âAs the victor, Iâll hand over the ownership of the Land of the Dead and its labyrinth to you, the Black Merchant,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
âYouâve made a good choice,â the Black Merchant said. However, he once again waited to see if Kim Jin-Woo was silently contemplating making another ballsy move.
But even that anticipation lasted a short while, as Kim Jin-Woo soon carried on. âBut, there is one condition.â
âWhat is it this time? We made a promise this time around, so you canât do what you did the last time.â
Kim Jin-Woo responded to the Black Merchantâs plea. âI donât want something so ominous in my presence. Thus, retrieve the Labyrinth Core and keep it somewhere out of my sight.â
Perhaps the request was too unexpected, as the Black Merchant looked back and forth between the Labyrinth Core and Kim Jin-Woo and replied, âWhat do youâŚ? Even if we restore the Labyrinth Core as is, it will be too fragile to attempt to extract it. I refuse. If it cracks during the extraction, how do you expect me to follow through with the clean-up?â
The Black Merchant made a huge fuss as he continued to reject the request. He wasnât putting on an act. The message that appeared for Kim Jin-Woo further confirmed that the Black Merchant was, in fact, being serious.
[Nearly Shattered Core (Level 5)]
[The mighty core that once presided over the Land of the Dead and controlled countless numbers of the dead and their messengers has been abused almost to the point of breaking, and is currently cracked. Due to the severity of the damage, a great deal of time and resources are required for its restoration.]
[Any attempt at extraction will result in a 50% chance of the Labyrinth Core failing.]
50% chance of the Core being destroyed was too risky. For the Black Merchant, who placed a high value on the labyrinth, that would be too much to ask for.
âThen what now? I really donât like this Land of the Dead,â Kim Jin-Woo reiterated. The Black Merchant could do nothing but drag his feet as he listened to those repeated words. Kim Jin-Woo observed this and suggested, âItâs not as if weâre totally out of solutions.â
âS-solutions? As long as itâs not an extraction, Iâll do anything,â the Black Merchant replied, oozing desperation.
âThe one thing that worries you and all the other Black Merchants the most is the thought of labyrinths disappearing from the Underworld. Am I correct?â
âYes. We may just be lowly merchants that wander around the Underworld, but we all know that the labyrinths are the foundation of it all.â
âThen this conversation will be short.â Kim Jin-Woo smirked as he took something out. âDo your best to restore the cracked Labyrinth Core. You will be handsomely rewarded.â
The Black Merchant gasped as he noticed the shining object in Kim Jin-Wooâs hands. âThat isâŚ!â
âThe Blood Leopardâs Heart. AndâŚâ Kim Jin-Woo casually tossed and caught the Blood Leopardâs Heart repeatedly, as the Black Merchant looked on, eyes wide open. â...Itâs also the vessel for your precious Labyrinth Core.â
***
After completing the trade, the Black Merchant left the labyrinth in a hurry, fearing that the core of the labyrinth might break over time.
âThat wasnât a bad trade, was it?â Kim Jin-Woo said to Valicius, looking satisfied.
Seeing that everything he had achieved so far was traded away in front of his eyes, it seemed as if Valicius had completely lost the will to live. âI have no idea what youâre thinking,â he replied with a confused expression.
âYou donât need to know. After all, it has nothing to do with you anymore.â
Kim Jin-Woo had presented the Labyrinth Core stolen from the 4th Floor in exchange for the restoration of the cracked Labyrinth Core.
The Black Merchant seemed a bit disappointed, but he didn't think too long and accepted the offer. He must have done some calculations, but in the end, he seemed to think as long as the Labyrinth Core remained intact, it was still acceptable.
For Kim Jin-Woo, he couldnât have asked for a better deal, as it was no different from handing over the core from the 4th Floor, which was difficult to make use of, at a high price.
That Labyrinth Core was a mere discovery from the 4th Floorâthe entrance to the Underworld. It wasnât quite valueless, but due to the nature of the Underworldâs labyrinths being stronger the deeper they were, it was probably best not to get too attached to it.
After all, it was just additional income for Yoon-Heeâs âLand of Festivalsâ, and it would probably have found an owner sooner or later anyway.
That was why he decided that the troublesome Labyrinth Core discovered on the 4th Floor would be exchanged for an intact Labyrinth Core from the Land of the Dead. It was killing two birds with one stone. After all, it was obvious that the Level 5 Core, once restored, would be worth far more than the Level 4 Core, which couldnât be upgraded any time soon.
This trade had indeed proven to be very profitable.
âShall we wrap this up?â Kim Jin-Woo asked as he looked at Valicius from his throne. Valicius kept his mouth shut and closed his eyes, as if he were waiting for judgement to be passed.
âYou have two options,â Kim Jin-Woo began. âFirst is to be sold to that Black Merchant and have every last scrap of your body hung out for auction.â
Just as Valicius had lusted after the Basilisk King and the Blood Leopard, he knew many other labyrinth masters who would value the now fallen King of the Dead highly.
âThe other⌠is to be my knight,â Kim Jin-Woo concluded. Valiciusâ eyes widened at the options presented.
[The Underworld Baronâs ability, âVassalâs Pledgeâ, is activated.]
[Valicius, King of the Dead, shall be appointed as the Underworld Baronâs third knight.]
[Knights are the most loyal and courageous subordinates of barons. However, they are not always faithful from the start. Only after making the Vassalâs Pledge will they realize what true loyalty is.]
Kim Jin-Woo grinned as he looked between the message window and Valicius. âI have nothing to lose either way, so do whatever you want.â The look of anticipation on his face seemed to confirm that.
Valicius stared blankly before biting down on his lips.
âItâs good that youâre taking your time to think this through, but youâd best hurry. For your sake,â Kim Jin-Woo warned. âYou look like youâre about to collapse any time now.â
Valiciusâ clenched teeth revealed his unsightly gums, and his skin had all been ripped apart.
âMyâŚâ He slowly lowered his head rather stiffly until it touched the floor.
âKing!â Valicius bashed his forehead onto the floor once more as he let out a bloody roar.
Kim Jin-Woo let out a genuine laugh as he listened to the cries of the once mighty and proud king.
[Valicius, King of the Dead, has become the underground baronâs vassal (Knight).]
[The third knight, Valicius, shares his masterâs fate. If the Nagaâs Labyrinth is destroyed, Valicius will also be destroyed.]
[The Land of the Dead ruled by Valicius has become a 'Fiefdom'. Valicius is still the ruler of the labyrinth, but he now has a master. Twenty percent of the Dungeon Energy accumulated in the Core that governs the Land of the Dead belongs to the Naga Labyrinth.]
[You can open a portal that links the two labyrinths whenever you wish. However, only the baron can decide when to open it.]
âMy king!â Valicius continued to wail, as though his life depended on it.
Kim Jin-Woo suddenly got up from his throne and whispered something in Valiciusâ ear. âActually, there is one more thingâŚâ
Valicius looked up.
âI have no intention of letting you rule over this land,â Kim Jin-Woo finished.
[Valiciusâruler of the âLand of the Deadâ, also known as âGraveyardââhas not won the baronâs trust. The baron remains wary of Valicius and wishes to exercise complete control over âGraveyardâ.]
Valicius stared into Kim Jin-Wooâs cold, soulless eyes and lost the last ounce of hope he had left.
[Valicius, ruler of âGraveyardâ, has ceded his authority and agreed to the regency.]
[Summons can now move more freely between the labyrinths.]
[The labyrinth mastersâ lists of summons are now revealed to each other.]
Kim Jin-Woo leaped joyfully back onto his throne as he looked down on the defeated Valicius, laughing. âHahahaha!â
The victor, who had taken everything from the loser, sat on his throne as the mockery continued. The loser, who had once eyed everything the victor had, could only bow in silence on the cold, hard floor.
***
The Black Merchantsâ flag flew in the Land of the Dead. The Black Merchant who left after the trade had returned with the manpower necessary to complete the restoration of the labyrinth.
âHow long will it take?â Kim Jin-Woo asked.
âIt will take at least a month. We will first have to restore the broken vessel, followed by replenishing the Dungeon Energy within. That in itself will cost a lot of down gems. Iâm not even sure if the Labyrinth Core is enough to cover the necessary costsâŚâ the Black Merchant babbled.
Kim Jin-Wooâs face curled up at the Black Merchantâs words. âDidnât Anatolius agree to provide military funding? He has nothing to lose, and yet heâs being a bitch about this.â
Anatolius had recognised Kim Jin-Wooâs worth, and had agreed to provide military support in their last encounter. But because dealing directly could attract attention from the other Underworld Nobles, he had decided to use the Black Merchant as a proxy.
Kim Jin-Woo knew that Anatolius had provided enough military funding not only to restore a Labyrinth Core, but even to create a new one. So there was no doubt that the Black Merchant was simply acting.
âUrgh. But it will make things difficult for me if I always give in to all your whims,â the Black Merchant complained.
âIs that so? Well, youâve helped me out a bit, so Iâll try and put in a good word for you next time.â Kim Jin-Woo knew that his trades with the Black Merchant had thus far been of great help, so he agreed to compromise for their next deal.
There were many more labyrinths on the 9th Floor to conquer, so a one-time concession made to the Black Merchants wouldnât be a problem. It would probably be for the better to start building a tighter relationship with them. After all, getting to the 9th Floor was a lot easier with their help than without it.
âThen Iâll see you again soon,â the Black Merchant replied.
âI wonât be too far away,â Kim Jin-Woo said.
He left behind a few nagas to guard the labyrinth and started heading out of the Graveyard, calling out, âWeâre heading back!â
The nagas roared in unison with Kim Jin-Woo as they hit the road once more.
***
The Army of the Dead that Valicius had summoned at the end seemed to be a greater spell than Kim Jin-Woo had expected. Valicius had to be constantly kept under the Naga Priestsâ healing spells just to stay alive.
âI donât know why you picked up a piece of junk. He looks rather useless," Angela remarked.
Kim Jin-Woo shook his head at Angela's harsh criticism of Valicius. âEven though heâs like that now, heâll be useful in his own way.â
Just his necromancy skills were enough to give Valicius the right to be called King of the Dead. Of course, he was in no condition to summon with the same strength as he had in the past, but the fact that Kim Jin-Woo was able to share Valiciusâ skills was good enough for him.
âRegardless, please be careful. Unlike the fearful Uther, this guy is dangerous.â
Was the Vassalâs Pledge not enough to reassure Angela? She was too cautious about Valicius, as far as Kim Jin-Woo was concerned.
âHe may be like that now in his weakened state, but once he regains his strength, he may start acting differently. Let your guard down once and he may have you at your throat,â Angela warned.
The Naga Priest, who had been by their side treating Valicius the whole time, looked up and said, âThat is, if he regains his strength.â
Kim Jin-Wooâs eyes began to sparkle in cold blood at those words.
***
<Congratulations on your victory,> Dominique said when Kim Jin-Woo arrived.
Kim Jin-Woo shook his head as Dominique bowed. âThe rangers have been wiped out. I fell into a trap at the last minute... I suffered some unnecessary losses. Itâs unfortunate.â Fortunately, Rikshasha had survived.
<Valicius, King of the Dead, is one of the strongest on the 9th Floor compared to the Basilisk King Anaxtus. Itâs too greedy to expect not to suffer any losses against such a strong opponent. Uther did well this time.>
Just as Dominique said, if Uther hadn't dealt with the main force, they would have suffered even greater losses.
Kim Jin-Woo nodded and sat on his throne, still feeling a bit regretful. He commanded, âRecoup the loss of our rangers and set up a perimeter on the outskirts of the labyrinth to house the troops!â
<The troops?> Dominique tilted her head curiously, as the nest had already been expanded to comfortably fit all the nagas.
Kim Jin-Woo simply smirked and said, âTheyâre our spoils of war.â