107 – A Special Birthday #3
"Invisible Man VS Teleportation."
Everyone imagines it at some point: which superpower would be more popular?
Of course, it was a pointless thought. Invisibility or teleportation—both only existed in fantasy.
But looking at me now, it didn't feel quite so impossible.
Fuzzy... fuzzy...
I was an invisible man right now.
The name of the Chairman—Hades—literally meant "the Unseen One."
And the thing that perfected that name was the Queneë helmet, which rendered its wearer completely invisible.
When I put it on myself, the whole world turned grayscale, and my body rippled like seaweed on ocean waves. It was an incredible sensation.
Just like how the half-humans who slipped on the One Ring must have felt.
"Kuhaha!"
Invisible Joey, surpassing even the invisible dragon! An overwhelming sense of omnipotence enveloped me.
Just the fact that I'd brazenly used the Chairman's helmet had my dopamine levels maxed out.
'I'll definitely get disciplined for this, right?'
Even I had to admit, this crossed a line.
Daring to touch the Chairman's belongings without permission. And not just any—the Queneë, his crown!
If I got caught, demotion would be the minimum.
'But... am I really invisible?'
It didn't just make my body vanish; even my footsteps were silent. It erased my entire presence, somehow. I had no idea how it worked, but it was impressive.
So, where to now?
I recalled the address Oinone—the former Tartarus collaborator—had given me.
Geomeok Mountain, near the Lethe River, extending underground. That's where the rebel Tartarus legion had built their fortress and were encamped.
A certain object, packed with Miracle Shares, was supposed to be near that mountain range.
The rebels might have set up base there on purpose, eyeing those Miracle Shares.
Yeah, that had to be it.
My mission was clear: sneak into their camp undetected, snag the treasure, and slip out.
If I brought back something overflowing with Miracle Shares, Melinoë's mood would be berry good.
She might even forgive me for botching her birthday party.
So, riding a ghost cloud, I headed for Geomeok Mountain by the Lethe River.
I called it a "mountain," but whether you could really call it that was debatable.
Unlike mountains on the surface that stretched toward the sky, some in the Soul Society plunged downward instead.
Sheer cliffs that seemed to reach the mantle. Torches flickered between them, guarded by fierce skeleton soldiers gripping weapons.
It was the epitome of an impregnable fortress.
Imagine demonic hordes building a stronghold on Everest-sized cliffs—that's exactly it.
Suddenly, it looked like a dungeon from a game.
'Why have they left such an obvious rebel fortress alone this whole time?'
Storming a place like that would cost even the great executives some sacrifices, so maybe no one wanted to touch it.
But I was different.
With the invisibility helmet on, I whoosh—slipped right past the guards. They had no clue, just chattering among themselves.
"When does guard duty end? I wanna head back to the barracks and scarf some ramen."
"We just started, man."
Guard duty sucked, apparently. To kill time, they gossiped nonstop.
Like this:
"Skello, you been to the central warehouse in Geomeok Mountain? Treasures piled up like an ocean—gold bars, jewels, the works. Snag a handful, and you could quit this crap and live easy."
"Fat chance. You can't touch a single gold coin. The guardian there is terrifying."
A warehouse full of treasure like an ocean? Maybe the Miracle treasure I was after was there.
The guardian sounded scary, but with my helmet, who cared?
Whoosh!
I roamed the mountain fortress freely, brushing past guards.
The problem? No clue where the treasure warehouse was.
Lucky or unlucky, I stumbled into a massive hall deep underground. The ceiling was sky-high.
And there, under blazing sun-like flames: gold coins, bars, treasures, and gems stretching to the horizon like the Pacific I'd once seen. Any human would feel greed stir.
"Whoa."
Even I, jaded by years of wild experiences, felt my heart skip.
'But... now what?'
The Miracle treasure for Melinoë—finding it in this ocean might take my whole life.
Like hunting a single pearl dropped in the vast Pacific.
Worse, I didn't even know what it looked like.
Damn it—
Standing in the golden sea, my mood soured. I stomped—thud.
Rumble...
A mountain of gold collapsed, revealing something bizarre. It grabbed my eye instantly.
Not quite a treasure piled like the rest.
'An old thing.'
Anyone would call it shabby, worthless. No sparkle, just tattered and dirty—standing out amid the shine.
'A coin pouch.'
Reddish fabric, embroidered with three-headed puppies in gold thread. Eerily familiar.
Wasn't this the exact coin pouch that caused a fuss when I first met Melinoë?
I'd heard she had the only one like it. Weird.
Persephone—her mom—embroidered it herself for Melinoë. Why here?
Curious, I picked it up. A hefty weight for its palm-sized bulk settled in my hand.
Then—trouble.
"A thief has entered my domain."
A heavy, chilling voice shook the warehouse. I snapped alert.
Looking around, a massive flame floated midair, illuminating everything.
I'd thought it was just lighting, but now its slit pupil scanned the golden sea like a storybook demon king.
Invisible or not, that fiery gaze might spot me. I ducked behind a tall marble pillar.
As I caught my breath—
"An unseen thief, are you? Reveal yourself. No lie can cast a shadow before my voice—"
Whoosh!
The flame's eye blazed fiercer. Its heat was insane—gold bars and jewels beneath melted, oozing.
Stay here, and I'd burn too. The air scorched!
"Hup."
I gulped air to hold my breath. The eye paused, shining on my pillar.
Shhh...
"Ah—there you are."
Hairs stood on end. Whatever that fiery eye was, getting caught meant game over. Escaping this underworld might become impossible forever.
Fwump!
I bolted full speed. Felt pursuit behind—ran harder.
Glancing back mid-sprint: Geomeok Mountain and its fortress—gone. Just endless, barren desert.
"What?"
Where'd the massive mountain go? Felt bewitched.
But too real for a dream—the coin pouch weighed heavy in my hand.
Failed to snag the Miracle item. Got a weird experience and a familiar pouch instead.
###
"Mr. Joey, you're back."
"Mission accomplished?"
Back in the Chairman's office, skeleton guards greeted me warmly.
They barely blinked at the Queneë in my hand.
"Prince Zagreus must've taken the Queneë again."
"You retrieved it, Mr. Joey?"
Zagreus used it tons during his surface runaways, apparently. Guards didn't find it odd in other hands.
Now I was flustered.
"Not retrieved from Zagreus. I took it on my own need. Without permission, so discipline me if you must—I'll accept it gladly."
"Discipline? Nah, just return it safe—that's fine!"
"Compared to Prince Zagreus's escapades, this is routine! Reporting every time would annoy us and the Chairman."
What the Happy World!
This wasn't the reaction I wanted!
Stealing and returning the Chairman's gear, and they shrug?
Zagreus's antics must've been next-level for guards to yawn at helmet theft.
Reminded me of a squad leader on frontline duty: "Horns on a gorilla? Unless it's North Korean troops, don't report."
"So, what do I gotta do to top Zagreus's runaway drama? Just curious."
"Steal the Chairman's most prized treasure, maybe."
"You mean Princess Melinoë?"
What? No way I'd steal that!
If the Chairman handed her over, I'd return her. Not that it'd happen.
Dejected, I returned the Queneë properly.
The office guards slyly asked:
"Speaking of the princess... How's her birthday party prep? We're all excited for Director Joey's event."
"Gonna be the best ever, right? Tonight! We're joining post-shift—our ribs are already tingling!"
Party! Right—I'd basically abandoned prep. Total no-plan.
This was my chance to fail spectacularly. Felt a bit relieved.
Beep.
—Congressman Apollo has arrived at the airport.
—Raising security level to Protogenoi grade from now.
Beep-beep.
The wireless from the guards' shoulder terminals.
No time left—I rushed to my ace in the hole.
"Crowzer! Your role tonight is crucial!"
Grab.
I seized his shoulders; he puffed his chest, brimming with confidence.
"Fear not, my brother! Joey, if this stage succeeds, our names will echo gloriously across the world!"