The essence of the Underworld.
Or rather, the source of the Underworld.
Essence and source—these are the most fundamental, unchanging aspects, the core that will never shift. A brief moment of reflection would make this clear: it's an incredibly important issue, and hidden within it are significant challenges.
If handled well, everything naturally falls into place. But if not? Then the consequences could be disastrous. At that point, everything could become a colossal mess, even collapse entirely.
Initially, these problems are not noticeable, but over time, the issues will gradually become apparent.
What may seem small, trivial, and unworthy of attention could, if it explodes, lead to catastrophic results. When these minor issues fully manifest, they might prove fatal.
After all, the smaller and more insignificant something seems, the more dangerous it can be when it finally emerges. And this is no joke.
Anyone who spends even a little time thinking about it would realize this.
At this moment, Hades was deeply reflecting on this matter. To him, this issue was too important. Any negligence, even the slightest, could have profound consequences for the future.
"Source..."
"Essence..."
Hades whispered these words softly to himself, pondering them quietly. It would be wrong to think this was a small matter; on the contrary, it was incredibly important to the Underworld.
Hades had never been one to overlook details. He had always valued his foundation, constantly reinforcing and perfecting it. Over and over, he refined his roots from every angle, ensuring they were flawless.
Often, he would methodically enhance his foundation, practice the laws, master his divine power, and hone his skills. These were tasks he would revisit regularly, without fail.
Yet beyond that...
Hades had never noticed this problem. In his subconscious, he believed the path he was following was correct.
But now? It seemed that wasn't entirely the case. To be precise, it wasn't that simple. The path he had taken wasn't without mistakes. If not careful, this could lead to major problems.
The path of a god's cultivation is built upon three pillars:
Laws, faith, and divine kingdom.
Three paths.
Currently, it seemed that the path of his divine kingdom had veered off course. The primary and secondary aspects had become confused. His divine kingdom was the Underworld, but was its essence the Underworld itself or the World Tree?
This seemed like a trick question. No matter how one looked at it, both answers appeared valid.
But no.
No!
In fact, this wasn't a trick question at all. On the contrary, it was a critical issue, and it should not be dismissed lightly.
To use the World Tree as the essence? Or to use the Underworld as the essence?
These two options led down entirely different paths. The more Hades pondered and delved into this, the more sweat began to bead on his forehead. His expression grew unusually serious.
"This path..."
"I've gone astray."
Hades' voice, rarely so grave, revealed the truth of his discovery. Yes! This path—he had strayed from it. No, to say he had gone astray wasn't quite right. Rather, he had deviated from the true course.
This wasn't a joke. It was a hard fact—Hades had veered off the proper path. He had completely reversed the primary and secondary roles. He was the King of the Underworld, and the World Tree was merely an aid in cultivating his divine kingdom, a means to further progress, not the sole path.
But what had he done?
He had become completely entangled in this pursuit, neglecting everything else.
Hades' expression grew even more serious as he murmured to himself, "Unknowingly, I've fallen into this obsessive path. As expected, one must never let their guard down at any time."
With this realization, Hades gradually calmed down.
It wasn't that his previous choices or the path he had taken were wrong. Those were correct, without any errors. But the real issue lay here.
He had slowly shifted his focus entirely onto the World Tree and had begun to overlook the Underworld.
This was a serious problem.
The World Tree, the gods of death, everything—these were all tools to enhance the Underworld. They were not meant to turn everything into part of the World Tree.
That wasn't acceptable.
Hades was the King of the Underworld. This was the core of his being, the essence. Since it was the essence, it could not be changed.
This was the reason Hades maintained such a solemn demeanor. He could see that there was a major issue at hand, one that had to be resolved. If it wasn't dealt with...
What would the future hold?
The answer was obvious: this deviated path would lead to even greater deviation, eventually causing massive trouble.
But now?
The problem wasn't too severe. He had identified the issue early on, and as long as he understood it moving forward, everything would be fine. These were minor problems. When a problem is identified, it ceases to be an issue. The real danger lies in failing to recognize it.
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