Chapter 51

Seo Jio, who had been raised by his grandmother, could not stand to see anyone go hungry.

'A student who looks no older than a high schooler is working without even getting to eat?'

Honestly, it felt more horrifying than a natural disaster.

Natural disasters were natural events the Earth set off now and then when it got bored, but if a child was going hungry, that was a problem caused by humans.

'Unforgivable.'

Jio, who had once even been a teacher, felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

"Does it taste all right?"

"It's s-so good...!!"

"It does my heart good to see you enjoying it. Splendid."

Look at her eat.

'I hope she gains about five kilograms before she leaves.'

Nothing made him happier than seeing a young student eat the food he had made with such relish.

'She eats so heartily.'

Jio did not notice, but the air in the cabin warmed along with the mood of the one who could be called the master of the forest.

Cha A-ra, already excited by the first feast she had ever eaten in her life, noticed it quickly.

'... Huh, something feels lighter.'

It was as if the atmosphere had lightened from a funeral to an intensive care unit.

'Anyway, this is really good...'

If she had been what Cha A-ra called an "educated Hunter," she would have been frightened by this strange phenomenon instead.

She vaguely suspected that this cabin was a dungeon and that the master of the dungeon was the Black Cloak before her, but even so, dungeons whose environments changed according to the boss's mood were not very common.

A dungeon that changed to match the boss's mood was little different from a living creature.

In other words, Cha A-ra was currently eating inside the belly of a monster called Jio, and if she had known a little more, her thoughts probably would have gone that far.

But Cha A-ra was too overwhelmed by the miraculous kindness that had suddenly come to her.

"Even just the rice tastes really good. Um, is this... because the rice is good? Or is it because you're such a good cook that it turned out like this?"

"The rice is ordinary."

It was rice he had made by drawing the packaging of the rice he used to eat back on Earth.

It had felt rather novel, like doing entrance-exam art again after so long.

'Anyway, nothing beats good food when it comes to helping kids relax.'

In truth, this did not seem to apply only to kids.

Even people who were frightened of Jio because of the influence of the portrait loosened up a little after receiving delicious snacks, did they not?

He thought it might be a similar principle.

Jio firmly resolved to fatten up this scrawny student until she was plump.

"If there is anything different, it is that this rice was cooked with broth."

"With broth...?"

"I used broth instead of water. It is a little different in that I used deer bones rather than the commonly used pork or beef, but to be precise, this rice was made with marrowbone broth."

"... Marrowbone broth..."

Wasn't that really expensive?

'People in the city can eat it if they go to a restaurant, but for country people like us, you have to slaughter a whole big cow in the village to get lucky enough to taste it...'

To use that for cooking rice, of all things, felt pointlessly extravagant.

'What am I eating right now?'

She had been hungry and the meal was delicious, so she had eaten without thinking much, but perhaps this situation was far more excessive than she had imagined.

Jio spoke to Cha A-ra, who was inwardly breaking into a cold sweat.

"Even if it is not necessarily marrowbone broth, it tastes good if made with anchovy broth, chicken broth, or vegetable stock. If you dislike greasy food, those may actually be better."

"Uh, no, um..."

"There is quite a lot, so you may eat as much as you like. However, I think you should be careful not to get indigestion. I was not going to say anything because you seem to be chewing thoroughly, but if you overeat, your stomach will not feel well."

"... Thank you."

Even anchovies or chicken felt burdensome, but somehow, she thought she could make vegetable stock at home.

After all, they had vegetables growing in the kitchen garden.

'I should make rice like this for the youngest before they enter the dormitory.'

They lived so tightly that even eating white rice itself was difficult.

What they ate most often were roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes, and an egg occasionally given to them by the village chief counted as a luxury.

'I can somehow manage vegetable stock if I pick a little of this and that from the garden, but what should I do about the rice...'

Cha A-ra, who had been muttering inwardly, soon gave up on the thought.

"..."

For now, I should enjoy it myself.

'I thought I would starve to death or be dried to death by ghosts, but I never thought luck like this would come.'

Perhaps because her stomach was full, much of Cha A-ra's tension had already eased.

Since the other party was a humanoid monster, she could not relax completely, but the thought that a humanoid monster would not go through the trouble of putting poison in rice when it was not even part of its rules actually put her at ease.

'In this regard, monsters are more trustworthy than humans.'

At the very least, monsters did not deny their own rules.

Compared to humans, who lied as easily as breathing, she trusted the monster who had not threatened her even once and had been courteous from beginning to end.

Of course, she should not have trusted him.

There were monsters who deceived humans with feigned kindness and made them lower their guard.

If she considered Jio a monster, this was a mistake she should not have made.

"...?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, my leg... I think it's better..."

"Ah."

Jio nodded.

"Have you ever broken a bone?"

"Pardon? Ah, yes, before, in a dungeon, I ran into a monster while moving luggage, and my leg was broken."

"The marrowbone broth in the rice you are eating has the effect of recovering abnormalities in bones."

"Oh... ah... oh..."

"After you finish your meal and before you return home, I will check whether the bone has healed properly. If not, it would be good to pack you some soup. I did not prepare this meal expecting such an effect, but I am glad it helped."

"I-I see..."

Who cooks rice with a potion?

'He's really showing off that he isn't human.'

Because it looked like a perfectly normal meal, she had not realized.

'To think my bones healed completely after just a few spoonfuls of rice.'

Cha A-ra had limited experience, so she did not know exactly, but if it was to that degree, it had to be quite high-grade even among recovery potions.

The fact that it took the form of marrowbone soup was absurd enough, but to think he had cooked rice with it was simply astonishing.

She could clearly feel that his way of thinking itself was different from a human's.

'Still... I never thought I would say this, but I think he's a good monster.'

Cha A-ra thought as she ate the rice, so perfectly cooked that it had a pleasant stickiness while each grain remained fluffy.

Bad people even cooked rice badly.

'They said monsters have rules of their own, so as long as I don't break those, I should be fine.'

Cha A-ra decided to ask outright.

"Um, is there anything I should be careful about so I don't offend you, Mr. Seo Jio?"

"Something you should be careful about?"

"Uh, I mean... like not making a mess of the house... You know, anything you especially hate, or anything you want me to follow."

"Hm."

The monster blinked twice and answered.

"I would be grateful if you observed basic courtesy."

"Really?"

"As long as you do not commit crimes, I do not mind much."

"Ah, crimes..."

She had felt it in the Jewel Vein where they had met earlier, too, but this monster definitely hated that.

'I guess he hates rude and bad humans.'

And if it was in that regard, Cha A-ra was confident.

'I'm more likely to be the one getting hurt than strong enough to mess with anyone.'

She was a porter of the lowest Hunter class, F-class, which was openly called the slave class.

She did not have the guts to commit crimes in the first place.

Once Cha A-ra learned the monster's rules, she felt her heart grow much lighter.

They were things that would absolutely have nothing to do with weak, helpless Cha A-ra.

"..."

Not that she could let go of all her tension.

'... His behavior is extremely kind and courteous...'

Strangely, it was difficult to treat him comfortably.

'I know he's being considerate in his own way. And he's never acted particularly intimidating, so I don't understand why I'm shrinking back this much. There's this subtle pressure...'

Even so, Cha A-ra was steadfast.

"... Could I have just one more bowl of rice..."

"It is nice to see you eat so well."

"Ah, same to you."

Still, the rice was delicious.

'Is he a monster my late grandmother sent me? His cooking is no joke.'

Our village chief ought to learn his cooking.

* * *

"..."

Yu Seongun felt faint.

"Thank you for helping me when I was in a bind."

"... Uh, no. This is nothing."

"I do not know Korea's geography well, so I needed help."

"I'm actually grateful you called me?"

He certainly had not expected a perfectly normal human to pop out from beyond this gloomy frame.

"What did you say your name was, Hunter?"

"Ch-Ch-Cha A-ra..."

"Oh dear, you are far too nervous."

Yu Seongun, who said that, was just as nervous.

After all, he and the Guild Master had rashly set Jio loose out of their own greed.

'... It's a good thing I was mentally prepared. And this situation is much more peaceful than I imagined.'

Although it had been part of the process of searching for a way to coexist, he had just given Jio a list of dungeons he could visit, an action that might be quite harmful to humanity.

He had thought some unexpected incident might occur, so he had been staying awake with coffee, unable to sleep.

It was a situation where news might arrive that some deserted dungeon had burst open.

'I thought the Association might have to step in if worst came to worst, but it doesn't seem to be that big an incident. All that happened was the frame spat out one person.'

Still, it was surprising.

'I wondered if it really might happen, but I never thought it would connect so openly like this.'

Yu Seongun, who had come after receiving yet another indecipherable letter, had been told by Jio that he had gone to the Jewel Vein to play and found a young human, and that he was worried about sending her out alone like this, so could he escort her home?

Because Jio had said "young human," Yu Seongun had momentarily imagined someone around ten years old, but fortunately, that was not the case.

'Then again, from Jio's perspective, it may be hard to tell what counts as young.'

Just as people had trouble estimating a dog's age, Jio seemed to have gotten confused.

'Eighteen is very much an adult.'

Even if he did not know that Hunter Cha A-ra was an adult by Earth's culture, calling an eighteen-year-old young adult "young" was a little ambiguous.

Yu Seongun rubbed the back of his neck.

"... I suppose I should take Hunter Cha home first. Is there anything I need to know?"

"I do not think so."

"All right, then. Let's continue talking after I get back. Thank you for calling me first."

With Yu Seongun's farewell, the portrait closed its eyes.

Since that meant there was nothing more he wanted to say, Yu Seongun turned to Cha A-ra without hesitation.

He would have to escort this young Hunter home to complete a request that was not quite a request.

"Hunter Cha is..."

"Yes, yes?!"

"... Ah."

Yu Seongun was a little flustered by the intense reaction, but soon realized something.

"If it is not rude, may I ask what rank you are?"

"..."

"I know it may be unpleasant for me to suddenly ask for personal information, but I do not have bad intentions."

"... I'm F-class..."

"Aha, that explains it."

No wonder she seemed excessively nervous.

She was certainly too weak a Hunter to be here.

'There is no way an F-class Hunter could withstand Guild Master Bi Sabeol's gallery as if it were nothing. This is the fifth basement floor, at that.'

It was Bi Sabeol's gallery, full of all kinds of dangerous items.

Only C-class or higher Hunters were allowed to enter.

Visits by anyone below that were restricted for the sake of protecting the Hunters.

'No one this weak ever comes in, so I failed to be considerate. The atmosphere is quite different from the Association's research institute, where overall controls are in place so even researchers at the level of ordinary people can enter.'

As Yu Seongun had once been a research team leader at the Association, he could make the comparison, but each had its pros and cons.

From the standpoint of a Gardener, the Association's research institute sometimes seemed to abuse Root entities excessively.

In any case, only employees who could at least somewhat enjoy communicating with such dangerous works became Curators, so it had to be painful for an unrelated F-class Hunter to endure.

"I'm sorry. This is the first time a Hunter below C-class has entered this place, so I failed to look after you."

"No, no, no, um..."

"Shall we leave for now? There are a few things I want to ask, but I think it will be difficult here."

"Yesyesyesyesyes..."

"I am a Curator here, so you do not need to worry too much. If you stay by my side, you will not get hurt."

There were a few works that sometimes attacked first, but he had no intention of going near those works, so there would be no problem.

Yu Seongun led Hunter Cha A-ra, who was trembling in terror, toward the elevator.

It was when they arrived on the first floor.

"..."

"..."

Yu Seongun nearly closed the elevator doors again for a moment, but by summoning the patience required in a capitalist society, he was able to stop his muscles from moving.

Bi Sabeol was grinning before his eyes.

Yu Seongun could not hold back and asked.

"... What are you doing here, Guild Master?"

"I was watching the security feed, and would you believe it, a very entertaining scene was captured."

Did he have to say that in front of the pitifully trembling F-class Hunter?

It would be hard for anyone to enjoy himself so openly, but he truly was an impressive person.

'All the consideration Guild Master Bi Sabeol should have directed toward humanity must have gone to his collections.'

No matter how far human rights had fallen in this world, this was not it.

For the sake of protecting their guest, Yu Seongun shook his head.

"I do not want to hear any more. It is only right that I interview Hunter Cha first. She just came out of the gallery and is extremely nervous, so it is troublesome for you to appear so suddenly."

"This may be a very regrettable fact, but Curator Yu Seongun has no authority to stop my enjoyment. No matter how much you all mistreat me, am I not the Guild Master?"

"Maybe I need to get promoted."

"No matter how much you get promoted, you won't be above the Guild Master, so you should have accepted when I offered."

"Hoo."

Yu Seongun felt like biting his tongue, but he could not hand the pale, frightened young Hunter over to this insane hedonist.

If he did, he would have nothing to say to Jio, either.

"... I understand. I know this is an extremely exceptional situation, so it has piqued your interest, Guild Master. But would it not be enough for me to check first and then report to you? After all, you are the face of our guild, Guild Master, and if you personally handle such minor duties..."

"That would make things convenient, wouldn't it? For all of you?"

"Some dignity, please. Please have some dignity."

What a fine thing to do in front of a Hunter he had just met.

'We're still one of South Korea's top three guilds, but he certainly knows how to make our image look cheap.'

Hunter Cha A-ra had frozen completely, unable to accept the situation unfolding before her.

It seemed she had decided she would rather become a wisp of air than accept this situation, but Bi Sabeol was not the sort to leave such tempting prey alone for that.

"Very well. You said you were Hunter Cha, yes? What is your name?"

"Cha, A-ra... It's Cha A-ra... Please spare me..."

"Ah, dear. You are far too frightened! No one is going to kill you, Hunter!"

His face openly had the thought "Why would I kill someone this interesting?" written all over it.

Those were the eyes of an observer looking at a wondrous artifact or a meaningful film, rather than at a human.

Perhaps Yu Seongun was not the only one who noticed, because Cha A-ra slowly hid behind him.

'... She was wary of me on our first meeting too, but I suppose she thought I would be safer than that man. Should I call this wise...?'

Yu Seongun hid her out of pity.

Not that this would let them avoid a situation where the Guild Master himself was holding the elevator button in his own building.

"..."

Now that it had come to this, it would be difficult to spirit this poor Hunter away.

"... I was planning to go to an interview room..."

"Shall we go together?"

"... Let's do that."

It seemed his only choice was to block him from the middle as much as possible.

Jio, hyung tried.

* * *

Bi Sabeol was excited.

"Then, Hunter Cha A-ra."

"Yesyesyes."

"Would you tell me what you experienced?"

"I just, really, nothing..."

"I am not trying to accuse Hunter Cha A-ra of any crime."

This was an astonishing thing.

"I am merely admiring it."

Good heavens, a Root entity took a human in?

And a feeble F-class Hunter at that.

'Contrary to Curator Yu Seongun's statement that he preferred the appearance of overweight humans, Hunter Cha A-ra is on the thin side. No, was she chosen precisely to fatten her up? On the surface, aside from seeming quite naive, she is not a particularly special porter, but perhaps that innocent aspect caught Jio's interest.'

Bi Sabeol's yellow eyes gleamed.

'So he needed an innocent lamb rather than a sinner after all. Considering Jio's innocent nature, there would have been no need to offer pure blood as one would to traditional evil gods, but if we had offered a good, young human from the start, we might have gotten a clearer reaction...'

Bi Sabeol thought of Yu Seongun, who had given an in-person report after the portrait's tour.

He had been a little disappointed because Jio's first experience of human society had ended too uneventfully, but this lure of visiting Earth's dungeons seemed to have been astonishingly successful.

'Is it because he is a Root entity that he moves more actively in dungeons? Since Jio holds impartial goodwill toward the human species itself, perhaps it is only natural for him to become active in places with fewer humans who are easily frightened by his stature. That is an enjoyable story in its own way.'

Whatever the meaning, a portrait that dragged humans into its frame as it pleased and then spat them out again could only be sweet to a Collector.

Bi Sabeol's smile deepened.

"It will be enough if you explain how you ended up as part of the painting beyond the frame, what happened inside it... and for what reason you came to meet a monster draped in a black cloak."

He was already looking forward to what kind of fascinating story she would tell.

"You will do that, won't you?"

"... Yes, uh..."

"Thank you."

Bi Sabeol was terribly curious about through what artistic miracle this unimpressive Hunter had come out alive.