"I thought I'd gotten used to how quickly hunters can change expression..."
The association employee who had just returned from checking on Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon murmured to himself.
"But I guess I'm not there yet."
"Don't let it get to you. It's not like Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon acts like that all the time."
"Oh, he doesn't?"
"Yeah. He's usually calm about everything..."
The staff member, who had enough experience to be deployed in a disaster situation like this, made a troubled face.
"It's been a long time since I've seen him that angry."
"How long?"
"Well, curators from the Collector's Guild are known for certain things."
"I do know they're not the kind of people to mess with."
"There's that too, but more importantly... they each have very specific triggers."
So long as you don't touch those sensitive spots, they never cause problems.
"They care a lot about appearances. That's just how the guild operates."
"Is that because of the Collector?"
"Probably."
The members of the Collector's Guild were all, without exception, Collector Bisa Beul's "artworks." They were expected to maintain the level of dignity that met Bisa Beul's standards. It's also why they were always neatly dressed in uniform.
"But that doesn't mean they're putting on a show or anything."
That was just how they naturally were—people who viewed the world with a cynical lens but still held above-average responsibility.
Still, there were times even those Collector guild members—especially curators—broke from that composure.
"It usually happens when something goes wrong with a piece they're in charge of..."
"Their pieces? You mean those monsters?"
"Careful how you say that. Yeah, those dangerous objects, you know."
"And yet curators really cherish those terrifying things."
"Because it's a matter of personal responsibility."
The love, release, and duty required by the guild all blended into an overwhelming sense of burden that manifested as obsession. Having once worked briefly in a research facility, the staff member could understand the feeling.
"Still, though..."
"...Hunter Sergio isn't one of those dangerous objects, is he?"
"...That's what makes this unusual."
Like they said earlier—it wasn't a common case.
"It's extremely rare for Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon to be this upset."
Even when a piece he was assigned malfunctioned in the past, he hadn't acted like this. The staff member who had been on-site back then knew what kind of hunter Yoo Seong-Woon was.
"He had a bit of a temper when he was younger, sure, but he was never the kind to trouble others."
"So he didn't pressure the other staff like he is now?"
"Exactly. Collector guild members absolutely hate inconveniencing others."
"Then why is he acting like this? Hunter Sergio isn't even one of his 'assigned works.'"
"Well... maybe I'm just looking at it too narrowly."
It could be that he was simply worried about a close friend.
"...Still, it's hard to understand..."
The guild members of Collector tended to express camaraderie in a dry way. If the reason was justified, they could use someone as bait and walk away without any hard feelings.
That didn't mean they lacked affection or trust. On the contrary, it was precisely because of deep trust that their support manifested so sparsely. Which is why Yoo Seong-Woon's current behavior felt off to the staff.
"..."
"...I've heard a rumor..."
"I know what you're going to say."
It was a sensitive topic, but a widely whispered one.
'That Hunter Sergio is the Collector's own flesh and blood.'
The story went that Bisa Beul had secretly locked away and raised his own son as a "work."
'I always thought it was an absurd rumor, but seeing Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon act like this... it makes it feel oddly plausible, even though I want to believe it's not true.'
Hunter Sergio occasionally showed moments of unawareness of common sense. And Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon never reacted emotionally unless it was about a piece. Then there was the Collector's abnormal affection toward his works...
"..."
The employee let out a groaning sigh and cleared his head. It was a topic not worth digging into.
"Whatever goes on in Collector has nothing to do with us. When Hunter Sergio returns safely, I'm sure Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon will come apologize and make amends. So don't worry too much."
"Huh? How do you know that?"
"That's just what curators do when things go well with their pieces."
"...So they really do think of Hunter Sergio as a work?"
"I said it's not our business. And hey, I hear he's tall and capable. Doesn't that qualify him as a work of art? These days, raising kids in captivity isn't even that rare."
"It's because Collector is a major guild that it feels so disturbing."
"There's no confirmation either way."
It was certainly easy to picture the whole thing.
"I submitted a request after Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon's recommendation, but the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ association sent down an official memo. Until the cleanup around the coastline is finished, dungeon entry is off-limits. Even if they attempt a flanking operation, preliminary suppression is still required."
"But..."
"If things are this chaotic outside the entrance, how would you even get into the deep sea? You can't rush this. We have to proceed step by step."
"Still... how am I supposed to break this to Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon, who's still glaring like that? I really think he'll grab me by the collar this time."
"I'll go tell him myself. Don't worry."
"Anything from the inland regions?"
"Haven't heard anything specific, so... probably what you'd expect."
The employee clicked his tongue knowingly.
"Everyone's probably trembling."
Another catastrophe, even before the last one had faded—it really did feel like the end times.
***
There were still many in the world who remembered the Great Catastrophe.
"G-Grandma..."
"Get inside, quick! You shouldn't be out at times like this."
"I'm scared."
"It's okay. We don't live near the sea. We'll be fine."
For the elderly, this was common sense.
"Honey, how much food do we have left?"
"Probably enough for a month..."
"Let's ration it, just in case. I took leave from work."
"Should we talk to the neighbors?"
"No, best to stay quiet during times like these."
"This is really scary..."
"It'll be fine. The big guilds are taking care of it."
"Let's hope they finish the dungeon cleanly."
The middle-aged were no different.
"I heard people died at the shore this time."
"What happened?"
"They say the sea went mad—raged like it was alive."
"Didn't everyone evacuate the coastline?"
"Too many people. Some were hiding all over the place. How do you find them all?"
A time of overpopulation where even managing the living was a burden.
"Damn... This is why I told them to move out."
"They were scared. What could they do?"
Most of those who had scattered during the Great Catastrophe to hide in remote mountains or deserted areas weren't even registered as residents. They couldn't be easily found.
Those were always the first to die when disaster struck.
"This looks dangerous."
"Right?"
The children were scared too.
"Why the sea, of all things..."
"We're surrounded on three sides by the ocean, aren't we?"
"What if it all gets submerged?"
Korea, already closely tied to the sea geographically, was seeing its land slowly disappear under rising sea levels after the Great Catastrophe. The emergence of a new sea-related disaster stirred unease even among the young.
The Sun Church was no exception.
"Cha I-Sol."
"Ah, yeah?"
"Did you contact your family?"
"My brother and sister are at the Collector's Guild right now."
"The Collector's Guild...?"
"They helped us once before."
"That's unusual."
Iru Da, who had come to check on Cha I-Sol, tilted her head.
The Collector's Guild had earned a citizen-friendly image through various events, but at its core, it was more like a financial institution that invested and managed capital.
'It's not the kind of guild that would normally concern itself with the safety of third-tier citizens...'
Still, you never know. She nodded.
"Anyway, that's good. The Collector's Guild is trustworthy."
"Yeah. We don't have any hunters in our village besides my sister, and even she's been offered help..."
"The Collector's Guild promised to protect your village?"
"No, it's Justitia. They sent some hunters."
"Ah, that group."
Cha I-Sol's hometown wasn't close to the sea, but the sea was such a source of disaster that hunters had been dispatched all over South Korea.
"Justitia's known for volunteer work."
"Yeah, we've gotten help from them before..."
"But you're still worried, huh?"
"It's not just our village out there."
Cha I-Sol had accepted all the help adults could give.
"..."
And yet she still felt no better. The whole situation was simply terrifying.
"...They say people died."
"...That's inevitable in a case like this."
"I was hoping no one would."
"You can't expect that from a dungeon break."
A dungeon break refers to monsters spilling into the outside world from a dungeon.
This time it wasn't masses of monsters, but a few powerful ones still causing the same phenomenon.
Iru Da shared what she'd heard from her mother.
"Apparently the villages along the coast were completely destroyed. Most of the registered residents were evacuated, but there were exceptions. That's how the casualties happened."
"Casualties?"
"Obvious, right? People who weren't registered. Or people who ignored orders from the government and acted on their own. Or stayed hidden and got caught in it..."
"...Weren't there hunters who came to help?"
"Sad as it is, there's a limit to how many people hunters can evacuate. With search skills, some could find stragglers—and there were cases like that—but some still slipped through."
Some people even stayed behind on purpose. Hunters, already overburdened, couldn't save everyone—especially those who refused help.
"There'll probably be reconstruction efforts once the dungeon is cleared. The association and government will provide shelter for the displaced. That's what taxes are for."
"Taxes... my brother and sister pay those."
"Exactly. The government collects taxes for times like this. We pay them to get through disasters like this together. Didn't you learn that in class? Fragile creatures like us need unity to survive."
"Yeah. That's why harmony and peace are important."
"We all help each other. Reconstruction comes after the dungeon is cleared, but even now the government is helping with shelter and food."
"That's good, but..."
Cha I-Sol hesitated.
"Won't there be more victims?"
"How could there not? Even hunters are dying."
Literally dying.
"Weird hail that turns into monsters, waves crashing like they're alive... The sea is completely out of control."
Even though information was being tightly controlled to reduce public panic, Iru Da had obtained some intel through her mother's authority.
"Evacuated villages were destroyed. Aquatic creatures that normally stayed in place have left their habitats. And the most serious problem—they say the ocean currents are changing."
"What's a current?"
"It's the flow of seawater. It's happened before due to sea monsters, but this time it's different. Magic can't control it anymore."
The sea itself was moving.
"That happened during the Great Catastrophe too."
"W-What happened then?"
"The climate changed."
"What happens when that happens...?"
"The weather becomes erratic."
Extremely so.
"The entire planet becomes a pressure cooker—or a freezer. A state no life form on Earth could endure naturally."
Too hot or too cold—an uninhabitable world.
"Only a few years ago, the best hunters in the world barely stabilized things after the Great Catastrophe. There's a reason so many still fear it."
Ecosystems destroyed by monsters from another dimension. Deadly diseases seeped into daily life through foreign microbes and air. Space overwhelmed by invasive species and artifacts...
To survive, humanity had to manually analyze and adjust the world. Somehow, they had done it.
"And now this again..."
"So what do we do?"
"As a low-level trainee priest? Not much."
"But can't we help a little?"
"Sure, we could. But we shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"People will exploit you."
"...Huh?"
"People will walk all over you."
Some might look on with kindness, but most saw young, inexperienced trainee priests as easy prey in chaotic times.
Even if the Sun Church sent them, Iru Da was determined to stay and endure it all with Cha I-Sol.
"That's why I'm telling you to stay calm. I know you're worried, but the most important thing now is to protect ourselves. If we don't, who will?"
"You will...?"
"...Well, we'll protect each other..."
"..."
"..."
After a pause, Iru Da added:
"That puppy-dog look won't work. I won't allow it."
"You always look at me like I'm some weirdo."
"I know you're a bleeding-heart national treasure, but this isn't the time."
"..."
"...Don't be too sad."
She tried to comfort him.
"All the top guilds are on it. The dungeon will be cleared soon. Your family's in Seoul, so they're safe. Your village has Justitia hunters."
"...Yeah."
She only spoke of the people who loved and knew Cha I-Sol.
"..."
But Cha I-Sol worried about even more than that.
'I'm good at healing. Maybe I could treat the wounded in a safe place...'
He worried about Gio, too.
Standing alone, Cha I-Sol made a decision.
***
"Teacher."
"Yes?"
"Cha... Cha I-Sol..."
"Excuse me?"
"Where's Cha I-Sol...?!"
Iru Da, looking disheveled, asked with urgency.
"Where is my precious round pebble?!"
"...What?"
"You didn't send that tiny thing to the coast, did you?!"
"Sent? Sister Iru Da, please calm down—"
"Bring me Cha I-Sol! What did you do to my gullible partner?!"
"A-Ah..."
There was a major problem with Cha I-Sol's decision.
First, he made it at the worst time and dove into the Portrait without telling his partner, Iru Da.
Second, he sent a letter afterward, but it was lost while crossing the frame.
As a result, Iru Da's eyes were bloodshot.
"What did you do to my kid!!"
That was the price of having a capable, well-connected, fast-moving, overly soft-hearted partner.
-x-X-x-
Gio smiled.
"Did you come to see me?"
"That's right!"
Cha I-Sol smiled too.
"But... where are we? This isn't a beach?"
"This is one of the rooms in the 'Temple of the Deep Sea.'"
"What were you doing, hyung?"
"As you can see..."
Clink.
Gio waved his hand.
"I was tied up."
"Oh."
"You've probably never seen someone tied up before. Are you okay with that emotionally?"
"W-Why are you tied up? And it's not my first time—I saw it on the news..."
"Well, this one's a little different from those people."
Gio hadn't committed any crimes or been officially arrested.
"If you want to get technical, my very existence is illegal."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly. What does it mean?"
People nowadays lived such complicated lives.
"Back in my day, even if aliens appeared, people just brushed it off."
"Whoa, really?"
"Of course."
They would just say it was nonsense and move on. But the current world had grown so strange that even if an actual alien showed up, no one would be surprised. Which meant a portrait like Gio had a harder time surviving.
"How did we even get on this topic?"
"Why are you tied up?"
"Ah, right. That's it. Some naughty mermaids kidnapped me."
"Eunha?"
"That's right, Eunha did it."
"Uh..."
Cha I-Sol was flustered.
"Why would Eunha do that?"
"She said she wants to live and die with me."
"That's... kind of intense."
"Isn't it?"
Gio asked with a smile.
"But, are you sure it's safe to be here?"
The place he was being held was once a residence used by the pope, primarily during visits to the temple. Gio thought of it as being similar to the main or auxiliary halls of the Joseon dynasty.
But of course, it wasn't nearly as safe as the old temple.
"This may look nice, but it's still a dungeon."
"It looks like a dungeon no matter how you look at it."
"Hmm, fair enough."
The atmosphere had grown fairly grim.
Though the temple was adorned with gold, silver, and marble, there was a cold air about it. Everything was rusting and falling apart—it might as well have been a haunted house. The deep sea's signature gloom was unmistakable.
A suffocating pressure like the kind felt before massive abyssal creatures. Skeletons scattered everywhere alongside piles of treasure. A temple within a temple, glowing with cool, shimmering water scales...
Gio was bound in the very center, upon the pope's throne.
"Iser and Aria probably already sensed your presence, Cha I-Sol."
"But I came through your portrait?"
"Yes, and I know that very well—it happened right before my eyes."
"But the mermaids noticed anyway?"
"This is their home, after all."
It was the mermaids' sea, merged with them as one.
"Even if you came through a portrait, they're not the kind to miss my energy."
Cha I-Sol had drawn the "Portrait of Gio," and the portrait had accepted him. It had some issues due to being ownerless, but the teddy bear father at home helped resolve that.
And, surprisingly, Cha I-Sol had declared he wanted to see Gio. Gio hadn't known the details since he couldn't move, but regardless—Cha I-Sol could return. For now.
"This place is dangerous. You should go back to the Temple of the Sun where it's safe."
"But I want to help too."
"Dear heavens, how precious. But no."
"Ehh..."
"Children shouldn't be involved in things like this."
"You sound just like Ruda..."
"Iru Da is a very wise friend."
Argio believed children didn't belong in warzones.
"Children have the right to be protected, but they also have duties. The time that only kids like you can enjoy is very limited. You deserve pure happiness during that time."
But Cha I-Sol's stubbornness had pushed him all the way through the portrait.
"So if I don't get hurt or feel pain, it's okay?"
"Just seeing me like this is probably emotional damage."
"But I think I'm getting used to it."
"That's exactly what you shouldn't get used to. That's how your purity gets chipped away."
"But I don't think it's dangerous if I stay near you. Do I really have to leave? I'll be quiet."
"I'd rather you hadn't gotten involved in the first place."
"I just want to sit here and chat with you. I was planning to heal people injured at the beach, but I didn't even get to do that..."
"Am I talking to a wall here?"
"I didn't want to come all this way and do nothing. If I'm alone I get bored, so at least let me do this."
"You're both adorable and exasperating—I'm going to lose my mind."
Gio grinned brightly.
"Go back."
"Nope."
"Now, now. Go back."
Because he was tied up by the mermaids, Gio couldn't send Cha I-Sol home. If he could, he would've turned him into paint already—but the mermaids had done their homework; nothing worked.
Realizing Gio couldn't force him back, Cha I-Sol crouched at his feet with a cheerful face.
"You can't send me back, can you?"
"You're one of those kids who knows ten things without being told one."
"But how did I get here, then?"
"Let's be precise, Cha I-Sol. You came here on your own."
"But the portrait just opened?"
"Since it was ownerless, my father accepted you."
"Oh, so that teddy bear grandpa..."
"More importantly, you were the one who opened the frame and stepped inside."
"Wait, really?"
Cha I-Sol blinked.
"You didn't open it for me?"
"My will wasn't involved. Strictly speaking, I just gave you the key so you could express the desire to visit. A house key."
"A house key...? Oh."
He rubbed his forehead.
"This thing?"
"Yes, that."
It was the "fragment" Gio had given Cha I-Sol in his role as the Sun God.
"It lets you share some of my powers, but since I'm a portrait, those traits got shared too. That's why you can now draw portraits like me."
"My grandpa helped me come in, though."
"Because you're still inexperienced. You can create the frame, but not enter it on your own yet. That's why my father helped."
"Wooow..."
"I was planning to share other abilities over time, but if I'd known you were this brave, I would've reconsidered giving you that fragment. You're far bolder than I expected."
Cha I-Sol tilted his head.
"You didn't know I'd do this?"
"I'm smarter than average, yes. But I don't know everything."
"But you're a god."
"Not a proper god. Besides, if I knew everything, where's the fun in living?"
Gio didn't wish to be omniscient.
"I really didn't think you'd come this far, Cha I-Sol."
Nor did he expect his clueless father to send such a tiny child right to his face. As if this place wasn't dangerous enough already.
"My father must've led you here through the 'Breathing Sea,' right?"
"That painting's name was 'Breathing Sea'?"
"If you mean the one of the ocean, yes."
"Then yeah, that sounds right."
"Tch. I should've hidden it better."
The "Breathing Sea" and "Country of the Deep Sea" were connected spaces. Gio had used it before to wander the temple, so he knew it well enough.
"My father took your words literally and placed the 'Breathing Sea' frame in this room. And you happily came through it."
Fortunately, the "Breathing Sea" frame was still intact. From this side, it showed the peaceful scene of the cottage—so, for now, there was still a path for Cha I-Sol to escape.
"If things get dangerous, run through there."
"Okay!"
"Actually, it'd be better if you went now. This whole thing is way too risky."
"Nope!"
"Whose stubbornness did you inherit, I wonder?"
That resolve was tougher than bamboo in winter.
"Thankfully, Iser and Aria don't seem to hate you. And they can hold a reasonable conversation, so there shouldn't be a big problem."
"So I can stay here?"
"You already are here, aren't you? You've got a real talent for ignoring me—I'll allow it, since I can't do anything right now. But don't ever do this again."
Gio could've asked his father to retrieve Cha I-Sol, but the Sun God wouldn't be thrilled about that. The cute teddy bear grandpa probably had no human empathy.
'He'll just say it's for everyone's benefit and leave the kid here.'
More importantly, Gio's homeland didn't recognize children's rights. It made no sense for his father—a god from that place—to suddenly care about Cha I-Sol's safety now.
"What a checkmate."
"What's checkmate?"
"It's a term from a game called janggi. It means a situation where you'll lose no matter what you do."
"So you lost?"
"Haha, yes. I lost to you, Cha I-Sol."
He really needed to fix that lack of self-preservation. Kids these days were far too bold and precocious.
"Did you let Iru Da and the others know you were coming? I doubt you'd have gotten here if you'd said, 'I'm going to see the Hunter tied up at the beach.'"
Cha I-Sol blinked.
"Uh... I came as soon as I had the thought, then sent a message later."
"You're already guaranteed to get scolded, but how did you send it?"
"I got stationery from teddy bear grandpa..."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't just say you sent a letter."
"...I sent a letter."
"Oh dear."
Gio sighed.
"It probably wasn't delivered."
"Huh? Why not? I saw it go out!"
"As I said—you're not a portrait, so..."
"So?"
"To put it simply: you can't afford the 'call charge.'"
"...Call charge?"
"Even I, with more skill, often have my letters smudge when sent."
It was a problem with turning drawings into reality. During the conversion from fantasy to Earth's system, things got distorted in translation. Gio's letters were often unreadable because of this.
"So what about Cha I-Sol's letters?"
"Oh, they're probably just gone..."
"They send, but they're very likely to be lost."
"...So no reply either?"
"I haven't received one myself. One-way communication only, for now."
"Ugh..."
Cha I-Sol's face finally turned pale.
"I-I didn't even tell Ruda I was leaving!!"
He had run off thinking Gio would be there and it'd be safe—but even the note he sent—"I'm going ahead to check if it's safe. If it is, maybe come with me? But only if you want. I'll wait for your reply!"—hadn't arrived.
He jumped to his feet and ran toward the portrait.
"Ah?! It's gone!!"
"O Sun above..."
Giovanni sighed.
'That was unnecessary.'
Sure, this whole thing could help both Gio and Cha I-Sol grow, but Gio never wanted to force a child to develop. If there's an easy path, why not take it?
'I'll have to talk to him about this later.'
It wasn't that the teddy bear Sun God meant harm. More like he wanted to raise their "stats" like characters in a game. Sending them into battle to level up.
The Sun believed this path would help them. That was love, in its own twisted way. Then again, if the Sun God had empathy or followed weak human ethics, that'd be a joke.
"I apologize on his behalf, Cha I-Sol. It seems my father closed the door."
"Why?! It was open just a moment ago!"
"He'll open it again if things get truly dangerous. Until then, he probably wants you to grow through this experience."
"Growth is fine, but can I at least explain to Ruda...? I wasn't even going to stay long—I just wanted to check things...!!"
"If that's the case, why did you look so determined to settle in at my side?"
"That was because I feel safe with you! I just wanted to wait with you until she replied...!"
"Oh, poor thing. But my father will not open that door."
Giovanni smiled. As someone who once served a god, he could already sense how this would unfold.
"Ruda mustn't know what's happening, or fate won't go her way."
The fact that he couldn't grasp that fate proved he wasn't a god.
'So this is the power of a real god.'
Yes, I'm definitely ordinary.
***
"Most likely..."
The priests of the Sun Church came to a conclusion.
"...A mermaid has kidnapped Trainee Cha I-Sol."
"They say Hunter Sergio is in the same situation..."
"This has happened to Brother Cha I-Sol before too."
"Could the dark god from the research facility have infiltrated the Sun Church and targeted him?"
"Maybe the divinity of Sankallut and the mermaids have joined forces. Of all things... the apostles of the Black Cloak..."
"It may be a hasty assumption, but it really does look like the mermaids are trying to suppress the Black Cloak."
"Iser the mermaid was reported to have made a similar statement."
"What is going on..."
Iru Da trembled.
"...Give Cha I-Sol back..."
"We'll send word immediately. He might be inside the dungeon."
"Do you know how low the survival rate is for abducted children...?"
"We do, but we haven't even received an entry order yet..."
"Then I'll go!"
She had no intention of staying safe while her partner's life hung in the balance.
"Send me on the mission!!"
Everything was unfolding as the god intended.
-x-X-x-
Yoo Seong-Woon wasn't the only one who lost his composure over the safety of a partner.
"Clear the sea, you say."
"Yes. Even with all the cold-type hunters gathered, it's still extremely difficult to handle the sea... We're at a point where we can't afford to lose even a single hunter. I understand you're distressed, but please lend us your strength."
"Then," Yoo Seong-Woon asked with a smile,
"Will permission to enter the dungeon be granted?"
His eyes weren't smiling.
"...It probably will be."
"Probably?"
"Almost certainly."
"Almost?"
"Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon," the Association staff member sighed as if trying to show understanding.
"You know this—under circumstances like this, we can't send just one hunter in on their own. I know you're capable, but soloing a dungeon with a humanoid monster as the boss? That would be difficult."
"If you let me go, I'll just bring Hunter Sergio out and come back. Yes, that's what I'd like to do, but the Association won't authorize it, right? So you're suggesting we proceed collectively?"
"There are already many hunters dead or injured, and many more missing. If we make exceptions just for Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon at a time like this, how do we explain that to the others? Please, calm yourself..."
"Understood," Yoo Seong-Woon nodded.
"Then, once the sea is cleared, I expect a firm guarantee that dungeon access will be authorized."
"...I'll speak with the Association again. The discussion has been that we'll proceed once the situation is stabilized enough for a diversionary tactic, so it should be possible."
"I'd prefer confirmation before the cleanup is done."
"The sea's behavior is unusual. It seems like the monsters are gradually taking control, so please be careful."
"I know I'm too valuable an asset to lose."
He hadn't even fully analyzed the "Portrait of Gio" yet—dying now wasn't in the cards.
"Let's get started."
It was easy to say "cleanup," but it was far from something as simple as cleaning a room.
The hunters were freezing massive waves that moved like living beasts, fighting a frenzy of marine creatures and monsters within.
'What a headache.'
Only once they built a barrier against the entire sea could it be considered "cleaned up."
Yoo Seong-Woon was immediately dispatched to the front.
"Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon—!!"
There were many who recognized him, famous for his cold-type skills. Hunters were always curious about others who wielded similar elemental powers.
Wearing his usual composed smile, Yoo Seong-Woon spoke.
"Where should I start?"
"Freeze everything you see."
"Are you insane? How are you going to clean it all up afterward?"
"Language, now. Word is you lost your temper when Hunter Seo got kidnapped."
"So the point?"
"We're going to have to spend money."
Rather than wasting time tiptoeing around with cleanup funds, it made more sense to go big from the start—even if it meant writing a full report afterward. It would end up costing less.
"If we delay any longer, the waves will breach the coast and push inland. The seawater's gone mad—it's slithering inland like a snake. Don't even get me started on the hail-borne monsters..."
"Stopping it at the shoreline is top priority, then?"
"That's right. But we can't block water with our hands. We can't feed it to plants either—it's seawater, after all. Even if we build a huge wall, the monsters climb it like monkeys. So freezing it is our only option."
"What about fire-type hunters?"
"They're already overwhelmed. Not exactly efficient when dealing with massive tidal waves. Don't be snide—just get into the water already."
"This is a mess..."
Saaa―
Cold air gathered at Yoo Seong-Woon's feet, forming a blade.
"This job is completely tangled."
Tap!!
He nudged the ground with the tip of his skate-like shoes.
In that moment, his figure vanished.
He leapt high over a giant barrier and dove into the ocean beyond.
A smooth sheet of thick ice formed in his wake, becoming yet another wall.
"..."
Whooo―!!
Just before crashing down beneath the towering barrier, Yoo Seong-Woon scanned the scene midair.
'One extra-large. Six large. Thirty-two medium.'
The rest—the small fry—weren't his concern.
"Haa..."
Fwoooosh―...!!
As he plummeted, he thought,
'I just want to go home.'
Craaaaack!!!!!
The moment his feet hit the ground,
A massive, solid glacier—something you'd expect to find in the polar regions—formed.
The vicious chill spread from the surface into the depths, freezing the rolling sea in an instant.
The hunters who heard the thunderous sound shouted,
"Shit, it's backup!!"
"Help us! The sea's a fucking nightmare...!!"
"Whoa, an A-rank's here! Make a path! Clear the way!!"
"If you don't want to freeze your asses off, MOVE!!"
Recognizing him, the hunters cleared out.
Yoo Seong-Woon zipped through the opening and continued to freeze the ocean.
High-ranking cold-type hunters often wore skates like Yoo Seong-Woon's.
Used well, they boosted speed and doubled as weapons.
There was even a running joke that this trend came from South Korea's pre-catastrophe figure skating fame.
'It's useful, sure.'
Cold wind brushed his cheeks.
He tightened his legs and pulled off a quick single axel.
He glided smoothly across fractured, shaking ice.
Craack—!! With a spin, he slashed a monster cleanly.
Landing. One more spin. Avoiding obstacles. Moving again.
He dashed forward, slammed his spear down—BOOM!!!—and soared upward.
He spun vertically, driving the spear into a monster.
The recoil launched him higher.
The monster's fluids, frozen upon slicing, shattered like glass.
Slight variations, but the work was repetitive.
Using skates for grace, a spear for destruction.
Move forward, leap, strike down, slash, land, repeat.
'The job itself isn't hard. It's just manual labor.'
Tap, tick—!!
He sidestepped multiple monsters, maintaining his rhythm.
CLANG!! He struck, and a spear shot up from the ice, skewering a monster. Blood sprayed.
Yoo Seong-Woon knew exactly what his role was here.
Monsters froze along the icy paths he created.
Though some broke out and thrashed against the glaciers, other hunters took care of them.
"..."
But it wasn't over.
'The sea is wide.'
And deep.
'There's no way I can end this alone.'
Even if Yoo Seong-Woon begged the Garden for power, he couldn't freeze every sea on the planet.
Nor should he—it would render the Earth uninhabitable.
'But a little... just a little...'
He pulled out another long ice spear, gripped it, and—BOOM—slammed it into the ground, launching himself skyward.
"...Huuu―"
In midair, he aimed the spear at the eye of a large monster.
And drove it in.
"..."
PAANG―!!!
The monster's body burst apart.
"...Pffft-pthoo."
Screeech—
Spinning once, Yoo Seong-Woon skidded to a stop on the ice and spat out shards that had gotten in his mouth.
"Ugh. Salty."
The mix of monster fluids and seawater was naturally salty.
He brushed off the remaining ice shards and glided forward across the ocean surface.
Glaciers rose in his path, freezing the monsters in place.
But other A-rank hunters were doing the same.
'It's repeating. A vicious cycle.'
Yoo Seong-Woon was especially known for creating massive, ultra-dense glacial ice.
Yet even with all these skilled cold-type hunters present, the sea continued to churn and crash.
'Then there's only one answer.'
They had to pester the "master" of the waves to come out.
"This is my specialty."
CRACK. Splash—!!!
Yoo Seong-Woon shattered the ice and dove into the sea.
'What happens if all these monsters in here absorb cold energy?'
Cleanup would become a nightmare—but that wasn't Yoo Seong-Woon's concern.
Future Yoo Seong-Woon would handle that mess with overtime and salary cuts.
'And if this works...'
He thought of the gardener, Jeong Yeong-Won, who had joined this war.
'It'll be a serious pain in the ass for them.'
He grinned at the marine monsters swarming toward him.
Underwater, land-dwellers like humans are at a disadvantage.
But for a snowfield gardener whose soul was frozen to the core, things were different.
Gardeners tend to the seeds and fruits of the Garden.
"..."
If another Garden were to bloom inside the body—wouldn't that be a nightmare for any monster?
Yoo Seong-Woon stabbed himself with an ice blade.
Then sliced.
Monsters opened their jaws wide at the scent of sweet blood.
'Let's see how far we can take this.'
Crimson snow blossoms bloomed in the sea.
***
"Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon is missing!!"
Hunters stationed beyond the barrier on the wounded shore began murmuring.
"What? Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon? Where did he go...?"
"A hunter capable of creating ice on that scale wouldn't be careless enough to lose himself in the sea, would he?"
"But someone saw him go deeper into the water! Shouldn't we try to rescue him?!"
"If it's bad enough to call it a disappearance, then he's been gone for a while, right?"
"I know everyone's busy, but I still thought we should report it..."
"Come on, how many hunters have gone missing already."
Even so, there was no one readily available to send on a rescue mission for a single hunter—especially one lost beneath the ocean. In these circumstances, survival was each person's own responsibility.
From the rear, where she was tending to the injured, Healer Jeong Yeong-Won asked,
"Did he fall into the sea... or enter it?"
"Uh? That, um... I'm not sure..."
"He probably went in willingly."
A gardener doesn't die easily—unless consumed by the Origin.
"Watch the sea more carefully. Rather than worrying over a single entity named Yoo Seong-Woon, if you observe the broader sea, it'll be easier to understand the flow of events."
"What do you mean by that...?"
"..."
Jeong Yeong-Won blinked and said,
"...The noise is fading."
"With all this racket, what noise are you even referring to?"
"Stop looking small—look at the bigger picture. The crashing of the waves is getting quieter."
"That's..."
"There it is."
Jeong Yeong-Won scoffed lightly and turned away.
"We can leave that man be. He's managing just fine."
"B-But...! If something happens to Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon, it could affect the operation!"
"I said he's managing just fine, didn't I?"
And soon, a few other hunters sensed the change.
"...? Wait, hold on..."
"Is the noise... really?"
It happened in an instant.
"..."
"..."
The air inside the barrier turned chill, a hush spreading fast.
"...What is this?"
"Looks like he's frozen nearly everything."
Jeong Yeong-Won, with the faint cries of monsters as a backdrop, said,
"Go on, get to work. Kill the monsters."
"Uh, sorry—what?"
"And someone fetch Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon."
"Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon?"
"He's probably lying around somewhere."
Sure enough, a front-line hunter came sprinting over, breathless.
"H-Healer! We need a healer!!"
"Put him down."
They had brought over a blood-soaked Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon.
'Looks like the Garden has grown.'
Jeong Yeong-Won understood what Yoo Seong-Woon had done.
As she treated his wounds atop a cot in the field tent, she checked his consciousness.
Their eyes met.
Yoo Seong-Woon gave a crooked grin.
"Not bad, huh?"
"You've grown a lot."
"It's been cold lately. My body's been all shivery..."
"That power's stronger than last time I saw you."
"I've been drinking a lot of good tea."
The Garden had grown steadily, after all.
"..."
"The sea's completely frozen!!"
"I said get back to work."
"Ah, y-yes, ma'am...!!"
The crashing of ice and glaciers—formed by the combined efforts of the hunters—had ceased. All that remained was the heavy sound of trapped, thrashing fish-flesh wedged between the cracks.
'Even accounting for the muffling of the barrier, it's impressively quiet.'
At this point, nearly all the visible sea had to be frozen.
'All the way through.'
Jeong Yeong-Won knew what Yoo Seong-Woon had done.
"Did it work well?"
"Freezing tends to do that."
When a seed is planted somewhere, it only grows.
"Once it starts to harden, it happens all at once."
Yoo Seong-Woon had used his own body as the "seed," offering himself up as prey for the countless sea monsters. Those who drank of his terrifyingly cold blood froze instantly, spreading ice from within.
Since it was the Origin's own cold, its effect required no further elaboration.
"Rather than attacking from the outside, I figured starting from within would be more effective."
"It definitely feels like it, judging by the peace in my ears."
"There are still places I couldn't freeze. The Garden's cold couldn't reach every depth..."
"I understand."
"Still, thanks to the other hunters' work, the process was way faster."
Had he tried to lower the entire sea's temperature from the start on his own, it would have taken far too long—and his power alone wouldn't have sufficed. But the skilled hunters had already cooled it significantly, which helped immensely.
He had merely provided the ignition point for the final freeze.
"Turned out effective, huh?"
"It did, but it must've been a huge burden."
Gardeners manage what's within their Garden—if they send it out without permission, they face punishment.
"So you were that worried... about Hunter Sergio?"
"Couldn't help it, in a situation like this."
Yoo Seong-Woon understood the mermaids' greed.
If things went wrong, the roots could be stolen.
The mermaids' obsession went far beyond what he imagined.
Though they bore no divinity, they had surely earned the eyes of many dark gods with their immense achievements. And with Gio weakened—no longer inside his Portrait—they were more than capable of doing something to him.
"So I had to push myself a bit. How long will recovery take?"
"Damn DPS types must have bird-sized brains. You're in this condition and still saying that? Healers aren't vending machines. It doesn't just come out with a push."
"I know, I know. I'm just asking. How long, roughly?"
"With the Garden's aftermath, full recovery in a short time is impossible. Even with more effort, the side effects won't vanish completely. But..."
Jeong Yeong-Won was quite a competent healer.
"If Hunter Sergio is truly in danger, I suppose I'll risk divine punishment."
And she was a pretty good gardener, too.
"I'll borrow the power of the Flower Garden."
"Much appreciated."
"Then make sure you bring that hunter back safely."
By the glory of the Eye of the Origin, a root had been planted on Earth.
For a gardener who served her own Garden, this was a temptation hard to resist.
Especially for Jeong Yeong-Won, who revered the Origin as her god.
"If he's safe, the Flower Garden will rejoice too."
A soft balsam hue tinged her fingertips.
It was the power of life, drawn from the Flower Garden.
***
"..."
"...Hello..."
"Haha."
Gio laughed and said,
"Would you be so kind as to overlook this?"
"Overlook what? This child reeking of the Sun's power?"
Aria twirled her eyes and smiled.
"I'm so jealous I could dismember her limb by limb."
"But she's my first disciple..."
"Well, now you've made it awkward to kill her."
Aria tapped her chin with a hum.
"Then again, this isn't your fight."
"That's why you hid her away in this secluded place, right?"
"Of course I'll indulge a little, but since it's come to this—can't be helped."
She offered a smile that would rival any gentleman of high society.
"She'll make a lovely little hostage, don't you think?"
"Please don't harm her."
"Don't worry. As long as you keep us happy, not a single hair on Cha I-Sol's head will be harmed."
"Must you sound like such a villain..."
"Well, I am one of the top-ranked villains across dimensions."
At this, Cha I-Sol gasped in horror.
"Is Gio hyung going to get hurt because of me??"
"Don't worry, little gentleman. He won't get hurt."
"B-But you just said—!"
"You get hurt if you know too much."
"I-I'm sorry for barging into your house...! I'll behave! Please don't hurt Gio hyung!"
"Adorable. But no."
Aria turned to look at Giovanni.
"It's time to begin. The sea's freezing so much my darling children can't handle it anymore. We have to finish our task before the one responsible for all this leaves the temple..."
She gently caressed her teacher's cheek.
"Are you ready to return to the sea?"
"Oh, you poor thing..."
Gio leaned into her hand.
"Looks like you need my mercy."
"Of course, teacher."
The mermaids always longed for the Sun's mercy.
-x-X-x-
"What are you doing?"
At the young, pure question—tinged with a bit of sadness and worry—Aria paused, then answered after a moment,
"You could say I'm relocating roots."
"People have roots...?"
"Every being has roots."
Even inanimate things, for that matter.
"Why? Do you want to come to the sea too, Cha I-Sol?"
"I like things just the way they are."
"That's a shame. If you came, Giovanni would return so much more easily..."
"Why do you keep saying he's coming back?"
"You sure ask a lot of questions for a tiny human."
"If it bothers you, I'll stay quiet."
"You do know your place, don't you..."
Trailing off, Aria continued as she adjusted the system.
"He was always meant to be in this sea."
This was supposed to be his home.
"He just had it taken away."
"Who took it from him?"
"Fate."
That damnable fate had made them this way.
"..."
"Is hyung hurting?"
"...It's not the kind of thing that hurts."
As proof, Gio's face submerged in the seawater was as peaceful as someone asleep.
"I'm just returning him to where he's supposed to be."
"This is where Gio hyung was supposed to be?"
Cha I-Sol murmured with a sorrowful expression.
"It's too cold here. There are lots of sparkly things, but it's so big... there are no friends, it's too quiet... and the chair he's sitting on doesn't even look comfy."
"But that chair carried the honor of the century."
"If you sit too long, it looks like it'd hurt your butt."
"You sound just like Giovanni."
He used to say odd things like that often. That the buildings of the Church of the Sun sparkled too much and hurt the eyes, or that the vast, empty temple was too lonely for anyone to live in.
"So you really are the first disciple he chose, huh?"
"My sister said she was jealous of that. Is it something good?"
"If you only look at that part, well, I'm not sure."
She spoke from experience—as someone who had once basked in Giovanni's full affection.
"He was so special that he could never be ordinary, not even for a moment. He was always caught up in tragedy or praise, or else right at the center of it all."
"..."
"But... in so many ways, he was ordinary. So ordinary you'd yawn. Loving someone like that, and being loved by them, is incredibly hard."
Aria turned her gaze toward the pope's chamber, now filled with seawater.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"What is?"
"It looks perfect."
It was a place that should rightfully have belonged to Giovanni.
All the glory and honor had once been his...
If he had been the rightful owner of that throne, back when this temple wasn't cold, before the Sun was destroyed by the mermaids' hatred—then perhaps, truly, sea and sky would've become one.
Then maybe her pathetic little brother wouldn't have had to suffer.
"..."
"...Um."
Cha I-Sol asked carefully,
"Why do roots have to return to their original place?"
"Are you asking why I'm doing this to Gio?"
"Well... even plants get their pots changed when they outgrow them, into bigger ones..."
"First of all, the pot called Earth doesn't look all that nice."
Aria folded one finger.
"Second, I just want to die with my teacher."
"That's... wow... really a lot to take in."
"He said the same thing. You really are alike, you two."
So strange, this complete lack of tension.
"You see Giovanni like that, and that's all you have to say?"
"..."
Cha I-Sol turned to look at Gio, who was bound in the center of the water-filled room.
He really did look asleep.
Even without a smile, his face was calm enough to bring peace to those who saw it—swallowed up in the sea that seemed to mute all sound.
The jeweled chains wrapped around him shimmered, almost transparent...
"...It's just..."
Cha I-Sol had felt this feeling somewhere before.
"It's kind of like when I climbed a tall mountain."
"What do you mean by that?"
"When you stand at the top and look down."
It was like that fleeting moment when the whole world came into view and you thought, wow, or how beautiful.
He didn't have the words yet to describe the emotion—it just felt like one of nature's masterpieces.
And so it made him sad.
"Gio hyung is a person, so why is he like that?"
"I'm the one who made him that way."
"That's... a little different though..."
"...Could be."
Aria felt it too.
"Moments like this make my heart drop."
He once led them as a human. But the one they'd reunited with was no longer human.
That brought Aria a strange kind of pain.
"Come here. If you touch that seawater, a small thing like you will die just like that."
She bent down and tapped the gem of the necklace hidden under Cha I-Sol's cleric robes.
"If you get hurt, won't your sweet little friend be sad?"
"..."
"Don't worry. As long as Giovanni is there, I won't harm or hurt you."
"...It hurts now."
"Because you saw your teacher locked up like that?"
So gentle, really.
"I hope that kindness one day devours you."
Just like it did Giovanni.
That was the greatest blessing—and warning—Aria could offer.
"..."
"..."
Cha I-Sol took Aria's hand and walked beside her.
...I came because I wanted to help Gio hyung and everyone else.
If only he hadn't been so stubborn when they told him to stay back—maybe things wouldn't have ended up this way.
They said it was okay, that this would've happened anyway.
And he knew they meant it. But it was also true that his presence had made things harder for Gio.
So now he couldn't help but fall into thought.
He wanted to help somehow.
What can I even do?
Right now, he couldn't even sit beside Gio and chatter to keep him company.
He'd followed, thinking Gio would be fighting on the coastal front—not that he'd already be deep inside the dungeon.
Ruda and the teachers must be worried too. This isn't like that village where I could just move around without thinking. If I'd just thought a little more before acting...
Suddenly, Cha I-Sol thought of the gentle Sun who had sent him here.
"..."
There's a reason for everything gods do.
Mm. He smiled.
"...Why are you smiling?"
"They say smiling brings good luck."
"Well, I've never found that to be true."
"Maybe because we're from different worlds?"
"...Maybe."
Aria asked,
"Have you finished your thinking?"
"Yes!"
"Then I suppose it's time to lock you up."
"...Huh?"
Cha I-Sol squinted.
"But I made a promise with Gio hyung...?"
"Yes, not to kill you immediately."
"You said you wouldn't hurt me either."
"That's right. I'm just going to imprison you."
"Adults are so unfair."
"It's called wisdom earned with age."
From the opposite hallway, Iser appeared.
"Sister, are you heading to the sea?"
"Yes. I'm entrusting this child to you."
"Where should I put him?"
"Somewhere he won't be harmed."
Aria glanced down at Cha I-Sol.
"...Somewhere he won't feel pain."
Her cold but gentle touch slipped away.
"Looks like the humans have started rampaging in the sea. I'll have to go now."
"It's hard to control the entire ocean from Earth."
"You think I don't know that? Since I've manifested here, it's your job to cover the gap."
"I'll handle any humans who enter this place."
"Good. No different from usual."
Aria continued down the temple's corridor.
"A monster follows the path of a monster."
What would happen was uncertain, but after this fleeting dream, the end was near.
"I've done plenty of waiting."
"...Understood."
A miracle had come.
Now it was time to go meet it directly.
***
Kang Seodam was at a loss for words.
"..."
"...Hhk, ngh..."
"...Sister Iru Da?"
"Cha... Cha I-Sol..."
"Why are you here?"
He glared fiercely at the brothers from the Church of the Sun who had arrived with Iru Da.
"You brought a novice priest into a battlefield?"
"N-No! We really tried not to bring her...!"
"You should've stopped her even if she was being stubborn. That's the role of the leader in charge!"
"She was sobbing like she couldn't breathe, so we came under conditions..."
"What kind of conditions?"
"That we'd go back if Priest Kang Seodam refused..."
"..."
Kang Seodam ground his teeth at the sight of his comrades shifting responsibility. Veins stood out on his forehead, but before the weeping child, he couldn't raise his voice. All he could do was sigh quietly.
He looked down at Iru Da's tearful face.
He had thought he'd seen a lot from her already, but this was a first.
Her thoughts were mature, but a child was still a child.
Which was exactly why she shouldn't be here.
Kang Seodam bent down.
"Sister Iru Da, I heard you came because you were worried about your partner."
"...Snf, they said... they said he was taken, so..."
"Can you place your trust in the other brothers and sisters here?"
Truthfully, even in a situation like this, Iru Da was a capable asset.
So was Cha I-Sol, who was presumed abducted by the mermaids.
Their talents were considerable—beyond their years.
But {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Kang Seodam didn't want such untainted sprouts to be injured here, not physically or mentally.
Childhood wounds, even if unacknowledged, remain deeply etched in the mind.
"I promise you, I'll bring Brother Cha I-Sol back safely."
"B-But..."
Iru Da, sniffling and trailing off, suddenly wiped her nose and lifted her eyes firmly.
She tried hard to compose herself and make a wise decision.
Pushing emotionally won't get me what I want.
She'd come this far, convincing the priests to take her to the field. She couldn't let them send her back now.
She had achieved what she truly wanted. Just a bit more.
"...As far as I know, there's no clause that bans novice priests from being dispatched to the field. In fact, during states of emergency, the entire Church of the Sun is supposed to summon all priests, including novices."
"You've done your homework."
Kang Seodam was outraged by the current state of affairs that didn't care for the rights of young novice priests.
If the Church had long ago prepared the proper laws, this dilemma wouldn't exist.
"That depends on the situation. This is indeed an emergency, but not one severe enough to mobilize novice priests. We'd call in the full priests, not novices. They're not meant to be handled lightly."
"But in all religions that recognize divine providence, partners are seen as one body. I have the right—and duty—to move for my partner. I checked multiple precedents from the Church of the Sun during emergencies. My actions fall fully within our rules."
"Even so, using a novice priest is unacceptable. More importantly, we can't be sure Brother Cha I-Sol is even in the so-called 'Nation of the Abyss.' The timing of his disappearance was just suspicious—there's no concrete proof. To deploy you, Sister Iru Da, under these circumstances..."
"I... I have proof."
Her hands fumbled around her neck. She wanted to respond calmly and intelligently, but controlling her body was hard.
After a few trembling attempts, Iru Da pulled out a round gem with shaking hands.
"..."
"This is a resonance stone..."
Upon closer inspection, not just her hand, but the stone itself was trembling.
"Hah."
Kang Seodam let out a hollow laugh.
Resonance stones, born as twins, vibrated more intensely the closer their pair was.
Though now adapted for communication devices, this was an unprocessed raw stone.
"It's something I shared with my partner, Cha I-Sol. I brought the certificate too. It's never been altered or processed. Even if it lacks the precision of other artifacts, one trait never changes—it reacts to its twin nearby."
Kang Seodam furrowed his brow.
"The one holding the stone now might be a monster."
"I... I gave it to him as a necklace. The chain is an artifact that doesn't come off naturally. Unless his neck is severed... he still has it. Even if the worst happened, this proves that Brother Cha I-Sol is nearby."
"With this much evidence, we have no reason not to search."
Only after a long silence did Kang Seodam speak again.
"...I think I understand why you insisted on coming all this way."
"You could've hidden the truth about the stone to protect me."
"That's... true. As underhanded as it sounds, I might've done just that."
There was no law explicitly barring novice priests in such situations.
They were simply not brought along because they were small, vulnerable, and ethically unfit for such dangers.
Damn it.
With all the grounds she had laid, there was no excuse left to deny her—a priest who could clearly pull her own weight. Some of the priests who brought her here must've thought the same.
Worried by Kang Seodam's silence, Iru Da fumbled to pull out another set of papers.
"These are my performance records. E-Even during field training, I showed sufficient results. I've achieved just as much as formal priests—and I'm a tank, so I won't go down easily."
"..."
"Here, I also brought my medical history. The divine power I serve protects me. The Goddess of the Sun has graced me, and so I don't get sick, and m-my regenerative ability is strong..."
"That's enough."
Kang Seodam finally couldn't hold back a sigh.
"You don't need to say any more."
It was unbearable, watching a child so small list out their usefulness like that.
Looking at Iru Da's pale face, he spoke again.
"You've removed any valid reason I might have had to refuse your cooperation. You've prepared this much even in chaos—if that's the case, I trust you won't act recklessly or get seriously injured."
"T-Then...!"
"But you must promise me something."
As if she already understood, Iru Da nodded. She was still trembling, but her expression was bright.
"I swear I won't suffer any major injuries. If things get dangerous, I'll use an escape token. I won't wander alone and I'll rely on other adults. I promise I won't act recklessly—I stake the trust we've built together on that."
A brilliant child.
"..."
"Please believe me. Just this once... I won't be stubborn again."
"...I believe in you, Iru Da."
It was the world he couldn't trust.
"May the blessings of the Sun be with you."
"...Thank you...!"
If she had just been fifteen, it might have been easier to accept. But she was still far younger than that.
Kang Seodam cursed this world where being young wasn't enough to protect someone like her—and cursed himself for being part of that world.
***
"Ah, really now."
Laughter echoed across the sea.
"Must you ruin your homeland like this?"
"..."
"Humans are as fickle as ever."
A form made of seawater and ice—glinting like gemstones—narrowed its deep eyes.
"Don't you agree, Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon?"
"Don't really care to hear it from a monster."
Yoo Seong-Woon smiled back.
"Planning to fight me yourself now?"
"I can't stand by while you keep wrecking the sea."
"So, where'd you leave our Hunter Sergio?"
"I'm in the middle of relocating his roots—from this filthy Earth..."
"Wow, must've been busy. You actually made it out?"
"Consider it an honor. Isn't this quite the achievement for a human?"
"Sweet-talking monster, huh."
"Isn't that the trait you all assign to humanoid monsters?"
"Yeah... and I also know this talk is pointless."
CHIIING—!
He raised his spear.
"Do you like the frozen wasteland I created?"
"Oh, heavens."
Aria burst into laughter.
"It's absolutely divine...!!"
CRAAAAASH—...!!!
The sea of ice howled under the mermaid's hatred.
"...It was too warm here, wasn't it?"
The sea screamed.
"A resonance—!!"
"Ugh...?! What is this?!"
"Watch beneath the surface!!"
"Multiple monsters approaching!"
"Inside the sea, now—"
Someone glimpsed a figure beyond the ice.
"That's...!!"
"A mermaid...?!"
A swarm of mermaids was rising up from the deep.
-x-X-x-
Cha I-Sol had truly been moved to a safe place.
"??"
This place felt like a different world.
"It's really bright here?"
"The other parts of the temple weren't that dark either."
"No, they were dark."
"I've said this before, but can you pick one—either speak formally or informally...."
"Okay then, Eunha."
"Straight to informal, huh. Fine, what is it?"
"You can speak informally with me too, Eunha."
"I refuse."
Iser grimaced.
"I don't want to get close with humans like that."
"But I want to be close with you...."
"That's your thought, not mine."
"I figured you'd say that."
Cha I-Sol nodded.
"You've been like that from the start."
"...Was it that obvious?"
"Yeah."
Eunha's eyes were always cold.
"But I was kind of relieved, because it didn't feel like I was the only one you hated."
"Why would that be a relief?"
"Because you hated everyone. That must mean something happened that made you hate people."
"You're strangely sharp about weird things...."
"Why do you hate people?"
"..."
Iser smiled.
"I even hate that kind of ignorance."
"Okay, so why?"
"Because they took the most precious thing from me."
"You mean Gio, right?"
"That's right."
I looked at him and dreamed of becoming a priest of the Sun.
"So, Cha I-Sol, I tried to kill you too."
I just couldn't stand the disgust.
"But now you're the first believer of the Black Cloak. No matter what happens, I won't be able to harm you."
"Is there a reason for that?"
"Because I once wanted to be in your place...."
"My place?"
"In the embrace of the Sun."
Someday, when Giovanni becomes pope, beneath the sky he shaped. Also, upon the earth.
"I wanted to live as my teacher's rightful disciple."
It felt like destiny.
Like a future that would arrive on its own as long as I just lived a sweet life, without anything special happening.
There were too many reasons for it to become real.
"But humans crushed me."
"..."
"...Even my teacher...."
Iser knew.
"..."
"..."
He knew very well that, on that day, he had eaten his still-living teacher.
"...There is nothing I loathe more than myself."
"My sister, who stacked rotting corpses along our path forward... the Sun priests who locked me and my teacher in a tank... the humans too busy pointing fingers without knowing anything—I hate them all, but not more than I hate myself."
Iser asked,
"What do you think?"
"I don't know what you're asking."
"What do you see me as?"
"Eunha?"
"How like you."
But he wasn't Eunha.
Nor was he the galaxy his name meant.
You couldn't compare him to the gems of the night sky, barely visible when all the lights of the earth are gone.
"Do you like this room?"
"It doesn't seem dangerous."
"I put some thought into it."
The room, padded with plush dolls, had no sharp corners and was entirely round.
The lighting was warm and bright—unbelievable for a deep-sea dungeon—and it carried the drowsy calm of a spring afternoon.
"I modeled it after my teacher's hut."
"Oh, that place is cool. And there's lots of tasty stuff."
Cha I-Sol said, munching on the dried fruit Iser handed over.
"But it's different from there...."
The warmth and coziness definitely resembled Gio's hut, but something felt off.
Like the faint whine of a fluorescent bulb—it was damp and unpleasant.
"It's like I'm not taking a nap, but developing dementia."
"You use the strangest expressions."
"Hey."
Cha I-Sol said.
"I want to be your friend."
"..."
"Gasp... your face...."
"...Please don't be disgusting."
He wiped at his mouth like he was feeling nauseated.
With a pale face, Iser barely responded.
"Pushing when someone already said no is a form of violence."
"But didn't you already commit incredible violence, Eunha...?"
"Unexpectedly sharp of you. But you're wrong."
"Don't try to act like we're the same kind of being to begin with."
Iser was firm.
"If you're my teacher's third disciple."
"..."
Cha I-Sol's lips pouted.
"Gio isn't my teacher though."
"Then take pride in being his disciple."
"We're friends."
"How dare you?"
"I'm talking about Gio."
The girl asked,
"What happens when a root is moved?"
"...It will return to the sea."
That was the final hope mermaids could cling to.
"It probably won't be easy though."
Gio always did only what he wanted.
It would be the same this time.
***
Giovanni took in the world.
"..."
He looked down at his hands.
"...Hmm...."
So small.
'How old am I now?'
Maybe about thirteen.
He was in a noisy market square.
The clothes he wore looked a little too shabby for a noble.
The young Giovanni loved wearing these clothes and sneaking out into the world.
"Saint."
"I'm not a saint."
"Ah, yes, priest...."
"What is it?"
"You healed our son the other day."
"It was nothing. I did it for my own selfish reasons."
"Please, take this."
An old man with deep wrinkles handed over an apple and disappeared.
"..."
Round, flawless, ripened to a beautiful red—it was a lovely apple.
"...Delicious."
That man had a small apple tree growing in his yard.
Since it was still young, it didn't bear much fruit and couldn't support them well.
Which made this gleaming apple incredibly valuable.
'I like it.'
It made him happy.
"Baby Saint."
"I'm not a saint."
"Yes, baby priest. It's hot today, isn't it?"
"Seems the Sun is in a good mood today."
"Thanks to your blessing, my daughter gave birth safely."
"That wasn't me—it was your daughter's strength. Congratulations."
"Please take this water. It's so hot today."
The older woman handed over cold water.
She must have gone to the deepest part of her yard to fetch it just for him.
On this hot day, she had gone all the way for someone just passing by.
He was grateful.
"So refreshing."
The ceramic cup carried the scent of a cool forest.
It must've come from a high-quality water source, likely kept protected from dust and bugs.
"Excuse me, Saint."
"I'm not a saint."
"Oh, right. But you healed my broken leg a long time ago, didn't you?"
"I remember. It was a fracture."
"I wanted to repay you, so I brought some honey from home."
"That was something I chose to do. You don't need to repay me."
"But you should eat more sweet and tasty things."
"Why?"
"Because you deserve it, simply as you are."
"..."
Honey streamed into a bowl.
"...Thank you."
People called him a saint.
They said he was the Sun's son.
They claimed the god had incarnated in a small body.
That his smile was sunlight, and his footsteps were destiny.
But wasn't that no longer human?
'Why, I wonder?'
He was human.
'I'm just living the way I want.'
But people always layered meanings onto him.
Giovanni kept walking.
He walked and walked.
Eventually, he reached a familiar village.
The warm sunlight carried the scent of summer, falling across earth and sea.
He realized he was looking at the ocean.
This was the sea.
The end of the land.
The dazzling sea of a seaside town.
"..."
The wind brushed against him, and he turned without thinking.
"..."
The sea.
He looked forward again.
"..."
Still the sea.
"...Did I come too far?"
At some point, he was standing above the surface of the sea.
If he jumped in now, it'd probably feel amazing.
The sun blazed above with no cloud in sight.
The water touching his bare feet was so cool that for a moment it felt like ecstasy.
'I feel like I've fallen into this before.'
If he went in, a small and beautiful mermaid princess would surely welcome him.
"..."
"Teacher."
A young mermaid reached out her hand.
"Aren't you hot?"
"Where's the ground I was standing on?"
"It's gone now. I ate it all."
"How old am I?"
"You were over thirty, I think."
"Aria, what about you?"
"I don't remember."
The mermaid who had become the sea withdrew her hand.
Her childlike form vanished like a mirage, and a beautiful woman whispered,
"It's been too long."
Her voice was calm and sweet.
"It's been far too long. We could've taken a shorter path."
"Was it greed?"
"You can call it that."
The mermaid who had become the master of the sea no longer had the fragile look of a successor.
She was no longer a child.
She was the villain who had to bear everything.
And the vast ocean itself.
"Draw me, teacher."
"What kind of picture should I paint...."
"Draw me. My brother too, if you like."
"This sea is truly beautiful."
"I loved the sea you used to paint for me."
"Why?"
"Because I could feel life in it...."
The mermaid, now with legs, stepped up above the water.
She was only a little shorter than Giovanni now.
Aria leaned on him lightly and embraced him.
"Did you know? When you hug someone like this, you can hear their heartbeat."
"I can't hear it well."
"That's right. You're dead."
She asked childishly,
"Why did you do it?"
So pitiful.
"You could've run away. I'm sure of it."
"I would've been caught while running."
"Wouldn't that have been better? Dying together might've been less horrible than this."
"I didn't think any of it was horrible."
Even the mermaids' atrocities.
Separate from the weight of sin, he understood their choices.
That's just how it ended up.
"As you all said, I was already dead."
"...Your body's cold."
Aria asked, without lifting her head.
"Did you fall into the sea?"
"I did."
"Wasn't it cold?"
"It was very cold."
The salt water seeping into torn flesh and bone wasn't exactly pleasant.
The shackles around his legs nearly sliced his ankles.
He wanted to thrash in pain, but had no strength, so he drifted like a dead ornamental fish in a tank.
"I didn't expect Iser to end up entering that place...."
That hurt the most.
"I'm grateful to Iser."
"Why?"
"Because he killed me."
"Why didn't you die before that?"
"I wanted to see you all."
It had been a long time.
How much had they grown?
What kind of expressions would they have?
Were they starving from not fitting in with humans, or obsessing over strange research again?
Were they struggling with deep wounds?
"I couldn't even see Iser's face in the tank."
His eyes hurt too much to look.
"But I was happy."
"Did it not hurt when you were being eaten?"
"To be honest, the numbness was stronger, so it was okay."
He wondered why the Sun had kept him alive.
"It was so I could hear that child's voice."
At least that much reached his ears.
Thanks to the mermaids' ability to speak even in the deep sea.
"That alone makes me feel like I should thank the Sun, doesn't it?"
"...Teacher, you're too optimistic...."
"Feels like my chest is getting wet. Just my imagination?"
"It must be."
Aria cried bitterly.
"Mermaids don't cry."
They can't cry.
"This is just a dream."
"Can I call you Aria?"
"...I am just her thought."
"So you're a piece of her then."
"You really... say such perfect things, don't you?"
"What is she doing now?"
"She's probably struggling."
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"...Haha...."
An awkward laugh.
"..."
"..."
The mermaid couldn't bring herself to say, Please stay.
"I see."
And Giovanni, too, never said, I'll go back.