139 – Joey Noi, Ushering in a New Era! #1
36 Stratagems: Make a Dash for It. The ultimate secret technique at the end of that legendary military classic. I chose to escape the reality dumped in my lap.
But running away wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
"That outfit! It's spider silk made from Arachne's webs, isn't it? That sheen! That sparkle! In my expert eye as Hypnos, that's top-grade quality!"
The head of the Welfare Department, the god of sleep Hypnos, had his eyes bulging wide. His usually drowsy gaze had swollen several times over, radiating an intimidating aura.
"Even our executives might wear something like that once in a lifetime, if ever... How?!"
"That spray on his belt—it's hydra venom!"
She was Nemesis, the fierce goddess from the Safety Management Team. She'd spotted the "Pest Repellent Spray" holstered at my waist like a pistol, no doubt about it.
The reason I carried it was obvious. Oinone had said someone spotted a hell cockroach the size of a house. Executive-level, in other words. The queen of hell cockroaches. Or as I called it, the ultra hell cockroach. If one of those things came for me? I'd blast it with this hydra-venom spray and send it packing. My body was precious, after all!
"Carrying hydra venom around so fearlessly, when a single drop brings eternal agony."
"A man who ferments hell prickly pears into kimchi and eats them like it's nothing!"
"Doesn't he fear the pain?"
"He gets brutal massages from the goddess of pain as a hobby—clearly no stranger to suffering!"
What the hell kind of rumors were circulating about me? The funny part was, none of them were fabrications.
"Chairman, we've inspected Section Chief Joey's bag. Confirmed: the legendary ghost Pandora's seal, signed petitions with locks of hair from every nymph, and a magical conch shell containing a siren's song."
At that moment, Zagreus the prince, who was rummaging through my bag for security, laid the items out on the table one by one.
The executives' shock only intensified at the sight.
"I-Incredible!"
"So many rare treasures at once!"
"And he had them before the exam even started? Like he'd anticipated it all!"
"Soul Society has been dancing in the palm of Section Chief Joey's hand!"
It was total pandemonium. A nightmare. This was a nightmare! Agony and screams swirled violently inside me—call the feeling whatever you want.
Right then, after a long silence, the goddess of night, Nix, spoke softly.
"Chairman, he's passed every test. I believe it's time to promote Section Chief Joey to executive."
What a terrifying goddess. Even Zeus the new king feared her for good reason. To deliver the one sentence no one wanted to hear, as if reciting a merciful bodhisattva's mantra!
"But Nix, there's no precedent for a mortal reaching executive rank in Soul Society."
Yes! That's it exactly. Not just anyone could be the chairman of this underworld. The courage to say 'NO' even to the dreaded goddess of night. Stubborn resolve bordering on rigidity. That was Hades the chairman's true face.
The problem was his princess, who had inherited buckets of that blood.
"All things in the world started without precedent. And the laws of Soul Society, written in blood, fire, and darkness, must be upheld clearly for everyone."
Melinoë stood, surveying the executives. Her expression was profoundly serene yet supremely noble—not a whit inferior to the goddess of night.
"Unlike Olympus built on the air or the ocean world of the seas, our underworld stands solely on rules. Deny those, and our foundation crumbles."
"Strict laws are indeed our origin."
"Princess Melinoë is right."
"I haven't seen performance like Section Chief Joey's in years—not even from executives. His promotion will be a wake-up call for our complacent board."
"I... oppose."
Snap.
Someone stood. A heavyweight. Erebos, the primordial darkness himself. His presence was subtler than his wife, the goddess of night, but everyone feared the darkness of creation.
For him to oppose me? I suddenly felt backed by a heavenly host.
"God of darkness Erebos, why the opposition?"
Melinoë asked. Even Nix, his wife, tilted her head in surprise.
"You, who always stays silent—why voice an opinion now?"
"Miracle Shares are fragments from when primordial Chaos created the genesis. No precedent for a mortal absorbing them. He'll fail to assimilate, explode. His existence will twist."
Heavy words, like gravity crushing my body. A brutally realistic issue.
Shares were lumps of power. Even Melinoë meditated to digest them each time. Her "Melinoi" outbursts stemmed from absorption troubles. Like ultra-high-calorie food. Uranium-grade. Could a human like me handle it?
"Even gods struggle to digest shares. For a human? Impossible."
"They're fundamentally different beings."
With the heavyweight Erebos voicing opposition, a few executives who'd been swayed by positive sentiment piled on. Music to my ears.
This moment. Shimmer.
I felt the god of opportunity flashing his fringe at me. Weirdly glossy today—like I'd used conditioner. My hair was shimmering!
"—Then I'll prove it."
Snap. I slammed my palm on the table. A bit rude, but it drew every eye—naturally.
"That I can absorb the shares. Give me the chance to prove it to everyone. Otherwise—are you that afraid? Of the new era—!!!"
I had no idea what I was saying. Just spouting cocky, cool lines!
Someone returned my spike with a serve.
"Ho ho."
Zagreus the prince.
"That sounds like a declaration of war. If you become an executive, you'll hoard more shares, leaving some old-era relics here in the dust."
"Interpret it freely. But one thing's certain: I'm staking everything on this. If I can't properly assimilate the shares within two days—"
Snap. I plucked a single strand of hair and placed it on the table.
"—I'll renounce all my authority and honors and leave Soul Society forever!"
"For a nymph, hair is like a clone. The same for honorary nymph Joey. It's as binding as a vow on the Styx. No take-backs."
Alecto from Team Gratitude 1, ever the drama queen, warned coolly. Her sisters chimed in.
"That confident, huh?"
"Megaera's impressed! But also annoyed—cameras barely film me these days!"
"Today's ally is tomorrow's enemy. Common at shareholder meetings, but Section Chief Joey made too many foes."
In a corner of the Night Faction, the god of fateful doom Moros calmly predicted the mortal's downfall.
"Provoking the board like that. Even fans of his promotion will turn. Executive or not, a rough road awaits."
Flutter.
Flutter.
Alecto flapped her wings, preening her feathers, and picked up the thread.
"But he wasn't wrong. Plenty of old-era fossils squandering seats with measly share percentages. Peace has lasted too long!"
Executives were more gladiators than nobles. They stole shares from each other, exalted their miracles, enforced their wills. The pinnacle: CEO – Hades. That's why Soul Society bent to the chairman's will.
"The old era that needs cleaning house. Who's in it? You and me, Moros? Prince Zagreus or Princess Melinoë? Our great chairman?"
"Who knows what Section Chief Joey thinks. But one thing's sure: his words about a new era aren't empty."
Joey never bluffed. No executive in Soul Society was ignorant of that.
'By now, they're all starting to move.'
Soul Society's new era. To survive the waves of change, the executives—who'd sat on their heavy asses for ages—would finally stir. They'd target Section Chief Joey. As prey.
Eat or be eaten. The law of the jungle would reign again.
Moros, god of doom, couldn't believe this massive shift stemmed from one mortal. Section Chief Joey. Real name: Jo Iseo. In hindsight, a profoundly mysterious human.
If his sisters the Moirae were here, what would they say to him? What fate would they foretell?
Alecto wondered the same.
"Section Chief Joey—maybe some god's secret kid? Protogenoi or major deity level. How else could he be this incredible?"
"Impossible. After the Trojan War, when the human era truly began, all gods made a pact. No new gods."
No new gods were born in this age. All had agreed. Simple reason: new gods sowed discord in the established order. Especially Triad or Protogenoi-level offspring—they might repeat Uranus or Cronus's heaven-defying history.
Thus, no new children. That was the rule.
Of course, some broke it. Moros recalled Melinoë, born beautifully perfect in this god-banning human era. A goddess no one worshiped, forbidden by rights.
And the enigmatic human Jo Iseo.
Where would the winds from their union blow? Could they surmount the towering mountain of issues?
"Moros, can Section Chief Joey really absorb Miracle Shares?"
"Beats me. But honestly... I'm looking forward to it."
—Kyang kyang…!