【Mirstin】─Hmm.
As the Soul Reaper was fine-tuning the body containing the soul he had kidnapped.
Artpega, who was beside me, quickly completed the Pokédex task on the Unibicon.
■Soul Reaper
i─Actual Danger Level: S-Class.
i─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-rank.
i─Ability: Soul Fishing.
[The Pokédex task is complete. Today, there are a lot of subjects to draw, which is great.]
【Luna-chan】─ԅ|.͡° ൧͑ ͡°.|ᕤ Truly addicted to drawing, huh?
【Boglebogle】─Drawing anytime, anywhere feels like a gauntlet.
【Yumi】─I think they now draw faster than AI…?
【Mirstin】─Hmm. Or maybe not.
Just for reference, it was right after exchanging greetings with the Soul Reaper.
Infernos had stepped forward to introduce us first.
It wasn’t a lie that I had become a celebrity in hell; even the Soul Reaper seemed to already know about me.
[i]Hmm. This much refinement should be enough.[/i]
The Soul Reaper said this while patting the body of a middle-aged man.
It seemed he had imbued it with an astonishing level of regenerative power so that it wouldn’t easily break even under torture.
Still, the danger level was only F-Class.
The power of the prisoner’s body was thoroughly restricted.
In other words.
A prisoner in hell was nothing more than a meat chunk with extraordinary regeneration, unable to pose any threat to anyone else.
【Pururu】─I think they said no parole, just life imprisonment over there?
【Rize Nova】─That’s right. Infernos explained that earlier.
【Yumi】─Most prisoners are like that. It’s said that souls that committed light crimes aren’t even brought here.
From this point onward.
The fate of the prisoners was just to thrash around in eternal pain.
Locked in a perfect vessel to endure hell’s punishments.
Unless the guards made mistakes in controlling their power during torture, the prisoners’ bodies were nearly immortal.
【Pururu】─Saying most prisoners are like that means there are prisoners with parole, right?
【Rize Nova】─I think they said there are very few, but there are some.
【Mysticism】─😠 What did I just hear!
【Pururu】─Sorry, I couldn’t hear properly while watching the broadcast and drawing.
【Yumi】─Every now and then, souls with lighter crimes accidentally get captured. Of course, those souls also receive life sentences, but they’re not deemed absolute life sentences, as they are thought to have a chance of rehabilitation.
【Yumi】─And there’s no specific duration for their sentences. When it’s judged that the prisoner has achieved perfect rehabilitation, the guards hold a meeting to discuss it. All guards must unanimously agree for the prisoner to be released.
【Pururu】─Thanks for the explanation.
【Mirstin】─Hmm.
【Rize Nova】─Why do you keep going “hmm”?
【Boglebogle】─Didn’t that prisoner say he recognized someone? Maybe that’s why.
【Mysticism】─🧐
Come to think of it.
Originally, when I saw that prisoner, Hwang Mir had posted about how he looked just like her uncle.
It got quickly buried by other assistants’ chats.
Seeing the chunk transform into a human form surprised Pururu, Missy, and Ha Yumi so much that they bombarded the chat with comments about how disgusting and eerie it was.
【Pururu】─Right. Didn’t Mir’s uncle pass away the day before yesterday?
【Pururu】─He does look somewhat similar.
“Isn’t he just a look-alike?”
【Mirstin】─Not just similar, he’s a complete doppelganger.
【Mirstin】─Of course, it’s possible another person could look just like him, so I can’t be too sure.
【Luna-chan】─There are likely more people who look strikingly similar than you’d think. It’s no exaggeration to say there are infinite dimensions.
【Yumi】─So Mir’s uncle had a funeral, huh…
【Yumi】─May he rest in peace.
【Mysticism】─May he rest in peace.
【Mirstin】─No need to pray.
【Mirstin】─He was a thoroughly wicked man who committed every crime imaginable.
“Seems like your uncle committed some sins too, Mir?”
【Mirstin】─That’s right. He committed loads. He was a piece of trash who would harm others like it was eating a meal.
【Mirstin】─So it’s not impossible that the person over there could be our uncle.
At that moment, as Hwang Mir’s chat was coming up.
The prisoner, who had been standing rigidly, opened his eyes.
“Ugh…”
The prisoner groaned and tried to gather his senses, squinting to assess his surroundings.
Then his eyes met those of the Soul Reaper.
“Eek… Monster…!?”
[i]I’m not a monster; I’m a grim reaper.[/i]
“D-Don’t come closer!!!”
[i]I haven’t approached you at all.[/i]
The prisoner stumbled backward in fright.
【Mirstin】─This is insane. His voice sounds just like our uncle!
【Yumi】─Huh?
【Pururu】─Is this guy really the same person?
The prisoner trembled as he tried to escape, but…
Deng deng—
The leg severed by the Soul Reaper’s fishing rod caused him to faceplant.
“Graaah! My, my leg!! It hurts, it hurts!!! Why are you doing this to me out of nowhere!!!”
[i]You’re making a racket. How dare you, a prisoner, speak like an intelligent being?[/i]
The Soul Reaper approached the fallen prisoner.
Then he grabbed the prisoner’s hair, lifted his head up, shoved his hand into the prisoner’s mouth, and pulled his tongue.
“Ugh…!”
[i]It’s delicious to pull out the tongue of such a noisy brat.[/i]
The prisoner’s tongue was ripped out.
“AAAAAH!!!”
[i]Haha. Remember, the only sound a prisoner can make before me is a scream.[/i]
【Mysticism】─😱
【Yumi】─That’s brutal…
【Boglebogle】─It’s less painful than torturing in the Punishment Zone.
【Pururu】─I can’t stand this cruelty.
After pulling out the tongue.
The Soul Reaper slightly stepped on the prisoner’s head and began reciting his identity and charges.
It seemed to be a formal procedure.
[i]Ahem. Now I will explain the reason you’ve been dragged to hell. You need to know what you’ve done wrong to end up here.[/i]
Name, Min Seok-gu.
Human species, male.
46 years old.
From Planet Earth.
CEO of a construction company in South Korea.
【Mirstin】─It’s him! That jerk Min Seok-gu!!!
【Pururu】─For real, it’s Mir’s uncle…
【Rize Nova】─What a coincidence.
【Boglebogle】─That’s amazing.
Charged with embezzling funds for shoddy construction that threatened public safety.
Charged with neglecting building safety for profit.
Charged with endangering the lives of many innocent people due to reckless greed.
Charged with covering up worker deaths on construction sites.
Charged with running a money laundering front organization for human trafficking.
Charged with illegally dumping toxic waste that harmed the environment.
Charged with inciting the murder of innocent people for self-interest.
Charged with exploiting the retirement savings of thousands through large-scale Ponzi schemes.
Charged with forcing drugs on female employees working under him.
And then…
Several dozens more charges were listed.
【Pururu】─What the hell, how many crimes is that?
【Mirstin】─There are many I didn’t even know about. He was worse than I thought.
【Yumi】─I take back my prayers for the deceased.
【Mysticism】─Me too! 🤬
It takes this much to be dragged to hell, huh?
Just as I was thinking that.
An unexpected statement came from the Soul Reaper’s mouth.
[i]Huh. I felt a different energy from this prisoner and thought I had a big catch, but it turns out the crimes he committed were rather trivial. I mistook it for feeling an energy I hadn’t sensed in a long time.[/i]
He had made a mistake.
He had mistakenly caught the wrong soul.
This guy wasn’t someone who deserved to be in hell.
The Soul Reaper added.
I, in disbelief, asked the Soul Reaper.
“Are you saying you brought him here by mistake? Even after committing all those crimes?”
【Pururu】─So, did you bring him by mistake or not?
【Mirstin】─Please don’t let him go. I’m begging you. That trash needs to rot in hell.
To my question, the Soul Reaper shook his head and replied.
[i]Just the crimes I listed are not enough for someone to be dragged to our hell. Those may be big crimes in his world, but they’re merely minor offenses in our hell standards. He hasn’t committed any kin massacres either.[/i]
So what about the prisoner’s punishment?
That question didn’t even need to be asked.
Infernos said that even if a soul was abducted by mistake.
Since he committed crimes, he would receive punishments just like other prisoners.
Unlike other prisoners.
If rehabilitation occurs, there is a chance of reincarnation.
‘Well, the prisoner’s fate isn’t something I need to concern myself with. I don’t have that authority.’
By the way.
If a soul that hasn’t committed any crimes gets abducted by mistake, it’s said that they’re sufficiently compensated in the form of bestowing special powers to the soul.
Simply put, when reincarnating, they’re given a bonus.
So that their new life may be free of adversity and hardships.
Anyway.
That prisoner was indeed Hwang Mir’s uncle.
Not just in appearance but also in the world they came from, the name and age, and even the occupation were identical.
“Mir.”
It’s unlikely, but just in case, I asked Hwang Mir a question.
“Do you want to save your uncle?”
If she wanted, I could do that.
Infernos had said he could release a prisoner if he just talked it over well.
Hwang Mir’s uncle had committed lighter crimes compared to other prisoners.
Of course, the answer came as expected.
【Mirstin】─Not at all.
【Mirstin】─I find it quite satisfying. It’s gratifying.
【Mirstin】─I rather wish he wouldn’t even have a chance of reincarnation.
“I don’t think I can get involved in the prisoner’s release…”
I subtly shifted my gaze to the Soul Reaper.
Then I asked if he could forever prohibit the release of that prisoner, just as Hwang Mir wished.
[i]You want me to never release this prisoner?[/i]
“Yeah. One of my assistants has been harmed by that prisoner.”
[i]You should ask the guards, not me. During the prisoner release meeting, if even one guard votes against it, the prisoner’s release will be postponed.[/i]
Hearing the Soul Reaper’s reply.
The image of the “Nightmare,” which I had tamed earlier, sprang to mind.
The Nightmare was also a guard of hell.
If I just asked him separately, Hwang Mir’s uncle would rot in hell for life.
I conveyed this to Hwang Mir.
【Mirstin】─Oh! Thank you!!!
【Mirstin】─As a token of my gratitude, I’ll send you more coins today!!
『PLATINUM rank assistant ‘Mirstin’ has donated 50,000 coins!』
『Notification』
◇ Assistant Rank Increased ◇
● Subject: Mirstin (006)
● Change: GOLD → PLATINUM
【Yumi】─Huh.
【Pururu】─Welcome to the PLATINUM rank.
【Boglebogle】─You leveled up.
『PLATINUM rank assistant ‘Mirstin’ has donated 50,000 coins!』
『PLATINUM rank assistant ‘Mirstin’ has donated 50,000 coins!』
『PLATINUM rank assistant ‘Mirstin’ has donated 50,000 coins!』
『PLATINUM rank assistant ‘Mirstin’ has donated 190,000 coins!』
『Notification』
◇ Assistant Rank Increased ◇
● Subject: Mirstin (006)
● Change: PLATINUM → DIAMOND
【Rize Nova】─???
【Luna-chan】─Whoa!
【Boglebogle】─Rich, huh.
【Pururu】─What the hell is going on?
【Mirstin】─Haha, a sudden comeback!
【Mysticism】─😮 The power of a chaebol’s third generation!!!
【Yumi】─Where did that amount of cash come from all of a sudden…?
【Pururu】─Did you embezzle company funds?
【Mirstin】─I didn’t embezzle anything.
【Mirstin】─I just sold some real estate and stocks.
It was astonishing.
As I checked the coins that suddenly poured in and expressed my gratitude to Hwang Mir.
［I must take my leave now. I need to transfer the prisoner to the Punishment Zone.］
“Uuhhh…”
Hwang Mir’s uncle was dragged away, still impaled by the Soul Reaper’s fishing rod, to receive eternal torture in the Punishment Zone.
【Pururu】─Phew. I need to live a good life from now on.
【Pururu】─Of course, I am living just fine now.
【Mysticism】─Pururu, it’s already too late! 🤭
【Pururu】─What do you mean too late? What the hell…
*
On the 75th day in the Labyrinth.
After visiting hell again today.
Following Infernos’ guidance, I explored various Punishment Zones I hadn’t seen yesterday.
During Nightmare’s rest time, I visited him to have meals and play together.
Afterwards.
After briefly appreciating the Soul Reaper’s soul fishing, I noticed that the hatching time for the Medical Mushroom was approaching and returned to the hideout using the Warp Device.
By the way, when using the Evolution Ticket, I could see the remaining time until hatching.
Unlike the evolution caused by Melody Fox’s buff.
『Time left until evolution: 00:00:35』
“Pat pat, be pretty when you hatch.”
［Kkyuah, kkyuah.］
Now, only 35 seconds were left.
The evolution of the Medical Mushroom was finally at hand.
