SHADOW BEFORE CREATION Chapter 115 115: 114

The Underworld (3)

Arthur stood tall, wrapped in a silent might after bringing down two overseers of the Underworld guards.

There was no hesitation in his stance—only a heavy steadiness, as if he were accustod to standing in the midst of hell.

The first overseer rose slowly, then turned toward Arthur.

Arthur raised the scythe in preparation, but the overseer suddenly stopped and extended his hand in a clear gesture, as if ordering him to follow.

{The hidden scenario has been updated}

Arthur took a deep breath.

His anger gradually subsided, as though sothing had pulled him back to his senses.

He lowered the scythe, then moved behind the overseer without a word.

They passed by the massive dark hound.

The beast barked fiercely, a harsh sound that tore through the space, yet Arthur did not turn, did not give it the slightest attention, and simply continued walking behind the overseer.

Arthur advanced, beginning to observe his surroundings.

A colossal palace, its walls stretching endlessly, shadows dancing across them as though they were living beings.

Pale blue souls waved at him from afar, their movents slow, their gazes empty, carrying a hint of curiosity… and a hint of pity.

{You will lose your way if you do not follow carefully}

The overseer spoke without turning, his voice hollow like death itself.

'Damn… wasn't the scenario updated?

Why hasn't its window appeared yet?

Hey… you can hear , right?'

{Yes, I can hear you}

The reply ca through the channel.

After the second sponsor selection scenario, Kim Dokja had explained everything to Arthur:

how he made a deal with the dokkaebi Bihyung, how Arthur was registered as a temporary mber in the channel, and the properties and limits of that agreent.

At the ti, Arthur hadn't cared much—but now, he had no choice but to communicate.

'You're a dokkaebi, right?

Are you new?'

{Oh, yes.

I am the low-level dokkaebi Youngki.

I am acting as the channel manager in Bihyung's absence}

'Congratulations.

Now tell —wasn't the scenario updated?

Why can't I see its contents?'

No reply ca.

'Hey… where did you go?'

{Ahem… haha.

Well, can you tell how to update the scenario?}

'…???

Are you joking?'

Arthur sighed in irritation and slapped his forehead with his palm.

{Well…

Bihyung told that if I encountered a problem, I should ask you or Kim Dokja}

{Wait…

Do you want to see the delayed ssages?}

Arthur sighed in exhaustion and nodded,

as ssages appeared before his eyes.

{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is excited about your adventure}

{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire wonders about your condition}

{The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your escape thod}

{The constellation Miraculous Narrator congratulates you on your previous battle}

{15,000 coins have been sponsored}

{We have arrived}

The overseer stopped before a massive gate—black, imposing.

Arthur stepped forward.

The mont he crossed the gate, his torn clothes were automatically restored, returning to their usual form—clean, familiar.

He looked around.

A vast chamber, engulfed in dense darkness, as if light itself refused to enter.

{How interesting…

for the soul of a living being to co to this castle,

and on top of that, to kill one of the overseers.

Truly interesting}

The voice erged soft, gentle, from the far end of the room.

There stood a massive table, and at its end sat the shadow of a human figure.

The doors closed behind Arthur.

"It is a great honor to et you, Queen of Dark Spring… Persephone."

{Oh… you know my modified na.

What a cultured incarnation you are.

But what is truly impressive…

is how your soul does not tremble upon hearing my voice}

'Kim Dokja ntioned that the true voices of constellations instill fear in incarnations,

and that each constellation's voice becos harsher within its own domain.

But I…

after listening for so long to Cthulhu's nonsense, got used to it.

Man, Cthulhu saved in many situations…

maybe I should thank him if I et him again.'

Arthur smiled faintly as he recalled his battle with Cthulhu, then returned his gaze to the shadow before him.

{Sit, incarnation Arthur}

"Thank you…

but may I ask a question?"

Arthur sat, focusing intently on the shadow.

A shadow he knew.

The shadow of the only person who had left a real mark on his heart during the scenarios.

A girl materialized before him.

The sa girl he had once found in one of the rulers' complexes during the Absolute Throne scenario.

A young girl who had lost all aning in life after enduring physical and psychological torture.

That day…

she had looked at him with shattered eyes and asked him for the one thing he hated more than anything:

"Kill … please."

Arthur looked at the Queen of Dark Spring, Persephone.

{Of course, this is a symbolic body.

My true body is sothing a human like you cannot endure}

Arthur exhaled slowly.

He knew with certainty that this was not her…

and yet, he muttered in a very low voice:

"I'm… sorry."

He wasn't apologizing because he had been wrong,

but because he had been late.

And because he had seen the pain once again in that girl's eyes.

{Perhaps this does not please you… forgive }

A pure aura gathered around Persephone, then her body changed, transforming into Han Sooyoung, wearing a beautiful black dress.

Arthur smiled calmly.

"Where is the King?"

{What a boring boy}

Persephone sighed.

She had expected confusion, a flushed face, any kind of reaction…

but his composure surprised her.

{The King is not available for your sudden visit.

So you may tell what you want now}

"I am here looking for the soul of a woman,

and I am also willing to make a deal."

{A soul?

What an outdated idea…

there is no such thing as a soul}

Arthur smiled faintly.

"If the souls could hear you, they would be furious at your words.

The soul exists."

Persephone sighed slowly, then picked up a knife and began slicing the at before her with calm, precise movents—a blend of elegance and hidden cruelty, as if what lay before her was not food… but fate.

"I am not here to play."

{And neither am I playing with you.

The soul… is nothing more than a concept humans invented to convince themselves of the continuation of their miserable lives. Nothing more.}

Arthur raised his gaze to her steadily, his voice calm yet filled with restrained defiance:

"And what about the souls below?

Are they absolute nonsense? Or fignts of your imagination?

They are souls as well… and I am a soul right now. How do you explain that?"

{The soul…}

Persephone paused for a mont, then smiled mysteriously, lifting her fork with a piece of at still steaming upon it, and said:

{It is like this.}

She placed the piece into her mouth slowly, savoring it as though enjoying a long story.

{This is a very special product… would you like to try it?}

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry right now."

Persephone laughed softly, her laughter layered with aning.

{Everyone is hungry in their own way.

Hungry for food, drink, won, battle, or revenge.

Tell … what is your hunger?}

"Despair… and pain."

Arthur answered with deadly calm, watching her eat with a softness that did not match the terror within her existence.

{That is truly sad.

But do you know what would happen if you ate the at before you?

You would beco a Sword Master.

As for the soup… it would grant you the power of an eight-circle mage.

And the drink? It would turn you into an SSS-class hunter.

Do you still not wish to eat?}

Arthur extended his hand, took the fork calmly, and lightly pressed against the piece of at.

The mont he touched it, a complete sequence of mories exploded within his mind.

Combat… training… blood… killing… ascension…

the journey of a man who beca a Sword Master.

Arthur stepped back, sweat beginning to drip from his forehead.

"These… are his mories, aren't they?"

{No.

It is a story.

And a story… is the favorite food of the constellations.}

Persephone smiled as she stared at him.

{And that insignificant soul you are searching for… is nothing more than a short story.}

"And I am here… to obtain it."

Persephone set the fork aside.

As it struck the plate, a devastating pressure descended upon Arthur's body.

He felt as if a violent vortex was trying to devour his soul—tearing it apart, crushing it.

"Is this… all you have?"

Arthur smiled under that imnse pressure as he raised his gaze toward Persephone.

Her pressure was not directed at his body… but at his soul.

But Arthur's soul…

had endured sothing a hundred tis worse during his battle with Cthulhu.

If that pressure had been directed at his body, it would have shattered instantly.

His body—whether original or borrowed—was nothing more than a human body, incapable of withstanding the might of a great constellation.

Arthur pressed his feet into the ground and rose from his chair lightly, standing firm… like a mountain.

Persephone sighed, a small, genuine smile forming on her face.

{You… perhaps you truly are ∆∆∆∆∆∆}

The voice distorted, and all that reached Arthur was a sharp, aningless ringing.

{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband doubts his ears.}

{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire widens her eyes in shock.}

{The constellation Sky Writer points out the Queen's recklessness.}

{The constellation Secretive Plotter is filled with excitent.}

{The constellation Miraculous Narrator advises the Queen to listen to the incarnation Arthur.}

{Uninvited guests should not interfere in matters that do not concern them.}

Persephone smiled gently, then suddenly moved, appearing before Arthur in the blink of an eye.

{You look… truly delicious.}

She licked her lips slowly, as if before a rare al.

"Will you be able to bear the storm that will follow if you harm an incarnation in the middle of a scenario?"

{Do you truly think I cannot bear such a trivial possibility?}

"Well… the constellations watching can bear it as well."

{Do you think the King would fear a handful of clowns?}

{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband swings his staff in anger.}

{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire draws her sword with cold eyes.}

{The constellation Secretive Plotter encourages the situation with excitent.}

{The constellation Miraculous Narrator stands, holding the sacred book ∆∆∆∆}

{You…

do you truly wish to try that?}

Persephone stood, anger and hatred erupting from her eyes as she stared at the dark sky above the palace.

The sky distorted.

The world trembled violently.

The pressure descended upon Arthur once more, stronger than before.

"Ahem… could you stop, for heaven's sake?"

Arthur stood with difficulty, cracking his neck as if his body refused to yield.

{How are you…?}

"You said earlier that you like stories, didn't you?"

Arthur smiled as he looked at her steadily.

"If you help … I will show you the most thrilling story in this world.

A story that cannot be compared to any piece of at you've ever tasted in your life."

Persephone cald.

The pressure vanished from the air.

{Does that an… I can consu it?}

"If you like tasting nus, you won't need any other food after this story.

It will be enough."

{Are you planning to invest… without paying the price?}

"You can have a taste.

But you will regret that decision for the rest of your life."

{And what makes you say that?}

Arthur raised his hands toward the air, his voice confident, steady:

"I have faced beings that defy ti itself, without a sponsor.

I have slain returnees and prevented disasters.

I entered the Underworld as a living soul, and here I am speaking to its Queen.

Only five scenarios have passed…

and I am the strongest among them.

With stats, an unshakable soul, and unbelievable power.

And don't forget—I possess an overwhelming number of secrets that even minor constellations beg to know.

I am not just another human.

I am the last descendant of the Narin bloodline and the glory of its extinct clan.

And I am the final fla in the darkness of night."

Arthur smiled as he spread his arms, standing firm and radiant, his silver hair fluttering around him, his eyes blazing with grandeur.

"I will show you stories…

you have never seen before, and will never be able to forget."

Then he added calmly:

"And of course… these words are not directed to you alone, Your Beautiful Majesty."

{All this flattery… is not for ?}

"It is for the Father of the Rich Night."

Persephone laughed—a pure, clear laugh that shook the hall.

{Very well… very well.

I will grant you a task first.

Your task…

is to cut off the head of the serpent.}

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