A Clever Trip to Hell (3)
Snap, crackle.
The brief commotion ended, and the boat started chugging forward again with renewed vigor.
I'd figured the river couldn't be longer than the Han River at most, but this one was way longer than I'd imagined. Even after what felt like about ten minutes, I still couldn't see the opposite shore.
'This has gotta be the sea by now...'
I zoned out with Baekgu, staring down at the river.
I couldn't tell if it was the darkness of this place or the poor water quality, but the dark water sloshing around gave me a bad feeling.
"No fishies either..."
You'd think there'd be at least one cute little wriggly fish, but not a single tiny one in sight in these waters.
Well, maybe that was for the best, I thought.
This was hell, after all.
If fish lived in a hell like this...
"Ughhh..."
They'd definitely be monstrous things with hideous looks.
*Pant pant.*
Baekgu started panting excitedly at the sight of the water, but I yanked him tight into my arms to keep that water from touching him. I didn't want him shivering and splashing water everywhere if he got wet.
As I spaced out hugging Baekgu like that, Hecate unnie finished chatting with the boat guy and sidled over slyly.
"Hmm..."
She glanced back and forth between me and Baekgu, then pulled a golden feather out of her hand with a pop.
"Ooh..."
That was definitely the feather she'd given the boat guy, so she must've snatched it back.
"Angel, sorry about that. Unnie will put it back on for you."
The feather... goes back on?
I tilted my head.
Doesn't seem detachable...
She flashed a confident smile like I should just trust her, then shoved the feather right into my wing.
And amazingly, the feather fluttered around before slipping neatly back into my fluffy wing.
"Whoaaa..."
It actually works.
Unnie's amazing.
I clapped enthusiastically.
"Test it out to make sure it's on right."
I nodded slightly at her words and wiggled my wings floating at my sides.
They flapped gently.
No restrictions at all, like they'd always been one piece.
"No problems at all!"
"Good."
Hecate patted me, and I grinned toothily, soaking it up.
*Thud.*
The boat rocked suddenly.
Wondering what was up, I quickly looked around—and we'd already docked on the opposite side.
"Hmm... something feels super creepy..."
I twisted my head this way and that, scanning our surroundings from where the boat had stopped.
It wasn't exactly dark energy, but it gave off a seriously eerie vibe.
Like goosebumps prickling and my body shivering for no reason?
My instincts were screaming a warning.
This place is dangerous.
"Hmm... Angels have good senses, huh?"
"Yup?"
"Strictly speaking, the place we were just in wasn't the underworld proper."
Whaaat...?
The place we'd been had weird-colored floors and rivers of lava—it was plenty scary.
But that wasn't even the start?
"This side of the river is the real underworld. Welcome to the land of the dead, Angel~"
"Eek!"
Just then, the boat guy approached, rubbing his hands together.
"Um... Lady Hecate?"
"What."
"Even so, rules are rules—I gotta get something, even if it's not gold..."
"Can't you just let it slide?"
"Ugh, that'd be big trouble. Lord Hades is so strict..."
The burly guy shuddered at the mere thought, like it terrified him.
He looked like he could take anyone in a fight, so it was weird seeing him so scared.
How scary could this Hades guy be...?
Hecate smirked and patted the boat guy's shoulder.
"Don't worry. Who's backing us up? Lady Persephone's got our side."
"..."
"They're in the middle of their 3,321st marital spat, and Persephone's winning right now, so we're good."
"W-Well, in that case, phew..."
The boat guy finally relaxed, smiling and bowing his head.
"Take care, then."
"Mhm..."
"Bye, mister!"
"Shall we go?"
"Yup."
Feeling a bit guilty for the free ride, I waved vigorously before toddling after Hecate unnie.
Every now and then along the path, grotesque skeletal bones would rattle into view.
If I'd been alone, I'd have been terrified for sure.
"Ah, stay put."
But I had sturdy Hecate unnie with me.
The rattling bones approaching got kicked away by unnie's foot, crumbling to dust and vanishing.
"Touch the angel and you're dead?"
Ghosts popped up occasionally too, but even they couldn't do a thing against unnie!
'Phew, lucky...'
If I'd come alone, I'd have had to play with those scary guys.
But with Hecate unnie as my reliable bodyguard, I felt way less burdened.
Good call following her.
With a solid protector, I relaxed and sightseeing-ed around like a tourist.
As we plodded along, suddenly Baekgu—who'd been walking quietly—started going berserk.
*Woof woof!*
Like he'd run into the arch-nemesis of his life, our usually mellow Baekgu (post-purification) was super hyped. I hadn't seen him this excited in ages.
"Wh-What's... wrong, Baekgu...?"
Our Baekgu might be a bit mischievous, but he's no dummy.
There had to be a reason for this.
Either some super tasty food nearby, or something he hates.
One or the other.
I flailed around, scanning everywhere.
I even closed my eyes, trying to sense dark energy.
"Huh...?"
And sure enough, not far off, I felt dark energy wriggling.
But unlike the ones I'd met before, it had a unique twist.
"Three...?"
"Huh? What's up?"
"N-Nothing...!"
This dark energy came in three lumps.
Not three separate enemies—it was definitely one entity, clumped together with similar vibes.
But how does one thing have three dark energies...?
And there was more oddity.
All the anomalies I'd encountered before had chaotic, messy dark energy.
But this one felt refined, like it was being managed by someone.
Almost like it was being bred.
*Woof woof!*
Meanwhile, Baekgu kept barking ahead, and Hecate clapped her hands.
"Ah... so that's why the pup's barking."
"Huh...?"
"Angel, looks like your dog's got sharp senses."
I tilted my head, demanding an explanation.
"A bit further ahead, you'll find the underworld's mascot."
"Mascot...?"
"Yeah, originally a guardian of the underworld, but these days it's more like a mascot."
She sighed deeply.
"It's so famous, even more than me—the dog's stealing my thunder."
"Hmm..."
I tapped my forehead with my index finger, furrowing my brows.
Who could it be...
It felt on the tip of my tongue, but just out of reach.
"Hmm... definitely cute..."
"Heh, keep going and you'll see."
*Woof woof!*
The more we walked, the wilder Baekgu's tail wagged.
Not scared—pure excitement.
"Angel, take this."
"Yup...?"
Right on cue, Hecate unnie handed me a hunk of bread.
For a second, I thought she wanted me to eat it.
But it was that hard European dinner bread I can't chew.
"Ow..."
I tried nibbling anyway, but the dull crunch startled me—I yanked my mouth away and stared at Hecate.
"What's this...?"
"Mhm. The guy about to show up loves bread. You toss it, Angel."
"No one's eating that..."
"Don't worry. This one's got an insane appetite—it'll chomp it easy."
"..."
Sounds like the next one's an animal.
And a strong one, if it can casually munch that.
"Wonder who it'll beee..."
I was getting excited to find out.
This being hell, maybe something cool like a tiger? Or a majestic eagle...
*Woof~*
Watching Baekgu's tail wag as he led the way, we finally encountered the one Hecate unnie mentioned.
And the second I saw it, I shrieked.
The culprit behind Baekgu's frenzy was...
"Triple puppy!"
A triple-headed puppy. Wow, so cute!