Chapter 28
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28
After their meal, Yoo Seong-un led Gio to Cheonggyecheon.
“…”
It was, as expected, quite different from the Cheonggyecheon Gio remembered from his time in Seoul.
“Well, here we are. This is Cheonggyecheon.”
“It’s a remarkably natural sight.”
“Right?”
“To think, flowers are blooming even though it’s winter.”
Has the world gone mad? Gio wondered. Has Earth finally broken down, unable to endure humanity any longer?
Fortunately, Yoo Seong-un provided an explanation.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but they’ve just taken special measures to turn it into a sort of greenhouse.”
“What kind of measures?”
“The city has a department dedicated to urban landscaping. When they develop the city, they make sure a certain amount of plant life is preserved.”
“And they maintain it like a greenhouse, even in winter?”
“Exactly. See? The air is incredibly mild, isn’t it?”
Yoo Seong-un gestured vaguely toward the stream.
“It’s magically treated, so anyone can enter except for 5th-Grade Citizens—which includes criminals—and threatening monsters. The barrier blocks the cold winter air but lets the sunlight pass through. It’s a system that truly acts like a greenhouse.”
“…”
“Wasn’t it pretty warm in front of our company building, too? Areas near wealthy companies or public spaces where people gather often have this kind of magical treatment. In the first case, the company owners install it privately; in the latter, the government funds it…”
Mulling over Seong-un’s words, Gio asked, “When you say ‘threatening monsters’… does that mean non-threatening monsters are allowed in?”
“Ah…” Yoo Seong-un paused to think for a moment before nodding. “I suppose it can’t be helped. Even if they’re monsters, they’re already part of Earth’s ecosystem and play a role in the cycle of nature, so we can’t just reject them outright.”
At those words, Gio realized that monsters were now treated somewhat like stray cats or pigeons.
“I see. So monsters aren’t only seen when a dungeon breaks.”
“Huh? Ah, well, humans aren’t quite that competent, you know.”
Yoo Seong-un continued his explanation.
“I heard that when I was young, there were a lot of arguments about eliminating every single monster. But no matter how many Hunters there are, there aren’t enough to protect all of humanity. And even if you had an incredibly strong Hunter, forcing them to hunt down every last monster would be inhumane.”
He shrugged.
“Above all, if a powerful Hunter like that snapped from the stress and committed an act of terror, how would we handle it? The same goes for any Hunter, not just the top-tier ones. Hunters are human, too; they can’t just work all the time.”
“I see.”
“They say most of the indigenous monsters that have settled on Earth are here because we failed to deal with them during the early days of the Great Catastrophe.”
“The early days?”
“Back then, Hunters were much weaker than they are now, the system was a mess, and there were very few people with tracking skills. It was only natural that some slipped through.”
“So the monsters that weren’t killed back then…”
“…became a part of Earth.”
As he spoke, Yoo Seong-un gestured with his eyes toward the clear, flowing stream.
“Like that fellow over there.”
Flutter—
In the middle of the stream, a round bird was preening its feathers.
“That thing is a monster, too.”
“…”
It was definitely a bird Gio didn’t recognize.
But the System did.
[Cotton Bird]
Named by Koreans for its resemblance to a cotton ball. It is spherical, with no clear distinction between its wings, body, head, and neck. This is merely due to its puffed-up feathers; its actual physical structure is similar to that of an ordinary bird. Its eggs can be boiled and spun into thread to craft bandages.
“…”
A silkworm cocoon? he thought. Though it looks more like a ball.
In any case, Gio accepted it.
“The Cotton Bird is not threatening.”
“…You know that creature?”
“I just found out.”
According to the System’s explanation, it was practically a silkworm cocoon in the shape of a bird. Watching the slightly oversized cotton balls preen their feathers in the stream brought a sense of peace to his mind.
Yoo Seong-un, who had been staring at Gio, soon continued, “…Well, yes, creatures like that. Most of the small, numerous ones that are deemed to have no major negative impact on humans or the ecosystem have settled down as Earth’s indigenous monsters.”
“It is cute.”
“You don’t seem like the type, but I guess you like things like that?”
“If it is small and round, it looks wonderfully harmless, which is nice.”
“No wonder your Water Bird was so round, too…” Yoo Seong-un laughed helplessly. “Even so, we only leave the current indigenous monsters alone because they’ve already integrated into the natural cycle. Any new invasive species are completely eliminated. In the first place, monsters inherently harbor an immense hatred for Earthlings.”
“Is that so?”
“Usually, yes. Even if they don’t have hostile intentions, they can still pose a significant threat. The indigenous monsters remaining now are those that have already passed the Association’s safety inspections and are managed at the government level.”
Yoo Seong-un pointed at the Cotton Bird once more.
“Maybe it’s because they’ve been on Earth for so long and adapted, but their hostility toward humans has softened to the level of ordinary wild animals. I heard that in the early days of the Great Catastrophe, they were dangerous monsters that would tear off human flesh. Now, they’re about as harmless as pigeons.”
“Ah.”
“Since they’re still monsters, touching them or keeping them as pets is illegal… but it means coexistence is possible. Dungeons and Earth are inextricably linked, so they probably decided this was a better path than unconditional rejection.”
Coexisting with monsters… Earthlings seemed to have grown remarkably tough during the time he was away.
“Well, that’s enough explaining. Do you want to walk around for a bit? The water quality is strictly managed, so it won’t do any harm. The monsters and animals here are all quite harmless, too.”
“…”
Gazing at the clear, rippling stream, Gio took a step forward.
It’s as clear as liquid glass.
Up close, the stream was even more beautiful as sunlight shattered across its surface.
In the spring-like weather, large trees, vines, and flowers filled the area like a massive greenhouse. Pastel-toned butterflies perched on petals, and a squirrel-like creature gnawed on a piece of fruit. He even saw sparrow-like birds plucking flowers from the trees, perhaps for fun or to drink the nectar inside.
“…Is there really no issue with the ecosystem when people alter the seasons as they please?”
“That caused a lot of controversy for a while, but they say they’ve managed to adjust for everything now. In fact, they often create artificial seasons on purpose to prevent Earth’s native animals from going extinct because of monsters.”
“I see.”
In so many ways, this world was different from the one Gio had lived in.
“If you’d like, you can dip your feet in.”
“May I?”
“There are rules against picking fruit or plucking flowers, but not really for that. In the summer, when it’s crowded, plenty of people come here to play in the water.”
“For all that, there is no one here today.”
“Who would play in the water during working hours on a weekday? Besides, it’s still winter. Most people probably don’t want to get wet anyway.”
“You are right, Mr. Yoo Seong-un.”
Gio took off his shoes and socks and, just like that, dipped his feet into the flowing water.
“…”
It was cool.
And soft.
A sweet scent wafted up. He couldn’t tell if it was from the flowers, the trees, or perhaps a monster residing in the water. Maybe the stream itself had evolved, unlike the colorless, odorless water of the past.
But the sight of pebbles rolling in the current, just like in a mountain valley in summer…
“…”
The tiny, busy movements of small living creatures made Giovanni happy.
“…It is beautiful water.”
His black eyes reflected the light of the stream.
“It is clear, and deep.”
“…”
“Deeper than I thought.”
“…”
“Why does it smell of the sea here?”
Yoo Seong-un sensed a change.
“…Gio?”
“I smell the sea. A bit metallic, like iron. Cool, like pine needles. A fierce wind that scatters the sand…”
“Gio.”
“It resembles that place.”
His voice was gentle, yet devoid of emotion.
“The color of the sea.”
At that moment…
“…”
“The color of mermaids.”
At Giovanni’s feet, all kinds of aquatic creatures gathered in silence.
“Nurtured by the deep sea…”
Before long, his feet began to transform, shimmering into transparent, watery light…
“—Gio.”
“…”
The voice of his ‘friend.’
He blinked twice.
“…Yes.”
“…You…”
“Did you call me?”
Gio turned to look at Yoo Seong-un.
“…”
“…”
“…You’re Seo Gio, right?”
“That is correct.”
He nodded.
“My name is Gio.”
Yoo Seong-un’s face contorted strangely.
*
Sometime later, in front of the hotel room, Yoo Seong-un handed Gio a key card with ‘Room 4501’ written on it.
“Here, this is yours.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be in the room right next door, so call me if you need anything.”
“Yes.”
“Dinner is reserved for six-thirty, so… let’s meet up around six.”
At that, Gio asked, “What is on the dinner menu?”
“French. It’s a course meal, so we just have to show up and eat.”
“Understood.”
“Well, get some rest.”
Having entered his room alone, Yoo Seong-un…
“…”
…was breaking out in a cold sweat.
“…Just now, that definitely…”
Back at Cheonggyecheon.
“…That wasn’t ‘Gio.’”
Something had changed. Perhaps conscious of being in Korea, Gio usually introduced himself as ‘Seo Gio.’ Yet, even when Seong-un had pointed it out, the person at Cheonggyecheon had defined himself simply as ‘Gio.’
So what exactly changed?
Yoo Seong-un could still see the Black Cloak at the stream.
It had started the moment Gio’s bare feet touched the water. An indescribable sense of wrongness arose, followed by a strange shimmering. Gio’s eyes, which had been a normal black, shifted to the color of the sea.
When Yoo Seong-un clearly recognized the change and spoke to him, Gio had offered a slow smile, as if his very personality had been swapped out.
What color was his hair…? Was it silver? Or platinum blonde? It was covered by his hood, so I couldn’t get a good look.
His body, slowly starting to dye in patches, soon transformed to the point where one couldn’t distinguish between the water and his feet. Though the shape remained the same, those were definitely not human feet. They were made of water.
When he saw a minnow naturally swim up that transparent ankle, Yoo Seong-un couldn’t help but call out.
That thing…
“…”
…was not human.
It didn’t seem alive, yet he could tell it wasn’t dead. It didn’t breathe, but it harbored life.
Watching something that, just minutes ago, was a tangible human he could talk to, turn into something else—something closer to… nature itself—was not a sight one could endure with a sane mind.
“…Sigh…”
How foolish of me.
Did I let my guard down just because his status was lowered?
An existence of the Origin could never truly become human. Especially not an existence like Gio, who couldn’t even be defined as a monster.
No matter how closely he mimics a person, he can never become one of us.
It was just that Gio was so human-like and kind that Seong-un had failed to stay on guard.
“I need to pull myself together.”
At this rate, I’ll have my Gardener qualification revoked.
“…Well, still, it went much smoother than I expected.”
He let out a sigh of relief.
Yoo Seong-un tossed his bag onto the bed and sat down beside it, retracing everything from the start of the day.
“…”
There had been nothing problematic.
…There were a few awkward moments, but perhaps because he possesses human memories, Gio is adept at navigating human society. He’s on a completely different level compared to other monsters.
An ordinary monster, no matter how intelligent, would never understand why it had to pay a set price to obtain something.
Actually, that’s only normal. Do humans consider an ant’s circumstances before digging up its hill?
It was the same logic. From a monster’s perspective, they just had to take the food or luxury items laid out in the open. Why go out of their way when it was right there? That was their natural routine, their rule.
So, from Gio’s perspective, Seong-un paying money for a meal must have been incomprehensible.
“Still, seeing how smoothly he let it go, I guess he’s trying to mimic humans in his own way…”
Though, if one were to be nitpicky, he was still clumsy in many ways.
“It was obvious he’s highly curious.”
Things a normal person would already know or figure out, Gio had asked about every single one. What is this? What is that? Can I have this? How was that made?
“It’s hard to call Gio a monster, but that part is certainly similar to humanoid monsters.”
They always harbored a curiosity toward human goods and rules.
“...And the fact that he’s too light for a human might be one of those aspects.”
Although he had lowered his status to almost a human level, it seemed his physical body hadn’t completely followed suit. On the way to the hotel, Gio had almost been blown away by the wind.
Even if he only floated up for a brief moment, that’s absurd given his height and build.
Originally, Gio was so light that his footsteps made no sound. Seong-un had thought he might have become as heavy as a human today, but it seemed the weight was only from his shoes and clothes; he himself was still far too light.
“…”
Recalling Gio, who had nearly been carried away by a gust of wind…
Honestly, it was a bit chilling.
“…He really isn’t human.”
Gio was not human.
His weightlessness, and what happened at Cheonggyecheon, proved it.
A human could never be that light. There was the weight of clothes, of organs and bones, of the blood circulating inside. If he were human, it would be impossible to move without making a single sound, like a leaf gently landing on the ground.
And a tiny minnow could not swim up inside his body.
“…”
The sight of his pale skin slowly turning into transparent water just by touching the stream. The sight of fish and air bubbles moving inside him was a moment so mysterious and bizarre that it was hard for the brain to even comprehend.
“But that’s not even a monster…”
Nature mimicking a human.
“…”
That would be a more accurate description.
“…It’s terrifying.”
An existence of the Origin was, by definition, nature with a sense of self. But for some reason, Gio seemed to be of a different caliber, instilling an unfounded sense of dread.
It felt like receiving the goodwill of an existence that shouldn’t exist.
*
Meanwhile, Gio…
“It’s the 45th floor.”
“Cooroorook!”
…was enjoying the top floor of the five-star hotel with Honey, whom he had smuggled inside.
Indeed, he didn’t have a single care in the world.