Denarion shook off his terrible memories before speaking again. âWe lost the battle that day. Parthenon lost the horns he was highly proud of, and Anatolius had to prepare a brand new mask. I lost both my wings and could never fly again.â
The moment Kim Jin-Woo heard the name of the One-Eyed Lord, his heart started racing out of control. He felt as if his heart would explode if he were to open his mouth. His eyes and temples burned hotly, and he felt the world around him swirl. He wasnât even able to respond to Denarionâs words.
The Lord of Nightmares looked at him through transparent eyes; his gaze lingered for a long time, as if he were looking for something.
âWhy did you show me something like this?â Kim Jin-Woo asked sharply, having finally been able to recover his mind after a while. His heart was still beating like crazy, but his expression was as cold as ever. âIf youâre going to talk some bullshit about the power of your nightmares, get the fuck out of here. You desire the Ancient Lordsâ powers for yourself. If you didnât desire them, I wouldnât have been able to see that.â
The Lord of Nightmares had been about to speak, but he closed his mouth before falling quickly into deep thought. He finally said, âYouâre a Highlord, just like him.â Unlike before, he didnât beat about the bush and went straight to the point.
âWere you finding it tough to even pretend you didnât know about it anymore?â Kim Jin-Woo asked.
âIf I keep this pretense up any longer, I fear someone else will take my prize.â Denarionâs usually ordinary demeanor quickly turned cold and ruthless.
âNow youâre showing your true self,â Kim Jin-Woo remarked.
âThis doesnât mean Iâm trying to figure out how to take over your power and your Grand Labyrinth. I just want our relationship to be a little bit more⌠sincere.â Despite his words, Denarionâs gaze looked ever more insidious.
âIs there something we can get out of each other?â Kim Jin-Woo asked skeptically. In the past, he might have gone along, but now, he had a formidable monster called the Grand Labyrinth by his side.
Of all the things the Deep Floor Counts could offer him, there was literally nothing he needed right away⌠No. There was one thing, but he knew the Deep Floor Counts would never give it up.
What he needed was the fragments of the Ancient Lord, or in other words, the Underworld Noblesâ Seals. Unless they were crazy, they would never readily hand over the keys to controlling their labyrinths and their numerous vassals, which were basically the source of their mighty power.
But it seemed it was too early to judge. Denarion knew exactly what Kim Jin-Woo needed, and he immediately put it up for offer. âDonât you need the source of the Highlordsâ powerâthe Power Fragments? Of course, the Nobleâs Seal Iâm offering isnât my own.â
âThen whose?â Kim Jin-Woo asked.
âParthenon of Despair. I offer you his Seal.â For some strange, unexplainable reason, Denarion was acting as if he had Parthenonâs seal in his possession.
âParthenon, huh⌠Bullshit,â Kim Jin-Woo shot back.
It was an offer that wasnât worthy of an answer. A gambler who entered without a stake was either a scammer or a fool hoping for fortune, after all. However, if the person who offered such a ridiculous deal were a Deep Floor Count, things would be different.
âBut it is quite tempting,â he finally admitted. The moment he showed interest, Denarionâs eyes flashed with outright greed. Kim Jin-Woo continued, âShall we talk in detail? No, before that, let me hear what you want first.â
It was obvious what Denarion wanted, but Kim Jin-Woo wanted to be a little more certain. And as expected, the Lord of Nightmares answered that he wanted the power of the Highlords.
âOf course, I donât desire so much power that I would be able to take yours away. Iâm not that careless, nor am I that thoughtless,â Denarion said. But from his shifty eyes, it wasnât at all convincing. He seemed to have noticed Kim Jin-Wooâs doubts, as he quickly carried on. âThereâs still room in the Highlordsâ succession.â
Denarion said, looking Kim Jin-Woo straight in the eyes, âWhat I want is the right to succeed the Fairy Lord.â
âWhat?â Kim Jin-Woo frowned, wondering what the hell he was talking about.
âI heard the descendants of the Fairy Lordâthe Under-Elvesâare under your command,â Denarion said.
âIf itâs the Under-Elves youâre talking about, there should be quite a few of them in the Deep Floors as well,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
There werenât many Under-Elves who had responded to Rikshashaâs call to arms. Far more of them were staying in the Deep Floors than there were Under-Elves residing in the Grand Labyrinth. If Denarion wanted an Under-Elf, all he had to do was summon one of the dozens of Under-Elves living as slaves in the Deep Floors. However, it seemed that what Denarion wanted wasnât just any ordinary Under-Elf.
âWhat I want is a real Under-Elf. Not a prideless one,â Denarion said.
âI donât know what the hell youâre talking about.â Kim Jin-Woo had a hunch, but he feigned ignorance.
Denarion stared back at him and laughed, revealing his white fangs. âI want the Under-Elf Runner under your command.â
***
The nightmare had ended, but Denarion almost seemed to still be stuck in it. The Lord of Nightmaresâ eyes glistened with pain, dread, and a strange sense of longing, and he finally spoke after a long time.
âHeâs gotten stronger than I thought.â He barely let out a few words as he stared in a certain direction, as if he were talking to someone. âThanks to that, I was forced into a nightmare I didnât have to experience.â
It hadnât been in his plans to reveal his weak self to the Conqueror of the 9th Floor. However, the Highlord was a lot stronger than he had expected, and he had ended up showing his shameful, weak past self. As a result, the wounds of the past that had fully healed were opened up once more, burning his soul.
âIâll take care of the rest, so please heal yourself,â said Darius, his lieutenant who had been standing by him just in case, while supporting the staggering Denarion.
âNo, I have to move now,â Denarion insisted.
Concerned about his pale-faced master, Darius quickly exclaimed. âBut!â
âBryntess⌠That whore has begun to move,â Denarion said.
âYou mean the Queen of Corruption,â Darius added.
âIâve already sent out that scheming Tyrenon to liaise with her. If we drag this out, she may find a chance to interfere,â Denarion said. He seemed to be highly wary of Bryntess, the Queen of Corruption, as he looked as if he were being backed into a corner.
Noticing Denarionâs impatience, which was itself a rare sight to see, Darius quietly backed off.
âLooks like Iâve made a mistake,â Denarion said, looking as if he had other concerns besides Bryntess.
âIs there something thatâs bothering you?â Darius asked.
âI lost to my own nightmare. Without even realizing it, I ended up revealing the true name of the One-Eyed Lord,â Denarion said.
âDidnât the right of succession that currently belongs to the Undefeated Commander, who has now ascended to a Highlord, originally belong to the Lord of Brilliance anyway? What good would the One-Eyed Lordâs true name do for him? Besides, he commands the Crow of the Battlefield. If he wanted to, finding out that true name wouldnât be such a big deal for him,â Darius said reassuringly.
Despite that, Denarion didnât relax one bit. âNo, when the Crow was sealed inside the summoning stone, she was no longer able to call out her old masterâs name. This is clearly my mistake.â
There seemed to be something important related to the One-Eyed Lordâs true name, as Denarion frowned even harder and continued, âAnd Iâm not certain of this, but thereâs a possibility that he didnât acquire just one right of succession from his ascension to Highlord.â
This time, even Darius was left speechless, as his beautiful face contorted into an ugly mess.
âIf that guy has more than just the succession right of the Lord of Brilliance that I sent to him, itâs possible that he inherited the succession right of the One-Eyed Lord.â Denarion tried his best to not show it, but he clearly recalled the look on the Undefeated Commanderâs face when he had uttered the name âBotanâ.
âItâs impossible for one being to inherit the power of two Highlords!â Darius exclaimed.
âDonât forget, Darius.â Denarion didnât even bat an eye at Dariusâ stubborn denial. âThat guy is a Terran. Nobody in the Deep Floors can be sure whether the released Subterraneans absorbed the Ancient Lordsâ powers that we couldnât absorb, when they returned to the Underworld out of greed for the down gems.â
Even until the present, no one had been able to reveal how the Subterreaneans, also known as dungeon babies, were able to have their mysterious abilities. But Denarion revealed that their strength might be derived from the Ancient Lords.
âWhat I heard was that their source of strength was the lingering resentment of the Nobles who were forced off their thronesâŚâ Darius began.
âDonât be quick to jump to conclusions, Darius. We donât know for certain if itâs really because of their grudges, or if thereâs some other reason to it.â
How laughable it was that he had become a mighty Deep Floor Count, and yet, he was afraid of the ghosts of the past. Denarion was loath to admit it, and was rather ashamed of himself, but he was still very much afraid of the One-Eyed Lord.
And he wasnât the only one who felt that way. Every other Deep Floor Count couldnât shake off the ghosts of their past either. Perhaps it was that very fear that had led him to become even more obsessed with the Highlordâs power.
âNever forget that we mustnât rush to any conclusions, at least when it comes to the Subterraneans and the Ancient Lords,â Denarion said. In response to his razor-sharp words, Darius bowed his head deeply and fell silent.
Denarion looked at him with gloomy eyes before speaking gravely. âAnd if⌠If he really did inherit the One-Eyed Lordâs powersâŚâ He stared beyond the darkness, as if he had returned to his nightmare. âThat means Iâve brought a terrible ghost back to life with my own hands.â
***
Kim Jin-Woo woke up from his dream and immediately grabbed his heart.
âKurgh.â He let the groan he had suppressed in front of Denarion out. His whole body trembled at the terrible pain, his heart feeling as if it could explode at any moment.
âM-Master!â exclaimed Rikshashaâs voice.
Kim Jin-Woo turned toward the scream of his loyal Under-Elf, but he was unable to see anything clearly, as if a hazy curtain had been draped over his eyes.
âYou bitch! What have you done to the King!?â
âI-I didnât do anything! I simply connected him to the Lord of NightmaresâŚâ Ariane stammered.
Heimdall erupted into a roar, and Ariane screamed fearfully.
âThese wretched beings have finally bared their fangs!â
Voices full of anger and concern pierced Kim Jin-Wooâs ears, but they slowly faded out. The malice of the Grand Labyrinth began to invade his consciousness. But just as it seemed as if the greedy Grand Labyrinth would consume him whole, Kim Jin-Wooâs survival instincts kicked in, and he barely managed to utter a word. âPortal.â
With every last shred of his strength, Kim Jin-Woo threw himself into the portal as soon as the portal door opened.
âKyaaa! Master!â
âMy King!â
âLord Jin-Woo! Jin-Woo!â
Hearing Dominique, Morrigan, and Lee Jun-Youngâs screams, Kim Jin-Woo finally lost consciousness.
[A Highlordâs true name transcends even its own existence.]
[Highlord Kim Jin-Woo has now learned the true name of a Highlord.]