The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 74



Only Noblemtl

Episode 74

That doesn’t mean Geo wiped the paint off again.

“Even without the paint, everyone was already scared.”

“I guess that’s… that’s how it is.”

“More than anything, I don’t want to reveal my face.”

It was a scary thing to have one’s identity exposed. Sergio, who was timid and powerless to fight back, did not want to sell his face.

‘It’s problematic from the very beginning because it’s a portrait that’s already possessed by a ghost.’

Sergio was proud of living his life with integrity, but he had to be on the lookout for anything since the portrait had been possessed by a ghost.

There is a huge difference between selling something with your face covered and selling it with your face and name revealed.

“Wow, we have a connection.”

Therefore, Yoo Seong-un also felt relieved.

‘You might get annoyed and think, ‘Why do we have to think about the circumstances of humans?’ But when you see things like this, you can clearly see that Geo is a gentleman. Even if it’s consideration that comes from forcing himself into human standards, it’s still exceptional.’

It was truly a miracle. As a gardener, Yoo Seong-un felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and affection. He was the source of something worth caring for, and all the gardeners in the world would envy him.

‘Well, anyway….’

Since we have obtained your consent, the scope of action the guild can take has also expanded.

“The auction house you were in before will probably have records of your face, but I, the guild leader, will take care of that.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“That doesn’t mean I can do anything about the memories of the guests who were there… but it’s better than not doing anything.”

“Please.”

“No problem.”

And then you leave the gallery.

Yoo Seong-un, who had started working to erase the information about the ‘Portrait of Geo’ that had been put up for auction, blinked when he encountered an unexpected situation.

“… … ?”

Yoo Seong-un, who was looking at the monitor, went up to the guild leader’s office.

“Guild leader.”

“Oh, I was just about to call you.”

“… Was the guild leader checking it too?”

“Was Mr. Yoo Seong-un also in the process of erasing the records regarding ‘Portrait of Geo’?”

“Because that’s my job. I didn’t know that the guild leader was also involved, but I guess it’s okay since he was checking.”

Yoo Seong-un said as he handed over a thin document that he was hastily organizing.

“Geo’s face has been erased.”

The records remaining in the auction house have changed.

A portrait painted in black ink so that the face cannot be seen.

“I couldn’t tell if it was just the information online that had been altered, so I went out and looked for myself, but it wasn’t just the records that had been altered. Everything from the paper records to the memories of the customers who attended that day were unclear.”

“… … .”

Visabal’s face was rarely expressionless. He rolled his sharp, reptilian-like golden eyes.

“What did Geo do?”

“… I asked if I could cover the face in the portrait, and after thinking about it for a moment, I covered the entire screen with black paint. I also said that the portrait would remain like this unless I wiped it off.”

“This could also be one of the characteristics of the portrait.”

“What would you say is the characteristic of a portrait…?”

“After all, a portrait is a drawing of a person.”

Among the documents that Yoo Seong-un brought was a printed image of ‘Geo’s Portrait’. As expected, it was covered with a thin texture like ink, so that the face could not be seen.

“Then, shouldn’t the photograph of the portrait, rather than the original portrait painted with watercolors, be called a portrait? What about the paper on which it was printed?”

“… Since I didn’t draw it myself, wouldn’t it be possible to say no?”

“Or you could say that it is true. After all, it is a ‘picture’ of a ‘person’.”

A picture is ‘a representation of the shape or image of an object on a flat surface using lines or colors.’

“So, what I’m saying is, whether it’s an image that’s been printed like this, or a photograph of a portrait, or whatever, ultimately, it could be called a painting.”

“If you think about it in a very broad sense, that may not be wrong, but….”

“At least that’s what Geo thinks.”

Visabal narrowed his eyes and smiled broadly.

“It’s a truly remarkable portrait, that just by thinking about something you can have such a direct impact on the world.”

“… … .”

“… Ah, as expected… .”

The smile disappeared and the beggar muttered softly.

“This is why art is good.”

As catastrophes struck, the world changed, and absurd abilities emerged, the scope of ‘art’ expanded. Bisabal dared to believe that if there was one field in the world that was the most interesting and colorful, it would be art.

“It’s definitely a shame that his face is covered. I’ll have to go see his face later, but it’s still such a shame. But when I think of this as one of Geo’s performance art pieces, my heart is filled with emotion.”

“You’re saying such perverted things with such a serious face….”

“You’re serious, so you’re going to have a serious face. Oh my, the performance art that a portrait artist does is something that you can’t expect from other artifacts. It’s hard to even consider this as a piece of art.”

“There aren’t that many things that have a self in the first place.”

“I have a good feeling about the new year.”

Winter will soon pass and spring will come.

“I have a feeling something is coming….”

It seemed like really interesting things were going to happen.

* * *

“… … .”

“What were the results?”

“well….”

Her hair flowed down like waves.

“The test isn’t going well.”

Mermaid, Aria said, adjusting her oversized doctor’s gown.

“We are conducting various experiments using the hair samples left behind by the human named Sergio, but the results are inconsistent. Because it is constantly changing and moving, the test itself is difficult… and it is not fixed either.”

Isser said to him.

“It’s definitely not human.”

“Yeah, not human.”

“… … .”

“That doesn’t mean he’s not human.”

Sometimes it took on the appearance of clearly human cells. It could literally be anything.

“That’s fun.”

Despite her expression of interest, Aria’s face was as inorganic as a mineral. Even though she always had her usual smile on.

“There are traces of Giovanni among them.”

“… So is he really your teacher?”

“At least there’s a very big connection.”

They were not simply examining material things like cells. They had passed through multiple dimensions and had firmly established themselves as the masters of this place.

Aria’s abilities as a doctor and researcher had long since been pushed to their limits.

‘But this is the first time the result has been so unclear.’

Aria said to her sister.

“Isser, my brother. I need your help.”

“Please speak.”

“Bring him back here. I need to talk to the teacher.”

“… … .”

Aria smiled faintly at the sight of her silent younger brother, Isser.

“Of course I know how difficult a request this is.”

It was only a few days ago that the ‘Black Cloak’, presumed to be Giovanni, had visited their dimension and snatched humans away.

It would be difficult to keep him, as he was so quiet that it was hard to detect his presence, and he was like a ghost who would disappear in an instant.

“I’ve been avoiding you for a while now. I couldn’t talk to Giovanni without being sure.”

There were too many uncertainties to face it right away without any preparation.

But now I am sure. It was the only human teacher in their lives. It was Giovanni. But for some reason, he has changed a lot, grown bigger, and become too strong to be stolen.

I couldn’t grab it rashly.

“Even the other person doesn’t seem to have many memories of this place. He said he couldn’t remember this temple.”

“I think I recalled some of it, but maybe… .”

“Then it would be difficult to appeal to his feelings. Well, he was originally a cold-hearted person.”

Aria muttered.

“I won’t be human anymore.”

“… … .”

“That’s definitely… I guess I should say it feels a little strange…”

It was Aria and Isser who had learned knowledge about human emotions and their way of thinking, and now it was a strange feeling to think that Giovanni, his dear teacher, had lost all that.

It was almost a sense of deprivation. The most precious memories of the mermaid’s life, resurrected from death and flowing in a form unknown to us… .

“… … .”

“Still, please.”

The two siblings never lost their smiles.

For what may have been hundreds, thousands, or even more years, I never once did not laugh.

“Call that person somehow.”

“… … .”

“And hold on.”

“…yes.”

“I believe you will do well.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

The hunter wearing a black cloak, ‘Sergio’, was particularly caring and considerate towards children.

“There are many ways.”

Isser thought of a child who had been speaking to him in a friendly manner.

I think it was called Chaisol.

* * *

The new entry dungeon, ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’, has officially opened.

“Deep Sea Country? It has the word ‘country’ in its name?”

“If it is a name officially designated by the Constitutional Court, then it has the word ‘country’ attached to it….”

“Fuck, this is going to be so fucking big.”

Originally, the dungeon that was considered the most difficult to complete was the entry dungeon, and if the Hunter Association used a clear word like ‘country’, it meant that the map was considerably large among the entry dungeons.

“But this difficulty is, man… very…”

“It’s connected to the virtual dungeon that exploded in the Temple of the Sun last time? Are you crazy?”

“It seems that even the Constitutional Court staff didn’t investigate it properly.”

“You managed to avoid dying and disappearing. You were the first official team to enter the country.”

Of course, the difficulty level was set quite high at S-class.

“But they said no one died. So it’s not that dangerous?”

“Hey, you’re just asking for one piece of information, right?”

The purpose of opening up the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ this time was not for conquest, but for exploration.

“Do you have a main list?”

“Oh, there are two. They even have names.”

“Wow… Is this a humanoid monster?”

“Hasn’t it only been a few years? It deserves to be called S-class.”

“So what kind of monsters are there?”

“Let’s see… .”

The main list requested by the Hunter Association consisted of two people.

“Mermaid Isser, and….”

“’Black Cloak?’”

The freelance hunter tilted his head.

“Is it an appeal to you to pay more attention to me since I only have a nickname and no name?”

If the Hunter Association determines that it will not be able to finish the dungeon quickly within the Association, it will open the entrance to the identified dungeon after a certain period of time. In that case, it is called the ‘Exploration Season’ and a bounty is offered for information about the dungeon.

“I’m going to relax for the first time in a while.”

“No, but even so, it’s a bit much to step forward since you’re an S-class…”

“It’s exploration season after all. If we’re going to do a raid, we’ll need an S-class, but we can also do things like ask for information.”

“Well, the bounty offered by the association is quite lucrative.”

“It doesn’t have to be information about these monsters, right?”

“It’s a dungeon that just opened, so maybe not.”

Even if the information was not a bounty offered by the association, in the case of newly opened dungeons, monetary rewards were given depending on the importance of the information.

If you get caught by a dangerous monster, your head will fall off in an instant, but it was worth a try.

“Besides, hasn’t anyone bought this dungeon yet?”

“Honestly, who would buy an S-class… unless it was one of the three major guilds.”

“Besides, there is no strategy information for this dungeon yet, so it is very risky in many ways.”

“Because you never know what resources might be inside.”

“Anyway, you don’t have to pay to enter a dungeon that no one bought.”

If a dungeon contains some useful resources or is deemed necessary for the self-development of its member hunters, guilds with money may purchase ownership of the dungeon.

Those dungeons required a fee every time you entered them.

“Compared to that, this dungeon is… .”

“Fuck, don’t let your guard down. Do you know whose dog’s name is S-class?”

“Don’t you know that? Don’t worry, kid.”

Not all hunters joined a guild, so dungeons that offered bounties by the Hunter Association also became a major source of income for freelance hunters.

“Wow, there’s already a waiting list… .”

“Can’t I go without it?”

“They say there’s an entrance in the deep sea, but how are we going to get there?”

“Swimming might be a bit too much.”

“Okay, it doesn’t cost anything to wait.”

Even if the Hunter had superhuman strength, it was difficult to find the entrance, which was located deep enough to be called the ‘deep sea’, with only his bare body. Since he had to ride a submarine prepared by the Association, the line quickly became long.

And after a while, strange rumors began to circulate.

“Oh, you want to go to the ‘Deep Sea Country’?”

“It’s still the hunting season. The bounty hasn’t even gone down yet. Go and earn some money.”

“They say it’s dangerous there… So, make sure you remember this.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“No, really. He said that was the only way to survive.”

The hunters whispered.

“If you don’t want to die, go to the portrait and beg.”

“What…? A portrait?”

“Black Cloak likes kind and polite people.”

“The Black Cloak Gives Gifts to Good People”

“… … .”

“You understand? Just remember.”

It was the moment when the name ‘Black Cloak’ spread among the hunters.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“Oh, I got it.”

The association, which had been trying to instill a sense of wariness about the existence of the ‘Black Cloak’ by declaring him a monster, was troubled.

This is because the image of the ‘black cloak’ spread throughout the world is quite favorable.

“The romantics will come out again.”

“Ah, I’m already tired… .”

The association staff members were already thinking of hunters who would cause all sorts of creative damage by believing in only one monster that was friendly to humans.

The painter who draws dungeons