Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 86

Dungeon Journal – Episode 87

# 87

Dungeon Journal

#37. Lottery

The face under the hood was unmistakably a carbon copy of the Black Merchant, but there were subtle differences. And it was also familiar. Kim Jin-woo frowned as he looked at the imp’s face, which had a strangely uneasy look.

“You little punk!”

The imp who had rushed over at the Black Merchant’s gesture was the same imp who had sneaked into the labyrinth when he didn’t know anything and ran away with his younger sister Hyun-ji’s wedding money.

“This friend says he owed the Baron a debt when he was wandering the underground like a beast.”

Because he lost the money back then, his younger sister Hyun-ji had to get married with an insufficient dowry. Of course, he had paid more than double the price since then, but as an older brother, it was something that made him angry just thinking about it.

“A debt…….”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been angry enough to grab him by the collar, quickly put on a cold face at the Black Merchant’s words.

“If it’s a debt, it’s a debt. Thanks to you, I had a very difficult time.”

“Well, you can settle the old debt in the future, so don’t be too angry.”

The Black Merchant said that and patted the imp’s back with his short hand. Then, the imp, who had reflexively popped out, stammered an apology.

“I’m sorry.”

Nowhere in the imp’s appearance, bowing his head, could he see the beast-like screaming he had seen before.

Kim Jin-woo narrowed his eyes and looked at the imp’s round face for a long time, amazed at how completely he had changed in such a short time.

The imp, not knowing what to do with that gaze, fidgeted and eventually turned his head away from his gaze.

“More importantly, is the decision made?”

However, Kim Jin-woo didn’t pay much attention to the imp. Whether it was a past debt or not, he was no longer in a situation where he was concerned about a few tens of millions of won [roughly equivalent to tens of thousands of US dollars].

Moreover, now that the first transaction between the Black Merchant and humans was just around the corner, he had no time to pay attention to imps.

“The decision has been made to visit, but it seems like there are many concerns because it’s the first time they’re directly contacting a ground organization.”

The Black Merchant now told him internal stories without any hesitation.

“It seems like they’re worried about how much to open up.”

Well, it was natural for the Black Merchant to worry.

Kim Jin-woo was in a position where he couldn’t carelessly talk about the underground.

If the story of the labyrinth got into the ears of greedy humans, he didn’t know what would happen, so he had to hide the existence of the labyrinth himself.

In fact, even one of the Dungeon Babies [individuals born with a connection to a dungeon], who was the owner of the labyrinth, had been murdered, so he had to be even more careful because he didn’t even have the government’s protection.

But what about the Harimau Labyrinth? Would they keep their mouths shut like him? There was no way.

They were not labyrinths run by individuals like Kim Jin-woo, nor did they have sponsors to block external pressure.

If they treated them like the Naga Fortress, various circumstances of the underground would soon flow to the ground.

Only 10 years had passed since the end of the war, and if they easily started trading, they could provide an excuse for another war.

Moreover, unlike before, now that groundlings valued the underground more, they should not give even small excuses.

“Anyway, the decision is made by the higher-ups, and I just have to do as I’m told. A merchant has to sell goods well, and if he’s interested in politics, he can’t die in his own bed.”

“You’re cunning.”

“I know my place. By the way, isn’t the Baron also a groundling? But now, it seems like you’re more wary than the other owners.”

Kim Jin-woo shrugged at the Black Merchant’s words.

“Many things will change in the underground and on the ground after this.”

***

The merchant group that would visit the Harimau Labyrinth had not even set a proper schedule yet. Because of that, Kim Jin-woo had an awkward amount of time in between.

So he visited the ground again.

“Ah, don’t do that and get tested! Who knows, you might become the owner of the labyrinth?”

“I’m not interested. I have no intention of getting caught up in unnecessary things and getting a headache.”

Mr. Baek, who had come to the appraisal office to get information, was nagging him.

“Don’t do that, what’s the problem? Others want to be the owner of the labyrinth, but they can’t.”

“So tell those who want to be to do it. I’m not interested at all.”

Mr. Baek, who would have given up quickly, was persistently persuading him for some reason.

“Why are you suddenly doing this? You didn’t seem to care last time.”

When he asked if something had happened, Mr. Baek clicked his tongue.

“All the Dungeon Babies tested by the Underground Development Agency were found to be unsuitable. As you know, Dungeon Babies in the deep layers are very rare in our country. There are only a few, and even those failed one after another, so there are really no people left now.”

“Isn’t that the Underground Development Agency’s situation? Why is Mr. Baek so anxious?”

“Ah, you’re really frustrating. There’s a vault full of money right in front of you, and the guy who holds the key to that vault is right in front of you, so how can I not be upset?”

Looking at him, he seemed to be trying to get his foot in the door of the Underground Development Agency’s event by putting him forward.

Kim Jin-woo said firmly, not wanting to get caught up in other people’s greed.

“I clearly said I wouldn’t do it. If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to come here anymore because it’s uncomfortable.”

It was a strong move in its own way. Mr. Baek soon shut his mouth because he didn’t want to break off his relationship with the highest-level explorer in Korea.

“More importantly, is there anything else these days?”

“What else would there be besides the labyrinth? The rest is the same. Going underground and coming out again. It’s always the same. Except that the hunters are noisy again these days, there’s nothing special.”

Mr. Baek said that and clicked his tongue, then said bluntly.

“Don’t you have a TV and internet at home? Don’t you read the newspaper? What kind of flea market am I? Why do you keep asking me that?”

Perhaps because he was upset by the repeated rejections, Mr. Baek’s face was full of displeasure. In the end, Kim Jin-woo had to leave the appraisal office without any particular gain.

[Mr. Kim Jin-woo, please think about it one more time. If you get tested just once, your life will change!]

Deputy Director Kim Joo-hyuk of the Underground Development Agency also called him several times and nagged him. Because he became uncomfortable staying on the ground, he turned off his cell phone and headed back to the underground.

“Hoo.”

Kim Jin-woo sighed and slumped down on the throne. He felt somehow empty because Dominic, who would have been waiting and welcoming him, was not there.

Feeling awkward, he toured the labyrinth for the first time in a while.

“Your Majesty!”

Quantus was still full of energy.

“Ah, but what about Ortega?”

“Keueung. He doesn’t come to the gate often these days.”

After the invincible Krastos visited the labyrinth, Ortega became more frightened and rarely came out, stuck in the depths of the labyrinth.

“A guy who can’t do anything but fight doesn’t even try to guard the house anymore.”

He clicked his tongue with a displeased face and set out to find Ortega.

“Hmm?”

Kim Jin-woo, who was moving to find a place where Ortega might be, stopped walking at the strange wave he suddenly felt.

A message appeared in front of his eyes.

[High-level Naga wizards have unlocked the secret hidden in the core of the labyrinth.]

***

[High-level Naga wizards were madly absorbed in the core of the labyrinth that their master had given them. They demonstrated concentration and creativity beyond their abilities with rare materials that were hard to find.]

[The mystery of the underground intervened in the process.]

[Breaking through an extremely low probability, high-level Naga wizards succeeded in glimpsing the secret hidden in the ‘core of the labyrinth’.]

Kim Jin-woo, who arrived at the laboratory, could see the Naga wizards, who were very excited, raising their hands and flicking their tongues.

[The core of the labyrinth is itself a precious treasure of the underground, but rather, many possibilities were buried because of its precious value. The core of the labyrinth, which was thrown as a research material by someone bold who did not know the value of the labyrinth, revealed a strand of the possibility it was hiding.]

What on earth was this all about? The cores of the labyrinth placed in the center of the laboratory caught his eye as he tilted his head.

However, one of the cores that had been moved to the same top-level Down Gem [a type of magical energy source] was particularly shining.

[High-level Naga wizards have succeeded in synthesizing the core of the labyrinth. The heart of the exile and the heart of the swamp have been merged into one.]

[The two cores have merged into a completely new being.]

Come to think of it, there were only eight cores, when there should have been nine.

[The core of the labyrinth has succeeded in synthesis again.]

And while he was watching, two more cores merged into one.

[The synthesized core of the labyrinth has become a completely different being.]

[You cannot know how the synthesized core has changed until you activate it.]

[It may have been reborn as a better core than before, but it may have become something completely useless.]

After checking the message, he belatedly stopped the Naga wizards.

“Stop!”

The excited Naga wizards, who were excitedly handling the cores, stopped at his voice.

***

“Keueung.”

In that short time, the core of the labyrinth, which had numbered as many as nine, was left with only six. Three pairs of cores were synthesized.

Kim Jin-woo sighed as he looked at the Down Gem containing the synthesized core of the labyrinth.

He gave them the research, but they committed a strange act. It was his fault that he didn’t think of this situation in the first place, but he couldn’t feel comfortable looking at the Naga wizards who had blown away as many as three cores of the labyrinth.

“What on earth is this…….”

Since two cores were combined, it may have achieved a dazzling development like the current core of the labyrinth, which combines the heart of the Kyo-ryong [a mythical dragon] and the heart of the Naga [a serpent-like deity].

However, the message said that it could be useless in terms of probability.

So he had a headache.

[Down Gem containing the core of the labyrinth that has been successfully synthesized.]

[This is the result of the research of high-level Naga wizards. You cannot know what changes it has made until you activate the core.]

As a result, there were as many as three ambiguous cores of the labyrinth whose effectiveness could not be known.

He couldn’t help but feel bitter because it was the core of the labyrinth that he had been planning to use as soon as the ongoing upgrade was over.

“Sheeee…….”

The Naga wizards, who were very excited about their achievements, made a low wind sound and looked at him. It seems that they have now realized what they have done.

As many as three cores of the labyrinth have disappeared. That was tantamount to saying that three labyrinths had disappeared from the underground.

“Who can I blame? It’s all my fault.”

The Naga wizards, seeing the face of the owner shaking his head and sighing, twisted their tails here and there, not knowing what to do.

Looking at them, Kim Jin-woo couldn’t bring himself to get angry.

This is because he knows that it was something they did for the development of the labyrinth, no matter what the result. Of course, a big accident that could be called a ‘disaster’ occurred in the process, but the water has already been spilled.

Even if he blames them now, the efficiency of future research will only worsen.

“Good job. You’re probably the first. You have unlocked the secret contained in the core of the labyrinth.”

And also, three labyrinths were destroyed on the spot.

He swallowed the words he couldn’t bring himself to say and praised the Naga wizards for their hard work, and the Naga wizards belatedly hissed at him and explained something.

“What?”

Although the Naga wizards, who do not have the ability or talent to convey their words in their heads like Dominic, Kim Jin-woo was able to understand their words. So he was surprised.

“You can strengthen it, not just synthesize it?”