26

Chapter 26

The skyrail stop they reached stood at a considerable height.

“……”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“It has been a long time since I was somewhere this high.”

“I suppose it has.”

Yoo Seongwoon nodded.

‘A portrait would have no reason to climb this high.’

But since Gio had said it had been “a long time,” he seemed to have left the portrait and climbed somewhere high on his own before.

‘Or perhaps his human memories include climbing a mountain or cliff.’

Since he could move independently, there were likely many possibilities. Perhaps he had even traveled while still in the form of a portrait.

Unaware of Yoo Seongwoon’s thoughts, Gio was examining the skyrail stop.

‘…I couldn’t tell from below, but it’s enclosed by a transparent barrier. It appears intended to prevent falls or block the fierce winds at this altitude, but what exactly is it made from? It looks far more transparent and durable than glass or plastic.’

Gio had a profound interest in growing and making things. Faced with a new material that seemed straight out of a science-fiction movie, he could not restrain his question.

“What is this wall made from?”

“Hm? The wall?”

“Yes. The area is enclosed by a wall so transparent that one would not notice it without touching it.”

“It isn’t as though I know much about this field either… but it’s probably Formless Crystal.”

“Formless Crystal?”

“As I understand it, it’s a substance extracted from a commonly encountered Monster.”

Yoo Seongwoon did not know the Monster’s name. Unless a Monster was particularly threatening or unusual, it was not worth remembering.

“I’ve heard that most transparent windows installed throughout the city use it.”

“I see.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Yoo Seongwoon’s expression became stern.

“You can’t take it. It’s public property.”

“I know.”

“That is not the reaction of someone who knows.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“…If you want some, I’ll obtain it for you later, so restrain yourself.”

Formless Crystal was used in a variety of industries, but despite its versatility, it was not expensive. The Monster from which it could be extracted was not particularly rare, and each individual produced a large quantity of crystal.

“What in the world do you want to use it for?”

“It is an interesting object. I wanted to observe it and experiment with its uses.”

“Your curiosity truly is remarkable…”

Yoo Seongwoon smiled with mixed feelings. Taking an interest in rules or objects created by humans was a typical trait of beings from the Source.

As they chatted quietly, the skyrail soon arrived.

“It looks like we’re the only people in this car.”

As Yoo Seongwoon had said, the two of them were alone in the car marked “No. 6.”

Gio quietly reflected,

‘People truly do not use it.’

It felt like a waste.

‘To think they cannot enjoy such marvelous new technology because it is expensive.’

When he tapped the card before the elevator on the first floor, only a green light indicating that entry was permitted appeared; it did not display how much had been charged. Thus, Gio did not know the skyrail’s exact fare, but the situation left him strangely bitter.

‘Is it my imagination, or has the gap between rich and poor worsened over the past thirty-one years?’

Gio asked,

“Is it usually this empty?”

“Ah, no.”

Yoo Seongwoon shook his head.

“There are normally more passengers than this. Each car used to have at least ten people, but there seem to be unusually few today. I don’t know if it’s because we boarded during working hours… It has been a long time since I used it at this hour too.”

“……”

Wait.

Something was strange.

“During working hours?”

“Hmm, it’s already 8:38.”

After checking his wristwatch, Yoo Seongwoon continued.

“It differs slightly between companies, but the average starting time is seven in the morning.”

“……”

“Gio?”

“Work begins at seven in the morning?”

“For most people?”

Did people simply have no human rights these days?

‘If I remember correctly, the ordinary office worker clearly began at nine in the morning.’

In an instant, Gio lost all confidence in his ability to survive this harsh reality. Seeing even the patriotism he had never possessed disappear, it seemed life as a portrait suited him after all.

“……”

How in the world had the country ended up like this? He soon devised a reasonable explanation, one that only occurred to him because of the thirty-one-year gap in his memories.

“Was this decided because genetic or cultural factors cause most people to wake at dawn?”

“Uh… no, it isn’t anything like that. If no particular time were set, many people would probably sleep until lunchtime. This is simply a rule people agreed upon among themselves.”

“I see.”

It was a straightforward answer, yet something felt unsettling. Gio stared intently at Yoo Seongwoon.

‘Does this man occasionally forget that I’m human?’

He was like the owner of a talking cat explaining human society to his pet.

“……”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I am an ordinary human.”

“Uh… right.”

Even if one scrubbed one’s eyes and analyzed his reaction like a high-school senior dissecting a passage on the CSAT, there was no sign that he believed Gio.

‘…Well, even in Yoo Seongwoon’s position, I doubt a haunted portrait would feel like one of my fellow humans. I should be grateful that no one openly treats me like a Monster in a world like this.’

And being treated like a Monster came with various benefits. Even when Gio had no money and lacked common knowledge, people seemed to dismiss it with, “Well, he isn’t human, so that can’t be helped.”

His pride as a human felt slightly bruised, but he remained convinced that living as a portrait would be better for his body and mind than returning to life as a loyal slave to capitalist society.

Gio cautiously asked,

“Do I strike you as an uncultured and ill-mannered person?”

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“I do not wish to inconvenience you, Yoo Seongwoon, so I will take care.”

“…I don’t know how I’m supposed to answer that, but yes, thank you…”

“Thank you.”

As expected, Yoo Seongwoon was dependable and considerate.

Sitting beside Yoo Seongwoon, Gio looked at the skyrail door, which had yet to close.

“It has remained open for quite a long time.”

“Subway and bus doors close much more quickly than this.”

After casually providing that piece of basic knowledge, Yoo Seongwoon continued explaining the skyrail.

“It takes time for people to ascend in the elevator, and there aren’t very many platforms, so the doors remain open longer for passengers who are running a little late.”

“Even in winter?”

“Well, fortunately, it blocks the cold automatically.”

Indeed, it was currently the middle of winter.

“Ah, now that I think about it… if we’re lucky, we might find some street food while we’re walking around.”

Gio’s heart raced at Yoo Seongwoon’s words. He was faithful to his instincts.

“By street food, do you mean something like bungeoppang?”

“Yes. Or perhaps octopus buns… egg bread… or odeng.”

Read only on MUGEX

“I want to eat them.”

“I’ll search as thoroughly as I can, but don’t get your hopes too high. There aren’t many places that sell such things.”

“Why is that? Warm street food should be quite popular on a cold day.”

“Few people want to sell it because of complaints that it spoils the city’s appearance. Once someone files a complaint, the vendor can have trouble reentering the city or operating a business.”

Having said so, Yoo Seongwoon shrugged.

“Besides, city residents generally aren’t interested in running street-food stalls in the first place. And it would be inconvenient for people living in distant provinces to travel all the way here merely to sell food, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

Huh.

Gio was taken aback.

“You seem to draw a strict distinction between city residents and provincial residents.”

“Hm? Hmm, uh… I suppose we do.”

“Why?”

“Uh…”

Yoo Seongwoon heaved a deep sigh.

“I don’t know how to explain this. It’s simply ingrained in the culture. I consider it shameful, but we assign grades to each other and separate people accordingly.”

“What manner of grades?”

“For example, a person like me, who lives in the city and works as both a Hunter and a Curator, is first-class. As far as I know, nearly every B-rank or higher Hunter is a first-class citizen unless they’re a Red Hunter who has committed a crime.”

Yoo Seongwoon took out his identification card and showed Gio the words “First Class” beside his name. He then gestured beyond the skyrail’s completely unobstructed window.

“Someone who has neither a respectable income nor a proper job but at least lives within the city is second-class.”

“……”

“The provincial residents I just mentioned are usually classified as third-class. And some impoverished people who live between the provinces and the city—those who cannot even receive identification cards—are tacitly classified as fourth-class.”

“…Is there a fifth class as well?”

“From that point on, they’re criminals. Unlike fourth-class citizens, whose names aren’t recorded anywhere, fifth-class citizens do exist in administrative records. But that record is all they have. In practice, they aren’t treated as human. The system is arranged so they may be killed at any time if encountered.”

Could life possibly be any less appealing?

Overflowing with sensitivity, Gio felt as though the unbelievable development of his homeland might bring him to tears.

‘…As long as the Earth lives longer than humans, I assumed some form of class system would eventually return. I never imagined I would experience it within my lifetime.’

Looking at the door, which still had not closed, Gio asked again,

“Is there a reason to divide people so thoroughly?”

“Perhaps because of the large difference in infrastructure between cities and the provinces.”

Apparently determined to fulfill his role as a guide, Yoo Seongwoon answered kindly.

“I mean the various facilities available in each region and the benefits people can receive. There is a tremendous cultural and administrative divide between cities and the provinces. Provincial residents farm to earn their daily living, while city citizens tend to purchase the foodstuffs delivered from those regions…”

“……”

“You might say the difference amounts to nearly a century. If you traveled into the provinces, you would probably struggle to find not only a skyrail like this, but even a two-story building. People who own cars are rare. At least one village railway usually operates… Though perhaps that is why people do not purchase cars.”

They already had a means of transportation, so there was no need to spend money on a private vehicle. Yoo Seongwoon murmured the thought softly, then continued.

“Well… the greatest difference of all is still the line of defense.”

“What do you mean by the line of defense?”

“First, an enormous wall resembling a fortress wall surrounds the city outskirts. Second, specialized public safety officers separately manage security inside the city. More importantly, many Hunters already live here… so even if an incident occurs inside the city, it can be contained quickly.”

Yoo Seongwoon rubbed the back of his neck.

“In a word, it is the privilege of survival. Most fourth-class citizens would rather live in poverty than reside outside the city. In the same vein, many people want to enter, but the entire population cannot live inside. Resources and land are limited, aren’t they?”

“Is that why people are divided into grades?”

“Only second-class citizens and above are permitted to reside within the city. Third-class citizens may visit the city or find employment here as much as they please, but those who begin living here on their own are treated rather harshly.”

“How does the treatment become harsher…?”

“How should I put it? Hmm. First, their identification is destroyed, so they cannot find work… While it isn’t quite as bad as being fifth-class, they are treated as less than human. People who settle in the city recklessly because they don’t want to be bitten to death by Monsters in the provinces become those impoverished fourth-class citizens.”

In summary, was this a dystopia?

‘Hearing something that belongs in a movie makes the situation feel less real, if anything.’

It was a difficult world for Gio, who loved friendship, love, and peace, to accept. Until thirty-one years ago, it had seemed possible to feel a reasonable amount of human warmth. Now, everything felt terribly twisted.

Using his blunt poker face as a weapon, Gio began shrinking back on a grand scale. But Yoo Seongwoon, who wanted him to understand human society accurately, continued his explanation.

“Dungeons can erupt anywhere, and many Monsters have already settled on Earth even if they didn’t emerge from dungeons. Such native Monsters are managed reasonably well in the cities, but the provinces lack personnel and equipment, so people often die the moment their attention lapses.”

“That sounds frightening.”

“That’s why people who live in provincial villages are told not to go outside after five in the afternoon. In many cases, villages are organized around Hunters of C-rank or lower. However weak they may be, an Awakener is far more dependable than an ordinary person.”

Around then, the skyrail’s doors finally closed.

“……”

“We’re about to move.”

“No one else boarded.”

“Well, it isn’t lunchtime…”

“It is breakfast time.”

“What office worker eats breakfast?”

He spoke as though eating breakfast were anything but natural. It seemed the phrase “three meals a day” had vanished from the present world long ago.

‘Even we are traveling precisely because we intend to eat all three meals.’

Letting the dreadful reality of modern society flow in one ear and out the other, Gio slowly examined the skyrail, whose structure resembled the subway he remembered. The transparent walls and ceiling were its most impressive feature.

“Do these walls and ceiling also use Formless Crystal?”

“Probably. Its durability and transparency are incomparable to traditional Earth materials, so it can offer a degree of defense even if a Monster attacks.”

“I see.”

“I’ve heard windows like these were once made from glass or plastic… Sometimes I wonder how people managed to use such fragile materials.”

“……”

In an instant, Gio was reduced to an ancestor. He had gone from being a young new force in education to an ancestor. The exponential drop made him dizzy.

“Are glass and plastic no longer used?”

“They are, but glass… is ordinarily used for decorative objects. It can be shaped far more easily than Formless Crystal, and colors can be blended into it. It can be manufactured artificially, but because it is considered a type of jewel, it is somewhat expensive.”

“What about plastic?”

“Plastic? It’s almost never used. It can’t be recycled and hardly decomposes.”

Considering the planet’s health so carefully suggested that Earthlings had indeed advanced over the past thirty-one years. Gio had thought they were too busy evolving into a dystopia, but this was rather admirable.

‘The Earth’s lifespan must have increased somewhat.’

Gio turned his attention back to the skyrail.

The seats were covered in soft fabric and leather like a sofa up to the backrests, but above shoulder level, the windows and ceiling were so clear that nothing appeared to be there.

Beyond them, the gleaming walls of the buildings and the crystal-clear sky offered a peculiar thrill.

‘A gentlemanly roller coaster…’

It possessed neither great speed nor jarring motion, but the rails at this absurd altitude stirred Gio’s romantic spirit. It felt like a scene from a science-fiction movie.

“Ah, Gio. We’ll be getting off soon.”

“Is that so?”

“The baekban restaurant and hotel I reserved are both near this stop.”

“I am looking forward to them.”

“You can. I chose good places for everything.”

As he listened to Yoo Seongwoon with interest, Gio experienced a wistful premonition.

‘The Earth is no longer a place where a crystallization of harmlessness like me can live.’

Weak Gio did not possess even the white belt in taekwondo that everyone else seemed to earn. He lacked the strength to overcome this terrifying world. He would have to remain shut inside his portrait for the rest of his life and protect his personal safety.

Had Yoo Seongwoon heard those thoughts, he would have trembled with incredulity.

(To be continued)