CH 192

“Will she make a move with something like this?” Kim Jin-Woo looked in the direction Ariane had disappeared in, tilting his head. The languid ferocity that had been present in his gaze just a moment before quickly eased up, and his usual expression returned.

“It’s enough. Her fear of her Master wasn’t a lie,” Dominique responded, convinced it was sufficient.

But Kim Jin-Woo remained skeptical of how effective such meaningless theatrics would be. He wasn’t sure if Ariane, who was still going strong with her mission despite her fear of death, would so easily fall for such an obvious ploy.

“Master.” Dominique called out to Kim Jin-Woo, who was deep in thought. “Master probably doesn’t know this.”

“What don’t I know?” Kim Jin-Woo frowned at the sudden remark.

“You probably don’t know how ruthless you are when you’re dealing with your enemies, and how much it terrifies them,” Dominique replied.

‘Conqueror’ and ‘Undefeated Commander’. Those two titles alone were enough to overwhelm the opponent. But on top of that, he had even received the titles of ‘Successor to the One-Eyed Lord, Botan’ and ‘Lord of Greed’.

The sheer presence Kim Jin-Woo emanated was beyond what most existences could handle. He was unaware of it himself, but he had already become a monster that was beyond what the Deep Floor Counts could handle.

“Is that so?” With no particular answer in mind, he ended the conversation with a shrug. Then, he asked about the status of the Nobles he had captured from the 10th Floor.

“Those with serious injuries were given just the right amount of treatment so they’d survive, and those with light injuries have been put in their place so they won’t think of stirring things up,” Dominique replied. She then asked where they would be put to use.

In the case of Boreas, he had returned to his prime thanks to the year-long war, but the already corrupted 10th Floor Nobles were pretty much useless compared to the powers they’d originally had.

“I was planning on controlling them after a bit of intimidation, but I’ve changed my mind,” Kim Jin-Woo said. Dominique waited for his explanation with an incredulous look.

“I have something I want to test out,” Kim Jin-Woo continued. There was a familiar, characteristic ruthlessness on his face as he responded, and Dominique silently sympathized with the Nobles’ misfortune.

As soon as Kim Jin-Woo finished speaking, he started to move, going straight to where the Nobles were imprisoned.

Except for Karkaros, who had been brought back relatively unharmed, the rest of the Barons were all seriously injured. Looking down at them, Kim Jin-Woo spoke brazenly. “They’re in better condition than I thought.”

“Grrr…” The Barons, who could be excused for being angry at such a reaction, seemed to have given up on everything and simply growled.

“Hmm.” Kim Jin-Woo looked at them quietly before making a gesture. A few Naga Priests, who had been returned by the Grand Labyrinth thanks to Kim Jin-Woo’s deal, rushed forth.

“I’ll give you guys a chance,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Healing flashes of energy radiated from the hands of the Naga Priests and caressed the Barons’ weakened bodies. The Priests' magic, which had become more powerful than before, quickly restored their bodies to perfect condition.

The Barons looked puzzled as the pain subsided and energy was restored to their body. However, after seeing no other troops except for the Priests, they started to glare fiercely back at Kim Jin-Woo.

“Choose.” Kim Jin-Woo beckoned again, and the Naga Priests disappeared.

Crash.

The ceiling fell and the floor rose, blocking the passageway. In the blink of an eye, he had created a perfectly enclosed room, only big enough for himself and the Barons

The Barons rolled their eyes at the sudden situation before starting to reveal their true colors.

“Looks like I made a mistake healing you guys before telling you about the choices you have,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

A Baron who resembled a giant covered in stiff fur began to get worked up, and the others quickly joined in and surrounded Kim Jin-Woo.

“Is this your choice?” Even though he was surrounded by five Barons, Kim Jin-Woo was as calm as ever.

As he was observing the situation from a distance with relative leisure, Karkaros said in amazement, “I’m different from them.”

As Karkaros spoke, the other Barons vehemently criticized him.

“You’re absolutely scared, aren’t you?”

“Well, what could some useless piece of sediment do?”

“I won’t hold you accountable even after considering your situation.”

In spite of the hostility that had been directed to him in an instant, Karkaros was looking straight at Kim Jin-Woo.

“You’re a sensible one.” Kim Jin-Woo seemed astonished at Karkaros’ decision.

“My eyes may be dead, but my senses aren’t,” Karkaros replied.

As they chattered, the furry giant charged in like a thunderbolt.

“Kaaaaaargh!”

The other Barons followed suit behind him.

One took advantage of the giant rushing forward.

One took the form of a wild beast and charged forward with bared fangs.

One held mysterious auras in both of his hands, casting unknown spells.

The Barons united and attacked as hard as they could. They believed in their numerical superiority, but they didn’t forget how they had ended up where they were.

But despite the threat of all the Barons’ attacks being directed toward Kim Jin-Woo, he continued to praise Karkaros without feeling any sense of crisis. “Your senses have saved you.”

With a dry smile on his face, Kim Jin-Woo raised both hands that had been hanging by his side. His seemingly nonexistent and insignificant presence grew like a tsunami, becoming a ferocious beast in its own right and immediately applying pressure to the Barons.

“Resist until the end,” Kim Jin-Woo said. He grabbed the fist of the furry giant that had charged in first, and smashed it to smithereens. “After all, your fates have already been decided.”

“Kaaaargh!” the giant screamed. But when Kim Jin-Woo let go of the shattered fist, the giant’s other fist flew at him.

“You should at least put your back into it so you won’t have any regrets.” He grabbed the other hand and smashed it as well, before turning to the Barons behind and charging headfirst toward them.

*** “Kuuurgh…”

A scream turned into a moan, a moan turned into heavy breathing, and even that breathing disappeared completely. All that followed was utter silence.

[The Barons have lost their former glory due to their long period of corruption and warfare, and their Seals have been taken away. However, the fact that they were rulers who have reigned in the Deep Floors for a long time has not changed.]

[The Power of Greed is the source of their power, and you have consumed it without leaving a single piece behind.]

[The source of life that you have absorbed gives you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction unlike ever before.]

[The Lord of Greed has slightly increased his abilities. There are no immediately noticeable changes, but when all the conditions are met, spectacular things will happen.]

[Power of Greed (Grade 1), Satiety: 17%]

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t even have the time to check all the messages that filled his vision. He almost lost his mind as he was overcome with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that he had never experienced before.

The overwhelming ecstasy almost blew his consciousness away and made him tremble for a long time. Only after a while did he finally come to his senses.

“Oho.” Kim Jin-Woo’s body was full of vitality, as if he had been reborn. Unknowingly, he exclaimed in admiration at the perfect condition he felt. “So this is the Power of Greed…”

Up until now, he had been praised as the ‘Conqueror’ and ‘Undefeated Commander’, but those titles held virtually no power. Except for his combat power, he had practically been inferior to a 10th Floor Baron. Even though he had the Eyes of Truth, its effect was easily swayed by the restrictive conditions he didn’t have full control over.

But the Power of Greed was different. That ravenous power, which ate away at the last morsel of mortality in his enemies, was the proof of a true Lord.

“I like this.”

If absorbing Barons that had lost all the glory and powers they’d had in the past had resulted in such a drastic change, then Kim Jin-Woo was very much looking forward to absorbing the true Nobles who resided on the 11th Floor.

Rumble.

“Mm?” Kim Jin-Woo turned his head when he heard a muffled sound like the noise of branches swaying in the wind. Only then was he able to find Karkaros curled up on one side. The blue-scaled lizard was shaking in fright, as if he had just witnessed something terrible.

“Karkaros.” Kim Jin-Woo called out to him with a languid voice, like a fully satiated cat after a heavy meal.

“Your senses are better than I thought.” Karkaros was startled by Kim Jin-Woo’s words, and started to curl his limbs as he convulsed.

“Speak, Baron of Attack.” Wondering why Karkaros, who had already lost his sight, was trembling so much, Kim Jin-Woo asked dryly, “What is it you’ve seen that makes you so afraid?”

Karkaros’ whole body trembled as if he had been struck by lightning. The blue lizard, convulsing as he drooled, didn’t answer Kim Jin-Woo’s question.

***

The darkness he had seen ever since he lost his eyesight hadn’t changed. Nevertheless, Karkaros could feel the monster lurking beyond the utter darkness.

“Kaargh!”

There had been the screams of the arrogant Barons, and even those had soon disappeared.

The terrible noises were over, but Karkaros still couldn’t move his body. The predator’s stinging breath was still right in front of him.

“Ugh…”

He found himself moaning in fear. He struggled with his whole body to somehow get away from the dreadful presence, but his body was completely frozen over, and he ended up rolling on the floor.

“Karkaros.” The ferocious beast called out his name in an unbefitting gentle voice. “What is it you’ve seen that makes you so afraid?”

A huge monster, with a black body that was as dark as the deepest darkness, was staring at Karkaros with his blue, gleaming eyes.

“Y-You’re…!?” When Karkaros let out a scream of fear, the monster slowly, yet terrifyingly, shook its head.

Shh.

The monster raised a hand bearing long, ugly claws and put it to its mouth.