episode_0224

Consciousness is fading away.

At some point, the fire under my feet started to disappear.

A feeling of gradually falling downward, downward, endlessly.

My senses are becoming dull.

I feel dizzy.

It’s a different feeling than when it disappears in the void.

This is dying.

I call and search for Mijeong with all my might, but she is nowhere to be found.

You can’t see it and you can’t touch it.

The following story was natural.

Humans are always alone at the moment of death.

‘I can’t die like this.’

If I die, Mijeong dies too.

Because Mijeong placed such a curse on my body.

Not only that, I haven’t been able to take Yerina out yet, and Jill and Julia are waiting outside…

Anyway, I can’t die yet.

Must survive.

Definitely, definitely…!

|Huh?!|

That moment.

I felt my vocal cords vibrate and my voice burst out.

The feeling in my hands and feet comes back, and my vision opens up.

Since he woke up after freezing, I thought he would have sores everywhere, but I was surprised that he was in better condition than I expected.

|I never thought I would see you this often…|

|·······?!|

At that time, a ‘voice’ penetrated the folds of my brain, giving me chills and goosebumps.

It is the voice of the Underworld God.

But for some reason, even though I heard that voice directly, I only felt a little afraid.

There were no adverse reactions, such as vomiting blood or feeling like my head was splitting open.

|The third meeting was unexpected. Who would have thought that someone who could enter the underworld three times without dying would appear…|

The Underworld God muttering as if it was absurd.

To be honest, I am so dumbfounded that I feel like crying.

I think someone is doing this because they want to see your face often.

It’s so awkward that I feel like I’m going crazy.

|Isn’t this also fate? While you’re here, how about taking a look around the underworld? It would be easier to work if you read it in advance.

|No… It’s okay…|

The moment when I desperately rejected the offer of the Underworld God.

I felt something strange about my body.

I can feel it, but it’s different than usual.

It was only then that I realized that the sensation I was feeling right now did not originate from the five senses of the body.

|Ugh······!|

|Have you finally realized it? It seems like this is your first time leaving your body in a spirit state.

No body!

I thought I had transcended the void and been transferred to the underworld.

It turned out that my soul had been separated from my body and was carried by the natural flow of gravity to the underworld.

‘This is crazy!’

Are you really dead?

So certain, with no room for turning back?

I calmed down as much as I could and looked back.

I’m at a loss.

Just dark darkness…

No, only the body of the Underworld God made up of ghosts unfolds endlessly.

Since I don’t have a body, I can’t even use magic energy or magic power.

Although the force can be felt to some extent.

The force of the Underworld pulling me now is stronger than anything else, and I am in a situation where I cannot ride the flow of other forces.

I can’t go back.

Really, there is no way at all.

The limbs had been completely cut off.

|Why are you shaking so much? Lift your head up|

|I know it’s a shameless request, but… Could you please help me just once, just once? Please save me. If you give me this one chance, I promise to assist you forever in the underworld after death. So please…|

|Hehehehe! If you know that you are shameless, raise your head first!|

|······.|

The Underworld God is laughing, wondering what is so fun.

I slowly raised my head and looked directly at the body of the Underworld God.

In the pitch-black darkness, a vague idea peeks out from within.

Although it was clearly not a person and was merely imitating a person’s personality and emotions, it was a fairly vivid thought.

‘also. Was it because I was already dead that I could face the Underworld God and be fine?’

When I was alive, I took a lot of damage just by hearing the voice of the Underworld God.

Maybe it’s because I’m in a spiritual state, but now I don’t get any damage even if I look straight at it.

The Underworld God, whose body was a black ghost, looked at me intently, scattering happy thoughts.

|Thinking you already know, shameless or not, is of no use. I just make sure everything goes as it should. We have no intention of considering the convenience of anyone else, including you. No matter how tempting the conditions are, I will never agree to a contract. In the first place, the law is not something that can be twisted by a weak deterrent such as a contract.

|Then again-|

|Yes. I have no intention of sending you back. No, will…? Umm. What a subtle choice of words. Suspect? This also doesn’t suit those without a heart. Borrowing human language, this Sadal is born. Anyway, wouldn’t it be enough if you just understood the context?|

|This is a wise statement… No matter how hard you try, nothing will change…|

|Accurate. So, let’s take advantage of the interlude to have a conversation.

|Good. Please do so.|

I stamped my foot, feeling a little resigned.

Then, a spirit body floats free from the constraints of gravity and the body.

I plunged straight into the darkness, and soon the panoramic view of the underworld unfolded before my eyes.

|It seems like you are carrying out the assigned tasks well|

|A task? ah······. This is what you meant.|

I took a quick look at the flowers from my pocket.

Yellow jasmine, black gear, blue cyclamen, and red camellia.

As a spirit body, it even came with these because it was modeled after its appearance just before death.

Of course, it is only an appearance, and the flowers did not actually come here.

All the flowers appear to have regained their vitality, starting with the cyclamen, which has regained its shine thanks to Yerina’s five-pointed spirit.

no. It seems like the camellia flower has always been fresh from the beginning until now.

But what is the use of all this…?

I am already dead.

|A large part of who you are is the relationships you passed by. Therefore, it was an excellent decision to construct a newly created inner world based on this. If I had tried to take one of your essences and use it as a foundation, it would have failed without fail. If you do that, you are not creating something new, but regenerating it. It seems like he remembered what he said about regeneration being impossible.

|······.|

Playback is not possible.

But it is possible to build it from scratch.

After hearing that, I immediately asked Mijeong to pick the flowers inside me.

Although it was not my essence, the purpose and joy of my life were all there.

In fact, my essence is fine no matter what.

No matter what happened, it would be nice if the women I loved were there and I could have memories with them.

|Those flowers would be enough to create and maintain the world inside. I, the King, will guarantee it.

|Thank you······.|

|And that sword, did you make it yourself?|

|Yes. That’s right. I was wondering if it would be easier to deal with five reasons…|

The will gathers in my hand and forms the shape of a transparent sword.

The sword that absorbed all the strength of Yerina’s five wills is stronger and sharper than ever.

It is not the sword that seemed like it would scatter and fly away with a gust of wind like before.

Now, of course, it has surpassed the real sword and can be compared to the magic sword.

It seems that if I forge it further here, it will become even stronger.

Meanwhile, perhaps because this was created through my will, it is possible to summon it in the state of a spiritual body.

|That was also a great choice. Well, I don’t know much about martial arts or swordsmanship, but I do know that the sword can touch the essence of things. If you use that sword well, it will be of great help in dividing the world within, breaking it open, and developing its status. No matter how you look at it, it is a tool that is too much for humans.

|Thank you······.|

All my expectations were met.

I also recharged before the flowers withered.

He gathered the three five powers and forged the sword with his will.

I acted on intuition, but it was all the right decision.

With this, I have completed all preparations to create a new world within myself.

However, as I reached the very end, I failed.

In vain, he died.

I feel resentful and my heart aches.

I feel like I’m about to burst into tears.

Since there were no physical physiological phenomena, I was able to suppress it with my will.

The Underworld God, who was staring at the scene, spoke quietly.

|Do you regret it?|

|I stopped having regrets a long time ago. It was a valuable life.|

|Are you resigned?|

|Not really. I have never given up hope, and I never will. I will probably continue to dream of resurrection. Although I will not touch evil techniques such as necromancy… I will probably forever be looking for a way to return to this world.|

|Hehehehe······ Is that so······. It’s painful to even tease you. Just realize this. You are not dead yet|

|Yes?|

What is this guy saying now?

I almost lost my mind.

|Have I ever treated you like a dead person? Choji was always treated like a guest. I was curious to see how long I would think I was dead, and it seemed like there was no end to it.

|Then what is this…?|

|My guess is that you are now in suspended animation. The physical body is dead, but the spiritual body has not yet been marked with death. However, the energy of death in your soul is so strong that it seems to have inadvertently flowed into the underworld. Perhaps, if you learn the magic of leaving the body, you will be able to freely go to the underworld at any time.

My face got hot.

He wasn’t dead yet, just in suspended animation?

At the same time as I was dumbfounded, a sigh of relief came out.

By the way, you can travel to and from the underworld as if it were your own home through out-of-body…

It sounds terrible.

Even if I die, I will never learn to go out of body.

|They say that a person’s sincerity comes out at the last moment. Thanks for your sincerity, it was a great visit. I’m really looking forward to the afterlife. A counselor of human origin! ah! How long has it been since this!|

|I’ll just go back now. It was fun.|

I closed my ears, leaving behind the Underworld God who was shouting in ecstasy.

Really, this is my last trip to the underworld.

I have to do a lot of good deeds so that I don’t have to come to the underworld when I die…

I swore to myself and swore again.

And then, by the time I opened my eyes.

The blue cyclamen in my hand blinked brightly, and I began to feel a strong attraction pulling my spiritual body somewhere.

I knew it instinctively.

Yerina was calling me.

And my body was coming back to life.