Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 84

# 85

Dungeon Journal

#36. Labyrinth of the Surface Dwellers

Kim Jin-woo felt a wave of dizziness at Yoon-hee’s words. The right of succession sounded grand, but in the end, it was just the clinging hope of a loser who had been pushed out of the competition.

He still had to conquer the labyrinth on the 10th floor, not to mention the 11th, so the succession battle on the 11th floor felt like a distant dream.

Of course, the reward was tempting, but it was foolish to reach for it knowing it was poisoned.

“You have a remarkably strong possessive streak.”

“What?”

Yoon-hee said this out of the blue while he was deep in thought.

“I’ve never seen you let go of anything you’ve acquired.”

She slowly approached him, her face so close that their breaths mingled.

“Whether it’s an object or a living being, you hold on tight.”

Come to think of it, with Morrigan and Ortea, he chose to keep them until the end rather than eliminate the source of the problem.

Although the results were positive, looking back, he had taken a risk that made him question his own motives.

“And I am also something that belongs to you. My life, my heart, and my body are all yours.”

It wasn’t exactly a persuasive argument, delivered with such bluntness. Kim Jin-woo finally sighed at her detached attitude.

A wry smile appeared on his face as he realized that he had never seriously considered abandoning her. Without even realizing it, he had been calculating the benefits he could gain from her and the risks he would have to take.

And now, the calculation was complete.

“Was Krasto involved in your attempt to escape the fortress?”

Yoon-hee nodded.

“It seems Krasto recognizes you.”

No one recognized Yoon-hee when she was put up for auction. But it seemed she couldn’t deceive the mercenary group and its leader who were active on the 11th floor.

Or perhaps the nobles kept silent because they found it amusing to watch what would happen to her after she lost her Ego [sense of self and identity].

“Krasto was the one who brought me down.”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at her words.

***

In the end, Yoon-hee was sent back to the party hall. Now that he knew she was more than just an ordinary Dungeon Baby [a monster born within a dungeon], there was no need to worry about her.

In fact, as soon as she returned to the party hall, she began to reorganize her labyrinth, which Kim Jin-woo had been stocking with troops haphazardly.

As she reorganized the troops and prioritized the expansion of key facilities, he could no longer see any trace of her past, clumsy and dependent self.

“I feel like only troublemakers are flocking to my labyrinth. Don’t you think?”

The accident-prone Drakan, the Raven who had enemies everywhere, and now even the loser of the succession battle, who was like a ticking time bomb, had all appeared.

It was as if someone was deliberately sending problems his way.

“She is definitely a dangerous individual. The one who sold her at the auction didn’t want her to regain her original memories and powers. They probably wanted her to be sold to someone, suffer terrible abuse, and ultimately die a miserable death as a Subterranean [a type of dungeon monster].”

Indeed, if that person found out that she was not only alive and well but had also regained her memories and become the owner of a labyrinth, they would not be pleased.

“But even so, she is valuable. If we rashly advance to the 11th floor without a clear justification, we will be subjected to concentrated attacks by the Earls, no matter how much Anatolius supports us. But if she is there, it will be a different story. We can subtly get our foot in the door using the succession rights as an excuse.”

Kim Jin-woo sighed at Angela’s words. In the end, that was why he couldn’t give up on Yoon-hee.

“Hoo, first, tell Woo-seo to keep Krasto under surveillance. He could become a source of trouble.”

“Are you going to leave Yoon-hee unsupervised?”

Kim Jin-woo turned his head at Angela’s words. As he stared at her, she revealed her inner thoughts without hiding anything.

“I don’t trust her as much as I did when she was just the Subterranean Yoon-hee.”

Her eyes darted around as if scanning the surroundings.

“Moreover, Yoon-hee participated in the succession battle for the 11th floor Earlship. If she was pushed out by a simple trick, I would be relieved. But she was defeated by a powerful force called Krasto.”

Kim Jin-woo’s expression became serious at her lowered voice.

“Breaking a strong fang requires the cunning of a silver-tongued liar, and overthrowing someone who engages in lies and hypocrisy requires sharp claws. Yoon-hee may possess the latter.”

In the end, she was saying that she couldn’t be trusted, so he shouldn’t leave her alone.

“That makes sense. But don’t worry.”

He said casually from his throne with a nonchalant expression.

“I’ve already taken care of it.”

***

Three days after sending Yoon-hee to the party hall, Kim Jin-woo had to face another task he had been putting off.

Boreas, who had been unconscious due to severe injuries, had awakened.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Boreas blinked and lay blankly before raising his body. His eyes were completely lifeless, unlike when he had first seen him.

It seemed he hadn’t recovered from the shock of his defeat yet.

“You must be tired, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Speak…”

Kim Jin-woo said as he looked at Boreas, who answered with a voice that was still hoarse.

“Follow me.”

[As the victor of the noble battle, you force the defeated Boreas to swear an oath of submission.]

[The defeated has no choice from the start. Boreas accepts the oath of submission.]

Boreas struggled to get up and knelt on the floor.

“I pledge my loyalty!”

[Boreas of the North Wind, a 10th-floor noble with the title of Baron, has sworn an oath of submission.]

[Winter Castle, ruled by Boreas of the North Wind, has become affiliated with Naga Fortress. Everything in Winter Castle is now yours.]

[300 soldiers have come under your command.]

[All the goods in the warehouse deep within Winter Castle are now yours.]

[Boreas’s territory, the Frozen Land, has become your territory.]

[You can open a gate connecting Winter Castle and Naga Fortress. Unlike portals, the gate is always open. If you wish to close the gate, you must order its closure.]

[The penalty of Winter Castle’s soldiers weakening when they leave the floor they were born on has been partially lifted. They will exert the same power on the 9th and 10th floors.]

Messages filled the air, obscuring Boreas’s figure as he pledged his loyalty. Kim Jin-woo’s eyes quickly scanned the air.

[You are no longer an ordinary noble, having subjugated a noble.]

[Subterranean Baron Kim Jin-woo has obtained the qualification of Lord.]

[You cannot properly utilize the Lord’s abilities because your title is still low. The Lord’s abilities will not be activated until you rise to a title higher than the noble under your command (Baron Boreas).]

He was excited to hear that he had obtained the qualification of Lord, but he clicked his tongue when he heard that he could not properly utilize the abilities because his title was low.

But that was only for a moment. He was genuinely happy to have obtained the territory of a 10th-floor noble.

After checking the messages that continued for a while, Kim Jin-woo turned his body, leaving Boreas, who was standing with trembling legs.

“Heal Boreas. I will visit Winter Castle when he recovers.”

At his words, Dominique called the Naga priests who were waiting to heal Boreas.

***

The black marketeer arrived.

“It’s rewarding to see the fortress develop day by day.”

The black marketeer, who replaced his greetings with flattery, pointed to the line of people behind him.

“Here is the congratulatory money sent by Anatolius.”

“Congratulatory money, my foot. It’s the price for being used.”

The black marketeer shrugged at Kim Jin-woo’s indifferent words and had the workers lower a large chest to the floor.

The Nagas who were waiting in advance lifted the load, but it was so heavy that even the strong Nagas could barely move it with two or three of them working together.

“And this is the Hero-grade mercenary summoning stone that you separately promised.”

“Hmm. I hope another troublesome character like the Raven of the Battlefield doesn’t emerge.”

The black marketeer waved his hands in horror at his words.

“The Ancient Hero summoning stone and the general Hero-grade summoning stone are completely different. Don’t say such things.”

The black marketeer, who had been suffering because he had helped Anatolius’s scheme, was desperate to defend himself.

“Okay, Black Merchant also has a debt to pay me. I hope you’re not thinking of quietly forgetting about it.”

“Of course not. We are also working tirelessly to offer our utmost compensation.”

Kim Jin-woo was indifferent to the black marketeer’s bold words. He had obtained so much from the spoils of war that he was no longer impressed by ordinary gains. The black marketeer seemed to have noticed his change and looked somewhat burdened.

“Rather, I have something I want to ask you.”

“Please speak.”

Kim Jin-woo asked without hesitation when the black marketeer readily answered.

“Do you know about Dinariom, the Lord of Nightmares?”

“Um. Are you talking about the Earl of the 11th floor, Dinariom?”

“That’s right. That Dinariom.”

The black marketeer’s face was full of questions as he tilted his head.

Kim Jin-woo snorted as he looked at his expression. There was no way the Black Merchant didn’t know about Yoon-hee’s past, considering she had been put up for auction as a product.

Yet he was shamelessly feigning ignorance, which was rather absurd.

“I can’t give you accurate information because he’s not the person I’m directly involved with, but why are you asking?”

This time, he asked a question as if probing. Kim Jin-woo answered indifferently to the sharp glint behind his furtive eyes.

“I just thought I needed to find out something.”

Anyway, the black marketeer knew Yoon-hee’s identity, and he knew it too, but there was no need to reveal that fact.

The black marketeer didn’t ask any further and finished the answer, saying that he would get proper information on his next visit.

“I think that’s enough for now.”

Kim Jin-woo called out to the black marketeer again as he was about to leave after giving the list of items to Dominique.

“What, do you have anything else to say?”

The black marketeer was constantly rolling his eyes, as if he was worried about what he was going to say this time.

“I just thought of one more thing to ask.”

“Ugh. Please speak.”

Kim Jin-woo stepped forward and bent down at the black marketeer’s answer. He lowered his head to the black marketeer’s eye level, who was far below him, and asked.

“What floor are you in charge of?”

“Um. That’s a trade secret, but why are you asking?”

“Is that so? Then I’ll change the question.”

Kim Jin-woo asked again when the black marketeer said that it was difficult to answer.

“Do you know about the newly created labyrinth on the lower floors?”

“What floor are you talking about when you say lower floors…?”

Kim Jin-woo stroked his chin and stuck close to the black marketeer. He narrowed his eyes and asked, standing close enough to feel his breath.

“5th floor.”

Kim Jin-woo smiled as he watched the black marketeer tremble momentarily at the word 5th floor.

“It seems you know something.”

“I don’t know what you’re tal…”

He said to the black marketeer, who barely managed to fix his expression and feign ignorance.

“5th floor, I’m talking about the Black Tiger Labyrinth on the 5th floor. The owner calls it the Harimau Labyrinth.”