Chapter 160
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160
Gio wasn’t thinking about anything at all.
"The mangdung fruits are all dried out again."
"Kkoong."
"It’s all because there are too many suns."
How on earth could three suns exist under one sky?
"This just isn’t right."
He wailed before the mangdung fruits, which had turned a brittle, golden brown.
"We’re far too warm in here."
There was Giovanni, who carried the divinity of the Sun. Then there was the teddy bear, possessed by the previous Sun God. And finally, Honey, the light-attribute waterbird who basked in the abundant love of the other two.
With three suns, big and small, living in the cabin, it was only natural for the fruit to dry up in an instant.
"I need to completely overhaul this divinity right now."
"Kkoong, kkoong, kkoong...!!"
"Kwoo...!!"
While the waterbird and the teddy bear were busy restraining the pig—who threw a tantrum whenever he couldn’t eat delicious food—Dana peacefully groomed herself and stretched out. For her, the warm, sun-filled house was paradise itself.
Gio collapsed face-down in the yard.
"Grandmother, I’m sorry. This potato has become an idiot who can’t even dry fruit properly."
"Kwoo."
"I’m a talking potato. All I can do is talk. I think that’s my identity."
"Kwoo...?"
The previous Sun God was deeply confused. He couldn’t understand why this child of the sun insisted on calling himself a potato. His identity was far closer to the sun than a potato, and even closer to the Origin.
Shaking off his grief, Gio swept the rock-hard mangdung fruits into a pile, just like Old Man Mangtae, and muttered, "I’m well aware that I don’t actually resemble a potato."
It was something he admitted to himself whenever he thought about it; he wasn’t nearly as harmless as one, either. After all, a real potato couldn’t turn a person into paint.
"I look more like the silkie chicken in the yard than a potato. Being pitch-black all over..."
"Kwoorururu."
"You must like that because you’re both birds, Honey. Next time, I should try painting a feather cloak."
If one had to compare him to something—this man who had worn nothing but black since his days as Seo Gio—it would have to be something entirely black.
"Especially lately, since I’ve started coveting shiny things thanks to Mr. Arjio."
Perhaps soot from the hearth, or a crow the size of a house. Even Gio found it difficult to see any connection between himself and a potato. Yet, the reason he couldn’t let go of the potato lay in his childhood.
"This is all the elders' fault."
To the residents of the mountain village in Gangwon-do, Gio was merely a highly functional, smooth-talking potato.
It wasn’t that Seo Gio lacked self-awareness. Moving to Seoul, making friends, and teaching students made it inevitable. Besides, his appearance was anything but harmless.
"It was pretty funny, though."
Even when Seo Gio did nothing more than breathe, people treated him like some kind of great, special figure.
They seemed to assume he’d done something, though no one—including Seo Gio himself—knew what that 'something' was. He had no idea why they acted that way, but he remembered just letting them, because watching them was quite amusing.
"Everyone seems to find me so intimidating."
"Kwoooo..."
"That’s why, at least in my own mind, I keep harping on about being a potato."
It was to remind himself that he was just an ordinary, inconsequential human being.
"Such is the rebellious nature of humans."
If you all hadn’t found me so intimidating in such an amusing way, I wouldn’t have had to keep calling myself a potato.
Seo Gio knew very well how unextraordinary he was.
He had a smattering of various skills, his grades had been decent, and he had a reasonable number of friends, but he was by no means the perfect being everyone around him imagined.
"I’m such an ordinary person, yet everyone treated me like I was some incredibly special being."
On top of that, because he was exceptionally handsome, those around him tended to perceive him as someone far out of their league. Gio knew this was an absurd misunderstanding, but others did not.
"Only the elders in my mountain village saw me for what I was."
So, naturally, he couldn’t help but welcome the nickname 'potato' all the more.
"It gives me a sense of stability."
A spiritual home, so to speak.
"Though it is a bit funny to watch everyone get flustered just by looking at my expression..."
"Kwoo??"
"I’m actually afraid I might start deluding myself into thinking I’m really someone important."
"Kwoo, kwoo."
"No, I’m not special."
Seo Gio knew his place.
"I’m ordinary."
He was merely a commoner with bizarre social skills.
"......"
"......"
Noticing the teddy bear’s trembling gaze, Gio nodded. He thought he knew what the bear was imagining, what it feared. But it was a complete misunderstanding.
"...Even I wouldn’t go outside and shout to the world, 'I am a potato!'"
"Kwoo."
"I won’t just refrain from shouting it; I won’t mention it, period. I know it sounds completely insane."
Why would he do something so embarrassing?
Gio deeply cherished his identity as a potato, bestowed upon him by the peaceful mountain village elders, but that was that, and this was this. Even Gio, an introvert who found his own home to be the loveliest place in the world, had to function in society.
"I only act this shamelessly inside the house. Outside, I conduct myself with manners and polite behavior. You don’t have to worry about your son acting like an immature brat in public."
Just as many grandchildren in South Korea are affectionately called 'puppies' by their grandparents, none of them go around claiming to be actual puppies in public. Even elementary schoolers knew better, and he certainly had no intention of doing so as a grown, twenty-nine-year-old man.
"Kkoong, kkoong?"
"Why am I an old man?"
"Kwooruru."
"That’s just what being on the verge of thirty is."
It felt a bit awkward to call himself a young man anymore.
"Though since the first digit of my age is still a two, calling myself an old man is a bit of a stretch..."
For one thing, since he was currently a portrait, he didn’t age as the years passed. Nevertheless, considering the various unique circumstances surrounding him, Gio felt that 'old man' was indeed the right term.
"Since the current me is also thirty-two, I suppose I really am an old man."
"Kkoong...?"
"Or is it... twenty-four plus thirty-two plus twenty-nine makes me practically elderly...?"
In any case, his conscience pricked at the thought of calling himself a young man.
"Anyway, what should I do with all these mangdung fruits?"
What else?
"I’ll make some Blood Dumplings."
Alchemy Method: Grind thoroughly dried fruits into powder, mix with Lulupu juice to form a dough, shape into dumplings, and dry in a dark place for over a week. This produces a medicine highly effective for treating bleeding and promoting recovery.
"I need to go harvest some more Lulupu."
At the mention of Lulupu, Dana, who had been lounging, sat up. Perhaps influenced by the clear weather, she now glowed with a serene blue light, a stark contrast to her appearance the previous night, which had resembled the Milky Way.
Sparkling with a soft blue light, Dana gently nudged Gio’s calf with her head.
"Meung-mang-mang..."
"This batch is for Dad to make medicine, though."
"Ae-ek."
"Ah, you just want to go together."
"Aek-ong."
"Alright, let’s go then."
The giant cat Dana always made for a reliable bodyguard.
* * *
Meanwhile, another place was buzzing with excitement over the existence of 'Hunter Seo Gio.'
"I had no idea the Anti-Cat possessed such an ability."
"Haha, it truly is remarkable. To allow one to see souls..."
"The matter isn’t confirmed yet, so an investigation is necessary."
These were none other than the Sun Cult and the Moon Cult.
Fundamentally, religions that worshipped traditional gods followed Providence, and naturally, they held a deep interest in the birth and death of life. Aside from the cults of death, these two were the religions most closely associated with funerals.
"By the way, I hear that the monster known as the Anti-Cat is not easily tamed."
At an elder priest’s remark, a younger priest chimed in.
"Yes, from what I’ve gathered, it is a notoriously difficult monster that even Tamers cannot handle."
"Is that true in all cases? Not just domestic Tamers, but international ones as well?"
"Yes. They say this is the world’s first successful case of taming an Anti-Cat."
"This is something foreign nations might covet as well..."
"It seems a massive stir has already arisen among Tamers."
A Tamer’s authority and prestige were defined by the number, diversity, and difficulty of the monsters they could tame. If it was true that he had tamed an Anti-Cat, the hunter named Seo Gio would gain a prestigious reputation.
"I heard that Anti-Cats don’t even allow humans to approach them in the first place."
"I’m asking because I’m not well-versed in that field, but can’t they be captured by force?"
"I hear that if you displease them, they burn down everything in their surroundings."
"What if a hunter has fire resistance...?"
"It is a flame that burns the soul, so they say even hunters with strong resistance would find it difficult."
"Good heavens. A flame that burns the soul."
The priests, who were naturally sensitive to the subject of souls, began to murmur.
"I would love to catch a glimpse of that power. I wonder if it’s possible."
"He is a talent closely guarded by the Collector, so it won’t be easy."
"He seems to be a hunter who receives the Collector’s undivided affection... If we approach him carelessly, we could face severe consequences."
"But shouldn’t we verify the authenticity of his ability?"
"What authority do we have to judge its authenticity?"
"Ahem, my apologies. I let my eagerness get the better of me."
A hunter’s chain of command fell under their guild. Interfering with that meant locking horns with the guild itself. The Sun Cult had no desire to engage in such a war of nerves with one of South Korea’s Top 3 Guilds.
"I understand how you feel. If the Anti-Cat truly has the power to interfere with souls..."
"It would be of immense help when the cult’s priests are mobilized for funeral masses."
"It would also greatly benefit the Sun Cult’s image. Our influence has waned significantly since the recent dungeon incident."
"The novice priests still seem anxious as well."
"In times like these, shouldn’t we demonstrate the cult’s strengths and honor so that the novice priests and believers can put their minds at ease?"
Another elder priest expressed reluctance.
"However, the one who can handle the Anti-Cat is a Tamer, not a priest. Even if the Anti-Cat’s ability is real, our cult wouldn’t be able to tame the creature..."
"Could we not receive some assistance from Hunter Seo Gio on that matter? I heard that during the 'Deep Sea Kingdom' incident, he displayed a healing power close to that of the sun. If so, his feelings toward our cult shouldn’t be negative. Even if he was caught up in such an incident, faith is..."
"Now, hold on, everyone. The issue isn’t whether his feelings toward us are negative; we should be worried about souring any positive feelings he might have. I heard he disliked attention so much that he remained an unofficial hunter until now."
"Seeing how he has openly revealed himself now, he likely intends to live as an official hunter. Still, I agree that we shouldn’t do anything to earn Hunter Seo Gio’s disfavor. If his ability is indeed real, we must approach him with the utmost courtesy."
"Above all, I..." a middle-aged priest continued, "...believe his ability is real."
"What makes you think so?"
"He is, after all, the Collector’s hunter."
"Ah, indeed..."
"He is not a man who shows favoritism lightly."
Collector Bisabeol’s tastes were widely known. If there was one fundamental condition, it was to be 'competent and diligent.' There was no way someone with his keen eye would cherish a hunter who was all hype.
"True, if Guild Master Bisabeol acknowledged him..."
"We have no choice but to believe it."
"If we cannot trust the Collector’s eye, what can we trust?"
After all, the man’s entire purpose in life is his collection.
"But we still do not know his exact abilities."
"Trying to pry into another guild’s hunter’s abilities without putting in any effort is rather shameless, isn’t it?"
"W-well, that is true, but..."
Digging up information on another guild’s hunter—their exact abilities, skills, and rank—was incredibly rude when you weren’t their guild master.
"Now that things have come to this, what needs to be known will gradually be revealed."
The elder priests knew how to read the flow of events.
"The fact that he has shown his face, and that a guild as powerful as the Collector Guild hasn’t suppressed the news... It means they’re ready to present Hunter Seo Gio to the world."
"And isn’t a dungeon the best stage to debut a hunter? It’s not as if we live in a world with no dungeons to clear, nor is there a shortage of guilds curious about his abilities..."
"If there is no suitable place, we could even offer one ourselves. Could we not request a collaboration to clear the Gangwon-do dungeon we discovered previously?"
"In any case, we will soon find out the truth of Hunter Seo Gio’s abilities. Haha, if possible, I am truly curious about the power of that Anti-Cat."
Having said that, the priests soon turned their gaze toward a certain young priest.
"......"
Priest Kang Seo-dam, the very man who had once set out to clear a dungeon with 'Hunter Seo Gio,' secretly clenched his teeth.
O Sun.
Please grant this priest the courage to endure the trials laid before him.