Chapter 102

"Curator Yu Seongun."

Yu Seongun simply...

"I deeply regret having to say this, but..."

"Is it overtime?"

"..."

"It's overtime, then."

He felt that what was bound to come had finally come.

Bi Sabeol silently studied Yu Seongun's face, which had gone beyond resignation and reached the stage of enlightenment, then abruptly raised a thumb. He added a wink so fresh it was hard to believe he was an old gentleman of that age.

"How much will it take?"

"What a filthy capitalist society."

In this era, legally mandated working hours were utterly useless.

Even those laws had all been written around civilian standards, so if someone was not merely an ordinary Awakened but an openly active Hunter, they were worked hard enough that it would not be strange for them to die from overwork.

"Hoo..."

And Yu Seongun was a working adult who knew very well that he was a cog in this society.

"Yes, fine."

He nodded.

"I'll look forward to this month's salary."

"Goodness, you're so cool, Hunter Yu Seongun! So reliable!"

"Please stop making this harder for me and get to the point."

"Shall I?"

Bi Sabeol gave his characteristic languid smile, then continued.

"Jio caused an incident."

"..."

SLURP...

After drinking his sweet fruit tea, Yu Seongun asked,

"Is it on the adorable side, or the horrifying side?"

"It was very adorable."

"If it were horrifying by your standards, Guild Master, there is no way I wouldn't already know."

"Before I even wonder why you asked in the first place, Yu Seongun? What exactly do you take me for? A prophet who foresees the end?"

"I'm simply amazed at how you can enjoy life that much."

"Enjoying it is what stays with you. You may admire me."

"Ah, yes..."

Yu Seongun rubbed his stiff neck and asked again.

"What exactly happened?"

"They say a Grade 1 citizen was dragged into Jio's frame."

"If it's a Grade 1 citizen, there must be a few classists who'll rise up over it..."

"What can they do? It wasn't done by a person, but by a monster, so they'll just pay a little more attention and move on."

"That's true."

It was true that Grade 1 citizens received considerable preferential treatment in the human world.

But precisely because of that, when a Grade 1 citizen fell victim to a monster, hardly anyone sympathized. Most Grade 1 citizens earned that power and honor in exchange for fighting monsters and protecting other citizens.

"Well, Jio isn't a monster, though."

"In any case, isn't it better that he be known that way?"

"You are right, Guild Master."

There was no need to tell those who could not even see about a Root entity.

'It would only add needless confusion.'

If the Root were to be officially known, it would have to be at least a hundred years from now. At present, only thirty-one years after the Great Calamity, there were still many shortcomings in the citizens' awareness.

In any case, that was not what mattered.

"Who is the person Jio supposedly dragged away?"

At Yu Seongun's question, Bi Sabeol stroked his chin and answered.

"They say he is a B-class Hunter named Park Eun-gyeom."

"... I've never heard of him..."

"Please memorize Hunters' names and such. He was a Hunter ranked fairly high in his own way."

"In the overall rankings?"

"Domestic."

"How would I know that?"

Though he was an A-class Hunter, Yu Seongun's profession was Curator of Collector and manager of a secret Garden.

Unless it was someone generally well known, or someone he had to pay special attention to, all of his interest was directed toward the Root.

"What would I even use the domestic Hunter rankings for?"

In short, if it was not related to the Root, or part of the basic knowledge expected of an A-class Hunter, there was no need for him to know it.

"You could use it to pretend you know things?"

"I remember the important A-ranks, roughly."

"Please pay attention down to the rank just below them too. Even if you're an unofficial Hunter, you'll get criticized at this rate."

"I'm good at maintaining social relations too. It's not as if I openly show people to their faces that I don't know them, do I?"

"Should I call that a relief, at least..."

Perhaps because this was a world where Hunters were treated like a kind of celebrity. Unless they had some exceptional character to them, people wanted the Hunters who appeared in the media to always seem humble and perfect.

An image of knowing and respecting the names of all Hunters fell under that kind of "perfection."

Of course, Yu Seongun was one of Bi Sabeol's collection, and because he was a Gardener who needed plenty of time to work privately, he did not appear in the media often of his own will. If he was handling himself well, there was no need for Bi Sabeol to concern himself.

"Well, he wasn't a Hunter with that much recognition."

"You mean that Hunter named Park Eun-gyeom?"

"He himself seemed full of desire to rise higher, but I'm not sure. People these days don't like arrogant, self-righteous Hunters very much."

For Hunters today, image management was important as a rule. To reach the point where that kind of image was unnecessary, one had to become S-class, and even in the current generation, where Hunters were being produced without much difficulty, Hunters of that rank were hard to find.

And the Hunter kidnapped by Jio this time naturally was not that capable.

"He is a typical B-class Hunter. He was born with a fairly decent aptitude skill and earned a respectable rank, but he had no particular outward charm, nor was he especially sociable."

"... You had memorized it all. He couldn't have been a Hunter you were paying special attention to."

"I remember every Hunter in South Korea. Even if I look like this much of an idle loafer, am I not the proper head of the country's third-ranked guild? If I want to win with my head instead of my body, this much is basic."

"Hmm."

Yu Seongun nodded.

"What exactly was the situation?"

"An official document just came down from the Hunter Association today..."

Bi Sabeol explained what had happened so far. How the Hunter Association had reacted to Jio's latest incident, how passively they had requested help, and what exactly the incident Jio had caused was.

"... And so, even now, that Hunter named Park Eun-gyeom has not been found."

"If he was dragged inside Jio's frame, that makes sense. Even I don't know what state things are in there."

Yu Seongun propped his chin in his hand and let out a groan.

"If there is one fortunate thing, I suppose it's that this isn't the kind of disturbance that would make such a loud noise."

For one thing, it was largely thanks to Jio having caused the incident so quietly, without rumor or sound.

"More than anything, the Hunter Association's attitude is impressive."

"I thought so as well."

Bi Sabeol agreed.

"They have no intention of making a commotion grow larger, and no intention of offending our portrait, but even so, it is a decision meant to show how important they consider this incident involving 'Black Cloak.'"

They did not point directly and instead vaguely "requested" an "investigation." If the Association President, who knew Jio was part of Bi Sabeol's collection, had wanted to come on stronger, she could have, but she did not.

Then did that mean she was merely being passive? No.

"To think they asked all of the top three guilds for help, of all places."

There were three guilds that represented South Korea, and Bi Sabeol's "Collector" ranked third among them.

"In that case..."

"Including the Association President, all the 'Symbols of Eternity' will be gathering."

"Exactly."

Symbols of Eternity.

It was a term collectively referring to the Guild Masters of South Korea's first- and second-ranked guilds, centered around the Korean Hunter Association President, Dan Hae-ra, and literally described three people recorded as great figures who symbolized eternity.

If Bi Sabeol was responsible for Korea's capital, the second-ranked Guild Master was responsible for public sentiment, the first-ranked Guild Master for safety, and the Hunter Association President for overall administration and management. Present-day South Korea displayed a globally high level of stability with them as its pillars.

"Well, of course, I am not a 'Symbol of Eternity,' though?"

Some people occasionally misunderstood, but Bi Sabeol was merely aging more slowly thanks to the high level of his skill. He had not made a promise of eternity like they had. Even if they offered it to him, he would not take it.

"Still, I do play a rather large role in this capitalist society. It seems they contacted all three of South Korea's Guild Masters, including me, so that alone shows how important the Association President considers the 'Portrait of Jio.'"

At Bi Sabeol's words, Yu Seongun opened his mouth with a slightly uneasy expression.

"... I've been curious about this for a while."

"Why ask now?"

"I didn't want to get dragged into it, but I feel like I've already been dragged in, so I'm asking now."

"Wise. As expected of Curator Yu Seongun, whom I personally brought in."

"You personally brought everyone in, so what... Anyway."

Yu Seongun continued.

"Why did the Association President covet the 'Portrait of Jio' in the first place?"

As far as he knew, the main skill of Association President Dan Hae-ra, one of the few S-ranks in the country, was not anything like "appraisal."

She should not have been able to sense the essence of that unfamiliar portrait as Bi Sabeol could, so why had she put in enough effort to contend with Bi Sabeol, who was responsible for Korea's capital?

"I know the Association President often stops by auction houses. She buys many items in proportion to that, too. But she has almost never shown as much heat and sincerity as she did for this portrait... has she?"

"She never has."

"That's what I mean."

"But I do not know much about that part either."

The only thing Bi Sabeol could tell was this.

"..."

In those eyes, emotion had appeared for once.

'... I can't be certain, but.'

Association President Dan Hae-ra, who could currently be called the center of Korea, was someone who had given up many things in order to maintain that balance.

'For someone like that to show emotion, however faintly, over a single auction item.'

To be honest, Bi Sabeol himself doubted his own judgment.

"Well, who knows."

"You don't know?"

"I can't know everything."

"You live as if that isn't true."

"It helps with my image business too."

"Ah, my head hurts."

"That can happen as you go through life."

In any case, why the Association President had aimed for the "Portrait of Jio" was not especially important. At least, not to Bi Sabeol.

"Though I don't know for sure, there may have been something that only the Association President could see."

"..."

"The conversation has veered elsewhere."

What mattered most right now was the "Portrait of Jio," was it not?

"As you expected, the Hunter Association has recognized the importance of 'Black Cloak,' and they are approaching him even more carefully than that. Until they become certain he is an enemy, they will probably maintain an attitude that allows for coexistence as much as possible."

"... For now, that means there will be fewer cases of Jio getting angry over an aggressive approach. Recently, the image of 'Black Cloak' seems to have become excessively friendly, so I was worried about the foolish tricks that would increase going forward. It is fortunate the Association has become aware of it."

"On top of that, all three of South Korea's Guild Masters received that official document. Since it is a request from none other than the Association President, the other two Symbols will also clarify their attitudes toward 'Black Cloak' and make an effort to let others know."

"Especially since there is a Symbol specialized in that direction, I will no longer worry about that part. Then what remains now is how cooperative we at Collector will appear to be."

Yu Seongun, who had once even been a research team leader at the Association, was not so indifferent to the way the country worked.

It meant he had the ability to understand even if something was said in thirty layers of twists, and when he was being hinted at this much, Yu Seongun could not avoid doing the work.

"..."

And, in any case.

"... Jio is my responsibility."

If not Yu Seongun, there was no one else to take on this matter.

"For now, I will look into it in a somewhat roundabout way."

"You will not ask Jio immediately?"

"... It is true that Jio is favorable toward humans for a Root entity, but the situation is somewhat different this time, isn't it?"

"True, this is the first incident where he showed hostility rather than goodwill. According to the official document, he himself did not appear, so he may be in a bad mood."

"If we try to save a human whom Jio judged to be 'evil,' he may show even greater hostility. So rather than asking him directly, I will first try to find the frame the victim was dragged into."

Yu Seongun massaged his stiff neck once more and asked,

"Do you perhaps have any clues about that frame? A photo, or an illustration... It would be good to know its features."

"It was first discovered in a dungeon called the 'Jewel Vein,' and also..."

Bi Sabeol showed him the Association's official document.

"They say it is a work depicting a gray city."

"..."

The official document said a witness had testified that the frame felt hollow just to look at.

Yu Seongun stared at it and moved his lips.

"... Even now, in the 'country of the deep sea,' a frame called the 'Breathing Sea' is occasionally sighted. It was confirmed by a Hunter with an appraisal skill, so there is no mistake."

"That was also created by Jio, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. In any case, a painter who draws dungeons as he pleases..."

He felt a little overwhelmed.

"It is frightening."

And he was curious.

It was a thought typical of Yu Seongun.