Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 98

#40. Black Merchant’s Judgment

Kim Jin-woo was disappointed when he actually visited Valishus’s workshop. The production of undead was already underway, and there wasn’t a single usable corpse left in good condition.

“Take a look at this one. There were so many usable materials among the ones you sent, so I managed to create a pretty decent one.”

Valishus, oblivious to his feelings, showed off the undead he had created with a proud face. Kim Jin-woo sighed inwardly but still checked the undead that Valishus presented.

“Oh, is this a combination of corpses?”

“That’s right. Undead can’t exert their full power unless they are supplemented in this way.”

The undead, which looked like a combination of a monkey and a lizard, was quite plausible.

Its long arms and crude snout looked useful, and Kim Jin-woo nodded with a satisfied expression. Valishus then showed him the undead in succession.

“Although they won’t be able to exert their abilities from their previous lives, they won’t feel pain, and their bodies are quite tough, so they will be more than a match for ordinary guys.”

At Valishus’s words, Kim Jin-woo slyly touched the skin of the undead, and it was indeed true.

Instead of losing the elasticity of the tough and rough skin from their previous lives, the undead gained skin as hard as stone and strong durability, making them powerful shock troops who would tear through enemy lines at the forefront.

“At this rate, I think I can complete 300 undead soon.”

“300? Is that all?”

Of course, 300 undead was a considerable number, but the corpses of enemies obtained from the last war were more than that.

“If they were just mediocre, why couldn’t I make 1,000? But I can’t make such defective products with these precious materials. I will create an army more valiant and terrifying than any other army. Please trust me and leave it to me.”

Since entering the body of a Naga worker, Valishus had been completely loyal, and Kim Jin-woo nodded, shaking off his disappointment.

“If there are any hero-grade corpses among the remaining ones, set aside a suitable one separately.”

However, Kim Jin-woo did not forget to secure a corpse for the Mirror Wraith to consume.

After leaving Valishus’s workshop, he visited Yoon-hee’s labyrinth.

Thanks to the sentinels, the 6th floor had regained its peace, but the 7th floor, where the pushed-out creatures had flocked, was still in disarray.

Nevertheless, Yoon-hee’s ability to nibble away at the power of nearby labyrinths was astonishing. Perhaps she was considering the chaos in the lower floors as an opportunity.

After leaving the 7th floor, Kim Jin-woo visited the labyrinths of Woo-seo and other vassals.

“Oh, you’ve come!”

Woo-seo, who was always sitting on the throne and slumping, was horrified to see him. Woo-seo hurriedly jumped off the throne, his body half-spilling off, and was very happy to see him after a long time.

Well, it was understandable.

It was publicly known that Woo-seo was his closest aide.

Although the order was not significant, the title of the first knight seemed quite impressive to others.

Naturally, Woo-seo’s status, who had been with the Naga Fortress from the beginning, had no choice but to rise. So, Woo-seo was having a very happy time these days.

Even with half of his body slumped on the throne, Woo-seo’s size was almost twice as large as before, so it was obvious how well-fed he had been.

“If you had called, I would have gone to you in person.”

The way he rubbed his slimy hands and spoke was just like a sycophant.

***

The 9th-floor labyrinth had grown overall. The spoils of the last war became the driving force for growth. Among them, the growth of the labyrinths that participated as allied forces was outstanding.

Compared to the time of the war, all of them had achieved grade upgrades, so when looking at the stagnant situation of the underground, it could be said that they were truly incomparable to other labyrinths.

However, that doesn’t mean that the other labyrinths had been idle. Feeling a sense of crisis due to the invasion of the 10th-floor noble alliance, they struggled to grow their labyrinths.

Some of the more brazen ones even requested support from the Naga Fortress.

Kim Jin-woo selected those who accepted the regency’s proposal from among those who asked for help and supported them with top-grade Dawn Jams [a type of magical resource].

Naturally, the consumption of military funds was bound to be enormous. The military funds supported by Anatolius had already been exhausted, and now the only remaining military funds were the spoils of the last war.

“Now, the labyrinths under your command have settled down to some extent. They now know better than anyone what benefits will arise when they stand by the master’s side.

Perhaps they will do anything to catch the master’s eye.”

Because he had been consistently providing differential support without anyone knowing, the labyrinths on the 9th floor competitively tried to show their loyalty. All of this was Dominic’s plan.

“How is the situation on the 10th floor?”

Although they had lost once in the war, the 10th floor still had a power that the 9th floor could not reach.

Even after fighting in a weakened state by entangling them with all sorts of schemes, tremendous damage occurred in the final battle.

So, if the troops of the 9th floor fought in their front yard, the result was obvious.

At that time, the soldiers of the 9th floor had to receive inter-floor penalties, just like the 10th-floor noble alliance had done.

“So far, reconnaissance activities have not been easy. It is such an unknown area, and the stealth abilities of long-range patrols are not absolute on the 10th floor. But now that Boreas has almost recovered, we can start scouting around the frozen land.”

The wounds he sustained in the last war were so severe that Boreas was only now able to shake himself off.

He had finally filled the loss of life force that even the Naga priests’ healing power could not fully replenish.

“It’s time to move soon.”

He smiled as he thought of the only fief on the 10th floor that he had not been able to visit because of Boreas’s condition. Just in time, Boreas, who had recovered, came to see him.

“I’m going to go back to my territory soon.”

Boreas’s attitude, who had sworn complete allegiance due to the defeat in the noble war, was polite. Kim Jin-woo nodded as he watched him kneel on the floor and express extreme respect throughout.

“I permit it.”

Boreas’s face brightened at his words. Although he had been treated with great respect since swearing allegiance, no matter how much, it would not be as good as being in his own territory.

Besides, he, who had reigned like a king, was now in a position to serve his master, so he must have been uncomfortable.

It was natural for him to be happy that he could now return to his territory.

“I’ll go with you.”

But for a moment, Boreas’s face darkened rapidly when Kim Jin-woo declared that he would accompany him.

The territory of Boreas, which he had found in such a way, was cold and desolate like its name, the Frozen Land. Kim Jin-woo, who entered the labyrinth where the gust of wind was blowing, lightly exclaimed.

It was qualitatively different from the labyrinths of the 10th-floor nobles that he had seen while secretly following the black merchants’ travels. Boreas’s labyrinth seemed to show how great the nobles of the 10th floor could be if they did not fall.

Despite the consumption of numerous troops in the war, the labyrinth’s defenses were solid, and the grade of various facilities and the core was incomparable to the 9th floor.

[Heart of the Frozen Land.]

[This is the core that governs the coldest and most harsh frozen land even in the harsh underground. This core, which naturally absorbed cold air in the gust of wind and cold, has finally become a crystal of coldness itself.]

[The 9th grade core has tremendous power that you have never seen before.]

[400 Frost Fairy warriors are waiting for your command.]

Kim Jin-woo, who was looking at the huge core shining brilliantly, exclaimed. It was because the light, size, and energy felt were more than the Naga Fortress.

“Amazing.”

When he said his honest impression, Boreas introduced his territory with a proud face.

“Although the number has decreased, these are the elites of my territory.”

The soldiers, each of whom had reached the elite grade, were holding a curved blade in each hand like Boreas, and at first glance, their momentum was extraordinary.

In addition, despite losing all of his adjutants in the last war, there were as many as fifteen hero-grade warriors remaining in the Frozen Land.

“The resentment of the frozen land! The warriors of the wailing gust of wind greet the king!”

Kim Jin-woo nodded with a proud face as he watched the 400 warriors prostrate themselves on the floor with greetings that sounded eerie, whether it was a slogan or not.

“Excellent.”

“You flatter me.”

Looking at Boreas, who was full of pride, he suddenly felt playful.

“Aren’t you upset? That you surrendered to me even though you have this level of labyrinth and elite troops left.”

At those words, Boreas’s eyes widened, but he soon shook his head.

“The loser has no say. Even if I had led the remaining 400 warriors, could I have overcome the king’s divine strategies?”

In fact, it was just a trick, but from the perspective of those who were being tricked, there was nothing more terrifying than that.

How painful would it have been, with ambushes everywhere and traps at every step? In fact, Boreas said that he felt relieved when the battle was over.

“I see.”

Kim Jin-woo clicked his tongue at Boreas’s answer, which was different from what he had expected, and ordered.

“Construct a gate! Using this place as a bridgehead, we will advance to the 10th floor!”

At his declaration-like words, Boreas and the warriors of the gust of wind bowed their heads.

***

The cost of entering the gate was astronomical. It cost about the same as making a new labyrinth into a usable one. Just the top-grade Dawn Jams to supply energy to the gate alone cost more than ten.

Kim Jin-woo’s stomach ached as he watched the warehouse constantly emptying, but he tried to ignore it. Although the cost was astronomical, the gate was essential.

Every time he came up to the 10th floor, it took too long to use the passage that crossed the 9th floor to get to the 10th floor. But if there was a gate, things would be different.

Now that he had all the labyrinths on the 9th floor as vassals, he could pour the troops of the 9th floor into the 10th floor all at once through the gate if necessary.

Moreover, unlike portals, gates could be installed in arbitrary locations, not in the owner’s room where the core was located, so their strategic value was superior to portals.

“You must depart now.”

However, Kim Jin-woo could not watch the completion of the gate connecting the Naga Fortress and the Frozen Land.

This was because the black merchant’s travels to the Harimau Labyrinth were today.

The black merchant, who had set up shop some distance from the Naga Fortress, tore the parchment he had in his arms.

The portal used by the black merchants, which he had seen before, opened its mouth wide in the air, and the procession entered it one after another.

“Let’s go.”

Kim Jin-woo nodded at the black merchant’s words and crossed the portal. And the first thing he saw after crossing the portal was the mercenaries filling the passage.

“What is this……”

“The Black Merchant has decided that they cannot completely trust the Black Tiger Labyrinth.”

The black merchant explained as Kim Jin-woo, who saw the mercenaries who looked like they were over a hundred, could not hide his surprise.

“They are all insurance for the worst-case scenario.”

“That’s excessive for insurance.”

Even at first glance, each of them was a mercenary who had reached the hero grade, so their power was too much for a single merchant group to possess.

As he spoke with a face paling at the tremendous power, the black merchant replied nonchalantly.

“Of course, it is excessive. Thanks to this, all other travels have been suspended.”

He said that it was difficult for the Black Merchant to gather the troops, but it didn’t seem to be the case when he saw the mercenaries moving silently as if they had been one from the beginning.

“And about half of these troops are to escort the Lord.”

He frowned, wondering what this was all about, and the black merchant said with a serious face.

“It’s not a simple matter for a noble of the underground to be killed by surface dwellers.”

It seemed that they had anticipated the worst-case scenario, and the black merchant and the mercenaries who followed him looked serious.

“And if they determine that they pose a threat to the safety of the underground, they will consider recovering the core.”

“Are you saying you’re going to attack them?”

Kim Jin-woo’s expression was not good because the situation had become bigger than he had expected.

“That’s only in the worst-case scenario. We, the Black Merchant, do not attack labyrinths without reason. We are merely merchants, so we have no justification or reason to do so.”

The words of the black merchant did not match the appearance of the mercenaries lined up behind him. He didn’t know what they were talking about.

“And when that time comes, you will have to make a choice too.”

Kim Jin-woo involuntarily looked into the black merchant’s eyes at the voice that was deeper and lower than usual. There was no light in the black merchant’s black eyes.