"Ah."

Yoo Seong-Woon looked at the face of the young man selling fish-shaped buns and smiled in recognition.

"Weren't you the one selling these in front of the collector's office building last time?"

"Ah… yes, that's right."

"I haven't seen you around recently, so I thought you might have moved your spot."

"I have to keep moving, or else I'll get caught by the patrols."

Street food like fish-shaped buns wasn't heavily regulated. However, without a city ID, one couldn't stay in the city indefinitely.

Moreover, if a complaint was filed, they were advised to remove their setup immediately, so Cha Eun-Hyuk often changed locations. It was wise for him to tread carefully to ensure smooth business in the future.

"I haven't received any complaints recently though."

"It's a shame you have to keep moving. Staying in one place would spread the word about your buns better."

"There's nothing I can do, it's not like I have an official permit."

"It's tough to get a permit for a fish bun cart."

"But I've managed to get permission to stay for a few days at a time."

Normally, without a city ID, staying more than ten days could result in a fine.

But it's not like everything in the world can be perfectly segmented. Various reasons could permit someone to stay in the city for about a week, even without lodging at an inn.

"...And, um..."

Cha Eun-Hyuk's gaze shifted to the side, to the figure in a black cloak.

"..."

"…Hm?"

"…No, it’s just..."

That’s not a human.

'...What is it, does this person also not know the exact nature of the black cloak?'

A male figure stared intently at the fish-shaped buns, his face hidden by a pitch-black hood. Although it was clearly the same black cloak seen at dawn, it seemed less imposing now, and the customer's reaction was too nonchalant.

'Really, was it just a person...? There are hunters who don't manage their energy well, maybe it's just one of those types....'

Cha Eun-Hyuk then noticed a bird with honey-colored feathers deep within the hood.

"..."

"Is there a problem?"

"...Just curious..."

Not wanting to make it awkward, Cha Eun-Hyuk hesitated before asking.

"...Is the person next to you a tamer?"

It made the most sense to assume so.

"Because you have a monster with you."

"...Yes, I am a tamer. I have permission to bring it outside, so don’t worry."

"Ah, I see."

Knowing that permission was granted put his mind at ease.

'Now, even if someone dies, it won’t be my fault for ignoring it.'

The identity of the black cloak remained unclear, or rather, the white-haired hunter himself said he had permission.

'He also said he was a tamer.'

Then he didn’t want to delve any deeper. With a family to care for and only a slight involvement potentially threatening his life, it was natural not to want to attract the attention of 'something' ominous.

"Thank you for this morning."

"..."

"Oh? Morning?"

Yoo Seong-Woon turned to Gio, startled.

"Did you go out this morning?"

The alarm in his response made Cha Eun-Hyuk feel uneasy again. Apparently, the black cloak wandering the streets at dawn was unexpected by the white-haired customer.

'It implies that it’s not supposed to act independently....'

If a first-class citizen affiliated with a prominent guild was paying this much attention, what kind of danger could that imply?

"Yes, Honey disappeared so I went out to look for it."

"If you want to go out, you should tell me."

"I found it quickly."

"That's not the point..."

The white-haired customer calmed down.

"...Well, I can't do anything about natural disasters."

"I am not a natural disaster."

"A typhoon might think the same."

Yoo Seong-Woon felt warmth in his heart. How could one lack so much self-awareness?

"..."

After taking a deep breath, Yoo Seong-Woon asked the fish bun vendor.

"Was there any trouble this morning?"

"...He bought some fish buns."

"Anything else?"

"..."

Hesitating, Cha Eun-Hyuk replied.

"That bird..."

"Ah, yes."

"It nibbled on my head twice."

"..."

Yoo Seong-Woon was at a loss for words.

"...Excuse me?"

"Ah, not really nibbled, more like how cats playfully bite..."

"Oh."

Lost for words, Yoo Seong-Woon turned to Gio.

"What do you think?"

"...I am sincerely sorry."

"Say it with sincerity."

"I am sincerely apologizing right now."

Although his facial muscles had long since died, to the extent that it didn’t show, Gio was quite shocked by the young man's words.

It felt as if our household parrot had screamed 'you bastard' right in someone’s face.

"Did you get hurt?"

"Ah, yes. It didn’t hurt much so I wasn't injured."

"Still, I am sorry. My son..."

Having slept for 31 years, Gio blurted out before correcting himself.

"Our household pet caused some trouble."

It came out because he used to play with it, saying 'ah, our son,' 'gurgle-gurgle-gurgle' in his cabin, but for Yoo Seong-Woon and Cha Eun-Hyuk, it sounded ominous.

'Son...? I heard it was drawn, but those that are created consider them their offspring? I need to be careful.'

'...He just said son. If it naturally looks different and he casually said son, then it's not really a human, is it...'

Despite their inward thoughts, Gio ignored the subtle change in their expressions.

'I can have Honey and call him my son, why not?'

Thirty-one years ago, there were plenty of people who treated their dogs and cats as their babies, sucking them dry. Gio could consider himself relatively normal.

"..."

"May I see your forehead for a moment?"

"I wasn’t injured."

"I am a doctor; I know how to look for injuries. I'm doing this out of guilt, so I’d appreciate it if you could show me just once."

Yoo Seong-Woon felt like he had been hit on the back of the head again.

"A doctor?"

"Yes."

"Oh… right."

What do you mean by 'doctor'?

'...I thought there’s no way he could be a doctor, given his memories of being human. If he’s this somber, patients might mistake him for the Grim Reaper...'

But surprisingly, and shockingly, Gio was indeed a doctor.

"Excuse me."

And he was a priest.

"It feels a bit warm."

"Excuse me? Oh, uh..."

"Just to be safe, I purified it."

"Purification?"

"Your scalp was a bit scraped... It would be serious if you caught a disease."

Looking bewildered, the young man and the portrait mimicking him made Yoo Seong-Woon resign himself.

'Will I ever fully understand Gio’s identity?'

It was like an onion with no end.

"...Then, ten fish-shaped buns, please."

"Thank you."

"No, and I'm fine with what the pet did..."

"Ah."

Gio rummaged inside his cloak.

"Here’s compensation."

"..."

"...A gift?"

"It’s not about the reason you’re giving it."

How could he give jewels when there wasn’t even any blood?

"This is too much for me. The jewel you gave yesterday was already too much for me."

"But it is a fair compensation."

"That's..."

As Cha Eun-Hyuk was about to protest, Yoo Seong-Woon vigorously shook his head from behind Gio.

"..."

"That's?"

"...No, thank you, I’ll accept it gratefully."

Yoo Seong-Woon nodded in relief, and Cha Eun-Hyuk realized.

'If I don’t accept this, there will be consequences...'

He didn't know exactly how misfortune would strike, but seeing such a desperate face, he couldn’t ignore it. Cha Eun-Hyuk gratefully accepted Yoo Seong-Woon’s earnest advice.

But it wasn’t as scary as before.

"..."

Twirling the citrus-colored jewel in his hand, Cha Eun-Hyuk looked up.

"I heard you were touring."

"Ah, yes. Do you have any places to recommend?"

"There's an event in the plaza in a few weeks."

"An event, you say..."

"An initiation ceremony."

Yoo Seong-Woon nodded as if he understood.

"Ah, is it that time already?"

"They usually do it in midwinter."

"Which temple's ceremony is it? If it's nearby, is it for the moon? Or the sun?"

"It’s the Temple of the Sun."

Cha Eun-Hyuk inadvertently turned to look at the black cloak.

"...I didn’t know you were a follower. Tamer’s usually don’t worship..."

He had come to terms with it.

'Must be a highly ranked hunter who could be mistaken for a monster.'

When the black cloak swept his forehead and infused energy, he felt the warm sensation he had experienced at the Temple of the Sun. If he could perform purification rituals alone, he must be a very devout follower.

'He said he was a tamer, so not a priest.'

A awaken could only have one job. Since the white-haired customer clearly said he was a tamer, it was a bit disappointing. With such qualities, he would have made a good priest.

Such a person who could use that kind of warm energy couldn’t be bad. After all, it was unheard of for a mere monster to use holy power.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

'I must have been scared prematurely by such a strong rank of hunter. It's common for priests to not manage their energy well, and that energy is very different from human energy....'

Cha Eun-Hyuk was sure he had been scared of the divine energy.

"Our youngest at home is awakening as a priest, so he’s having his initiation ceremony."

"Oh, he’s got a job. And a priest at that, that’s impressive."

"If he hadn’t been chosen by the deity, I’d worry about how he’d make a living."

"If he’s awakened as a priest, his divine affinity must be exceptional, so he could even work in a temple office."

"That would be nice."

Perhaps because he thought all this had been a misunderstanding, Cha Eun-Hyuk relaxed a bit and chuckled.

"They’re making a big deal out of it this time, so it would be fun if you came to watch."

"I definitely should. Thanks for letting me know; it’s hard to get the schedule if you’re not involved."

"The more people the better for my brother’s initiation."

Like ants are easier to see when they cluster together rather than scatter, the more people gather, the easier it is to catch the deity’s eye. The more exposed they are, the higher the chance of receiving divine grace.

"Enjoy your meal."

"See you at the initiation ceremony."

"Yes, thank you."

As they moved apart, Yoo Seong-Woon asked Gio.

"Was there really no trouble yesterday morning?"

"As you heard, Honey caused some trouble."

"Any other trouble?"

"I don’t know."

From inside the hood came a burbling sound.

"Gurgle."

"He claims he’s innocent."

"Well... okay then."

Whether the 'innocence' declared by a primordial being is the same as that understood by humans is another question.

'Especially since Gio is sensitive to notions of good and evil, it's concerning.'

Honey was a being created by Gio, his son. If Gio's disposition influenced him much, and ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) he flew around on his own while Gio was asleep, it was heart-dropping.

'He might have been killing people he perceived as evil.'

So far, it hadn't been noisy, so there was only hope that no major trouble had occurred.

"And, um, about the jewel..."

"Yes?"

"What if we changed it to a different kind of gift?"

It was absurd for humans to just hand over jewels like that.

"People don’t usually exchange gifts like that."

"...Isn’t that right?"

"Whatever you were thinking, it probably isn’t."

"..."

Gio was shocked.

'This world that seems like a direct manifestation of hell, macho as it is, isn’t tough enough?'

In a world where office workers hunt monsters and flowers made of cheese bloom from the ground, where there are aerial railways in the sky and streams vibrant with spring in winter, is it strange to exchange jewels as payment?

"People wear jewelry all over their bodies like crows. I thought it would be okay."

"That’s just personal style. Or they’re trying to enhance their abilities or it’s a kind of artifact for protection."

"I understand what you mean."

Realizing he had been too forward, Gio decided to reflect.

'Maybe I thought too much in terms of Giovanni’s senses because of the synchronization.'

In Giovanni’s world, such direct exchanges of goods were common. Now gaining a bit more of Giovanni’s memories, he needed to maintain his balance better.

Having been in the cabin for too long, his sense of modernity seemed dulled. Occasionally reacting to specific situations also hinted at this.

"...Ah."

"What’s wrong? Did you find a place you want to go? Or is there a problem?"

"What’s a tamer, and what’s a priest?"

"...Well... yeah..."

Yoo Seong-Woon looked determined.

"Given the circumstances, I guess I have no choice but to call you a hunter."

"Am I now a hunter?"

"Since it’s come to this, I’ll explain the system and ranks of hunters. Do you know anything about them?"

"No."

"I thought not."

"..."

For 31 years, Gio, trapped within a painting, felt a bit sorry.