The dead who are advancing to the bottom of the Afterlife to receive judgment unable to see the forms of those being punished in the Abyss layer.

They can only proceed to the next layer, turning their backs on the faint cries and agonized groans echoing from the darkness where one cannot see even an inch ahead.

However, the Mother of Life told me about the things those being punished in this layer experience.

They, who were murderers that harmed others, receive the memories of the victims they killed when they are punished in this layer.

From the victim's perspective, in the victim's position, with the victim's thoughts, the victim's body, the victim's memories, they experience the victim's death.

As many times as the number of people they killed, in as many ways as they killed them. Endlessly, repeatedly, they are killed.

Until their own self disintegrates, they are relentlessly killed over and over again.

That is the punishment in this layer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After passing through all 7 layers, the dead arrive at the very bottom of the Afterlife.

A massive door, so gigantic that even a giant's strength could not open it, makes the dead feel how infinitely small and weak they are as an existence.

When the dead stand before that door, it slowly opens, and the accompaniment of the Grim Reaper ends here.

If the dead was accompanied by their young deceased child, that child will no longer accompany them.

Thus, the dead stands alone before the judgment of death, and approaches the three administrators(officials) who oversee the Afterlife.

The commander who directs the Grim Reapers that gather and bring the souls of the dead from the darkness, Thanatos.

The investigator who searches the register of the dead to confirm if they met a death, Moros.

The judge who weighs the souls on the scales to measure the weight of their sins and pass judgment, Seres.

Before them, the life of the dead is thoroughly examined.

[Mother of Life, then won't those who have sinned try not to descend to the lower layers?]

If they knew the structure of the Afterlife before death, and were aware of the fate that awaits the sinful souls, they would naturally try to avoid it.

However, it doesn't matter.

"If only it were possible."

If one could tear away the Grim Reaper's grip that is dragging them down to the lower layers. And if they could seep into the darkness wherever it may be, and pry the Grim Reaper away.

If someone had that level of ability, they could withstand the upper layers without descending to the lower ones, they would not suffer and could move on to the next life.

Of course, for ordinary souls, it would be impossible to shake off the Grim Reaper's touch, but a soul with unwavering will and fortitude might have a chance.

Well, a soul of that caliber would be worthy of being called a hero, but...

If it is a hero-like being, they shouldn't cower in the upper layers, but should face the judgment head-on!

But how many would be bold enough to face death so courageously.

"Even if the probability is close to impossible, as long as it is not zero, it may appear someday. That is why there needs to be an entity managing the upper layers."

[An upper level manager?]

"Yes. If there is an overseer to seize those who refuse to descend to the Afterlife and send them down, then those who persist in the upper realm can be driven down."

Well, to begin with, if the Grim Reaper's power was enhanced, they could forcibly drag them down. But the Grim Reapers' current power is already considered sufficient.

Or should the Grim Reapers' strength be adjusted to grow in proportion to the sins the souls have accumulated? But then, the sins would be revealed before the Afterlife's judgment.

No, the unveiling of the soul's sins should happen at the very bottom of the Afterlife. That principle cannot be changed.

Hmm. Should I just make them suffer in the upper layers as well? No no. That would make even the souls who committed no sins suffer.

It's not easy, not easy at all. Balancing the sinful and the sinless, focusing on one side makes the other misaligned.

That's why the best I could come up with was adding a manager to the upper layers to rough them up. Un.

[What kind of being is the manager of the upper layers?]

"The position is vacant."

[Vacant?...]

It seems finding a suitable candidate to manage the entire upper layer is not an easy task.

Well, it's not completely empty, though.

"The management of the Afterlife was just recently filled with three administrators."

[There are three administrators of the Afterlife?]

"Un. Originally there were only two, but one more position was recently filled."

It seems that Thanatos, the spirit of darkness, and Yama, the mountain god of the North Mangsan Mountain, have now been joined by Seres as an administrator of the Afterlife.

After much deliberation, this decision was made, but... Honestly, it would have been better if it had happened a little sooner.

Well, thanks to this, the triumvirate of the Afterlife has been completed, so I should be satisfied.

[A new god of death, you say?]

"She is the goddess of death, with half of her body alive and the other half dead."

T/N: Seems like Seres is a Female...

Seres tried to utilize the power of death within her, and ultimately succeeded, but as a side effect, half of her body became like a corpse.

She claims it's just an outward appearance, but to others, it doesn't seem that way.

Anyway, the transformed Seres made a proposal to me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[I will become the administrator of the Afterlife. In return, please grant me one request.]

"What kind of request?"

[Please prepare a place for the dragons to reside after their death.]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Seres' request was for the sake of the dragons.

Clearly, she had already seen the fate of the dragons who have faced death and departed their physical bodies.

She must have wished for a separate afterlife realm for the souls of the dragons.

Well, I granted that request, and after the approved souls passed the Afterlife's judgment, I created a heaven-like place where the deceased dragons could rest in peace.

If Seres hadn't requested that... the dragons might have simply become spirits after their death.

Anyway, since I ended up doing something completely different from my usual work, I even gave her a slightly different name - Keres.

And as an additional task, I made a scale to measure the sins of the souls, to help Keres work more smoothly as the god of death.

"Thanks to these three Afterlife administrators, the Afterlife is now running smoothly."

[The three Afterlife administrators... Are they all gods of death?]

"Yes. While they each have slightly different meanings, they all oversee death."

Keres, the one who was formerly known as Ceres, is still not widely recognized as a god of death, but that can easily be changed.

[What are the distinctions between them?]

"Yama, also called Moros, represents the inevitable fate of death and the afterlife's rest, while Keres represents the destructive ruin of death and the judgment of sins committed in life."

[What about Thanatos?]

"Thanatos is the impartial reaper of death, the king of soul-collecting reapers, unbound by anything."

It is entirely thanks to Thanatos' command that countless reapers can collect souls in an orderly manner.

Anyway, I think the book containing knowledge about the Afterlife is sufficient enough now.

The content may be a bit sparse, but the priests can add more detailed information themselves. They just need to trust and rely on it.

Now then... Since I've arranged for the Afterlife to be managed on its own, I should take a break.

I wonder why it was so tiring to create just this one thing. Ugh..

I'll never do something like this again. Absolutely not!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rychlen proceeded down the stairs.

At the end was a massive river, so large that the opposite bank was not visible.

Rychlen looked around the riverbank and found a small dock with a ferryman sitting on a boat.

Rychlen approached the ferryman and said, "Take me to the other side."

But the ferryman simply stared at Rychlen without saying a word, holding out his hand.

He must be asking for the ferry fare. Rychlen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch.

Rychlen pulled a small silver coin from the pouch the Sage of the Deep Forest had prepared for him. The ferryman took the coin, stood up from his seat, and grabbed the oars of the boat. Rychlen boarded the old vessel, and it headed across the river.

...

What lay at the end of the dark cave was a vast flower field.

If everything Rychlen had heard from the Sage of the Deep Forest was true, this flower field was not a place to linger.

Rychlen tried to conceal his presence and hide his large frame as he searched for the entrance to the lower levels.

"Who are you?"

Naturally, his muscular body was not easily concealed.

"Are you a soul seeking to reside in the Western side of the Paradise? You seem strong enough to shake off the god of death, but please turn back and leave. This place is beautiful, but not one to linger in for long..."

The beautiful woman holding a few flowers frowned as she examined Rychlen.

"You are still alive. I will not speak ill. Please leave before you are discovered by others."

Rychlen did not respond, only gently touching the handle of the club at his waist.

"If you have come here alive, it must be to retrieve a cherished one. But reviving the dead goes against the natural order. As a senior who has attempted the same, I advise you to turn back."

The woman's words were calm, but Rychlen shook his head silently.

...

Rychlen descended to the lower levels, his injured body battered. He had only passed through two of the seven layers the Sage had spoken of, yet his body was already in tatters.

But Rychlen did not give up. He continued forward, determined to revive his friend who had died by his own mistake.

The next layer was a plain paved with black pebbles. At the entrance stood a man dressed entirely in black, with a necklace adorned with two emeralds.

It was as if he had been waiting for Rychlen.