Chapter 82
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82
Identification Number
0S-761-SS
Response Rank
SS
Entity Type
Humanoid_Mermaid (Female)
Entity Name
Aria
Authority
Deep Sea Kingdom
The first humanoid entity discovered by the 175th raid team, authorized by the Collector Guild.
Unlike ‘Mermaid Iser,’ her identified blood relative, her hair is long enough to touch the floor and is a dark navy blue. She wears a white doctor’s gown over a blue dress. The gown appears to be a man’s and does not fit her build, suggesting a connection to the lore of the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom.’
The entity identified herself as a mermaid named ‘Aria.’ Witnesses testified that no falsehood was detected in her statement. The entity’s name is confirmed as ‘Mermaid Aria.’
Special Note: Her eye and hair colors have been confirmed to change based on her physical and emotional state. As the entity has made several statements identifying herself with the sea, it is speculated that she can influence not only her domain, the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ but also the seas of other dimensions.
Initial Sighting Circumstances
It is understood that she emerged from the dungeon to kidnap a novice priest of the Sun Cult for the purpose of observing human reactions. An exploration team formed under the authority of the Collector Guild witnessed her at the entrance of the ‘Deep Sea Temple.’ She displayed no overt aggression and, despite a request for dialogue, was reported to have a strong aversion to humans.
It has been determined that ‘Aria’ is the true master of the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ while ‘Iser’ is a false master intended to deceive humans. Driven by a deep-seated hatred for humanity, both entities have repeatedly committed acts to inflict physical and mental suffering, such as mutating humans into monsters.
The entity appears to have set a target of interest within Earth’s dimension. Until she achieves this goal, she is expected to cease active attacks against humans. Extreme caution must be exercised to avoid provoking her, such as by entering the dungeon and causing a disturbance.
Due to the nature of humanoid entities, the response rank has been set to SS.
No strategy has been found. The Collector Guild has requested that ‘evasion’ be the default response. Accordingly, the Hunter Association also plans to extend the exploration period indefinitely rather than attempting a raid. All hunters are advised to exercise extreme caution.
Total Comments (1,043)
– Aren’t any S-Rank hunters going to try and raid it?
– Requesting a precise deadline for the exploration season.
– Requesting reconfirmation of the response rank.
– We need to confirm her attack patterns.
* * *
In the end, the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ remained uncleared.
“Even with three A-Rank hunters, you couldn’t clear it?”
“Is it true that the Collector purchased the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’?”
“Please tell us if the monster information from this exploration is accurate!”
“What resources does the Collector want from the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’?”
Yoo Seong-un, one of the exploration members, was forced to deal with the swarm of reporters.
“Yes, we failed to clear it. It’s also true that the Collector purchased the S-Rank dungeon, ‘Deep Sea Kingdom.’ The monster information reported to the Association is accurate as well.”
“Then, about the resources…”
“For detailed inquiries, please contact the Collector’s administrative team directly.”
“No, wait a moment…”
“Whether you wait or not, don’t block my way.”
The reporters tried to grab Yoo Seong-un, but their voices barely registered. He had been pulling all-nighters for nearly a week cleaning up the aftermath of the dungeon exploration. The dark circles under his hollow eyes were so deep they looked like they might reach his chin.
Yoo Seong-un was an extremely busy man.
“I’ll say it again. Contact the administrative team.”
Honestly, from the reporters’ perspective, Yoo Seong-un was the easiest target.
Although the identity of Kang Seo-dam, a high-ranking priest from the Sun Cult—Seoul’s most influential denomination—had been revealed, getting him to hold a Q&A session was next to impossible. As for Cha Ah-ra, both the Hunter Association and the Collector were fiercely protecting her personal information.
And even if they wanted to approach the other hunter, Seo Gio, he was nowhere to be found.
Of course he wasn’t. The ‘Seo Gio’ they were looking for was currently asleep inside Bisabeol’s Gallery.
So it’s only natural they’d corner me, the one who actually commutes to an office.
He understood their reasoning, but he was truly exhausted. Submitting reports to the guild and the Association, monitoring the state of the sea, hiding Gio’s information… He had been so busy he’d been forced to neglect his main job as a curator for an entire week.
“Hunter Yoo Seong-un!”
“I’m not here.”
“Yes, you are!”
“I said I’m not.”
Even though most reporters these days were Awakened, they were no match for an A-Rank hunter. Yoo Seong-un smoothly slipped past them and escaped into the guild lobby.
An administrative employee who had been waiting for him offered a greeting.
“Good work out there.”
“If you were watching, you could have helped me.”
“If we treat reporters like that these days, the guild gets bad press.”
“I suppose the guild’s image is important…”
“Unless they cross a line, it’s hard for us to intervene.”
“I shook them off well enough on my own, so it’s fine for now.”
The employee nodded. “If we determine the attention is getting out of hand, we’ll take action.”
“I’ll have to hide out in the guild for a while. Is the lounge empty?”
“We haven’t had any new recruits lately, so there should be plenty of room in the dormitory. I’ll find an empty room for you.”
“Honestly…” Yoo Seong-un let out a weary sigh. “I don’t get why everyone is so obsessed with the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom.’”
“Isn’t it because it’s the first official humanoid monster dungeon to appear in Korea in a long time?”
“To be honest, humanoid monsters have appeared several times before, even if it was all kept quiet. Those were just unofficial cases.”
“And above all, it’s a dungeon purchased by the Collector.”
“……”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Yoo Seong-un asked, “Has it really drawn that much attention?”
“Since the Collector bought an S-Rank dungeon without any solid information, people are dying to know what he knows.”
“They probably suspect we’re trying to monopolize some special resource. It’s not like there isn’t precedent. Are the small-timers going to start gathering soon?”
“Well, our stock price will probably go up.”
“Though it’s probably not the kind of resource they’re hoping for.”
The purchase wasn’t for some special resource. It was because they couldn’t leave a dungeon so deeply connected to the ‘Black Cloak’ out in the open. And, in a way, it would be a good thing for the Black Cloak himself.
The employee shrugged. “If only it could be cleared, we could even use it as a tourist attraction.”
“True. The fact that you can breathe underwater inside is a massive selling point.”
“So, in the end…” The employee eyed Yoo Seong-un carefully before asking, “What was the connection between the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ and the ‘Black Cloak’?”
“……”
“Based on the information we have, the Deep Sea Kingdom and the Black Cloak don’t seem to match. A black cloak is completely out of place in that deep blue dungeon.”
“…Sometimes certain monsters just pop up here and there.”
There were instances where identical monsters or creatures appeared in completely different dungeons. Gardeners called them ‘Children of the Origin,’ but to hunters, they were just unusual monsters.
“That’s something I’ll have to look into.”
“You’re going to be busy.”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to take over for me…?”
“I’m not a curator.”
“I suppose not.”
Clicking his tongue, Yoo Seong-un walked toward the elevator. “Well, please handle things out there.”
“Don’t worry. Just go check on the works.”
“I should. I haven’t been able to check on them in a while.”
As soon as he had wrapped up the most urgent matters, Yoo Seong-un naturally headed to Bisabeol’s Gallery.
He swiped his employee keycard in the gallery elevator and pressed the button for Basement Level 5, the very bottom floor. Thanks to the Collector’s building being famous for pouring money into its state-of-the-art facilities, he arrived quickly despite the depth.
“Hmm…”
Visiting Bisabeol’s Gallery after so long, he found the oppressive atmosphere was as overwhelming as ever.
It really is a suffocating place.
Even for an A-Rank hunter like him, it wasn’t a pleasant space. It was hard to say whether it was eerie or just heavy. A bizarre air lingered in the gallery, sending a chill through his body like the onset of a fever while simultaneously grating on some primal human instinct.
Especially since most of the works on Basement Level 5 have terrible personalities…
With various thoughts running through his mind, Yoo Seong-un stopped in front of a certain portrait.
“……”
Because the figure’s face was obscured by pitch-black paint, it was impossible to tell if his eyes were open or closed.
…I even find myself forgetting his face from time to time.
Although he had seen ‘Hunter Seo Gio’ just a week ago, and despite having a decent memory, he couldn’t clearly recall his face. Only the black paint now before his eyes came to mind.
Is this another effect of the portrait’s face being covered?
With that thought, Yoo Seong-un called out to the painting.
“Gio, are you here?”
“I am.”
“Oh…”
The response was immediate.
“It’s rare for you to be awake when it’s not dawn.”
The current time was 3:00 PM. For ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ which usually insisted on appearing around 4:00 AM, this was an unusually early hour to be awake. Yoo Seong-un, who had been worried that Gio might be violating the rules, felt a bit relieved.
If he hadn’t answered right away, I was just going to head back and return at dawn.
Of course, he was still a bit puzzled.
Wasn’t talking at 4:00 AM supposed to be a rule? Though, considering how often he’s appeared around then, it’s strange…
In any case, since things had turned out this way, he figured it would be good to chat for a bit.
“Have you been awake this whole time?”
“I heard Mr. Yoo Seong-un approaching, so I was waiting.”
“You can hear that?”
“I can detect when someone approaches the frame.”
“To be able to sense even that… impressive.”
“It has been a while,” the portrait said in his characteristically blunt voice. “Have you been well?”
It had already been a week since they visited the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ to rescue the young priest, Cha Yi-sol. ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ who was more painting than person, seemed to recall that as well.
“I was worried because you haven’t shown yourself lately.”
“There’s no need to worry. Usually, if I’m not around, it just means I’m overworking myself somewhere.”
“It sounds like you are telling me to worry.”
“I was just being dramatic.”
Although he had left the maintenance to another curator, he couldn’t completely put his mind at ease. Examining the precious portrait for any damage, Yoo Seong-un soon asked, “How about you, Gio?”
“Please state the exact intent of your question.”
“It’s hard to ask directly, but for starters… how are the mermaid siblings?”
“They still haven’t come out of the sea, but they seem to be doing well.”
He had heard that the mermaid siblings were still hiding in the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ refusing to show themselves. Gio had said it was probably because ‘it’s awkward for them to show their faces after getting scolded so hard.’
“……”
Yoo Seong-un was temporarily lost for words.
“So you call that ‘scolding’ them.”
“Did it seem a bit excessive?”
“I can’t say it wasn’t.”
“As Giovanni, it was only natural.”
“Sure, a teacher scolding his students is natural, but… was it… really… like that…?”
Do normal teachers really scold their students like that, Gio? he thought. I wondered if he developed these bizarre quirks after the human personality of Gio died and he became a portrait, but maybe the entities known as ‘Gio’ were just strange to begin with, even when they were human. Even if they live as humans, is it because their roots ultimately lie in the Origin?
That appalling indifference often startled even Yoo Seong-un.
Mental state aside, Gio was the one who took the biggest hit in that situation. Yet he seems completely unfazed. With that level of indifference, he has no intention of even pretending to be human.
He could still remember it vividly: the intense heat capable of evaporating the entire sea, the sacred spear of the sun, and the Black Cloak wearing Giovanni’s smile even while his body was in absolute tatters.
That beautiful yet grotesque sight had completely captivated him. He guessed the mermaid, Aria, must have felt something similar.
…Anyway, that was way beyond just ‘scolding’ them.
Or was that just appropriate discipline from Gio’s perspective? He was already worried about what would happen if a man like this ever sincerely harbored anger or hatred.
Perhaps misinterpreting Yoo Seong-un’s silence, Gio asked, “Should I call them for you?”
“Huh? Ah… no, I don’t have anything to discuss with them.”
“Right now, they are trying to restrain themselves because they are wary of my reaction. I do not think you need to be afraid.”
“Uh, right…”
If they’re only keeping a low profile because they’re wary of him, I can’t exactly call them safe, Yoo Seong-un thought.
He had heard the conversation between Giovanni and Aria in the dungeon. He realized that Giovanni was the only meaning left in the mermaids’ lives. If they were being wary, trying to exercise self-control, or even pretending to reflect on their actions, it was solely because of Giovanni.
Without Giovanni, the mermaid siblings are nothing more than highly intelligent monsters capable only of mimicking social interaction.
Monsters had always been considered enemies of humanity because they attributed absolutely no meaning to humans. They didn’t spare any more thought for a human than they would for a bug they stepped on.
Looking at the dungeon’s lore, the context makes some sense.
Seeing the atmosphere of the S-Rank dungeon, ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ he could understand the root of their hatred. They had lost the only human they loved to other humans in a horrific manner. Their rage was understandable.
Which is exactly why I want to talk to them even less.
He understood they were furious because Giovanni, their sole purpose, had been taken from them, but did they really have to take that anger out on humans from a completely different dimension? It was even more absurd because they seemed to have some awareness that what they were doing was childish. In the end, they were monsters. Their way of thinking was fundamentally different from that of humans.
As expected, right and wrong aren’t important values to monsters. They only do what holds meaning for them. In that sense, it makes it even harder to view Gio as a monster…
Fundamentally, you couldn’t reason with monsters. Yoo Seong-un asked with an awkward smile, “…Setting the mermaids aside, are you okay? Your injuries that day were severe.”
“I am a priest of the sun and a doctor. I can easily recover from injuries of that level.” The portrait then asked, “Were you worried about me, Mr. Yoo Seong-un?”
“Would it offend you if I said yes?”
“There is no reason to be offended by concern. I apologize for startling you.”
“Well, I was a bit startled, but…”
He had been startled by Gio’s choice and the visual shock of it, but strictly speaking, he hadn’t been worried about ‘Gio’s Portrait’ itself. While he did feel a pang of worry, his rational mind had judged that there was no need.
Even if Giovanni had died on the spot, this portrait wouldn’t have vanished.
Entities of the Origin had particularly blurry boundaries when it came to death, and it didn’t seem like ‘Gio’s Portrait’ would be much different. He seemed especially close to the Origin, after all.
“Since you’re a highly skilled priest, and you have your father at home, I figured you’d be fine.”
“Returning early that day for the sake of recovery without properly saying goodbye was rude of me. I apologize once again.”
“No, both I and the others understood. If we had left you there while you were injured, we probably would have been the ones cursed out by the mermaids.” They might have faced a hatred and contempt far worse than a mere scolding. “Your injuries were severe. Any aftereffects?”
“None.”
“Did it hurt that day?”
“It did not hurt as much as I expected.”
“Well, that’s surprising.”
The image of Giovanni in tatters from that day naturally came to mind.
Does he have a high pain threshold? Or is he literally just insensitive to pain? But…
Recalling how ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ usually so neat and tidy, had been so utterly ruined made his stomach churn slightly.
“…Hmm.” Yoo Seong-un quickly added, “I’m sure you did it because you knew you could handle it, but from our perspective, we can’t help but worry.”
Hadn’t Gio held his own life hostage just to ‘talk’ with Aria?
And he wasn’t just bluffing, either.
The intensely blazing, intangible spear had pierced straight through Gio’s body. Perhaps because Gio had controlled it with a skill befitting a Sun God, Yoo Seong-un hadn’t felt the full force of the heat, but it had still been enough to instantly evaporate the seawater around them. No matter how well he knew that Gio was a portrait and not a human, he couldn’t remain indifferent after smelling the scent of flesh and blood burning to a crisp.
“It’s pretty upsetting, you know.”
Yoo Seong-un perceived Gio as a good friend and a magnificent work of art. As a human, he couldn’t calmly accept seeing such an existence get ruined.
“I was worried. It might sound funny to say this now when you’ve long since recovered, but my heart definitely skipped a beat back then.”
“It has already been a week.”
“That’s why I rushed over here as fast as I could. I’ve been so busy that I neglected my duties as a curator, and I had no other way to ask how you were doing…”
“Perhaps I should have sent a letter letting you know I was well.”
“No, well, anyway. I couldn’t come right away, but I was concerned. I felt bad for not being able to take care of you as soon as everything wrapped up, so I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you for worrying about me,” the portrait, obscured by black paint, continued. “But I am a portrait. The blood I shed is ultimately just paper and paint, so there is no issue with my recovery.”
“……”
…Is that so?
Just as he was somehow starting to find that convincing, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ asked in his characteristically dry voice, “Was it not funny?”
“Was that a joke?”
As expected of an existence from the Origin, even his jokes were incredibly chilling.
It’s moments like this that make me realize he’s definitely not human.
Yoo Seong-un quickly changed the subject.
“Come to think of it… wasn’t that the first time you’d seen Aria in a long time?”
“Yes, it was the first time.”
“Yet you calmly conversed with her in that situation. That couldn’t have been easy.”
As far as Yoo Seong-un could tell, ‘Giovanni’s’ personality was close to human, yet it possessed a twisted side. From Giovanni’s perspective, the situation back then wasn’t something that could be brushed off so lightly. A student he had taught in another dimension had reappeared as a vicious monster.
Furthermore, this was all happening after his death and subsequent pseudo-resurrection. Yet Giovanni treated his students-turned-monsters as if it were absolutely nothing. His personality was anything but normal.
“That mermaid even threatened to eat you.”
“It was just a joke. It’s fine.”
“…A joke?”
“When Aria was young, she often made jokes like that.”
“Oh…”
“She used to say she’d eat me whenever something didn’t go her way.”
The portrait continued in a steady tone.
“It was, indeed, a joke. I believe Aria said it precisely because she knew that.”
“…Because it was a joke?”
“If things hadn’t gone her way, she could have simply brushed it off as a joke, just like in the old days, and pretended it never happened.”
“……”
“Aria must have been prepared to negotiate with me in a similar fashion, but I won before she could play her tricks. That left her with nothing to say.”
After a moment of hesitation, Yoo Seong-un asked, “What would you have done if it wasn’t a joke?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. They are mermaids.”
“What does them being mermaids have to do with anything?”
“Mermaids are a species that can live their entire lives clinging to a single memory.”
Hearing that calm, heavy voice, Yoo Seong-un suddenly recalled the look he had once seen in Gio’s eyes.
“Because they are mermaids, I knew they could never truly give up on me.”
That was definitely not the gaze of a human.
“When Aria forced a choice upon me, was my death ever truly an option?”
“…That…”
If Gio had chosen the humans back then, Aria would have killed herself; if he had chosen the mermaids, she would have continued to torment humans.
“…But didn’t Aria threaten to eat you, saying you were human, too?”
“I already told you it was a joke. By making it, she was admitting she couldn’t kill me.”
“Ah.”
“That’s when I became certain of my victory. I knew then that Aria still loved me.”
“…I see.”
The Mermaid Princess had left herself an out, a way to laugh it all off as a joke at any moment. Yet she had still gone so far as to host a banquet, putting immense pressure on the humans to seize the upper hand.
And Gio hadn’t just read her completely in an instant; he had called her bluff with a seemingly suicidal move, knowing that their nature as mermaids meant they could never let him go.
“…You’re both so cunning.”
“Bonds are forged through conflict, whether with family or friends.”
Gio continued in a somber, calm voice utterly devoid of emotion.
“It has been a long time since we last met. Bringing our conflict out into the open seems to have helped bridge the distance.”
“Resolving conflict…”
Feeling a strange sensation, Yoo Seong-un asked cautiously, “Then, do you want those mermaids to be happy?”
“Whether they are happy or miserable is irrelevant. I only wish for them to take responsibility for their actions and their past.”
“So you haven’t forgiven them?”
“No, I have not. They were my students, but the day I truly accept them will not come until they have borne the full weight of their responsibilities.”
“Don’t be sad. Their misdeeds weren’t your fault.”
“I am well aware. I have no obligation to take responsibility for their past. However, without me by their side, they will never change.”
“Is that why you gave them a chance?”
“To say I ‘gave them a chance’ is inaccurate. I simply shouldered my own share of the responsibility. The rest is up to them. But because I am here, they will, at the very least, be forced to change.”
“Are you sure it’s not just favoritism?”
“You could say I have shouldered a level of responsibility equal to the affection behind that favoritism. If I did not love them, I wouldn’t have bothered to shoulder even that bare minimum.”
“Well… that’s straightforward enough.”
They were terrifying, the lot of them.
This chilling indifference… This is exactly why humans must remain wary of an Existence of the Origin.
They were simply impossible to truly comprehend.