< Episode 22. Three Promises (6) >
The last expression I'd seen on Kim Namwoon's face lingered like an afterimage, but it wasn't as if I'd come here to save him in the first place, so there was nothing I could do about it.
Besides, why bother saving someone who claimed hell suited him just fine?
The legless Judge ascended the stairs in ghostlike silence.
Along the way, several high-ranking-looking symbolic beings cast curious glances in my direction.Were they the Constellations residing within Hades' palace?
I wasn't sure.Not everyone here was necessarily a Constellation.
Perhaps he noticed my sideways glances, because the Judge spoke without turning around.
[If you do not follow closely, you will lose your way.]
The metal-scraping quality of his voice made my stomach churn.
Still, it was sound advice.
Watching the Judge carefully, I tilted my head slightly upward and moved my lips just enough to whisper.
"Hey. You're listening, right?"
A whisper too quiet for the Judge to hear.
"I know you are."
This wasn't the surface world—it was Hades' Underworld.
I was curious.
Did the goblins' "channels" still function properly here?
Then, a faint voice reached my ear.
—Y-yes. I'm watching.
Goblin channel communication.
It wasn't Bihyung's voice.
"A new goblin?"
—Yes. I'm the lower-rank goblin, Younggi. Elder Bihyung is away on administrative duties, so I'm acting as his substitute for now.
Goblin Younggi.Probably that rookie goblin who'd been stuck handling scenario reward settlements earlier today. I went straight to the point.
"Are you slacking off on your job?"
—Pardon?
"The hidden scenario was updated. Why didn't you tell me?"
If I was going to a place this terrifying, I at least needed to make sure I got my hidden scenario rewards properly.
—Ah, th-that is…!
Judging by the way he froze, he really was a rookie.
It made me realize anew just how competent Bihyung actually was. I'd always thought he was just a dim-witted goblin with a few screws loose, but…
After maintaining silence for about ten seconds, Goblin Younggi suddenly stammered,
—U-um… excuse me…
"What now."
—H-how do you update a scenario?
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What kind of goblin asks a sponsor that?"
—E-Elder Bihyung told me that if I didn't know something, I should ask Kim Dokja-ssi.
That bastard Bihyung seriously dumped a liability on me before leaving, didn't he?
—P-please wait just a moment! I'll ask another goblin. Ah, and also…
"…What now."
—I'm sorry, but may I display the backlog of 'indirect messages'? This is my first time doing it under circumstances like these…
Reluctantly, I nodded.
To think there'd come a day when I'd miss Bihyung…
Then, an explosive flood of messages rushed into my mind.
[Constellation, 'God of Wine and Ecstasy,' is delighted by your predicament.][Constellation, 'Prisoner of the Golden Head,' is thrilled by your adventure.][Constellation, 'Secretive Plotter,' is intensely curious about how you will escape.][Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire,' prays for your safe return to your comrades.]
...
So they really were all watching me.
Some, meanwhile, were simply awestruck.
[Constellation, 'One-Eyed Maitreya,' marvels at the palace of the Underworld.][Constellation, 'Bald Righteous Army Commander,' is deeply shocked by the scenery of the Underworld.][Constellation, 'Bald Righteous Army Commander,' begins to doubt his religion.]
...
For Hero-grade Constellations, this must be quite the spectacle.
Not every Constellation was permitted to ascend to Hades' palace.
[You have received a sponsorship of 12,000 coins.]
Just for showing them Hades' palace, I'd earned 12,000 coins.
An enormous profit.
Well, technically speaking, I was illegally broadcasting a restricted private property where filming was prohibited, so that amount felt justified.
How much time had passed?
The Judge, who had been walking in silence, finally spoke.
[We have arrived.]
With a creaking sound, the doors opened, revealing a vast hall furnished like a grand banquet chamber. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see clearly.
The Judge vanished, and the doors closed.
At the center of the dim hall, a small flame flickered to life.
An oval table with an ancient, dignified air awaited me.
It was so extravagant in size that it could rival a king's royal feast.On the black velvet-covered table were countless dishes that stimulated the appetite.
At the far end of the table sat a woman, gazing at me.
[How amusing. It has been quite some time since a living soul entered this castle. And to bring along such unpleasant spectators as well… today shall be a truly special day.]
I recognized her immediately.
In Hades' palace, there was only one being who could occupy the position of hostess.
I bowed my head politely and spoke.
"It is an honor, O 'Queen of the Darkest Spring.'"
The Queen of the Darkest Spring.
She was Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and wife of Hades.
[You know my epithet. You are a well-mannered sponsor.]
"You flatter me."
[What is even more interesting is that your soul does not waver, even after hearing my true voice.]
Now that she mentioned it, despite hearing a Constellation's true words directly, I felt nothing unusual.
Persephone was, at minimum, a Myth-grade Constellation.
Normally, the disparity in rank alone should have caused my soul to suffer severe damage—or be destroyed outright—the moment I heard her voice.
Not long ago, even enduring the true words of Hero-grade Kim Yusin had been difficult…
[Exclusive Skill, 'The Fourth Wall,' is being strongly activated.]
It was the first time I'd seen the modifier "strongly" attached to a skill message.
Given the extraordinary nature of my opponent, perhaps my subconscious was interpreting this situation as even more "unreal" than usual.
[Sit down, Sponsor Kim Dokja.]
Grateful for the generous treatment, I quietly took a seat across from her.
Honestly, I hadn't expected such courtesy.
The sweet aroma of the food tickled my nose.
I looked around, but Persephone was the only one seated at the table.
"The Lord of the Underworld is…?"
[The King is displeased by your sudden visit. Therefore, it would be better for you to discuss today's business with me.]
So this was how it would be.
I'd expected as much.
One of the three chief gods of Olympus wouldn't meet a mere sponsor on a whim. And besides, I wasn't Orpheus—I couldn't play the lyre beautifully enough to earn such an audience.
"If you'll pardon me, may I ask one question?"
[Go ahead.]
"Is the form before me Your Majesty's true body?"
[Of course not. This is merely a symbolic body. My true form is not something a mere human like you could endure.]
I quietly studied Persephone's symbolic body.
She wore the form of a frail old woman.
…What a vicious sense of humor.
Honestly, there was no other way to see it.
Persephone smiled faintly.
[It seems elderly women aren't to your taste.]
"That's not the issue."
Whether she appeared as a grandmother or a grandfather wasn't what mattered.
The problem was that the "grandmother" she had chosen to become was that very old woman—the one I had failed to save in the subway during the First Scenario.
[If it makes you uncomfortable, I can change my appearance.]
Slowly, Persephone's distorted form shifted into Yoo Sangah's .
And not the usual Yoo Sangah.
Half her chest exposed beneath a black cheongsam dress, garter belts hugging her thighs, eyes accentuated with sultry makeup—
Just looking at her made my face feel like it was about to burst into flames.
Damn it. Did she break into my porn hard drive or something?
"Please… just keep the grandmother."
Of course, Persephone didn't listen.
[We seem to be short on time, so let us get straight to the point.]
"Would that be all right?"
[I heard a little from my child, but hearing it directly from the person involved has its own meaning.]
Her "child" must have meant Dionysus.
I nodded, drew in a short breath, and poured everything out in one go.
"I'm looking for a woman's soul. I don't know if you've already heard, but I'm prepared to offer a trade."
[A soul… That brings back old memories.]
Lowering her luminous eyelids, she seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Then Persephone's long fingers slowly moved, cutting into the steak on her plate.
I waited patiently.
The dissection proceeded slowly.
The fork pinned the flesh in place, and the knife moved back and forth, carefully slicing the meat.
Avoiding the sinew, she separated the flesh cleanly, crimson juices seeping appetizingly from the neat cross-section.
The fork delicately speared a piece of meat.
Persephone hesitated, as though deciding whether to eat it or not.
As if she had already forgotten my request entirely.
Just as my impatience was about to make me speak, her lips parted first.
Not to eat the steak.
[In this world, something called a "soul" does not exist.]
Souls do not exist.
A claim most modern physicists would agree with—but the problem was who had said it.
A god.
And one from Olympus, which had long defended the logic of the soul.
I replied sarcastically.
"That's a declaration that would make Plato and Aristotle leap out of their graves."
[They've become Constellations too, so they're probably not in their graves anymore.]
"I didn't come here to trade wordplay."
[Neither am I joking, Sponsor Kim Dokja. Souls do not exist. They are nothing more than illusions created by humans who desire continuity of the self.]
"Then what are the people in the Underworld? Aren't they souls?"
Instead of answering, she pointed at the steak she had just cut.
[They are the same as this.]
Slowly, the steak disappeared into Persephone's mouth.
As if savoring the flavor for a long time, she chewed unhurriedly. Her lips, stained with bright red juices, glistened seductively.
[Mmm. A truly top-grade product. Would you like to try some as well?]
Before me lay a steak identical to the one she had eaten.
I stared at it for a moment, then said,
"No."
[Do you intend to be rude?]
"Yes. I sincerely apologize, but I must be rude."
It would undoubtedly taste good.
In Ways of Survival, twelve full pages were devoted to describing the flavor of this food alone.
But at the end of that lengthy description was this sentence:
"Afterward, until the moment that regression ended, Yoo Joonghyuk regretted eating that food."
Those who eat the food of the Underworld can never return to the surface world.
As if she had read my thoughts, Persephone laughed.
[Life in the Underworld isn't as dreadful as you imagine. Most of what is said about it is false. With the King's permission, one can even make excursions to the surface. In your world's terms, it's similar to being a 'career soldier.']
"Military service was the most miserable memory of my life."
[Really? Men from your country often say things like, 'I might as well just stay in the army forever,' so I assumed it wasn't such a big deal. It seems I was mistaken.]
I had no idea why a foreign goddess knew Korean men so well.
Persephone continued.
[Sponsor Kim Dokja. You could receive treatment beyond anything you imagine.]
"An administrator once told me something similar when he recommended I become a professional NCO."
[But that person probably didn't offer you a steak like I did. For instance, do you know what would happen if you ate the steak in front of you right now?]
"You'd let me taste the beef juices?"
[You would become a Sword Master immediately.]
The words were spoken so casually that I thought I'd misheard.
Sword Master.
A transcendent realm that Returnees who crossed into other worlds could reach only after years of relentless effort.
[And if you eat the pasta beside it, you could become a Great Mage capable of conquering the continent.]
…This pasta?
[The soup? Naturally, it's soup that can turn you into an SSS-rank Hunter.]
This wasn't a royal banquet.
It was a miracle feast.
Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.
If I ate just one piece of this meat, I could gain power that would easily surpass Yoo Joonghyuk as he was now.
[Will you still refuse to eat?]
Slowly, I moved my fork and picked up a piece of steak.
But the moment the fork pierced into the meat, strange scenes flashed before my eyes.
They were memories—of a man training alone with his sword.
"I can't become weak. I have to learn the sword.""Train. Train again. I'll become stronger.""I—I did it. I really did it!"
Fragmented scenes, strung together.
Startled, I dropped the fork.
What I had stabbed wasn't the flesh of a dead cow.
"Don't tell me this is…?"
Persephone nodded.
[Yes. This small piece of meat—this is everything humans believe to be a soul.]
She picked up another piece and ate it with relish.
Only then did I fully understand her words about becoming a Sword Master by eating it.
I spoke.
"…This is the memory of a man who was once a Sword Master."
[Memory? No. To be more precise…]
She paused, choosing her words carefully, then continued.
[A story.]
As she licked her lips and looked at me, a chill ran down my spine.
[The favorite food of all Constellations—stories.]
< Episode 22. Three Promises (6) > End