Thank you to everyone who gave comments and coupons! Here’s the 146th installment.
48. Magical Beasts and the Gatekeeper of Hell #1
— Ah, right. Heaven is all about houses made of gold. Plus, it’s stuffed with all sorts of jewels surrounded by refreshing trees that are always filled with ripe fruits, ensuring nobody goes hungry and everyone can live happily.
[Indeed…. Houses surrounded by gold. I never thought there would be a place matching Sumer up in the sky….]
Usir nodded in awe. I was busy answering the endless questions from Usir and Azidahaka.
The white lies I spun to comfort Azidahaka morphed into a twisted tale that kept going.
However, walking through the dreary and gloomy sewers was a mentally and physically grueling task, so I managed to find some amusement in talking about an elusive ‘Heaven.’
The reality was that I was trudging through a hellish dungeon in the underground, a chaotic belly of the sewers, but maintaining a positive mindset was crucial for survival.
“But, can the corrupted and cursed be redeemed and go to heaven?”
Azidahaka asked, incinerating the corpses littered on the ground with concern written all over her face.
Being a mythical creature, she took my words without a hint of doubt. Perhaps she viewed me—descendant of a divine being and son of the World Tree—as something special, banking her hopes on me.
‘It’s probably because the d*ath of her pet shook her. Religion and faith really can be a great source of strength for the suffering.’
I recalled going to church on Christmas Eve as a kid.
— Blessed are the poor, the innocent, and the oppressed. Heaven belongs to them.
While mockingly imitating a priest, Azidahaka nodded along.
“Right. So what happens to those who do good deeds but also commit violence and wrongdoing? And where do we even draw the line between good and evil?”
— Huh?
Caught off guard by such a sharp question, I blurted out a startled response. I hadn’t the faintest idea of such abstract theological concepts. After all, the heaven I’d just conjured was nothing but a fabrication!
‘I comforted her but ended up lighting an unnecessary fire.’
Since she was referred to as both a goddess and a saint, it wouldn’t be surprising if she was particularly curious about the spiritual realm.
“And you mentioned a heaven in the sky. Where exactly is it? When I flew up high ages ago, I couldn’t see a thing in the sky.”
I cleared my throat and quickly organized my thoughts.
— Ahem, I said earlier, it’s a hidden place that you can only reach by riding the rainbow bridge. And that bridge is visible only to those who have lived kindly. Now, let’s drop this topic.
[Hmm.]
“So….”
As I tried to change the subject, Usir and Azidahaka smacked their lips in disappointment.
“Just tell us where it is. Is it perhaps on one of the two moons in the sky? I’ve always found the existence of the moon suspicious.”
— Yeah, there’s one up there, and countless stars have one each too.
[With all the countless dead folks, there must be nations in the sky equal to their numbers.]
“Heavenly stars were such paradisiacal realms. Now I understand why they twinkle so beautifully.”
Azidahaka and Usir chatted with each other, practically gleeful like children.
‘If I suddenly revealed it was all a lie now, they’d be crushed.’
Watching them, I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if such places actually existed.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the reality was I was walking through stinky, damp sewers.
Perhaps everyone wanted to shift their thoughts away from that unpleasant fact.
[We’ve arrived. This is the spot for descending to the 44th floor.]
After encountering the alligators Azidahaka had kept as pets, we strolled through the passage without any major crisis. Just as Usir described, this tunnel seemed to be quite safe.
Swoosh.
Water trickled down below, forming a waterfall-like shape. I leaned over the edge, glancing at the surroundings.
About ten meters below, I could see swirling water and buzzing machinery, both bubbling away.
‘Was the 44th floor where the sewage treatment plant was located?’
— But how do we get down? Isn’t there a ladder or something?
[It rusted and broke. We’ve got no choice but to jump. There’ll be a safe house where you can wash and dry off on the next floor, so just close your eyes and jump.]
— Hmm.
Frowning at the bubbling swamp-like floor, I imagined diving into that mess and immediately catching every bug and disease imaginable.
[Then I’ll go first. Just watch and follow. It’s nothing too elaborate.]
Usir grabbed onto something like a railing next to the sewer waterfall, then with a puff of breath, he leaped down.
Whoosh.
His arms stretched down like the legs of a slug or antennae of a snail, slowly making their way to the bottom. Just before his legs touched the water, Usir used his extended arm as leverage, landing on the dry ground next to the drain.
[See? That’s how you do it.]
— How are we supposed to do that, tentacle dude?
[Then you’ll just have to fall into the water. If you can’t swim, I’ll pull you out.]
— Hmm.
Gazing down, I fell into deep thought. The height to the bottom was about ten meters or so. The water at the 44th floor looked deeper than expected, around three to four meters.
Diving in while carrying Azidahaka would definitely result in a messy splash, squashing us in filthy sludge.
‘Is there only one way?’
I stared at the dry patch of land where Usir was crossing his arms. There was roughly twenty meters to that raised ground, like a corridor or railing.
The challenge was making the jump to that height all at once, but it felt like a gamble worth taking.
— Yingyi, don’t let go and hold tight!
— Kyu-ing!
I wrapped my front paws around Azidahaka’s knees and shoulders and lifted her with all my might.
Every time I hoisted her up, I was surprised by how heavy she was.
Was it the weight of her scaled tail?
That tail wrapped around my waist like a belt, anchoring both of our bodies together.
“Don’t toss me. I hate the thought of falling into sewage. If we fall, we fall together. We’re a community of fate for now, right?”
Gwaak.
The grip of her tail around my waist tightened even more. Holding her, I took a step back to create enough distance for a good run.
— Here I go!
With a confident shout, I stomped the ground with both feet.
Splash, splash. The sound of my feet hitting the water echoed through the tunnel, and suddenly the sewage waterfall loomed closer.
— HUUFF!
I leaped with every ounce of strength. My body soared over the stagnant pool, heading straight for Usir, who was folding his arms, watching the scene with a smug look.
— GET OUT OF THE WAY!
At my urgent shout, Usir quickly moved aside.
Bang.
I landed safely on the dry ground beside him.
— Phew. I thought I’d end up in the sewage. Hey, get down now.
I caught my breath and set Azidahaka down on the ground.
[You’ve got some serious leg power. It looked like you jumped across a distance of several dozen meters! You really did it in one leap!
— I simply didn’t want to land in that muck. So, is your safe house on this floor?
[Right, this 44th floor is where the water gets processed before heading up to the 88th floor. It’s the dirtiest place, but also where the cleanest water comes from. The moment it moves on to another floor, it gets contaminated.]
— Got it, let’s hurry up. I want a wash.
— Kyu-ing.
— Yeah, I know. I smell terrible.
As I walked through the sewer, I glanced at my filthy body, the remnants of murky brown water staining my white fur that I was eager to wash off.
Then I shifted my focus to Azidahaka, who was in even worse shape. While her skin itself wasn’t dirty, the ragged red cloth she wore had become a tragic, colorless sight.
It looked like someone had taken a sack, soaked it in mud, and cut out holes for limbs.
“I’d like to wash myself too. I used to bathe five times a day when I lived in that human jail.”
— What kind of prisoner bathes that much?
From what I’d heard about her, she was locked up but was treated to all kinds of luxurious food and accommodation.
She even had maids specialized in grooming her scales and shed skin!
[Fortunately, the hideout isn’t too far from here. Just follow this passage.]
Usir twisted a round handle next to him.
With a screech, the iron door unlocked and swung open.
*
Just as Usir said, his hideout wasn’t far at all. After knocking a couple of times on some golden bricks, he shoved against a certain section of the wall with great force.
Drrrrr, with a grinding sound like a millstone, the wall spun inward, opening up a passageway.
— A secret door! Now this is interesting.
I’d already encountered a secret door back at Vitali’s mansion.
However, while that passage behind the portrait felt more like an emergency exit, this space screamed safety.
[Close the door after you come in.]
As Azidahaka and I stepped through the pushed wall, Usir lit a candle he grabbed from the wall.
— Plenty of stuff in here!
I squinted, observing the narrow attic-like space piled with wooden boxes and various items.
I picked one up and shook it, hearing the clatter of its contents inside.
[These are healing supplies like medicine and bandages along with solid fuel and food items. We could survive here for years with just what’s in this!
— Are there actually snacks in here? Can I try one?
Usir pointed toward a space covered by a curtain.
[Wash first; clean, clear water will come out.]
Heeding his words, I opened the curtain and stepped into a small shower-like area.
‘Is that a valve or something?’
In the cramped space, a metal valve was attached to the wall. As I twisted it, water flowed gushing from a metal pipe in the ceiling. Just as Usir had said, it was clear and clean!
After washing away all the filth from my body, I stepped out, and Usir tossed me a stiff stick.
It was about 30cm long, wrapped like a gift in gold foil.
[Peel it and eat. It’s a permanent preservation food, so don’t worry about contamination.]
— Oh, so this is what was inside the box.
Peeling back the foil with my claws revealed a dark gelatinous substance that wobbled enticingly. Eating food crafted by ancient fairies felt like an odd thrill.
Taking a bite unleashed a surprisingly sweet and savory flavor in my mouth.
‘It’s like high-class yokan. Who would’ve thought I’d enjoy yokan in the desert underground?’
It tasted identical to the pricey red bean yokan my friend once gifted me while traveling abroad. As I reminisced, Usir unfolded some paper in front of me from a wooden box.
[We’re on the 44th floor—here’s the purification zone. If we head over there, we can ride down the purification pipe to the 30th floor instantly.]
It was a map depicting winding pipes.
Old, tattered, and worn from much handling, the map had been patched and corrected numerous times with black ink.
[However, there’s a problem on the 30th floor. The gatekeeper guarding the staircase to the 30th and 29th floors is extremely powerful, so I’ve never been below the 29th floor.]
‘A gatekeeper, huh.’
— What kind of creature is it?
[It’s a fully matured Giant Desert Worm. And the corrupted Yogg who controls it is brutally vicious.]
— Ah, a Giant Desert Worm.
I envisioned the gigantic worm that came to mind when thinking of the desert. That fully grown being was said to be fierce and powerful, rivaling the Gold Grade beasts.
‘Comparable to the forest lords, huh?’
As I mused over Kublai, Yan-Mite, and Lao-Hoo, I flexed my front paw.
— This should be an exciting challenge now.
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