Chapter 38
I recalled the circumstances when the heroes once hunted Jörmungandr.
“Everyone, focus! We’ll finish it in a single blow!”
—KROOOOAR! You dare!? You dare attack me, who once fought alongside humanity!?
The roar of the sea dragon shook the air along the East Coast.
“Concentrate! Find its heart, quickly!”
“Form the magic circle! Bind its movements!”
“A storm is coming down!”
“Pull the ships back!”
The cry of Jörmungandr, a divine beast rivaling the gods, made the air tremble and unleashed torrents of rain. The heroes on board hastily retreated.
Every one of them was a notable hero.
The famed Heracles of Greece.
Seimei, the spirit medium of Japan.
Gilgamesh, the hero of Babylonia.
All of them stood upon that ship, taking part in the Jörmungandr subjugation.
The scene was being broadcast live on TV.
The reason for the hunt? Rumors that the great beast, once an ally of humanity, had aligned with gods from another realm and was now targeting mankind.
It was Osiris and Set, the chief deities of Egypt, who first raised the suspicion. Athena of Greek myth gave further weight to it.
They claimed Jörmungandr had interfered during an Abyss subjugation.
But the story didn’t add up.
Jörmungandr killed Abyss-born monsters more than anyone. Perhaps he slew more monsters than all the other heroes combined. A serpent hundreds of meters long had the strength for such a feat.
While many questioned the suspicion, one god presented evidence that Jörmungandr had indeed conspired with the otherworldly gods.
Thor, god of thunder—Jörmungandr’s eternal nemesis.
—Behold. Proof that Jörmungandr betrayed us.
He declared the serpent a traitor and demanded its immediate execution.
With Thor’s authority—being one of the most influential among the gods—the matter progressed swiftly.
—Approved. Assemble the Jörmungandr subjugation force at once.
That was why even guilds founded by the gods joined the expedition.
—We aid you! March forward!
At Odin’s cry, dozens of valkyries spread their wings and soared. His guild members ran across the water.
Apollo, god of archery, and his followers unleashed endless arrows.
Heracles swam across and climbed upon the serpent’s body.
Thor struck lightning down.
Shiva, god of destruction, tore its tail apart with both hands.
The entire battle was broadcast worldwide.
An unprecedented hunt of a divine beast.
I too had watched it on TV.
At the time, I had just returned from hunting another Abyss.
The expedition had come to my ears late, but something about it unsettled me.
Still, I was just a powerless lone hunter back then—without a guild or any influence.
The clash in the East Sea lasted two whole days.
The horror of that battle was unspeakable.
Many heroes perished, unable to withstand the serpent’s venom. Even more mortals died from poisoning.
Far more people succumbed to venom than those who died crushed or bitten by Jörmungandr itself.
Even several lesser gods fell.
For a mission meant to kill a suspected traitor, the cost in lives was far too great.
And then—
—Gh… Why… why me…? I forsook my freedom for you… so why…?
Those were Jörmungandr’s last words before it perished.
The battle ended as a victory for the gods and mankind.
A hollow victory, but the goal had been achieved: the serpent was slain.
The footage showed cheers of triumph. The traitor was dead, they claimed, and they celebrated.
But the real problem began with Jörmungandr’s death.
The venom that poured from the giant serpent’s corpse seeped into the East Sea.
The fall of the sea dragon that had long slumbered beneath the waves poisoned not just the East Sea, but much of the Pacific.
Korea lost its East Coast and Busan Port.
Japan, its western shores.
The fact that Busan Port was lost not to the Abyss or monsters, but to venom unleashed by the killing of a divine beast—was catastrophic.
The aftershocks of losing the nation’s primary harbor spread across countless sectors.
And it wasn’t just Korea.
Many Pacific islands—smaller and weaker—were wiped off the map by the contamination. Some seas became so poisonous they were utterly impassable.
Carried by the currents, the venom spread, gradually tainting the entire ocean.
And as it did, the atmosphere thickened with magic energy.
In fact, it was the death of Jörmungandr that became the chief cause of the world’s eventual complete contamination by magic.
But that was not the only disaster.
Grrrrumble…
Jörmungandr’s massive body had long been sealing an Abyss rift.
With the serpent’s death, the gap tore wide open.
And who could possibly subjugate an Abyss surrounded by poison seas, where a single touch of water would choke the lungs?
The Abyss remained unconquered for a long time, spewing monsters endlessly.
And then, descending with them—an otherworldly god.
Azure, god of the sea.
With his descent, the entire East Coast turned into a barren wasteland after Jörmungandr’s fall.
That was the first reason I had to prevent the serpent’s death.
If it must be slain, then let it die on land—not at sea.
At least then, its death wouldn’t poison the world. At least then, the Abyss it held back might still be conquered.
The second reason I had to intervene:
Thor.
It was Thor who most fervently pushed for Jörmungandr’s death.
In myth, they were destined to kill each other—rivals, eternal enemies.
Thor feared Jörmungandr more than anyone.
He is the trickiest god for me to face… but also one with a glaring weakness.
Because Jörmungandr itself was that weakness.
I returned to the past to kill the gods who deceived us all.
If I could use Jörmungandr to plunge a knife into Thor’s throat—then sparing the serpent could only work to my advantage.
But…
There was one sticking point.
Jörmungandr was still a mythical being.
A creature fit to be listed in the bestiary—something I would one day have to kill myself.
Sometimes, mythical beasts were stronger than gods themselves. Loki’s three children, or the Gigantes of Greek myth—beings with godlike power.
If one such being ever turned hostile… it would mean yet another new enemy.
I need a certain leash.
Either forge an unbreakable shackle of control—or give it a reason to trust me utterly.
And if neither worked…
Then I’ll have to kill it.
Lost in thought, I heard Lee Su-yeon ask:
“You’re not planning to kill Jörmungandr?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“If you do, you’ll earn the hatred of the coastal folk.”
“And why is that?”
“In Sokcho and along the East Coast, especially among fishermen and seafarers, they worship Jörmungandr as a god.”
“A… god?”
My brow furrowed—not only because they deified him.
In my previous life, I had already known the coastal people came to revere the serpent as a god.
But this is too early.
It was happening far earlier than I remembered.
“Since when did they start worshiping him?”
“I don’t know. But it’s not strange, is it? The gods walk among us now. Some join guilds and awaken, but others put their faith in whatever is closest to their lives.”
Jörmungandr slumbering in the East Sea.
If he ever turned hostile, the coastal towns and fishermen would be doomed.
Living in such fear, and witnessing him slay the Abyss monsters—faith was bound to grow.
Perhaps it wasn’t even faith, but appeasement—an attempt to avoid angering him.
Maybe such devotion had been building longer than I realized.
If so—
Then those cultists must exist here as well.
The sect that revered Jörmungandr and deceived the people.
The ones who gave Thor his pretext.
The ones who even swayed Loki into siding with Thor.
The ones who demanded human sacrifices for the serpent.
They had to be here.
It seemed I would need some investigation, and thus more time.
“Before we leave, I’d like to hear more about how the coastal people worship that beast.”
“…Where do I even begin…”
After parting with Su-yeon, I spent three days preparing for the expedition, then drove toward the East Coast.
I’d sold materials from the Lava Abyss to Choi Joo-man, and with the money bought a small used car.
Most luggage I could store in Kibisis, so size didn’t matter. I settled for a mid-sized SUV.
Driving wasn’t hard. I’d done more than enough in my past life.
Splash, splash.
Waves crashed.
The weather was fair. Not the best for a holiday trip, but decent enough for sailing.
At a small coastal harbor, I looked out at the anchored ships.
It wasn’t departure time—no sailors in sight.
I studied the boats.
A small vessel wouldn’t do. I needed something that could withstand rough seas and stay offshore long enough.
To meet Jörmungandr, I’d have to sail far.
But finding a ship didn’t worry me.
Because—
“You came sooner than I thought.”
—I had an ally.
Descending from a truck with booming laughter was King Gunther, whom I had once allied with to kill Siegfried.
Stroking his beard, he called out heartily:
“Never thought you’d be the one asking me for help!”
“I need something at sea. And no one knows the ocean better than you, Your Majesty.”
“Ha! The sea is my domain indeed! But stop with that ‘king’ talk. I set aside the crown long ago.”
He waved away the title with a wry smile.
“Then how should I address you?”
“Just Gunther. You’ve earned that much.”
“Understood, Gunther.”
“Good man, Do-jin! Ha! You make it feel like we’ve fought as comrades for years!”
“But… what of Siegfried and Kriemhild? Was that matter resolved?”
“Of course.”
He sighed heavily.
“Germany raged at me for slaying their hero—but what could I do? It was his life or mine. So I accepted requests to subjugate monsters in Germany as recompense.”
“And yet here you are instead of fulfilling them?”
“For your sake, of course!”
He laughed loudly, then caught his breath.
“In truth, I formed a mercenary band. I can’t grant divine blessings like the gods, but I teach my men how to fight. A Viking’s duty, eh?”
He flexed his thick arm proudly.
“And Hagen? Where is he?”
“He’s in Germany, handling the requests in my stead.”
“I see.”
I silently pitied Hagen, who must be struggling alone with raw recruits.
“Anyway, did you secure a ship?”
“Ah… that’s the problem.”
“A snag?”
“Yes. Just as you said, this village feels… off. How to put it? They’re overly wary of outsiders. Look around—see? Not a soul in sight.”
He was right.
The harbor town was eerily devoid of life.
It was as if everyone had intentionally hidden away.
As expected…
Perhaps they weren’t just avoiding outsiders—but people altogether.
I glanced around.
The crashing waves.
The boats bobbing lightly.
The salty tang of sea breeze.
Empty streets.
And—
All the doors are shut.
Every house, every shop barred shut—as if no one was welcome.
I already knew why.
Human sacrifice.
Had it already begun this early?
“Even if we want to rent a ship, we need someone to talk to first… and that won’t be easy.”
“The atmosphere is definitely strange.”
“You know something, don’t you?”
At that moment—
DONG. DONG. DONG.
A bell tolled from the harbor.
“Let’s head toward the sound.”
Finding someone willing to speak came first.
