Chapter 101: Chapter 101

The body bunker explorers, who had been leaning loosely against their spears, stood upright again. Their blades that had been pointing toward the floor were now facing the procession.

“Not yet, not yet.”

At the humans’ aggressive response, the mercenaries were riled up, ready to pounce on them at a moment’s notice. The Black Merchant kept repeating his command to keep them at bay.

Thankfully, the mercenaries obeyed the Black Merchant’s command. But they seemed very eager to get into battle at the first sight of combat.

The only solution out of this situation was for the Harimao labyrinth to de-escalate the situation.

Kim Jin-Woo wondered what exactly they were discussing that had led to such a dramatic change in their behavior. He looked hard at the personnel who were practically the heads of the Harimao labyrinth—Deputy Chief Kim Joo-Hyuk and labyrinth master Kim Jin-Tae, as well as Lee Jun-Young, for any clues.

All he could observe was Kim Joo-Hyuk talking to the imp with a serious look on his face.  The dungeon babies standing beside Kim Joo-Hyuk were stone-faced as usual. From the way the imp was fidgeting and looking nervous, it almost seemed as though they were about to take it hostage.

“What the hell are they talking about?” Kim Jin-Woo finally let curiosity get the better of him, and approached the Black Merchant. He simply couldn’t figure out what the deal proposed to the humans was, for them to react this way. The Deputy Chief he knew was one who got things done quickly and efficiently. This wasn’t his style.

“Well, this is a business matter between the Black Merchants and the Labyrinth of Black Tigers, so I’m unable to report anything to you, Milord.” The Black Merchant was unusually tight-lipped. Usually, he would run his mouth off, but this time he looked away and refused to speak further.

Kim Jin-Woo was displeased as he said, “You said it yourself. That this is no simple trade between the labyrinth and the Black Merchants. Now you’re telling me that it is?”

“Considering all we’ve been through together, as well as the amount of respect I have for Milord, I would love to tell you everything. But this time, I’m not in charge of this deal.”

It was clear that there was more to the Black Merchant, who was using the imp to negotiate the deal under the guise of his own personal safety, but Kim Jin-Woo realized he was unable to get any more information.

Despite the imp being an obvious puppet of the Black Merchant, it was undeniable that the imp was currently his representative on the surface. And Kim Jin-Woo was simply a tagalong who had no right to be involved in this deal in the first place.

“Ah, looks like they’ve finally come to an end.”

Kim Jin-Woo turned to look at the situation upon hearing the Black Merchant’s words, and saw the Deputy Chief and the imp shaking hands.

Just a moment ago, there had been immense tension in the air where a violent engagement didn’t seem out of the question, and yet now they were shaking hands while smiling brightly. He couldn't figure out what exactly had happened.

“The scenario Milord was most worried about won’t happen, it seems.” The Black Merchant looked Kim Jin-Woo dead in the eye as he spoke. “But please remember this.” He spoke again in the same deep voice. Kim Jin-Woo solemnly looked back at the merchant, who continued, “Even if it may not be today, you will have to make the decision sooner or later.”

For someone who usually dared not maintain eye contact, the Black Merchant looked at Kim Jin-Woo while not even batting an eyelid. “The choice has simply been delayed.”

***

Kim Jin-Woo returned from the Harimao labyrinth somehow feeling extremely tired. He was more mentally drained than anything else.

But there was no time for rest. He got onto his throne as he summoned Dominique and the rest of his subordinates, commanding, “Find out more about the Black Merchants.”

“Milord?” Dominique was taken aback by the unexpected sudden request.

“No matter how much I think about it, the Black Merchants are no simple merchants. There’s definitely someone backing them. Someone at the top of the Underworld.”

With the Black Merchant’s strong will to protect the Underworld, as well as the way he had stated that he would dispose of the Harimao labyrinth if necessary, the role of an Underworld caretaker seemed more fitting than his supposed role as a merchant.

And thinking back, the Black Merchant’s ability to always bring him a Noble’s Seal as needed was also strange. In truth, who was the one determining the titles for all the nobles of the Underworld?

The longer he thought about it, the more questions came up.

“But it may be very dangerous. If there’s truly someone backing the Black Merchants, it may be someone not even the high-ranking Nobles dare not go against,” he added.

“There’s no way we can find out so easily. But there should be a way, regardless.” Dominique seemed to understand the dangers behind this move.

Putting aside the fact that the Black Merchants had the ability and connections to roam across all corners of the Underworld and conduct trade while gathering information, just the hundred Hero-Grade mercenaries Kim Jin-Woo had witnessed as part of the procession had enough power to wipe out most labyrinths with ease.

“It’s alright if you take a long time. Just be careful and thorough with it,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

There had to be a reason the Black Merchants were pretending to be traders. But either way, they were the ones who had contributed the most to the Naga’s Fortress’ growth.

Kim Jin-Woo knew that this dynamic wouldn’t change any time soon, so he added, “Just be mindful to stay within reason and not provoke any potential enemies.”

Dominique seemed to have figured a way to safely look into the Black Merchants, as she was lost in thought for a moment before belatedly responding, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Having cleared his backlog of things to do in the Underworld, Kim Jin-Woo headed to the surface. Usually, he would only head to Mr. Baek’s appraisal office for some information gathering, but he decided to visit his family this time around.

The thought of having to decide between the surface and the Underworld, and all the consequences that each choice would lead to, was simply too much for him to think of at the moment.

“Why are you so busy lately? I’ll almost forget how you look at this rate. Come visit more often,” his mother said.

“I’m sorry,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

Despite the nagging, his mother started preparing a meal for him, concerned that he may be hungry. It was a rather ordinary meal, and yet Kim Jin-Woo felt different about it today, as he kept looking up at his mother’s face.

“You look tired. I don’t know what you’re so busy with lately, but take care of yourself. At the end of the day, we’re all working just to live our lives, right?” his mother remarked.

Kim Jin-Woo felt his mood lighten at his mother’s unchanged love and concern.

***

[Breaking news! Labyrinths in the United States of America and other countries have been attacked by unknown groups. The full extent of the damage is yet unknown, but what’s certain is that there are labyrinths that have already been taken over by the mysterious group.]

Kim Jin-Woo, who had been lying on the sofa with the sound of dishes being washed to lull him to sleep, woke up to the voice of the reporter ringing in his ears.

[According to a well-informed source, these labyrinths were visited by an unknown group before being attacked. Experts are of the opinion that they don’t seem unrelated to this attack.]

In the news, there was also a video of an unknown labyrinth being attacked. Kim Jin-Woo wondered how they had even obtained the video in the first place.

[Kaaaaaargh!]

It must have been taken with an infrared camera; on the dizzying green-tinted screen, various creatures were running wild. Gunshots rang out and people shouted everywhere, but the creatures didn’t stop.

Kim Jin-Woo looked on with horror at the mosaic-filled television screen.

[As you can see from the screen, the labyrinth was attacked violently, and the Underworld experts have said that these creatures are high-grade creatures that don’t match the floor where the labyrinth is located in each country.]

[Even in the Labyrinth, there is an ecosystem. The deeper you go, the stronger the creatures are, and the weaker ones get pushed out to the upper floors. The creatures that attacked the labyrinth have never been seen on the 5th Floor or the entrance. You would have to go deep down to at least the 8th or 9th Floor to see these creatures. But the fact that there isn’t just one, but dozens or even hundreds of them here, means that the ecosystem of the Underworld is…]

Kim Jin-Woo sprang to his feet as he listened to the so-called expert on the television. As he watched on, he couldn’t stop thinking of the Black Merchant and his formidable army of Hero-Grade mercenaries.

And should the mercenaries decide that the safety of the Underworld is at risk, we’ll retrieve the Labyrinth Core.

Kim Jin-Woo recalled how coldly the Black Merchant had made that declaration. He quickly grabbed the remote and switched the channels around, and finally confirmed his suspicions.

If the Underworlds of the other countries had entities similar to the Black Merchants, it could explain the current situation.

It was possible that the labyrinths that were attacked had failed to pass the Black Merchants’ judgment, and the countless Hero-Grade mercenaries had been sent to destroy them and extract their cores.

“Ah…” Kim Jin-Woo had failed to notice that in his eagerness to watch the news, the sound of dishes had stopped. He turned to find his mother frozen in fear as she looked at him and the television.

“Are you still going to the Underworld?” His mother finally spoke, and Kim Jin-Woo contemplated lying about it, but he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. He simply couldn’t lie in front of his mother.

“Jin-Woo.” His mother fell onto her knees as she repeatedly called out his name.

“I’m sorry, mom.”

***

“Since when?”

“It was around the day right before Hyun-Ji’s wedding.”

His mother finally came around, and Kim Jin-Woo truthfully replied with a heavy heart.

“This is all mom and dad’s fault. You left for that terrifying place because we were incapable. We have sinned.”

What started as lamenting turned into sobs.

Kim Jin-Woo’s family had toughed it out as he spent years trying to get accustomed to life on the surface. Thus, knowing that he had returned to the Underworld despite all the struggles they had faced together to make him comfortable on the surface must have been truly heartbreaking for them.

“We have sinned.”

“That’s not it, mom.”

No one else knew about the torturous and hellish life that Kim Jin-Woo had suffered in the Underworld better than his mother. And that was probably the reason why she was so harsh toward herself.

“I’m sorry, Jin-Woo. I’m really sorry.”

It was their own son’s blood money that had helped their daughter get married and for them to live a decent life, so their feeling of guilt was immense. Kim Jin-Woo had sent them a sizable amount of money, which had helped the family out greatly.

“Mom, that’s not it.”

And if he had wanted to, he could have always left the Underworld. He hadn’t known about it at first, but after finding out that he could transfer the ownership of his labyrinth, he could have done it at any time.

And yet, it was Kim Jin-Woo that was keeping himself tied to the Underworld. Perhaps living in the Underworld was a primal instinct to someone like him, who had grown up in the Labyrinth.

“Mom, I’m saying that that’s not it. Please don’t cry.”

But how could he put into words his desire for revenge against the Underworld Duke? Knowing that revealing his motive would only break his mother’s heart even further, he could do nothing else but simply console his mother with the same words.

“I’m sorry, Jin-Woo.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

Despite not being related by blood, the way the two were consoling and apologizing to each other represented a bond as strong as that of any other family.

[Breaking news! We’ve just received word that an unknown group has attacked a labyrinth under the authority of the Republic of Korea!]

As he held his mother in her arms while stroking her shoulder in consolation, Kim Jin-Woo’s head quickly jolted up at the reporter’s words.