CH ss - 05

Side Story Chapter 5 - Allforone (5)

Vivasvat reacted because he recalled the image of Min Chae-young when looking at the defenseless little girl, who was about to be whipped by Grani. She was a friend who lived her entire life while being used and hurt by others. Vivasvat, who was usually indifferent to worldly affairs, felt a swell of emotion when he recalled his past friend’s image. It had been a traumatic event for him.

“If you don’t let go…” Vivasvat’s eyes shone with a ferocity. “…you’ll die.”

“…!” Garmr could not help but flinch. She became startled at the sudden overwhelming pressure that Vivasvat exuded. Although Vivasvat was not directing any of his ferocity towards her, a sense of dread steeped within her, a chill running down her entire spine. Her drunken stupor immediately evaporated.

At that moment, Garmr understood that Vivasvat had been hiding his powers. Though she did not know what type of life he had led outside the Tower, she knew that it could not have been an easy one.

However, Garmr had also lived a tumultuous life filled with bloodshed and difficulties. Although surprised by the momentary overwhelming pressure, Garmr spoke to Vivasvat in a cold tone without any hesitation. “Fine. Let’s say I let you go, and you help her, like you said. What will happen afterwards? All the troops stationed on this floor will be after you, no?”

“I’ll wipe them away.”

“Then what about after that? Wouldn’t the prideful Asgard come after you? Are you going to wipe them all away as well?”

“If I must…!”

“Then what about after that? You’re planning on dealing with the other gods on every floor? And then? Face against the demons? The dragons as well? Why? Are you saying that you are going to deal with all societies?”

“…” Vivasvat wasn’t an idiot. He understood Garmr’s explanation, so he could only stay quiet. Garmr was stating that things would only go downhill for Vivasvat if he acted as he pleased.

“Are you planning on taking responsibility for everything? That kid and everyone else associated with her will get hurt beyond what you can currently comprehend because of you… Can you handle that?”

“…”

“With power comes responsibilities. Don’t make foolish moves just because something does not please you. Even if you have good intentions, you may put others at greater risk.”

Vivasvat’s anger slowly dissipated. However, his tightly sealed lips remained.

“The situation sucks. He’s doing whatever he wants because he’s relying on his background. I want to gather the bastards who rely on their bloodline to treat mortals as livestock and shred them into pieces as well. Not just me, but a lot of other people feel that way, right?”

“…”

“But do you know why I’m not acting out? It’s because I don’t have the strength. Because I can’t afford to take responsibility for my actions. If I do what I please, I know what those people will experience afterwards.” Garmr narrowed her eyes. “So, what are you going to do? Are you still going to act?”

A long silence ensued. Vivasvat eventually retreated. He glared at Garmr with eyes full of dissatisfaction. Vivasvat realized that Garmr had her own code and goal. She was not just another drunkard, so he wondered what she was really after.

***

Bifrost was literally translated to mean a ‘three-colored rainbow bridge’.

“Cheers to our new member, Vivasvat!”

“Cheers!”

It was truly a shitshow. It seemed that the members of the unit were all alcoholics, much like their leading commander. Vivasvat wondered how they could all be so similar, and whether they were all inflicted with a disease that would kill them unless they consumed alcohol. Vivasvat’s entrance celebration was just an excuse to drink. Even before Vivasvat arrived, they had been drinking. ‘…I was wrong to expect something more substantive.’

Pour and drink. As soon as Vivasvat came into the unit’s station, he heard those two words the most.

Vivasvat tried to avoid drinking as much as possible, but every time he tried to slip away, his other crew members clung to him like ghosts and said, ‘Drink! Drink! Down the chute!’ They merrily watched him down a glass while they sang strange songs. If Vivasvat tried to clear his impending stupor and drunkenness by bringing out his magic powers, the others would rebuke him and say, ‘Oh! Don’t shrug off such a nice thing! Why waste alcohol!’ Vivasvat heard this wherever he went. Eventually…

“Ugh!” A few hours later, Vivasvat remained silent and still. He had completely emptied out everything inside his stomach long ago.

“Huh? What is this? Has our youngest vomited already?”

“Oh dear. He’s a lightweight, no? We can’t let him be so weak, right?”

“This can’t do. Shouldn’t we make sure that he toughens up?”

“Come here, youngest! These upstanding colleagues of yours will help you.”

“Since you’ve already vomited, your stomach must be empty, right? Then you can drink some more! Down the chute! Bottoms up!”

‘These crazy bastards! Let me be!’

It made no sense that these people’s logic told them that an empty stomach needed to be filled with more alcohol. However, Vivasvat could not scream out what he thought internally. Even if they knew what he was thinking, they would not change and just ignore him. ‘Someone, help me!’ For the first time since Vivasvat realized his power, he was gripped with a sense of crisis. He felt that he might really die.

***

‘…are they really people?’ The next day, when Vivasvat opened his eyes, he was horrified at the fact that he had no memory or recollection of how he passed out. He fell silent as he watched his colleagues walking around shirtless while conducting their morning routines.

Vivasvat felt that he was on the verge of dying, as he was having a particularly bad hangover. However, his other colleagues had woken up in the morning and were conducting their duties without a hitch. Vivasvat wondered if they were the same people. Obviously, there was no sign of any of them utilizing their magic power to disperse the previous night’s alcohol.

“Oh! Has our youngest sleeping beauty awakened?”

“Hahaha. He has black bags under his eyes. So weak… How do you expect to get any work done being so weak?”

Seeing the other members of the unit treating him like a child, Vivasvat felt his insides boil. Though Vivasvat did not consider himself as someone special, he had always been in the spotlight wherever he went. He never thought that he would feel and be so thoroughly humiliated.

Vivasvat would show them that he was not weak. Reluctant to lose out to his colleagues, Vivasvat was about to respond, but he soon felt a splitting headache and his insides churning once more. “Ugh.” Without even taking a few steps, Vivasvat threw up, emptying his stomach once more.

***

“Hahaha! Why did you drink everything that was offered to you? You need to learn how to fend for yourself.”

‘These crazy bastards were the ones who forcibly fed me…!’

“That’s right. If you get too emotional, you’ll get hurt.”

‘I wasn’t planning on drinking!’

The first impression that Vivasvat had of Bifrost was that it was the ‘worst’ troop and environment. It was a group of drunkards who only liked to drink. If he stayed in this place a few more days, Vivasvat was unsure if he would be able to survive. However, Vivasvat could not easily leave. ‘What is it about her?’

It was because Vivasvat’s commander, Garmr, was always on his mind. ‘With power comes responsibilities. Even if one has good intentions, the moment one acts, the impact on others follows.’ Vivasvat could still recall the intense gaze that Garmr had when she conveyed this message.

What’s more, there were others in the troop who seemed to have quite good skills despite their ragged appearance. Even if they entered another society, they would be treated with respect. It seemed that many were already at a low-level god state, but they were choosing not to exuviate and transcend.

Everything was full of mysteries for Vivasvat, so he wondered what the hell was going on. However, his questions were quickly resolved within a few days.

“Commander, if we enter, we might be annihilated, no?”

“It’ll take time for reinforcements to arrive. Let’s start with suppression.”

“Alright.”

The troop members’ actions and tones of voice may seem frivolous, but they were exact and calculative when conducting their missions. If they needed to act, they acted boldly. When facing the enemy on the battlefield, they would absolutely give their all. Sometimes, even Vivasvat felt his spine tingle. It was only later that Vivasvat learned that the nickname given to Bifrost from other societies was ‘Crazy Whirlwind’.

“Crazy Whirlwind! The Crazy Whirlwind has appeared! Argh!”

“Run away! Just run… Ugh!”

In particular, Garmr did not hesitate to stand at the forefront even though she was the commander of the unit. When she danced with her two ax-like swords, her enemy’s heads tumbled like falling leaves in autumn. Her nickname ‘Mad Dog’ suited her well. Garmr had constantly stated that she had made the greatest contribution for Asgard when they defeated Olympus and gained their present-day prestige, after all.

Of course, Vivasvat also possessed the power, so he often played a large role. Madman. He had acquired the nickname ‘Madman’ some time ago. He was known for being polite during normal times but losing his marbles and fighting like a madman during fights.

Crazy Whirlwind. Mad Dog. Madman… It did not take long for rumors of these three to spread across the floors. Whenever people heard these words on the battlefield, they started running away without looking back. The achievements of the three soon spread throughout the Tower’s world.

***

“Hahaha! Hey, I said it, right? I’m right, no? When our youngest first appeared… I told you he shined with a bit of craziness, right? I thought I was blinded by the light of his madness…!”

“You’re spewing bullshit again. He’s a weakling who couldn’t even hold down his drink properly. Weren’t you saying that he was useless?”

“Ah, that’s because I was concerned about feeding his ego…!”

It was one year later. Time went by very quickly, and Vivasvat was able to fully adapt to Bifrost during that time. For starters, his troop members were free-spirited, so they were not wary of Vivasvat’s development. Now, if the members were to choose who the strongest and most needed person in the unit was, except for Garmr, everyone would, without hesitation, state Vivasvat.

‘…of course, they’re still abusing me with alcohol.’ But for whatever reason, Vivasvat could not hold down his liquor or showed any improvement in that department.

‘I guess I’m fortunate that they’re relatively good-natured people.’ Vivasvat now understood that he was amongst good people. Even if they brought fear to their enemies, they were respectful of each other. The unit had a good reputation in Asgard, and thus, they were treated with greater courtesy and respect than mere ‘slaves’ or ‘captives’.

At some point, when Vivasvat was beginning to fully assimilate and get along with his unit… Vivasvat started feeling a heaviness in his heart. One day, when he would have to eventually turn away from Asgard. If he encountered Bifrost as an enemy, what would he do? Would he have to raise his hand against them? Would he even be able to fight against them properly?

During his time in Asgard, Vivasvat clearly realized that not all ‘gods’ were the same. They, too, had friendships, loves, and possessed feelings of compassion and sympathy…

“Everyone, quiet!” Just as Vivasvat was deep in thought, Garmr suddenly slammed her hand down on the tabletop. She spoke in a serious manner, contrary to her usual pretentious manner of speech. Without further fuss, the troop members focused their attention on her.

Vivasvat put aside his thoughts and focused on Garmr as well. It appeared that something serious had happened.

“A divine message was sent down from Valhalla a moment ago.”

In an instant, all the troop members, including Vivasvat, gulped. A divine message from Valhalla. It was a simple yet heavy occurrence. ‘Odin has awakened!’

Valhalla was the city where Odin resided. The doors to Valhalla were firmly closed while Odin was asleep, but whenever the doors were opened, Asgard was tossed into a frenzy. And at that time, like the main god who was in charge of the ‘storm’, a violent storm raged throughout the world of the Tower.

“If I skip to the main point… They’re saying that they’re going to start recruiting an Einheri after not doing so for the past hundreds of years.”

Muffled exclamations erupted everywhere. Some even clenched their fists. Being able to become an Einheri as a member of Asgard was unquestionably a glory that any member wanted to achieve. By entering Valhalla and serving as Odin’s servant, an Einheri would be able to develop and cultivate one’s skills and powers in preparation for the coming ‘Twilight of the Gods (Ragnarök)’. One would be able to dream and possibly reach the highest levels of society.

Vivasvat was also excited with the news. His eyes lit up because he felt that his long-awaited opportunity had come much sooner than expected.

“Of course, there’re conditions. First, one must pass an exam.”

“What is the exam about?” An impatient unit member blurted out a question with a serious expression.

“It hasn’t been announced yet, but last night, I heard through the grapevine that Olympus declared war on Asgard.”

“…what?”

“Those crazy bastards!”

“They’re just itching for a beatdown!”

“Wait a minute. War is an opportunity to obtain great achievements, right?”

Although the troops were resentful at Olympus, who had not come to their senses even after having been beaten down continuously by them in the recent past, the troop members were able to realize that the coming war was a special opportunity.

Garmr nodded heavily. “As you all can guess, it is Odin’s will to select a warrior who has made great achievements in the all-out war against Olympus and welcome him or her to Valhalla. And to properly determine this, ‘Valkyries’ will be sent down to each unit.”

A Valkyrie was a special messenger between Valhalla and Asgard. Along with the Einheri, the Valkyries were the main forces that supported Odin. They were not known to show themselves much in public, but when the occasion arose, they stirred up a storm of chaos.

Was Odin planning on participating in the war against Olympus? If so, this upcoming war would not end at the level of a minor dispute. Both Olympus and Asgard were large societies that made up the lion’s share of the godly society. It was clear that there was going to be a great war. The social structure would be turned upside down.

‘If I take advantage of this opportunity, I’ll be able to gain access to many things.’ Vivasvat felt a little excited at the thought of not only whittling down both godly societies through a war of attrition but also having the opportunity to observe firsthand the legends of the high-ranking gods on both sides. The more information he gathered on them, the more effectively he could move in the future. However…

‘Huh…?’ Vivasvat did not miss the look of displeasure that crossed Garmr’s eyes, which was in stark contrast with the overwhelming enthusiasm coming from all the other troop members. He wondered what made Garmr so displeased.

“So, let me introduce the Valkyrie who will be accompanying us in the future…!”

“I’ll introduce myself.” At that moment, a woman cut Garmr off after pushing open the doors of the unit’s building. She had steps filled with pride and arrogant eyes. The armor she wore shone brilliantly with a golden light. Just by looking at her, one could tell that she was a female warrior who possessed tremendous power.

And with the woman’s appearance, Garmr’s expression hardened. Some members of the unit, noticing the identity of the Valkyrie who appeared, burst out with admiring gasps.

The Valkyrie was known as the greatest amongst all the Valkyries—Urd. Possessing excellent swordsmanship skills and having an eye that could glimpse into the past, she was said to be a gift of great knowledge for Odin! Additionally, the other two Valkyries that followed her were also widely known beings.

“Wow!”

“To think that all three sisters would come here together…!”

Verdandi, who could see the present, and Skuld, who could see the future. The three goddesses of fate who could see and predict the entire span of time of any existence. The three, who would later be better known as the ‘three crippled goddesses’ in the lower world, made their appearance.