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One day, Rychlen got so drunk that he accidentally killed his friend.

How someone as strong as Rychlen, who can drink jars of strong liquor without getting tipsy, ended up in such a state is a mystery, even to him. He lost control and, in a wild frenzy, caused the death of his friend.

As a result, his friend lost his life at Rychlen’s hands, and Rychlen felt an unbearable sense of responsibility for that death.

He wanted to bring his dead friend back to life.

“Bringing the dead back to life? You’re not a Dragon Priestess from a legend.”

Someone remarked after hearing his story. Indeed, reviving the dead is generally something impossible to even dream about.

In the legends, the Dragon Priestess, who is a companion to heroes, can use magic to revive the dead, but that’s only because she is a representative of the Goddess of Life.

Normally, no one would be able to bring the dead back to life.

“Well, normally.”

“Surely the sage of the Deep Forest knows how to revive the dead, right?”

“The sage of the Deep Forest…?”

“Oh, do you not know? There’s a famous story from decades ago about a sage who left behind various prophecies. It’s said that even the gods had to listen to his words because of how remarkable he was.”

Rychlen nodded.

He indeed recalled hearing about this from one of his masters long ago. The sage had been active even before he was born and had left behind numerous prophecies.

“Where is the sage of the Deep Forest?”

“They say he’s in the Deep Forest, but no one knows the exact location. The gods might, though.”

At that, Rychlen let out a small sigh.

For some reason, since several decades ago, the power of the gods had been declining rapidly, and there weren’t many temples that were still functioning normally.

Ultimately, Rychlen determined to head towards the Temple of Life, which still retained its influence since many always sought it out.

Before that, he hadn’t forgotten to use a precious magic scroll to trap his friend’s corpse in cold ice to prevent decomposition.

Even if he succeeded in reviving his friend, it would be problematic if the body rotted away to mere bones.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The priest at the Temple of Life, upon seeing Rychlen’s face, immediately provided information about the sage of the Deep Forest.

It was as if he knew from the start what Rychlen was looking for.

So Rychlen headed towards the deep forest where the sage supposedly resided. In a forest where sunlight didn’t shine, he met the sage after exchanging a few words and received several items.

The entrance to the Underworld that the sage had mentioned was said to be at the northernmost edge of the world, beyond the frozen sea.

Rychlen traveled towards the northern edge of the continent, sometimes aided by giants and at other times facing attacks from predators and beasts.

The frozen sea was filled with ice that resembled blades, with a black bridge laid across it.

Faced with the black bridge, which supposedly allowed for passage only once, Rychlen suppressed the terror swelling within him and moved forward.

At last, Rychlen stood before the door to the Underworld.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

The inscription on the Underworld door pierced Rychlen’s chest like a sharp warning.

No matter how much he considered himself a hero, could he truly pass through the Underworld?

Could he safely advance through the Underworld and reclaim his friend’s soul?

Rychlen steadied his trembling heart and looked once more at the Underworld door.

A black door set into black rock. Just looking at it allowed Rychlen to feel the grip of soul-wrenching pain.

Standing before such a door, Rychlen silently rolled up his sleeves and pushed against the two doors with all his might.

It took immense strength, as if he could shift a mountain, but the heavy door barely budged. It took the better part of a day just to create a space wide enough for a single person to pass through.

Rychlen used all his strength to push the door open wide enough and quickly slipped inside.

As soon as he passed through, the door that had taken so long to open slammed shut with alarming speed.

If he had been merely a moment late… he might have been crushed between those heavy doors.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Rychlen began to descend the stairs into the Underworld.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

How far had he gone into the pitch-black cave, where not a single inch could be seen?

Relying on the faint light from the magic stone lamp powered by the mana stone, provided by the sage, Rychlen pressed on through the darkness.

How much time passed? It was only after about a day since passing through the door that a vast plaza appeared instead of narrow winding stairs.

And at the far end of the plaza stood a giant made of black rock.

Unlike the giants made of flesh and blood, this was a giant crafted from black stone.

The first guardian of the Underworld.

Obsidian Colossus. Talos.

He was a watcher, red eyes observing each soul that descended into the Underworld and a blade ready to strike down any who dared enter without permission.

Rychlen quickly extinguished the light from the mana stone before Talos’s gaze fell upon him, holding his breath.

To move deeper into the Underworld, he would need to pass the path behind Talos. However, a living body cannot fool Talos’s eyes.

Perhaps having foreseen this situation, the sage had given Rychlen something that could deceive Talos’s gaze.

Rychlen cautiously pulled out the small item given to him by the sage from his pocket.

A tiny pouch. A small pouch attached with a thin string.

The sage had said that if he lit this string on fire and threw it towards Talos’s head, it would momentarily blind his eyes.

Rychlen hesitantly lit the string, throwing it towards Talos’s face.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

With that, Rychlen navigated a treacherous path and descended into the depths of the Underworld.

The hell divided into seven layers showed different conditions as he descended, but strangely enough, after passing through the notoriously difficult third layer, he found it became somewhat manageable.

The weighty moans of those suffering in the harsh environment of the Underworld disoriented Rychlen, but thanks to the earplugs given by the sage and the method to find the right path, he pushed through without great difficulty.

Though, it might have been an issue that the man guarding the third layer was oddly strong.

The items prepared by the sage were merely sufficient to deceive Talos and help cross the Underworld river, but the rest of the layers had to be conquered entirely by Rychlen’s ability, which made it all the more challenging.

Anyway, after making his way through all seven layers of the Underworld, Rychlen stood before the last door, his body utterly battered.

According to the sage’s words, the gods of the Underworld awaited beyond this door.

If they pronounced death upon Rychlen, he would die without putting up any resistance.

But Rychlen believed in himself.

And he believed in the sage’s words.

He believed that if he faced the gods of the Underworld, he could bring his dead friend back to life.

With that, Rychlen opened the door and stepped inside.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The courtroom made entirely of black rock.

Inside, three gods sat in their respective places, preparing for a trial.

The King of the Grim Reapers, Thanatos, who possessed a body formed of darkness and wielded a huge scythe imbued with the energy of death.

The judge of the Underworld, Moros, holding a ledger detailing everyone’s lifespan and a mirror to see the lives of those who shone.

The goddess Keres, wielding a scale to weigh the souls of the deceased in one hand and a sword for judgment in the other.

The three overseers of the Underworld sent Rychlen cold, indifferent glances.

It was only natural. A living person stepping into the depths of the Underworld was a first since the Underworld had come into existence.

If any one of the three were to pronounce death upon Rychlen, his body and soul would be separated without a fight.

However, the three did not do that.

Though they were displeased with Rychlen’s presence in their realm, they seemed to have no choice.

The three pointed towards the corridor behind them, made of perfectly carved black stone.

Initially, Rychlen doubted them, but he considered that there must be a reason for the gods of death to engage in such a tedious task when they could end his life in an instant.

Thus, Rychlen proceeded as instructed towards the corridor of black stone.

The smooth black stone corridor, reflecting his image like a mirror, began to move through it.

As he walked, Rychlen suddenly realized he wasn’t alone in the corridor.

Though he was certainly the only one physically walking, somehow beside the reflection of himself on the wall was the outline of a girl with black hair.

 

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