King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 30

Sisyphus… The Story of Thanatos – (1)

The peaceful mortal realm.

Sisyphus, a demigod born to the wind god Aeolus and the human woman Enarete.

King Sisyphus, founder of Corinth, was known for his cunning and trickery.

Several anecdotes illustrate Sisyphus’s wisdom, including one famous tale with Autolycus, the demigod son of Hermes, the god of messengers and thieves.

Autolycus, gifted with the ability to steal without being caught, courtesy of Hermes, was a notorious thief.

Sisyphus, after having his cow stolen by Autolycus…

“Look here! My name is engraved under the cow’s hoof. This is my cow, and you stole it.”

“Sh… Shut up! You secretly engraved that yourself!”

By engraving his name on the cow’s hoof beforehand, Sisyphus successfully exposed Autolycus’s theft.

Autolycus had used his ability to change the gender and color of the stolen cow, but he couldn’t overcome the clear evidence.

King Sisyphus, confident in his own trickery and wisdom, made one critical mistake…

“Are you the river god Asopus?”

“What does the King of Corinth want from me?”

“I know where your daughter, Aegina, has gone missing.”

“What? You know where my daughter went?”

“I’ll tell you if you provide Corinth with a clear spring of water.”

The river god Asopus was persuaded by the confident Sisyphus.

Desperate to find his missing daughter, he created a clear spring that flowed into the city with a wave of his hand.

“Your daughter was kidnapped by Zeus.”

“Th… This damn it! Is that true?!”

“It’s true. Follow this mountain path, and you’ll find Zeus and your daughter.”

Thus, the river god hurriedly followed the path Sisyphus indicated.

And soon…

“F… Father… sob…”

“Lord Zeus! How could you do this! Aaaaa!!!”

“Ahem. I’ll be on my way.”

He saw his daughter, Aegina, being forcibly taken by Zeus, and Aegina was crying sadly. [This likely refers to Zeus raping Aegina, though the text is euphemistic.]

He discovered Zeus fleeing and was enraged, but it was too late.

But it didn’t end there.

Zeus noticed Sisyphus’s actions.

Naturally, Zeus was furious.

“How dare a mere human interfere in the affairs of the gods! Tell Hades to send Thanatos [the god of death] because there is a serious criminal!”

The king of the gods is like this, so the future of Olympus is very dark today…

* * *

This is the dark underworld.

This is where Thanatos, the god of death, constantly struggles to manage and dispatch his numerous alter egos to the mortal realm.

The god with black wings and the form of an old man was pleased with the unexpected assignment.

“Thanatos. I received a call from Zeus, requesting you to bring a serious criminal to the underworld.”

“Is there a human who has committed such a great crime, Hades?”

“Well…? First of all, he asks you to dispatch Thanatos to Olympus for a while… I hope you have a good trip.”

“To Olympus? It’s been a while since I’ve been to Olympus. Thank you so much.”

“But you must return quickly. I don’t even know if that human really committed a crime…”

Thanatos rarely went to Olympus.

He was always busy, so he wasn’t invited to the banquets of the gods living on Olympus.

Because those who live there are immortal gods who do not experience death, so there is no need for him to visit and harvest souls.

This was a short vacation made possible by Hades’ tacit approval, who felt sorry for his hard work.

He would be able to rest while going to Olympus for a while and apprehending the serious criminal.

Thanatos expressed his gratitude in his heart to the ruler of the underworld, who occasionally looked at him with pity.

He moved his main body, not an alter ego, and ascended to Olympus.

“Thanatos! You’re finally here! That’s the guy! How dare a human interfere in the affairs of the gods!”

He quickly found Zeus, who was ranting and pointing towards the mortal world.

If a human interfered in the affairs of the gods…

Did he steal a sacrifice or meddle in the decisions of the gods?

First, Thanatos looked at the human Zeus was so upset about.

It was King Sisyphus, the founder of Corinth, leisurely drinking alcohol in the palace.

“But what kind of serious crime…”

“Ah, I know that human too, Thanatos.”

Thanatos’s question was interrupted by the words of a god who appeared from the side.

It was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, holding his Caduceus [a staff carried by Hermes].

He, who was usually cheerful, had a sullen face today and said to Thanatos.

“He overestimated his abilities and beat my son. The authority of theft I gave him… tsk. He must have offended my father again this time.”

Thanatos understood the messenger god’s sullen attitude towards the human.

‘Well, he must have done something.’ And Zeus is talking about one hateful human.

He also figured that if he took him to the underworld, Hades or the three Minos brothers [judges of the dead] would judge him.

With that, Thanatos fluttered his black wings and flew leisurely to the Corinthian Palace.

* * *

This is the Corinthian Palace.

Sisyphus confided a secret to his wife and queen, Merope.

“Zeus will surely harbor resentment against me and send Thanatos.”

“What…? Then… then what should we do?”

“Listen carefully, madam. Even if I die, never hold a funeral. Okay?”

He was predicting Thanatos’s arrival and preparing in advance.

First, he told his wife to prepare for the worst…

Sisyphus, holding a large club made of dogwood and hiding behind the bedroom curtain, waited for Thanatos.

Soon, Thanatos, the god of death, entered the bedroom to take Sisyphus to the underworld.

Sisyphus gripped the club tightly, ready to strike when Thanatos got close.

But…

‘Do you think you can evade my senses? You think you can knock me down with just a club? Are you crazy?’

There was no way Thanatos wouldn’t know that.

Sisyphus was a demigod, but other than his wisdom and trickery, he was just an ordinary person with no other power.

On the other hand, Thanatos was not a common low-ranking god but the direct son of Nyx, the goddess of the night.

An ancient god, older than the three main gods, Hades, and respected by him, the ruler of the underworld.

Thanatos, the personification of death and possessing a powerful grip, scoffed at the foolish human.

Step by step.

Thanatos moved casually and entered the bedroom of the foolish human.

Sisyphus, thinking that now was the time, jumped out and swung the dogwood club.

“Thanatos! You’ve finally appeared! Take this-”

Whoosh-

The club moved too slowly for the senses of a high-ranking god who harvests souls.

Thanatos, seeing the foolish human gritting his teeth and swinging a club at him, smirked…

‘Wait, if I just let myself get hit by this guy and fall down, can’t I rest a little more?’

Suddenly, he started thinking differently.

Thanatos, the god of death, had never been able to rest since his birth as the direct son of Nyx.

Death always occurs in the mortal realm, so he had to collect souls every day.

He was here now in his main body, not an alter ego.

If he pretended to be hit by this stupid guy and fell down, he could rest.

But he worried about whether he could really take a break from work.

If he neglected the work of harvesting souls, the burden would fall on the other gods of the underworld who were already suffering.

‘Haa… yes, if I rest, who will do this work? I must set an example as an old god of the underworld…’

Numerous fellow gods who were suffering from work flashed through his mind.

No matter how hard his work is, other gods also…

“Tsk tsk, Thanatos. You’re working hard to harvest souls again today. Cluck cluck cluck…”

First of all… Hypnos, who helped him a little until the great flood that wiped out mankind occurred.

From Hypnos, who pretended to comfort him but laughed at him when the great flood began…

“We’re so lucky we’re not Thanatos, Moros.”

“Of course, Keres.”

Keres and Moros, who are also gods of death, were relatively comfortable because their responsibilities were smaller than his.

“Lord Thanatos. I am always grateful. If I were the god of death…”

Finally, even Morpheus, who approached him with a cheerful smile and laughed!

Come to think of it, these damn guys couldn’t help me, but they laughed at me for being comfortable?!

Thanatos’s face began to contort like a fierce god in an instant.

And immediately followed by self-justification.

That guy is also a demigod, so I can just say that I was careless and got hit.

If I rest for a little while and start working again, no one will be able to say anything.

Yes, just one day… just one day of rest! Just one day!

“Cough. Ugh!”

“-ra! Uh…?”

Before the club even touched Thanatos’s head…

He fell to the floor, performing very unconvincing acting.

Naturally, the poor human gained the notoriety (?) of defeating a god.

Sisyphus froze in the same position as he was swinging the club.

“…What?”

Sisyphus froze for a moment and looked back and forth between his club and the fallen Thanatos.

Eventually, with an uneasy face, he tied up Thanatos and imprisoned him in the basement.

But King Sisyphus did not realize what consequences this act would bring.

The act of ‘imprisoning’ Thanatos’s ‘main body’, which is the personification of death itself, also affects the laws of the world.

And starting the very next day,

An emergency began in the underworld’s work of managing dead souls.