Chapter 18
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18
If there was one place in the Collector Guild’s building that could be called the most important, it would be Bisabeol’s Gallery.
Incidents were a common occurrence there, as it housed only the most dangerous and sensitive items. On top of that, there were always those who coveted such rare works. To prevent casualties, security guards patrolled the building’s interior around the clock, even in the dead of night.
This day was no different. A guard was making his rounds in the early hours of the dawn.
"Huh?"
Pure white walls.
Pure white lights.
And standing alone in the long, sterile hallway was a pitch-black man.
"..."
He was draped from head to toe in a black cloak, his face completely hidden from view. Only the front of the cloak was open, revealing a sliver of a black suit beneath.
"..."
"Who goes there?"
"..."
"Excuse me, but please identify yourself."
A total of eight guards were on the dawn shift, and this guard’s responsibility spanned from the first to the tenth floor. No other guard would be assigned to the same area. Therefore, the Black Cloak had to be either an employee stopping by for some early morning business or an unidentified outsider.
But something felt off.
"...Please identify yourself."
It was truly strange, yet he couldn’t pinpoint what, exactly, was so strange about the scene.
"..."
"..."
A bizarre chill ran down his spine.
What is this?
The guild building was always brightly lit for the patrolling guards and employees working overtime. The hallways were cleaned regularly, and the pure white marble walls were elegant and beautiful, reflecting the taste of the Guild Master, Bisabeol. There was nothing to fear. Under lights as bright as day, shadows had nowhere to hide. And yet, this pitch-black presence stood out so starkly...
"...Who are you?"
It felt as if it shouldn’t exist.
"If you are an outsider, please show me your pass."
"..."
"Why have you come here at this hour? I wasn’t informed of any clients arriving from the first floor. Unauthorized trespassing into the guild is treated as a serious felony..."
"..."
"...and it may be used against you in court... you may face difficulties hiring a lawyer, and you could be subdued by force without any prior warning, so please keep this in mind and... answer my questions."
Wasn’t it strange? The sense of wrongness, so small at first, was gradually growing. The longer he looked, the more the feeling of incongruity intensified. Soon, the guard realized.
Why?
Why did I think that thing shouldn’t exist?
No, in the first place, why...
Why was he referring to a human-shaped being as "that thing"?
The thought that something was wrong burrowed into his mind, and a deep confusion clung to him, muddling his senses. A desolate sense of foreignness crept up his spine, slowly tickling his heart. It moved at a slow, natural pace, like breathing in one’s sleep.
"..."
"..."
From beneath the hood of the pitch-black cloak, from the impossibly dark fabric where nothing should have been, a voice drifted out.
"Hello."
"..."
"I am Seo Gio."
It was a clear voice that seemed to pierce his brain, with a crisp pronunciation that was impossible to misunderstand. Before he could even resist, he found himself thinking it was a beautiful voice.
It asked politely, "What is your name?"
"..."
"I am curious about your name."
He couldn’t bring himself to answer that beautiful voice.
"Would you like to speak with me?"
He could tell.
"...I."
This was not a human.
"...I, I..."
It was not a monster, an item, or a hallucination.
What should I do?
His breath caught in his lungs, as if his windpipe had never existed. This was the Collector Guild, where countless incidents occurred, and he was an experienced guard. But never before had he encountered such an existence—a massive, non-human entity wearing human skin, mimicking a person.
It would have been better if the imitation were clumsy, like the ball-jointed dolls with their bizarre movements he had seen before, or monsters babbling nonsense with their remarkably low understanding of human speech.
"..."
"Sir."
"..."
"What is your name?"
But that thing... it was perfect.
"I am Seo Gio."
It looked like a perfect human. And yet, paradoxically, he knew it could never be human.
What kind of nonsense is this...
Even though the other party looked completely human, he was certain they were not. Without any basis, he was defining them as neither human, monster, item, nor hallucination.
Then what on earth was that thing?
"Can you not hear me?"
"...Why are you asking for my name?"
"It’s basic etiquette to introduce oneself when starting a conversation."
"..."
"I am simply observing etiquette."
Etiquette? He had no idea what was mimicking human etiquette.
"...Park..."
"..."
"It’s Park Na-gil."
He blurted out his name as if possessed, though it didn’t feel as if his soul was being stolen. The Black Cloak, however, seemed satisfied. That was more terrifying than anything, but he didn’t even have the energy to show it. His breath was trapped in his throat.
"Nice to meet you. I am Seo Gio."
"..."
Did this person know how many times they had just called themselves "Seo Gio"?
As if emphasizing that they are a human, just like us...
Soon after, the Black Cloak produced an unexpected item.
"I have a pass."
"...This is... a visitor’s pass."
"I was granted permission for a tour by Guild Master Bisabeol."
"...I see."
At the very least, the Guild Master knew of this thing’s existence.
And he’s condoning its actions.
Why on earth?
The guard raised his head and looked at the Black Cloak again.
"..."
"Is this a sufficient answer?"
"...Of course."
It was an extremely businesslike voice. The voice, with its structured rhythm, seemed to have a moderate pitch, but listening closely, it also seemed to fluctuate between high and low tones.
Even if they have a pass, I should at least get their basic personal information...
It was clearly a man’s voice he was hearing, but as time passed, it became impossible to guess its age or gender. Even though it was right in front of him, he couldn’t perceive it. All he could see was a pitch-black cloak and a figure that was neither thick nor thin.
"..."
Inside the shadow of that Black Cloak, was there really something shaped like a human?
"Mr. Park Na-gil."
"...Yes."
"May I look around here?"
"..."
The Guild Master had permitted it. As a mere guard, he should have given his assent, but his mouth wouldn’t open easily. It was an ominous sensation, as if he were granting a demon permission to wreak havoc.
Facing the gloomy, heavy figure, the guard nodded with difficulty.
"...Of... course."
"Thank you."
"If the Guild Master has permitted it, you are free to tour as much as you like."
"I see."
"...How long do you plan to stay?"
The Black Cloak answered after a two-second pause.
"Until the sun rises."
It was a chilling answer.
"..."
"...I see."
He felt like throwing up. He couldn’t understand why he was getting goosebumps, where this bizarre sensation was coming from, or why this indescribable silence persisted even as they were having a conversation. The feeling that his cognitive abilities were breaking down and his judgment was being buried in fog shook him like motion sickness. He felt as if he were facing something he couldn’t handle.
No, in reality, I can’t handle it.
It was overwhelming, as if he were interacting with something he should not perceive.
"..."
"Mr. Park Na-gil."
Every time it called his name, his spine shuddered. How could he explain the sensation of his body temperature dropping degree by degree, the feeling of every blood vessel in his body being gripped in someone’s hand?
"Y-yes."
"Thank you for responding so kindly."
"...It was just my job."
"You have a strong sense of responsibility."
"..."
"I believe it is something worthy of praise."
It was a strange thing. When the Black Cloak praised him, despite the nauseating terror, he felt ecstatic, as if he were walking on air.
Am I crazy? Or did that thing make me crazy?
Even though it was a situation where he absolutely shouldn’t feel this way, he was deeply moved and felt proud of himself. He couldn’t even begin to interpret why.
Looking at him, the Black Cloak reached out a hand.
"A gift."
"..."
"Please take it."
The Black Cloak handed over a small envelope, neatly wrapped in paper. It smelled ecstatically sweet.
"It is yours."
The bizarrely businesslike voice sounded strangely favorable.
"I have troubled you."
"Ah, n-no."
"Then, I will see you next time."
Is it leaving?
The moment he raised his head with that thought, his eyes...
"..."
"..."
Their eyes met.
Those eyes.
Eyes.
Pupils.
The iris, the pupil, that round sphere. Inside it. That thing. That round thing. That. It. Black and white.
The pitch-black, the pure white. Was it black? Was it white? Dark or bright. Shadow or light. Death or life. Connection or destiny.
The inside was too deep. Too deep. Too deep. It was deep, terrifyingly so, because the inside was too deep. Deep. A sensation of falling. Plummeting. Could he escape? Impossible. It wouldn’t work. Those weren’t eyes. Not pupils. Not irises.
No, it’s not, it can’t be. It shouldn’t be. It was clearly not. No. No. No, no.
It’s not...
"Mr. Park Na-gil."
The moment he heard that terribly businesslike voice.
"Keep up the good work."
"..."
...He was pulled out.
"..."
He stood there for a long time.
As the pitch-black cloak moved, not a single rustle could be heard. The bare feet, wearing no shoes, made no sound as they touched the smooth floor. Only the rustling sound of a tiny creature could be heard, which was strange. That black thing could hardly be called a tiny creature...
Soon, the sound faded away.
"..."
Only silence remained.
"...Where..."
Where did it go?
The guard moved his feet. He followed the hallway where the Black Cloak had walked, heading toward the place where the sound had stopped. Before long, he reached it.
An unfamiliar portrait was hanging in the hallway.
"Ah."
It was a painting of a man with a peaceful face, as if asleep, set against the backdrop of a forest with a peaceful cabin. But…
His stomach churned.
"..."
He fled with slow steps, at exactly his usual pace.
He didn’t have the courage to touch it. His duty as a guard dictated that he should have reported the mysterious work and dealt with it, but he couldn’t even think that far. As if possessed, the guard simply left the place behind.
The next day, the portrait was no longer there.
* * *
"Did you hear?"
The Collector Guild had always been a place ripe with ghost stories. It was all because of Guild Master Bisabeol’s collecting habit; he picked up so many strange things that incidents were bound to happen. Because of this, employees who had worked at the Collector Guild for over two years weren’t particularly surprised by such tales.
"The Black Cloak?"
"Yeah, there’s been a rumor going around lately."
"Must be another one of the Guild Master’s works causing trouble."
"I figured as much."
In a world where most ghost stories were explained by monsters or items, in an era where fellow humans were more feared than ghosts, the rumor about the "Black Cloak" was just another story to pass the time.
"They say he’s so handsome, I’d love to take a look."
"I heard you can’t really see his face because of the cloak."
"He’s quite shy for a work brought in by the Guild Master."
"At least he’s not causing any accidents. No one’s been hurt, right?"
But as time passed, that light atmosphere gradually grew heavy.
"..."
"I heard the latest witness also took a leave of absence."
"...Is it really that scary?"
"They say he was originally going to resign, but the Guild Master coaxed him into taking a leave of absence instead."
"If even the Guild Master had to step in, isn’t this more serious than we thought?"
Usually, this kind of "ghost story" was resolved within a week. After all, the source was typically a monster or item that had popped out of one of Bisabeol’s works, or a mental-type skill activated by them. In a guild teeming with Hunters, it would be strange if it couldn’t be resolved.
But now, that "strange thing" was happening.
"Why is this thing so hard to subdue? What are the curators doing?"
"There’s a rumor that even they can’t handle it."
"Then wouldn’t it be better to just throw it outside the guild..."
"..."
"...I just said something stupid."
The Collector Guild operated a special gallery that could not be replaced. Dangerous items, so much so that the government directly regulated them, gathered here from all over the world. Where on earth could they discard something that even the Collector Guild couldn’t handle? It would only cause another disaster elsewhere.
Until now, all incidents had stopped at the level of a "ghost story" before they could become such a disaster.
"But for it to not be subdued after all this time..."
"I heard some say they aren’t even trying to subdue it."
"Why not? Wouldn’t it be better to destroy or seal it?"
"They know they won’t succeed anyway, so they’d rather not displease it..."
"It can get displeased? That means it has that level of intelligence... Does it have a sense of self, then?"
"The rumor that it’s a humanoid monster is the most credible one, so it would have to have a sense of self, right?"
"Wow, this is crazy. Of all things, bringing in a humanoid monster."
"When was the last time a humanoid monster was even sighted? A few years ago?"
Never before had Bisabeol neglected a "ghost story" to this extent. He was a man who knew well how much efficiency increased when his employees felt secure.
And yet, this situation had come to pass.
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Not really..."
And as this situation continued...
"..."
"..."
"...Then isn’t it fine?"
The employees began to rationalize it on their own.
"No injuries, no deaths. Then why is it a ghost story?"
"Well, a ghost story just means a strange tale... If it’s really just a tale, then it makes sense."
"Was it just a story? But there are witnesses, so it seems to exist. That’s fascinating."
"Exactly."
This was the Collector Guild. Every employee was a collectible personally gathered by the Collector, Bisabeol. The pragmatic, cynical employees—the very kind he preferred—gradually calmed themselves down.
"Ah, it must have been a lie."
"But they say someone saw it?"
"Then it must be a hallucination skill."
"I guess so."
"Anyway, they say it’s not dangerous, right?"
"Maybe the Guild Master hired a new employee without telling us."
"True, it’s not like we know every single employee. Didn’t something similar happen before?"
"Yeah, they were just a quiet employee, but rumors went around that they were a ghost. That sounds plausible."
"It would be nice if they announced this kind of thing in advance, don’t you think?"
"The Guild Master’s personality is just so unique. Let’s all be understanding."
"That’s true. I wonder when he’ll introduce the new recruit this time..."
Guild Master Bisabeol was a man who cherished his employees. If he was willing to let a "ghost story" like this persist, it was clear that the entity was not particularly dangerous. Whether it existed or not, whatever its true identity was, the employees trusted Bisabeol.
"..."
"..."
And Bisabeol himself knew that.
"...Did you expect this?"
"What do you think?"
The Collector Guild regained its peace once more.
Even though nothing had been resolved.