173. Trap (13)
“To summarize, the evil spirits that should go to the underworld are wandering in the present world, so how incompetent is the author of the underworld god that it’s still like this-“
[Hey, you bastard like a goblin!!!]
Guiho’s angry scream disappeared into the ghost valley.
I clenched my fist and stared at the direction where the glass disappeared.
Things went wrong.
The underworld god, who was supposed to possess the incarnation of Sogong, descended directly into the present world.
Even if it wasn’t, it’s certain that he approached close enough to cover the present world with darkness.
An emergency has occurred.
I thought that Sogong would be fine even if he possessed him because he was in a state of incarnation, and that Guiho would be able to withstand it because he was the body of the Northern Governor even if he was defeated.
If the underworld god himself descended, the story would be different.
Perhaps everyone here could go crazy and become a cripple.
‘No. The underworld god doesn’t want that.’
It’s strange to think about it.
If he were to descend, it would have been easier for the underworld god to simply reveal himself.
Even if it’s difficult to descend to the present world, it would take a tremendous amount of power to exert influence here.
Then why did he bother to use his own power to cover the world except for this formation with darkness?
The conclusion I came to is simple.
It’s to cover the ‘eyes’.
The underworld god only wants to talk to those who called him.
He wants to minimize the eyes that see him.
I think it’s his own consideration to reduce the number of people who go crazy looking directly at the underworld god.
‘My guess was right. The underworld god is a god who is relatively close to justice and fairness. At least he doesn’t intend to destroy the present world as soon as he descends.’
I was worried that if I called him, a fallen underworld god would come out and sweep everything away······.
It seems that the underworld god came out as it was set without any modification.
According to the setting, the underworld god is always righteous and fair without an inch of error.
So the underworld god is not a god with a personality, but rather an existence that embodies the concept of ‘justice’.
“Underworld god! Please cover the eyes of these people except me! I want to talk to you alone!”
[What?! Are you crazy! How can you handle the ‘will’ of the underworld god alone! Shut your mouth!]
“I was supposed to handle it alone from the beginning!”
[That’s when I didn’t know that the underworld god would descend in person! No matter how crazy your mind is, you’ll go crazy if you’re alone with the underworld god! We have to share the burden with four people to survive! Sogong! Are you okay? Anyway, you’re an incarnation, so it’s okay even if you get a little damaged, right?]
“Ah······. This is an incarnation that took 70% of my power······.”
Sogong nodded reluctantly, sobbing.
Mijung also grabbed my hand and burned her will.
Let’s share the burden with four people.
That’s nonsense.
No matter how much it is reduced to a quarter, there is no way that a young blood ghost, a waste governor, and a giant ghost can withstand the pressure of the underworld god himself.
“Stop talking nonsense and close your eyes-“
“······!”
At that moment.
Suddenly, the ghost valley stopped, and there was a thud! I heard a sound.
When I turned my head, I saw that the glass had returned and was placed in front of Sogong.
The alcohol that was filled inside was all empty.
I raised my head, trembling.
It’s definitely just a pitch-black abyss with nothing.
Strangely enough, I have the illusion that I can see something.
It’s the same with Sogong and Guiho, who just stare at the abyss of nothingness.As if possessed by something.
As I gradually lost focus, forgetting where I was and what I was doing.
-Turn away from the darkness-
“······!”
A soft voice was heard.
No. The voice was transmitted directly into my head.
It was similar to when Draken’s strange voice flowed in.
However, the voice of the Underworld God was clearly a human language, and it was not unpleasant to hear.
At first glance, it sounds like a human voice, but there is a strange sense of alienation, as if something non-human is imitating a human.
“Yes······.”
We answered like that.
When I came to my senses, I quickly turned my head and lowered my eyes to the ground.
Then the magic circle engraved on the floor came into view and my focus returned.
I almost went crazy and became a cripple in an instant.
‘If I keep staring at the Underworld God, will I lose my memory again?’
When I met Draken.
At that time, I clearly looked into Draken’s eyes, but for some reason, I lost that memory.
I’d like to see if the same thing happens when I look directly at the Underworld God.
But if I fail, I’ll become a dementia patient who immediately throws poop on the wall, so I gave up and obediently lowered my eyes.
-I am the King of the Underworld. I have come here in response to your call. The one who called me, answer out loud-
“I am the one who called you. I would like to talk to you alone, so please cover the eyes of the other three.”
-Hmm······-
A sound like he was struggling.
Just hearing that sound made my head buzz.
I wonder if it’s the same with Gwiho and Sogong, because I can see them frowning in distress.
-Has one already run away-
“Yes?”
-It’s nothing-
The Underworld God makes a slightly regretful sound.
-I’m sorry, but I can’t grant that request yet. I have something to ask you before I cover your eyes. Who set up this ritual?-
[It’s me······.]
-Oh! Have you ever been to the Underworld! Or are you from the Underworld? I’ve heard that there are demons who have escaped the Underworld and settled in the present world. Are you one of them?-
[Oh, no!]
The Underworld God’s voice suddenly became excited and his speech became faster.
At this, Gwiho was startled and quickly shook his head to deny it.
Why are you doing that all of a sudden?
Was there a setting that Gwiho was from the Underworld?
-I’m not trying to eat you. I just want to know how you escaped the Underworld. It seems that headless demons keep crossing over into the present world and causing problems······-
[I am very sorry for the misunderstanding. I am not from the Underworld, and I have never set foot in the Underworld. I am not lying because I am afraid of the Underworld God, so please understand this.]
-You don’t know the Underworld? Then what is that you are stepping on?-
[It is a magic circle that I learned from my teacher. It is a magic circle that has been passed down for thousands of years, and I only know that it creates a connection with the Underworld······.]
-That’s very strange. What you’re stepping on is the Underworld.-
“What······!”
Only then did the entire magic circle come into view.
A black land made of iron, where no life can live.
Four huge pillars stuck in the east, west, south, and north.
And white lines converging towards the center.
I remember seeing something similar in the concept art that was released internally during the game development.
This is the Underworld.
To be exact, it’s a simplified representation of the Underworld.
So we drew a map of the Underworld in the present world and summoned the Underworld God.Since the underworld should have no connection to this place, I can’t help but wonder how you know what it looks like. It would be strange if there were no manpower.
-Anyway, I understand. Thousands of years ago······. I should investigate some of the things that crawled out of the underworld at that time. What on earth leaked the appearance of the underworld into the present world······-
“······?!”
-Oh. Don’t worry. I’m not going to punish you just because you know about the underworld. I just wanted to know what it’s like to move around without my knowledge. It’s my annoying nature to have everything in my sight. So now······. Can I cover your eyes since I have no more questions for you?-
“Please do.”
[Hey, Eugene! What are you doing-]
Swish.
The voices of Sogong and Guiho disappear into the abyss.
I turn my head slightly and see that there is only pitch-black darkness where the two were.
I quickly look down at the floor again, afraid that I will go crazy if I look again.
‘I promised to handle this alone, so this is right.’
Every time a voice was heard and a question and answer was exchanged, Sogong and Guiho’s faces turned pale.
Guiho had always insisted on sharing the burden, but it was clear that he was reaching his limit.
I felt that this could not continue, so I asked Guiho to cover his eyes.
Anyway, the underworld god doesn’t seem to be interested in Guiho anymore······.
This way, Sogong and Guiho’s minds will no longer be affected.
-So why did you call me? You’ll go crazy soon if you’re alone, so let’s finish this quickly-
“I dared to call you because I have a favor to ask.”
-Is the favor related to the story you sent me about the wicked spirits wandering the present world?-
“Yes. I called you to ask you to collect the evil spirits.”
-So you want to use my power to overcome your crisis. Is that it?-
“······.”
He hit the nail on the head.
I thought that the underworld god would not be interested in our situation and would only focus on collecting evil spirits.
I was caught off guard from an unexpected place.
I have to choose my words wisely.
After a brief moment of intense thought.
I parted my trembling lips and spoke.
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“Yes. The evil spirits that you failed to collect are causing problems in the present world, so I would be grateful if you could take action as soon as possible.”
-Failure? I do not make mistakes. All my judgments are correct, and even if I were to make a mistake, the laws of the world would change around me so that it would no longer be a mistake-
“That may be true within your sight, but it’s a different story outside. Are you saying that the ones you missed are not the result of a mistake? You’re completely blind and deaf.”
-······-
For a moment, the underworld god’s words disappear and silence reigns.
Every time he spoke, my head felt like it was going to explode and I felt dizzy, so I desperately wished he would stop.
On the contrary, when the words disappeared, my head felt better, but I felt like I was going crazy with anxiety.
I made him angry.
That conviction came to me.
I could hear my heart pounding loudly.
However, the underworld god’s next words were completely unexpected.
-That makes sense. I am not familiar with human language and I have made a contradiction. Please forgive me-
“Oh, no.”If it is a mistake to not capture those who have escaped my sight, then it is certainly a mistake. Your words are correct. My lack of ability has prevented me from capturing those who have fled from my sight. There may not be an inch of “error” within my sight, but it is meaningless if I cannot capture those who have escaped it. I send my deepest gratitude to you for calling me and broadening my vision.
Suddenly, I received a thank you from the underworld god.
In the meantime, I was wondering how to react.
An overwhelming sense of oppression, incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before, weighed down on me, and I felt a splitting headache.
“Ugh…?!
-Speak their names. As long as the manpower you have created permits, I will capture them and surely pass judgment on them. However, if they do not deserve to be condemned, you will not be able to avoid disaster.-
“Luna! Necromancer Luna! And Kali! Archdruid Kali!”
-The names of the living are always unfamiliar to me. But that’s enough. If there are no doppelgangers, I’ll find them soon… Hmm. Why is one of them hiding here like a rat?-
“······?!”
At that moment, the underworld god’s voice grew cold.
Only then did I realize that I was not the only one in this place.
Inside my clothes.
A small spider was hiding.