Chapter 1 "Damn it… is this a river?"

Qiao Yu couldn't help but gape in astonishment.

After passing through the Gates of Hell with Zuo You, they had been moving forward until an endless expanse of water appeared before them.

At the same time, the system's notification sounded.

[Congratulations to the player for completing Task One. Task Two is now issued.]

[Task Two: Cross the Acheron River and protect the cross from being lost.]

[Friendly Reminder: The Acheron River is known as the first river of Hell. The river water is extremely weak, and even a feather cannot float on its surface.]

The murky yellow river water was as awe-inspiring as the Ganges in India.

Moreover, one couldn't see the opposite bank of the Acheron River at a glance, making it impossible for Qiao Yu to believe that this was just a river.

The strong stench of corpses emanating from the river water kept rushing into their nostrils.

"Qiao Yu, look over there!" Zuo You tugged at Qiao Yu's arm in horror.

Hearing this, Qiao Yu looked over and his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

On the edge of the river bank, countless wailing and screaming dead souls wandered.

Their expressions were pained, their bodies were thin and withered, and they kept wailing on the river bank.

Qiao Yu patted Zuo You's shoulder to signal her not to be afraid, then stepped forward and politely asked, "Big brother, may I ask, why are you crying here?"

However, the dead soul seemed unable to hear Qiao Yu's words and continued to wail in pain.

"Damn it, I'm asking you a question!"

*Pa!*

Qiao Yu slapped the dead soul's forehead, and the dead soul instantly turned into ashes.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of." Qiao Yu spread his hands towards Zuo You.

Zuo You: "..."

"There's no need to ask. They can't answer you."

An old voice sounded.

"Those dead souls are all those who were mediocre in life, neither achieving great merit nor committing great sins. Therefore, they can neither go to heaven nor to hell."

"They can only wander painfully on the banks of the Acheron River for all eternity."

Zuo You and Qiao Yu looked towards the source of the sound and were surprised to find a black boat floating on the Acheron River.

This surprised them both, as the Otherworld System had stated that even feathers could not float on the Acheron River.

So what was going on with this boat?

The speaker was an old man with a white beard on the black boat.

The old man was about five feet five inches tall, holding a long oar, with his naked upper body tattooed with totems that Qiao Yu couldn't understand, and his body was full of strong muscles.

"Who are you?" Qiao Yu asked loudly.

"I am Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron River. Do you want to cross the Acheron River?"

After Charon finished speaking, he glanced at Qiao Yu and the other, and then he froze, his pupils shrinking suddenly.

"Wait! You are living people? How could living people come to the banks of the Acheron River?"

"What's wrong? Can't living people cross the river?" Qiao Yu asked.

"What did you say? Say it again. You actually want to cross the Acheron River?"

Charon widened his eyes as if he had heard something unbelievable.

"Yeah, is that not allowed?" Qiao Yu blinked and asked.

"Of course not! The Acheron River is the first river separating the Underworld from the mortal realm. Its importance is self-evident. Living people can never cross the Acheron River!"

"If you two living people insist on crossing the Acheron River..."

Charon's eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous light brewed within.

"It'll cost extra!"

Qiao Yu, Zuo You: "..."

Qiao Yu was originally prepared for battle, but Charon's sudden change almost made him fall over.

"What do you mean by 'cost extra'?" Zuo You asked.

"Those who want to cross the Acheron River must pay a ferry fee. You are living people, so naturally it will cost extra."

Charon's face was serious.

Qiao Yu grinned and pulled out a large red envelope from somewhere and handed it to Charon.

"Um, Ferryman Charon, I'm counting on you to get me across the Acheron River."

Charon's eyes narrowed instantly. He happily accepted the red envelope and gently pinched it with his fingers.

A bright smile instantly appeared on his bearded face.

"No problem, no problem. It's not a big deal for living people to cross the Acheron River."

"But you'd better think it over carefully. The place ahead is not a tourist attraction, but the real hell!"

Qiao Yu glanced at Zuo You, then quietly leaned into Charon's ear and asked, "Are there succubi in hell?"

Charon showed a knowing smile.

"Of course there are. In the Blackwind Valley of the Second Hell, there are succubi everywhere."

Zuo You glanced at the two of them suspiciously. She didn't understand why these two men, who had clearly never met before, suddenly became as close as brothers who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"Come on, since you're so generous, get on the boat." Charon cheerfully pushed the boat closer to the shore.

As soon as the boat approached, the dead souls wailing on the shore swarmed up like locusts that had smelled blood.

"Get out of here!"

Charon roared and waved his oar. The dead souls that he hit were all turned into dust.

But the dead souls still rushed towards the boat one after another.

"Stop dawdling, get on the boat! Otherwise, these disgusting things will keep swarming over!"

Urged by Charon, Zuo You and Qiao Yu boarded the boat.

As the black boat left the shore, the dead souls only dared to watch from a distance on the bank.

It seemed that there was something in the Acheron River that terrified them.

"Ferryman Charon, why don't those dead souls wade across the river themselves? The dead shouldn't be afraid of drowning anymore, right?" Qiao Yu asked.

"Heh, wade across the Acheron River?" A mocking look appeared on Charon's face. "Try putting your hand out of the boat."

Hearing this, Qiao Yu carefully stretched his hand out.

*Thwack!*

A pale, cold hand suddenly stretched out from the murky yellow river water and tightly clamped Qiao Yu's wrist like a pair of iron tongs.

Qiao Yu was startled and stretched out his other hand to forcefully chop off the pale hand.

He quickly retracted his hand, and then countless pale hands stretched out from the Acheron River.

Seeing Qiao Yu pull back his hand, the countless hands also retracted into the murky riverbed, as if they had never appeared.

Qiao Yu vaguely saw pale, distorted faces flash and disappear beneath the surface of the Acheron River.

"What the hell are these things!" Qiao Yu couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

"Heh."

Charon showed a strange smile.

"Those are all unlucky ghosts who failed to cross the Acheron River. Apart from my boat, nothing else can float on the Acheron River."

"They are eternally trapped in the dark and cold waters of the Acheron River. Anything that enters the Acheron River will be dragged into the water by them and turned into their kind."

Charon raised his oar behind Qiao Yu.

"And you two will soon be members of the bottom of this Acheron River!"

"How dare you try to fool me with money from the mortal world! Die!"

"Qiao Yu, be careful!" Zuo You exclaimed, wanting to stop him.

However, Charon moved too fast, so fast that Qiao Yu didn't have time to react at all.

*Whoosh!*

Accompanied by a burst of air, Qiao Yu was directly knocked away by Charon's oar, and then fell straight into the Acheron River.