Jio was not particularly angry at Sanarae.

"Why would I need to do that?"

"Hmm, I see."

Sanarae said with a languid smile.

"Most people get angry, you know."

"I think they could."

"You're tougher than I expected."

Contrary to his previously known infamy, Sanarae was unexpectedly cooperative.

"If you don't have any appraisals to do for now, shall we find our house first?"

"A house?"

When Jio blinked at his words, Curator Garasani, who was standing beside him, whispered.

"'House' is slang for a resting space where Hunters can stay inside a dungeon, even briefly. If a raid will not end within a day or two, it is convenient to make a hiding place or base in advance."

After finishing his explanation, Garasani looked around and opened his mouth.

"The temperature and humidity are both high, and there are many poisonous plants. Let us try to find an open area where the ground is as firm as possible, or if we cannot find a suitable place, we can cut down the plants and make room."

"Personally, I think it'd be faster to just make one. I don't know what the spots where the other teams landed are like, but I don't smell dry ground around here... so we'll probably have to walk a bit."

Sanarae swept his gaze around and sniffed.

"The humidity here is seriously high."

The dense vegetation, grown so thickly there was no room to set foot, had to be contributing to that humidity as well. It was so stifling it felt as if they had entered a sauna.

"They said rain that drives people crazy comes down periodically, so is it more annoying because that evaporates...?"

"They also said the amount of time the fake sun is up changes at random. Making a space where we can avoid the rain should come first."

At Sanarae and Jeong Youngwon's words, one of the Daecheong guild members turned to Jio.

"Um, I heard you were a trainer... Could you look for a spot for us?"

The answer to that came not from Jio, but from Jeong Youngwon.

"That is irreverent."

"Pardon?"

"You were irreverent."

"Uh, uh..."

Her words were so firm that the Daecheong guild member, for a moment, purely wondered, 'Have I committed a mortal sin?' and Jio, too, was gripped by the illusion of 'Am I actually the reincarnation of King Sejong?'

Soon after, Giovanni shook off his pointless thoughts and gave an awkward smile.

"Miss Jeong Youngwon, are you teasing me by calling me young master too?"

"I apologize. That was not my intention, but..."

"In a place where visibility is this poor, the trainer should step up."

Was that not why he had been added to the raid personnel in the first place?

"Then excuse me for a moment."

Jio pulled his hood down and searched for his son. Perhaps because the dungeon's high humidity pleased him very much, Honey was sprawled out completely.

"Honey."

"Coo."

"Oh."

Before Honey could even poke his head out, Sanarae let out a sound of admiration. When Jio looked at him in puzzlement, Sanarae was propping his chin up and nodding. He seemed to be impressed.

"So when your face reaches that level, even saying 'Honey' doesn't look creepy. That's amazing."

"Thank you for admiring my face. I also think it is quite pleasant to look at."

It was thanks to his mother, who had shaped Seo Jio with all her heart and soul from his fetal stage to his newborn days.

"It is quite well made, isn't it?"

"Oh, now that's a fresh reaction. Did you get work done?"

"No, it is natural. This is a face crafted by fate."

"Well, I guess you can't buy a face like that with money. Sorry about that."

Sanarae laughed, putting on a slick manner.

"You said it was made, so I thought you'd had it altered. You talk in a really unusual way, young master."

"I apologize for causing a misunderstanding. Since we both bear responsibility, let us say it is no one's fault."

When Jio held out his hand, Honey plopped plumply onto it. At that sensation and weight, Jio kept his smile and muttered softly.

"... Have you gained weight?"

"Coo coo coo...!!"

"He may look like this, but he can fly."

"Coo coo coo coo coo!!!"

"Honey, please find us a house."

When Jio lightly stroked him, Honey stopped wriggling.

"We need to make a decent house before the rain that hurts people falls."

"... Gurgle."

"It would be good if it is not too far away. Can you do that?"

"Coo."

Honey flapped his wings lightly and shot off through the thick trees. The Hunters admired the speed, astonishing for his small body. Unlike his appearance, he was quite an agile bird.

A Daecheong guild member said in awe,

"That's amazing, Hunter Seo Jio. To think a monster would listen so well..."

"I am a trainer in name, am I not?"

"Even for a trainer, it is rare for the relationship to be this close."

In a way, it was only natural. Before a trainer could tame a single monster, how many people had that monster killed, and how many wounds had it inflicted? From the humans' point of view, there was no reason to act friendly with them for nothing.

"Ah, come to think of it..."

Another guild member asked,

"Where is the anticat that became such a hot topic this time?"

"Huh? Was that thing an anticat? Its size was completely different."

"Uh... I'm not sure. I don't know that well either."

"Was Hunter Seo Jio's cat really an anticat?"

At that, Jio nodded.

"If you mean the jewel cat that inhabits the Jewel Vein, then yes."

"Wow, that's incredible. It's a monster that hardly ever approaches humans..."

"It seemed sensitive because of the unfamiliar environment, so I separated it for a while."

"So you did bring it into the dungeon. Do you use a separate cage?"

A cage was an item trainers used to travel with tamed monsters, and usually took the form of an accessory so it would be easy to carry. At that, Jio smiled his distinctive smile and slightly lifted his cloak.

"No, it is inside here."

"Inside your cloak...?"

"To be precise, inside the shadow."

"... Did anticats have that kind of ability?"

"I am not sure. It simply happened, so I do not really know."

"That really is fascinating."

The Daecheong Hunter nodded as if he understood.

"Among monsters, anticats are a species with especially strong hatred for humans. From what you say, it seems monsters trust and follow you quite a bit, Hunter Seo Jio. Then staying by their master's side would definitely feel more stable for them."

Around then, Honey returned. The people looked surprised at the little monster's return, which was faster than they had imagined.

"Coooorrr!"

"Was there a house?"

"Coo."

Honey placed what he had been holding in his mouth onto Jio's hand.

"Oh, that is..."

"It's soil."

Healer Jeong Youngwon came over and touched the soil. The soil crumbled from her white fingertips.

"It's dry soil. The texture is firm too."

She looked at the honey-colored waterbird in amazement.

"How did he find soil like this in such a humid rainforest?"

"I do not know that well either, but I am glad it seems he found a decent spot."

Seo Jio smiled brightly.

"Isn't that right?"

Our child seemed to have done something, but that was none of his concern.

"..."

"Priest Kang Seodam?"

"... Ah, yes, Miss Yu Jina. I am listening."

"Did some problem come up?"

"Not exactly, but..."

He had merely flinched because he felt the energy of the Sun from far away.

"... Yes, it is nothing. Truly."

Somehow, he had the feeling the divinity of the Sun had been recklessly throwing around miracles over some extremely trivial matter, and as Kang Seodam was already tired after being dragged into the rainforest, he truly did not want to acknowledge it.

He wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

Sanarae tilted his head when they arrived at the place Honey had guided them to.

"...?"

"Is something the matter?"

"Mm, no."

Sanarae sniffed.

"It smells like sunlight?"

"I suppose sunlight does reach a place like this."

"Hmm, rather than that... Hmmm..."

"Hunter Sanarae?"

"..."

Ignoring the Daecheong Hunter's words, Sanarae turned toward Seo Jio.

"..."

"What a relief. It seems Honey found a good spot."

"... This spot was originally here, right?"

"I do not know why you are asking such a question, but if it was not, what other possibility could there be?"

At Jio's words, Garasani added,

"Surely such an excellent location could not have appeared in an instant."

"Even after examining it, there are no traces of monsters, so I feel at ease."

Well, well.

'The two Collectors are playing off each other nicely...'

With his characteristic dead-fish eyes, Sanarae swept his gaze around the surroundings.

This hollow, which looked as if fifty more people could fit inside, was a space formed inside an even larger tree.

This tree was a common type of vegetation here. But there had been no tree among them with a hollow like this.

'Then that means this space was artificially created by something.'

There were no particular signs that a person had touched it. The ground was dry and firmly hardened, and the hollow in this tree looked natural, as though it had been formed over hundreds of years. There were no unnaturally cut or scraped parts, nor any burned parts.

Even the entrance to the hollow had long, drooping vines hanging like a bead curtain at a front door, blocking the moisture outside. They would also be a great help in hiding from monsters.

'But the smell of sunlight is strong.'

And that smell...

"..."

Was the same scent coming from that Hunter's waterbird.

'... Even so, I guess it still doesn't explain anything.'

This was not a space that could be made simply by cutting and destroying.

Hunter Sanarae felt a strong vitality from this place. It was a space that could only be formed through a long process of "growth," not something that could be produced through short-term artificial processing.

"... Hmmm, I don't get it."

"What is it you do not get?"

"Something like your identity, young master?"

"Ah."

Hunter Seo Jio smiled rather cheerfully and asked,

"Shall I tell you?"

"Oh, really?"

"I am actually a priest who serves the Sun God of another dimension."

"Huh...?"

"So I begged earnestly, and the Sun bestowed such a fine house upon us."

"..."

Hunter Sanarae's smile twisted ambiguously.

"... Is this because I teased you too much? Don't be mad, okay? You know, young master, I didn't mean anything bad."

"Ahaha, this is another interesting reaction. Was it too absurd?"

"If you hate being called young master that much, I won't do it anymore..."

"Oh dear, as I said earlier, I am not angry."

It sounded too sincere to be a common empty compliment, and Sanarae was impressed.

"It's fascinating because it seems true."

"What is there to be fascinated by?"

"It's not like I spoke nicely, you know?"

"How admirable that you are aware of that."

"Are you actually teasing me...?"

"Of course not."

Seo Jio put on a troubled expression. That expression displayed such an ideal "troubledness" that Sanarae suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of wrongness.

"To begin with, I do not know why you think I would be angry."

"... Usually, when I talk to people, they get angry, so I wondered if you were the same, Hunter."

"Then that could be called an error of generalization."

"Is that what you usually say at a time like this?"

"Of course, I was a little frightened at first."

"..."

Every Hunter, including Sanarae, turned to look at Seo Jio.

"Why is everyone doing that?"

"Hunter Seo Jio has no talent for jokes... I see. Humans cannot be perfect after all."

"I truly was frightened, because it felt as if a frightening person had picked a fight with me on my first day at work."

"Is there a reason you're not particularly frightened now?"

"Hm, I suppose..."

Seo Jio stared at Sanarae.

"..."

Just when his eyes seemed to look golden for an instant, Seo Jio smiled.

"... Haha."

Having said that, Seo Jio grinned and roughly ruffled Sanarae's hair.

"Argh...!"

"It is best to be honest in social interactions, Hunter Sanarae."

"Uwaa... huh? Huhh?"

"That is enough small talk. Then shall we start by sorting out our luggage?"

"Wait a second, Hunter? What did you just do?"

Garasani, the Curator of the Collector, approached Sanarae, who looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Our guild member has caused you trouble. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Huh? No, it's not that... Is Hunter Seo Jio always like that?"

"He does have a very strong sense of self-assertion. We ask for your understanding."

"You're telling me to stop teasing him, right? Anyway, the Collector really does speak so elegantly."

Sanarae muttered while making an effort to fix his tangled hair.

"Do people usually think like that?"

He really was a strange person.

'His way of thinking is seriously different.'

Well, it was not as if there was any harm in leaving him as a good connection...

"..."

And five hours later, after finishing the overall exploration, Sanarae realized it.

"You're the witch granny."

"Pardon? You are hungry?"

"So you really do intend to eat me?"

"Seeing you talk nonsense, is your stomach still empty...?"

"Are you a tyrant? This is torture by feeding."

Holding something similar to cream stew, Sanarae tilted his head.

"How does this taste come from plants found in a rainforest...?"

"I supplemented the flavors that could not be produced with plants using the bacon I brought."

"That's what I'm asking. Why did you bring bacon into a dungeon? And how did you bring it in to begin with?"

"Is there a reason not to bring delicious bacon?"

"Wow, fascinating. There are plenty of reasons, so why do I feel like you won't listen to a single one?"

Seo Jio's true identity was none other than the old witch from the candy house.

"Is this a Hunter or a pig...?"

At Sanarae's words, the Hunters lying around flinched. The Hunters gathered in a circle were sprawled out like defeated soldiers, guilty over having overeaten.

During a raid, it was an unspoken rule not to fill one's stomach too much, but before overwhelming flavor, that reason blurred.

"So this is why Hansel and Gretel were lured in like idiots."

"I am truly delighted that you would praise my cooking to such an extent."

"Hmm, well? Strictly speaking, I don't think that was praise..."

"Then what on earth was it?"

"Something like an exclamation right before execution. Or a death cry in front of a monster."

At that, Jio asked calmly,

"Who is dying?"

"A Hunter has to die if they become a pig."

"Then why be a Hunter?"

"You really do have a unique way of thinking."

He really was a strange person.