Episode 6: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 6: The Story of Life – (1)

The gods, after the war with the Titans, had the Titan Prometheus, who foresaw the future and surrendered, create a species called humans.

And his brother, Epimetheus, created various living creatures such as pigs, horses, birds, and many others that I am familiar with.

So, what was I, Hades, the king of the underworld, doing at this crucial turning point in the world?

“Lately, the number of souls passing over the River Styx has increased significantly.”

“Hades, isn't it clear that the most important thing is humans? Going after all the other living beings as well makes my workload too overwhelming…”

“Ask Hypnos, the god of sleep, to help out a bit. Once the underworld is stabilized, we’ll focus solely on bringing in humans.”

I was busy organizing the underworld due to the numerous deaths of these newly created beings.

The underworld isn’t just a place for humans.

As countless souls who reached the end of their lives flooded into the underworld, my work as its overseer became significantly more burdensome.

If until now I had lived a leisurely divine life, this meant that from now on, I had to seriously manage as the king of the dead.

All kinds of newly born creatures were dying far too easily.

The creatures, thrown into nature by the gods, began a fierce struggle for survival, and Thanatos, the god of death who brings souls to the underworld, complained of exhaustion.

He, who had suddenly become the busiest worker in the underworld, began sending countless shadows—his clones—to bring the souls of the dead, filling the underworld with souls.

At one point, there were even souls waiting in the underworld for reincarnation.

Fortunately, this was a problem that time could solve.

After some time, the newly born creatures would learn wisdom from their surviving ancestors, and they would be able to live longer than they do now.

“Hades, lately I’ve been wondering if it would’ve been a wiser choice to side with Cronos instead.”

…….Please hold on, I’m struggling too.

Still, for the time being, it’s a tough time for some of the gods.

The personified death, Thanatos, had become gaunt and worn out, with sunken eyes from controlling countless clones of himself.

His once lustrous wings had turned brittle, and it seemed as though his strong, black feathers were starting to fall out, although that might just have been an illusion.

Can it really be that an immortal god, even the son of Nyx, might collapse from overwork?

“Hearing such words from the king of the underworld is quite terrifying. Please don’t joke like that, even in jest.”

Thanatos made a grim face and sighed at the same time.

Oops, I accidentally voiced my thoughts again.

The underworld is so desolate that I’ve developed a habit of talking to myself.

* * *

After a long time, the cycle of life and death finally normalized, and peace returned to the underworld. We cheered in celebration.

Although it wasn’t an extraordinarily long time from the perspective of the immortal gods...

Finally, the animals had adapted to their environment, and humans had formed groups, so they no longer died as easily as before.

Though it was a short period, the work that felt like hell (Tartarus) was now finally nearing its end.

If only Zeus hadn’t created Pandora and sent all sorts of diseases and harmful things to the mortal world, our work would have been much easier.

Or at least, he could have made Prometheus work as a slave in the underworld as punishment for giving fire to humans.

Honestly, I think it was too harsh to have him tormented by an eagle eating his liver just for sharing a bit of fire. Thanks to that, humans sometimes offer sacrifices to us…

Because of Pandora’s Box, which Zeus unleashed upon the world, the underworld was in a state of overflow for a while.

At the very least, couldn’t Athena, the goddess of wisdom, have been sent down occasionally to help?

Anyway, after a long time, we finally had some leisure, so we held a modest party in the underworld.

Thanatos, Hypnos, the goddess Styx who helped with the underworld’s work, and many other gods all gathered inside the fortress of the underworld to enjoy nectar and ambrosia.

In one corner of the banquet hall, a few souls were working hard, playing the lyre that humans had made, while the attendants were busy serving drinks and food.

I sat at the head table, sipping nectar and secretly cursing Zeus in my mind.

Ding. Ding-a-ling~

“Gulp, gulp. Whew... Finally, I can relax a bit.”

“It's a relief that our stories have spread widely among humans, making the work of my clones easier when fetching souls.”

“As you say, these days, when humans die and see my wings, they mostly resign themselves to their fate.”

Did you know? The drink of the gods, nectar, doesn’t have just one flavor.

When it enters your mouth, it has a refreshing, smooth, cool, and sweet taste all at once—a truly strange sensation.

“Pwah..! The nectar tastes even better today.”

I guess that’s why that nagging goddess Styx is drinking it down so furiously...

Ambrosia, the food of the gods, is even more unique.

It tastes exactly like what the eater most wants to eat at the moment. For me, it tasted like the pork belly I used to eat in my previous life.

Hmm, now that I’m getting tired of the pork belly, it tastes like sweet chocolate chip cookies.

"Hades. Do humans offer many sacrifices to you as well?"

The goddess Styx, who was drinking nectar beside me, brought up the subject of humans.

I heard that there are now human nations on the surface.

The stories of the Olympian gods have spread widely, and there are even humans who occasionally invoke my name when offering sacrifices.

Shall I take a moment to listen to what the humans are saying?

I momentarily "listened."

[Hades! Lord Hades, why did you take my mother from me, why!]

[O god of wealth, Pluto! Accept these animals and grant me a sliver of your blessing!]

[Lord Hades.. please.. please don't take me..]

[Close your eyes and open them, and you shall see Hades standing before you! Die!]

Hmm. The surface world is still a mess.

I remembered the face of a devout follower who offered me dozens of cattle that he had raised, and then I closed my ears again.

My other name is Pluto, the Bountiful One. The god of wealth.

There are humans who worship me as the god of wealth, likely because of the human belief that the underworld is a place of great riches.

After all, the underworld is overflowing with precious jewels and minerals that are highly valued by humans.

Moreover, I possess the Cornucopia, the Horn of Plenty, which is why I hold the title of the god of wealth.

This magnificent item allows its owner to reach inside and pull out an endless amount of food and treasures—whatever they desire.

It’s the perfect tool for a god of wealth, but what’s the point... I'm not human, so it doesn’t mean much to me.

“Hades…”

Please, stop clinging to me. O goddess Styx, you’ve had too much nectar.

“O Lord of the Underworld… A report…”

A soul, who had been standing guard with a spear, quietly approached me and whispered.

This male soul, who had lived for about 30 years before dying, had chosen to stay here instead of being reincarnated, and as such, he was assigned a role like this.

I thought that very few souls would choose the underworld, but perhaps because they forget their memories of the living world after passing through the River Lethe, the number is higher than expected.

Of course, since the balance of reincarnation must be maintained, I can't grant everyone's wish.

I pushed aside the goddess Styx, who was demonstrating the great power of nectar—strong enough to intoxicate even the gods—and listened to what the soul had to say.

“Right now, the goddess Iris, the goddess of the Rainbow, has arrived in the underworld. She says she’s here to deliver a message from a higher power…”

As soon as the spectral soldier conveyed this message, the modest celebration came to a halt.

The goddess Styx, who seemed to have sobered up completely, Thanatos, Hypnos, and all the other gods who had been helping the underworld's work, stopped eating their ambrosia and fixed their sharp gazes on me.

“Could it be... just when I was finally getting some rest...”

“It couldn’t be, could it..? O Zeus, please…”

The door to the banquet hall opened, and soon, a goddess with beautiful light blue hair and white wings entered.

She emitted a soft, rainbow-colored aura.

Under normal circumstances, some might have been mesmerized by the beauty of this goddess, who even Zeus coveted, but in this place, there was only tension in the air.

“It has been a long time since I last saw the lord of the underworld. I am Iris, the goddess of the rainbow.”

Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, is the messenger who conveys the will of Zeus and Hera.

However, since she usually delivers Hera's messages rather than Zeus's, there is still some hope.

“Lord Zeus has decided that the time has come to punish the corrupt humans with a great flood.”

All of a sudden..?

Punishment of corrupt humans > Great flood > Most humans die > Underworld population surge > Death by overwork

The minds of the gods present quickly processed the situation.

The conclusion reached by their superior intellects was that from now on, there would be not just a lot of work, but an overwhelming amount.

“Hypnos, could you put me to sleep?”

“….I swear by the River Styx that you will not close your eyes until the flood is over.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to help this time, Hades. With that, I’ll take my leave…”

“O Zeus, please, no.”

Tartarus… I guess I’ll have to open it?

I seriously considered a coup. 

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