However, from Kim Jin-Woo’s point of view, there was absolutely no reason for him to answer Morrigan’s question. Looking at Morrigan, who glanced back at him from time to time with a dangerous look in her eyes, he had no idea what was going inside that head of hers. And despite having taken her in as his subordinate, there were still too many things he didn’t know about her to trust her fully.

“I’m tired. Let’s talk about this some other time.” Kim Jin-Woo turned his head and closed his eyes. It was a clear order, but Morrigan didn’t back down so easily. Even through his closed eyes, he could feel her directing stares at him, which he tried desperately to ignore.

Pitter-patter.

After standing in place for a long time, Morrigan finally moved. Kim Jin-Woo thought she had finally given up, but realized that her footsteps were echoing from the complete opposite end of the room from the master room’s exit.

Feeling uneasy, he opened his eyes reflexively. And Morrigan was standing right in front of him, her face close enough for him to feel her breath. The moment he saw her red, ominous eyes, Kim Jin-Woo found himself leaping up from his throne and swatting her, but Morrigan didn’t do anything to avoid his hand.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kim Jin-Woo asked, growling fiercely as he clutched her neck and started to choke her out.

“Kurgh.” Morrigan let out a few dry coughs as she choked, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. “I beg of you, this is important to me...”

After seeing the signs of desperation unbefitting of the vicious and arrogant crow, Kim Jin-Woo finally loosened his grip on Morrigan’s neck. After catching her breath, Morrigan pleaded once more.

It was quite likely that her current behavior was related to his having obtained the fragment of the One-Eyed Lord by absorbing Ustus. But nevertheless, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t understand why Morrigan was being so desperate. Her usual disposition was too cold for him to think that it was due to her longing for her former master.

She was a Death Crow that ridiculed the bravery of her enemies, and even laughed in the face of death. The sight of the vicious reaper of the battlefield clinging to him as if she were prepared to get on her knees at any moment to beg was something that Kim Jin-Woo could have never imagined.

“What’s making you this desperate?” Kim Jin-Woo asked, but instead of replying, Morrigan stayed silent. He continued, “You don’t have to tell me. But don’t expect anything from me either.”

In the end, Morrigan would be on the losing end of this silent treatment. Kim Jin-Woo was curious as to the reason behind Morrigan’s actions, but it was out of simple curiosity. It wasn’t something he was dying to know. Not only that, but he also truly had no intention of hearing her out. He stared at her with his cold eyes before looking away.

“Since you’re not leaving, I’ll leave.” Kim Jin-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked down at Morrigan, who had thrown herself onto his feet as she looked up at him as if she were some kind of a tragic heroine in a fairytale.

“W-wait!” He heard Morrigan’s mournful voice in the distance, but he ignored it as he continued to walk away. And when he did, Morrigan grabbed onto him once again.

“Morrigan.” Kim Jin-Woo’s voice turned deadly cold and calm. A blue light flashed through his black eyes, as ferocious energy slowly filled him. “Do not test my patience.”

Kim Jin-Woo’s gaze was so fierce that most Underworld creatures wouldn’t dare to even meet eyes with him. And yet, instead of avoiding his gaze by bowing her head, Morrigan looked him straight in the eyes.

“Ah…” But her eyes told a different story. She was staring at Kim Jin-Woo as if she were going to kill him, and yet, she was exhaling deeply with a somewhat troubled expression. She seemed… ecstatic, almost.

“I’m not going to repeat myself, Morrigan,” Kim Jin-Woo growled more fiercely in response to her tenacious gaze. Naturally, his anger began to overflow and take over him.

But unlike before, the energy that spewed out of him was more like the dignity of a king than that of a wild beast. Kim Jin-Woo himself seemed unaware, but he was certain that it was a different kind of power. It was a change that had occurred after absorbing Ustus’ power.

Even in the face of that vast and arrogant energy that seemed unapproachable to most, Morrigan refused to back down, but rather, approached Kim Jin-Woo with a smirk as if she were possessed.

“Don’t hate me for what I’m about to do,” Kim Jin-Woo said coldly. He was ready to punish her mercilessly if she took one more step.

But suddenly…

Thump.

Just when she seemed ready to attack, Morrigan suddenly got on her knees and bowed her head. With a supremely respectful position, she crawled forward on her knees and kissed the top of his foot.

“My King.” The moment Morrigan’s emotional voice echoed across the master room, Kim Jin-Woo’s message window popped up.

[Having served the mighty One-Eyed Lord by his side, the Crow of the Battlefield once again senses the power of her former master within you. It matters not who you are or how you have obtained those powers. Her mind is only filled with her soul’s contract at this moment, which she was unable to keep to the very end.]

[The Ancient War Hero of War—the Crow of the Battlefield, Morrigan—has sworn allegiance with her utmost sincerity and loyalty. Her submission to her summoning pact is a sign of her true allegiance.]

“My King!” Morrigan once again cried out in madness to her king, which Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t comprehend. Even he broke out in cold sweat while witnessing her blind fanaticism. But regardless of whether he was surprised or not, the Underworld system steadily continued to update him on the changes.

[Morrigan is an outstanding warrior and strategist. However, the powers you have witnessed prior to this are no match for her true potential. Her true power only awakens when she is with the Highlord.]

[Morrigan has found her true name, which she previously lost. Her true name is ‘Black Death Crow”, the name of the reaper who leads warriors to their death.]

[All of Morrigan’s abilities increase drastically.]

[She is able to use the unique ability ‘Death March’.]

Everything finally clicked for Kim Jin-Woo when he read the messages. The powers of the One-Eyed Lord that he had obtained from absorbing Ustus had somehow affected Morrigan’s own power. As if to confirm his suspicions, his body started to glow at that moment.

“Ah…” The world around him was engulfed in a blinding light. At some point, he felt his eyes open. A world several times brighter than what he had ever seen greeted him.

[The Power Fragment obtained by absorbing Ustus has not yet awakened. However, the Mysteries of the Underworld have intervened!]

[The Black Death Crow, Morrigan, was the closest servant of the One-Eyed Lord. Fragments of the One-Eyed Lord are fully awakened by her awakening.]

[Unfortunately, the Power Fragments you have obtained are incomplete. You may now use a ‘part’ of the power of the One-Eyed Lord.]

[You can use the ability of the One-Eyed Lord, ‘Eyes of Truth’.]

Another unfamiliar message window appeared over the latest message.

[Black Death Crow’s Status: Highly Excited.]

“What the…” The message, which seemed to indicate Morrigan’s psychological state, was something so absurd that even the confident Kim Jin-Woo, who had been certain that he had seen everything the Underworld had to offer, was left dumbfounded.

But messages continued to pop up one after another without giving him time to sort out his confusion. On top of that, a message appeared that was forcing him to make a choice.

[The moment to decide has come sooner than expected.]

[You already obtained the qualifications of the Highlord, but it was only temporary.]

[At this moment, you must choose whether to inherit the qualifications of the perfect Highlord, or not.]

[Should you choose to inherit the qualifications of the perfect Highlord, you will be deprived of your position of Underworld Viscount. You will first lose all the privileges you have enjoyed, but you will once again become an Underworld Noble afterward.]

[If you forfeit the qualifications of the Highlord, you will continue to be an Underworld Viscount with no further changes. However, the erratic, booming energy of the Highlord will continue to reside within your body for the rest of your life, attracting the attention of the Usurper.]

[Keep in mind that even Morrigan, a mere subordinate of the Ancient Lord, was able to discover the fragment’s energy. The Usurper is a high-ranking being that cannot be compared to the Black Death Crow. You will never escape the eyes of the Usurper.]

There was the word ‘choice’ somewhere in there, but the message seemed to not give Kim Jin-Woo any, and there was really only one choice he could make.

“I…” Kim Jin-Woo opened his mouth as he frantically looked at the messages appearing in front of his eyes. “The qualifications of the Highlord…”

His gaze turned to Morrigan, who was lying flat on the ground as she waited for her king. He then looked up to somewhere farther, beyond the darkness of the 9th Floor.

His days as a tunnel digger where he had lived like a beast, and the faces of the other tunnel diggers who had sacrificed themselves to save him, flashed before his eyes. His relationship with them, none of whom had survived, came vividly to his mind.

‘You are free.’ 

The declaration of the Spider Duke, which had contained neither contempt nor any other emotion, came fresh to mind, as if it had happened just yesterday.

Remembering those words, Kim Jin-Woo finally made his decision. “...I will not give them up.”

[The birth of a new Highlord is a meaningful event that deserves the blessings of the Underworld, but the current situation in the Underworld is unfavorable toward the Highlord. All Underworld beings may turn their backs on you.]

[Do you still wish to inherit the qualifications of the Highlord?]

Either way, it was going to be dangerous. Thus, Kim Jin-Woo answered again without hesitation. “I will inherit them all.”

[You are unable to reverse your decision.]

The message felt like a threat, but perhaps it was because of his mood. By this point, Kim Jin-Woo was feeling rather at ease.

“There’s no such thing as a reversible choice in this world anyway,” he whispered quietly, as if he were having a conversation with someone.

[...The succession of the Highlord begins.]

[The title of Viscount Kim Jin-Woo has been stripped.]

[All of the unique abilities of the Underworld Noble have been disabled.]

Nothing much changed due to Kim Jin-Woo’s noble title being stripped from him. There were countless times where he himself had forgotten that he had the position of a Noble, except for times where he had to occasionally activate a Noble’s ability.

However, if there was one privilege he had enjoyed as a Noble, it was this.

[‘Subjugation’ is an ability only given to the Underworld Nobles. All contracts with labyrinth masters that have been subjugated have been automatically terminated.]

It was the ‘Subjugation’ ability.

That was also within his expectations. Through the war with the 10th Floor, Kim Jin-Woo had realized that the 9th Floor army wasn’t as strong as he had hoped. This change was upsetting, but it was an acceptable loss.

However, the powers of the Highlord were even stronger than he had imagined. When he saw the new message that appeared in front of him, his eyes widened.

[Even though the Vassal’s Pledge is now broken, the fact that the entire 9th Floor is under your control has not changed.]

[Under the authority of the Highlord, the entire 9th Floor has been unified into one.]