Chapter 308

Instead of waiting for the Dragon Emperor’s answer, Kim Jin-Woo started to release the power of the Evil Dragon. He continued, “I’ll ask you again. Is your answer still the same?”

It was a rhetorical question, as if the answer had already been decided from the beginning.

Although it had become something so corrupted and polluted by Night that it was hard to even call it a dragon, the origin of the Evil Dragon’s essence was still a dragon nevertheless. It was clear that the Dragon Emperor and his clan, who were so proud of their roots, wouldn’t be able to ignore the power of the Earth Dragon.

As expected, the Dragon Emperor didn’t deny the dragon’s power, even though it had been corrupted by Night. But that didn’t mean he readily accepted the offer.

“O, Dragon Emperor Agryptus.” Kim Jin-Woo spoke once again. “Are you and your clan rejecting me?”

There was no way that could happen. Despite being turned into an abomination like an undigested dreg that had been chewed and spat out, the Earth Dragon’s power was real, and the Drakans couldn’t deny its power.

Kim Jin-Woo was well aware of that fact, and he didn’t pressure the Dragon Emperor any further as he waited for a reply.

“Ah…”

The Dragon Emperor finally spoke after deliberating for a long time, interspersed with long sighs.

“It is truly a joy that my clan’s wish has come true, but the dragon’s splendid golden scales have faded into dull darkness, and all its pride and glory have vanished.”

The Dragon Emperor’s voice was so gloomy that it was hard to believe that it was the voice of someone who had finally found the dragon’s power he had been longing for got so long.

“We have found the Source we have been longing for, but we have now lost all possibilities and future potential for our clan.”

As a proud Drakan, it was only natural that he would dislike the power of the Earth Dragon that had been half-consumed by the Underworld Serpent’s malice.

“Nevertheless, my clan and I are unable to deny you.”

The Dragon Emperor began to kneel—something which had seemed impossible not too long ago.

“Because the fiery blood flowing through my veins has not forgotten that its roots lie in the dragon.”

The Dragon Emperor, who had been as stiff as his lofty spirit, finally bowed his head. Numerous Drakans followed suit as they all got down on their knees and posed in submission.

“My clan and I acknowledge that you have inherited the power of the Earth Dragon, and will show you allegiance worthy of it.”

[Even when under the pressure of the Usurper, whom even the most powerful Dukes feared, the Drakans kept their pride. Forcing an allegiance with these beings of strong self-esteem and pride is nigh-impossible.]

[The only thing that can command obedience from such Drakans is the authority of the Earth Dragon, which is said to be their Source. And fortunately, the power of the Earth Dragon lies within you, although it has changed since.]

[You have succeeded in winning the loyalty of the Dragon Emperor Agryptus and his thousand Drakan warriors.]

[The labyrinth of the Dragon Emperor Agryptus has been newly incorporated into the forces of the Grand Labyrinth.]

Kim Jin-Woo withdrew the Evil Dragon’s energy only after seeing the Drakans with their heads bowed beyond the messages.

In the end, the Dragon Emperor and his Drakans chose to migrate to the Grand Labyrinth. They were well aware that their declining clan would be unable to overcome the current state of chaos in the Underworld, and chose to pacify their resentment and migrate their Labyrinth Core for the sake of their clan’s longevity.

“We will follow you soon,” the bowing Dragon Emperor said.

Kim Jin-Woo nodded and said, “Then we’ll pick up the pace again.”

Thus, the expedition resumed its advance.

“What? Are you feeling disappointed about not being able to absorb the power of the Drakans?” Kim Jin-Woo asked as he looked at the Nagas who seemed reluctant to move, and instead continuously looked behind themselves as if they were filled with regret.

“The Dragon Emperor is one of the few beings who are trustworthy in the Underworld. It’s great to have such a dragon’s allegiance,” Dominique said, stepping forward on behalf of the Nagas.

Kim Jin-Woo nodded before adding, “But it seems the Naga Mages think differently about this matter.”

Dominique turned around and saw the depressed-looking Naga Mages. She remarked, “Well, they’re truly a different breed of their own.”

“They may be slightly different from the others, but I’m certain that the shared feeling of regret is the same,” Kim Jin-Woo replied. This time, not even Dominique could deny those words.

It was understandable. The Nagas had just developed their sense of gluttony and had been having fun consuming all the enemies that crossed their path, and it was only natural that they would feel regret about not being able to feast on prey as high-quality as the Dragon Emperor and his Drakans.

“Don’t be disappointed. I guarantee that I won’t interfere with your future meals,” Kim Jin-Woo reassured them.

However, ultimately, he couldn’t keep his promise. He had to take back his words when he encountered a gigantic labyrinth a couple of days later. He could only say, “Wait here.”

It was the same scenario as before, but this time, the Nagas dared not carelessly express their disappointment. There were none among them who didn’t understand how deep the relationship between their master and the labyrinth that stood in front of them was.

“Looks like I won’t be able to yield this to you guys this time either,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

The gigantic labyrinth, barely visible through a forest of tangled webs, was the home of the poisonous Hell Spiders and the castle of one of the mightiest Underworld Dukes—the Lord of Absolute Venom.

It was also where Kim Jin-Woo had been forced to spend most of his life cooped up in cramped tunnels.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

Kim Jin-Woo stopped walking when he felt a strange sensation suddenly envelop his hand. He could see faint, barely-visible cobwebs in front of him.

They were deadly traps to stop any intruders, and had been shackles that tied down the tunnel diggers. They were the Hell Spiders’ webs.

“Yeah… Because of this damn web, so many people died.”

In the past, many adults had tried to escape, risking death. Although they had possessed spirits strong enough to withstand an arduous life of slavery, they hadn’t been strong enough to overcome these tough cobwebs.

None had been able to escape these cobweb traps, and they had become food for the Spider Guards that patrolled the perimeters of the labyrinth.

“The grown-ups said no one could break these webs.”

Looking at the spiderwebs wrapped around his wrist, Kim Jin-Woo waved his hand.

Snap.

The bonds that had forced so many tunnel diggers to give up their attempts to escape and submit to a life of slavery in the narrow and gloomy tunnels had been broken so easily, with one simple gesture.

“But now, they can’t stop me for even a second.”

He directed his gaze into the air, toward shadowy figures in the dark. It was a unit of Spider Guards. Despite noticing the invader, upon seeing Kim Jin-Woo effortlessly breaking the webs they had painstakingly made, the Spider Guards were unable to even move.

“How pathetic.”

These beings were no longer predators. They were now prey, trembling in fear. Despite noticing his gaze, the Spider Guards didn’t even move, as if their bodies themselves had been frozen and stuck to their own webs.

They seemed to be almost praying that the ferocious beast that had suddenly visited their labyrinth would pretend not to notice them and move along.

“But you bastards didn’t pretend to ignore those poor tunnel diggers, did you?”

With a subtle shimmer, black energy suddenly rose in all directions and quickly surrounded the Spider Guards.

Keeek. Krrrrr.

A dull sound followed, like a cricket’s low chirping, as the Spider Guards tried to scream out loud. But even that didn’t last long. They soon became consumed by the power of Greed and disappeared without a single trace.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

Kim Jin-Woo began moving again. Following his steps, the black energy that remained like footprints began to flow through the spiderwebs that surrounded him. As the energy swept through the network of webs, the power of Greed engulfed the numerous Spider Guards who were watching him from the darkness.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Keeeek! Krrrrrrr!

The Spider Guards screamed and died all over the place. Before Kim Jin-Woo had even taken ten steps, it was all over.

Silence had fallen upon the entire labyrinth.

But now, it felt like the calm before the storm, and Kim Jin-Woo could feel the Hell Spiders bustling inside the labyrinth, even without hearing their footsteps.

“Come out,” Kim Jin-Woo whispered softly. “If you don’t, I’ll devour your whole goddamn labyrinth.”

Perhaps they had heard him speak, as the Hell Spiders finally made their way out from the depths of their labyrinth. Among them was their ruler, the Spider Duke, that Kim Jin-Woo hated so much.

“Long time no see.”

Even as a great distance remained between the two, Kim Jin-Woo was the first to speak.

“In the past, I thought you wouldn’t be able to remember me.”

Kim Jin-Woo looked as if he had finally reunited with an old friend.

“So, my revenge felt meaningless. I was wondering what the point of revenge would be on someone who couldn’t even remember me anyway. After all, the only sin in the Underworld is being weak. After realizing that, I couldn’t think about revenge and all that.”

Was a conversation between him and the Spider Duke even necessary? Now that the purpose of his revenge had faded, the Spider Duke was now just one of the many Dukes in the Underworld.

“But that wasn’t it. I learned I wasn’t simply one of the many slaves you possessed, but rather an important person you had to take care of. That was when I knew you would remember me.”

Kim Jin-Woo had found out that many things that had flowed like coincidences were actually inevitabilities, and that the Spider Duke had been one of the puppeteers behind those inevitabilities.

“But nothing has changed. At some point, I even felt it was a waste of time to divert my attention toward you. Now, you’re a useless and insignificant being to me, the same way you thought of the tunnel diggers.”

Slowly, Kim Jin-Woo’s voice became subdued.

“But the thing is.”

At some point, it became more like a growl than a man’s voice.

“Despite that, it seems you still aren’t just nothing to me.”

Blue light began to flow from Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes.

“It was only after encountering you that I finally realized it.”

The Hell Spiders surrounding the Spider Duke began to hiss and growl upon sensing Kim Jin-Woo’s unusual aura rising. But just seconds later, they found their chins and bodies pressed down into the ground. The sheer presence of the Highlord that had risen like a tidal wave had crushed them to the point of being unable to move.

“I’ve realized what I want to do with you now.”

As soon as Kim Jin-Woo finished speaking, the power of Greed began to emerge from his body.”

“I’ve realized that I still want to exact my revenge.”

The power of Greed spread out in all directions and attacked the Hell Spiders.