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 . ]