#94. The Second Restoration

Surrounded by the violent vibrations and shocks, as well as the occasional bizarre noises produced by the wind, Kim Jin-Woo felt as if he had returned to the day of the First Restoration.

Everything was the same. The only difference was that this time, he and the Grand Labyrinth were ready.

“Dominique!”

As soon as Kim Jin-Woo called out for her, Dominique appeared out of nowhere and gave her report. “There has been minor damage, but so far, nothing visibly critical! Perhaps we can get through this without too much damage!” Although she nearly fell over several times due to the violent tremors, she completed her report successfully.

“Indeed, it was worthwhile to have supported Daedalus,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

The columns and walls of the Grand Labyrinth, which had been reinforced several times, didn’t collapse easily even with the strong tremors. But Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t be reassured just because the situation turned out to be better than he had expected. The Underworld was a monster that fed on negligence. One could never know when the Underworld would strike when least expected.

“Then we’ll move right away!” Dominique exclaimed. After she had grown into the Naga Queen and gained the ability to share thoughts with her master, she had become able to take action swiftly the moment Kim Jin-Woo’s thoughts entered his mind. She disappeared somewhere, leaving Kim Jin-Woo alone.

Looking at the labyrinth that was being constantly shaken by strong tremors, Kim Jin-Woo whispered softly to himself, “Having suffered once is more than enough.”

The first time this happened, he and the Great Labyrinth had suffered brutal damage as they had been kept in the dark about what was going on, but he had no intention of repeating the same mistake twice. Everything done to support the Grand Labyrinth from collapsing had been meant for this day.

The Grand Labyrinth is emitting cold energies by itself, forming a thick ice barrier. These solid ice pillars and walls will withstand the strong tremors, preventing the labyrinth from collapsing easily.

The summons have started to evacuate to the shelter prepared within the Grand Labyrinth. So far, 17% of the troops have been evacuated.

However, despite the thorough preparations, damage could not be completely prevented. The durability of the outlying facilities in the labyrinth continues to decline.

Nevertheless, the terrible catastrophe was forcing Kim Jin-Woo to make a choice. He commanded, “Give up on protecting the outskirts and focus on protecting the important facilities.”

In the end, he had to give up the facilities on the outskirts while watching the damage accumulate steadily. As soon as he gave his instructions, the Grand Labyrinth roared, and messages emerged one after another that the facilities on the outskirts had been destroyed.

Kim Jin-Woo was understandably frustrated, but he kept his composure as the damage was still within a tolerable range. He muttered, “I should start making my move as well.”

He wanted to sit in the master room and observe the situation in the Grand Labyrinth more, but it was time for him to move as well. If the Labyrinth Core sustained any damage, the Grand Labyrinth would completely freeze over, and he was certain that the frozen passageway would barely be wide enough for him to squeeze through with much difficulty.

Crackle.

As soon as Kim Jin-Woo left the spacious master room, it froze solid. He took one more look at the three cores that were shining brilliantly through the blue ice wall before quickly moving to the predetermined destination.

“Master!” Dominique, who had been waiting at the shelter in advance, greeted him warmly. “I’m glad you’re safe.” She must have known that he was okay through their shared link, but it seemed she could not feel relieved until she confirmed it with her own eyes.

However, as Kim Jin-Woo looked around the shelter, he belatedly noticed the excessively strange atmosphere that was building up within. On the right were Anatolius and the other Nobles, and on the other side were Morrigan and the other summons of the labyrinth. No matter how one looked at it, it was a tense atmosphere.

It wasn’t difficult to understand the situation. It was clear that the Nobles, who had been struggling until now, had formed into a separate faction with Anatolius at their core. Otherwise, there was no way there would be such a clear and obvious divide.

“Ridiculous,” Kim Jin-Woo spat.

The earthquake going on was by no means an ordinary earthquake. It was a disaster that had once destroyed countless labyrinths across entire floors, and it was happening once again. No matter how well reinforced the Grand Labyrinth might be, despite it holding up well so far, no one could predict what might happen next. Given the situation, it was absurd to be sizing each other up for a fight at that moment.

“All of you must have lost your goddamn minds,” Kim Jin-Woo continued.

Upon hearing that simple sentence, Morrigan and the other summons, who had been fiercely gathering their auras, quickly turned pale. They released their auras and lowered their heads. However, when their master’s anger didn’t fade, they fell flat on their faces and begged for his forgiveness.

The Nobles who stood behind Anatolius watched and also lowered their bodies, following the summons of the Grand Labyrinth. Only the Iron-Blooded Giant showed signs of bewilderment at the sudden change in the situation.

“Anatolius,” Kim Jin-Woo coldly called out. “Get over yourself. You’re no longer an Underworld Count, nor are you a labyrinth master.”

It was neither a shaming nor a threat. Kim Jin-Woo simply spoke the truth. But somehow, there was something eerie about the tone in his voice. Even Anatolius, who had been standing arrogantly, quickly bowed.

“How unpleasant,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered.

Was it because he had been too kind to this former Count? Or was the Count being too overconfident in his own powers, having once been a ruler of the Deep Floors? Anatolius still had yet to fully withdraw his presence. At this point, he felt the need to put Anatolius in his place.

“Master.”

Just as Kim Jin-Woo was about to take action, Angela suddenly appeared from the darkness.

“Please leave him to me.”

Angela begged him to let her take care of Anatolius herself.

“I know you have a score to settle with him, but now isn’t the time for you to bring up such petty matters,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Angela rolled her eyes and replied, “Seems like Master still doesn’t understand what kinds of entities we, the Vampires, are.”

Kim Jin-Woo wondered what she was talking about, but Angela suddenly disappeared into thin air. And when she reappeared, she was right behind Anatolius’ back, remarking, “The only thing that matters to my clan is the contract.”

“Mm.” After gaining access to the Back Floor, Kim Jin-Woo had found it harder to understand and predict Angela, and all he could do was let out an ambiguous groan.

“Except for those I’ve entered into a contract with…”

Anatolius turned his head, startled by the voice coming from behind him.

“The rest are all just food.”

But Angela was quicker. Relentlessly, she shoved her fangs into Anatolius’ neck and grinned grimly.

“Kuuuuuurgh.”

Despite his large size, Anatolius had never looked so helpless before. The moment her fangs touched him, he gave up resisting and let out a painful moan.

Thud.

Moments later, Anatolius was slumped across the floor in an unsightly manner.

“I didn’t kill him. It looked like Master had other plans for him.”

Angela casually wiped Iron-Blooded Anatolius’ blood from her lips. Even his blood appeared to be nothing more than regular food to the True Blood Vampire.

“Iron-Blooded Anatolius. He’s not stupid, so he must be aware by now.”

She squatted down in front of the fallen giant and spoke.

“Forget who you were in the past and how great you were. It means nothing now.”

Angela blatantly looked at him with pity before continuing.

“And you should be thankful. If Master had intervened instead, you’d be suffering from pain incomparable to this.”

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t criticize her sudden action. He found her treatment of Anatolius to be rather reasonable. After all, there was no better way to establish their relationship than having him overpowered by the very Vampire who had once been forced to survive under him.

“Master, it’s time to gather the scattered Nagas.” Dominique stepped in with good timing and wrapped up the situation.

“Tsk.” Looking at the pathetic state Anatolius had been left in, Kim Jin-Woo clicked his tongue before turning his attention to the arrogant Nobles who had rallied behind the Iron-Blooded Giant. They were trembling from head to toe, realizing their terrible mistake.

“Not even worth my time,” he muttered. It was unclear as to whether his comment was mocking the uselessness of the Nobles, or if he was simply stating that there was no need to punish them.

“Summon the Nagas!” Kim Jin-Woo called out.

The moment he gave the order, Dominique took a step forward and cried, “As the King is here, his loyal warriors are to be where they are supposed to be!”

The Naga Queen’s unique ability, ‘King’s Herald’, has been activated.

All Nagas who have heard the Queen’s message are summoned to this location.

Before Dominique even finished speaking, a huge hole appeared in the air, and the Nagas started to appear from it. Looking at the door in the middle of space, which was similar to yet different from normal portals, Kim Jin-Woo exclaimed slightly to himself. He felt as if he had just witnessed the true nature of the Queen, and her ability that could prove to be useful if utilized well.

However, seconds later, he frowned as he watched the Nagas pouring in through the portal, muttering, “Maybe I should have built the shelter to be a little bit wider.”

The Nagas that had grown thanks to the Sea Dragon’s eggs were too large and numerous. As they continued to flow through the portal, the spacious shelter quickly filled up.

Goaaaaaaaaar.

In the meantime, the tremors became more intense. They had been similar to those of the First Restoration thus far, but now, it was different. Kim Jin-Woo looked around, observing the increasing intensity of the tremors and the howling sound of the wind.

78% of the troops have completed the evacuation.

84% of the troops have completed the evacuation.

96% of the troops have completed the evacuation.

100% of the troops have completed the evacuation.

Thankfully, the entire army was able to take refuge in the Grand Labyrinth’s shelter before it was too late. After checking the messages, Kim Jin-Woo gave a brief order. “Close the labyrinth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, cold air erupted from within the depths of the Grand Labyrinth, and the frost energy that flowed out of it completely froze the entire labyrinth.

In its frozen state, the Grand Labyrinth could survive the earthquake of the Second Restoration.

***

Even after quite some time had passed, the tremors showed no signs of subsiding, let alone stopping.

At the time of the First Restoration, many labyrinths that were caught out by the sudden earthquake had been destroyed, and even labyrinths that were Count-level and above had suffered substantial damage from the tremors and aftershocks.

However, the current earthquake was several times stronger than back then, and lasted for an even longer time, which made Kim Jin-Woo doubt whether there were even any more labyrinths left in the Underworld.

“What happens to the energy when a labyrinth is destroyed by the earthquake?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“It will be returned to the Underworld. Although it isn’t something you can see with your own eyes,” Angela answered suddenly.

Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes widened and he muttered, “Perhaps…” He narrowed his eyes, as if he were looking at something far beyond the icy walls of the Grand Labyrinth.

The power of the Ancient Lords, which the Usurper had split into the Nobles’ Seals and scattered all over the Underworld, was the basis of many labyrinths and the source of the Nobles. And it was through this earthquake that many sources would be returned to the Underworld.

“Maybe the purpose of the Restoration isn’t just to merge the Floors into one,” Kim Jin-Woo muttered.

Forced selection beyond the rule of survival of the fittest. That thought crossed his mind, making him wonder if that was one of the true purposes of the Restoration.