CH 297

Contrary to what Angela had promised, the Queen of Corruption was far from the location she had initially described.

Seeing how far away Bryntess had moved, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of admiration. Even he had to admit he wasn’t as tenacious as the Queen of Corruption when it came to the will to survive. The power of Greed was fearsome to behold, but because it was a very picky eater, it only ate those that were to its taste.

They found the Queen of Corruption in a tunnel so dark, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t tell which Floor it was located in. It was hard to believe that the pathetic body, crouching and shivering in the corner of the tunnel as if to hide from sight, belonged to the same arrogant Count he knew.

“You’re trying so hard, huh,” Angela remarked.

Angela had to have punished Bryntess terribly, considering that despite the Count having no intact limbs, the Vampire’s words were as calm as ever. Indeed, it was an expected attitude from someone who only had eyes for her master and nobody else.

“Urgh…” Bryntess saw Angela and her eyes turned pale, as if to express the hardship she had suffered thus far. Her groans sounded like those of a frightened animal, and her condition was so precarious that she looked as if she might die at any moment.

“How did you even get here? Not bad,” Kim Jin-Woo said. Ignoring Bryntess' nervous, pained groans, He lowered himself to look the Queen of Corruption in the eyes.

“Bryntess,” Kim Jin-Woo called out. Although she was initially unable to take her eyes off Angela, Bryntess finally looked back at Kim Jin-Woo after he called her name several times. Kim Jin-Woo continued, “I’m here to fulfill the deal.”

“T-the… deal?” Bryntess murmured. She must truly have suffered a lot, seeing as she couldn’t even remember the deal she herself had offered in the first place.

“I’ll accept the deal that guarantees your safety,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Although Bryntess’ body had been somewhat damaged by Angela’s unexpectedly drastic measures, Kim Jin-Woo didn’t care about such trivial matters. After all, her broken bones and torn flesh would heal with time.

“You’re now safe,” he continued.

A hint of life returned to Bryntess’ eyes, which had been clouded by pain and fear. She exclaimed, “Really? You’re guaranteeing my safety…?” She didn’t seem to want to lose the hope she had barely obtained, as she desperately clung to Kim Jin-Woo.

Kim Jin-Woo smiled, even as he looked at the Count who seemed ready to get on her knees and kiss his feet at any moment. However, contrary to his smile, his voice had a deadly chill as he continued, “Of course, before that, you should give me what you owe me, don’t you?”

“H-here.” With a groan, Bryntess searched her possessions before taking out a fist-sized stone and holding it out.

[At first glance, it may not look so different from a top-grade down gem, but this small stone is so valuable that it cannot be compared with an ordinary down gem.]

[This one-of-a-kind treasure is filled with all kinds of aspirations and desires, and it wandered the Underworld for a long time before finally ending up on the surface.]

[Originally, the Wish Stone could only be filled with the purest aspirations of the Underworld. However, it has been polluted by the aspirations of the Terrans. Nobody knows whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.]

[However, the value of this eternal treasure will never change under any circumstance.]

[You have found the Wish Stone—the stone that grants wishes.]

It was a seemingly ordinary stone that looked like nothing special, but once it left Bryntess’ possession, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t take his eyes off it.

[The power of Greed has awakened.]

[The power of Greed wants to consume the Wish Stone right away.]

[Your power—the insatiable Gluttony—is about to go into a frenzy.]

[The energy within the Wish Stone is just that formidable.]

However, Kim Jin-Woo only stared blankly at the Wish Stone for a moment. He broke into a cold sweat as the heat that had begun to rise from inside his body began to burn like fire..

[The power of Greed cries out, as it desires to consume the Wish Stone immediately.]

The power that had arisen uncontrollably inside of him rose wildly as if it were about to run rampant. Unknowingly, he reached out his hand to grab the Wish Stone, but he desperately pulled his arm back.

[The power of Greed is starting to run rampant. This greedy power wants you to consume the Wish Stone.]

[The situation is dangerous. Your power is starting to go out of control.]

[If you do not maintain control over your power, you will be consumed by your own Greed.]

“What the hell…” Kim Jin-Woo cursed under his breath while appearing carefree on the surface, but deep down, he felt as if he were on the verge of death.

Just as the messages said, it wasn’t easy trying to control the power that was desperate to consume the Wish Stone. Greed was almost out of control, arising by its own will, and black energy began to scatter in all directions.

“Urgh.” Kim Jin-Woo gritted his teeth.

In the past, when he hadn’t known what its identity was, he would have surrendered himself to Greed. But this time, it was different. The power of Greed was nothing less than the manifestation of ‘Night’, the most terrifying monster in the Underworld, and Kim Jin-Woo was desperately trying to suppress and contain it. It was clear that Greed was determined to annihilate the Highlords and devour the Underworld itself.

Although he could recall a faint memory of having repelled it once before in the past, which might have been why Greed hadn’t revealed its true nature completely, Kim Jin-Woo had to maintain his vigilance.

However, it was no easy task. The power of Greed had already infiltrated his own nature, and whenever it ran wild, Kim Jin-Woo felt as if he were the one running rampant.

At that moment, he was feeling excruciating pain that burned all over his body. It was an unbearable, insatiable thirst, like that of a person who had discovered an oasis after being lost in the desert for days.

He gulped dryly.

Just close your eyes and surrender yourself to Greed, and it’ll be all over.

It was certain that the Wish Stone would give him a feeling of satiety like never before. It would be the foundation of his revenge against the Immoral Lord and the others who had deceived him so far.

No. Don’t lose yourself.

Kim Jin-Woo had his hand half stretched out without even realizing it, but he quickly stopped himself.

The source of his greed was himself, and yet not himself at the same time. It was the power and nature of Night, and that terrifying beast was waiting for its little, insignificant vessel to be filled. One day, when the vessel was finally full, Night would reveal its true nature.

Kim Jin-Woo knew the monster inside of him was waiting to awaken once again. Instead of emerging as the darkness that had been defeated once, it was trying to reawaken with a new body that could embrace both the surface and the Underworld at the same time, so it could try to devour the Underworld once more.

Night was greedy, but it wasn’t foolish enough to forget about the power of the Highlords, and this time, it was determined to eliminate them all.

The human’s body was too small and insignificant to resist that level of hatred and greed. Even though he had ascended to the title of Highlord and attained a new body, it was still the same. And yet, the human persevered.

Greed wouldn’t give up so easily. The insignificant human’s body had inherited the power of the One-Eyed Lord who had driven out the monsters, and harbored the power of many of its enemies. It definitely wouldn’t give up such a body so easily.

Moreover, through the human’s body, Night had seen a completely new world. It had been able to leave the depths of the Underworld where it knew only darkness, and had come to know the existence of the surface. The warm surface was an incredibly delectable sight to the monster.

Night didn’t want the human’s body to be ruined until its own hunger was completely sated.

Consequently, it wasn’t easy to suppress the will of the monster that had been troublesome even for the ten Ancient Lords who had once ruled over the Underworld. The only comfort was that the human’s body hadn’t been completely annihilated by the heat of its hunger.

“It’s not yet time… for you to run rampant.” Kim Jin-Woo gritted his teeth.

A long time passed.

At last, he felt the heat and thirst slowly dissipate. At some point, he felt the burning desire to quench his thirst disappear as well.

[The power of Greed has subsided. However, it is still too early to feel reassured. Greed is still in a frenzy, and will try to consume the Wish Stone again should the opportunity arise.]

[However, now is not that moment.]

Kim Jin-Woo belatedly exhaled a deep sigh when he saw the message. As he breathed in the cold air of the Underworld, he felt his burning insides finally cooling down.

[The Mysteries of the Underworld pay tribute to your willpower for having overcome the horrendous hunger and greed.]

[And surprisingly, the Mysteries of the Underworld seem to be determined to pay your due.]

[The reward is still unknown. If you want to know what it is, you must return the Wish Stone to its origin.]

[If you recover the treasure of the Underworld and restore it to its original location, you will be given a huge reward.]

Even though he felt terror running through him, Kim Jin-Woo let out a small smile and remarked, “Well, that’s just great.”

By the time he regained his composure, however, Bryntess was nowhere to be seen.

“The black energy that emanated from Master’s body ended up consuming her,” Angela explained.

Only then did Kim Jin-Woo finally understand what had happened, and he frowned deeply. Apparently, he had completely forgotten about Bryntess’ presence because he was too preoccupied with the Wish Stone. Unfortunately, the price to pay for his indifference had been her annihilation.

“I had a lot to ask her.” Kim Jin-Woo smiled bitterly. He felt a sense of regret over Bryntess’ unfortunate death in spite of his having guaranteed her safety. He eventually said, “Let’s head back.”

“What about that?” Angela asked, pointing to the spot where Bryntess had disappeared without a trace and left only the Wish Stone.

Kim Jin-Woo shook his head and replied, “It would be better for you to hold it right now.”

He had barely been able to overcome one hurdle, and Night hadn’t yet given up. Thus, he decided not to come into contact with the Wish Stone for the moment.

Although he didn’t explain himself or the situation, Angela was also a being who survived by feeding energy off others. An obsession with others’ vitality was something she was all too familiar with, and she quickly understood the situation right away.

“Let’s head back for real,” Kim Jin-Woo said, and Angela grabbed the Wish Stone.

It wasn’t difficult for them to return to the Grand Labyrinth. Although the terrain of the Underworld had changed significantly and it was difficult to determine their location, Kim Jin-Woo was easily able to find the way back.

Besides, there were no more Nobles or labyrinths blocking their way; thus, there was no need for a long detour of any sort. Naturally, their return didn’ take too long.

After hearing about what had happened, Dominique remarked with a disappointed expression, “Looks like we’ll never be able to find out why Bryntess tried so desperately to escape, even with that body of hers.”

“I have a rough idea why,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“So do I,” Dominique replied. Her gaze turned to the Wish Stone and she continued, “Perhaps someone was looking for the Wish Stone.”

Otherwise, there was no way Bryntess, who had already decided to dedicate herself to Kim Jin-Woo, would have run away without waiting for him.

“If that’s true…” Kim Jin-Woo began. There was only a finite list of possible suspects. He continued, “The suspicion falls on the other Lords.”

He had no way of finding out how Bryntess had hidden herself until the end, but that wasn’t important anymore. At that moment, what mattered was the identity of the one who had been targeting her and the Wish Stone.

Soon, they would find out who it was.

“My King! Enemies are headed this way!” Rikshasha appeared out of the darkness and reported. Kim Jin-Woo stood up from his seat.

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