Souls that die would have to pay the ferryman Charon a gold coin to have him take them to the other side, but if you don't have a gold coin then Charon will refuse to take you to the other side and you will have to swim across the river to get there.
Apparently, swimming across the river takes almost a hundred years longer than it would take for you to just use the boat, and you can get lost in that river for years trying to swim to the other side. It was some sort of deal between Charon and the goddess Styx that allowed him to cross the river in a shorter time than anyone else.
If he was going to be striking a deal with someone, then the best skill for that situation would have to be the True Sight skill. This skill could help him to know more about his opponent and give him an upper hand in the negotiation. Bumakr was worried about the skill level. What would happen if the True Sight skill was not high enough to see the skills of a god?
Charon might only be a ferryman, but he was still one of those mythological gods that Mark learned about in school. Surely, Charon would not be weak.
But all the other three skills were not going to be useful in a negotiation. Mark had no intention of drawing monsters to himself, and why would he try to fight Charon without knowing how strong he was first? That could be suicide. Mark decided that he would simply risk it.
There was a chance that the True Sight skill would not show him anything at all, and there was a chance that it would show him just enough for him to know what to do about Charon, but it was better than going in blind.
[Does the user wish to choose [True Sight] as his activated skill? Yes/No]
Mark chose yes and the system made the necessary changes to his system. The other skills were all blurred out and only the True Sight skill became active.
...
-> True Sight: This skill grants the user the ability to perceive the stats and skills of others, offering insight into their capabilities with a single glance. Current True Sight: D rank [1/400]
...
Mark started walking towards the boat at the river bank and once he was close enough he immediately activated the [True Sight] skill to get a look at Charon's stats.
...
The voice that spoke to Mark was low and raspy. It almost sounded like chalk grating over a board and Mark felt a small shiver in his teeth from the sensation. He frowned at the ferryman as he raised his head, and Mark was surprised to see that Charon had a face.
In fact, if you overlooked the chalk-white skin and black eyes that seemed to stare into your soul, Charon looked like a regular human being. Was this really the ferryman?
Mark expected something more... sinister than what he was seeing. He thought that Charon would be a twisted being with no face, or at least a skeletal face with black flames pouring out from the sides. Something like Ghost Rider. But instead, Charon just looked like a really pale middle-aged man.
Charon had a deep look of contemplation on his face as his mind raced through the history of souls that were recently sent to the underworld, and when he did not find Mark's name among the dead, he decided to speak up in realization.
"So you are the one sent by the gods of Olympus. I was told that a demigod would be sent to me, but I did not expect to see a boy your age. I have not been this insulted since that foolish woman dipped her son into my river. Achilles was his name, was it not... I hope you are at least more honorable than she was."
Mark stayed perfectly calm as he nodded. He then said.
"I came to strike a deal. I want to get across the river, but I do not have anything to pay you with."
Charon's face squeezed in irritation as he heard what Mark said. If you don't have anything to pay with, then you should not even show yourself before me. That was an insult that Charon was not going to stand for. He was one second away from simply telling Mark to go away and swim across the river like all the other lost souls, but he stopped as he gained a new outlook on the situation.
This boy was just like the others who had been chosen by the gods. Demigods like Achilles and Hercules were favored and sent down there to be tested by the gods in order to prove themselves. Charon has always hated the demigods. They had everything that Charon wanted.
They were favored by the gods and they had songs sung about them, depicting their adventures and great deeds, but Charon was stuck down here, a glorified soul transporter. He did not even have a single song made about him.
Charon finally had a chance to spit in the face of the gods. This could be his chance to relinquish his duties and leave this place. A coy smile spread across his face as he gained an idea of the perfect deal to strike with Mark. This would be perfect for him.
"You only believe that you do not have something worth exchanging, but the gods would not send you here without proper compensation for my troubles. Even the gods who cast me here in their hubris are not capable of circumventing the rules of this world."
Mark narrowed his eyes as he heard the way Charon was talking. It was a bit suspicious and Mark was already on guard as he made sure not to say anything that would get him in trouble without him knowing. He asked what the exchange would be and Charon's smile widened.
"Your soul. I will carry you across the river, but in exchange for my services, you will put your soul on the line."