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nKim Jin-Woo understood the hidden meaning behind the Black Merchant’s words at once.

nThe Black Merchant said one last sentence to him, as if to affirm his suspicions. “Even those in the Deep Floors will no longer try to wrap their heads around understanding Milord’s movements.”

nAs Kim Jin-Woo listened to the Black Merchant’s story, the latter slowly raised his head, and their eyes connected. He continued, “If you’re still worried, I swear upon the Underworld. The restored Grand Labyrinth is no match for your real Grand Labyrinth. There will be no hindrances to Milord’s progress.”

nAs he had sworn upon the Mysteries of the Underworld, there was no way he was telling a lie.

n“And to be honest, my Lord isn’t completely unrelated to that restored Grand Labyrinth, so I’m slightly upset,” the Black Merchant added.

nOnce again, Kim Jin-Woo wondered what nonsense the Black Merchant was talking about.

nThe Black Merchant looked back at him while pouting. He asked, “Do you remember the Big-Headed Dwarves?”

nA long time ago, the Naga Sorcerers had performed an experiment that resulted in three new races being born in the Underworld, and one of them was the race of Big-Headed Dwarves that Kim Jin-Woo had sold to the Black Merchants because he thought they were useless.

n“No way…” Kim Jin-Woo began.

n“Yes. They’re the main reason why we were able to restore the Grand Labyrinth,” the Black Merchant replied. Kim Jin-Woo’s guess was correct.

n“Did I not tell you then? There are no labyrinths that are of no value; there are no useless races.” The Black Merchant almost sounded as if he were trying to accept Kim Jin-Woo, as he continued to elaborate. “The Big-Headed Dwarves, who haven’t appeared in the Underworld for a long time, are known as the ‘Labyrinth Architects’.”

nKim Jin-Woo kicked himself upon hearing out the Black Merchant. But back then, there was no way he could have known the value of the Big-Headed Dwarves, so it was a little too late to regret it now.

nThe Black Merchant comforted him as if he had read his mind. “If they had been left with Milord, I’m sure they would have been swept away when the 9th Floor labyrinths were destroyed in your awakening. And also, Milord would never have been able to fully develop their potential.”

nSuddenly, the Black Merchant had a disgusted look on his face, as he spoke through gritted teeth. “The sheer amount of down gems they consumed… even most Dukes wouldn’t be able to handle them.”

n“Ah…”

nAt that moment, why was it that the faces of the Naga Sorcerers flashed before Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes? Kim Jin-Woo immediately understood why the Black Merchant’s tired look felt so relatable, and felt nothing but empathy for him.

n***

nThe Black Merchant left. There were many more things Kim Jin-Woo wanted to hear about, but as there was an arrangement to meet after the end of the auction, he didn’t rush the matter.

n“720,000 gems! The restored Grand Labyrinth has been sold for 720,000 gems!”

nIn the meantime, the restored Grand Labyrinth’s core was sold at an exorbitant price of 720,000 gems.

n“For those who didn’t get the items they wanted this time, please don’t be too disappointed. We promise that the Black Merchants will visit you in person in the near future and relieve you of your disappointments.”

nSince those who had participated in this auction were such formidable beings, the host made an effort to appease everyone by promising a visit in the future. Thanks to that, there were no further commotions.

n“Looks like the schedule has been delayed more than expected. From now on, we’ll proceed with the auction just a little faster!”

nAfter the unprecedented bidding, the auction resumed, albeit to a very lukewarm reception. At the very least, the last item, a Viscount’s Seal, managed to gather a somewhat favorable response.

nWith that, the Black Merchants’ special auction came to a close.

n“I’ll visit Milord as soon as we’ve cleaned up this place.”

nThe Black Merchant initially proposed a separate venue for the meeting, saying that the auction house was ultimately a poor choice of venue to hold it, and agreed to meet Kim Jin-Woo at his Grand Labyrinth.

n“I hope it won’t take too long,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

nThe Black Merchant repeatedly emphasized that he would visit on the same day, and hurriedly left the room.

nAlone in his room, Kim Jin-Woo tore the portal scroll he had in his possession, remarking, “Guess I’m off.”

nInspecting the Summoning Stone with unknown contents that he held tightly in his hand, he walked through the portal that had opened in the middle of the room.

n***

n“Master!” As usual, Dominique appeared the moment Kim Jin-Woo crossed through the portal. “I’m glad you’re safe!”

nShe rushed into his embrace, rejoicing over her master’s well-being, and quickly expressed her worries when she saw his tired look. “Did something happen?”

nKim Jin-Woo quickly responded to her question without any hesitation or display of annoyance. He explained in detail everything he had seen and heard, from his meeting with Catherine the Wailing Lord and the Black Merchant’s plans, to the restored Grand Labyrinth and his incomplete awakening.

n“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Master has been doing better than anyone else so far.”

nDid Kim Jin-Woo’s words contain remorse and a cry for help? Dominique comforted him, saying that the lack of information was inevitable due to the very nature of his new labyrinth.

n“They simply have better clarity and insight into those matters because they’ve stayed put in one place for so long. On the other hand, Master has never remained stagnant, and the knowledge the Black Merchants have obtained can’t be compared to the wisdom and knowledge that Master has obtained in this time.”

n“I didn’t need your reassurance.” Kim Jin-Woo had already organized his thoughts before returning to the Grand Labyrinth; he looked somewhat awkward upon hearing Dominique’s words. Seeing his response, Dominique quickly apologized for being presumptuous.

n“No, thanks to that, some of the remaining negative feelings I’ve been harboring are now gone. Thanks.” Seeing her unwavering loyalty and attitude, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but respond with an affectionate smile, and Dominique smiled back gleefully.

n“Hmm,” Kim Jin-Woo mused. It was nice to see Dominique’s selfless smile, but there was work to be done.

n“For the time being, we’ll refrain from external activities and concentrate on collecting information.” Kim Jin-Woo gave an order to find a way out of their information black hole. “I need to find a way to see the bigger picture.”

nFollowing that, he gave various instructions to his subordinates, before finally remembering the Summoning Stone he had in his possession.

nUnidentified Ancient Summoning Stone

nThis Ancient Summoning Stone obtained through a special auction hosted by the Black Merchants is a Summoning Stone that has never been used before. No one knows what is inside, so be careful when using it.

nWould you like to use the Summoning Stone immediately?

nAfter telling Dominique to step aside, Kim Jin-Woo nodded without thinking twice. “I’ll use it now.”

nNo one knows whether it will be an auspicious fortune or a disaster on a scale never seen before. Do you still wish to use the Summoning Stone?

nThe red flashing message was ominous like never before, but Kim Jin-Woo believed in his own strength. If he had been facing the monsters of the Deep Floors, he might have had second thoughts, but his own strength was too overwhelming for him to be wary of a single Summoning Stone.

nEven so, he wasn’t letting his guard down. His hands hung naturally by his side, ready to draw his sword, while his body was taut, ready to strike when necessary.

n“That isn’t just some ordinary Summoning Stone.”

nCatherine’s words rang in his ears once more.

nPhew.

nKim Jin-Woo let out a deep breath, perfectly prepared for the upcoming fight, and looked at the message that had appeared almost like a warning sign.

n“Summon.”

nAt that single word, the whole area was engulfed in a blinding light, and an explosive chill erupted from the Summoning Stone.

n“Master!” Dominique, who looked deadly pale from the ominous energy rising from the epicenter of the light, let out a shriek.

n“It’s okay! Stand back!” Kim Jin-Woo shouted loudly, but his voice was soon drowned out by flashes and roars.

n***

n“Shouldn’t we come up with a solution!?” Quantus exclaimed. He might have been overly courageous to the point of extreme violence in combat, but he had never expressed his anger so vehemently before.

nHowever, none of the other Hero-Grade summons of the Grand Labyrinth who had gathered pushed back against Quantus’ attitude. They knew that their own feelings weren’t much different.

n“Even as we speak, we don’t know what kind of trouble our King is going through!” Quantus shouted once more.

nBut shout as he may, it changed nothing. The light and cold that had engulfed their King had already hardened like a giant crystal, and they could no longer see inside of it. In addition, the Grand Labyrinth, where chilly air circulated due to the nature of Frost, was now completely frozen over.

n“It’s only ice!” Quantus tried to save his king by force several times, but with each relentless attack, he only suffered pain across his entire body, and his efforts ended up being completely useless.

n“We don’t know what the hell is going on inside there. Given the situation, if we act recklessly, we may end up harming Master for nothing. Right now, we have no choice but to have faith and wait for Master,” Dominique said, despite her clear annoyance.

n“Urgh.” Quantus groaned.

nAs the King’s Representative and Advisor, Dominique was the most honorable Naga apart from her master, Kim Jin-Woo. Thus, when she started to give orders, Quantus and the other Naga Heroes were compelled to listen to her.

n“At times like this, we need to pay more attention to the boundaries of the labyrinth and take better control of interior matters. So, Quantus, head out and check on the defenses of the Naga Warriors once again.”

nQuantus looked at the light with a nervous expression on his face before leaving the master room. At that moment, a Naga Warrior hurriedly entered the room with a report.

n“The Black Merchant is here?” Dominique asked.

nThe Naga Warrior clicked his tongue as he relayed another piece of information. Dominique had already known that the Black Merchant would visit, but still, she had a complicated expression.

nThe Black Merchant had come at a rather burdensome time. However, he seemed to have foreseen this situation, as he had passed on a message to the Naga Warrior.

n“Ah!” Upon hearing the message, Dominique involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.

n“Tell us in detail what exactly he’s told you.” The alienated Heimdall intervened and urged her to share the details, as the language of the Nagas was nothing more than the sound of wind to him. Balzark and the others quickly joined him and surrounded Dominique.

n“He said that Master is being tested right now…” Dominique began.

n“Tested? Who dares test our king!?” Heimdall flew into a rage, and his shouts of anger resounded throughout the room.

nDominique grew pale at Heimdall’s vicious outburst, and after a brief pause, answered while biting her lips. “The Black Merchant didn’t elaborate. He only said that it was an ancient weapon originally destined for Master.”

nThe moment she finished speaking, the halo of light expanded across the room before immediately subsiding. And finally, Kim Jin-Woo, who had been trapped in the ice the whole time, reemerged.

nBut as he broke through the ice, a huge spear that no one present had seen before could be seen in his hand.

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