Chapter 175
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175
Gio wasn’t particularly angry with Sa Na-rae.
“Why on earth would I be?”
“Hmm, I see,” Sa Na-rae said with a languid smile. “Usually, people get mad.”
“I can see why they would.”
“You’re more resilient than I thought.”
Contrary to his notorious reputation, Sa Na-rae was surprisingly cooperative.
“Since we don’t have an Appraisal Skill, should we start by finding a house?”
“A house?”
When Gio blinked in confusion, Curator Garasani standing beside him whispered an explanation.
“‘House’ is slang for a resting area where Hunters can stay, even for a short time, inside a dungeon. If a raid isn’t going to end in a day or two, it’s convenient to set up a shelter or a base camp in advance.”
Having finished, the Garasani looked around and added, “The temperature and humidity are high, and there are many poisonous plants. We should look for a clearing with solid ground, if possible. If we can’t find a suitable spot, we’ll have to clear out some plants to make space.”
“Personally, I think it’d be faster to just make one. I don’t know where the other teams landed, but I can’t smell any dry ground nearby… We’ll probably have to walk for a bit.”
Sa Na-rae sniffed the air as he scanned their surroundings.
“The humidity here is insane.”
The dense, overgrown vegetation, which left no room to even step, was undoubtedly the cause. It felt as suffocating as walking into a sauna.
“I heard it rains periodically here—a rain that drives people mad. Maybe its evaporation is what’s making things even more unbearable…”
“They also said the hours the fake sun is up change randomly. Finding a place to shelter from that rain should be our top priority.”
At the exchange between Sa Na-rae and Jeong Young-won, one of the Daecheong Guild members turned to Gio.
“Um, I heard you’re a Tamer… Could you look for a spot for us?”
The response came not from Gio, but from Jeong Young-won.
“That is sacrilegious.”
“Pardon?”
“You have committed sacrilege.”
“Uh, u-uh…”
Her tone was so resolute that the Daecheong Guild member genuinely wondered if he had committed a capital offense. Even Gio was momentarily caught in the delusion, thinking, Am I actually the reincarnation of King Sejong the Great?
Shaking off the useless thought, Gio gave an awkward smile.
“Are you teasing me now, too, Ms. Jeong Young-won?”
“I apologize. That was not my intention, but…”
“With visibility this poor, it’s a Tamer’s job to step up.”
After all, wasn’t that why he had been added to the raid team in the first place?
“Excuse me for a moment, then.”
Gio pulled down his hood and looked for his son. The little guy was completely sprawled out, seemingly loving the dungeon’s intense humidity.
“Honey.”
“Kkoor.”
“Oh.”
Before Honey could even peek out, Sa Na-rae gasped in admiration. When Gio glanced at him, puzzled, he saw Sa Na-rae nodding with a hand on his chin, looking genuinely impressed.
“I guess when a face reaches that level of perfection, even calling something ‘Honey’ doesn’t sound cringey. Amazing.”
“Thank you for admiring my face. I also think it’s quite easy on the eyes.”
This was all thanks to his mother, who had meticulously sculpted Seo Gio from his time in the womb through his infancy.
“It was sculpted quite well, wasn’t it?”
“Whoa, now that’s a novel response. Did you have work done?”
“No, it’s all-natural. This is a face sculpted by destiny.”
“True, money can’t buy a face like that. My bad.”
Sa Na-rae chuckled, playing along.
“When you said ‘sculpted,’ I thought you meant plastic surgery. You have a really unique way of talking, young master.”
“My apologies for the misunderstanding. Since we both had a hand in it, let’s just call it even.”
When Gio extended his hand, Honey plopped down onto it. Feeling the weight, Gio kept his smile but muttered softly under his breath.
“…Did you gain weight?”
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong…!!”
“He can fly, despite how he looks,” one of the Hunters remarked.
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong-kkoong-kkoong!!!”
“Honey, go find us a house.”
With a gentle stroke, Honey stopped squirming.
“We need to find a decent house before that rain that hurts people starts falling.”
“…Kkoorooruk.”
“I’d prefer it if it wasn’t too far. Can you do that?”
“Kkoor.”
Flapping his wings lightly, Honey shot off through the dense trees. The Hunters marveled at his incredible speed, which was a sharp contrast to his small body. Despite his appearance, he was a remarkably agile bird.
A Daecheong Guild member spoke in awe.
“That’s amazing, Hunter Seo Gio. I’ve never seen a monster listen that well…”
“Well, I am a Tamer, after all.”
“Even for a Tamer, it’s rare to have such a close bond.”
In a way, that was only natural. Before a Tamer managed to subdue a single monster, how many people had it killed? How many wounds had it inflicted? From a human standpoint, there was little reason to feel any affection for them.
“Ah, speaking of which…” another guild member asked. “Where is the Anti-Cat that’s been the talk of the town lately?”
“Huh? Was that really an Anti-Cat? The size was completely different.”
“Uh… well, I don’t really know either.”
“Was your cat really an Anti-Cat, Hunter Seo Gio?”
Gio nodded.
“If you mean the Jewel Cat that inhabits the ‘Vein of Jewels,’ then yes.”
“Wow, that’s incredible. Those monsters almost never go near humans…”
“He seemed sensitive to the unfamiliar environment, so I’ve separated him for a bit.”
“So you did bring him to the dungeon. Do you use a separate cage?”
A cage was an item Tamers used to transport their tamed monsters, usually taking the form of an accessory for easy carrying. In response, Gio lifted his cloak slightly, his signature smile in place.
“No, he’s in here.”
“Inside your cloak…?”
“To be precise, inside my shadow.”
“…Do Anti-Cats have that ability?”
“I’m not sure. It just happened, so I don’t really know.”
“That is truly fascinating.”
The Daecheong Hunter nodded in understanding.
“Anti-Cats are known to be highly misanthropic, even among monsters. Based on what you’re saying, your monsters must trust you deeply, Hunter Seo Gio. In that case, staying close to their master would definitely give them a sense of security.”
Just then, Honey returned. The Hunters were astonished at how quickly the tiny creature had made it back.
“Kkooroorooruk!”
“Did you find a house?”
“Kkoorong.”
Honey spat what he had been holding in his beak onto Gio’s hand.
“Oh, that’s…”
“It’s dirt.”
Healer Jeong Young-won approached and touched the soil. It crumbled beneath her pale fingertips.
“It’s dry dirt. And the texture is firm.”
She looked at the honey-colored waterbird in amazement.
“How on earth did he find dry dirt like this in such a humid rainforest?”
“I’m not entirely sure either, but I’m glad he found a good spot.”
Seo Gio smiled brightly.
“Right?”
His kid had clearly pulled some strings, but that wasn’t his problem.
* * *
“…….”
“Priest Kang Seo-dam?”
“…Ah, yes, Ms. Yoo Ji-na. I’m listening.”
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s nothing like that, but…”
He had simply flinched, having felt a surge of solar energy from far away.
“…Yes, it’s nothing. Really.”
He had the distinct feeling that the Sun God’s divinity had just been used to perform a miracle for some ridiculously trivial reason. But Kang Seo-dam, already exhausted from being dragged into this rainforest, had absolutely no desire to acknowledge it.
He wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
* * *
Arriving at the location Honey had guided them to, Sa Na-rae tilted his head.
“……?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.” Sa Na-rae sniffed the air. “I smell sunshine?”
“I guess sunlight manages to reach even a place like this.”
“Hmm, it’s more than that… Hmmm…”
“Hunter Sa Na-rae?”
“…….”
Ignoring the Daecheong Hunter, Sa Na-rae turned to look at Seo Gio.
“…….”
“What a relief. It looks like Honey found a great spot.”
“…This place was originally here, right?”
“I don’t know why you’re asking that, but what other possibility could there be?”
At Gio’s words, the Garasani chimed in.
“Surely such a perfect spot couldn’t have appeared in an instant.”
“There are no traces of monsters around, so I can put my mind at ease.”
Look at them go.
The two Collectors, playing off each other perfectly…
Sa Na-rae scanned the surroundings with his trademark dead-fish eyes.
The hollow, spacious enough for fifty more people, was nestled inside an even more colossal tree. This type of tree was common in the area, yet none of the others had a hollow like this one.
Which means this space was artificially created by something.
However, there were no signs of human touch. The ground was dry and firmly packed, and the hollow in the tree looked so natural it seemed to have formed over hundreds of years. There were no unnatural cuts, scratches, or burn marks. Even the entrance was draped with long, hanging vines like a beaded curtain, blocking out the external humidity while also serving as excellent camouflage from monsters.
But the smell of sunshine is so strong.
And that scent…
“…….”
…was exactly the same as the one coming from that Hunter’s waterbird.
…Even so, that’s impossible to explain.
This wasn’t a space that could be created simply by cutting and digging. Hunter Sa Na-rae felt a powerful life force here. This was a space that could only be generated through a long process of “growth,” not by some short-term, artificial construction.
“…Mmm, I don’t get it.”
“What don’t you get?”
“Your true identity, young master.”
“Ah,” Hunter Seo Gio said with a bright, cheerful smile. “Should I tell you?”
“Oh, really?”
“Actually, I’m a priest who serves the Sun God of another dimension.”
“Huh…?”
“So I prayed with all my heart, and the Sun bestowed this wonderful house upon us.”
“…….”
Hunter Sa Na-rae’s smile twitched awkwardly.
“…Are you doing this because I teased you so much? Come on, don’t be mad, okay? You know I didn’t mean any harm, young master.”
“Ahaha, now that’s an interesting reaction. Was it that absurd?”
“If you hate being called ‘young master’ that much, I won’t do it anymore, so…”
“Oh dear, as I said earlier, I’m not angry.”
It sounded far too sincere to be a mere platitude, which made Sa Na-rae marvel.
“It’s weird because you actually seem to mean it.”
“What’s so weird about it?”
“I wasn’t exactly speaking politely, was I?”
“It’s very admirable of you to be self-aware.”
“Are you teasing me now…?”
“Of course not.”
Seo Gio put on a troubled expression. But because his face portrayed a too-perfect, textbook definition of being “troubled,” Sa Na-rae felt a sudden, indescribable sense of dissonance.
“In the first place, I don’t understand why you thought I’d be angry.”
“…Usually, people get mad when I talk to them, so I figured you would too.”
“Then I suppose that was a hasty generalization on your part.”
“Is that the right term to use here?”
“Of course, I was a bit scared at first.”
“…….”
All the Hunters, including Sa Na-rae, turned to stare at Seo Gio.
“Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“Hunter Seo Gio, you really have no talent for joking… Indeed, no human can be perfect.”
“I really was scared. I felt like I was being picked on by someone terrifying on my very first day of work.”
“And is there a reason you aren’t scared now?”
“Well, I suppose…”
Seo Gio stared at Sa Na-rae.
“…….”
“…….”
Just as his eyes seemed to flash gold for a split second, Seo Gio smiled.
“…Haha.”
With a grin, Gio reached out and roughly ruffled Sa Na-rae’s hair.
“Argh…!”
“It’s best to be honest when socializing, Hunter Sa Na-rae.”
“Uh… huh? What?”
“Now that we’ve had our little chat, shall we start unpacking?”
“Wait a minute, Hunter? What did you just do?”
As Sa Na-rae stood there utterly dumbfounded, the Collector’s Curator, Garasani, approached him.
“Our guild member has caused you trouble. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Huh? No, it’s not that… Is Hunter Seo Gio always like that?”
“He tends to be highly assertive. Please be understanding.”
“So he’s telling me to stop teasing him, right? Man, you Collectors always speak so elegantly.”
Sa Na-rae muttered as he tried to smooth down his messy hair.
“Do people normally think like that?”
He was a truly bizarre person.
His way of thinking is on another level.
Well, he was certainly someone worth keeping a good connection with…
* * *
“…….”
Five hours later, after they had finished their general exploration, Sa Na-rae came to a realization.
“He’s a Witch.”
“Pardon? Are you hungry?”
“Are you planning to eat me after all?”
“Seeing how you’re talking nonsense, you must still be hungry…?”
“Are you a tyrant? This is literal food torture.”
Holding something that resembled cream stew, Sa Na-rae tilted his head.
“How does this taste so good when it’s made from plants found in a rainforest…?”
“I supplemented the flavors the plants couldn’t provide with the bacon I brought.”
“I mean, why would you bring bacon to a dungeon in the first place? And how did you even bring it?”
“Is there any reason not to bring delicious bacon?”
“Wow, amazing. There are plenty of reasons, but for some reason, I feel like you won’t listen to a single one.”
Seo Gio’s true identity was none other than the Witch of the gingerbread house.
“Are these guys Hunters or pigs…?”
At Sa Na-rae’s words, the sprawled-out Hunters flinched. Gathered in a circle, they lay scattered like defeated soldiers, weighed down by the guilt of overeating. It was an unspoken rule not to overeat during a raid, but their reason had crumbled in the face of such overwhelming flavor.
“No wonder Hansel and Gretel were lured in so foolishly.”
“I am absolutely delighted that you praise my cooking so highly.”
“Hmm, really? Strictly speaking, I don’t think that was a compliment…”
“Then what was it?”
“More like an exclamation right before execution. Or a death rattle in front of a monster.”
Gio asked nonchalantly, “Who’s dying?”
“Hunters have to die if they turn into pigs.”
“Then why be a Hunter?”
“Your way of thinking is truly unique.”
He was a truly bizarre person.
“Grandma, another bowl here.”
“How wonderful it is to see you eating so well.”
“Got it. So if you ever build a gingerbread house, let me know. I want to go see it.”
“A gingerbread house. I like that. I’ll keep it in mind for my future artwork.”
As he spoke, the sight of him ladling out another bowl with a genuinely happy expression was rather amusing.