The Artist Who Paints Dungeon Chapter 5

Episode 5

One day, a strange rumor began to circulate.

“There are ghosts.”

One of the curators, who was about to head down to the basement, frowned at his colleague’s words.

“…yes?”

“There’s a gallery on the 5th basement floor.”

“Oh, yes. I know.”

I couldn’t not know.

“The new work I’m working on this time is also located on the 5th basement floor.”

The gallery of the collector was only open to about 300 curators, including the owner, Guildmaster Bisabal, and guests who visited to purchase works.

The gallery has a total of five floors. Each floor has a different type and form of artwork, and among them, the last fifth floor only has the artworks that Bisabal loves the most.

By the way, the affection and risk of the work of art were proportional. That was the meaning behind the fact that the work that the curator was in charge of this time was on the 5th floor.

“What happened on the fifth floor? It’s a high-risk floor, so it’s strictly managed.”

A colleague answered that question.

“I told you before. There’s a ghost.”

“… It’s not like I’ve never heard that rumor before. What I meant was, what incident or incident did that rumor originate from?”

The curator smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat naturally, perhaps out of habit.

“How many ghost incidents have there been in this gallery so far?”

The Bisabul Gallery, which houses all kinds of bizarre and beautiful works of art from around the world, has had a history of accidents.

Since Visabal collected everything that was considered ‘art’, he didn’t care if their true identity was actually monsters.

And most of the ghost incidents that have occurred in this gallery so far have been caused by monsters.

“What kind of monster is it? Since you said it’s a ghost, I think it’s closer to a humanoid.”

“They said I was human.”

“I don’t understand even more. Are you saying that a humanoid monster has entered our gallery?”

In this situation, it is only natural that only humanoid monsters existed to the extent of being evaluated as ‘human’.

“Why would such a dangerous monster be in a gallery like this instead of a dungeon? Especially if it’s a humanoid, it would be highly intelligent and have strong pride.”

Humanoid monsters are not only rare, but they also have higher than average intelligence and a strong hatred for anything outside the dungeon.

Humanoid monsters with both intelligence and brute force usually reign over their dungeons and harass visiting hunters.

“If that’s true, why is the guild building so quiet? They would have run out a long time ago and killed everyone…”

“That’s why it’s strange. Every situation we can figure out is contradictory.”

A fellow employee continued speaking.

“We’ve already received 17 complaints.”

“17 times?”

Curator Yoo Seong-un first heard rumors about the ‘ghost’ two weeks ago.

If 17 complaints were filed in just two weeks, it would be difficult to treat them as mere rumors.

“That’s quite frequent. If it’s that frequent, I don’t think it’s just a rumor.”

“The personnel department is controlling the information. As you know, it would be bad if rumors spread outside that there was a problem in the guild master’s gallery.”

“That’s true. If there’s a problem with the collector who is in charge of the finances of the Republic of Korea, it’s something that the president should rush to immediately.”

“I can’t laugh because it doesn’t seem like a joke. Fortunately, the scale of the incident itself was small, so it wasn’t difficult to control.”

The HR employee who said that immediately sighed.

“But if you are filing a formal complaint with me, it means that it is not something that can be ignored.”

“It’s surprising that complaints came in, even though curators aren’t such easy hunters….”

“They decided that they couldn’t handle it on their own.”

“This is a little difficult.”

Unlike ordinary curators, curators with hunter qualifications are highly knowledgeable. Even if they are not very strong, their ability to appraise and respond to monsters and items is far superior to that of ordinary hunters.

Among them, Visabal hired some of the best talents in the world. The fact that these talents were unable to resolve the issue themselves and instead filed a complaint to the staff member in front of them and the HR manager meant that this incident was not easy.

“… This is really… .”

At this point, Curator Yoo Seong-un seemed to know why the HR department had called him.

“What should I do?”

“I’m sorry, you must be busy already.”

“No, because if something happens, I have a duty to respond.”

He was a staff member whose abilities were recognized even among the curators directly employed by Visabal. He was already an A-class hunter, and he also had countless qualifications related to alchemy and barriers.

Such a meteor was often called upon when additional work arose. It was a familiar pattern for him to take on tasks in this way.

“You are trustworthy.”

The HR colleague continued speaking with his characteristically cold expression.

“I would appreciate it if Mr. Yoo Seong-un could take charge of the administrative affairs.”

“I appreciate your kind words, but I still feel like that’s a bit… .”

Yoo Seong-un shook his head.

“Isn’t it strange that someone who was a researcher at the association is now in charge of general affairs?”

“I remember that he was not just a researcher, but a research team leader.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I got a lot of stares when I left the association. I don’t want to stand out.”

“If that’s true, I won’t force you any further.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Yoo Seong-un asked, scratching his neck.

“Anyway, if it’s the 17th time, doesn’t that mean the monsters have no intention of hiding their true selves?”

“… … .”

“If it was a monster with such great concealment that it passed our guild’s inspection and was safely displayed in the gallery, it could have hidden itself without any problems.”

The human resources employee nodded as if he had been waiting for that.

“I was just about to tell you some information about this ghost.”

“That’s good news.”

“Well, it’s a strange phenomenon that has been witnessed 17 times. We can’t be negligent in gathering information.”

The employee continued speaking.

“Thanks to the other curators, who are not as capable as Seong-un, I was fortunate enough to hear many stories about ghosts.”

The human resources staff handed the documents over to Yoo Seong-woon.

“You’ll understand if you read it….”

“Do you have any pictures?”

“Illustrations were added based on eyewitness accounts.”

“Hmm.”

As Yoo Seong-un looked at the illustration, the HR employee explained.

“In all 17 sightings, the ghost’s clothing did not change. It was wearing a large black cloak that covered its face and body, and its inner clothing was said to be a black shirt and suit. It was about 188cm tall, quite large for a humanoid.”

“Then, are you a bit stocky?”

“Because of the large cape, it was impossible to confirm the details, but most people said that at least he wasn’t skinny. But he was never evaluated as being bulky.”

“If the inside couldn’t be confirmed to that extent, then no one would know if it was truly humanoid. It could be an undead type. Why did you decide it was a humanoid monster?”

“There was only one curator who saw my face.”

“oh.”

“To describe it… .”

The human resources officer continued speaking.

“They said he was handsome. He was a curator with a high standard.”

“… … .”

“… It may sound absurd, but if someone who examines the appearance of the opposite s*x very closely says that someone is handsome, then their facial features must be really distinct and well-groomed. And we define that as a human.”

“No… he’s handsome and tall, what are his special features?”

Yoo Seong-un asked with a trembling expression.

“Hair color, eye shape, skin condition, moles… characteristics like that. I don’t think any facial illustrations were included, but was there no testimony about this?”

“Unfortunately, the curator said that he couldn’t properly identify the features because he only saw it for a short while. However, he said that he thought ‘he’s handsome’ in that split second, but that thought came to him only after he ran away and regained his senses, so I have nothing to say about his external features.”

The agent added.

“For some reason, everyone says that it’s hard for them to make eye contact. That’s why it’s hard for me to talk about the appearance of your face. If you can’t see your eyes, then of course you can’t know what your face looks like.”

“There may be a skill related to the eyes, or maybe that part is the main body. Then what about parts other than the face, like the hands or feet?”

“Fortunately, I think I can tell you that.”

The human resources officer nodded.

“It is said that his skin was extremely pale. He had white skin, as if he had never been exposed to sunlight, and he stood out especially in the completely black attire.”

“Is that so? Then it might be a monster with a story… It might have flowed in from some dungeon.”

“And he said she was barefoot.”

“Is it so as not to make noise?”

The personnel department employee firmly denied Yoo Seong-un’s muttering.

“That’s not it.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“‘When the ghost walked, there was no sound.’ All 17 curators testified in unison. Even if they were barefoot, there would have been a sound, so there was no need to take off their shoes.”

“Then not making any noise when walking is just a characteristic of the monster.”

In this case, there are usually two things.

‘Either it’s a monster with a skill that can hide its sound, or it’s a monster that’s so light that it doesn’t make any sound at all…’

Since you said that it was judged to be humanoid, it was likely the former case.

“… … .”

Yoo Seong-un immediately frowned.

“Did you report it to the guild master? If it really is a humanoid monster, it would be newsworthy, if not research material.”

“I already reported this matter to you, but you only told me to check it internally and not to let anyone know about it. You said you didn’t want the Hunter Association to take it as research material.”

“… I understand what you mean. If you’re the guild leader, you can do that.”

Yoo Seong-un nodded. The words, ‘What if someone dies?’ did not come out.

In today’s world, the lives of people who die on the job are treated like rocks on the side of the road.

‘Since Bisabal is a person who cares for his employees very much, we can believe that he took action in that regard. He’s not the type of boss who would order someone to do something dangerous without thinking…’

Then the HR person said.

“Starting next week, we will begin safety training for curators. All trainees will be given an artifact, so Mr. Yoo Seong-un, please make sure to receive one.”

“aha.”

Indeed. I understand.

“As expected, our guild works really hard. They even know how to protect people’s lives.”

“Thank you for your kind words. These are all instructions from the guild master.”

The human resources staff continued the explanation.

“The first ghost sighting was 15 days ago, at 4:32 a.m.”

“It’s 4 in the morning, so there aren’t many people. Our gallery, which doesn’t open day or night, is also quiet and empty.”

“That’s right. That’s one of the characteristics of this ghost. I don’t know if it’s because it’s conscious of people’s gaze or if it has some kind of condition, but it usually insists on going at dawn when not many employees visit.”

“It sounds like you’re either timid or clever, or both….”

Yoo Seong-woon tilted his head as he handed over the documents. The information that should have been there was not organized. It didn’t seem to have been accidentally omitted.

“…there were no casualties.”

It didn’t look like a humanoid monster.

“… … .”

No, it just didn’t look like a monster.

‘… Even if humanoid monsters are very good at trickery, it is definitely a special case for them to just watch people for two weeks. Even if they used a different mental skill and then exploded like a bomb, there is no way this guild with tight security wouldn’t know about it.’

If that’s true, then this ‘ghost’ really has been watching people for two whole weeks.

“There can’t be a monster without hostility, right?”

Yoo Seong-un, who was once a researcher at the association, knew how great the monsters’ hostility towards life on Earth was. It was a level that even the most intelligent humanoid monsters could not bear.

Even if that were possible, monsters had no knowledge or understanding of humans. Even if they approached humans with good intentions, it would never have a positive effect.

‘Is this why you were evaluated as a ghost?’

At least ghosts would have a high level of understanding of humans.

As Yoo Seong-un thought so, he heard the employee’s explanation.

“The locations being seen are getting closer and closer to the ground as time goes on.”

“…hmm….”

“Starting from the first sighting, it hovered around the 5th basement level for a total of 7 times. The next 4 times were on the 4th floor. The next 2 times were on the 3rd floor. Twice more were on the 2nd floor. Once again, it was seen on the 1st floor. It went up one floor at a time.”

“…Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

“But the last sighting, the 17th sighting, was set on the 5th basement floor.”

“Oh, you went back again?”

“After that, there were no more sightings for five days.”

“then….”

“It looks like the exploration is over.”

“My head hurts.”

Finding a monster that had already hidden in its own home was even more difficult.

“Are there any other special features? Like their behavior? Usually, these types of monsters set their own rules and try to force other humans into that mold. In addition, if they are humanoid, I think they would have even more personal rules.”

The employee nodded.

“As you said, there was something unusual.”

“What is that?”

“He said he would give me a gift.”

“… … .”

I don’t think I’ve lived that long, but I’ve heard that monsters give me gifts.

‘… Although the works in the gallery often behave in that way, it becomes a bit difficult to define this guy as a simple monster if we are to be exact… .

Yoo Seong-un, who had gathered his thoughts, asked again.

“… A gift, you say?”

“… … .”

The employee made a subtle expression as if he sympathized with Yoo Seong-un’s voice full of distrust, then coughed once and returned to a blank expression.

The staff continued their explanation.

“It is said that when you first encounter a ghost, he approaches you pretending to be human.”

“Who would believe that…?”

“Maybe he really believes he is human. Anyway, the next thing he does is ask the employee he meets to talk to him. What is his name? How old is he? What do he do? Where is this place? Why are you here?”

“… … .”

“The content is mostly routine and nothing special. They don’t ask for deep personal information, and if you are reluctant to reveal your identity, they don’t ask any more. If you successfully finish the conversation, the ghost will give you a gift.”

The HR staff member motioned for him to hand over the documents. As Yoo Seong-woon handed over the documents with a trembling face, he saw pictures of the ‘gifts’ the employees had received.

“… This is… .”

“Yes, as you can see, it is food.”

“What kind of domestic monsters are these?”

The photo showed a selection of bite-sized snacks, including cookies, chocolates, and candies.

Looking at the neat and simple packaging, no matter how much I thought about it, it was definitely handmade. A homemade snack made by a monster, if it was published in the news, it would be something that would be criticized and called a joke.

“Have you tried analyzing the ingredients?”

“We carried out the test by order of the guild leader, and the test results came out a week ago.”

“Poison or something… .”

“No, on the contrary, it was medicine. It was something like an anemia medicine, a digestive medicine, an analgesic, an antipyretic, and an antidiarrheal medicine.”

“… … .”

“The research team couldn’t figure out how ordinary cookies and chocolates could have such medicinal properties. They tasted and were made up of ordinary snacks.”

Yoo Seong-un asked, shaking the documents.

“Then how did you detect the ingredient effect?”

“As you know, with the full support of the guild leader….”

“Did you bring me back from prison again? After all, that place is the cleanest.”

“Because it’s a place full of useful test subjects.”

“That’s true. But the research was done quickly even with the help of the prison?”

“I don’t know why, but the guild leader happened to have some prisoners prepared.”

In an era where even the lives of innocent workers were treated like rocks, criminals had no human rights.

The head of the collector’s guild was someone who was very good at making use of such things, so I had a rough idea that he probably used such a criminal for this experiment as well.

The human resources officer continued speaking.

“What’s even more surprising is that the gift was just the right medicine for the employee.”

“… Are you saying that you gave snacks containing digestive ingredients to employees who were sick, and snacks containing fever-reducing ingredients to employees who had a fever?”

“That’s correct.”

“… … .”

Yoo Seong-un swept his face.

“It’s said that there are emotional skills that can be used against living beings, so it must be quite high-ranking.”

“They’re a headache, because they’re showing favor to us.”

“It’s easier to just be a monster that’s causing a ruckus. This one can’t be subdued or appeased.”

Yoo Seong-un let out a long sigh and nodded as if he had accepted his fate of soon being given additional work.

“I’ll take care of it. I’m an expert in this area.”

“Thank you. And there’s one thing I want to tell you… .”

“What is it?”

“The date when the incident started.”

“This is ominous.”

“It happened after the guild leader exhibited ‘Geo’s Portrait’ in the gallery.”

“…ah….”

The personnel department employee looked at Yoo Seong-un with pity at his elasticity.

“… … .”

“… … .”

That would be the case, as ‘Portrait of Geo’ was a new work that Yoo Seong-un was in charge of.

“… Working overtime again?”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“cheer up.”

“That’s right.”

I’m already tired.