episode_0173

“To summarize roughly, evil spirits that should go to the afterlife are wandering in the human world, and the creator named Myeonggyesin is so incompetent that this situation is still ongoing-”

[You bastard!!!]

Gwiho’s angry scream was buried in the echoes of the valley and disappeared.

I clenched my fist and looked in the direction where the glass had disappeared.

Things had taken a turn.

Myeonggyesin, who was supposed to possess So Gong’s clone quietly, had descended directly into the human world.

Even if not, it was certain that he had approached close enough to cover the entire human world with darkness.

An emergency situation was declared.

Since So Gong was in a clone state, there would be no significant damage even if he was attacked, and even if Gwiho was weakened, he had the body of the Northern Commander, so he could withstand it.

But if the original Myeonggyesin had descended, the story would be different.

Perhaps, everyone here might go crazy and become invalids.

‘No. Myeonggyesin doesn’t want that.’

Come to think of it, it’s strange.

If he had descended, it would have been easier for Myeonggyesin to just reveal himself.

It’s already difficult to descend into the human world, so he would need a tremendous amount of power to exert influence here.

Then why did he go to the trouble of using his original power to cover this world in darkness except for this formation?

My conclusion was simple.

To hide his ‘eyes’.

Myeonggyesin only wants to talk to those who have called him.

He wants to minimize the eyes that see him.

It seems like his consideration is to reduce the number of people who go crazy by looking at him.

‘My prediction was correct. Myeonggyesin is closer to being a god of ‘justice’ and ‘fairness’. At least he has no intention of destroying the human world as soon as he descends.’

I was worried that he might have called him and a corrupted Myeonggyesin might come out and wreak havoc…

It seems that Myeonggyesin appeared as he was, without any modifications.

According to the setting, Myeonggyesin is always just and fair without a single mistake.

So, Myeonggyesin is closer to an existence that embodies the concept of ‘justice’ rather than a god with personality.

“Myeonggyesin! Please also cover the eyes of those other than me! I want to talk to you alone!”

[What?! Are you crazy! How can you handle the ‘will’ of Myeonggyesin alone! Shut your mouth!]

“I was supposed to handle it alone from the beginning!”

[That was when you didn’t know that Myeonggyesin would descend! Even if your head is as hard as steel, if you confront Myeonggyesin alone, you will go crazy! This is something that the four of us have to share the burden of! So Gong! Are you okay? Since you’re a clone, it’s okay if you get damaged, right!]

“Uh… This is a clone with 70% of my full power…”

So Gong reluctantly nodded his head, trembling.

Mi Jeong also grabbed my hand tightly, igniting her will.

It’s nonsense to try to distribute the burden among the four of us.

Even if we reduce it to a quarter, there’s no way that the young bloodsucker, the waste Northern Commander, and the giant spider can withstand the pressure of the original Myeonggyesin.

“Stop talking nonsense and close your eyes-”

“······!”

At that moment.

Suddenly, the echoes of the valley stopped, and a thud! sound was heard.

When I turned my head, the glass had returned and was placed in front of So Gong.

The drink inside had been emptied.

As I raised my head tremblingly.

There was nothing but a pitch-black abyss.

Strangely, there was a delusion that something was visible.

It seemed like both So Gong and Gwiho were endlessly staring into the abyss of nothingness.

As if possessed by something.

Where am I and what am I doing? I gradually lose focus.

|Turn your eyes away from the darkness|

“······!”

A soft voice was heard.

No, the voice was directly transmitted to my mind.

Similar to when Draken’s eerie voice flowed in.

But the voice of the god of the afterlife was clearly a human language, and it was not unpleasant to hear.

At first glance, it sounds like a human voice, but there is a strange sense of otherness, as if something non-human is imitating a human.

“Yes······.”

We answered like that.

Regaining our senses, we quickly turned our heads and laid our eyes on the ground.

As the numerals carved on the ground came into view, focus was regained.

I almost went crazy and became a lunatic in an instant.

‘If I keep staring at the god of the afterlife, will I lose my memory again?’

When I met Draken.

I clearly stared into Draken’s eyes, but for some reason, I lost that memory.

I wanted to see if the same thing would happen when I stared at the god of the afterlife.

But if I fail, I will immediately become a dementia patient who smears feces on the wall, so I decided to give up and quietly lay my eyes on the ground.

|I am the king of the afterlife. I have come here in response to the summons. Respond to the call and answer me|

“It was I who summoned you. I wish to take the lead, so please cover the eyes of the other three as well.”

|Hmm······|

A thoughtful sound.

Just hearing that sound made my head buzz.

It seems that Guiho and Sogong are also suffering, as they are seen frowning.

|Has one already fled|

“Yes?”

|It’s nothing|

The god of the afterlife spoke with a slightly disappointed tone.

|I’m sorry, but I can’t grant that request yet. There are things I need to ask before covering your eyes. Who prepared this ritual|

[It was me······.]

|Oh! Have you been to the afterlife before? Or are you from the afterlife? I’ve heard that there are demons who have left the afterlife and established themselves in the mortal realm. Are you also one of those kinds of beings?|

[No, no!]

The voice of the god of the afterlife suddenly became excited.

Guiho was startled and quickly shook his head in denial.

Why is he suddenly like that?

Was there a setting that Guiho was from the afterlife?

|I’m not trying to devour you. I just want to know how you left the afterlife. It seems that reckless demons keep crossing over to the mortal realm and causing problems…|

[I apologize for causing misunderstandings. I am not from the afterlife, and I have never set foot in the afterlife or seen it. Please understand that I am not lying out of fear of the afterlife.]

|You don’t know the afterlife? Then what are you stepping on?|

[It’s a numerology system I learned from my master. It has been passed down for thousands of years and is used to create connections with the afterlife, but… I only know that much.]

|That’s quite peculiar. What you are stepping on is the afterlife.|

“Ah······!”

Only then did the entire numerology system come into view.

A black land made of materials that cannot support life.

Four giant pillars stuck in the cardinal directions.

And white lines converging in the center.

I remember seeing something similar in concept art released during game development.

This is the afterlife.

To be precise, it is a simplified representation of the afterlife.

So, we drew a map of the afterlife in the mortal realm and summoned the god of the afterlife.

We couldn’t help but be curious about how the afterlife looked in a place where there should be no connection.

It’s strangely abnormal that no connections are being made.

|Anyway, I understand. It was thousands of years ago… I should investigate those who left the afterlife back then. I wonder who leaked the appearance of the afterlife to the mortal realm…|

“······?!”

“Do not worry. Just because I understand the situation in the underworld doesn’t mean I intend to intervene. I just wanted to know what was moving secretly outside of my sight. It’s because I have a nasty temperament that needs to have everything in my sight to feel at ease. Now that your curiosity has been satisfied, would you like me to cover my eyes?”

“Please.”

[Eui, Yujin! What are you doing right now-]

Silence.

The voices of Sogong and Guiho disappear into the abyss.

I cautiously turned my head, only to see nothing but pitch-black darkness where the two had been.

Afraid to look again, I quickly lay my eyes back on the ground.

“I promised to handle this on my own, so this is right.”

A voice echoed, and with each question and answer, Sogong and Guiho’s faces seemed to pale.

Guiho had insisted on sharing the burden all along, but it was clear that he was reaching his limit.

Feeling that this couldn’t go on, I asked him to cover his eyes.

Anyway, it seemed like the underworld no longer had any interest in Guiho…

This way, there would be no further impact on Sogong and Guiho’s minds.

“So, why did you summon me? You will soon go crazy on your own, so let’s finish this quickly.”

“I have a request, that’s why I dared to call you.”

“Is this request related to the wicked spirits roaming the mortal world that you have sent to me?”

“Yes. I called you in the hope that you would collect the evil spirits.”

“So, you want to use my power to overcome your crisis by collecting the evil spirits. Is that it?”

“…”

I was taken aback.

I had thought that the god of the underworld would have no interest in our situation and would only focus on collecting the evil spirits.

I was caught off guard by something unexpected.

I had to choose my words carefully.

After a brief moment of intense contemplation.

I parted my trembling lips and spoke.

“Yes. The evil spirits that you have missed are causing trouble in the mortal world, so we urgently need you to take action.”

“Mistake? I do not make mistakes. All my judgments are correct, and even if I were to make a mistake, the laws of the world would change around me, making it no longer a mistake.”

“If in your sight that may be the case, but the reality outside is different. Are the lost souls that you have missed not the result of a mistake? There is no room for error when completely blind and unaware.”

“…”

For a moment, the god of the underworld’s words disappeared, and silence fell.

I wished desperately for the words to stop because my head was throbbing and spinning as if it would explode every time I spoke.

But now that the words had disappeared, my head felt relieved, but the anxiety made me feel like I was going crazy.

I had angered him.

With that conviction.

It felt like my heart was pounding loudly in my chest.

However, the god of the underworld’s next words were completely unexpected.

“That makes sense. I am not familiar with human language, so I made a mistake in my explanation. I apologize.”

“Oh, no, it’s not-”

“If missing those who have left my sight is considered a mistake, then it must be a mistake. Your words are correct. If I cannot capture those who have escaped my sight, then it is meaningless. I may have no ‘errors’ within my sight, but if I cannot capture those who have escaped, it is meaningless. I send infinite thanks to you for calling me and expanding my sight.”

I ended up receiving thanks from the god of the underworld.

Feeling unsure of how to react, I trembled.

The overwhelming pressure I felt now was incomparable to anything before, and the pain in my head felt like it was splitting.

“Ugh…?!”

“Speak your names. As long as the forces you have conjured permit, I will hold them and deliver a fair judgment. If you are not deserving of condemnation, you will not escape punishment.”

“Luna! Sorceress Luna! And Kali! Grand Druid Kali!”

“The name of the present world is never quite familiar. Still, that should be enough. If there are no namesakes, we can easily find······ Ah. It seems one has sneaked in here like a mouse.”

“······?!”

At that moment, the voice of the divine being turned cold.

It was only then that I realized I was not alone in this place.

Inside my clothes.

A small baby spider was hiding.