Chapter 90 Nether Realm (1)
The trio wore a look of confusion with Russell\'s sudden action, but Freya listened to what her older brother said as she stopped herself from getting the items in her Dimensional Inventory.
To answer the confusion behind his action, Russell heaved a sigh of relief before he spoke as if the anxiety just passed by.
"It\'s dangerous to take out an item, especially an artifact that came from your Constellation."
"What do you mean, Oppa?"
Amelie and Amery only listened to what the siblings were talking about as their eyes possessed curiosity.
"Do you know why your profession as Death Executioner isn\'t a unique one because of the existence of others like you in other races?"
Freya recalled what she was going to ask later on, but Russell asked her instead. She shook her head, waiting for her older brother\'s words.
"Because your Constellation\'s aura of death is very strong... so strong that \'He\' assigned a Death Executioner to every race to do the job of placating or giving rest to the wandering souls, because if \'He\' is the one to do it, which \'He\' technically can, the souls will immediately die just because of \'His\' presence and aura.
"I believe \'He\' used something on you when you met \'Him\' before that\'s why you didn\'t die, but that\'s because of the artifact you just received which contained \'His\' aura, too.
"And based on the items you received from him, it contained an aura of \'Him\', an aura of death. Although it says that with Chaos in one\'s body, we wouldn\'t be affected because it\'s only a miniscule amount, what about the students that might be in their dorms next to me as of this moment?"
Freya\'s eyes widened as she listened attentively, digesting every piece of information she heard from her older brother\'s mouth. It\'s the same with Amery and Amelie.
It means that she was about to inadvertently cause an accident by taking out the items she received.
Goosebumps spread all over her body with the realization that hit her head. Cold sweat seemed to form on her scalp before she apologized to her older brother.
"No, don\'t worry about it. Alright, you can take it out if we go to the Chaos Training Grounds."
Amery\'s ears perked up when she heard Russell\'s words but she maintained her bearing just to listen and not to ask anything.
"Anyway, back to your previous question, your unique skill: Death\'s Call states that you can have control over the dead in a specific area, but its effect is to summon a Nether Creature.
"Kind of confusing if you think about it unilaterally."
Freya nodded because her unique skill\'s description — controlling the dead within a specific space — wasn\'t aligned with its effects — summon a Nether Creature.
"What\'s a Nether Creature, Oppa?"
Freya then asked, curious about what she\'d summon if she uses the skill.
"It\'s a being from the Nether Realm."
\'Ask it!\'
Russell said inwardly, waiting for Freya to ask what or where was the Nether Realm so that he could lighten up the mood because he knew that Freya still felt responsible for nearly causing an accident, even though it was prevented just at the right time. He\'s just glad that Freya forgot about it before and didn\'t take it out without his presence.
\'We\'d get f*cked if that happens.\'
After a few seconds, Freya asked about the Nether Realm, about what it was, or where it was located. Russell then grinned before saying:
"Nether Realm is like the Hell that we know about, but somewhat different. That\'s where some souls of any race go when they die if they weren\'t contracted with a Constellation.
"Well, that\'s just about it, but Nether Creatures are beings that are born from that place. That\'s all I know."
Russell wasn\'t sure what the beings in that place he described in his unpublished novel looked like in reality.
"I hope my Constellation gives me some knowledge, too."
Amelie interjected, causing Russell to frown slightly because she just indirectly said that Russell\'s knowledge was assumed that they came from the Goddess of Night.
"Anyway, about its location... It\'s where we are right now."
Russell said in a serious tone, but inside he felt like laughing because he knew that Freya was a scaredy cat when they were kids when it comes to supernatural elements. It\'s ironic that she was chosen to be one of the Death\'s Executioners.
"What!?"
Freya reacted with a firm voice. Amery slightly flinched, while Amelie\'s eyes formed into glistening stars as if she\'d come across again with another uncommon event.
"You know, we can check it out right now.
"Technically, you\'re the only one who can access it because of your profession, but as part of the Star Quest Party, we can go with you."
The trio wasn\'t ready for the sudden suggestion that came out of Russell\'s mouth. But Amelie\'s excitement soared up, while Amery seemed confused about everything as she remained quiet.
"H-how, Oppa?"
Freya asked as she stuttered, feeling anxious with the sudden suggestion.
"Haha, it will be better if we can go later, not right now when there\'s still class in the afternoon.
"But, as an advance warning, whatever you see in that place, don\'t look at them in the eye for more than 2 seconds unless you have something like Freya\'s profession."
He said, glancing at Amery and Amelie. Even after becoming the Mediator of Chaos, he wasn\'t sure if the Goddess would protect him in that place because he thought that whatever the reason the Goddess chose him, it was not because he wasn\'t replaceable. Although it was still confusing him sometimes when he thought about it while being alone, he took note to himself that he must not entrust his protection to the Goddess of Night.
\'There\'s so much that\'s happening early in the story.\'
He thought inwardly as he recalled the unpublished novel he wrote in his previous life. Even though what was happening wasn\'t directed to the main characters he wrote, it would certainly influence the future.
"Alright, Oppa."
Russell was snapped out of his thoughts with Freya\'s words before he asked if there was any more concern.
"Oppa, I don\'t think it\'s necessary right now because we surely can\'t do anything about it, but this is the list and information about the three names that the mysterious Egg gave me before... After eating the Fruit of Chaos."
Freya said as she browsed the System before sharing the information with everyone.
\'Speaking of that, the System screwed me again. F*cking hell.\'
Russell recalled that eating the Fruit of Chaos, according to its description, would strengthen the mysterious Symbol of Night carved in his heart, but unfortunately, the System later notified him that he needed to eat the whole fruit and not share it for it to take effect. In the end, the one he received was the bonus stat and the strengthening of his Nihility trait due to the blessing of the mysterious Egg.
After recalling what happened that time, he reined in his thoughts before he browse the details that his younger sister shared with them.
Russell laughed boisterously when he read the information, causing Freya, Amelie, and Amery to look at him with unknown expressions because they too didn\'t know what reactions they should have.
Russell read again the information that Freya shared through the Star Quest Party.
...
[Information regarding the Death Executioners that are corrupted and abused the power lent to them.]
1. Heretic of Nature - Rakshana
Race: Dark Elf
Rank: SS+
Location: Elnira Kingdom (in hiding)
2. Blood Addict - Cassius Crimson
Race: Vampire (Marquis)
Rank: SSS-
Location: Close Mystery Tower – Tower of ??? – ??? Floor
3. The Chained Giant - Urg\'r Mor
Race: Giant
Rank: Fallen Lumen (Ex-Constellation)
Location: Earth\'s Core (Planet 342\'s Core)
...
"Yep, we really can\'t do anything about it right now. Hahaha."
Russell calmed down but his laugh contained helplessness at the moment.
Amelie and Amery stared at the information shared with them for some time... it was especially because of the number 3... A ridiculous and nonsense rank, as well as the location where it\'s presumably imprisoned.
The excited expression on Amelie\'s face was erased as she seriously thought of something based on the information that Freya shared.
It was the strength of future enemies that they would encounter, also the location of Urg\'r Mor. It was a very dangerous location that might affect the Earth\'s rotation.
Neo-Geological Engineering hasn\'t advanced to the point that humanity could drill a hole in the earth that deep, it means that it\'s unknown what\'s deep under the world.
\'It\'s been 40 years and there are still many mysteries.\'
Amelie thought poignantly, but she swore to herself that she would accompany them on their journey as they are everything to her at this moment.
"Anyway, let\'s finish the assignment that Sir Eric gave."
Amelie reined in her thoughts because they knew they couldn\'t do anything about Freya\'s Star Quest at the given moment.
Russell, Freya, and Amery just nodded and managed to finish whatever assignment was given to them earlier.
...
Mana Theory Class
The professor with platinum hair, purple eyes, and a kind of body that men desire stood in front of the class as she greeted everyone, congratulated the new A-1 students, and commended the students who fought and maintained their position in A-1 class.
"I\'m Ayleen Mayfield, in any case, the new ones don\'t know me."
Her captivating voice reverberated in the classroom.
\'Is there a person here who doesn\'t know you?\'
Russell lampooned inwardly as he looked at the model-like professor.
"Anyway, as our class is about the Mana Theory, I hope everything that you\'ve been taught previously hasn\'t left the back of your head.
"This time, I\'ll discuss various new theories that you might have or have not read in a book or already heard from somewhere."
After Professor Ayleen Mayfield spoke, she fidgeted with the tablet she was holding before tapping a function that caused a huge rectangular holographic screen to appear in the front of the class.
"Alright class, according to Sir Devin de Arc, a Mana Researcher with a Scientist profession, Mana already existed even before the Emergence happened, but this amount of Mana just barely kept the world afloat as it flows in nature, but after the Emergence where other races appeared from other parts of the Great Universe, Sir Devin theorized that it\'s not necessarily because of other races existence that Mana consolidated in our world, but rather when the Warps opened, the Mana from their worlds also entered our world.
"Please refer to the simple concept shown in the holographic screen."
Everyone in the class read silently what was written to absorb the knowledge.
...
[Sir Devin de Arc, World\'s Centripetal Force Mana Theory.]
Earth\'s Mana Pre-Emergence – Doesn\'t affect living organisms.
Earth\'s Mana Post-Emergence – Does affect the living organisms.
Other Races Mana Post-Emergence – Doesn\'t affect the inhabitants of Earth because the Mana were inside their bodies.
Other Worlds\' Mana – The cause of consolidation of Mana in the Earth that affects living organisms.
Other Worlds\' Mana – Starting Point
Planet Earth – End Point
Simple hypothesis:
After the Constellation, \'Warper of Space\' randomly opened multitudes of warps across the planet Earth, the Other Worlds\' Mana was swept on it and entered the Earth, causing Mana abundance.
...
Russell smiled while reading the lesson presented because he knew that Sir Devin de Arc was correct in his theory.
\'I really am a cr*p author in my previous life.\'
Russell lampooned himself as the reality presented to him made him realize that the details in his unpublished novel were either total bullsh*t when complete information wasn\'t written or even left behind or somehow genius when he exerted a great effort in writing a certain concept just like what was being discussed.
\'It\'s nice to remember the details coming from another\'s tongue.\'
Russell said inwardly as he continued to listen to Professor Ayleen\'s discussion.
...
A few hours of good lesson felt like a few minutes if the student enjoyed listening.
The classes ended a few hours ago, Russell, Freya, and the duo, after eating their dinner, prepared to begin their journey in the Nether Realm.