Khrx sighed as he sat up. “I’m really sick of being dragged around everywhere. Seriously, it’s annoying,” he muttered to himself as he dusted off his onesie and looked around. He was standing on a beach of sorts, the sands underneath his feet white like bone. Black water lapped against the shore, wails filling the air with every crash of the waves. Behind him, thousands of dogs were sitting with their heads tilted straight up. Khrx blinked and looked up. There was no sky, no clouds, no sun or moon—just a pitch-black void.

“Where am I now?” Khrx asked and lowered the hood of his onesie. His ears perked up and swiveled around, trying to pick up any clues, but only the wailing of the waves could be heard. “Some person used some black magic to rip me through a portal after I died in [Resolution].” He shook his head before opening his menu.

[Menu is disabled.]

“Well then. Logout.”

[Unable to logout.]

“What kind of shitty event is this?” Khrx asked and stamped his foot.

“Woof!”

Khrx turned his head. One of the dogs was barking and jumping up and down. A beam of light descended from the void, transporting a limp man, who had his eyes closed. As he landed on the beach, the dog ran up to him and licked his face while bouncing up and down. Its tail blurred as it wagged back and forth, small whines coming from the dog’s mouth. The man’s eyes opened. “Max?”

The dog barked in reply and snuggled against the man.

“Ah,” the man said, his expression falling. “Then I died.” He let out a sigh as he stroked the dog’s fur. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he stood up. “Were you waiting for me this whole time? Come, let’s go see Theda together.”

“Hey,” Khrx said, walking up to the man, but the man and dog acted as if they hadn’t seen him. “Hey!”

The man and dog continued forward towards the waters. Khrx ran towards them and grabbed the dog’s tail, but his hand passed through. Could they not see him? Under normal circumstances, he liked being ignored by strangers. But this place was far from normal! Khrx growled and chased after the man. No matter how fast he ran, the man and dog kept getting further and further away even though they were walking. After a few minutes, the man and dog disappeared into the ocean, and Khrx stopped running. Was his stamina always this good in the game?

“Status.”

[Name: Khrx’Lrvnjl]

[Guild: Paradise]

[Title: Apostle of the Sun God]

[Strength: 12 (2+10)]

[Constitution: 11 (1+10)]

[Intelligence: 1]

[Spirit: 1,000]

[Dexterity: 2]

[Perception: 6]

[Charm: 51]

[Luck: 1,000]

[Active Skills: Nature’s Spirit (M)]

[Passive Skills: Nature’s Spirit (M)]

[Companions: Lorin, Monika, Nelson]

[Lover: Anaheim]

Somehow, his strength and constitution had increased by ten. Was that a side effect of dying? “Gah! I can’t even ask Bongle what’s going on.”

Khrx sighed as he walked towards the shore. As he got closer, he saw a figure that wasn’t there before. It was wearing a robe that covered all its features, and it was standing on a raft made of bones. “Trying to act all mysterious?” Khrx muttered as he approached the figure. He stopped in front of the raft. “Hey.”

“Hello.”

“How are you?”

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking.” The robed figure froze. “Wait, no. Is that what you should’ve been asking me?”

“Haven’t you heard of small talk?” Khrx asked, furrowing his brow. “I’m supposed to slowly ingratiate myself to you until you feel a lot of good will towards me. Then you can explain everything I want to know.”

The robed figure fell silent. “I’ve never engaged in small talk before.” It heaved a sigh, causing the cloth in front of its face to rustle. “Everyone pays me without saying a word. You’re the first person to ever talk to me other than the lord.”

Khrx tilted his head. “Does that mean I can ask you questions now?”

“I don’t mind,” the robed figure said. “Come aboard. I’ll waive the fee for you this one time.”

Khrx stepped onto the raft, sitting on top of a human skull. Even though his constitution was a lot higher than before, he still preferred taking it easy. “So, what’s your name?”

“I’m Rochna, the first gatekeeper of the underworld,” the robed figure said as it pushed off the shore with an oar that suspiciously looked like a human spine. “You haven’t heard of me?”

“Should I have?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, well, I haven’t.” Khrx nodded.

Rochna tilted his head. “Did you bring gold for the fare?”

“What fare?”

“The one I waived.”

“No.”

“Then did you have a dog to help you bypass the first gate?”

“Nope.”

“By any chance…, are you an idiot?”

“Gah! Why does everyone think I’m stupid!?” Khrx kicked at one of the bones of the raft, causing it to fly off. It skidded against the surface of the black ocean and dissolved into tiny white particles. “I’m super smart, alright? I’m just a bit uninformed of everything at the moment. Where am I, anyway?”

Rochna paddled the raft with slow measured strokes. “Did you know that you’re dead?”

“I’m not dead,” Khrx said.

“What’s the last thing you remember before falling onto the shores of the underworld?”

“Some bastard ripped open a portal and grabbed me.”

Rochna stiffened and two eyeballs fell out of his face. He bent down and grabbed them before they rolled into the ocean. “Sorry, you surprised me. You were personally seized by the lord. I see.” He stopped paddling and turned around, squatting to face Khrx. Bony fingers reached out of the robes, pinching and prodding Khrx. Khrx squirmed and batted Rochna’s hands away. “Yes, I can see why the lord personally took action against you.”

“Because I escaped from her grasp three times like she said?”

“No.” Rochna shook his head. “Because you’re too adorable. The lord has a weakness for cuteness. It’s why those who owned dogs in their lifetimes are given better treatment.”

“You can’t be serious,” Khrx said. Was his charm a blessing or a curse? Even the god of the underworld wanted him. Or Rochna could be mistaken.

Rochna nodded. “Since you’re a gift for the lord….” He reached into his robes and pulled out a golden chalice. He scooped up a cupful of black water and held it in front of Khrx. “Drink it. It’s good for you. Only the chalice of the ferryman can hold the water of lamentation.”

The chalice was shoved into Khrx’s hands, sticking to the palms of his onesie like glue. The raft remained suspended in the ocean, unmoving. Rochna stared at him, waiting for him to drink. Khrx sighed. Maybe it really was good for him. Besides, even if he died again, what was the worst thing that could happen? So he ignored the wails coming from the chalice and drank.

[Food and drink from the underworld cannot be easily obtained. What price did you pay? +5 Strength. +5 Constitution. +5 Dexterity. +5 Charm.]

Khrx’s eyes widened, and he leaned over, trying to scoop up more water with the chalice. But Rochna took the golden cup away before he could. “You’ll explode if you drink more than one cup.”

“I’m willing to take that risk,” Khrx said, reaching for the chalice.

Rochna shook his head as he put the chalice away. “Okay, I lied. The chalice only works once every hundred years or so. I used up this century’s quota for you.” He patted Khrx’s shoulder. “Put in a good word to the lord for me, will you? But don’t let her know I asked you to, and especially, don’t let her know I let you drink from the ocean of lamentation. If you can, try to get her to send me some books. It’s awfully boring out here.”

“Are you bribing me?”

“Yes. Did it work?”

Khrx nodded. Dragons loved bribes.