Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 51

Dungeon Chronicle – Episode 52

# 52

Dungeon Chronicle

Episode 52

“And?”

“And that I can find Master no matter where he is.”

Angela seemed genuinely pleased that Kim Jin-woo was showing her attention for once.

“I can even do this.”

She vanished before his eyes, suddenly popping out from within his shadow.

[I can do this too.]

A voice like telepathy, not vocal, Kim Jin-woo was newly amazed by Angela’s abilities.

“Using Master’s blood as a source doesn’t simply mean I’m ‘parasitizing’ you. Master and I share more than you think. Of course, all of this can only be enjoyed under the premise that Master doesn’t reject it.”

At her words, he narrowed his eyes and pondered.

***

Whatever the communication method between long-range patrols, it didn’t seem to be instantaneous.

Almost three days passed after Kim Jin-woo issued the recall order before the patrol, including Yoon-hee and Rickshasha, returned.

“My Lord, I received your command and rushed here, but my steps were slow, and I have only just arrived. Please punish your humble servant.”

Ignoring Rickshasha’s ever-present obsequious attitude, Kim Jin-woo looked at Yoon-hee. Her eyes were still unfocused, staring blankly into the air.

[The surrounding terrain and features have been explored.]

[Dungeon Baby Yoon-hee’s ‘Guide’ ability has been shared, and a map has been formed.]

Along with the message, a map centered on the Naga’s Labyrinth unfolded before his eyes.

“Ah…”

The map, which floated like a phantom showing the patrol’s exploration route, barely marked the vicinity of the labyrinth, as if to indicate that the patrol had returned during the exploration.

“Good job. You’ve worked hard.”

He praised Yoon-hee with a satisfied face, and she flinched and trembled. It was only natural. It was probably the first time she had ever received praise from someone, so she must have been quite confused.

Regardless of what she was thinking, Kim Jin-woo wore a satisfied expression as he looked at the semi-transparent map floating in the air. If he had the time, he would have liked to draw the entire map of the 9th floor through Yoon-hee’s ability.

But now he had things to do.

“For now, go back and rest. It seems like we’ll be going far away soon, so replenish your strength.”

“As you command.”

Rickshasha and Yoon-hee, who didn’t know how to question, nodded and left the owner’s room.

Left alone, Kim Jin-woo added Angela to the list of exploration team members he had compiled in his head and headed straight for User’s Labyrinth.

As before, User, who was sitting on the throne acting haughty, was startled to see Kim Jin-woo and immediately prostrated himself.

“O, King! What brings you here today…”

Perhaps because he had buttoned his shirt wrong from the start, User seemed to shrink more than necessary every time he saw him, prompting Kim Jin-woo to speak.

“Do you know the passage to the 8th floor?”

“The 8th, 8th floor, you say?”

“The passage going up, up.”

As cowardly as he was, User was sure to be well-informed about the situation on the 9th floor.

Just thinking about the Gluttony Mass that had triggered the war, it was obvious that reconnaissance activities had been active. As expected, User did not disappoint him.

“I do know it, but why all of a sudden?”

“You know? Good.”

Kim Jin-woo ignored User’s question and grinned.

“I need you to come with me.”

User looked like he was about to cry, but he had no choice from the start.

“I’ll be back in two days, so finish anything you need to do in advance.”

Thus, User was also added as a member of the exploration team.

***

On the appointed day, Kim Jin-woo, having completed all preparations, opened the portal to the Land of Gluttony. User was visible beyond the portal that gaped open before his eyes.

“Ready?”

Kim Jin-woo, who crossed the portal as casually as if he were opening the door to his own living room, asked, and User responded by bubbling vigorously all over his body.

“Is this the labyrinth where Master’s first knight resides?”

A leisurely voice, as if on an outing, was heard, and Angela appeared, passing through the portal. Behind her, Rickshasha and Yoon-hee appeared, and Naga riders on Kyorongs [large, reptilian mounts] followed in droves.

“This is a bit…”

User looked troubled, seeing the dozen or so Naga riders lined up in the cramped owner’s room. Although they were on the same boat, it was only by force, and he seemed reluctant to expose his core to the Nagas, not just Kim Jin-woo.

But Kim Jin-woo ignored User’s worries and urged them to depart immediately.

“Let’s go. Lead the way.”

“More importantly, how long will it take…”

“It won’t take long.”

User’s expression brightened slightly at the words that it wouldn’t take long.

“If short, a month?”

“A, a month, you say?”

“If long, two months.”

But Kim Jin-woo’s ‘long’ and User’s ‘long’ had different standards. User belatedly complained with a dumbfounded expression.

“O King, my subordinates will fade away if I am not there. If I don’t replenish their strength at least once a month, I may return to find an empty labyrinth.”

It seemed that the relationship between User and his subordinates was similar to the relationship between Kim Jin-woo and Angela.

Come to think of it, User’s body was smaller than before, as if he had given a part of himself somewhere.

“I’ll try to accommodate you if possible.”

If it were before, he wouldn’t have bothered, but now that he had accepted them as subordinates, the Labyrinth of Gluttony was also one of his strengths, so Kim Jin-woo gave him some consideration, and User slyly offered an opinion.

“If it’s a passage to the upper floor, I could attach a reliable guide even if it’s not me…”

Indeed, if he were just entrusting the guide, it would be enough to send one of his subordinates ahead without having to take User with him. But Kim Jin-woo’s purpose in taking User was not just to guide the way.

“There may be a need to open a portal. So, lead the way without complaint.”

In the current situation where explorers were overflowing in the underground, it was impossible to guarantee when and what might happen.

Although there was a penalty of 24-hour opening, the portal was like a master key if used well, and there was no harm in having one more.

In the end, User squeezed out a lump of mucus from his body and placed it on the throne in his place before leaving the labyrinth.

“Yoon-hee, remember the way well.”

It was a road they might travel many times in the future. If Yoon-hee had the ability to guide, they would be able to gauge the direction more easily from the next time.

So, Kim Jin-woo placed Yoon-hee right behind User and had her learn the nearby geography.

“Convenient.”

User seemed to have diligently cleaned up the vicinity of his labyrinth, or perhaps the rumors about him being the only aristocrat on the 9th floor had spread, as there wasn’t a single common creature in sight, and Kim Jin-woo wore a satisfied expression.

“With the King accompanying us, the riffraff can’t even approach and are probably burying their heads nearby, trembling.”

User flattered him slightly before immediately straightening his expression and making one request.

“There may be no one who dares to throw dirt on the King’s procession, but beyond this vicinity, there are quite a few who are like wild beasts. They are beasts that have neither the eyes to recognize your noble body nor the ability to distinguish your fragrant scent. From then on, the King will have to show his majesty.”

“You’re asking me to use my strength?”

He beat around the bush in various ways, but in the end, he was saying that he didn’t want to fight, so he wanted him to clear the way. At his blatant words, User dripped mucus and turned his head.

“Did you hear that? From now on, you guys should step up if anything happens.”

Upon hearing Kim Jin-woo’s words, the Naga riders pounded their chests and spread out to the sides and front of the formation.

Krrr.

User made a queasy face at the low breathing of the Kyorongs. It was said that the Nagas were the natural enemies that neutralized the Gluttony Army, and it seemed that it was not a lie.

Whenever he saw the Nagas riding on the Kyorongs, User squirmed for no reason.

“Just bear with it a little longer. You’ll only be following us to the 9th floor anyway.”

It was true that he could conserve his strength and travel comfortably with the Naga riders present, but it was never a good thing for the Naga riders, one of the main forces of the labyrinth, to leave the labyrinth for a long time.

So, Kim Jin-woo was planning to send the Naga riders back when they reached the passage to the 8th floor.

“Let’s go. There’s no harm in hurrying.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, the group picked up speed.

***

The group settled in a suitable open space.

“My Lord, I have prepared a place for you here.”

Kim Jin-woo turned his head at Rickshasha’s voice and shrugged, seeing a leather of unknown material spread on the floor, which she had somehow obtained.

“You didn’t have to go this far…”

“I heard that the Master doesn’t particularly like the cold of the labyrinth. If you were to prepare a place on the cold floor, you would have to listen to the nagging of that ill-tempered Naga woman. Please understand.”

The ill-tempered Naga woman was probably referring to Dominique.

“I will.”

He had been able to leave the labyrinth only after listening to all sorts of nagging from Dominique, so he didn’t refuse and lay down on the leather spread on the floor.

“You will take turns standing guard in groups of three. Let everyone know that the Master is here.”

Rickshasha, who seemed to have been ranked higher than the Naga riders in the meantime, gave instructions without hesitation.

“Who would dare to approach silently where I, the King of Gluttony, am? The Under Elf woman is worrying unnecessarily!”

User shouted at Rickshasha and then divided his body and scattered it here and there. The lump of mucus that flowed onto the floor wriggled and crawled away beyond the passage, and User looked at Kim Jin-woo, boasting.

It was as if he was showing off his abilities.

With the ability to look into the Naga’s Labyrinth even from the distant Land of Gluttony, it seemed that there was no need to worry about intrusion, as User had assured.

But when he thought about it, User had been caught by Kim Jin-woo because of that ability, but now he didn’t seem to remember what had happened at the time, which made him laugh.

“Is the 9th floor always like this?”

Angela also seemed amused by User’s undignified behavior and covered her mouth, laughing softly.

“User is just unique.”

Just the Kyorong King Anaxitus he had seen was a strongman who was in no way lacking to be called the master of the labyrinth.

Looking at the faces of the other envoys who had visited the Naga’s Labyrinth, it was clear that the masters of the 9th floor labyrinths were not all like User.

“He’s fun to look at and fun to watch. I think I’ll like the 9th floor more.”

“Well, it’s too early to think that way. Is this place any different from the deep layers? This place is also just a part of the underground that will bite and attack at any opportunity.”

What you see is not everything.

Just Kim Jin-woo himself had hastily underestimated User’s power after seeing the shabby Gluttony Army.

The Gluttony Army was also as comical as User in appearance. However, when you knew the reality, the Gluttony Army was a tricky opponent made up of powerful lumps of mucus that ignored most physical impacts.

User was also lowering his body now, but surely what he showed was not everything.

“Well, you’ll think differently when you see the masters of the deep layers. That King of Gluttony would only be able to serve as a mere unit commander if he went to the deep layers. The deep layers are a world of real monsters.”

“I’ve seen the master of the deep layers too.”

He had not only seen them. Kim Jin-woo had lived under them like a slave for more than ten years. Angela’s eyes widened at the subtly revealed fierce momentum.

“Do you have a grudge?”

Instead of answering, Kim Jin-woo quietly watched the group who were busy preparing for the camp.

Unlike when he entered the underground as a Dungeon Baby, no one here feared the attack of creatures.

Whether it was because of his Baron title or because they believed in their own strength, they were not particularly uneasy about being outside the labyrinth in the underground.

After all, there were two masters of the 9th floor labyrinth and 10 fierce and brave Naga riders were stationed around them.

The King of Gluttony had divided his body and spread a web of surveillance like a spider web in all directions, and Angela was a vampire who could find the presence of living beings.

A surprise attack was impossible from the start.

So, Kim Jin-woo was able to spend a peaceful night to the point where he barely felt that this was somewhere in the underground.

The group set out again.

In the meantime, there were several attacks, but they were all repelled by the Naga riders.

Kim Jin-woo, who witnessed the battle of the Naga riders for the first time, couldn’t help but admire them.

The Kyorong and the rider tore at the enemy as if they were one body, slashing and tearing them apart with spears, and their bravery was extraordinary.

The Down Gems were extracted from the creatures as soon as they appeared by the Naga riders.

“This is the passage to the upper floor.”

The moment User stopped and spoke, Kim Jin-woo was able to check the message window.

[A passage connecting the 8th and 9th floors has been discovered.]

[The path from the Land of Gluttony to the passage connecting the 9th and 8th floors has been added to the map.]

[Due to the effect of the Guide ability, Yoon-hee has succeeded in estimating the path connecting the Naga’s Labyrinth and the Gluttony’s Labyrinth.]

[A portion of the hidden area of the 9th floor map has been revealed.]