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nKim Jin-Woo waited for the imp girl to continue with her interpretation, but instead of her reply, what he heard was a roar that sounded as if it were emanating from a deep cave.

n“Nice to meet you, Undefeated Commander,” the white bear said. Kim Jin-Woo’s expression blanked for a moment. Surprisingly, what came out of the bear’s mouth was Korean, and pretty accurate Korean at that.

n“I’ve known of your reputation for a long time, so I’ve wanted to meet you at least once,” the bear continued. Although it was slightly difficult to understand his words because of his echoing voice, he was rather fluent with the language.

n“You seem to speak my language,” Kim Jin-Woo replied, bewildered by the unexpected situation.

nThe white bear smiled widely, revealing his white teeth, before saying, “We Ursus are different from those knucklehead Taurus. Those who know us don’t hesitate to call us the Sages of the Underworld. It’s no surprise that we speak several languages.”

nKim Jin-Woo could feel the bear’s pride behind those words. He replied bemusedly, “Is that so?”

nSeeing a giant white bear with his chin raised up as if to puff himself up was quite a sight to behold. He continued, “So please don’t be surprised about our language proficiencies.”

nAdmittedly, it was rather difficult to get accustomed to seeing a bear speak Korean, but Kim Jin-Woo didn’t voice out his thoughts. After all, he had encountered countless experiences that were more bizarre than a mere talking bear. He shouldn’t have considered himself surprised at the sight of the bear who had introduced himself as an Ursus. However, it was going to take some time before Kim Jin-Woo could get accustomed to seeing the white bear talking away with his gigantic snout.

n“Hmm.” Kim Jin-Woo brushed off his feelings about the bear with a deep sigh, and looked at the imp girl who was restlessly fidgeting around. Somehow, she seemed reluctant to talk to the white bear.

n“It would be foolish to try and peek inside an imp’s tiny head. Despite their small heads, they’re surprisingly wicked and cunning,” the white bear said. The imp girl furiously tried to charge toward him, but noticing his expression, she quickly thought better of it and stepped back.

n“You’re hiding something from me.” Kim Jin-Woo, who had been observing the imp girl for a while, spoke with a cold expression. “Explain yourself. If you fail to convince me, neither you nor your master will be safe.”

nAs he noticed the imp girls’ unpredictable reactions as well as the white bear’s attitude toward her, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something between them. Thus, he built up his presence to pressure the imp girl, letting her know that he wouldn’t tolerate any excuses or lies.

nIt was the Highlord’s energy that radiated from Kim Jin-Woo, something that not even the mighty rulers of the Underworld could withstand. There was no way a mere imp could face it.

nIn the end, the imp girl quickly explained, her complexion pale as if she were being asphyxiated by the Highlord’s presence alone, “The Ursus are one of the forces the Black Merchants have recruited.”

n“To be precise, our king has not given the Black Merchants a definite answer.” The white bear corrected the imp girl before continuing, “But now, after seeing you defeat those fearless Satyrs, our king has made a decision.”

nThe white bear followed up with a wide smile that showed off his white set of teeth, saying, “We, the Ursus clan, formally request an alliance with the Undefeated Commander, the Naga King.”

n***

nThere was nothing to lose from forming an alliance with the Ursus; thus, Kim Jin-Woo readily accepted the proposal. In the process, he also formed a secret agreement with them to deal with the Taurus who had visited his Grand Labyrinth previously, but clarified that there was no need to form an army to assist him right away.

n“For now, please don’t turn down the stupid Taurus’ offers; that will be more than enough to buy some time. While they’re dreaming up nonsense, we’ll be able to buy sufficient time to diligently evaluate the situation,” the white bear said before his entourage returned to their labyrinth with great satisfaction, promising that they would return soon.

n“Now, shall we talk about the rest of the story?” Kim Jin-Woo watched the white bears head back before turning to the imp girl, his expression hardening as he did so.

n***

n“The Usurper’s beasts are on the move while my Lord isn’t yet ready. Do you understand how worrying that is from my point of view?” For some reason, as soon as the Ursus left the labyrinth, Mimir appeared and started to recite a long spiel about how much he cared for his master. “We’re very lucky to have formed an alliance with the Ursus under such great circumstances. They’re kind, gentle and good-natured folks; something that’s rare in the Underworld.”

nMimir seemed to be so wary of Kim Jin-Woo that he could almost hear Mimir glancing sideways constantly toward him. Most people would have overlooked the matter out of respect for the amount of effort Mimir was putting into his acting, but not Kim Jin-Woo, who said, “You’ve yet to give me a good enough explanation to convince me.”

n“That is, when we formed the agreement with them…” Mimir began.

n“Don’t even think about using the excuse of swearing upon the Mysteries of the Underworld to brush this matter aside,” Kim Jin-Woo interrupted him. The secret agreement with the Black Merchants aside, the Ursus had accurately identified who exactly the Undefeated Commander was.

n“Since you’ve sold my name, you’ll have to pay the price,” Kim Jin-Woo added. Upon hearing those words, Mimir fell silent as if he were mute. However, Kim Jin-Woo continued, “Tell me the name of the Duke you’ve formed your secret agreement with, other than the Ursus clan.”

nIn the end, sensing Kim Jin-Woo’s resolute attitude and knowing that he wouldn’t even concede an inch, Mimir put on a defeated expression and said, “I’ll tell you. So please, calm down. This lowly imp is unable to withstand such a fearsome presence.”

n“That depends on your answer,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

nDespite his expression of defeat, Mimir still hesitated. But sensing that there was no way out of this situation, he finally decided to reveal everything. He said the name, “Anulax.”

nIt was a name Kim Jin-Woo had never heard before. But since the Dukes’ names were as difficult to figure out as a Highlord’s real name, it wasn’t strange that it was an unfamiliar name to him. But despite that, the moment he heard the name, his whole body froze without him even realizing it.

n“It’s another name for the harbinger of the most painful death—the Lord of Absolute Venom.” Mimir looked Kim Jin-Woo straight in the eyes as he continued, “Ruler of 431,621 Hell Spiders.”

nThe name of the monster who had once mistreated and abused Kim Jin-Woo had escaped Mimir’s mouth.

n“Anulax, the King of the Hell Spiders’ Nest where my Lord was born, is our other ally.” After finishing, Mimir closed his eyes tightly. He didn’t have the courage to open his eyes in the face of his master, when he knew what kind of ties his master and the Spider Duke were bound by.

n“Anulax, huh…” After a while, Kim Jin-Woo broke the silence as he spat out the Spider Duke’s name.

n“Anulax…” No matter how many times he brought it up, unadulterated hatred and wrath lingered in his voice. He muttered, “So, he had such a name.”

nMimir blinked in response to the unexpected reaction, then froze. Kim Jin-Woo’s expression was no different from usual. But for some reason, that only terrified Mimir even more.

n***

nMimir returned to the Black Merchants’ stronghold. Left alone, Kim Jin-Woo repeated Anulax’s name over and over again. “Spider Duke, Anulax. Lord of Venom, Anulax.”

nHe could understand why Mimir had tried to hide the story of their alliance until the very end. As someone who had been watching him by his side ever since he first took over the Naga’s Labyrinth, Mimir had known his relationship with the Spider Duke from the very beginning. As such, Mimir wouldn’t have been able to easily bring up the fact that he was now under the same banner as his mortal enemy.

nPerhaps Mimir had thought that that would break the alliance that he had formed with much difficulty. That was how deep Kim Jin-Woo’s hatred and resentment for the Spider Duke was.

nBut now, instead of losing his sense of reason upon hearing the name of his mortal enemy, Kim Jin-Woo had judged the situation more sensibly than ever. Even he was surprised by himself. By now, he felt he could face the Spider Duke with a smile. A smile that wasn’t that of warmth or friendliness.

n“I’m already this close.”

nThe enemy who had once stood so far above him that he hadn’t been able to figure out that being’s name was now within his grasp. He laughed at the realization, as it only made him happier.

n“Ironically, we’re on the same side this time.”

nIf possible, he wanted to make full use of this opportunity to destroy the Spider Duke. What could be a better revenge than that? Kim Jin-Woo smiled for a while, before his gaze abruptly turned cold once more.

n“But I’ll never forget to make you pay for their blood.”

nHis eyes flashed fiercely as he recalled the countless tunnel diggers who had died miserably in their attempts to save his fleeting life, leaving him alone, abandoned in the dark.

n***

nEven the brazen and thick-skinned Mimir seemed unable to simply get over this incident, as he uncharacteristically sent over several gifts, shuddering as he did so. Naturally, Kim Jin-Woo willingly accepted them all, and used them to fill the power vacuum left behind by the temporary absence of the Nagas.

n“If there’s anything you want, I’ll bring it to you.” Mimir looked at Kim Jin-Woo sullenly, as if he were ready to even give up his liver for his master.

n“How rare of you to be this kind,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

nIt was a rather shameless statement to make toward Mimir and the Black Merchants, who had contributed greatly to the growth of his labyrinth thus far, but the little imp didn’t dare to express any form of displeasure.

n“Whoa, these all belonged to my Lord in the first place; I’ve simply been taking good care of them for you all this time.” Mimir smiled cunningly and rubbed his hands, jumping up and down as he stated that it wasn’t a big deal.

nWith a look of satisfaction, Kim Jin-Woo spoke. “I don’t wish for anything more, but I do have a question for you.”

nEven if he had asked Mimir to bring out the most precious treasure from the Eternal Treasury, Mimir wouldn’t have looked so terrified. Mimir’s expression was full of hesitation and terror. After all, it was because of his response to his master’s previous question that he was in his current predicament, so it was difficult to fault him for his overreaction.

n“What else do you want to ask me again this time…” Mimir had barely regained his composure, but now his eyes darted around as he panicked.

n“It’s not a big deal; there’s no need for you to already be freezing up like that.” Having spoken, Kim Jin-Woo took out something from his possession.

n“Th… That…” Mimir seemed terribly surprised to see the small object Kim Jin-Woo had taken out. “H-how does my Lord… I’m sure this guy was in the Eternal Treasury…”

n“This guy’s called the Hypocrite’s Mask, but I have no idea where to use this, you see.” Kim Jin-Woo cut off the imp’s trembling voice as he held out the mask and waved it in front of Mimir’s face.

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