Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 71

Dungeon Chronicle – Episode 72

# 72

Dungeon Chronicle

Episode 72

“How dare you!”

Morigan, her transformation complete, stood as a female warrior encased in black armor from head to toe, as if darkness itself had been forged into her very being.

Beneath the helmet, with its sharply protruding beak-like visor, her crimson eyes gleamed with an unsettling light.

“To defile a sacred contract!”

The roar that erupted from her was a far cry from her initial demeanor. Moreover, it wasn’t just her appearance that had changed; a palpable shift had occurred within her.

The black aura billowing behind her armor spread like the wings of a raven, its energy sinister and intensely ominous.

*If death were to take form, would it look like this?* She resembled a grim reaper incarnate.

And that dreadful killing intent was directed squarely at Kim Jin-woo.

“It seems reasoning with her is out of the question.”

He sighed.

There’s always someone better, and he had been completely outmaneuvered by Anatolius’s calculated move to analyze his past and present, discerning his tendencies with unnerving accuracy.

Now that things had escalated to this point, whether he liked it or not, he couldn’t avoid Anatolius’s test.

“Damn Anatolius. He really got one over on me this time.”

He ground his teeth, picturing Anatolius raising a celebratory toast somewhere.

“Never before have I seen such an impudent warrior as you!”

“I can’t help it. I’m not a warrior.”

Already in a foul mood, he couldn’t help but be annoyed by Morigan’s booming pronouncements.

Morigan’s eyes flashed an even more intense crimson at his irritated tone.

“If you are not a warrior, then you are not worthy of the trial!”

“So, are you just going to turn around and leave?”

Kim Jin-woo continued to taunt and provoke her, but his eyes and posture were already set for battle. The reason his question wasn’t just mere mockery was due to the sheer oppressive power of her aura.

“Today, I shall personally play the role of the messenger of death!”

No sooner had she spoken than the sound of flapping wings filled the air, and her figure vanished. Kim Jin-woo frowned at the remnants of black energy fluttering and falling to the ground like discarded feathers.

*Whoosh!*

A hallucination of night descending before his eyes, he kicked off the ground without a second thought and leaped away.

A sharp flash of light struck the spot where he had been standing just moments before. The ground where the flash touched exploded, and the familiar sound of flapping wings echoed.

Once again, Morigan’s red eyes tracked him. Her movements were truly elusive, black feathers scattering without substance, and sharp flashes of light flickered from all directions.

*Flap!*

A feeling as if the whole world was being enveloped in black feathers washed over him. The sound of flapping wings came incessantly from the front, the back, and the sides.

*Flap flap!*

As he continued to hear the sound of flapping wings, Kim Jin-woo felt his mind grow faint.

His hands and feet, which had been dodging and blocking Morigan’s attacks, which seemed to have no substance, became confused in an instant and soon grew frantic.

“She’s really making me work for this.”

Morigan was indeed fast and strong. The fact that he, who was more than twice as strong as usual due to the Dungeon Owner’s amplification effect, was struggling meant that he would have been in serious trouble if he had met her outside the dungeon.

It was a truly shocking level of strength for him, who had thought he could face even Iron-Blooded Anatolius in his own labyrinth.

However, he hadn’t shown everything yet either, and streaks of blue light began to emanate from his eyes.

[The Parasite’s special ability, Magic Eye, is activated.]

Before the message could even fully appear, he was already charging towards Morigan’s true form in slowed time.

***

[The battle has ended.]

[Kim Jin-woo, the commander of the Naga Fortress and the Baron of the Underground, has emerged victorious against Morigan.]

[The ‘Raven of the Battlefield’ Morigan, who once struck fear into countless warriors, was a formidable opponent. You should be grateful that she had only recently awakened. She has not yet unleashed her true abilities.]

[However, Morigan is a warrior with unparalleled pride. Her lips will whisper the price of the promise rather than worthless excuses.]

[You have passed the trial of the ancient hero Morigan.]

The victory and defeat were decided, but neither the victor nor the vanquished was unscathed.

Morigan, with a helmet chipped at the beak and armor battered and broken, stood tall, but even the massive greatsword she had been gripping in both hands had fallen to the ground in a miserable state. The pauldron [shoulder armor] that covered her shoulder was hopelessly destroyed, and her hands, hanging limply, trembled as if in spasm.

“It is a wretched sight. But victory and defeat are sacrosanct [regarded as too important to be changed]. Since you have proven your worth, I shall dedicate myself to you.”

Kim Jin-woo was not unscathed either. His body was covered in bloodlines, and the blood vessels in his eyes had burst from using the Magic Eye repeatedly.

[The Raven of the Battlefield, Morigan, has sworn allegiance.]

[Will you accept Morigan?]

[The resentment she has sown in the Underground is not insignificant. If you accept her, you will likely become hostile to the Underground Count ‘Parthenon of Despair’.]

Kim Jin-woo frowned as he read the message.

Accepting Morigan was problematic in many ways. Just becoming hostile to Parthenon of Despair, one of the Counts of the 11th floor, was a significant issue.

However, despite that, the reason he couldn’t easily dismiss her offer was because her power was so appealing.

Even with the Dungeon Owner’s amplification effect, the Parasite’s Magic Eye, and the Weakness Detection ability, it wasn’t easy to defeat her.

It was truly a hard-won victory, and even that was because her power wasn’t complete.

If the trial had taken place somewhere other than the Naga Fortress, he would have been the one to be defeated.

And that meant that no one in the Naga Fortress could defeat her unless it was a defensive battle.

“Angela, Dominique.”

Dominique and Angela, who had retreated a long way because the battle had been so fierce, rushed over and answered at his call.

“Comparing Parthenon of Despair and Iron-Blooded Anatolius, who is superior?”

“The powers of the 11th floor Counts are comparable. Anatolius is on the stronger side, but not to the point where he can guarantee victory.”

‘That’s exactly what she said. But apart from the lord’s abilities, if you consider individual combat power, Parthenon might be slightly superior to Anatolius. Unlike Anatolius, who is skilled in group battles with his elusive strategies and cool-headed leadership, Parthenon is said to have risen to his current position solely on the strength of his own power.’

Dominique answered without hesitation, as if she had already gathered information about the deep-level Counts.

“In the end, Anatolius tried to pass on a difficult rival to me, naturally creating a reason for me to actively engage in the war.”

Listening to their answers, Kim Jin-woo was certain. Anatolius’s test was still ongoing.

This cunning Count had already anticipated that he would use the Summoning Stone. In addition, he would surely be watching to see what decision he would make regarding Morigan after his victory.

“Hmm…”

Angela and Dominique looked at Kim Jin-woo with worried eyes as he stroked his chin and pondered.

They seemed worried about what kind of decision their master, who was hard to fathom, would make.

After a long deliberation, he finally made a decision.

“Morigan.”

Morigan bowed her head instead of answering. Befitting a proud warrior, her actions after acknowledging defeat were all the more simple. That’s why Kim Jin-woo wanted her even more.

“I will accept you.”

[The Raven of the Battlefield Morigan (Ancient Hero) has joined the Naga Fortress.]

[The Raven of the Battlefield, who served the most powerful one-eyed monarch among the ancient rulers, is a born warrior and commander. The allies under her command will forget even fear and pain and become berserkers. Enemies who encounter this fearless army and valiant commander will be terrified and unable to perform to their full potential.]

[Morigan’s greatest strength is not her own combat ability. Her innate sense of reading the situation and grasping the flow of war is her greatest strength.]

[You share some of Morigan’s abilities.]

While Morigan knelt and swore allegiance, Dominique and Angela stared at him with shocked faces.

‘Master!’

“Master!”

Their voices, like screams, tried to dissuade him, but it was already a done deal. The message window that appeared before his eyes was telling him that it was too late to reverse the decision.

[The rumors of the Underground cannot be stopped by anything. The Underground Count ‘Parthenon of Despair’ is furious at the news that the Raven of the Battlefield has joined the Naga Fortress. Parthenon will try to settle his grudge with her at all costs.]

[You have become hostile to Parthenon of Despair.]

[Some of the forces following Parthenon of Despair have begun to be wary of the Naga Fortress.]

[You have become hostile to Barbaroto, the King of Mist.]

[You have become hostile to Mentiros, the King of Intrigue and Arcana.]

[…You have become hostile to…]

[…You have become hostile to……]

It wasn’t just Parthenon. The names of those who had a grudge against her floated endlessly in the air, showing how much Morigan had rampaged.

“She’s stirred up quite a lot.”

Dominique expressed her concern again to Kim Jin-woo, who was clicking his tongue.

‘Master, there is no doubt that she is a rare and outstanding warrior. But accepting her in the current situation has too many risk factors.’

“It’s already been decided. By now, there will be quite a few people grinding their teeth and engraving our fortress in their minds. I don’t think they will pretend it didn’t happen if I reverse my decision now.”

‘If you know that, why would you…’

“Dominique, it’s not just the 11th floor that’s solidified. Since occupying the Land of the Dead, I haven’t been able to move easily either.”

Due to the overwhelming power of the Nagas, many labyrinth owners were hoping for friendly relations and sending envoys [diplomatic representatives].

In that situation, if he recklessly started a war without justification, he didn’t know what the labyrinth owners who felt a sense of crisis would do.

In the worst case, an allied force hostile to the Naga Fortress could be created.

“But what if the nobles of the 10th floor crawl up to the 9th floor? Would the owners of the 9th floor willingly open the way for them?”

‘Ah…’

Dominique, who belatedly realized his thoughts, let out an ambiguous sound that was neither a groan nor an exclamation.

“They will have to pass through quite a few labyrinths to reach our labyrinth.”

“But that’s not enough. Even if they don’t know the names of the 10th floor nobles, if they know that Parthenon of Despair is behind them, the owners of the 9th floor labyrinths might even raise their flags at the forefront.”

Angela’s words also made some sense.

If it were the nobles of the 10th floor, who were born as beasts and had lost even their innate ferocity and had simply turned into livestock, it would be different, but the name of the 11th floor Count itself had the power to intimidate the opponent.

“The name value of the 11th floor Count is indeed great. To the point where those stiff-necked guys are intimidated and bow their heads. But you know.”

He stopped speaking and said leisurely with his hands behind his back.

“Don’t we also have that great 11th floor Count on our side?”

“Could it be…”

Angela looked at him with a hopeful face, but soon became horrified.

“That’s right. That could be it.”

Turning away from her, he looked at Dominique and shouted.

“Spread the rumor! Secretly spread the word that Iron-Blooded Anatolius is backing the Naga Fortress!”