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Chapter 218

Kim Jin-Woo had been prepared to listen to any reasonable request from Daedalus, but he was caught by surprise and unable to give an immediate answer.

That was because the Sea Dragon’s Heart was a treasure he had finally managed to obtain after a lot of trouble. It was important enough to determine the future of the Naga Clan. Giving away such an important artifact wasn’t an easy decision.

“No!” Dominique, who had never once opposed Kim Jin-Woo’s decisions, intervened and stubbornly rejected the idea. She didn’t want the Sea Dragon’s Heart, on which the future of her clan depended, to fall into the hands of a stranger.

It wasn’t just Dominique; Quantus and the other Naga heroes, who had just been quietly doing their own things, were now staring at Daedalus as if they were going to rip him apart.

“I’ve never once pleaded with Master so earnestly. So please, Master…” Seeing her master hesitate, Dominique pleaded with him.

However, despite that, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t answer. After a while, he instead asked Daedalus, “If I did that, what difference would it make?”

“Master!”

“My King!”

The responses were mixed. The Nagas became contemplative, while Daedalus laughed with joy, answering, “Simply speaking, not only can we strengthen the Nagas with the Sea Dragon’s Heart, we can also strengthen the labyrinth itself.”

“That’s pretty intriguing,” Kim Jin-Woo mused. There was now despair on the faces of the Nagas, including Dominique.

“I also guarantee that the Nagas will grow beyond what they normally would have with the Sea Dragon’s Heart,” Daedalus continued.

“Oho, that sounds great. But.” Kim Jin-Woo glanced at Dominique, who had her head bowed, then looked at Daedalus. “To gain, one must also lose something in return, right?”

A cold expression suddenly took over his face as he said, “Such work always involves some risks. I’ll listen to everything regarding this work, and if I judge that there will be no flaws to your approach, I’ll grant your request.”

Daedalus warily looked back at Kim Jin-Woo, whose expression was ambiguous and appeared neither happy nor sad.

“But if I judge that your request was out of your own self-interest…” Blue streaks of light dripped from Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes. “I’ll tear you to shreds and feed you to the Grand Labyrinth for insulting my dear Nagas.”

Dominique raised her head upon hearing those words. “Master…”

“I was the Naga King from the beginning, and I will always remain the Naga King. So you don’t have to worry too much,” Kim Jin-Woo reassured her.

What had started as a labyrinth with a handful of Naga Workers and soldiers had now become a mighty labyrinth with thousands of troops. That was only because he had complete faith that even if the entire Underworld turned their backs against him, the Nagas would never betray him.

“My King!”

Quantus and the other Nagas knelt down with excited expressions as they sang their praises for their king.

Only the Naga Sorcerers looked at Daedalus and the Sea Dragon’s Heart with somewhat regretful expressions.

“So you would do well to reveal everything without hiding anything,” Kim Jin-Woo concluded.

Perhaps because the situation had turned into something he hadn’t expected, Daedalus’ eyes spun, his expression bewildered.

“Hurry up. I don’t have much time.” Kim Jin-Woo looked down at Daedalus with a stern gaze and urged him to hurry up.

“That is… There are very minor risks,” Daedalus finally said.

“Tell me. Whether it’s minor or not is a matter for me to hear and judge,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

As if he had decided to reveal everything, Daedalus closed his eyes tightly and spoke. “If things go wrong, the Grand Labyrinth may absorb all the energy that should be directed toward the growth of the Nagas. In that case, the Nagas will be unable to achieve any growth. Of course, I guarantee that the existing Nagas will not be in danger under any circumstances.”

It was an obvious tell. For Daedalus, who was crazy about the labyrinth, the future of the Naga clan was none of his business, so it was obvious that he had only thought of growing the Grand Labyrinth through the Sea Dragon’s Heart. In other words, it was as if the entire future of the Naga clan had been weighed against the growth of the Grand Labyrinth.

However, for Kim Jin-Woo, the Nagas weren’t just simple summons. He himself had been the Naga King, the Nagaraja, before he became a Highlord.

“What’s the likelihood of that happening?” Kim Jin-Woo asked. However, he had already made his judgment.The question he posed now was nothing more than a confirmation before executing his sentence.

Daedalus, realizing that, bowed his head in despair and admitted, “50%… It’s 50%.”

And with that, Daedalus’ fate was decided. He was so talented that Kim Jin-Woo wanted to keep him by his side, but since Daedalus hadn’t hesitated to try and blindside him for personal self-interest, if he were left as is, he may cause more trouble in the future someday.

“Detain Daedalus and offer him no accommodation. Send the Big-Headed Dwarves to him and extract every last bit of knowledge out of him. His life and fate will be decided after that.”

The Frost Big-Headed Dwarves, whose loyalty had been imprinted from birth, wouldn’t try to deceive him as Daedalus had.

At that moment, however, Dominique unexpectedly stopped Daedalus from being taken into custody. “Master! Please wait a moment.”

“Are you dissatisfied that Daedalus wasn’t immediately disposed of?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“How could I dare argue against Master’s will? Just, please, grant us your audience for a moment. I would like to request for Daedalus’ disposal after that,” Dominique replied.

Kim Jin-Woo frowned slightly, unable to comprehend what was on her mind, before nodding.

“Thank you, Master!” Dominique left the master room with Quantus and the other Naga heroes. After a considerable amount of time, they returned, presumably having had a long and important discussion before their return.

“Are you ready?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“Yes, Master.” Dominique approached him gently and knelt at his feet, suddenly crying out in a serious tone, “Please accept Daedalus’ proposal.”

What was this? It was totally unexpected out of Dominique, leaving Kim Jin-Woo stunned with a puzzled expression.

Dominique coherently conveyed the will of her clan toward her master. “To be honest, our clan has been regretful for not being a great help toward Master lately. Even the strongest among us, Quantus, is no match for the other Hero-Grade summons, much less the Crow. Considering the situation now, we’re certain that this difference in power will only get worse in the future.”

“Is that what you’ve been thinking? But as long as the Sea Dragon’s Heart is in my hands, you can put aside those worries,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. He had no idea that the Nagas had had such thoughts; he frowned while listening to Dominique’s heartfelt confession.

What Dominique had said was undeniably true. In fact, only the Dragon Knights were doing their part, and the Naga heroes hadn’t been particularly useful. If they had to encounter the elite Deep Floor Dukes in the future, the helplessness of the Naga heroes would only grow worse, not better.

Kim Jin-Woo had been well aware of that fact, which was why he had been hurriedly trying to use the Sea Dragon’s Hear.

However, Dominique refused to detain Daedalus, saying that the Nagas didn’t know how much help they would be even if they used the Sea Dragon’s Heart. Her logic was that, with their normal growth alone, they would be completely outmatched by the 12th Floor summons. “Even if the future of our clan completely disappears because of this incident, we’ll never resent our Master. Rather, we’re more afraid of not being of use to Master even after using the Sea Dragon’s Heart that Master has worked so hard to obtain.”

Quantus also stepped forward and gave his own comments, reiterating that the whole clan was unified in their decision. “Please accept our request so the entire clan won’t be a source of shame for Master.”

Kim Jin-Woo deliberated for a long time before turning to Daedalus. The dwarf, who looked as if he had just returned from Death’s door, had a look of anticipation in his gleaming eyes. Kim Jin-Woo frowned at his disgusting expression and began, “Daedalus.”

“Yes?” Daedalus tried to answer calmly, trying his hardest to suppress his smile.

“I’ll give you a chance,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Daedalus grinned.

“Don’t change the probability rate you mentioned. Only then will I no longer charge you for deceiving me and my loyal subjects.”

But Daedalus’ joy only lasted for a moment, as his face turned pale upon hearing Kim Jin-Woo’s next words.

If such a rate had been possible in the first place, there would have been no reason to incur the wrath of the Lord. Upon hearing the Lord’s command to make the impossible possible, the dwarf hurriedly began, “That…”

“I won’t accept any disagreements. If you can’t obey my command, I’ll extract all your knowledge right now, then tear your useless body into thousands of pieces and use it as fodder for the Tiger Dragons.”

Daedalus finally bowed his head upon hearing Kim Jin-Woo’s resolute tone that left no room for argument.

***

The use of the Sea Dragon’s Heart had been postponed once again due to the fuss.

Kim Jin-Woo desperately needed a new source of strength, given that he wasn’t sure when the nearby labyrinths would start making their move. Thus, he decided to overextend a little bit for the sake of his Nagas. If the gamble proved to be successful, if Daedalus was able to accomplish his mission, that would be the best case scenario; thus, he decided to take the risk.

However, Kim Jin-Woo had barely resolved one complicated problem when he was faced with another one.

Lee Jun-Young, who had been assigned to the surface labyrinth, came to him with a dismayed expression and said, “Rikshasha is behaving strangely!”

“Rikshasha?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Rikshasha had taken refuge on the surface to escape the clutches of Denarion’s Nightmare abilities. As a descendant of the Fairy Lord, she was as important as the Highlord’s successor. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but be surprised to hear that there was something wrong with her.

“M-Master. This lowly servant…” Rikshasha tried to force herself to get up, despite her whole body being drenched in sweat. Her already pale face was deathly blue, and her lips had turned purple, as if she were on the verge of death.

“Lie still,” Kim Jin-Woo told her. He asked, “How did this happen?”

“I don’t know. She was fine just a few days ago, but about two weeks ago, she started to get queasy before suddenly collapsing, and now she’s gotten too weak to even stand up.” Morrigan, who had been assigned to keep close watch on her, reported the bitter situation.

When Kim Jin-Woo heard what had happened, his expression hardened like stone.

Two weeks before had been when the First Restoration had taken place in the Underworld. Could it be sheer coincidence that Rikshasha, who was closely related to the succession right of the Fairy Lord, had fallen ill at the exact same time? He couldn’t help but think that there was a strong connection between her dying state and the Highlord’s succession.

“Did you notice anything else strange?” Kim Jin-Woo asked Morrigan as he looked at the pale face of Rikshasha, who had fallen asleep again. But she replied that there was no way she could explain Rikshasha’s sudden predicament.

However, it was the Frost Treants that remained on the surface who provided the answers he needed. “She carries the blood of the noblest fairies. She isn’t where she needs to be, which is why she’s been dying by the day.”

As expected of the wisest sages in the Underworld, the Frost Treants seemed to know something about the condition Rikshasha was in.

“What do you mean?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

The Frost Treants replied in unison, “She said that the promised time was imminent, but because she wasn’t able to find the right owner and deliver the seeds on time, they germinated on their own and began to eat away at her fragile body.”