Ju-hyeon used to say this.

"If you want to properly imitate a human."

"Imitate? Do you want to see a crying portrait? It would be your first time, wouldn't it?"

"I have not finished speaking, so please don't start preparing to cry in earnest and listen, Mr. Jio."

He was worried that this scatterbrained portrait might return as a false god no mere human could handle.

You could get a rough idea from watching what most evil gods did in the middle of their amusements.

"It would be better to make use of items rather than step forward yourself."

Ju-hyeon was worried about Jio that way.

"Don't go stepping in yourself just because you're frustrated and come back having created some strange fanatics. Listen to me."

"I am a pure sun who does not deal in fanatics."

"The sun isn't the only thing inside you right now, is it, Mr. Jio? I have more life experience than you do."

"If we add it all together, isn't mine longer?"

"I worded that a little strangely. At the very least, I know the standards of 'ordinary' better than you do, Mr. Jio."

"I cannot deny that."

Jio gave him a double thumbs-up.

"I am a little lacking in tact."

"I don't think this is only a matter of tact, but I heard from Mr. Yu Seongun."

Ju-hyeon asked, full of worry.

"You said you made a sea passage in the dungeon back in the old 'country of the deep sea,' didn't you?"

"I was told it was not illegal, so I feel wronged."

"I am not scolding you, so please keep listening. I also heard you even made stairs, not a slide. Is that true?"

"Of course I made stairs. Think about it, Mr. Ju-hyeon. If I made a slide at such a tremendous depth, how much acceleration do you think would build up? A person would die."

"I am very grateful that you value human life, but humans cannot create a stair passage into the sea just because they do not want to die. Especially not in a dungeon."

"I know very well what you are worried about."

Jio nodded.

"But I have also lived on Earth for a full twenty-nine years. Please trust me."

"You lived twenty-nine years and still ended up like this, so what exactly am I supposed to trust?"

"Shall I show you a crying portrait?"

"If you would like to quit imitating a human, you may continue making remarks like that."

"..."

It was not exactly an imitation, but there were parts that stung, so Jio obediently shut his mouth.

Ju-hyeon nodded as if thanking him for his cooperation, then continued.

"But you are not the kind of person who will refrain from interfering in human lives, are you, Mr. Jio?"

"What does that mean?"

"From the moment I learned you had acquired the nickname 'smiling tyrant of the sea village,' my trust in you hit rock bottom. Isn't that right, mercy bomber?"

"Mercy bomber?"

"I know you are not someone who will stay quiet, so I am only giving you one piece of advice."

Ju-hyeon spoke solemnly.

"Do not step forward yourself."

"And use items?"

Jio became sorrowful.

"I am poor. I have no items either."

"Truly astonishingly, every last drop of water in your cabin is made up of items, Mr. Jio."

"Please do not disparage my peaceful and comfortable cabin like that."

"It seems you already know everything and are only playing innocent, so I will continue. Use items."

Ju-hyeon advised him with all his sincerity.

"That way, at least you will have an excuse later. Do not forget that the reason you yourself were not treated as something akin to divinity during the last spirit-summoning incident was because an intermediary named Dana existed."

"So what do I make excuses for later?"

"I am saying there will be room to make the excuse that you are human, Mr. Jio. This time, too, you must not throw miracles around just because what humans are doing looks amusing or pitiful. If you absolutely want to, avoid human eyes and somehow get rid of the witnesses."

"By getting rid of the witnesses, do you mean murdering them to silence them? How very fascinating."

"Do not come out as Arjio only at times like this, Mr. Jio. I am truly serious. The Collector may be a major organization, but concealment is difficult in a raid with this many people participating. Above all, this is an event hosted by the Sun Cult."

"I will stay quiet and come back."

And Ju-hyeon never said he would trust him until the very end.

He truly was a thoroughly meticulous man.

But there was one thing this thoroughly meticulous Ju-hyeon had overlooked.

"The bleeding... the bleeding stopped?"

"What the hell, warmth is... coming back to my body."

"... My organs have recovered."

He should have placed limits on the types and number of Jio's items too.

Arms that had fallen off reattached, lost flesh and organs regenerated, the injuries of Hunters who had been cursed with bleeding stopped in an instant, and corpses gradually losing the warmth of their bodies were experiencing a miracle close to resurrection.

The culprit was Jio's blood dumplings.

"..."

He had scattered about seven of them.

"..."

"... Urgh..."

Jio saw Priest Kang Seodam far in the distance, covering his face with both hands as he held back tears.

"P-Priest. Please don't cry! Everyone has recovered...!"

"Ah... I didn't know Priest Kang Seodam would worry about us this much..."

"Unexpectedly, the priest is such a warmhearted person..."

For some reason, despite the warm comfort and gratitude around him, Jio felt as if the sorrowful energy wafting from Kang Seodam had grown even stronger.

It did not seem to be his imagination, because Kang Seodam did not recover easily.

No matter how little Jio paid attention to other people's reactions, he could not pretend not to know about this.

Jio ignored the gazes reaching him and crept over to Garasani's side.

Then he whispered.

"I think I made a big mistake."

"I will say it was an item of the Collector, so please do not worry."

"Thank you."

Jio thought to himself.

'How was I supposed to write an apology letter again?'

He was the kind of person who received apology letters, not wrote them, but in the face of a tremendous mistake, he could send a teacher's dignity beyond the dark matter of the universe.

Jio apologized to Ju-hyeon in advance.

'I should write a letter and send it as soon as I have time today.'

At best, it would only be a pretty letter that looked nice and could not even be read by its recipient, but it seemed better than nothing.

Jio felt presences approaching him and raised his head.

"Um, Priest...?"

"I am not a priest."

"Ah, yes. Hunter."

"You must be disoriented because you have not fully recovered yet, so would it not be better to lie down a little longer?"

"No. After receiving such a precious gift... how could I only lie down...?"

The Hunter who had just come back from the dead, who had literally been standing right before death's door and had become perfectly alive again, teared up in deep emotion.

Jio wanted to shove himself into a portrait.

It was extremely burdensome.

"H-How could you give such... such a miracle medicine to us..."

"Ah, that medicine is..."

At that moment, Jio realized anew.

'This cannot be explained by saying it was an item of the Collector.'

He had tried to insist on it by force if necessary, but the mood was not one where he could really do that.

The Collector was not a charity guild that readily scattered precious items for the sake of other guild members, and anyone could see that the owner of these blood dumplings was Seo Jio.

"..."

Giovanni decided to trust only in his own holiness and say whatever came to mind.

"... I named that medicine blood dumplings."

"Blood dumplings?"

"Yes. They were dumplings made from medicinal ingredients I obtained thanks to the mercy of the god I serve. This time, I was fortunate enough to discover a cluster of medicinal herbs in a place the Sun guided me to, and I made the medicine with them in advance the day before coming to the dungeon."

"Such a..."

"In truth, I did not know their exact effect. But when I saw the herbs, I thought they would be of great help in stopping bleeding and aiding recovery, so I prepared them. I never expected they would be used like this."

Jio traced a holy sign with the face of a sacred priest.

"This too must be the will of the Sun. It seems the divinity I serve with love and respect likely wished for this raid to succeed. I am that being's servant and merely followed faithfully, so please direct the gratitude you have now... not to me, but to the Sun."

It was a story full of holes and many questions, but faced with Priest Giovanni's faithful words and actions, brimming with "truthfulness," and his melancholy appearance, the Hunters ended up accepting it.

"Come to think of it, the Collector joined when there wasn't much time left before the departure..."

"Somehow, was Hunter Seo Jio's divinity giving him a hint to participate in this dungeon?"

"Then this raid has two suns wishing for its success...!"

"Right, if divinity had not helped, people could not have survived like this."

The exhausted people, with no energy to think deeply, were easily swept up in the emotional appeal.

Of course, there were still people with doubts, but when they were left alone, that too was resolved among themselves.

"But wasn't Hunter Seo Jio a trainer?"

"Idiot, priests aren't the only ones who can serve gods."

"Ah, really? I didn't know that..."

"It does seem to be a rare case."

"Even priests have difficulty receiving a god's choice, but a trainer..."

"At this level, isn't he practically saint-class? He must be loved immensely."

"But seeing as he isn't part of the Sun Cult, is it a sun from another dimension?"

"The Sun Cult in Seoul must be pretty jealous."

Perhaps because they were Hunters who worked with their lives on the line, as soon as their injuries recovered, everyone became lively.

Jio took in those strong humans with his eyes, then whispered to Garasani standing beside him.

"How long will it last?"

"If the Collector intervenes, it will last quite a while."

"I will also devise a method as soon as I return, so this time more than ever, I ask for your help."

"Of course."

Jio's excuse was not completely impossible in theory, but it was certainly a rare case that might appear once in an era.

Once they regained their reason, they would begin to have doubts.

But that would only be if no measures were taken.

If Giovanni steadily brainwashed them, no, informed them of the truth, and the major organization called the Collector committed tyranny, no, provided a little help, this story would become an established fact.

Well, what of it.

If we say that's how it is, what are you going to do about it?

What can you possibly do?

"..."

Of course, there were people that sort of thing did not work on.

"Sun God?"

"Yes."

"Sun God..."

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

Sanarae looked at Jio with a face that had even lost its smile.

It was a subtle expression that could not be interpreted immediately, but Jio understood it.

It was a reaction that said, "Isn't that excuse a little weak?"

And Jio ignored it.

'It is not entirely a lie.'

His new father was the Sun God.

Though he was currently in the form of an adorable teddy bear, the dignity of the Sun remained the same.

'He even lives with me in my home.'

How devotedly had Jio served him, both materially and spiritually?

The statement that he served the Sun was by no means a lie.

Even if, unlike a normal priest, it leaned strongly toward the meaning of providing for him.

Fortunately, Sanarae did not dig any deeper.

"... You must really be loved by the Sun."

"You saw correctly, Hunter Sanarae. We are practically family."

"At that level, you would certainly be saint-class, so I don't know how the Sun Cult will react."

"That sounds ominous."

Based on experience, Jio asked.

"Surely I will not be condemned as a heretic, put on religious trial, and stoned by the citizens?"

"Are you insane?"

"Or perhaps imprisoned without trial and locked in a tank, or locked up with man-eating fish..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Being eaten alive is not a very pleasant sensation."

Kang Seodam, who had come over before they knew it, stepped in at that part.

"Please do not view the Sun Cult as such a primitive religious order, Hunter Seo Jio."

"Ah, dear. Was that primitive?"

"... There may be such religions somewhere, but we are not one of them."

"My apologies."

"As Hunter Sanarae said, the Sun Cult may simply show a bit of a reaction."

"What sort of reaction would that be?"

"..."

Kang Seodam hesitated, then answered.

"... At the very least, it will not be hostility."

"Then what would it be?"

"To put it positively, perhaps recruitment."

"Is the divinity I serve not clearly different?"

"If we were a religious order that cared about such things, we would not have established ourselves as Seoul's representative religion."

"That is another surprising statement. I see you in a new light."

"... I will... do my best to stop it. In my own way, I will do my best... Hooo..."

At the sight of Priest Kang Seodam seeming to cry a little, Sanarae looked at Jio with a subtle gaze.

"Say it."

"Mm, it's nothing..."

"Say it."

"It really isn't."

"Do it."

"I'm sorry."

Sanarae, who had clasped both hands together and begged earnestly, quietly left his spot.

It seemed he had gone to exchange greetings with the Haeryeong Guild Hunter who had been teamed with Kang Seodam.

Only Jio, Kang Seodam, and Garasani remained in place.

Looking at the disorderly surroundings, Garasani asked Kang Seodam.

"What happened? The condition of the communication equipment was not good, so I could not hear the exact circumstances..."

"I believe I told you this much, but during the time of the false moon, monsters appeared."

"We are also well aware that the monsters of that time period become particularly ferocious."

"The monster we encountered is likely one even you would find quite unfamiliar."

Kang Seodam continued, furrowing his brow as if troubled.

"It was an undead monster."

"Undead?"

"Yes, a rotted corpse. It may have only been that we triggered a minor condition, because it vanished again soon afterward..."

"..."

At Garasani's silence, Kang Seodam nodded.

"It is certainly a situation that is difficult to understand."

Why would undead-type monsters inhabit a rainforest like this?

"I thought this was a typical vegetation-type dungeon, but it seems there is more behind it."

"In that case, there is a high probability this is a dungeon with a story."

"And in dungeons like this, it is often difficult to clear them if you do not know the story."

"Were you able to identify the monsters?"

"It was dark, but I am a priest of the Sun in name, so I did confirm it."

"Fortunately, it seems they were not anyone you knew."

"The clothes they were wearing themselves were a little different from Earth's style."

"They may have changed clothes. Did you check their faces as well?"

"They were damaged beyond recognition, so I could not check their faces, but I did not feel even a familiar energy from them... so they were likely not priests of the Sun."

Before this raid, the Sun Cult had already attempted one raid and failed.

He had wondered if the priests of the Sun who had died then had become undead, but Kang Seodam shook his head, saying that was not the case.

"It is strange. I cannot see the bodies of our brothers anywhere."

"I understand that the four-legged beast-type monsters here do not eat corpses."

"Even if the order's information was wrong, their equipment should remain at least, but I see none."

"This is such a vast dungeon, so perhaps there are many places you have not yet been able to grasp."

"Yes, but..."

Kang Seodam, who had been thinking, continued.

"There is information our team discovered."

"What a coincidence. We have some too."

"We confirmed traces left behind as something as heavy as a corpse was dragged somewhere."

"Our team determined that the evening monsters are moving to one place."

"... Then it seems what we must do has been decided."

Kang Seodam looked at Jio for a moment.

"..."

"How may I help?"

"... No, this is..."

Kang Seodam, who had bitten his lip tightly, asked carefully.

"... If the raid succeeds afterward, would you be willing to attend the Sun Cult's funeral mass?"

"Of course I will. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, of course not. I feel gratitude as great as a mountain for the warmth and mercy you have shown us."

Kang Seodam whispered quietly so the others would not hear, and Jio thought.

'Why does no one ask me to help with funerals...?'

Who was more specialized in funerals than him?

Around the time Jio was secretly thinking things like, 'Am I a god who is not very trustworthy, unlike Father? So untrustworthy they will not even let me help with a funeral? Should I learn something like imperial studies after all?' Kang Seodam gathered the surviving Hunters.

"We will move after a round of maintenance."

Up until now, it had been the process of exploration, but now that this many clues had emerged, the situation had changed.

This was now the true beginning of the raid, and a Hunter who seemed to have sensed that asked while checking his injuries.

"Um, Priest. Where are we moving?"

"Farther in."

Kang Seodam answered.

"We are going to the place where the monsters gather."

There was certainly something there.