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#24. The Loot

[The battle has ended. The dead have been annihilated and sent back to where they belong.]

Several messages appeared along with the one announcing the end of the battle, but Kim Jin-Woo dismissed them with a single shake of his head. Defeating a few dead soldiers couldn’t even be counted as a victory. 

“I’m sure this isn’t all there is to it.”

Although Valicius might not have any more soldiers under his command, the crafty fellow likely had an insidious scheme. Since Kim Jin-Woo and his army were just one step away from reaching the Graveyard, it was the King of the Dead’s last chance to whip out his trump card.

The fact that the march of the naga troops was so unobstructed and smooth made Kim Jin-Woo more uneasy. He commanded, “Slow down and focus on investigating the vicinity.” 

Rikshasha and the scouts scattered in all directions and began to thoroughly survey the surroundings.

“Show yourself, Valicius. This will be your final chance,” whispered Kim JIn-Woo, as he slowed the march as if he were waiting for something.

Perhaps the dead did hear those words. At that moment, the whole Underground began to tremble.

Woooooh!

Keeek!

Kim Jin-Woo heard the sudden, eerie screech of the wind. Furthermore, the pitch-black darkness began to expand until it completely engulfed the already dim underground passage.

[The parasite has sensed danger.]

[The surroundings are full of ‘Death Aura’.]

[‘Death Aura’, also known as negative energy, plants fear into all living creatures. The nagas are affected by the Death Aura.]

[The nagas have resisted the Death Aura thanks to their undefeated commander.]

[However, the Death Aura still lingers in the air.]

The messages blinked profusely as though they were trying to warn Kim Jin-Woo of something. Even without them, he could sense that something bad was happening. Not only was the sinister air creeping in and stinging his skin, but the exceptional darkness was also triggering his danger signal.

[The whole Underground is like a gigantic graveyard. Every lump of soil has been soiled with blood, and death has occurred in every corner. The Death Aura accumulated artificially in the Underground never brings good news. Something terrifying will happen if you don’t disperse it quickly.]

A warning appeared again. The clump of Death Aura began to approach the nagas in a threatening manner from both ends of the passage.

“Stop the darkness from gathering!” Kim Jin-Woo commanded. The naga dragon knights simultaneously wrapped their tails around the necks of the guardian dragons. 

The six-legged guardian dragons stamped their feet and stepped forth with their jaws wide open, large enough to swallow most creatures whole. Fire began to flicker inside their mouths, which they belched out together.

Kyaaaak!

The flame gushed out from the dragons standing in the rather cramped, narrow passage. The darkness screamed, then began to pitch and toss.

“Again!”

Even Ortehaga joined the front line and vomited fire. The crimson red flame managed to push the darkness back momentarily, but it began to gather again, with a more vivid color this time.

The high-class naga magicians and the remaining naga dragon knights struggled to expel the darkness, but all they could do was prevent the Death Aura from approaching

The guardian dragons struggled until they ran out of flame and coughed, but the darkness continued to aggregate until it formed a gigantic mass.

[The highly concentrated Death Aura has mingled with the countless deaths in the Underground to open the Gate of the Ghouls in this world.]

[The rancor of the Underground, that has grown over an immeasurable time span, has begun to take form.]

[The most horrifying beings of all, the ghoul army, have been summoned. Ghouls resent and despise the living relentlessly.]

The rock-solid floor of the Underground began to crack open, and from there, a skeleton’s hand that had turned yellow with time emerged. Dozens more appeared, and then hundreds. When all of them finally revealed themselves, the underground world became another living hell.

“Prepare for battle!”

The nagas had been preparing for this for a long time. They instantly raised their spears and knives and boosted their fighting spirits.

“Obliterate them!” Kim Jin-Woo commanded. Immediately, the high-class naga magicians, who had been chanting spells in advance, uttered their final words. The naga sorcerers also began to hum a tune.

[The battle has begun.]

[Anyone who dies in the land of the ghouls will suffer from eternal agony. They will crave for the flesh and souls of their former comrades. Those who die in battle will be recruited into the ghoul army.]

None of these messages were to be taken lightly, but Kim Jin-Woo encouraged the nagas without a change in his cold expression.

[The commander’s unique ability: ‘Domination of the Battlefield’ has been activated.] 

[The combined combat ability of the nagas has increased. The nagas will try to listen to and obey your softest mumbles and whispers.]

[The formation of the nagas has become more cohesive and flexible.]

As soon as the message ended, the nagas began to create a more impenetrable formation and faced the ghoul army.

The naga dragon knights bolted and trampled on the ghouls, while the naga magicians cast ice spells. The warriors’ shields crushed their skeletons, and the fighters’ axes smashed them into dust.

Kim Jin-Woo’s army was overwhelmingly powerful, but the battle was intense. The ghouls charged relentlessly until they were completely pulverized. In addition, the nagas were affected by a terrifying curse that forced them to charge with bloodthirst at their comrades with even the slightest injury.

But the most horrible of all was the ghouls themselves, who crawled out endlessly from beneath the ground. Although they were all bones and looked shabby, there was an overwhelming number of them. Therefore, the nagas were all fatigued and collapsed on the floor when the battle ended.

[The battle has ended.]

[The nagas have shown incredible prowess fighting against the endless wave of the ghoul army. The nagas were like arbiters of justice. However, many nagas have died in battle, as the ghouls were not weak.]

[The naga scouts have been annihilated. They were not as lucky.]

[Three naga warriors and six fighters have died.]

[Two high-class naga magicians have died.]

[One naga dragon knight has died.]

While all the fatigued nagas were on the floor, Kim Jin-Woo read the damage report and grimaced. “Rikshasha!” he called.

“I’m here.” Rikshasha looked like a mess. It seemed she wasn’t able to utilize the stealth mode she was normally so confident in.

Kim Jin-Woo remarked bitterly to her, “I know you’re tired, but there aren’t any scouts left. Please help with the scouting until we reach the Land of the Dead.”

Although Kim Jin-Woo and the nagas had won, the ghouls weren’t easy opponents. Not only had they been tenacious and numerous, but they had also inflicted a horrifying curse that made the nagas turn around and rip their comrades apart after sustaining the slightest injury. An ordinary army would have been wiped out easily.

Valicius might be the King of the Dead, but he would not be unscathed after losing such devastating strength. Therefore, Kim Jin-Woo increased the marching pace of the nagas instead of regrouping.

As he had expected, the Graveyard, which was usually surrounded by Death Aura and dangerous energy, had become nothing but an empty labyrinth.

“There are no traps around,” Rikshasha reported with a pale face. Kim Jin-Woo led the nagas and headed to the master room, where Valicius would be. 

“So you are the king of the nagas.” 

When Kim Jin-Woo arrived at the master room, he met Valicius, who was sitting on the throne as if he had been waiting for Kim Jin-Woo.

With his body covered in needle marks, Valicius looked extremely fatigued. As Kim Jin-Woo had expected, the King of the Dead must have expended too much energy in opening the Gate of the Ghouls.

This was evident from his flesh, which crumbled down as he talked, and from his lifeless, dull eyes. He looked significantly weaker compared to when Kim Jin-Woo had first seen him at the auction.

“Who knew the King of Greed was on your side. I was just playing into your hands from start to finish. How bitter!” Valicius lamented his misfortune. Kim Jin-Woo gave him a displeased look.

“I should have just fought you instead of opening the Gate of the Ghouls, how regrettable…” Valicius blabbered on with his completely torn and tattered lips. He suddenly stopped talking when Kim Jin-Woo suddenly came close to grab his neck and throw him onto the floor.

It was a pitiful scene for someone who was once hailed as the King of the Dead, but Kim Jin-Woo was more satisfied with how Valicius looked currently. 

“I hate to see a loser chattering away on the throne.” While Valicius was recovering from the first-ever humiliation in his life, Kim Jin-Woo sat on the throne made of bones and crossed his legs. “Losers don’t talk, do they?”

He smiled coldly and tutted when he saw the labyrinth’s core. Unlike a normal labyrinth core, its glow was faint, as if it were going to shut down at any moment. Kim Jin-Woo had a dissatisfied look on his face.

“It’s my greatest regret not using the trump card I had prepared for you!” Valicius cried as if he were vomiting blood, having struggled to get up after being tossed onto the floor. However, Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t looking at him.

“Oh no, the labyrinth has become completely useless.” A voice appeared from nowhere.

Valicius, drained of his energy, hadn’t noticed the presence of the voice’s owner. He turned around in shock. “Y-You are?” 

“It’s regrettable to meet you in this condition, Lord Valicius.” The visitor in the master room was none other than a Black Merchant.

“Leave the greetings for later. Let’s settle what’s more urgent first.” Kim Jin-Woo seemed to have been aware of the Black Merchant’s appearance from the beginning, as he didn’t flinch in the slightest. “Mark the price according to what we agreed on.” 

What agreement were they talking about? Valicius stared blankly into space, unable to comprehend what was going on.

“Looks like we, the Black Merchants, are going to be on the losing end of the deal again.”

“I’ve kept all my promises. I didn’t lay a single finger on the labyrinth, since you didn’t want another labyrinth disappearing from the Underground. It’s Valicius’ fault that the labyrinth’s core has entered this state, not mine. It’s only right and proper that we calculate according to our previous agreement.”

The Black Merchant sulked upon hearing Kim Jin-Woo’s suggestion. “Why do all labyrinths get destroyed whenever you’re involved…. I’m starting to get worried that there won’t be any more labyrinths left on the ninth floor.”

The Black Merchant appraised the price of the faintly glowing labyrinth core as Kim Jin-Woo looked on, unimpressed. “And there are about seventy troops, and chimeras made from the basilisk king and the blood leopard... Let’s see.” The merchant raised his short finger and calculated the sum, as though evaluating the value of an item.

Only then did Valicius realize what was going on. He bellowed furiously, “How dare you!”

However, the Black Merchant coldly ignored Valicius. He straightened his servile, hunched back, and looked down at the King of the Dead as if he were looking at a trivial beastfolk slave. Valicius, infuriated by this fact, stumbled towards the black merchant with the last bit of his strength.

“One last item left. Hmm, what do you plan to do with this?” the Black Merchant mused.

“How much are you willing to pay me for this?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Valicius had arrived right in front of the Black Merchant. His anger faded and his body stiffened when he saw the cold look on the Black Merchant directed at him.    

“The vessel of life force has been broken, and the body isn’t impressive to begin with. I can’t give you much for this. But you’re the one making the decisions. I just have to pay you and get the item.”

Only then did Valicius realize what the ‘last item’ was referring to. He collapsed onto the floor in despair the moment he came to that realization.

“Hmm, but this guy was once hailed as the King of the Dead, so it’s a little weird to sell him dirt cheap,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

“Then what are you going to do?” the Black Merchant asked. 

Kim Jin-Woo stared at Valicius, who was sitting on the floor crestfallen, then made a decision. “How about this?”