Chapter 249: Underworld (1)

Chapter 249: Underworld (1)It was not a very pleasant sight.

It didn’t even feel like it's been a long time since he was away from this place.

After all, he had lived in the underworld for such a long time. Compared to that, his time in the world was nothing but a speck of dust.

“......Are you here?”

Ferzen turned his head towards what looked like a man who had retreated to the back room that was approaching him in shabby clothes.

“Seems like you have not disappeared yet.”

“It just means I still have a lot of Karma left.”

The identity of the man was the king of the underworld before him.

Ferzen chuckled as he looked at him whose name had been forgotten.

“Your tricks seem to be working for you."

“So it looks like it’s working, huh?”

“......”

“It’s my first time seeing you smile like that.”

His way of speaking was strangely unpleasant, so Ferzen just furrowed his brows while sitting on his throne.

And even though Ferzen thought about using up all the little karma he had left, he didn't do it because his karma was too precious.

After all, Karma was everything that represented the status of god as well as the power related to birth and extinction.

To be exact, it was a twist in the causal law that would allow them to exercise their rights, even when there was no legitimate reason for interference.

In fact, the act of reincarnating his soul into the world by putting his soul in a human body was also something that other gods, including the author, did through their own karma.

“Do you think it was the right thing to do?”

Ferzen closed his eyes as he asked the question indirectly.

Proven by the fact that the former king had almost lost all of his karma, the underworld during his reign was a complete mess that was hard to control

It could be said that the underworld back then was something that could not be stabilized even if karma was used.

It was for that reason he was born; to lead the underworld and stabilize it.

Of course, that was ultimately just a subjective perspective of Ferzen—no, a god called Bertem Elqua Erue.

“It didn’t feel right, but you weren’t willing to compromise.”

As the underworld was not properly controlled, naturally Ferzen, who was born as the next-generation god, was given overwhelming karma.

However, his tyranny was working far too well, so he was able to establish peace by consuming only about 30% of the karma he had.

Originally, the monsters had strengthened their position by inducing the consumption of karma to accelerate their lifespan, but since they could not subdue Ferzen who still had a huge amount of karma remaining, they naturally bowed down to him.

However, his tyrannical reign did not stop there.

Ferzen continued to reign with the iron hand principle and even cut the healthy areas when all the rotten areas were already cut out.

“I wouldn’t have been born if in the end, I would settle for a compromise. I was born to lead the underworld in that way, and because of that, I was unable to do anything else.”

“If you don’t maintain an appropriate line...... The god born in the next generation will be given weak karma and will repeat my days of incompetence.”

“I guess that’s your point of view.”

“......”

“Is it not because the guys up there were afraid that I, with my overwhelming karma, would continue to reign without disappearing.”

Their purpose of reincarnating him in a human body should be to familiarize him with the emotions of compassion and joy so that he could imbue his rule with virtue.

Yes, the intention of the former king of the Underworld, whose name had now disappeared, might have been like what he said.

However, the other gods that were involved might not have the same intention as him.

They must have hoped that the monsters would swell in size while he was away from the underworld.

The monsters might also support that plan. After all, even if they would not receive any consequences, descending to the world as many as five times was still too much.

Their intention was probably to prevent him from dying. Thus, delaying him from awakening his true name and tying him to the world.

“It’s best to trample on those dregs while you have time. Doesn’t this peace prove that?”

“Your method may have made peace quickly, but it would not last very long.”

“......”

“Even though you and those who lived above had been living for a long long time, it seems like you are still not aware that eternity did not exist.”

Now,

In fact, from the monsters' point of view, even if they were sacrificed in this war, it would still be good news since Ferzen's influence would be rapidly reduced and the leash he had put on him would be loosened.

Buying time for themselves to grow stronger while he stayed in the world?

It was certainly not a bad idea. However, the ultimate purpose of their cooperation was because they expected that the returning Ferzen would start a war like this.

“Something I want, huh......”

And as if to clearly prove that ominous feeling, when Fersen, who was muttering lowly to himself, raised his head, the monsters clearly sensed that something was wrong.

“If you are willing to do that, use your karma to send me back to the world again.”

「......」

No answer came from Heaven.

No, to be exact, they could not answer because the demands he presented were so unexpected.

Of course, as much as it was unexpected, it was also difficult to accept it.

After all, putting the soul of a god of that caliber into a human body and preventing him from having his memories would have consumed more karma than anyone could imagine.

In reality, even that didn't work out well. Causing Ferzen, who was reincarnated as a human, to suffer from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder from birth.

......For this request.

Wouldn't he want all those flaws corrected?

He might even ask them to let him have some of his memories.

Since they would have to prevent his body from collapsing, it’s not Ferzen and his entirety that would die.

It was the selected few gods who would have to exhaust their karma to make it happen.

“I’ll give you half a day.”

Flinch-!!

As he spoke, Fezsen unconsciously felt an unfamiliar feeling creeping on him.

To God, time had no meaning.

After all, the passage of time did not mean lifespan to them.

It was only when he heard himself referring to a definite time did Ferzen realized the oddity.

Just like what the previous king of the underworld whose name had been forgotten said.

The reason he believed that eternity existed since he had lived for a long time was probably because he didn’t realize that it did not exist.

Eventually, Ferzen turned his back and took a step forward.

At that moment, the former king of the Underworld whose name had been forgotten, who was watching Ferzen quietly, opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you say it was nothing?”

“...... ”

“I definitely heard you say so.”

As he said, human life—that mortal time was nothing.

27 years as Lee Seo-jin.

25 years as Ferzen.

Even combining the two, it was still nothing but a speck of dust compared to the eons he had spent in the underworld.

However, Ferzen knew better than anyone else what meaning those meaningless things had for him.

Step-!!

As he took a step, Ferzen answered the question.

"It is indeed nothing."

But at the same time.

“It’s everything.”

That was what Bertem Elqua Erue realized through his life as a human being living in mortal time.

As Ferzen disappeared somewhere, the former owner of the Underworld whose name had been forgotten, looked back at the despairing monsters and smiled.

“You dregs. It was better when I ruled, right? If only you listened carefully back then, that guy would never have ruled the underworld.”

The laughter of a man whose name had been forgotten rang out loud and clear at that moment.