Chapter 28

After finishing our meal, Mr. Yu Seong-un led me to a place called Cheonggyecheon.

“…….”

As I expected, it was quite a bit different from the Cheonggyecheon in Seoul that I remembered.

“Alright, this is Cheonggyecheon,” he said.

“It is a very natural sight,” I replied, looking around.

“Right?”

“To think that flowers are blooming even though it’s winter.”

I wondered if the world had gone crazy.

‘Has the Earth finally started to break down from not being able to endure humans anymore?’

Fortunately, Mr. Yu Seong-un added an explanation, as if sensing my thoughts.

“I don't know what you're thinking, but it's just that they've taken measures to make it like a greenhouse.”

“What kind of measures?”

“The city has a separate department in charge of urban landscaping. They ensure that a certain amount of vegetation remains when constructing the city.”

“Do they keep it like a greenhouse like this even in winter?”

“That's right, look. The air is very mild, isn't it?”

Mr. Yu Seong-un waved his hand through the air and pointed at the stream.

“It's been treated with magic, so anyone can enter except for Grade 5 citizens, which includes criminals, or threatening monsters. It's a system that truly resembles a greenhouse, blocking the cold winter air and only letting sunlight pass through.”

“…….”

“Wasn't it pretty warm in front of our company building too? In the case of areas near companies that handle a lot of money or public places where people often gather, they have this kind of magic treatment. In the former case, the company owner installs it privately, and in the latter case, the government provides the money to install it….”

I mulled over his words and then asked a question that came to mind.

“If you say threatening monsters… Can non-threatening monsters enter?”

“Ah….”

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Yu Seong-un nodded.

“I suppose they have to. Even if they are monsters, they are already a part of the Earth's ecosystem and play a role in the cycle of nature, so we can't just exclude them.”

From his words, I gathered that monsters were treated half like stray cats or chicken-pigeons.

“It seems monsters aren't something you can only see when a dungeon breaks.”

“Huh? Ahh, no matter what, humans aren't that competent.”

Mr. Yu Seong-un continued his explanation.

“They say that when I was young, there were many who argued that all monsters should be dealt with. But no matter how many Hunters there are, there aren't enough to protect all of humanity, and even if there is a very strong Hunter, it's inhumane for that one person to chase down and deal with all the monsters.”

He shrugged.

“Above all, if such a strong Hunter were to cause a terror attack due to stress, how would we handle it? It's the same even if it's not a strong Hunter. Hunters are people too, how can they only work.”

“I see.”

“They say most of the endemic monsters that have settled on Earth now are due to the failure to deal with them in the early days of the Great Catastrophe.”

“In the early days?”

“Back then, Hunters were much weaker than they are now, the system was flimsy, and there were few people with tracking skills, so it would have been natural.”

“So the monsters that weren't killed back then and were left behind….”

“They became a part of the Earth.”

Saying so, he gestured with his eyes toward the stream where clear water was flowing.

“Like that fellow over there.”

Flap flap flap―.

In the middle of the stream, a round bird was preening its feathers.

“That fellow is a monster, too.”

“…….”

It was certainly a bird I did not know.

But the System knew.

[Cotton Boll Bird]

[Named by Koreans for its resemblance to a cotton boll. Its wings, torso, head, and neck are indistinguishable, forming a sphere, but this is only because its feathers are fluffed up; its actual physique is similar in structure to a common bird. A bandage can be made by boiling the egg of a Cotton Boll Bird and extracting thread from it.]

“…….”

A silkworm cocoon?

‘It looks almost like a ball.’

In any case, I was convinced.

“The Cotton Boll Bird is not threatening,” I stated.

“…You know that thing?”

“I just learned of it.”

According to the System's explanation, it was like a silkworm cocoon in the form of a bird.

Watching the slightly large cotton bolls preening their feathers in the stream brought a sense of peace to my heart.

Mr. Yu Seong-un, who had been staring at me, soon continued.

“…Um, right, things like that. The ones that were numerous and small in size, and were judged to not have a significant negative impact on humans or the ecosystem, have mostly settled as the Earth's endemic monsters.”

“It is cute.”

“It doesn't look like that at all, so you like things like that?”

“Isn't it nice that being small and round makes it look surprisingly harmless?”

“No wonder your water bird is so round….”

Mr. Yu Seong-un laughed in vain.

“Even so, the current endemic monsters are left alone because they're already part of the cycle, but all recently introduced foreign species are being dealt with. In the first place, the existence known as a monster greatly despises Earthlings.”

“Is that so?”

“Usually. Even without hostility, they can be a sufficient threat to humans. The endemic monsters remaining now are ones that have already completed safety inspections by the Association and are managed at the government level.”

He pointed at the Cotton Boll Bird one more time.

“Those things, perhaps from staying on Earth for a long time and adapting, their hostility toward humans has softened to the level of an ordinary wild animal. I heard they were dangerous monsters that would eat human flesh in the early days of the Great Catastrophe, but now they're about as harmless as a pigeon.”

“Aha.”

“Since they're monsters, it's illegal to touch or personally raise them… but it means coexistence is possible. It seems they judged that this is better than unconditional exclusion, as dungeons and the Earth have an inseparable relationship.”

Coexistence with monsters.

It seemed Earthlings had become quite tough while I was gone.

“That's enough explanation, shall we walk around for a bit? The water quality is thoroughly managed, so it won't cause any harm. The monsters and animals here are all on the harmless side, too.”

“…….”

Looking at the clearly sparkling stream, I soon moved my feet.

‘It's as clear as liquid glass.’

The stream, seen up close, was even more beautiful with the sunlight shattering on its surface.

The weather was mild like spring, and large trees, vines, and flowers filled the place like a large greenhouse.

A pastel-toned butterfly sat on a flower petal, and a creature resembling a squirrel gnawed on the fruit of a tree.

I wondered why the sparrow-like birds were pecking at the tree's flowers.

They could be doing it for fun, or they could be trying to eat the nectar inside the flowers.

“…If you change the seasons as you please like this, are there no problems for the ecosystem?”

“There was a time when there was a lot of talk because of that, but I heard they've somehow adjusted everything now. Above all, there are many cases where they deliberately create seasons to prevent the Earth's original animals from going extinct due to monsters.”

“I see.”

In many ways, it was different from the time I lived in.

“If you're okay with it, try dipping your feet in,” Mr. Yu Seong-un suggested.

“May I do that?”

“There are rules about not picking fruits or flowers, but there are no particular regulations in that regard. In the summer when there are a lot of people, many come here to enjoy playing in the water.”

“For that, there is no one here today.”

“Who would play in the water during peak work hours, when it's neither vacation nor a holiday? In the first place, many people probably don't want to get their bodies wet in the winter.”

“You are right, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

I took off my shoes and socks, and just like that.

I dipped my feet in the flowing water.

“…….”

It was cool.

‘And soft.’

There was a sweet scent.

I couldn't tell if it was the scent of flowers, trees, or a monster living in this water.

Perhaps, unlike the colorless and odorless water of the past, the water of the stream had evolved.

But the sight of pebbles rolling in the water like in a summer valley….

“…….”

The tiny, finely moving, small life forms.

They made me, Giovanni, happy.

“…It is beautiful water,” I murmured, my voice feeling distant.

My eyes seemed to hold the color of the water itself.

“Clear, and deep.”

“…….”

“It’s deeper than I thought.”

“…….”

“Why does this place smell of the sea?”

I felt Mr. Yu Seong-un’s gaze on me, but my focus was on the water.

“…Jio?” he called out.

“It smells of the sea. A little fishy like the surface of iron, cool like pine needles, and like the fierce wind that scatters the sand….”

“Jio.”

“It resembles that place.”

My voice was gentle, but emotionless.

“The color of the sea.”

At that moment.

“…….”

“The color of a mermaid.”

To my feet, all sorts of underwater creatures gathered silently, swimming around my ankles as if they were a part of the stream.

“Cared for by the deep sea….”

At some point, my feet had become as transparent as the water itself….

“―Jio.”

“…….”

The voice of a ‘friend’.

I blinked twice, the world sharpening back into focus.

“…Yes.”

“…You….”

“Did you call for me?”

I looked back at Mr. Yu Seong-un.

“…….”

“…….”

“…You're Seo Jio, right?” he asked, his face contorted strangely.

I nodded my head.

“That is correct.”

And then, as if from a will not entirely my own, I added.

“My name is Jio.”

After that, we left for the hotel.

On the way, the wind blew so strongly I felt myself lift off the ground for a second.

It was an odd feeling, being so light.

Mr. Yu Seong-un grabbed my arm quickly, a strange look on his face, but he didn't say anything.

A little time passed, and we were standing in front of my hotel room.

Mr. Yu Seong-un handed me a card key marked ‘Room 4501’.

“Here, this is yours.”

“Thank you.”

“I'll be in the room right next door, so call if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

“Dinner is reserved for 6:30… so we can probably meet around 6.”

I had one last question.

“What is the dinner menu?”

“French. It's a restaurant with a set course, so you just have to go and eat.”

“Understood.”

“Then get some rest.”

After he went into his room, I entered on my own.

“…….”

It was spacious and clean. I walked over to the large window and looked out at the city.

“It's the 45th floor,” I said quietly, pulling Honey out from under my cape.

“Kkurururuk!”

I placed the little bird on the windowsill, and we both looked down at the sprawling city lights.

I wondered what Mr. Yu Seong-un was doing next door.

He seemed very tense after we left the stream.

Maybe he was tired from the tour.

I hoped he was resting well.

That's right. I had no other thoughts at all.

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