The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 134



Only Noblemtl

Episode 134

Safety ★★☆☆☆

Would you like to check your history?

[Yes/No]

Name: Ahn Joo-hyun

Age: 36

Status: Panic

He wanted to help the world to prevent a repeat of the tragedy he had experienced, but all his hard work and affection was betrayed and he was isolated. He knew it was not an easy goal, but the misfortune was beyond measure. He was alone.

An Ju-hyeon is wary and suspicious of you, but he is never aggressive. He is a polite and clever person. He will obey you even if you have hostility, and he will be in awe if you have favor. As a civilian, he is weaker than an F-class hunter. He cannot disobey you.

You can either let him fall into the clutches of Sankalut and gain awareness as an evil spirit, or you can take care of the poor thing and watch him move towards his goal again. You can choose, or you can’t. Anjuhyun can have impure thoughts, but he can’t cause harm.

He is a safe human being for you.

* * *

The reason Geo immediately spoke to Joohyun was because he had confirmed the above history.

“He seems like a nice person.”

“Gurrrr.”

“It’s safe for me.”

It was the best.

“The way the system speaks is quite unfortunate, but I know for a fact that this person named An Ju-hyeon is a good person. And nothing is more important than that.”

There are not many harmless people in this world who can have a normal conversation with the ‘Black Cloak’. This was a huge problem for Geo, who only knew how to eat and sleep.

“I can finally make a pen pal.”

“Arrrrrrr…”

“Danaya, Dad needs to have friends too, right? And I’m human too.”

Geo picked up Dana, who seemed to be about to smash the door where Joohyun was sleeping. As Dana grew bigger, she actively expressed her aversion to humans. Her body suddenly flashed.

“I heard from Mr. Yoo Seong-un that the average anti-cat is just busy avoiding it, but why on earth does my child have such confidence? It’s really interesting.”

It was clear that he resembled his father.

“father.”

“Huh?”

“I think I need to appease Dana a little.”

“Kuk kuk kuk…”

“Can you let me know when the guest wakes up?”

“dream.”

“thank you.”

Geo, wondering if she had woken up, went back down with the tray of food he had brought. Dana, who had grown considerably in size, moved her body from her father’s arms to his shoulder. The shoulder was warm and heavy.

“A cool ball of jewel fur… .”

Isn’t it a pretty cool mat? I was thinking of taking Dana instead of Honey when summer comes to Earth.

“Honey, let’s go.”

“Cur.”

“You can eat this.”

“Gurrrrrrrr.”

“I should eat too.”

It was a porridge made by boiling rice grains until they were completely intact, and adding various vegetables and a little minced meat. The previously prepared baibamenil and pickled goby fruit were also served as side dishes, giving off a delicious aroma.

And Honey swallowed it all by herself.

“… … .”

“Kkuk.”

“pig.”

“Kung kkung kkung kkung kkung kkung…!!”

“You’re cute.”

I never thought I’d eat all that by myself, but it was a bonus that I didn’t have to throw away any leftover food that my customers didn’t eat.

Geo pulled Dana, who was slumped over his shoulder, and sat her on his lap.

“How can our Dana be so confident?”

“baby?”

“Do you think the world revolves around you?”

“?”

“I see, that’s the kind of confidence you’d expect from a child in our family.”

But it would be awkward if I went somewhere and bit off the heads of everyone I met.

“Honey used to be like that too.”

“Huh?”

“Did you learn it from watching your brother?”

“?”

“I don’t think so, but then it must be instinct.”

“Gyarrrrrrr.”

“So cute.”

Geo gently stroked Dana’s belly, who was acting cute while rolling over on her back. Unlike other cats who are sensitive to having their bellies touched, Dana just lay there as if she was happy. Since she was a long-haired cat, it felt like there was a heavy carpet lying on her.

“Your brother also used to bite people without permission at first. It only happened once, but when he found out, his heart sank.”

“琉?”

“I hope you won’t chew out or hurt other people without permission, even for the sake of this dad. As a monster, let me say that the damage is that every time you cause such harm, I have to go far away to clean up or pay money.”

“… … !”

“Dad can draw gems and gold, but it seems that bartering is not yet popular in South Korea. In short, he is a beggar. I could be branded a debtor and get harassed, so I wish Dana would think of Dad just a little.”

“Huh?”

“It’s pretty, it’s pretty.”

Dana apologized after learning of her father’s poor financial situation. Geo built trust with his dependable daughter who promised not to cause trouble, and sat Honey, who kept poking at the empty tray, on his hand.

“Honey, come here.”

“Gulp.”

“The tray will be worn out soon.”

I don’t know who he resembled to grow up to be such a wonderful pig. Of course, I knew very well that he resembled Geo himself.

“The guest must have been quite tired, considering he had been sleeping for almost five days.”

Geo really liked this guest.

He was a 36-year-old adult male, older than Geo, and he did not get scared or rush at the black cloak when he encountered it. He was even a polite and harmless human being recognized by the system.

“And he was skinny.”

I had to gain weight right away.

It had been quite a while since I had met someone who seemed worth getting fat for. An Ju-hyun was truly qualified to be Geo’s friend.

“I also prepared lamb skewers so we can eat them together….”

“Gurrrrrr.”

“Okay, if you don’t wake up, let’s have dinner together.”

“Huh?”

“When we wake up, we all eat together.”

When we eat it, we become Anne of Green Gables and her friend Diana.

In this harsh world, Geo is ready to hunt to make new friends.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Joo-Hyeon woke up.

“… … .”

He woke up from his soft bed in a daze.

The dawn of a world where spring had fully descended had a cool temperature, and a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers and forests was blowing gently.

Joo-hyun turned her head towards where it touched her cheek. She saw a world sparkling with dew beyond the wide-open terrace.

“…and….”

beautiful.

And it was peaceful.

“…here, now….”

I frowned, feeling dazed.

As I felt around with my raised upper body, my hands found a fluffy blanket that seemed to contain only feathers.

The soft, rustling feel of the sun-dried cloth brought back memories of touching moss as a child.

Joo-hyun was momentarily speechless at the sensation, then looked at the world beyond the terrace again. It was an instinctive gaze.

“…Was it inside the black cloak’s frame?”

It was a world more like a fairy tale than I had imagined.

‘The sun is just rising.’

The dark dawn clouds were a shade of blue that brought to mind the cold spring weather, but the warmth and starlight lingering beside the rising sun were gentle colors like forsythia and cherry blossoms.

When I took a bite of it, it tasted as sweet as honey from flowers.

“… … .”

Thump.

Joohyun went out to the terrace without knowing it.

“… is a star.”

There were stars in the sky, there was a moon, and with them the sun.

Even in the bright and round light, the stars, which did not fade, showed a clearness that seemed as if they would fall at any moment. They were still twinkling.

“The Milky Way….”

Suddenly, the tips of his fingers tingled at the dreamy sight, and his tightly closed lungs throbbed. Although it was a sight he had never seen before, Joo-hyun felt a heavy air along with an inexplicable longing.

“… … .”

In the place where the shadows of dawn still remained, there was an endless forest and a sparkling lake. Joo-hyun was momentarily captivated by the lake. He felt a deep richness from the enchanting golden light shining from it.

It was cold and warm.

“… I feel strange.”

Joohyun muttered to himself and took a step back.

“… This is, um, yeah. That’s right… .”

He tried to come to his senses.

“Is it some kind of dungeon?”

It didn’t go well.

I’ve been like this all along. I’ve been thinking rationally that I should do this and that to recover, but I haven’t had the motivation to actually do it. It’s like my brain has frozen and won’t work.

But a cool breeze blew from the terrace, cooling the heat on my forehead.

“… … .”

Joo-Hyeon let out a slow sigh, feeling ridiculous for even thinking that, as if telling her not to be impatient.

“… Haaah… .”

Slap.

He sat on the bed.

“…Let’s calm down.”

It was okay.

It wasn’t okay, but it could be okay. Like always, I could overcome this.

‘I feel like I’ve come to my senses a little since I woke up.’

The terrible helplessness that had been tormenting Joo-hyun recently had completely disappeared.

Yes, he was lethargic. An impulse he had never felt in his life shook Joo-hyun violently, and his head, which had always been cool and determined to produce results for his own benefit and goals, became rigid.

‘But now… it’s not like that.’

I felt like I could breathe a little better.

“… … .”

“Gulp?”

“…uh?”

“Kkuk, kurung.”

“bird?”

When I came to my senses, there was a golden bird sitting on the terrace railing.

“No, water?”

Joo-hyun soon realized that it was a living water in the shape of a bird.

It looked similar to the extinct squint-eyed gecko, but had a much longer tail and carried a conspicuous jewel on its body, as if it were a treasure chest.

“Why are you here…?”

As he froze, not knowing how to react, a bird flew over and landed on Joo-hyun’s thigh. It was almost weightless, and although it was water, it felt warm, like a living creature.

“Cur.”

“…hi?”

“Kookkookkookkook.”

The water bird, which had let out a long cry as if responding to the greeting, flapped its wings again and flew up. It soon grabbed the sleeve of Ju-hyeon’s white pajamas with its beak and pulled it up.

“…Shall we go out?”

“Gulp.”

“… That’s strange, isn’t the vocal organ attached to the mouth…?”

Perhaps because it was still half asleep, I was more curious about how the bird, made entirely of water, could cry without distorting its sound even with its mouth full of sleeves.

Joo-hyun followed the bird down in a strange sense of unreality. There was a black man there.

“honey.”

At his call, the honey-colored bird landed on the man’s hand. It was a soft landing.

The man gave a short compliment saying that he did a good job and lifted the bird onto his shoulder. At his feet was a large cat shining with a cold light. Joo-hyun realized that it looked quite similar to the Anti-Cat.

As I hesitated, not knowing what to do, a man soon spoke to me.

“good morning.”

“Oh, yes. Good morning.”

“I was worried because you didn’t wake up for a long time.”

“You didn’t wake up…?”

“You slept for eight days.”

“… … .”

Joohyun’s dark skin turned pale as he thought about those words.

“… 8 days?”

“In reality, a total of three days have passed.”

“Ah, ah, ah… I see. I understand.”

Joo-hyun let out a sigh of relief. After being startled once, she felt like she had come to her senses. With her reasoning clearer than before, Joo-hyun looked at the pitch-black man in front of her and thought to herself.

‘… Is this the true form of the black cloak?’

There were no witnesses who saw the inside of the black cloak, to the point where there was a theory that the cloak or suit itself was the main body. And the main body of the black cloak that Joo-hyun confirmed was a man who was more handsome than he had imagined.

‘I think I saw it before I fell asleep, but it feels completely different now… What exactly is different?’

As I was pondering the differences in the transformation of the black cloak, the other person asked me politely with calm, sunken eyes.

“Would you like to eat?”

“… … .”

“Are you hungry?”

Oh, that expression.

‘… A person can change completely with just one expression.’

The black cloak that had been used when he had asked the question, “Are you hungry?” just a moment ago, looked very gentle and affectionate, even though its color had not changed. I couldn’t help but be drawn to the eyes and lips that curved naturally and softly.

Only after a beat was Joo-hyun able to answer.

“… Yes, I’m hungry.”

Look at this terrible peace.

‘There is no way such peace can exist in the world.’

From that unrealistic comfort, he realized that he was in a painting.