Jack was slightly stunned by Joren’s resolve. Also, what are they talking about?

“Hm, okay, I’ll do it. It’s not even that hard in the first place. I just need to replace the death of the sacrificial ram with life essence. That’ll do it. So who will talk with the dead?”

“We all will.”

Ness replied.

“… fine.” Jack said no more and practiced necromancy which is the base of the ritual.

As the ritual began, the unicorn performed necromancy, putting life essence onto the ground. A connection towards the underworld was established and darkness seeps into the surface world.

Monsters of unknown origin seek the light that passes through the cracks, yet the gap was too small. An infinite distance was crossed with life and energy. Intermingling as if they were in perfect harmony.

The dead and the living, it was like a mirror. Life eventually leads to death. Threads in between were fortified by the glorious existence which perseveres in the unending universe. The other realm, filled with void, found the light.

Blinding, they thought.

However, only those who have lived are the deads. The monsters in the depths of hell have no power in the realm of the living. Forever, they stay dormant in the place of suffering.

Accept the life, bring it to the underworld, the monsters called. Souls began sprouting from their suffering, racing against each other to catch the glimpse of the life they once took for granted, or better, have it.

Emotions, memories, and will. Will they experience them once again? Or will they just be blinded by the wondrous thing called life?

…

“666-666-666…”

Jack pushes the buttons on the old telephone. The handset, which is the phone itself, lied on the desk since Jack didn’t have the fingers to hold objects properly.

[The number you are dialing is unavailable. Please try again later.]

“What? Did the underworld hotline change?”

Jack was confused as he tried to dial the same number again.

Clack clack clack*

… ring~*

The telephone rang again before they heard the same voice and the same message.

[The number you are dia-]

“But the underworld hotline should stay the same! It’s like their fucking brand!”

Jack shouted in anger as he tried again but before he ‘clacked’ the buttons on the telephone, Ness stopped him by catching his wrist.

“Let me, who has a finger and not with a large hoof, dial them.”

Ness then tapped the number ‘6’ multiple times and the telephone finally rings.

“What’s wrong with my hooves? Stop being so homophobic!”

“I don’t think any other humans, whatever their gender is, has hooves for hands!”

Ness retorted before the dialing was finally answered. It was on speaker so the four of them were able to hear the speaker from behind.

The person has a husky and eerie voice as she said-

“Welcome to the UnderWorld where you can also have fun, not just suffering, what can I do for you?”

Joren pointed at the telephone as this was his breaking point so he asked.

“What?”

“Yes, I’m surprised too.” Virena nodded in agreement before she continued her words, “They changed their previous slogan ‘Kill yourself to join the fun of the underworld’ to that.” she said with an excessive smile and creepy movements of her fingers.

“No, I’m not talking about that!… B-but yeah, good thing they changed that previous slogan.”

“I… was just reenacting how the demons said their slogan in an UnderWorld commercial.”

“Commercial? Are they talking to living humans back then when they say that slogan!?”

Joren felt like he would never fully understand how any of this works.

“No, it’s towards us living monsters. Why would they want humans to kill themselves? They said human bodies are not even enough for a snack. Companies that are specialized in human trafficking didn’t make any profit at all so they lost all their investors. Bankruptcy naturally followed.”

“…”

Even though Virena explained it to him, Joren couldn’t understand what the hell was she talking about.

[Okay, Mister Jack. Is the sacrificial ram ready?]

At the same time, Jack has already asked for a seance service.

“Uh… no, do you currently accept cards?”

[Yes, we are online for any transactions through the back.]

“Alright, I have a Life-type Credit.”

[Hold on, tell me the number, expiration date…]

While Jack was processing his payment, Virena explained.

“We don’t really have a card that holds the underworld currency. You can compare it to your international cards. Just that the realm of the living and the realm of the dead has a big gap so only those who go through a lot of processes have an inter-realm card. The principal is eligible to issue a card but… she’s always ‘busy’.”

Virena whispered the last part.

Joren got the gist of the story. This made him look at Ness who was evading her eyes away again.

“How about the sacrificial ram? It’s a good thing that we are just sacrificing an animal.”

“Ah, no.” Virena shook her head, “By ram, they mean a devil ram. Johnny, the 1-5-3 janitor is the only devil ram we know. If we sacrificed him, who would volunteer to take the role of a janitor in school 1-5-3? For your information, you’re in class 1-5-3-10, the last class.”

“1-5-3? Does that mean… The first level, fifth league, third school in the Myth Academy?”

Joren asked for confirmation which Virena reacted with a genuinely shocked expression.

“You figured that out?”

“Well, yeah, it’s because I’m in Class 10 so I kind of made the connection.”

“Wow… and here I thought you never use your brain. We learn something new every day, huh.”s

Virena let the reality sink in.

“And it was stupid of me to think that you’re praising me.”

Joren smiled in defeat back at her.

Meanwhile, Jack finished the payment and the hotline got connected to another person.

[H-hello? T-this is my first time being s-summoned… who am I to you when I was alive?]

The voice behind the line seemed emotional. The soul thought the ones who summoned him were someone important in his life when he was alive.

Hearing this hopeful, joyful, and emotional voice, guilt suddenly enshrouded into anyone’s chest.

“Joren, since you have the thickest skin, asked the soul the question.”

Virena whispered but since Joren had not contributed to anything yet, he walked forward to take the phone from the desk.

“Hello, I’m Joren.”

Joren introduced himself and he realized that Virena was right when she called him the one with the thickest skin.

[J-joren? Sniff* I’m sorry, I lost all my memories… are you perhaps… my son who I left?]

“Uh… no…”

[My brother! You’re my brother!]

“Not… exactly.”

But even Joren who has thick skin couldn’t get straight to the point.

[Oh… I see. So that’s how it is.]

“Sorry…”

And even with thick skin, Joren is still Joren, a person who doesn’t like making other people uncomfortable.

[You are my best friend! Hello, buddy!]

“No… not that either.”

[What? Then who are you..? Don’t tell me… no way… so I swing that wa-]

“Sorry, not that either. I don’t swing that way.”

Joren immediately replied with no hesitation as if he’s talking to a certain someone in that room.

[So… why go through the effort if I’m not someone important to you? Oh! Are you a detective who wants to know the true reason for my death and with no clues left behind, you turned against your values and decided to use seance?]

“That’s oddly specific but no. I just want to ask if you’ve seen someone with a… scary looking face down there.”

Virena covered her lips as she tried not to laugh. Seeing Joren hesitatingly describe his face as scary was hysterical. Meanwhile, there’s one person who doesn’t seem to control her laughter.

“Hahaha!”

Ness laughed as she rolled on the couch. Meanwhile, Jack just raised his eyebrow, wondering why Ness was laughing so hard.

[What? I don’t understand. You’re contacting me from the realm of the living to ask that kind of question?]

“Yeah”

Joren just stopped being timid since he remembered what he was supposed to do.

[Hayss… I thought it was some loved one who called me.]

“Sorry.”

[It’s okay, I was paid so that’s fine… seriously, I’m fine.]

Joren and the rest could hear the soul from the other side of the phone sob and cry for a while before sniffing the snot to properly talk again.

[But a scary-looking face… I don’t know what to say, this is the UnderWorld. I don’t think there’s anyone who does not have a scary face here.]

“Oh… is that so…”

[It seemed that you’re looking for someone. Why not just contact the soul itself?]

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Half of my soul went to the UnderWorld and I became a lesser undead.”

[Hm… I don’t know if that’s how it works but, speaking of a half soul, there’s been a sensational soul here who went viral on Helltube. The soul was only waist down, it was hilarious! Normally, the souls travel here naked but this one just walked out and let everyone see his dick flailing around. Hahaha! Oh my god! Remembering it makes me crack again!]

“That should be it! That’s what happens when half of your soul goes to the Underworld. Hehe, no need to thank me but I can somehow predict where your soul will be in a big world as the realm of the dead.”

Ness proudly proclaimed which made Joren’s face dark.

[Is that so? Oh no, you wouldn’t want others to know it’s your soul. It took a volunteer team to put pants on your lower half. But it was strangely strong and always escaped. Right now, the volunteer team is trying to catch it. There are even times the thing between your legs gets hard while it runs. Goddamn it’s hug-]

Ding*

Joren placed the phone back in silence. Internally, he was screaming to God why he was alive at that moment.. He should’ve died with his lower half.