“Yiaaa~”
At last, when nightfall instead of the sunset descended over Revelation Hell.
Yama, having returned to The Farm Hut, could not help but be amazed.
“Were you all sociopaths?”
Whether it was meant positively or negatively, no one could tell.
Hallakgoong replied to Yama with an awkward smile.
“Sociopaths? No, we just worked hard.”
Next to Yama’s Farm Hut, at the spot he had assigned for the Promotion Team.
There, dozens of stakes had been hammered in, holding a huge tent firmly in place.
You could tell how hard they’d tried—at least five stakes secured each fastening point.
Princess Bari had to duck her head, trying hard not to laugh at the sight.
“Wow~ In all my years, I’ve never seen anyone like this.”
Yama clicked his tongue as he checked out the Promotion Team’s tent.
And then, as if waiting to be judged, the Promotion Team received Yama’s shout.
“Passed!”
“Wow….”
The exhausted Promotion Team let out a faint cheer.
Yama’s assessment continued.
“Durability, 100 points. Practicality, 90. Speed, 90….”
The half-dead faces of the Promotion Team brightened slightly. But Yama’s critique remained sharp.
“Art Score, zero!”
“Ehh?”
“What is this? Crooked all over, just looking at it makes me dizzy, you fools.”
Yama clicked his tongue as he straightened out the twisted tent shape with his nimble hands. Even so, the slanted tent roof didn’t quite stand up straight.
“Well, at least you’ll manage to sleep. I’ll give you a pass.”
“Haha….”
“You must be tired today, so go to bed. If you’re hungry, dig up some Potato or Sweet Potato in front, do as you please.”
Yama spun on his heel and strode off to his Farm Hut.
Princess Bari followed, waving and smiling brightly.
“Goodnight~”
“W-wait a minute!”
Hallakgoong’s belated call was ignored—Princess Bari vanished as if she hadn’t heard.
-Thud.
But Hallakgoong had neither the strength to chase after her nor even to call out again.
Once they disappeared, the Promotion Team, without exception, collapsed to the ground.
To legs that had gone limp, it didn’t matter whether this dirt floor was the tongue of a sinner or anything else.
-Growl.
“…Want some Potato?”
“…Corn.”
Even in the Otherworld, even for Deities or The Dead, why must hunger exist?
With the last of their strength, they rose and set off in search of food.
The next day.
It was still dawn—no sign of the sun, even if you scrubbed your eyes clean.
“Get up, you rascals!”
“Gwahh!”
Startled, the Promotion Team flailed about inside the tent.
Yama, loudly waking the Promotion Team, banged a gong from who-knows-where.
-BZZZZZZZZT!
“How can you lot sleep in when you’re supposed to be farmers!”
“But the sun’s not even up yet?!!”
Mujae, furious, glared at Yama and shouted. The kind of thing that really showed how flabbergasted Mujae was. And so Yama was also left dumbfounded.
“Yesterday you couldn’t even meet my gaze—look at you now, waking up just fine!”
-BZZZT! BZZZZZT!
“Alright, alright! We’re up!”
“Ugh….”
Startled, Hallakgoong burst out of the tent. Zack, rubbing his eyes with a grimace, followed. Mujae shivered in the chilly air.
“Good! At least you young ones get up quickly.”
Yama, seemingly satisfied, smiled and put his hands behind his back. He flicked something to each of the Promotion Team members.
“…A Jumper?”
Mujae opened his eyes wide to check what he’d caught. Hallakgoong also looked from the Jumper in his hand to Yama. Yama himself was bundled up to his neck in a thick Jumper suited for early winter.
“See how considerate I am? I never push people too far.”
Yama strode across the field with his long strides. Then he turned and barked at the Promotion Team, who still hadn’t moved.
“What are you waiting for? Put them on!”
Scurrying…
Only then did the half-asleep Promotion Team hurriedly don their Jumpers.
Watching them, Yama clicked his tongue again and shouted.
“Why aren’t you coming yet?!”
Scurrying…
The Promotion Team hurriedly followed after Yama. But Zack, who was last, ran back to retrieve something and returned.
Hallakgoong received it and, realizing his mistake, respectfully addressed Yama.
“Your Majesty, this…”
“Hmm?”
A Personal Cam and Microphone to hang around the neck.
Ever since their last trip to Northern Ice Hell, these devices had proven invaluable to the Promotion Team.
Yama frowned at the sight.
“You people really have everything, don’t you? Flower Stone buys you all this?”
“…No, we just pestered a lot.”
Even half-asleep, Hallakgoong installed the Microphone on Yama’s Jumper, telling the truth. Yama gave a short laugh.
“Well, that Yellow One doesn’t seem the type to buy nice things… But if this breaks, it’s not my responsibility, got it?”
“…Of course.”
Not knowing at all where they were headed, the Promotion Team all agreed in unison.
Yama fiddled with the Microphone as if amused, then started walking quickly again.
“Let’s go! We have to get there before sunrise.”
“…Wha”
The Promotion Team could hardly believe what they heard from Yama.
“The Sea.”
Her footsteps brushed swiftly between the fields, almost as if she was flying.
A Sea in Revelation Hell, which was full of nothing but fields? The Promotion Team couldn’t understand, but they had no choice but to follow Yama.
After just walking for over half a shichen, when all they’d seen were fields, something caught their eye. A hill covered with large trees appeared.
Yama pointed at the hill and shouted.
“Over there!”
“There’s a Sea over there…?”
Hallakgoong muttered in disbelief. But following Yama, as they got closer to the hill, a faint sound of waves could be heard from somewhere.
“…Is that the sound of waves?”
Mujae also muttered in disbelief. Without so much as a glance at the Promotion Team, Yama climbed the hill at speed. At the crest, a fissure between the hills appeared.
“Don’t fall.”
Only then did Yama look back.
Cautiously, the Promotion Team followed her. They descended the rough, natural stone steps for about ten minutes.
“Wow…!”
The beauty of it completely woke Zack up, his eyes shining with awe.
The hill was actually a small forest shaped like a giant cave. The trees formed a circle around them, with an open ceiling showing the sky above. Dawn was just breaking—the dark sky was turning gold.
And below, a vast beach stretched out.
Fine sand clashed with rolling waves, making a refreshing sound.
“It’s like a well….”
At Hallakgoong’s words, Mujae nodded.
As the sun slowly rose, the golden light dyed the black waves gold. Beyond the crescent-shaped sandy shore, coconut palms grew thick.
‘Is this really Revelation Hell?’
Even Zack shook his head in disbelief, gesturing in awe.
It was a world completely different from the endless fields outside this cave.
“Alright, if you’re done marveling, time to get to work.”
“What is this place? What are we supposed to do?”
To Hallakgoong’s question, Yama narrowed her eyes.
“This is the heart of Revelation Hell. It’s like the navel, where all the sinners’ tongues have gathered and piled up.”
“…!”
“No matter how rotten a sinner’s tongue gets, after eons of repeating cycles, they wear down until all that’s left is residue.”
Yama pulled a Shoulder Net from her bundle and handed it over.
“We’re here to scoop up that residue.”
“Those things…?”
“There’s nothing useless in the world.”
As she said this, Yama’s face looked a little more bored than ever before.
“That residue makes for excellent fertilizer. It even ‘helps rot things better’.”
“Ah….”
“I told you before, we’re doing ‘Soil Improvement Work’.”
“!!”
They remembered Yama’s message, which they had taken as just a passing comment.
‘So he meant we’d be working together!’
The look on the Promotion Team’s faces, as realization dawned, made Yama’s expression turn mischievous once more. Slinging the Shoulder Net over her shoulder, she shouted with vigor.
“Then, let’s begin!”