Chapter 115

Park Eun-gyeom was not the only one dragged into the "City of the Void."

"Uh…? Uh, wh-where am I…."

A certain C-Class Hunter who tried to kill his team member and take their items.

"Keuk? Ugh… what? Which bastard… huh?"

A civilian who committed an unprovoked assault on a passerby while drunk.

"…Could this be the 'City of the Void'?"

A B-Class Hunter who had been moving forward by using his companions as bait.

It didn't matter if they were Hunters or civilians.

They all struggled in the "City of the Void" following the same path as Park Eun-gyeom, and since they couldn't meet the master of this dungeon, the Black Cape, they simply became a piece of a painting.

"I, I was invited and visited the 'City of the Void'!!"

And some returned safely, having been given a thrilling experience.

"I was walking down the street at dawn and met the Black Cape. I was throwing trash into a trash can…."

"You did such a small, good deed? You, who never does that?"

"Fuck, yeah, honestly, I've been doing that lately because I wanted to get the snacks the Black Cape gives."

"You crazy bastard, you're lucky to have come back alive. I don't know whether to report this to the Association or not…. So?"

"Instead of a snack, I asked if I could be invited to the 'City of the Void', so I went."

The passerby, who was helped by the Black Cape, was able to safely appreciate the "City of the Void" and get out.

It was an incredibly brave challenge for a non-Hunter, but thanks to it, he gained something to boast about for the rest of his life.

"It was so cool, really. Sometimes a Black Suit would pop out and just look at me… Do you know Hunter Lee Seong-jin?"

"I do, he's the B-Class Hunter who's presumed to have been dragged into the 'City of the Void' this time. Don't tell me you…."

"I saw that hunter there! No, I mean, he was all blotched with black… so I wasn't even sure if he was human."

Then, the Black Suit with Hunter Lee Seong-jin's voice spoke.

"He said that was him."

Unless it was a necessary situation, the Black Suit did not imitate the human it had stolen.

It simply remained in the form of a stylish black suit, with the weighty and polite gestures of a gentleman, requesting interaction with the voice and face of a certain human.

"I was seriously so creeped out. It was totally crazy, amazing…!"

"You, you… you've done something absolutely insane? Who crawls into a dungeon on their own two feet, you bastard."

"But it was worth risking my life for! That place is practically a work of art!"

Cases like this popped up every now and then, causing people to murmur.

Some people were forcibly dragged away. Some were pulled out of the paintings at the plea of their families, but among them, some committed evil acts again and became paint, while others repented and lived diligent lives.

"I want to go to the 'City of the Void' once too."

"They say not to do it if you have something to hide. Are you clean?"

"Nah, I'm about average, average."

The safest way to get invited was to ask the Black Cape for an invitation instead of a gift.

One could also request an invitation in front of the "City of the Void," but if judged to be an evil person, they would be forcibly dragged in on the spot.

This was not something that only happened among those who simply enjoyed danger.

"A work that you can not only see but also enter directly, it's amazing."

"I heard there's a lot to feel just by appreciating the Black Cape's work. They say it's small yet vast."

"Have you heard about the safest way to get invited to the 'City of the Void'?"

"They say if you encounter the Black Cape after doing a good deed, you can exchange the gift for an invitation…."

Even gentle people who enjoyed art shared stories about it.

"Who could enter a work of art and appreciate it from within?"

If one could enter Vincent van Gogh's representative work, 'The Starry Night,' and view the world of that painting, who could refuse?

Those who prided themselves on enjoying art were excited about the Black Cape's work.

"I heard the style of painting changes depending on the theme of the work."

"Isn't that being fickle? An artist should have their own style."

"No, if a work is rich with things to appreciate upon viewing it, can you say the one who painted it is not an artist?"

"The Black Cape is a good artist. The moment you see his work, you can tell what the Black Cape is trying to say."

"That could simply be because it's a monster."

"In an age where numerous gallery artists use skills to create their works, what does that matter?"

"That's right, that point could actually be an advantage."

"If the Black Cape has a painting style, it would be the fact that his paintings are existing worlds."

"Thinking of it that way, for sure…. It's also a work with a clear message."

As the "City of the Void" fully revealed itself to the world, some changes occurred in that world as well.

"Uh… what are you doing now?"

"I'm looking for trash."

"Why are you so hell-bent on finding trash?"

"This is a place where the 'Black Cape' is said to appear frequently."

"Ah, the Black Cape."

In places where the Black Cape was particularly often sighted, it was hard to find any trash.

This was because street cleaning was the easiest and most frequent good deed one could do without much effort.

"I came out again today because I don't know when the Black Cape will show up…."

"Well, uh, keep up the good work."

"Yes, thank you. It's cold, so please get home safely."

Some, to taste the snacks given by the Black Cape. Some, to be invited to the work called "City of the Void."

And others, to interact with the famous monster of late, continued to perform small good deeds.

Just as they were getting tired of it, someone shouted in delight and boasted.

"Hey, look at this! It's a gift I got from the Black Cape?"

"The Black Cape? Crazy, this isn't a snack? What is it, the scent is really nice."

"It's flower tea, flower tea. I'm the first person to get something like this, right?"

A woman who secretly bought bungeoppang for a Carnation Child out of pity was gifted 'flower tea'.

"What, it wasn't all snacks?"

"So there was a tier to the Black Cape's gifts…."

"I heard it's almost at the level of a potion."

"It's too good a gift for a civilian to receive."

"Fuck, I'm so jealous."

Furthermore, hearing that the flower tea's effects were mind-blowingly good, a few people approached the woman with bad intentions, but they soon gave up after receiving the gaze of the "City of the Void" for a month.

In particular, one who almost harmed the woman was dragged right into a frame.

"The aftercare is clean too."

Whether civilian or Awakener, a situation had been created where there was no reason not to try.

Of course, on the other hand, some of those who had habitually committed evil deeds became intimidated.

Being mindful of the "City of the Void" that could appear anywhere, they found themselves constantly checking their own actions.

"…Shit, who does a damn monster think it is…."

"My pride is hurt, I can't do this, fucking hell."

Yet, they couldn't just run wild as they pleased.

It was due to the ingrained habit of being strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

They knew what a horrifying situation a few people, starting with Park Eun-gyeom, had faced.

Sensing this trend, the Association displayed something.

"Huh? Hey, that thing in front of the Association…."

"What is it? Paint? Bait?"

"No, the color is a bit weird."

It was Park Eun-gyeom, who had become the first villain of the "City of the Void."

"…Why does that thing look alive?"

"D-don't be ridiculous. You're saying that's alive?"

"Is the Association really crazy… isn't this a human rights violation?"

"If you want to end up like that, just keep spouting bullshit."

"…Whoa… that's creepy…."

Those who hadn't read the Association's notice didn't know the exact circumstances, but it was clear that it was living paint. For some reason, one could tell just by looking at it.

It was, in effect, a blatant demonstration of how terrible a life one had to lead if branded a villain by the "City of the Void."

"Is it okay for the Association to come out like this, borrowing the power of a monster?"

"I don't know what you mean. We were just trying to inform you of the dangers of the 'City of the Void'."

It was a ploy that anyone could see through, with the ulterior motive of 'the current trend created by the Black Cape isn't bad, so let's maintain it'.

However, the Association feigned ignorance, claiming it was 'only to raise awareness as more people have been rashly approaching the Black Cape lately'.

The few who knew of the Source's existence and the Gardeners realized that this was the Association's intention to limit the Black Cape's 'story' in a way that was beneficial to human conscience and rules.

"I wonder what they'll do if the Black Cape's story becomes too massive because the Association acknowledged it."

"It's not a monster stuck in some corner, and it's a being quite close to the Source to be a simple monster. This is better."

"Right, if it's a being that keeps appearing among people, the story is bound to get bigger anyway."

"So, should we try to build an image so that the Black Cape moves in a direction beneficial to humans?"

"It's a gain if we can take this opportunity to limit the direction of the highly active Black Cape. I understand."

"Still, it's a bold move for something like that. They must have been in a hurry because it's a rare being that directly affects humans."

"It's better to prepare before something happens rather than clean up after it does. Especially if it's a matter of a story."

"It could be a strong stimulus for monster-haters. It will provoke some severe backlash."

"Well, the Association will handle that well, won't they? They have a lot of competent people over there."

Besides, there was no one who could strongly oppose the Association.

"Those who are dissatisfied with the Association's management, please contact me."

It was because the Association President, Dan Hae-ra, had stepped forward herself.

In a world where human rights were already treated as empty words, the citizens who were leading safe lives in the city with the help of the Association couldn't think of defying them.

Only a few who had been secretly committing acts that could be called criminal were seething.

"……."

There was another person who benefited from this trend.

"What the hell."

It was an F-Class Hunter Cha Ara.

"Brother, I just earned some money."

"What nonsense is that?"

"The people who abandoned me in the dungeon last time gave me compensation money."

"How much?"

"Uh… enough to replace the electric blanket, at least?"

"Talking about electric blankets when it's almost spring."

Although not a very common case, there were a couple of instances where the Black Cape would appraise a human's good and evil based on a victim's appeal.

As a result, if the Black Cape judged the perpetrator to be evil, they would suffer something unfortunate.

This was why Cha Ara was only now being compensated for something that happened a long time ago.

"Then should we fix the ceiling? It's been drafty."

"Maybe save some of it. I'm not selling bungeoppang anymore, so I need to save up for a while."

"That sounds better. You'll be home for a while then, oppa? What are you going to do?"

"I should start managing the vegetable patch. The weather is warming up…."

"If you're going to try making money from farming, oppa, I'll help with the fieldwork for a while."

"Forget it, a Hunter should do Hunter work, why are you touching soil."

"What are you going to plant?"

"Hmm… I'm thinking of potatoes and lettuce for now."

While they were chatting, the topic shifted to the youngest.

"What's Cha Isol up to?"

"He's probably eating well."

"Did he get a girlfriend recently?"

"No… they were just really close friends."

"Too bad, I thought the youngest was learning about love."

"What's a palm-sized kid going to learn about love?"

Cha Eun-hyeok clicked his tongue.

"I heard he's going for his practical training soon."

"Huh? Why didn't I hear about it?"

"He called the day before yesterday, but you weren't home."

"Ah, I want to hear the youngest's voice too… I want to talk to the youngest too…."

"You have to be home to talk to him."

"Our little cotton candy is already going for practical training."

"That's just you seeing him through rose-colored glasses, he's not at a cotton candy level."

"He melts in water."

"So do we."

The Cha family, for generations, would melt if they entered stagnant water.

They were people who had a hard time soaking for a long time.

"Anyway, I told him to summon the Black Cape if things seem to be going to hell."

"Is this oppa crazy, ruining the kid's life? That's like telling him to summon a demon."

"It's more moderate than a demon…. Hey. Still, it's better to have your life a bit twisted than to die."

"Honestly, it's hard to say which is better between a clean death and a properly twisted life."

"No, I saw last time, the Black Cape cherishes our youngest."

"Th-that's true, but…."

"He might be annoyed for being called for a personal reason, but it's better than actually dying, I'm telling you."

"……."

Cha Ara, who had kept her mouth shut, asked.

"…So what's that gentleman up to?"

"Looking at the news, it seems he's living an interesting life."

"Hasn't his appearance become a bit less frequent lately?"

"His sightings have definitely decreased compared to winter."

"Feels like everyone is finally calming down."

"Rather than that, it feels like he's settling in, which is creepy."

"Like, that thing, the national mandatory vaccinations…."

"Right, that. It feels exactly like that."

The city, which had been noisy with stories of the Black Cape, was gradually returning to its usual self.

There were still people running around to meet the Black Cape, and people who restrained themselves to avoid being marked as evil by him, but it felt much calmer and had returned to daily life.

"This planet will be with the Black Cape until it dies…."

"Fuck, saying it like that makes it twice as creepy."

"It just feels like everyone has adapted, and the Black Cape is also less active."

Cha Eun-hyeok, who had even had a meal with him, asked.

"But, isn't 'Mr. Seo Jio' going to be active?"

"Setting aside the fact that I don't know why you're asking me that, Mr. Seo Jio?"

"The Black… that… that person's… identity, you know. The one from the 'Temple of the Deep Sea'…."

"Ah, ahh…."

Cha Ara nodded.

"…Come to think of it?"

Did the Black Cape have no intention of using his human identity?

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