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But the problem was that it was too effective.

“It seems Master’s majesty is far greater than I thought.” Dominique was evidently embarrassed upon receiving Kim Jin-Woo’s praise.

“Phew.” Finally, Kim Jin-Woo let out a long sigh.

Ariane, who had been kneeling on the floor, trembled in surprise at his heavy sigh. She was still highly fearful, but she didn’t hesitate to express her thoughts. “If you give me another chance, I’ll never let you down.”

Although she had a trembling voice, her words were as firm as her will contained within.

-In order to survive, I have no choice but to be loyal to him…

Kim Jin-Woo’s Eyes of Truth also showed that she wasn’t lying. However, he remarked, “I don’t understand why you’re suddenly turning loyal to me.”

Ariane hadn’t revealed all of her deepest feelings, even in the face of terrible violence and death. Her allegiance to Denarion was that strong. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t understand her sudden change of heart.

Perhaps she sensed his distrust from the look on his face, as Ariane, for the first time, honestly confessed her feelings. “I just happened to finally understand who the greater Lord is.”

On the day she was subtly threatened, Ariane heard the roar of a predator who seemed ready to swallow the world up whole. She couldn’t have known that it was due to the Power of Greed that had manifested when Kim Jin-Woo devoured the captured Barons’ powers, but anybody in the vicinity could tell whose energy it belonged to. The moment she had been overwhelmed by that dreadful energy, her loyalty had started to shift.

However, she still hadn’t been able to make a decision then. That was because she knew how terrifying her own vicious and evil master was. But through her power of illusions, when she met up with her master again, she realized that he was neither as terrifying nor as overpowering as before.

Her own master couldn’t defeat the Conqueror. With that realization, she had finally been able to make up her mind.

Ariane’s thoughts were revealed to Kim Jin-Woo via the Eyes of Truth. Among her thoughts were despair and resignation from being abandoned by her master; thoughts that she hadn’t yet conveyed. At this point, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t help but believe her words.

“You’ve completely negated the Vassal’s Pledge between us,” he remarked.

“That…”

“I’m not here to blame you. I want to know if there’s some kind of contract between you and Denarion, and if there are any restrictions that come with it.” Thinking that she might refute him, Kim Jin-Woo quickly shut her up and expressed his concerns about possible restrictions that might be in effect.

“Initially, I had no contract with the Lord of Nightmares. It was just that his power of nightmares was stronger than my power of illusions, so I had no choice but to follow him,” Ariane explained, adding that the Nightmares, who depended on dreams as their source of life, had no choice but to follow the Master of Nightmares.

“So that was why a Vassal’s Pledge was possible.” Kim Jin-Woo had wondered if she was using a loophole in the Underworld system, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Hmm…” Dominique mused, her eyes full of questions about what to do next.

Kim Jin-Woo himself fell into deep thought upon seeing Dominique.

With Ariane explicitly expressing her change of heart, it was now impossible to proceed with the original plan. In the first place, their plans had all been made on the assumption that she would be acting for her master, so a revision to those plans was impossible.

Ariane looked at Kim Jin-Woo, who was lost in thought, and took a bold step forward. “I know more than what my great Lord thinks.”

Kim Jin-Woo visibly showed interest in Ariane’s words, and she actively tried to appeal to her usefulness.

“My power is that of illusions.” Ariane slowly looked into his eyes and got up, and a mysterious mist appeared at the tips of her fingers. Something shrouded in the mist. Meaningful gestures, as if reaching toward a mirage. Controlling the dreams of those who yearn for their unfulfilled hopes.”

The mist that hung from her fingertips dispersed with a gentle gesture. “Now that the great Lord has awakened, your dreams are nothing less than an insatiable thirst.”

Behind her smile was a dazzling glow in her eyes. “And when you’re engulfed in your desperate cravings and find yourself unable to escape, the Master of Nightmares will become not just your nightmare, but a deceitful illusion.”

There seemed to be some kind of complicated relationship involving the Nightmares, as Ariane spoke with a highly mysterious tone.

“Looks like this is going to be a long story,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

“The night in the Underworld is still young.” Ariane smiled seductively. But her smile didn’t last long, as Kim Jin-Woo’s expression changed in an instant.

“Before that, I have to correct that cocky attitude of yours,” Kim Jin-Woo commented. Ariane’s face turned white again when she saw the dazzling light in his eyes.

***

“The Queen of Illusions is something else.” When the conversation with Ariane was over, Dominique looked at the empty space where Ariane had stood and exclaimed in lowkey admiration.

Kim Jin-Woo also had a similar expression as Dominique on his face as he asked,

“But does she have the capability to do something like that?”

Ariane had never shown her true strength before, so they weren’t sure as to what extent she could carry out and materialize her ambitions.

“If Denarion truly doesn’t know who she really is, it’s most likely that he’ll be tricked by her actions,” Dominique replied.

It was likely that the Lord of Nightmares didn’t know what kind of woman the Queen of Illusions was. Had he known, he wouldn’t have sent her to Kim Jin-Woo. That was how terrifying her acting was. Her ambitions that she had kept close to her heart couldn’t even be seen with the Eyes of Truth.

“Even if she fails, we have nothing to lose,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked.

He still didn’t trust Ariane, after all. She had been hiding in his labyrinth while acting as a spy from the start, and for her to suddenly abandon her master and change allegiance wasn’t something that could be decided so lightly.

“It all depends on who she was dealing with,” he continued.

The deal that the man with bottomless greed was referring to was probably different from what the others were thinking of, but neither he nor Dominique thought too deeply into it.

“Still, I hope that Ariane, who’s easier to handle, wins.”

Ariane now belonged to the Grand Labyrinth and was part of its forces. And Kim Jin-Woo was a Highlord who controlled the rise and fall of the beings within the Grand Labyrinth. With him around, Ariane would never be able to escape the Grand Labyrinth.

Kim Jin-Woo, who knew her better than anyone else, lifted the restrictions that had been placed on her that day. With the restrictions lifted, the Nightmares were summoned.

[An Illusion Knight has been summoned.]

[An Illusion Priest has been summoned.]

[The Illusion Shaman has been summoned.]

In an instant, three hundred of Ariane’s troops were summoned.

“I’ll definitely repay Master’s expectations,” Ariane said. When she saw Ariane brazenly refer to Kim Jin-Woo as her master, Dominique’s expression was immediately filled with disgust.

But Kim Jin-Woo responded without hesitation. “You can’t deal with Denarion with a force of this size. Do you have a plan in mind?”

Although they were new summons, they barely numbered three hundred. It was impossible to close the gap against the Deep Floor Counts with such forces. Although Ariane was well aware of that fact, she looked rather content.

“Their role isn’t for combat.” Ariane elaborated that the fight between their two forces wasn’t just a battle of strength, but a covert battle of ideologies. “They’re just sacrifices used to link dreams to other dreams.”

The expressions of the troops behind Ariane looked gloomy, even though they were chattering away casually.

“Let’s just say, they’re kind of a stake?” Ariane continued.

Kim Jin-Woo suddenly recalled that a Nightmare had to be sacrificed in order for him to connect to Denarion via Ariane. With that realization, he nodded and said, “The one with the most stakes doesn’t always necessarily win the gamble.”

In response, Ariane smiled mischievously before quickly turning around. Apparently the memories of the violence inflicted upon her were too vivid for her to be cocky in front of him.

“Tsk.” Kim Jin-Woo looked at her and clicked his tongue.

***

If the war between Ariane and Denarion was secretive and hidden away, Valicius’ research was an open, all-out war in itself.

Bang!

Kim Jin-Woo wondered what kind of experiments Valicius had been running for a Moai’s corpse to blow it up several times a day in the workshop.

“The Naga Sorcerers have joined in on the experiment, and with that, the consumption of down gems has been increased.” Dominique was always calm, but even she trembled when she spoke of the Naga Sorcerers.

“Urgh.” Kim Jin-Woo didn’t look pleased either, as it seemed he took no pleasure in the return of the Naga Sorcerers. After all, they had a history of reckless experiments, to the point of even destroying a Labyrinth Core.

That being said, it had resulted in the creation of the Mirror Wraiths, who had proven to be a vital asset, as the Naga Sorcerers were too reckless in their work. They tended to immediately forget about their successes and throw themselves into new research, and in the process, they suffered countless failures, heavily damaging the labyrinth’s finances.

And now that they had returned, they had once again started to walk down the path of madness under the pretext of helping Valicius with his research.

Kim Jin-Woo was a cold and ruthless Conqueror, but the Naga Sorcerers were still nuisances that not even he could control. He finally uttered with resignation, “This is important research, so we have no choice but to wait and see for the time being.”

But the madness of the Naga Sorcerers somehow always exceeded his expectations, and within just a few days, they had hit a milestone.

Kim Jin-Woo found a Moai standing up and walking around the workshop, and was delighted with its shriveled facial features and its scorched skin.

“Oh, did you finally succeed in bringing the Moai into the labyrinth?” he asked. He remembered Valicius speaking about the need for a live Moai, but when he happily asked about the matter, the Naga Sorcerers started to shake their heads in unison.

“Kargh! Kaaaargh!”

As usual, there was no clear explanation, but by now, Kim Jin-Woo was able to comprehend what they were saying. He asked, “You didn’t bring in a live Moai, but rather, you created a Moai?”

When they couldn’t find a way to bring a live Moai inside, they seemed to have simply created one themselves. Kim Jin-Woo sighed with a disbelieving expression at the ingenious idea, before suddenly turning around with a horrified look. “Where’s Valicius?”

In response, the Naga Sorcerers rushed toward the Moai that was roaming around the workshop.