The King's Appearance
Whoosh!
The Nile roared as it split asunder.
Why is the Ferryman this strong?
Having dodged the Ferryman's attack, Baek Do-ha glanced back. Every swing of the man's oar cracked the earth open and parted the Nile River itself. Yet strangely, the golden sailboat remained completely unscathed.
"Ugh... I shouldn't have messed with that oar..."
Do-ha let out a sigh. There was no one else to blame. This was entirely his own fault.
"Sorry about this, Ferryman. Since it's come to this, I'll have to take you down and seize that oar."
A low hum filled the air.
Tanji-gong: Jinwon.
Do-ha flicked his fingers, unleashing the technique. He had no desire to kill a being of the Underworld, so he aimed only to knock the man unconscious.
Whoosh!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Whoa."
The Ferryman spun his oar like a spear or staff, effortlessly batting aside every strike of the Tanji-gong. Do-ha couldn't help but marvel. The man wielded that oar with the fluid mastery of a lifelong spear or staff expert.
Whoosh.
A massive surge of water exploded forward.
"Damn—this is no time to be impressed."
The Ferryman thrust his oar in a straight line, snapping Do-ha back to focus. He almost wished he could drag every martial artist who specialized in spears or staves here just to watch. Studying the Ferryman's movements would be an education beyond price.
A deep resonance built around him.
"Sink."
Mokhon-sura-gong, Third Form: Water King Position.
The Nile rose in a towering wave that crashed down to swallow the Ferryman whole.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Bang!
"Looks like that wasn't enough after all."
The Ferryman spun his oar at blinding speed, shattering the wave that sought to devour him. His strength was truly immense.
If he were a martial artist, he'd be around the Profound Realm, wouldn't he?
Even that estimate felt uncertain. The Ferryman still wore the same blank, unhurried expression, as if nothing of consequence had happened.
"I'll put some life back into those empty eyes of yours."
A bone-chilling cold began to pour from Do-ha's body.
Bingbaek-singong, Third Form: Spiked Flowers in Full Bloom.
Flash!
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
The freezing aura erupted in every direction. In an instant the sailboat and hundreds of meters of the Nile River froze solid.
"Impressive reaction speed."
The moment the cold exploded outward, the Ferryman had already leapt high into the sky.
Whoosh.
Swoooosh!
Boom!
Crack!
He drove his oar into the ground, shattering the ice around him.
"Ah... I really shouldn't be enjoying this."
Watching his opponent, Do-ha found a smile tugging at his lips. The Ferryman's martial prowess was genuinely entertaining him—exactly the same thrill he felt sparring against Geomhwang or Dohwang.
"I'll give you credit. You're strong."
A surge of power flared.
Reverse Gravity.
The Ferryman's body lifted slightly as the magic inverted gravity. Yet he immediately drove his oar into the earth, anchoring himself in place.
"I figured you'd do that."
Do-ha launched himself forward the instant he saw it. When a fighter's feet left the ground, the natural instinct was always to plant their weapon for leverage.
A thunderous hum built around his fist.
Baek-bo Myeol-hwang Gong, Fourth Step: Extreme Demon Thunder Fist.
Flash!
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Do-ha became a streak of lightning, driving his fist straight at the Ferryman's face.
Whoosh.
"Wow. You're seriously incredible."
The Ferryman simply tilted his head back and let the fist whistle past. Do-ha's admiration was completely genuine. In that split second the man had dodged a blow he had clearly failed to track with his eyes—reacting purely to the surge of energy that brushed his face.
Swoosh!
The Ferryman's hand shot out and clamped around Do-ha's arm.
"Keep holding on, then."
Do-ha seized the Ferryman's arm in return.
A deep, vibrating resonance filled the air.
Hwaneum-yeyang-gong, Sixth Form: Internal Resonance Explosion.
The technique amplified every sound flowing through the body—the rush of blood, the beat of the heart, the intake of oxygen—until the flesh itself threatened to burst.
"I won't kill you. But you'll wish you were dead."
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
As Do-ha stepped back, the Ferryman's body began to shake violently, as if caught in an earthquake.
Then—
Thud.
"Huh... would you look at that?"
The Ferryman forcibly stilled his trembling body through sheer will, and Do-ha let out a short, incredulous laugh. The man had simply crushed every amplified vibration with raw power—like flexing a cramped calf muscle until the knot released.
"...You're not Profound Realm after all."
The Ferryman was Life-or-Death Realm. A god on the same level as Anubis.
No wonder. Do-ha had thought the man was merely holding back, carefully matching his strength. That wasn't the case at all.
I couldn't gauge the Ferryman's power because it felt so empty... but he's strong.
Anubis's presence had been unmistakable. The Ferryman, by contrast, had felt like a hollow void. That was why Do-ha had never been able to measure him properly.
"In that case, I'll have to fight for real—"
Whoosh.
Thud.
Just as Do-ha began to draw up his full power, the Ferryman drove his oar into the ground.
A low, grinding sound filled the air.
"What business does a god have in the Underworld?"
"Huh?"
The Ferryman's eyes—previously empty and unfocused—suddenly sharpened. Do-ha flinched in surprise. Until now it had felt like fighting a reanimated corpse. That was no longer true.
"What, did you finally come to your senses?"
"Answer me. Why has a god visited the Underworld?"
For the first time the Ferryman furrowed his brow. Watching actual expression appear on that corpse-like face felt strangely unsettling.
"I came looking for a friend who wandered in here. That's all."
"An existence who has climbed that high, coming here to revive the dead... what a foolish thing to do..."
"He's not dead. He headed for the trial gates, nothing more."
"...The gates?"
The Ferryman tilted his head, then his eyes widened slightly as something clicked into place.
"So you read the Book of the Dead."
"That's right."
"What a stupid thing to do."
The Ferryman shook his head.
"Stupid?"
"If Anubis is still alive and well, heading for those gates is a death sentence."
More precisely, the difficulty of the trial scaled with the power of the reigning god. When the seat of the Underworld's god stood vacant, the Book of the Dead's trial was not especially harsh. But with a god already in place, the difficulty could multiply dozens of times over. Anubis himself might even appear midway through the trial.
"If Anubis shows up, your friend will die without question. That one is greedy beyond measure."
"..."
Do-ha's expression twisted. If the Ferryman was telling the truth, he had to reach Canteas immediately—or force him to abandon the trial altogether.
"Haa... I can't let him die over some damn test."
Power surged around him as he began to chant.
"Canteas. Come here."
It was a summoning spell that reached across dimensions. He had once used it to pull Canteas from Belhart all the way to Earth; it would work here as well. The trial was a shame to waste, but it wasn't worth a life.
A brilliant light flared—then began to darken.
"What the...?"
The glittering motes of light were steadily swallowed by darkness. Do-ha's brow furrowed. He had never seen anything like this before. Black smoke was suddenly pouring out of the summoning circle.
A grinding, crackling sound filled the air.
"...You?!"
The black smoke coalesced into a towering figure, and the Ferryman's eyes went wide with shock. What emerged from the summoning spell was not Canteas, but a Reaper gripping an enormous scythe.
"What are you doing here?"
Do-ha's brow tightened. Canteas couldn't be dead... could he?
The Reaper gestured sharply.
"What is he saying?"
Do-ha tilted his head. The gestures seemed meaningful, but he couldn't understand them.
"He says, 'Do not interfere with the King's appearance.'"
The Ferryman translated for him.
"The King's appearance...?"
Having delivered its message, the Reaper's form began to fade and dissolve.
"What the hell? Spouts some nonsense I can't even understand and then just vanishes."
Do-ha prepared to summon Canteas again.
Whoosh.
The Ferryman thrust his oar out, blocking the motion.
"Get on."
"What?"
"If that Reaper appears a second time, things will become complicated. So get on. I'll take you there."
"Changed your mind all of a sudden?"
"Yes."
The Ferryman nodded. The "King's appearance" the Reaper had spoken of was not something to take lightly.
"This... is getting interesting."
With a soft thud and a creak of wood, the Ferryman smiled and set the boat back upon the river.
Splash.
Splash-splash.
"Why the sudden change of heart about taking me?"
"That existence you came looking for. You called him a friend, yes?"
"That's right."
"What kind of being is he?"
"Hmm. Loves games, loves food, loves slacking off?"
"...What kind of answer is that?"
The Ferryman's brow furrowed. Was this some kind of joke?
"If you want me to talk, speak properly."
"He's a Lich."
"A Lich?? You mean the undead Lich I'm thinking of?"
"That's the one."
"..."
The Ferryman rowed slowly, his face stamped with shock. So the long-awaited candidate for King was an undead...
"And who are you?"
"Asking a little late, aren't you? I'm Baek Do-ha."
"No wonder you're so strong. You're the Absolute Being."
"You know me?"
"There is no god who does not know your name."
The Ferryman spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Even though he never left the Underworld, he knew the Absolute Being's name well enough. After all, the Absolute Being was the reason so many souls arrived here in the first place.
"Do you know what the King of the Underworld truly is?"
"King of the Underworld? That's just one of Canteas's titles."
"I don't mean the nicknames humans throw around. I mean what the Underworld itself calls it."
"No idea."
"The King of the Underworld is the existence who stands above every Underworld."
"...What?"
Do-ha's eyes widened. Above every Underworld? The Underworld ruled by Yama. The Underworld ruled by Anubis. The Underworld ruled by Hades. All of them?
"As far as I know there are multiple Underworlds... does he rule all of them?"
"Hmm. He does not rule them."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"The ones who rule are the gods who govern each Underworld. In this place, that would be Anubis."
"Wait. So the King ranks higher than the gods?"
"Correct."
The Ferryman nodded. In the language of humans, kings sat beneath emperors, and emperors sat beneath gods. In the Underworld, the hierarchy was different. The seat of the King of the Underworld stood above the gods of the Underworld.
"No. I misspoke. Not a king."
"Then what?"
"In the language of humans, the proper word would be 'Lord.'"
The Lord of the Underworld. The existence who sat above every god of the Underworld.
"For a very long time, the seat of the Lord of the Underworld has stood empty."
"And Canteas has become a candidate for that seat?"
"Yes. Do you remember the Reaper that appeared earlier?"
"Yeah."
"The fact that he moved so directly means the Lord's appearance is imminent."
"Sounds like the nobles flocking to a new power."
"No. It is different."
The Reapers had been the Lord's servants from the very beginning. The Lord had created them. That was why they moved for their master.
"We're nearly there."
At the Ferryman's words, Do-ha turned his head and looked toward the distant entrance of the Underworld.
"You will need to move quickly."
"Before Canteas dies?"
"Yes. From what I can see, Anubis will appear without fail."
As he had said earlier, Anubis was a creature of endless greed—and endless jealousy. If signs of the Lord of the Underworld's appearance began to show, Anubis would stop at nothing to prevent it.
"You seem pretty eager for the Lord to show up yourself."
"Not particularly. It makes no difference to me."
"Then why are you taking me there?"
"Because I don't want you summoning that Reaper again."
As he had already said, if the Reaper appeared a second time, things would become troublesome. Its power was more than he could comfortably handle. He was simply escorting Do-ha so the Absolute Being wouldn't casually chant another summoning spell and drag the Reaper back.
Splash.
Thud.
"We've arrived."
Whoosh.
Do-ha leapt from the sailboat and landed on solid ground.
"I wish you fortune in battle."
With a soft creak of wood, the Ferryman set the sailboat in motion once more and vanished into the distant mist.