The Oasis of Hell
"Your name is Forme?"
"..."
"Oh? Now you're just ignoring me completely?"
"I... I'm finished."
Forme's face crumpled into a miserable expression.
I would have been better off dying at the entrance to the Hell Gate...
How did I end up captured by this mad demon and stuck in this mess?
Of all people, the one he had struck turned out to be an investigator. This was not something that would simply blow over.
Investigators were beings who roamed the Underworld, identifying all manner of problems and reporting them to those above.
And he had gone and hit one of them.
"If you're that worried, should I just kill you right here? Then there'd be no evidence left."
"..."
At Baek Do-ha's words, Forme's eyes wavered for an instant.
Come to think of it... isn't that right?
If I kill the investigator, the evidence itself disappears, doesn't it?
"I'm a living human, after all. I'm going back to the world of the living. That means the only one who witnessed this situation is you. No one else."
"..."
At Do-ha's low whisper, Forme's pupils shook even more violently.
What do I do?
Right now, that really is the only solution, isn't it?
"Aigoo, you're truly rotten. I was just saying it, and now you're actually thinking of killing him? Tsk tsk. What did that unconscious investigator ever do to deserve that?"
"Aaaargh! You devilish bastard!"
At Do-ha's words, Forme finally screamed.
He had almost fallen for that demon's temptation just now.
To think he had been entertaining such a horrific idea!
He was a gatekeeper who protected the gates of the Underworld—how could he even consider something like this?
"Just kill me already, you wicked bastard!"
Forme's face twisted into a tearful grimace.
Even if he fought, he could not win.
And yet if he helped, he would be betraying the Underworld...
"Help me, and I'll make sure you get through this without any harm. If it comes to it, I could even make you an investigator."
"That's ridiculous..."
"I'm not joking this time. So how about helping me?"
Do-ha smiled and held out his hand.
If Canteas became the Lord of the Underworld, something as minor as Forme's punishment could be easily prevented.
"..."
Forme looked into Do-ha's eyes—and without realizing it, he took the offered hand.
Do-ha had not said anything particularly special, nor had he made any threats.
He had spouted nonsense and simply held out his hand, yet the moment Forme met those eyes, his body moved on its own.
Ugh... My instincts are screaming at me to take his hand, but...
He had moved according to instinct, yet his mind remained uneasy.
Whoooosh.
"Even hell is nothing but desert."
Arms crossed, Do-ha pouted as he stared out over the endless desert that stretched like an ocean.
He had expected hell to be a place of roaring flames and endless screams, yet upon arriving, it was simply a desert.
A desert at sunset, if anything.
"The Hell Gate itself was spewing out those horrific screams, so why is everything beyond it so quiet?"
Do-ha glanced at Forme standing beside him.
Ever since they had begun traveling together, this guy had been guiding the way.
"Well, hell isn't filled only with wraiths."
There were gatekeepers like himself, and many beings who simply did ordinary work, like the investigators.
That meant this place was also somewhere people lived.
If such a place were filled with nothing but screams and agony, everyone would go mad.
"So this place has its own work-life balance, is that it?"
"Work-life balance...? What's that?"
"It exists. That sort of thing."
Do-ha shrugged and took a single step toward the desert—
Thud.
"You mustn't go that way!"
Forme cried out in alarm and grabbed his shoulder.
Shhhhhhhhh!
Ssssssss.
"What the hell are those?"
From the sand-filled desert, black abominations burst forth, and Do-ha frowned.
They were long and serpentine, their entire bodies covered in teeth.
An utterly repulsive appearance.
And it was not just one or two—they rose from every direction within a five-hundred-meter radius.
"Hell leeches."
"Those look more like mutant snakes than leeches."
"Originally, to cross this desert, you need a means of transport."
"Transport?"
"Yes. When a being with proper authorization arrives here, a sphinx comes on its own."
"Ah, I know about sphinxes."
"You mean those giant statues in the world of the living? Correct. The transport looks exactly like them."
"Then why isn't one coming?"
"Because we don't have authorization."
"..."
Forme said it so casually that Do-ha stared at him with a dubious expression.
If that was the case, he should have offered some kind of solution instead of standing there with that sunny look on his face.
"Is there no other way to travel besides that transport?"
"Hmm... Well? What could there be?"
"Aigoo."
Smack!
In the end, Do-ha smacked Forme on the back of the head.
"Argh! Why did you hit me?!"
"You little punk, who are you messing with? There's no way to travel, so why did you lead me here?"
"Th-that's because... you asked me which way we needed to go!"
Rubbing the back of his head, Forme protested with an aggrieved look.
He had simply pointed out the proper path when asked where they needed to go—why was he getting hit for that?!
"You're bad at your job, aren't you? That's why you're stuck as a gatekeeper."
"...Th-that's... hitting where it hurts..."
Forme cleared his throat at Do-ha's words.
Just as the man had said, he had indeed been demoted to gatekeeper.
"Aigoo. I should have just brought that investigator or whatever along instead."
"Could you please keep comments like that to yourself? It hurts..."
"Want wounds on your body instead of your feelings?"
"I'm sorry."
"In the end, I have to cause a scene again."
"Pardon?"
Wooooong!
Do-ha sighed and drew up his power.
He had brought this guy along precisely so he could move as quietly as possible...
If he was going to use force like this anyway, why had he bothered bringing him?
Crackle.
Baek-bo Myeol-hwang Gong, Twelfth Step: Noe-bon-gyeong.
Thud.
Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle!
The moment Do-ha took a single step, thousands of lightning tendrils shot out beneath the ground.
Kieeeeeeeek!
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Thud-thud-thud.
In the end, the hell leeches hidden beneath the earth screamed and burst apart.
"Let's go."
"..."
Staring at the scattered remains of the hell leeches, Forme's mouth fell open.
Hell leeches were not beings that could be killed.
That was only natural—they were not living creatures to begin with.
They were entities closer to matter, born from the coalescence of horrific agony, lingering thoughts, and grudges.
That was precisely why one had to use the transport.
Just what did I just witness...?
Even Anubis had to ride a sphinx to pass through this place.
How could this unknown being do something like that?
"Hey, what are you standing around for? Let's go."
"Ah, yes...!"
Forme snapped out of his daze and hurried after Do-ha.
Crunch, crunch.
"I-I never thought I'd live to walk across this place."
Stepping on the sand, Forme let out a hollow laugh.
He was probably the first in the Underworld to ever set foot here.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"It's embarrassing, but... my heart is racing a little."
How could he not be excited?
He was the first to walk a place even the gods of the Underworld could not tread.
"By the way, could you tell me your name? I don't know what to call you..."
All the way here, he had only been referring to him as "you there" or "that side."
But he ought to know a name at least, right?
"Did I not tell you my name?"
"No."
"Baek Do-ha."
"Ah~ Baek Do-ha... Hm? That's the same name as the Absolute Being who fought the Demon God, isn't it?"
Repeating the name, Forme tilted his head.
It was the same name as the Absolute Being he had only heard of in rumors.
Well.
Humans had plenty of people with the same name.
"Speaking of the Absolute Being, I'd like to meet him once myself."
"Why?"
"Because he's cool. A human who rose to the seat of the God of War and even crossed blades with the Demon God. How cool is that?"
"The seat of the God of War... Did I rise to a place like that?"
"According to the rumors, he was benevolent, generous, wise, and full of virtue."
"?"
At Forme's words, Do-ha tilted his head.
Where did this guy hear such nonsense?
Was I benevolent and generous...?
Why did such a weird rumor spread?
"They say he slaughtered demons on the battlefield with his hair streaming in a tremendous light. I can't even imagine how cool that must have been."
"..."
Do-ha narrowed his eyes and stared at the smiling Forme.
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that...?"
"You don't think I might be that Absolute Being?"
"You, Lord Do-ha? Come on, what kind of nonsense is that."
Forme snorted and waved his hand.
The Absolute Being was a perfect existence—how could you compare him to the madman standing right in front of him?!
"They said the Absolute Being was extremely generous."
"Aha. So that means I'm not generous?"
"..."
Hearing Do-ha's words, Forme hurriedly shut his mouth.
He felt like he had just made a slip of the tongue...
"Ha... haha, Lord Do-ha is also ve-very generous, of course! Absolutely!"
Smack!
In the end, Forme took another blow to the back of the head and toppled forward.
His body was small—where did that damn strength come from?
Shwoooook!
Kraaaaaang!
"There's all sorts of things in the Underworld."
Having destroyed a massive golem, Do-ha dusted off his hands.
After crossing the desert, he had spotted an oasis and decided to visit—only for hundreds of giant golems to start attacking him.
"Forme. What is this?"
"Urgh... Lo-Lord Do-ha. Help..."
"You're truly hopeless."
Looking back, Do-ha let out a deep sigh.
While he had been destroying hundreds of golems, Forme could not even handle a single one and was currently being choked.
Wooooong!
Baek-bo Myeol-hwang Gong, Second Step: Mu-je-gak.
Thud!
Whoooosh.
Bang!
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Do-ha kicked the golem's side with Mu-je-gak, and it went flying far into the distance in a single blow.
"Cough, cough... Thank you."
"You're really weak, huh?"
"Lord Do-ha is just abnormally strong..."
Forme's expression turned sullen.
The golems guarding this area were the soldiers of the Sphinx.
They had each been made extremely powerful to protect the oasis, so it was only natural that they were not easy to deal with.
"These are ones the Sphinx put special care into making."
"The transport?"
"Well... there's a Grand General called the Sphinx. The statue in the world of the living. The transport was modeled after that Sphinx's appearance."
"Ahh~"
At Forme's explanation, Do-ha nodded.
So the Sphinx was that impressive a being.
From everything he had heard since childhood, he had just thought of it as some fool that only asked riddles.
"But what's so special about this place that golems are guarding it like this?"
"Well... originally no one ever visits here..."
Even he had only seen it from afar once while riding the transport past.
He had wanted to jump down from the transport, but the hell leeches made that impossible.
"It's a bit sketchy to drink, so I'll just wash my hands."
Do-ha bent down to wash his hands, then glanced at Forme.
"Or do you want to try drinking it?"
"Could you treat me a little more carefully?"
"I'm joking."
Splash.
At those words, Do-ha chuckled and plunged his hands into the oasis water.
"Huh??"
"What is it?"
When Do-ha put his hands into the oasis and made a startled face, Forme tilted his head.
He had not even been surprised by the golems—why was he reacting like that?
"This oasis... what kind of energy is it holding?"
"Pardon?"
"This entire body of water... it's completely an elixir."
The entire rather large oasis was filled with liquid elixirs of the same caliber as Gong-cheong-seok-yu.