Chapter: 136
And so, the life of the hero came to a close.
By mere chance, he had drawn the hero’s sword, adventured through the world, and defeated the monsters threatening humanity.
He was hailed as a hero by others, and his deeds became tales that spread across the land.
But in the face of death, even a hero is just another mortal.
[So this is what death feels like.]
The hero looked down at his feet.
There he lay on the bed—no, his physical body.
And surrounding that body were children who were weeping.
It was a rather strange sight to look down at them mourning his death…
He couldn’t recall the actual moment of his death; he must have died in his sleep, most likely.
And amid that scene, he found no trace of his beloved sister.
The hero’s sword, Chloive Solais, which he had hung on the wall like a decoration since he could no longer wield it… had somehow vanished as well.
His sister had promised to stay by his side until the end, so she must have taken the sword with her when he passed.
[Ah, so that’s why she said we’d meet again later.]
Indeed, being the Goddess of Life, she knew everything about life.
She must have effortlessly recognized the length of a person’s lifespan.
[But anyway, what now?]
According to his sister, when someone dies, the Reaper comes to guide their soul to the afterlife.
[The Reaper, huh…]
A rather spooky-sounding title. Yet the ominous figure he expected was nowhere to be seen.
[Is it taking them a long time to show up?]
“Are you the Hero?”
At that moment, a voice that didn’t quite sound human resonated from behind him.
It sounded like it was echoing from inside a cave but had a somewhat small, cute vibe.
The hero’s spirit turned to see what the voice belonged to.
“I’m the Reaper assigned to guide you to the Afterlife. Nice to meet you.”
A tiny figure wearing a black hooded robe spoke to him. It struggled to shoulder a scythe that was bigger than itself, and a rather adorable skull covered its face.
“A Reaper?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m the Reaper.”
“You look quite different from what I imagined.”
“That’s a common reaction! This appearance was designed by the Goddess of Life.”
Ah, it must be his sister’s taste. She pretended not to, but she always did have a soft spot for cute things.
The form definitely seemed like something she would enjoy.
“Since taking on this form, the Goddess of Life has been quite fond of it. We’re pretty happy, too.”
The Reaper puffed up with pride. The hero couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“When you mentioned being a Reaper, I thought you’d look a lot more menacing.”
“Well, I used to look that way! I was bigger, and my head was a real skull… But the Goddess of Life thought it was too gloomy, so she had me change.”
“My sister really is rather headstrong.”
“Sister?”
“The Goddess of Life, I mean.”
At the hero’s words, the Reaper paused for a moment and then quietly said, “Please don’t call the Goddess of Life your sister. There are many who revere her, and just knowing someone called her ‘sister’ would definitely anger them.”
The hero nodded minutely at the Reaper’s caution. To him, she had always been a familiar and beloved sister, but to others, she was the Goddess of Life— the most revered deity in existence.
“I’ll keep this secret. Plus, the Goddess has asked me to.”
“Is that so…”
The hero nodded again.
“Well, do you have any final words you’d like to leave for your family? If not, I’m ready to guide you to the Afterlife.”
“I’ve already said everything I needed to say to them. They’re not kids anymore, and I trust they’ll manage the rest just fine. It’s all good.”
“Glad to hear that! Most people spend the whole night chatting with their families. This is quite simple, which is nice. Now, could you please wrap this around your waist?”
“This?”
“It’s a shadow rope that binds the soul. Sometimes, souls try to escape and not go to the Afterlife, so this helps drag them along.”
The jet-black rope made of shadows was strangely something the soul could interact with.
“I won’t even think of running away.”
“Still important to follow the rules. Plus, this will help us get there faster.”
At the Reaper’s words, the hero tied the shadow rope around his waist.
“Tightened it.”
“Good, then let’s set off.”
As soon as the Reaper finished speaking, shadows erupted from the rope wrapped around the hero’s waist, enveloping his soul.
And what appeared before the hero, whose vision had darkened, was…
“We’ve arrived. This is the gate to the Afterlife, located at the end of the world.”
A massive gate nestled in a black rocky mountain.
“This is… something I’ve never seen before.”
“Normally, the living don’t have a reason to come here.”
While he had traveled with his sister visiting every corner of the world, he had never stumbled upon a place like this.
A sea filled with pure white ice and a bridge cloaked in snow and ice.
This must be the northernmost point of the world.
“The northernmost point, huh… I had no idea a place like this existed at the very top.”
The farthest north the hero had ventured had been to kill the poisonous snakes threatening the giant’s village.
Even then, he hadn’t gone all the way to the edge.
“Normally, it would take months of riding to get here. Yet we arrived in an instant…”
“Being the Reaper who collects souls across the world means I can return here in a flash.”
“To here? Can’t we go to other places?”
“I could, but to collect souls, I need to explore all over. Teleportation could cause me to miss a dead soul, and that would be a disaster.”
The hero nodded in understanding.
“Alright, let’s go down. Please follow me.”
“Since I’m tied to this rope, I don’t really have an option but to follow you anyway.”
“Some people untie themselves, you know. Let’s proceed downwards.”
And so, the hero found himself standing at the gates of the Afterlife alongside the Reaper.
It was then that the hero noticed the inscription above the gate.
“What does that say?”
“It’s a message from the Goddess of Life. ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’”
A warning for those passing through the gates of the Afterlife.
A warning that once a soul crosses this threshold, there’s no going back.
And it’s also a warning to prevent the living from crossing this line.
Perhaps due to this warning, an unsettling aura seemed to emanate from the gate that gnawed at one’s sanity.
“Don’t stare at it too long. It might mess with your soul.”
The Reaper calmly pushed the gate open and tugged on the rope tied around the hero’s waist, drawing him inside.
A passage made entirely of black rock. Stairs that led into an abyss of darkness.
“If I trip, that’ll be a real problem.”
“Not for a soul! If you had a physical body, then it would be a disaster.”
As the unfazed Reaper carried on, the hero walked down the stairs to the Afterlife for quite some time.
Thank goodness, being a disembodied soul meant he wouldn’t tire out.
After what felt like a considerable amount of time, they emerged from the tunnel into a vast plaza.
And at the end of the plaza, a black statue stood tall.
“What’s that?”
“The first guardian of the Afterlife, the Obsidian Colossus. Talos.”
The hero gazed up at the Colossus, whose red eyes surveyed the plaza.
Its massive size and the overwhelming power it radiated without even moving a muscle. The hero suddenly felt a chill about just how formidable the Afterlife could be, given such a powerful being guarded the entrance.
“Impressive…”
“Yes, after all, he’s one of the guardians of the Afterlife.”
When compared to the monsters the hero had fought, no… it was beyond comparison—the Colossus was in a league of its own in strength.
“He was the first guardian created by the Goddess of Life when she forged the Afterlife. He possesses unmatched power, even compared to those who manage the various levels of the Afterlife.”
Then again, the Reaper mentioned quietly, “Though he was breached once by a clever trick…”
“Let’s keep moving. We have quite a distance to cover.”
As the hero passed by Talos, he couldn’t help but look up.
If it were the old him, in his prime, could he actually win against that giant statue?
If he were using any sword other than his own, he’d be toast. With his own sword? It would be a toss-up… more like a 30-70 chance of losing.
Of course, he had been on adventures alongside the Dragon’s Priestess, meaning they always fought together.
Together, they would never lose.
“Well, if he’s with my sister, I wouldn’t even have to fight that statue to begin with.”
That was the conclusion the hero reached.
“Enough with the weird thoughts. Let’s hurry down, shall we?”
“Ah, sorry. That statue just piqued my curiosity.”
With that, the hero began his descent into the Afterlife, guided by the Reaper.
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