CH 253

“What a sensitive guy, very much unlike his appearance,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked and clicked his tongue while watching the approaching Duke, who had sensed his energy after it leaked out for a split second.

Stomp, stomp.

The earth trembled with vibrations. Each gigantic stomp, befitting the Duke’s build, could be felt, and soon the Duke arrived before Kim Jin-Woo.

Kim Jin-Woo looked up and saw two bright yellow eyes staring right back at him, muttering, “Bloody hell.” He had been acting weak and humble, emphasizing how lucky he had been in defeating Luyang, but he was sick and tired of it by now.

It was the first time Kim Jin-Woo had experienced such pressure from a humongous, musclebound body on such a scale. It felt as if a gigantic stone were pressing down from above; Luyang’s presence was nothing compared to the Duke’s.

This was the real presence of a Duke. Kim Jin-Woo subconsciously straightened up.

Wooooo.

The Duke spoke in a deep tone, and each of his movements kicked up the air around him.

“Interpret,” Kim Jin-Woo ordered.

However, the imp girl seemed to be heavily affected by the Duke’s presence, as she kept her head low and couldn’t come to her senses. Kim Jin-Woo sighed and brought out some of the energy he had tried so hard to suppress; it flowed out effortlessly and filled his surroundings. His energy was different from the Duke’s, as it was more dense and dark while silently eating away at the surroundings.

Something flashed through the Duke’s eyes as he looked down arrogantly at Kim Jin-Woo.

“Ah…” The pale imp girl finally let out her suppressed breath. 

“Now, interpret,” Kim Jin-Woo ordered once more without turning around.

The imp girl who had just barely escaped from the Duke’s overwhelming presence started interpreting immediately. “I’ve wanted to meet you, victorious commander.”

Kim Jin-Woo briefly fell into a dilemma. Should he continue putting up his pretense as an opportunist? How much of his powers should he reveal to the Duke, since he had been found out?

However, it didn’t take him long to come to a decision. 

“It’s embarrassing when everyone says that to me upon meeting me,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. It didn’t seem as if his energy would fool the Duke’s yellow eyes.

“Either way, it’s nice to meet you, Commander of the Taurus. I’m the Undefeated Commander.” Kim Jin-Woo greeted the Duke indifferently, losing the facade of a servile opportunist he had put on for the other Taurus.

***

The conversation with the Duke didn’t take long, however, Kim Jin-Woo’s gains in that short time were enormous. He smiled as he recalled their conversation.

“Isn’t it interesting?” he teased, obviously tickled. But, on the other hand, the summons who weren’t aware of the exchange looked at him curiously.

~

“It’s obvious what the Ursus were thinking. They must have set up a trap for us, but I was curious what you would gain from this strife.” Despite his appearance, the Taurus Duke was quick-witted.

“However, regardless of what it is, Ursus won’t be able to carry it out. I’ll be the victor in this battle,” the Duke added. The Duke was so full of himself that he was confident he could crush the Ursus despite having already stepped into their trap, and even had the time to strike a deal with his suspicious ally.

“It’s up to you whether to bathe in glory with the victor or drink poison with the loser. However, the choice and responsibility for that are entirely on you,” he concluded.

~

Kim Jin-Woo recalled those mysterious yellow eyes and laughed once more. “Anyway, things have turned more interesting.” 

The Duke could have never dreamt that what Kim Jin-Woo wanted wasn’t the spoils, but victory in and of itself. 

Before he was the Undefeated Commander, he was the Lord of Greed.

***

Upon the Duke’s arrival, the Taurus’ advance was seamless. They moved as one, leaving a minimal reconnaissance team. The onlookers’ attention was focused on the advancing troops.

“They’re deployed quite a large amount.” The sensitive Angela looked worried as she remained hidden in the darkness.

“It’s a battle between both commanders. It would be even weirder if they hadn’t garnered any attention.” Kim Jin-Woo calmed her down and watched the Taurus King confidently lead the entire entourage.

“They must have gathered enough troops,” he muttered. There was no need to hurry since the Ursus had left a trap waiting for them, and it was inevitable that their military strength would be exposed with all this attention.

However, as if to mock his expectations, the Taurus’ advance was incredibly slow. Their carefree air felt as if they were waiting for something to happen, making Kim Jin-Woo frown in frustration. “Think, think hard,” he muttered, trying to figure out what he had missed.

The battle this time around definitely wasn’t a small one, as it involved two Dukes and a Highlord. It was a battle that even the Deep Floor Nobles beyond the ninth floor showed interest in.

This single war would determine how things turned out on the ninth floor. The victor would evidently dominate the entire floor with immeasurable spoils, subsequently creating a powerful force.

As brilliant as the victor’s glory would become, the shadows of the defeated would become just as dark. It wouldn’t have come to that if they hadn’t engaged in such a battle, but now they could only rely on fate instead of their powers.

“Ah…” Kim Jin-Woo finally realized what he had missed. Originally, there had been the Satyrs, the rulers of the west; the Taurus, the rulers of the north; and the Ursus, the rulers of the south. On top of that, there was the Grand Labyrinth in the center. Among them, the Satyrs had been wiped out and joined the Labyrinth, so technically, all the rulers on the ninth floor were involved in this battle…

All but one, the East Labyrinth’s ruler.

***

If the Taurus Duke’s confidence was real, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but factor in the last and worst possible outcome for this battle. After all, nothing was certain in this world, and it would be too late to make amends after the truth was revealed. Kim Jin-Woo knew that fact very well and could only make his next moves without hesitation.

While he sent Angela out to convey his worries to the Ursus, he also requested information from Mimir. 

In addition to that, the Slime Masses and Under-Elf Rangers redoubled their scouting efforts.

It took less than a day before Kim Jin-Woo’s concerns were validated. He muttered, “Damn it. The real Deep Floor Ruler was elsewhere right from the beginning.” 

Rikshasha and Mimir had confirmed a large army was approaching from the east, but the direction it was heading in was strange. “The direction they were heading in was very vague. There’s no way of knowing if they were heading for the Ursus or the Grand Labyrinth.” 

Morrigan’s stern expression was full of worry, as the enemy’s path crossing through the ninth floor’s center and the southern region would be a threat.

“Urgh.” Kim Jin-Woo had never let his guard down, always assuming things would go wrong; he had made various plans such that it was possible for him to escape. However, things always went astray.

“Indeed, had I shown some sincerity when trying to set up a private meeting with the East Labyrinth, it wouldn’t have been so hard to bring them into the battle.” Kim Jin-Woo blamed himself for missing out on something as critical as that while carrying everything upon himself. He deeply felt the absence of his assistant, Dominique. Instead of wallowing in past mistakes, however, he quickly moved on to figure out his next move. 

“Morrigan, lead the summons back to the Grand Labyrinth with Heimdall. You’ll have to buy time for me until I get back in the worst-case scenario,” Kim Jin-Woo ordered. Their main enemy in this battle wasn’t their ally, the Taurus. 

“Will you be alright alone? You could be under siege by the Taurus in the worst-case scenario,” Morrigan asked, worried.

Kim Jin-Woo was confident that he could successfully pull out, but he was much more concerned about losing his title as the Undefeated Commander if the worst happened.

“Retreating is the only option. That way, you can also protect your own honor,” Morrigan added.

“No, the Taurus King isn’t that easy of a target; Luyang can’t even compare to him.” Kim Jin-Woo smiled bitterly, as he now found himself in the same situation as the Taurus and the Ursus. 

“I can’t open the portal, nor can I leave now. If there are any suspicious movements from me, Taurus might just go for me first instead of Ursus,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked. Similar to him, the Taurus would only be satisfied the moment they destroyed an ally who had betrayed them, to prevent future troubles.

“I’ll try my best to make it work with Angela and the vampires. So bring them back and be prepared for any sneak attacks,” Kim Jin-Woo warned Morrigan.

Morrigan replied, “Please be careful, Master.”

Eventually, Morrigan and the Hero-Grade summons left the group feeling heavy-hearted, along with Angela and the Vampires. They were apprehensive about the coming army, which they couldn’t take lightly. Unfortunately, the battlefield was too harsh for the false Vampires, who couldn’t even guarantee a kill on the lowest-ranked Taurus privates. With the absence of the Queen of True Blood, it was evident that the vampires were getting restless. 

“The crow and the warriors can’t be seen. They’re asking where they went,” the imp girl interpreted.

“Just tell them that they were sent to the Labyrinth as there were some unusual movements spotted,” Kim Jin-Woo ordered. After showing part of his true colors to the Duke previously. he didn’t bother worrying over the Duke any more.

The imp girl returned soon after with another message. “He said the army is headed for the Ursus’ Labyrinth, so there’s no need for you to worry. He asks for you to recall your troops…”

As Kim Jin-Woo expected, Taurus had known beforehand about the approaching army from the east. Gains were gains, but Kim Jin-Woo expressed his discomfort instead. “I, the commander of my troops, remain with two thousand men. Do I have to get permission from Taurus just to deploy my own forces?”

The imp girl broke into a cold sweat while interpreting Kim Jin-Woo’s response for the Taurus King. As Kim Jin-Woo slightly released some of his energy, threatening the Taurus’ envoy, the latter mumbled and took a step back, obviously shaken by Kim Jin-Woo’s sudden change in attitude. The envoy ran back, but the Taurus’ protests weren’t over, as the Duke approached Kim Jin-Woo personally.

“He said he doesn’t understand your intentions, as you sent away your main forces right before the battle…” the imp girl interpreted, terrified of the ferocious Duke. “He said you’re not worthy of this alliance if your forces merely amount to a few false Vampires.” 

The Duke was right. An army with two thousand Vampires was too embarrassing to be called a main force. Ultimately, Kim Jin-Woo assuaged the Duke’s discontent by revealing his true powers. Whether Kim Jin-Woo’s main forces were absent or not, his powers alone would account for 90% of their strength. 

Though Kim Jin-Woo had been imprudent toward a Deep Floor Duke, the Duke was neither surprised nor did he complain further; he only shot Kim Jin-Woo a cautious look. In any case, Kim Jin-Woo had successfully quelled the Duke’s discontent.

“Master!” Angela returned and reported to Kim Jin-Woo that the Ursus were aware of the army approaching from the east. On top of that, she said Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t the only one with backup plans.

“Since things have turned out this way, it’s best to turn this situation into chaos,” Kim Jin-Woo decided. His plan had gone entirely astray, but his preparations were far from complete, and he pulled out the trump card he had been saving for later.

“It’s now time to regain your honor,” he said. A giant body that had been hiding among the vampires finally revealed itself. Golden scales shone beneath the figure’s lowered hood.