Chapter 26: Toward the Underworld

Having finally resolved to leave Empyrean Peaks, Nerez and Cerys now stood outside the city’s gigantic gates.

“At least I had enough left to buy provisions,” Nerez said, holding a small leather pouch filled with what looked like some kind of nuts. “To think, one of these can keep you going all day without food or water.”

[Skytree Nut]

[Grows only on trees above the clouds.]

“I don’t want to live off those alone…” Cerys complained beside him.

“Of course we can find some kind of food along the way, but…”

Both of them looked down as the stairs descending the colossal mountain disappeared into the clouds.

“I think it’s going to be several days of nothing but walking down stairs…” Cerys sighed, discouraged.

“There’s no helping it. I didn’t have enough to buy any kind of transportation.” Nerez crossed his arms.

“But I’m sure we should already be able to travel some other way!” Cerys protested, throwing her arms up.

“Some other way?”

“I don’t know… But that stuck-up Selene can travel through moonlight. That’s how she left, after all.”

“Well, that’s true, physically impossible as it may seem…”

Besides, moonlight is supposed to be reflected sunlight… Well, by now I’ve learned not to question the logic of worlds where magic exists.

“Mumumu… But that’s exactly why you should be able to do something like that too!”

“That’s easier said than done…”

“If we had a ferryman, we wouldn’t have these problems!” Cerys complained, stomping on the white step. “The river of death runs through the whole world, doesn’t it?”

Oh, a skill like that did show up as an option once. I didn’t know it could actually do that…

“Nerez, you can sense the river of death now, right?” Cerys asked. “Can’t you do something with that?”

“I repeat my previous statement: that’s easier said than done… but all right, let me try.”

Nerez formed a mental image of the shining river running through Eryndea like the roots of a tree beneath the earth.

“Mmm… wait… what’s this?”

He could sense not only the river, but also small passages opening and closing in the darkness, linking it to the surface.

[New Skill Acquired!]

“Huh?!”

The unexpected message from the Godscript made Nerez jump, startling Cerys beside him as well.

“What happened?! Did you find something?!”

[Veiled Trail]

“I had no idea I could acquire skills this way…”

“What skill?! What skill?!”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Calm down a little, Cerys. I’m checking right now…”

“Tch…”

[Veiled Trail]

[Even souls must travel. These are the hidden passages known only to the dead.]

“It looks like it’s the kind of skill you wanted…”

“Really?!”

***

For Nerez, it turned out to be a fairly intuitive skill to use. Maybe that was because of all his travels between lives.

The problem was that the moment a soul reached the river of death, the path started fading from that exit onward, so they couldn’t use the skill to reach the underworld directly.

On the other hand, it could take them to any trail that existed at that moment, which made it quite convenient.

“So this is a ‘Veiled Trail’?” Cerys asked from behind him. “And where exactly is it supposed to take us?”

It was a dark tunnel. There was nothing there but the two of them and the thick mist all around.