Morvathos quickly followed the nether energy and reached a school. The school sat on a small hill near the shore.
From the gate, he could see the ocean stretching out, waves glinting in the light. The school's name was Takamine High School—a place he had attended when he was alive. He stood at the gate, eyes lingering on the familiar grounds.
The school had just opened. A few students walked through the main gate. The building was modern, four stories tall, with glass windows reflecting the sun. A short, decorated pathway led to the entrance, lined with trimmed bushes.
Morvathos shook his head. Nostalgia wasn't what he needed. He dissolved into a black mist and flew toward the energy source.
At the back of the school was the old wooden building. Its paint had faded, the wood warped, and some windows were cracked. Nearly twenty years ago, it had still been used.
Now it was abandoned. Morvathos landed at the gate and slipped inside.
The nether energy felt heavier here. Morvathos's steps slowed. Each one felt like carrying a weight. He hoped it was just a space fracture—a bug he could report for a reward.
He entered the classroom. The old wooden floor creaked under his weight. Dust hung in the air.
And there it was: a small black fracture, faint black mist curling from it. About the size of a baseball. It had been here a long time, even when he sat in this class.
He stared at it, frozen. He had hoped it could be fixed. But no. His worst fear had come true. Numbness and dread pressed down on him. He pressed his hands to his face.
"Fuck..."
He cursed hollowed and numb.
He crouched. Just standing felt heavy. Frustration and helplessness burned through him.
"FUUUUUCKK!!"
He screamed, tugging at his hair.
He had just used his authority seal to report this to the Divine Laws and their response was immediate.
[World Restriction Unbinding in process.]
It was simple but carried a lot of meaning.
The fracture meant the Divine Laws wanted to upgrade the mortal world.
That should have been good. But it wasn't.
Upgrade meant mortals would become extremely strong. The current hell couldn't handle those souls. The Pit of Karma and Punishment as well as the Spring of Reincarnation were still Basic Level-1. The cycle was broken, leaking souls.
Morvathos's instinct told him he had about ten years at most, maybe two at the earliest, before mortals would overwhelm hell.
When the restriction lifts, an astronomical amount of deaths are bound to happen.
He needed to upgrade everything just to survive. Otherwise, the influx of strong souls would destroy the current system.
His head spun. He staggered and slumped against the gate. His mind felt empty. He had a little over 3,000 Karmic Coins, but needed nearly 10 million. He struggled to earn 10,000 and his year end goal was 100,000 Karmic Coins —now he needed 100 times that.
And that was only the start. To upgrade hell, he first needed to Upgrade the Pit and The Spring to Basic Level-9 and become eligible to expand Hell from 50 km to 500km, which requires 5 million Karmic Coins on it self.
Only after the Hell itself is at Intermediate Level will he be able to upgrade other things to Intermediate Level. It was mandatory and only
Intermediate Level Hell has the capability to handle a World Restriction Unbinding event. It is a common knowledge.
But Morvathos as broke he was now didn't have the capacity.
Frustration boiled over.vHe was so frustrated that tears leaked without him knowing. He looked up and pointed his finger.
"O Divine Laws! If you want to kill me— DO IT!! JUST DO IT!! WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME LOKE THIS!? I DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!?"
He screamed at tye Divine Laws.
Hopelessness settled deep as he slumped back and leaned against the wooden gate defeated.
"Fuck it!"
Since his situation was pretty much fucked up, he decided to have something that could numb his pain and frustration.
Morvathos opened the shopping system through his authority seal.
A scroll appeared. He tapped it.
"Search for cheap wine that can get me drunk,"
He said, teeth gritted.
The scroll glowed. Items shifted quickly. He found a bottle for 50 Karmic Coins—the cheapest available. It's name was Elora Wine. Made by some aspiring merchant family under a Realm ruling God.
He felt even frustrated seeing others do well. He bought it. His Authority Seal pulsed, 50 Karmic Coins disappeared and a wine bottle appeared in his Treasury. It had long neck and pot belly.
Morvathos pulled out the bottle, opened it, and drank it.
The alcohol cooled his frustration slightly, but not enough.
He kept drinking, a few bottles, until he finally collapsed, unconscious, sprawled on the wooden floor like a homeless drunkard.
When he woke, he was in the same position. Outside, night had fallen. The world hadn't changed. His problems were still waiting.
=====
Morvathos exited the classroom, carrying the wine bottles with him. His usual attitude was back now. He felt extremely embarrassed about his earlier outburst.
"Shit! I wanna die. Why did I acted like that?"
He cursed under his breath.
That wasn't like him. Even his race, indifferent as they were, would probably laugh if they saw him rolling around in frustration. He clenched his fists and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
He looked up at the moon, its silvery light reflecting across the world. Cities hummed in the distance, quiet but alive.
Watching from there, he felt his mind slowly settling. He couldn't change what had happened.
All he could do now was face the situation calmly. He couldn't just start ripping souls at random—if he did, he might be banned from Earth for a long time, something he couldn't afford.
Morvathos arrived to the top of the school building, looking at the ocean reflecting the moonlight. He sat down and thought about his next steps. After a long moment, he reached a conclusion.
There was only one thing he could do for now. He would continue harvesting the souls of sinners until he reached 10,000 Karmic Coins.
Then he would go to the underworld to hunt nether beasts. He would only get six months before the Divine Laws would start taking penalty fees.
Within that time frame, he needed to earn the amounthe used and still needed to have some profit that will be at least double the amount he spent. Or else it won't be worth while.
First, he needed to fix the Spring of Reincarnation . Progress there would help him saturate his earing, and take on bigger challenges later.
He turned into a black vortex of mist and headed toward the city. The streets were mostly quiet—it was four in the morning.
Fewer people were out, but he made himself visible, his hoodie hiding his face. He stood in the center of a plaza, thinking about where to hunt next. He let the lively atmosphere effect him and he felt some improvement in his thought efficiency.
Then an idea came to him.
If he was going to stay on Earth for a long time, why not live as a human? His parents' old house was probably empty.
He could stay there, attend school, and keep an eye on the nether fissure. If a nether beast appeared, he could deal with it.
The idea made sense. He might as well enjoy his time, even if the situation was helpless.
He couldn't leave like Abrosus had. Once a new king took over hell, it couldn't be transferred again for 100 years.
Whatever happened to hell in that time would be his responsibility. If hell collapsed, he would disappear.
Morvathos felt the weight of duty and responsibility pressing on him, remembering his earlier frustration.
He pulled a wine bottle from his treasury through his authority seal and drank it. His mind cleared.
The decision was made. He would stay in the mortal world and attend school. He already looked like a high schooler anyway.
A small excitement bubbled inside him at the thought of showing his Divine presence, even subtly, to mortals.
He turned into a black vortex of mist and flew to the residential area of Kamakura. There, he found a large abandoned house—his parents' old home.
The sun was rising, illuminating the two-story building. Plants had grown unchecked over the walls. The yard was filled with tall grass. Cracks ran along the walls, and some glass was shattered.
For a moment, he imagined seeing the house as it had once been, his parents clearing the grass, laughing, chatting and him playing with them.
Morvathos smiled faintly at the memory, then enter the house without concern.
He had visited every year to make sure no gangs took over the land. Inside, dust covered the floors, giving the house a dry, musty smell.
Most of the furniture was gathered in the center of the rooms, covered by white cloths.
Morvathos explored the house, letting the memories settle around him. Then his decision became firm. He would live here, starting now. But first, he needed to make the land truly his.