Wandering the Nine Heavens and Drinking from the River (1)

Styx's Shard.

This legendary-grade artifact was originally designed to induce localized spatial distortion. For a legendary item, however, its destructive power was hardly impressive, and its performance varied wildly depending on the wielder's capability. For Lee Jun, who had no internal mana whatsoever, it was a relic of dubious utility.

But Lee Jun knew how to draw out the true power of Styx's Shard.

Or more precisely, he knew how to use it properly.

"Properly? What are you planning to do?"

"Shouldn't you already know that?"

"Like I said, I haven't fully digested your memories yet."

"Can't digest the memories, can't read my thoughts on the spot either. You're kind of a half-baked contractor, you know that?"

"……."

At that, Silhouette shot him a sidelong glance. But, well. Fair point.

"…Haa, fine. Just explain already."

"No need. Just sit there and watch."

He didn't answer her question about how. Instead, clutching Styx's Shard, Lee Jun walked over to the bed. Silhouette watched him with a puzzled expression, but he paid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it no mind. He settled comfortably onto the bed, lay back, and raised the shard above his face.

"Things like this are usually solved by swallowing them."

Gulp—

"……?"

Silhouette froze for a moment, wondering if she'd actually seen what she thought she'd seen. Then it hit her, and she grabbed him and shook him.

"Wh-what are you doing?! Why did you swallow that?! Spit it out!"

But Styx's Shard was already sliding down his throat.

"Why would you swallow… that…?"

Silhouette muttered in sheer disbelief. Then, sensing something strange, her voice trailed off.

"…What is that?"

Inside Lee Jun's body, the shard was beginning to dissolve. The shard—a condensed mass of mana—was unraveling like a tangled thread, spreading through his body as pure mana. He closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the sensation.

"This is…."

Lee Jun couldn't manipulate mana, so this wasn't something he had done himself. Styx's Shard had simply been designed with this mechanism from the very beginning.

"……."

Silhouette pressed her hand against his chest. She could feel it, unmistakably. Styx's Shard was trying to form a mana circle right there.

"…It's really creating a circle?"

A mana circle—a ring of mana formed near the heart, an engine that allowed the body's mana to circulate efficiently. One could use mana without a circle, but higher realms of mana manipulation demanded one. It was no exaggeration to say that forming a mana circle in the heart was an absolute prerequisite for becoming a mage.

But wait… his body can't accept mana, can it?

The moment that thought crossed her mind—

"Kgh…!"

A mouthful of blood burst from Lee Jun's lips. And with that as the opening act, black blood kept pouring out.

"Hey, hey…! Stay with me!"

She hurriedly turned his head to keep the blood from flooding his airway. But there was nothing more she could do.

"The mana circle… shattered?"

The circle that had been steadily taking shape near his heart broke apart into fragments. The hematemesis had apparently been the backlash. For a constitution that couldn't accept mana, it was the inevitable result.

Then why? Why had he done such a thing?

He surely knew better than anyone that he couldn't form a mana circle. Then what on earth was he aiming for…?

"…No way."

She dug deeper into Lee Jun's memories concerning Styx's Shard. And what she learned was this: he had calmly, matter-of-factly done something so reckless that no human being could even imagine it.

"……."

Silhouette stared frantically at his face. There was still nothing she could do—nothing but tear her hair out at this sudden situation.

He felt as though he were drifting. Was he flying through the sky, or floating on water? Either way… it was a warm, gentle sensation.

"Ugh…."

Lee Jun slowly opened his eyes. The light streaming down from the sky was so sharp he thought it might blind him. Soon, though, his vision adjusted to the brightness, and he could take in his surroundings.

A blue river. Not a figure of speech—an genuinely, impossibly blue river wrapped around him on all sides.

"…It worked."

His throat stung a little, but otherwise he was more or less fine.

"It worked, you say. Seems a bit early ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be using those words, young man."

Lee Jun turned his head at the voice that had come out of nowhere. Standing on the boat at some point—he hadn't noticed boarding—was an old man rowing an oar.

"……."

"Surprised?"

Lee Jun said nothing, simply staring at the old man. He hadn't expected to meet him on the first try.

"…Yes. I'm surprised."

"Hahaha, my apologies. Forgive an old man his one small pleasure."

Lee Jun did not look at the ferryman's face. Nothing in this place could be properly perceived—the moment it was, there would be no returning to reality.

"Young man, do you know where this is?"

"I do."

The river of oblivion and hatred—Styx. Of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the nine hells divided into as many heavens, it was the river that encircled Naraka, the final of the Nine. Styx's Shard was connected to this river. Of course it was—the name said as much. And hidden within this place was a secret far too vast to be called merely legendary.

"Then how did you come here? You appeared out of nowhere."

"I swallowed Styx's Shard."

"…Ohh. You actually thought to swallow it."

The old man sounded genuinely astonished. Well, naturally. Anyone who knew what that thing was would react the same way.

"What were you hoping to accomplish by swallowing it? Are you a mage?"

"No. My body can't even hold mana, let alone use magic."

"Then you swallowed it for something else."

"That's right."

The old man gave no reply. He simply stopped rowing and gazed steadily at Lee Jun. Lee Jun lowered his eyes, avoiding that gaze.

"You came here knowing everything, then."

"I did."

"Someday, you will return to this place."

"Probably."

"Then we'll speak more when that time comes."

At the old man's words, the river and the boat vanished, and a single door appeared. An enormous door. Lee Jun didn't even dare guess what it was.

"I find myself curious how your fate will unfold."

"……."

"Step through that door. Then you shall obtain what you desire."

"…Thank you."

Here, Lee Jun hesitated for a moment. What would happen if he spoke this old man's name right now? Would he die on the spot, or gain something else entirely?

Gambling… is too dangerous.

There was no way to predict the outcome. So for now, he had to stay quiet. Simply anchoring Styx's Shard inside his body was already an immense reward. Greed always invites disaster. He would be satisfied with this.

He had already swallowed the shard; if he returned safely from here, it would settle near his heart. That was simply what this artifact did.

It worked.

Ordinarily, Styx's Shard served to add one more mana circle. But when a body incapable of holding mana swallowed the shard, it carried the user across into the river Styx like this. What people commonly called… a near-death experience.

He had learned this in a previous cycle, through Jeanne's doll. The hypothesis she had recorded back then was something along the lines of "a suspended-animation experience caused by mana circle detonation." Either way, after going through it, a crystal of Styx's Shard took up residence in the heart in place of a mana circle.

If I can just make it back like this….

With that thought, he was about to step through the door—

"Young man."

Whoosh—

"……!"

At the old man's call, a chill shot up his spine. Lee Jun felt his body stiffening, freezing solid. He could not possibly turn around. No—the moment he looked back, he knew exactly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what would happen. So he forced his unmoving legs to bend, and lowered one knee to the ground.

An overwhelming presence erupted in an instant, sweeping through Lee Jun's soul. That was… one of the three Judges of Hell—King Minos. And he had spoken in a tone of clear satisfaction.

Thump—

A hand gripped his shoulder, and the same gentle voice from before returned.

"Next time you come to Hell, this old man shall receive you personally."

A single bead of cold sweat rolled down. He lifted his head to see the ferryman—the same old man who had been with him moments ago. So… he could take this as having passed the trial.

"Thank… you."

That was all there was to King Minos's trial. At least, as far as Lee Jun knew. His consciousness would soon blur, and he would return to reality. Having escaped death, he would gain power befitting it. Yes—this was that kind of artifact.

"Do you know this old man's name?"

"…I do not."

"A clever young man."

The river of oblivion, Styx. Those who escaped this place alive had to live as though they had forgotten everything. Otherwise, the hounds of hell would tear their souls apart.

"One of your two fates will bring you back here."

"……."

"Until then, then. It was a pleasant experience."

"…I feel the same."

With those final words, the enormous door slowly opened. Blinding light flooded his eyes. And then… his consciousness drifted, and he returned to reality.

"That was an enjoyable experience. It's been a while."

The old man murmured, gazing at the door through which the young man had vanished. He savored the encounter, laughing softly to himself.

"Bold and clever. I understand why fate chose him."

And yet, there was something that troubled him, just a little.

"He is nurturing something strange in his heart."

"Is that so. You felt it too, then."

"I see."

"If things go wrong, an entire dimension could vanish."

"Ugh…."

Lee Jun slowly opened his eyes. His room. His bed. And…

"……?"

"……."

Silhouette. Her violet eyes and silver hair were shimmering right in front of his face. Not a metaphor, not an illusion—literally right there.

"…What are you doing?"

"Eek…!"

At his question, Silhouette let out a strangled yelp and scrambled backward. No—seriously, what had she been doing?

"That's what I'm asking! You suddenly start coughing up blood, of course I'm going to be startled! Wouldn't you be?!"

"So you were checking on me?"

"Th-that's right…."

Come to think of it, the pillow was soaked with black blood. Apparently the mana that had failed to properly settle had been expelled mixed into it. Well, fair enough—if someone coughed up that much blood right in front of my face, I'd stare too.

"Haa… fine, I get it. But that was genuinely insane just now, you know? Why do you keep doing such reckless things?"

"The result was good, wasn't it? Here, look at this."

Hmmm—

Lee Jun reached out, and the cup sitting on the desk floated up into the air. It wobbled unsteadily for a moment, then flew into his hand as though sucked in.

Tap—

"Well?"

As Lee Jun said it casually, Silhouette's expression darkened.

"…That's all?"

"Hey, 'that's all'? For me, even this much is a world-shattering upgrade."

"I'm asking whether you nearly died just for that."

What's with her? For some reason, Silhouette seemed to be in a bad mood.

"I brush past death every other day. Why act like it's news now?"

"Even so, there are limits! Who acts this crazy?!"

"…No, seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't know!"

Her reaction left him baffled. She wasn't schizophrenic, so what was her deal? Sometimes she was desperate to devour him, other times she acted oddly friendly. And this time—had she actually been worried? If so, she had a funny way of showing it, forcing him through hallucinations and all. What did she want from him? What rhythm was he supposed to dance to?

Lee Jun looked at Silhouette. At some point she had shrunk down to her palm-sized form and was sitting on the desk, pointedly turned away—apparently trying to convey that she was sulking. In his confusion, Lee Jun quietly watched her back.

Then, a voice echoed in his mind.

"What?"

What was that just now?

"Hey."

"Wh-what."

"You just said something."

"Said what? I didn't say anything."

"No, I definitely…."

Didn't I? That voice just now… it was subtly, faintly different from Silhouette's.

"…Seriously, what is going on."

"That's my line. Who've you been muttering to yourself for the past minute?"

Lee Jun felt his head growing dizzy. Was this a hallucination too?

"……."

One thing was certain: something was up with Silhouette. It was just… not now….

"Haa…."

Thud—

"Wh-what? Hey, what's wrong?"

So… sleepy.

"Stay with me! Hey! Lee Jun!"

Silhouette's voice grew distant. His consciousness dimmed, his eyelids sank, and slowly… he sank into sleep.

"…He's asleep?"

He couldn't remember it, but it seemed he'd had a very sweet dream.