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Chapter 213

The replicas of the Grand Labyrinth, restored by Daedalus and the Big-Headed Dwarves, looked rather feeble compared to the Labyrinth of Greed.

They were no different from the real Grand Labyrinth in terms of constantly expanding their realm as if they were alive, but with none of the malice that was characteristic of the real Grand Labyrinth being present in the fakes, they seemed ready to be consumed at any desired moment.

However, instead of throwing himself into the fake Grand Labyrinths, Kim Jin-Woo turned away. It was true that the fake Grand Labyrinths looked delectable, but he wasn’t swayed by the potential immediate gains. After all, when one day those replicas devoured the entirety of the Counts’ estates, that was when he’d be able to enjoy a true feast.

Before leaving the 11th Floor, Kim Jin-Woo looked back at it one more time.

The day would come when he would punish the Deep Floor Counts who had tried to take advantage of him by hiding their plans, and it wasn’t far away. When that day came, he would show no hesitation or mercy.

He returned directly to the 9th Floor, and upon arriving at his Grand Labyrinth, exclaimed in admiration at the significant changes that had occurred in it while he was away. The central passageway, which had become a mess upon the arrival of Frost, shone brightly and clearly like an artwork carved in ice.

“My King!”

“Mm…” Kim Jin-Woo had been admiring the transformed Grand Labyrinth when he was caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of Quantus and the Nagas.

The fact that the Nagas had appeared from the passageway, where there was nowhere to hide, without him detecting them was surprising. He approached them and looked at the area where Quantus and the Nagas had appeared from, and he exclaimed once again in surprise.

Surprisingly, the passage he had thought stretched out in a straight line actually twisted and turned all over, and the frozen walls of the passageway had distorted the space within like a hall of mirrors, dazzling Kim Jin-Woo

Because of the new layout of the passageway, the Nagas were able to appear as if they had sprung up from nowhere.

“That architect called Daedalus, he’s truly amazing,” Quantus said, explaining that this was all the work of Daedalus.

The surprises didn’t end there.

Until now, the residential area of the Grand Labyrinth had been forcefully but neatly filled by several labyrinths that had come together due to the loss of their homes, but now, the spaces were interconnected in such a way that there were several tiers between them, as if there were several floors inside each labyrinth.

Thanks to that, even though the Grand Labyrinth was smaller than before, it felt more spacious than ever.

“Mm?” Kim Jin-Woo stopped at the workshop of the Frost Dwarves while looking around the living quarters of the different races.

The frozen hearth blazed with a fiery flame thanks to the newly born Frost Dwarves, and the Dwarves passing by it seemed particularly busy. But among them, one being sat still near the furnace, and that was none other than Uther.

“What are you doing there?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“Oh! You’ve returned, my King!” Uther greeted him. However, Kim Jin-Woo coldly ignored his greeting. Uther quickly caught on and rushed to respond to his king’s question. “It’s because the labyrinth is too cold. As you know, my body is weak to cold, so this is a great hardship for me.”

Listening to Uther, who refused to leave the furnace to the end, Kim Jin-Woo remembered some important facts about him.

Uther’s body was a slimy mass with no fixed shape, but when exposed to extreme cold, it would solidify, and its advantage of being able to absorb its enemies’ attacks would disappear.

“That’s why, even in my spare time, I’m always indebted to the Dwarves,” Uther explained.

His race wasn’t like the others that could withstand the cold through thick furs, and thus it seemed that making use of the Dwarves’ furnace was an idea that he had come up with on his own.

“Hmm.”

There was something about Uther that ticked Kim Jin-Woo off, but regardless, Uther was one of the main forces of his army. But leaving Uther alone, when he was already so timid, would only further enable him to be even lazier.

Thus, Kim Jin-Woo frowned and contemplated his options. “What to do with this guy…”

Meanwhile, the King of the Dwarves, whose work had been in full swing, came up to Kim Jin-Woo and complained that Uther was getting in the way of his work.

“For now, return to your residence,” Kim Jin-Woo told Uther.

“Urgh,” the slimy Uther whined before walking out of the workshop.

“He was a thorn in my sight, so now I’m feeling relieved.” Malaxus giggled despite looking like he had aged another ten years. Suddenly, he asked Kim Jin-Woo with a smirk, “Is there any particular weapon that my King has enjoyed using?”

“I’ve mainly used a sword, but it’s not as if I particularly favor a specific weapon,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

Malaxus had an ambitious look on his face, stating that he would make a weapon for his king, especially now that the saboteurs were now gone and that there was no fear that the brazier’s fire would be put out.

However, when Kim Jin-Woo, who had already obtained the Mystical Spear and felt no need for another weapon, rejected his offer, Malaxus asked again with a disappointed look, “Then what about armor?”

No matter how tough a human body was, it was likely to turn into minced meat from one attack by a creature. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo had only used armor that covered his vitals while not restricting his movements thus far.

Because of that, the old Kim Jin-Woo would have denied the need for new armor. However, with his recent awakening as a Highlord, his physical attributes and body had been upgraded severalfold.

In addition, even his combat methods that had been tied to the limits of being a dungeon baby had been completely released from their restrictions after his encounter with the Mystical Spear’s memory.

Thus, Kim Jin-Woo accepted Malaxus’ offer, which he would have previously rejected.

“Please leave it to me, and I’ll present to you a real suit of armor that not even the beasts from the Deep Floors can penetrate,” Malaxus said.

Kim Jin-Woo responded by saying that he was looking forward to it and left the Dwarves’ residence.

“Master!” Just as Kim Jin-Woo finished touring all the residences of the races in the Grand Labyrinth, Dominique showed up and said, “I was just waiting for Master to return.”

“You were waiting for me?” Since Dominique was skilled enough to handle almost any task by herself, Kim Jin-Woo asked why she was there with a puzzled expression.

“Daedalus has completed the preliminary work, and now requires Master to properly activate the Grand Labyrinth,” Dominique explained.

“But it looks like the Grand Labyrinth is running well,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

Dominique shook her head and explained the situation. “It may look as if everything is done on the surface, but Daedalus didn’t simply rearrange passageways and clear areas.” She went on to say that the countless devices Daedalus had prepared could only be activated by the master of the labyrinth, and hurriedly led him to the master room.

Daedalus was pacing around the two glowing Labyrinth Cores with a look of displeasure. The newly born Frost Nagas, that had previously been absent from the master room, had formed a line across the master room that blocked the Big-Headed Dwarf from approaching the Labyrinth Cores.

“Master was absent, so I felt uncomfortable about letting him approach the cores…” Dominique whispered to Kim Jin-Woo as she explained the reason for the Frost Nagas’ presence and the stand-off between them and Daedalus. It appeared that she still didn’t trust Mimir, and thus didn’t trust Daedalus, whom Mimir had left behind.

“I was the one who created the clan of Big-Headed Dwarves, but I don’t know much about them. Even though I’ve entrusted the work to him out of necessity now, there’s nothing wrong with being careful,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

It was said that Daedalus and the Big-Headed Dwarves who had completed their residency registration shared their fate with the Grand Labyrinth, but there were still a couple of things about Mimir that Kim Jin-Woo still had doubts about.

If Mimir did indeed have some kind of sinister plan, there would be no one better for him to make use of than Daedalus, who only had eyes for labyrinths.

“Ohhh!” Belatedly realizing Kim Jin-Woo was present, Daedalus ran up to him with a look of anticipation and asked, “How is it? Has your patience and faith in me paid off?”

“The visual and spatial distortion using the icy surface seemed quite useful. I also like the three-dimensional structural changes produced by dividing areas into layers and creating different floors,” Kim Jin-Woo replied, honestly sharing his impressions of the transformed labyrinth after having hidden his true feelings thus far.

Daedalus looked up and chimed in. “That’s not all. The real grand changes have been made on the inside, so in order for Master to check them out, you have to kickstart it.” He seemed eager and anxious to immediately see the changes he had made to the Grand Labyrinth come to life.

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t intend to prolong the activation either; thus, he silently sat down on the throne.

[The Grand Labyrinth, newly transformed by the Labyrinth Architect, is waiting for the master’s authorization.]

[Do you want to check out the changes in the Grand Labyrinths yourself, and activate the inactive facilities?]

“Let’s do that.” Kim Jin-Woo nodded without hesitation. The Grand Labyrinth suddenly began to vibrate.

Goaaaaaar.

The Grand Labyrinth began to roar as if it were cheering, and the Labyrinth Cores began to glow. When the changes were over, messages appeared in front of Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes.

[The grand reconstruction of the labyrinth, which was approved by the Highlord, has finally come to an end.]

[The facilities of the Grand Labyrinth have been further upgraded.]

[The visual distortion effect has been strengthened. Although it used to just be a trick, it is now powerful enough to hide any presence. Enemies who invade the Grand Labyrinth will not even be able to detect its defenders right in front of them, and they will die a terrible death.]

[The Grand Labyrinth has gained the trait ‘Maze’. Invaders will be completely disoriented the moment they enter the Grand Labyrinth. They will lose track of their senses to the extent that they will not even be able to trust their eyes. They will be left highly vulnerable to attacks.]

[The structure of the Grand Labyrinth has been changed to be more ‘three-dimensional’. The utilization of its area has been maximized. The distinction between floors, which was previously a mere imitation, is now more perfect. Now, the Grand Labyrinth can be used by dividing different floors according to its needs.]

[The Maze has become more complex. Now, intruders have more to worry about than just north, south, east and west directions.]

[All traps installed inside the Grand Labyrinth have been activated. They will greatly slow down the speed of any invaders’ advance. Unless they have managed to enter the Grand Labyrinth proper, the invaders will not be able to take even a single step with peace of mind.]

Kim Jin-Woo patiently processed and confirmed the numerous reinforcement changes made to the Grand Labyrinth. Some seemed useful, while others were not.

As it was the Grand Labyrinth of Greed that devoured its enemies, it was questionable how effective the maze-like structures and traps would be. However, it was impossible to know when, where, or what would happen in the Underworld. If there ever came a moment when the Grand Labyrinth malfunctioned, the maze and traps might prove to be quite useful defenses.

“Amazing,” Kim Jin-Woo finally exclaimed in admiration, after his eyes had darted around toward empty air for a long time due to being hit by a flood of messages.

Daedalus had barely worked on the Grand Labyrinth, and it had been upgraded this much. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo could sense how great the Labyrinth Architect was.

[The Grand Labyrinth of Greed has been upgraded. The grade of the Grand Labyrinth has been changed from ‘Ordinary’ to ‘Rare’.]

Although it would be difficult to find anyone who could call a Grand Labyrinth ‘ordinary’, it seemed that there were grades of distinction even between the Grand Labyrinths.

[Researching and transforming a real Grand Labyrinth, and not a replica, was an invaluable experience for the Big-Headed Dwarves.]

[It was Daedalus who coordinated and planned the work as a whole, but the other Big-Headed Dwarves have also had their fair share of contributions. They have each gained a more specialized understanding of the field in which they were involved. The specialties of the Big-Headed Dwarves have been subdivided.]

[The subdivided specialties are ‘Maze Architect’, ‘Trap Architect’, ‘Complex Structural Architect’, ‘Residential Area Architect’, ‘Energy Efficiency Architect’, etc.]

[The fame of Daedalus, the Labyrinth Architect who spearheaded this work, has begun to spread to the neighboring Floors. The name Daedalus may not be well-known in the Underworld right now, but the inhabitants of the Underworld will soon marvel at the existence of this sophisticated and dangerous labyrinth.]

Confirming that the Big-Headed Dwarves who were involved in the project had been upgraded into Hero-Grade summons, Kim Jin-Woo was just about to leave his throne when he collapsed back onto it.

That was because the messages he had thought were over appeared again.

[The Mysteries of the Underworld have intervened!]