The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

Sausage made from the meat of the Treehorn Deer, herbs, and fruits that grow naturally along the veins of fate. Processed directly by Gio, the owner of the forest, it can even be consumed by the human body. This sausage, providing a deep sense of fullness, is excellent for healing certain injuries and restoring immunity.

“Help.”

“Ah, you startled me.”

“Please help me.”

“Could you stop coming to me every time you receive a troublesome gift, Curator Yoo Sung-woon?”

“This time, it\'s something I received personally, so I can\'t even share it with others.”

At the sudden appearance of Yoo Sung-woon, Bi Sa-beol cheerfully responded.

“Then couldn\'t you have asked if you could share it?”

“Is that really the only way?”

“Have you tried this gift yet?”

“I had about three at home before coming here.”

Yoo Sung-woon nodded.

“It was delicious.”

“Oh, now that you say that, I suddenly feel tempted too.”

“Wait until I come back after asking Gio about it.”

“If you\'re not going to let me eat it, why did you bring it to me?”

“Because if others see it, it’ll obviously put me in an awkward position.”

“Ah, so it\'s for safekeeping ….”

Bi Sa-beol chuckled bitterly.

“Our employees really are too cynical after all.”

“Aren\'t they all people you gathered yourself?”

“Still, who uses their guild leader as a safe? No one treats me with enough respect.”

“Who created this atmosphere, and now you\'re complaining?”

“So, what does it do?”

“You\'re changing the subject.”

After a brief thought, Yoo Sung-woon scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s supposed to be excellent for healing injuries and restoring immunity, so I haven\'t seen its effects since I don’t have such injuries yet. However….” ṛ�

“However?”

“I do feel like my vision is becoming a bit clearer.”

“Clearer vision?”

Even in this world, medical technology related to eyesight is still underdeveloped. Worn-out optic nerves became harder to recover over time. In that sense, the effect Yoo Sung-woon mentioned sounded quite intriguing.

“Is its effect certain?”

“As far as I can tell, yes. If others try it as well, we\'ll have a comparison group and can analyze the effects in more detail.”

“Then we first need to get Gio\'s permission. Why didn\'t you ask when you received the gift? Gio doesn\'t seem like someone who would outright refuse.”

“You shouldn\'t make assumptions about an entity of origin\'s behaviour like that, and besides, at that time I was mentally drained after pulling an all-nighter. I just saw fish-shaped buns and went to give them, not expecting to receive such a gift.”

“If you\'re that tired, why not eat the cookies you got last time?”

“I finished them long ago.”

Once again, Yoo Sung-woon had become a slave to caffeine.

“The fruit syrup I received before … it doesn\'t exactly look like one, but anyway, what do the other employees think about the fruit syrup?”

“The response was very positive. But they also seemed confused. After all, the main benefit of honey of the water veins is \'restore human physical abilities to their limit’ ….”

“Even if they haven’t read the description, it\'s only natural to be suspicious since they must have felt it in their body.”

Bi Sa-beol smiled as he asked,

“Would you like a cup of fruit tea before you go?”

“…Please.”

Yoo Sung-woon, who was on the verge of collapse from overwork, needed recovery.

Drinking the fruit tea that had a rich soup-like flavour, he let out a small sigh. It was truly delicious, but the thought of consuming something so extraordinary just to recover from fatigue brought a sense of uneasiness.

“If we took it into the dungeon, it would be incredibly helpful. It seemed like it could significantly affect mortality rates.”

“That\'s true.”

“But actually bringing it in would cause quite a stir.”

“That\'s also true.”

“…An existence of origin being overly benevolent is a problem too.”

It was a new realization.

“So, didn\'t the employees suspect anything? They must have felt something was off?”

“Everyone was curious about the source of the fruit syrup but didn\'t ask me again. I said it was something I bought at an auction, but they still found it hard to believe.”

“So what did you say?”

“What could I say? Since no one asked more, I didn\'t explain. Our employees really dislike getting involved in complicated matters.”

“No one likes to take extra work.”

“Seriously, everyone\'s so cold-hearted.”

As Bi Sa-beol drank his share of fruit tea, he remarked,

“Still, it seemed like only a few people guessed it to be an ‘artwork’s piece\'.”

An ‘artwork’s piece’ was a term used within Collection to refer to objects, blessings, or curses given to a curator by an artwork locked in Bi Sa-beol\'s private gallery.

“After all, who would even think an artwork would give food as a gift….”

“Is that so?”

The number of creations with consciousness in Bi Sa-beol’s gallery was quite significant. Depending on how refined that consciousness was, a high-level curator was assigned to manage it, paying close attention to the bond between the artwork and themselves.

So, very, very occasionally, very rarely, there would be curators who received such ‘pieces’.

“Usually, they give items.”

“Well, food is technically an item too.”

“Rather than that, they give something like accessories, paintings, or weapons.”

“Yes, in most cases.”

It wasn\'t likely there were other artwork as into cooking as Gio.

“Is cooking Gio\'s only hobby?”

“No, as I mentioned before, he also enjoys painting.”

“And those paintings become corridors or living creatures.”

“Correct.”

“Then what would happen if he painted a landscape?”

Yoo Sung-woon\'s face crumpled like crinkled foil.

“Don\'t make me anxious while I\'m trying to rest.”

“It wasn\'t that significant of a story.”

“I had a rough idea about what might happen in that case, but I don’t want to think about it now.”

“How pitiful….”

“When a superior calls their subordinate pitiful, isn\'t it just sarcasm?”

Looking at his exhausted subordinate, Bi Sa-beol nodded with a smile.

“I was just curious. Gio can create anything with his paintings, so it\'s intriguing to think what could happen if he made a landscape painting.”

“Maybe he could create another world.”

“Like a dungeon?”

“That\'s fascinating.”

Bi Sa-beol stroked his chin as he spoke.

“According to several night guards, Gio reportedly moves through certain landscape paintings.”

“What I heard was a bit different— was it landscape paintings, not portraits?”

“Apparently, if Gio is inside, it\'s a portrait. If he\'s outside, it\'s a landscape. Quite convenient, isn\'t it?”

“That\'s really frustrating….”

“It\'s said that the artworks hung in the hallway disappear at dawn, so it\'s clear they can also be used for transportation purposes.”

“But wasn\'t that something you had already guessed?”

“So I was wondering, if he could move through paintings to existing locations ….”

Then.

“Could Gio move to other dungeons as well?”

“I’m curious.”

“That….”

Yoo Sung-woon frowned.

“Sounds like a slightly dangerous thought.”

“Is that what it sounded like?”

“I don\'t know exactly what the guild leader saw in Gio, but from my perspective with my poor vision, that\'s how it seems.”

“Gio has already toured the outside world under Curator Yoo Sung-woon’s guidance.”

“While I agreed to that, what you\'re suggesting now is to expand Gio\'s range of activity.”

It felt unsettling.

“Showing more than just favour to Gio as an artwork … of course, I have no excuse either. But this is just the nature of gardeners. Something etched into the soul.”

Gardeners are like that.

They don\'t perceive threats as threats, nor do they recognize cruelty as cruelty. To those who tend the garden, beings of the origin were simply entities to be cared for.

“When I accepted the guild leader\'s offer and signed the employment contract, I told you, and I\'ve told you over and over again: gardeners are not on humanity\'s side.”

Having been born as humans and cultivated a garden, he wishes for both to coexist. It was inevitable for Yoo Sung-woon to be captivated by Gio, who seemed to be an existence very close to the origin.

It\'s impossible to survive as a gardener without being near the origin. It\'s an eternal preference that cannot and must not change.

“However, guild leader, you are entirely human, aren\'t you? If I am not thorough enough as a curator, you should point it out and correct me.”

“The guild leader allows too many things … for your artworks. It wouldn\'t be strange to say that it\'s concerning.”

Bi Sa-beol laughed.

“Isn\'t it the same reasoning that allows Mr. Yoo Sung-woon to use me as a safe?”

“…..I\'ve received help both big and small several times thanks to the guild leader\'s favouritism, so I know I\'m not in a position to say anything.”

Every guild member of the Collection Guild was one of Bi Sa-beol\'s collections.

Showing a weak side to the point of seeming pathetic and displaying excessive generosity both originated from Bi Sa-beol\'s irrational desire for his collection. Bi Sa-beol loved all his collections.

“Even so, I think using the world as an experimental field for your own artworks will have serious repercussions later.”

“Repercussions, you say.”

“Every time an out-of-the-ordinary artwork like Gio appears, the guild leader acts like this.”

“How did I act?”

“No matter how the world crumbles or how many die, you behave as if you couldn\'t care less as long as you can understand and appreciate your artworks.”

“You\'ve observed well.”

Bi Sa-beol nodded.

“That\'s why I hired curators to manage things in my stead while I\'m busy appreciating the artworks.”

It was an outrageously irresponsible remark, but not entirely incorrect, so Yoo Sung-woon sighed.

“If even a gardener like me is siding with humans to this extent, it means it’s really serious.”

“I thought I was restraining myself to some extent, but if Mr. Yoo Sung-woon says so, perhaps I\'ve gone too far.”

Bi Sa-beol\'s eyes curved sharply.

“But aren\'t you curious?”

Those were the eyes of someone with no intention of hiding their greed.

“I\'m curious about what kind of being my artwork is. I\'m curious about how much of an upright young man Gio is, if he can kill a person, and if so, how much and in what way he would kill them.”

“Gio is a painter. He\'s also a portrait. He has a personality that avoids conflict. He perceives himself as a 29-year-old young man. How will he blend among people? How will he react to unpleasant experiences? I\'m curious about how he will change when he realizes he\'s an artwork.”

“To be honest, I don\'t care how the world turns out because of Gio. It would be infuriating if my artworks were damaged because of foolish people, but I\'m not scared of my artworks fighting, getting hurt and burning each other.”

That was Bi Sa-beol\'s honest greed.

“Have you ever heard that the higher the rank, the further one strays from humanity?”

“…It\'s a well-known story. Tales of how inhuman S-rank hunters are are always popular.”

“With such insignificant physical abilities, it\'s very embarrassing to assert this, but I hope you understand that I too am S-rank.”

He was close to being inhuman.

“If this world were beautiful and serene enough for me to cherish, it would\'ve been nice, don\'t you agree?”

Hearing such absurd words directly, Yoo Sung-woon\'s face twisted with fatigue.

“…Ordinary people don\'t even consider the possibility of mass slaughter, regardless of whether the world is beautiful or radiant, guild leader….”

“That\'s because their perspective of the world is too narrow. To put it more bluntly, even if the world comes to an end because of my artworks, it\'s simply because it was something that was bound to happen anyway.”

“The association president should have heard this. In the association where regulations on dangerous-grade items are strict, isn\'t Bi Sa-beol\'s gallery the only one they trust and rely on?”

“You must have known this, but that person doesn\'t particularly trust me either. It\'s just that the association president lacks the time and resources to manage everything, and as the number of dangerous artworks increases, I\'m merely the only lesser evil left to take charge.”

Due to bearing half of the work of the government and the association, Bi Sa-beol gained the gallery\'s autonomy.

“So, it’s not like the association president really trusts me. That person just needed a space and manpower which could consistently provide minimal management.”

“…Despite that distrust, the association hasn\'t taken your artworks away. From my experience as a researcher there, it\'s clear the association was definitely after the guild leader’s gallery….”

“That\'s why life is all about timing. If I had opened this gallery just ten years later, would the association have been so accommodating?”

Bi Sa-beol\'s face brightened as if he had heard an amusing joke.

“Bi Sa-beol\'s gallery is very famous in the world today. It\'s far more performative, provocative, and visible to the public than the association that quietly researches, analyzes, and controls.”

“What\'s more, what I manage is a gallery. Customers can visit, and they can even purchase artwork. The association cannot suppress this gallery with its long history, supported by loyal clients.”

Bi Sa-beol\'s face dramatically expressed sorrow.

“Oh, truly… When I think of the artworks trapped within the association, tears blur my vision. How harshly are they being treated, barely surviving?”

“

“Moreover, thinking of the humiliation and pain my precious and delicate artworks will suffer at the association\'s research lab, I absolutely cannot hand them over. Artworks contain souls, you know.”

“Oh, yes….”

From Yoo Sung-woon\'s perspective, who was once the association\'s research team leader, it was truly outrageous, but since he works under him and enjoys the conveniences provided, he decided to let it pass for now.

“So you have no intention of holding back?”

“I\'m already holding back plenty, so I don\'t know what more you expect me to restrain.”

“This is a Demon King\'s Castle.”

When an incident occurs, the resulting catastrophe would be unimaginable.

“When something goes wrong, it\'ll go really wrong. You know that, right?”

“Well, that\'s why I also provide curators with hazard pay, don\'t I?”

“It wasn\'t a question of whether you knew that. Korea might be wiped off the map.”

“That sounds truly frightening. Before that happens, I trust our curators will handle things well.”

“What an irresponsible director. I hope you at least realize this is your own gallery.”

Bi Sa-beol\'s gallery was more provocative and open than the association\'s research lab, but it was less secure.

\'If these dangerous and sensitive artworks are to be managed safely… stronger control would be necessary.\'

This place was operated with minimal control despite the overwhelming quantity. It was the complete opposite of the association\'s research lab.

Bi Sa-beol loved his artworks and managed them with love. One of the basic requirements for curators here was to \'form a strong bond with the artworks.\'

Indeed, the current Earth was being maintained too precariously.

\'Even though it\'s an inevitable situation, given that the entire system collapsed and was rebuilt….\'

Everything depended solely on the mercy of a few powerful individuals on Earth.

\'If even one of them went astray, it would be utter chaos. Fortunately, such a disaster hasn\'t occurred yet.\'

It felt like it was barely holding on.

“…I’ll try to work more diligently. That includes matters related to Gio.”

“In that sense, don\'t you think you should help Gio make new friends? He would be lonely on his own.

“Are you not even trying to disguise it with some grand cause anymore? It\'s clear you let everything I just said go in one ear and out the other.”

At this point, it seemed fated that Gio was auctioned off to Bi Sa-beol rather than the association president.

Well, yeah.

Yoo Sung-woon himself, who welcomed Bi Sa-beol’s artwork-friendly opinion despite having the perspective of a gardener, was also a very amusing person.

He nodded.

“I\'ll ask him.”

He was planning to go and have a conversation with Gio this early morning anyway.

Asking at least one question at that time should probably be okay.