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Chapter 266

#93. Uncertainty

“You look so much better than before,” Catherine said.

On the other hand, Catherine, whom Kim Jin-Woo hadn’t seen in a long time, didn’t look good. She still had her high level of presence, but for some reason, Kim Jin-Woo felt that she looked exhausted and worn out.

“I heard you were busy looking for something you’d lost, but it looks like that’s been sorted out,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked. He was a little uncomfortable about her unexpected visit; her strange tiredness and impatient look didn’t match her usual confident self.

“Well, that’s exactly what I’m here for.” Catherine didn’t beat around the bush and immediately got straight to business. “There’s something I want to hear from you.”

“I was about to ask you something myself. Let’s ask and answer each other fairly then,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. Information about the Wish Stone and the hidden story behind the Restoration… There were so many things Kim Jin-Woo wanted to hear about.

The look in Catherine’s eyes sharpened; she had perhaps become belatedly aware that Kim Jin-Woo had been rather calm in the face of her sudden visit. She remarked, “You’ve changed a lot. You seem so relaxed. And so much stronger.”

“Too many things have happened here, you see.” Kim Jin-Woo easily accepted Catherine’s admiration and took it in stride.

When he had first seen her at the Black Merchant’s auction house, he had been a mere fledgling when compared to her. His physical body had been strong, but his mind had been weak, and the use of his powers had been unrefined. That was why, when Catherine had revealed her aura back then, he couldn’t help but feel threatened and had withdrawn.

But now, there was no such need. Between confronting the Mystical Spear’s memories, devouring all the Dukes on the 9th Floor, the growth of his Nagas, and the strengthening of the Grand Labyrinth, events had made Kim Jin-Woo much stronger. The Wailing Lord was no longer above the Lord of Greed.

“That seems to be the case. The presence of your labyrinth and your aura are completely different from before.” Catherine expressed her admiration in earnest, but she didn’t forget the main reason why she had visited Kim Jin-Woo. She continued, “Answer my question first. After that, if it’s anything I know, I’ll answer it.” It was a win-win proposal.

“Okay, let’s do that.” Kim Jin-Woo accepted her offer.

Catherine immediately started speaking. “So-Hee. I want to hear about So-Hee.”

What was this about now? Kim Jin-Woo frowned at the sudden, blatant mention of So-Hee. He replied, “If it’s regarding So-Hee, wouldn’t you know her better than I do? After all, you’re the one who’s been with her until recently.”

It was also through Catherine that Kim Jin-Woo had learned that So-Hee was still alive. It was only natural for him to assume Catherine knew So-Hee better than he did.

“That’s not wrong, but what I want to hear is what So-Hee was like before she met me, how she met you, and how she lived back then,” Catherine said.

“That isn’t that difficult to tell you, but you must have heard a rough idea, right?” Kim Jin-Woo replied. He couldn’t understand why she wanted to hear something she’d already probably heard about.

The look in Catherine’s eyes deepened. She said in a somewhat vague tone, “I want to hear it from you. All I’ve heard was through So-Hee.”

Kim Jin-Woo stared sharply at Catherine and asked, “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing complicated; it’s exactly as I said. I just want to know about So-Hee from your point of view,” Catherine reiterated.

Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

“I want to know the untainted truth,” Catherine replied. It was an unbefitting answer. A corner of Kim Jin-Woo’s heart turned cold.

“The things So-Hee said about her past, I can no longer believe in them,” Catherine continued. Her voice had a low, unusual echo to it. She concluded, “That’s why I came to find you. If it’s you, I think I can hear the full, proper story.”

***

“That’s how I ended up losing contact with So-Hee, and of course, I never would have thought she could still be alive. At that time, we were at the bottom of the food chain. After that, as you’re well aware, I found out she was alive, thanks to you. That’s all I know,” Kim Jin-Woo said quietly, finally spilling all the details of his past that he could never forget.

He wasn’t certain whether it was because those dark memories of his past no longer gave him any inspiration after such a long time, or whether it was because he was talking about So-Hee, who had been the only light and warmth in his dark memories.

“Doesn’t sound too different from what I heard from So-Hee.” Catherine was obviously disappointed. But she quickly shook it off and started speaking again. “You must be so grateful toward So-Hee. After all, she was your protector and your only friend.”

“That’s not wrong. Without her, I wouldn’t have survived to reach the surface. No, even before that, I would have lived as a miserable tunnel digger carrying dirt around before dying somewhere in one of those many narrow tunnels,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

When all the adults around him died, he had been full of grief and had lost all his will. Death had been an incomprehensible phenomenon for the young Kim Jin-Woo, and he had suffered a great sense of loss when he was left all alone.

It was So-Hee who had helped him back on his feet. She had held his wounded hands with warmth, allowing him, who had been lost for words, to speak again. The cold, damp air of the Underworld had felt just a little warmer in her presence.

“Now that I’ve told you what you want, it’s my turn to ask you the questions,” Kim Jin-Woo said. Looking at Catherine, who was pensive and lost in thought, he began asking his questions. “I was originally going to ask another question, but now I have to ask this first. What did you mean when you said you couldn’t believe in So-Hee anymore?”

“Hold on. This is a bit different from what we agreed just now, but let me ask you one more question. After that, you can ask as many questions as you want,” Catherine said. Instead of answering his question, she asked him to yield another answer to her. With a frown, Kim Jin-Woo accepted her request, and Catherine asked, “Do you trust So-Hee? No, before that, how much can you trust me?”

Kim Jin-Woo felt as if he had swallowed sand and something was caught in his throat. He couldn’t respond immediately due to an ominous feeling that kept getting stronger.

“I can’t judge right now whether what you’re telling me is the truth or not. I’m starting to think that things might start getting awkward between us,” Catherine said. Her somewhat timid demeanor was full of uncertainty.

Kim Jin-Woo tried to suppress the ominous mood and brush her off by replying, “Were we so close in the first place? You’re worrying needlessly.”

“Since we have to face the same enemies, I thought we were at least in some kind of an alliance. Well, fine. In fact, you saying that made me feel better about this.” Catherine seemed to have completely regained her composure. She continued, “So, what will you do if you meet So-Hee again?”

“You’re not providing me any answers, and you’re doing all the questioning,” Kim Jin-Woo pointed out.

“This is my final question, so just answer me.” Catherine looked Kim Jin-Woo in the eyes and asked, “What will you do if you meet So-Hee as an enemy?”

***

“Master?”

Kim Jin-Woo had been sitting on his throne staring blankly into the air. He was awakened from his thoughts by Dominique’s voice. He replied, “Ah, Dominique.”

“You look tired. How about heading to the surface? It’s been a while. For now, there are no threats to the labyrinth, and it’ll take some time for the Rangers to return as well.” Filled with concern, Dominique advised him to rest.

“No, there’s no need for that. And if I want to rest, I feel more comfortable here,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

Ever since the day he had ascended to the rank of Highlord, he had begun feeling more comfortable in the stuffy atmosphere of the Underworld. Thus, he felt no need to head up to the surface.

“But I really do need to sort my thoughts out,” he remarked. He remembered the conversation he’d just had with Catherine.

“What does that mean? Meeting So-Hee as an enemy?”

“It’s exactly as I said. I’m asking, what will you do if you meet her as an enemy?”

“You’re making no sense. Explain yourself properly.”

“You know I’ve been away for a long time, right? I lost all contact with So-Hee, so I wandered the Underworld for quite some time trying to search for her. But the thing is… While I was searching for her, I found someone whom I least expected. Do you know who that person was?”

“Don’t waste our time with useless questions and get to the point.”

“How impatient. Fine, whatever. Since I already decided to reveal this to you from the start, I shall. I told you before about this person, but I ran into the second Highlord to awaken.”

If that had been the main point she was trying to make, there was no need for her to have spun the tale so much.

“But he was also looking for So-Hee.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it funny? How does he know So-Hee? And don’t be surprised. He also said he grew up with So-Hee as a tunnel digger.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It’s not impossible. But it’s highly unbelievable.”

“So-Hee grew up with me. She was always with me as we slept together and dug through those tunnels together, and even when the tunnels were suddenly connected and they became a bloody battlefield.”

“That’s exactly what he said as well. I even checked to see if he was talking about a different person, but the impression and behavior all match So-Hee’s.”

Kim Jin-Woo had tried to deny that it could even be possible, but there was no reason for Catherine to have been lying about something like that. In fact, she had also looked confused as she told her story.

“Do you understand? So-Hee is no ordinary dungeon baby. She’s definitely hiding something.”

“Hiding something? What exactly is she hiding?”

“I don’t know that myself, but at the very least, it’s not something minor. I’m sure she has something to do with the Highlords.”

“Now you’re just spouting bullshit.”

“Among the four awakened Highlords, three of us know So-Hee. This is by no means coincidental.”

Catherine had said that she dropped by to visit him while on her search for the remaining Highlord.

“Master, this So-Hee must have been a very precious person to you.”

Once again, Kim Jin-Woo was awakened from his thoughts by Dominique’s voice. Usually, she wisely tried her best not to talk about the information she obtained through their shared sympathetic ability, but this time, his thoughts were so strong that she couldn’t feign ignorance.

She continued, “If it’s as the Wailing Lord said, she might…”

“No more, Dominique. Don’t speak about it anymore. There’s too much uncertainty about it for now.” Kim Jin-Woo knew what Dominique wanted to say, even if she didn’t complete her sentence. But he struggled to get those words out of his head. He muttered, “Nothing’s certain yet. Nothing is…”

Kim Jin-Woo, having ended up with more questions than answers, sighed deeply.

***

Although he was now faced with an uncomfortable riddle, he had gained a lot of information from Catherine. She had informed him of the fact that the first awakened Highlord was the ruler of the Beastfolk tribe, and she had also revealed the identity of the other Highlord.

The Giants and the Beastfolk. The two Highlords who had awakened earlier than him were the rulers of those two clans.

She had answered his questions diligently, but unfortunately, she didn’t know much about the Wish Stone.

In the end, she had left with a brief warning. “Don’t assume that it’s necessarily immoral to subjugate the Wardens.”

Feeling that the more he learned, the more he realized his ignorance, Kim Jin-Woo struggled to shake off the feeling of confusion.

“Master! The Rangers have returned.”

Just when Kim Jin-Woo was finally regaining his focus, the Rangers returned, reporting that the Counts’ estates had completely unified with the fake Grand Labyrinths. Without a single second of hesitation, Kim Jin-Woo headed toward the Counts’ labyrinths.