Chapter 146

Kim Jin-Woo became even more reluctant because of Ustus’ all-knowing attitude.

The One-Eyed King was a fragment of an Ancient Lord, and Kim Jin-Woo had a reason to quickly gather those Power Fragments. There was no way he could leave Ustus the way he was, when he was a Power Fragment that was incomparable to a Noble’s Seal.

Ustus had been rather cooperative until now, but it was only natural for Kim Jin-Woo to think that he would consolidate that power for his own survival.

At that moment, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but hesitate, and he knew the reason why. Ustus seemed to have known that he was coming, making him more uncertain. He said, “It’s almost as if you were waiting for my arrival.”

“I may have inherited the legacy of the great Lord, but my vessel was too small to fully inherit his might. And even what little power I have will one day fall into the hands of the Usurper and be lost forever,” Ustus answered smoothly, as if the response had been prepared in advance. He continued, “In that case, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to entrust all my powers to you?”

“Even if the price is your death?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

If it were about the Noble’s Seal, all Ustus would have to do was hand it over. However, in the case of Ustus, where he was the fragment itself, things weren’t so simple. Despite being obviously aware of that fact, he showed no hesitation.

“Why me? Is it because I have a grudge against the Underworld Duke?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Ustus shook his head. “After you have gotten your revenge, your actions will be different from now. I’m very much aware of that fact.”

“So, why?” Kim Jin-Woo still couldn’t comprehend Ustus’ decision.

But the One-Eyed King carried on. “Because it has to be you.”

“What nonsense…” Kim Jin-Woo began, but he trailed off as he recalled something. The Fragment of the Lord that had been in the Counts’ detachment unit had once said the same thing to him.

‘You are worthy of his inheritance.’

He had paid no attention to those words back then. But after hearing the same thing for the second time, he couldn’t help but be concerned. “There’s something I’m missing. The reason why it has to be me. There is such a reason, isn’t there?”

Perhaps thinking that his end was near, Ustus revealed everything he knew. “The Lesser Floor labyrinth masters aren’t qualified. They’re no better than I am. But neither are the Deep Floor Nobles. They’re unable to defy the Usurper.”

The Usurper, who had divided the once-united Underworld into different floors and continents, was the creator and administrator of the present Underworld system. And the Nobles, who were reaping the greatest benefits through said system, wouldn’t dare defy the will of the Usurper.

What set Kim Jin-Woo apart from the other Underworld Nobles was the fact that he was a Terran.

“But you. You’re different,” Ustus said confidently, leaving Kim Jin-Woo at a loss for words. “If it’s you, you won't be forced into the Underworld system.

“Mm…” Kim Jin-Woo’s expression hardened as he continued to read the constant messages reporting on the war situation, with one message reporting that a 9th Floor labyrinth master and his troops had been annihilated.

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?” It was a meaningless question, but he felt compelled to ask it.

The fragment of the Ancient Lord looked at him without responding. Although his whole body was made of eyeballs, Ustus somehow seemed to be smiling behind that bizarre appearance.

“Blessed be the merciful Lord!” With a thunderous shout, Ustus began to radiate light from all over his body. As a strong wave of powerechoed throughout the whole Underworld, the Tiger Dragons shook their heads violently as they took a step back, while the Naga Dragon Knights did their best to calm them down.

“Step back,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

The Dragon Knights quickly retreated. But the Tiger Dragons were still behaving wildly as the energy wave continued to ripple through the Underworld. The magnitude of the waves was so strong that even the furthest of labyrinths were able to feel the tremors.

It was because of these vibrations that Kim Jin-Woo had come to Ustus in the midst of a war. If they were to be triggered during peacetime, there was no doubt that the Deep Floor Counts would take notice of this anomaly on the 10th Floor. However, if there were nothing but death and destruction due to the war, they would undoubtedly pay no heed to it.

After briefly looking around, Kim Jin-Woo stepped into the blinding flash of light. All it took was one step for his whole body to be engulfed by the light. He clenched his teeth to fight against the dizzying effects as terrible pain spread through his body, as if his blood vessels were about to burst any moment.

No pain, no gain. That was the simple nature of the world. And considering that he was about to inherit even a fragment of the Ancient Lord’s power, this was a small price to pay.

Eventually, the endless pain finally started to subside.

“Phew.” Kim Jin-Woo took a deep breath, and vomited out the last remnants of pain from his body. “This is the second time, and I’m still not used to it.” He had already absorbed the power of the Ancient Lord once before, but the pain that rushed through his body was something he still couldn’t get used to.

Kim Jin-Woo stretched out his stiff body that was soaked in sweat, and only after seeing the message pop up in front of him was he finally able to relax.

[You have obtained a fragment of the One-Eyed Lord, the most powerful of the Ten Lords who ruled the Ancient Underworld.]

[You are now able to use some of the One-Eyed Lord’s power.]

[Time remaining until you fully absorb the power: 599:59:94.]

Perhaps this fragment was massive, as it was going to take Kim Jin-Woo twenty-five days to completely digest the power. The long, tedious wait was a challenge, but he wasn’t disappointed. Sooner or later, the power that Ustus had once enjoyed were going to be his.

[The labyrinth ruled by Ustus, the One-Eyed King, has been subjugated.]

[One hundred One-Eyed Beings have joined your forces.]

Still slightly disoriented, Kim Jin-Woo continued to check the messages that appeared.

[The Noble’s Seal held by Ustus has now merged with yours.]

[You are to collect more Power Fragments. If you are lucky, you may be able to gather all the fragments scattered across the Underworld and fully restore the power of the mighty ancient Highlord.]

[Fragments collected so far (3/?)]

Obtaining Ustus’ Noble’s Seal was a bonus.

Kim Jin-Woo was left feeling conflicted, but ultimately, he had gotten what he wanted. It was time for him to join the battlefield. He ordered a clean-up of the labyrinth and sent a messenger to the main unit in order to request reinforcements to protect the Labyrinth of the One-Eyed Beings. Then, he mounted his Tiger Dragon.

“Mo-” Kim Jin-Woo was just about to signal the departure of his troops, when his expression hardened.

“I have one last present for you.” Despite having surrendered all his power to Kim Jin-Woo and fading out of existence, Ustus’ familiar voice echoed in Kim Jin-Woo’s head.

“Ustus?”

“The Usurper won’t be able to follow you for the moment, so please strengthen your troops.” Ustus’ words were a one-sided recitation, almost like a recording. “I wish you all the best.”

There were many things Kim Jin-Woo wanted to know, such as how long he could hide from the Usurper’s gaze and how to do so. But he didn’t ask, as he felt the last remnants of Ustus’ existence leaving his body.

“Move out!” He briefly looked back at the Labyrinth of the One-Eyed Beings, which had changed masters in such a short time, before charging forward with his Tiger Dragon.

***

The battle was fierce. Screams and shouts resounded everywhere, and the fight between the invaders and the defenders continued. But victory had already seemingly been decided.

The 9th Floor army that had been dispatched for this war alone numbered over ten thousand, and the number of labyrinth masters and Hero-Grade Summons included in the army numbered a hundred and a thousand respectively.

Even with their home ground advantage through the amplification buffs, the defenders on the 10th Floor had no chance of withstanding an army of such a formidable size. Thus, the Nobles continued a difficult battle while they were slowly surrounded by the 9th Floor army’s advance.

“What’s the situation?” Kim Jin-Woo asked, as he looked down at the soldiers bustling around in the ranks. They were spread far and wide in an act of sheer intimidation due to their numerical superiority.

“Seventeen of the hundred labyrinth masters were killed, and the casualties of our ordinary troops also exceed two thousand five hundred,” Dominique answered.

More than two thousand lives had been lost in a single day, but neither Dominique nor Kim Jin-Woo were fazed by the report.

“This is proceeding slower than I thought. I thought we would have captured seven out of ten labyrinths by now,” Kim Jin-Woo said. It seemed that the Moai had revived the fallen Nobles’ fighting spirits. Last he had checked, the Nobles were struggling heavily in the war.

“The Nobles were stronger than we anticipated,” Dominique said.

Kim Jin-Woo knew this fact very well. It was clear that Morrigan and Heimdall were powerful warriors, but it was still difficult to get rid of the Nobles, who were on the defensive while being buffed by their amplification effects.

Boreas was one of the strongest on the 10th Floor, but even he lacked the strength to easily take over someone else’s labyrinth in their own front yard.

“The Crow and Heimdall have each destroyed two, while Boreas and his Wind Piercer army have destroyed one, but the battle ahead is the big problem. The former two are both exhausted from battle, while the latter was injured and is unable to battle any further,” Dominique began.

Her report didn’t end there. “On top of that, the biggest problem is that it’s getting harder and harder to lure the Moai away from our troops. About half of the troops are now busy engaging with the Moai. If this goes on, we may not be able to achieve our goals.”

Rikshasha and the Under-Elves had spent the whole time luring the Moai away from the battlefield, but they seemed to have reached their limit. A considerable number of troops had already started fighting the Moai.

“Nothing’s going my way,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered.

Victory was assured, but what mattered more was how many losses they could cut in the process. It was good to separate the chaff, but now that the labyrinths were being damaged in the process, Kim Jin-Woo had to play his hand.

“What will you do? Due to the inter-floor penalty, half of the troops have their combat power reduced. If we overextend ourselves, even if we capture the rest of the remaining Nobles’ labyrinths, our losses won’t be insignificant,” Dominique said. She seemed to be indirectly implying that it would be better for them to retreat and be content with their current achievements for now.

Being able to take down five labyrinths was definitely no small feat, but considering the fact that the entire 9th Floor had been deployed, it was too small a victory for Kim Jin-Woo.

“We also have to think of our exit strategy. Considering the movements of the Moai, our retreat won’t be so easy,” Dominique added.

It was impossible to avoid the battle with the Moai, who were already beginning to surround them from all sides. This was perhaps the reason why Dominique was redirecting a significant number of the troops from the main unit back to the reserve unit.

“How ridiculous. To think we can’t do anything about the 10th Floor Nobles despite the fact that they’ve declined so much,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

He had never expected this to be an easy victory. His enemies were tough bastards who had persistently endured on the 10th Floor, even as it was being flooded by the Moai. It was only natural that it wouldn’t be that easy, considering that such entities were his targets.

In fact, the 9th Floor labyrinths might have lost more than expected, creating a power vacuum. But nevertheless, from Kim Jin-Woo’s point of view, this war was an absolute necessity. No matter how many sacrifices he had to make, he had a goal he must achieve.

Dominique asked, “What will you do? If we’re to retreat, it has to be now.”

Kim Jin-Woo responded with a bitter smile, “Now I know how Krasto feels.”

Krasto, who’d had to fight a reckless battle to protect his title of Undefeated Mercenary, eventually fell from grace as he failed to protect not only the honor of his name, but his title as well.

And at that moment, Kim Jin-Woo was faced with the same decision.

Retreating now wouldn’t be a defeat. He had managed to capture five of the ten labyrinth targets, and he had even managed to take over Ustus’ labyrinth—his biggest goal—completely intact. However, these achievements didn’t mark a victory either.

What Kim Jin-Woo wanted was only victory, nothing less. He was the one and only Conqueror of the Underworld, and the Undefeated Conqueror.

“There will be no retreat,” he commanded.

Dominique sighed, her expression suggesting she had anticipated that decision from the beginning.