The Artist Who Paints Dungeon Chapter 35

Episode 35

“There are three main factors that determine a Hunter’s rank.”

Yoo Seong-woon, who came to the Chinese restaurant with all the doors closed, explained to Geo.

“Occupation, Aptitude Skills, and Level.”

“… … .”

“The Hunter rank I have been talking about is awarded by comprehensively evaluating these three.”

“Are the grades evaluated by people like an administrative examination?”

“No, the ‘system’ that is supposedly aided by the source evaluates. That’s why there are times when an Awakened who appears incompetent to humans manifests as an A-class.”

Yoo Seong-un smiled faintly.

“Back when there was no system and there was a lack of common sense about hunters, there were people who manipulated the ranks. However, since the ranks themselves are not something that can be given by humans, those who manipulated them were quickly caught…”

“I guess I was criticized.”

“It didn’t end with criticism. At that time, hunters were like people with power who couldn’t be easily confronted. In a time when force was much closer to law than it is now, people with superpowers who could even defeat monsters were treated in many ways.”

He lied about his rank and tried to get treated well by himself when everyone was having a hard time.

“There was no way it could have ended well.”

Yoo Seong-un returned to the main topic.

“Grades are usually indicated in the alphabet.”

“Is there a reason?”

“I think it might have been a hassle to unify by country. Then wouldn’t the numbers be much more consistent worldwide? But apart from that, it has been confirmed that the first Awakened came from the United States… .”

“It was tailored to the American perspective.”

“That doesn’t mean the entire system is in English. Anyway, the lowest grade is F, and from there it goes up to D, C, B, A, and the highest grade is S.”

Yoo Seong-un rolled his eyes for a moment after saying that.

“… Well, that doesn’t mean that’s all, according to current scholars. In the case of Class F, they are already a bit stronger than the average person, so what’s the point of lowering them any further? But it’s only been 31 years since the Great Disaster.”

“I guess it’s too early to tell.”

“Yes, there are rumors that the president of the Korean association is actually hiding a higher rank.”

Even Yoo Seong-un, who was the research team leader of the association, did not know the exact truth.

“Surprisingly, there aren’t that many S-rank hunters. That’s why there are rumors that they’ve hidden higher ranks. Anyone can see that that S-rank is much better than that S-rank, but they’re listed as the same rank.”

These ratings also affect social perception.

“First of all, there is a law that states that S-class hunters must become public figures.”

“If you are a public figure… do you reveal your personal information?”

“They’re not exactly celebrities, but since they’re mostly known for their looks and appear on TV shows, you could say they’re kind of celebrities. Since S-class people can turn a country into ashes if they want to, they’re restricted in many ways.”

“It will be uncomfortable.”

“There are many people who enjoy that popularity.”

As Geo said, there are many hunters who feel uncomfortable.

“That’s enough about the levels. Now, should I explain the occupation you asked about earlier?”

“The priest and trainer that the student I saw earlier mentioned are classified by their profession.”

“yes.”

Yoo Seong-un nodded.

“It is not essential that this profession be realized.”

“Then are there people who get jobs and people who don’t?”

“That’s right. Not everyone can have it, but it does have a significant impact on rank, so a culture has developed where hunters with a job are given preferential treatment whenever possible.”

“It’s amazing.”

“Because Awakened people with jobs have the influence to change the rules of the world. To a mere human, they seem very attractive.”

Even if it is not necessarily a matter of rank, ‘occupation’ has a major image that comes with it.

“There are a total of 10 occupations.”

“It’s less than I thought.”

“I think this is a lot… If there were more, it would be hard to tell them apart.”

Doctor, priest, knight, teacher, spy, architect, artist, magician, cook, trainer.

“After hearing it, doesn’t it seem like a lot?”

“If you look at the jobs that actually exist in the world, there aren’t that many….”

“That’s true, but this is very different from that job.”

“That’s true.”

“The priest and trainer you heard about earlier are not very common professions.”

Priests use the power of the gods to influence reality, while trainers exert influence over intelligent beings. Both are considered difficult professions because they require the help of the contracting party to fully function.

“The more successful you become, the more praise you receive.”

Priests in particular have a strong tendency to do so.

“A trainer can train his opponents as much as he wants if he develops his abilities, but a priest can’t do that. He has to wait patiently until God looks upon him and grants him grace. He doesn’t have the initiative.”

“But didn’t you say that a priest who does not serve God cannot carry out his duties in earnest?”

“It’s a job that has such unreasonable aspects. However, it’s a job that involves exercising the power of an alien god on Earth, so I think that this frustrating aspect is actually a blessing for humanity. If we’re not careful, it could end up being a disaster.”

Of course, those who awaken as priests will be a little upset.

“However, once you are manifested as a priest, your divine affinity increases. Even though you cannot exercise the influence of a god, you can use the power of the god as a believer.”

“It’s the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“The Bungeoppang youth I saw earlier also mistook you for a ‘trainer believer’, right? A trainer is the only profession that can strut around the streets with monsters so openly, and even if you’re not a priest, you can still use your holy power if you become a devout believer. That’s why you made that mistake.”

“Then, it’s not necessarily the job that’s the only thing that’s valid.”

“That’s right, there’s no need to evaluate a Hunter based on that alone. In the first place, a profession is something that is innate when awakened, but it can also be acquired through effort, so it’s rather fluid.”

The remaining professions also had their own rules.

“With this profession alone, the Awakened can exert influence over the rules of the world. To put it simply, a priest gains a greater affinity for the divine, while a trainer gains an affinity for things other than humans.”

“Is it all affinity?”

“Unlike skills, awakening a job doesn’t suddenly give you new abilities. However, you gain latent abilities that normal people wouldn’t be able to have. Shouldn’t we usually call this affinity?”

Yoo Seong-un moved on to the next topic.

“But aptitude skills aren’t like that.”

“In what sense is it not so?”

“This is something you basically get when you awaken, and it doesn’t increase with individual effort. It’s only natural that your proficiency will increase as you use and understand it… .”

However, there are no awakened characters who have no aptitude skills or more than two aptitude skills.

“At least for now? I don’t know if there will be any exceptions in the future, but even if there are, this rule is fairly common among the Awakened.”

The aptitude skill was a kind of stone grabber. The Awakened had no choice, but with just that one skill, it was possible to roughly predict what the Awakened’s future life would be like.

“Just with that skill, you can roughly tell the tendencies and abilities of that Awakened person.”

“Can you also know the future?”

“Isn’t it roughly similar? Once you manifest aptitude skills, you have to keep them for the rest of your life, so it’s inevitable that the awakened person’s life will be affected.”

Most people who have awakened study this aptitude skill first. If you are lucky, you are born with a job, but aptitude skills become an inseparable community of destiny.

“There are many people who cry and say that this doesn’t suit their aptitude.”

If you wake up and the skill you have is to pick up trash, how absurd would that be?

“yes?”

“…Do such skills actually exist?”

“Such a skill does exist, and in some cases it is even an aptitude skill. I heard he is currently working as a city beautification worker, but I don’t know the details.”

“Still, you’ve made good use of your aptitude skills.”

“He is a positive gentleman.”

For reference, skills are divided into ‘aptitude skills’ that are innate with awakening and ‘general skills’ that are innate through acquired efforts. The content of the skills themselves is not that different from each other, but… .

“Of course, I tend to value aptitude skills more.”

“The content is the same, so why are you rating one side higher?”

“There’s nothing we can do about aptitude skills, since they are the criteria for evaluating a person’s soul and qualities.”

For example, there are hunters 1 and 2, and they have the same skill called A. Even though they have the same A skill, 1 is an innate aptitude skill, while 2 is a general skill learned later in life.

“Then the starting point was different from the beginning.”

“okay.”

“First of all, there is no level for aptitude skills. You can use the skill at the highest level of proficiency from the moment it is activated, but in fact, proficiency increases the more you use it. Even with the same skill, it is inevitable that there will be a big difference depending on who uses it.”

And here is the petty side of humanity.

‘It’s kind of like a class system…’

Is it because they were born with it that they tickle a corner of people’s hearts? Those who have awakened with high utility or rare aptitude skills are arrogant and people tend to look up to them.

‘I don’t really want to tell you this.’

Although he seemed noble and intimidating, I didn’t want to tarnish Geo’s innocent side, like a child who believed in Santa Claus in a fairy tale.

For the sake of the peace of mankind, it would have been better for Geo to have known a little less about the ugliness of humanity.

“You can learn general skills by going to the center and applying. Even if you are an Awakened person without a job or with poor aptitude skills, you can still raise your level through acquired efforts.”

“It’s flexible.”

“And as I’ve been saying here and there since a while ago, the ‘level’ is a visible indicator that evaluates your proficiency in all of these things.”

Levels evaluate your occupation, skills, and physical abilities.

“The lowest level is 1, and the highest level is 10. I wonder why they didn’t write it in alphabets… but I think that level could be written down to the decimal point, so it didn’t need that much detail.”

“Is it displayed up to the decimal point?”

“Well, 2.8. 4.9. Something like that…”

“Is that the case for you too, Mr. Yoo Seong-un?”

“uh….”

Yoo Seong-un added after hesitating for a moment.

“The level is okay, but for your information, people usually don’t ask each other about the specifics of the system.”

“Is that so?”

“Because there is a strong perception that it is polite.”

“… … .”

Although his expression was still blunt and cold, Yoo Seong-un felt that Geo seemed a little shocked.

“…sorry.”

As expected, he soon apologized. As expected, Geo had a side that valued manners.

“I apologize for not knowing much about this stuff.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t do it knowingly. It’s not like we’ll curse each other if we ask.”

There was no real damage done, but it was just a kind of culture.

“Just like not asking what color underwear you’re wearing today….”

“I am truly sorry.”

“I’m being a bit harsh, so don’t try to give me a bail by shaking me out. Put me down, honey. Oh, it’s crushing. I don’t think it’s very normal to try to give me a bail every time I do something wrong.”

Only then did Geo gently put down the little bit of honey that he had been shaking. Honey was already picking at the jewels that had fallen off one by one and swallowing them. It was so natural that it was dizzying.

“If you act like that, Honey will get upset.”

“Sometimes I play like this….”

“How on earth do you guys play?”

Honey had a rather satisfied expression on her face, as if it wasn’t a lie.

‘Where did I find satisfaction in that round face?’

Both of them were expressionless, but their expressions were very clear. They could truly be called father and son. Looking at this, I guess you could say that they were children born from the heart. To be exact, they were children created with a brush.

‘… but definitely, much more than when I was inside the portrait… .’

It was human-like.

“… Anyway, I don’t usually ask about things related to the Hunter’s system. It’s more like asking for exact figures like height or weight. Since it’s personal information, people tend not to reveal it out loud.”

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Oh, then I’m grateful.”

It was more than a joy to have such a cooperative source, it was like a miracle. As a gardener, it warmed my heart.

“Since you seem curious, I don’t have a job. My aptitude skill is ‘Emotion’, and I’ve learned several general skills. My proficiency in general skills is maxed out. My overall grade is A.”

“Can you tell me?”

“What does it matter if I say it myself?”

“okay.”

“Well, it’s not easy to tell. Since the job is so obvious, such a cautious culture doesn’t apply, but if someone tells you about their rank, it’s a huge favor.”

To explain it roughly, it is like this.

“I trust you. You are my friend, my lover, my family… .”

“… … .”

“Well, I guess that’s what it means.”

“It’s romantic.”

“You like this kind of thing.”

He was a guy with a really pure side.

“Did Mr. Yoo Seong-un say the same thing?”

“Then, as a gesture of goodwill and trust, you told me about my system.”

And the fact that the other person wasn’t human also had a big impact on being able to open up to them without any burden. Since they were beings who were ignorant of human culture, I guess you could say that they didn’t feel awkward telling me anything.

Rather, it is more awkward if you are awkward when dealing with humans.

“If you have any further questions, I can get you a separate book. There is a textbook used at the Awakened Education Center. There is also a textbook for beginners who have just awakened, so let me know if you need it.”

“I think it will be okay thanks to Mr. Yoo Seong-un’s good explanation.”

“Well then… um.”

Yoo Seong-un asked.

“Are you thinking of going back to portraits soon?”

“yes.”

Geo nodded as if it was obvious.

“Outside, there are lots of people, lots of fun toys, and lots to see and feel….”

“… … .”

“I don’t think this is the place for me.”

Yoo Seong-un understood what he meant.

‘It’s amazing that he’s been able to maintain that condition for so long.’

If I were a normal Awakened person, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it for even a second.

Geo’s status could not be compared to that of a human. At least in the picture, a being with god-like powers was walking around the noisy world of humans with his status suppressed, his limbs cut off, and weights tied to his torso.

That was absolutely horrible.

“Of course it was fun.”

“Thank you for that. Do you have any plans to attend the initiation ceremony that the Bungeoppang youth told me about?”

“Yes, I would like to see it.”

“I’ll let you know when the time comes, so in the meantime, just rest in the portrait.”

So Geo went back to the portrait.

* * *

Geo returned to the cabin and slept all day.

“It’s dangerous outside the blanket.”

“Kyurrrrung.”

Geo, who was exhausted, needed some time to himself.