Chapter 22

Yu Seong-un asked the Guild Master for help.

“Help.”

“Ugh, what is it?”

“I have come to practice sharing.”

“I’m just a punching bag for everyone, aren’t I?”

In Yu Seong-un’s hands, who had gone to see Bisabeol as soon as it was 9 AM, was a large glass pot.

It was a pot so large that even Bisabeol, who was subjected to the sudden visit, had his gaze stolen by it at a single glance.

“You have a unique taste, Curator Yu Seong-un. It’s a rare item.”

“Ah, stop poking at me when you know everything and help me out.”

“Shall I?”

Bisabeol instantly recognized that the pot, from which a sweet scent was leaking despite the sealed entrance, contained fruit cheong and also the fact that Jio must have given it to him.

“Have you had it appraised?”

“I did as soon as I received it from Jio.”

“The grade?”

“Still unknown.”

“My.”

Clink.

Bisabeol stared at the fruit cheong placed on the table.

“……”

“Can you see something?”

“It’s very good for the body.”

“I don’t think it’s just at a ‘very good’ level, but I understand for now.”

“Didn’t you say you haven’t even finished the cookies from last time?”

“If I eat too much, I can’t sleep. No matter how much of a cog I am in the wheel of capitalist society, a slave is still human, I need to sleep.”

“Your reputation would be excellent if you handed them out to the employees working overtime or the guards at dawn.”

“If I do that, our Portrait Association will get it taken away. No matter how tight-lipped they are, you never know where information might leak from.”

“I know, I’m restraining myself as is.”

Bisabeol let out a small laugh.

“Most importantly, you shouldn’t treat Jio like an item dispenser.”

“That part is….”

Yu Seong-un, who was mulling over Bisabeol’s words, soon nodded his head in satisfaction.

“I’m glad you seem to be paying attention.”

It was ‘Jio’s Portrait,’ whose clear identity was still uncertain.

Not being scared beyond a certain point, but being as wary and conscious as possible would be the way to extend the lifespan of humans.

“Setting aside the effects, even its appearance looks so sacred that you would get great praise if you donated it to a temple.”

“Yes, well, it said it’s particularly excellent for malnutrition. I’m not in that state, so I don’t know how it feels.”

“When it comes to nutrition, the Temple of the Sun would especially like it. With this, it should be possible to save even the poor on the verge of becoming mummies.”

“To think the Solar Cult would welcome it, I can certainly tell it’s an item with a warm energy. Is the effect that good?”

“Since it’s a concentrate, wouldn’t it be a great help to the dungeon exploration teams even if they take just a spoonful each?”

Exploration teams were hunters dispatched not for the purpose of clearing dungeons, but to identify things like missing people or the dungeon’s structure.

As it was impossible for them to get out in a short period, they consumed a lot of food.

The problem was that they couldn’t take too much, as the dungeon’s environment was what it was. Because of that, it was common to pack mostly bland nutritional supplements or potions.

“This one seems to taste good too, and since it’s a concentrate, a small amount is enough, and since you drink it in the form of fruit tea, it’s as easy to consume as a potion.”

“……”

“If it were to become known to the public, it's too burdensome to enjoy privately, to the point the government would impose regulations.”

“As I thought.”

“But on a pan-humanitarian level, it is truly unfortunate that we will have to enjoy it privately.”

Bisabeol smiled like a childish youth.

“We can’t sell it, can we?”

“Ah, absolutely not.”

It was a gift given out of goodwill by the existence of the Source.

If he found out it was circulating at an auction when he hadn’t even given permission to sell it, the hatred and resentment Yu Seong-un would have to bear then would not be on a level he could withstand.

That was the ‘rule’.

“It’s a thought I always have, but the government’s wariness of the Source is too low.”

It was the 31st year since the Great Catastrophe.

It wasn’t a short time, but it wasn’t that long either.

Unlike dungeons where abnormalities could be easily detected, it was perhaps inevitable that the government’s understanding of the Source, which was indifferent to humans, was significantly lacking.

“This president is paying quite a bit of attention and it’s not that there’s no one who knows about this kind of Source, but… still, nothing is being reflected in society realistically.”

Yu Seong-un let out a frustrated sigh.

“It would be nice if safety prevention education was implemented not only for dungeons but also in the domain of the Source. It’s very pitiful when I see people who died without knowing the cause by a child of the Source, or their bereaved families. There’s a limit to what the Gardeners can handle.”

“It’s not a part that has been properly revealed yet, and as of now, the biggest threat is only the dungeons on the surface, isn’t it? It can’t be helped that they pay more attention to the dungeons that throw a fit at the drop of a hat than the Source that doesn’t cause any trouble if left alone. There’s a shortage of manpower too.”

“Even though it’s like they’re just gnawing on the watermelon rind.”

“The fact that there are few people who can sense the Source probably plays a part too.”

Unlike dungeons, which any Tom, Dick, or Harry can see and recognize, and the monsters that make them their homes, the so-called ‘children of the Source’ are difficult for most people to detect.

Various theories have emerged so far, but the one that receives the most support is that it’s because it’s ‘a domain that cannot be perceived with human physical abilities’.

Therefore, it’s said that only a few humans who have evolved or been altered as the Earth’s environment changed can see the ‘children of the Source’.

“I believe it was said that not all children of the Source can be seen even if one is an Apt.”

“Yes, this is also a type of talent. Just as people have different hearing abilities, there are children that all the Apt can see, and there are also children they can’t.”

“Stories from that side are always fascinating to hear.”

“There is a hypothesis that the fewer the Apt who can see a child, the closer that being is to the Source. There must be a child somewhere that even I cannot see.”

“It’s certainly a chilling story that there’s no one who can see the danger even when it’s right there.”

“If you can’t see or sense them, you can’t even touch them in the first place, and as long as you don’t touch them, they don’t get angry…”

Yu Seong-un sighed.

“I grumbled out of impatience, but honestly, even if the citizens don’t know about the Source for now, there probably won’t be a problem. They are indifferent to humans.”

“Last time you said there are exceptions, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course there are exceptional cases, but… they aren’t as active as monsters, so the damage would be less.”

This rarity was also one of the reasons the children of the Source had remained unknown until now.

“Well, anyway.”

“Yes.”

“We have to eat this, but.”

“Right.”

“It’s a thick concentrate and there’s a lot of it, so it’s a bit much for just us to eat.”

“…Are you thinking of calling another sacrificial lamb?”

“I’ll have to call the HR team.”

The HR team, like the secretarial team, was a place where they had picked out the most tight-lipped people among the guild members.

This was because they had to handle everything from the overall care of the guild members to the secret orders of Guild Master Bisabeol.

“At least it won’t spread to other teams.”

“That much is true, but….”

“They’ve been out of their minds with overtime lately, too.”

“You might as well reveal my cookies too.”

“I’ll lie and say this is an item I purchased separately.”

“I appreciate that. Though I’m not sure if that’s an excuse that will work on those smart people.”

“Hey, they all have sense, so they’ll keep quiet on their own. They’re employees who hate additional work more than death.”

“True, since you only gathered people like that….”

Yu Seong-un let out a sigh of relief.

‘…Jio won’t mind that I shared it with my colleagues.’

Of course, the rules of the Source weren’t something to be glossed over like this.

There were often cases where it became poison if consumed by someone other than the specially designated recipient.

‘But in the first place, Jio….’

He clearly said he wanted to share it with ‘everyone’.

‘That’s what he said.’

It meant his words were directed at all the employees of this guild.

“……”

“Will it be alright, you think?”

“Yes, I’ve reviewed it, and it is indeed a gift intended for all employees, including myself.”

“I guess he gave such a huge pot with that in mind. The amount is too much for you to eat alone, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

“Actually, I think he just gave it without thinking about that part….”

He was such a generous fellow.

“It is a funny thing for the existence of the Source to know what amount is appropriate by human standards.”

“But Curator Yu Seong-un, didn’t you say he has memories of when he was human?”

“He has them, but I predict they are not complete.”

The employees who had met the so-called ‘Black Cape’ testified that Jio had introduced himself as ‘Seo Jio’.

Jio, a young man who died at 29 or was set up to be so.

That was probably the memory that ‘Jio’s Portrait’ possessed.

“However, the point to consider here is, why then was the portrait defined as ‘Jio’?”

That wasn’t given by a human.

“It is a name defined by the Source.”

The skills used by Awakeners, that is, Hunters, all receive help from the Source.

It was the same context this time.

It meant that the Source, which could be called a kind of god or a trans-dimensional system, had named a single portrait, in the basement of a single building, in a single country, on a single planet, as such.

“Therefore, the portrait’s name is ‘Jio’, not ‘Seo Jio’. In that case, isn’t it different from his own claim?”

“Perhaps… Does it mean that what the Source judged and Jio’s memory do not match?”

“Correct. The name we’re talking about here isn’t one we gave ourselves, or another human gave to another human. It’s a name for our essence.”

This could be called the ‘true name’ given by the parent that is the Source.

“In other words, the name displayed in the system is the essence of the target as evaluated by the Source, so it is not something a mere human can easily ignore.”

“Are you saying such a name is attached directly to Jio?”

“It is also marked so that anyone can interpret it. Whether it’s a shabby-level Appraisal Skill or a high-level Appraisal Skill like the Guild Master’s, it’s a name that can be recognized by all, but….”

“The problem is that nothing more can be found out, I suppose.”

“Correct.”

Yu Seong-un waved his hand as if cutting something out with scissors.

“It’s as if the Source has blocked it, saying ‘This must not be read’. It just told us one single thing, the name ‘Jio’.”

“It sounds like a story of the gods.”

“They say those who receive the gaze of a god go mad.”

Yu Seong-un did not deny it.

“The Source is generally favorable to humans. No, it is favorable to everything it embraces. That’s why it can seem indifferent.”

“……”

“If it were only favorable to humans, dungeons, one of its children, should not have been born. However, it is helping all its children fight on equal terms.”

Such distant arrogance could certainly be called ‘godly’. Though the gods of this generation have become quite distant from omniscience and omnipotence.

“It is a portrait with a sense of self, that the Source itself has defined as dangerous, not to be delved into.”

“……”

“…It really could be a god. Or it could be something more. Something that mere humans cannot define.”

The ‘something’ that was deluding itself into thinking it was human.

“……”

“…As surprising as it may be to call something with the characteristics of a god in a world like today, anyway….”

Yu Seong-un let out a deep sigh.

“It’s just one of the guesses. It’s not a monster, not an item, and it doesn’t seem to be one of the children of the Source, so all sorts of strange hypotheses can’t help but come to mind.”

“I thought it was a rather realistic hypothesis. Priests already serve gods and gods who enjoy amusement exist in this world. There is a possibility that it’s a god who enjoys interacting with humans.”

“If that’s real, then let’s stop because the Earth is in danger. The moment Jio realizes he is not human, a disaster-like miracle beyond disaster will occur.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“It would be good for us to think of Jio as an ordinary human ourselves. Because the Source is a ‘Living Story’, the level of danger changes depending on how people think of the target.”

“That is truly surprising.”

Bisabeol was very intrigued.

“Doesn’t that kind of child of the Source mainly appear in Japan? Perhaps because it’s a country with so many shrines, the variety of children of the Source that affect reality is diverse. What changes would occur if we came to believe in the god named Jio?”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to think like that. Don’t pour the terrifying oil that is the story of a god onto an already dangerous fellow.”

“Living stories are scary, indeed. The moment you learn more about it or additional settings are incorporated, it becomes a more terrifying existence… they say accidents are particularly frequent in cultures that like mythology, right?”

“Don’t get any strange ideas. Just what kind of disaster is this man trying to cause….”

Yu Seong-un, who had muttered with a fed-up face, returned to his usual impassive expression.

“Anyway, I believe the memories Jio has are incomplete. Leaving aside his essence related to the Source and what not… the fact that he shows no agitation about his own state and abilities despite thinking he’s human proves it.”

No. Jio simply had no thoughts about it.

However, that unbelievable indifference of his, enough to conclude his change with something like ‘I was human but died and came back to life after 31 years and evolved into a portrait, tada,’ supported Yu Seong-un’s argument. Ordinary people didn’t act so insensitive about their own bodies.

“If he were a proper human, he would have felt terror in his own state.

In the first place, he went from being human to a portrait, and he couldn’t have not felt bizarreness or disgust from that part.

Moreover, the fact that he wasn’t intoxicated by the omnipotence of being able to create everything except humans inside it… doesn’t make sense for a human.”

And that story that didn’t make sense had actually happened.

Jio’s miracle-like insensitivity shone in such a preposterous direction.

“It’s a situation that’s impossible with human sensibility.”

“It certainly isn’t ordinary.”

“Of course, I don’t know much about the Source either. I’m not sure if he was human and then came to belong to the Source, or if some existence from the Source took on a human form.”

“Hmm….”

“But apart from answering questions obediently, Jio doesn’t talk much about himself.”

To say it again, Jio had no thoughts whatsoever.

He wasn’t one to dwell on things that had already passed, and in a similar vein, he couldn’t even conceive of the idea that Yu Seong-un would be curious about his past.

“While calling himself a human, Jio is accepting things that humans cannot do very naturally.”

This too was a misunderstanding.

He was living so thoughtlessly that he hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet.

The current Jio, who was enjoying a hurricane-like life, did not bother with headache-inducing worries.

Life was too busy just to be enjoyed.

Of course, even if he had grasped the situation, Jio was the type of person who would be shocked for about 5 seconds for the sake of politeness and then immediately start contemplating the lunch menu.

He was the impenetrable man of this era who gave no room for cold water to be thrown on his clear and fresh brain.

“Normally, one cannot be so composed.”

“That is correct.”

“Isn’t it strange to be so unfazed when you have the power to commit mass slaughter and cause natural disasters right away?”

He was repeating the same story, but he simply hadn’t thought that far.

For Jio, life’s trials and tribulations were only the menu for his three daily meals.

In the first place, Jio judged his own transcendent abilities as something like ‘the power to make food with pictures’.

He hadn't even considered that this was a power that could be a threat to humanity.

Jio was a great man who could say, ‘I can make roasted sweet potatoes with this, so why would I do such a thing?’

“I do not think humans are beings with such a large capacity.”

They were that large.

The clear-minded thinking of Jio’s brain, which never let in wicked things, had the talent of taking in only the ‘information’ part of ‘serious information’.

Jio was not very curious about anything other than the fact that he had evolved into a portrait and that he could make a living this way and that.

He was truly living life in a slapdash manner.

Of course, since this was an inside story that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine, they were still serious.

“He also doesn’t know quite a lot of information that he should know as a human.”

“……”

“In that case, there must be a discrepancy between his own thoughts and reality in many ways….”

“And yet Jio is still insisting he’s a human?”

“It could be that he knows the reality but is desperately denying it.”

He was simply not yet fully adapted to the current world, 31 years later.

Just as a 90-year-old might struggle when using a kiosk.

But Yu Seong-un came to a conclusion on his own.

“In that case, it would be a suggestion at the level of self-hypnosis, so either way, it’s not good for us to be the first to pry into Jio’s identity.”

“It’s fascinating, as expected.”

Bisabeol looked at Yu Seong-un as if envious. He spoke in a subtle tone, like a child wanting more ice cream from the freezer.

“I’d like to have a conversation too….”

“I see.”

“Please arrange it.”

“That’s a bit much, as expected.”

“Ah, why.”

“Jio dislikes you.”

“He doesn’t hate me, does he?”

“He gets stressed.”

Yu Seong-un shook his head firmly.

“You were the one who entrusted Jio to me, Guild Master. I have a duty to protect Jio’s condition. As long as he thinks of himself as human, Jio needs sufficient care.”

“Are you saying I am a human unsuited for that care?”

“Would you be suited?”

“Truly Curator Yu Seong-un. You never waste your words.”

“…Ha….”

In the end, he doesn’t even refute it himself.

‘It’s a good thing he has a shred of conscience.’

Yu Seong-un smiled bitterly.

“The point that we need to find out more about Jio remains the same as before. We still don’t know his identity, his exact way of thinking, or if there are other rules.”

“For now, since he is someone I brought in, please treat him with certainty. That ‘Jio’s Portrait’ is satisfied with my gallery’s service, that is all I wish for.”

Bisabeol nodded his head.

“And please make it so he can continue to think of himself as human.”

“It’s a great burden, but I will strive for the peace of mankind.”

That was why there was something Yu Seong-un had thought of.

“…I’m thinking of taking Jio out and about outside the company soon.”

The portrait where Jio was staying was too alien of a space for a human to be said to live in.

Perhaps not wanting to deviate from his image as a human, Jio merely says that he ‘just happened to be staying in a portrait,’ but… if he stays only inside there, he will one day realize his true nature.

“The fact that Jio is under the delusion that he is human is a great fortune for us. If possible, we must make it so that he can continue that delusion. To do that, we need to insert Jio among humans.”

“To hide a tree, go to the forest?”

“…Isn’t that a little different? Anyway, if a human-like environment is created, that delusion will also be maintained for a long time. In that sense, I plan to show Jio around the inside of the city.”

“The risk level?”

“……”

Yu Seong-un avoided his gaze.

“…We’ll have to be careful.”

“Will that be enough?”

“What can we do, it’s better to do something than to wait for Jio to realize his essence and explode.”

“It’s a bold choice, to the point I can’t believe it’s Curator Yu Seong-un’s judgment. Of course, I approve.”

“I am also aware that I’m making a dangerous gamble. I just judged it to be necessary.”

Yu Seong-un hadn’t seen it properly yet so he didn’t know, but wasn’t it a portrait that could make people faint just by making eye contact?

“Jio has a strong sense of consideration for humans. He is gentlemanly and polite. There have been no fatalities among the employees he has encountered so far, and… in reality, there are a few hunters who give off as much pressure as Jio.”

“It’ll be a headache if it’s revealed to the media that an S-class suddenly appeared. Because of the recent strengthening of Hunter pride between countries while talking about celebrities or idols, once a rumor starts, it will spread in an instant.”

“That might be better. It will be easier to disguise him if we pretend he’s a hunter. In any case, we’ll be able to fit Jio into the human standard.”

“……”

“The risk of a child of the Source changes with the size of the story it holds. If Jio’s ‘story’ is reduced to a human level, the safety increases.”

Yu Seong-un let out a sigh.

“…That’s assuming Jio allows it, though.”

“What do you think?”

“Ah, I don’t know, don’t ask me. My head is about to explode as it is.”

“That’s why I gave you the extra pay.”

“Damn this capitalist society.”

After pondering for a moment, Yu Seong-un spoke.

“Could you please tell the employees not to be too scared of Jio?”

“Will that even work? Has your brain melted in caffeine? Has it been canned and can no longer function?”

“Why must you be so scathing? I was asking you to at least create a rule.”

He had a troubled expression.

“Jio felt displeased because everyone who ran into him became severely rigid. He judged them as rude.”

“……”

“There’s a limit to telling Jio not to feel displeased, so we on the human side must also do our best to maintain ‘etiquette’ towards him.”

“…Hmm….”

Bisabeol nodded his head.

“If it’s just regulating their actions, it should be manageable.”

“Will it be possible?”

“It’s not like I can’t.”

This was The Collectors.

The nation of a collector, so there was nothing he couldn’t do.

This was the power that a guild master of modern society could enjoy.

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