Chapter 291: Chapter 291

The beginning of the incident was terribly trivial.

Maybe it was because it was a place he had once occupied. Gio liked the abandoned school, which had become one with nature. It was dreary enough to rival a haunted house, yet peaceful and stable in a way that outweighed its gloom.

The haunted portrait decided to build another life.

“I should spruce it up a bit.”

“Right, let’s think of a few more things we’ll need.”

So Gio set up a bedroom. One day, he wanted to watch TV, so he installed a vintage cathode-ray tube television. It had more charm to paint than a bland flat screen. He didn’t connect electricity, but somehow it worked. He partially restored the art room so he could occasionally indulge in his hobby.

Of course, he didn’t overhaul the entire school. He had no intention of becoming that industrious. Gio only brought in whatever came to mind, little by little. Naturally, the school turned into a complete mess...

“There’s no need to worry about the inside of an abandoned school.”

What kind of interior design does a school without students or teachers need?

Gio treated it like a kind of vacation. Returning to his hometown after so long, he felt refreshed. The forest was thick and ominous, but he preferred the shade. Gio fully enjoyed this vacation.

The problem began from there.

One day, strange companions began to appear.

It wasn’t that interaction was completely impossible. When touched, they showed certain reactions. Gio realized the clothing they wore was the school’s uniform. There were several neat outfits meant for teachers too.

“I just remembered too, they’re fairy tales.”

“Yoo Seong-Woon once told me about them.”

It was the first time they had gone to Gyeongbokgung together. Gio had seen translucent shadows wearing hanbok, swaying about. They all wore masks, dressed in a variety of outfits, and repeated specific actions.

Yoo Seong-Woon had called them “fairy tales.”

“They usually like places without people, right?”

For a moment, he wondered—

“Does that mean I don’t count as a person?”

But since he was the only human in the school, he decided to let it go. If one wanted to live as a haunted portrait, understanding was essential. And now that he knew what they were, there was no longer a problem.

“It’s nice to have many friends.”

The beings called "fairy tales," children of the Origin. Like shadows mimicking humans with clothes and masks, they were a kind of natural phenomenon. Living stories, beings resembling human forms.

“They don’t think like humans. They only imitate traces,” he had said.

Yoo Seong-Woon had described them as “skilled at dressing themselves up.” And that this wasn’t something learned, but an inherent trait of their nature.

Gio observed them wandering around the school.

“We all used to play once.”

Whatever the type, every fairy tale wore a mask. And beneath the mask, there was no substance. They didn’t think or move by will—just simple reenactments. When their story ended, they disappeared.

And sure enough, the fairy tales mimicking students and teachers repeated birth and disappearance. As if only the people had evaporated, their clothes and masks collapsed and dissolved into dust.

And then they would be born again.

Gio watched that scene for a long, long time.

“I think I understand now why Yoo Seong-Woon called them a natural phenomenon.”

They moved in unison like a choreographed dance, especially when grouped by type. The scene was reminiscent of Gyeongbokgung, but lighter and livelier. Just an ephemeral interpretation and reenactment.

He thought the name “fairy tale” was fitting.

“At least I won’t be bored for a while.”

“You don’t seem too interested.”

Honey, as always, followed only his father. Knowing that fairy tales were just natural phenomena, he ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) seemed uninterested. Maybe because they weren’t helpful, didn’t sparkle like jewels, and posed no threat—there was no reason to acknowledge them.

It was Dana who took an interest instead.

“Dana, are you having fun?”

Dana behaved like a cat watching fish in a tank. She sat quietly in one place, observing the fairy tales move. Her gem-like pupils, nearly indistinguishable, watched them intently.

“I didn’t make them, but if she’s enjoying it, I’m pleased.”

After that, Gio always brought Dana along too. The teddy bear Sun God didn’t like the gloomy school and declined. Gio didn’t mind, continuing his delightfully strange vacation in the abandoned school.

And more housemates appeared.

Objects in the school began moving on their own, and strange noises echoed from nowhere.

But it was quickly clear that this wasn’t the work of ghosts. Gio instinctively recognized them as... what to call it... dokkaebi. And then he remembered—the modern term was “children of the Origin.”

“So that’s what it is.”

More unique-shaped friends gathered. Tiny children no bigger than a finger, old men peeking around with bundles on their backs, jellyfish with graceful lines, specks of dust sparkling in the air like stars, and so on.

“I think it’s my fault too.”

“Let’s just accept it.”

It couldn’t be helped.

“It’s good to have many friends.”

As the once-quiet school grew livelier, other children of the Origin began to gather one by one. They didn’t seem born of the school, but there was no reason to drive them out, so Gio decided to live with them.

In truth, things would have been fine if it ended there.

“...You saw that too, right?”

“Is that a new dungeon?”

“Tch, looks dangerous...”

Trouble started when hunters began targeting his abandoned school.

“Wanna check it out? It doesn’t look too big.”

“At this size, we could go in and out real quick.”

The rumors started with them.

For Gio, it was outrageously unfair.

“...So that’s how the rumors started?”

Yoo Seong-Woon, sitting on a folding chair in the gallery, asked.

“They saw silhouettes outside the school?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But not many people can see the children of the Origin.”

“They played tricks on the guests.”

“They’re usually quiet, so why...”

‘How is that even possible?’

Children of the Origin typically lived their own lives. It was rare for them to harm others, especially humans who couldn’t even see them. Usually, it was reckless humans who stirred up trouble.

And now they were the ones causing problems?

‘...Maybe they were a little influenced by Gio?’

Honestly, as a gardener, it was a fascinating phenomenon.

‘I’d love to study it, but now’s not the time.’

He thought he might ask for an invitation later. For a gardener, the most important thing was acquiring information and understanding the Origin. Yoo Seong-Woon held back his curiosity for now.

His current priority was his responsibility and cleanup as a curator.

“But a couple of hunters stopping by isn’t usually enough to spark rumors.”

“We confirmed that several teams visited, not just the first one. Some even returned repeatedly, others came after hearing rumors.”

“How did something this awful happen?”

“I believe I approached it too carelessly.”

“You even approached them? How?”

The portrait paused, then answered.

“It was all wrong from the beginning.”

Let’s rewind to when the first hunters arrived.

One of the trio hesitated.

“Isn’t it way too creepy?”

“I’m serious, something feels off.”

“Yeah, if this were a dungeon, it shouldn’t be this quiet.”

By nature, dungeons and monsters were rarely quiet. Lacking higher intelligence, they couldn’t restrain their noise. A horde of instinct-driven monsters was always noisy.

“Didn’t we definitely see something outside?”

“Honestly, that creeped me out too. I don’t even know how we saw silhouettes inside such a dark school. Does anyone remember what they looked like? What if we were lured here?”

“We should consider that... but it’s a waste to come all the way to Gangwon and leave now. If a nest really formed in such a remote place, who knows what rare items might be inside?”

“Shit, I’m scared as fuck...”

They had seen silhouettes outside the school. Some humanlike, most monstrous. Even if it wasn’t dungeoned, monsters sometimes gathered to form a “nest.”

And nests—though rare—could contain unimaginably precious loot. Like unopened lottery tickets. Most were duds, but the rare win could be huge.

“So, is this a dungeon or a nest?”

“No system alert means it’s probably just a nest.”

“I’ve never seen one in person. First time seeing a nest. Pretty cool.”

“Nests are unpredictable. There’s no fixed system like dungeons. Just following one rule won’t keep you safe. There are too many variables, so stay alert.”

“I heard this once...”

A hunter laughed, jokingly.

“Nests in the provinces have ghosts, they say.”

“Spirits are real, but they can’t do direct harm.”

“Still, some hunters claim to see ghosts. Apparently, there are a lot in these places.”

“Hey, DeeDee’s scared. Quit it.”

They began cautiously mapping out the school. Coming this far into Gangwon meant they were skilled. Experienced hunters remained calm despite strange occurrences.

Like sudden laughter echoing in their ears. Or chalk scribbling math formulas on a board. Or a giant monitor showing a classroom as if filmed live...

But staying calm didn’t mean emotionless.

“...Why aren’t there any monsters?”

“What the hell did we see outside, then?”

They felt a creeping tension from the unease.

“We’ve been lured in.”

They were sure of it.

“We saw over thirty monsters from outside. And now it’s this quiet, with only weird, intangible phenomena happening? It’s obvious—the silhouettes were bait. We don’t know which monster did it, but we need to get out.”

Veteran hunters didn’t let greed win. Their bodies and minds were their most valuable assets. They had come seeking treasure, but no one wanted to die for it.

“Escape is top priority.”

But it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Leader, DeeDee’s gone!”

“She was right between us a second ago!”

“Fuck, what the hell...!”

It would’ve been better if there was something tangible. A clear attack could be countered. But the phenomena wreaked havoc without being seen, touched, or fought.

“Where the hell are we...!”

“This is still the school, right? It’s a school. Why is this happening?”

The school’s space was warped. There was a CRT TV like from a museum, a neatly decorated bedroom, pristine tableware... None of it matched the atmosphere.

As if a non-human being had expected humans to come, and arranged the school from a human’s perspective in a grotesque imitation. That sight disturbed the hunters deeply.

Then the most timid of them finally broke.

“DeeDee! DeeDee! Where have you been?!”

“This person said they’d help us.”

“Huh? Here, right here now...”

“...I opened the door for them.”

The hunter tilted their head.

“Where’d they go...?”

In the darkness spreading behind him, those unfathomable eyes appeared.

“What is your name? I’m curious.”

“Would you like to talk to me?”

The hunters lost consciousness.

“And when you came to, you were in your own home.”

To the association researcher’s question, the hunter “DeeDee” nodded.

“...Yes. I don’t even remember exactly what happened that day.”

“We’ve already confirmed you’re not lying with a skill, so you don’t have to defend yourself.”

“S-sorry. I just... I heard I said I opened the door for... that thing—Hunter Sergio...”

“The Association is aware of the seriousness and has already dispatched hunters.”

The researcher spoke calmly, as if to reassure them.

“There will be no casualties.”

Thus, with mutual consent, Hunter DeeDee’s memory was erased.

By order of the Association President.