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Chapter 296

#104. Mysteries of the Underworld

The Usurper continued to speak, but Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t pay any attention to her at all, as the name of the ‘Underworld Tree’ completely drowned out any other thoughts.

Eventually, he decided to see the Underworld Tree with his own eyes, and shockingly, the Usurper didn’t stop him. However, he was soon about to find out why.

“Ah…”

An overwhelming gap in their existence, and a feeling of awe he had never felt since his ascension to Highlord, overtook Kim Jin-Woo’s entire body. He could barely stand up straight in front of the giant ash tree he saw. Its branches stretched far out in all directions, as if it were supporting the entire Underworld by itself.

Kim Jin-Woo could do nothing even with the Underworld Tree right in front of him. He could only mutter, “This… This is the Underworld Tree.”

He was barely able to stay standing, even as he put all his strength into his trembling legs. He raised his head to look at the tree’s trunk, but before he could even finish looking up, he collapsed onto the ground.

Who would dare to assert their presence in front of such a huge ash tree? He had no confidence in being able to push down even the smallest leaf hanging from the barest branch of the Underworld Tree.

For the first time since he had entered the Underworld, even his soul was completely overwhelmed, and his consciousness seemed to be slipping away.

[You have found the Underworld Tree.]

If it weren’t for the flashing message window, he would have lost the string of consciousness he was barely holding onto.

[No one in the Underworld knows when the Underworld Tree came into existence. No, most beings do not even know it exists.]

[Only a few chosen Lords are permitted to see this gigantic ash tree, and discover the truth that the Underworld Tree is the pillar that forms the foundation of the Underworld, and is the Mystery that governs all its laws.]

Kim Jin-Woo desperately tried to absorb all the information about the Underworld Tree that was being forcibly injected into his head.

[The One-Eyed Lord, Wotan, and his Wardens are the guardians of the Underworld Tree.]

[Perhaps the One-Eyed Lord wanted you to face the Underworld Tree and experience the Mysteries of the Underworld for yourself.]

[The Underworld Tree is the pillar of the Underworld and the embodiment of the Mysteries of the Underworld, and it is a vast treasure trove that has recorded the history of the Underworld since the beginning of time.]

[The mighty power of the Throne of Truth can provide only a glimpse into the fraction of the lifespan of the Underworld.]

[The One-Eyed Lord used the Throne of Truth once. It is an open secret among the Lords that he had to sacrifice his own eye in order to do so. However, they did not know that he had to pay another price in addition to offering his eye.]

[In exchange for peeking into the Mysteries of the Underworld through the Throne of Truth, the One-Eyed Lord had to take on another duty. He had to accept his fate as a Warden who would guard the Underworld Tree for the rest of his life because of that one decision.]

At that moment, it was revealed how the One-Eyed Lord had become the leader of the Wardens.

[If an unprepared being peers into the Underworld Tree, terrible things will happen to them.]

[The wisdom the Underworld Tree has accumulated over eons is too vast and dense for an ordinary individual to absorb. If an unqualified being covets the Mysteries of the Underworld Tree, they will be caught up in the violent torrent of information, losing their sanity and even their existence.]

[Unfortunately, you are not yet ready to commune with the Underworld Tree.]

[Do you wish to try and commune with the Underworld Tree regardless?]

[In the worst case scenario, your soul may assimilate completely with the Underworld Tree and you will lose yourself. If that happens, it is guaranteed that it will be impossible for you to find yourself ever again.]

[Do you still wish to try and commune with the Underworld Tree?]

Even without the gruesome message warnings, Kim Jin-Woo had no intention of trying to commune with the Underworld Tree. Just looking at it from a distance was dizzying enough for him, and it terrified him to imagine how it would feel peering into it.

Looking pale and tired, Kim Jin-Woo moved far away from the Underworld Tree.

“Phew.”

Some time after he began to retreat, the pressure that had been pushing down on him disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place. It happened almost as soon as the giant ash tree magically disappeared from his view.

“Didn’t I tell you? You’re not yet ready to face the Underworld Tree,” the Usurper said. This time, not even Kim Jin-Woo could deny her words. She continued, “If you want to know what the One-Eyed Lord left behind, come back with the Wish Stone. With that, you’ll be protected from the divinity of the Underworld Tree.”

Kim Jin-Woo was momentarily troubled by the Usurper’s subtle voice, which seemed to contain a hint of concern. Perhaps something different would have been better from the beginning. Was it important to her to be the one to possess the Wish Stone and face the Underworld Tree herself?

“I don’t understand,” Kim Jin-Woo began. He knew his doubts were reasonable. So, he decided to dig more information out of her, asking, “If the One-Eyed Lord was truly the guardian of the Underworld Tree, why would he make things so difficult? Did he really think the Underworld Tree would be helpful to me?”

The Immoral Lord replied that she didn’t know what the One-Eyed Lord was thinking. Kim Jin-Woo hadn’t expected her to provide him with an answer, however. What was truly important was that he had noticed the subtle dissonance between the Immoral Lord and the One-Eyed Lord.

If she and the One-Eyed Lord had truly been cooperating, there was no way the White Raven would have conveyed the One-Eyed Lord’s message so bluntly to Kim Jin-Woo. Thus, in the end, the only possible conclusion he could come to was that the One-Eyed Lord had seen something through the Throne of Truth.

However, it was impossible to know what exactly the One-Eyed Lord had seen. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo returned to the Grand Labyrinth, leaving behind his reunion with the Usurper.

She didn’t hold him back from returning to the Grand Labyrinth, but she seemed certain that he would come back to the Underworld Tree. He, too, had a lot of unresolved issues with her, and he promised to return in the near future.

“Master!” As usual, Dominique greeted Kim Jin-Woo in her usual friendly manner.

However, Kim Jin-Woo’s expression was full of concern, as he was rather troubled by his latest expedition. He muttered, “It seems as if things are moving faster than expected.”

Kim Jin-Woo already knew Dominique had glimpsed his thoughts through the Naga Queen’s unique ability, but he explained the events in sequence to organize his own thoughts. She listened to them quietly, knowing his intentions as well.

“In the end, the Wandering Lord was consumed by Night, and this bastard called ‘Night’ must have tried to deceive me through the Wandering Lord’s memories. That means what Hliðskjálf showed was true, but what was shown to me wasn’t the entire truth and was very fragmented,” Kim Jin-Woo concluded.

“As we suspected, what Night hoped for was that Master would devour the powers of all the Highlords,” Dominique remarked.

“That’s right. At least this guy is pretty straightforward and easy to understand, but the problem is with the Immoral Lord and the other Highlords.”

“Perhaps the One-Eyed Lord was looking for a new guardian?”

It was a pretty decent guess. If Dominique’s guess was true, the One-Eyed Lord might have been trying to trap him through the White Raven.

“It’s disgusting to see everyone trying to make use of me to fulfill their own causes and plans,” Kim Jin-Woo spat.

The only thing he had grasped so far was that the Usurper wanted to unite the Underworld and the surface, and that the key to that was the Wish Stone. He muttered, “And the place to use the key must be where the Underworld Tree is.”

Much had been revealed, but the future was still chaotic. Fortunately, Kim Jin-Woo knew how to simplify the whole mess. He said, “No matter what they want, in the end, there’s only one thing that matters…”

“Getting hold of the key, right?” Dominique finished his sentence..

“I have to make them regret that they dared to put the key in my possession,” Kim Jin-Woo said firmly.

Meanwhile, Angela hadn’t returned for a long time. Considering that it had taken quite a long time for Kim Jin-Woo to leave the Grand Labyrinth and return from the Deep Floors, Angela’s return was far too late. It was by no means normal for Angela to take so much time, especially when, as the ruler of the Back Floor, she could move anywhere in the blink of an eye.

However, Kim Jin-Woo trusted Angela. He was certain that no matter what the circumstances, Angela would be able to pull through.

As expected, Angela eventually returned safely, exclaiming, “Master!” The only thing different from Kim Jin-Woo’s expectations was that she had returned alone.

“Where is it?” Kim Jin-Woo asked about the Wish Stone’s whereabouts as soon as he looked Angela over and saw she was fine.

“Do you know how much I suffered?!” Angela protested.

She explained that Bryntess had been extremely cautious, which had made it take a very long time to find her. And of course, Angela being Angela, she didn’t forget to flatter herself. But on the other hand, there was nothing in her possession, which only further confused Kim Jin-Woo.

“I had no choice. That Wish Stone was more troublesome than I thought,” Angela continued. She explained the situation that had unfolded. “I don’t know why, but the Wish Stone couldn’t be moved through the Back Floor.”

According to Angela’s account, she had managed to find the Wish Stone through Bryntess, but she had failed to transport it. She continued, “So, I had to take appropriate measures to prevent Bryntess from escaping, but now, I have to accompany Master back to her.”

After hearing Angela out, Kim Jin-Woo got up immediately and said, “That means I have no choice but to head there personally.”

If the power of the True Blood Lord hadn’t worked, he had no choice but to retrieve the item himself. He said, “Great. Guide me.”

Before he could finish speaking, Angela led him to the Red Castle, then to another place in the Underworld. However, when they exited the Back Floor, Angela let out an audible exclamation of confusion. “Huh? It was definitely here!”

“There are no signs of it being in the vicinity. Are you sure this is the location?” Kim Jin-Woo asked. He briefly explored his surroundings to give Angela a chance to gather her thoughts.

Angela quickly shook her head and replied, “This is definitely the location. The gates of the Red Castle are connected based on my memories. This is the last location I was in, so this is definitely the right place without a doubt.”

Contrary to what she said, however, the surroundings were still completely quiet.

“Then, is there any chance Bryntess might have escaped?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“No. She lost all her limbs, so how could she run away?” Angela replied.

The measure Angela had said she had taken turned out to be far more over the top than Kim Jin-Woo had thought, but that wasn’t what was important to him right now. He questioned her again as he squinted.

“Besides, even if she had been able to move, she would have gone to seek out Master herself, even without my involvement. There’s no reason she would have thought about escaping now,” Angela said.

Angela’s reasoning was quite convincing. Kim Jin-Woo belatedly recognized the seriousness of the situation and focused on the search.

“Ah!” While Kim Jin-Woo lost in his thoughts, Angela suddenly let out an exclamation. “I found it!”