The 354th Day - The Labyrinth (2)

Splash, splash. The river rose. The pitch-black water crept upward, slowly swallowing my body. The water level wasn't high; it rose to my chest and stopped. It was shallow enough to simply walk across. Hades let out a mocking laugh as he watched me dive into the River Styx without a moment's hesitation.

"You've lost your mind. They say ignorance is bliss, but this is just pathetic. The living lose all their memories in the River Styx. Soon, you'll be an idiot who doesn't even know your own name, let alone why you were crossing this river."

Hades roared with laughter. Gods truly have the most peculiar hobbies. Is tormenting the weak really that entertaining? Splash! I lost my balance and slammed my head into the riverbed.

"Haha, looks like you've lost your memory. Just as I thought. A loudmouth with nothing to show for it."

But a moment later. Whoosh. My head slowly rose back above the surface.

"What...?!" Hades recoiled in shock, stumbling back. I began to move forward again, slowly crossing the river. One step at a time, calm and steady.

"That's it, Sisyphus!" Tana cheered me on. She was floating in the air, clinging tightly to the top of my head.

"Impossible. A mere human shouldn't be able to cross the River Styx...!"

Whoosh. "Haa..." I finally reached the opposite bank and rolled onto the ground, gasping for air. The ferryman, who had been watching me with interest from the riverbank with his arms crossed, gave me a subtle thumbs-up. I couldn't help but smile.

"You did it, Sisyphus! I knew you could do it!" Tana hopped around me, performing a celebratory dance.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to you." My heart still burned with pain, and my head felt like it was filled with fog from a lack of oxygen, so I couldn't stand up immediately.

"How... how did a human cross the river!" Hades shrieked from the other side.

After resting sufficiently, I slowly stood up and answered him. "You said it yourself, Lord of the Underworld. You said the living could never cross this river."

"That is correct. It is the absolute law of the Underworld."

"Then I simply had to cross it as a dead man."

"What did you say...?!" Hades' eyes widened.

Tana spread her palms toward him, teasingly. A purple magic circle shimmered as the spell concluded. Hades finally realized the situation.

"You left your body and crossed the river as a spirit...?!"

Just as he said, I had asked Tana to kill me. Or rather, a near-death experience. I had her pull my soul out of my body for a moment and controlled my physical form remotely. It was difficult, like trying to navigate a lucid dream, but thanks to Tana's help, I made it across. Though, my heart stopped for a while, so it was a bit painful.

"Y-you madman...! Are you truly human?" Hades' face was cast in shadow. I bowed my head to pay my respects.

"I am honored that you granted me an audience. Until we meet again, Ruler of the Underworld. When my fate finally runs its course."

With that, I left the Underworld. I said my final goodbyes to Tana as well. She said she would keep an eye on Hades from now on. She sympathized with my situation of being caught in the gods' squabbles by bad luck and told me to ask for help whenever I ran into trouble. I had gained a good friend. It was certainly a stroke of bad luck, but perhaps it wasn't so bad if I considered it as having taken out insurance for the afterlife. However, the exit I emerged from was near Mount Olympus, and it took me nearly half a year to return to Corinth.

"Brother! I was so worried!" But seeing my family welcome me back made all the hardship vanish in an instant.

"You crossed the River Styx?"

"Whoa, that's insane. So, brother, do you have amnesia?" My twin younger brothers, Cretheus and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Athamas, made such a fuss.

"Amnesia...? Really?" Hearing that, Alcyone put on a terrifying expression, ushered the others out, and said to me, "Brother, I have something to tell you. Actually, you and I promised each other a future. The rest of the family doesn't know. You loved me so much that you confessed to me."

"Do you really want to die?" After giving Alcyone a good flick to the forehead, I was finally able to return to my daily life.

"My Lord! You've returned from the Underworld?!"

"Did you hear about the letter from Athens? This is the level of Corinth."

"Let us serve our great Lord!"

Thanks to my brothers spreading the news all over town, my standing in the territory rose even higher—an unexpected side effect. Come to think of it, that was why I heard that voice for the first time in a while.

"...You went to the afterlife?"

The day after I returned from the Underworld, for some reason, Clea was standing in front of my door, glaring at me fiercely. Her eyes were puffy, and her clothes were disheveled, which was unlike her usual self.

"Where on earth have you been doing... no, never mind." Clea clicked her tongue and turned her head away from me.

"If you ever disappear without a word like this again... then..." She trailed off, slowly dropping her head. "...Never mind. Who am I to say anything?"

With that, Clea vanished in a flash. Her feet were still as fast as ever. I suppose you couldn't call that a conversation. That was how the incident was wrapped up. Well, it should have been wrapped up.

The incident, dubbed the "Ten Days of Immortality," had greater repercussions than expected, and the Olympian gods urged Hades to resolve it and provide compensation. The incompetent Hades, perhaps lacking the ability or simply avoiding it, played dumb for a year. In the meantime, during a meeting, Ares explained the situation and happened to mention my name. Ares misunderstood that I had kidnapped Thanatos, and he had no intention of letting it go. He's a barbarian with muscles for brains. Zeus, hearing this, dragged me to the Olympus palace to find someone to blame—that was the beginning of how I ended ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up with Wilson. Thinking back now, Zeus might have known the truth but chose me as a scapegoat to save face for his brother, Hades. It's a common tactic among those in power.

But what can I do just because I'm angry? What can I do besides roll this rock? "Then I'll just have to roll it." Let's keep it simple. Do what I can. Think about the next step later. My current task is to pass this luck-based fork-in-the-road puzzle.

"I didn't use the standard method when I left the River Styx, either." I had found an irregular route, the path of souls. "I think that'll work here, too."

In the center of the fork, there is a pole separating the left and right paths. It's a narrow space where I can barely stand by stepping on it, but if I pass through here, maybe I can bypass the luck test?

"The problem is that I can't roll Wilson over this." I thought about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it for a moment. ...The answer was simple.

"Wilson, come here." : ) ? "I'll carry you." : ) ?! "Hnnngh."

I put my back against Wilson and took a squat position. I don't know how much I can squat right now, but for a short while, couldn't I carry Wilson? "Hnnngh." I tightened my core and slowly stood up. "Hyaah!" Lift! Wilson left the ground.

"Huff, huff." Wow, this is no joke. Wilson, you really need to lose some weight. I slowly climbed onto the pole. I barely kept my balance with trembling legs. One step, two steps. It was precarious, like walking on a balance beam. I moved carefully to avoid falling. And finally. —Thud! "Haa."

I succeeded in passing one section. There was no phenomenon of returning to the starting point. "This is it." If I carry Wilson and step on the divider, I don't have to solve the puzzle. I found the method. "The problem is strength and balance." I need to train my core and lower body more. It might take a long time, but considering it takes months to break through the puzzle once, investing the time now is profitable. "Core, first it's the core."

I went down to the altar with Wilson and started dead-squats. "Huff, huff, huff." I repeated deadlifts and dragon flags for 5 sets each. Since I'm adding load by hanging Wilson and tilting, I don't know exactly how much the weight is. I did the first set easily, as if warming up the muscles. By the third set, I finally felt the stimulation. "One more!" In the 5th set, my arms and legs were trembling, but I finished until the very last rep.

"Fundamentals are important, too." I didn't forget push-ups and sit-ups. [Transversus Abdominis +1] [Multifidus +1]. These exercises are especially great because I can do them anywhere, and they're easy to do while resting. "Next is the lower body." Leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses. I repeated them for 5 sets each and rested for 30 minutes. Then I added load for another 5 sets.

"Ah, damn it, it hurts!" Fine. So what if it hurts a little? There's nothing to do but exercise anyway. Just do it. If I do it for a day or two, it'll grow. If it grows, I can push. If I can push, I can climb. [Strength +1]. "Haaah!!" Sweat poured down like rain. I couldn't even tell if it was sweat or water I'd spilled while drinking. I didn't forget to replenish protein by periodically catching roe deer. Since the fat smelled gamey and wasn't worth eating, I mostly roasted the lean meat. Human adaptability is truly cunning. The roe deer, which tasted so good the first time, became a simple chore as I put it in my mouth every single day. A wish that I had some salt started to creep in. I'm asking for such luxury in hell. "Hnnngh!"

Still, there were results. After months of obsessively grinding my core and lower body like a madman, I finally had enough solid support to walk around easily while carrying Wilson. —Thud! "Phew, how's that, Wilson? You feel excited being carried around like that?" : D ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wilson's marks had spread, and his expression had changed. A fun guy. It was about time. I arrived at the 5th-floor labyrinth zone with Wilson again. "Hnnngh." I climbed onto the pole with Wilson on my back. I was able to cross with more stability than my first attempt. "This is doable!" One, two, three, breakthrough. I rested at the fourth and seventh. And finally. —Thud! "Haa." I put Wilson down. I had crossed the tenth fork.

"Good, good. I've passed a monumental number. Haha, I guess I'm halfway there now." If I assume this ramp is 10 floors, I've really passed the halfway point. It took a long time because of trial and error until now, but I have a gut feeling that I'll be able to go much faster from here on out. Just looking at how I'm supporting Wilson with one hand right now says it all. Armed with bulging muscles, I'm confident I can push Wilson up in an instant no matter what course comes my way. "Shall we continue, Wilson?" : ) Wilson replied with a grin. Entering the 6th floor. On the way, a sign stuck in the outer perimeter caught my eye. [Caution: Magical Beasts]