Chapter 166
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166
"You see Gio as a human?" Yoo Seong-un asked, then quickly corrected himself. "Ah, no. My apologies. I mean, is that what he looks like to you?"
"You can speak casually," Ju-hyeon said. "The same way you do with Mr. Gio."
"...I didn’t get much schooling, so informal speech just comes more naturally to me. I don’t mean any disrespect by it, so I hope you don’t take offense."
"I already know you’re a good person, Mr. Yoo Seong-un. You don’t have to worry."
"Oh, really? I wouldn’t go that far... but I appreciate you thinking so."
A guy three years younger than me is this easygoing about informal speech? He really is a good person.
Brushing aside his lingering discomfort toward his superior, Yoo Seong-un offered a light smile.
"Anyway, this is a pretty unusual consultation."
After his meeting with Bisabeol, Yoo Seong-un had gone home and slept soundly for the first time in ages. When he woke up, he’d dropped by to check on his neighbor, Ju-hyeon. He hadn’t planned on coming inside, but Ju-hyeon had insisted, which led to their current conversation.
"In a way, it’s quite impressive."
Sipping the tea Ju-hyeon had handed him, Yoo Seong-un blinked his sleep-deprived eyes.
"...Wait a second. Is this tea from Gio?"
"Ah, yes. He said it’s made from Basram Flowers. Is there a problem?"
"...No, it’s not like it’ll kill me."
It’s not like it contains anything lethal, anyway.
Might as well drink it.
If there was one thing Yoo Seong-un had learned, it was that ‘Gio’s Portrait’ rarely messed with a person’s humanity. After all, Ju-hyeon had been trapped inside the portrait for far longer than him and was still perfectly human.
Well, even if the tests say he is, there are still some suspicious parts…
But from a purely human standpoint, Ju-hyeon was undoubtedly still ‘human.’
So a little tea isn’t going to mess with my identity.
Having just woken up after five straight days without sleep, his mind was still foggy. If he were thinking more clearly, he might have hesitated. But as a Gardener whose body bore the full brunt of the Garden he served, a remedy that warmed him from the inside out was more than welcome.
As expected, Gio’s gifts are amazing.
Yoo Seong-un’s body always felt especially cold right after waking up.
"...This is delicious."
"Right? I like its savory, grain-like aroma."
"This isn’t something you can just buy anywhere. Maybe I should beg him for an invitation soon."
"If you drink too much, you might get a bit hot..."
"My body runs cold anyway."
Judging by its potent warming effect, the tea was likely far more suitable for a Hunter and Gardener like Yoo Seong-un than for an ordinary person like Ju-hyeon.
"Let’s see what we have here."
[Star of the Sun]
[Rank: -]
A tea brewed from the ‘Basram Flower,’ which grew wild in the primordial era of the ‘Breathing Sea.’ Though long extinct, it was restored through Fate’s Ley Line. Gio, the master of the forest, nurtured it with love alongside his child in the nest of living water. Because he processed it himself, it is safe for a human body to consume. It is exceptionally effective at breathing life and warmth into the soul.
"……."
"Ah, did you just use Appraisal?"
"...Is this your first time seeing a Hunter use Appraisal?"
"Appraisers weren’t very common at the research lab I worked at."
"It’s been a while since I heard the term ‘appraiser.’ I actually have an appraisal license myself, technically speaking."
Yoo Seong-un offered a casual smile as they chatted.
"Just as I thought. It’s not bad for the body."
"……."
"Don’t be so tense."
"My body is already a lost cause, though..."
"Why are you giving up already?"
Yoo Seong-un wasn’t the only one concerned about Ju-hyeon’s condition after receiving so much “care” from the Eye of the Origin. Both he and the Collector Guild had run direct examinations on Ju-hyeon. Fortunately, the results showed he was still a perfectly normal human.
According to the test results, at least.
"...There’s a common phrase that appears on the gifts Gio gives: ‘Because Gio, the master of the forest, processed it himself, it is safe for a human body to consume.’ It’s probably one of the ways he looks out for humans."
As long as they consumed ingredients that had passed through his hands, they wouldn’t have to worry about mutating into an Existence of the Origin. At least, that was Yoo Seong-un’s assessment.
"If I have any concern, it’s that you might become too healthy..."
"I do feel like my lifespan has increased. Is that a problem, too?"
"Even if your lifespan increases, it’s hard to live a long life in this world."
This was a world where the average life expectancy was only sixty.
"High-ranking Hunters like me or our Guild Master might live a bit longer, but regardless of physical durability, being a Hunter is the perfect profession for dying young. The same goes for the people around us. So I don’t think you need to worry about becoming semi-immortal."
"...So, you’re basically saying that no matter how much my lifespan increases, I’ll probably die an unnatural death anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about?"
"More importantly, Gio doesn’t turn innocent humans into Existences of the Origin out of greed. You really don’t have to worry."
Once you understood their rules, Existences of the Origin could be more reliable than humans. Based on what they had figured out about Gio so far, there was almost no chance he would harm humans.
"That aside, I find your thoughts truly surprising, Mr. Ju-hyeon."
Setting down his warm mug, Yoo Seong-un swept back the hair falling over his eyes. He usually wore a neat hairpin, but since he had only stopped by for a casual visit, he looked quite disheveled.
"What exactly do you mean when you say Gio looks human to you?"
"Literally. I can’t stop seeing ‘Gio’s Portrait’ as a human."
"People say you can’t control your own thoughts, but that’s certainly an unusual one."
"...I kept thinking it was presumptuous of me. That it made no sense."
Ju-hyeon continued, tracing the rim of his own cup.
"But Mr. Gio just keeps..."
"Looking like an ordinary young man?"
"Even though I know it sounds strange."
"Hmm."
Sip—
Taking another sip of the flower tea, Yoo Seong-un asked, "Are you under a spell?"
"I considered that possibility, but..."
"Ah, no. You’re not under a spell."
"...Is that so?"
"I do hold an appraisal license, after all."
Yoo Seong-un was capable of checking most people’s conditions with his skills.
"To my eyes, at least, you look perfectly fine."
In that case, there was only one answer.
"It seems you simply perceive him as a human, Mr. Ju-hyeon."
"I didn’t realize I was such a brave person...?"
"If Gio were a traditional divinity, you would have been chosen as his Saint."
"...What? A Saint?"
"At the very least, you would have been a cult leader."
"That sounds a bit like a cult."
"I wouldn’t call it a cult... It’s actually a very typical progression."
That’s how most Saints and Saintesses across dimensions are made.
"Do you have a general idea of what Saints and Saintesses are?"
"As much as the next person. They’re basically like... a god’s adopted children, right?"
"Exactly. And even if not children, sometimes they take the form of a friend."
"...I’ve never heard of that before."
"Saints and Saintesses aren’t common, so naturally, there aren’t many examples on Earth."
Religion wasn’t Yoo Seong-un’s specialty, but he had been studying it diligently ever since learning that Gio possessed the divinity of the sun. As a result, he was able to provide some answers.
"These holy people are usually those who have built a bond with a god while still in a human body."
"Is it even possible to build a bond with a god? That sounds... a bit blasphemous."
"It would be blasphemous if it were a one-sided attempt by a human to connect with a divinity."
But Saints were entirely different.
"It’s a mutual exchange. The god pours their trust and love onto the human, and the human accepts it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, returning that trust and love in equal measure. Just like family or friends."
"...So that was actually possible..."
"It’s an exceptionally rare occurrence. That’s why the number of Saints and Saintesses is so small. Ordinary humans suffer immense strain just from receiving a god’s voice and favor, but these individuals go a step further and return it. And the god considers it a worthy exchange."
While South Korea happened to have an unusually high concentration of them, there were fewer than twenty Saints worldwide. Considering the sheer number of modern religions—as numerous as the stars—one could appreciate just how rare they truly were.
"That’s why the very existence of a Saint is a miracle. There’s a reason religious orders dote on their Saints and Saintesses. By simply existing, they prove their god’s love and serve as the sole human conduit for communicating with them."
As a result, most Saints remained cooped up within their orders, interpreting divine revelations or explaining their god’s true intentions. Hearing this, Ju-hyeon tilted his head.
"Then how do orders without a Saint interpret their god’s will?"
"For the most part, they don’t."
"Ah."
"From what I know, it’s usually one of two ways."
Yoo Seong-un held up his fingers.
"One is to interpret their god’s intentions solely through ancient records and scriptures. Since there’s no direct communication, the process and the results are uncertain, and the believers' devotion tends to wane."
"And the other?"
"The other way is for a large group of priests, brimming with holy power, to gather and desperately try to receive a divine revelation. They perform rituals, host religious events, or pray endlessly until they get an answer…"
"Like some kind of rain ritual...?"
"That’s how difficult it is to communicate with a god. There’s a reason the elders within an order are so highly respected. They receive reverence and special treatment because they are that much closer to their god."
And.
"A Saint bypasses that entire tedious process."
Thus, even from a practical standpoint, priests had no choice but to adore their order’s Saint. They were the very reason the order could skip the investment of performing rituals, hosting events, and praying for days on end.
"But not every religion has a Saint. In the first place, vessels capable of treating a god like family or a friend are extremely rare. That’s why orders with a Saint are highly favored and envied in the religious world."
"Favored and envied?"
"The more directly and frequently an order can communicate with its god, the more tangibly the believers can receive that god’s grace. To put it simply, a divinity could literally tell their followers where to find a gold mine."
"Uh... does it really work that way?"
"It’s just an example. But even the most foolish god is far superior to the smartest human on Earth. By borrowing just a fraction of their wisdom, an order can prosper under that divinity’s protection."
This was why Saints received such precious treatment in the religious community.
"Being able to accept a god’s voice and touch without a second thought, even when the god isn’t consciously trying to accommodate a human vessel—that’s truly beyond human limits. Their mere existence makes them more than worthy of an order’s devotion."
At this, Ju-hyeon raised a question.
"They sound almost non-human. Can Saints even lead normal daily lives?"
"Some can, some can’t."
From what Seong-un had studied, Saints seemed to fall into a few categories.
"There are those born as massive vessels who can accept any divinity, and those who can only handle one or a few specific divinities. Then there are those who are raised to be Saints from the start, only recognized after enduring countless trials."
"...That’s..."
"As far as I know, the Saintess of the Moon Cult is an example of the last case. The Moon Cult constantly adopts and raises children with potential until a Saint for that generation emerges. I’ve heard it’s not uncommon for children to die in the process because they can’t handle the god’s presence."
"……."
Ju-hyeon was shocked.
"...The Moon Cult does things like that?"
"In today’s world, is that really so surprising?"
The world was overflowing with people who would rather risk their lives to become part of a god’s family than remain beggars on the street or live as mere human children. That was why neither the Moon Cult’s god nor its priests stopped the training.
"Most children who survive but fail to become Saints end up serving as priests for the Moon Cult. So, from the cult’s perspective, it’s not a major loss. They’ve been doing this since the Great Catastrophe, so I suppose you could call it a… custom."
It wasn’t a system other religions could easily replicate. The Moon Cult could maintain its stability because they had practiced this custom for a very long time; most other religions lacked both the resolve and the capability to do so.
"If you think of it as a career path, it’s not entirely terrible, is it?"
"...True, Hunters risk their lives for work, too. It’s hard to condemn it as a dangerous custom when the world itself is already so dangerous."
"The Moon Cult doesn’t force them to become Saints, either. They just encourage it."
"But... isn’t that basically the same thing? If their guardians encourage it, the adopted children are bound to feel pressured. They won’t have much choice but to comply."
"At the very least, it serves as a decent shelter in this day and age. And above all..."
Yoo Seong-un rolled his eyes as if weighing his words.
"Where else would they get the chance to become a son or daughter of a god?"
Whether they had parents or not, whether they were rich or poor, the Moon Cult was the only religion that offered every child with potential the chance to join a god’s family. In the end, the children themselves coveted that glory.
"It’s all done by mutual consent. That’s why some say every priest in the Moon Cult is a potential Saint. It’s a gathering of humans who all possess at least the baseline potential to become one."
Ju-hyeon looked slightly uncomfortable. Yoo Seong-un gave a mild laugh.
"You don’t like it, do you?"
"...It just makes me feel a bit sick to my stomach."
"Is it really just your stomach?"
"Sometimes the blind devotion of the religious world just wears me out."
"I can agree with you there."
Yoo Seong-un sipped the tea, which was still warm.
"This tea really is delicious."
"Isn’t it?"
"And it’s still warm."
"The mug probably helps, but I think it’s also a property of the tea itself."
"It would be pretty funny if such a special remedy went cold in an instant."
After lightly praising the tea’s warmth, Yoo Seong-un continued.
"Anyway, Saints made through that process—though they’re still incredibly rare—seem to suffer a much heavier physical toll compared to natural-born Saints."
"Ah..."
"It’s almost like they become half-human. Honestly, even for natural-born Saints, unless they have a constitution that can absorb absolutely anything, there’s bound to be some strain."
"I suppose so."
"In that sense, Gio won’t harm you, Mr. Ju-hyeon. But as I said before, what you’re experiencing is… well, it’s the classic shortcut for an ordinary human to become part of a god’s family."
"...What?"
Yoo Seong-un’s mint-colored eyes swept over Ju-hyeon, analyzing him.
"A divinity treating a human as an equal, and a human treating a divinity as an equal…"
"...Wait."
"Exactly. Not so different from your situation, is it?"
"But I’m non-religious...?"
"I’m sure Gio is too."
Chuckling, Yoo Seong-un gave him a thumbs-up.
"Good luck."
"Pardon?"
"It’ll all work out."
"What will?"
My disqualification as a human?
Ju-hyeon felt a surge of exasperation.