Chapter 149: 149

The 9th Floor army charged toward the pitch black passageway and threw themselves into it. But for some reason, Kim Jin-Woo remained at the edge of the passageway as he observed the retreat of his army, with no intention of returning to the 9th Floor.

“Master, please be safe.” Even the persistent Dominique departed with a short farewell as she disappeared into the passageway, as if it were already predetermined.

After a while, when most of the troops had finished retreating to the 9th Floor, only Kim Jin-Woo and the Nagas were left on the 10th Floor.

The Moai were sensitive to the scent of down gems, as well as the beating hearts of living creatures. What they liked the most were labyrinth cores, where the energy of down gems was condensed and concentrated. Opening up a portal in front of them was practically the same as calling out all the Moai on the 10th Floor.

And that was exactly what Kim Jin-Woo decided to do.

“Kaaaaaargh!”

The Moai, despite being unable to catch up with the speed of the 9th Floor army, were close behind and quickly approaching them.

“Quantus!” Kim Jin-Woo called.

“My King!” Quantus, who had thus far been unable to play an active part in battle, excitedly ran toward Kim Jin-Woo.

“We’ll form a defensive line here!”

“As the King wills!”

As soon as Kim Jin-Woo made his declaration, the Nagas skillfully sorted out their ranks. The Naga Warriors placed their shields on the ground, and the Naga Fighters raised their spears and swords from behind them. In the rear, the Naga Sorcerers, who had been silently following behind them, raised their hands as they began to mutter unknown spells.

[The Naga Protection Squadron is starting the defense.]

[Their objective is to protect the Naga King and the passageway to the 9th Floor.]

[Members of the Naga Protection Squadron, who are able to activate their abilities only when protecting their king, will have their fighting spirit raised to the limit while fighting alongside their king. Only death will stop them from fighting against the enemy.]

[The Naga Protection Squadron’s leader, Quantus’, special ability ‘Iron Curtain’ has been activated. The defense of the Nagas will increase, and the troops will become stronger. The Nagas will become tough enough to withstand any attack on their bodies. No Naga will break formation without the command of their king. A tremendous amount of effort and power is required to break their formation.]

The Nagas in position radiated energy as they received the various amplification buffs from the Undefeated Commander, as well as the Iron Curtain buff.

Then the battle began.

“Now!”

The advanced Naga Sorcerers heralded the start of battle. They spewed out a terrifying chill, as if to vent their anger for being treated miserably after consuming massive amounts of down gems in the past. The cold air emitted was so strong that the Moai, who had been charging toward them at breakneck speeds, were frozen instantly on the spot.

Crack.

The frozen Moai on the front lines were immediately trampled on and shattered into a million pieces by the Moai behind them.

“Don’t stop!” Kim Jin-Woo shouted as he looked at the frozen hell created by the Naga Sorcerers.

“Kekeke!” A few of the Naga Sorcerers giggled and laughed at Kim Jin-Woo’s command.

The scene of the Moai trampling on and crushing the corpses of their own kind was brutal and bloody, but it only seemed to excite the Naga Sorcerers. With low laughs and a wave of their hands, the cold air changed its direction accordingly as it continued to freeze the Moai.

“Urgh.” Seeing the Naga Sorcerers’ unbecoming behavior, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but let out a grunt.

However, no matter how absurd he thought the Naga Sorcerers’ atrocities were, it was undeniable that they were absolutely dominating on the battlefield. The waves of Moai didn’t stop even as the storm of cold wind started to dissipate, but they were unable to maintain their balance as they continued to slip, fall, and struggle across the frozen grounds. And for the Moai that barely managed to get across, they were mercilessly killed by the shields of the Naga Warriors before they even got a chance to regain their composure.

“Maintain your positions!” Kim Jin-Woo commanded.

“Ha!” The Naga Sorcerers passed the baton over to the Naga Warriors and Fighters, who roared and slammed the ground with their shields. The ferocious Moai, who had stopped at nothing thus far, suddenly paused momentarily at the display of such power.

However, these mutants of the Underworld, who endlessly hated all living beings in their thirst for down gems, soon revealed their true nature. A Moai that looked like an elephant with bruised skin swung its tattered nose as it charged toward the Nagas. It was so large that it could easily fill the entire passageway, and every footstep it took seemed to shake the Underworld to its very foundation. If it were to collide with the Nagas, their strong positions would be sure to easily break apart.

But instead of backing down, the Nagas lowered their stance even further as they braced for impact. The Naga Warriors dug their shields even deeper into the ground, and the Naga Fighters wrapped their tails around the Naga Warriors’ waists from behind them to anchor them further. And behind them, the other Nagas continued to do the same. As they became entangled, they formed into one giant snake.

“Brace for impact!” Kim Jin-Woo shouted on behalf of the Nagas, whose vision was blocked by their shields.

Crash!

A loud bang echoed across the battlefield. The noise was so intense that it was hard to believe it was the sound of skin and metal colliding, but the Nagas didn’t budge a single step. By relying on each other’s bodies, they were able to absorb the charge of the Moai that was the size of a house.

“Stab it!” Kim Jin-Woo commanded.

The Nagas were able to block the charge, and the Naga Warriors, still stunned from the impact, were barely able to raise their shields afterward. Between the gaps of the shields, the Naga Fighters pierced the Moai with their spears, axes and swords.

“Kyaaaargh!” The gigantic Moai screamed as its body became mangled in an instant.

***

[The Naga Protection Squadron has won the battle.]

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[It was a tough battle, but the Naga Protection Squadron fought well with the united pride of protecting their king. Although there were some losses, they are insignificant compared to defeating an overwhelmingly superior army.]

As the last Moai vanished in the distance, shaking its severed arm, the realization that this long tumultuous war had finally ended sank in for Kim Jin-Woo.

[One small victory has been added to the Undefeated Commander’s streak. It was a truly courageous act to stand your ground against such a fanatical army.]

[You have accumulated 159 major and minor victories thus far.]

[The effects of the Undefeated Commander title have slightly increased.]

[The Commander’s unique abilities and special abilities will not disappear as long as the streak is maintained.]

[Be cautious, as one defeat means the loss of everything.]

“Fuck, I can’t keep this up.” The final message appeared as if to taunt Kim Jin-Woo, and he couldn’t help but swear under his breath. Even when everyone else had already retreated, he couldn’t easily do so due to his ‘Undefeated’ title.

‘Undefeated Commander’. Victory was his driving force and his greatest strength, but it could also be his biggest downfall.

“We’re heading back!” Kim Jin-Woo regained his composure as he felt the presence of another Moai army approaching him from a distance, before heading into the passageway. His personal war without a cause was over.

***

After the war concluded, the distribution of rewards began.

“Mmm…”

Despite having won a major war, the participating labyrinth masters didn’t seem particularly pleased. They had sacrificed dearly in their blind chase for huge rewards, but when the time came to receive their rewards, they realized that their contributions were miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Thus, the labyrinth masters were lined up in the Fortress’ square, their faces deeply stained with fatigue from war.

Sitting on a temporary platform in the square, Kim Jin-Woo looked around at the other 9th Floor labyrinth masters. The square that had been completely filled up just a few days ago was now reduced to half. The surviving labyrinth masters seemed to be in poor condition, with wounds all over their bodies.

Among them, those in worst shape were the ones who had attacked Bartholomew’s labyrinth, including Ariane. Ariane had lost her coveted hair, and not an inch of her body was spared from wounds and bruises. With her internal organs bruised and bones broken by the savage giant’s punches, she looked to be in no condition to be attending the event.

Despite the fact that she was about to collapse at any moment, the only reason she was still standing was for fear of missing out on the rewards that she had risked her life for. Everyone else in the square seemed to have the same thought.

“The compensation will start now.” The labyrinth masters gazed at Kim Jin-Woo with a mix of expectation and concern as he broke the silence. He continued, “First of all, all the weapons and armor used by the 10th Floor army will be distributed to all who participated in the war.”

The most important targets of the war—the Nobles—had been defeated by Kim Jin-Woo and his subordinates. Thus, they had every right to claim the biggest prizes of the war.

But Kim Jin-Woo knew that doing so would incite regret among the labyrinth masters for having participated in the war, and he hoped they would be more active in future wars. Thus, after much deliberation, he decided to release all the loot as rewards, aside from the down gems and labyrinth cores.

Of course, that alone wasn’t necessarily enough to make up for the losses incurred during the war, but as the weapons and armor looted from the 10th Floor were of exceptional quality that couldn’t be found on the 9th Floor, the labyrinth masters seemed rather satisfied.

After all, before the drying-up of the down gem seeds, these were labyrinth masters who had used their minions like expendable objects, so it was little wonder that such a shallow reward could still prove satisfactory to them.

“Morrigan, Heimdall, and Boreas, come forward,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

The three who had each accomplished a major achievement were all called forward. The 9th Floor labyrinth masters looked on enviously.

Kim Jin-Woo continued, “I will bestow upon you the best weapons used by the Nobles themselves, as well as down gems and summoning stones.”

A few Naga Workers that had been standing by brought forward several boxes of various sizes.

“We thank the King for his gracious mercy!” Boreas and Heimdall looked satisfied as they bowed their heads and accepted the boxes. But for some reason, Morrigan didn’t take the box that the Naga Workers brought out.

“Morrigan?” Kim Jin-Woo called, but Morrigan reached out her hand and gently pushed her box away. He remarked, “It looks like there’s something else you desire.”

Instead of answering, she bowed her head and said, “I will seek a separate audience with you.”

“I’m not sure what you’re looking to request, but I understand,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Morrigan, Heimdall, and Boreas returned to their positions. The labyrinth masters looked greedily at the box containing down gems and summoning stones that Morrigan had rejected, but as soon as the Naga Worker disappeared at Kim Jin-Woo’s gesture, the looks of greed on their faces disappeared.

“Let’s wrap this up. Once again, good job, everyone.”

***

After all the labyrinth masters returned to their respective labyrinths, Kim Jin-Woo met Morrigan separately and asked, “Are the rewards insufficient?”

But instead of replying to his question, Morrigan asked a question of her own. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kim Jin-Woo had an idea where the question was leading, but he feigned ignorance.

Morrigan looked at him and bit her lip before asking again, “Why do I feel his power within you, Master?”

Kim Jin-Woo didn’t respond, and Morrigan only grew more anxious.

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