Chapter 77
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77
Gio spoke over a meal of plump grilled fish and rice cooked in a broth made from vegetables harvested from their garden.
“A ghost story?”
“Kururuk.”
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”
Honey seemed worried about the ‘Black Cloak’ ghost story forming around Gio, but Gio himself didn’t mind. This was partly due to his easygoing personality, but that wasn’t the only reason.
“If they think I’m just a ghost story, they’ll be less likely to attack me.”
This was why Gio tolerated the Collector’s little scheme.
“After returning to Earth a few times, I’ve realized something. Even with the world turned upside down and the environment restructured, a haunted portrait is still an incredibly rare existence. I’m not joking—it wouldn’t be strange at all if I were dragged off to a lab and tortured.”
He considered himself ‘an Awakened of a slightly unusual case.’
Unlike ordinary Hunters who accessed the Origin through the System, he was directly fused with the Origin, so he wasn’t entirely wrong. The problem, however, was that the rest of the world wouldn’t see it that way.
“In the thirty-one years I was gone, South Korea has become even more of a hellscape. A ‘boneless chicken’ like me wouldn’t last a day before being thrown into the Abyss.”
“Kuruk?”
“Yes, I know I’m not actually a chicken, but that’s not your dad’s point. The problem is that a weak portrait like me would be immediately dragged off to a lab full of mad scientists for experimentation.”
In that sense, the ‘Black Cloak ghost story’ wasn’t a bad thing.
“At least I won’t look like an easy target. Besides, it leaves a lot to the imagination.”
The Black Cloak not only seemed to have far more combat power than Gio’s true self, but the name itself just sounded cool. An alias like that had a way of fulfilling a man’s romantic ideals.
“Best of all, a ghost story is like intangible smoke—something you can observe but can’t actually research. I don’t know how that will play out in this harsh world, but it should at least lower the chances of being attacked by every Tom, Dick, and Harry.”
“Ku, kuruk…”
“As expected of Mr. Yoo Seong-un. He recognized my weakness and suggested this path—he truly is an all-rounder. He’s the kind of person I should emulate. I’ll have to get closer to him by plying him with meals and snacks. And then, one day, I’ll kidnap him.”
Having just said something that would make Yoo Seong-un faint on the spot, Gio casually flaked off a piece of fish so tender and fluffy it fell apart like a castella cake, feeding it to Dana as he continued.
“So, the creation of the Black Cloak ghost story is actually something to welcome. You could call it a bluff for survival.”
It wasn’t for nothing that he’d introduced himself as 'a portrait' to the Hunters he met in the Deep Sea Kingdom.
“At first, I couldn’t bring myself to use my real name, so I just said ‘portrait,’ but it worked out great.”
“Kurr…”
“To survive in this bizarre world, I’ll have to contribute to the ghost story myself.”
“Kkoo?”
“I’ll have to think a bit more about how to do that…”
It would be best if it were a ghost story worthy of a haunted portrait’s reputation.
“Aren’t haunted portraits usually hung in schools?”
“…? Kkoo…?”
“Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know much about Earth’s culture. Or maybe it’s just because I used to be a teacher that schools are all I can think of.”
“Kkoo, kkoo-kkoo-kkoo.”
“Ah, you have some advice for me?”
The teddy bear nodded. Since public education wasn’t common in the world he came from, there were few school-related ghost stories, but there were certainly plenty of tales about haunted mansions.
“A mansion…”
Gio listened intently and nodded.
“Indeed, a portrait hanging in an abandoned mansion is a very popular trope for ghost stories. I understand what you mean.”
“Kkooooo.”
“Yes, every bit of information like this will help me be reborn as a great ghost story. Right now, the ‘Black Cloak’ known to the public is still too underdeveloped to be a proper ghost story, but…”
Gio nodded.
“If we don’t give up and keep working at it, we will eventually become a magnificent ghost story that instills fear in people.”
“Kkoo…?”
“That’s how we’ll make a living, Father. People these days are so terrifying that without this kind of bluff, we won’t survive among them.”
It wasn’t something one would expect to hear from Gio, a perfectly harmless portrait, but the Sun God let it slide. He knew that Gio was all talk and not the type to actually harm humans.
In any case, Gio resolved to solidify his concept as a ghost story.
“I’m glad the first person I met was Guild Master Bisabeol.”
Even though the man’s machine-gun mouth drained Gio’s energy just by looking at him—so much so that Gio still refused to speak to him—Bisabeol was a good person.
The very fact that he treated Gio, a haunted portrait, as an individual with a personality was a testament to his noble character.
“…”
“What’s wrong, Honey?”
“Kkoong.”
Honey thought, Isn’t that more a matter of taste than character? but didn’t say it out loud. He knew that while Bisabeol wasn’t exactly harmless, he was utterly devoted to works of art.
Whatever else he might be, Bisabeol was completely harmless to his own collectibles. That much was certain.
“Kururu, kkoong-kkoong.”
“You want some fish too? Shall I debone it for you?”
“Kurururururu.”
“You cute little thing.”
Tearing off a thick piece of steaming fish and handing it over, Gio said, “Anyway, I plan to proceed with the plan I mentioned soon. I’m tired of wandering the Deep Sea Kingdom with no results, just spawning clumsy ghost stories.”
“Mueueueng.”
“You can eat bones too? Here, eat carefully.”
Giving the fish bones to Dana, Gio continued.
“Is there anyone who wants to come with me?”
“Kururuk.”
“As expected, it’s just you, Honey. You know Dad loves you a lot, right?”
“Kkoo.”
Honey had absolutely no intention of letting Gio, who was so soft and tender on the inside, go out into the world alone.
“Honey…!”
“Kururu.”
Moved by the warm heart of the son he had created with his own hands, Gio covered his mouth, overcome with emotion. The Sun God silently returned to his fish, and Dana had already lost interest.
As always, they were a very close-knit family.
* * *
And Gio wasn’t the only one planning his next move.
Coincidentally, the mermaids had also completed their own preparations.
“Hey, flower pig.”
“What.”
“Where’s the youngest?”
“Isn’t he in the vegetable garden?”
“He’s not.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Cha Yi-sol had been kidnapped.
“No, he hasn’t even fully rested yet…”
Normally, a novice priest who had completed the initiation ceremony would enter the temple dormitory, but due to the recent ‘Deep Sea Temple’ incident, he was on a brief rest period. In short, he had been kidnapped from his own home.
“Is resting really the priority right now?”
“Right.”
The news was immediately delivered to Yoo Seong-un at the Collector Guild’s office.
“Huh? Kidnapped?”
“Yes.”
“Why…? Who? Where, and how…?”
“We don’t really know the motive either…” said Cha Eun-hyeok, the eldest son of the Cha family, offering up a bag of bungeoppang as if it were a bribe.
“There was seawater splashed all over the vegetable garden.”
“Put that way, anyone would think the culprit is a mermaid. But hold on, what’s with the bungeoppang?”
“Right? That’s what we thought too.”
“You don’t have to give me any more bungeoppang. Stop, it’s overflowing.”
“Please give some to Mr. Gio too.”
“Uh…”
“I read the official document with Cha Ah-ra.”
Cha Eun-hyeok continued, his face hollow. “I heard Mr. Seo Gio has a ‘1:1 Rule.’ He repays goodwill with goodwill, and rudeness with rudeness.”
“…So…” Yoo Seong-un asked seriously. “Are you trying to hire him to save your brother with bungeoppang?”
“…I thought the probability of Yi-sol returning alive would be higher than if we offered nothing… Even if Mr. Seo Gio doesn’t step in, doing at least this much makes me feel more at ease.”
“It’s almost like making a sacrificial offering before a divine statue. And with bungeoppang, of all things.”
“I have nothing to say to that.”
“No, Gio really likes bungeoppang. It’s just that sometimes he gives something terrifying in return…”
In a world where faith had become popularized, many people visited temples to make small offerings. Even if nothing tangible came of it, the act itself made them feel better.
“It’s a bit awkward to say, but Gio isn’t a proper god. He just has god-like characteristics. Unlike traditional gods who might show mercy to their believers, there’s a high probability he won’t act the way you expect.”
“That’s fine. I also brought it as a gift.”
“I’ll deliver it to him, but…”
Indeed, Gio had his rules.
Can he be hired with bungeoppang?
Thinking back to Gio’s previous reactions, Yoo Seong-un knew he was bound by his own rules. Even when sharing food he’d made, Gio had insisted on receiving a ‘price’ from him.
Cha Eun-hyeok said, “It doesn’t have to be Mr. Seo Gio’s help, or even the Black Cloak’s. But if the seawater we found is indeed a trace of a mermaid from the Deep Sea Kingdom…”
“Yes.”
“From the perspective of a major guild like the Collector Guild, isn’t this an interesting development? Until now, monsters from the Deep Sea Kingdom have never left the entrance. This could be some kind of sign, and I think we could find out more through this. So…”
“Calm down, Mr. Cha Eun-hyeok,” Yoo Seong-un comforted the young man. “Even if you hadn’t said all that, I was planning to go rescue Cha Yi-sol. The Deep Sea Kingdom is a dungeon I’m deeply connected to, and the Black Cloak also seemed very interested in it… I was planning to visit soon anyway.”
“…”
“I’ll just think of it as going a little earlier than planned.”
“…Thank you.”
“Of course. Then…” Trailing off, Yoo Seong-un turned to look at the pale-faced Cha Ah-ra. “Will you be coming along too, Hunter Cha Ah-ra?”
“…C-Can I… Can I go too? I’m only an F-Rank…”
“I can take you, as long as you sign a contract stating you’re prepared to die.”
“…I know it’s shameless of me, but please.”
Unless they planned to use her as a meat shield, bringing an F-Rank Hunter into a B-Rank or higher dungeon was a huge liability. It meant dedicating personnel just to protect her. Thus, this was Yoo Seong-un’s way of showing consideration. Even knowing she would be of little use, Cha Ah-ra still pleaded to accompany them.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s a family matter, so I understand. You don’t have to be sorry.”
Fortunately, the Collector Guild allowed its Hunters a high degree of freedom, so no one would complain about Yoo Seong-un taking some time off. It just meant his future overtime would pile up. For the sake of Gio and the peace of Earth, Yoo Seong-un endured.
“I want to go too, but I suppose that would be out of line, right?”
“Your physical abilities are at the F-Rank level, so what are you talking about? Stay behind.”
“What a shame.”
Only Bisabeol complained, though the guild’s support was generous.
“…”
“…? Why is Priest Kang Seo-dam here?”
“The Collector Guild Master requested our temple’s assistance.”
“He’s providing better support than I thought.”
“Even without the request, I would have stepped forward. Brother Cha Yi-sol is my student, and my responsibility,” Kang Seo-dam said with a tired face. “Even if he isn’t taking formal classes yet due to the accident, that fact remains unchanged.”
“Wow, how reliable.”
“More than that…” Kang Seo-dam’s gaze shifted to the figure gathered with them in front of the harbor. “…Was Hunter Seo Gio… also going with us?”
“I have a connection with student Cha Yi-sol,” Gio replied.
Kang Seo-dam added, “During the ‘Deep Sea Temple’ incident, many people received mental support thanks to the energetic student Cha Yi-sol. This is my reward for him easing my burden as both a doctor and a believer.”
“Ah…” Gio murmured. “And student Cha Yi-sol’s guardians gave me bungeoppang.”
“Bungeoppang,” Kang Seo-dam repeated.
Kang Seo-dam had also read the Collector Guild’s official report on the ‘Black Cloak.’ He knew its rule was summarized as ‘1:1,’ so he immediately understood that Gio’s participation was a 'reward.'
However, he couldn’t help but worry.
Could this be exploited by humans?
Calling it ‘1:1’ sounded fair, but if things went wrong, countless humans might try to force a transaction with the ‘Black Cloak.’
And if he gets angry… then…
Worrying about a future disaster, Kang Seo-dam nodded. “I understand. Thank you for accompanying us.”
“There is nothing to thank me for. I am merely doing what I can.”
“I see. Where is that yellow bird I saw last time?”
“He is here.”
Just as in the Deep Sea Temple, Honey peeked out from the hood of Gio’s black cloak. The teddy bear stared intently at Kang Seo-dam, from whom he could feel a strong energy of the sun.
“…”
“…”
“…?”
Just as Kang Seo-dam was growing confused, Yoo Seong-un noticed something and intervened.
“No, Honey, you can’t eat that.”
“…He eats people?”
Gio shook his head. “He doesn’t.”
“But just now, Mr. Yoo Seong-un…”
“The meals I make are much tastier, so why would he bother eating an unseasoned human?”
“…”
“Honey is a gourmet. He doesn’t just eat anything.”
Kurr.
An affirmative cry echoed from inside the hood.
“…I see.”
That wasn’t particularly reassuring.
He was looking at me with such sparkling eyes, though, Kang Seo-dam thought, goosebumps rising as he recalled Honey’s greedy gaze.
“…”
“Shall we go then?”
“…Yes.”
Thus, with the A-Rank Yoo Seong-un in the lead, the Cha Yi-sol rescue team—consisting of Kang Seo-dam, Cha Ah-ra, and Seo Gio—was formed.
Of course, it wasn’t as if the portrait actually needed anyone’s help…
…Helping Gio with his social life…
The thought struck Yoo Seong-un as darkly funny.
Yes, that was sarcasm.