The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 74

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

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

“I guess that’s... that’s what it is.”

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

It was scary to have my identity exposed. Sergio, who was timid and incapable of fighting back, didn’t want his face to be sold.

‘It’s already problematic because it’s a portrait that’s possessed.’

Sergio was proud of living his life uprightly, but since he had become a portrait that was possessed, he had to be on top of everything.

Selling with his face covered was completely different from selling with his face and name revealed.

“Wow, we’re on the same page.”

That’s why Yoo Seong-woon felt relieved.

‘You could get annoyed, asking if you have to think about the circumstances of humans, but seeing this makes me think Geo is definitely gentle. Even if it is a consideration that comes from forcing yourself into human standards, it is exceptional.’

It is truly a miracle-like mystery. As a gardener, Yoo Seong-woon felt an unbearable sense of gratitude and affection. All the gardeners in the world would envy him for the source of such worthwhile care.

‘Well, anyway...’

Since they have obtained his consent, the scope of what the guild can do has expanded.

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

“Yes, thank you.”

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

“Please.”

“No problem.”

And so he left the gallery.

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

“......?”

Yoo Seong-woon, 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 out?”

“Was Yoo Seong-woon also erasing the records regarding ‘Geo’s Portrait’?”

“That’s my job. I didn’t know the guild leader was also involved, but anyway, it’s understandable since he was checking it out.”

Yoo Seong-woon said, handing over a thin document that he was hastily organizing.

“Geo’s face has been erased.”

The records remaining in the auction house were changed.

They were painted black, making the portraits invisible.

“I don’t know if it was just the information online that was changed, so I went and checked it out myself, but it wasn’t just those records that were changed. Even the records documented on paper and the memories of the customers who participated that day are unclear.”

“.......”

Bisabal’s face was rarely expressionless. He rolled his sharp golden eyes that resembled reptiles.

“What did Geo do?”

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

“This ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) could also be one of the characteristics of a portrait.”

“If you say it’s a characteristic of a portrait...?”

“A portrait is a drawing of a person, isn’t it?”

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

“Then, can’t we call the original portrait drawn with paint, but the photograph of the portrait, a portrait? What about the paper it was printed on?”

“...Since he didn’t draw it himself, can’t we say no?”

“Or you could say that’s right. After all, it’s a ‘painting’ of a ‘person’.”

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

“So, whether it’s an image printed like this, a portrait, or anything else, it could all be called a painting.”

“If you think about it in a very broad sense, that’s not wrong, but....”

“At least Geo seems to think so.”

Bisabal narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“It’s a truly amazing portrait that you can have such a direct influence on the entire world just by thinking about it.”

“.......”

“...Ah, as expected....”

Bisabal mumbled quietly, his smile disappearing.

“That’s why I say art is good.”

A great disaster struck, the world changed, and absurd abilities emerged, expanding the scope of ‘art.’ If there was one field in the world that was the most interesting and colorful, it would be art, Bisabal dared to say.

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

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

“You must be serious because you’re serious. Oh my, the performance art that a portraitist does is something that you can’t expect from other artifacts. It’s hard to even consider this a piece of art.”

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

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

Winter will soon pass and spring will come.

“I feel like something is coming....”

It seemed like really interesting things were going to happen.

“.......”

“What’s the result?”

“Well....”

The hair, wavy like waves, flowed down.

“The test isn’t going well.”

The mermaid, Aria, said, adjusting her large doctor’s gown.

“We’re trying various experiments using the hair samples left behind by the human named Sergio, but the results are inconsistent. Because they keep changing and moving, the test itself is difficult, and... they’re not fixed.”

Isser said to him.

“It’s definitely not human.”

“Yes, it’s not human.”

“.......”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not human.”

There were times when it clearly had human cells. It could literally be anything.

“That’s interesting.”

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

“Why, there’s even a trace of Giovanni among them.”

“...So is that really the teacher?”

“At least there must be a big connection.”

It wasn’t just a simple physical examination of cells. They had established themselves as the masters of this place by going through multiple dimensions.

Aria’s abilities as a doctor and researcher had long since surpassed their limits.

‘But this is the first time the results have been this unclear.’

Aria said to her younger brother.

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

“Please speak.”

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

“.......”

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

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

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

It would be hard to keep him, who was so quiet that it was hard to catch his presence, and who disappeared in an instant like a ghost.

“I’ve been avoiding him from here. I couldn’t talk to Giovanni without being sure.”

There were too many uncertainties to confront him right away without any preparation.

But now, they were sure. It was the only human teacher in their lives. It was Giovanni. However, for some reason, he had changed a lot, become bigger, and become too strong to be stolen.

They couldn’t catch him rashly.

“Even the other person doesn’t seem to remember much of this place. You said you couldn’t remember this temple.”

“I think he remembered some of it, but maybe...”

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

Aria muttered.

“He’s not even human anymore.”

“.......”

“That’s definitely... I feel a little, should I say, strange....”

It was Aria and Isser who had been learning about human emotions and their way of thinking because they didn’t understand them. Now, it felt strange to think that Giovanni, my dear teacher, had lost everything.

It was almost a sense of deprivation. The most precious memories of the mermaid’s life, resurrected from death and flowed in a form we didn’t know about... .

“.......”

“Still, please.”

The two siblings never lost their smiles.

They had never failed to smile for hundreds, thousands, or even more years.

“Bring that person to me somehow.”

“.......”

“And hold him.”

“...Yes.”

“I believe he’ll do well.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

The hunter wearing a black cloak, ‘Sergio’, showed a particularly caring and considerate attitude toward children.

“There are many ways.”

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

Was it Chaisol?

The new entry dungeon, ‘Deep Sea Country’, was officially opened.

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

“If it’s a name officially designated by the Constitutional Court, then it has ‘country’ in it....”

“Damn, it’s going to be so big.”

The entry dungeon was originally considered the most difficult of the dungeons, and if the Hunter Association had used a clear word like ‘country’, it would mean that the map was considerably large among the entry dungeons.

“But this is, man... very....”

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

“It seems that even the Constitutional Court staff couldn’t explore it properly.”

“They somehow managed to avoid death and disappearance. They were the first official entry team.”

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

“But no one died. Is it not that dangerous?”

“Hey, you’re just asking for one piece of information. Isn’t that right?”

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

“Do you have a list of key players?”

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

“Wow... Are these humanoid monsters?”

“Hasn’t it been almost a few years? They deserve to be called S-class.”

“So what kind of monsters are there?”

“Let’s see...”

The Hunter Association requested a total of two names.

“Mermaid Yser, and...”

“‘Black Cloak?’”

The freelance hunter tilted his head.

“Since there’s only a nickname and no name, is this an appeal to pay more attention to this side?”

If the Hunter Association determines that it won’t be able to finish it quickly within the Association, they open the entrance to the identified dungeon after a certain period of time. In that case, they call it the ‘Exploration Season’ and offer a bounty for information about the dungeon.

“It’s time to relax a bit.”

“No, even so, it’s a bit too much to come out when you’re an S-class.”

“It’s the exploration season after all. If you want to do a raid, an S-class would have to come out, but we can do something like asking for information.”

“Well, the bounty offered by the Association is pretty good.”

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

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

Even if the association didn’t offer a bounty, in the case of newly opened dungeons, they would sometimes give monetary rewards depending on the importance of the information.

If you got caught by a dangerous monster, you’d probably lose your head in an instant, but it was worth a try.

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

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

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

“You never know what resources might be inside.”

“Anyway, if no one’s bought it, you don’t have to pay to enter.”

If there were some useful resources in the dungeon, or if it was judged to be for the self-development of the affiliated hunters, the guild with money would purchase the ownership of the dungeon.

Such dungeons required a fee every time they entered.

“Compared to that, this dungeon is....”

“Damn, 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 were members of a guild. So dungeons where the Hunter Association offered bounties like this became a major source of income for freelance hunters.

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

“Can’t you go there without it?”

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

“Swimming would be a bit much.”

“Never mind, it doesn’t cost money to wait.”

Even if the Hunter had powers beyond that of a human, 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 grew long.

And soon after, strange rumors began to spread.

“Oh, you’re going to the ‘Deep Sea Country’?”

“It’s still the exploration season. The bounty hasn’t even been paid yet, so go and earn some money.”

“They say it’s dangerous there... Then you have to remember this.”

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

“No, really. They said that’s the only way to survive.”

The Hunters whispered.

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

“What...? Portrait?”

“Black Cloak likes kind and polite humans.”

『Black Cloak Gives Gifts to Good People』

“.......”

“You understand? Be sure to remember.”

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

“.......”

“.......”

“Ah, I’m done for.”

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

The association, which had been trying to instill a sense of caution against the existence of ‘Black Cloak’ by declaring him a monster, was having a hard time.

This was because the image of ‘Black Cloak’ that had spread throughout the world was quite favorable.

“Romantics are coming out again.”

“Ah, I’m already tired....”

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

A painter who draws dungeons