Soon after the Black Merchant left, Kim Jin-Woo went in search of Yoon-Hee. She had been in the middle of increasing her power, but she hurriedly ran to greet him.
“Yoon-Hee.”
“Master.”
That was the only sign of affection Yoon-Hee showed. Raising her head, she had the expression of someone irritated by a sudden visit distracting her from her busy schedule.
“Count Denarion has moved.” It wasn’t the first time Yoon-Hee had acted this way, so Kim Jin-Woo ignored it and got straight to the point.
Startled by Kim Jin-Woo’s words, she pondered for a while before speaking. “Does it have something to do with me?”
“I can’t say for sure, but from the look of things, we can’t count that possibility out.” Kim Jin-Woo explained the situation. “Anatolius attacked Parthenon. If things had gone according to plan, the skirmish would have ended there, but now Denarion is getting involved by supporting Anatolius out of nowhere. Thanks to that, the 11th Floor is a mess right now.
Although the damage inflicted on Parthenon was massive, it was a matter that had always been contained within the 11th Floor. But with Denarion supporting Anatolius, it seemed inevitable that this war would escalate.
According to Kim Jin-Woo’s own sources, Denarion and Anatolius had had no prior contact, and that unexpected revelation worried him. If Denarion had any reason to suddenly contact Anatolius, it would be because of Yoon-Hee.
“It seems my father has figured out where I am.” Yoon-Hee herself also seemed lost in worry.
“Tell me. What do you think Count Denarion is thinking of?” Kim Jin-Woo asked. Regardless of all that had happened, Yoon-Hee was still Denarion’s child, and he hoped to understand Denarion a little better.
But of course, she had no way of understanding the situation. Right now, staying four floors away from Denarion’s labyrinth, Yoon-Hee obviously had no way of understanding Denarion’s intentions.
She shook her head and suggested a few possibilities. “Perhaps my situation with regard to the succession might be better than I thought. Or maybe the other competitors to the succession might have crossed a line my father drew. Or maybe they’re all dead.”
“He sure carries out his job well,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked. He simply couldn’t figure out why Denarion couldn’t just appoint Yoon-Hee as his successor and instead had to put her through so much trouble for the succession. He continued, “So, theoretically speaking, if all the competitors broke the rules, or died as you mentioned, what would happen?”
Instead of providing an answer, Yoon-Hee just gave him an awkward smile.
***
After meeting with Yoon-Hee, Kim Jin-Woo accelerated the task of subjugating the remaining labyrinths on the 9th Floor. Most of the labyrinths submitted to him, and for the few labyrinths that rebelled, Morrigan was deployed to take care of them.
Thanks to that, Kim Jin-Woo was able to subjugate almost 70% of the 9th Floor labyrinths in a short time. He was now able to confidently say that he was the ruler of the 9th Floor.
But it wasn’t all good news. There were around thirty remaining labyrinths that had allied to fight against Kim Jin-Woo’s conquest.
But it didn’t faze him one single bit. Seeing as he had taken over the majority of the labyrinths on the 9th Floor, the rebel alliance was a minor issue to him.
Despite the presence of the rebels, he didn’t stop expanding his powers.
“Their alliance was formed simply out of their instinct to survive. The moment we show them that joining us would be beneficial to them, most of them will defect to us.”
He needed a carrot and a stick to manipulate them, so he alternated between sending Rikshasha and Morrigan to the rebel alliance to shake them up. Ultimately, a third of the rebel alliance, a total of ten labyrinths, ended up defecting over to Kim Jin-Woo’s side.
Now, there were only twenty labyrinths left.
And the remaining labyrinths didn’t engage with Kim Jin-Woo at all, but rather locked themselves up to protect themselves. Kim Jin-Woo could take them by force whenever he wanted.
[The labyrinth’s upgrade is complete. The labyrinth has been upgraded from Level 6 to Level 7. Previously locked facilities are now accessible.]
[The Fortress’ name will now be made known not only to the 9th Floor, but also to the 8th and 10th Floor as well. These Floors’ residents will either fear you or be intimidated by you.]
[All labyrinths that have recognized the existence of the Fortress will keep it in mind from now on.]
[The two resonant cores, the main core and the sub-core, have been tuned. The main core has been upgraded to Level 7, and the downgraded sub-core’s power has been unlocked up to Level 7.]
[The two cores have been upgraded to Level 7, and their efficiency has been greatly improved.]
[The dungeon’s total energy capacity, conversion efficiency, and influence are greatly increased; the area of the labyrinth is greatly expanded.]
[The Naga’s Fortress is no longer an ordinary labyrinth. The Naga’s Labyrinth has restored up to 80% of the power it had in its prime, and has progressed even beyond it in certain aspects.]
[The appearance of the Fortress has changed to resemble the ancestral home of the Nagas even more closely than before.]
[A lake surrounds the Fortress. The Nagas will be healed of their wounds and rejuvenated just by soaking in the lake.]
[A Water Dragon has been summoned to protect the lake.]
[Although the Water Dragon may not leave the lake, it will serve as a gatekeeper to repel any unclean hordes approaching the Naga’s Fortress. The Water Dragon has the strength of an army.]
And the change wasn’t limited to just the labyrinth. As the labyrinth reached Level 7, Kim Jin-Woo himself also received some changes.
[Dungeon Owner Kim Jin-Woo is changing. The ‘Undefeated Commander’ Kim Jin-Woo has become an even more powerful entity.]
[As long as the undefeated record is sustained, the Commander’s unique abilities will remain active.]
All other work had been temporarily suspended due to the upgrade process of the Naga’s Fortress, but this was only a small setback in the grand scheme of things.
And in fact, after the Fortress was reconfigured, Kim Jin-Woo held more power than ever before.
No one could stand up to the automatically summoned Water Dragon that had come with the labyrinth’s upgrade to Level 7. The dragon of the lake that had formed around the Fortress like a moat would protect it from any intruders in the future.
This additional layer of defense allowed Kim Jin-Woo to utilize the forces that had once been assigned to defend his labyrinth more actively and aggressively.
And upon hearing the news that the Naga’s Fortress had been upgraded further, and the extent of its new strength, the remaining labyrinths of the rebel alliance eventually broke up and fell to their knees in front of Kim Jin-Woo.
In less than a month, Kim Jin-Woo had become the undisputed ruler of the 9th Floor without engaging in a single war.
[All labyrinths on the 9th Floor have been subjugated.]
[You are now the ruler of the 9th Floor.]
[Many people have claimed to be the ruler of their respective floor, but no one has truly laid claim to an entire floor. This is a huge achievement that no one in the Underworld has ever achieved. Although not many people were interested in the 9th Floor, it is still an incredible feat in itself.]
[The ‘Undefeated Commander’ Kim Jin-Woo has earned the title of ‘Conqueror’.]
[Various stats have been improved, and additional abilities have been obtained.]
Kim Jin-Woo nodded his head, feeling pleased as he looked at the messages that appeared in front of him. Looking back, he felt that he managed to take over the 9th Floor with relative ease.
[Lord Kim Jin-Woo’s estate is the entirety of the 9th Floor. Your estate is greater than the estates of the 11th Floor Counts.]
[Now, no one can enter or leave the 9th Floor without the permission of Conqueror Kim Jin-Woo.]
[The name of the Conqueror who subjugated all labyrinths on the 9th Floor resonates throughout the Underworld.]
[The 11th Floor Counts have learned of the Conqueror's existence. The spies of the counts who did not participate in the war have started to head to the 9th Floor.]
[The 10th Floor Nobles have sensed danger. A number of nobles who have already once tasted defeat at the hands of the Undefeated Commander are now wary of the Conqueror.]
It seemed that conquering the entirety of the 9th Floor wasn’t all good news. The 10th Floor Nobles had sensed danger and had started making their move, and the 11th Floor Counts now had their eyes on the 9th Floor.
Kim Jin-Woo still had no idea how things would unfold.
***
“A salute to the Lord, for accomplishing a feat that no one else has ever achieved!” The Black Merchant bowed deeply on his next visit and showed great respect. While bowing, he took out a wooden box and offered it to Kim Jin-Woo. Inside it was the seal of a noble.
[Do you want to increase your rank to Underworld Viscount?]
Kim Jin-Woo smirked as held up the seal quietly.
“Congratulations on your rise to the rank of Viscount!” The Black Merchant once again lowered his head to the floor and congratulated Kim Jin-Woo.
***
It wasn’t just the Black Merchant that sent his congratulations. The 9th Floor’s vassal labyrinths, and even the Big-Tusk Wild Boar Tribe from the 8th Floor, sent envoys to convey their congratulations.
“A salute to the feats of the conqueror!” the Wild Boar Chief said in greeting.
Kim Jin-Woo shook his head arrogantly. “Do you remember the deal you made with me?”
Kim Jin-Woo had once received help from the Wild Boars in order to quickly get through the 8th Floor, which had been in the midst of a war back then. Kim Jin-Woo had promised to listen to a request from the Wild Boars, and it seemed their chief had visited him to take him up on the offer.
“I’m here for a request,” the chief began.
It was as Kim Jin-Woo expected. He frowned, unsure of what kind of request the Wild Boar Chief might make. “Speak.”
The Chief snorted through its snout and spoke. “Don’t worry too much. It’s not that big a request.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
The Chief nodded as he continued. “The 8th Floor is a mess. It’s still in a state of war.”
“Still?”
It had been months since he had passed through the 8th Floor with the Wild Boars’ help. Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but be surprised at the news that the war on the 8th Floor was still ongoing.
“Well, if it were a simple war between the labyrinths, it would have ended by now… but it’s not that simple.”
“Tell me more.” Kim Jin-Woo felt that there was more to the story.
“I’m not sure if you know about it. The situation on the Lesser Floors. Well, I guess the 9th Floor is a bit too deep to be classified as one of the Lesser Floors.”
Just as the Wild Boar Chief said, the 9th Floor was more of a Deep Floor than a Lesser Floor.
Thanks to that, Kim Jin-Woo was more familiar with the 10th Floor than the 8th Floor. There was no one coming down from the 8th Floor, while there had been an overwhelming number of beings trying to come up from the 10th Floor.
“Anyway, the 8th Floor is currently in a mess thanks to the Terrans.”
“Terrans? You mean humans?” The statement was news to Kim Jin-Woo, catching him by surprise.
The Wild Boar Chief continued. “Yes. Those humans. Those humans are rampaging all over the Lesser Floors.”
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