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The bumpy, tunnel-like passageway that looked as if it had been dug by hand had now changed into one seemingly carved from marble. The ceiling, which was once low enough to force large summons to lower their heads, had gotten higher. If the old Fortress had been like a crypt with narrow passageways, then the new Fortress was almost like a large castle.

[The Naga’s Fortress has completed its preparations to greet its Master, who has ascended to the title of Highlord.]

[The Naga’s Fortress has evolved into a Grand Labyrinth.]

[The Grand Labyrinth is completely different from other ordinary labyrinths. The existing grading for labyrinths, which has been the standard and the limit for growth thus far, is meaningless in the presence of the Grand Labyrinth.]

[The labyrinth’s grade has been reset. It has been changed from a Level 7 Labyrinth into a Level 1 Grand Labyrinth.]

[The Grand Labyrinth, which has not appeared in the Underworld since time immemorial, has tremendous power just as the legends say. Its existing boundaries that were artificially limited have completely disappeared, and a huge area has been incorporated into the realm of the Grand Labyrinth.]

[The Grand Labyrinth is currently relatively helpless compared to its size. It will take some time to manifest the full glory of the Grand Labyrinth.]

[The Grand Labyrinth is a real, living labyrinth that exercises judgment and grows by itself. The Grand Labyrinth is affected by its surrounding environment, as it can sense danger and capture its own energy sources. The birth of the Grand Labyrinth, which would normally be made known across the entire Underworld, has been detected by only a few.]

“This…” Kim Jin-Woo frowned at the message that his labyrinth’s grade had been reset, but his mood soon brightened when he confirmed that the Grand Labyrinth was a totally different entity from other, ordinary labyrinths.

As if to live up to his expectations, the Grand Labyrinth was even capable of sustaining itself by capturing and managing its own energy sources as soon as it was created.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could completely avoid all the prying eyes of the Underworld, but it meant that he could avoid wasting resources on unnecessary guards for the Grand Labyrinth.

[The Naga’s Fortress was a hybrid labyrinth consisting of two cores (Main Core, Sub-Core). This system, which boasted incredible efficiency compared to other labyrinths of the same level, is still present after the labyrinth’s evolution into a Grand Labyrinth.]

[However, the upkeep of the two Cores is not free. In fact, the two Cores are insufficient to serve as the new Core for the Grand Labyrinth. However, in the course of its evolution, the Grand Labyrinth has chosen to absorb the energy of other nearby labyrinths instead of forfeiting its two Cores.]

[In the process, the Grand Labyrinth has absorbed the Labyrinth Cores’ energies from countless adjacent labyrinths.]

[Due to this, the two Cores that form the basis of the Grand Labyrinth have become more powerful than before.]

“The fuck!?” Kim Jin-Woo instinctively swore. The idea of the Grand Labyrinth absorbing the adjacent labyrinths’ Cores to maintain its own Cores was something unfathomable, even to Kim Jin-Woo.

But regardless, the message windows flickered softly as new messages appeared.

[Unfortunately, in the process of integrating the existing labyrinths into one, all other labyrinths on the 9th Floor have been destroyed. The destroyed labyrinths and the energy contained in their respective Cores have been absorbed into the Grand Labyrinth’s Core.]

[The Land of Hammer and Anvil has been destroyed. Malaxus and the dwarves have lost their home and are perplexed. The dwarves are looking for a new home. It is entirely up to you whether to accept them into the Grand Labyrinth or not.]

[The Land of Illusions has been destroyed. The Queen and her Nightmares are unable to adapt to the sudden situation and are lost. The Nightmares need a place to settle down. The Grand Labyrinth is wide and deep enough to receive them.]

[The Big-Tusk Wild Boars have lost their nests and are in a state of great confusion.]

[Hecarim and the Centaurs are in a state of chaos.]

[The Silk Frog Clan are hoping to create their new nest in a corner of the Grand Labyrinth.]

News of the labyrinths’ disappearances flowed endlessly through the message windows, along with the messages that their respective residents had lost their homes and were looking for a new place of residence within the Grand Labyrinth.

Kim Jin-Woo burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of this turn of events.

[Now that the residents who have lost their homes are wandering without any guidance, the Grand Labyrinth must be prepared in advance before being able to take them in.]

[The refugees will soon realize that you are the root of this event, and will rush into the Grand Labyrinth.]

[Some may be unable to accept this loss and be radicalized, turning on you. Each and every resident is an important being to you, but the madness they will bring forth from losing their homes is a greater detriment to your rule.]

[You must decide if you want to quell them by force, or take them in.]

[Time until the first refugees or mobs reach the Grand Labyrinth: 71:59:59]

Before Kim Jin-Woo was able to fully grasp the situation, he was faced with yet another countdown timer. There were three days left, but it wasn’t enough time for him to fully understand the complete details of the new Grand Labyrinth, which was completely different from the previous system, as well as to prepare for the onslaught of angry resident mobs.

On top of that, all the facilities of the Grand Labyrinth had been deactivated, and all the Nagas, including Dominique, were nowhere to be seen. He’d had no idea he would have to deal with the angry residents by himself.

“Master?” Morrigan saw Kim Jin-Woo cursing at the air and worriedly called out to him.

“Morrigan, help me find Dominique and the other Nagas. If you find them, summon them to the master room immediately. Hurry,” Kim Jin-Woo replied, but even before he had finished his sentence, Morrigan had disappeared with a flap of her wings.

“Nothing’s working out,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered. It wasn’t a critical situation, but he would have much preferred to have gone without this problem.

If all the other 9th Floor labyrinths had indeed been destroyed, just the number of refugees alone would number over ten thousand. Not all of them would necessarily turn into angry mobs, but even then, the numbers would be too much for Morrigan and himself to stop alone. And if the maddened mobs blinded by rage were to wander around his labyrinth, it would only be a matter of time before his deactivated facilities would be left in ruins.

Kim Jin-Woo followed the flow of energy emanating from the Labyrinth Core and found the labyrinth’s neglected facilities. The laboratory, which had once been crowded with Naga Sorcerers, was covered in a thick blanket of dust, and the forges, where the Naga Blacksmiths had once hammered away non-stop, were now blowing only cold air from the furnace.

“Mm.” Kim Jin-Woo frowned as he looked at the facilities that seemed as though decades of neglect had passed.

“Master!” A welcoming voice called out to Kim Jin-Woo and snapped him out of his reverie.

“Dominique!” Kim Jin-Woo turned his head and saw the one being he needed the most right now—the ‘King’s Advisor’.

Dominique also seemed to be unable to grasp the situation, as her expression seemed full of doubt, but she carefully listened to everything Kim Jin-Woo had to say before finally saying her piece.

“So, what you’re saying is that aside from this labyrinth, no other labyrinth exists on the 9th Floor.” Her voice was calm, but her demeanor revealed her great confusion.

“The most important thing right now is to find the missing Summons. We can try to make sense out of this situation after that,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

It was impossible to grasp the complete picture of the situation within such a short period of time. This gigantic labyrinth was as full of hidden secrets as it was large. It would be far wiser to focus on finding the missing troops and prepare for the refugees who could be flocking to the Grand Labyrinth at this very moment, rather than trying to uncover more about their current predicament.

Dominique seemed to think the same, as she set out to find the Nagas. However, her presence seemed different from before. But Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t figure out what was different, so he frowned and looked away.

While conversing with Dominique, Kim Jin-Woo subconsciously ended up in the master room.

“Ah…” When he opened the door to the master room, which had become several times larger, he let out a gasp of shock and admiration.

The table with the map of the 9th Floor, the Labyrinth Core, the altar, and the stone chamber that had only contained the throne, had all changed into an incomparably splendid and majestic room. Its soaring ceiling was dome-shaped and covered in countless blue crystals, and it was wide enough for hundreds of Nagas to form up. The stone stairs that rose out of the ground firmly supported the throne in the center of the room, which was decorated with various engravings of dragons and snakes.

Clenching his fists for some reason, Kim Jin-Woo directed his attention to the two Labyrinth Cores located behind the throne.

The Naga’s Heart and the Basilisk’s Heart. The two Cores that had supported the Fortress thus far were now emitting a light that was incomparable to anything that had come before. It was as though the sun and the moon themselves were now in the room.

The two Cores were radiating energy as powerful as their dazzling light, and Kim Jin-Woo felt himself becoming intoxicated by the emitted energy as he felt his blood starting to boil.

But apparently, that wasn’t just in his mind.

[The core of the Grand Labyrinth—the Dual Core—has begun to resonate with the energy of the Highlord.]

[The Naga’s Heart and the Basilisk’s Heart are trying to resonate with you.]

[Once the resonance is complete, no one else can interfere with this powerful heart.]

[The resonance will soon be complete.]

[The resonance is complete.]

It wasn’t until Kim Jin-Woo read the last message that he felt the strangely seething power subside.

“Phew.” He let out a long sigh as the ecstatic but equally burdensome exchange of power ended.

The Grand Labyrinth truly was a mysterious existence. Although it belonged to Kim Jin-Woo, this gigantic sentient being that was able to survive on its own had more hidden secrets waiting to be discovered. He couldn’t imagine just how many more of these discoveries he would have to make before he can finally take full control of his labyrinth.

Thud.

Kim Jin-Woo stood still as he looked at the Labyrinth Core, before eventually starting to be blinded by its light and collapsing on his throne. As he sat on the throne, he grabbed the jewel on the end of the armrest and brought up the labyrinth’s status window.

***

The sleeping forces of the labyrinth woke up one by one. The first to awaken among them were the Treants. They had planted their roots on the outskirts of the old Fortress and lain dormant for a long time, but now they uprooted themselves and slowly headed to the master room.

“Ah, the Treants?” Kim Jin-Woo’s mood brightened at the sight of the Treants, whom he had completely forgotten about, as their presence was so negligible and insignificant.

Gwoooooooh.

The Treants began to wail, seemingly in response to his voice, before moving slowly again toward the platform that held the Labyrinth Core, where the light shone the brightest in the master room.

[The Treants once belonged to a powerful faction, before their decline into irrelevance after the loss of the Ancient Underworld Sun. However, they are not trivial beings. Should their strength be restored, the Treants will be able to display unimaginable power.]

[Now, they have found a light source similar to the Ancient Underworld Sun. They will remain motionless for a period of time as they focus on restoring their strength.]

[The Treants request your permission.]

Since they had already entered the master room, Kim Jin-Woo saw no reason to reject them. In fact, he was happy to see the Treants when he had expected to see no one in the immediate future, and he willingly allowed them to reside in the master room.

Gwoooooooh.

[The Treants are very happy. They are moved by your mercy. When the moment comes, the Treants will sacrifice themselves to the last leaf to serve you.]

Kim Jin-Woo looked at the Treants digging their roots into the hard ground of the Underworld, before looking back at the Labyrinth Core.

It was said that the sun itself had once existed within the Underworld, and it seemed that that ‘sun’ was actually the Core of the Highlord’s labyrinth.

After the Treants, it was Heimdall who next regained his consciousness.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The long cry of the Dawn Rooster rang out. Heimdall didn’t appear in person, but his distinctive cry announced that he was awake.

As if waking up from a long sleep at the crowing of the Dawn Rooster, the Grand Labyrinth itself began to wake up slowly.