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Chapter 181

#68. The Counts’ Nightmares

The Association had fallen to the point of near-collapse. All its key executives, including Song Jong-Chul, had been killed by Kim Jin-Woo, and many of its related businesses were also destroyed.

Park Sung-Jin took complete control over the Association from the inside. There had been several other key executives that were able to avoid the attack, as they were present elsewhere, but he got rid of them without much difficulty.

It wouldn’t have been such an easy task if not for Kim Jin-Woo’s help, making it a lot easier for Park Sung-Jin to become the new head of the Association. Thanks to his self-promotion, he was able to prevent word from spreading about what had happened to the Association and the battle that had occurred in Paju.

{There are some who question the disappearance of the executives, but most of them don’t have any deep relationship with the Association, so it’s not something you need worry too much about.}

After having his Labyrinth Core held hostage in exchange for ignoring Kim Jin-Woo’s warning and opening his portal, Park Sung-Jin seemed to have decided to turn to Kim Jin-Woo’s side.

After all, despite having been severely defeated, he had managed to take the spot the arrogant Song Jong-Chul once held, and considering that he was now the head of the Association with no contest, it was a relatively decent turn of events.

{If anything happens, I’ll contact you again.}

Kim Jin-Woo ended the call and let out a long sigh.

Based on the information from Park Sung-Jin, the scale and reach of the Association within the country was truly astounding. Every capable person seemed to be involved in the Association and the multiple businesses associated with it, and many more were interested in its work in the Underworld. The Association had always been directed by of the intertwined will of countless figures, rather than Song Jong-Chul’s individual will.

Kim Jin-Woo had always been curious as to how the Explorers’ Association was able to establish its dominance so quickly despite all the bad press, and now he knew the reason why.

“If it’s about matters on the surface, Park Sung-Jin should be able to take care of them. But…” he muttered to himself.

The problem was the Underworld. Even after Song Jong-Chul’s death, Bryntess had expressed a desire to continue her dealings with the Association. Although she didn’t directly offer any deals, perhaps being conscious of Kim Jin-Woo’s presence, she continued to send Tyrenon to express her will to trade.

“What kinds of deals was this Song Jong-Chul making…”

Not that Kim Jin-Woo was particularly regretting killing off Song Jong-Chul without hearing him out. As long as the new head of the Association, Park Sung-Jin, listened to his orders, any news would eventually enter Kim Jin-Woo’s ears, whether it was intended or not.

“Lee Jun-Young, it’s time you make your comeback,” he told Lee Jun-Young.

As long as the obstacle that had been the Association was gone, there was nothing for Lee Jun-Young to be afraid of. Jung Chan-Sik had shrewdly noticed that something was off and had gone into hiding, but he was too weak to plan anything that would be of any concern by himself.

However, Lee Jun-Young seemed to be content with her present life, as she flatly rejected Kim Jin-Woo’s proposal. “Park Sung-Jin is still around, so I don’t think there’s a need for me to join the Association.”

In return, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t force her either, as he saw no reason to have her join the Association if he had to force her to.

“Isn’t it about time you visited Father?” Lee Jun-Young asked. She brought up the word ‘Father’ so casually that it caught Kim Jin-Woo by surprise, but he maintained his composure[1].

Although his father was still in a relatively weak state even after his rescue from Park Sung-Jin’s labyrinth, it wasn’t too out of the ordinary. In fact, his father was very much conscious and aware of his surroundings, considering that the very first thing he had proposed had been to hide the conflict between his son and the Association, fearing that his family might get worried. Due to his father’s decision, his other family members were still unaware of the Association’s wrongdoings when he returned home.

Kim Jin-Woo’s family was finally able to find peace after a long period of turmoil and struggle, and returned to their daily lives. His missing father had been found, Song Jong-Chul’s evil plans had been denied, and the new head of the Association, Park Sung-Jin, was now in his grasp. In addition, the outstanding dungeon baby Lee Jun-Young was finding her footing; thus, all of Kim Jin-Woo’s tasks related to the surface were far more active than before.

Thus, for the time being, Kim Jin-Woo decided to focus on the tasks that he had been putting off by entrusting the surface to Park Sung-Jin and Lee Jun-Young. He now wanted to focus on finding out how to prevent his consciousness from being invaded by the Grand Labyrinth, as well as gathering the fragments of the Ancient Powers to increase his Highlord powers. Those fragments were all in the Underworld.

“I’ll be back,” Kim Jin-Woo said as he headed to the Underworld again. He took the same steps he always had, except this time, his starting point was no longer his Grand Labyrinth on the 9th Floor, but his labyrinth on the surface.

“Mm.” The malice of the Grand Labyrinth immediately started to invade him as he passed through the portal. Kim Jin-Woo frowned as he hurriedly walked through the corridors of the Grand Labyrinth.

He soon arrived at Valicius’ workshop, which had been newly rebuilt within the Grand Labyrinth. A Naga Sorcerer working on a Moai corpse he had collected from somewhere was startled at his arrival and fell flat on his face.

“My King,” the Naga Sorcerer said in greeting. He was none other than Valicius himself, who had finally been recognized for his loyalty and had had his Naga Worker body replaced as part of his promotion. His head was completely against the floor; he dared not raise his head as he expressed his extreme respect for his king.

“Valicius.” Kim Jin-Woo stood still, staring at Valicius for a long time before finally speaking. “Were there any Subterraneans[2] in your labyrinth?”

Valicius tilted his head at the sudden question and replied, “There were a few, but they were so weak that they died almost immediately. Some of them were turned into Dead, but they weren’t particularly useful.”

“Are there any Subterraneans left alive?”

“Mm… There was one decent guy, so I remember him, but I did release him afterward…”

“Do you remember his name?”

“I can’t remember the name of such an insignificant…”

Kim Jin-Woo frowned at Valicius’ clueless answers. Park Sung-Jin was now leading a new, grandiose life on the surface, and he was a dungeon baby born on the 9th Floor. That also meant he was Valicius’ slave.

“It seems your Subterranean slave is now a labyrinth master,” he remarked.

“Is that so?” Valicius asked.

“And I’ve taken him in as my subordinate,” Kim Jin-Woo added.

Valicius didn’t seem to understand why Kim Jin-Woo was telling him all this. There was no emotion other than curiosity in the Naga’s blue eyes, as he looked at Kim Jin-Woo blankly and waited for his next word.

Seeing Valicius’ indifference, Kim Jin-Woo subconsciously ended up muttering to himself, “Seems like you’re the same as him.” As he thought of a certain mighty monster on the 12th Floor with its vicious hide and razor-sharp legs, his expression looked as complicated as ever.

“That aside, what were you doing?” Kim Jin-Woo quickly changed the topic, not wanting to waste time being immersed by his own emotions.

In response, Valicius excitedly explained while looking at the Moai’s corpse, “If we turn them into Dead, there seems to be potential for very interesting results.”

“I don’t think they’re particularly good materials, but…” Kim Jin-Woo began.

“So, that’s the thing…” Perhaps it was because he was now in a Naga Sorcerer’s body, but Valicius’s behavior was becoming just as erratic as the mad scientists that the Naga Sorcerers were, as his eyes gleamed at the prospect of yet another crazed experiment. “These guys… If I do it just right, I might be able to return them to their original bodies.”

This time, not even Kim Jin-Woo, who had been quietly listening thus far with a gloomy expression, could help but be surprised. “Is something like that possible?”

“I still have to research a bit more, but give me a few days and I’ll definitely be able to restore one to its original body.”

Kim Jin-Woo’s head started to spin as he listened to Valicius’ rambling. He quickly ended his meeting with Valicius and went to seek out Ariane, ordering, “Arrange a meeting with Denarion.”

The war on the 11th Floor should have ended by now; thus, Kim Jin-Woo now had his eyes set on the 11th Floor. But before that, he had something to take from Denarion.

***

When Kim Jin-Woo opened his eyes, hell awaited him. There were corpses all over the place; among them was a tall mountain of corpses, upon which stood a huge giant.

If the Devil himself existed, that might be what he looked like. The luster of his armor, which would otherwise have shone brilliantly, was dulled by layers of blood, and the tip of the spear he was grasping was badly damaged, but the giant’s presence was overwhelming.

Neither the uncountable army surrounding the mountain of corpses nor the beasts on the front line dared to attack the giant. Alone, the giant stood tall, gazing at the tens of thousands of troops with his single eye.

At first glance, it appeared that the large army was besieging the giant, but it was in fact the army that was being tied down by the giant. Not a single member of the army dared to climb up to him, and it was clear that he was in control of the battlefield. It was almost as if the giant had the army bound underfoot from his mere presence alone.

But that didn’t mean the army was weak. Hundreds of beasts of various sizes started to climb the mountain of corpses. A battle soon began, and the end result was devastating.

The giant’s power was overwhelming, and with each swing of his spear, dozens of the soldiers that climbed the mountain were torn to shreds, adding on to the pile. Despite that, the number of people climbing the mountain didn’t decrease. The large army waiting below had finally begun their offense.

Kim Jin-Woo, who had been watching the bloody battle from afar, subconsciously shouted a word. “Anatolius!”

A bronze giant who had climbed the mountain of corpses and slammed his spear into the back of the one-eyed giant looked familiar. Although his signature iron mask was broken and his splendid armor had turned into nothing more than mere rags, it wasn’t difficult to recognize him as Anatolius.

And it wasn’t just Anatolius. Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes widened when he saw the screaming man caught in the grip of the one-eyed giant. His black wings seemed unfamiliar, but the man was Denarion without a doubt.

“Kaaaaargh!’

In that split second Kim Jin-Woo spent staring at those familiar faces, the one-eyed giant tore Denarion’s wings off. With a blood-curdling scream, Denarion rolled down the mountain of corpses.

“Denarion!” With an inadvertent scream, the world around Kim Jin-Woo suddenly faded away.

As the world around him crumbled, Denarion’s voice echoed around him “The Undefeated Commander. It’s been a while.”

“What the hell is this…” Kim Jin-Woo muttered. Those screams still seemed so fresh, and yet, Denarion sounded as calm as ever. He couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

“My ability is ‘Nightmare’, and it seems this time, you dreamt my nightmare,” Denarion explained.

Only then did the world finally make sense, and Kim Jin-Woo regained his grasp over reality. The collapsed world around him finally cleared up, and the sight he had just witnessed came to him clearly. “Don’t tell me that the giant I just saw…”

“Yes, he was the strongest and wisest of the Ten Ancient Lords who once ruled the Underworld, and he was the monster who stole my wings.” Denarion turned around with a bitter expression, perhaps the aftermath of his nightmare. “He was the One-Eyed Lord, Botan.”

1. Kim Jin-Woo was caught by surprise because, in Korean culture, ‘Father’ or 아버님 (Ah-buh-nim) is usually used by one’s wife/girlfriend in reference to their father-in-law. Considering this context, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t expect it. ☜

2. A term that Underworld beings use to refer to dungeon babies ☜