471 - Entering the Underworld #4

"Passengers, eight. Confirmed boarding. Then, let's depart."

Seueuk, seueueuk, cheolsseok-.

With every stroke of the ferryman of the dead, Charon, the boat continued to move forward.

Watching the dock recede further and further, and those left behind, I couldn't help but shout.

"We'll depart first for now, so let's regroup later-!"

"━!"

It seemed they were saying something after that, but the rapidly flowing rapids blocked their voices, making them inaudible.

Now, only seven passengers remained on the boat. Just then, Luna opened her lips.

"Even counting again, it's seven people. Why are they saying eight?"

No matter how much Luna thought about it, Charon's calculation method didn't seem to make sense. Luna looked at the cage holding Ing-ing, tied to her waist.

"Is it because of Ing-ing-?"

"━Kyu-ing-."

Luna's words also had merit. If Ing-ing, who boarded the boat with us, were included as a passenger, our number would be eight.

However, we couldn't dwell on such things for long.

Pat, pabat, pat-.

Because soon, something leaped out from the rapids and attacked the boat.

Seureung-, Hippolyte drew her sword.

"What is it? An attack-!?"

Her sharp eyes flashed, and she delivered a clean single strike. Hippolyte's sword, drawn like lightning, split something in half.

"━Pishii-, peushiii-."

It was a fish that made a strange sound.

With jagged, sharp teeth and distorted faces, its appearance was more horrific than any deep-sea fish I'd ever seen. It looked more like a monster than a fish.

The problem was that these brats kept leaping up from the rapids like kids playing on a trampoline, attacking the boat.

"Th-this fucking school of flying carp kings-!"

Why would fish brats attack a boat carrying people? Is this nature's wrath, oppressed and damaged only by humans?

We were all overwhelmed by this supernatural event.

"Damn it-."

Antiope drew her spear and swung her arms left and right.

"What is this all of a sudden! What keeps jumping up like this, it's annoying!"

Pat, pabat-.

I asked the surroundings, waving my hands non-stop. It felt like playing a defense game on a boat.

While we were busy defending the boat-.

Charon, the ferryman who was calmly rowing, said one thing.

"The fierce fish of the Acheron River like fresh flesh. They do not permit the passage of the living."

So, according to Charon, it seems these fish are attacking because we are living people.

Indeed, they're trying to eat us. Of course, anyone could tell that just by looking at those menacing teeth, even without an explanation.

The problem is, how long must we endure this assault?

"Does anyone have any good ideas?"

"━Pishii-, kyaek-!"

I asked the surroundings, waving my hands non-stop.

Everyone seemed too busy dealing with the fish flying at them to have any proper solutions, but still.

Still, with this many people, surely at least one person would have a brilliant idea.

"Me! I have a good idea!"

Just then, Antiope shouted loudly.

"Make lightning strike the river! Then all the fish inside will die too!"

Channeling intense electric current into the river?

What a fucking brilliant idea. The fish brats wouldn't be able to withstand the electric stimulus and would surely faint and float up.

"Then hurry up and do it!"

"But, since the river is wide, charging will take time-! So, I'll charge up some power for a moment, so just hold on somehow-!"

Antiope sat in the center of the boat and assumed a cross-legged position.

And then she began to regulate her breathing, and yellow sparks, visible enough to be seen, slowly began to jump off her body, pa-jit, pa-jit-.

"Electricity-. Electricity."

Watching that, Gloria vigorously shook her head.

Then, something floated up into the air from beneath her fluffy raccoon fur.

"━Kyu-ing-."

It was Gloria's treasure, the small dark cloud called the lightning repository, Cloud Ring. I wondered what she was trying to do.

I recalled how, when we ganged up on Gloria long ago, that cloud had spewed intense lightning in all directions, causing us great trouble.

"Ing-ing-ah, shoot lightning into the river-!"

"━Kyu-ing...!"

Following Gloria's urgent command, Cloud Ring, Ing-ing's body, leaped even higher into the air. Then, like dark clouds, it let out the sounds of thunder, kwa-kwang, kwa-reureung-.

Pajik, pajijijijik-!

Finally, it began to emit intense electric currents in all directions.

"━Kreu-reung-!"

When the fish struck by that intense lightning began to float up here and there, we, who had been fending off the wave attacks, could catch our breath a little.

"Now it's done-! Thunder Bird-!"

Soon Antiope raised the hand holding her short spear high. From there, a blue lightning bolt erupted, soaring high in the shape of a bird.

Jijijijijijijijik-.

It sounded like several birds chirping. With a chilling sensation running down my back, the bird finally collided with the river.

* * *

The 100,000 volts emitted by Antiope tidied up the general situation.

In the situation where everything was blackened and scorched, Hippolyte slightly narrowed her brow.

"That Antiope girl, when did she learn this technique...."

It seemed Hippolyte was surprised that her younger sister's growth far exceeded her expectations. Of course, because she used a big technique, Antiope was merely breathing heavily.

However, she didn't forget to smile relaxedly.

"I wanted to show it during the festival. But now it's revealed."

"Hassan-nim, look at this-! These hideous fish are floating all over the place-! It's truly half water, half fish-!"

Paranoy pointed his finger towards the river. As Paranoy said, the river was covered with the corpses of fish, fried crisp.

"Even ugly fish smell good when fried by lightning-!"

Keung-keung-, Paranoy twitched his nose. But Luna, standing next to him, bristled her hair as if she had heard something she shouldn't have, and shouted angrily.

"Paranoy! You must not eat anything from the Underworld! If you eat something from the Underworld, your soul becomes bound to the Underworld!"

"Of course, I know that much-! In the Underworld, you shouldn't even drink a sip of water-!"

According to Luna and Paranoy, eating food from the Underworld was the ultimate taboo.

It was because those who tasted the food would have their souls bound to the Underworld and could never return to the outside.

Because of that, the only food we can eat is the provisions we brought from the surface. We brought enough to last about fifteen days, so we have enough for now.

However, if this expedition into Hell lasts longer than fifteen days, we'll eventually starve to death, or die as if we ate food from the Underworld.

In other words, the expedition into the Underworld is a time attack.

So far, since boarding this boat, things have been relatively smooth. I hope we can safely rendezvous with those coming later by boat.

While I was having those thoughts.

Seureuk-.

"We've arrived."

The boat, parting through the hazy fog, arrived and docked on the opposite shore.

"This is the Asphodel ferry landing, known as Purgatory. If you can enter and break through here, Zigres, you will be able to enter the deeper Tartarus."

With those words, Charon headed back towards the other side. His attitude was chic, as if there was nothing more to discuss, nor any need to.

I wish I could have asked for more tips.

Anyway, it was fortunate that we arrived on the other side. I first looked around the Asphodel ferry landing, called Purgatory.

"Welcome. Asphodel-."

Except for a strangely old sign creaking, there was no sign of life, making it feel like a desolate field overall.

Ppigeok, ppigeok-.

Paranoy, who had been staring at the swaying sign for a while, spoke.

"According to rumors, Asphodel, called Purgatory, is where ordinary people, neither evil nor good, go after death-!"

At Paranoy's words, I recalled an encyclopedia I had seen in the library of Sodomora long ago.

Pluto's underworld kingdom, the Soul Society, could commonly be broadly classified into three.

Elysium, the paradise, where valiant warriors and good people go.

And Tartarus, the eternal hell of suffering, for those who committed all sorts of evil deeds.

Lastly, those who were ambiguous in both good and evil, unable to go anywhere, head towards the plains of Asphodel, Purgatory.

So this is that Purgatory.

The concepts of Heaven and Hell each give a distinct feeling in one's mind. But when you say Purgatory, there were many parts that didn't quite convey what happens there.

Is it like mild and spicy, somewhere in the middle?

"Hassan-nim, I'm hungry, so is it okay if I tear off and eat a little of the fairies' biscuits we brought...?"

"What?"

At Paranoy's words, I snapped out of my thoughts.

"The biscuits kneaded by nymphs fill you up quickly with just one bite-! They don't taste good, but-! They're very good for filling your stomach-!"

"No, um, let's eat once everyone else arrives. The follow-up party will be coming soon on Charon's boat."

"Then I'll wait a little-!"

We set up camp at the ferry landing for the time being and checked if anyone was injured from the fish attack when we boarded the boat, or if any items were lost or broken.

"A short rest-! And then we'll regroup-!"

One thing I learned during my military service was that it's good to maintain things whenever you have a chance. It's a headache later if someone says, 'An item is missing,' or 'Turns out I was injured-.'

After checking for a while like that, I didn't seem to have any particular problems. The one I was most worried about was the soft Luna.

"Luna, are you hurt anywhere?"

"Nope! More than that, my body is completely refreshed-! I feel like I can do anything right now-!"

Unlike my worries, Luna looked as energetic as a duck that had eaten ginseng. Seeing her swing the Totem of Silence left and right in her hand, she seemed truly full of energy.

Perhaps it's because this is the Underworld, Luna's true home, that she's receiving additional field effects? Other than that, there's no way to explain Luna's condition.

In fact, the blood throughout my body felt like it was boiling, and I felt an omnipotent sense that I could do anything right now.

"Is everything okay?"

"......!"

Heumchit-.

As I spoke, Gloria trembled like a cat whose box had been snatched away.

She seemed extremely flustered, giving a sense of disconnect unlike the warrior woman who charged at Cerberus or smashed the Zombie Dragon earlier.

"Wh-what did you say? What?"

"No-."

But this creature has been like this every time she sees me lately. She acts flustered towards me, like someone being pressured for a large debt.

"No, is there a problem or something?"

"No problem. There's no problem at all-."

Kku-uk-.

Just like last time, Gloria pulled her raccoon fur down over herself, unsure of what to do.

Then, the Cloud Ring, Ing-ing, or whatever it was, which had been tossed aside by her, ended up covered in dirt.

"Kreu-reung...!"

It seemed angry because dirt got on its body. Gloria held onto its body.

"Ing-ing-ah, you shouldn't say such harsh words."

"What the hell, sebeol. Is it badmouthing me right now?"

"━Ing."

"Ing-ing-ah, who did you learn those words from?"

"Is it insulting me right now?"

"Ing."

Whatever it is, this strange creature seems to have quite a foul mouth. All I can hear are slightly odd cries, but Gloria seems to understand it all.

Is it similar to how Luna understands Ing-ing's words?

Seureuk-.

Thinking that Gloria has similarities to Luna, I feel a slight bit of affection. Besides, she's been playing a big role as a companion on this expedition anyway.

So I took out a candy I had kept in my pocket.

"If you say you're hungry, give it one of these. It's candy made from solidified acacia honey. It's high in calories, so it should fill your stomach."

"...Candy?"

So Gloria slowly brought her face towards my palm. Then she twitched her nose, peeking out from beneath her raccoon fur. That appearance felt just like interacting with a wild beast.

Keung-keung, keung-.

Gloria kept sniffing the candy.

For a moment, I wondered if this creature, having lived a life steeped in struggle and bloody combat, didn't know what candy was.

"You don't know what candy is? It's something you eat. Something tasty."

"No, I'm giving it to you, sebeol, why would it have poison?"

Seuseuk-.

Then, instead of taking the candy, the creature stepped back from me and revealed its sharp fangs.

"You. Why, why are you acting so strange towards me?"

"Acting strange?"

"Yes! You keep making me, making me feel... wiggly. Don't make me feel wiggly anymore-! Because, because that makes me weak-!"

And then, quick as a flash, she turned her back on me and darted away into the distance.

Suddenly, I offered kindness and received indignation.

What does 'making me wiggly' even mean?

Since coming to this world, I've never struggled with language with people. But now, I couldn't understand what Gloria was talking about at all.

Is it a bug?

More than that, Gloria's Ing-ing.

I have a feeling something is coming to mind.

I thought the passengers on the boat, including Ing-ing, were eight.

Shouldn't it be nine if Gloria's pet Ing-ing is included?