Chapter 116
I was guided by the judge towards the exit of the Underworld . The exact location wasn’t known because I was wearing a special eye patch . We seemed to go up and then down . After a long walk, the judge took off my eye patch .
[Follow along this path . ]
I opened my eyes and saw a dark and narrow road . Perhaps this was the exit that didn’t require going through Charon, the ferryman .
[You should look in ‘front’ . ]
“What does that mean?”
I looked around but the judge had already disappeared .
I had no choice but to start walking along this path . The light faded and darkness settled around me . It was initially possible for me to determine the direction using the walls but the walls soon disappeared . The place I relied on disappeared and I felt like a ship floating on the ocean without buoys .
The myth of Orpheus suddenly popped into my head . What would happen if I looked back? Then a faint light appeared in the darkness .
[You are afraid of what is behind you . That’s why you are a pitiful child . ]
It was a message from Persephone .
[Keep this in mind . In order to find the ‘front’, you must know where the ‘back’ is . It is because the front can only exist when there is a rear . ]
Speaking of which, the judge had said something similar . However, just because I heard plausible words didn’t mean I suddenly gained enlightenment and could make enormous changes .
[It looks like you need some motivation…]
The stream of light in the air stretched out like it was hesitating .
[Okay . I can’t bring you to the beginning of the world labyrinth but this much should be possible . ]
I suddenly felt something . The string of light disappeared and a small firefly appeared in front of me . It was a distant light . It was a very fragile and shimmering light . Nobody told me anything but I knew what this light was .
-You…
It was Shin Yoosung of the 41st regression .
-Ah, ahh…
I could tell how long she had been waiting just from her voice . If she was already at the beginning of the world labyrinth then the concept of time would be different . It wasn’t long by my standards but it might’ve already been a few years for Shin Yoosung .
The small light shivered a few times before speaking in a hesitant voice .
-Ahjussi .
Perhaps she was influenced by the memories of the young Shin Yoosung .
-…C-Can I call you that? No…?
The way she called me was a bond . It was a wish to be tied somewhere . Perhaps ‘Ahjussi’ was the last lingering attachment of the 41st round Shin Yoosung . I smiled softly .
“You are currently older than me . Is it still okay?”
The soft light once again trembled . The light gently touched my face . There was warmth in that gesture…
My heart felt pained . She must’ve been waiting for a long time . Even so, this child had to wait longer .
“I’m sorry but I can’t save you now . ”
The light moved up and down like she understood .
-Don’t overdo it . My story now…
“It isn’t over yet . ” I spoke without giving her time to finish . “You have suffered for so long and it can’t end like this . ”
-Why…
“I will never let that happen . ”
The light stared at me . She trembled in a confused and pathetic manner .
-I got to know Ahjussi through the memories of this world . But Ahjussi… why are you so good to me? Does Ahjussi know me?
I didn’t answer . We got to know each other through different means . Just as the 41st round Shin Yoosung knew me through the memories of her younger self, I knew her through Ways of Survival . Nevertheless, I couldn’t explain this .
-I feel strange . I definitely don’t know Ahjussi but when I’m with you, I feel like I understand everything about you . As if you are a ‘god’…
If I was really a god then I would be the most incompetent god in the world . The most helpless god in the world who knew everything but couldn’t explain anything .
Shin Yoosung’s light was rapidly fading away . I couldn’t see her but I seemed to know what she looked like .
-Please save me, please…
“I will . ”
The tail of the light shaking in the air became smaller and I reached out towards the light . I felt like my heart had been imprisoned . I could feel Shin Yoosung’s despair . The long wait…
My heart ached with an indescribable grief . Little by little, Persephone’s words made sense . There must be something behind in order to go ahead . This was my ‘back’ and at the same time, the ‘front’ that I had to face .
Maybe this was how Yoo Jonghyuk felt . He constantly returned to the past but was only able to move forward .
The moment I was certain of my direction, the environment stabilized . A string of light appeared in the scattered darkness .
[I held her for a while with my power but you don’t have much time left if you want to save her . ]
I remembered the faint warmth of Shin Yoosung . Persephone continued speaking .
[Please keep this in mind . Humans are ‘stories . ’ By the time you get her back, no one knows how much of her story will remain . ]
After that, I was pulled towards somewhere . The cries of ghosts receded and the sensations of my body returned one by one . I could feel the warm sunlight on my eyelids . I felt a dampness and opened my eyes to see a familiar face .
“…Ahjussi?” The young Shin Yoosung was watching me . The child’s clear eyes reassured me . The wildly beating heart slowly subsided .
I had returned . I breathed slowly and the muscles of my body regained their function .
[The hidden scenario – Queen of the Underworld has ended . ]
[You have earned 15,000 coins as an achievement reward . ]
The compensation for the updated scenario was also received . The dokkaebi had done his job properly .
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ congratulates you on your safe return . ]
I saw the indirect message and my anger belatedly soared .
This bastard Dionysus, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble if he hadn’t placed me in Tartarus . I was stuck in Tartarus with Kim Namwoon and almost had to spend the rest of my life making the gundam .
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is asking you for reconciliation . ]
[7,942 coins have been sponsored . ]
7,942? What was this pig-like apology? Well, I’ll let it go since he still gave me coins .
[There is one new hidden scenario . ]
I immediately confirmed the newly arrived hidden scenario .
+
[Hidden Scenario – Snake Hunt]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: S-
Clear Conditions: Hunt the target in the sixth main scenario area .
Time Limit: Until the end of the main scenario .
Compensation: 80,000 coins, the trust of the Queen of the Darkest Spring .
Failure: No access to the Underworld .
+
As expected, Persephone’s task was presented in the form of a hidden scenario .
[Once the target gets close, the scenario alarm will be automatically triggered . ]
A snake hunt . The target of the scenario wasn’t specified but I guessed the ‘snake’ would appear in the next scenario .
I slowly raised my upper body and Shin Yoosung asked anxiously, “Ahjussi, are you okay?”
“Yes . I’m fine . ”
“Sangah unni asked me to watch you…”
It reminded me of what I told Yoo Sangah before I collapsed .
“Yoo Sangah-ssi?”
It wasn’t difficult to find Yoo Sangah . Yoo Sangah was curled up on the ground and fast asleep . I looked at her sleeping face and recalled Persephone’s image . Then my face became hot .
…
By the way, the Chinese dress and garter belt… it was really great .
“Unni fell asleep just before you woke up . ”
“Ah . ”
“She told me to tell the others if you didn’t wake up . ”
The series of words ignited guilt inside me . I could see dark circles under Yoo Sangah’s eyes . She must have a hangover as well…
Chinese dress? Garter belt? Shit, I was garbage .
“Are you awake now?”
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung approached me . They were covered in sweat and seemed to have come back from a morning spar .
Jung Heewon told me . “Dokja-ssi is awake so we are ready to go . ”
“Ready?”
“The other people have already started . ”
Come to think of it, there weren’t as many people around as there were yesterday . I asked, “What happened overnight?”
“The announcement of the sixth scenario came . ”
…Already? I didn’t have a chance to ask when a huge string of words appeared in the sky .
[Survivors are advised to gather in Yongsan Station . ]
We packed up and left .
We were originally in Yongsan so it wasn’t hard to go to the station . I carried Yoo Sangah while Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung were responsible for the remaining luggage .
Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung followed us while standing far apart from each other . I didn’t know where Yoo Jonghyuk’s party had gone .
We soon arrived near the station which was already crowded with survivors . I couldn’t believe there were still so many people who survived in Seoul . Everyone was watching the huge screen floating in the air .
“Ah?”
“This place?”
The party members and I looked up at the screen together . It was the same screen I had seen in the Underworld . It was a lush forest and monsters were running around the forest . They were clearly scary monsters but they looked like they were part of a giant ecosystem .
The appearance of incarnations was also seen . Some of the people who had started hunting laughed as they cut off the head of a monster . These dokkaebis . They edited it well like it was a tourist destination .
Someone spoke . “Eh? Aren’t they Japanese?”
If I remembered correctly, the sixth scenario was an event scenario with another dome . The man who appeared on the screen was Izumi, a famous incarnation of Japan .
The Tokyo Dome was faster than us so they would’ve reached the sixth scenario earlier . In many ways, it could be said that South Korea had a relatively unfavourable start .
[A new main scenario has arrived . ]
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