and grown stronger by consuming the blood and flesh of their enemies. The Nagas, too, have become able to absorb some of the enemy’s power and grow through the Carnage Festival.]

[The combat power of the Nagas participating in the Carnage Festival is temporarily increased.]

“Master.”

Dominique called him.

“Am I still your master?”

Kim Jin-woo asked. Now that they had regained their lost traditions and power, they were no longer the subordinates he had used like limbs.

Their true king was not himself, but the ruler of the Abyss, Night, within him, and his power.

“No, let me ask again. Is it me, Kim Jin-woo, that you follow, or ‘Night’ within me?”

The thought that only the Nagas were uniquely his had turned out to be wrong, but he remained unshaken.

“What we serve is.”

Dominique also answered his question in an unwavering voice.

“Not the pitiful Underworld Serpent clinging to shattered dreams, but an exceedingly violent and arrogant tyrant.”

“Is that the decision of you Nagas?”

Kim Jin-woo asked again, and this time it was many Nagas who answered.

“The only king of the clan is only the master, in the past, present, and future.”

Their answer, like a declaration, prompted a message to appear.

[An amazing thing has happened. The Nagas, almost the only ones among the inhabitants of the Abyss to have inherited the blood of the Underworld Serpent, have denied their origin. They have declared that they will serve you as their master instead of the liberator and only savior of their clan.]

[Perhaps the reason for their decision is the corrupted Sea Dragon’s heart they consumed earlier.]

“No, that’s not it.”

Kim Jin-woo denied the message for the first time.

“They are not puppets of Night. Nor are they fragments of the Abyss. They are just Nagas, and they have chosen me.”

He smiled as if he had known it from the beginning.

[Perhaps there is some truth to what you say. The Nagas have been separated from the Underworld Serpent for too long, and that time has been long enough for them to embrace a new master.]

[In any case, it is amazing that the Nagas have chosen you. Perhaps the darkness crouching inside you will be a little more impatient because of this.]

[It would be best to meet the Underworld Stream as soon as possible.]

[No one knows what the impatient monster will do.]

The message, which was clearly different from before, spoke to him as if it were having a conversation with him. But he was not at all surprised by such a change.

This, too, was just a minor change that had occurred because he had touched the mysteries of the Underworld through the Throne of Truth. There was no need to make a fuss about it.

“I sincerely thank you for your unwavering loyalty.”

Kim Jin-woo continued, not hiding his satisfied expression.

“But it would seem poor just to say thank you.”

With that, he led the Nagas somewhere.

“This is…….”

“You will fight for me with the swords and spears you obtained here, so it’s hardly a reward.”

The place they arrived at was the Vault of Eternity, which had been relocated not long ago. He took out all sorts of treasures from there and gave them to the Nagas.

“Oh!”

Extravagant equipment that even the most luxurious Duke’s army could not afford. The Nagas were newly armed with unprecedentedly powerful weapons and armor.

And those who were armed in this way became the most powerful army in the Underworld.

“I will go to the Underworld Stream.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s declaration, the Great Labyrinth and Valhalla began to move busily.