Chapter 19
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19
“That was dangerous,” Yoo Seong-un said with a sigh.
“Even though I agreed to it, my heart was pounding just watching the employees whispering about that ‘ghost story.’ We were one step away from infighting.”
“Our guild members aren’t so narrow-minded as to start infighting over a mere ghost story. Don’t you have a little more faith in your colleagues, Curator Yoo Seong-un?”
“This has nothing to do with trust. It was too much of a gamble—not something we could just brush off by relying on faith in our colleagues.”
In the end, things had worked out, but that didn’t change the fact that it had been an incredibly dangerous gamble.
“We basically unleashed an Existence of the Origin whose true nature we don’t even understand…”
They still didn’t know Gio’s true identity. No matter how many books Yoo Seong-un consulted, he couldn’t find a single entity that matched him.
Entrusting the investigation to the Association might yield some answers, but the chances were slim. Besides, Bisabeol would never allow it in the first place.
After all, he pours his heart and soul into everything he owns.
The only certainty was that ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was an entity heavily influenced by the Origin.
Gardeners and the few humans aware of their existence used the term ‘Existences of the Origin’ as a catch-all for the monsters, items, skills, or phenomena that were born from it. Since they were difficult to define concretely, it was a convenient label.
Although it was embarrassing for a professional of his caliber to admit, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was a textbook case.
“We could have easily unleashed a catastrophe.”
“Well, Curator Yoo Seong-un, what do you think Gio’s true identity is?”
“Are you changing the subject…?”
“It’s a simple question.”
“……”
Yoo Seong-un shrugged.
“I don’t know. Just as we haven’t known all along.”
Gio was fundamentally different from any ordinary Existence of the Origin.
“First of all, there’s a high probability he isn’t a monster.”
“Indeed. Monsters are hostile toward civilization outside the dungeons.”
“Their hostility is closer to instinct. It’s a reflex, like how a person flinches or wants to kill a cockroach on sight. It’s not something a monster can just choose to control…”
“And even if one could, any entity with that level of patience and judgment would have already transcended being a mere ‘monster.’”
“In that sense, I’ve concluded he isn’t a monster.”
Gio’s goodwill seemed to stem from a fondness for the human race as a whole. While this sometimes made him seem indifferent or merciless, it didn’t mean his goodwill wasn’t genuine.
Therefore, he couldn’t be a monster.
“He exhibits completely different patterns from monsters, doesn’t he?”
Yoo Seong-un nodded.
“Of course, there are monsters friendly to humans, but strictly speaking, that’s closer to a love-hate relationship than genuine affection. If the anomaly eleven years ago had been born of pure goodwill, those entities would have cleaned up the mess instead of just watching humans cry out in terror.”
“But didn’t the reports say those entities were clearly enjoying themselves?”
“Part of it is that they have no intention of understanding humans; perhaps they just found our reactions amusing. That incident was wrapped up so hastily that it remains an unsolved mystery… so I can’t say for sure.”
“That’s not what’s important right now. Let’s move on.”
“Right, and…”
Yoo Seong-un’s deep navy eyes shifted as he continued.
“He’s not an item, either.”
“Surely there are items with their own egos.”
“The ego dwelling within an item is strictly something created by humans. It has its limits.”
He added, “It’s not judged by how human-like their thinking is… we have to look at their essence.”
“Their essence?”
“Gio created life, even if it was only within the portrait.”
After a moment of thought, Yoo Seong-un tilted his head.
“Perhaps the life he creates can even emerge from the painting. Although we haven’t gotten an answer from Gio on that, the possibility is high, considering he himself can leave the portrait without restriction and can easily bring objects out with him.”
“What if Gio paints a monster and it comes out?”
“That seems possible, too. Even if it isn’t, it’s already confirmed that Gio himself can leave at will. If he brought out a Contracted Beast he subdued with his soul, that alone would be uncontrollable, regardless of whether he’s an item or not.”
“And a mere item couldn’t possibly do all that?”
“All items are created by humans. Even casting aside all prejudice, at most, only highly intelligent monsters could possibly create them. But creating life is impossible for both humans and monsters. Furthermore, numerous witnesses have already testified that the caliber of his soul is incomparable to a human’s. He is not an item.”
“Ah.”
Bisabeol chuckled, amused. He looked quite childish for his age.
“Then what about a type of skill? It was proven long ago that skills can manipulate souls. There’s even a user of a resurrection skill who can bring the dead back to life, though they’re the only one.”
“That, too, is just manipulating an existing soul; it cannot create an entirely new soul from scratch. And even if a skill capable of soul creation existed somewhere… a skill is, by definition, an intangible energy manipulated by an intelligent being.”
“Which means Gio, who has a physical form and an ego, cannot be the remnant of a skill. But what if he’s simply a type of Awakened who obtained a skill that lets him turn himself into a portrait?”
Bisabeol waved his hand dismissively.
“Gio also refers to himself as a twenty-nine-year-old man and mentioned he was once part of human society. If so, he might just be a type of Awakened that hasn’t been discovered yet.”
Yoo Seong-un shook his head.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why? Does Mr. Yoo Seong-un, the former research team leader of the Association, see something I don’t?”
“If anyone sees more, it would be you, Guild Master, not me… I just happen to know a few things.”
“Then what is it that you know?”
“To begin with, do you know why people with superpowers came to be called ‘Awakened’?”
“Hmm…” Bisabeol shrugged. “It’s not really a field I’m interested in.”
“I suppose admitting you don’t know would bruise that massive pride of yours.”
“It certainly would. I am, after all, the leader of one of the Top 3 Guilds of South Korea. Can you even imagine how much a single speck of my pride is worth?”
“I’m sure it’s a lot.”
Letting out a hollow, bitter chuckle, Yoo Seong-un continued.
“It’s simple if you look back at the definition of the word ‘awakening.’”
“One: to wake up and regain consciousness. Two: to realize and understand. Three: to regain one’s senses and maintain a watchful, alert attitude.”
“…For someone who isn’t interested, you sound like a walking dictionary.”
“If I didn’t even know the meaning of words, what would be the point of becoming a Guild Master with just an Appraisal Skill?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
“So, which one is it?”
“Well… any of them works.”
Yoo Seong-un continued calmly, “The important part is the essence.”
“Intriguing.”
“Whichever meaning you choose, awakening is a reconfiguration of an already existing state.” He rested his chin on his hand. “Whether it’s opening one’s eyes to regain consciousness, straightening out a twisted mindset, or maturing enough to reflect on one’s youth… it is a change that occurs within a person who already exists.”
“Ah, and so?”
“An Awakened’s skill isn’t a newly bestowed ability, but the awakening of a power that was already buried within their potential. When dungeons appeared, generating energy and resources that didn’t originally exist on Earth, the environment changed. Humans evolved to adapt.”
“I think I saw something similar in the training center’s textbooks. So, we’ve simply entered an era where we can realize that the stone we always possessed was actually a diamond?”
“That’s close enough.” Yoo Seong-un scratched the back of his neck. “In that sense, Gio cannot be considered an Awakened.”
“Hmm…”
“Even if we assume he is an Awakened, it would mean the caliber of his original soul was awakened, not newly granted.”
“I suppose so.”
Although neither of them knew it, there was an error in Yoo Seong-un’s reasoning. Seo Gio was a case where, during the process of Earth’s rebirth, he had—by a very, very incredible coincidence—merged with the Origin, thereby elevating the caliber of his soul. This was a miraculous mutation, a probability so low it could hardly be observed in a tiny dimension like Earth.
“How troublesome.”
“Troublesome indeed.”
Of course, there was no way the two of them, living only thirty years after the Great Catastrophe, could figure this out. To them, as ordinary humans, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was simply an entity that had never been human to begin with.
“……”
Blinking his bright yellow eyes in thought, Bisabeol spoke.
“Then, what if we call Gio a ‘Child of the Origin’?”
“I think that’s also a bit… strange.”
“Please explain in what sense it is strange.”
“Most Children of the Origin have nothing resembling reason. In fact, this applies to almost every entity born from the Origin…” Yoo Seong-un said with a grimace. “To describe an Existence of the Origin in one word, they are ‘living stories.’ Therefore, they cannot think. Even if they seem to, it’s just an illusion; they aren’t actually reasoning.”
“Are you sure?”
“…Not entirely. No matter how much of a Gardener I am, this field hasn’t been fully uncovered yet.” Yoo Seong-un hesitated before continuing. “I only say this because all the Children of the Origin we’ve seen so far could be considered forces of nature itself.”
There were occasional cases where a human, possessing strong thoughts, would create a dungeon with their own rules and become its boss monster. But even they couldn’t be called ‘Children of the Origin.’
“Monsters are one of two things: they either arose from a dungeon, or they became a monster because they created a dungeon.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s a different story from the ‘Children of the Origin,’ who arise directly from the Origin or happen to belong to the Veins of Mystery, appearing across various dimensions.”
“Your stories about that side are always fascinating to hear.” Bisabeol smiled, his eyes narrowing like a snake’s. “From my perspective as a Hunter, the greatest secret of the world is the dungeons.”
“That’s for the best. There are still many people who can’t adapt to the mere existence of dungeons. If we told them that those dungeons were actually formed from a cosmic concept called the Origin… everyone’s minds would shatter.”
“Well, I’m always grateful to all you Gardeners. Shall I make you some coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’m sick of caffeine.” Yoo Seong-un openly grimaced. He was already drowning in overtime, and lately, he’d been consuming so much caffeine to stay up for Gio—who only woke at dawn—that he was starting to feel nauseous.
“Anyway, yes. If we had to classify him, calling Gio a Child of the Origin would make the most sense. There’s no other way to explain him… and the Origin isn’t a narrow concept that beings from Earth could fully grasp in just thirty years.”
“Indeed. We don’t have the luxury to explore deeper knowledge when we haven’t even fully grasped dungeons.”
“The Association President still seems very interested, but… it’s still hard to say anything for sure about Gio’s true identity.”
The Origin was an ecosystem, nature itself. Just as the nitrogen in the atmosphere cannot understand humans, a Child of the Origin naturally lacks any understanding of humanity. They simply survive in their own way and cultivate their own ‘story.’
But Gio was different.
“I don’t know how it’s possible. But since he said he was once human, shouldn’t we find something if we focus our investigation on that…?”
“……”
“Even so, I still can’t understand how a human could become a Child of the Origin. And even if he was human, there’s a possibility he wasn’t a human from Earth.”
Although many novice Gardeners confused ‘monsters’ with ‘Children of the Origin,’ they were not the same just because they were both heavily influenced by the Origin during their formation.
“Monsters are born in dungeons, while Children of the Origin are born from the Origin. They come from entirely different wombs, so they can’t possibly be the same.”
“So, roughly an uncle-and-nephew relationship?”
“Hmm… that’s somewhat close.”
The ‘dungeon’ and the ‘Child of the Origin’ are both formed from the mother source that is the Origin. Then, monsters are formed from that ‘dungeon.’ That was the usual flow.
“When it comes to humanoid monsters or entities of similar caliber, they would create a dungeon first and then craft new rules or monsters within it, but such cases aren’t common…”
The uncle-nephew analogy wasn’t entirely wrong.
“There’s even a theory that dungeons themselves are one of the Children of the Origin.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“This area still requires more research. I can’t say for sure. Anyway…” Yoo Seong-un looked at Bisabeol. “So, is this really okay?”
“……”
“You’ve essentially decided to let such an unidentified entity roam free.”
At that, Bisabeol shrugged.
“…Haven’t we been discussing the answer to that this whole time?”
How on earth could they stop such an unidentified, uncontrollable entity from being free?
“He’s not a monster, not an item, and not an Awakened. Yet, calling him a Child of the Origin has too many discrepancies.”
“……”
“He creates life, has a high caliber of soul, and there’s absolutely nothing he can’t do. He does it all by himself. It would be one thing if there were restrictions or conditions for him to emerge from the portrait, but he does even that with ease, whenever he pleases.”
“…True.”
“How do you plan to stop him? Is it even possible? We can’t even handle a god we’ve grown close to, so how do you expect to stop ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ whose identity is far more mysterious?”
Bisabeol smiled and waved his hand.
“Ah, perhaps it would be possible if we took a human he cherishes hostage.”
“Are you insane?”
“I expected that reaction. Not only is it distasteful from a humanitarian standpoint, but we also have no idea how effective it would be. With Gio’s abilities, he could easily rescue the hostage… and we’d only incur his wrath.”
“……”
“Do you understand?” He laughed, genuinely amused. “We can’t stop him.”
“…I know.”
“Honestly, how is that any different from trying to stop a tsunami by using a child as a meat shield? If we can’t stop him anyway, we should at least avoid angering him.”
He smiled thinly, a look that felt like an elder coaxing a sulking child.
“And we should do our best to win his favor.”
By a great stroke of luck, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was gentlemanly, valued manners, and was fair. If he received something out of goodwill, he would return the favor with equal goodwill, often repaying an even greater value. That was likely Gio’s ‘rule.’
“This incident was a sort of vaccination. A preliminary warning to coexist with an entity we can never defeat. Fortunately, I know my employees very well, and they showed the exact level of indifference I expected.”
“…The numerous ghost story commotions in the guild up to now probably played a part. They likely thought there was no need to tremble over a single new ghost story, since nothing has ever come of them.”
“Exactly.”
“……”
“This is ‘Collector.’”
A place managed by Bisabeol himself, filled only with employees chosen by Bisabeol himself, and packed with artworks loved by Bisabeol himself.
That was South Korea’s third-ranked guild, ‘Collector.’
“Mr. Yoo Seong-un, remember this. ‘Gio’s Portrait’ is not an entity we can control.”
Thinking of fighting him was foolish.
“He is a natural disaster. And fortunately, he can communicate with us and harbors goodwill. That is an incredible stroke of luck—no, it’s an absurd miracle.”
“……”
“Think of it as if the fate of the Earth rests in your hands, and don’t you dare foolishly throw this miracle away. We must be cautious, we must be bold, and we must always be kind.”
“…Did you buy Gio knowing this would happen? Did you know that once he appeared at the auction house, he would eventually be revealed to the world, and you made a preemptive move to prevent a potential disaster?”
“I see quite a lot of things, you know.”
“……”
“I knew it wasn’t an ordinary piece.”
Bisabeol then laughed with a childish, playful expression. Dressed like a gentleman, it shouldn’t have suited him, but instead, it made him look full of life.
He said, “Because it was the only artwork I couldn’t read.”
He was right.
“……”
“…I trust you, Guild Master.”
“It’s a bit troubling if you trust me too much.”
“To be precise, I trust your eye.”
He trusted those eyes. Since the gamble had ultimately paid off, Yoo Seong-un decided to swallow his remaining objections.
“Even so, the reason I feel anxious is probably because I am a mere human.”
“We’re harboring a talking disaster. Of course you would be.”
“It feels like… the moment right before a horror movie starts.”
Ah, yes.
That was it.
“…Is it because we’re standing before something too massive…?”
What could one do about a heart that shrank before a giant?
For humans were, by nature, such tiny creatures.
* * *
Meanwhile, by a miracle so mind-bogglingly absurd it should have been impossible—on that day which was supposed to be Earth’s last, but actually wasn’t—Gio, who had unconsciously merged with the Origin and evolved into a Haunted Portrait, was…
“Ah, this is the life.”
…farming.
Meaning, he had absolutely nothing on his mind.