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Chapter 273

#93. Valhǫll’s Ruler and Inhabitants

The gates of Valhǫll opened, revealing the golden walls and spires once more.

[The gates of Valhǫll have been fully opened. No one knows whether a legacy from ancient times or an unexpected threat awaits you, nor are you certain of what lies beyond.]

[Perhaps a test prepared by the One-Eyed Lord awaits you.]

[Would you like to enter Valhǫll?]

[Once you enter, you will be unable to retreat unless you become the owner of Valhǫll.]

[In the worst case scenario, you could become a dead man who will guard the empty castle alone.]

[Do you still want to enter Valhǫll?]

Kim Jin-Woo found himself subconsciously looking back at Anatolius’ iron mask that was lying on the floor.

It wasn’t going to be easy becoming the master of this monster that only those who had failed and fallen into despair could claim. In the worst case, he had to take the risk that the achievements he had accumulated so far would come to nothing.

Nevertheless, his lips curled upward as he smiled dryly. Since when had he ever not been in danger? Even the ‘Undefeated Commander’ title was something he had obtained by sheer coincidence after surviving countless dangers.

The path he had been walking thus far had never been smooth, and it was ridiculous for him to start being afraid of defeat now. Despite pushing through all the wounds, pain, and suffering to become a Highlord, he had been born no different from a wild dog.

“Because I thought Milord would fail.”

“To be the owner of that terrible monster, which was built up using the despair of the warriors who were frustrated because they couldn’t achieve their dreams in the end… Only after being left broken and frustrated and falling into the abyss could Milord become that.”

Mimir’s voice seemed to be whispering in his ear.

“I’ll be back.” Kim Jin-Woo stepped forward as a pair of eyes looked on at him anxiously.

All he took was one step, and the world around him completely changed. The achromatic Underworld disappeared before his eyes, and the sight of the Golden Fortress greeted Kim Jin-Woo.

Slam!

The gates closed with a dull roar, and a message followed.

[Welcome to Valhǫll.]

[The castle gates are closed. Valhǫll is now completely isolated from the outside world.]

[Unfortunately, the keyhole only exists outside the gate, and there is no way to open it from the inside. The gates will open again only when the master of Valhǫll orders them to open.]

It appeared to be a gloomy message, but on the contrary, it was good for Kim Jin-Woo. After all, he had no intention of leaving Valhǫll on his own two feet until he became the master of this temperamental monster.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

It was a huge castle with no one in it. In the suffocating silence, only the sound of his footsteps echoed around it. He headed straight for the center of the castle, ignoring all the dazzling flashes of gold around him.

There were no traps, nor were there any guardians protecting the castle. Thanks to that, it didn’t take long for him to reach his destination.

When he finally arrived, he found a throne engraved with a golden ash tree as well as a circular object emitting a soft light. He exclaimed, “Ah…”

[Before the time when the Highlords ruled the Underworld, there was a castle that soared high alone. Many strong men tried to become the masters of the castle, but only the mighty Lord, Wotan, succeeded.]

[Wotan had to give up a lot to become the owner of the castle, and suffered a setback deeper than the abyss. After overcoming such despair, he finally sat on the throne located atop the castle and was finally able to become the One-Eyed Lord.]

[Wotan was not one-eyed from the start. He simply had to pay the price of an eye to become the master of Valhǫll.]

[One of Wotan’s eyes, having been sacrificed in that way, became the driving force that brought the huge castle to life and became its heart.]

Behind the throne carved with an ash tree, a round object filled his gaze. A huge crystal ball with red lines drawn across it as if it were cracked started rolling in place, before a black speck appeared facing him.

[You have discovered the core of the Einherjar’s fortress, Valhǫll.]

Only then did he realize that it was the eyeball of the One-Eyed Lord. And when he realized that fact, Wotan’s eye stared sharply at him.

[The eye of Wotan—the core that rules Valhǫll—is searching you.]

[Even though the castle has been left without a master for a long time, it seems that the eye does not intend to give away ownership of the castle.]

[A sharp gaze pierces through the power of the One-Eyed Lord sleeping dormant within you.]

[The Eye of Wotan has noticed that you are imperfect, but that you have inherited Wotan’s name.]

The eye’s gloomy gaze scanned him thoroughly as if he were stripped naked. However, Kim Jin-Woo straightened his shoulders and stared back defiantly.

[The Eye of Wotan is very confused. Perhaps it had felt the energies of the many Lords residing inside of you.]

[However, all you need to succeed Valhǫll is the name of the Lord and Gungnir, the Mystical Spear. The Eye of Wotan has at the very least recognized your qualifications, but many questions still remain.]

The Labyrinth Core had acknowledged him, but Kim Jin-Woo continued to stay vigilant and didn’t let his guard down.

Normally, the resonance should have occurred immediately and the engraving should have begun, but seeing how it hadn’t begun, he was well aware that Valhǫll had yet to acknowledge him as its master.

Instinctively, he knew what the next test was.

Hliðskjálf, the grotesque throne surrounded by an ash tree wrought with gold as if it were alive, awaited him.

[You have discovered Hliðskjálf.]

[It is thanks to the ash throne that the One-Eyed Lord, who lost one of his eyes, was able to see the Underworld directly.]

[Hliðskjálf has the powerful ability to look all across the Underworld from the throne. Not even the darkest veil of the night can blind this throne of power. Hliðskjálf is the greatest treasure in the Underworld.]

[Only when you have been recognized as the master of Hliðskjálf can you become the master of Valhǫll.]

It was exactly as he had expected. The Eye of Wotan merely looked for the Lord’s right to succession, but it didn’t judge the qualifications to become Valhǫll’s master. The real test would begin when he sat down on Hliðskjálf.]

[Being the master of Hliðskjálf is not easy. Wotan had to sacrifice one of his eyes to become Hliðskjálf’s master.]

[You will not know what Hliðskjálf is going to ask of you until you take the test yourself. Perhaps the cost will be similar to Wotan’s one eye, or perhaps it will be something else. There is no way to know at this point in time.]

[If one thing is certain, however, it is that if the weight of frustration and despair that you have experienced thus far is heavier than the weight of the throne, the price to pay may be lighter than you think.]

[Conversely, if the amount of frustration and despair are not enough for you to become Valhǫll’s master, Hliðskjálf will not hesitate to provide more to balance the scales.]

After checking the messages, Kim Jin-Woo smiled.

He had grown up like a beast in the darkness of the labyrinth without even knowing his parents, and he had lived without even knowing that was a misfortune. It was a life filled with deprivation and loss. He didn’t know what the weight of the throne was, but he had never once thought that the amount of despair and frustration he had experienced was light.

“I’ve come so far to receive your test, and all you’re doing is to compare who’s more miserable? This is so pathetic I can barely even laugh,” he remarked.

Of course, that couldn’t be the only stipulation laid out by Hliðskjálf. If that had been the case, the One-Eyed Lord wouldn’t have plucked out one of his eyes.

But nevertheless, he laughed. It was a ridiculous and frivolous test that made him burst into laughter at how unnecessarily and pointlessly nervous he had been earlier.

[Would you like to weigh your life on Valhǫll’s scales?]

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t answer. He just sat down on the throne without a single word.

Sssssrt.

As if it were alive, the ash tree carved on the throne started to move its branches and twisted its trunk, before wrapping around his body tightly.

Valhǫll’s real test had begun.

***

At the same time that Kim Jin-Woo sat on Hliðskjálf and faced its test, the Grand Labyrinth was facing an untimely commotion.

“Why did you only find out now? Didn’t I tell you to be thorough when it comes to border matters in the vicinity?” Dominique rebuked Uther and the Rangers in a rare, furious tone.

“Since the labyrinth was frozen, the Greed Slimes were unable to do their job.” Standing in front of the Naga Queen who was acting on the king’s authority, Uther desperately came up with all sorts of excuses.

“The search area covered by the Rangers was wide, and they must have slipped between them. It’s too late, but I’ve ordered some of the Rangers to turn around and be on high alert,” Rikshasha added. She too acknowledged the Queen’s authority and bowed her head as she would treat her king.

The same went for Quantus. Although he hadn’t been directly reprimanded by the king, he felt a lot of guilt when yet another incident occurred, as he already felt responsible for Anatolius’ escape.

“It’s too late. How can something like this happen when Master isn’t here?” Dominique mused.

The timing was too coincidental. It was almost as if someone had been watching and plotting these incidents.

“I’ll prepare the Nagas for battle right now! I can assure you that it won’t be difficult to stop them now!” Since he had already made a mistake, Quantus burned with enthusiasm, ready to correct his wrongs.

However, Dominique didn’t listen to the zealous Naga Protection Squadron Captain. She remarked, “I heard that even some of the Moai that followed Master were mixed in among them. Although they weren’t as useful as I thought they were, they were restored and used by Master. Now that Master isn’t here, I can’t involve them haphazardly without his permission.”

While the Grand Labyrinth had been frozen to prevent any further damage from the Second Restoration, the missing Moai had returned. Their numbers had significantly increased from before, and they had flocked toward the Grand Labyrinth as if they were filling the entire Underworld.

Dominique didn’t want to slaughter the beings tainted with malice recklessly, now that Valicius had found a way to control them. It wasn’t out of sympathy, however. It was simply because of the expectation that they could be useful.

“Urgh.” Uther let out a groan.

Rikshasha and Quantus frowned. Quantus pleaded, “Please hurry and make a decision. I’ve already received reports that their frontline is fast approaching us.”

While Dominique was deep in troubled thought as she desperately looked for a solution, Angela appeared and suddenly said, “How strange.”

Dominique frowned as Angela spoke, adding onto the headache she was already facing. She asked, “What’s strange?”

Instead of answering Dominique’s question, Angela asked her own question to Rikshasha instead. “How did you know for sure that they were heading in this direction?”

Without thinking, Rikshasha said theirs was the only labyrinth in the path of the Moai. The Rangers who had been dispatched on long-distance patrols would have to return for them to know whether there was another labyrinth in the vicinity, but for now, they had no choice but to think that the Grand Labyrinth was the Moai’s target.

“No, no. Why do you think only our labyrinth is here? Didn’t something new just pop up recently?” Angela asked.

Dominique’s eyes lit up as if she had realized something. She exclaimed, “Valhǫll!”

The moment she realized that the Moai’s goal might not be the Grand Labyrinth, Dominique realized who the inhabitants of Valhǫll were.

Einherjar, the Dead of the battlefield who couldn’t achieve their goals until their deaths. They were the defenders and inhabitants of Valhǫll.

And in her mind, there were none more suited to be its frustrated and desperate inhabitants than the Moai.