CH 235

Wardens, also known as Sentinels on the surface, were creatures marked with eye-shaped tattoos and the last bastions of the Underworld. They were nightmarish existences to soldiers and explorers.

People feared them, yet little was known about them; thus, as they were shrouded in ignorance and mystery, the fear of them grew greater over time. Even the most temperamental explorers deemed the name of the Wardens taboo after being haunted by them.

“The Wardens’ existence signifies absolute guardianship of the Underworld, and their divine duty to protect it takes precedence over anything else. If even their own master were considered a danger to the stability and safety of the Underworld, the Wardens wouldn’t hesitate to bite their owner’s leash and kill that person with their own hands.”

A long time ago, when Kim Jin-Woo had still been on the fence about which side to take between the surface and the Underworld, Mimir had warned him several times about these Wardens.

“No one in the Underworld knows what they usually look like. They may be closer to you than you think, or they may be far away. Even the Deep Floor Dukes have given up trying to figure out who they are. They just hope that the Wardens don’t exist in the worst forms they can imagine.”

It was like having a blade dangling above his head, not knowing when he might be decapitated as he sat on his throne.[1]

Just the thought was terrifying enough. What was even more frightening was that it wasn’t mere imagination anymore; it was slowly turning into reality.

In fact, the one who had turned against Anatolius was the lieutenant that the Iron-Blooded Giant trusted the most, so it was understandable why Bryntess had said that no one could be trusted.

“Anyone could be a Warden. Maybe there could be a damned Warden among one of us as well.”

But she hadn’t yet provided an explanation as to why they had formed an alliance, even with the risk of one of them being a Warden, nor why she’d had to come all the way to the 9th Floor to personally deliver such news.

“Why me?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“Because we are certain that, at the very least, you are not a Warden, nor are you on their side,” Bryntess answered without a single moment of hesitation. “You are a Terran. No, before that, you are a Highlord, no?”

Only then did Kim Jin-Woo finally understand. Ironically, as a human in the Underworld, he was their most reliable partner.

“That question was foolish.” Belatedly realizing that, he smiled bitterly. He had been so focused on the Wardens that he had forgotten even the most rudimentary of facts, dragging the conversation out longer than necessary.

“We are not looking for an immediate answer. For now, we just want to let you know that we, the Counts, are not your enemies,” Bryntess said.

However, Kim Jin-Woo gaining enlightenment didn’t change the situation. If, according to Bryntess’ own words, the Counts couldn’t trust each other, then he too couldn’t trust her either.

“I am not a Warden,” Bryntess said.

“Words are cheap,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

Bryntess replied back as if she had been waiting for Kim Jin-Woo to bring up the matter. “Perhaps you have forgotten?”

What’s this? Kim Jin-Woo thought to himself as he waited for further explanation.

“Where you and Tyrenon first met,” Bryntess continued.

Kim Jin-Woo frowned for a moment, before his eyes lit up as he finally understood the meaning behind Bryntess’ words. “No way.”

“Right. The other Counts may not know this, but at the very least, I am on your side.” Bryntess whispered softly to him in a much friendlier tone, “Because I have already made up my mind to side with the surface.”

***

Kim Jin-Woo, standing all alone, found himself looking around while clutching the back of his neck. Unlike the situation outside the labyrinth, which was changing by the minute, the silence of the Grand Labyrinth was deafening.

Were there Wardens on the 9th Floor as well? There was no way to tell. Bryntess had said that the Naga’s Labyrinth, which was a relatively new labyrinth, was unlikely to host a Warden, and that even if a Warden existed within, it was likely that their powers were weak. But that didn’t sound entirely convincing to Kim Jin-Woo.

Although the Grand Labyrinth had devoured most of the surrounding labyrinths and even its residences, there were some races that had eventually survived and settled within it. It was possible that there was a Warden among them.

In the worst case scenario, one of the Nagas could be a Warden as well.

“Behind one mountain is always a bigger one, huh.” Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but finally mutter his inner thoughts.

***

Kim Jin-Woo might have received the warnings about the Wardens, but there was no way he could sift them out right away. Despite searching everywhere with his Eyes of Truth, he couldn’t find a single sign of a Warden.

After all, if they were existences that could be easily found out, the Deep Floor beings wouldn’t have racked their brains so much, and Anatolius wouldn’t have been attacked.

In the end, Kim Jin-Woo had to scrap his search for the Wardens, leaving him with an unpleasant taste in his mouth. For now, all he could do was call forth his most trusted Ancient Summons to protect the master room.

“Phew.” The stress of not being able to completely trust his allies was unimaginable. But he had no choice but to endure.

He restricted access to the center of the labyrinth and blocked out almost all his Summons, including Angela. It was something he had absolutely wanted to avoid doing, in case everyone started getting the wrong idea, but he still pressed on.

There was no way that the quick-witted Angela wouldn’t have noticed her master’s strange attitude. However, she didn’t ask why, and only gave him a sad look.

“Angela, I’ll explain later.” Cold-hearted as Kim Jin-Woo might be, there was no way he could feel good doing what he did. But despite that, he didn’t withdraw his order, and the Grand Labyrinth found itself being segregated into two distinct areas.

Meanwhile, Rikshasha came to look for him. “Master.”

Rikshasha, a descendent of the Fairy Lord, was the only other trustworthy being left in the Grand Labyrinth aside from the Ancient Summons. Naturally, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but welcome her visit. “Rikshasha.”

Rikshasha quickly rushed over and fell at his feet, reporting, “The Queen of Illusions, Ariane, is awake!”

Upon hearing the news, Kim Jin-Woo headed straight to the outskirts of the Grand Labyrinth. Arriving at the place where the Night-Mares had once resided, he found Ariane staring blankly into the air.

“Ariane,” Kim Jin-Woo began.

Ariane, who had finally regained consciousness after a long time, looked back at him with a pale, bloodless face and greeted him. “My King.”

“You’re finally awake,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

Ariane had stated that she wouldn’t come back until she defeated Denarion, so the fight must have been settled in some way.

“Let’s hear you out.” Kim Jin-Woo got straight to the point.

Ariane belatedly snapped out of her dazed state. “Now, no one…” The light of joy spread little by little across her pale face as she spoke slowly, gradually filling her entire expression. “...can claim the power of Nightmares to be stronger than the power of Illusions.”

The fact that Ariane, who had commanded a mere two hundred Night-Mares, was able to defeat a Deep Floor Count was truly remarkable. It was no wonder that she looked full of pride.

“Did you defeat Denarion?” Kim Jin-Woo asked, needing to be certain.

Ariane answered again, “The name ‘Denarion of Nightmares’ has ceased to exist.”

“Ah…” Kim Jin-Woo could neither laugh nor frown at her response. That was because the first thing that came to his mind upon hearing her answer was Yoon-Hee. Before Denarion was a Deep Floor Count, he was Yoon-Hee’s father.

However, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t feel sad or apologetic because of the outcome. Denarion was by no means a loving father, and he was a cold-blooded being who had even used his own bloodline in his greed for the Highlords’ power. In fact, Yoon-Hee was afraid of her own father and had fled the Underworld, where his powers weren’t able to reach her.

Yoon-Hee would never blame him or Ariane for the fall of Denarion.

“I wasn’t able to claim the Count’s throne, but I was able to absorb his powers fully.” Ariane didn’t show any noticeable changes right away, despite having devoured Count’s existence. It seemed it would take some time for her to fully absorb Denarion’s powers.

However, that was probably a good thing. After all, Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t particularly interested in whether the Queen of Illusions would become strong or not.

“Good, let’s talk about the rest later,” Kim Jin-Woo said as he looked at the lethargic Ariane, before turning away.

***

The balance on the 11th Floor had been broken. Anatolius had been attacked by a Warden and was seriously wounded, and Denarion had been slaughtered in his own nightmare by the Queen of Illusions after losing his powers to her. The equilibrium between the Counts, who had been cautiously wary of each other with their unmatched powers in the past, was now completely broken.

“No, it probably happened way earlier,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered to himself.

In the Underworld after the Floors integrated, perhaps it wasn’t just the 11th Floor where the balance had been broken. However, Kim Jin-Woo was certain that the collapse of that balance had accelerated because of the Restoration. So he decided to check the situation on the 11th Floor himself.

It had been a long time since he had seen with his own eyes that the restored Grand Labyrinths were slowly encroaching on the Counts’ estates, and he was certain that they must have progressed a lot by now.

Rather than having someone else check on the situation, it was better for him to check on the situation personally and act on it as soon as possible to maximize his advantage.

If he got lucky enough, he might be able to absorb the power of the Counts without even lifting a finger.

“A futile alliance…” He recalled Bryntess, who had come looking for him seeking an alliance, but he had ignored her.

After all, he had no intention of being used again by the Deep Floor Counts who couldn’t even trust each other, when he had already been exploited by them in the past for more than ten years. Especially now, when he was suffering from a power vacuum. What happened to the Counts from here on was none of his business.

However, he couldn’t make it to the 11th Floor in the end. Just as he was about to head to the 11th Floor, the Queen of Corruption sent a messenger to the Grand Labyrinth.

“It’s been a while.” The Underworld Noble Tyrenon, who had come on behalf of his master, bowed with a paler look on his face than Kim Jin-Woo had seen before.

“You and your master must be quite busy. Why are you here again?” Kim Jin-Woo’s mood was foul, as his plan to move to the 11th Floor had abruptly been interrupted.

“Denarion of Nightmares has been slain,” Tyrenon said.

Kim Jin-Woo frowned. He was already in a bad mood because he had been interrupted, but now, the messenger was telling him something he already knew. He replied coldly, “So?”

Despite his cold reply, Tyrenon responded without a hint of surprise. “We’ve found traces of a Warden on Lord Denarion’s corpse.”

1. This is a reference to the story of the ‘Sword of Damocles’. ☜