Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
He wondered if there was a real connection, but the ‘Vein of Jewels’ was, in fact, one of the dungeons Yoo Seong-un had told Gio about.
“Did I just hand over that information for nothing?”
Even without it, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was already capable of moving freely anywhere it pleased. Giving information about several secluded and intriguing dungeons connected to Earth to someone like that was no different from telling a hungry tiger the location of a village.
“…Still, it was only a matter of time.”
Yoo Seong-un didn’t regret his actions.
Besides, Bisabeol agreed to it, too.
Above all, while he was human, he wasn’t entirely on humanity’s side. It was often said that the best gardener is a mere bystander. While they couldn’t simply stand by and watch, their mission was to maintain the balance between the Origin and their world. Chosen as a gardener from a young age, Yoo Seong-un knew how to remain indifferent to the blooming and withering of life.
Besides, Gio knows Earth well.
Yoo Seong-un had merely accelerated the timeline of Gio’s activities. The portrait’s actions—appearing all over Earth and shocking its inhabitants—were already destined to happen.
“We haven’t even finished investigating Gyeongbokgung, and now another incident pops up before we can wrap anything up. Good grief…”
Yoo Seong-un sat on a snow-covered bench and scratched his chin.
“…Is today Christmas?”
Normally, he would have visited Gio to ask if he had any plans for the end of the year.
“That’s out of the question now.”
With his overtime confirmed on a holiday, of all days, Yoo Seong-un truly embodied the sad reality of a modern worker. Massaging his stiff neck, he let out a slow sigh. In accordance with the will of the garden he served, his breath left no visible mist in the cold air.
“Alright.”
The first thing he needed to do was interview the witness.
* * *
An F-Rank Hunter. An Awakened who was only slightly stronger than a healthy, non-powered adult male. Those who obtained a Hunter license, despite knowing the high probability of death upon entering a dungeon, usually took on the role of a ‘porter.’
“Ah, hello.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hunter Lee Seon-hoo.”
“I was told you would be coming today.”
The ‘witness’ Yoo Seong-un sought was a porter with a kind-looking face.
“Um… I believe you said you wanted to ask about the Black Cloak.”
“Yes. To be precise, I came to hear a detailed account of what you witnessed that day.”
“As I mentioned over the phone, I already reported the situation to the Association staff.”
“Strictly speaking, Hunter Lee Seon-hoo, what I’m curious about is the information regarding the frame you saw.”
“…I understand.”
Though he looked troubled, he let Yoo Seong-un into his home.
“It’s a bit shabby, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who dropped in unannounced.”
Yoo Seong-un understood the witness’s slight reluctance. Generally, 3rd-Grade Citizens tended to feel uncomfortable or burdened when meeting citizens of a higher grade.
It’s an era rife with conflict between the grades.
Even so, the witness served Yoo Seong-un warm green tea, treating him with genuine hospitality.
He has the kind of face Gio would like.
He thought of the portrait, who had a soft spot for polite and good-natured humans. The reason Gio had gone out of his way to cause this incident must have been, in part, because he had taken a liking to Lee Seon-hoo’s character.
“It’s warm. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I don’t have anything better to offer.”
“Just agreeing to speak with me is more than enough.”
Yoo Seong-un continued with light conversation, trying to ease the witness’s tension. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be the type to harbor ill will toward 1st-Grade Citizens; the witness quickly let his guard down and began to speak earnestly.
It was only when the green tea had almost cooled that they got to the main point.
“You were curious about the frame I saw back then?”
“Yes, because it’s the Black Cloak’s new work, following ‘Breathing Sea.’”
“Ah, I was surprised by that, too. I never expected him to paint another new piece so soon…”
“Working as a curator and researching various things, I’ve naturally become interested.”
Yoo Seong-un didn’t bother to mention that he was actually looking for the missing Park Eun-gyeom.
My goal is less about saving the human named Park Eun-gyeom and more about confirming how the Black Cloak displayed its hostility… but either way, that wouldn’t sound very good to the person involved.
If Hunter Park was alive, rescuing him was also part of Yoo Seong-un’s duties. But there was no benefit in telling this man—who had been abandoned and abused by the missing person—about his duty to rescue him or recover his body.
…But what’s interesting is his highly favorable attitude toward the Black Cloak.
The witness was smiling as he said he ‘never expected him to paint another new work.’ It was the same look one might have upon hearing that their favorite artist was holding a new exhibition.
“……”
He hadn’t expected to be reminded so vividly that ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was, at its core, an artist.
Gio, you’ve got a fan.
He knew a group of people who bizarrely idolized the Black Cloak was forming, but he’d never planned on meeting one. Seeing it firsthand felt strange.
Unaware of Yoo Seong-un’s thoughts, the witness asked, “Will the Black Cloak keep painting works like that?”
“…As of now, we believe there is a high probability of that.”
“That’s amazing.”
Nodding, the witness continued.
“The work I saw that day was a painting of a gray city. Judging by how transparent the colors were, I thought it might be a watercolor…”
He truly sounded like he was discussing a piece of art.
“Actually, although I judged it to be gray at first glance, it wasn’t entirely gray.”
“Then what was it?”
“It would be more accurate to call it a completely achromatic work. It was fascinating. The shapes of the buildings in the painted city were diverse, and the windows and everything… the depiction was incredibly sharp.”
“A sharp depiction with watercolors, which are known for smudging and having blurry colors, is indeed surprising.”
“There was pure black and pure white. There were no strong colors like red or yellow, but I don’t know how it caught my eye so vividly.”
The witness seemed to have some knowledge of art. While certainly not an expert, he was at least able to appreciate and enjoy artworks in his own way.
Maybe that’s why he’s even more favorable toward the Black Cloak.
Organizing his thoughts, Yoo Seong-un asked, “I’m envious that you saw such a work. Have you by any chance seen it again anywhere other than the ‘Vein of Jewels’?”
“Ah… unfortunately, no. I only encountered it that once inside the dungeon. Even then, it disappeared quickly.”
“I see.”
He sensed no falsehood in the man’s words.
“That’s a pity. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.”
Yoo Seong-un had to find that frame and confirm what had happened to Hunter Park Eun-gyeom.
“I guess I have no choice but to wander through the dungeons myself…”
“Um, excuse me.”
The witness hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Among my friends… there’s a guy who is an Awakened, but since he’s an F-Rank like me, he never got a Hunter license.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I heard that he saw the same frame I did.”
“…The same frame?”
“Actually, he saw it before I did. I was too distracted at first to realize, but once I was left alone in front of the frame… I realized it was the very same one he had talked about.”
“……”
No matter if they were Awakened, if they didn’t have a Hunter license, they were just civilians.
Especially if they’re F-Rank.
Unlike Hunters, from whom information could be easily obtained through mandatory reports, a civilian sighting would explain why the Association knew nothing about this. But there was something puzzling. He wondered why the friend hadn’t reported it, but above all…
“Civilians can’t enter dungeons, can they?”
“Yes, that’s right. He said he saw it near Gyeongbokgung, not in a dungeon…”
“Gyeongbokgung?”
“So, it probably doesn’t only appear in dungeons.”
“Oh…”
If that was true, it meant there was no discernible pattern to the appearance of ‘Void City.’
I’m screwed.
Now it really seemed like he had no choice but to search on foot.
* * *
“What?”
Gio’s usual gloomy calm shattered as he recoiled in shock.
“Are you saying my child has been running away from home all this time?”
“Isn’t ‘running away’ a bit much? It’s your choice of words, I suppose,” Aria said, waving the loose sleeves of the oversized doctor’s gown she wore. “Your affection for Earth is so extreme, what could we do? We’ve been studying it in various ways. Last time, we only thought about throwing Earth into chaos and leaving, so we didn’t really know much.”
“For someone who ‘didn’t know much,’ you ransacked it quite well, Aria. I heard the Temple of the Sun’s Seoul branch is still busy cleaning up. Doesn’t that mean our little mermaid students left behind quite a mess?”
“That is a highly honorable testimony, good sir. As a child of the deep sea who despises the sun and its children, nothing could make me happier. Anyway, while studying Earth’s situation, I found something out…” Aria shrugged. “It seems that ‘Void City’ has been spotted on rare occasions in the region called Seoul recently.”
“This father has never heard such a thing from Void…”
“Void? Is that a nickname for your dungeon? Teacher, you have a peculiar taste.”
“I fail to see what’s so peculiar about calling my own child by its name.”
“If you don’t know, then so be it. In the end, what I wanted to tell you was that your dungeon is roaming around planet Earth without your knowledge.”
“Hearing it again, it’s still incredibly baffling news.”
Beyond a sense of parental responsibility, he even felt a pang of guilt.
“This must be because I haven’t paid enough attention to Void, causing the child to go astray. As a parent, I was too busy enjoying my own life to even know my child had been born. Just because I’ve started paying a little attention recently doesn’t mean that lonely heart would just vanish.”
“……”
“This is why I should have treated it well from the beginning… Since home isn’t a stable and peaceful place for Void, it must be wandering outside. Still, I never imagined that the frame, safely kept in my storage, would go out on its own.”
Why couldn’t he imagine the frame escaping on its own when he considered the dungeon his child?
With that level of creativity and tolerance, it seems entirely possible, Aria momentarily wondered, but soon replied to Gio’s lament.
“…It’s certainly not the behavior of a typical dungeon. Nor is it something a typical item or artifact would do. It almost makes one wonder if it’s wandering because it’s unanchored, with its master not being inside.”
Gio lamented, “As I thought, it’s because Dad isn’t home.”
“I thought you said this place was home.”
“But I just confirmed that Void is safe and sound in my storage…”
“Then it must be a clone or another entrance.”
Since a dungeon was a world unto itself, it didn’t have only one entrance.
“There isn’t only one way to invade Earth. If the dungeon master wishes it, they can create as many entrances as they want.”
“But I never wished for it.”
“That’s why I came to ask. I wondered if you had finally decided to destroy the humans and had left the entrance open.”
“I’ve never had such a terrifying thought. Above all, if humanity is destroyed, who will chat with me? Who will roast sweet potatoes for me?”
“We can do that for you.”
“I refuse. As I told Iser, you all need to foster your independence. Any more excessive interest and affection will only make things difficult for your Teacher.”
“I will try to restrain myself,” Aria nodded. “Even if you didn’t intend for this, I can understand why ‘Void City’ is acting this way.”
“Is it because of puberty…? Because it has a pathetic dad…? Because it had an unfortunate childhood…?”
“I keep telling you, a dungeon is a world. Anywhere can become an entrance. And you, its master, remain inside this portrait while simultaneously holding a great deal of interest in Earth.”
Moreover, the place it was most frequently seen was Seoul.
“Speaking of Seoul, isn’t that the region you’ve been frequenting lately, Teacher?”
“I am trying to find a pen pal.”
“Since a dungeon and its master naturally want to become one, it’s not strange that it would visit the dimension where its master’s traces are most abundant.”
“Wandering alone through that vast and harsh Seoul to find its pathetic father…?”
“…Yes, if you put it that way, the context is roughly correct.”
Of course, the situation was much lighter than that. If the dungeon truly possessed self-awareness, its actions were closer to a ‘spoiled child recklessly visiting his dad’s workplace to beg him to play’ rather than a ‘young breadwinner who left home to find his absentee father.’
But if Teacher puts effort into the dungeon, even like this, it’s better for us.
In the end, a dungeon was a dungeon. It was a game board designed to devour something. As long as Gio was interested in Earth, humans would be constantly devoured. Thus, the more the dungeon was managed, the more the mermaids could rest easy.
Because Teacher’s work and this cabin are connected.
However, there was something puzzling.
“About that ‘Void City.’”
“Yes.”
“Did you connect it to Earth separately?”
“…Excuse me?”
“You didn’t.”
Aria recalled the day Gio had risked his life to speak with the mermaids. For some reason, ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ and ‘Breathing Sea’ had become connected. Since then, a frame linked to ‘Breathing Sea’ had begun to float within the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom.’ Of course, ‘Breathing Sea’ was originally a part of the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ so it wasn’t that strange. But it was certain that the mermaids’ temple and Gio’s ‘frame’ had been linked that day.
But even without such measures, Teacher’s frame is wandering around the Seoul region of Earth.
What was the reason?
“…Teacher, you must really like Earth.”
“There’s no particular reason to hate my hometown.”
“Aha, hometown.”
Then it all made sense.
“It was connected from the very beginning.”
Since the roots of his soul were on that planet, it was only natural that no separate connection like the one between ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ and ‘Breathing Sea’ was needed. To ‘Void City,’ Earth was the hometown where its father was born.
“But that makes me a bit jealous…”
“By the Sun, a mermaid’s jealousy? May I decline?”
“Even if you decline, what can you do? It’s my own one-sided feeling.”
For some reason, Gio’s roots were in that dimension teeming with humans.
Strictly speaking, Deep Sea Kingdom is also our hometown.
What on earth had happened for Gio’s roots to move to that narrow and barren dimension? Aria clicked her tongue inwardly, resting her chin on her hand as she pondered.
“…Is it not possible to move the roots?”
“Move the roots? Are you planning to do some bonsai?”
“Hmm, perhaps.”
“I have a knack for that sort of thing. Do you need help?”
“I’ll handle it myself for now.”
“Such an independent attitude is very commendable.”
“It’s an honor, Master.”
She felt she had to find a way to move the roots of his soul to her sea. Giovanni was most beautiful when he was in the sea.
Of course, before that, I’ll have to worry about how to take on that damn responsibility and be fully accepted by Teacher…
Aria continued calmly, as if she hadn’t been thinking about anything at all.
“Anyway, pay some attention to ‘Void City.’”
“I suppose just making residents for it wasn’t enough.”
“That’s not a bad idea, but you know, anything.”
Aria realized it instinctively.
The worlds Teacher paints with Earth as the subject open a door there.
If so, the more Gio painted while thinking of Earth, and the more his works remained purely his own without belonging to other dimensions, the more their roots would also be planted in Earth, tormenting humans.
Since the dungeon master has no hostility, the speed might be very leisurely, but…
Since when did a natural disaster need hostility to torment humans?
“When will you paint the next picture?”
“…On a day I feel like painting?”
“I see.”
Aria smiled with satisfaction.
In the end, it’s just a matter of time.
She hoped that one day, that dimension teeming with humans would end up in Gio’s belly.