Records of Dungeon Travel

#95. Valh?ll

Ruuuuumble.

The castle walls rose with a roar. A spire rose through the gigantic golden barriers, which Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t fathom the construction of. Behind it, a magnificent building rose through the ground.

The walls and spire were so high that even in the Underworld where wild giant monsters ran rampant, most wouldn’t be able to climb and reach their heights. The castle that was barely visible beyond those walls was also golden.

[After a long time, the castle of the One-Eyed Lord has finally been revealed.]

[The castles of the powerful Ancient Lords each had their own inexplicable mysteries, but among them, the castle with the marvelous walls made of soft gold was the biggest mystery of them all.]

[Even the walls of Valh?ll, which stood strong in the horrific Twilight Wars, could not stand the test of time. Fortunately, the fortress that lost its luster after being neglected for so long has the ability to restore its splendor on its own. However, unless the vacant master’s seat is filled, Valh?ll will forever be filled with dust and never find its shine.]

Kim Jin-Woo continued to simply admire the wondrous sight. The castle that previously resembled ruins that had worn out over the years after being exposed to the elements suddenly looked as if it had gone back in time, restored to its days of glory.

Creaaaaak. Creaaaaak.

While he was preoccupied with the overwhelming appearance of the structure, the gates opened with the sound of cogs turning.

[The gates of Valh?ll have been fully opened. No one knows whether a legacy from ancient times or an unexpected threat awaits you, nor are you certain of what lies beyond.]

[Perhaps a test prepared by the One-Eyed Lord awaits you.]

[Would you like to enter Valh?ll?]

[Once you enter, you will be unable to retreat unless you become the owner of Valh?ll.]

[In the worst case scenario, you could become a dead man who will guard the empty castle alone.]

[Do you still want to enter Valh?ll?]

Kim Jin-Woo, who had been about to step through the gates like a possessed being, saw the message and immediately took a step back.

[Would you like to enter Valh?ll?]

The message asked the question again as if to urge him, but he didn’t respond at all.

In the past, the castle had been ruled by the One-Eyed Lord, who had been considered the most powerful even in the days when the ten Ancient Lords ruled the Underworld. Kim Jin-Woo had no doubts in his own strength. But nevertheless, he couldn’t make any hasty decisions.

Thinking back, he’d had to go through an incredible amount of effort to obtain Gungnir. Having faced the memories and hatred buried within the Mystical Spear, he knew perfectly well what the cost of inheriting a powerful ancient heritage was.

Moreover, the Second Restoration had just taken place. There was a lot of work to be done. It was too risky to accept the test of the One-Eyed Lord so hastily and recklessly.

But that wasn’t the only reason why he couldn’t make a decision. Behind the majestic appearance of Valh?ll, the splendid fortress gleaming in golden light, there was a somewhat ominous energy. It was as if a viper were hissing from the shadows, under the pile of gleaming gold and silver in a treasure trove.

He had no choice but to retreat while looking at Valh?ll with a hint of sadness, saying, “Let’s put this on hold for now.”

[Valh?ll will wait for you for eternity, as long as you and the One-Eyed Lord share the same name and you hold the key in your hands.]

As soon as the message finished, the towering spire and the castle walls sank back into the ground and the golden brilliance of the castle disappeared, leaving behind only the castle gate.

“Master, why did you not go through those gates?” Angela asked.

“The One-Eyed Lord was by no means such a simple being. He’s a damn scoundrel who’d never give away something for free,” Kim Jin-Woo grumbled. After staring at the entrance to Valh?ll for a moment, he turned away, leaving behind no regrets.

***

Fortunately, the damage to the Grand Labyrinth wasn’t significant. Although the outskirts had to be abandoned, the central region had been spared from any damage in return.

In addition, there had been minimal losses to the residents of the Grand Labyrinth. There were a few slow-footed beings who had been caught by the freezing during the evacuation, but nothing more. It was all thanks to the new ‘Frost’ title bestowed upon the residents of the Grand Labyrinth.

“Brrrr. S… So how long do we have to endure like this?”

However, not all beings had been given that title. That was the case with Uther, who twisted his body in an attempt to salvage any remaining warmth as the slime over his body started to freeze over. Malaxus and the various kings of the different races were in the same situation.

“At most, four days,” Kim Jin-Woo said. Meanwhile, Uther jumped and his body swirled like a slushie. Kim Jin-Woo continued, “The Dragon Knights are doing their best, so we might be able to shorten the duration. So until then, do your best to hold on.”

In fact, many Guardian Dragons were doing their best to break through the frozen passage by using their flame abilities. It wasn’t likely that the frozen solid ice walls would melt easily, but there was still some definite effect.

Uther, who hadn’t received the title of ‘Frost’, and the other kings of the various races looked at each other grimly.

Kim Jin-Woo, having confirmed the suffering of those races, moved on to find Morrigan and Heimdall. “Do you know anything about Valh?ll?” he asked. Having once served the One-Eyed Lord as their master, the Ancient Hero-Grade summons had to know something about the fortress that had suddenly appeared.

“Valh?ll was one of the most famous fortresses in the Underworld. If the Lord had stayed within Valh?ll, I assure you that he would never have been held in contempt by the Usurper and the wicked Nobles,” Morrigan answered.

“Sounds like it was pretty incredible,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

“All kinds of powerful weapons are installed on every wall and spire, and there were countless war-hardened warriors defending the fortress, so how could anyone dare to aim for his stronghold?” Morrigan continued. Kim Jin-Woo could see the pride in her hazy eyes, as if she were looking back on her distant past.

Heimdall said, “If my King wants to become the true Lord, you must seek the highest point of Valh?ll.”

“What’s there?” Kim Jin-Woo tilted his head curiously.

“Hlieskjálf[1],” Heimdall replied.

“Hlieskjálf?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“It’s the throne of power Wotan sat on, from which he observed the world around him. He once said it was solely by virtue of this throne of power that he could see more than others, despite possessing only one eye,” Heimdall explained.

Its usefulness didn’t immediately make sense to Kim Jin-Woo, but the Dawn Rooster said that the One-Eyed Lord had accomplished much from his throne, and that before anything else, Kim Jin-Woo should acquire it. It was evident that it was an object with extraordinary abilities.

“Hlieskjálf is impressive in itself, but there’s something even more impressive than that,” Morrigan also added to the conversation. She asked, “Have you ever seen the spire of Valh?ll?”

Kim Jin-Woo nodded. Morrigan explained in a rather excited tone, “Inside of it lies Mj?llnir. Once it makes its appearance, no matter how far an enemy may be, they can never rest. Even the toughest steel giants would turn tail and run at the sight of that weapon of the fortress.”

It was to be expected that the battle-crazed Morrigan would know something like that, unlike the Dawn Rooster, the Warden of War.

“I hope those two artifacts still remain,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“I don’t know about the other artifacts, but I’m certain Hlieskjálf and Mj?llnir remain in Valh?ll. They’re not some ordinary artifacts that would break down over time,” Morrigan insisted.

“I hope it’ll be as you say,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

He ultimately ended up listening to countless stories, but he had yet to hear the information he was looking for. He had been forced to turn around even with a powerful legacy in front of him, thinking that Morrigan and the other Ancient summons would know exactly what kind of traps and dangers Valh?ll was hiding.

In response to that question, Morrigan and Heimdall exchanged glances at each other before seemingly recalling something and starting to speak.

Meanwhile, the other summons were busy taking care of the Guardian Dragons as they continued to blast away at the ice walls. The flames they spit out accelerated the defrosting of the frozen Grand Labyrinth; finally, they were able to break through the passageway to the entrance.

The Guardian Dragons and the other summons, having been pushed to their limits, collapsed from exhaustion. Thanks to their efforts, however, the Grand Labyrinth, which had been isolated, was finally able to open its doors.

“Check out the situation on the outside, and report back to me.” As if waiting for this moment, Kim Jin-Woo quickly dispatched his Rangers with no time to waste.

The blindly loyal Under-Elves, who would willingly throw themselves even into the flames of hell at their master’s command, didn’t hesitate to head out into the new unknown of the Underworld immediately after the Second Restoration. They picked up their pace, spreading across the Underworld to get a sense of the situation.

As time passed, the Rangers who had left the labyrinth started to relay their information one by one. Thanks to their efforts, Kim Jin-Woo was able to understand that the scale of the Second Restoration was several times greater than he had expected.

“And you weren’t able to find a single labyrinth?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“We’ve scouted everywhere with our torches and kept our eyes peeled, but we weren’t able to find a single trace of any labyrinth, let alone an intact labyrinth itself,” Rikshasha reported.

Kim Jin-Woo frowned heavily and asked, “Was everything really destroyed?”

In hindsight, it wouldn’t be surprising for an ordinary labyrinth to have been completely devastated by an earthquake of that scale.

“Still, there must be a labyrinth that remains somewhere, so make sure to find it,” he continued.

“As Master wills,” Rikshasha replied.

While the Under-Elves eagerly continued their exploration, Kim Jin-Woo sat in a shady corner on the outskirts of the labyrinth, watching over the entrance to Valh?ll.

“Master, is there a reason for you to go to this extent? If you’re concerned about the borders, the Nagas and Rangers would suffice,” Angela said.

In spite of Angela’s words, Kim Jin-Woo remained firmly in his spot. He looked as if he had a firm belief that someone would come to this place. It wasn’t long before Angela found out who exactly he was waiting for.

“As expected, you’ve come,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

A small shadow that had appeared silently and slowly approached the entrance to Valh?ll was startled by Kim Jin-Woo’s voice and backed away.

“M… Milord.”

“I was thinking, just maybe, but you really did show up,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked. One of the reasons why he had left Valh?ll unattended was because he had been using it as bait to catch his shrewd prey.

“I’ve been wanting to see you anyway, so it’s great that you’ve come at the perfect time,” he said in a low voice. Mimir had a frazzled look as Kim Jin-Woo continued, “Tell me. What were you doing here? No, what were you trying to do?”

Mimir’s eyes quickly darted around in panic. There was no doubt that he was thinking of an excuse to get out of the situation.

“Let me give you one warning.” Seeing Mimir behaving suspiciously, Kim Jin-Woo said softly, “You’d better not be trying to squirm your way out of this one.”

He was smiling, but his eyes were gleaming eerily.

1. In Norse mythology, the Hlieskjálf was the high seat of the god Odin that allowed him to see all the different realms. ?