Although it was an exceptionally inefficient method, Gardeners were ordinarily created by being chosen.
A Garden itself had to choose a human with the proper aptitude, and that presented several problems. First of all, most humans with such aptitude concealed themselves and lived in hiding.
“Mr. Cha Eunhyuk is a relatively tame case.”
Jeong Haewoon pretended to sniffle and wiped away tears with a handkerchief.
“The Great Calamity occurred only thirty-two years ago. As a result, all manner of superstitions still run rampant throughout the world. And among them, there unquestionably are real Mysteries that should not be dismissed as mere superstition.”
“Ah, uh, yes. I see.”
Cha Eunhyuk nodded with an uncomfortable expression. Jeong Haewoon continued,
“In a situation like this, just how chilling would people find ‘a being who sees what others cannot’?”
“Hmm….”
“Ah, I absolutely did not say that to offend you, Mr. Cha Eunhyuk. It is simply an objective fact. Someone who is not a Hunter yet sees things that are not there has no choice but to be ostracized.”
“I was not offended. It is something I fully acknowledge.”
“Thank you for understanding. As expected, you are exceptionally patient. There was a reason Teacher Seo Gio chose you.”
Of course, this was an age in which the existence of souls was acknowledged. But that applied only to Hunters. A mere non-Awakener without even such a Skill claimed to see what others could not? In the worst case, it could lead all the way to a witch hunt.
In small, self-governed villages, incidents of varying severity had actually occurred for that reason. To people with an old-fashioned mindset, someone with such aptitude would appear little different from an agent of the Great Calamity.
What else could they do but hide themselves?
“But…