The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

“Hmm?”

Yoo Sung-woon looked at the face of the young man and showed a friendly expression.

“Aren’t you the one who was selling in front of the Collection building last time?”

“Ah… that’s right.”

“I haven't seen you around lately, you must have moved to a new spot.”

“If I stay in one spot for too long, I risk getting caught in a crackdown.”

Street food like fish-shaped buns weren’t typically subjected to intense crackdowns. But without a city resident ID, it wasn't possible for him to stay in the city.

Moreover, if any complaints came in, they would soon be encouraged to vacate, so Cha Eun-hyuk made it a habit to frequently change his location. It was wise for Cha Eun-hyuk to be cautious when things went smoothly if he intended to do business.

“Though, no complaints have come in lately.”

“It can't be helped, it's not an officially permitted business.”

“Well, they usually don't grant permits for fish-shaped buns carts.”

“Still, I've gotten permission to stay for a few days.”

In general, without a city resident ID, staying for over ten days would incur a fine.

But how strictly can rules be applied in the world of people? With certain applications, one could stay in the city for about a week, even if not staying at an accommodation.

“…And, umm, more than that….”

Cha Eun-hyuk's gaze drifted to Yoo Sung-woon's side, landing on the black cloak.

“…Hmm?”

“…No, it's just….”

That guy isn't human.

'…What, does this person not know the exact identity of the black cloak either?’

The male figure with his face covered in a black hood, staring intently at the fish-shaped buns. It was definitely the same black cloak he'd seen at dawn, though now his aura was less intimidating, and the customer's reaction was a little too nonchalant.

'Was he really just a human…? They say there are hunters who can't fully control their aura, maybe he's just one of those types….'

While thinking this, Cha Eun-hyuk noticed something within the depths of the hood—a bird with a honey-like colour.

“Uh, is there a problem?”

“…I was just curious….”

Cha Eun-hyuk tried to roughly gloss over it because he didn’t want to be in trouble, but soon hesitated and asked.

“…Is the person next to you a trainer?”

Logically speaking, it was most likely that he was a trainer.

“He’s walking around with a monster.”

“…Yes, he's a trainer. He had permission to have it out here, so don't worry.”

“Oh, I see.”

Anyway, hearing he had permission eased his mind.

'Now, even if someone dies, it won't be my fault for ignoring it.'

The true identity of the black cloak was still unclear, but no, hadn't that white-haired hunter himself said he had permission?

'And he did say he's a trainer.'

That was enough, he didn't want to delve deeper. With family members to take responsibility for, it was natural that he didn’t want to draw attention from ‘something’ that seemed like it could kill him with just a little involvement.

But the black cloak didn't seem to think the same way.

“Thank you for this early morning.”

“Huh? Early morning?”

Yoo Sung-woon turned to look at Gio in surprise.

“You went out this early morning?”

Cha Eun-hyuk sensed his stomach tighten again at Yoo Sung-woon's alarmed reaction. It seemed that the black cloak's solo wandering at dawn had been unexpected for the white-haired customer as well.

'Which means… he's not supposed to be wandering on his own….'

For a first-class citizen, visibly affiliated with a prominent guild, to be this vigilant—just how dangerous could this existence be.

“Yes, I went out looking for Honey because he disappeared.”

“I told you to tell me if you want to go out.”

“I found him right away.”

“That's not the problem ….”

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The white-haired customer seemed about to say more but calmed down shortly after.

“… Fine, I can’t do anything about natural disasters.”

“I'm not a natural disaster.”

“Perhaps the typhoon thinks so too.”

Yoo Sung-woon felt warmhearted. How could he lack self-awareness to this extent?

Taking a deep breath, Yoo Sung-woon asked the young man selling fish-shaped buns.

“Did anything happen at dawn?”

“…He bought some fish-shaped buns.”

“Anything else…?”

Cha Eun-hyuk hesitated before answering.

“That bird….”

“Oh, yes.”

“It went after chewing my head twice.”

Yoo Sung-woon was speechless.

“…What?”

“Oh, I mean, it didn't really chew me, just nibbled like a cat playing around ….”

“Oh.”

Yoo Sung-woon turned back to Gio, at a loss for words.

“What do you think?”

“…I apologize.”

“Tell him sincerely.”

“I sincerely apologize.”

Given his facial muscles had long since stiffened, while it didn’t look like that, even Gio was quite taken aback by the young man’s words.

Like that horrifying feeling when your pet parrot screams ‘you little rascal!’ in front of others.

“Are you hurt?”

“Oh, no. It just nibbled, so I'm not injured.”

“Still, I apologize. My son….”

Perhaps as a side effect of sleeping for 31 years, Gio accidentally spoke his mind in front of a stranger. Then, quickly realizing, he adjusted his words with a bit of social skills.

“My companion bird has caused you trouble.”

In his mind, it was something that came out from frequently joking around in the cabin, saying things like, 'Oh, our son’ ‘coo coo coo’ playfully, but to Yoo Sung-woon and Cha Eun-hyuk, it sounded unusual.

'Son…? I heard he drew it as a painting, but does he view those that were created that way as his own child? I might need to be cautious about this.’

'… He just calls it son. If he naturally called it that, even though they appear to be a different species, then I guess he really isn’t the human he appears to be ….’

Gio noticed the subtly shifting expressions of the two despite not knowing their thoughts, but he ignored them.

'I can do dad-son with Honey, why not.'

Even 31 years ago, there were quite a few people who would sometimes dote on their pet dogs and cats, calling them 'my baby' or 'our precious one.' Gio feels confident about belonging to the fairly common category.

“Could I take a look at your forehead for a moment?”

“I'm not hurt.”

“As a doctor, I can check injuries. I’m doing this because I’m sorry, so I’d appreciate it if you could let me take a look once.”

Yoo Sung-woon was hit in the back of his head again while staying still.

“A doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… right.”

How could you be a doctor.

'…Even if he had human memories, I didn't expect him to actually be a doctor. If he’s a doctor with such a heavy atmosphere, surely there'd be plenty of patients mistaking him for a grim reaper ….’

And yet, surprisingly—and quite shockingly—Gio really was a doctor.

“Please excuse me.”

And he was a priest.

“This may feel a bit warm.”

“Sorry? Oh, uh….”

“I purified it just in case.”

“Purified?”

“You had a slight scratch on your scalp… It would be serious if it led to an infection.”

Looking at the young man with a bewildered expression and the portrait imitating human, Yoo Sung-woon simply gave up.

‘Will there ever be a day when I fully come to know Gio's identity?’

This was peeling an endless onion.

“…Then, I'll take ten fish-shaped buns, please.”

“Thank you.”

“No, and I’m really fine with what your companion bird did….”

“Oh.”

Gio rummaged through his cloak with an ‘ah, right’ expression.

“This is your reward.”

“… This is a gift?”

“The purpose of giving it isn't the issue here.”

How could he be giving a gem when not even a drop of blood was shed?

“This is far too much for me. Honestly, the gem you gave me yesterday was already overwhelming for me.”

“But it’s a fair price.”

“That is….”

Just as Cha Eun-hyuk was about to object, Yoo Sung-woon shook his head behind Gio.

“That?”

“…No, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Cha Eun-hyuk noticed Yoo Sung-woon’s nodding with a relieved face.

‘There will be some kind of consequence if I don’t accept this….'

He wasn't sure exactly how the misfortune might strike, but after seeing someone trying to help him with such a desperate look, he couldn't ignore it. Cha Eun-hyuk accepted Yoo Sung-woon’s earnest advice with gratitude.

But it wasn’t as scary as before.

Cha Eun-hyuk, fiddling with the sparkling, tangerine-coloured gem, looked up.

“I heard you’re doing some sightseeing.”

“Ah, that’s right. Do you have any recommendations?”

“There will be an event in the square in a few weeks.”

“An event, you say….”

“An initiation ceremony.”

Yoo Sung-woon nodded in understanding.

“Ah, is it that time to begin?”

“Since usually it was held in midwinter.”

“Which temple’s initiation ceremony is it? If it’s nearby, is it the Moon? Or the Sun?”

“The Temple of the Sun.”

Without realizing it, Cha Eun-hyuk glanced over at the black cloak.

“…I didn’t know you were a believer. Usually, trainers don't follow any deity….”

He had organized his thoughts in his own way.

'He must be a hunter of such high rank that he could be mistaken for a monster.'

When the black cloak brushed his forehead and infused him with energy, he felt the same warmth he'd felt at the Temple of the Sun. If he could perform purification rituals on his own, doesn't it seem like might be a very devout believer?

'He said he was a trainer, so he wouldn’t be a priest.'

An awakener can only hold one profession. Since the white-haired customer clearly said he was a trainer, he couldn't be a priest, which was a bit of a pity. With that level of talent, he would have made a good priest.

A person who could wield such a warm aura couldn't be bad. Above all, he had never heard of a monster wielding divine power.

'I must have been so startled since I’m seeing a hunter of such a high rank for the first time. Priests generally don't tend to control their energy, and it's said that their energy itself is very different from that of humans….’

Cha Eun-hyuk figured he must have been intimidated by the divine energy.

Being highly sensitive to others’ energies and having no prior experience seeing high-ranking hunters or typical priests, Cha Eun-hyuk drew that conclusion. It was relief born of ignorance.

“The youngest member of my family has awakened as a priest and will be having an initiation ceremony this time.”

“Oh, so they got a profession. And as a priest, no less—that's impressive.”

“I’m worried though, about what he’d do for a living if the deity don’t choose him.”

“If he awakened as a priest, his divine affinity would naturally stand out, so temple office work would also be possible.”

“That would be great.”

Perhaps it was because he thought it was all just a misunderstanding, but Cha Eun-hyuk relaxed a bit and smiled.

“They say it'll be quite grand this time, so it should be interesting if you come and watch.”

“That sounds like a must-see. Thanks for the tip, it's hard to know the schedule of the initiation ceremony without insider knowledge….”

“For me, the more people at my younger brother’s initiation ceremony, the better.”

Just as ants scattered all over are easier to spot when they cluster together, the more people gather, the easier it is to receive the deity's gaze. The more they are exposed, the higher the chance of receiving divine grace.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“See you at the initiation ceremony.”

“Yes, thank you.”

When they had walked a bit further away, Yoo Sung-woon asked Gio.

“Last night, nothing really happened, right?”

“As you heard, there’s the accident with Honey.”

“Any other accidents?”

“I’m not sure.”

From within the hood, a small crying sound was heard.

“Coooo.”

“He claims he’s innocent.”

“Yes… I see.”

He wasn't sure if the ‘innocence’ claimed by an existence of origin would match that of a human.

'Especially since Gio is sensitive to good and evil and manners, it makes me concerned.'

Honey was Gio’s creation, his son. So Gio's disposition must have influenced him a lot, thus hearing that he flew around on his own while Gio closed his eyes made his heart skip a beat.

'He could have been flying around, killing people he considered evil.'

Though since there hadn't been any commotion, he hoped nothing serious had happened.

“And, um, regarding the gem….”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering if you could change it to another kind of gift.”

No matter how apologetic he was, giving a gem outright was bizarre by human standards.

“Normal people don't readily exchange goods of that kind.”

“…They don’t?”

“I'm not sure what you were thinking, but it’s probably not that.”

Gio was taken aback.

'Are you saying in this macho-like world that seems straight out of hell, they don't even have that kind of toughness?'

Where company employees catch monsters, flowers made of cheese bloom from the ground, overground trains fly through the sky, and there's a lively spring stream in winter—yet, giving and receiving payment with gems is considered strange?

“I thought it would be fine since I've seen people adorned with gems all over their body like crows.”

“That’s just a personal taste. Or it could enhance their own ability, or perhaps it's an artefact that serves as a type of armour.”

“I understand what you're saying.”

Realizing he'd gotten too far, Gio decided to reflect.

'Perhaps because of the synchronization, I might have thinking too much like Giovanni.'

In Giovanni's world, payment with goods was indeed common. He did remind himself to keep his balance as he was gradually regaining Giovanni's memories these days.

So maybe he'd spent too much time in his cabin, making his sense as modern people dull. His reactions in specific situations were evidence of that, too….

“…Ah.”

“Why, is there a problem? Or did you think of a place you'd like to go?”

“What is a trainer and what is a priest?”

“…That… uh…

Yoo Sung-woon looked determined.

“Now that it has come to this, I’ll have no choice but to say you’re a hunter.”

“So I'm a hunter now?”

“And while we're at it, I'll explain the hunter system and ranks. Do you know anything about it?”

“No.”

“I thought so.”

Having lost his consciousness for 31 years and been trapped in a painting, Gio felt a little guilty.