"Rules?"
Recalling what Castorice had just said about inheriting, Sung Jinwoo made a natural guess. "It's about the rules of the underworld, right?"
"Exactly as you guessed. I've only just become the ruler of the underworld myself, and most of its rules still need revising and refining."
Castorice didn't shy away from the topic—after all, the person in front of her would likely be working for her soon.
She wasn't some shady boss who'd hide things from her own people.
"I see."
Sung Jinwoo nodded. That made sense.
Whether it was a company or a shop, any newly appointed leader with ambition and capability would want to shape things to match their own vision.
Success, of course, depended entirely on their ability.
The underworld was no different from those two, except that it had no competitors and didn't need to worry about any market.
Whatever ideas Castorice, the ruler of the underworld, came up with, the realm and the dead had no choice but to go along.
"So, what exactly would I need to do?"
Thinking it over, Sung Jinwoo had begun to grasp Castorice's intention in recruiting him. To him, it felt like a sudden twist of fortune—a blessing in disguise.
After all, Castorice's openness was clear to see, a far cry from the System's forceful, secretive ways.
"As a judge of the underworld, you would exercise the authority to pass judgment on souls in my stead."
Castorice gave a general outline first, then explained the current state of the underworld.
There were no administrators; everything had to be overseen by Castorice personally.
Of course, she could simply leave the underworld as a passive afterlife—but if absolute justice couldn't be achieved in the world of the living, then Castorice wished to offer redress for those wronged after death.
Punishing the wicked and rewarding the virtuous—it wasn't strictly necessary, but it was a rule Castorice wanted to implement.
To enforce such a rule, someone would need to take up the role of judge, using their own eyes and judgment to determine guilt. That person had to be calm and rational.
'Sung Jinwoo can allocate points to be calmer and more rational than anyone. The biggest reason for his personality shift wasn't just gaining strength, but increasing his Intelligence and Perception.'
"Wait… judging by the number of people dying every minute in this world, that's not something one human could handle, is it?"
Sung Jinwoo frowned. "Not to mention, magical beasts are also residents of the underworld, right?"
"I will grant you partial authority over the underworld."
Castorice explained, "At that point, you'll be able to review a person's life in an instant with just a thought. It will make your judgments much easier."
"Even so, one person's time is ultimately limited…"
Sung Jinwoo remained skeptical.
"If you want better results, increasing manpower would be more appropriate. But the best approach would be to forgo human judgment altogether and use more mechanical rules."
"Yes. In truth, you would only need to focus on cases the system cannot definitively resolve."
Castorice nodded. "As for more personnel… that would be for you to find within the underworld yourself."
"…So this is the struggle of starting up a venture…"
Sung Jinwoo now realized the scale of rebuilding from scratch and felt a long-absent weariness—but he quickly adjusted, even feeling a sense of relief.
Starting up was exhausting and tedious, but this was a business with no competitors and no market to worry about.
Plus, with an unfathomably powerful boss who even the System feared, Sung Jinwoo knew he'd truly latched onto a powerful ally this time.
People always talk about having connections up above—well, now I've got someone down below.
Besides, the rules of the underworld didn't have to change.
The reason things were so demanding now, with all this effort toward "justice" and "judgment," was simply because Castorice was the responsible, morally clear type.
That kind of boss undoubtedly put Sung Jinwoo at ease—no need to worry about a stab in the back.
The early phase was tiring, sure. But he'd been through worse.
"I understand. Then I'll be in your care from now on… Boss."
Sung Jinwoo instinctively reached out a hand, then remembered Castorice's unique nature and casually withdrew it.
"No need for that. You can just call me Castorice."
Castorice didn't mind titles much, but "Boss" didn't quite fit her style.
"Then you don't need to call me 'sir' or anything either. Honestly, being addressed like that by the god of death feels a bit life-shortening."
Sung Jinwoo grinned. "Just call me Sung Jinwoo. Or until we're more familiar, Hunter Sung works too."
"Then… Hunter Sung."
Castorice accepted the address and continued, "The authority I grant you will allow you to review the lives of the deceased. However, since you are still from the world of the living, until you truly become a resident of the underworld, you cannot bring those memories back with you."
That gave Sung Jinwoo pause.
He'd thought his compensation would be those memories of the dead.
After all, the departed included all sorts—powerful combat techniques, secret documents from organizations, weaknesses of dungeon monsters, all kinds of things. Their value was beyond money.
But if he couldn't bring them back, that value vanished.
For someone like him who could allocate points to level up, such rewards might not be essential anyway.
Even without them, joining was still worth it just to have Castorice as a backer. But if he got absolutely nothing… well, his impression of her would need reassessing.
He didn't rush, though. He waited calmly for what came next.
"In exchange, in your role as an auxiliary administrator, you may draw upon the power of any deceased who bore you malice or raised a blade against you."
Sure enough, Castorice wasn't finished. She dropped a bombshell.
And that bombshell made Sung Jinwoo's eyes widen instantly.
He realized just how huge this reward was. Earlier, Castorice had forbidden him from forcibly commanding those unwilling to aid him—even if they had once attacked him.
But now it was different.
Before, it was the underworld and the dead versus him.
Now, it was the underworld and the dead—and he was part of the underworld's official side. Licensed, so to speak.
Third parties couldn't interfere with underworld residents, but he, as an official, could.
And more than that…
"If I'm understanding correctly… commanding the dead is a right you're granting me, not an inherent power of my own. Right?"
Sung Jinwoo's rationality held back the excitement threatening to overflow, but he couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.
"Yes."
"So even if someone's strength is on par with mine—or even stronger—I can still forcibly conscript their power. Correct?"
"Yes. But I hope Hunter Sung doesn't forget the precondition."
Castorice's smile was serene and harmless, but the warning in her tone was clear.
Still, it did nothing to dampen Sung Jinwoo's thrill.
He'd thought his superior was rigid and inflexible, but now she seemed to have some flexibility. Her meaning was obvious: any enemies he defeated from now on could be conscripted.
The precondition was that he had to be standing on the side of justice when he fought back. But Sung Jinwoo considered himself someone who wouldn't commit evil acts.
Besides, if he killed someone for personal reasons, he could just choose not to conscript them.
And if he truly acted justly, then those he conscripted would naturally be guilty souls. According to the rules Castorice was implementing, they'd deserve punishment anyway.
This is a huge win…!
Castorice felt she'd gained too.
Though this arrangement felt more like "Castorice" than "Amber," well… at least the outcome was good. Except for the wicked souls, everyone had a bright future ahead.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.