CH 202

‘Night’, 'Twilight’, these were incomprehensible words. But the whispers left by the Wailing Lord captivated Kim Jin-Woo for some strange reason.

The Wailing Lord stared at him with glazed eyes, and her lips twitched. “When that time comes, the walls of false majesty will fall, and a throne built upon stolen authority will be worth nothing more than a handful of dust.”

Her certainty, akin to a prophecy, became a low and deep echo that hovered between the two of them. Finally, she added, “But before that, we must prepare for the Night.”

Kim Jin-Woo, who had been listening quietly, couldn't bear it any longer and asked, “Does that ‘Night’ refer to a certain period of time?” He couldn’t understand what this ‘Night’ referred to when there was no distinction between day and night in the Underworld.

However, the Wailing Lord shook her head slightly and corrected him. “No, the ‘Night’ is something else.” Her eerie voice became even lower as she continued, “It’s the name of the darkness that dwells in the deepest depths of the Underworld, and it’s also the name of the terrible beast that killed the mighty former Lords.”

The first thing that came to Kim Jin-Woo’s mind was the Usurper who had driven out the Ancient Lords and created the Underworld as it is today. But the Wailing Lord shook her head, saying that the Night and the Usurper were completely different. Kim Jin-Woo frowned, confused by her obvious denial.

The Wailing Lord stood up from her seat, staring at him. “That’s all I can tell you for now.” She had seemed as if she would tell him everything, but now she stopped speaking and instead promised a next meeting.

Kim Jin-Woo’s unresolved questions about her were still churning through his mind, but as the auction went on, they would have plenty more chances to meet again. Thus, he didn’t hold her back when she left the room.

Left alone in the room, he let out a long sigh. He had known that the already fragmented Underworld would merge into one, but he had been ignorant of the dangers that would come before the restoration of the old Underworld. Perhaps, if the Wailing Lord hadn’t come over when she did, he might have suffered a great failure.

“The Night is our nemesis. Do you now understand why the First and Second have decided to test you instead of eliminating you?”

She had said that the Highlords must unite to fight the terrible monster they called the ‘Night’. Just the thought of how horrifying this monster must be, that all the Highlords needed to unite, was enough to worry Kim Jin-Woo.

Knock knock.

He shook his head as knocking interrupted his thoughts. Perhaps because of the lingering remnants of the ominous prophecy spoken by the Wailing Lord, he shouted sharply in response for no particular reason. “Who is it!?”

“I came to guide you.” The characteristic high voice of the imp girl, whom Kim Jin-Woo had gotten rather familiar with in the past few days, came from outside the door.

“Ah, I’ll be out in a bit.” Recalling the promise he had made with the Black Merchant, which he had completely forgotten, Kim Jin-Woo immediately got up from his seat.

“Mm…” As he left the dormitory, he glanced at the darkness that lurked in the room and frowned. For some reason, it felt as if the darkness in the room had thickened unnaturally.

Kim Jin-Woo left the room and arrived at the destination after walking through a winding passage for a long time.

“We’ve arrived!” The imp girl, who looked slightly troubled by Kim Jin-Woo’s constant questions about where they were headed throughout the whole journey, announced cheerfully that they had arrived at their destination.

“So we have.” Kim Jin-Woo looked up and saw the stone door in front of him. The door was made of solid rock, and was large enough that even giants could pass through it without having to bend over.

Creeeak.

While Kim Jin-Woo was busy examining the huge door, the imp girl clung onto the wall and pinched her hand, and the door began to vibrate with a heavy rumble. With a long roar, the door that had seemed static finally started to lift up. However, from beyond that small gap, a terrible, fishy smell emanated.

“Urgh.” The smell was so terrible that even Kim Jin-Woo, who had developed a tolerance for stench after meeting many monsters in the Underworld, held his nose and backed away.

As he backed up, stricken with dizzying vertigo, he saw a huge golden object through the crack in the door. However, it was so huge that it was impossible to see the whole thing even through the half-raised stone door.

Its outline gradually started to reveal itself, however. It was something huge, that shone due to the golden scales that covered its entire body…

Only after the huge stone door rose about two-thirds of the way was he able to see the monster properly through the door.

Seeing the vivid image of the monster, that looked as if it had appeared straight out of the legends, Kim Jin-Woo muttered to himself, “A dragon?”

“That sounds great, but I’m not a dragon,” came the response. It was a voice so loud that it could have resounded across the entire world. Upon closer look, the monster’s appearance was somehow familiar.

“You’re…” When the intense impact from their initial meeting disappeared, Kim Jin-Woo felt himself return to reality. The giant that he had mistaken for a dragon resembled a Basilisk more than a Water Dragon.

However, the beauty of its dazzling golden scales and elegant yet tough-looking body was so overwhelming that not even the Basilisk King, the ruler of the Basilisks, could compare.

“So, you were a Drakan,” Kim Jin-Woo said. Although its majesty and presence couldn’t be compared with any other Drakan he knew, the other figure was definitely a Drakan.

“Nice to meet you, Undefeated Commander.” A draconic being covered in golden scales looked at Kim Jin-Woo with eyes full of energy. “I am Agryptus, leader of the Drakanus Clan.”

The moment Kim Jin-Woo heard the reference to the Drakanus Clan, the first thing that came to his mind was the half-Drakan. He exclaimed, “Ortehaga!” His expression twisted as he remembered that a year before, on the day the Dawn Rooster crowed, Ortehaga had disappeared from his labyrinth.

Agryptus was a Deep Floor Duke, nicknamed the ‘Dragon Emperor’, who ruled over the remaining descendants of the Earth Dragons in the Underworld; he was also the Lord of Heatwaves. He was also the father of the half-Drakan Ortehaga, who had broken his Oath of Allegiance and run away.

“Then I’ll take my leave!” As if she had finished her job by introducing the two to each other, the imp girl immediately ran out without Kim Jin-Woo having a chance to talk to her. As soon as she disappeared, the huge stone door slammed shut.

“Don’t worry. I just wanted to talk to you alone; I don’t mean anything else,” Agryptus said.

Kim Jin-Woo snorted. Because he knew that Ortehaga, who had been said to be unable to tell a lie, had broken his Oath of Allegiance and run away, he found Agryptus’ words hard to believe.

“Say what you want. Although I no longer believe that there are no lies in a Drakan’s words, I’ll hear you out.” Despite Agryptus being the first Duke he had encountered ever since his last encounter with the Spider Duke, Kim Jin-Woo spoke brazenly and bluntly.

Whether it was because they had no prior grudge against each other, or because Kim Jin-Woo believed in his own Highlord powers, what was certain was that the two were on equal footing at that moment. Otherwise, the majestic dragon wouldn’t have stood for his sarcasm.

“It is true that our clan is unable to tell lies,” Agryptus said.

Just thinking of how many down gems he had invested in the missing Ortehaga, as well as how precious summoning stones were now, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but feel frustrated. However, he couldn’t afford to continue fighting a battle of wits against a Duke. Thus, he suppressed his emotions and patiently waited for Agryptus to make his next move.

“I have a favor to request of you,” Agryptus began.

But there was also a limit to how much arrogance Kim Jin-Woo could tolerate. His expression turned serious immediately.

In response, Agryptus quickly continued, “Please save Ortehaga.”

“What?” Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected request.

When questioned further, the leader of the Drakans spoke with a conflicted expression. “Ortehaga has lost his pride and credibility as a Drakan, and is now dying under a terrible curse.”

Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t understand what Agryptus said afterward. The way he explained it, Ortehaga had received a terrible curse in exchange for breaking the Oath of Allegiance, and could only escape the curse by paying the price for his immorality and resuming his oath toward Kim Jin-Woo with utmost loyalty and devotion.

“Please take Ortehaga back in.” Again, Agryptus tried to entrust Ortehaga to Kim Jin-Woo.

“He who runs away from the battlefield once is sure to do so again,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. It was a fun experience to see the proud Drakan disappointed, but there was absolutely no reason for him to accept Ortehaga now.

Compared to the past, when his Hero-Grade summons were weak, the Grand Labyrinth of the present boasted an incomparable level of power. In such a situation, Kim Jin-Woo felt no need to take in a fugitive.

However…

“What do I get in return if I accept Ortehaga?”

Doing so would be worth a trade.

“Tell me what you want.”

From now on, it was just a matter of how much damage the proud, self-respecting dragon could take for his own kind.

Kim Jin-Woo raised a corner of his lips and looked at the dragon. “What I want is…”

***

“How was it? Just as I said, wasn’t it a rather fruitful meeting for you, my Lord?” As soon as the meeting with Agryptus was over, the Black Merchant appeared at the perfect time to take over as the guide on the return trip. “It was a precious experience, because I’ll never see the proud dragons bow their heads again. If not for the fact that there are so few of them left, their leader would never compromise to this extent for the Drakan who abandoned you.”

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t deny that fact. Although it was a one-time meeting, the dragon was so stubborn that it was hard to believe that he was the father of the frivolous Ortehaga. If not for Ortehaga, the 9th Floor Conqueror and Undefeated Commander would never have witnessed such a sight. He remarked, “It’s possible that he didn’t think too much of it, considering I’m a Terran with a short life span.”

The Black Merchant neither affirmed nor denied Kim Jin-Woo’s statement as he replied, “Still, there was nothing of value that was lost for Milord. You now have a subordinate that you can make use of to no end, and you also now have the protection of the Dragon Emperor, one of the most powerful dukes in the Deep Floors. When it comes down to business, you’ve pretty much struck the jackpot.” Even the usually fair Black Merchant seemed rather mean-spirited today.

Kim Jin-Woo looked at the Black Merchant with a slight frown, and recognized from the look on his round face that he had something to say. Thinking that the Black Merchant was waiting around for a chance to ask a rather simple request, he asked, “What? You have something to ask of me?”

The Black Merchant immediately sprung into action.