On the way, we came across several other fears that wandered around, but as long as we stayed still and let them approach, they were fairly easy to defeat or avoid. Yoon Jiyeon was agile and fast, while Taehyun was fearless and seemed to be the least scared of the three of us.
Little by little, a path carved into the rock appeared. It had taken us some time, but we had finally reached the main road.
This road was designed to guide souls that appeared in hell, so it was relatively safe. Hidden between two high rock walls, the creatures became rarer.
At a turn, a menacing silhouette came into view.
Well, in any case, this place was called hell for a reason.
I slowly drew my sword and signaled to Yoon Jiyeon and Taehyun to stay behind. There was something I wanted to test.
I had never fought in my life before being trained by the 'In' sect. I was usually the one taking the hits. But with this advantage, it should be enough to take it down.
[Unknown class (calculating...).]
My class might not have been defined by the system yet, but my class skill was available.
[Skill 'Arcane Eye' Lv. 1 has been activated.]
The world lit up. In front of me, the golden lines of the weave came to life.
The life threads of the universe. The path every being followed. I could see the "weave" of everything.
The creature resembled a giant beetle—if beetles were terrifying and far from harmless.
It charged me.
In seconds, it reached me, its long, sharp horn aimed at my face.
But I already knew that.
I jumped to the side to dodge and immediately turned to slash one of its hind legs with my sword. The creature let out a shrill cry and crashed into the rock wall, which shook from the impact.
I caught my breath. The skill used a large portion of my ether. Not being used to it, the mental backlash was intense.
I had to end it with the next strike.
The creature let out a roar before turning back to face me.
I placed my hand on my sword and focused. I felt the ether flow through my body, from my core to my hand. I had to infuse as much ether as possible.
The creature started charging.
I closed my eyes to focus on infusing my ether into the sword. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the weave, so I could guess the creature's position.
I could hear it getting closer and closer.
When it was finally close enough, I opened my eyes.
At first, I was surprised that its horn was only a meter from me, but adrenaline quickly took over.
[You have used 10,000 stellaron.]
[Your physical strength increases.]
[Your physical strength is now 90.]
[You have used 10,000 stellaron.]
[Your agility increases.]
[Your agility is now 44.]
Because of all the ether infused into the sword, it felt extremely heavy and I struggled to lift it.
In an instant, I slid on my back under the creature's belly, my sword raised toward the sky. It pierced the creature's abdomen instantly.
The blade, infused with ether, cut through its thick shell as if it were nothing. Drops of blood splattered on me.
The attack, which in reality lasted only a second, felt like an eternity. My arms ached and I felt my muscles burn.
The creature let out one final scream from between its mandibles before crashing into a rock and collapsing to the ground.
I stayed on my knees, unable to stand, all strength drained from my body.
[You have defeated the fear of 'Lee Seoyon'.]
[You have received 100 stellaron as a reward.]
Taehyun shouted with his fists raised toward the sky.
"That was so cool! Can I do it next, can I?"
I smiled.
"It's a lot less fun to do than to watch."
His face turned concerned.
"Oh…"
"I didn't know you could do that…"
Yoon Jiyeon looked at me incredulously.
"To be honest, neither did I…"
I held out my hand to Yoon Jiyeon, who grabbed it firmly and pulled me up.
"Come on, let's keep walking, I think we're not far now."
The rest of the trip was rather monotonous, punctuated by Taehyun's cheers about my supposed sword skills and Yoon Jiyeon insisting she could do just as well if she wanted to.
Of course, Taehyun didn't believe a word and kept teasing her.
Following the path, we eventually came to a wide greenish river that reeked of death. Air bubbles rose from its depths and burst on the surface in foul-smelling smoke.
In the center of the river, a small boat floated with a hooded figure on board. A threatening aura emanated from him.
Shivers ran down my spine.
Yoon Jiyeon, starting to understand me, asked, "We're not actually going to cross in his boat… right?"
I replied dispassionately,
"I'm not suicidal…"
On the riverbank, a bell was hanging from a stick. I reached for the string tied to it and pulled it sharply.
The bell let out a soft chime that echoed through the vast mist.
Yoon Jiyeon reacted immediately. "What are you doing? You're going to attract the monster on the boat!"
I looked at her with a maniacal grin, savoring her distress. "That's exactly what I want."
"Goddammit, why do I always end up with lunatics!"
As Yoon Jiyeon grumbled to herself, I took the time to observe. The figure wasn't clearly visible in the thick mist over the lake, but you could swear it had turned its head in our direction.
This was confirmed a few seconds later when the silhouette grew larger as it approached.
After a few minutes, the boat emerged from the fog and came to rest calmly on the shore. A hooded figure stepped off and held out a skeletal hand to us.
Taehyun murmured in a trembling voice, clutching my leg. "W-W-What does he want…?"
I really couldn't figure this kid out. One moment he was the bravest among us, and the next he was completely terrified.
I pulled out from my inventory the item I had picked up earlier.
+
[Item Information]
Name: Damaged Obol
Rating: D
Description: A generic gold coin that can be traded with Charon for passage across the Styx.
+
I handed the coin to Charon, who closed his skeletal fingers around it. The cold contact of his bones made me shiver. He tucked it into his long robe and motioned for us to board the boat.
It was a frail vessel, but it would do.
Charon positioned himself at the rear of the boat and began pushing it with a long pole he planted into the bottom of the Styx.
The river was calm.
If you listened closely, you could hear whispers rising from the water.
"Help—"
"Help me."
"P-Please…"
"...help me…please."
Taehyun, curious, reached his hand toward the surface of the river.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
His hand froze mid-air and he looked at me nervously.
"If you touch this water, your soul will be dragged to the bottom of the Styx, and you'll be trapped there like all those other souls."
He quickly pulled his hand back, shivering.
Yoon Jiyeon, who had seemed half-asleep until now, spoke to me.
"If the crossing is going to take a while, we might as well talk. Honja-ssi, something's been bothering me for a while… But… do you already know things about this world?"