Chapter 85
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85
Kang Seo-dam, who was in the middle of reviewing the curriculum for incoming novice priests, answered his phone.
“Yes, Hunter Yoo Seong-un.”
“By any chance, is there a god who can be summoned just by drawing a picture?”
“I’m not sure what prompted this, and I’m quite busy, but to answer your question: yes, it’s possible. The characters or symbols used in rituals are, in a sense, a type of drawing.”
“It wasn’t a very professional drawing, though.”
“How unprofessional are we talking?”
“Like… a child’s drawing?”
“Even so, it’s not impossible. No matter how crude the drawing is, as long as the intent is clear.”
Wedging the phone between his shoulder and chin, Kang Seo-dam continued typing up his document.
“The most important factor is the will of the person performing the ritual—what they hope to achieve. If the practitioner’s will is strong and clear, and if the recipient of the offering is broad-minded enough to accept such a crude ritual, then it’s entirely possible.”
“But why does that work?”
“This usually applies to Evil Gods… but for summoning rituals, it’s often possible even without targeting a specific god. Mysterious entities with their own unique summoning methods exist all over the place. If the entity is exceptionally tolerant, simply calling their name can be enough to draw their gaze.”
“But why?”
“It may be hard for mere humans to comprehend, but those close to godhood can perceive where they are being called or even visualized. A god is an existence capable of responding to every single prayer, even if believers across the globe pray all at once.”
Kang Seo-dam’s eyes rolled as he scanned the document.
“Even if they aren’t a god, some lower-ranking mysterious entities spread their own summoning rituals far and wide. After all, nothing elevates one’s status and strengthens one’s divinity quite like the faith of followers.”
“What if it’s an entity whose status is already overwhelmingly powerful? So much so that they don’t even need faith. And what if they have no desire to elevate their status any further?”
“I was so busy I tried to ignore it, but this is about him, isn’t it? That pitch-black gentleman? The cloaked gentleman? The one who evaporated the seawater in a dungeon to create stairs, only to clean it up with a single wave of his hand? Him?”
“Thank you for finally getting with the program.”
“He is a literal calamity.”
Existences referred to as “gods” were personifications of destiny and nature itself. They possessed a clear understanding of their purpose and what they represented to humanity.
But the Black Cloak was different.
“If faith accumulates without his knowledge, he won’t learn how to handle his own status. I take it his summoning ritual is so simple that even a child can perform it just by drawing a picture?”
“That’s correct.”
“In that case, we can only pray he never gets angry. As long as he isn’t angry, he’ll restrain himself and show consideration for fragile humans, so there shouldn’t be any major issues. He’s quite fond of humans to begin with…”
“And if he does get angry?”
“As you well know, Hunter Yoo Seong-un, it would mean utter ruin. Only someone who has felt anger before knows how to properly manage it. If a being who doesn’t know how to safely express anger unleashes his emotions blindly, it would be a true catastrophe.”
Kang Seo-dam pondered for a moment before asking, “Ordinary gods have a clear reason for being. Unless they inherited their divinity, the one who created a god’s summoning ritual is the very god being summoned. The sole reason these rituals exist is to elevate their status.”
“But the person we’re talking about isn’t like that.”
“That could happen if he inherited the rituals along with the divinity of a predecessor. Is the person you’re referring to, Hunter Yoo Seong-un, that kind of mysterious entity?”
“I can’t say he lacks those traits entirely, but that’s not the whole story. He’s qualitatively different from a god.”
“…”
Pulling his eyes away from the monitor for a moment, Kang Seo-dam continued.
“Though extremely rare, there are those who exist simply as mysterious entities bound to a certain rule, naturally elevating their status within the laws of nature. To put it simply, the very act of humans breathing could be what fuels the faith of some mysterious entity.”
“I’m sorry, but I still don’t quite understand. What does that mean?”
“To put it even more simply, there are beings who grow stronger merely by existing. It’s as natural as history deepening with the passage of time.”
Kang Seo-dam’s fingers began typing again.
“In our Sun Cult, we do not call such existences gods.”
“Then what do you call them?”
“Simply nature. A rule. Destiny.”
“But other gods also have wills—”
“They are indeed nature and destiny, but this is a different context.”
The reason was simple.
“As you said, Hunter Yoo Seong-un, those gods have wills and goals. But the kind of mysterious entity I’m describing has none of that. He never wished to become a god, doesn’t even know he’s defined as one, and simply… exists, flows, and grows stronger.”
“That sounds like a disaster.”
“From a human perspective, an earthquake is a disaster. But tectonic plates simply exist. This entity might have a sense of self or personal preferences, and he may or may not even perceive humans.”
“Hmm…”
After a brief pause, Yoo Seong-un asked, “The Sun Cult must have observed such an entity to be able to say this, right? Something so powerful it can’t even be called a god?”
“That’s classified. Just as the Collector has his secrets.”
“I understand for now. May I visit you later with some gifts, Priest?”
“Do not come. I’m busy.”
“I’ll send a package instead.”
The call disconnected.
“…”
Well, despite what he’d said…
“…I don’t think he’ll become a major disaster.”
Kang Seo-dam had definitely felt divinity from the Black Cloak. Judging by that energy and the circumstances, it seemed the entity had inherited it from a predecessor. If so, that meant he had a parent figure to teach him how to act as a god.
And even if there was no parent god, Earth’s Sun was right here. His Goddess was remarkably favorable toward the Black Cloak, so she might offer some assistance.
“In the end, it’s not my place to worry. Tsk, and when I’m so busy.”
Muttering to himself, Kang Seo-dam calmly resumed reviewing the curriculum.
It was an overtime routine he had grown all too accustomed to lately.
*
And here was another hunter working overtime.
“Right, Gio.”
“Hello.”
“You certainly are active.”
Naturally, it was Yoo Seong-un.
“So, our young Cha Yi-sol summoned Gio?”
Having finally grasped the situation, Cha Yi-sol confessed.
“I’m sorry for making you work overtime.”
“If you apologize like that, what does that make me, Yi-sol?”
In truth, the situation wasn’t actually that devastating.
“Well, since my usual time to talk with Gio is around four in the morning anyway…”
“Were you tired?”
At that, the Black Cloak, Gio, made a gesture as if resting his chin in his hand. He seemed to be mimicking human surprise, but because his face was hidden, the gesture was completely devoid of emotion, which gave Yoo Seong-un a slight headache.
“My apologies for the inconvenience. Since you often visited at that hour, I assumed you preferred it. If you wish, we can reschedule our conversations.”
“No, I have so much to do before and after that time anyway. Rescheduling our talks won’t let me sleep any earlier. It would just change the order of my tasks.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“Tell me about it…”
In any case, it was currently 7:41 PM.
“Has everyone had dinner?”
“W-we were actually in the middle of making bulgogi…”
“And then this happened.”
Even though she was a hunter, Cha Ah-ra was only an F-Rank. How much experience could she possibly have? Her face showed she didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on, so Yoo Seong-un turned to Gio.
“Before we get into a serious conversation, Gio.”
“Please, speak.”
“I’d like you to soften the atmosphere a bit.”
To put it bluntly, he was asking Gio to ‘lower his status,’ but phrasing it that way would only offend the entity who considered himself human. Having become even more cautious after his conversation with Priest Kang Seo-dam, Yoo Seong-un had no intention of doing that. He decided to treat Gio as a god who lacked self-awareness.
However, the request seemed to puzzle Gio.
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“You’re really scary right now. You don’t seem human.”
“I understand.”
Promptly, Gio pulled back his hood.
“…”
“Will this do?”
Emerging from beneath it was Giovanni, his brilliant platinum-blonde hair catching the light.
“In my experience, doing this usually improves the atmosphere.”
“For now, yes.”
“Perhaps the color of the cloak is the problem.”
“That probably plays a part.”
Yoo Seong-un secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness there’s a way to lower his presence like this. And thank goodness Gio doesn’t find it offensive to diminish his own stature. If he were an ordinary god or a Child of the Origin, he would have taken offense and torn me to shreds on the spot…’
It was an immense stroke of luck that an entity of Gio’s caliber was so friendly toward humans.
“Do you mind if I try to explain this phenomenon?”
“You may do as you wish.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
Yoo Seong-un finally began his explanation.
“It appears that Yi-sol has summoned Gio.”
“…I suspected as much, but how is that even possible?”
“Mr. Cha Eun-hyeok’s question is perfectly valid, and I didn’t quite understand it either. So I asked Priest Kang Seo-dam, who has far more experience in these matters, and he told me it’s something that can occasionally happen.”
Of course, out of consideration for Gio, he omitted any mention of “status” or “gods.”
“He said that, in extremely rare cases, there are mysterious entities who possess their own summoning rituals without intending to. In Gio’s case, the condition for that ritual was likely ‘drawing Gio.’”
Yoo Seong-un turned to Gio.
“But Gio, why did you come here in the first place? What made you decide to show up?”
“I sensed that I was being drawn. I also naturally came to know that the person drawing me was Brother Yi-sol. And since he was saying such endearing things about wanting to be my friend…”
“So you made your grand entrance?”
“I was also curious about how he was doing. I had been worried about Brother Yi-sol since we left the dungeon without a proper goodbye, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity. After all, he was even kidnapped, wasn’t he?”
The platinum-blonde Gio asked with his signature gentle smile, “Have you been well, Brother Yi-sol? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“T-The Black Cloak was… Gio-hyung?”
“Ah.”
Giovanni turned to Yoo Seong-un.
“…”
“…Looking at me like that won’t give you an answer, Mr. Black Cloak.”
“I wanted to protect the child’s innocence in this harsh world, at least.”
“Well, his innocence is probably easier to protect than the fact that Santa Claus doesn’t actually exist.”
Yi-sol gasped in shock.
“Santa doesn’t exist?!”
“The two other Chas must have really coddled him. Sorry for being the one to shatter your illusions.”
“But I was going to give Santa a massage when I met him…!”
“Oh, what a sweet kid.”
“I was going to ask him if he wanted to live at our house after he retired…!”
“He certainly has a strong sense of purpose.”
In any case, Yi-sol wasn’t as shocked about Gio being the Black Cloak as one might have expected.
“But why did you become like that? Gio-hyung, do you really give presents to good people?”
“I try my best to show consideration and respect to those who need it.”
“Why?”
“I have the means and the ability to do so, and since the recipients of my goodwill desire those gifts, there is no reason not to grant them.”
“Whoa…”
Cha Eun-hyeok thought to himself, ‘He’s so naive, he’d probably get himself sold off somewhere.’
It seemed that as the eldest son, he had no choice but to keep his wits about him.
“S-so… did we do something wrong…?”
“Huh? No, not at all.”
Yoo Seong-un turned to Yi-sol.
“Yi-sol, you were just drawing the Black Cloak because you thought he was cool, without any other intentions, right?”
“Yes, I heard he’s really famous lately.”
“Is that so?”
The Collector, who had made that ghost story famous, had nothing to say.
“As long as this ritual isn’t widely known, it’s fine. Gio, if someone draws you, do you always perceive it or are you forced to appear?”
“I might perceive it, but as for being summoned… I believe that is entirely my choice.”
“If that’s the case, then it really doesn’t matter. I only rushed over because this situation was so absurd and had a high potential for abuse.”
Yi-sol bowed his head once more.
“I’m sorry for causing trouble.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. If you keep apologizing, I’m the one who’s going to feel embarrassed.”
“But…”
“It’s really fine. Gio wanted to see you anyway. Even though you weren’t harmed, everyone was worried because you were kidnapped by monsters.”
“I’m perfectly fine, though.”
“You certainly seem to be. That’s a great attitude. It almost makes me feel a bit sorry for you, wondering what kind of great figure you’ll grow up to be with that mindset, but anyway, everything is fine and there’s no problem…”
Yoo Seong-un was simply dumbfounded.
“…Just please don’t go around spreading this summoning method to anyone.”
If that happened, a lot of people would have a very exhausting time.
And with one hundred percent certainty, Yoo Seong-un would be one of them.