Chapter 48

If you're wondering how the situation came to this.

"Let's go, Honey."

"Kurururururu."

"It's a picnic."

It was nothing special.

It was just that I, Jio, and Honey had come out for a picnic, with the novel backdrop of a dungeon.

"I wonder if I can pull out that gem."

"Kkur."

"It does peck at it."

The dungeon that was in the documents Yu Seong-un had given me, the 'Water Vein of Jewels'.

Half because I couldn't win against Honey, who was fixated on the word 'jewel', and half because I, Jio, myself wanted to enjoy this fantasy-like picnic, I used the materials Yu Seong-un gave me to create a passage and ended up visiting this place on a whim.

"……?"

Then I discovered something peculiar.

"The synchronization rate isn't rising at all."

"Kururuk?"

"Well, I'm not sure why."

It was the synchronization rate for 'Giovanni' that had been rising even when I just stayed still inside the portrait.

So for it to suddenly not budge at all, I couldn't help but be concerned.

"Does the synchronization temporarily stop when I come to a different dungeon? It doesn't feel like it has completely stopped, though."

"Kurururuk."

"The picture frame?"

"Kkuk."

"As you say, it might be a problem with the passage."

Honey asked if the connection was cut because I came out through a passage I arbitrarily made, not 'Jio's Portrait'.

For some reason, I felt Honey's words were right.

"It's not important."

People have to live in the present to be happy.

"Even for me, a haunted portrait, that's no different."

"Kkuruk?"

"Portraits are people too."

When I insisted, Honey didn't say anything more. I wasn't sure if it was showing filial piety or if it was just distracted by the jewels, but anyway, that's how it was.

Leaving the question as a question, I slowly looked around the dungeon that the Hunters of Korea occasionally visited.

"Nice."

The 'Water Vein of Jewels', which was somehow alien and eerie yet had a dreamlike quality due to the influence of the luminous stones, was an excellent tourist spot.

"It's cool."

"Kururuk."

"I like it."

I could see why this place was called the 'Water Vein of Jewels'.

"It's all made of jewels."

Similar in form to a cave created by flowing lava, this place looked like a cave created by flowing jewels.

Big jewels. Small jewels. Transparent jewels. Opaque jewels. Sharp hexagonal jewels.

Round, spore-shaped jewels.

Jewels clustered together from above, sparkling like a chandelier….

"Son, don't eat too much."

"Kkung."

"You'll get a stomachache."

All sorts of jewels were gathered haphazardly, creating multiple paths.

'Sometimes the protruding tips are glowing.'

I recalled the explanation in the materials Yu Seong-un had given me.

"He said it was a very dark cave."

"Kkuk."

"Compared to what I thought… isn't it rather bright?"

He said that in the air of this cave, there were swarms of microscopic monsters that ate light.

Monsters that live by sucking people's vitality roam the interior without a trace, and monsters too small to be caught absorb all kinds of light.

In this place, so quiet it was as if even sound had been stolen, the only things to rely on were the jewel pillars that shone on their own.

"Is what he said…."

But in my eyes, I could see all around just fine.

"It's a little dark, but there are luminous stones, so my vision isn't that blocked."

"Kururuk."

"Yes, you're here too."

I wondered if this was also a benefit I could get because I was a 'portrait'.

'Though I don't know exactly what that benefit is.'

If only I could see what all the Hunters on Earth could not, then the strange one was definitely me.

The only cause I could think of for me, a harmless human who didn't even have a white belt in Taekwondo, to gain such a strange ability was the portrait.

"……."

It feels like I'm getting further and further away from being human as the days go by.

"…It's funny, so it's fine."

"Kkuk?"

"It's a very interesting life."

"Kkur?"

"It's because I'm good-looking."

It's really because I'm 'well' made.

Well, as you live, you can become a portrait, and you can become distant from the standards of a normal human, can't you?

Such things were not a problem for me at all.

"Life is a series of content, and content is meant to be enjoyed."

"Kururu…."

"There's no reason for me not to enjoy my life. The same goes even if it's the life of a portrait."

I did not yield to a realization of this mere level.

I, who had no particular thoughts, comfortably toured the 'Water Vein of Jewels'.

And I was amazed.

"The tourism industry of Earth has developed so much in 31 years."

There were beast-shaped monsters that occasionally appeared faintly like ghosts, but for some reason, they would express a light favor towards me and then pass by.

They weren't much different from the animals in the Painting Forest.

Those guys also sometimes kiss my ankle and leave.

"Like adorable sweethearts."

I, who had finished my judgment based on love, friendship, and peace, nodded my head.

'Did they recognize that I'm harmless?'

Anyway, now that I knew that even the monsters weren't a threat, there was even less to be wary of.

With a full heart, I wandered around the 'Water Vein of Jewels'.

As a result, I was able to enjoy the fantastic tour with my son to the fullest, at 120%….

"……."

There was something I didn't like.

There were no people.

"…I should have known when he said it was a rarely visited dungeon."

Perhaps feeling sorry for me growing old alone, even the portrait had set up a letter communication system for me to make new friends, but there wasn't a single human in sight to make a pen pal out of.

'I'm a lonely firefly.'

I have no friends.

Just because I meet someone, I can't just greet them and make them a friend, so to make a new connection, I would have to make several attempts.

Making a pen pal was this difficult.

'I haven't seen a single strand of human hair from the start….'

Seo Jio, the small eater of this era who feels full without eating as long as he is filled with love, friendship, and peace, fell into great sadness.

"In my 29 years of life, I've never been a friendless loner until now."

"Kkur?"

"Family is excluded. It would be a bit much to call a child born from my own paint a friend, wouldn't it?"

"Kkungkungkung…."

"Even if you're dissatisfied, it can't be helped. No matter how open-minded this dad is, what can't be, can't be."

Feeling drained for no reason, I bowed my head and saw a cat that had stealthily settled near my feet.

"……."

Oh, a cat.

"…When did you get here?"

"Mew-mang."

"How cute."

Its fur was fluffy and long, as if it were a long-haired breed, yet it had a definite sense of weight and a solid appearance compared to the hazy monsters of the 'Water Vein of Jewels' I had seen so far.

"Has the time of the choosing come?"

After checking if there was a mother cat nearby, I became dejected again.

Is it okay for the new connection I gained after mustering the courage to come out into society to be a palm-sized kitten?

"…It's not like it's not okay."

Isn't it good for things to get crowded? Life was not something one could live alone.

Convinced, I asked the cat.

"Is it always this empty of people here, little one."

"Purrrr..."

"You're just cute and have no answer."

The kitten just flopped over and showed its belly without a response.

At that natural command to rub its belly immediately, the prepared butler Jio squatted down and gently caressed the tiny belly.

'It's hard and cold.'

I heard a purring sound.

If my master is satisfied, then I am happy too.

I nodded my head.

"How cute."

"Kkuk?"

"It's small and harmless, so of course it's cute."

"……."

"…I don't know why, but it seems like you're denying your father's words, but whatever the truth is, it would be better not to tell me. There's a saying that people are happiest when they are ignorant, and that is truly the case for me. I don't want to know the cruel truth, so please let me enjoy this."

Honey acknowledged my heartfelt plea.

"But it really is cute."

The kitten-sized monster was not as cleanly transparent as Honey.

Because its whole body was made of jewels, the inside was full of dense crystals and cracks, making it look opaque.

But when I touched it directly, I could feel the fur that softly wrapped its surface.

Its jewel body was cold and hard, unlike Honey's, but the cat's actions of lying on its back and enjoying the touch were extremely elaborate.

"Couldn't a monster like this be praised as well?"

Anticat

A cat-type monster made of jewels that acts independently from the moment it is born from an egg.

It extremely loathes the creatures of Earth, so the earthlings who first discovered their existence gave them the name 'Anticat'.

Elixir Recipe: The jewel fur ball that an Anticat very rarely coughs up can be stretched and woven into cloth to become an invisibility cloak. The tears of an Anticat, which are shed even more rarely, can be used as an excellent tranquilizer on their own.

"Oh."

I realized.

"Well, it appraised the monster at Cheonggyecheon too, so a dungeon monster probably wouldn't be much different. What a diligent Speedwagon."

And then I realized a second thing.

"…It loathes the creatures of Earth?"

Then what about me?

"Am I not counted as a creature of Earth?"

"Purr…Purr...."

"Don't just purr, try to answer about my identity, little one. Although my current situation is that I'm half-forced to live inside a portrait because my status and real estate were all liquidated, I may look like this, but I am a robust son of the Republic of Korea who grew up receiving the clear energy of the mountains in Gangwon-do."

"Purr…."

"Do I have catnip on my hands?"

I was so pleased that it was almost flustering.

"It recognizes a prepared butler."

Even though it was a monster, perhaps because it had the habits of a cat, the touch of Jio, a veteran cat-patter, seemed to be working very well.

It was a moment where I felt the reward for occasionally stopping by a cat cafe even while living in a busy modern society.

"……."

"……."

Anyway, there were no people.

"Hmm."

Only the cat was cute.

"How sad."

"Purr..?"

"I came to make a new friend, but I'm only going back with a master."

I was already fully intending to kidnap this Anticat.

Since it said they 'act independently from the moment they are born from an egg,' it seemed it didn't have a family it lived with.

'I can't carelessly touch the cats of Earth, but….'

Perhaps because this friend was a monster, I felt a little less burdened.

"There's the ice cellar with a similar environment, and if need be, I can draw a house in a similar place, so I think it should be fine. What do you think, little one."

"Purrr….."

"I'll take that as an agreement."

But not having seen a single person was a bit of a big blow. For the timid Jio, even coming outside to make a new friend required a great deal of mental energy.

"I don't like too many people, but I was hoping there would be at least one."

"Purr..."

"……."

"Purr….."

"Hm?"

The Anticat, which seemed to have clearly understood my words, stealthily got up from its flopped-over position and left for somewhere.

"Oh."

I instinctively sensed new content and waited patiently in my spot.

'A friendship connected by an animal, this is a beautiful situation like a fairy tale….'

As I waited in anticipation of a meeting full of childlike innocence, the Anticat soon lured a human over.

A young and pitiful human who, at a glance, was so terrified they couldn't grasp the situation at all and were just being drawn by the Anticat's faint light, dragged along like a moth.

"……."

Is this an offering?

'A sacrifice?'

Nah, surely not.

'It must have brought them here for me to make a friend, how unfortunate. They look as young as the students I used to teach, so it would be difficult to make them a friend….'

To the person who hadn't noticed me yet, I spoke in the kindest voice possible.

"Hello."

"H-huaaaaaaaah!!"

This one hurts a little.

"Wha, whawhawha, what wha wh—…"

"……."

"…Wh-who are you…."

This really hurts.

"Who, who are you…."

"……."

I, failing to notice the other person's valid question, became disheartened.

My spirits plummeted.

Honey, hiding in my hood, seemed to be getting angry as if to say, 'Why are you crushing my dad's spirit,' but I ignored it.

I had foreseen that it would turn out like this. It wasn't something I hadn't guessed at all.

'Still… I thought I had gotten used to people being scared of me, but I guess it still doesn't hurt.'

Besides, the guards working at 'The Collectors' weren't this scared.

Perhaps thanks to the rumors about 'The Black Cape' spreading recently, most of them didn't get overly afraid and would talk to me.

In a word, this was the first time I had met someone this scared of me.

'…Did I even end up scaring a student who looks to be about high school age….'

The heart of Seo Jio, who had been a high school teacher, instantly ached.

If it had been one of my students, I would have given them a sweet snack and gently soothed them, but in the current situation, that would probably just scare them more.

As if it knew how I was feeling, the Anticat rubbed against my leg as if its mission was complete.

It was very cute. I looked down at the Anticat.

"…The Anticat is…."

"……."

"Ah, excuse me, are you perhaps… a, a Tamer? The…."

"……."

"Which guild's Hunter are you…."

At the sight of the other person asking a very cautious question, I belatedly realized.

"……?"

Ah, that student.

'Is that the student I ran into in the alley last time?'

The kind-hearted student who had readily donated her own scarf to a homeless person on a winter day.

'Commendable, even thinking about it again.'

I had to give her a Good Deed Award right away. Or merit points. Or at least a snack….

'The commendable student who showed me that a commendable sprout exists even in Hell Korea.'

Having been a teacher, Seo Jio was weak to young students, and he personally liked good people very much.

There was nothing that warmed his heart as much as a kind and polite student.

'What should I do?'

Remembering that the other person was that good student from before, I was at even more of a loss for words.

'She seemed very scared of me that day too… isn't she going to faint if she finds out I'm the same person?'

Besides, the current Jio had no proper identity.

In other words, it meant I couldn't answer the question the other person was asking.

No matter how crazy I was, I couldn't just say, 'Actually, I was an art teacher working at a high school 31 years ago, but during a fire, I became a haunted portrait….' Could I?

"……."

"……."

But it wasn't the way of an adult to keep ignoring a student's question just because I was at a loss for words.

It was just one chance encounter, but I was also glad to see a familiar face anyway, so I put pressure on my slightly stuttering brain and spat out the words.

"Hello."

"…Ah, yes."

"……."

"Th-ah, hello…."

Ah, that's not it.

'The social skills I had within me must have all dried up during the 31 years I was asleep.'

Seeing the extremely awkward student, I felt a spring of apology well up inside me.

It was the first time someone had been this scared of me, so I didn't know how to respond, and the fact that the other person was a young student made me even more cautious, which also played a part in my attitude.

I hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

"My name is Seo Jio."

My grandmother used to say that the most effective way to put someone at ease was by exchanging names.

I firmly believed the words of my grandparents, who were like the sky to me.

"……."

"What is your name?"

This was a bit strange, even so, but Jio, who had appeared in the dungeon as a 'portrait', had no awareness that he was objectively saying something strange.

Even if he had been aware, he probably wouldn't have been able to come up with a plausible response in his considerably flustered state.

"…I, I'm…."

"You are nervous."

"……."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"……."

"I promise I will not cause you any harm."

I was truly speaking from goodwill, from the bottom of my heart.

The student looked so nervous that I just wanted to say, 'I'm harmless, so you don't need to be that scared,' but….

"Do not be afraid."

Life isn't that easy, is it?

"……."

"I am curious about your name."

I had already been consumed by my 'portrait' persona, starting with my excessively polite way of speaking.

'Are they not relaxing?'

Yu Seong-un and Bisabeol had never described to Jio how scary and distant he felt to people, so that the already dangerous 'Jio's Portrait' wouldn't deviate from its human personality.

Therefore, I also regarded myself as just some 'gloomy man you might run into in an alley late at night.'

'It'll get better if I clear up the misunderstanding.'

How well could such self-awareness of Jio's have gone?

"Cha, Cha Ara… It's Cha Ara."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Cha Ara."

I asked, filled with kindness.

"Will you speak with me?"

Behold my open mind.

I will show you what a harmless being I am.

Well, it was that kind of resolve.

"……."

"……."

"Please save me."

But just because it's sincere doesn't mean it always gets through.

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