Chapter 1: Underworld, Invitation (1)

Chapter 1: Underworld, Invitation (1)

[The jury vote regarding the Divine Trial of ‘Divine Twilight’ has begun!]

People always looked for gods in times of need.

It didn’t matter whether the god was the Great Jade Emperor or Buddha. The list went on—Odin, Shiva, Ahura Mazda, Allah, or even the ancestral god of one’s family. The god they usually believed in would come to mind first. They would pray for help attaining the things they wished for.

However, if that ‘god’ ended up in a crisis... Who would they look for then?

[Compiling the votes.]

[Compiling the votes.]

...

[Compilation is complete. The result will soon be announced.]

[The result of the vote...]

* * *

The rushing waves crashed roughly against the rocks. ‘Divine Twilight’ gradually dispersed the fog in his mind while listening to the sound.

‘Where am I?’

The unfamiliar scene before him made him squint. A gloomy gray sky, a river that flowed with black water, a dark beach, and an almost-collapsed ferry slip—he had never seen his surroundings before in his entire life.

‘Huh? I died, didn’t I?’

In truth, the word ‘annihilated’ would be more accurate. After all, the concept of death only applied to mortals.

‘My divine class, essence, faith, and rank... They’ve all been downgraded by force. My divinity has been severed, and my divine power has disappeared too. But... Why haven’t I gone mad?’

He had been trying to open his system window for some time.

[Unable to open system window.]

[Unable to open system window.]

[The system connection is unstable in this world. Please contact an administrator for more details.]

Or...

[Access permission denied.]

Only such messages popped up.

Ever since that day, he had been unable to open the screen that had once accompanied him everywhere he went. It was a bit frustrating.

Just as he was wondering about his next move, however...

[Someone is approaching.]

Swish, swoosh!

Out of nowhere, a boat appeared in the midst of the river and floated toward him.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Rattle!

The boat smoothly docked at the ferry slip. On it, there was a boatman wearing a straw hat and a middle-aged man wearing a fancy ceremonial suit.

“Divine Twilight... Are you Lee Chang-Sun?” the middle-aged man called out.

At that moment, the eyes of ‘Divine Twilight’ widened a bit.

Lee Chang-Sun was his real name, which he had long since buried deep in his heart.

“Father, Lee Jo-Myung. Mother, So Yu-Ha. Born on December 25th, 2001, in the Republic of Korea, on planet Earth. Your name means ‘a bright and generous person’.”

The middle-aged man continued to read out the things listed in his notepad, and ‘Divine Twilight’—no, Chang-Sun—felt his mind starting to blank out.

“In 2027, you ended up on the planet ‘Arcadia’ for an unknown reason, and became a ‘star’ after a series of tribulations... Ironically, despite your name, you killed hundreds of deities in ‘that’ conflict. Just reading about it gives me goosebumps, fiend,” the middle-aged man said, shaking his head. However, there was no sign of terror on his face.

“Then, you got caught and were put on trial. Based on the records, I should be looking at the right person. Are you not going to answer...?” The middle-aged man paused, taking an unnecessarily deep breath in the middle of his sentence.

Whoosh!

Chang-Sun abruptly sank into a low crouch, then in the blink of an eye, chopped at the man’s throat with his hand.

[Initiating attack.]

It was clear that the man would lose his head if he did nothing. However, he quickly drew his sword and deflected Chang-Sun's attack to one side.

Clash!

[Due to your revoked status, this skill is currently unusable.]

[Substituting with skilled hand-to-hand combat.]

However, Chang-Sun did not stop attacking. Like snakes darting forth to snatch prey, his hands continued unleashing a coordinated flurry of attacks.

If Thanatos oversaw the four phases of human life, he had to be in a pretty high-ranking position. He no doubt had a lot of power.

“We have arrived,” Yool said.

Before anyone knew it, the boat had arrived at a ferry slip next to the river mouth. It was much bigger than the one they had departed from. Souls were lined up on it, leading all the way inside a grand palace.

“It would take at least 49 days if we headed that way. Follow me. We are going to take a different path,” Yool said.

Chang-Sun followed after Yool and quickly bypassed the line.

The reapers in charge of the line saluted Yool simultaneously.

* * *

After they passed the crowd, Yool used a skill Chang-Sun recognized as Space Folding. Many places flickered into view and disappeared.

[This is the ‘Burning Hell’.]

[This is the ‘Freezing Hell’.]

...

[You have safely passed all of the Ten Hells in the land of the dead.]

A pit of fire with souls trapped inside appeared, followed by a forest densely filled with frozen trees.

Most of the souls trapped in the hells were ordinary, but there were some celestial beings among them as well.

“What is that?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Oh, right. You were a fighting deity before you became a fiend. That must be why you are interested,” Yool replied.

“It just caught my eye,” Chang-Sun said.

“They are the ‘fallen stars’,” Yool said.

“Fallen stars?” Upon hearing the unfamiliar phrase, Chang-Sun tilted his head sideways in confusion.

‘Star’ usually referred to beings who shone brilliantly, and thus decorated the sky beautifully. Alas, they were very prideful. If they fell, they would generally choose annihilation rather than to remain in such a pitiful state.

“Judging the sins of the dead is not Tartarus’s only job,” Yool explained.

“Then?” Chang-Sun asked.

“We also seal demonic and evil deities who push the world into a crisis in the abyss,” Yool continued.

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened a bit. He asked, “Why haven't I heard about that before?”

“That’s understandable. It would ruin Heaven's image, so why would they blabber about it?” Yool replied.

“Hmm...” Chang-Sun mused.

“Those people were sentenced to labor, either because their sins were considered light offenses or because they were almost finished serving their sentences. Of course, that labor would not be easy either,” Yool explained.

On some level, Chang-Sun could grasp why Heaven stayed vigilant against the Underworld and tried to not talk about it. He could also guess what kind of deal the Underworld had made with Arcadia.

“Right this way,” Yool said as they finally arrived at their destination after their long walk.

Before them stood a towering castle that soared endlessly into the distance. They passed through its dark red gate, then crossed the main road where several officials busily came and went. In the innermost area, they reached the castle’s entrance.

“I, the top-rank reaper Yool, have brought ‘Divine Twilight’ safely to this place as you have ordered, sir.”

『Enter.』

A deep, resonant voice rang out as the front gate opened, and a strong wind blew. Chang-Sun’s expression stiffened reflexively as the wind swept over him.

[Immense energy overwhelms you!]

Whoosh!

Chang-Sun had heard stories about the King of the Underworld, but it was beyond his wildest expectations. Wasn’t the King of the Underworld one of the highest-rank stars?

The darkness writhed, looking almost as if it wanted to devour him.

[The eyes in the darkness are observing you.]

Death was a power feared by all living beings, even deities. Just then, it had bared its brutal fangs.

Even if he were to fight after regaining his status, Chang-Sun wouldn’t be able to guarantee the outcome.

That was why...

Badump!

Badump!

‘...I think this will be fun.’

Chang-Sun could feel his heart beating for the first time since he entered the Underworld.