The Artist Who Paints Dungeon Chapter 53

Episode 53

Meanwhile, the staff at the collection office who received the same official document as Cha Ara were very embarrassed.

“… … ?”

“What is this?”

“Is the guild leader joking or something…?”

“You’re not the type of person to play around with official documents.”

It is true that Bisabal frequently plays pranks, but surprisingly, he is a man of solid public works. If it were not for his collecting habit, Bisabal, who always maintains a gentlemanly attitude, would never play pranks on official documents.

“Is it like a ghost story?”

“Is this the story of the black cloak?”

The staff was confused.

“So, ‘Geo’ is a person or a ghost… ”

1. The name of the man wearing a black cloak is Geo.

2. Geo is a member of the early morning shift. Don’t ask for his identity.

3. If Geo wants to use his full name, please let him know. No problem.

4. Respond kindly and politely to any conversation Geo initiates. If the conversation is successful, you will receive a gift from Geo.

5. Rule number 4 is exaggerated and does not have to be strictly followed.

6. Ignore rule number 5. Always be polite to customers and coworkers.

7. You can give Geo a gift. In this case, be sure to get something in return from Geo.

8. If you see a picture frame hanging inside a building that you haven’t seen before, ignore it. It will probably be taken down before dawn due to experimental installation by the early morning shift. Do not touch or scratch the artwork.

9. Bad people cannot go in front of the portrait on the 5th basement floor. Be especially careful not to visit the portrait at dawn.

The official document says to treat him like a human being, but the nuance is that it means, ‘This kid is definitely not human, but don’t show it and behave yourself.’

“… … .”

“… … .”

The staff foresaw a future in which they would become tired. They looked at each other.

“How should I interpret this?”

“… Let’s first gather our teams together and assess the situation.”

“Oh my, Guild Leader… .”

As expected of a guild of cynical people, they no longer squabble and gather among themselves to discuss things coolly. They knew that nothing would be done if they were just confused.

“First and foremost, this is a discussion about whether this is a joke or serious. If you have any opinions, please feel free to share them.”

“First of all, I don’t think it’s a joke. Our guild leader is someone who knows how much he can control his employees with a single official document. He’s someone who often ruins people when it comes to his works and art, but he usually maintains a clean attitude.”

“I agree with you. However, I think rules 4 and 5 are just jokes. It’s like someone messed with the rules that the guild leader had set up… .”

One of his employees said to him:

“Isn’t it possible that someone else has been messing with the rules that the guild master has set out? The most likely one is the ‘Geo’ mentioned in these rules, aka ‘Black Cloak’. I mean, the ghost that is assumed to be a humanoid monster.”

“Ah… That’s what I meant when I said it was a joke. This official document isn’t shared in real time, and it could have been easily edited, but it was sent like this. I think the guild leader is enjoying this kind of ghost story-like atmosphere.”

“That makes sense.”

Even if Bisabal had established a rule in this way where the two egos check each other, it was a joke, and even if ‘Geo’ had touched the rule established by Bisabal, it was a joke because he didn’t modify it and just threw it away.

“But in that case, we can stipulate that these rules are worth knowing.”

“After looking into it, I found out that they sent an official letter to all employees except for those who were irregular workers for less than 6 months. Judging from the fact that they took measures to prevent the official letter from leaking outside the guild, I can tell that this case is quite important.”

“Then let’s conclude the first discussion with ‘I am sincere.’”

“I agree.”

“I agree.”

Second, the staff reviewed the content of the rules.

“It is true that this rule is targeting the ‘Black Cloak’ that we know of. The name Geo was also secretly known thanks to several sightings. However, I think the reason for introducing his identity in the first sentence like this is to let us know about his existence.”

“It says that I’m a member of the dawn shift and that I’m not to ask for my ID. I’m sure this is because Black Cloak doesn’t like people asking for my ID. I don’t know why… .”

An employee asked.

“First of all, is the black cloak human or a monster? Shouldn’t we start by making that clear?”

“But you even sent me this official document in the form of a ghost story, vaguely organized. It seems like the guild leader is saying indirectly that he has no intention of revealing the exact identity of the Black Cloak.”

“Still, we can guess.”

“No, think again.”

The employee shook his head.

“The more we know, the more likely we are to take on difficult tasks.”

“You’re wise. In that case, it would be best to treat Black Cloak as Schrödinger’s Man. Until we see for ourselves, everyone should think of Black Cloak as a member of the early morning shift that the Guild Master secretly brought in.”

“Yes, the official document also has the nuance of treating ‘Geo’ as a human being. If the guild leader tells you to do so, it is the virtue of a good subordinate to follow.”

The employees who were virtuous and had no intention of taking on additional work all nodded their heads. It was truly a guild that could not help but be running in a precarious state.

But there wasn’t a single employee who wanted to know the details of the incident that made Bisabael so happy and nervous, whether it was a ghost story, a human, a ghost, or a scorpion.

“The more you know, the more work they’ll make you do.”

“But they give me more allowance.”

“I won’t work if I don’t get paid. I have to go home and take Choco for a walk.”

“but….”

They were serious about work-life balance.

“Anyway, if you tell me not to ask for my ID, doesn’t that mean that employee Geo doesn’t like being asked questions about his identity?”

“The more I look at this, the more it looks like a human, a monster, or something… ”

“Oh, if you don’t want to be given extra work, then keep quiet. But since they said there won’t be any disadvantages to giving your full name, at least they’re not someone who’s messing around with contracts.”

“Team Leader, you’re treating me like a monster right now.”

“I told you to be quiet, so that’s why you’re doing that.”

Unless there were very special circumstances, there was no way that a visa would do anything to damage one of my collections, the staff. So it seemed true that there was no harm in making a statement.

“But the fact that the word ‘Tongseongmyeong’ appeared in the official document means that Black Cloak attempts to make Tongseongmyeong quite often, doesn’t it?”

“Everyone uses their full name, right?”

“But if it even appears in an official document, it means that the black cloak is making statements in an unnatural manner. No matter how you look at it, this is a monster imitating a person… .”

“It’s quiet.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so speechless.”

The analysis continued.

“No matter what conversation you have, be kind and polite…”

“After that, it is written, ‘Let’s always be polite employees to customers and colleagues.’”

“It seems that Black Cloak hates rude people, judging by the fact that he emphasized it twice.”

“And bad people too.”

One employee pointed out rule number 9.

“’Bad people cannot go in front of the portrait on the 5th floor underground. Be especially careful not to visit the portrait at dawn.’”

“… … .”

“This part seems to block access altogether, so we can see that the Black Cloak’s penalty for ‘evilness’ is greater than that for ‘rudeness.’ I think it would be best to prevent hunters with criminal records from entering as much as possible.”

“No, really.”

The young employee who had been grumbling for a while now washed his face dry.

“fu*k, even if I try to treat him like a human being, the way this guild leader speaks is just… .”

“Calm down, this guy is the guild leader and that’s just how he is. He probably signed the contract without knowing, but everyone knows by now.”

“You are right.”

“But it’s become clear that the black cloak is deeply connected to the portrait on the fifth floor of the underground gallery. I heard that there was a portrait of a man in the fifth floor gallery that the guild master recently bought at an auction, um, yeah.”

“… … .”

“Let’s stop here.”

No matter how hard they tried to figure out the identity, the truth was of no use to the employees who absolutely hated the extra work. They gritted their teeth and ignored the identity of ‘Geo’ while analyzing the official document to avoid making a mistake.

“Let’s go back to rule number 4. Not only is it simply a courtesy, but it also says at the end, ‘If the conversation was successful, you will receive a gift from Geo.’”

“Then, if I have a conversation that doesn’t satisfy Geo and I don’t receive a gift, is there a separate punishment? Like being sick all day…?”

“Considering that the guild master is just leaving the black cloak alone, it doesn’t seem like there will be any major problems that will affect his life or daily life. However, it seems that the black cloak hates rude people, so ‘unsatisfactory conversation’ could also be considered a form of rudeness.”

“Then, if such ‘rudeness’ piles up, rather than just not receiving a gift at the time, then you could incur the enmity of the Black Cloak. That could definitely be dangerous, so you should be careful not to miss out on receiving a gift more than three times.”

“I don’t know if Black Cloak’s patience will last three times… but I understand.”

The employees who saw rule number 5 exchanged glances.

“This is also… .”

“It must be something the black cloak wears.”

“It’s exaggerated, so don’t follow the rules. What does this mean?”

“It could be that we are waiting for you to let your guard down as per rule number 4.”

“It’s creepy.”

There were many monsters like that. They were monsters that deliberately made humans break their rules, and then when humans broke the rules, they would use that as an excuse to attack or harass them.

“So that means you know Korean, right?”

“According to eyewitness accounts from the morning guards, he introduced himself as ‘Sergio.’ It seems to have been done in a Korean style, so I think he must have been very familiar with Korean culture.”

“If you treat me like Schrödinger’s man, then you’re right, Team Leader.”

“Ah, um… yes, there are people among humans who are ignorant of different cultures.”

The team leader waved his hand as if to brush it aside.

“Rule number 7 is also easy to understand. If you want to give something to Black Cloak, you must receive something in return. I think this part is Black Cloak’s rule.”

“So this is just a monster… .”

“Shh. There are people who value rules everywhere. I don’t know how much direct interaction we’ll have with Black Cloak in the future, but if we give him anything, make sure you get something in return.”

“I guess he’s the kind of person who really likes to repay favors with favors.”

“Yes, that’s very kind of you.”

They were still gritting their teeth and turning away from the truth.

“Isn’t rule number 9 difficult to achieve in the first place? The number of people allowed to enter the gallery on the fifth basement floor, which is the last floor, is limited. Is this rule for the curators?”

“I think that’s not very likely.”

After finishing the general cleanup, the employees dispersed on their own.

“I should buy the curators a meal soon… .”

They sympathized with the curator, who was the manager of the gallery.

At that moment, numerous curators were holding back tears.

“It’s not just me.”

“Anyway, ‘Portrait of Geo’ isn’t our responsibility.”

“If Mr. Yoo Seong-un is busy and can’t come, we have to do it.”

“ah….”

It was the same with the dawn guards.

“… It’s so scary.”

“… You have to be careful, you know… .”

Anyway, as long as I follow the rules, there won’t be any problems in my life, right?

Then, the employees accepted it calmly.

* * *

“… Things have turned out like this again… .”

Yoo Seong-un nodded.

“I think you’ve chosen your staff very well.”

“You all seem so indifferent. It’s typical of our collection members who hate extra work more than dying.”

“Anyway, I think I’ll adapt well.”

Visabal said there was no way to keep ‘Portrait of Geo’ locked up, and he also wanted to make sure that his work was not abused in that way.

With the input of gardener Yoo Seong-un, they devised a way for the ‘Black Cloak’ to properly blend into the human world.

This could be called a kind of vaccination. Bisabal laughed, saying that it was not a judgment that would be detrimental even on a human scale. The way he said that it was okay if some people died was indeed shameless, worthy of an S-class.

“And the Chaara Hunter I saw last time.”

“Oh, is there a problem with that guy?”

“that is….”

Yoo Seong-un scratched his neck.

“I think Geo and your family will meet soon.”

“oh my god.”

Visabal’s face brightened.

“Is Geo going out again?”

“I wrote in my last report that I was planning to watch the initiation ceremony of the Solar Church.”

“I thought it might change your mind, since this is a portrait that doesn’t like much noise.”

“I was worried about that too, so I asked him again, but he said he still wanted to go out.”

“The first outing went really well, but I don’t know if it will be the same the second time.”

“Isn’t this strictly speaking the third outing? Geo has already met Hunter Chaara in ‘The Vein of Jewels’.”

“To be precise, it is the formal imitation of a human being in a portrait. It is a pleasure.”

“…happy….”

“Has the sea been noisy lately? You said there have been changes in Geo’s personality as well… Hmm.”

“… … .”

The meteor cloud has become ominous.

“… It seems a bit strange to hear you say this, but have you seen anything? The future, for example?”

“My skill is emotion. Please refrain from making strange lies, Curator Yoo Seong-un.”

The visa holder laughed.

“But it sounds like it would be fun.”

“… … .”

Yoo Seong-un clenched his teeth.

It was a remark that shortened the lifespan of Bisabal, which was famous for its good eyesight, by saying, ‘It looks like fun.’