Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 36

Dungeon Chronicle – Episode 37

# 37

Dungeon Chronicle

Chapter 37

The moment Kim Jin-woo heard the desperate voice of the Coiling Dragon King, he was certain. The black marketeer’s information was correct.

Otherwise, there was no reason for the master of the labyrinth to be so surprised by a mere human.

With conviction in his heart, the edge of his blade became even sharper.

“Eek!”

The Coiling Dragon King scurried about, flailing wildly to avoid Kim Jin-woo’s thrusting sword.

It was a pathetic sight, considering his scales that were twice the size of a Hero-grade Coiling Dragon, and his magnificent crest that resembled a blade.

However, that didn’t mean he had an absolute advantage. Even with his unique ability to discern weaknesses activated, there were no weak points on the Coiling Dragon King’s body.

As the sword strikes continued, the Coiling Dragon King began to regain his composure.

“You, you’re not a human from the surface!”

Belatedly realizing that Kim Jin-woo was somewhat different from the humans of the surface, the Coiling Dragon King gritted his teeth.

This wasn’t good.

Although he was momentarily flustered by the sudden situation, the Coiling Dragon King was the master of the labyrinth located near the deepest part of the dungeon. The Coiling Dragon King’s attacks, now that he had regained his composure, were incomparably more violent and ferocious than before.

“Kuaaaaak!”

Anaxthus, the Coiling Dragon King, scratched his throat roughly and charged at Kim Jin-woo, claws extended.

A crude attack befitting his massive size, but its impact was anything but small. The darkness in the air split, and a green flash flickered.

By the time Kim Jin-woo regained his senses, his chest had already been slashed open.

“I’ll kill you!”

Perhaps to make up for his initial unsightly display, the Coiling Dragon King charged with the intent to tear him apart.

Clang!

He tried to strike the Coiling Dragon King’s long snout with his blade as it lunged at him, but instead, a shock that felt like it would tear his grip apart washed over Kim Jin-woo.

Indeed, it was a resilience that could withstand a reckless physical assault.

“How dare a mere human!”

The Coiling Dragon King gnashed his teeth and swung his claws at Kim Jin-woo’s chest. An eerie flash tore through the air, slicing away his flesh.

It was a truly precarious sight. If he hadn’t received the amplification effect unique to a Dungeon Owner, he would have been torn to shreds by the Coiling Dragon King’s claws in an instant.

However, even the amplified abilities of the Dungeon Owner had their limits. As the Coiling Dragon King relentlessly attacked, his injuries gradually increased.

Had he been too careless? He was still the master of a labyrinth located on the 9th floor, and he had been too arrogant just because he had grasped one weakness.

He couldn’t even bring himself to use the surface weapon containing the flame.

Just one chance. If he failed, the wary Coiling Dragon King would undoubtedly use his subordinates to turn the Naga’s labyrinth into a wasteland rather than stepping forward himself.

“Huh?”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been dodging the Coiling Dragon King’s attacks and looking for an opportunity, suddenly lost his balance as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle.

Belatedly, he checked his feet and saw that the Coiling Dragon’s massive scales had sharply protruded, piercing his shin.

At that moment, the Coiling Dragon King’s eyes flashed blue.

“I’ve got you.”

Kim Jin-woo desperately tried to pull his leg away from the Coiling Dragon King’s grasp, who didn’t miss the brief opening, but the violent movement tore away a chunk of flesh from his shin.

[The Parasite, which was in a dormant state, has awakened due to a life-threatening situation. However, the Parasite, which has not fully recovered its energy consumed in the previous battle, cannot exert its full abilities. The incomplete Evil Eye is activated.]

In that moment, the world slowed down.

The Coiling Dragon King’s claws, sharpened like daggers, approached. White steam billowed from Anaxthus’s nostrils, which were flared even wider with excitement and heat.

Looking into the eyes of the predator who had captured his prey, filled with elation, Kim Jin-woo twisted his body.

However, just as the opponent’s movements had slowed down, so had his own. He felt suffocated, as if struggling in water, his limbs moving sluggishly.

At this rate, his limbs would be torn apart by those ferocious claws.

Belatedly realizing what an incomplete Evil Eye was, he clenched his lips until they bled.

A desperate crisis. The victory or defeat of the war, the line between life and death, was truly a fleeting moment.

[The labyrinth’s upgrade has been completed. The labyrinth’s grade has been raised from 4th grade to 5th grade. Locked facilities have been newly activated.]

[Due to the labyrinth’s activation, most creatures and beasts recognize the labyrinth’s existence.]

The message window filled his vision. The labyrinth’s upgrade, which he had been waiting for so eagerly, was finally complete.

And when the labyrinth’s upgrade was finished, Kim Jin-woo was able to see a new message he had never seen before.

[The Dungeon Owner and the Core share the same fate. As the labyrinth’s upgrade is completed, the Dungeon Owner’s grade has increased. The 6th grade Dungeon Owner has become a 7th grade Owner.]

[The Core’s amplification effect has greatly increased. The reinforcement effect, which was only 40%, has increased to 80% in one fell swoop.]

[As the Owner’s grade increases, the energy and stamina consumed in battle are restored. Injuries that do not involve severed limbs are also immediately healed.]

The pain in his throbbing ankle disappeared, and vitality surged through his body. Noticing the sudden change, the Coiling Dragon King thrust his claws forward even more urgently.

“Too late!”

The moment the Coiling Dragon King’s claws touched Kim Jin-woo’s waist, the Parasite that had been dormant awakened completely.

[With the Dungeon Owner’s awakening, the Parasite has recovered. The activation effect of the incomplete Evil Eye is replaced with the effect of the complete Evil Eye.]

Kim Jin-woo, who seemed about to be torn apart by the Coiling Dragon King’s attack, disappeared from that spot.

***

‘Ah…….’

Dominique groaned, her vision darkening at the thought of losing her master. He looked so precarious, as if he would collapse at any moment, but suddenly, her master’s body disappeared like a phantom.

‘Master!’

Her heart sank, and she desperately called out to her master, but the vanished Kim Jin-woo suddenly appeared behind the Coiling Dragon.

And at that moment, the entire labyrinth began to tremble.

‘Master! The labyrinth!’

Before her words could even finish, her master’s body began to shine brilliantly. Eyes overflowing with a bright blue light.

Even from here, she could clearly feel the Coiling Dragon King’s hands and feet becoming flustered.

“Just hold on a little longer!”

“Who are you telling that to!”

Quantus and Drakan roared from the ranks of the Nagas, who had been nearly annihilated while their master was away.

Drakan, having picked up the gatekeeper’s shield that had been torn to shreds and destroyed, stood beside Quantus. The Naga mages and priests, their energy depleted, began to chant again.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

The rapidly changing battle situation, there was no place that wasn’t in crisis. But Dominique didn’t take her eyes off Kim Jin-woo, even as the Coiling Dragons’ attacks grazed right past her.

She saw Kim Jin-woo grab the Coiling Dragon King’s massive snout.

It was a terrifying sight, fearing that his fingers would be cut off by the sharply protruding, saw-like teeth, but her master didn’t care.

With his bloodied grip, he finally pried open the Coiling Dragon King Anaxthus’s snout and took something out of his pocket, shoving it straight into the monstrous Coiling Dragon’s mouth.

‘Ah……!’

The most savage and violent gesture of anyone in the underground. Dominique felt a shiver run down her spine as if struck by lightning.

At that moment, flames erupted from the Coiling Dragon King’s mouth.

***

[You have won the battle. Most of the Coiling Dragons, having lost their leader, have been annihilated, and the remaining Coiling Dragons are beginning to flee in fear.]

[You have achieved an unbelievable victory against the Coiling Dragon King Anaxthus and his army. Although you were very lucky, the victory you achieved from an absolutely disadvantageous position is a miraculous feat that no one else could have accomplished.]

[Rumors about Kim Jin-woo and the Naga’s labyrinth are spreading widely throughout the 9th floor. The other labyrinth masters will be astonished by the valiant Nagas’ victory and the Coiling Dragon King’s defeat.]

Kim Jin-woo, who had been tense until the very last moment, was finally able to exhale the breath he had been holding in after seeing the series of message windows that appeared.

‘Master! We won!’

At Dominique’s excited voice, Quantus and Ortheaga let out roars of victory. There were only five survivors, but their resounding shouts were no less impressive than those of triumphant generals.

“Yeah, we won.”

It was truly a terribly difficult battle. If it hadn’t been for the sudden grade increase and the resulting awakening effect, it probably would have been him lying there instead of the Coiling Dragon King.

He was sitting on the floor, replenishing his depleted energy, when the message window, which he thought was over, reappeared.

[The Coiling Dragon King Anaxthus’s labyrinth has lost its master and has lost its function. An enemy may appear seeking the labyrinth that has lost its master. You must quickly occupy the Coiling Dragon King’s labyrinth before someone else activates the labyrinth’s core.]

He wanted nothing more than to rest right now, regardless of the Coiling Dragon King’s labyrinth, but he couldn’t do that.

It was a victory he had barely achieved, a victory created by chance and luck that would not come twice. He had to gain as much as he could and increase his strength.

“Quantus, I’ll give you new troops, so go and occupy the Coiling Dragon King’s labyrinth! And you must defend it until I arrive!”

The loyal Naga warrior didn’t even complain about being tired and immediately got up from his seat.

Kim Jin-woo, who was replenishing his energy, also got up from his seat and headed to the Owner’s Room where the altar was located. No, he was about to head there.

“Who is it!”

At Quantus’s roar, Kim Jin-woo turned around. A group of shadows was approaching from beyond the gate, which had completely collapsed and become a wide open space.

“Damn it! Another enemy?”

Ortheaga also got up from his seat and prepared to face the enemy, snorting.

“Wait.”

Kim Jin-woo stopped them.

“It’s not an enemy.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hateful voice was heard.

“Congratulations on your victory, King of the Nagas!”

It was the black marketeer of the Black Merchant, approaching with shadows cloaked to the tips of their hoods.

“Now, now, relax. We’re just humble peddlers. You don’t have to be so wary, so don’t worry.”

Kim Jin-woo, who had reorganized the Nagas and stood in front, spoke coldly to the black marketeer.

“Oh my, how can you say such scary things! I thought we had built up some trust over the years, but I’m just disappointed and embarrassed that you’re acting like this again!”

Unlike his exaggerated voice, the black marketeer’s eyes were sharp.

The black marketeer, who had been examining the corpses of the Coiling Dragons and Nagas scattered across the battlefield, discovered the Coiling Dragon King’s corpse and his eyes lit up.

“Just get to the point. I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, the black marketeer rubbed his hands together and said obsequiously.

“Where there is war, there is a victor, and where there is a victor, there are spoils of war. We, the Black Merchant, are willing to pay a high price for those spoils.”

As he said that, the black marketeer’s eyes turned to the Coiling Dragon King’s corpse.

“Like the Coiling Dragon King’s corpse.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the black marketeer, who was nonchalantly spouting such gruesome words.

“So that’s how you’ve been making your money all this time.”

“Well, I won’t deny it.”

At the black marketeer’s brazen attitude, he said.

“Okay, I’ll sell it to you.”

“Excellent choice! You definitely won’t regret it!”

“But!”

The black marketeer, who had been grinning happily, stopped and closed his mouth.

“You’ll have to pay the price properly.”

The black marketeer, who was grumbling that he was making such a big deal out of nothing, had a look of joy on his face.

“Oh, and I have one more thing to discuss.”

“Speak.”

He wondered what it was, but the black marketeer, who had been chattering away so well, hesitated.

“This time, I think even the master will be very pleased.”

“Just get to the point. You don’t have much tact.”

The black marketeer, who had been scolded for his already sharp nerves that hadn’t calmed down from the excitement of the battle, immediately changed his expression.

“I came to deliver this.”

“What is this?”

Kim Jin-woo tilted his head, looking at the wooden box that the black marketeer had handed over.

“Actually, this is the main purpose, and the Coiling Dragon King’s corpse is just a small side hustle that I was trying to make some pocket money from.”

Dominique, who had been waiting behind him, quickly ran over and received the wooden box, opening the lid.

‘This is…….’

Kim Jin-woo looked puzzled again at Dominique’s shocked voice, but the black marketeer urged Dominique.

“If you’re a being from the underground, you’ll know what that is, right? Hurry up and deliver it to your master!”

For some reason, Dominique couldn’t refute his arrogant tone and hesitated, handing over the wooden box. Inside the ornately decorated wooden box was a ring with a gem of unknown material embedded in it.

[You have received the Seal of the Underground Baron. This is the first time that the Baron’s Seal has been awarded to the master of a labyrinth that is not in the deepest part of the dungeon.]

[If you inherit the title of Baron, you will be qualified to form a knighthood consisting of powerful Naga knights.]

[Would you like to inherit the title of Underground Baron?]