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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Establishing the Pecking Order
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The deities who ruled the various netherworlds of the Abyss began to unleash their respective presences, flooding the space in all directions….
Marbas, who was curled up on Kang-jun’s lap in the form of a Doberman puppy, trembled and let out a low whimper.
“Kiiing…”
Kang-jun, on the other hand, looked utterly unfazed. He glanced around at the deities ruling the netherworlds and asked in a low voice.
“You all seem to have a lot of complaints.”
Then, as if showing off his own status, he projected his presence.
“If you’ve got a problem, let’s settle it right here.”
Just as the menacing auras emanating from each deity intertwined, instantly filling the conference room—
*CRRRRAAAAASSSSH—!*
The deity known by the epithet ‘Chief Justice of the Ten Kings of Hell,’ King Yama, suddenly slammed his massive fist on the table.
“A little rat like you, unable to even grasp his own place, is running wild like an insolent brat!”
At his words, the deity known as ‘The Underworld, Seventh of the Divine Generations,’ Izanami, spoke in a low, soft voice.
A moment of silence fell.
“O divine one, who has come to rule the ‘Spring of Eternal Rest,’ formerly known as the netherworld Niflheim.”
“Speak.”
“The ‘Grand Meeting,’ by long-standing tradition, is convened with a grace period of at least a decade, no matter how urgent the matter…”
Trailing off as if unable to contain her anger, she took a deep breath before her tone sharpened.
“Why must you act so without decorum?”
“What?”
“Did you not threaten us!”
She then glanced at the faces of the other deities, excluding Kang-jun, before continuing.
“As if summoning a Grand Meeting out of the blue wasn’t enough, you annihilated dozens of innocent reapers simply because they did not attend immediately, did you not?”
She continued, her words like sharp jabs.
“We have all set aside mountains of work to attend this meeting, and we have not uttered a single word about your atrocities, and yet…”
Her voice faded as she cautiously watched Kang-jun’s expression, yet she managed to ask with a measure of conviction.
“How can you be so rude?”
“Rude?” Kang-jun repeated with a scoff, his voice sinking into an icy tone as he began to speak again.
“Fine, I’ll be even ruder for you.”
Kang-jun tilted his head, casually asking Izanami.
“What was your name again?”
Letting out a sharp “Ha!” she replied in a prim, cutting voice.
“Izanami.”
She then added.
“My true name is Izanami.”
“Izanami…” Kang-jun muttered a few times before speaking again in a flat, emotionless tone.
“Izanami, you are now a mute.”
As she tried to cry out, “You, you can’t—!” at Kang-jun’s sudden declaration—
“If you so much as open your mouth one more time, I will personally rip that pretty little maw of yours wide open.”
Her lips parted as if to say something more, but after reading the room, she swallowed the words she had been about to speak.
‘He’s just as insane as the rumors say…’
Izanami, a high-ranking deity of the ‘Takamagahara’ constellation, had heard the nauseating tales of ■■■’s eccentricities.
How many gods had already been annihilated by ■■■, who had only just attained his divinity and ascended to godhood a short while ago?
The present situation was a perfect example.
To force them to attend this ‘Grand Meeting’ immediately, ■■■ had split the heads of no less than several dozen reapers in half.
Considering his cruel nature, the threat ‘open your mouth and I’ll rip it open’ was very likely not a simple bluff.
“There, that’s better.”
Kang-jun looked at the now silent Izanami, who could only watch him warily, and added.
“Some people think I’ll go easy on them because they’re women. That’s a very, very big mistake.”
“Believe it or not, I’m fair to everyone, regardless of age or gender. If I don’t like someone, I kill them.”
Just then, a “*Tiring!*” sound chimed in Kang-jun’s ear, and a system message appeared.
[The deity of the Takamagahara constellation, ‘The Underworld, Seventh of the Divine Generations,’ Izanami, feels a profound fear of your presence.]
[Due to the Creator God’s intervention, the ‘Hierarchy’ among the Five Great Kings is being adjusted.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of Takamagahara, ‘Izanami,’ is adjusted to 5th by the Creator God.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of the Spring of Eternal Rest, ‘■■■,’ is adjusted to 4th by the Creator God.]
As Kang-jun muttered to himself, “A hierarchy…,” more system messages appeared before him.
【Hidden Piece: Organizing the Hierarchy of the Great Kings】
【Progress for this Hidden Piece is ‘25%’】
After scanning the contents, Kang-jun nodded his head and murmured softly, “Now I get it.”
It seemed the hierarchy the system message spoke of could be adjusted simply by crushing the pride of these haughty deities.
Given that his rank had risen to ‘4th’ and the progress meter had increased accordingly…
It appeared that to fulfill the conditions of this hidden piece, he would have to raise his rank all the way to ‘1st.’
“Alright, I understand.”
Having spoken abruptly, Kang-jun began tapping the table with his fingertips, “*Tok, tok…*,” as if pondering something, and looked at Osiris.
“Hey, you there.”
The deity called ‘The Master of Abydos,’ Osiris, flinched for a moment before turning his gaze to Kang-jun.
“Do you know anything about me?”
“Well, of course…”
“So you’ve heard things.”
Kang-jun tilted his head, his voice deceptively low and soft as he asked again.
“Then I’m quite curious if you’ve heard anything about my shitty personality.”
“That is…”
“You don’t seem to know much, so I’ll be kind enough to tell you myself. I’m the type whose attitude changes with my mood.”
He then added.
“Unfortunately, I’m not in a good mood today, so I feel like taking it out on you and being a little mean.”
“What is the meaning of…”
“The sight of your bluish face makes me sick. You will sit on the floor until this meeting is over.”
Faced with the humiliating command, Osiris couldn’t respond immediately, muttering under his breath, “How could…”
“If you do not get on the floor right this instant, I will rip you in half and kill you.”
At those words, Osiris reluctantly and slowly began to rise. Kang-jun let out a hum as if in thought, then spoke as if granting a great favor.
“Fine. Making you sit on the floor seems a bit excessive. You may remain in your seat, but you will face the wall until the meeting is over.”
As Osiris muttered, “This absolute madman…,” and turned around in his seat, his hands clasped behind his back—
“However, if you show me that bluish mug of yours one more time, I will, as promised, split your body in two.”
Unable to contain his humiliation, Osiris began to chew on his lower lip, his eyes fixed on the floor.
While Osiris was a high-ranking deity with considerable standing within the great ‘Kemet’ constellation, his life was more important than his pride.
‘This shame is only temporary…’
If this ‘■■■,’ who was acting no different from a lunatic, decided to kill him right now, he would surely face annihilation.
His plan was to survive and escape this place first, then inform the deities of his ‘Kemet’ constellation and ask for their help.
[The deity of the Kemet constellation, ‘The Master of Abydos,’ Osiris, feels a profound fear of your presence.]
[Due to the Creator God’s intervention, the ‘Hierarchy’ among the Five Great Kings is being adjusted.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of Kemet, ‘Osiris,’ is adjusted to 4th by the Creator God.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of the Spring of Eternal Rest, ‘■■■,’ is adjusted to 3rd by the Creator God.]
Kang-jun scanned the new set of system messages that appeared before him and muttered, “As I thought…”
【Hidden Piece: Organizing the Hierarchy of the Great Kings】
【Progress for this Hidden Piece is ‘50%’】
As the system message showing the ‘Hidden Piece’ progress appeared once more, Kang-jun’s gaze shifted to King Yama.
“What is it, you whelp!”
Sensing his turn had come, King Yama shouted as if having a fit. Kang-jun, in a calm tone, unleashed his threats upon him as well.
“Old man, I don’t like your eyes. If you make eye contact with me one more time, I’ll rip your head off right now.”
At those words, a deep frown creased King Yama’s brow. He began to draw upon his divine power to its fullest and bellowed.
“You… have you ever seen such an insolent brat!”
From his body, the epics he had accumulated over countless eons began to swirl violently like a vortex.
“Do you truly believe that you, who only recently gained divinity and ascended to godhood, can be a match for me?”
Just then, Marbas, still curled up on Kang-jun’s lap, let out another pained whimper, “Kiiing…,” and spoke with difficulty.
“M-My lord. It seems that hot-headed old man is of a completely different caliber than the two divine nobodies from before…”
Kang-jun nodded a few times and replied in a perfectly composed tone.
“Yes, taking your head right here would be quite a hassle.”
As if he had expected that answer, King Yama let out a loud snort. “Pathetic!”
“Do you know what the most fearsome enemy is?”
King Yama’s brow furrowed tightly at Kang-jun’s sudden question.
“It’s someone who acts without regard for consequences, who doesn’t think before they leap.”
“You insolent fool, what nonsense are you suddenly spouting…”
Kang-jun cut him off.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
Countless glyphs began to pour out from Kang-jun’s body, glowing faintly like a halo of light.
“If I, who act without regard for consequences, decide to destroy everything you are, could you protect it?”
“You—!”
“If you do not listen to me, I will reduce every single person and place even remotely connected to you to a pile of ash.”
After finishing, Kang-jun added.
“If you want to see whether I’m serious or not, make eye contact with me one more time.”
“I can guarantee that when you come to your senses, you will be standing alone in a field of ruins.”
King Yama muttered, “That crazy bastard!” and began grinding his teeth in frustration.
A cold voice spread through the room.
“If you understand me.”
“Lower your eyes.”
King Yama, who had been glaring defiantly, slowly lowered his gaze.
Once again, a “*Tiring!*” sound echoed, and a series of system messages appeared.
[The deity of the Yama Kingdom constellation, ‘Chief Justice of the Ten Kings of Hell,’ King Yama, begins to feel a profound fear of your presence.]
[Due to the Creator God’s intervention, the ‘Hierarchy’ among the Five Great Kings is being adjusted.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of the Ten Hells, ‘King Yama,’ is adjusted to 3rd by the Creator God.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of the Spring of Eternal Rest, ‘■■■,’ is adjusted to 2nd by the Creator God.]
Having instantly raised his rank among the Five Great Kings to ‘2nd,’ Kang-jun nodded once in satisfaction.
“Well, well.”
Kang-jun’s gaze fell upon Hades, who had remained silent, merely observing, even as Kang-jun spewed his endless stream of rude remarks.
“So you must have been Rank 1.”
At those words, Hades met Kang-jun’s eyes directly and asked in a voice that felt as cold as ice.
“O ‘■■■,’ whom all the gods of the Abyss are watching, could it be that you have committed such rudeness out of interest in something as trivial as rank?”
Kang-jun replied instantly.
“That’s right. Now it’s your turn.”
“Disappointing,” Hades replied, stroking the Cerberus that stood valiantly by his side.
“I have no interest in such rankings.”
“What?”
“If you want it, I shall grant it to you.”
Hades answered without a hint of hesitation, offering Kang-jun a gentle smile.
A new set of system messages appeared in the air before Kang-jun.
[The deity of the Olympus constellation, ‘Incorporeal Death,’ Hades, cedes his rank to you.]
[Due to the Creator God’s intervention, the ‘Hierarchy’ among the Five Great Kings is being adjusted.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of Olympus, ‘Hades,’ is adjusted to 2nd by the Creator God.]
[The rank of the deity ruling the netherworld of the Spring of Eternal Rest, ‘■■■,’ is adjusted to 1st by the Creator God.]
A series of cheerful chimes echoed in his ears as messages related to the ‘Hidden Piece’ appeared one after another.
[You have fulfilled all the conditions of the Hidden Piece!]
[Hidden Piece: Organizing the Hierarchy of the Great Kings.]
[This Hidden Piece is recorded as your new myth, ‘The First Among All Great Kings.’]
[Your presence as ■■■ becomes even more distinct.]
Just then, Hades, who had been quietly watching Kang-jun, warned him in a low, gentle, yet somehow dangerous voice.
“■■■, I warn you out of concern. It would be wise to refrain from displaying your power any further.”
Kang-jun simply watched Hades silently, gesturing with his chin as if to say, ‘go on.’
“Many deities already covet your epithet. Flaunting your power will only fuel their desires.”
When Kang-jun offered no reply, Hades continued in his gentle tone.
“This is merely a concern born of goodwill. I do hope you won’t take it amiss.”
“Goodwill…” Kang-jun muttered, nodding a few times before replying.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
He then looked around at everyone and got to the main point.
“Now that the atmosphere seems to be more or less in order, let’s begin the ‘Grand Meeting of the Netherworlds.’”
King Yama, his broad shoulders heaving as if he still hadn't calmed down...
With his gaze still fixed on the table, replied in a low, sneering tone.
“I’m curious as to what important matter could have prompted such a ruckus…”
Next, Hades replied.
“No objection.”
Then, Osiris, who was standing alone with his back turned, indicated his agreement.
“Likewise…”
Kang-jun turned to Izanami, the only deity who hadn't responded, and asked sharply.
“And you?”
The questioned Izanami nodded her head several times in succession, but for some reason, Kang-jun still looked displeased.
“Hey, are you going to answer properly or not?”
“Who do you think you are, just nodding your head so arrogantly?”
At the sharp question, Izanami couldn't respond and looked to the other deities as if pleading for help.
“My lord.”
Marbas whispered.
“Did you not threaten to rip her mouth open if she so much as uttered another word?”
As if remembering what he had forgotten, Kang-jun muttered, “Ah, right,” and immediately got to the point.
“We will be amending a portion of the netherworld’s laws related to ‘filial impiety.’”
