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n“No way.”

nKim Jin-Woo’s suspicions had become reality once again. When he couldn’t see Valicius and had asked for his whereabouts, the answer he’d received was that the subject that had turned into a Moai was Valicius after all.

n“This is driving me crazy.”

nFinding an alternate solution to the inability to bring in a live Moai was commendable, but now that the research head himself had turned into a Moai, the situation was now a massive headache for Kim Jin-Woo. Even if Valicius tried to acquire a new body through necromancy, Kim Jin-Woo wondered if he would even be able to properly use the Moai’s body.

n“Kyak! Kyak!” Regardless of Kim Jin-Woo’s worries, the Naga Sorcerers continued to yap on, boasting of their achievements excitedly.

nAt that point, even the rational Kim Jin-Woo wondered if this was some kind of ploy schemed up by the Deep Floor Counts. He asked, “Sigh, is there any way to revert this?”

nThe Naga Sorcerers nonchalantly assured Kim Jin-Woo that all they had to do was to further experiment on Valicius.

nHowever, as Kim Jin-Woo recalled what had happened to the corpse in the last stage of the previous experiment, it sounded like utter nonsense. He said, “It’s better to create new Moai at this rate. Don’t mess with Valicius any further.”

nConsidering how useful the Army of the Dead and Valicius’ necromancy still was, that was an impossible ask.

n“What? You need test specimens?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

nPerhaps that was what the Naga Sorcerers had been aiming for all along, as they took the opportunity to beg him for test specimens. However, no summons were willing to put themselves on the line and risk destroying their perfectly able bodies, especially when there was no guarantee that they could return from being a Moai.

nDominique joined later, quickly grasping the situation and suggesting a compromise. “How about using the Nightmares? Even if we leave them alone, the Queen of Illusions intends to use them as fodder anyway. If using the Nagas is too heavy a cost, won’t using them be fine?”

nAs Kim Jin-Woo gave no recognition to anyone other than his own family, he quickly accepted her proposal.

n“They were born from the grace of Master in the first place; thus, if they’re used well, I’m sure they’ll feel that they’ve been worthy,” Dominique remarked.

nThus, without factoring the Nightmares’ own will, new test subjects were supplied to the Naga Sorcerers.

n“Kyaaaargh!”

nKim Jin-Woo observed the test subjects running amok. Suddenly, he spotted a down gem in the workshop and froze.

n“Where is this from?” The relaxed look on his face was nowhere to be seen as he picked up a down gem that had lost its shine. Its appearance was exactly like the down gems he had seen on the surface—an empty shell of a down gem.

n***

nThe empty down gem was a byproduct of the Naga Sorcerers randomly creating Moai. When he found out that fact, Kim Jin-Woo immediately thought of the empty down gems owned by the Explorers’ Association.

n“Mm.” His thoughts were beyond complicated. There was now a possibility that the down gems that the Explorers’ Association had had in their possession might have been obtained from the Underworld itself.

nNo, it was a more probable explanation than the alternative. After all, there was no way there were beings like the Naga Sorcerers on the surface who could conduct such ridiculous experiments.

nConsequently, he couldn’t disassociate the Association from the Underworld due to this matter. Thus, he decided to head to the surface again after a long time.

nHowever, Park Sung-Jin, the new President of the Association, knew nothing about the hollow down gems, and neither did Mr. Baek. Kim Jin-Woo suspected that the only person who knew the whole story was the benefactor Song Jong-Chul had mentioned before his death.

nBut now, the only link that he had—Song Jong-Chul—was now dead, and the only option Kim Jin-Woo had left was to trace his steps backward.

n“Report on everything that’s happened thus far.” He stopped by the surface labyrinths in search of Yoon-Hee and Rikshasha just in case they might have any leads, as well as to check in on their progress.

n“The labyrinth’s growth is slow because the environment on the surface is different from that of the Underworld, but it’s still showing good results,” Yoon-Hee replied brightly, saying the Party Hall was growing smoothly.

nContrary to Kim Jin-Woo’s concerns, Yoon-Hee showed no signs of betrayal, and Rikshasha was also safe under the protection of Morrigan and the Frost Treants.

n“This is maddening. There’s definitely something going on somewhere I’m not aware of, but I just can’t figure it out,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered. Despite his deep doubts, there was no way to get an answer immediately; thus, he ended his brief return to the surface by informing Lee Jun-Young of the situation and asking her to keep an eye on the Association’s movements.

nThe Grand Labyrinth hadn’t changed much by the time he returned. The only difference was that Ariane had taken the liberty to lock herself up in her area of residence.

nKim Jin-Woo was unable to undo her restraints at any given moment, but because he was fully aware of the bigger picture, he didn’t have too much sympathy for her. Perhaps by the time she returned, she would no longer have the word ‘Illusions’ in her title, but rather the word ‘Nightmares’.

nKim Jin-Woo, who had set the bait and could do nothing but wait, felt an unbearable sense of boredom. His Ancient Hero summons spent their days outside the labyrinth as if they were waiting for something, while the Grand Labyrinth continued to munch away at any invaders.

nExcept for the commotion that the Naga Sorcerers made every day, the Grand Labyrinth was very, very quiet.

n“How boring…” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

nFor someone whose every day had been a struggle for survival, it was a very dull period. Perhaps that was why, when someone managed to get through the crowd of Moai and enter the Grand Labyrinth, he gladly went out to greet the visitor.

n“Long time no see. Have you been well?” said the visitor.

nWhen Kim Jin-Woo saw the imp’s stumpy body, its short arms, and its exaggerated greeting, his expression hardened.

n“Now that I’ve seen you’re well in person, it seems my worries were for naught.” The Black Merchant greeted him with a wide smile.

n***

n“It’s been a while.”

nAlthough it was a sudden visit, Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t too surprised. Since traces of the Black Merchants’ movements had already been found on the 10th Floor, he had expected them to visit sooner or later. Thus, he was able to accept the Black Merchant’s greeting, albeit with a hardened expression.

n“Oh dear… It seems Milord isn’t pleased to see me. I’m so happy to see you, though.” The Black Merchant that Kim Jin-Woo had only been able to meet again after a long time was still as fussy and shameless as ever.

n“Where the hell have you been, for you to finally show up now?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

nThe fact was that Kim Jin-Woo’s dependence on the Black Merchants hadn’t been negligible, and when they disappeared, he had suffered more than he would have liked. Given the situation, there was no way he could speak nicely to the Black Merchant.

n“Ah, you know everything, so why are you like this? The entire Underworld is in turmoil because of those monsters, and even those brave Nobles weren’t able to hold up against them. How could we, mere merchants, even dare to roam the Underworld, given the situation?” the Black Merchant replied, but Kim Jin-Woo snorted at how ridiculously oversold the response was.

nThe total number of Moai gathered on the 9th Floor wasn’t insignificant. But the way the Black Merchant had been able to easily pass through them to get to the Grand Labyrinth showed what kind of potential he was hiding.

n“You should at least get rid of those Moai heads dangling from the tips of your mercenaries’ spears before you start your acting,” Kim Jin-Woo shot back.

nThe Black Merchant’s escort, which was completely composed of Hero-Grade summons, showed no signs of fatigue despite being covered in blood.

n“Oh! You fools, how embarrassing! Please spare our precious Lord’s vision from being tainted by such filth, and quickly get rid of them all!” the Black Merchant exclaimed.

nThe mercenaries, however, didn’t budge despite that. They were keeping a close watch on the countless Nagas and summons that had surrounded them.

n“They don’t listen to me at all; I think they’re defective goods. As you know, they’re rather savage beings, so much so that I’m having a hard time just dealing with them.” The Black Merchant sounded completely natural as he gave a sorry excuse of an apology. However, his sharp eyes darted around to take in the details of the Grand Labyrinth.

nIn response, Kim Jin-Woo quickly intensified his presence in order to pressure the Black Merchant.

n“Whoa, whoa.” The mercenaries that escorted the Black Merchant let out a gasp of horror at the sudden intensification of Kim Jin-Woo’s presence.

nAs Kim Jin-Woo watched the mercenaries slowly bring their hands to the daggers on their waist, the expression on his face only grew fiercer and more brutal.

n“Pull those out and you die,” he said coldly. This time, his murderous intent completely suppressed the mercenaries. It was quite the spectacle to see hundreds of mercenaries being overwhelmed into submission by just one person.

nThe Black Merchant, despite witnessing what had just transpired, only exclaimed with admiration and didn’t act any further. From the look of his narrowed eyes, he almost seemed to be searching for the source of the presence.

nKim Jin-Woo’s expression hardened at the Black Merchant’s unpleasant gaze, and he stepped forward. Before dealing with the insidious Black Merchant, he decided to set a clear example with the arrogant mercenaries, unleashing his killing intent.

nBut, as always, the cunning Black Merchant intervened with perfect timing. “Come to think of it, I have yet to present you with our gift.”

nThe Black Merchant took a step forward and searched his pockets, as if he were completely unaware of the mood around him. The bloody atmosphere was overshadowed by the ridiculous sight of his short arms rummaging through his belongings noisily.

n“The Black Merchants are truly delighted with the Viscount’s safety, so we’ve prepared a small gift as a sign of our sincerity. Please, although it may be an insignificant gift, we hope you can accept it,” he said.

nAlthough Kim Jin-Woo didn’t like the way the mercenaries still had their hands on their hilts as they bared their claws and fangs, he decided to stand down. After all, dealing with the mercenaries would do little to appease his anger; thus, he decided to get over it and go straight to the point with the Black Merchant.

n“You’re still all about the theatrics, just like in the past. How about we get straight to the point?” Without even paying attention to the small box the Black Merchant had pulled out, Kim Jin-Woo exaggeratedly expressed his discomfort.

n“It appears my Lord has no interest in the material. Why doesn’t the lady over there receive our gift? I’m certain that the lady’s master would love our gift.” The Black Merchant turned his attention to Dominique, who had been watching from a distance, and held out the box. He continued, “Well, come on. You have to accept your gift first, so it’ll be easier for us to talk.”

nDominique, who had been paying attention to Kim Jin-Woo’s actions, received his permission and rushed to receive the box.

n“Please open it,” the Black Merchant said.

nThis time, Dominique opened the box without waiting for permission. “This is…” Seeing the contents of the box, she looked at her master with an astonished expression.

n“It’s a Count’s Seal,” Kim Jin-Woo finished for her.

nHe hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility that it might have been a Noble’s Seal. That was because the Black Merchant always brought him the exact item he wanted at the perfect time. Besides, if it was indeed the Black Merchants who had completely scoured the 10th Floor clean, they would have more than enough Noble’s Seals to pass around.

nHowever, he had thought that they might offer a Baron’s Seal or a Viscount’s Seal at best, and he hadnever imagined that they would offer a Count’s Seal.

n“What is the meaning of this?” Kim Jin-Woo asked, his expression hardened.

nThe Black Merchant’s eyes sank deeply when he saw Kim Jin-Woo’s expression. The leisurely look on his face was completely gone, and with his crystal clear eyes, he said softly, “For the mighty Undefeated Commander and the Underworld’s sole Conqueror, the title of Viscount is too lowly and unbefitting.”

nIn the past,Kim Jin-Woo would have accepted the Count’s Seal with no questions asked. He had received the Baron’s Seal and the Viscount’s Seal the same way. However, with his ascension to Highlord, he had transcended the ranks of the Underworld Nobles, and the Count’s Seal was an inappropriate gift to such a being.

n“There’s nothing to think too deeply about. I’m simply delivering this gift, and my Lord has simply accepted it. We’ve both done our jobs, so whatever comes next, it’s up to your own free will.” Seeing Kim Jin-Woo stay silent in such a complicated situation, the Black Merchant spoke frankly.

n“Please, do as you wish. Whether to accept the Seal, or to abandon it. Or…” The corners of the Black Merchant’s mouth twitched, and he finished, “…to consume it.”

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