Chapter 3

A certain prestigious auction house.

"Huh...?"

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"I-It looked like... this painting just moved."

"Don't be an amateur."

One of the managers snorted.

"As if an ordinary portrait would ever end up in this auction house. It must have been an item from some dungeon."

"Ah..."

"They say it was discovered in the art storage room of an abandoned school in Gangwon Province, but since its origin isn't clear, the price will drop quite a bit. It'll go out early in part one, so have it ready in advance."

"Yes, sir."

Even with his superior's reassuring words, the employee's expression was far from good. He looked at the portrait in front of him as if it made him uneasy.

"..."

Just now.

It felt like their eyes had met.

"... I just hope it's not an item that curses people..."

It must have already passed a safety inspection before coming in, but the world was vast and items were varied.

Thanks to that mystery, with neither its origin nor its function properly identified even by appraisal skills, it had been able to make it all the way to this auction house; but for that very reason, the employee felt an ill omen.

"Isn't this usually how horror movies start? An ominous work of art and the oblivious people around it... It's perfect."

He could only pray he would not become the first victim to die there.

"Ugh, scary."

"..."

Watching him in silence was the "Portrait of Jio."

He closed his eyes.

* * *

Thirty-one years ago.

Earth ended.

When that overused opening line became reality, every science fiction movie vanished from Earth after that day.

People being abruptly dragged into other dimensions and torn apart by irrational rules, or monsters crawling out of pitch-black rifts between dimensions, felt far more real than any movie.

"Holy shit...!"

"E-Excuse me, are they filming a movie over there?"

"You think this is a fucking movie?!"

And as if they had been waiting for it, people with supernatural powers appeared.

"Uh... Isn't this a game window?"

"Holy crap, I got one too."

"What did yours say? Mine says I awakened as a priest."

"I don't have anything like that... It just shows a skill list. But if you're a priest, do you have a religion?"

"Yes, I do go to a Christian church. Is it decided that way?"

"How would I know...?"

They changed the landscape of Earth.

"Hey, damage...! What are you doing not dealing damage?!"

"How am I supposed to deal damage when you're blocking the front, hyung...!"

"Are you kidding me?! Then where is the tank supposed to block, the back?!"

"Wow, this raid is screwed..."

"Waaaah...!"

They hunted monsters as if they were truly playing a game.

This phenomenon, defined as "awakening," manifested in random people, and no matter how much it was studied, there were no precise rules or standards to it. The only commonality was that those who awakened had system windows appear, as if they were playing a game.

Of course, that did not mean hunting monsters was truly as lighthearted as a game.

"..."

"... Hey, collect his keepsakes. Even if there's no body, we still have to hold a funeral for him."

"Our team's damage dealer is gone... This is draining. How old did he say he was?"

"Eighteen. He said with his own mouth that he wanted to go back to high school."

"The country's going insane if it's dragging out kids who want to study at school."

"What can we do? These days, if they awaken, they'll even put a ten-year-old to work..."

"True, if he's a damage dealer and eighteen, that's one of the better cases."

"..."

"This is fucked."

Since the so-called "awakened," the "hunters" who hunted monsters, were few in number, it was difficult for them to escape "death by overwork." In the face of a worldwide change undergoing a turbulent transition, an individual life was treated as nothing more than a number.

However, South Korea was a country that suppressed the chaos faster than most of the world, centered around three heroes. In an instant, they passed through upheaval after upheaval after upheaval and began establishing a foundation.

"Honey, can you hear me? Yerin awakened..."

Because of that, citizens in cities where systems had taken shape began to have some breathing room.

"Her teachers told me she awakened at kindergarten today."

["Huh? Yerin did? Oh my... Does she have a job? What about skills? What rank is she?"]

"I don't know. Yerin says she doesn't have a job and her skill is D-rank. We'll only know for sure after we go to a center and get it checked."

["Then let's not make Yerin become a hunter. Ask her what she wants to do, and if she says she doesn't want to, don't make her become one."]

"I thought that would be best too. Yeah, thanks. I'll hang up."

Dimensions came to be called "dungeons," "awakened" who had merely awakened abilities were distinguished from "hunters" who had the profession of hunting monsters, and systems such as guilds and centers were established.

"Right, just because a kid awakened doesn't mean she has to become a hunter."

"Mom, do I have to catch monsters...? I'm scared... I don't want to do that."

"No, it's okay. Our Yerin doesn't have to catch monsters."

At some point, the awakened began taking on other occupations.

The awakened, who possessed power qualitatively different from ordinary people, had been strictly managed by the state, but in the span of only thirty-one years, after many incidents and dozens of changes in government, treatment of the awakened improved.

If they were classified below C-class upon Awakening, the range of occupations they could choose became much wider.

"Wow, that person must be a hunter."

"Seeing as he's wearing a guild emblem, he's definitely a hunter."

"Awesome... Who is that? I've never seen him before. Is he a rookie? Have you seen him on TV?"

"Those black wings are seriously cool. Hey, that's a real hunter right there."

"I heard flight-type skills are that rare..."

"That guy's set for life."

And by just as much, the admiration directed at hunters grew even stronger.

"If I awaken, I want to become a hunter too."

"Nah, dangerous work isn't really my thing."

"But it's cool. They make a lot of money, and they're popular."

In the end, they came to be treated like a kind of celebrity.

"..."

"Uh... Hey, hey, I think he heard us. Let's stop and go."

"W-We just thought you looked cool. We're sorry..."

Whether the hunters themselves wanted it or not, that was the flow of the world.

"... Haa..."

Some hunters grew tired of the excessive attention directed at them.

"Are we soldiers, or are we idols...? Why are there so many people coming up and asking us to take pictures with them? At this rate, they'll have us dancing onstage too. In other countries, you couldn't even dream of something like this."

"Last time, a sasaeng got into one of our rookies' rooms. Does that make any sense? No, aren't they worried a hunter might cut their head off? What the hell is this... A hunter's job is hunting monsters, not managing fans."

"Popularity is one thing, but at this point, isn't it obstruction of work? It's too distracting. I came here to catch monsters, not perform tricks in front of the public. Korea's perception of hunters is too frivolous. This needs to be fixed."

There were also opposing opinions.

"Huh? I like it, though. And performing tricks...? Are you looking down on entertainers?"

"That isn't what I meant."

"Now, now, let's not fight. Still, having popularity is better than not having any. I'm not defending sasaengs or obstruction of work, but... once the system is properly established, the inconvenient parts will decrease too."

"Exactly. The association will handle those things on its own. If you're that uncomfortable, file a complaint or something."

Thus, the perception of hunters went beyond supernatural people, monsters, and soldiers, all the way to celebrities.

As time passed, that perception became fixed, and at least to the people in the cities, monsters and dungeons sank to the level of a kind of disaster. In other words, they came to be perceived as being in the same class as a fire that firefighters could suppress.

And in that South Korea, one of the three major guilds came into existence.

"Guildmaster."

"Yes, go ahead."

"No matter how much we're called Collectors from the name onward..."

The third-ranked guild in the country, 『Collectors』.

"Isn't this one a little too much?"

"Isn't telling a collector not to collect far too insulting?"

"Do you even know how much money went out to buy this portrait?"

"What is the problem with me buying my own item with my own money?"

The guildmaster there, "Collector" Bi Sabeol.

The middle-aged man smiled thinly. He looked refined like a courteous gentleman, yet his smile left behind a strangely unclean aftertaste.

"This is a work even the association president coveted. What do you think? Isn't that surprising?"

"The association president, sir? That certainly is surprising."

"It's a work that a man whose only hobby, far from collecting, is raising monsters bid as high as 2,000 for."

"2,000..."

The 2,000 being spoken of here did not mean twenty million won, but two hundred billion won. Even if it was not in the trillions, it was by no means a trivial sum.

"... My appraisal skill is lacking, so I could not recognize the true value of this work. I apologize for judging hastily."

"Well, you scolded a collector for doing a bit of collecting, but if you didn't know the situation, of course that can happen."

"Thank you for your understanding as vast as the sea. Then what function does this portrait have?"

"I don't know either."

"That's absurd..."

When evaluating a hunter, the important factors were broadly divided into three.

A "job," which could interfere with the rules of the world simply by existing.

An "aptitude skill," which one was basically born with at the moment of awakening, like a baby's first-birthday grab.

And a "level," which showed the proficiency of one's job and all one's skills.

If one wanted to hear an explanation of one's detailed job and the other skills one could learn, one had to receive help from a center, but a hunter's rank was at least displayed by the so-called "system" based on a comprehensive evaluation of those three.

'And...'

Bi Sabeol was someone who had become an S-class Hunter solely through his aptitude skill, "appraisal."

'A work even someone like that couldn't grasp... What kind of nasty joke is this?'

Perhaps unaware of the employee's considerable bewilderment, the Collector simply smiled as if enjoying himself.

"That's why I want it even more."

What was unusual about 『Collectors』, called one of Korea's three major guilds, was that every guild member possessed an appraisal skill. And Bi Sabeol, its leader, had an appraisal skill so outstanding it could be called the best in the entire world.

A work whose exact function even Bi Sabeol could not understand.

"I think I understand why the association president bid 2,000 on it."

It was even eerie.

'... Maybe it's just my imagination, but the atmosphere of the work feels rather heavy too. Even though it's only a portrait with a single person drawn in it...'

The office-worker guild member nodded.

"Though it looks like a work more suitable for research than appreciation."

"Isn't that why the association president coveted it so much? Though in the end, I was the one who won."

"If you have said everything you wanted to say, I will be going now. Getting caught between whales fighting is not my hobby."

"I wonder why all our guild members are so cool and aloof."

"I think of it as the karma of the guildmaster who gathered only people like this."

"How sad."

At Bi Sabeol, who smiled brightly with a face that did not look sad at all, the guild member left the office with a look of disgust. His expression said he had only come to deliver documents and had been caught in a disaster.

"..."

Left alone, Bi Sabeol lifted the portrait with telekinesis and headed for the elevator hidden in his office.

"..."

CLUNK.

The elevator, narrow enough that three people could barely fit inside, descended to a very deep place.

It was the warehouse of the 『Collectors』 guild, designated as forbidden on a government level. Unless one was an authorized employee or client, one could not come and go from this place.

Simply put, it was a gallery just for Bi Sabeol.

"..."

The warehouse he arrived at like that.

"Haaah..."

Bi Sabeol let out a sigh of overwhelming emotion. The veins in Bi Sabeol's large hand, which was gripping his entire lower face tightly, bulged with ecstasy and satisfaction.

"Good."

His snake-like, bright yellow eyes gleamed with fanatical obsession.

Bi Sabeol's collection warehouse was his personal space. That was because it did not simply display items that guild members brought back from dungeons or overseas; rather, he, the guildmaster, personally bought them and then displayed them.

Bi Sabeol's collection warehouse was filled with dangerous works of art and items.

"Very good."

Bi Sabeol, who could not give up on art, did his utmost to put every safety device in place, and the government, recognizing his efforts and achievements, would sometimes entrust problematic items to him.

"This place should be good for this one."

The same was true of this "Portrait of Jio" that Bi Sabeol had purchased this time.

CLICK.

"Excellent."

It was a painting containing a man.

Pale skin that suited his blunt and gloomy impression well. Pitch-black hair in which not a speck of light could be felt.

And yet rather than being droopingly dreary, he had a sharply defined, cold atmosphere and this restrained arrogance...

Even the peaceful forest scenery harmonized with him.

"I wonder who it depicts."

It was a portrait that made one curious about both the artist who painted it and the model who became the work.

"If this is merely human technique, then it's remarkable. Even if it isn't, the same is true. As if a truly living human being had been placed inside..."

At that moment.

"..."

"..."

The man before his eyes.

The pale portrait opened its eyes and looked at Bi Sabeol.

"..."

Bi Sabeol held his breath.

"..."

As if even each of his organs and muscles had been seized by something enormous, he could not say a word.

"..."

... What was this?

'What is this?'

It was black.

It was black all over.

Though the whites and the pupils were divided, it was an abyss whose boundary could not be distinguished at all.

Its center was so deep it could not be fathomed. It was a shadow. And the night sky. And...

"..."

Did it resemble the universe?

'Black.'

Deep.

Varied.

Like a life in which warmth and cold coexisted.

"..."

The veins and threads of fate spread thickly within it.

When Bi Sabeol, without realizing it, brought his hand to the black eyes of the man in the painting...

"..."

"..."

Before long, the portrait.

"... Oh."

Closed its eyes.

"My goodness."

At that moment, Bi Sabeol instinctively knew an unexpected jackpot had burst open.

"So it isn't an ordinary painting?"

He felt very good.

* * *

"..."

Meanwhile, the man in the painting, Jio.

Was scared stiff.

"Hm..."

With a rare look of disgust, he quietly stepped back and stared at the picture frame hanging on the tree. It was none other than the frame he had called the "front door."

After confirming that his only entrance and exit had been blocked, Jio murmured in dismay.

"I'd say I'm an ordinary painting."

He was a little desperate, enough to unconsciously make an excuse no one would hear.

'... So this is what they call a threat to one's life. I thought such a thing would never happen in this peaceful cabin, but as expected, the world does not flow only as one imagines. What a harsh world.'

Before he began making medicine in earnest, Jio, who had intended to check on the outside world once, realized that his frame was being moved somewhere. When he checked occasionally, it seemed to have been put up at some auction.

And the place it had finally arrived was none other than a massive warehouse...

'... Rather, should I call it a gallery or a museum?'

Seeing the entirely white building and the well-appointed interior told him that only quite carefully selected works were being exhibited there. It seemed to be a gallery that received plenty of love from its owner.

And the more love was poured into it, the more troubled Jio became after having his one and only front door taken away.

"Now, every time I go outside, I'll be committing trespassing. Why is this happening to me, a model student of a new nation who sleeps early and wakes early? Is it because I went to sleep without brushing my teeth yesterday?"

Jio had already startled some employee somewhere by trying to take a brief look outside as it was. He had never died before, but he still did not want to be burned at the stake as a haunted portrait.

"And I don't know what will happen to this painted world if the portrait is damaged..."

Earth had surely become tough over the past thirty-one years. It was an undeniably harsh and rugged world for timid, fragile, Gangwon Province-grown fresh potato Seo Jio to survive in.

'Outside the blanket is dangerous.'

Once again acknowledging his identity as a portrait, Jio resolved to remain here.

And on the very next day, just as he thought he would have to be more careful than before if he wanted to survive in this harsh world, staking the honor of a haunted portrait on it.

"Hello."

"..."

Beyond the frame on the tree, the red-haired man he had seen yesterday was peering in.

'Oh.'

Truly, really, sincerely, without any discriminatory or demeaning intent, Jio's own corneas spoke objectively and without selfishness. Those bright yellow eyes, resembling a reptile's, were creepy.

For some reason he could not understand, they were even gleaming. Why, really? But he did not want to understand. For Jio, who had come out into the yard expecting only a refreshing morning, it was too cruel a thing to worry over.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. I do not know whether it is good morning, good afternoon, or good evening for you, but for us humans, it is a good morning. Did you sleep well, sir?"

"..."

"I believe I was far too rude yesterday. Might you perhaps be willing to converse with me? What is your name? When I appraised you, it said 'Portrait of Jio,' so I assume your name is Jio..."

"..."

"Sir? Are you listening? Since you opened and closed your eyes, it is terribly tantalizing for me, who thirsts for conversation. You seem very skilled at captivating people."

Damn you, gods of heaven and earth.

'The first person to speak to me in thirty-one years looks like that, so something good is sure to happen tomorrow. But even taking that into account, a truly incomprehensible misfortune has befallen me.'

Modern society, this terrifying child. Jio dearly hoped the person beyond the frame would maintain an appropriate distance and pour out an appropriate amount of interest.

'... This is overwhelming...'

Loner potato Seo Jio could only end up scared stiff before a man who made no attempt to hide his vast energy.

Of course, it was something to be grateful for that there was someone speaking to this loner. It did not feel like thirty-one years, but in any case, it meant a chance to communicate had appeared after that long.

'The fact that the other person seems quite friendly also tells me this is a fairly good situation.'

However, still...

"Sir? Are you there? Sir? If the reason is that I came empty-handed, I can prepare any item you desire according to your tastes."

"..."

"Hm, do I need to offer a sacrifice after all...? In cases like this, what kind of sacrifice is usually received? The most common would still be a sinful human, or else an entirely innocent human... In the latter case, they are far too difficult to obtain..."

"..."

"I should contact the prison for the first time in a while. In a world like this, finding sinful humans is a piece of cake. How many would be enough?"

Ugh.

'This is exhausting.'

Even as the idol of a mountain village, Jio could not bring himself to communicate with such a person.