Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 62

Dungeon Journal – Episode 63

# 62

Dungeon Journal

“By the right of the victor, I shall transfer the ownership of the Land of the Dead and its labyrinth to you, Black Merchant.”

“Oh, you’ve made a wise decision.”

The black marketeer was overjoyed, perhaps worried that Kim Jin-woo might pull another unexpected stunt. But that was short-lived, as Kim Jin-woo spoke again.

“However, there’s a condition.”

“What is it this time? You promised this time, so you can’t do what you did before.”

Kim Jin-woo replied to the black marketeer’s plea.

“I don’t want such an ominous thing near my territory. So, the Black Merchant must recover the core of this labyrinth and place it where my eyes can’t reach.”

This was another unexpected condition, and the black marketeer looked back and forth between the labyrinth’s core and Kim Jin-woo before speaking.

“What… are you saying I should extract the core that might break even if we left it as is and tried to restore it? I can’t do that. What if it breaks during the extraction? How am I supposed to handle the aftermath?”

The black marketeer refused, making a fuss. It was understandable. The message that appeared before Kim Jin-woo’s eyes also indicated that the black marketeer’s actions were not an exaggeration.

[Core on the Verge of Collapse (Rank 5)]

[This once mighty core, which governed the Land of the Dead and was the foundation of countless undead and reapers, has been pushed to its limit in its final moments and is now cracked. Restoring this labyrinth’s core, which could break at any moment, will require a lot of time and resources.]

[Attempting to extract it has a 50% chance of completely deactivating the core.]

A 50% chance of the core being destroyed is a huge burden. For the black marketeer, who has cherished the labyrinth, that 50% burden would be devastating.

“Then what should we do? I really don’t like this Land of the Dead place.”

At his repeated words, the black marketeer couldn’t say anything and just fidgeted. Kim Jin-woo watched him for a while, then cautiously said.

“It’s not like there’s no way at all.”

“A way, you say? I’ll do anything as long as you don’t ask me to extract the core.”

The black marketeer quickly replied with a face as if he had been saved from death.

“You and the Black Merchant are most worried about the labyrinth disappearing from the underground. Am I right?”

“That’s right. We may be lowly merchants wandering the underground with our bundles, but we know that labyrinths, which are the foundation of the underground, are precious.”

“Then it’ll be easy to talk.”

With those words, Kim Jin-woo smiled and took something out of his pocket.

“You must do your best to restore the broken labyrinth core. I will pay the appropriate price.”

The black marketeer belatedly recognized the sparkling object in Kim Jin-woo’s hand and looked shocked.

“That’s…!”

“The Blood Stamp’s Heart. And…”

He casually tossed the Blood Stamp’s Heart in his hand and caught it repeatedly. The black marketeer’s round eyes followed the red gem as it moved up and down in the air.

“It’s also the vessel that holds the labyrinth core you cherish so much.”

***

The black marketeer, perhaps worried that the labyrinth core might break over time, hurriedly left the labyrinth after completing the transaction.

“It was a good deal. Wasn’t it?”

Kim Jin-woo, with a satisfied expression, sneered as he looked at Valier.

Valier, who had watched everything he had built up being traded away against his will, looked as if he had completely lost the will to live.

“I can’t understand what you’re thinking.”

Valier replied with a confused expression.

“You don’t need to know. It’s none of your business anymore anyway.”

Kim Jin-woo offered the labyrinth core he had taken from the 4th floor as payment for restoring the broken labyrinth core. The black marketeer seemed a little disappointed, but he accepted his offer without much hesitation.

He must have figured that either way, as long as he could get the labyrinth core intact, it would be fine.

From Kim Jin-woo’s perspective, it was a win-win situation, as he was selling off a troublesome labyrinth core at a high price.

It was just a labyrinth core found on the 4th floor, which was only the entrance to the underground. It couldn’t be worthless, but given the nature of the underground labyrinths, which become stronger as you go deeper, he didn’t have much attachment to it.

It was an item like a bonus included in the ‘Land of Festival’ that Yunhee had obtained, and a troublesome labyrinth core that he didn’t know when he would find its owner.

So, he took this opportunity to get the labyrinth core in the Land of the Dead intact and disposed of the troublesome labyrinth core.

It was obvious that the Land of the Dead’s core, which would exert its power as a Rank 5 core once repaired, was more valuable than the 4th floor labyrinth core, which couldn’t be put into immediate use.

In addition, he was able to get a lot more out of the black marketeer, so he was very satisfied with this deal.

“Now, let’s settle the remaining accounts between us, shall we?”

Kim Jin-woo, having sorted out his thoughts, sat on the throne and said, looking at Valier. Valier closed his eyes tightly and shut his mouth, with an expression that the moment he had been dreading had finally arrived.

“You have two choices.”

Whether Valier did or not, Kim Jin-woo continued to speak.

“One is to be sold to the black marketeer as you are, and have even your wretched body torn to pieces and put up for auction.”

Just as Valier had coveted the corpses of the Azure Dragon King and the Blood Stamp, it was clear that other labyrinth owners would pay a high price to obtain the body of the fallen King of the Dead.

“The other is to become my knight.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s suggestion, Valier opened his tightly closed eyes.

[The Underground Baron’s Authority ‘Oath of Fealty’ is activated.]

[Attempting to appoint Valier, the King of the Dead, as the third knight of the Underground Baron Kim Jin-woo.]

[Knights are the most loyal and valiant arms and legs of the Baron. But they were not loyal from the beginning. Only after taking the Oath of Fealty do they know what ‘true loyalty’ is.]

He looked back and forth between the message window and Valier, grinning.

“I have nothing to lose either way, so feel free to do as you please.”

His expression, showing that he didn’t care either way, seemed to really mean it, making one wonder what decision Valier would make.

Valier looked at the air with a confused face, then bit his lip.

“It’s good to think, but you’d better hurry. I’m not urging you, but your body…”

Kim Jin-woo said, flashing his eyes.

“Looks like it’s about to collapse any minute now.”

Valier, whose tightly closed lips were crushed and flowing down, revealing his gums, and whose skin was completely peeled off, becoming a hideous sight, finally made a decision.

“My…”

Valier slowly lowered his stiff neck, then slammed his forehead on the floor.

“My King!”

Valier shouted as if spitting blood, slamming his forehead on the floor once more.

Kim Jin-woo laughed truly joyfully as he listened to his voice, twisted and distorted by the dignity and pride he had enjoyed as a king.

[Valier of the Dead has become a vassal (knight) of the Underground Baron Kim Jin-woo.]

[The third knight, Valier, will share his fate with his master. If the Naga’s labyrinth is destroyed, Valier will also be annihilated.]

[The Land of the Dead, which Valier ruled, has become a ‘fief.’ Valier is still the ruler of a labyrinth, but he has a master to serve. 20% of the dungeon energy accumulated in the core that governs the Land of the Dead belongs to the Naga’s labyrinth.]

[You can open a portal connecting the two labyrinths at any time. But whether or not to open the portal is entirely at the Baron’s discretion.]

“My King!”

Perhaps thinking that he had no way to live otherwise, Valier continued to call out for his king.

Kim Jin-woo, who had risen from the throne, approached Valier and whispered.

“And there’s one more thing you’ve forgotten…”

At his quiet voice, Valier raised his head.

“I have no intention of entrusting this land to you at all.”

[Valier, the rightful ruler of the Grave Yard of the Dead, has not gained the Baron’s trust. His master, wary of Valier’s treachery after bowing his head at the end of the battle, desires to exercise complete control over the Grave Yard of the Dead.]

Valier, seeing Kim Jin-woo’s cold eyes, lost his last remaining hope and despaired.

[Valier, the ruler of the Grave Yard, has agreed to a regency.]

[From now on, summoned creatures will be able to travel more freely between the two labyrinths.]

[Sharing each other’s summoned creatures.]

Kim Jin-woo, watching Valier lower his head deeply, jumped up and sat back on the throne.

“Hahahaha!”

The victor, who had taken everything from the defeated, snatched the throne and laughed mockingly on it, while the defeated, who had once wanted to take everything from the victor, lay prostrate on the cold floor, watching the new master’s every move.

***

The Black Merchant’s flag was hung in the Land of the Dead. The black marketeer, who had left after completing the transaction, had returned with the manpower to restore the labyrinth.

“How long will it take?”

“It will take at least a month. First, we have to fill the broken vessel and then refill it with the source, so the Down Jam [a type of magical energy source] alone required in that process is enormous. I wonder if the labyrinth core you offered as payment will be enough…”

Kim Jin-woo retorted with a nonchalant face at the black marketeer’s exaggeration.

“Isn’t there military funding that Anatolius has agreed to support anyway? You’re not losing anything, so stop whining.”

In their last meeting, Anatolius, recognizing Kim Jin-woo’s value, had promised to support military funding.

It was awkward to support him openly due to the checks from other deep-seated nobles, so the Black Merchant had agreed to act as the bridge.

Perhaps enough funds had been delivered to the Black Merchant to create a new core rather than restore the existing one; the black marketeer’s exaggeration was nothing more than nonsense.

“Ugh. Still, if I keep getting dragged around like this every time, my position will be a bit compromised.”

“Is that so? Still, since you’ve helped me in the past, I’ll try to save your face as much as possible in the next transaction.”

Kim Jin-woo understood that the transaction with the black marketeer was helpful in many ways, and promised to make concessions in the next transaction.

Since he would be sequentially breaking through the labyrinths on the 9th floor anyway, it wouldn’t be a big loss to make a deal that was favorable to the Black Merchant once in a while.

Thinking about the future, it wouldn’t be bad to strengthen the relationship in that way. The Black Merchant’s information and power alone, which he had experienced so far, were incomparable to him, who had just emerged as a new powerhouse on the 9th floor.

“Then I’ll see you again soon.”

“I won’t go far.”

Kim Jin-woo, looking at the black marketeer’s round head, glanced at the Nagas he had left behind in case of an emergency and left the Grave Yard.

“Return!”

At Kim Jin-woo’s command, the Nagas shouted in unison and set out on their return journey.

***

The army of reapers that Valier had summoned at the end seemed to be a larger spell than Kim Jin-woo had thought.

Valier, who looked like he would disappear at any moment, had to be constantly healed by the Naga priests’ healing spells.

“I don’t know why you picked up such a piece of junk. He doesn’t look good and doesn’t seem to be of any use.”

Kim Jin-woo shook his head at Angela’s harsh criticism of Valier’s precarious appearance.

“Although he looks like that now, he’ll be useful in his own way.”

Just the necromancy of summoning the dead and reapers was a skill befitting the name of the King of the Dead.

Although his condition was not good enough to summon the army of reapers as before, his condition didn’t matter to Kim Jin-woo, who shared some of his subordinates’ abilities.

“Still, be careful. Unlike the timid Uther, he’s a treacherous being.”

Perhaps even the Oath of Fealty didn’t reassure Angela. She repeatedly warned of Valier’s treachery.

“He may be like that now, but if he regains his strength, he’ll probably have strange thoughts. If you’re careless, he might bite your neck off at any time.”

At Angela’s words, Kim Jin-woo quietly looked at Valier and the Naga priest standing next to him and replied.

“If he regains his strength, that is.”

Kim Jin-woo’s eyes were shining coldly as he said that.

***

‘Congratulations on your victory.’

Kim Jin-woo shook his head at Dominique’s words as she bowed her head.

“The patrols were wiped out. They fell into a trap at the last moment… It was a pointless loss. It’s a pity.”

It was fortunate that Rickshasha had survived.

‘Valier, the King of the Dead, was one of the strongest on the 9th floor, comparable to the Azure Dragon King Anaxus. It’s too greedy to expect no damage against such a strong opponent. Gluttonous Uther did quite a bit of work this time.’

As she said, if Uther hadn’t drawn out the main force, the damage he would have suffered now would have been incomparable.

Kim Jin-woo nodded, then erased the regretful light and sat on the throne.

“Restore the long-range patrol force and create a space to accommodate the army on the outskirts of the labyrinth!”

‘The army?’

Dominique tilted her head with a puzzled face, as the nest had already been expanded to overflowing to accommodate the Nagas. Kim Jin-woo smiled at her.

“It’s spoils of war.”