Absolute One's First Time Being a Dad Episode 82

On the hill right before the River of Three Crossings, an elderly woman and man stood side by side, both dressed in traditional Korean hanbok.

At first glance, they appeared to be nothing more than ordinary old folks, but these two were the deities who governed this place.

They were known as Dol-i-pa (the Robe-Stripping Crone) and Hyeon-ui-ong (the Robe-Hanging Elder)...

Here, at the entrance to all underworlds, they often assisted the deceased in safely crossing the river.

"The child?"

Hyeon-ui-ong, the old man, pulled the long pipe from his lips and casually posed the question.

After a moment, Dol-i-pa, the old woman, muttered under her breath, "That damn girl," before continuing.

"I put her on the boat and sent her off."

At that, Hyeon-ui-ong 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 Gateway to All Underworlds.

They had tried to persuade her countless times, telling her she was dead now and must cross the river, but the child stubbornly refused.

"What was her reason again...?"

Hyeon-ui-ong exhaled a thick puff of acrid smoke before letting out a dry chuckle and murmuring to himself.

"Ah, right..."

According to the child, her mother had constantly repeated the words, "Sweetheart, I can't live without you."

The child had taken her mother's words as gospel truth and, throwing every tantrum imaginable, had stubbornly refused to cross the river, enduring here for years.

"I miss my mom..."

She was a good kid.

"I hope she comes late..."

A pitiable kid.

"Mom can't live without me..."

Having witnessed countless deaths, the two elders knew better than anyone that the living would always find a way to go on.

Time and again, they had scolded her, "You foolish child, how can you believe those words so blindly?" But the child hadn't even blinked.

So much so that even Dol-i-pa—a notoriously ill-tempered deity who usually sent the dead straight onto the boat without a second thought—had turned a blind eye for years.

"So, has she forgotten by now?"

Time in this place gnawed away at the memories of those who lingered.

Yet that tiny child had endured for years.

She had huddled on the hill overlooking the River of Three Crossings and held on.

As if to stave off boredom, she had hummed songs to herself and endured.

"Then she must have forgotten her name too."

"And her mother as well?"

"Of course she's forgotten everything."

Dol-i-pa answered in a disinterested tone before adding quietly,

"That's why I put her on the boat."

Hyeon-ui-ong furrowed his brow slightly and pressed further.

"Which route did you send her on?"

Without hesitation, Dol-i-pa replied,

"Given the weight of her sins, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I placed her on a ferry crossing the Abyssal Depths—the most treacherous lower waters of the River of Three Crossings..."

At that, Hyeon-ui-ong's voice grew urgent.

"What sins could such a small child possibly have?!"

"Dying before one's parents is a grave sin."

The upper waters of the River of Three Crossings were relatively shallow, meant for those whose sins in life were lighter.

Meanwhile, the middle stream, where a bridge was laid, was reserved only for those who had lived virtuous lives...

But the lower waters—the Abyssal Depths—were infested with water serpents and frequent rockfalls, a path reserved for those burdened with heavy sins.

"To die young and suddenly is tragedy enough—how can death itself be a sin so grave that she must cross the Abyssal Depths...?"

As was often the case, those who traversed the Abyssal Depths were doomed to die several times over.

They would be torn apart by water serpents, crushed by falling boulders...

They would die, and die again, suffering repeated deaths before finally crossing the River of Three Crossings.

"The law is the law—what do you expect me to do?"

Dol-i-pa shot back defensively before letting out a long sigh and gazing quietly at the rippling river.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, she whipped her head around, her piercing gaze boring into the darkness behind her.

Hyeon-ui-ong did the same.

The old man, who had been puffing out thick smoke from his pipe, carefully tucked it away and glared fiercely into the distance.

"Old man, it seems we have unwelcome guests."

"Indeed."

"This is no place for intruders..."

Then, an eerie energy began swirling around the two seemingly ordinary elders...

Boom... Boom... Boom... Boom...

The earth trembled with deafening roars, as though something enormous was approaching.

"A demon...?"

A monstrous figure with the head of a dog and a grotesquely massive human body was striding toward them.

The hideous creature's eyes glowed with a sinister red light—its gaze radiating malice—as it...

「 This is making me hungry. 」

...chewed greedily on the severed head of a vengeful spirit clutched in its massive hand.

「 So hungry... 」

Just as the two elders swallowed dryly in unison—

"Granny, l-look up...!"

A sudden shadow loomed over the entire area. When they looked up, an impossibly massive ship hovered in the sky.

"Wh-who are you?!"

At Dol-i-pa's question, the demon—having just devoured the headless vengeful spirit in one gulp—spoke.

「 You two look far more delicious than any mere spirit... 」

The demon, Marbas, then turned its gaze upward, as if awaiting orders from the floating Naglfari above...

"Hey, hold on."

Kang-jun leaped down from the deck of the Naglfari, landing as lightly as a cat.

"I've got some questions."

The two elders exchanged glances before summoning their divine power in full force—

"Unless you want to spend your twilight years getting beaten to death and fed to a dog, I suggest you answer honestly."

"Y-you—! A brat like you dares threaten us?! Do you even know who we are?!"

"Don't let appearances fool you. I've lived long enough to ride the subway for free."

Then he added,

"Oh, and my fists don't discriminate by age or gender. Scream if you want to die."

As Kang-jun issued his chilling threat, he, too, unleashed his divine power in response—

From his body, Living Texts cascaded forth like a flood, swirling violently and tearing through the surroundings.

- He, whom the Abyss calls '■■■'...

- Who slew a god and ascended to divinity...

- Who shattered the unbreakable walls of Niflheim with his bare hands...

- The new master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Eternal Spring in the underworld...

- He who intervened in the fate of the Asgard Star Cluster...

The myths Kang-jun had accumulated swirled around him.

And this was merely a fraction of his legends...

But even that was enough to make the two elders' myths pale in comparison.

"Y-you can't be...!"

Instead of Hyeon-ui-ong, who trailed off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weakly, Dol-i-pa mustered the courage to ask—

"Are you... '■■■'?"

The two had heard the strange rumors circulating not long ago.

Whispers that '■■■'—a name no divine being of the Abyss could ignore—had covered Niflheim's underworld in flowers...

Kang-jun nodded in confirmation, and the two elders immediately dropped to their knees.

"O noble new master of the underworlds...!"

"Forgive our ignorance and insolence...!"

Kang-jun gave a single nod before looking back up at the Naglfari and calling out—

"Hey, come down for a sec."

Soon after, Yoon Hee-soo—who had been hiding on the deck—leaped down as well...

Thud—

As she landed gracefully, Kang-jun gestured to her and said,

"Hand me your phone."

"Here..."

Kang-jun showed the photo of a young girl set as the wallpaper on the smartphone Yoon Hee-soo had handed him and continued.

"I came to find this child."

At that moment.

"This child..."

The two elderly figures exchanged glances again, and the old woman in tattered robes, Tal-ip'a, looked at Yoon Hee-soo and asked.

"Are you this child's mother?"

"Yes..."

"Just as stubborn as her mother, I see."

Tal-ip'a added after a pause.

"A daughter who waited here for years, insisting she had to wait for her mother... and a reckless mother who walked straight into the underworld to meet her dead child."

Kang-jun fixed his gaze on Tal-ip'a and spoke.

"You seem to know this child."

"Yes, I looked after her for a long time..."

"What do you mean by 'a long time'?"

Hyun Ui-ong interjected to answer.

"The child first arrived here about two or three years ago in the living world's time."

Kang-jun glanced at Yoon Hee-soo, who nodded sadly several times.

"Normally, the dead who set foot here must board the ferry across the Samdo River as soon as their karma is judged..."

"But?"

"She was so pitiful, crying that her mother wouldn't survive without her, that we granted her a few years' reprieve and cared for her well."

He added,

"In a place like this, where memories slowly erode those who linger, she endured for years—truly a long time..."

"Endured?"

"That little one sat on a hill overlooking the Samdo River, waiting for her mother without a single complaint for years."

Yoon Hee-soo's eyes reddened as she whispered, "Hye... Hye-su..."

Hyun Ui-ong, looking at her with pity, cautiously asked,

"But what can be done now...?"

Kang-jun furrowed his brow deeply at those words, and Hyun Ui-ong, hesitating, cautiously continued while gauging his reaction.

"Unfortunately, just a short while ago, she boarded the ferry crossing the 'Samdo River' and departed for the underworld."

Yoon Hee-soo urgently asked,

"Then if we chase after her now—"

Tal-ip'a shook her head.

"Regrettably, your daughter was sent to the 'Gangsimyeon,' the path reserved for those judged to bear the heaviest sins."

"Heaviest sins...?"

"There is no greater filial crime in this world than dying before one's parents. That child was fated to cross the Gangsimyeon the moment she died."

Yoon Hee-soo muttered, "How could..." her face blank as she clutched Kang-jun's sleeve tightly...

"Damn it."

Kang-jun growled,

"You think she wanted to die before her parents?"

"B-But the laws of the underworld decree—"

"And who the hell made those laws?"

"All the gods of the underworld agreed long ago—"

"Enough." Kang-jun cut Tal-ip'a off and looked toward the distant Samdo River.

"So she's already crossed the river?"

"She departed only a short while ago, so it would take days to—"

"Then if we leave now, we can catch up."

A river like the Samdo, said to connect all realms of the underworld, couldn't possibly be small.

Yet they had sent her off on a mere ferry—she couldn't have gone far.

Kang-jun glanced at the two elders, Tal-ip'a and Hyun Ui-ong, before speaking in a solemn tone.

"Which way do we go to catch up?"

Hyun Ui-ong immediately tried to dissuade him.

"Forgive me, but even for one as mighty as '■■■,' crossing the depths of the Samdo River—the Gangsimyeon—is impossible..."

"Why?"

"Unless it's the ferry of seasoned underworld boatmen, any vessel will sink, pierced by the serpents that fill the Gangsimyeon instead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of water..."

Kang-jun gestured to Naglfar floating in the air.

"That ship too?"

Hyun Ui-ong nodded.

"Any ship, no matter how great. Moreover, massive boulders rain down like summer storms there..."

Tal-ip'a added,

"And even if you somehow reunite with her, her memories will already be erased. She won't remember her mother—not even her own name."

She looked at Yoon Hee-soo with sorrowful eyes and cautiously added,

"So it's best to let her go now..."

Yoon Hee-soo answered firmly,

"I'll go alone if I have to."

"Even so—"

"I need to see her face."

No matter how much the two elders rambled about the horrors of the Gangsimyeon, they couldn't dissuade her.

A parent's heart was like that.

The thought of her child crossing such a treacherous place alone must have been unbearable.

"Understood."

Kang-jun answered curtly and asked the elders again,

"So which way do we go to catch her?"

"Following the river downstream would be the way, but..."

Hyun Ui-ong trailed off vaguely before adding,

"I dare not presume how you intend to cross, but I beg you to reconsider just once..."

Instead of answering, Kang-jun gazed at the rippling surface of the Samdo River and murmured,

"The water serpents were the problem, you said?"

"Yes..."

"That won't be a problem."

Then, infused with divine power, he spoke.

"Ouroboros."

At the same time, a long crack split the air, shattering as if broken apart, forming a massive rift...

[ Authority, 'Master of the Strongest Serpent in the Worldview,' activates. ]

[ The strongest serpent in the worldview, 'Ouroboros,' descends. ]

[ Ouroboros eagerly awaits your command. ]

From beyond the rift, the colossal serpent 'Ouroboros' emerged, summoned by Kang-jun's call.

"H-How...?"

Kang-jun looked up at Ouroboros.

"Clear the path."

Ouroboros flicked its long tongue, glaring at the 'water serpents' lurking beneath the murky surface...

Sssssssss...

Sssssss...

Sssssssss...

Tens of thousands of water serpents fled the river, scattering in all directions.

"Now, what's the problem?"

The two elders, Hyun Ui-ong and Tal-ip'a, still stunned, answered in hushed voices.

"To drive away the infamous serpents of the Samdo River with just a word..."

"N-Nothing seems impossible for you now..."

Having witnessed the power of '■■■,' whose rumors had spread throughout the Abyss, the two elders were visibly shaken.

"Naglfar."

The massive warship Naglfar, floating in the air, slowly descended and landed roughly on the surface of the Samdo River.

Whoooooosh—!

A towering wave erupted, overturning the surroundings, leaving the two elders staring blankly.

"Now move aside. We're done here."

Kang-jun stepped past them, boarding Naglfar first before glancing back.

"Hey, you planning to stand there gawking forever?"

Marbas snorted in response, muttering to himself with satisfaction.

「He's become an even more terrifying monster. I really did swear allegiance to the right one... 」

Yoon Hee-soo, still dazed, barely collected herself and quickly boarded Naglfar.

Soon...

The massive warship Naglfar, woven from the nails and skin of the dead, began advancing along the currents of the Samdo River.

"No wonder..."

Tal-ip'a, finally finding her voice, watched Naglfar recede into the distance and whispered,

"No wonder all the gods fixated on the name '■■■'..."

Hyun Ui-ong took out his pipe again, puffing out acrid smoke as if in agreement.

"That's why..."

The two deities, staring vacantly at the river, could only pray silently.

Please.

Let that pitiful child reunite safely with her mother, even if just to see her face one last time...