Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 96

Dungeon Journal – Episode 97

# 97

Dungeon Journal

[The Mirror Wraith Clan has been born.]

[These ethereal wraiths are akin to the visions the living see before death. They are terrifying mimics and true plunderers, ultimately stealing the appearances of others.]

[This wraith, never before seen, is an incredibly powerful being. They will gladly plunder everything from their enemies for the sake of the King and the Labyrinth.]

[The Mystery of the Underground expresses deep interest in the emergence of this new powerhouse. The Mystery of the Underground desires the successful establishment of this Mirror Wraith Clan in the Underground.]

[Espetos, the cold and wise King of the Wraiths, has been born by the Mystery of the Underground.]

From the start, messages different from those during the creation of the existing Satellite Labyrinths appeared for quite some time.

While the poison dart frog or big-headed dwarf were treated as if they didn’t matter, not even warranting a single line, now the message window itself felt almost excited.

[Espetos, King of the Mirror Wraiths, will not reveal himself until the Labyrinth’s grade reaches level 5.]

Seeing the message, Kim Jin-woo forgot all about his previous failures and repeatedly exclaimed in admiration. Dominic and Angela, alternating between looking at him and the brilliantly shining core, rejoiced along without knowing what was happening.

***

Although he had ruined two out of the three Satellite Labyrinths, Kim Jin-woo began to reconsider the synthesis of cores since the remaining one had such good results.

The cores that became the raw materials were, in fact, just mediocre Labyrinth cores obtained as unearned income from the 9th floor.

It was obvious that their abilities wouldn’t be satisfactory even if activated, so he wondered if he should take a gamble instead.

So, without even realizing it, he headed to the laboratory where the Naga mages were engrossed in research.

“Shhh.”

The high-ranking Naga mages, who had started watching him carefully since the last incident, stopped their work and straightened their backs when they saw him.

“Continue what you were doing.”

As he waved his hand and spoke, the high-ranking mages cautiously resumed their tasks.

“Hmm…”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been watching them concentrate on their work while handling various instruments and solutions, stealthily reached into his pocket.

There were still three Labyrinth cores left that he had been keeping safe in his pocket since the Naga mages caused trouble, never letting them out.

In addition, there were four cores offered by the owners of the Labyrinths he had brought from the 6th floor this time.

After fidgeting with his hand in his pocket for a while, he finally squeezed his eyes shut and took out the cores.

“Damn it, it’s either all or nothing.”

The Naga mages, who turned their heads at his words, were wide-eyed when they saw the cores spilling onto the desk with a clatter.

[High-ranking Naga mages have successfully synthesized the Labyrinth cores. The existing cores have been combined into one.]

[Two cores have merged to become a completely new entity.]

[The Labyrinth core has succeeded in synthesis again.]

[The Labyrinth core has succeeded in synthesis again.]

In that way, he obtained three synthesized cores by using six cores again.

As before, he couldn’t know what was inside until he activated them, so Kim Jin-woo looked for a suitable place and activated the cores.

“Another 30 days again.”

He felt a sense of self-disgust because his feelings when checking the results of the synthesized cores weren’t much different from the feelings of waiting for lottery winning numbers.

However, when considered calmly, the cores used for synthesis were ambiguous items to be put into action. The Labyrinth of Exiles and the Labyrinth of Swamps were, after all, just mediocre Labyrinths with nothing much to boast about.

***

Somehow, a Dark Merchant visited the Mirror Wraith Labyrinth.

“Congratulations on the birth of the new Labyrinth. And congratulations on the birth of an unprecedented clan!”

Kim Jin-woo, feeling like he had only been receiving congratulatory greetings lately, nodded indifferently.

“How did you even know to come?”

“Let’s just say it’s a trade secret.”

Still curious, he asked how the Dark Merchant knew about the birth of the Mirror Wraith Clan, but as expected, he couldn’t get an answer.

“By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

Kim Jin-woo, cutting off the long string of congratulations, brought up the story as if he had just remembered.

“Please, go ahead.”

The Dark Merchant smacked his lips with a disappointed look, as if he had more prepared congratulatory remarks. But only for a moment, his greasy face hardened at Kim Jin-woo’s words.

“Do you happen to know what the situation is on the 5th and 6th floors?”

“Yes. I have eyes, so I have seen, and I have ears, so I have heard.”

The Dark Merchant answered with a sigh.

“It can’t be helped. The surface dwellers have been constantly rummaging through the Underground. Now, the darkness beneath the earth is no longer a fear or mystery to them. It’s just a land of exploration flowing with milk and honey.”

The surface dwellers, who had been steadily exploring for 10 years using Dungeon Babies, had reached the peak of their experience and know-how. With the addition of greed for unclaimed Labyrinths, their momentum was unstoppable.

“The Labyrinths on the 5th and 6th floors suffered the most severely in the last war. As a result, their power has weakened to an incomparable degree. They have been deprived of even the lifeline to rise again by the surface dwellers, and now they have lost their homes. It’s just heartbreaking.”

“Even so, isn’t it dangerous to leave it like this?”

Kim Jin-woo asked with a serious face to the Dark Merchant, who was lamenting. The Dark Merchant looked at him with strange eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s very unpleasant.”

“No, it’s just that you are clearly from the surface, but somehow you seem to be more concerned about the future of the Underground than the beings of the Underground…”

In reality, he wasn’t worried about the future of the Underground, but rather concerned about a possible conflict between the Naga Fortress and the humans.

Moreover, with the goal of becoming a Duke of the Deep, he didn’t want the rear to be noisy either.

“I’m just saying because the stories I’ve been hearing are ominous.”

Kim Jin-woo vaguely answered, and the Dark Merchant stared at him before opening his mouth.

“You don’t have to worry. The 6th floor can never be occupied by humans.”

“You’re good at talking. Already, among the owners of the 6th floor Labyrinths, there are more than one or two who have given up their Labyrinths and been kicked out due to various circumstances. If you underestimate them so easily, you’re bound to get a bloody nose.”

Even with Kim Jin-woo’s scolding, the Dark Merchant’s expression didn’t change.

“I’m not just saying that.”

The Dark Merchant, who had said that, smiled as if he had never had such a dark face.

“The Guardians will start moving soon.”

“Guardians?”

He tilted his head, unable to understand what he was saying, and the Dark Merchant explained.

“The Guardians are the hidden power of the Underground. They are the true strength of the Underground. Once they start moving, the surface dwellers will never be able to run rampant like they are now. I guarantee it.”

“Then why didn’t they come forward from the beginning?”

Even if that’s the case for the 6th floor, the 5th floor is almost completely occupied by explorers.

Because of that, the creatures are moving, and there is chaos on each floor, so if there is a being called a Guardian, it didn’t make sense that they were moving now.

“Unfortunately, the Guardians of the 5th floor were annihilated in the last war.”

“So, the Guardians who will move now are the Guardians of the 6th floor?”

“That’s right.”

As they talked, it seemed as if there was a Guardian on each floor.

“Then, is there a Guardian on the 9th floor?”

So, he asked with a wary face, and the Dark Merchant showed a sinister smile, unlike his usual self. But when that twisted smile appeared on his round face, it was so creepy.

“Guardians are everywhere. Except for the Guardians of the Entrance and the 5th floor, who were annihilated in the last war.”

He, who had placed the entire 9th floor under his feet and even obtained the title of Conqueror, had not heard about the Guardians from any of his subordinates.

Feeling uneasy about that, he asked the Dark Merchant about the identity of the Guardians, but the Dark Merchant shook his head.

“The Guardians of the 8th and 9th floors did not reveal themselves even in the last war. There’s no way a merchant like me would know their identity.”

“It seems they are hiding their identity.”

“I’m only telling you this because you are the Duke, but the Guardian doesn’t necessarily have to be the owner of the Labyrinth. Sometimes they can be in the form of an ordinary soldier, and sometimes they can be in a group of barbaric creatures wandering through tunnels.”

The more he heard, the more confused Kim Jin-woo frowned.

“You shouldn’t even think about calling your subordinates to confirm. The Guardian’s mission is a sacred and unconditional mission above all else. Even if it’s the owner who holds my lifeline.”

It was somehow a warning.

“Well, as long as you don’t turn your back on the Underground, you won’t have to meet the Guardians, so you don’t have to worry too much. In fact, even the nobles of the Deep are no longer interested in who the Guardians are.”

After finishing the conversation, the Dark Merchant returned to the original topic.

“In this chaotic situation, the birth of a new clan is truly a joyous event. I’m so proud that you seem to value the Underground now.”

In reality, it was just an accident caused by the Naga mages, but Kim Jin-woo didn’t show it.

If the Dark Merchant, who cherished the Labyrinth so much, knew that he had blown away several Labyrinths through synthesis, he would surely nag him.

“Are you going to visit other Labyrinths too?”

“Other Labyrinths… are you talking about the fortresses? Is there anything you need?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned at the Dark Merchant’s answer. Just in case, he brought up the other synthesized Labyrinths, but the Dark Merchant’s eyes widened, and he asked back, showing no interest in the other Labyrinths.

No, it was clear that he didn’t just have no interest, but he didn’t know at all.

If the Dark Merchant, who even visited 1st-grade Labyrinths, didn’t know, how insignificant were the poison dart frog clan and the big-headed dwarves? Kim Jin-woo sighed deeply.

***

The Dark Merchant’s words were not wrong.

News spread from various places that the explorers, who had been pushing through to the 6th floor with unstoppable force, were met with fierce resistance and were pushed back to the 4th floor. It was natural that many explorers were killed or injured in the process.

Among them, there were many explorers who were quite high-leveled, so the atmosphere on the surface was terrible.

“Quite a few teams I know have also disbanded.”

Lee Jun-young was contacted with difficulty. The rumors circulating among the explorers were just vague stories about how the creatures swarmed and they had no choice but to retreat.

So, Kim Jin-woo asked Lee Jun-young about the situation on the 5th floor. She readily told him about the horrors of the Underground without exaggeration. Living in the Black Tiger Labyrinth on the 5th floor, she was bound to be sensitive to the battles that took place nearby. As such, the information she provided was detailed.

“It will be announced soon, but it seems that the guys who showed up in the last war have started to move again.”

A story that completely matched the Dark Merchant’s information, Kim Jin-woo was convinced that they were the Guardians.

“What kind of guys are they?”