CH 272

Kim Jin-Woo wondered what Mimir was talking about now, and he frowned as he felt his mind turning into a mess.

“What do you mean when you say I may know this person?” An ominous foreboding slowly rose, and at some point, he felt his heart tighten. However, he struggled to correct his expression as he questioned Mimir.

The terrified imp looked into his eyes for a moment. It was as if the imp thought the Highlord knew something he didn’t and was pretending not to know anything.

Kim Jin-Woo asked again, and the imp responded with a heavy voice. “I think you already know who it might be. Perhaps you need to double-check?”

With his next sentence, Mimir helped Kim Jin-Woo confirm his suspicions. “When you were being referred to, she called you ‘Little Jin-Woo’.”

Kim Jin-Woo’s messy mind cleared up instantly. But despite that, he was in no celebratory mood. Once again, So-Hee had been mentioned unexpectedly. The faint ominous feeling now took on a definite form that started to suffocate him. His eyes, which had been emitting a pure blue light, sank heavily and the light turned murky instead.

“Where are you going?” came a voice.

While Kim Jin-Woo was immersed in thought, Mimir had been slowly stepping backward while watching him warily. Mimir put his hand into his sleeve, but at that moment, the figure of a woman materialized from the darkness.

“What do you mean…” Mimir trailed off. He was startled to see Angela suddenly appearing out of nowhere, but she was as calm as ever.

“You better not move that hand, if you don’t want it to become my accessory,” Angela spoke softly as if she were dealing with a child, but her eyes were as cruel as could be. She continued, “That’s right, good boy. Stay that way. Don’t make any noise, and don’t even move an inch.”

Mimir was frightened beyond belief by Angela’s threats, left on the verge of tears. Despite what was going on between the two of them, though, Kim Jin-Woo continued to be lost in his own thoughts.

‘From now on, don’t trust anyone. Don’t trust anyone but me. No, don’t even believe me. You must only believe in yourself, understand?’

It was as if a voice as clear as yesterday were whispering in his ear over and over again.

Now, he had to admit it. So-Hee, whom he had trusted and followed more than anyone else, was by no means an ordinary girl. Even in her most miserable days, she had been smiling brightly, but now that Kim Jin-Woo thought about it, there had been many suspicious aspects about her.

She had been too resolute and calm in everything she did to be called a mere little girl. She had never made a fuss under any circumstances, and she had never lost her smile, even when driven out of the labyrinth by the Dukes.

Perhaps that was why he had found her to be more trustworthy than others. Deep down, he must have thought that a world as bright as her smile would be awaiting him at the end of the tunnel as long as he followed her.

‘You have to survive. At the very least, you must survive this hell.’

She had been left among the ferocious cassowaries, but she had survived alone. As per her instructions, he hadn’t trusted anyone he met in the Underworld, and had wandered through the underworld like a beast with only the goal of surviving.

And he had finally been able to reach the surface, where the sun shone warmly.

“Mm.”

Reminiscing about the past and looking back on his journey to the surface, Kim Jin-Woo frowned at the sense of incongruity. The memories that had once moved naturally like flowing water started to feel unnatural all of a sudden.

It was a strange feeling, as if he were trying to complete a puzzle with a piece that couldn’t fit no matter how hard he tried. Amid that strange sense of incongruity, he went back and forth between his past and present memories over and over again, retracing his nightmare.

Finally, he was able to realize the reason for that uncomfortable sense of incongruity.

During the times when he had slept in the area that resembled a chicken coop, or when he had grown up listening to the stories of the surface from the adults, or when they had been sacrificed in all the dangerous battles, So-Hee was nowhere to be seen in any of those memories.

In hindsight, he must have thought that he had been with her because he was blindly obsessed with his relationship with her.

“When did I first meet So-Hee?” Kim Jin-Woo stared blankly into the middle of nowhere as the question came to his mind belatedly.

***

The cunning imp was imprisoned in the end. He had claimed to have just come on someone’s errand, but nobody could know what was truly going on inside that head of his. Kim Jin-Woo was certain that he must be hiding other plans as well.

“You can’t do this to me! I’ve worked so hard for you, Milord!” Mimir complained about the unjust treatment he was receiving.

Kim Jin-Woo responded bitterly, “I don’t intend to do anything with you right now. I just need you somewhere you can answer my questions immediately when needed. So cool off there for the time being.”

“I’d rather you just ask me right now! I’ll tell you anything!” Mimir exclaimed.

“No, not yet,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. The fragments of his shattered and shuffled memories made him supremely cautious. He needed time to think.

“Perhaps that person you call ‘So-Hee’ is…” Dominique began cautiously.

“Don’t jump to a hasty conclusion.” Kim Jin-Woo was more expressionless than ever as he cut Dominique off. “For now, we can’t be sure of anything yet. It won’t be too late for all judgments to be made when Catherine, the Wailing Lord, returns.”

He was certain that the Wailing Lord, who had disappeared to hunt down traces of So-Hee, would be able to provide the answers to the uncomfortable questions he had in mind.

“So don’t ask or question anything anymore,” he concluded. Due to the accident, Dominique had become able to connect with him on a spiritual level, and she must have felt what he was feeling and thinking, but he ignored her uncomfortable gaze.

“As per Master’s will,” Dominique finally replied. She too didn’t try to force out an answer. As her master said, as long as the truth was at hand, whether one liked it or not, it would all soon be revealed. It was apparent that she didn’t want to upset her master any further.

“For now, the legacy of the One-Eyed Lord comes first,” Kim Jin-Woo continued. Because Mimir’s information was too shocking, the matter of Valhǫll, which had been pushed back for a while, became the topic of discussion again. He said, “For now, I’ll claim Valhǫll.”

“It’s too dangerous!” Mimir exclaimed.

The One-Eyed Lord’s castle wasn’t able to achieve its dream in the end; thus, only when the Lord felt despair in his heart could he become its master.

“The biggest strength among all the achievements Master has accomplished so far is your title of ‘Undefeated Commander’. If that imp’s words are true, that means in order to claim Valhǫll, you have to lose your biggest source of strength.” Dominique strongly expressed her objection like never before. She was concerned about the power gap that would arise from losing the title of ‘Undefeated Commander’.

However, Kim Jin-Woo firmly shook his head and said, “I didn’t come this far because I had the title of ‘Undefeated Commander’.”

Having faced the ghosts of his past, an intense blue light returned to his somewhat cloudy gaze as he continued, “I was given the title because I was victorious every step of the way and survived this far.”

***

The gates of Valhǫll, which protruded as if they had been nailed to the ground of the Underworld, was exactly where they had last been. As if they had been there from the beginning, they seemed to be waiting for all eternity for someone qualified to come.

That person would be the successor of the perfect power that had been passed down since ancient times, and it was an absolute promise meant only for the Highlord. However, in the eyes of others, it seemed like a treasure that had spilled onto the roadside, free for all to take.

Mimir, who had locked himself away in the Eternal Treasury for most of his time, had come up to feel its energy despite the horrific disaster arising from the Second Restoration. Kim Jin-Woo was certain that others could feel Valhǫll’s energies as well.

“What? Anatolius has disappeared?” Kim Jin-Woo frowned upon hearing the report from the Nagas who were in charge of guarding the labyrinth.

The Iron-Blooded Giant had vanished while he was busy taking care of other matters. He had disappeared together with most of the other Nobles who couldn’t completely assimilate into the Grand Labyrinth.

“We’ve organized a pursuit team, but since they’re formidable, it’s likely that some damage is inevitable.” Quantus expressed his concern about the damage to the Nagas with a hardened expression.

“Leave them be.” Kim Jin-Woo’s response was completely different from what Quantus had expected. He continued, “There’s no need to form a pursuit team, and there’s no need to pursue them either.”

Quantus asked Kim Jin-Woo to reconsider because he couldn’t understand his master’s reasoning, continuing to blame himself for the neglect of the guards and the atrocities of the former Count.

However, unlike Quantus, Kim Jin-Woo was calm and relaxed. He said, “I’ll take care of it, so continue to work on securing the passageway and prepare for my call as per before.”

“As the King wills!” It wasn’t a very convincing response, but the honest Naga Protection Squadron Captain simply bowed his head and didn’t object any further.

“It’s almost as if you know where they’ve disappeared to,” Angela said.

Kim Jin-Woo responded rather nonchalantly, “Even Mimir, who wasn’t even on the same Floor as us, felt Valhǫll’s energies and came to it. It would be unlike Anatolius if he were to ignore the treasure right in front of him.”

If it pertained to the powers of the Ancient Lords, wouldn’t Anatolius be the first to go head-over-heels for them? Kim Jin-Woo could easily guess where the Iron-Blooded Giant and the other Nobles were headed.

“Then, shall we go?” Kim Jin-Woo strode forward and grabbed Angela’s hand. Angela, as if waiting for that moment, immediately opened a portal to the Back Floor. The two disappeared, and when they reappeared, they were at the castle gates that led to Valhǫll.

“It’s exactly as Master said. Although I didn’t expect to see this,” Angela remarked.

There was a piece of iron lying in front of the huge castle gate. It was the iron mask Anatolius never took off.

“Excessive greed has incurred Valhǫll’s wrath,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

There was no need to search for Anatolius’ whereabouts. Although just that mask had been left behind, he could clearly see what had become of the Iron-Blooded Giant who had been obsessed with the power of the Highlords.

“How unfortunate. Despite losing his Seal, Iron-Blooded Anatolius was still rather useful,” he remarked.

He was being rather cynical, considering he was referring to a powerful Noble who had once had ambitions for dominance on the Deep Floors. But what could he do? The power of the Highlords was cruel to those who weren’t its masters. Kim Jin-Woo was simply sad and disappointed by the outcome.

“Will you be okay? Even if he was no longer in his prime, this is still Anatolius we’re talking about, someone who once ran rampant across the Underworld. He became like this in such a short time,” Angela said.

Although she was a laid-back and ostentatious Vampire on the surface, she was always sincere toward her Master. 

In response to her show of concern, Kim Jin-Woo showed a rare, gentle expression toward Angela, replying, “This was a legacy given to me in the first place. Gungnir belongs to me, and his name was passed on to me as well. No matter how demanding it may be, I’m sure we’ll sort it out.”

Angela responded with a soft hug, saying, “Please be careful. I don’t know how hard it is to properly inherit those powers because I’m merely a half-Highlord. But even for me, when I inherited the Red Castle, I felt pain that was so intense, I almost had my soul ripped apart.”

Even if she hadn’t said anything, Kim Jin-Woo knew what she wanted to say, and he responded with a gentle stroke of her hair. He said, “I’ll be off.”

He had already talked to Dominique. Having become the Naga Queen, she was sure to lead the Grand Labyrinth well while he wasn’t around. Thanks to that assurance, he was able to take the test of the eccentric One-Eyed Lord with an ease of mind.

“Please…” Angela murmured.

Seeing the Vampire with her hands clasped as if she were praying, Kim Jin-Woo stepped forward to the gates of Valhǫll.

[Would you like to open the gates of Valhǫll—the fortress of the Einherjar, the Dead of the battlefield who could not achieve their purpose in the end?]

Instead of answering, he inserted Gungnir into the keyhole of the castle gate.

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