Chapter 25
8:00 a.m.
Looking at the Black Cloak who had appeared before the frame, Yoo Seongwoon blinked his mint-colored eyes.
“……”
Huh.
‘He feels a little different.’
It was not his imagination. The pitch-black figure standing before the portrait lacked the strange atmosphere he had possessed before.
It was as though a Monster had become human.
“Gio.”
“You have arrived?”
“Am I too late?”
“No. I came out early.”
“Is that so?”
Yoo Seongwoon answered placidly while thinking to himself,
‘…Even his voice is different from usual.’
Previously, Gio had spoken in a tone so orderly that it felt unnatural. The Gio before him now might make someone think, ‘He’s a little excessively polite,’ but he did not seem strange. A person of exceptionally innocent character might speak this way.
‘Perhaps his stature changes depending on whether he is inside or outside the portrait…’
But that did not align with the eyewitness testimony they had collected thus far.
“……”
After letting his eyes wander briefly, Yoo Seongwoon smiled and asked,
“Are you in a good mood, by any chance?”
“Yes. I am.”
“Hmm… You seem lighter than usual.”
“I have always been lighthearted.”
“Let’s say you have.”
He was definitely different from usual.
‘I can hardly feel the pressure from him either.’
Though Yoo Seongwoon had only ever seen Gio from behind, he knew how terrifying Gio ordinarily was outside the portrait.
That sensation—having one’s breath constrict and mind grow dizzy despite sensing no hostility or murderous intent—was not something one encountered easily.
‘Even in a world like this, filled with humans, Monsters, and all manner of other creatures.’
He had heard that the sensation became even worse when one faced Gio directly. It was truly strange. At present, Gio felt like an ordinary human.
“……”
“……”
Perhaps sensing his confusion, Gio spoke first.
“I took measures.”
“Measures?”
“I adjusted my resolution so that other people would not be startled when they saw me. Judging by your reaction, Yoo Seongwoon, it appears my attempt was reasonably successful.”
“Ah, I see. No wonder.”
He seemed quite human.
Although Yoo Seongwoon nodded as if it were nothing significant, his thoughts were far from calm.
‘In other words… he can control the stature of his own soul?’
Previously, Gio’s stature had been so distorted that no human system could express it. Now, it seemed comparable to that of an A-rank Hunter.
The idea that he could freely regulate the stature of his soul sounded like a particularly vile joke.
“…It isn’t straining your body?”
Forcibly lowering one’s stature would cause tremendous exhaustion.
‘It’s no different from placing a curse on himself.’
Yoo Seongwoon had softened his question to, “It isn’t straining you?” Adjusting one’s stature in this manner would cause pain far greater than mere exhaustion.
In response to Yoo Seongwoon’s question, Gio looked down at his hands, then shook his head.
“I am fine.”
“If so, that’s a relief…”
How could he remain so calm after doing something this insane? Yoo Seongwoon was silently appalled.
‘He’s far too composed for someone who has mutilated himself. If you want to imitate an ordinary person, be more meticulous about it.’
Even a ten-year-old child would understand the gravity of the situation. Put in terms a civilian could understand, Gio had effectively severed all four limbs and gouged out both eyes.
‘It’s no different from fastening a leash and heavy weight around the neck of a person forced to crawl with nothing but a torso…’
Naturally, Gio had no such thoughts.
‘I’m hungry.’
From his own perspective, he had been an ordinary human until quite recently.
A body that never grew thirsty, sleepy, hungry, or full was certainly convenient… but he felt no aversion to his present condition.
This was how he had always lived. Why would he feel averse to it? If anything, it was familiar.
“……”
“Where should we go now?”
“…Oh, right.”
Yoo Seongwoon worked to maintain his placid expression as he answered. It would be rude to do nothing but look worried at someone who had come out specifically to enjoy himself. With a being of the Source, he had to be careful of even a reaction like that.
“Since it’s morning, I thought we would begin with a meal.”
“What kind of meal?”
“The place I recommend is a baekban restaurant.”
Gio had once introduced himself in the Korean style as “Seo Gio.” Yoo Seongwoon did not know whether he had truly adopted the customs of the Republic of Korea, but since Gio seemed familiar with Korea in many respects, he had chosen a baekban restaurant for breakfast.
Still, to be safe, he added an explanation.
“It serves a complete table with side dishes, rice, and soup. You can order fish or spicy stir-fried pork as the main dish.”
“……”
“Nothing should be particularly strong overall. Since it’s breakfast, I looked for a restaurant that would be easy on the stomach.”
“That sounds good.”
Gio ate almost anything, but having grown up under a grandmother who always prepared baekban, he liked comforting food of this sort. It soothed both body and mind.
Yoo Seongwoon nodded.
“I’m glad. Shall we go, then?”
Gio followed behind him.
‘…I can hear his footsteps.’
Gio seemed to have been barefoot before, but he now wore dress shoes. Separate from that, Yoo Seongwoon was slightly startled to hear footsteps carrying the weight of a person.
‘Has he truly lowered his stature to a human level? I still can’t believe it.’
From how such a thing was even possible to why he had done something so horrific, the entire matter left Yoo Seongwoon feeling strange.
‘He probably did it deliberately out of consideration for the other humans…’
Yoo Seongwoon had been devising excuses for any damage Gio might cause. Now, before he could even feel embarrassed, a strange guilt settled over him. This absurd kindness, like severing one’s own limbs and soul, was more than he could bear.
Yet the very fact that Gio offered such an unthinkable kindness without concern made him seem even less human.
“Hmm…”
Coming to his senses, Yoo Seongwoon led Gio to the elevator.
“Let’s get in.”
“I believe this is my first time.”
“What is? This elevator?”
“I usually traveled through paintings.”
“So you did travel through paintings.”
Yoo Seongwoon had already suspected as much, but the mysterious portraits that night guards occasionally discovered in the hallways had now been explained.
Not that this would uproot the tale of the Black Cloak, which had already taken root in the guild.
“We even gave you an access card. Why didn’t you use the elevator?”
“I thought it might become troublesome if I encountered other people in such a confined space.”
“…I see.”
True enough, merely encountering Gio in the broad hallways had forced them to give guards time off. In a space this narrow, someone might have collapsed foaming at the mouth.
But that was not what Gio had meant.
‘How could I share a confined space with employees when I have no idea what sort of people they are?’
Gio knew when to be cautious, and he had been scared. Thirty-one years seasoned with fantasy had been more than enough to make even his homeland inspire fear of the unknown.
‘I don’t know how much the culture has changed. It would be dangerous for a haunted portrait to act rashly. Traveling through paintings is faster, too.’
Thus, he had made the choice with his own convenience in mind in several respects…
“……”
But Yoo Seongwoon could not help interpreting it differently.
‘…Isn’t this fellow excessively kind? Was I worrying about the wrong thing?’
He was beginning to grow concerned.
‘He worried that others would be crushed by his stature, so he traveled through paintings instead of using the elevator. And to prevent an unfortunate incident during the trip, he cut away his own stature…’
There were other suspicious circumstances.
‘Come to think of it, his exceptional fondness for giving gifts seems like a troubling trait in retrospect.’
Yoo Seongwoon had planned this sightseeing trip while worrying that the portrait might cause an incident. But if humans harmed Gio instead, that would become a different sort of incident.
‘It seems I chose the wrong target for caution. Instead of worrying about an unexpected act from the gentlemanly Gio, should I have worried about a human approaching who might provoke him…?’
Even as Yoo Seongwoon lamented whether his concern was moving in the right direction, he could not put aside his suspicions.
“…All right, let’s get off.”
“That took quite some time.”
“The Gallery is deep underground.”
Yoo Seongwoon smiled faintly as he explained.
“Works in the Guild Master’s Gallery arrive from all over the world. Some are objects he purchased personally, some were identified and purchased by guild members before being delivered here, and some are so dangerous that their owners entrusted them to us for safekeeping…”
In other words, it was a den of monsters.
“Access to the Gallery is restricted partly to prevent theft, but also because the slightest mistake can easily kill a dozen people. The Gallery of the Collectors, overrun with Works possessing every kind of bizarre trait, is famous. Whenever a strange tale arises, the Gallery is usually its source.”
“I see.”
“That’s why the Gallery is deliberately placed so deep underground that it almost seems excessive. It was designed that way so if some unidentified bomb explodes down there, it can be contained more easily—or at least so the damage can be reduced.”
After saying that much, Yoo Seongwoon turned to Gio.
“Hmm, yes.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Keep your hood up.”
Lowering his stature had reduced the pressure somewhat, but it was nowhere near harmless. More importantly, Gio’s face was far too striking. If he walked around with it exposed, he would become embroiled in every manner of troublesome situation.
‘As long as his face remains covered, I can pass him off as an Unofficial Hunter. The Collectors have an unusually large number of Unofficial Hunters, so no one else should become suspicious.’
An employee at the entrance to the first-floor lobby greeted Yoo Seongwoon.
“Are you leaving work already?”
“Of course not. It’s a business trip. I just arrived—there’s no way I would be leaving already.”
“I almost envied you, so that’s a relief. Let’s suffer together.”
After joking affably, the guard looked at Gio standing behind Yoo Seongwoon.
“And this person is…”
“The Guild Master’s guest.”
“Will he be joining us as a new recruit soon?”
“Possibly.”
Apparently highly sociable, the guard spoke to Gio with the familiarity of an old acquaintance despite surely seeing him for the first time.
“Then it may be wise to change the color of your cloak. As you surely know, our guild has acquired a new strange tale lately… and we’re people who are often tormented by such stories.”
Yoo Seongwoon asked,
“Are people still startled by stories of the Black Cloak?”
“Can it be helped when there are so many witnesses? It appears he really exists, so everyone is maintaining a certain degree of vigilance.”
“My, how troublesome.”
Murmuring with a calm smile, Yoo Seongwoon bowed his head.
“Then I suppose I won’t see you again for several days.”
“Is this a long-term business trip?”
“Well, I doubt I’ll know until we get there…”
“Then take care.”
After politely bidding them farewell, the guard quickly lost interest in Yoo Seongwoon and Gio.
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The enormous glass doors of the lobby opened, and once they had stepped outside the Collectors Guild, Yoo Seongwoon spoke.
“As you can see, rumors about you have spread somewhat. I told the Guild Master in advance about the discomfort you’re experiencing, but it will likely take some time before anything changes…”
Yoo Seongwoon spoke as though making an excuse.
“I plan to tell people you’re the Guild Master’s guest. How does that sound?”
“I understand.”
“Do you have any other questions?”
“I wonder why the guard was convinced I would become his colleague.”
“Ah, that.”
Yoo Seongwoon nodded.
“The Guild Master has a habit of picking up people from the street.”
“He picks them up? The Guild Master possesses an unusual conviction.”
“He even tries to recruit subcontractors who came to assassinate him.”
“To bring someone who tried to kill him into his fold is daring. He seems exceptionally tolerant.”
“His tastes are so peculiar that when an unfamiliar person appears in the guild, they are usually the Guild Master’s guest. He has invited people into the guild to seduce them into joining more times than I can count.”
“……”
There were only so many times one could put a positive spin on things.
Unaware that such charitable interpretations made him appear even less human, Gio silently resigned himself to the endless saga of Bisabeol’s eccentric exploits.
‘That overwhelming presence is more than I can handle with the limited stamina the gods of heaven and earth have granted me.’
Bisabeol did not seem like a bad person, but his sheer unpredictability placed him at the top of Gio’s list of people with whom he never wished to converse.
‘If we ever became friends, he would drag me out of my room, throw me into the center of a gathering of social butterflies, and offer me as a sacrifice to the party…’
Terrifying.
“Now we need to take the skyrail. Will that be all right?”
“…The skyrail?”
Not the subway?
Thanks to Gio lowering his stature, Yoo Seongwoon noticed his confusion more clearly and explained.
“Hmm, it’s a railway that runs above the ground. Like a bus, it follows fixed routes, but it’s a little faster and operates at a considerable altitude.”
As he spoke, Yoo Seongwoon raised a finger and pointed into the sky.
“Can you see it over there?”
Rails passed through high-rise buildings or ran between them. The entirety of the track was not visible; only portions could be seen.
Perhaps for the sake of the cityscape, separate measures had apparently rendered some sections transparent. It stirred Gio’s science-fiction sensibilities.
“It is quite high.”
“In terms of a building, it operates around the sixtieth floor.”
Gio nodded inwardly.
‘They say mountains and rivers change in ten years. The world has changed in thirty.’
That tendency was probably stronger because they were in the capital region, but even accounting for that, the buildings and infrastructure had advanced tremendously. Gio now truly felt that he had become an ancestor.
Most buildings stood more than thirty stories tall, while the skyrail winding between them looked almost like a roller coaster.
‘I doubt its routes or speed are as extreme…’
The futuristic design filled Gio with romance.
“Gio, this way.”
“……”
People’s fashion differed considerably from what he remembered as well. Some wore armor or carried enormous greatswords across their backs. Some even had wings or tails.
They said fashion moved in cycles, but an invasive species had clearly disturbed the ecosystem somewhere along the way. Everyone was so distinctive that Gio looked ordinary in his cloak.
He even saw people exchanging jewels and weapons here and there. Jewels were one thing, but weapons with wickedly sharpened blades…
“……”
Goodness.
Gio discovered himself shrinking endlessly like thin-sliced pork belly cooked over a roaring flame.
‘This sight makes a mockery of my concern that I, a haunted portrait, might appear dangerous.’
Contrary to his thoughts, several sharp-eyed people were glancing at Gio.
‘His energy is weighty… Is he a Hunter? From the discipline in his movements, perhaps a knight… or a Priest?’
‘At least A-rank, perhaps. That presence is unfamiliar, so he’s probably an Unofficial Hunter.’
‘Everything is black. He may possess a skill that makes color important, or perhaps all of that is a matching Item set…’
Yoo Seongwoon was aware of those people’s gazes.
‘Please, just don’t speak to him.’
As expected, they were attracting attention, though Gio’s efforts meant it was less than Yoo Seongwoon had anticipated.
He prayed fervently that no one would speak to Gio, who had only just entered human society, and cause an unfortunate incident.
“This is the skyrail entrance.”
Yoo Seongwoon drew Gio’s attention away before his gaze could settle on anyone else.
“See this? If you tap a card here, you can pay the fare.”
“You pay the fare in front of the elevator?”
With his hands clasped behind his back out of habit, Gio studied the skyrail entrance with interest.
It resembled the elevators one could find in subway stations or on some pedestrian overpasses. Rather than being concealed within a building, it jutted out on its own and extended high into the air, where it connected to the skyrail route.
‘Are there no separate stations?’
The bare tracks lacked surrounding buildings, so there did not appear to be station houses. Only small spaces resembling bus stops could be seen at intervals. Apparently, it truly was used like a bus.
“I’ll give you my card. If there’s anything you want to buy, use this. It has no limit.”
“……”
Gio shrank back.
‘I have lost count of how many times I’ve shrunk back today.’
The world outside his blankets was dangerous.
‘Why are you giving me a card with no limit?’
You frighten me, so for now, I shall call you Hyung. Hyung-nim.
Naturally, selectively introverted Gio would never address Yoo Seongwoon, whom he had met only a few months ago, as Hyung. Maintaining his polite demeanor, Gio used the card and boarded the skyrail elevator.
“……”
“What is it?”
“There is something I wish to know.”
Gio asked,
“The elevator is not particularly fast, yet there is only one. I do not understand. Would service not be delayed if many people arrived at once?”
“Ah…”
Yoo Seongwoon smiled awkwardly.
“I suppose they installed only one because not many people use it anyway.”
“It appears to be a useful means of transportation. Why do so few people use it?”
How could anyone neglect such fascinating new technology?
“The reason isn’t anything extraordinary.”
Yoo Seongwoon taught him the truth of reality.
“Because it’s expensive.”
“……”
Aha.
‘Of course.’
Gio, too, knew capitalist society very well.
‘Is that fellow still alive?’
How long-lived.
(To be continued)