Chapter 34

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons — Episode 34

Seeing the bungeoppang youth’s face, Yoo Sungwoon made a pleased expression.

“Aren’t you the one who was doing business in front of the collectors’ guild building last time?”

“Ah... yes.”

“You haven’t been around lately, so it looks like you moved your spot.”

“If I stay in the same place all the time, I get caught in crackdowns.”

Street foods like bungeoppang weren’t the kind that got cracked down on especially hard.

But you also couldn’t keep staying inside the city without a citizen ID.

And if even a single complaint came in, he would be urged to remove it immediately, so Cha Eunhyuk tended to move his spot often.

It was wiser for Cha Eunhyuk himself, for the sake of continuing to do business, to be cautious while people were willing to let things slide.

“Though I haven’t gotten any complaints recently.”

“It’s a shame—if you stayed in the same place, word of mouth would spread better too.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s not a properly permitted shop, either.”

“True, they don’t really give permits for bungeoppang carts.”

“Still, I did get permission to stay for several days at a time.”

In normal cases, if you stayed more than ten days in the city without a citizen ID, you’d be fined.

But in a world where people live, how thoroughly can you really cut everything off?

If you applied under this or that pretext, even if you weren’t staying at a lodging, you could remain in the city for about a week.

“...And, um, more than that...”

Cha Eunhyuk’s gaze reached Yoo Sungwoon’s side, the black cloak.

“...”

“...Huh?”

“...No, it’s just...”

That isn’t human.

‘...What is it, does this person not know the black cloak’s exact identity either?’

The shape of a man, face hidden by a pitch-black hood, staring fixedly at the bungeoppang.

It was definitely that same black cloak he’d seen at dawn, but compared to then, the oppressive feeling was somewhat less, and the customer’s reaction was far too calm.

‘Was he really just a person...?

I heard even among hunters, there are people whose aura doesn’t get contained well—maybe he was just one of those types...’

As Cha Eunhyuk thought that, deep inside the hood, a bird the color of honey came into view.

“...”

“Uh, is there a problem?”

“...Just out of curiosity...”

Not wanting to get tangled up, Cha Eunhyuk was about to brush it off vaguely, but then he hesitated and asked.

“...Is the person beside you a tamer?”

If he tried to understand it with common sense, the probability that he was a tamer was the highest.

“Because you’re carrying a monster.”

“...He is a tamer.

He has permission to bring it out and keep it out, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, I see.”

Anyway, since he said he had permission, his heart felt at ease.

‘Now, even if someone dies, it won’t be because I stood by.’

The black cloak’s identity was still unclear, but—no, didn’t that white-haired hunter say with his own mouth that he had permission?

‘And he said he’s a tamer too.’

Then he didn’t want to dig any further.

With family he had to support, of course he didn’t want to draw the attention of ‘something’ that looked like his life would hang by a thread if he got even slightly involved.

But the black cloak didn’t seem to think that way.

“Thank you for earlier at dawn.”

“...”

“Huh?

At dawn?”

Yoo Sungwoon, startled, turned to Gio.

“You went out at dawn?”

At the shocked reaction, Cha Eunhyuk felt his insides turn unpleasant again.

From the looks of it, the white-haired customer hadn’t expected that the black cloak had been wandering the streets alone at dawn.

‘In other words, it’s an existence you can’t let act on its own...’

If a Grade 1 citizen who plainly goes to a proper guild is paying attention this much, just how dangerous does that mean it is.

“Yes, Honey disappeared, so I went out to look for him.”

“If you want to go out, I told you to tell me.”

“I found him quickly.”

“That’s not the issue...”

The white-haired customer, who was about to say something, soon calmed down.

“...Yeah, I can’t exactly do anything about natural disasters.”

“I am not a natural disaster.”

“Typhoons probably think so too.”

Yoo Sungwoon felt warm and fuzzy.

How can he have so little self-awareness.

“...”

After taking a deep breath, Yoo Sungwoon asked the bungeoppang youth,

“Was there anything that happened at dawn?”

“...You bought bungeoppang.”

“Other than that... was there anything else?”

“...”

After hesitating, Cha Eunhyuk answered.

“That bird...”

“Ah, yes.”

“It bit my head twice and left.”

“...”

Yoo Sungwoon was left speechless.

“...Pardon?”

“Ah, it didn’t really bite—more like nibble-nibble, like cats playing...”

“Oh.”

Speechless, Yoo Sungwoon turned to Gio.

“What do you think.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Say it with sincerity.”

“I am sincerely sorry.”

It was just that his facial muscles had been dead for a long time; even if it didn’t look like it, Gio too was quite startled by the bungeoppang youth’s words.

This dizzying feeling like when your parrot yells “you fucking bastard” right in someone’s face.

“Were you hurt?”

“Ah, yes.

It didn’t bite painfully, so I wasn’t hurt.”

“Still, I’m sorry.

My son...”

Maybe it was the aftereffect of having slept for thirty-one years—words just came out in front of someone he’d just met.

Gio equipped social skills and corrected himself again.

“Our pet bird caused you trouble.”

It was, in his own way, something that came out because he’d always been joking around in the cabin saying “oh, my son” and “gguruk gguruk ggu gguruk,” but to Yoo Sungwoon and Cha Eunhyuk, it didn’t sound ordinary.

‘Son...?

I heard he drew it, but does he see the ones made like that as his own children?

This is something I’ll need to be careful about.’

‘...He just said son.

The species looks different, but if he naturally called it his son, then as expected, he really isn’t human like he appears...’

Not knowing what the two were thinking, Gio still sensed their expressions had become subtle, but he ignored it.

‘What, I can do the dad-and-son thing with Honey, so why are you like this.’

Even thirty-one years ago, it wasn’t just one or two people who would sometimes call their pet dogs and cats “my baby, my daughter” and kiss them all over.

Gio could be confident he fell on the harmless side.

“...”

“Would it be alright if I looked at your forehead for a moment?”

“I wasn’t hurt.”

“I’m a doctor, so I know how to look at wounds.

I’m doing this out of apology, so I’d be grateful if you’d show me just once.”

Yoo Sungwoon got hit in the back of the head again.

“Doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Uh... I see.”

How do you look like a doctor at all.

‘...Even if he has human memories, I didn’t think he’d be a doctor.

If there’s a doctor with an atmosphere this heavy, how many patients must mistake him for a grim reaper...’

But surprisingly, and very shockingly, Gio really was a doctor.

“Excuse me.”

And a priest.

“It’s a bit warm.”

“Yes?

Uh, uh...”

“Just in case, I purified it.”

“Purified?”

“Your scalp was scratched a little... it would be terrible if you caught an illness.”

Looking at the youth with a dazed expression, and the portrait imitating that youth, Yoo Sungwoon could only resign himself.

‘Will the day ever come when I learn Gio’s whole identity.’

He was an onion in human form.

“...Um, ten bungeoppang, please.”

“Thank you.”

“No, and what your pet bird did, I’m fine—”

“Ah.”

With a face that said ‘Oh, right,’ Gio rummaged inside his cloak.

“This is compensation.”

“...”

“...A gift?”

“It’s not the purpose of giving that’s the problem.”

Why would you give a jewel when there isn’t even any blood.

“It’s far too much for me.

Even the jewel you gave me yesterday was already too much for me, so I was troubled.”

“But it is a fair price.”

“That’s...”

At the sight of Cha Eunhyuk trying to argue, Yoo Sungwoon behind Gio shook his head vigorously.

“...”

“That’s...?”

“...No, I’ll accept it gratefully.”

At Yoo Sungwoon nodding with a relieved face, Cha Eunhyuk realized.

‘If I don’t take this, there’ll be a disadvantage...’

He didn’t know what kind of misfortune would strike, but after seeing a face that desperately wanted to save someone to that extent, he couldn’t ignore it.

Cha Eunhyuk gratefully accepted Yoo Sungwoon’s earnest advice.

But he wasn’t as scared as before.

“...”

Fiddling with the sparkling tangerine-colored jewel, Cha Eunhyuk lifted his head.

“I heard you’re sightseeing.”

“Ah, yes.

Is there something I should do for you?”

“In a few weeks, there’s going to be an event in the plaza.”

“An event, as in...”

“An initiation ceremony.”

Yoo Sungwoon nodded as if he understood.

“Ah, so it’s about that time.”

“They usually do it a lot in midwinter.”

“An initiation ceremony for which temple?

If it’s an event happening near here, then the moon?

Or the sun?”

“The Temple of the Sun.”

Without realizing it, Cha Eunhyuk turned to look at the black cloak.

“...I didn’t know you were a believer.

Usually tamers don’t serve gods much...”

He had, in his own way, reached a conclusion.

‘He must be an insanely high-rank hunter, high enough that I mistook him for a monster.’

When the black cloak brushed his forehead and injected energy, he felt a warm sensation like the one he’d felt at the Temple of the Sun.

If he could even perform purification rites alone, wouldn’t he be a very devout believer?

‘He said he’s a tamer, so he isn’t a priest, but still.’

A person can have at most one job upon awakening.

If the white-haired customer clearly said he was a tamer, then he wouldn’t be a priest, but it was a little regrettable.

With aptitude like that, it would have been good if he manifested as a priest.

Someone who could use such warm energy couldn’t be a bad person.

More than anything, he’d never heard of a mere monster using holy power.

‘I must have gotten scared because it’s the first time I’ve seen a hunter of such a high rank.

Priests also tend not to contain their aura much, and I heard the aura itself is very different from a human’s too...’

Cha Eunhyuk was sure it was his own fear of divine energy.

Already someone extremely sensitive to others’ aura, and without experience seeing typical priests or high-rank hunters, Cha Eunhyuk judged it that way.

It was relief born from ignorance.

“Our youngest awakened as a priest, so he has his initiation ceremony this time.”

“Oh, he got a job.

And a priest at that—impressive.”

“That too, if a god doesn’t choose him, I worry what he’ll live off of.”

“If he awakened as a priest, then his divine affinity is basically exceptional, so he should be able to work temple administration too.”

“That would be nice.”

Perhaps because he thought everything had been his misunderstanding, Cha Eunhyuk loosened up a little and gave a small smile.

“They say they’re doing it fairly grand this time, so if you come watch, it’ll be fun.”

“Then I absolutely have to stop by.

Thank you for telling me—if you aren’t an involved party, it’s hard to know the schedule for initiation ceremonies...”

“For me, the more people show up to my younger brother’s initiation ceremony, the better.”

Just as it’s easier to see ants gathered together than ants scattered in all directions, the more people gather, the easier it is to receive a god’s gaze.

And the more exposed you are like that, the higher the chance of receiving the god’s grace.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“See you again at the initiation ceremony.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Once they’d gotten a little farther, Yoo Sungwoon asked Gio,

“Yesterday at dawn, was there really nothing else that happened?”

“As you heard, Honey caused an accident.”

“Any other accidents besides that?”

“I don’t know.”

From inside the hood, a sobbing sound was heard.

“Ggururuk.”

“He says he is innocent.”

“Yeah... I see.”

Of course, he didn’t know whether the ‘innocence’ an existence of the Origin speaks of is the same as a human’s.

‘Especially Gio is the type who’s sensitive to good and evil or etiquette, so it makes me uneasy.’

Honey was an existence Gio created, and his son.

If so, Gio’s tendencies would have influenced him a lot, but since he flew around alone while Gio had his eyes closed, his heart dropped.

‘He could have been killing people he thought were evil.’

Since things haven’t been noisy so far, he can only hope Honey didn’t cause any big incidents.

“And also, um, about the jewels...”

“Yes.”

“How about changing it to a different kind of gift?”

No matter how sorry you are, giving jewels out of nowhere is absurd for a human.

“Usually people don’t really give and receive physical goods like that.”

“...Is that not the case?”

Gio was shocked.

‘In a macho world that feels like it’s manifested hell itself, they don’t even have that level of toughness?’

In a world where office workers hunt monsters, cheese flowers bloom from the ground, elevated rails fly through the sky, and even in winter there’s a stream vivid with spring, and yet it’s strange to exchange payment with jewels?

“I saw people walking around with accessories all over their body like crows, so I thought it would be fine.”

“That’s just personal style.

Or they’re trying to add to their abilities, or it’s a kind of armor—an artifact.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Realizing he’d gone too far, Gio decided to reflect.

‘It might be that because of synchronization, I was thinking too much with Giovanni’s senses.’

In Giovanni’s world, payment in physical goods like that was common.

Now that he was gradually securing Giovanni’s memories, he thought he needed to keep his center.

Maybe because he’d been inside the cabin too long, it felt like modern sensibilities were getting dull.

And he also sometimes reacted in certain situations...

“...Ah.”

“Why, is there a problem?

Or did you think of somewhere you want to go?”

“What is a tamer, and what is a priest?”

“...Um... uh... yeah...”

Yoo Sungwoon looked like he was making some kind of resolve.

“At this point, I guess I have no choice but to say you’re a hunter.”

“Am I a hunter now?”

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll tell you about the hunter system and ranks.

Do you know anything?”

“No.”

“I figured.”

“...”

Gio, who had been unconscious for thirty-one years and shoved inside a painting, felt a little sorry.

Fantasy, modern,