Chapter 112
The Underworld (1)
At last, the five minutes came to an end,
and the private meeting room emptied.
The dokkaebi Paul fell from the blue circle like a broken body,
crashing violently onto the ground,
shattered to an unbelievable degree,
just a hair's breadth away from death.
The executive dokkaebis seized him indifferently.
{Hahahaha… it seems you received quite a beating even before the execution procedures began.}
{Well then, let's go.}
They spoke with voices filled with mockery and relief,
then vanished along with Paul in a flash of blue,
as if nothing had happened.
Arthur remained hovering in the air,
still in his dragon form.
After a few seconds,
the allotted time ended.
The scales disappeared,
the wings faded,
and the immense pressure withdrew from the area.
His body returned to its normal state,
but the exhaustion did not.
|You have completed the hidden mission: Cold Vengeance|
|Reward: 100,000 coins|
|Your current total coins: 300,000 coins|
|Do you wish to spend 250,000 coins to upgrade the system and restore the Inventory Window along with one additional window?|
Arthur thought in silence.
'The Inventory Window is sealed within my original body because of the virus…
and the system exhausted everything it had to grant me a miraculous healing dose.
Now… it's my turn.'
"Yes. I agree to upgrade the system."
|System upgrade in progress.|
|Estimated duration: one full week starting from this moment.|
The blue window disappeared,
and the upgrade finally began.
Arthur descended to the ground beside his companions.
"Arthur… are you alright?"
Kim Dokja spoke as he looked at him with concern.
Darkness covered Arthur's features;
fatigue, sorrow, and pain…
everything he had long suppressed,
he had poured out in just twenty minutes upon the one responsible.
Arthur exhaled slowly,
then gave a faint smile as he looked at Kim Dokja.
"I'm fine now… what's our next step to fulfill my promise?"
Kim Dokja smiled,
then turned toward Yoo Sangah.
"Can you summon the Lover of the Abandoned Labyrinth?"
'To fulfill Arthur's promise… they must speak with them.
If Shin Yoosung's soul is released into the Labyrinth of Worlds, we won't be able to retrieve it no matter what we do.
But there is a small possibility…
that she is in the Underworld.'
Golden sparks began gathering around Yoo Sangah,
and her eyes turned gold.
"Constellations of Olympus… I request that you arrange a meeting with the King of the Underworld."
Arthur and Kim Dokja waited for a response,
but minutes passed with no answer.
Yoo Sangah slowly opened her eyes.
"I'm sorry… they say the Master of the Darkest Night is not an entity whose help can be requested so easily."
The Master of the Darkest Night… one of Hades' titles, the ruler of the Underworld, and one of the three main rulers of Olympus.
"Kim Dokja… is this possible?"
'Yoo Sangah is wondering if this can be achieved…
but I can't say anything right now.
The constellations are listening.'
Arthur sighed in frustration,
then looked at her calmly.
"It can't be explained in detail right now."
Yoo Sangah understood the meaning,
and silence fell for a moment.
After some time,
a dokkaebi finally appeared to distribute the rewards.
{I apologize for the delay. The rewards will now be distributed.}
{What you hold is the most powerful recovery medicine in the Star Stream.}
{Drink it, then sleep, and you will recover completely.}
In everyone's hands appeared a clear blue crystal.
{The main compensation will be delivered this evening.}
{Well done, and prepare for the next scenario.}
{Main compensation for the fifth scenario: A B-grade skill.}
{Main contributors:
Kim Dokja – Yoo Joonghyuk – Arthur – Jung Heewon}
{Would you like:
– Lie Detection
– or Joker's Face?}
Windows appeared before the four of them.
Arthur thought for a moment,
then chose Joker's Face;
a skill capable of nullifying lie detection.
"Hey! Arthur! Kim Dokja! Over here!"
Jung Heewon called out excitedly.
The two approached,
with Lee Jihye following behind.
Jung Heewon brought some drinks,
and everyone sat around the fire.
They drank quietly…
not to celebrate,
but to escape.
Sorrow,
pain,
hatred,
and suffering.
Arthur held the bottle,
but didn't drink immediately.
He kept staring at it in silence.
He took a small sip,
then looked at Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah calmly.
As time passed,
everyone fell asleep from exhaustion and drink.
The children slept first,
then the adults.
Only
Arthur,
Kim Dokja,
and Yoo Sangah remained.
Yoo Sangah raised her glass to drink more,
but suddenly—
Sparks struck the glass,
and it fell to the ground,
producing a clear musical note.
{The constellation, Master of Wine and Ecstasy, wishes to speak with you.}
Arthur and Kim Dokja sighed together.
"Finally…"
The Master of Wine and Ecstasy… Dionysus, one of the twelve lords of Olympus.
The spilled drink moved across the ground,
pointing toward the full bottles.
"He's asking us to drink more."
"Yoo Sangah, Kim Dokja… don't drink any more than this.
Leave it to me."
Arthur said calmly,
then began drinking faster.
After some time, a flush began to spread across Arthur's face—a warm redness, not like the marks of wounds or anger, but the effect of the drink slowly seeping into his blood.
As for Yoo Sangah, she drank slowly, sitting near Arthur and Kim Dokja, watching them in silence. Kim Dokja didn't need much; after only a few moments, his face flushed quickly, and the effects of the drink became clearly visible on him.
Yoo Sangah looked at Kim Dokja with gentle eyes, carrying a shy warmth, then moved closer to him without a word.
Kim Dokja moved toward her in turn, slowly and tenderly, as if the world around them had begun to fade. Their faces drew closer… closer… until nothing remained between them but mingling breaths.
"Ahem."
Arthur cleared his throat loudly and deliberately, breaking that delicate moment without mercy.
The two froze in place, and the romantic atmosphere abruptly vanished.
At that moment, the spilled drink gathered again on the ground, taking on a strange shape before a displeased voice emerged from it:
{You ruined the excitement.}
With those words, the sky above them began to churn violently. Heavy clouds moved at an unnatural speed, and the horizon darkened into a suffocating black.
"Looks like it's started."
Arthur spoke as he raised his gaze toward the changing sky, his eyes sharp with awareness despite the effects of the drink.
Kim Dokja looked at the ground, then began his discussion with Dionysus.
The conversation dragged on, filled with nonsense and evasion, twisted words that led nowhere.
Finally, Dionysus spoke in a serious tone this time:
{I can open a passage for only one person to the Underworld.
The Master of the Darkest Night may not like me, but there are many other lords there who still respect my name.
But know this… the path will be dark, terrifying, and there is no guarantee that whoever crosses it will return alive.}
"That's fine."
Arthur's response came without hesitation, firm, as if he had been prepared for this answer from the very beginning.
{Good… I like the thirsty ones.
You have only twelve hours. If you do not return within the allotted time, you will never return to the scenarios again.}
With those words, Arthur's mind shook violently, as if his consciousness had collided with an invisible wall.
He tried to resist, tried to stay awake, but his body no longer obeyed him.
He staggered for a moment…
then collapsed, unconscious.
And in the darkness that swallowed him, the system's voice echoed:
{A new hidden scenario has begun.}
{The constellation, Master of Wine and Ecstasy, guides your soul.}
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