Well, at the very least, if he died, he could come back to life, right?
The experience of death had always been a mystery, but it seemed like he was about to get the chance to solve this age-old question himself.
With no other choice, Jason could only hold his nose and accept his fate!
At the same time, after Hecate agreed to his request and formally accepted him as a student under Teacher Chiron's witness, Jason actually felt a sense of relief.
Because this meant he now had a god as his patron!
Gods always meant trouble, and Jason certainly didn't want to get involved with any of them.
But as someone who had reincarnated, he knew all too well—being Jason meant that avoiding gods wasn't an option.
So he might as well take the initiative and pick one as his backer.
And Hecate, without a doubt, had the power to shield him from trouble.
"Student Jason greets the great Goddess Hecate, my teacher!"
"What a ridiculous way to address me," Hecate remarked, watching Jason bow in a formal disciple's salute. She had already accepted him, but she still found his antics amusing.
"Just call me 'Teacher'—that's enough."
"Alright, then I'll be taking him with me," Hecate said, looking at Chiron.
"Wouldn't the great Goddess Hecate care to rest for a while?" Chiron inquired.
"No time. Next, I need to toss him into the River Styx."
Jason trembled, his eyes widening as he stared at Hecate.
"Toss me into the River Styx?" Even Chiron was taken aback.
"He's too weak. If I don't find a way to toughen him up, how can he keep up with me? Sure, he won't die, but dealing with Hades is a hassle."
The little bit of joy Jason had felt just moments ago vanished instantly.
By comparison, Teacher Chiron suddenly seemed like an angel!
Oh gods—he had just finished his initiation as a student, and she was already planning to throw him into the River Styx?!
No transition?
No time to mentally prepare?!
"Um… Goddess Hecate, this… doesn't seem very appropriate."
Chiron, also feeling a bit flustered, started to speak, but Hecate interrupted him.
"You're fine now, right? Good, if you're fine, then we're leaving."
As soon as she finished speaking, glowing blue butterflies of the underworld began to appear around them.
The butterflies surrounded Jason and Hecate, and in a flash, they burst apart, vanishing from Chiron's sight.
Chiron stood in the now-empty field, silent for a moment before suddenly remembering something.
"Now that I think about it, since Jason knows his fate, does that mean he also knows that the girl is with Goddess Hecate?"
After pondering for a while, Chiron nodded.
"Well, Jason is quite clever. He must have his plans."
Smiling to himself, Chiron turned and left.
"Jason, I look forward to… your graduation!"
—
Jason's vision blurred for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark and eerie world.
Faint blue lights shimmered in the darkness, and beneath his feet lay a path of blooming white underworld flowers, black poplars, and fruitless palm trees.
In short, the Road of No Return—also known as the Path of the Underworld.
"Teacher Hecate, this place is…?"
"The Underworld," Hecate answered briefly. "Come on, I'll take you down the Road of No Return. Once you cross the River Styx, I'll be able to teleport you here directly in the future."
"Uh… Teacher Hecate, do we need to come to the Underworld?" Jason's mouth twitched.
"My temple is in the Underworld. Didn't you know that?" Hecate gave him a look.
Jason shook his head.
"Well, now you do."
With that, Hecate started walking.
Jason shivered at the desolate surroundings, then hurried to follow her.
As they walked, Jason soon realized that more and more wandering souls were gathering around them.
Most of the spirits were staring at him.
Because he was alive.
If Hecate weren't beside him, these ghosts would have torn him apart already.
Eventually, they arrived at the gates of the Underworld.
And there, Jason naturally laid eyes on the guardian of the gates—Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound.
Under the dim glow of the underworld, a massive, mountain-sized, three-headed beast loomed before him.
Its gaping maw revealed rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Jason was frozen in awe—until the moment Cerberus noticed Hecate.
The monstrous beast instantly shrank down to the size of a puppy and ran up to Hecate, wagging its tail furiously.
And just like that, Jason's sense of awe completely vanished.
"Goddess Hecate, you've returned!"
"Hm, I'm back… Do you see him?" Hecate gestured to Jason and instructed Cerberus, "Remember his scent. If you ever see his soul here after he dies, protect it for me."
"Goddess Hecate, he is…?"
"My new student."
At this, the fierce glint in Cerberus' eyes softened significantly.
"Oh, so he's the new little master I need to protect!"
The hellhound sniffed Jason, memorizing his scent, then nodded.
"Understood! Cerberus has it remembered!"
With that taken care of, Hecate led Jason through the gates of the Underworld to the churning black waters of the River Styx—the River of Pain.
A small boat floated at the riverbank, with a skeletal figure aboard.
Its hollow eyes burned with eerie blue flames.
The ferryman of the underworld, Charon.
"Goddess Hecate, what brings you here?"
Noticing Jason, Charon was visibly surprised.
"And this child… He's still alive?"
"He's my student, Jason," Hecate replied.
"Your student?" Charon looked even more surprised but quickly accepted it. "So you've brought him here to cross the river? I see."
As he prepared to untie the boat, Hecate stopped him.
"Wait."
She turned to Jason, raising a hand. A beautiful underworld butterfly appeared, resting on her pale palm.
The butterfly fluttered into the air, circling Jason, sprinkling down a faint glow.
The light seeped into Jason's body.
After a brief moment, the butterfly returned to Hecate and vanished.
She observed Jason for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, get in."
Jason looked at Hecate, then at the raging black waters before him.
After a brief hesitation, he clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and leapt into the River Styx.
"This kid… isn't bad at all," Charon remarked as he watched.
"Hm," Hecate nodded in approval.
Jason had braced himself for the excruciating pain of the river's corrosive waters.
But after a few moments, he realized—he didn't feel any pain at all.
In reality, the River Styx was agonizing. It was a river of erosion and decay, and its pain was something no mortal could withstand.
But Hecate had shielded Jason from its effects.
Jason soon noticed a faint blue glow around his body—the residual energy from the underworld butterfly's dust.
Glancing at Hecate, he hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and fully submerging himself.
He let the waters wash over him.
One minute… two minutes… several minutes passed.
Just as Jason felt he couldn't hold his breath any longer, Hecate reached in and pulled him out.
"Hm… not bad," she said, satisfied. "You're finally a little sturdier now."
"Uh… So, does this mean I have an immortal body now?" Jason asked uncertainly.
"Immortal? Well, normal weapons won't harm you anymore. But if a god uses divine power against you, you'll still be broken apart."
Soaking in the River Styx wasn't some unbeatable immortality cheat. If it were, every god would have done it by now.
It only made him invincible to humans.
Still, Jason felt pretty great. He'd gained an incredible power without doing anything!
"Thank you, Teacher Hecate!" he said sincerely.
"It's fine," Hecate waved it off. "Just try not to get yourself killed too easily."
The moment those words left Hecate's lips, Jason's gratitude toward her instantly faded.
Charon, listening from the side, was also speechless.
But in truth, he had already guessed why Hecate had taken on a student.
After all, every god who knew Hecate understood one thing—she was an obsessive researcher with absolutely no interest in godly status or authority.
Which meant that Jason was quite obviously just Hecate's latest test subject.
However, even as a test subject, anything personally crafted by Hecate, given her power, was bound to become a monster in its own right!
"Let's go." Having roughly achieved her goal, Hecate said, "The next part might be a little painful, so don't go dying too easily."
"A little painful?" Jason froze.
There's more?!
"The River of Pain may have cleansed your body, but it hasn't tempered your soul," Hecate explained. "Since you're learning magic from me, that means your soul needs to be strong enough to withstand 'Divine Words.'
Next, I'm taking you to the River of Fire—Phlegethon.
There, your soul will be burned and forged by the Underworld's inextinguishable flames!"