Kim Jin-Woo felt power filling his body. It was an overwhelming amount of energy that he had never experienced before. However, even greater than that dreadful feeling of satiation was a terrible thirst that felt as if it could never be fully quenched.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

In front of him was a pulsating heart. Hesitation was a luxury he couldn’t afford. As if he were possessed by something, he bit into the heart and ripped it open.

[The ruler of the fearless Taurus, Alitos, the Duke of Thunderbolts, is a true ruler of the Deep Floors. The power of thunderbolts he possesses is a highly destructive power.]

[The delectable taste of thunderbolts is a perfect meal for the greedy Evil Dragon.]

[You will now consume the heart of Alitos, the Duke of Thunderbolts.]

The messages that filled his eyes weren’t important at the moment. Driven by a thirst that wouldn’t go away no matter how much blood he drank, Kim Jin-Woo blindly buried his head deeper and deeper into the heart.

[The aura of the ruler of the Taurus, the Duke of Thunderbolts, was a crystal of pure energy.]

[The power of Greed, having absorbed that enormous energy from his heart, has instantly broken past the 100% satiety level, and its grade has increased.]

[The power of Greed (Grade 2) has become the power of Greed (Grade 3).]

[The power of Greed has reached Grade 3, and the unique ability ‘Predation’ has become ‘Gluttony’.]

[The power of a true predator that seeks to devour all living things is now an insatiable monster.]

[The power of Gluttony has been added.]

[The power of Greed now has a greater ability to digest even more powerful prey. If certain conditions are met, it may be able to absorb even a formidable enemy that normally could not be dealt with.]

[Any opponent faced with this insatiable and endless greed will automatically freeze up and have their soul suppressed. Your opponent may even surrender to the overwhelming greed and give up their own heart as an offering.]

[It has been an excellent choice to devour your opponent’s heart. Although it may seem cruel in the eyes of others, it is a highly effective outcome for you.]

[Your prey’s abilities have been completely absorbed.]

[You have gained the grand awakening of a hidden power granted only to the true rulers of the Deep Floors.]

[Thunder Breath is a destructive ability that uses the energy of thunderbolts. Thunder Breath can now be used by consuming a considerable amount of energy.]

The power of Greed had increased by one grade, and Kim Jin-Woo had obtained the power of Gluttony. In addition, Kim Jin-Woo had been able to acquire a unique ability granted only to the Dukes. These were all massive gains.

However, he still did not feel even the slightest bit of joy. He was still hungry even though he had absorbed an incredible amount of powerful energy, and he looked around in search for someone who could relieve the burning hunger within him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a giant white bear with an energy pool comparable to the Duke of Thunderbolts that he had just absorbed.

***

Right up to the point that his nemesis, the Taurus King, was defeated by the Undefeated Commander, the Ursus King was filled with joy. He was delighted by the feeling of having his nemesis defeated and his lingering resentment dispelled, and he cheered for the loot that would soon be in his hands.

However, that joy was brief. He soon knew that something was wrong. He just didn’t know what it was. It was as if the seeds he had sown as his insurance had germinated in the worst way possible. That sprout had grown quickly into a huge carnivorous plant and was now a threat to him.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of crunching bones and flesh filled the air. It was a sound the Duke had always heard all across the Underworld, where it was a dog-eat-dog world. But right now, that sound couldn’t be any more terrifying.

He couldn’t control himself and he trembled madly. The sight of his nemesis groaning in death while in the grasp of a hideous monster was like a nightmare. Seeing his nemesis struggle desperately as he floundered to shake off the monster’s jaws made the Ursus King feel a chill up his spine for the first time in his life.

“Kurgh.”

He couldn’t stand there frozen forever, however. Unfortunately, that terrifying monster was located in his own castle and fortress, and if he couldn’t drive it out, the outcome would be decided, whether by having his Labyrinth Core taken away or by being devoured by the monster.

Thus, he forced himself to move somewhere the monster couldn’t see him. While the monster was concentrating on its meal, the Ursus King quickly tried to think of a way to find an opening.

On the contrary, however, that plan only tightened the noose around his neck. In a world where everything was completely still and there was not a single movement to be seen, any small movements he made easily stood out.

The monster that was devouring the Duke’s body turned to look at the Ursus King with a groan.

“Ah…”

The moment their eyes met, the monster opened its hideous jaws and laughed loudly.

***

The Ursus King tried his best. The seasoned white bear didn’t hesitate to hide behind his subordinates if necessary, and alternated between using various traps and his powers to try and force out the Evil Dragon.

“This…”

However, in the end, all his efforts only bought him a mere few seconds. He was eventually forced to witness his own beating heart through the gaping hole in his chest.

“I’ve awakened a crazy monster…”

Blood dripped from his chin as he recalled his final memories.

It was a war he’d had high odds of winning, but the gallows he had prepared for his nemesis turned out to be for himself in the end. The Duke reflected on his own stupidity; he slowly died feeling a sense of weakness he had never felt in his life, and only felt at the end of it.

[The king of the wise white bears, Winter Duke Burrabes, has fought against Duke Alitos for a long time. The power of ice that he possesses is no weaker than Alitos’ power of thunderbolts.]

[Burrabes and Alitos are enemies who have been fighting each other for a long time. Although it may not have gone in the direction they had hoped, your feat of breaking the chains of hatred created between them in the midst of their long confrontation is undoubtedly great.]

[Everyone marvels at your victories against the mighty Dukes.]

[The rulers of the Deepest Floor, who have never known of your existence, are beginning to show interest in you. Some of them will watch over you and keep an eye on you.]

Normally, Kim Jin-Woo would have been startled by the messages stating that he had attracted the attention of the Nobles of the Deepest Floor. However, he was still hungry and unable to come to his senses. The only thing that was driving him now was his appetite.

However, when the two Dukes collapsed, all that was left were the corpses of the Taurus and Ursus who had shared their fate with their respective masters. There was no one else in sight that could satiate his hunger any longer.

Naturally, he began to move in search of prey that would be able to satisfy his hunger. Unlike here, where only death remained, there was an army in the labyrinth in the east that was still full of vitality.

***

Even though a long time had passed since the battle, Kim Jin-Woo was still in the form of the Evil Dragon… No, he was becoming more and more like a terrifying monster as time went on.

Even the last similarities to a Drakan had faded. He was now completely unrecognizable, and the energies of the two Dukes that he had yet to fully digest swirled around him, the white and blue energies spewing out of his body.

“Ah…”

After wandering around for a while, he suddenly came to his senses.

“This is…”

For a moment, he had completely forgotten where he was, or what he was going to do.

He belatedly understood the situation, but his mind only returned for that brief moment. The tension in his eyes had finally eased up, but after he stood on the spot for a long time, he started to breathe deeply again and began to move.

Even though he had devoured two mighty Dukes, his hunger and endless greed had completely engulfed him.

“Krrrrrr.”

With his neck tensing harshly, he looked no different from the Moai who had been tainted with malice. Kim Jin-Woo struggled as he roamed around aimlessly to find something to satiate himself.

Suddenly, he sensed a weak source of energy that made him stop in his tracks.

“Krrrr.”

He pondered for a moment. The intense energy he had felt was full of vitality, and it could possibly satisfy his hunger. However, it was also located far away, while the new source of pure vitality he had just detected, while weak, was nearby.

After thinking about it for a while, he soon felt the weak source of energy approaching him, and he decided to enjoy an appetizer before his main course.

“Krrrrrrrrr.”

After a while, the small source of vitality he had been waiting for appeared in front of his eyes. He tensed his neck and slowly opened his mouth. He was a monster that had made even the white bears, who were known to be fearless, terrified of him, and his killing intent slowly rose.

However, the owner of the small source of vitality took a step forward toward him without showing any signs of fear.

“Master!”

Kim Jin-Woo’s hideous jaws, that had been ready to munch on the lifeform in front of him, immediately froze.

“Master! Wake up!”

***

Hunger. Thirst.

A small ripple occurred in Kim Jin-Woo's consciousness, where only a single emotion had dominated. He felt a strange, prickling sense inside him beneath his hard scales, but he didn’t hate it.

However, a ripple was just a ripple; even that was immediately swallowed up by his hunger and thirst, as he raised his head once again and it disappeared without a trace.

“Krrrrrr.”

Would he feel any better if he devoured this tiny lifeform? He stretched out his neck, dying of hunger.

But he couldn’t go any further. It seemed something was missing, and he began to feel confused and in pain.

He knew he could satisfy his hunger, and all he had to do was to close his mouth just then. Even if his hunger returned, he was sure that whatever was in front of him would keep him satisfied for a while. But no matter how hard he tried to close his jaws, he couldn’t do so.

“...!”

His ears were buzzing. The ripple he had thought was gone was still within him. Rather, it became an even bigger ripple, and it began to shake him. Those ripples eventually turned into waves, and then into whirlpools.

His consciousness, once dominated by his appetite alone, finally began to awaken, and he was belatedly able to perceive fragments of emotion buried deep within his mind.

Longing. Happiness. Sadness.

“...er!”

A sense of desperation was slowly penetrating him from a single point, and it began to spread across his body.

“Ma… er!”

The noise that roared like the wind and lingered in his ears finally started to become one coherent voice. And the moment he heard that voice, his mind returned.

“Master!”

In front of him, her face full of tears, was the face of his lovely Naga Maid.

“Do… minique?” Kim Jin-Woo slowly exclaimed.

“Master!”

[The being you trust the most has broken through the Evil Dragon’s veil with her blind affection and loyalty, and has reached your consciousness.]

[The purity of the Nagaraja, which was polluted by grudges, desires, extravagance, and obsession, has been restored.]