Chapter 30: Helleheim – 1

“Why is this happening?”

As I muttered in confusion, everyone around me gathered towards me.

But their reactions were just as bewildered as mine, as they looked upon the remains of the Frogian, vanished into dust.

For the first time in my life, I witnessed such a phenomenon, and everyone else seemed equally puzzled.

“What on earth is going on?”

Scanning the body of the Frogian with boundary magic revealed no special magical influence.

It seemed like this disintegration was a natural occurrence.

Occasionally, fantasy novels depict corpses vanishing, leaving only magical stones behind.

But in this world, such a setting didn’t exist.

Here, monsters were hunted for their resources like any other animal, and their bodies were utilized in various ways.

Hunters supplied these monster corpses, earning high incomes from the trade.

But what if a hard-earned monster suddenly turned to dust?

“It’s a waste.”

Unlike rare, fictional occurrences, this was an unprecedented phenomenon known to the public.

In such cases, even games hadn’t portrayed similar events.

I was tense, unable to comprehend the situation.

Almost instinctively, I cast a detection spell to quickly scan the surrounding space.

“Oh…”

Han Sehee sighed as the body of the Frogian completely turned to dust, leaving only a handful behind.

Simultaneously, a vivid piece of information struck my mind.

The detection spell had detected anomalies within the cube-shaped boundary containing the Frogian’s remains.

The reaction that hadn’t manifested when I scanned the body appeared only now when it had completely disintegrated.

Ping!

To identify the nature of the detected anomaly, I dismantled the cube-shaped boundary and reached into the pile of dust inside.

Buried within the dust was a crystal orb, slightly smaller than my palm.

“What kind of magic…!”

Externally, it looked like an ordinary orb, but its contents were far from ordinary.

It emitted a peculiar magic, simultaneously hot and cold, constantly surging within the crystal orb.

“…Throw it away immediately, Seong Yujin!”

“What?!”

As I was applying a boundary to analyse the orb’s nature, Hermod urgently shouted.

Startled, but trusting Hermod, who had cooperated seriously since we entered the dungeon, I complied.

Swish!

Outside the gate where we had stepped in, towards the marshy swamp, I threw the crystal orb.

Once the orb left my hand, questions began to unravel in my mind.

What was the orb’s nature?

Why did Hermod urgently shout?

Those questions were swiftly and conclusively answered.

-Come to my palace, Eljudnir.

“What?”

A seductive, enchanting voice echoed in my mind.

Eljudnir, the place the voice mentioned, was an unfamiliar name to me as well.

Upon hearing Hermod’s voice, I had thrown the orb, but was it already too late?

“Escape through the gate! To save Seong Yujin, we need to summon the professor!”

As consciousness faded, the sensation of being drawn somewhere overwhelmed me.

Hermod, seeing me collapse, urgently instructed Miguel and Han Sehee.

Indeed, if this mysterious being had taken hold of me, what could have happened…?

With that thought, my vision shifted abruptly.

***

“…He put quite an effort, but in the end, he died.”

In a dark space, within a cold, ruthless world where pale flames flickered, a chilly murmur spread.

Descending from the sky, a grim soul approached.

A woman, clad in a dress with pale flames resembling hair, extended her hand towards the approaching soul.

“Yet, he fulfilled his role.”

The soul, taking the form of a small flickering flame resembling a frog, was weak in several spots.

Observing it closely, the woman murmured with sadness.

She gently placed the soul on the ground, where it merged with the surrounding flames and surged violently.

Satisfied with the sight, the woman lifted her head.

Though one would expect a vast sky upon lifting her head, what stretched above her was a world of pale flames, similar to the landscape beneath her feet.

“…Though Rift Laesir may have been lost to Otinuus, we have obtained Rift.”

Though he was originally sent as a scout to confirm the existence of Rift Laesir, it was still regrettable to see him return in this manner.

Sighing softly, the woman muttered to herself while caressing the flames around her.

Her eyes caught sight of a black-haired, black-eyed human male, who had hunted the Frogian, now appearing amidst the blue magical spear she wielded.

Though she reached out, her hand passed through the man’s body without resistance.

“It’s a pity.”

This was a place of reality and yet not reality, a world where reality could only be glimpsed through dreams and illusions.

The soul she held had once been a creature of this world, born of her lineage and nurtured within her embrace.

Reading the memories of the creature’s experiences from its soul, the woman murmured softly.

“But even if we missed Rift Laesir, we have obtained Rift.”

Smiling, she raised both her hands above her head, revealing shackles of flames encircling her wrists.

These were the chains that bound the sinners who once plotted the end of this world but ultimately failed, and were thus condemned to damnation.

After thousands of years, the seals on these chains had visibly weakened.

“My name is Hela.”

The moment of freedom is near, sensed by the sinner who reveals her name to the world.

“The day of the return of the Queen of Hell is near.”

Dragged down into the abyss, the Queen of Hell saw the golden rune on the body of the human who had killed her descendant.

She also saw the rune of the divine king who mercilessly slaughtered her descendants in the past and eventually condemned even her compatriots to the abyss.

“So now, it’s your turn.”

Oh, Odin.

The rightful king of glorious Asgard.

You, who were foolish and ignorant, took destiny from us.

To create a better world, we shall rightfully take the gold from you.

“Come forth.”

Hurry and come to me.

“Unluckily, the last refuge of Yggdrasil that escaped Ragnarok.”

To my palace, Eljudnir.

“I shall wait for you here.”

A magnificent banquet awaits you in my world, the banquet hall of Helheim.

***

Barren and desolate.

That was the impression I felt the moment I opened my eyes here.

As if the world itself had embraced death, a world devoid of vitality anywhere.

“…Where on earth is this?”

It’s a landscape I’ve never seen even while playing “World Saviour Online.”

That means, I couldn’t know what threats might be lurking here.

I raised detection and defence spells engraved in the barrier more meticulously than usual, and cautiously treaded while keeping an eye on my surroundings.

“Where in the world is this?”

It’s full of air as cold and harsh as in a post-apocalyptic world.

Surrounded entirely by ramparts, at the highest point of this space resembling a ruined city, there sits a splendid yet eerie palace.

“Palace”

Eljudnir, mentioned by the unfamiliar voice, was clearly referring to the palace.

So, is the being who summoned me here the lord of this place?

With curiosity, I proceeded.

Accepting an invitation from an unknown figure is dangerous, but right now, not even knowing where I am, I had no choice but to head towards the palace I could see in front of me.

I reached the stairs leading to the grand palace after walking and walking.

“Grrr…”

“Thump! Thump thump!”

“Oh…”

However, I couldn’t bring myself to step onto those stairs.

Because there were monsters guarding the stairs leading to the palace.

“What kind of monsters are these?”

Three giant dogs.

In fact, they were just in the form of dogs, but their size and the felt power were something entirely different from the beasts of this world.

Two dogs threatening me on each side of the staircase entrance and one dog lurking around the middle of the staircase.

Three dogs in total were blocking the stairs leading to the palace.

“Should I take them down?”

Unlike ordinary monsters, they merely remained on guard upon encountering me, not attacking first.

Perhaps they start attacking once I start ascending the stairs.

I hypothesized while focusing my magic on circuits and spells.

I gathered my magic, ready to forcefully break through the stairs and enter the palace interior.

“Now…!”

Just as I was about to exert force into the ground…

“Make way. He is my invited guest.”

A familiar voice echoed.

A pale white crystal found amidst the body of Frogian.

It perfectly matched the voice that echoed in my mind after I grasped it.

“It’s my first time seeing you. You’re the Rift Laesir of this era.”

Her voluptuous figure and the white hair flowing down to her waist caught my eye, but what truly captivated me was not her figure.

“These are my watchdogs. They’re good boys, so don’t be afraid.”

What should I call those scars covering half her body?

They were like stains deeply embedded in her body, resembling some kind of meaningful and beautiful structure.

They were so dark and deep purple that they could be mistaken for black at first glance.

A scarlet purple half-body.

As my wavering pupils met her gaze, I subconsciously swallowed.

“…Dangerous.” Purple eyes.

The clear and sharp violet pupils were a symbol of beings forbidden in this world.

“First, let’s have a light introduction.”

Ragnarok.

“My name is Hela.”

The ultimate catastrophe that will inevitably come to end this world and the worst calamity I must resolve.

“You’re still a young human child. What is your name?”

The violet eyes embedded with such end-of-the-world protection were symbols of those beings.