Chapter 46
Jio had returned to the cabin.
“...”
Only now was he checking the reward he had received from the system after figuring out the danger level of the young man he had encountered at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
“I was busy.”
“I was busy eating.”
He knew the system had no self-awareness, but an excuse slipped out anyway.
“So I wondered what this seal was...”
Jio looked at the stamp, which seemed to have been carved from marble.
“...”
Jio held the stamp up to a softly glowing lamp.
The way it shone clear and bright, like sunlight passing through a thin blanket, was beautiful.
It resembled marble, but the quality of the light was different.
Looking down at the small pillar that seemed to give off a faint pulse, as though it were alive and breathing, Jio murmured.
“Where have I seen this before?”
“Coo-ruruk?”
“It is absolutely not food, so do not look at it like you want it, Honey.”
“No matter how much you like jewels, this seems like too much.”
“If you want marble that badly, go to the spring where trees with a similar stone texture grow.”
“Coo, coo, coo...”
“Acting cute will not work.”
The system had evolved Seo Jio, who had been an utterly ordinary human, into a portrait whose personality changed at the drop of a hat.
There was no way a seal given by something like that would be ordinary, and he could not let Honey just gulp it down.
“Hmm...”
After examining it from every angle, Jio reached a conclusion.
“A sealing-wax stamp, maybe.”
Sealing wax, an aesthetic item used to seal letters.
It looked like a stamp used to press down on that candle-wax-like material after melting it, leaving a pretty, elegant pattern behind.
In other words, it was a kind of seal.
In the era Jio had lived in, it was an item that chose sentiment over practicality, but setting that aside...
“I do not have any wax.”
“Coo?”
“I also have no one to send a carefully decorated letter to.”
“... Coo-ru...”
“Tears are blinding me.”
I am a firefly.
“I have no friends.”
“...”
“... Was it telling me to make a pen pal, at least?”
He had no idea why it had given him this seal, but since he knew nothing anyway, Jio interpreted it however he wanted.
This had to be the system’s consideration, telling friendless Jio to make a new connection.
“Then let us try sending a letter to Yu Seongun first.”
The easiest target, Yu Seongun.
And so Yu Seongun, a worn-out and exhausted modern man, suffered another completely casual disaster today.
* * *
“...”
Yu Seongun, who had returned home after work, nearly had a heart attack.
“... Why is there... a letter...”
There was a letter he had never seen before sitting on the living room table.
“...”
After looking around, he murmured.
“There are no signs of a break-in.”
Thanks to the help of Guild Master Bi Sabeol, who cared about the safety of his employees, the security of Yu Seongun’s residence was thorough enough that no one short of an S-class Hunter could enter.
Naturally, he was startled to find a strange letter sitting out in plain sight in a house like that.
After letting out a brief sigh, Yu Seongun calmly sorted out his emotions and sat on the sofa by the table.
“Let’s take a look.”
RUSTLE.
The letter made a sound close to dried grass.
“...”
Dried grass, huh.
“... Jio?”
For some reason, he felt like he knew who had sent the letter.
‘I’m not certain, but that’s what it feels like.’
The envelope had a texture similar to Korean paper, but it was far drier.
Far softer, too.
Yu Seongun’s gaze, which had been fixed on the outer envelope as black as Jio’s eyes, soon dropped to the wax sealing the letter.
A texture like a glittering jewel.
“Oh...”
It was definitely Jio’s.
‘... It looks as though a jewel was melted like candle wax while maintaining its crystal structure, then stamped with a seal.’
‘I have no idea how such bizarre behavior is possible, but it’s dreamlike and beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale.’
This strange presence was something he felt particularly strongly from Jio.
Should he say there was a peculiar sense of sentiment to it?
“A seal...”
It was a pattern he had never seen before.
“... It looks a little like... a portrait.”
The plants spreading out around a rectangular border, and the design inside the border that looked like a stylized star.
For some reason, it was a seal that reminded him of the Portrait of Jio hanging in Bi Sabeol’s gallery.
“He really does have firm tastes.”
Judging by the things he did as well, Jio had a strong impression of some kind of fantasy medieval noble.
‘Should I say he has a fairy-tale sort of sensibility?’
He thought Jio had said he lived in a cabin, too, so Seongun found himself thinking he really was a peaceful guy.
“Then I should look at the contents.”
He carefully peeled it open so the seal, which felt worthy of study, would not be damaged, and a pure white sheet of letter paper appeared inside.
Yu Seongun took out the letter paper and slowly read the pitch-black writing.
“...”
Then, before long, he let out a deep sigh.
“... I can’t understand a word of this...”
If Jio was going to send a letter, shouldn’t he write it in a language from Earth?
‘... I thought he knew a fair bit about Korean culture, so I hoped he’d write the letter in Korean too, but I suppose expecting that much was too difficult.’
‘It’s not as if Jio is actually Korean.’
Wondering whether he might be able to decipher it, he read it again, but it was still a language he had never seen before.
It did not even seem to have any language-like regularity, so Yu Seongun felt troubled.
“If it’s some kind of cursed letter, that’ll be a headache.”
He did not think Jio would abruptly send him something bad, but Root entities were not creatures that could be guessed at that way.
If it was an item that would inflict a curse if it was not properly deciphered, things would become quite troublesome.
“...”
Since he did not feel any ominous energy from it, Yu Seongun eased up a little.
“... I was planning to go see him tomorrow anyway, so should I ask him about this too?”
As long as it was not a bomb about to go off immediately, it did not matter much.
Yu Seongun carefully sealed the opening again so the letter would not wrinkle.
The blue jewel seal had no adhesiveness at all and was cold and smooth, but perhaps because it had a decent weight to it, it did not lift away and simply held the opening down.
“I really can’t figure out what he is.”
Should this be considered a fragment of a work too?
“He has a talent for scaring me half to death...”
He had no idea when he would be able to learn Jio’s true identity.
That felt a little distant.
* * *
“Jio.”
At dawn the next day, Yu Seongun sought out Jio.
“About this, this is the letter you sent me, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I knew it was you.”
“...”
The portrait still wore an expressionless face, but he asked as if something puzzled him.
“I wrote my name on the letter, so did you not check it?”
“Ah, that...”
Yu Seongun pulled out the letter paper with a troubled expression.
“I’m sorry, after you went to the trouble of sending me a letter, but how am I supposed to read a letter written in a language I don’t know?”
“If it isn’t a language of Earth, I can’t check it.”
“... I see.”
Jio paused for a moment, then continued.
“But as I remember it, I sent you a letter written in Korean.”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I think an unexpected problem must have occurred in the process of delivering the letter.”
“Similar to how you all feel that the resolution of this portrait is misaligned.”
“Oh... Hmm, that’s... certainly...”
That could happen.
‘The language of the letter didn’t feel like it had any regularity at all, either.’
Jio’s letter was like something typed on a broken typewriter.
Its outward format itself was orderly, but the detailed language and rules were utterly chaotic.
On this point, Jio’s words could certainly be right.
‘When he says resolution, he’s probably talking about Jio’s level that we discussed before...’
Like the great pressure and fear felt so strongly from Jio outside the portrait.
‘Looking at things like that, it does seem certain that the frame holding this portrait serves as a kind of filter...’
‘Is it a filter meant to contain the being called Jio, whom humans cannot endure?’
If language had gotten mixed and distorted in the process of passing through that filter, the current contents made sense.
It was a frame that even managed Jio’s level, so wouldn’t language be even more likely to be altered?
“That’s a little unfortunate from the sender’s perspective.”
“I am sorry.”
“You must have been startled.”
“It’s fine, but what did you write in the letter?”
“It was nothing special, only light thanks and greetings.”
“... But didn’t you have your own kind of rule?”
A sudden question occurred to Yu Seongun, and he asked lightly.
“For an object inside the painting to be brought outside, someone has to pay a price.”
“But I don’t remember giving you a price.”
“I thought the same, but it seems I was able to avoid being bound by that rule thanks to the seal.”
“A seal?”
“It is a seal I happened to obtain.”
“If I stamp a mark with it and deliver something, it seems I do not necessarily need to receive a price.”
“Hmm, really?”
As expected, it seemed the one-to-one rule had not been created because Jio wanted it.
‘Considering he figured out a way to avoid the rule like that.’
From that perspective, Jio’s rule was probably a kind of defensive line to keep his enormous level from overflowing and damaging reality.
As he had thought earlier, it might be the result of the frame serving as a filter.
‘But if he has devised a way to avoid that restraint with things like a seal...’
From the perspective of a frail Earthling, it was rather chilling.
‘... Even if Jio isn’t the sort to enjoy tormenting someone, a being of that level can unintentionally break people.’
‘If the rules imposed on this guy exist to protect Earthlings, I’ll need to be careful about this nature of his that tries to ignore those rules so casually.’
At any rate, he was somewhat relieved.
He had received a strangely eerie letter and had slept poorly, but as expected, it did not seem to be a bomb frightening enough to harm Yu Seongun.
“You shocked me.”
“When I got home from work, there was suddenly a letter I didn’t recognize sitting there...”
“I apologize.”
“I did not expect the letter to move in that manner either.”
“I guess you don’t usually send letters?”
“Yes, though...”
Jio trailed off, which was rare.
“I thought I might try making a new friend.”
“...”
After slowly taking a deep breath, Yu Seongun asked in his usual tone.
“... A new friend?”
“It is embarrassing to say, but you are the only one I speak with, are you not?”
“Before making a new connection, I tried sending a letter to you first, Mr. Yu Seongun.”
“That was... a very good thing to do.”
Yu Seongun did have a tendency to spoil Jio because he was a Root entity, but that did not mean he did not know how dangerous Jio was.
It had gone smoothly because it was Yu Seongun, but an ordinary person would have seen a letter surrounded by a strange aura and toppled over in shock.
Especially if they were not a Hunter, but a civilian.
“Other people will be startled, so I think it would be good if you paid just a little attention to that part.”
“I will be more careful next time.”
“I’d be grateful if you did.”
Yu Seongun rubbed the back of his neck and asked.
“But how are you going to find that ‘new connection’?”
How did Jio, who remained inside the portrait all the time, plan to make a “new friend”?
If he were an ordinary person, he would move around here and there or make friends through the internet, but none of those applied to Jio.
“Does that letter perhaps get delivered randomly to any target?”
“No.”
“The recipient must be precise for what I wish to send to be delivered.”
“That was the case with me, then.”
“I think I will need to consider a little more how to make a new friend.”
“Hmm...”
Was this the perfect timing?
Recalling the conversation he had had with Guild Master Bi Sabeol, Yu Seongun asked Jio.
“Jio, can you perhaps move to other dungeons too?”
“Not simply outside the portrait, but a dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“...”
Jio, who seemed to think for a moment, blinked twice and answered.
“In the case of worlds I have painted...”
“Hm?”
Worlds he had painted?
“Did you just say worlds you painted...”
“Yes, in the case of worlds I have painted, I can move to them without difficulty.”
“Huh?”
“But the dungeons you are talking about do not seem to be spaces I have painted.”
“Are you referring to dungeons whose entrances already exist on Earth, and that Earthlings can also visit?”
“... Uh...”
His mind was a little confused, but Yu Seongun maintained as calm an appearance as possible and answered.
“That’s right.”
“I mean dungeons that already have entrances on Earth and that Hunters like me can visit.”
Thinking that Jio’s danger level needed to be raised even further, Yu Seongun continued.
“You created portraits here and there and used them to move around inside the company, didn’t you?”
“So I wondered whether your portrait might be found in other dungeons too.”
“If so, that would mean you could visit those dungeons as well.”
“I have not tried that yet.”
After saying so, Jio soon added.
“But it sounds interesting.”
Jio showed interest.
‘Good thing I had it in mind beforehand.’
The Portrait of Jio unexpectedly pursued a life centered on interest.
If Yu Seongun asked such a question, he had anticipated in advance that Jio might abruptly try it out after feeling great interest.
‘Perhaps because he possesses intelligence equivalent to a human’s or beyond, his behavior patterns are a little difficult to grasp, but since he’s shown this much interest...’
‘If possible, it would be better to make a suggestion within a range I can handle.’
As Bi Sabeol had said, certain humans like Yu Seongun could not control Jio’s actions.
That remained true even apart from personal feelings.
Objectively, there was no way to stop Jio, who considered himself human, from going out into society.
After all, he could go anywhere and create anything simply by painting.
‘In that case, it would be better to at least give him a direction.’
‘Even if I can’t stop him from moving, I can at least recommend where he should move to.’
Yu Seongun took a sheet of paper out of his briefcase.
“Then how about places like these?”
“What is this?”
“I picked out dungeons that probably won’t cause a commotion even if you visit them.”
He had chosen places that would have the fewest casualties, if possible.
“They have low rewards and low recognition, so Hunters don’t visit them often, and they aren’t terrifying dungeons dangerous enough to put you at risk...”
“...”
“If you want to experience an environment outside the portrait, I thought something like this might be good.”
“If you move around this actively, you might meet other Hunters when you visit dungeons, right?”
“Then the chance of making a new friend would go up too.”
Perhaps Yu Seongun’s suggestion did not sound unpleasant.
Jio nodded.
“Thank you.”
“I hope it helps.”
“Yes, I have something to give you as thanks.”
“A gift?”
“The jerky I made earlier has dried well.”
“... I see...”
He had never imagined Jio could even make jerky.
‘It probably isn’t ordinary jerky.’
He began to think that if he kept living this way, he might fail to live out his natural lifespan in a different sense.
‘I won’t end up becoming so healthy that I live long, then become undying and immortal, will I...?’
Yu Seongun suddenly felt a chill.
* * *
After successfully sending Yu Seongun off with jerky, Jio looked over the dungeon list he had given him and thought.
“Honey, let’s pick one.”
“Coo-ruruk.”
“We’ll go to the dungeon where the jewel you spit out stops.”
“Coo-coo-rurururuk.”
“I knew you’d like it too.”
The dungeon list Yu Seongun had handed over also had pictures of the interiors attached.
They seemed to be dungeons that people called Hunters had already finished investigating.
Before long, Honey spat out a jewel with a small pop.
“...”
“...”
“This one.”
“...”
Jewel?
“A jewel, of all things.”
“Coo-ruru.”
“... All right.”
“Coo-rurururururururururu.”
“I said all right, so stop...”
“Coo-rurururururu...”
“Stop.”
He really was helpless before anything that sparkled.
‘Can this kid read Korean?’
Jio became extremely suspicious that Honey might have aimed for it on purpose.
