The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

I was wandering around.

“Damn, where the hell am I....”

It wasn’t called ‘country’ for nothing, the ‘Deep Sea Country’ was incredibly wide for an entry dungeon.

It wasn’t like the monsters were weak. I was able to somehow get through stages 1 and 2, but once I entered stage 3, where the shape of the temple began to appear, it was hard to even breathe.

“The map, the map... the map....”

Unfortunately, this was a new dungeon where even the basic structure hadn’t been figured out.

“.......”

All of the hunter’s companions who were wandering around were dead.

“...What should I do....”

What should I do? What should I do? I have no choice but to die.

The hunter sat down on the ground, mocking himself. The water scales on the ceiling of his pupils, rippling coldly, felt like the shadow of a monster, and it couldn’t have been more eerie.

“...I told you to come here for nothing.”

All sorts of thoughts came to mind when he was left alone.

In fact, it wasn’t him who had strongly requested that we come here, but it was the team leader, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty when his colleagues were all dead and he was left alone. The man tried to swallow his tears and moved his feet.

“Fuck, is this a temple or a cave... The path is complicated....”

They all looked similar, but he had never found the same path before.

It was true that he was moving, but it felt like he was heading deeper, not to the exit. However, if he stopped and hid somewhere, there were dangerous monsters and traps everywhere.

“Shit....”

He held back his tears, grumbling for no reason.

‘I have to survive to apply for recovery.’

When a guild-affiliated hunter died in a dungeon, most of the time the guild would come to help recover the remains, but that wasn’t the case for freelance hunters or civilians.

If a freelance hunter wanted to collect the remains of a colleague, he had to prove his identity and apply to the Hunter Association.

‘I, I don’t have the ability to collect...’

The only reason he was still alive was because of the man’s stealth skill.

“I have to survive first, yeah, and get paid... whatever...”

He was trying to calm his mind while thinking about the benefits of escaping.

“.......”

A portrait caught the man’s eye.

“......?”

It was a portrait stained with black paint, so the face couldn’t be seen.

It was creepy.

“... What is this?”

If it had been just any other object, he would have guessed it was one of the decorations in the dungeon, but this portrait was so out of place in the background of the temple, where the same pictures had been repeated until now.

The portrait, whose eyes were covered and completely invisible, somehow caught his attention.

“.......”

He passed it by.

‘It could be a dangerous item. A monster in the form of a portrait... .’

The portrait itself had a creepy, heavy atmosphere. Unlike the pure white stone of the temple or the pupil, it was framed in wood.

It seemed to be covered in gold, but it had a warm warmth that contrasted with the dungeon, and because of that warmth, I didn’t want to approach it even more. The sense of discomfort was too great.

“.......”

But when I came to my senses and looked around, the frame was there again.

“...It wasn’t here, it wasn’t here....”

It wasn’t once or twice.

“It was in the hallway earlier.”

I could still feel the gaze.

It felt as if the portrait was following me.

“.......”

Maybe that was right.

His hands and feet were shaking, his breathing was ragged, but even so, a ray of hope rose in the Hunter’s mind, who was pushed to his limit. He knew that it was a strange flow, but he couldn’t help it.

It was a phenomenon that no one could call a positive situation, but he thought about it stubbornly. It seemed like he just wanted to believe it.

‘Maybe... is it some kind of key item for escaping?’

In dungeons where the story was important, one item like this could be effective and help with the strategy. Even so, it wouldn’t increase his chances of surviving, but the Hunter, whose thinking ability had been reduced, approached the portrait.

“It would have been nice if I had an emotion skill... This is...”

“Hello.”

“.......”

Hesitating.

The Hunter stepped back.

“...Uh, uh...?”

“I’m a portrait.”

“Uh...?”

“What is your name?”

“.......”

“I’m curious about your name.”

The lower lip, not covered in black paint, asked again.

“Would you like to talk to me?”

“...now....”

What is this?

‘A portrait speaks? A portrait?’

Even in a world where supernatural powers are part of everyday life, a portrait that speaks was not something you could see very often. At least, the Hunter who was currently trapped in the ‘Deep Sea Country’ had never seen a portrait like this before.

“Who, who....”

“I am a portrait.”

Same voice, same line.

“.......”

It gave me goosebumps.

The voice that sounded so perfect that it was actually vicious was incredibly sweet and soft. It was as if the devil would speak to him like this, but the Hunter barely managed to come to his senses and answered.

“Park Yoon-shin... is....”

He was not unaware of the danger of revealing his true name, but he was too absent-minded to think about such things. All he could think about was that he had to obey the being in front of him.

I felt fear and mercy.

“Yes, that, Park Yoon-shin. Park Yoon-shin....”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Park Yoon-shin.”

“...You are... a portrait?”

“Yes.”

The pale lower body spoke again.

“I am a portrait.”

“.......”

Only then did the hunter realize that no monsters were approaching him.

‘... Things are going strangely...’

He felt as if he was possessed by something.

The portrait, which was just a painting, was giving off a heavy atmosphere that was so bizarre that it was almost uncanny. It was qualitatively different from the atmosphere of the temple. It felt like being invited to the Pope’s funeral. That was a strange feeling.

“.......”

It was around the time he was dazed.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, yes?”

The black paint began to pop out as if it was wrapping something.

As the Hunter stepped back in shock, a human figure wearing a pitch-black cloak appeared right in front of the portrait. The portrait was hanging in the middle of the wall, so even though the figure fell down, there was no sound of footsteps on the floor.

“Ah....”

Just a rustling sound.

“.......”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Park Yoon-shin.”

Footsteps were heard.

They really sounded like a human.

“.......”

No, why do I think it’s a human when the footsteps sound like that?

‘Am I crazy? Did I get hit by a brainwashing skill?’

While he was confused, the Hunter remembered something.

“Ah, ah, ah...!”

A black cloak.

“That, black, black cloak... cloak.”

“Yes, I’m wearing a black cloak.”

“...black cloak....”

It was definitely a monster that the association had put a bounty on for information.

‘... This is a monster?’

A sudden doubt came to mind.

‘This is...?’

The hunter hesitated and looked at the black cloak again.

It was wearing a pitch-black cloak like a grim reaper. When the cloak’s shoulder area was slightly removed, the body inside was revealed, wearing a pitch-black suit and shirt, but it was strangely dark.

“.......”

There must have been a shape, so when the cloak was on, it would show a round head like that.

‘... The hand... It’s pale, but you can see the skin. That means there’s a human body inside... .’

Despite that, it didn’t seem like there would be a face inside.

‘No, just.’

It seemed like there was nothing at all.

“.......”

“Mr. Park Yoon-shin.”

“...Hey, yes, I....”

If this thing calls my name three times, will I die?

‘They say that if the Grim Reaper calls your name three times, you die.’

It didn’t seem like the Black Cloak and the Grim Reaper were the same being, but it was true that there was an atmosphere that was extremely close to death.

The Hunter lowered his head, confused by the awe he felt as if he was standing before something he couldn’t dare look at.

“I, I’m sorry for waking you up. I just....”

“You are a good person.”

It was a kind of declaration, as if bestowing something. At first glance, it sounded sacred, like a prophecy from a god.

“.......”

“So I will help you.”

The Black Cloak held out something.

“...This, this....”

It was a round bead that seemed to be made of gold. It was quite heavy, and it gave off a strong, brain-boggling scent.

“What is this...?”

“It is an apology for startling you, and a gift for you who suffered.”

“A gift...?”

“It’s yours.”

“...That....”

“Eat it.”

Eat it?

‘This?’

It didn’t look like it was edible at all. Nevertheless, the desire to put it in his mouth and make it his own surged. It was such a beautiful bead.

I want to eat it.

“.......”

The hunter put the bead in his mouth, entranced by its scent.

‘Ah.’

An ecstatic sweetness gently swept over his entire body.

The sensation of each and every cell calming down was vivid. He even felt joy at the sensation, as if it were a spring breeze on a fading afternoon.

The freshness, as if the juice-filled fruit had been fully condensed, went very well with the gentle golden bead.

“...Uh, uh?”

“Has the bleeding stopped?”

“This, this... Yes, this, how. Why.”

“I see.”

“.......”

The black cloak looked down at the hunter with an inorganic gaze, like a researcher who had expected a set value to come out. He cringed in a sense of discomfort that was definitely not human, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed for some reason.

He was glad that he had shown the value he had expected. It was a feeling that he himself did not realize and could not understand.

“Do you want to go out?”

“... Go out?”

His bowed head rose on its own.

“Can I... go out?”

“I can send you out.”

“Ah....”

Only then did he recall the information posted on the association’s homepage.

‘The first discoverer also said that he escaped the deep sea country with the help of the black cloak.’

It was when he suddenly looked up at the part where his face should be with hope.

“.......”

“.......”

Their eyes met.

Eyes?

Yes, they were eyes. I could see the pupils and irises.

But they were not spheres. Is it flat? No, it might be three-dimensional. But I saw a line. I saw that flowing line. It wasn't one. It was many, intertwined like the roots of a tree, but at the same time it looked like one.

What color is it? Gold? No, it’s dark. It was so dark that it looked bright. Then black? But it’s closer to silver. Where on earth did the story about silver come from? It’s so dark. It’s so bright. What on earth am I looking at right now?

‘Is it okay for me to see it in the first place?’

I was so dazed that I couldn’t even feel fear because of the dizziness.

“Mr. Park Yoon-shin.”

“.......”

“I’d like to ask you a question.”

“...Question...?”

Oh, right, I have something to ask you.

“Yes, yes yes. Yes... Of course.”

“Can I draw you?”

“...Draw me...?”

I couldn’t remember much after that.

My mind became incomparably dizzy compared to when I first saw the black cloak. I lost the awareness that I was a living being.

My whole body melted, but there was no fear, and I felt a sense of comfort, as if I were lying in the middle of a forest with a spring breeze blowing.

And when I came to, I was in the middle of the city.

“.......”

Only then did I realize that this was a miracle.

“...That’s it....”

Park Yoon-shin continued speaking in front of the researcher.

“This is something I experienced.”

“They make people into paint and paint pictures with it.”

“At the time, I didn’t really think it was strange.”

Park Yoon-shin spoke in a bewildered voice.

“The fact that you can talk to monsters in the first place... is a very rare thing, and I know that, but I wasn’t really surprised by that. It just felt like a wise and intelligent being who knew everything about the world, including me....”

The researcher asked.

“Do you feel a desire to admire him?”

“...A little bit. That person showed me a miracle.”

“It was a miracle that turned people into paint. There was no pain.”

“After I came to my senses... I was very confused.”

A human with a normal self became paint and a painting, and then returned to being a human again. The aftereffects were bound to be small, as he was forced to perceive the perspective of an inanimate object that he could never have imagined.

“...But I don’t feel bad about the black cloak....”

It was just scary, distant, and wonderful.

“It was so, so beautiful....”

Even though it was a life that could not be said to have been lived close to art, he could tell that this was art and a work of art.

The vast presence that felt sacred and noble, and its geometric and splendid structure, were enough to make his heart beat.

“The black cloak is definitely friendly to humans. No, it was closer to mercy than kindness. He showed mercy. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) He didn’t receive anything in return.”

“Yes, thank you for agreeing to the interview.”

The researcher nodded.

“It was very helpful that you gave me information about the Black Cloak. You can receive your reward at the Association Lobby Counter right away. If you have any further information or inquiries, please contact the counter at any time.”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Hunter Park Yoon-shin.”

“Is that person a monster?”

“.......”

The researcher asked.

“Hunter Park Yoon-shin refers to it as a ‘person’.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Painter who draws dungeons