Chapter 112: Episode 22 – Three Promises (4)
The God of Wine and Ecstasy. The only person who used such a modifier was Dionysus, one of the 12 gods of Olympus.
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is humming.]
I couldn’t hear the song but I could see the drops of alcohol dancing to an unknown melody. The bubbles moved like they had life, forming numerous notes on the ground. The notes repeatedly moved between me and Yoo Sangah.
Yoo Sangah looked at the notes carefully and opened her mouth. “It is the puppy waltz.”
“Can you read musical notes?”
“A little bit.”
Yoo Sangah cocked her head and continued speaking.
“Why did Chopin suddenly appear?”
I didn’t have a clue. It was strange that Dionysus knew about Chopin in the first place. No. According to the original story, he was someone with great interest in the musical culture of later generations. It wasn’t strange.
The notes formed a circle and then arrows that pointed towards the remaining soju bottles. Yoo Sangah wondered, “...Is he telling us to drink more?”
“Let’s drink.” There was no other way to interpret it. “Yoo Sangah-ssi, drink only a little bit. At least one person should be sane.”
I needed someone to protect my teammates if I became drunk. I could wake up Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung, who only drank cider, but I wanted to let them sleep well.
“Dokja-ssi can’t drink well?”
“I’m not a strong drinker.”
I lightly tapped my glass against hers and drank the soju. The alcohol entered my body and made me feel hot. However, the notes didn’t stop.
“...I think I should drink more.”
I drank a few glasses in succession. Heat rose from inside me and I could feel the redness in my face. The movements of the musical notes became more active. No, did it look more active because I was drunk? Yoo Sangah smiled. “It is nice to drink with you. I was a bit lonely.”
Thus, I drank a few more cups. I felt a bit better as a mellow smell rose. I suddenly turned around and found that I was very close to Yoo Sangah. I had obviously been quite far away...
I was mistaken. The sound of breathing was harsh. I didn’t know if it was my breathing or the breathing of Yoo Sangah. Yoo Sangah’s shoulder lightly touched mine.
“Dokja-ssi.”
“Yes.”
It was clearly a face free of makeup but it was hard to find any blemishes. Yoo Sangah slowly leaned towards me. Her face was getting closer and closer.
A pair of quarter notes and eighth notes danced intensely around us. My heart started to beat faster at the touch against my shoulders.
...Wait, something was strange.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ has offset some of the drunkenness.]
The message popped up and my mind cleared. Yes, this couldn’t happen in reality. Yoo Sangah wasn’t such a person. It was only possible because this was Ways of Survival. I firmly held Yoo Sangah’s shoulder and urged her, “Yoo Sangah-ssi, stay alert.”
“Huh? Ah... ah?” The startled Yoo Sangah blinked. Her face turned red for the first time. “I-I, what did I...?”
As expected, it wasn’t Yoo Sangah’s will. I was in a slightly miserable mood as I opened my mouth and spoke towards the notes hovering on the ground. “Stop playing and get straight to the point.”
The notes all stopped at the same time. It was a serene silence, like the midnight festival had suddenly stopped. The alcohol bubbles fell to the ground and sparks flew. Then the bubbles formed one string of words.
-You broke the excitement.
I was a bit surprised by the letters written on the ground. A few words written in bubbles on the ground might not seem great, however it was extremely difficult for constellations to communicated with incarnations in Ways of Survival. It was why the constellations used the dokkaebi channels to convey ‘indirect messages.’
In the first place, spreading messages to Earth without the help of the dokkaebis was only possible among the highest-class constellations and the consumption of probability was huge. The probability of the world was sensitive to ‘language.’
I heard a faint cry from the Great Hall in the sky. The god of this world had noticed Dionysus’ existence. The fact that he delivered a message directly without going through an incarnation meant he had confidence in his backer... As expected, the 12 gods of Olympus were different.
I opened my mouth in a deliberate provocation. “If you are so confident then come and talk to me in person.”
Then the string of words moved.
-I don’t like those with tentacles. It is annoying to fight. If I go down myself, everyone will die.
In fact, I hadn’t expected anything. Seoul would be turned into powder if the 12 gods of Olympus really descended.
-My mother died that way because of my father.
Yoo Sangah saw this sentence and whispered to me. “...What does this mean?”
“Maybe he is talking about the myth of his birth.”
As far as I knew, Dionysus’ parents were Zeus and Princess Semele of Thebes. Hera was jealous of Zeus and Semele and disguised herself as Semele’s nurse, encouraging Semele by saying the following. ‘Zeus might be a fake. Ask him to show you what he really looks like when he is in Olympus.’
Semele was fooled and demanded that Zeus do this. Then she died from Zeus’ brilliance.
Yoo Sangah listened to the story and cocked his head. “Uh... isn’t it a bit different from the story I know? As far as I know, his mother isn’t the princess of Thebes...”
I was a bit surprised by Yoo Sangah’s knowledge. I wondered if she had a level 1 degree in myths, not just Korean history. Of course, I didn’t have such a degree.
The string of words changed like it was amused.
-Hrmm. You humans know me very well.
As Yoo Sangah said, Dionysus’ birth myth was twofold. One was the version where Princess Semele of Thebes was his mother. The other version had Hades’ wife, Persephone as his mother.
I asked Dionysus, “I’m curious. Which of the two versions is real?”
-Is it important?
“It is important. There is a reason I need it to be the latter.”
In fact, Jung Heewon’s suggestion to drink was an attempt to lure Jung Heewon.
Dionysus was the son of Persephone. If this myth was correct, Dionysus could probably contact Persephone, Hades’ wife.
-Rude human.
The string trembled.
-Still, I like rude humans.
In fact, I already knew which myth it was. Dionysus’ story was mentioned in Ways of Survival.
-There used to be a human as foolishly brave as you. He was someone who played the lyre very well. He didn’t end up well.
“I’ll be different.”
-I can open up the entrance of the Underworld. The Father of the Rich Night doesn’t like me but the goddess of the Underworld will listen to me. However, it is very dangerous and there is no guarantee you will come back alive.
“It’s okay.”
-Good. I like eager people.
I became nervous due to the excellent atmosphere. Dionysus was a constellation that I never knew what he was thinking.
-Keep this in mind. I can only give you 12 hours. If you don’t come back in that time then you can never return to the scenarios.
I became dizzy and then suddenly felt drowsy. I realized what was going to happen. Damn, this was why he made me drink.
I hurriedly spoke. “Yoo Sangah-ssi, wake up the kids.”
Perhaps these were my last words.
[A new hidden scenario has arrived!]
The moment I closed my eyes, the drops of alcohol seemed to be laughing.
-I hope the Father of the Rich Night will listen to you.
***
[The constellation ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is guiding your soul.]
[You are free from the physical restraints of your body.]
Many colours passed through my mind and it was like I was on drugs. There was a sharp pain from my forehead and then a faint voice was heard.
[Who is this?]
[...Interesting.]
[The soul of an incarnation is walking in the world of the constellation?]
[You will regret it.]
The voice spoke negative words. Perhaps it was someone from Olympus.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is activated.]
The noisy voices disappeared like they had been muted.
[The soul of a living person has entered the Underworld.]
[The judges of the Underworld have noticed your presence.]
Once I heard the last message, countless traces disappeared from my surroundings. The world turned around quickly and my body sank heavily. After a while, it felt like I had reached somewhere. It was hard to move but I could guess what I would see when I opened my eyes.
The air of the Underworld was sticky. The sand at my fingertips were cold. Perhaps I was at the river of the Underworld that Hades ruled. There was Acheron River flowing towards Hades’ palace and the Underworld boatman Charon would be waiting for me. And...
“Hey! Wake up! What are you doing here?”
Something dull hit my head and it felt like oil was being poured on me. I took deep breaths as I sat up. Someone fumbled at my body, grabbing my neck and lifting me up.
“A newbie? I’ve never seen this face before.”
I had also never seen this face before. It was a man with a rough face and big muscles. The people in the surroundings were gazing at us.
“He looks fine? Check his body. He might’ve brought something with him.”
“Hey, don’t touch. If he fell here then he must be a mess. Have you forgotten the crazy person who came a while ago?”
“That crazy jerk was a bit special. Are people like him common?”
I let the people to talk among themselves and looked around. It was a spacious place where a hot heat could be felt. Judging by the infestation of ghosts, this seemed to be the Underworld.
Frames made of the metal of the Underworld were all over the place and there were also furnaces for smelting metals. It was a factory-like atmosphere. The dead spirits were enslaved in the Underworld and making something. At first glance, it seemed like a giant robot...
What was this place?
“Hey, are you ignoring me now?”
I ignored his words and slowly twisted his arm that was holding me.
“W-What? This strength...!”
I couldn’t waste time dealing with these small fries. I decided to check the hidden scenario that I had received.
+
[Hidden Scenario – Scenic Walk]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: A+
Clear Conditions: Avoid the eyes of the judges and return safely to the ground.
Time Limit: 12 hours.
Compensation: 10,000 coin
Failure: You will be forced to become a resident of the Underworld.
+
The scenario came out properly. The time that Dionysus said was accurate. Then why was I here? I should’ve fallen at Acheron River.
“T-This bastard! Daring to look down on us...!”
The big man was just about to punch my head when I heard a voice from behind me.
“Over there, what’s going on? Did something funny happen?”
“U-Uwaaah!”
“Haha, let me in on it as well. Huh? I’m bored to death because I’ve been working on the Gundam every day.”
“Run away! Run away!”
The people surrounding me started to shrink back. It was like herbivores meeting a predator. I looked to the side where the voice came from. It was a young man with a slim body and bangs covering his forehead. The young man discovered me and moved towards me.
He peered closely at me and muttered with an aghast expression. “...Why are you here?”
I couldn’t understand his words for a moment. This person knew me?
“What? You can’t recognize me? Have you really forgotten?”
The young man lifted his bangs and I recognized him.
...Dammit. Come to think of it, the Underworld was a place where the dead came. I hadn’t even thought about it. Of course the person I killed here would come after dying.
“Ah, don’t be so vigilant. Aren’t we both dead?”
The curious young man’s eyes came closer. There was a mean and cruel look in them. I only saw him for a short time but it was an unforgettable impression. The man smiled. “Yes, who the hell killed you? Please open your mouth. Huh?”
The person who died in the first scenario, Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon was in Hades’ domain.