The Serpent's Nest

In the land of giants, where even the Aesir gods who rule Asgard remain wary and covetous of the mighty gathered there, the morning in Jotunheim was cold. Winds blew from both sides, clashing head-on and deepening the chill, yet for us it was nothing we couldn’t endure. Look. So many grown men huddled together, sharing body heat while they slept. Our embraces were warm enough to defy the freezing temperature of Jotunheim.

Fuck. Disgusting. Don’t these bastards ever wash? How can their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bodies reek of sour sweat like this? It’s not like they bathed in beer. I scrambled out of their arms like I was escaping a collapsing building. Sleep vanished in an instant. Goddammit. My head throbbed. My stomach churned, and the slightest movement made me dizzy. Just how much did I drink? Had I downed so much I couldn’t even remember passing out? I couldn’t recall a thing. But one fact was certain—last night had been incredibly fun. Even without memories, I could feel it. I had truly healed.

You son of a bitch, that was my tiny rabbit-like dick you wanted so badly.

Yeah. I had healed.

“Huh?”

Had I said that out loud? Cold sweat poured down my face. It flowed so heavily that droplets splattered onto the pale stone floor. Don’t tell me I lost? No way. That’s impossible. Still, the anxiety wouldn’t leave me, so I frantically groped around.

“Hah.”

Thank god. It was still attached. Not cut off—perfectly intact!

“Whew…”

I hadn’t died. It hadn’t been severed! Which meant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had won, right?!

“For real? I’m not cut?”

I won! At the same time, I had earned honor facing great warriors! My small, cute, precious brother—for future children—remained alive and well!

Honestly, I had been scared shitless. Drunk or not, what kind of crazy bastard wagers his own genitals?

The crazy bastard is right here.

But the fact that it was still attached meant I had won. Relief washed over me. I thrust both arms into the air, dropped to my knees, and bowed my head to the ground, prostrating toward the gods who were surely watching from somewhere.

“Thank you… overwhelming thanks…!”

I should offer a tribute at the Valhalla shrine soon. With that decision made, I pressed my forehead even harder against the stone.

“Heheung~”

Wearing a pleased smile, I headed for the tavern. The fact that I was humming without realizing it probably meant I was still half-drunk. A tavern for drinks first thing in the morning? Don’t worry—I’m not crazy enough to commit such an atrocity. I was only going because I’d heard Isabel had headed there for breakfast.

The massive door swung open. Inside were small tables designed for humans as well as giants—seats prepared for adventurers. Unlike the freezing outdoors, the interior was warm. Torches as long as longswords crackled brightly, and a magnificent bull’s skull mounted on the wall added to the majestic atmosphere. The gentle scent of food mixed with the boisterous noise of giants. Laughter from Vikings already deep in their morning drinking bout echoed through the hall.

The moment the door opened, our eyes met. She greeted me with a refreshing smile. I thought again that indoor life was far superior to street life. Otherwise she wouldn’t look so bright and relaxed. She would have been somewhat expressionless, haughty, and cold. There was no way her attitude could have changed this much in just a week otherwise.

“Good morning, Hero.”

“Good morning, Isabel.”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“…Uh. Well.”

She covered her mouth and giggled. I wasn’t sure whether I had woken up late or she had risen early, but her neatly arranged hair suggested she had already washed. I had spent the entire night sleeping outside breathing in sand, so I probably needed a wash too. Maybe I should have cleaned up first. I have a perfectly good lodging, yet I couldn’t sleep there. Taesik, you idiot. Last night I had slept outside again, breathing fresh air. That’s why alcohol is the problem.

“Anyway, I’m glad it didn’t get cut off.”

“Haha…”

“Hehe. Even if I look like this, I was quite worried, you know?”

“There’s no need for that kind of worry!”

Her mischievous teasing was the same as ever. Speaking of which, those guys were already drinking from the crack of dawn. Didn’t they ever get tired? I gazed at the Vikings with respectful eyes.

Then Isabel’s voice reached me, sounding like a report.

“Lord Tirgar was looking for you.”

“Is he thinking of drinking from the morning…”

“No. He said to prepare for battle. He’s waiting at the Serpent’s Nest.”

The Serpent’s Nest. There had once been a report that someone had seen the shadow of Jormungandr hiding its form there. Naturally, our hero party had headed there under the kingdom’s orders. We had investigated together with the giant warrior band led by Tirgar, but we hadn’t found even a single scale of Jormungandr. For Tirgar to call me there now and tell me to prepare for battle—what was going on?

“Hmm… Isabel, you stay here.”

“I was planning to anyway.”

“Are you scared?”

“…Hmph.”

Her reaction was adorable. It felt like my vision was being purified first thing in the morning. I lightly grabbed a chicken leg and stood up. Isabel caught my arm.

“Even if you’re going, you should at least fill your stomach first.”

“I ate a ton yesterday.”

“My premonition isn’t good. You need to eat properly.”

“It’s a serious—”

“Hurry.”

Ugh. It reminded me of how my mother used to cling to my father. He would grumble every day but still listened to her. Like father, like son. It seemed I was helpless against a woman’s worries too.

“…All right.”

“Hehe. I’ll be waiting. They say there’s a feast again today.”

“Oh, really?”

Isabel seemed to be in an especially good mood today. I wondered why. My own heart beat a little faster too.

The Serpent’s Nest formed a massive circle. According to the books, Jormungandr was one of Loki’s three children. It was said to be so long that it encircled the entire continent and bit its own tail.

Loki’s three children. The giant serpent Jormungandr. The god-devouring wolf Fenrir. The demon king of emptiness, Hel.

Hel was someone I had to kill. Humans called her the Demon King. Therefore, she had to be my primary target if I wanted to return to Earth.

Fenrir was the wolf that devoured gods. That was all the records said; I didn’t know the details.

Jormungandr. The true power ruling the place I was heading to now, and the father of the void serpents.

Several giant warriors, Tirgar among them, stood overlooking the nest with enormous weapons in hand.

“Hmm…”

“Their numbers have grown.”

“Are the shadows of the void increasing here as well?”

Waves surged forward, crashing against the cliffs with loud splashes. As the waves broke apart, white foam formed. In the center stood a huge circular nest one could actually step onto. From within it, red eyes began to stir.

“What the hell is that?”

“Snakes.”

“…They weren’t here when I came last time.”

“They appeared recently. Taesik, you saw Helheim’s land covering Midgard, didn’t you?”

Was that even a question? I had experienced it firsthand and butchered chaos goblins on the way back.

“I saw it. Closer than anyone else.”

“Helheim’s shadow is trying to swallow not only Midgard but this Jotunheim as well.”

“Tsk. What a pain in the ass.”

Tirgar spoke while watching the giant snakes slither.

“I hate Odin.”

Whoa, you bastard. That’s a dangerous thing to say in front of me, isn’t it?

“He’s a coward. The root cause of this entire mess—believing nonsense rumors he had no reason to trust.”

“Rumors?”

“Ragnarok, of course. Our ancestors worshipped Loki. We offered tributes to him.”

His expression was deadly serious, so I wasn’t in the mood for jokes either. It was business mode now. Time to work.

“A rumor spread that Loki’s three children would destroy the world.”

That had been the beginning. The starting point of everything, the spark that signaled the end of the world—Ragnarok.

“Odin, terrified by that nonsense, sent his youngest child Hel to Helheim, his second son Jormungandr into the deep ocean, and bound his eldest son Fenrir with Gleipnir.”

“Hmm…”

“Fenrir hadn’t been on bad terms with the gods. But when favors are given repeatedly, people start thinking they’re rights.”

Just like how I had understood and endured all the misdeeds of my former hero party members.

“In the end, the gods bound Fenrir with a fetter that could never be broken.”

Tyr—the son of the giant Hymir ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and one of the three chief gods alongside Odin and Thor—had bound Fenrir. To be exact, Fenrir had bitten off Tyr’s arm, and in that moment the other gods had used Gleipnir to restrain him. Fenrir had gone berserk. The rope called Gleipnir was unbelievably strong, and as Loki’s child, Fenrir could not break it. Tyr had laughed at Fenrir. He must have realized it was a situation that would inevitably fill Fenrir with rage.

I asked Tirgar.

“So what happened next?”

“He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit.”

“Bit? The god’s arm clean off?”

“Yes. He chewed and swallowed the arm, leaving the chief god Tyr one-armed.”

It was a brutal story. Tirgar said he didn’t know what happened after that. Fenrir might still be among the gods, or perhaps hiding somewhere, plotting revenge according to the prophecy. Either way, it wasn’t normal. But the ones who had oppressed and tormented ordinary people were the gods. If they hadn’t believed in the prophecy, Ragnarok—which was bound to happen someday—would never have occurred. Reading it with a sane mind made the whole thing feel dizzying. There was no greater mess than this.

“That’s why I hate Odin. Our warriors were slaughtered in droves by Hel’s children, but the root cause of her becoming that way is ultimately Odin.”

“….”

“However, you humans worship Odin. As your friend, I won’t force my opinion on you. After all, nothing is more foolish than clinging to respect and old grudges.”

But.

“If Odin is listening to my words through you, the hero, I want to tell him this.”

“Go ahead.”

The massive giant raised his hand toward the sky. He flashed his white teeth in a wide grin. This wasn’t a smile of happiness—it was a smile steeped in rage. He casually lifted his middle finger in mockery.

“Clean up the shit you took. Don’t dump it on us.”

It was an intense statement. And true. The fleeting worry that Odin might stop giving me blessings passed quickly. I agreed with Tirgar’s opinion. After all, wasn’t I summoned to this world specifically to clean up the shit that guy had taken? And as the hero of a nation full of Odin worshippers, no less.

Tirgar continued.

“But even if we say this, the gods won’t listen to our cries.”

The bad blood between them played a part.

“…We have no choice but to clean up that shit.”

“Tsk. I don’t like it.”

“Taesik. Still, I like you. You’re a human I can actually talk to.”

“I think talking with a giant like this isn’t something just anyone can do.”

We bumped fists. The size difference was dozens of times over, yet we were equals. Volunteers cleaning up the shit the gods had taken. No matter how you phrased it, that was the truth.

“I believe this situation—Helheim’s shadow trying to cover the world—is a sign of Ragnarok.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? …Though it is pretty serious.”

“Exactly. So we need to reduce their numbers as quickly as possible.”

Odin, you son of a bitch. If Ragnarok really does break out later, I’ll be the one to smash your skull open.

Below the giant cliff, the round nest dominated the view, and the forms of enormous snakes could be seen. It wasn’t Jormungandr. These were beings from Helheim—children born by Hel, Jormungandr’s younger sister. We had agreed to call them this.

Demonic creatures.

“So let’s get started.”

“Yeah. Isabel’s waiting too.”

“Taesik, say something hero-like.”

“That hurts my throat…”

“What does it matter? You did it a year ago too. You’re a hero. You can give strength to these Viking bastards.”

I sighed and drew the holy sword. The refreshing shing as it left the scabbard rang in everyone’s ears. All mouths closed. The only sounds left were the deep roar of waves and the pounding of hearts.

When I poured power into the holy sword, pure white light began to flow gently. That was when it started.

As soon as Tirgar and I finished speaking, a giant serpent rose above the water’s surface.

Ssssssh—

Beneath the tree I recited runes and bestowed blessings. I ran toward the Serpent’s Nest with the holy sword raised.

I had spoken grandly, but…

“Fuck this. If Ragnarok actually starts, we’re all dead!”

As expected, these were my true feelings. It was fucking terrifying. Somebody save me.