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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: The River of Three Crossings
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On a hill just before the River of Three Crossings, an ‘old woman’ and an ‘old man’ dressed in traditional attire stood side by side.
At first glance, the two elders looked like an ordinary old couple, but they were the deities who ruled this place.
They were known by the names Tar-ui-pa and Hyeon-ui-ong, respectively.
Here, at the entrance to all underworlds,
they would help the souls of the dead safely cross the river.
“The child?”
It was a casual question from the old man, Hyeon-ui-ong, as he nonchalantly removed the long pipe from his mouth.
The old woman, Tar-ui-pa, muttered under her breath, “Damned girl,” before continuing.
“I put her on the boat and sent her off.”
To that, Tar-ui-pa replied.
“Then she must be halfway across by now.”
It had been quite some time since the child first set foot in this place, the 「Entrance to All Underworlds」.
They had told her time and again that she was dead and needed to cross the river, but the child had been stubborn.
“What was her reason again…?”
Hyeon-ui-ong exhaled a puff of acrid tobacco smoke, chuckled, and mumbled to himself.
“Ah, that’s right…”
According to the child, her mother was the type who always used to say, “My dear, I can’t live without you.”
The child had believed her mother’s words implicitly, throwing all sorts of tantrums and stubbornly refusing to cross the river for several years.
“I do miss my mom…”
She was a good child.
“I hope she comes late.”
She was a pitiful child.
“My mom can’t live without me…”
The two elders had watched over countless deaths and knew better than anyone that the living always find a way to live on.
They had repeatedly scolded her, saying, “You foolish thing, how can you believe those words so blindly?” but the child hadn’t even blinked.
How stubborn must she have been for even the ill-tempered Tar-ui-pa, who usually sent the dead on their way without a second thought, to turn a blind eye for several years?
“So, has she forgotten everything?”
Time in this place eroded the memories of those who lingered.
And yet, that small child had endured for several long years.
She had endured, crouched on a hill with a clear view of the River of Three Crossings.
She had endured, humming a tune as if she wasn't bored at all.
“Yes, she’s even forgotten her own name.”
“Then has she forgotten her mother as well?”
“Of course, she’s forgotten her completely.”
Tar-ui-pa answered in an indifferent tone, then added quietly.
“So I sent her on her way.”
Hyeon-ui-ong frowned slightly and asked back.
“Which path did you send her on?”
To that, Tar-ui-pa answered immediately.
“Her sins were heavy, so I put her on a ferry that crosses the Abyssal Stream, the most treacherous of the lower paths of the River of Three Crossings…”
Hyeon-ui-ong then asked again, his tone quite urgent.
“What sin could that little thing have committed!”
“Dying before one’s parents is the greatest sin.”
The upper waters of the River of Three Crossings were relatively shallow, a path for those whose sins in life were comparatively light.
The middle stream, which had a bridge for easy passage, was reserved only for those who had been virtuous in life.
The lower waters, the Abyssal Stream where the child was headed, was a path for those with heavy sins, teeming with water serpents and plagued by frequent rockfalls.
“It must be unfair enough to have died an untimely death without living out her years, but how can death itself be a sin so great as to warrant crossing the Abyssal Stream….”
As was often the case, those who crossed the Abyssal Stream were bound to die several more times.
They would be killed by water serpents tearing away their flesh, or crushed to death by a suddenly falling rock…
Dying like that, again and again, dying and being reborn to die once more, only after several more deaths could they finally cross the River of Three Crossings.
“The law is the law. What do you expect me to do about it?”
The old woman, Tar-ui-pa, retorted before letting out a long sigh. For a moment, she simply stared at the gently rippling river.
“Well, I’ll be.”
She whipped her head around and stared intently into the darkness that had settled behind her.
Hyeon-ui-ong did the same.
He, who had been puffing out acrid smoke, carefully put away his pipe and began to glare into the distance as if to kill.
“Old man, it seems we have an uninvited guest.”
“So it seems.”
“This is no place for uninvited guests…”
An eerie aura began to swirl around the two seemingly ordinary elders…
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
As if something enormous was approaching, the ground shook with a thunderous roar.
“A monster…”
A monster with the massive, brawny body of a human and the head of a ‘dog’ was striding toward the two elders.
The hideous-looking creature was emitting an unnervingly red glow from its eyes…
‘■ This is so unsatisfying.’
It was greedily crunching on the head of a vengeful spirit clutched tightly in its large hand.
‘Unsatisfying…’
Just as the two elders swallowed dryly in unison, as if on cue.
“Old woman, up, above…”
A deep shadow suddenly cast over the entire area, and looking up, they saw a ship of truly colossal size floating in the air.
“Wh-who are you?”
At the old woman Tar-ui-pa’s question, the monster, having popped the torso-less vengeful spirit into its mouth, began to speak.
‘Old prey that looks far more delicious than some vengeful spirit…’
After speaking, ‘Marbas’ began to stare up at the floating Naglfar, as if awaiting an order.
“Hey, stand by for a moment.”
Kang-jun then leaped from the deck of the Naglfar, which was flying high in the sky, and landed lightly on the ground like a cat.
“I have a few questions.”
Just as Tar-ui-pa and Hyeon-ui-ong exchanged a glance and began to draw upon their divine power.
“If you don’t want to get beaten to a pulp in your old age and end up as dog food, you’d better answer my questions obediently.”
“H-h-how dare a young whippersnapper like you spout such nonsense, not even knowing who we are…”
“I may not look it, but I’ve lived long enough. If we’re going by age, I qualify for free rides on the subway, too.”
He then added.
“For your information, my fists don’t discriminate between men, women, young, or old. If you don’t want to die a violent death, you’d better answer my questions sincerely.”
Having delivered his sudden, chilling threat, Kang-jun also began to draw upon his own divine power in response.
From Kang-jun’s body, torrents of ‘characters’ poured out, swirling violently and beginning to destroy the surrounding objects.
- He, called ‘■■■’ by all of Abyss…
- The one who ultimately killed a god to obtain divinity and become a deity…
- Who tore down the unbreakable walls of Niflheim with his bare hands…
- The new master of the Underworld’s haven of eternal spring…
- He intervened in the scenario of the Asgard cluster…
The myths Kang-jun had built up until now swirled around him.
Even this was merely a ‘fraction’ of his power…
But it was on a completely different level from the myths of the two elders.
“D-don’t tell me you’re…”
Instead of Hyeon-ui-ong, who trailed off vaguely, it was Tar-ui-pa who posed the question.
“Are you perhaps ‘■■■’?”
The two elders had also heard the strange rumor that had begun circulating not long ago.
The rumor that ‘■■■,’ a name no deity in the Abyss could fail to know, had made flowers bloom all over the underworld of Niflheim.
When Kang-jun answered with a nod, the two elders simultaneously dropped to their knees.
“O, new rightful master of an underworld…”
“We failed to recognize you and have committed a grave offense…”
At their words, Kang-jun nodded once, then looked up at Naglfar and spoke again.
“Hey, come down for a second.”
Following Kang-jun’s instruction, Yun Hui-su, who had been hiding on the deck, also leaped down.
Thud-
As she landed softly, Kang-jun gestured and said, “Give me your phone.”
“Here…”
Kang-jun took the smartphone from Yun Hui-su, showed them the picture of a young girl set as the wallpaper, and continued.
“I’ve come looking for this child.”
At that moment.
“This child is…”
The two elders once again exchanged glances, and the old woman, Tar-ui-pa, looked at Yun Hui-su and asked.
“Are you this child’s mother?”
“Yes…”
“She was as stubborn as her mother, I see.”
After speaking, Tar-ui-pa added.
“The daughter who endured here for years, insisting she had to wait for her mother, and the reckless mother who walked into the netherworld of her own accord to see her dead child…”
At those words, Kang-jun glared at Tar-ui-pa and spoke.
“It seems you know this child.”
“Yes, I looked after her for a long time…”
“What do you mean, you looked after her for a long time?”
Hyeon-ui-ong interjected with an answer.
“The child first arrived here about two or three years ago, by the living world’s time.”
Kang-jun glanced at Yun Hui-su, who nodded several times with a sorrowful expression.
“Normally, souls who set foot here are supposed to have their karma evaluated and immediately board a ferry to cross the River of Three Crossings, but…”
“But?”
“She was so pitiful, wailing that her mother couldn’t live without her, that we took pity and looked after her for a few years.”
He then added.
“In this place that slowly erodes the memories of those who stay, that child held on for several years. She truly endured for a long time…”
“Endured?”
“As if the little one wasn’t bored at all, she sat on the hill overlooking the River of Three Crossings and waited for her mother for years on end.”
Yun Hui-su’s eyes quickly reddened, and she began to whisper, “Hye-Hye-su…”
Hyeon-ui-ong, who had been watching Yun Hui-su with a sympathetic gaze, carefully asked.
“But what are we to do…?”
At his words, Kang-jun’s brow furrowed deeply. Hyeon-ui-ong flinched, his lips trembling, before he continued cautiously.
“As fate would have it, we just sent her off on a ferry across the ‘River of Three Crossings’ to the underworld only a short while ago.”
Yun Hui-su asked urgently.
“Th-then if we chase after her right now…”
At that, Tar-ui-pa shook her head.
“I’m afraid your daughter was sent to the ‘Abyssal Stream,’ the part of the River of Three Crossings for those judged to have committed very heavy sins.”
“Heavy sins…?”
“There is no greater sin than dying before one’s parents. It was her fate to cross the Abyssal Stream the moment she died.”
At those words, Yun Hui-su muttered, “How…,” and, with a dazed expression, tightly gripped the sleeve of Kang-jun’s tracksuit.
“What utter bullshit.”
Kang-jun asked in a growl.
“You think a child wants to die before her parents?”
“B-b-but the laws of the underworld are as such…”
“And which idiot decided on these ‘laws’?”
“A very long time ago, all the gods of the underworld agreed…”
“Enough,” Kang-jun cut Tar-ui-pa off and looked towards the distant River of Three Crossings.
“So you’re saying she’s already crossed the river completely?”
“She departed only a short while ago, so it will still take several days…”
“Then we can catch up if we leave right now.”
A river that connected to all underworlds couldn't possibly be small.
And since they had only sent her off on a mere ferry, she couldn't have gone very far.
Kang-jun looked at the two elders, Tar-ui-pa and Hyeon-ui-ong, one after the other, then spoke in a solemn tone.
“So, which way do we go to catch up?”
At his words, Hyeon-ui-ong immediately tried to dissuade him.
“Forgive me, but no matter how great ‘■■■’ may be, we believe it is impossible for you to cross the Abyssal Stream, the lower waters of the River of Three Crossings…”
“Why?”
“Unless it’s a ferry rowed by experienced underworld boatmen, any other vessel will be pierced by the serpents that fill the Abyssal Stream instead of water, and will surely sink…”
At that, Kang-jun gestured with his chin toward the Naglfar floating in the air and asked back.
“That ship too?”
Hyeon-ui-ong nodded.
“It would be the same for any great ship. Besides, it is a place where massive rocks rain down like a summer squall…”
Tar-ui-pa then interjected.
“Even if you somehow manage to reunite with the child, her memories will have been completely erased. She won’t even remember her own name, let alone her mother.”
After speaking, she looked at Yun Hui-su with pitying eyes and added in a cautious tone.
“So it would be best to let the child go now…”
To that, Yun Hui-su answered firmly.
“I’ll go, even if I have to go alone.”
“Even so…”
“I have to at least see her face.”
No matter how much the two elders rambled on about the horrors of the Abyssal Stream, it seemed they couldn't stop her.
It was a parent’s heart.
To her, the fact that her child was crossing such a dreadful place alone would only feel more and more agonizing.
“You heard her.”
Kang-jun replied curtly and asked the two elders again.
“So, which way do I go to catch up to the child?”
“You can just follow the river downstream, but…”
Hyeon-ui-ong trailed off, then added again.
“I cannot presume to know how you intend to cross, but would you please reconsider just one more time…?”
Instead of replying, Kang-jun stared at the gently rippling surface of the River of Three Crossings and asked in a low, reciting voice.
“Did you say the water serpents were the problem?”
“Yes…”
“That’s not a problem.”
Then, he spoke, imbuing his voice with divine power.
“Uroboros.”
Simultaneously, a long crack was drawn in the air, which then shattered and collapsed, creating a massive rift.
[Authority, ‘Master of the Strongest Serpent in the World,’ is activated.]
[The strongest serpent in the world, ‘Uroboros,’ descends.]
[Uroboros eagerly awaits your command.]
From beyond the rift, the great serpent ‘Uroboros,’ having rushed over at Kang-jun’s call, revealed itself.
“H-h-how…”
Kang-jun looked up at Uroboros and said.
“Open the way.”
Uroboros flicked its long tongue, glaring at the ‘water serpents’ hiding beneath the yellowish surface of this place.
S-s-s-s-s-slither…
Sssssslither…
Sssssssssslither…
What looked to be tens of thousands of water serpents fled the river as if escaping and scattered in every direction.
“Now, what’s the problem?”
At his question, the two elders, ‘Hyeon-ui-ong’ and ‘Tar-ui-pa,’ who had been unable to hide their astonishment, each answered in a low voice.
“How can you command the infamous water serpents of the River of Three Crossings with a single word…”
“I-I believe nothing could possibly be a problem…”
Witnessing the power of ‘■■■,’ whose name was only whispered in rumors throughout the Abyss, the two elders seemed to be in deep shock.
“Naglfar.”
The great warship Naglfar, which had been floating in the air, slowly lowered its altitude and landed roughly on the surface of the River of Three Crossings.
Swoooosh-!
A great splash of water erupted, drenching the area, and the two elders could only watch the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
“We’re done here, so get out of the way.”
Kang-jun walked past the two elders, was the first to step onto the deck of Naglfar, and then casually asked.
“Hey, are you going to keep standing there in a daze?”
At his words, Marbas snorted once and muttered to himself in satisfaction.
‘He’s become an even more terrifying monster. I really did the right thing, swearing my allegiance…’
Yun Hui-su, who had been staring blankly, finally managed to pull herself together and quickly boarded the deck of Naglfar.
And so…
The great warship Naglfar, woven from the fingernails and skin of the dead, began to move forward along the currents of the River of Three Crossings.
“So that’s why…”
Tar-ui-pa, who finally managed to speak, watched the Naglfar as it began to grow distant and added again in a barely audible voice.
“All the gods couldn’t help but covet the name ‘■■■’…”
At her words, Hyeon-ui-ong took out his pipe again, placed it in his mouth, and replied in agreement as he exhaled a puff of acrid smoke.
“You can say that again…”
The two deities, staring blankly at the waters of the River of Three Crossings, could only pray in their hearts.
Please.
May that pitiful child safely reunite with her mother, and may they at least see each other’s faces one more time…
