Chapter 77

Eating rice cooked in vegetable broth made from various vegetables from the garden and a plump grilled fish, Jio spoke.

“An urban legend?”

“Kururuk.”

“It’s not bad.”

Honey expressed something akin to concern about Jio acquiring the urban legend of ‘The Black Cape’, but Jio was fine with it.

Part of it was his easygoing nature, but that wasn’t the only reason.

“If people consider me an urban legend, the worry of being attacked will also lessen a bit.”

This was the reason Jio had tolerated The Collectors’ not-so-subtle maneuvering.

“I realized after returning to Earth a few times, no matter how much Earth was upended and the environment was reorganized globally, a haunted portrait is still a rare existence. I’m not kidding, it wouldn’t be strange to be dragged to a lab and tortured for real.”

He was thinking of himself as ‘a slightly unusual case of an Awakener’.

Unlike ordinary Hunters who encountered the Source through the System, he was directly combined with the Source, so it couldn’t be said to be entirely wrong, but the problem was that the people of the world would not see it that way.

“I felt that in the 31 years I haven’t seen it, the Republic of Korea has become even closer to hell. A boneless, skinless chicken like me wouldn’t last a day before falling into the abyss.”

“Kuruk?”

“Yes, I’m not a chicken, but that’s not dad’s point. The problem is that a weak portrait like me would quickly be dragged to a laboratory full of mad scientists and experimented on.”

In that sense, the ‘Black Cape urban legend’ was not a bad thing.

“At least I won’t look like a pushover. And it leaves a lot of room for imagination.”

Not only did the Black Cape persona seem to have far greater combat power than his main body, Jio, but the name itself had a certain panache.

Nicknames like this had something that fulfilled a man’s fantasy.

“Above all, if it’s called an urban legend, it has a strong feeling of being like smoke that can’t be grasped… something that can be observed but not researched. I don’t know how it is in a harsh world like today’s, but wouldn’t the probability of being attacked by every dog and cow decrease a little?”

“Ku, kuruk….”

“Mr. Yu Seong-un is really something else. To recognize my weakness and suggest such a path, he’s truly an all-rounder type of person. A human model I should learn from. I should get closer to him by giving him meals and snacks. And one day, I will kidnap him.”

Saying things that would make Yu Seong-un faint if he heard them, Jio nonchalantly flaked off the meat of the fish, which crumbled fluffily despite not being a freshly baked castella, gave it to Dana, and continued.

“So, the emergence of an urban legend about the Black Cape is actually a welcome development. You could call it a bluff for survival.”

He hadn’t introduced himself to the Hunters he met in the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ as ‘I am a portrait’ for no reason.

“At first, I couldn’t bring myself to introduce myself by my real name, so I substituted it with ‘portrait’, and the effect was good.”

“Kuruu….”

“To survive in this eccentric world, I too will have to lend a hand to this urban legend.”

“Kkuk?”

“I think I need to think a little more about how I’ll lend a hand….”

An urban legend befitting the reputation of a haunted portrait would be nice.

“Aren’t haunted portraits usually hung up in schools?”

“…? Ku…?”

“Right, you probably don’t know much about Earth’s culture. Or maybe it’s because I was a teacher that I can only think of schools.”

“Ku, kukuku.”

“Ah, do you have some advice to give?”

The teddy bear nodded its head.

In the world he was originally from, public education was not widespread, so there were few school-related urban legends, but there were a few stories related to mansions.

“A mansion….”

Jio listened with deep impression and nodded his head.

“Certainly, subjects like a portrait hanging in an abandoned mansion are popular as urban legends. I understand what you’re saying.”

“Kuuu.”

“Yes, every piece of information like this will one day rebirth me as a great urban legend. The currently known ‘Black Cape’ has many shortcomings to be called an urban legend but….”

Jio nodded.

“If we don’t give up and keep trying like this, we will one day become a great urban legend and instill fear in people.”

“Ku…?”

“That’s how we make a living too, Father. People these days are so scary that without at least this much of a bluff, you can’t easily survive in their midst.”

It didn’t seem like something the harmless portrait Jio should say, but anyway, the sun god let it pass, saying he understood.

He knew that even though Jio spoke like that, he was not the type to actually harm humans.

In any case, Jio resolved to solidify his concept as an urban legend.

“It was a relief that the first person I met was Guild Master Bisabeol.”

Just watching his machine-gun-like mouth talk was so draining that he was still refusing to converse with him, but Bisabeol was a good person.

The very fact that he treated Jio, a haunted portrait, as a person with a personality proved his noble character.

“…….”

“What’s wrong, Honey.”

“Kkung.”

Honey thought, ‘Isn’t that a matter of taste rather than character?’, but did not bother to say it out loud. It knew that while Bisabeol was not a harmless human, he was a human devoted to works of art.

If nothing else, Bisabeol became extremely harmless, at least to his own collection.

That much was true.

“Kururu, kkukkung.”

“You wanted some fish too. Should I flake it for you?”

“Kurururururu.”

“You cute thing.”

Tearing off a thick piece of steaming meat, Jio spoke.

“Anyway, I plan to proceed with the plan I mentioned soon. I’m tired of wandering around the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ with no harvest and cultivating a clumsy urban legend.”

“Meeoow.”

“Can you eat the bones too? Here. Eat carefully.”

Giving the fish bones to Dana, Jio continued.

“Is there anyone who would like to accompany me?”

“Kururuk.”

“As expected, it’s only you, Honey. You know dad loves you a lot, right?”

“Kkuk.”

Honey, too, had no intention of letting the soft and moist-hearted Jio out into the world alone.

“Honey…!”

“Kururu.”

Moved by the warm heart of the son he had hatched with his own hands, Jio covered his mouth to show the depth of his emotion and the sun god decided to eat fish in silence.

Dana was already uninterested.

As I keep saying, they were a very close-knit family.

***

And Jio was not the only one planning something for their meeting.

Very coincidentally, the merfolk had also completed their own preparations.

“Hey, flower pig.”

“What do you want?”

“Where’s the youngest?”

“Not in the vegetable patch?”

“Can’t see him.”

“Has he lost his mind?”

Cha Isold had been kidnapped.

“No, he hasn’t even fully rested….”

Normally, a prospective priest who had completed the initiation ceremony was supposed to enter the dormitory temple, but due to the recent ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’ incident, they were given a brief period of rest.

In other words, he was kidnapped while at home.

“Is resting important right now?”

“You’re right.”

This news was immediately relayed to Yu Seong-un, who was in The Collectors guild’s office.

“Huh? Kidnapped?”

“Yes.”

“Why…? By whom? Where, how…?”

“We’re not sure about the motive either….”

The eldest son of the Cha family, Cha Eun-hyeok, said as he offered Bungeoppang as a bribe.

“There was seawater sprinkled on the vegetable patch.”

“If you put it like that, anyone would know the culprit is a merman. No, but what’s with this Bungeoppang.”

“I knew it, right?”

“You don’t have to give me any more Bungeoppang. Stop giving it to me, it’s overflowing.”

“Please give some to Mr. Jio too.”

“Uh….”

“I received and reviewed the official notice with Cha Ara.”

Cha Eun-hyeok continued with a gaunt face.

“Mr. Seo Jio has a 1:1 rule, I hear. I heard that if he receives kindness from a human, he responds with kindness, and if he receives rudeness, he responds with rudeness.”

“…So….”

Yu Seong-un asked seriously.

“You’re going to offer Bungeoppang and ask him to save your brother?”

“…I thought the probability of Isold returning alive would be higher than offering nothing… Even if Mr. Seo Jio doesn’t actually step up, I thought doing this would put my mind at ease.”

“This is almost like offering a sacrifice before a divine statue. And with Bungeoppang, at that.”

“I have nothing to say to that.”

“No, Jio really likes Bungeoppang. It’s just that he sometimes gives some pretty terrifying things as gifts in return….”

In this day and age where faith has become popularized, there were many people who visited temples and offered small sacrifices.

Even if they didn’t receive anything substantial in return, doing so made them feel better.

“It’s awkward for me to say this, but Jio can’t be called a proper god. He’s just something with the characteristics of a god. Unlike traditional gods who might show mercy for their followers’ affairs, there’s a high probability he won’t meet your expectations.”

“I don’t mind. I also brought this as a gift.”

“I’ll deliver it for now, but….”

Yes, Jio had a rule.

‘Can he be hired with Bungeoppang?’

Judging from his reaction once before, Yu Seong-un knew that Jio was bound by his own rules.

Even when he made and shared food, he had tried to find a ‘price’ from Yu Seong-un.

Cha Eun-hyeok said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s not the help of Mr. Seo Jio, of the Black Cape. But if the seawater we found is really a trace of the merfolk belonging to the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’….”

“Right.”

“Isn’t this an interesting story from the perspective of a large guild like The Collectors?”

With his characteristically stoic face, Cha Eun-hyeok desperately tried to persuade Yu Seong-un.

“Until now, monsters from the ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ have never come out of the entrance. It could be a sign of some sort, and I believe we can find out more information through this. So….”

“Calm down, Mr. Cha Eun-hyeok.”

Yu Seong-un soothed the young man.

“Even if you didn’t say that, I was planning to go rescue Mr. Cha Isold. The ‘Nation of the Deep Sea’ is a dungeon I have a lot of connections with, and the Black Cape also seems to be very interested in it… I was planning to visit soon.”

“…….”

“I’ll just think of it as going a little earlier.”

“…Thank you.”

“Alright, then….”

His words trailing off, Yu Seong-un looked back at the pale-faced Cha Ara.

“Will Hunter Cha Ara be going as well?”

“…Me, I… can I go too? I’m just an F-Class….”

“I can take you if you just sign a contract stating that you’re prepared to die.”

“…It’s shameless of me, but I ask for your favor.”

Unless one intended to use them as a meat shield, taking an F-Class Hunter into a B-Class or higher dungeon was a great burden on the other Hunters.

They would effectively become manpower dedicated to protecting the F-Class Hunter.

So this was Yu Seong-un’s consideration.

Cha Ara knew she wouldn’t be of much use even if she went, but she nonetheless asked to accompany them.

“I’m sorry.”

“I understand how you feel when family is involved. You don’t have to be sorry.”

Fortunately, The Collectors guild had a high degree of freedom for its affiliated Hunters, so no one would say anything even if Yu Seong-un was away for a while.

It just meant that the number of days Yu Seong-un had to work overtime increased and for the sake of Jio and the peace of the Earth, Yu Seong-un endured it.

“I want to go too, but that would be presumptuous of me, right??”

“What are you talking about when your physical abilities are at an F-Class level? Stay here.”

“What a shame.”

Only Bisabeol complained for a different reason, but the support itself was generous.

“…….”

“…? Why is Priest Kang Seo-dam here?”

“The Guild Master of The Collectors requested assistance from our temple.”

“They’re providing better support than I thought.”

“Even if it wasn’t a request, I would have to step up. Brother Cha Isold is my student, for whom I am responsible.”

Kang Seo-dam said with a tired face.

“Even if he isn’t officially taking classes yet because of the accident, that fact remains unchanged.”

“Wow, you’re so reliable.”

“More than that….”

Kang Seo-dam looked at ‘Seo Jio’ who was gathered in front of the port.

“…Was Hunter Seo Jio… coming with us as well?”

“I have a connection with student Cha Isold. Didn’t many people receive a lot of mental help thanks to the energetic student Cha Isold in the ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’? This is a repayment for him lessening my burden as a doctor and a follower.”

“Aha….”

“And student Cha Isold’s guardians also gave me Bungeoppang.”

“Bungeoppang.”

Kang Seo-dam had also received an official notice about ‘The Black Cape’ from The Collectors guild.

He knew that his rule was, in simple terms, ‘1:1’, and thanks to that, he could quickly understand Jio’s participation this time with the word ‘repayment’.

But he was also worried.

‘Could this part be exploited by humans?’

It was nicely called 1:1, but if things went wrong, a large number of humans could end up forcing a price upon ‘The Black Cape’.

‘If he gets angry because of that… then….’

Worrying about a future disaster, Kang Seo-dam nodded his head.

“I understand. Thank you for accompanying us.”

“There’s no need for thanks. I’m just doing what I can.”

“I see. Where is that yellow bird I saw last time?”

“It is here.”

Just like in the ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’ before, Honey peeked its face out from the hood of Jio, who was wearing a black cape.

Honey stared intently at Kang Seo-dam, from whom the energy of the sun was strongly felt.

“…….”

“…….”

“……?”

Around the time Kang Seo-dam was about to show his puzzlement, Yu Seong-un, who had noticed something was amiss, stopped Honey.

“No, Honey, that’s not for eating.”

“…Does it eat?”

Jio shook his head.

“It does not eat.”

“But just now Mr. Yu Seong-un….”

“The meals I make would be more delicious, so why would it bother to eat an unseasoned person.”

“…….”

“Honey is a gourmet and doesn't eat just anything.”

Kuruu.

A sound of affirmation was heard from inside the hood.

“…I see.”

He wasn’t exactly reassured.

‘It was looking at me with very sparkly eyes.’

Kang Seo-dam only got more goosebumps recalling Honey’s greedy gaze.

“…….”

“Shall we go then.”

“…Yes.”

And so, with the A-Class Yu Seong-un in the lead, the Cha Isold rescue team of Kang Seo-dam, Cha Ara, and Seo Jio was formed.

In truth, it’s not like this portrait needed anyone’s help….

‘…Helping with Jio’s social life….’

Yu Seong-un thought it was a bit funny.

“…….”

That was sarcasm.

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