Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 318

Dungeon Journal- Episode 319

# 318

Dungeon Journal

Episode 319

Kim Jin-woo’s words left both the demons and the hero speechless. They merely gaped, their mouths opening and closing like fish, flustered by the unexpected turn of events, their eyes darting back and forth.

But then, something strange happened. The magic circle, which had been emitting a gloomy aura and absorbing the earth’s energy, suddenly stopped working.

“Oh! Finally!”

The demons momentarily disregarded Kim Jin-woo’s sudden interruption, cheering as they watched the magic circle.

Kooooooo.

No sooner had they spoken than the halted magic circle roared back to life, churning and spewing out black energy. After a brief moment, a damp, sticky miasma [a noxious or poisonous atmosphere or influence] began to weigh down on the surroundings.

“Our one and only Demon King!”

The demons knelt, prostrating themselves on the ground in worship.

“Ah….”

Numerous demons, filled with joy, paid homage to the Demon King’s descent, while the hero and the humans, in contrast, groaned with despair.

“This nightmare….”

The expedition had failed. The humans had failed to prevent the Demon King’s descent. This realization plunged them into despair.

“It’s not too late yet. The Demon King’s power isn’t complete yet. Now is the time!”

An unyielding spirit – that was the greatest virtue a hero could possess.

And the hero was more than qualified. Although he had wavered for a moment due to the demons’ resistance, he had not forgotten his purpose and had successfully rekindled his fighting spirit.

“Even if I face a humble death, leaving no name behind, I will stand with you.”

“I have family in a territory not far from here. If we leave the Demon King as he is, my family will not escape the calamity. Therefore, I will settle things here and now.”

Inspired by the hero’s fighting spirit, the humans regained their will. With determined faces, they reformed their ranks and waited for his command.

“That face, that gaze, that fighting spirit – I remember it.”

A sinister voice emerged from the black smoke.

“Surely, you must be of the hero’s lineage. To see that tiresome face as soon as I awaken is not a pleasant experience.”

The hero and the humans, who had barely rekindled their fighting spirit, paled at the voice that revealed his displeasure. Their spirits were crushed by the terrifying miasma that shook their very souls just by hearing his voice.

“God is watching over this place.”

The Saintess stepped forward. Having exhausted her energy and lost consciousness, she now radiated a divine power more sacred than ever before, comforting the hero’s party.

Her firm yet warm voice reignited the humans’ extinguished fighting spirit.

“You lot were always like this. Never giving up, always clinging to me until the end. Thanks to you, I had to wait in an endless nightmare to awaken again. But that ends now.”

The smoke cleared, and the Demon King revealed himself. His lower body resembled that of a goat, and his head was like that of a lion with a flowing dark blue mane.

A being neither human nor beast, a half-human, half-demon, the Demon King spread his black membrane wings and twisted his pale lips into a sneer.

“Today, in this place, I will kill you all and end this nightmare by drying up the blood of your lineage.”

The hero and the humans gripped their swords at the Demon King’s declaration of war. In the tense situation where a sword fight seemed imminent, a nonchalant voice cut through.

“Freeze. That’s enough.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been sidelined in the conversation, wore a disgruntled expression.

“I can’t watch this anymore. What a waste of time.”

The demons, who had been prostrating in worship, jumped up and pointed fingers at his unchanging attitude even in the face of the Demon King.

“How dare you utter such nonsense before the Demon King! This place may have once been entirely yours, but now it is as good as the King’s! Therefore, you should willingly offer everything and devote yourself to the King. If not….”

“If not?”

The demon, who had been ranting, stopped speaking as he saw Kim Jin-woo’s unusually cold face.

There was a hint of fear in his expression, but the situation was already irreversible. Perhaps trusting in the Demon King’s power, the demon straightened his slumped shoulders and raised his voice again.

“The King will tear you to pieces, leaving no trace of you!”

Once he had blurted it out, he seemed to be emboldened by his own words. The demon looked at the Demon King with a triumphant expression.

It was as if he was trying to curry favor, begging for recognition of his loyalty and devotion. But something was off.

The Demon King’s face, which had seemed ready to devour the hero and the humans, was somehow frozen. His eyes, which should have been gleaming with endless greed and hatred, were darting around aimlessly, and his back, which had been arrogantly straight, was somehow hunched.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

The demon opened his mouth, not knowing what was going on, but Kim Jin-woo cut him off.

“Tear me to pieces, leaving no trace….”

He was definitely smiling. But that smile was strangely eerie.

“That’s an interesting thing to say.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding atmosphere completely changed. The air, which had been heavily laden with sticky miasma, froze in place due to a sudden surge of cold, and an eerie, ominous energy descended upon it.

“If you can, go ahead and try.”

The level was different. Neither the Saintess’s sacred divine power, nor the hero’s indomitable fighting spirit, nor the Demon King’s wickedness could compare to his presence. In the face of that negative and ominous energy, no one could hold their head high; everything was insignificant.

A gaze with a blue light flowing from it turned towards the Demon King. The Demon King trembled as if struck by lightning just by making eye contact, and desperately shouted.

“M-Ma… Demon God.”

Kim Jin-woo tilted his head at the sudden remark, but the Demon King quickly continued.

“What are you doing! Now that the Demon God has descended upon this land, you should all prostrate yourselves and worship his sacred name!”

The Demon King took the lead and prostrated himself on the ground, and the other demons couldn’t resist and also prostrated themselves in worship.

“For someone who looks like that, he’s quite slick.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, the Demon King groveled obsequiously, fawning over him.

“Is that what you mean? If the Demon God desires it, what could I not do? Even if you told me to throw myself into the boiling lava, what could I not do?”

“Really?”

“Well… that’s a bit….”

His quick change of attitude was not so much annoying as it was somehow familiar. And he soon realized why.

“He resembles Woo-seo.”

The Gluttony King, Woo-seo, and the Demon King were surprisingly similar.

The Demon King did not hesitate to declare himself a vassal and serve Kim Jin-woo as a Demon God.

He had already felt the need to bring in new residents to the Underworld, which had been greatly reduced due to repeated restorations and the final war, so he accepted the Demon King’s loyalty.

“Leaving them alive is not a desirable thing. They are a race that knows no giving up, and they will not know the grace of sparing their lives and will invade this place again.”

The heroes were sent back. The Demon King tried to dissuade him, but he didn’t care.

“If they come back, I’ll just give them a taste of their own medicine then.”

At his confident words, the Demon King fawned over him with an exaggeratedly moved expression, praising his generosity as befitting a Demon God.

“I thought you were running late, but you’ve picked up an interesting one?”

Angela, who had discovered the Demon King, arched her eyes. The Demon King, feeling the difference in power, had submitted, but his pride was still there, and he immediately glared. However, feeling the aura of the High Lord hidden behind her slender figure, he quickly backed down.

The Demon King’s power and authority did not reach the Blood Lord. According to him, it was because he had not been resurrected for long, but as long as Angela reigned as the ruler of the Reverse Side, he could not surpass her.

She seemed to instinctively know this fact and openly treated the Demon King like a subordinate.

“Perfect timing. You take charge of his education.”

“Oh my, are you thinking of keeping him by your side?”

“For now, I’m thinking of giving him a position around Duke and entrusting him with the outskirts. If it’s him, he’ll be able to handle most of the guys on his own.”

“I’ll make sure to educate him thoroughly.”

There was something strangely sadistic about the way she licked her red tongue as she spoke, which made him feel uneasy, but he didn’t bother to stop her.

“Oh, and Mother said to stop by the house today and have dinner.”

“Ah, was today the day?”

“Oh dear. I’ve told you so many times that raising children is useless, but you’ve already forgotten.”

“I was busy.”

It sounded like an excuse, but his words were true.

So much had happened since the day he settled things with the Underworld Tree. He had devoured the Underworld Tree’s divinity without leaving anything behind and finally reigned as the absolute ruler of the Underworld, becoming the master of the Mystery.

And the first thing he did after obtaining the Mystery was to eliminate the threat to the surface world that could break out at any time. He severed the law connecting the Underworld and the surface world with the Mortal Spear, a spear made from the branch of the youngest mistletoe tree.

Because the connection had weakened as the Underworld Tree disappeared, the connection between the surface and the Underworld was easily severed, and the surface dwellers could no longer find the Underworld.

And another world was connected to the Underworld. It was a world where Demon Kings, heroes, mages, and saints existed.

All of this was possible because the Underworld was one of the many layers that made up the world, and the surface world was the same. He had known this fact since he had obtained the Mystery of the Underworld, so he was not surprised.

There were many more worlds beyond this one. A world made of burning flames, a world made only of ice and water, a world covered in fog.

All were real worlds and one of the layers that made up the world.

“Ugh. I should go out a little early and buy a gift.”

He had also completely made the authority of the Lord of Wanderings his own. Thanks to this, he could travel back and forth to the world beyond where his family was at any time, even though the connection had been severed.

“I’ve already bought it. So, don’t worry.”

At his words, Angela smiled and thumped her chest. He hugged her with sincere gratitude.

“Um, well, what about me….”

“Oh my, what a clueless fellow.”

The Demon King, who had not been able to keep up with the situation, slipped in and asked about his treatment.

But that seemed to have upset Angela. Hearing her sharp voice, Kim Jin-woo foresaw the Demon King’s difficult future and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Oh, and Dominique is looking for you, Master.”

At those words, he looked embarrassed. His pace quickened for some reason.

“What’s your name?”

“D-Demon King!”

“Your name is Demon King?”

“That’s not it, but….”

“You don’t have a name, a name?”

“That’s because my name is not something that anyone can call carelessly….”

“Anyone?”

“D-Dantalion!”

Behind him, he could hear Angela catching the Demon King, Dantalion, like a rat, but he ignored it and hurried his steps.