After they finished the raid, they held a meeting in the hallway immediately afterward.

Yu Seongun asked.

"So you shared snacks with them and came back?"

"Was it too hasty of me?"

"Oh, no..."

Yu Seongun smiled as he drank the basram tea Jio had given him.

"At this point, it's nothing new."

At first, he had been very worried.

Jio gave humans gifts far beyond what they deserved far too casually, so it was obvious problems would arise.

It did not seem like it would benefit humans or Root entities.

But now, he was not especially worried.

"You've already been spreading all kinds of gifts in the form of Black Cloak."

"I do not think they are numerous enough to call all kinds of gifts."

"Right, a fair number of gifts, then."

"After scattering them around that much, what's the point of worrying now?"

Fundamentally, the gifts Jio gave humans were safe in various ways, and ordinary people would not realize that the gifts of "Hunter Seo Jio" and "Black Cloak" had the same effects.

"Someone quick on the uptake might notice that you give gifts often, that you always wear a black cloak, or that the spectrum of your gifts is similar..."

"Would that not mean they have noticed everything?"

"The world's prejudices will protect you."

"A portrait as human as you is hard to find in most dimensions, Earth included."

"Unless something extraordinary happens, they'll probably just think you're secretly a little connected."

"Is the world's prejudice the only thing I can rely on?"

"Our Collector guild will take some measures too."

"More than anything, the gifts you give when you're Black Cloak and the gifts you give as Hunter Seo Jio are a little different, aren't they?"

"As far as I know, the medicinal effects and such are different too."

"And no one knows Black Cloak stays with the Collector guild, so it's hard to think you're the same being."

That was how immense the gap was between "Black Cloak" and "Hunter Seo Jio."

Almost no one would think Black Cloak, who inspired an awe close to terror at a mere glance, was actually skilled at imitating humans.

At that, Jio asked.

"It may be difficult, but I think they could still determine that we are the same person."

"Honestly, that's true."

"At this point, it seems impossible to deny that Black Cloak and Hunter Seo Jio are connected at all."

"I will prepare an excuse."

"I don't think it needs to be called an excuse..."

Yu Seongun smiled calmly.

"Well, those points can be glossed over with a little storytelling, so don't worry too much."

"You're a mysterious figure who has never been known to the world, so there are plenty of stories we can make up."

"I feel both glad and not glad to hear that."

"Actually, even aside from that, I'm not too bothered by you spreading gifts around."

When he had not known Jio well, he had needed to pour all his attention into how to handle each gift he received.

He had thought, "He'll get angry if I share this with other people," and had also been wary, thinking, "I can't easily show off a gift this precious."

But now, Koreans had grown used to the existence of "Black Cloak."

"Like Santa Claus, you've spread gifts through portraits, and people have gotten used to that act."

"There's no reason to start worrying now that you're spreading gifts."

Yu Seongun asked.

"Are those gifts poisonous to people?"

"They are not."

"See? You say they're safe."

Even if someone appeared who coveted those precious gifts, they were protected by one of Jio's portrait children, the "City of Emptiness."

Even aside from that, it did not seem likely that Black Cloak's kindness, bestowed within fate, would become poison.

'Jio isn't a derived child, but the eyes of the Root itself.'

An ordinary Root child might have bestowed a kindness that became poison, but Jio was different.

He was as adept at dealing with humans as the Hunters' System was.

On top of that, he was skilled at imitating humans, so there was nothing more to ask for.

"Wow, I was actually really scared when we first met."

"You did seem tense."

"But I was grateful that you were kind."

"You were the kind one, Jio."

"As for me, well, this is the kind of work I usually do."

"You also seemed very worried about my gifts."

"I suppose that's because of what I've learned as a Gardener..."

Now that he knew Jio was not included among the Root entities he had learned about, it no longer mattered.

It was only that, at first, he had been extremely anxious.

"Among the ones I know, there are a lot of bastards like that."

"They curse you if you share a gift you received with other people, or they find it insolent if you take pride in their kindness, things like that."

"If that is how they are, is there any meaning to the gift?"

"Anyway, I know very well now that you don't fall into that category, Jio."

"You want the people of the world to become even a little more obese... right, closer to pigs."

"There's no way you'd be displeased by someone sharing your gifts."

"If the gift helps in any way, then it is a happy thing."

"Right, um... I suppose I should say it's become a relatively common thing, so I don't feel the need to be too wary."

"So I'm not too worried no matter how you shared food in the dungeon."

Yu Seongun shrugged with his mug in hand.

"I ate all the fruit syrup you gave me last time too."

"Why did you only finish eating that now?"

"No, it wasn't quite that recent."

"It's been a while, but..."

It had happened after he became certain Jio was the eyes of the Root.

"It tasted better once I could eat it at ease."

"Shall I make you more?"

"Yes..."

Yu Seongun smiled bitterly.

"A human like me, whose daily life is overtime, needs it."

"Ah..."

Jio became solemn.

"I think I was right not to live outside the portrait after all."

"It feels really strange to hear that from the portrait himself."

"But the Earth of the present is far too barren."

"I do not want to live there."

"Still, isn't Seoul livable enough?"

"There's a lot to see too."

At that, Ju-hyeon, who had been silently listening to the conversation until now, cut in.

"Why are you trying to drag out someone who says he's going to live peacefully and happily?"

"I'm not exactly trying to drag him out."

"I was just saying how I feel."

"Jio looks happiest when he's inside the portrait."

"That's true."

Yu Seongun readily acknowledged it.

"Earth will definitely never be as peaceful as the world inside your portrait."

More than anything, would a portrait not feel most secure when it was inside its frame?

"Anyway, if you make me new fruit syrup, I'm all for it."

"I am happy you welcome it."

"If it is all right, I tried making a new flower tea this time, so I will soon steep..."

"Stop, right there."

Yu Seongun spoke firmly.

"What are you planning to do to my humanity?"

"I am not sure that offering you a gift is something that warrants discussion of humanity."

"How much do you think my lifespan has increased from everything I've eaten from you so far?"

"I think you can live peacefully with me for a long, long time."

"Sorry, but could you let me die when I'm supposed to?"

At that moment, Jio's hair turned platinum blond.

"Very well, let us start there."

"Until when is the appropriate lifespan of a human?"

"The more you get interested in things like that, the more scared I get, so stop."

Jio nodded, his hair turning black again.

"It was a joke."

"You need to learn more about humor."

It did not particularly seem like a joke.

"Receiving gifts is fine."

"The snacks you give are truly delicious."

"So... little gifts like cookies or chocolate that you give away when you run into someone on the street only make me happy, no matter how many you give."

Those usually had effects similar to painkillers, sleeping pills, or sedatives for the body and mind.

Of course, they could become excellent medicine, but their effects were still at a level modern society could mass-produce as much as it wanted.

"But the gifts you sometimes hand over like this are a different story."

"I think you mean things like fruit syrup, sausages, or flower tea."

"What exactly is different about them?"

"I'd say they weigh heavily on my mind because I feel like I'll stop being human if I eat them."

"Is what you are drinking right now not my gift?"

"Why are you bringing up what I'm drinking right now? That's unfair..."

Yu Seongun hugged the mug preciously.

"You're not going to take it away, are you?"

"I am not so wicked as to steal food."

"Then what are you planning to do?"

"You seemed to like it, so I was thinking of giving you a few bags."

"Right, and how many is a few bags?"

"While I was away, my father, having gained a pastime, produced a bumper crop with affection and love..."

"Get to the point."

Jio nodded.

"About fifty bags."

"Rejected."

"Forty-five bags?"

"I said rejected."

"Forty-three..."

"Hey now."

When Yu Seongun shook his head, Ju-hyeon smiled awkwardly.

"I think even ordinary tea leaves would feel a little burdensome if you received that many."

"It is not as though I gave you a whole box."

"Even so, no."

"Then about forty bags..."

"No."

"..."

A rustling sound came from inside the portrait.

It was the familiar sound of paper packaging.

Ju-hyeon asked.

"Surely you didn't already have them prepared, did you?"

"I only packaged them for now."

"Are you going to pretend to back down like this, then have them delivered to the middle of our house in the evening...?"

"I will send Dana in advance to deliver a notice."

"That is not the point."

"Yes, it was a joke."

"I see!"

Ju-hyeon spoke firmly, even as he smiled.

"Gifts that are too effective are troublesome."

"But I cannot make food that tastes bad."

"Are the taste and effects of the food you make linked, Jio?"

"I have never particularly thought about that, so I do not know."

"Well... I suppose it would be hard to consciously adjust the effects."

Even an ordinary human, when cooking, made food that became nutrients for the body.

Even if told to deliberately destroy only the nutrients in delicious food, one would not know where to begin.

It would be similar for Jio, who was the eyes of the Root.

Jio looked at Yu Seongun and asked.

"Then is it true that you ate all the snacks I gave you before?"

"It's been quite some time since I received them, and there was no reason not to eat them, so they've already vanished into my stomach."

"I feel proud hearing that again."

"I will take this chance to make you new fruit syrup."

"I'd be really grateful if you did."

"You may share the gifts I give you."

"No, well, they're gifts I received anyway."

"Is there really any need to share them?"

Jio's gifts were truly delicious, and especially to Yu Seongun, a modern man living alongside overtime work, they were a great help.

It was merely that, regardless of how likely it was to happen, he had once worried about it.

"Sometimes there are so many gifts that I need someone to share them with or store them for me, but..."

The easiest person to ask was the Guild Master, Bi Sabeol.

He was the person who had bought "Jio's Portrait" in the first place, he was an S-class Hunter and therefore reliable in many ways, and even as a safe, there was no place more secure than that.

Yu Seongun wore an embarrassed expression.

"Anyway, if I pressured you too much about gifts, I'm sorry."

"I merely meant that you may do that if you wish."

"If that happens inside the Collector guild, I'll do that."

There was no reason to openly reveal hints about the relationship between the Collector guild and Black Cloak by taking pieces of a work outside.

If he did, questions about the identity of "Hunter Seo Jio" would obviously grow too.

Yu Seongun smiled calmly.

"I keep saying this, but as long as it doesn't cause problems for your social life, you can share as many gifts as you want with other people."

"Is that so?"

"As long as they aren't gifts too extravagant for humans."

"As it happens, there is something I must tell you about that."

"Right, I heard too."

Yu Seongun nodded.

"You resurrected a dead human?"

"They were not dead."

"Isn't that a bit extravagant?"

"I think that is greatly exaggerated."

"They said someone who nearly crossed over ate the elixir you gave them and survived."

"That is true."

"Haha."

Yu Seongun thought inwardly.

'This is why my heart drops every time I receive one of his gifts...'

Because he wondered what kind of bizarre miracle Jio might perform next.

He knew his place.

He did not want to fall into anguish because he had received an excessively precious gift.

In a similar vein, they really needed an excuse for the elixir Hunter Seo Jio had apparently scattered this time.

"You said it was an elixir given by the god you serve, but you said you made it yourself."

"That is correct."

"Ju-hyeon."

Yu Seongun turned to Ju-hyeon.

Ju-hyeon did not look at him.

"Ju-hyeon, look at me."

"Must I really?"

"We have something to discuss right now."

"I told you so many times to take good care of Jio."

"No... but isn't he admirable?"

"I told him to use items if possible, and he followed that advice."

"That item just revived a dead person."

Jio cut in.

"They were not dead."

"They would have died if not for you, wouldn't they?"

"Humans do not die that easily."

"They can die surprisingly easily."

The fact remained that the medicine given abruptly by their precious portrait had saved someone who should have died.

"For now, we'll go with a saint concept."

"I suppose we have no choice on this one..."

At Yu Seongun's words, Ju-hyeon nodded.

Jio voiced his question.

"Must I become a saint from now on?"

"Honestly, at this point, it'll be hard to make excuses unless we do that."

There was no divinity that would grant an elixir of that caliber to a merely devout believer.

"In the first place, if you're at the level of giving and receiving elixirs like that, it means you're a human capable of communicating with divinity."

"And when 99.9 percent of humans communicate with divinity, humans stop being human."

"There's a high chance they die or go mad, and on top of that, you received an elixir?"

"I glossed over it as something like a revelation..."

"I'm saying that doesn't seem like it will work."

"Even calling it a simple revelation doesn't make sense."

"In the first place, the one who interprets revelations received from divinity and leads foolish humans is precisely a saint."

"This can't be explained unless you're a saint."

Yu Seongun rubbed his neck.

"But if we do this, I think we need to decide exactly what god you serve."

"We'll have to make it a god who can easily exert influence on Earth enough to bestow elixirs..."

At that, Ju-hyeon asked.

"For example, Black Cloak?"

"... Aha?"

"Black Cloak and Hunter Seo Jio have somewhat similar behavioral patterns."

"As we mentioned earlier, they give gifts of the same spectrum, and they wear the same clothes..."

"Birds of a feather met?"

"After studying it, I found that aside from artificial orders like the Moon Cult, gods and saints who are well-matched usually meet."

"In reality, since Jio contains divinity, it may someday be discovered that Black Cloak is a god."

"If we consider that, it may be better to get ahead of it first."

"I understand."

"Black Cloak is already exerting a moderate influence on Earth, so even if he is treated as an evil god and the worst-case scenario comes, I don't think it would go as far as subjugation..."

"And his image has become fairly familiar to Koreans."

"I think it can be explained as a divinity the Association is hiding as a monster."

"There are actually many cases where the Association has disguised divinities that enjoy amusement as monsters or natural phenomena."

"That would reduce confusion among citizens."

"That's right."

Ju-hyeon continued and asked.

"Then what type of saint should he appear to be?"

"I think we have to go with the highest-ranking saint possible, but this..."

"Well, considering Jio's essence, I think it would be better to lay strong groundwork from the start."

"That way people will accept it and won't dig deeper."

"To do that, a highest-ranking saint is appropriate."

"Would that much make an impact?"

"Since things have turned out this way..."

Yu Seongun said.

"From now on, you're a saint."

"Sounds fun, right?"

"It does sound fun."

"What kind of saint exactly?"

"Let's go with a vessel that can contain any divinity."

"Do you mean a human with the talent to serve various gods?"

"You understood perfectly."

"That's exactly it."

One of Jio's identities was the Sun God.

Since he would likely end up actually communicating with various divinities that often, it was far more cost-effective to establish him in advance as "a saint's vessel coveted by gods."

"Let's listen to Priest Kang Seodam's advice on this part."

They would repay Kang Seodam's increasing worries with material compensation.

That side would also be placing the Collector guild in their debt, so while he might be disgusted, he likely would not refuse outright.

"And... you rampaged as Arjio?"

"Yes, it was enjoyable to stretch my body after so long."

"If that's enough, don't you really not need a battlefield of your own?"

"Yu Seongun, are cup noodles eaten as a midnight snack the same as meals eaten three times a day?"

"Ah, so it's like that..."

"A midnight snack is a choice, but meals are essential."

"I understand."

In any case, this part was also a problem.

"Since they saw you directly use your body like that, they may not have noticed inside the dungeon when everything was so chaotic, but by now they must feel something was strange."

"Even if not that, some people probably began to suspect you during the raid already."

Ju-hyeon offered an opinion.

"Should we say he's a hidden S-class?"

"There are probably many people who thought that."

"Because in this day and age, it's the easiest possibility to think of."

"There are actually Hunters who hide their rank, and conspiracy theories in that area are especially widespread..."

"The story of an S-class who hides his rank is also a somewhat romantic subject."

"It has a similar feeling to the story of a Hunter who became friends with monsters."

Because this was an era in which the idolization of Hunters had reached its peak, there were several absurd "romantic" notions about that world.

Since they were subjects so familiar to people, even if they chose that kind of concept, people would quickly accept it.

"A highest-ranking saint, a romantic S-class, and what else do we need?"

"Um, I am a little cautious about saying this, but..."

"Forget caution or whatever and hurry up and present your opinion before Jio's personal information gets dug up."

"You said Arjio's appearance was briefly shown."

Jio nodded.

"That is correct."

"Arjio has red hair and golden eyes, yes?"

"Are you perhaps thinking of Guild Master Bi Sabeol?"

"Yes, him and..."

As Ju-hyeon hesitated, Yu Seongun cut in.

"People might suspect he is blood-related to the Guild Master?"

"I don't know if there are already people like that, but, um, I thought we might be able to push it in a similar direction."

"Well, that would also explain why the entire Collector guild is so protective of Jio."

"And it would explain why he is hiding his identity as a saint or S-class."

"Uh... would this make our Guild Master seem like quite a pervert?"

He would become someone who, for some reason, kept his own bloodline carefully hidden within the Collector guild, then only let him out at the age of twenty-nine while even assigning surveillance staff to him.

What was worse, the "some reason" people could think of was rather rough.

"Our Guild Master is... you know, right?"

"He is a person obsessed with works."

"I feel like he'd be portrayed as someone who sees his own son as a once-in-a-generation work."

"But aren't there already people who suspect that...?"

"Maybe I should've gone on this raid too."

"Can we not just call it Guild Master Bi Sabeol's karma?"

"He really isn't that bad a human, but, ha, he should've held back a little..."

At that, Ju-hyeon added.

"Jio's lack of common sense may also serve as evidence."

"I admit I lack common sense."

"Of course, it is only natural that Jio does not know much about the Earth of the present, but other people do not know those circumstances."

"And they must not know them."

Yu Seongun agreed.

"He lacks common sense because the Collector guild locked him up and raised him?"

"I am very sorry to say this, but does that not connect quite naturally?"

"You don't look very sorry, and at this rate people will say he's a child born after mating with a work."

"The Collector guild is a guild with all kinds of ghost stories, after all."

"Even I find this kind of ghost story bewildering, Ju-hyeon."

But then all the peculiarities shown during this raid would be explained.

"..."

"Do you not think that is a bit too many settings?"

"... If it's you, Jio, you can do it."

"I am not sure this is something that can be solved by cheering me on."

"You can pull off all these settings."

"Am I an actor?"

"I know your potential...!"

"At this rate, I may merge with the actor version of Jio."

"But it has to be this excessive to cover you up."

A highest-ranking saint, a hidden S-class, and on top of that the setting of being Bi Sabeol's son who had been locked up and raised.

Only then would people accept it with, "Wow, fuck, that's insane."

"The setting has to be that shocking so they won't think to dig any deeper behind it."

"You mean you intend to numb people's brains with shock therapy before it is exposed that I am a portrait."

"Once an identity this insane has been revealed, there won't be many people who can think there is an even more surprising identity hidden behind it."

"It has already been exposed."

"Really?"

"I see."

Yu Seongun humbly accepted reality.

"How many?"

"Are you going to bury them?"

"Even if I don't bury people, I have to bury secrets."

"To tell you, about two people for now."

"I know who one of them is."

"Jeong Youngwon, a Gardener like me."

"Yes, she seemed to have guessed from the beginning."

"Then who is the other one?"

"Hunter Sanarae."

"Sanarae..."

Yu Seongun, who had memorized the list for this subjugation, asked back.

"Pinocchio?"

"Is he famous as a liar?"

"He's famous for starting with a lie no matter what."

"He's a famous punk."

"I became friends with him."

"No, wait, what does that even mean?"

"He had good instincts."

Ju-hyeon, who had been quietly listening, asked with a ruined expression.

"Excuse me?"

"But it definitely seemed like you were in a relationship where he picked a fight and you responded..."

"What is this about picking a fight now?"

"Hunter Sanarae openly picked a fight with Jio."

"I'll find his address soon."

"Yu Seongun, sit back down, and Jio, why did you become friends with someone like that?"

Feeling something was odd, Jio asked.

"Are you more concerned about that than why my identity was exposed?"

"My friendships?"

"It does not seem like he is such a decent person."

"Jio, you dislike rude people, don't you?"

"I cannot say he was particularly polite, but he was not a bad person."

Jio answered Ju-hyeon's question.

"He seemed afraid of me, so I wanted to help him relax."

"... What part made you feel he was afraid?"

"I was not certain either, but I think he was that way from the beginning."

"By the beginning... do you mean from when he picked a fight with you?"

"Yes."

Jio agreed.

"I think he wanted to see what would make me angry."

He had risked himself to confirm how dangerous Jio was.

It was because Sanarae cherished his family.

"Hmm..."

Sanarae, who had been planted in the guild, dug at his ear.

"My ear itches."

"You're fine no matter how much I curse you all the time, so whose cursing made that happen?"

"Are you jealous right now, by any chance?"

"Don't worry, I'm yours, all of yours."

"Ah, fuck, please stop with that bullshit, squad leader."

"Oh?"

"Does this mean you don't believe me?"

Sanarae sprawled on the sofa and laughed.

"How sad."

"Quit lying so much."

"Oops, you caught me."