The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 77

Geo said while eating rice cooked with vegetables from the garden and grilled fish.

“Ghost story?”

“Gulp.”

“Not bad.”

Honey worried Geo about the ghost story of the ‘Black Cloak,’ but Geo was happy about it. It was partly because of his originally calm personality, but it wasn’t the only reason.

“If you think of me as a ghost story, you’ll probably be less worried about being attacked.”

That was the reason Geo tolerated the collector’s nonsense.

“I realized after going back to Earth a few times, no matter how much the Earth has turned upside down and the environment has been reorganized worldwide, a haunted portrait is still a rare thing. It’s not a joke, it’s not strange if you’re seriously dragged to a laboratory and tortured.”

He thought of himself as a ‘slightly special case of the Awakened.’

Unlike regular hunters who access the source through the system, he was directly connected to the source, so it wasn’t completely wrong, but the problem was that the world wouldn’t see him that way.

“I felt that in the 31 years that South Korea hadn’t seen, it had gotten even closer to hell. A boneless chicken like me wouldn’t last even a day and fall into the abyss.”

“Crunch?”

“Yeah, I’m not chicken, but that’s not what Dad meant. The problem is that a weakling like me would soon be dragged to a lab full of crazy scientists and experimented on.”

In that sense, the ‘Black Cloak Ghost Story’ wasn’t bad.

“At least it wouldn’t look easy. There’s a lot of room for imagination.”

Not only did the Black Cloak seem to have a much higher fighting ability than the main character, Geo, but his name was also cool. There was something about nicknames like this that satisfied a man’s romanticism.

“First of all, if you call it a ghost story, it’s something that can be observed but not studied... It feels like an intangible smoke. I don’t know what it would be like in this harsh world, but I think the probability of being attacked by a dog or cow would be lower.”

“Kuk, kuk....”

“As expected, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon. You recognized my weakness and suggested this path, so you’re truly an all-rounder. You’re the type of person I should emulate. I should become closer to you by giving you food and snacks. And then someday I’ll kidnap you.”

Jio, who said something that would make Yoo Seong-woon faint if he heard it, continued talking while spreading the fish meat that wasn’t freshly made castella and giving it to Dana.

“That’s why the ghost story about the black cloak is actually welcome. Should I call it a bluff for survival?”

He didn’t necessarily introduce himself as ‘a portrait’ to the hunters he met in the ‘Deep Sea Country.’

“At first, I couldn’t introduce myself by my real name, so I used a portrait instead, but it worked well.”

“Kurur....”

“To survive in this strange world, I’ll have to contribute to these ghost stories.”

“Kk?”

“I think I’ll have to think a little more about how to contribute....”

It would be good if it was a ghost story that lived up to the reputation of a haunted portrait.

“Aren’t ghost portraits often hung in schools?”

“...? Kk...?”

“Well, you probably don’t know much about Earth’s culture. Or maybe because I was a teacher, I can only think about school.”

“Kk, kukukuk.”

“Oh, do you have any advice?”

The teddy bear nodded. The world he originally came from didn’t have active public education, so there weren’t many ghost stories related to schools, but there were a few stories about ghost stories related to mansions.

“A mansion....”

Geo listened with interest and nodded.

“Surely, materials like portraits hanging in abandoned mansions are popular as ghost stories. I understand what you’re saying.”

“Kuuu.”

“Yes, each piece of information like this will help me be reborn as a great ghost story in the future. The ‘Black Cloak’ that is known to the world right now is lacking in many ways to be called a ghost story, but...”

Geo nodded.

“If we keep trying without giving up, someday it will become a great ghost story that will instill fear in people.”

“Kuu...?”

“That’s how we can make a living, Father. People these {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} days are so scary that without this kind of bluff, it’s hard to survive in that gap.”

It didn’t seem like something Geo, who was a harmless portrait, should say, but the Sun God said he understood and moved on. He knew that he wasn’t a great person who would really harm humans, even though he only said things like that.

Anyway, Geo vowed to solidify the concept as a ghost story.

“It’s fortunate that the first time I met him was the leader of the Bisabal guild.”

Even just seeing his mouth that spoke like a machine gun made me feel so daunted that I still refused to talk, but Bisabal was a good person.

The fact that he treated Geo, a portrait possessed by a ghost, as a person proved his noble character.

“.......”

“What’s wrong, Honey.”

“Kung.”

Honey thought, ‘That might be a matter of taste rather than character,’ but she didn’t say it out loud. She knew that Bisabal was not a harmless person, but he was a person who was extremely devoted to works of art.

At least Bisabal had become extremely harmless to his collection. That much was true.

“Kururu, kukkung.”

“You wanted to eat fish too. Should I spread it?”

“Kurururur.”

“A cute guy.”

Geo said, cutting off a piece of thick flesh that was steaming.

“Anyway, I plan to carry out the plan I mentioned soon. I’m tired of wandering around the ‘Deep Sea Country’ without any harvest and creating pathetic ghost stories.”

“Muuuung.”

“Can you eat thorns? Here, here. Eat carefully.”

Geo continued, giving Dana a fish bone.

“Do you have someone to accompany you?”

“Kururuk.”

“You’re the only one, Honey. Do you know how much Dad loves you?”

“Kkuk.”

Honey had no intention of leaving Geo, who was soft and tender inside, alone to the world.

“Honey...!”

“Kurur.”

Geo, moved by the warm heart of his hand-born son, covered his mouth and showed the depth of his emotions, and the sun god decided to eat the fish in silence. Dana was already not interested.

As I keep saying, they were a good family anyway.

* * *

And it wasn’t just Geo who planned something for their meeting.

Coincidentally, the mermaids had also prepared their own way.

“Hey, Flower Pig.”

“What?”

“Where’s the youngest?”

“Isn’t he in the garden?”

“I can’t see him.”

“Are you crazy?”

Chae Sol was kidnapped.

“No, he didn’t even get to rest....”

Normally, the prospective priests who had finished their initiation ceremony would have had to enter the dormitory temple, but due to the recent ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’ incident, they had a short break. In short, they were kidnapped while at home.

“Is it important to rest now?”

“That’s right.”

This news was immediately relayed to Yoo Seong Woon, who was in the office of the Collector’s Guild.

“Huh? Kidnapped?”

“Yes.”

“Why...? Who? Where, how...?”

“We don’t know the intention either....”

Cha Eun-hyeok, the eldest son of the Cha family, offered a bungeoppang as a bribe.

“There was seawater sprinkled on the garden.”

“If you say that, anyone can tell that the culprit is a mermaid. No, but what is this bungeoppang?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“You don’t have to give me any more bungeoppang. Stop it, it’s overflowing.”

“Please give it to Geo-ssi too.”

“Uh....”

“I received the official document from Cha Ara and looked at it together.”

Cha Eun-hyeok continued with a blank expression.

“I heard that Sergio has a 1:1 rule. If he receives a favor from a human, he responds with favor, and if he receives a rude response, he responds with rudeness.”

“...So....”

Yoo Seong-woon asked seriously.

“You offer a bungeoppang and ask him to save your little brother?”

“...I think there’s a higher chance of Isul-i coming back alive than not offering anything... In reality, even if Sergio doesn’t step forward, I think it would be better for me to do this.”

“It’s almost like offering a sacrifice to a god. And it’s a bungeoppang.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“No, Geo really likes bungeoppang. Sometimes, he gives me something a bit scary as a gift....”

In today’s world where religion has become popular, there were many people who went to shrines and offered small sacrifices. Even if nothing actually came back, they felt better doing so.

“It’s a bit strange to say this, but Geo isn’t a proper god. He’s just something with the characteristics of a god. Unlike traditional gods who sometimes show mercy when it comes to their followers, there’s a high chance that he won’t live up to your expectations.”

“But that doesn’t matter. I brought it as a gift.”

“I’ll give it to you anyway....”

Yes, Geo had rules.

‘I wonder if I’ll be hired as a bungeoppang.’

Geo knew that he was bound by rules when he thought about his reaction one day. Even so, he tried to find a ‘price’ from Yoo Seong-un when he made and shared food.

Cha Eun-hyeok said.

“It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t for Sergio’s help or the help of Black Cloak. But if the seawater we found really is the trace of a mermaid belonging to the ‘Deep Sea Country’....”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t this an interesting story even from the perspective of a large guild like a collector?”

Cha Eun-hyeok desperately tried to persuade Yoo Seong-un with his characteristically blunt face.

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

“Until now, no monster from the ‘Deep Sea Country’ has ever come out of the entrance. It could be some kind of omen, and I think we can find out more information through this. So....”

“Calm down, Mr. Cha Eun-hyeok.”

Yoo Seong-un consoled the young man.

“Even if you didn’t say that, I was planning on going to rescue Chae Sol-kun. The ‘Deep Sea Country’ is a dungeon that I have a lot of connections to, and Black Cloak seems to be interested in it too... I was planning on visiting it soon.”

“.......”

“I guess you can think of it as going a little earlier.”

“...Thank you.”

“Okay, then....”

Yoo Seong-un trailed off and turned to Cha Ara, who was pale and exhausted.

“Cha Ara, will you come with me, Hunter?”

“...Um, um... Can I come with you? I’m only an F-rank....”

“I can take you if you just write a contract stating that you are prepared to die.”

“I’m sorry, but please.”

If you weren’t going to use them as meat shields, bringing an F-class hunter to a B-class or higher dungeon would be a huge burden to other hunters. In effect, they would become personnel to protect F-class hunters.

So this was Yoo Seong-woon’s consideration. Even though Cha A-ra knew that she wouldn’t be of much use anyway, she still asked him to accompany her.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s a matter of family, so I understand how you feel. You don’t have to feel sorry.”

Fortunately, the Collector’s Guild had a lot of freedom for its members, so no one said anything if Yoo Seong-woon left for a while.

It was just that Yoo Seong-woon had more days to work overtime. And for the sake of Geo and the peace of Earth, Yoo Seong-woon tolerated it.

“I want to go too, but it’s probably too much, right??”

“What are you talking about when your physical abilities are at the F-class level? Please stay.”

“It’s a shame.”

The only thing that was different was the meaning of the Bisabael, but the support itself was plentiful.

“.......”

“...? Why is Priest Kang Seodam here?”

“The head of the guild of collectors asked for help from our temple.”

“You’re providing more support than I thought.”

“Even if it wasn’t a request, I should have stepped forward. Brother Chaisol is my student whom I have to take responsibility for.”

Kang Seodam said with a tired face.

“Even if he’s not taking formal classes yet due to the accident, that fact remains unchanged.”

“Wow, he’s trustworthy.”

“More than that....”

Kang Seodam looked at ‘Sergio’ gathered in front of the port.

“...Sergio Hunter... is going with you?”

“Because I have a connection with Student Chaisol. Didn’t many people at the ‘Deep Sea Temple’ receive help mentally thanks to the energetic Student Chaisol? This is my gratitude for relieving my burden as a doctor and a believer.”

“Aha....”

“The guardians of Chaisol also gave us bungeoppang.”

“Bungeoppang.”

Kang Seodam also received an official document from the Collector’s Guild regarding ‘Black Cloak.’ He also knew that his rule was simply ‘1:1,’ so he was able to quickly accept Geo’s participation this time with the word ‘compensation.’

However, he was also worried.

‘Could this part be exploited by humans?’

It may sound nice, but if we’re not careful, many humans could end up forcing a price on ‘Black Cloak.’

‘If that person gets angry... then...’

Kang Seodam, who was worried about the future disaster, nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for accompanying me.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m just doing what I can.”

“I see. Where is that yellow bird I saw last time?”

“Here it is.”

Just like in the previous ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’, Honey’s face peeked out from under Geo’s hood, which was covered in a black cloak. Honey looked closely at Kang Seo-dam, who felt the strong energy of the sun.

“.......”

“.......”

“......?”

Just as Kang Seo-dam was about to express his doubts, Yoo Seong-woon, who had noticed something, stopped Honey.

“No, Honey, you’re not eating.”

“...Are you eating?”

Geo shook his head.

“I’m not eating.”

“But Yoo Seong-woon just now....”

“The meal I made for you would be more delicious, so why would you eat someone who hasn’t even been seasoned?”

“.......”

“Honey is a gourmet, so she doesn’t eat just anything.”

Kuru.

A voice of affirmation could be heard from inside the hood.

“... “I see.”

He didn’t feel particularly reassured.

‘You were looking at me with such sparkling eyes.’

Kang Seo-dam felt even creepier as he remembered Honey’s greedy gaze.

“... ... .”

“Then shall we go?”

“... Yes.”

With Yoo Seong-woon, who was an A-class, as the head, Kang Seo-dam, Cha A-ra, and Sergio formed a team to rescue Chae Sol.

Actually, this portrait didn’t need anyone’s help....

‘... Helping Geo with his social life....’

Yoo Seong-woon thought it was a bit funny.

“... ... .”

That’s right, sarcasm.

A painter who draws dungeons