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Chapter 244

#87. The First Time

“The ruler of the Satyrs has been defeated in a war.”

“An unidentified labyrinth has captured the ‘Eternal Exile’.”

The impact of the first large-scale war since the great catastrophe occurred had spread further than expected.

The death of a Duke, considered to be one of the true rulers of the Deep Floors, was by no means a small matter. The Duke, who had suddenly risen through the ranks faster than anyone else, had fallen before anyone could unveil him.

It was a decisive event that changed how the Deep Floors functioned, and it was enough to make the Underworld labyrinth masters, whose labyrinths had been forcefully reorganized thanks to the Restoration, feel a sense of crisis.

It was the labyrinth masters on the 9th Floor who had suffered the most, as they shared the same Floor as the very Naga King who had defeated the Demon Army of Sin.

They had to pour in all the resources they had saved up in order to recover the damage they had suffered from the earthquake, while expending even more resources on reconnaissance and search and rescue missions.

Thanks to that, Kim Jin-Woo got busier. He was the man at the center of all those events; he was the one who had defeated the Duke shrouded in a mysterious veil, and the victor who had claimed the Duke’s Labyrinth Core. It was a given that the Grand Labyrinth had become the center of attention in the Underworld.

“This is already the third time today alone,” Rikshasha reported with a stiff expression. As the leader of the Under-Elves and the de facto administrator of the labyrinth during Dominique’s hiatus, she had been busy with both the internal and external matters of the labyrinth.

“Who was it this time?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“It was a scouting force from a labyrinth located on the east side,” Rikshasha replied.

Recently, scouts from other labyrinths had been appearing frequently near the Grand Labyrinth. Thanks to that, the Under-Elves and the Vampires had been extremely busy. They had been intercepting the spies to prevent them from accessing the Grand Labyrinth, which meant their fatigue levels had been rising rapidly.

“For now, we’re using the Ant Ghost to block their approach as much as possible, but we can’t guarantee how long we’ll be able to hold them off with that method,” Rikshasha said.

Her concerns were no exaggeration. The Floor from the Chinese side that had collided with Kim Jin-Woo’s 9th Floor happened to be one of their Deep Floors, and every single labyrinth on it belonged to a Duke; thus, it wasn’t easy to deal with their scouts.

“I know it’s difficult. But please hold on a little longer. I need more time,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

The spoils he had obtained by defeating Luyang weren’t insignificant. Despite the fact that Luyang’s labyrinth hadn’t existed in the Underworld for a long time, its foundation was stronger than Kim Jin-Woo had expected, and the ‘Crystal of Sin’ Labyrinth Core was a more powerful artifact than he had ever seen before. However, it would take a long time to consolidate all the loot and turn it into something practical.

“Tell me if you’re truly lacking in strength. I’ll make up for the lack of power with the Ant Ghost,” Kim Jin-Woo offered. However, Rikshasha bowed her head instead of answering, and Kim Jin-Woo groaned to himself. “Urgh.”

He knew the humble Under-Elf leader would never ask him for help. Even if her own clan had to be sacrificed, she would never reach out to him for assistance, and she would end up doing everything on her own.

It was in these aspects that Rikshasha was different from Dominique. Unlike Dominique, who viewed the entire labyrinth as a singular entity and deployed manpower accordingly, Rikshasha was overly blunt. It didn’t mean that she was incompetent or that she wasn’t doing her job well. She just lacked flexibility.

“Rikshasha,” Kim Jin-Woo began.

“Yes, Master,” Rikshasha replied. Her shoulders looked particularly stiff as she bowed before him.

Kim Jin-Woo continued, “You’re doing well now. We don’t have the Nagas with us at the moment, and if we didn’t have you, we would be in a very difficult situation.”

Upon hearing the unexpectedly warm words of encouragement, Rikshasha’s eyes widened. She exclaimed, “I-I am unworthy of such words!”

“No, I’m not simply saying this for the sake of doing so. I just hope you can be a bit more proud of your work and learn to be a bit more flexible,” Kim Jin-Woo said. It was a rare sight to see the humble Under-Elf blush; he chuckled, smiling at her honest sentiments.

Rikshasha hurriedly left, appearing to be neither smiling nor crying.

“Will you be deciding on a successor soon?” Angela appeared right where Rikshasha had left, standing crookedly against the wall with a smirk on her face, seemingly looking for something to make fun of.

“Successor? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

“Isn’t now the right time to find your soulmate? If it were her, she would be willing to give everything to Master,” Angela said teasingly.

Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but utter a painful groan. After the already mischievous Angela had visited the surface, she had become even more so. She had gotten unusually hooked onto television dramas, especially morning dramas. Kim Jin-Woo was certain that was where she had learned the term ‘soulmate’.

“If you’re here to spout nonsense, then stop. Now’s not the time for that,” he said curtly.

He might have defeated Luyang, but the crisis wasn’t over. The Dukes, acting under the orders of the Usurper, were aiming for the Grand Labyrinth when it was unable to utilize its full might. Now wasn’t the time for romance.

“No, it’s in times like these that you have to think even more about your descendants.” Angela seemed to have a different opinion. Slowly, she put on a more serious expression. “The greatest sense of reliability comes from your bloodline. Wouldn’t it be better to think about the future now?”

Upon hearing Angela’s sincere advice that lacked any sense of playfulness, even Kim Jin-Woo could no longer ignore her words. He said, “I don’t understand. Why is everyone so obsessed with me having descendants?”

“It is I who doesn’t understand Master. Reproducing and leaving behind offspring. Isn’t that an obvious thing to do? Even if you aren’t thinking about the future of the labyrinth itself per se, having descendants is a very natural thing to do, and it’s the providence and order of all living beings,” Angela replied.

It was ironic that a Vampire—a being that was neither dead nor alive—was preaching to Kim Jin-Woo about matters of life. But he couldn’t laugh about it either, because Angela had asked a highly sensitive question.

“Master, could you perhaps be afraid that your descendant might be a human?” Angela asked.

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t answer.

“Or perhaps… Is it that you don’t want your descendants to be involved with the Underworld?”

Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t answer that either. It was because Angela was right about everything.

“Or is there another reason?” Angela asked insistently.

She seemed adamant on getting an answer out of him, as she persisted with her questions. As her understanding of humans had grown through her constant visits to the surface, her questions were rather sharp, making them difficult to refute.

However, even such a woman wouldn’t be able to fully understand Kim Jin-Woo. Having lived through the trauma of witnessing the sacrifice of numerous other tunnel diggers, he was terribly stingy in the pursuit of his own happiness.

He wasn’t certain if it was because of the regrets left behind by witnessing the sacrifice of other tunnel diggers for his sake, or if he was lacking an understanding of something important, but he simply didn’t have the desire to be happy.

“That means I’m right about everything,” Angela concluded smugly.

In the past, Kim Jin-Woo would have been angry at Angela’s questions. It was never pleasant for anyone to reveal all their closely guarded secrets. However, he was now more mature than before. He had gained formidable strength, and the spirit to go along with it.

Instead of getting angry, he acknowledged the points Angela was conveying and fell into deep deliberation. Was he simply being stubborn? Was he procrastinating on necessary work out of pure spite? Strangely, his focus was off, but for the first time, he began to seriously think about his descendants.

Angela seemed to have read his inner conflict and gained further confidence out of it, as she stepped forward and said, “There are plenty of women here who will give everything right away to Master if you wish.”

While Kim Jin-Woo was lost in his thoughts, the True Blood Vampire slowly approached him with her characteristic bright red eyes. “And I’m no different.”

Angela’s seduction wasn’t subtle. She showed off her innate charm, which had been further enhanced by her True Blood, as she displayed her dazzling beauty to the fullest. She undid a few buttons from the blouse she had obtained from the surface and leaned forward, pressing her chest into him and revealing her deep cleavage.

It was different from Uther’s soft Slimes, and it was also different from the softness of a bed. Upon experiencing the tenderness of a woman’s body for the first time, Kim Jin-Woo found himself frozen, unsure how to react next.

“Mm…”

For some reason, the Vampire’s characteristic scent of blood was nowhere to be found. Instead, what filled Kim Jin-Woo’s nose was the sweet, unique scent of a maiden, and he unconsciously wrinkled his nose when he inhaled the intoxicating yet alluring scent.

“Why are you being so proactive all of a sudden?” As if to catch a breath, he broke the natural flow of events with his question.

“Unlike in the past, where I was merely half a Vampire, now that I’ve obtained the True Blood, I can conceive Master’s descendants,” Angela explained.

Is that really the case? Kim Jin-Woo wondered to himself. Seeing how her seduction was even more blatant than before, there were definitely some changes that had occurred within Angela.

Angela reached out her pale finger and stroked his chest. “I won’t be greedy. I don’t care how many women Master takes. Jealousy is something only ugly women engage in.”

“Such insolence,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

Considering that she was talking to a Lord that held the fate of all beings in the Grand Labyrinth in his hands, Angela’s words were beyond insolence. After all, there was no one else in existence whom he had to get any sort of permission from in the first place.

However, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t particularly hate this confident version of Angela either. “Hmm…”

Once his mindset changed, so did his attitude. He wasn’t sure what to do for the moment, but that small change in his mindset allowed him to enjoy the moment. He was a man, after all, and Angela was indeed a beautiful being who would be the envy of all men.

“There’s no need to think too hard about this. Just accepting me won’t mean you’ll have descendants right away,” Angela said.

She was smart, and she was someone who had never expected much in the first place. She must have decided to take things one step at a time, as she set the matter of descendants aside and focused on getting her master comfortable with pushing his boundaries.

And her efforts seemed to pay off to some extent, as Kim Jin-Woo’s breathing became heavier.

“Take me. You can think about what happens next later,” Angela said in a fatally sweet, seductive whisper. Just then, Kim Jin-Woo finally came to a decision.

“Ah…!” Angela suddenly let out a sound that sounded like neither a moan nor a groan.

“You’re being far too arrogant.” The reputation of a Lord wouldn’t be tainted by such seduction. Kim Jin-Woo grabbed Angela’s slender waist and pulled her closer to him.

“So, do you dislike it?” Angela was neither afraid nor ashamed. She just smiled cheekily, looking seductively back at Kim Jin-Woo.

Instead of playing along with her words, Kim Jin-Woo responded with his actions.

[Angela’s power has been activated.]

[A deadly incantation that poisons all living beings with seduction engulfs her.]

***

Kim Jin-Woo stared blankly at the ceiling. It was as if he had just woken up from a dream, as his hazy eyes could barely focus, and his naked body was covered in reddish stains. He lay still for a long time, helplessly motionless as if he had fought a battle for a dozen days and nights.

Angela lay close to him, her expression resembling a fully satiated cat. She had a happy smile hanging from her lips, as if she were living out a good dream.

After a while, Kim Jin-Woo turned to look at the beautiful Vampire’s face, and muttered bitterly, “I’ve lost.”

As the receiving partner of his first time, the True Blood Vampire was way too attractive, and had been born to be a perfect, natural concubine. He had been played by her so helplessly.

That was the day the Undefeated Commander suffered defeat for the first time.