Chapter 48
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48
How, you might ask, did things end up like this?
“Let’s go, Honey.”
“Krooooo.”
“It’s a picnic.”
It was nothing complicated. Gio and Honey had simply decided to go on a picnic, with the novel backdrop of a dungeon.
“I wonder if we can pluck those jewels.”
“Kroo.”
“So they can be chipped off.”
The dungeon, the ‘Vein of Jewels’, was from one of the files Yoo Seong-un had given him.
Gio had been half-dragged here by Honey, who was utterly obsessed with the word ‘jewel’, and half-motivated by his own desire to enjoy such a fantasy-like outing. He used Yoo Seong-un’s data to create a passage and dropped in on a whim.
“…?”
Along the way, however, he noticed something peculiar.
“My synchronization rate isn’t rising at all.”
“Kroorook?”
“Well, I’m not really sure why.”
His synchronization rate with ‘Giovanni’ used to climb even when he was just sitting still inside his portrait. The sudden halt couldn’t help but concern him.
“Does synchronization pause when you enter another dungeon? It doesn’t feel like it’s completely stopped, though.”
“Kroooorook.”
“The frame?”
“Kook.”
“You might be right. It could be an issue with the passage.”
Honey seemed to be asking if the connection had been severed because they had exited through a passage of Gio’s own making, rather than through the official ‘Gio’s Portrait’. For some reason, Gio felt that Honey was right.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
You can only enjoy life by living in the present.
“That doesn’t change, even for a haunted portrait like me.”
“Koorook?”
“Portraits are people too.”
When Gio insisted, Honey stopped arguing. Whether it was out of filial piety or because the jewels had stolen its attention was unclear, but the matter was dropped.
Leaving his questions for another time, Gio took a leisurely look around the dungeon that was said to be a popular spot for Korean Hunters.
“Nice.”
Eerie and alien, yet made dreamlike by the glowing stones, the ‘Vein of Jewels’ was an excellent tourist destination.
“Cool.”
“Kooroorook.”
“I like it.”
He could see why they called this place the ‘Vein of Jewels’.
“It’s made entirely of gems.”
The dungeon resembled a cave carved by flowing lava, only this cavern looked as if it had been formed by a river of jewels.
There were large jewels and small ones; transparent gems and opaque stones. Sharp, hexagonal pillars stood beside round, spore-like crystals. Clusters of glittering jewels hung from the ceiling like chandeliers…
“Son, don’t eat too many.”
“Kkoong.”
“You’ll get an upset stomach.”
Countless types of jewels were clustered together haphazardly, forming a multitude of branching paths.
And sometimes, the protruding tips glow.
Gio recalled the description from Yoo Seong-un’s files.
“It said this was an extremely dark cave.”
“Kook.”
“But isn’t it… brighter than I expected?”
The files had stated that the very air in this cave swarmed with microscopic monsters that devoured light. Monsters that fed on human vitality roamed the interior without a sound, while creatures too small to be seen absorbed all light. In this place, so silent it felt as if sound itself had been stolen, the only thing one could rely on was the faint glow of the jewel pillars.
“Or so it said…”
Yet, Gio could see his surroundings perfectly fine.
“It’s a bit dim, but with these luminescent stones, my vision isn’t really obstructed.”
“Kooroorook.”
“Right, and I have you, too.”
He wondered if this was another perk of being a ‘portrait’.
Though I don’t know what kind of perk it is, exactly.
If he could see what other Hunters on Earth couldn’t, then Gio was undoubtedly the strange one. As a harmless man who didn’t even hold a white belt in Taekwondo, the only possible cause for these bizarre abilities was the portrait.
“……”
I feel like I’m drifting further from being human with each passing day.
“…Well, it’s funny, so whatever.”
“Kook?”
“It’s a very interesting life.”
“Kroor?”
“It’s because I’m so well-made.”
Literally, well-made.
After all, as one goes through life, one might end up becoming a portrait or drifting away from the standards of an ordinary human. Such things didn’t matter to Gio in the slightest.
“Life is a series of experiences, and experiences are meant to be enjoyed.”
“Kroooroo…”
“There’s no reason for me not to enjoy my own life. Even if it’s the life of a portrait.”
He wasn’t the type to be discouraged by such a minor realization. With a completely clear mind, Gio comfortably toured the ‘Vein of Jewels’.
And he was amazed.
“Earth’s tourism industry has developed so much in thirty-one years.”
Occasionally, faint, ghost-like beast monsters would appear, but for some reason, they would offer a small, friendly gesture toward Gio before passing by. They weren’t much different from the animals in the Picture Forest.
Those guys sometimes kiss my ankles, too.
“What adorable little sweethearts.”
Having made his judgment based on love, friendship, and peace, Gio nodded, satisfied.
Did they recognize that I’m harmless?
At any rate, now that he knew even the monsters weren’t a threat, there was absolutely nothing holding him back. Gio wandered the ‘Vein of Jewels’ with a heart full of joy.
As a result, Gio was able to enjoy a spectacular tour with his son to the absolute fullest, but…
“……”
There was one thing he didn’t like.
There were no people.
“…I should have taken the hint when they said it was a sparsely populated dungeon.”
The portrait had pitied him for growing old alone and had even provided a letter-writing system for him to make new friends. Yet, not a single human who could become a pen pal was in sight.
I’m a lonely firefly.
No friends.
Even if he did meet someone, he couldn’t just say hello and instantly become friends. He would have to make multiple attempts to forge a new connection. Making a pen pal was truly a difficult task.
And here I am, unable to spot even a single strand of human hair from the very start…
Seo Gio, a modern man who subsisted on love, friendship, and peace more than food, fell into a deep sorrow.
“In my twenty-nine years of life, I’ve never been a friendless loner.”
“Kroor?”
“Family doesn’t count. It’s a bit weird to call a child born from my own paint a ‘friend,’ don’t you think?”
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong…”
“You can grumble all you want, but it can’t be helped. No matter how open-minded your dad is, some things are just a no-go.”
As a dejected Gio lowered his head, he spotted a cat quietly settling down near his feet.
“……”
Oh, a cat.
“…When did you get here?”
“Mew.”
“Cute.”
It had long, fluffy fur like a long-haired breed, yet it possessed a distinct weight and solid presence that set it apart from the pale, ghostly monsters he had seen so far in the ‘Vein of Jewels’.
“Have I been chosen?”
Gio looked around for a mother cat but quickly grew dejected again. To think the new connection he made after gathering all his courage to step out into society was a palm-sized kitten… Was this really okay?
“…Well, why not?”
After all, the more the merrier. Life wasn’t meant to be lived alone.
Having convinced himself, Gio asked the cat, “Is it always this empty here, little one?”
“Purr.”
“You’re adorable, but you don’t give answers.”
The kitten merely rolled onto its back, giving no reply. At this unspoken command to rub its belly, Gio, a prepared butler, squatted down and gently stroked the tiny stomach.
It’s hard and cold.
A purring sound echoed. If my master is satisfied, then I am pleased, Gio thought with a nod.
“Cute.”
“Kook?”
“Of course it’s cute. It’s small and harmless.”
“……”
“…I don’t know why, but you seem to be disagreeing with your father. Whatever the truth is, it’s best you don’t tell me. They say ignorance is bliss, and that is certainly true for me. I don’t want to know any harsh truths, so just let me enjoy this.”
Honey seemed to acknowledge Gio’s heartfelt plea.
“But it really is cute.”
The monster, as small as a kitten, wasn’t cleanly transparent like Honey. Its entire body was made of jewels, filled with dense crystals and internal cracks that made it look almost opaque. Yet, as he touched it, he could feel the soft fur covering its exterior. Unlike Honey, its jewel body was cold and hard, but the cat’s behavior—rolling on the ground and enjoying his touch—was incredibly sophisticated.
“I wonder if I can appraise a monster like this.”
Anti-Cat
A jewel-based, cat-type monster that acts independently from the moment it hatches. It harbors an extreme hatred for Earth’s living creatures, which led the humans who first discovered it to name it the ‘Anti-Cat’.
Alchemy Method: The jewel hairballs that the Anti-Cat very rarely coughs up can be stretched and woven into fabric to create an invisibility cloak. The tears of the Anti-Cat, shed even more rarely, can be used on their own as an excellent mental stabilizer.
“Oh.”
Gio had a realization.
“Well, it appraised the monster at Cheonggyecheon, so a dungeon monster shouldn’t be much different. What a handy feature.”
And then he had a second realization.
“…It hates Earth’s living creatures?”
Then what about me?
“Am I not considered a living creature of Earth?”
“Grrr.”
“Don’t just purr, answer me! Tell me my identity, little one. Even though I’m currently forced to live in a portrait because my identity and real estate were completely wiped out, I’m still a healthy young man of South Korea, raised on the clean, fresh air of the Gangwon-do mountains.”
“Purrrrr…”
“Do I have catnip on my hands or something?”
Seeing it like him this much made him feel embarrassingly proud.
“You recognized a prepared butler when you saw one.”
Even if it was a monster, it still possessed the habits of a cat, and the touch of Gio—a veteran cat-stroker—seemed to work wonders. In that moment, he felt that all the time he’d spent visiting cat cafes during his busy modern life had truly paid off.
“……”
“……”
At any rate, there were still no people.
“Hmm.”
Only the cat was cute.
“How sad.”
“Grrk?”
“I came to make a new friend, but I’m going back having only acquired a master.”
Gio was already fully intent on kidnapping this Anti-Cat. Since the description said it ‘acts independently from the moment it hatches’, it didn’t seem to have a family.
You shouldn’t just take cats you find on Earth, but…
Since this fellow was a monster, he felt a bit less guilty.
“We have an ice storage room with a similar environment, and if worst comes to worst, I can just paint you a home like this one. I think it’ll be fine. What do you think, little one?”
“Purrrrr.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Still, not seeing a single person was a bit of a blow. For the timid Gio, just stepping outside to make new friends required a massive amount of mental energy.
“I hate crowded places, but I still wished there was at least one person.”
“Grrk.”
“……”
“Grrrr.”
“Hm?”
The Anti-Cat, which clearly seemed to understand him, slowly got to its feet and trotted off somewhere.
“Oh.”
Sensing new content on the horizon, Gio stood still and waited.
A friendship brokered by an animal… This is a beautiful, fairy-tale-like situation…
As he waited with childlike anticipation, the Anti-Cat soon returned, leading a human behind it.
Specifically, a young, pitiful human who was clearly terrified, completely oblivious, and dragged along like a moth drawn to the Anti-Cat’s faint light.
“……”
An offering?
A sacrifice?
No, surely not.
It probably brought them here so I could make a friend. What a shame. They look as young as the students I used to teach, so it’d be a bit awkward to be friends…
To the person who hadn’t noticed him yet, Gio spoke in the kindest voice he could muster.
“Hello.”
“H-Hyaaaaaaaah!!”
That hurt a little.
“W-W-What… Wh-What…”
“……”
“…W-Who are you…”
That really hurt.
“Who… Who might you be…”
“……”
Completely oblivious to the other person’s perfectly reasonable question, Gio grew sullen. His spirits plummeted. Honey, hiding in his hood, seemed to be getting angry, as if to say, How dare you discourage my dad! but Gio ignored him.
He had foreseen this kind of situation. It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Still… I thought I’d gotten used to people being afraid of me, but it still stings.
Besides, the guards at the ‘Collector’ didn’t get this scared. Thanks to the recent rumors about the ‘Black Cloak’, most of them didn’t show excessive fear and actually conversed with him.
In short, this was the first time he had met someone who was this terrified of him.
…And to think I just terrified a student who looks to be about high school age…
As a former high school teacher, Seo Gio’s heart instantly ached. If she were one of his students, he would have coaxed her with a sweet treat, but doing that now would probably only terrify her more.
As if sensing Gio’s feelings, the Anti-Cat rubbed its body against his leg, its mission seemingly complete. It was incredibly cute. Gio looked down at the Anti-Cat.
“…The Anti-Cat…”
“……”
“Ah, excuse me, by any chance… are you a T-Tamer? Um…”
“……”
“Which guild’s Hunter are you…”
Hearing the cautious questions, Gio finally realized.
“……?”
Ah, that student.
Is that the student I ran into in the alley last time?
The kind-hearted student who had so generously donated her scarf to a homeless person on a cold winter day.
How admirable, now that I think about it again.
He felt like giving her a good citizenship award right then and there. Or some store points. Or at least a snack…
The admirable student who proved that promising young sprouts could still grow in this brutal world.
Having been a teacher, Seo Gio had a soft spot for young students, and he personally loved good-natured people. Nothing warmed his heart more than a kind and polite student.
What should I do?
Remembering that this was the good student from before, Gio found himself even more at a loss for words.
I think she was incredibly scared of me that day, too… If she finds out I’m the same person, won’t she just faint?
Furthermore, Gio currently had no proper identity to speak of. He couldn’t answer her questions. No matter how crazy he was, he couldn’t exactly say, “Actually, I was a high school art teacher thirty-one years ago, but I became a haunted portrait during a fire…”
“……”
“……”
But simply ignoring her questions because he was tongue-tied wasn’t how a proper adult should behave. Glad to see a familiar face—even if they had only crossed paths once—Gio squeezed his slightly lagging brain and forced out a few words.
“Hello.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“……”
“U-Um, hello…”
Ah, was that not it?
My social skills must have completely withered away during the thirty-one years I was asleep.
Watching the extremely awkward student, a wave of apology washed over him. This was his first time dealing with someone so terrified of him, and the fact that she was a young student only made him more cautious.
Gio hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“My name is Seo Gio.”
His grandmother used to say that introducing oneself was the most effective way to put someone at ease. Gio firmly believed in the wisdom of his revered grandparents.
“……”
“What is your name?”
Even so, this was a bit strange. But Gio, appearing in a dungeon as a ‘portrait’, had no objective awareness that he was saying something bizarre. Even if he had realized it, he was too flustered to come up with a better response.
“…I-I am…”
“You seem tense.”
“……”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“……”
“I promise I will not harm you in any way.”
Gio was speaking purely out of sincerity. Because the student looked so tense, he simply wanted to say, ‘I’m harmless, so you don’t need to be so scared…’
“Do not be afraid.”
But life is never that simple.
“……”
“I am curious about your name.”
For one, his overly polite tone, a side effect of his ‘portrait’ identity, was already taking over.
Is she still unable to relax?
To prevent the already dangerous ‘Gio’s Portrait’ from completely losing its human persona, Yoo Seong-un and Bisabeol had never described to him just how terrifying and unfathomable he appeared to others. Thus, Gio merely thought of himself as something like a ‘gloomy man you might encounter in a dark alley late at night’.
It’ll get better once we clear up the misunderstanding.
But of course, Gio’s self-awareness was severely lacking.
“Ch-Cha Ah-ra… I’m Cha Ah-ra.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Cha Ah-ra.”
Gio asked with a voice full of kindness.
“Would you care to converse with me?”
Behold my open mind. I shall show you just how harmless I am, was his resolve.
“……”
“……”
“Please spare me.”
Sincerity, it seemed, didn’t always translate.