The Artist Who Paints Dungeon Chapter 38

Episode 38

When Geo, who had successfully completed the jerky content, fell asleep.

The world outside the frame was busy with work hours.

“That’s why you called me.”

“Hey kid, let’s talk, why do you have such a scary face?”

“If you think that I am only in charge of ‘Portrait of Geo’, you are very mistaken… ”

“I’ll give you an incentive.”

“fu*king capitalist society.”

Yoo Seong-un was summoned by the guild leader.

“Didn’t I tell you that I would organize the report and upload it soon?”

“How can I wait until then?”

“Why can’t I wait for this?”

“I know.”

“I don’t know.”

“You have to look a person in the face and talk to him.”

“What an extreme insult to our highly developed modern society.”

“The world these days is so heartless. Our employees are even more so.”

“I don’t know what kind of affection this shitty world expects, and I don’t know why you ask that of me.”

“Everyone is so immersed.”

“You’re saying something that doesn’t make sense, even though it’s your taste.”

Bisabal smiled brightly and poured some fruit juice for Yoo Seong-un, who had a very tired face.

“Shall we drink to cheer ourselves up?”

“Is it poison?”

“Oh my, this is a gift from our precious Portrait Master, but it’s poison?”

“Please give me some poison. I’ll take it and lie down…”

No matter how gentle ‘Portrait of Geo’ was, it was the original existence, and if we look at it simply, it was a monster. It was difficult enough to deal with a precious humanoid monster, but that was not the only task assigned to Yoo Seong-un.

“I heard that the sea has been very noisy lately, so I was called out again.”

Yoo Seong-un was also taking on external requests.

“I looked into it and the movements of the children of the origin were strange. I will submit a report on that part soon. Probably tomorrow or the day after… .”

“You can report that later. It wasn’t my request either.”

“Are you stupid?”

“So, can you tell me about Geo now?”

“I knew this would happen.”

By the way, Visabal hasn’t been able to talk to Geo yet.

“Since you act so burdensome, isn’t that why Geo avoids talking to you?”

“No, what did I do?”

“There are many employees who have seen the black cloak, but the guild leader has never spoken to them even once. This is dereliction of duty.”

“I told you I was trying to talk?”

“I meant to suggest that we change our approach a bit.”

It was a problem related to Geo’s characteristics.

“Doesn’t Geo hate rude people?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“That’s true, but….”

There are two things I dislike about ‘Portrait of Geo’.

Rude, mean, or rude.

‘… but even though I dislike rude people, I don’t view them in a completely negative light.’

Aren’t there people who like dogs and cats but hate reptiles?

That’s roughly how Geo disliked rude people. He didn’t disparage their existence, but he didn’t enjoy dealing with them.

“That kind of indifferent side is quite similar to the child of the origin.”

“I guess so. Even if they claim to be human, they can’t be like humans in every way. They might be trying hard to ignore the fact that they’re not human… .”

Actually, Geo just didn’t have any thoughts about it.

“Well, I guess criminals don’t have that kind of indifference.”

While he would think, “That could happen,” when faced with rude opponents, Geo showed clear disgust when faced with malice. Although he had never actually encountered a criminal, this was something that could already be known from his usual words and actions.

“Either way, you have to be careful. Guild leader, you have to be careful too.”

“I will try to control myself.”

“I guess I’ll just keep saying this. Anyway, so… .”

The reason why Bisabal called Yoo Seong-un was obvious.

“Are you curious about what Geo looked like while touring Seoul?”

“Of course I’m curious. A being of unknown origin roamed the human world. And it even returned safely without causing any major trouble?”

“you’re right.”

Of course, there was one thing that was a bit awkward.

“Has one of the priests of the sun gone missing?”

“Hey, that’s about it. When I looked into it, it didn’t look that clean.”

“So it seems like they are keeping quiet internally as well.”

“Since the induction ceremony is coming up soon, I guess you don’t want to make it public anymore.”

“… It seems that Geo may have had something to do with the missing person case.”

A hunter who is good enough to be a curator must have more than ordinary observation and memory. Yoo Seong-un remembers a man in scholar’s clothing he encountered at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the priest who went missing this time was that man.

“That day, Geo made a hand gesture in the shape of a camera and looked at the man.”

“If we consider the camera as a portrait of Geo, wouldn’t it be closer to a picture frame?”

“That could be true. Anyway, after I made eye contact with the man, I suggested that we leave Gyeongbokgung Palace, but he didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.”

“Are you feeling bad because you met a bad person who doesn’t suit your taste?”

“I think that is highly likely.”

“Geo, you’re so good at empathizing with people. That’s good information.”

When confirmed with Bisabal’s information power, he was already a priest with a dirty back. Yoo Seong-un trusted Bisabal, and the two of them did not even consider the possibility that the priest Geo dealt with was not a villain.

“But the fact that he handled it quietly shows how much understanding Geo has of human society. He probably didn’t want it to become a fuss.”

No. It was just Honey’s independent action while Geo was sleeping. It’s not that Honey didn’t want to cause a commotion, but rather, she sensed the threat to her father, dealt with it, and then went back.

However, Geo didn’t seem to be that thoughtless. Rather, he seemed like a quiet person because he knew a lot, and the two continued their conversation under the assumption that Geo already knew all of this.

“In this case, I wonder what would happen if I confronted the criminal head-on.”

“Why are you curious about something like that? Don’t be so curious.”

“It’s a buried car.”

“… … .”

Do you want to be like that at that age?

‘I shouldn’t grow old like that.’

Yoo Seong-un ignored Bisabal, who pretended to be pitiful.

“The most surprising thing about this tour and observation is that Geo lowered himself to the level of a human.”

“…Lower your level?”

Visabal looked surprised for the first time in a long time.

“Geo? Are you saying that you have lowered yourself to the level of a human?”

“Yes, it’s amazing.”

“Before it was surprising….”

Visabal considered his words for a moment. He soon found the right words.

“It’s gross.”

As expected, Geo wasn’t human.

“You dig up my flesh so nonchalantly.”

“I was also shocked when I first saw it. If Geo were human, he would never have made such a judgment.”

“I can’t sympathize even more if it’s just to avoid causing a fuss.”

Although Bisabal had never talked to Geo, he had ‘seen’ him many times. The level of Geo that Bisabal knew was incomparable to that of a mere human.

“But the fact that you brought yourself down to the point where you felt like a human being….”

It was no different from torture, like being torn to pieces alive.

“Do you look healthy?”

“There was nothing unusual that I could see, and he had the same blank expression as usual.”

“okay.”

Geoya was originally human, so the feeling wasn’t strange. However, to other people, it was an act of more eccentricity than gouging out one’s own eyes, cutting off one’s limbs, and taking out one’s internal organs.

“Was there anything else unusual?”

“uh….”

Yoo Seong-un chose a light topic.

“I heard you like to eat.”

“Why do you keep giving me food as gifts?”

“You seemed interested in both eating and cooking.”

So there was something I was worried about.

“I was afraid I might get caught if I wasn’t careful.”

“Oh my.”

That was a bit of a problem.

“I told you I already told you about that part, right?”

“I don’t know if you understood.”

“Rather, the presence of benevolent sources is much more difficult to deal with.”

If it were a normal monster, it could be dealt with normally, but since it requires constant interaction between the two, there were more things to worry about. It was like protecting was more difficult than attacking.

“Still, it’s fortunate that the will to cooperate seems strong.”

“I guess he’s a good guy after all… ”

Geo was definitely a nice guy, except for the creepiness of the situation.

“It’s a threat just by existing.”

“Until then, there’s nothing we can do about it, right?”

“I know, I know.”

But regardless of Geo’s sincerity, constant vigilance seemed necessary.

“…ah.”

“What else is there?”

“It’s a story about Geo’s personality.”

“Personality is already interesting.”

“Geo, who had lowered his level, really looked human.”

This one needed a little explanation.

“It was to the point where he seemed like a completely different being from the usual Geo.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s not just a matter of high or low status, right?”

“It has been confirmed that it also has some effect on personality.”

“Is this a side effect of lowering the level?”

“Isn’t that more likely? It’s better for us since this is more harmless, but…”

There was something eerie about Geo, who was often seen wandering around the building at dawn, or in the paintings. He was almost like a grim reaper.

‘No, it would be closer to death itself, without will or emotion.’

He wears a pitch-black cloak, his footsteps are barely audible, and he walks neatly like a nobleman, always carrying his luggage on his back, and looks at the world with curious eyes. Nevertheless, his expressionless, gloomy face has a coldness to it.

That low temperature didn’t mean that Geo’s personality was cold. It just seemed to say that his very existence couldn’t contain warmth.

“Geo, who did not lower his status, was very polite, neat, and serious. Even among those who did not necessarily talk to Geo and only saw his portrait, many commented that it was like ‘it looks like he painted someone’s deathbed.’”

Geo felt like a being that embodied a funeral.

And that farawayness.

“You can never call him human.”

“But is it really something that should be discussed to the extent of personality change?”

“We have confirmed that it definitely has an impact.”

Geo, who had lowered his class, seemed like a really ordinary person.

“A bit blunt and polite person.”

But the usual Geo was different.

“A little more arrogant.”

“Hmm?”

“No, the word arrogant sounds a bit odd… how should I put it… .”

It’s difficult to express.

“…as if he were of a higher power…”

Geo looked down at the humans.

As someone who has a hobby of keeping insects might see the curious ants carrying loads, or find them cute.

“In fact, Geo gave gifts to people several times. It was a concept of compensation, but it was clearly in the form of a sergeant. He said he was an ordinary 29-year-old human being, but he evaluated and praised employees who were much older than him.”

The scribe asked him.

“But Geo, who lowered his level, was different?”

“Yes, he really seemed like an ordinary young man back then.”

The ‘Geo’ confirmed by Yoo Seong-un was a 29-year-old man of good manners and few words.

“That’s a bit too… there were times when I was overly curious, or when I tried to pay the price with bail…”

“He’s not a real human, so he can’t help but have those unique features. But despite that, I find it really amazing that he still behaves like a normal young man.”

“He said he took separate measures, so that must have had an impact.”

There were also some concerns.

“I normally wouldn’t think of doing anything because of his high status, but since he looks like an ordinary 29-year-old young man, I was suspicious that he might have fallen for some strange scam.”

“… Is that it? But I also have emotional skills… .”

“When he was transformed into a human, not only was his personality much more gentle, but his abilities also seemed to be limited. Even his emotional skills could only be confirmed by making hand gestures in the form of a frame.”

And one more thing.

“The longer I was out, the weaker I became.”

It was just that he had been exposed to modern society for the first time in a long time and had lost some of his energy, but as a meteor who cared deeply about each and every one of Geo’s conditions, he had no choice but to give it a wider range of meanings.

“I’m worried that other people might touch it.”

“That would definitely be a problem.”

“Right?”

“Geo too, but that’s….”

The visage brushed my chin.

“Lowering the level doesn’t change the essence.”

Let’s say we compress one of two large pieces of metal into a very small size.

If that were the case, one side would obviously be bigger and the other smaller, but the weight would be the same. In fact, because it was smaller, it would be easier to hurt humans.

A similar example is a bomb. Even if you make a bomb into a small and cute shape, it will still explode the moment you light it. In fact, the more compressed it is, the more violent the explosion may be.

“It’s just a guess since there’s no exact analysis… but Geo thinks of himself as a human, so if you poke at his true nature, the backlash will be much greater. There’s no need to cause such a disaster.”

“I think so too.”

“What if the entire nation didn’t agree to commit suicide together?”

So, when Geo became a ‘human’, it seemed that he needed certain protection.

“I guess I’ll have to get a hunter’s license.”

“If only that were there, there would definitely be less trouble.”

In this world, hunters were a kind of power holder and celebrity. When a dispute arose, most conflicts were resolved simply by showing the hunter ID. This was because the association thoroughly prevented fights between hunters.

“And one more thing.”

Yoo Seong-un continued speaking.

“This is also a personality issue.”

“What other problems could there be here?”

“When he was human, Geo could be defined as a 29-year-old young man named ‘Sergio’. Right?”

But I definitely witnessed the meteor shower.

“When Geo dipped his feet into Cheonggyecheon….”

“… … .”

“And when I took the water taxi.”

A change has occurred in Geo.

“I was looking at the water as if I was looking at someone else.”

Those eyes did not belong to Geo, a blunt and reserved 29-year-old youth.

Rather, he seemed to have more experience, had more distinct emotions, and had a clear sense of distance, but he was not cold, but rather gentle like a beloved model student. There was even a light and cheerful part to his smile that was engraved in his mind like a cool sea breeze.

In many ways, it was different from the previous ‘Sergio’ or ‘Portrait’.

“There was also a change in appearance. The hair turned white and the eyes became watery.”

“Oh, that’s pretty similar to the meteor curator, isn’t it?”

“It felt a little… different for me. It’s true that we’re in a similar category, but…”

The color was much warmer.

Like the summer sun, or the surface of the sea.

“… … .”

It wasn’t certain.

“Let’s find out more.”

“Let’s do that.”

I knew too little about Geo.