Chapter 49

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons — Episode 49

Uh, what do I do.

‘I went for it, but...’

Cha Ara’s legs were wobbling like a newborn fawn’s.

‘Damn it.’

In front of the strong, Cha Ara’s knees—quick to turn cowardly without knowing limits—were already ready to bend, but in most life-and-death situations, a human’s knees didn’t hold enough value to guarantee their owner’s survival.

‘Especially when the other side isn’t human, even more so.’

At least she knew the other side wasn’t human.

No—she couldn’t not know.

Even though the face was merely hidden in the darkness and couldn’t be seen, it felt as if it didn’t exist at all—how could she not recognize this dizzying dissonance.

‘...Fuck, fuck, what do I do.

Still, if it’s talking, doesn’t that mean it’s willing to talk to me?

Of course, if it doesn’t like me it could kill me in one shot... but still, for now...’

Cha Ara wasn’t what you’d call a ‘trained hunter.’

She’d only received the basic education the Association provided; she didn’t know monsters’ exact ecology or how to deal with them.

But even someone like her knew how dangerous humanoid monsters were.

‘They said if you meet a humanoid monster, anyone C-rank or below should just pray to die without pain...’

At home, her pig of an older brother and her rabbit of a youngest brother were waiting for her.

Cha Ara, who couldn’t just die quietly, decided to beg first.

‘At least language works, and it looks like it has the will to communicate— it does, it does look like it.

Right?

It does, right?’

Even while trembling, Cha Ara opened her mouth.

“Th-that, I’m... a porter.

Do you happen to need a slave...”

“...A porter?”

“Ah.”

Not every humanoid monster was deeply knowledgeable about human culture.

Cha Ara remembered that belatedly, but the fact that it showed interest in her words was good news.

Cha Ara brightened and answered.

She could faintly see a way to live.

“Someone who carries things.

A-and besides that, I can do lots of work.

I’m good at cleaning, and I’m good at cooking, and I can run errands insanely well, so if you just spare me once, I’ll do my absolute best...”

“I’m good at those too.”

“...Pardon?”

“I’m good at cooking and cleaning.”

“...”

What kind of sentiment is it to tell a human pleading to live by proving their usefulness, ‘I’m useful too’?

Cha Ara felt like spitting blood.

‘What the hell is it trying to get at?

Is it saying it won’t spare me?

That I’m useless?

Or, or...’

In a porter’s life that was long enough to be long, Cha Ara had thought she had some talent for catering to others’ moods, but in front of a monster, even those max-level social skills were useless.

‘...N-no, it’s too early to give up.

As long as we’re speaking the same language and it’s showing a will to communicate, I can definitely interpret what this monster wants and why it said that.

I can do it... humans win...’

Then Cha Ara remembered something.

‘...Is it trying to find common ground between me and it right now.’

Just like the introductions earlier, and what it was saying now—she could clearly see it was trying to guide her into feeling goodwill or intimacy toward it.

“...”

It was so awkward that it only made the dissonance worse, but still.

“Uh, th-that...”

Forcing down the retort that popped up reflexively, Cha Ara obediently yielded before overwhelming power.

“...I see!

That’s amazing!”

“Thank you.”

“Cooking and cleaning aren’t things just anyone can do!

You must be incredibly skilled!

That’s so cool!”

“Ms. Cha Ara is the same.”

“...”

She was left speechless.

‘In front of a humanoid monster whose pride is that strong, I’ve ended up praising myself.’

She desperately needed a return stone.

‘Oppa, youngest, I’m going first.’

When Cha Ara faltered, preparing for a painful death, a rustling sound came from the other side.

Since it was wearing a black cloak, she guessed it had probably tilted its head.

‘So it does have a head.’

As a strange relief and fear hit her at once, the monster said,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t need a slave.”

“...”

Youngest, I’m sorry.

You bastard of an older brother, I love you.

Cha Ara braced herself once again for a horrific death.

‘Ara dies here.’

May the bastards who abandoned me end up on the 9 o’clock news, get pelted by the entire nation, and never be able to show their faces in this industry again.

‘Even when they go to the convenience store to buy snacks, if they don’t cover their faces, may they get hit by eggs—become that disgustingly famous, you bastards.’

As she poured out love and curses in her heart and shed streams of sweat like tears, the other side continued.

“Is your profession a slave?”

“...No...?”

It was just something she’d said in the sense of ‘I-I mean, you can work me like you’re hunting rats, just please spare me, heh heh.’

In a law-abiding nation like this, what slaves could there be.

“Ah, well, I have heard that, secretly... hush-hush... rich people, um... illegally buy and sell slaves...”

“That’s terrible.”

“R-right.

Terrible.

They’re bad people, really.”

“I’m scared.”

“...”

Cha Ara was truly left speechless at that ‘scared’—so polite and refined that you couldn’t feel even a crumb of emotion, let alone fear.

But she got a feel for it.

‘...Is it doing this to imitate humans right now?

Is it pretending to be scared?’

It was a part she’d never even imagined, so she realized it late, but thinking about it, that was it.

‘The greeting earlier, the introduction, the way it tried to empathize with me...’

It was so formulaic that she couldn’t even tell what it intended, and it just felt weird, but.

‘Maybe it’s trying, in its own way, to act like a human?’

No, ah—no.

‘This is fucking unfair??’

Fuck, even if it’s imitation, it should at least be a little human so I can go, ‘Ah, fuck, I see,’ and pretend to fall for it...!

‘This isn’t even a test variation.

At least imitate in a way where I can tell the setter’s intent.

Who’s going to fall for this.’

Even that leader bastard who abandoned her made jokes whose intent was easier to grasp than this.

‘If it’s doing this and feeling proud, like, “I’m doing a badass human imitation right now,” that would be unbelievably ridiculous.’

With a bizarre sense of unfairness she might never feel again in her life, Cha Ara stammered out,

“Y-yes, th-that’s right.

It is scary.”

Once she realized it was imitating humans, she could roughly assess the situation.

‘Maybe the reason it didn’t stop until I returned the greeting, and repeated it, was something similar.

Like learning how to use a machine...’

It knew that among humans, if you greet someone, they return the greeting, but Cha Ara hadn’t reacted that way.

‘Like hitting a broken TV to make it come to its senses...?

Like repeating the same question to an AI that won’t answer...?’

Now that she picked it apart one by one, she felt bad because it seemed like it really had studied humans hard and tried to imitate them—but honestly, she didn’t understand even a little.

Whether it knew how Cha Ara felt as she fumbled, not knowing how to respond—

The monster, still petting the Anti-cat it held against its chest, opened its mouth again.

“I won’t kill Ms. Cha Ara.”

“...”

“I won’t hurt you, and I won’t make you sad.”

“Uh...”

“I didn’t want to scare you either.”

The monster in the black cloak continued.

“I wanted to make a friend.”

“...A friend?”

What?

‘Does it mean it’s looking for a sacrifice to drag to the underworld?’

The word itself was very mild, but the other side’s presence was not mild at all, so suspicion rose on its own.

If an existence this heavy and ranked—so suffocating you feel your breath stop and your heart seize—wanted a ‘friend,’ it didn’t seem like it meant ordinary friendship.

‘It looks like a funeral chief mourner or a grim reaper too—maybe...?

Really, it’s looking for an underworld companion...?

That kind of...?’

Before Cha Ara’s suspicion could even settle, the monster continued.

“For you to be my friend, Ms. Cha Ara... you’re too young.”

“...”

Too young, so it won’t—was it really looking for an underworld companion?

‘...No, more than that.’

At the monster’s attitude, which seemed to be using “young” and “weak” as synonyms, Cha Ara faintly knit her brow.

‘I’m not that young, though—maybe it doesn’t know because it isn’t human.’

Cha Ara was eighteen.

Even at that age, it would be fine if she were married already.

She was being treated fully as an adult, so seeing the monster view her as simply young made her feel that alienness again.

‘...Still, it said it won’t harm me...’

Believing a monster was foolish, but she couldn’t help feeling a little reassured.

“Are you alone here?”

“...Ah, y-yes.

I’m alone.”

It won’t kill me just because I’m alone, right?

Cha Ara tensed up.

Monsters having their own rules was basic knowledge every hunter in the world knew.

Many of those rules felt absurd and cruel from a human perspective.

‘Especially humanoid monsters were said to have even stronger rule-like tendencies...’

A monster that kills only hunters who are alone?

“Dear.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like that.

“Usually, I believe people in dungeons act in groups, but am I mistaken?”

“Uh...”

It describes people like dogs in a pack.

She thought, wow, that’s monster-like as hell—but Cha Ara’s sense was sharp.

She could tell that within that voice, so polite it felt alien, there was a faint goodwill.

It didn’t seem like goodwill aimed at Cha Ara personally, but rather a broad, fair goodwill toward the human species as a whole, but...

‘It wasn’t completely emotionless.’

Her heart eased a little.

It was far less frightening to deal with a monster that had emotions than one that had none.

“...No, you’re right.

I-I wasn’t alone originally, but... somehow, my party abandoned me.

I couldn’t get out of the dungeon alone, so I was wandering around...”

“...”

“...And then I saw the Anti-cat...”

Ah, fuck, I see.

‘Th-that... that Anti-cat brought me, a human, because that black-cloak thing wanted a friend or a sacrifice.’

Then was that humanoid monster the dungeon’s unknown boss monster?

‘Monsters cooperating isn’t rare, but...’

One-sided obedience wasn’t that common.

‘I’m uneducated, so fuck, I can’t even define it.

I never thought I’d see a humanoid monster in my life, fuck.

I really want to go home.’

It was around then.

Grrrroooowl—!

“...”

A thunderous belly alarm.

“...I’m sorry.”

“You seem hungry.”

“I’m sorry...!!”

Cha Ara learned today for the first time that embarrassment and fear could hit at the same time.

Maybe because the other side was trying so hard to meet human standards, she had room to feel embarrassed—even though she was scared too.

“I haven’t eaten in the last three days...”

“Three days?”

“Yes, it’s been a little over thirteen hours since I was abandoned.

But I haven’t eaten since then...”

“Three days?”

“...”

W-what?

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Humanoid monsters weren’t the kind you’d see in Association textbooks as a standardized monster.

Their rules differed by individual, so no one could know what absurd rule this unseen monster might have.

But fortunately, it didn’t seem angry at Cha Ara.

“You’re bad people.”

“Gguruk.”

Cha Ara jolted at a new voice.

“Hngh, wh-what, what...”

“It’s my son.”

“...Pardon?”

“...”

The monster fell silent for a moment, then held the Anti-cat with one hand and moved the other hand behind its head.

She couldn’t see well in the dark, but...

Cha Ara soon realized where that cry had come from.

“Huney.”

What?

What did you say?

“You should say hello.”

“Kung.”

“Good student.”

“...”

Before the nonsensical words ‘good’ and ‘student,’ something else entered Cha Ara’s eyes.

On the monster’s pale hand lay a small bird the color of sweet honey, filled with all kinds of jewels.

“...”

...C-cute.

“...Its name is... Honey?”

“Yes, it bites.”

“It bites?!”

It doesn’t look like it at all—what do you mean it bites?

“But since I don’t want it to, it won’t bite.”

“Uh... I see...”

“Honey, let’s go home.”

It was then.

Fwaaaash—!

“...!”

The little bird’s body shone fiercely, lighting up everything in the cave.

“...Woah, woow...”

A jewel cave laid bare.

‘Amazing.’

At a breathtaking scene you might only see once in a lifetime, Cha Ara forgot she’d been terrified and simply marveled.

‘So this is what Jewel Ley Lines really looks like.’

All kinds of jewels, big and small, were clustered together like one body, and the cave paths were bored through like an anthill.

A beautiful, messy place—full of dreamlike, fantastical confusion.

Cha Ara saw the true face of Jewel Ley Lines for the first time.

“...”

Thanks to that, she also realized what kind of monster ‘Honey’ was.

‘...It pushed away all the darkness grub bugs living in Jewel Ley Lines.’

Darkness grub bugs—ones that don’t physically attack, but cannot even be driven off unless you’re an A-rank priest or higher.

It absorbs all light except the faint glow of certain luminous jewels—and that little bird lit it all up in an instant.

It felt as if a massive sunlight had descended.

“...”

“Ms. Cha Ara.”

“...Uh.”

Only then could she see the monster’s face.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we.”

“...Uh, uh...!”

As it said, Cha Ara had seen it before.

“Back then, the jewel...!

The portrait...!”

“I’m glad you remember.”

“...You were a monster?!”

“I’m human.”

“Th-that’s... no, I mean, sure, but...!”

Not wanting to offend it, Cha Ara quickly agreed.

It seemed like it desperately wanted to look human—she didn’t want to die by pushing back with, ‘Don’t bullshit me, what human are you.’

“...”

After hesitating, Cha Ara asked,

“...Am I... going to die now...?”

“You won’t die.”

“...”

“Good people should be repaid.”

“Th...”

Cha Ara suddenly realized.

‘That monster... is trying to treat good humans well.’

The “good student,” and calling the party that abandoned her “bad people.”

Even Cha Ara, uneducated as she was, could tell the other side was sensitive to good and evil.

“I’m sorry for startling you last time.”

“Uh...”

“It had been a very long time since I’d seen a kind student like Ms. Cha Ara, so without realizing it, I ended up following behind you.

You must have been displeased, so I’d like to apologize on this occasion.”

“Ah, no, there’s no need...”

“I did not intend to startle you this time, either.

But people fear me strangely, and in truth, I’d never met anyone as afraid of me as Ms. Cha Ara, so I didn’t know how to respond.

I also apologize for the discomfort you suffered due to my confusion.”

“...”

What a ridiculously polite monster.

‘Doesn’t it realize that if it’s this formal, it only makes the other side feel sorry?’

It was a strange feeling.

The monster that introduced itself as ‘Seo Gio’ looked like an ordinary human.

‘No.’

Like a very handsome human.

But the pressure and distance wrapped in that black cloak were so overwhelming she couldn’t even take it in.

How could a mouse before a giant praise the giant’s looks?

No matter how fragrant it smelled, from the standpoint of a mere creature, you wouldn’t even have the presence of mind to evaluate it.

“...”

It was very gentlemanly.

And at the same time, so distant—an alien existence.

‘...It’s like the universe is imitating a person...’

She had no idea how to respond.

Then ‘Seo Gio,’ adjusting the small monsters in his arms, spoke to Cha Ara.

“I’m going to return home.”

“...Ah, yes, I see.

Home...”

‘It has a home?’

Was this not its home?

‘Even the gifts it gave were jewels... and even the Anti-cat follows it like that, so I thought it might be the real owner of this dungeon.’

Or did it mean there was another habitat deeper inside this anthill?

“...”

“And if it is alright, Ms. Cha Ara.”

“Yes?”

“Will you permit an invitation?”

An invitation?

“An invitation—what...?”

“Ms. Cha Ara is young.

This place is dark, and there is no food.

You look tired and hungry, and I do not wish to pass by.

If you allow me to treat you to a meal, I would be grateful.”

“...I, um...”

“I swear I will not harm you, and I promise that after one meal, I will return you to Seoul.

I say this on the life of my child, Honey, so I hope you will not doubt it.”

“Ah.”

“Does that put you a little at ease?”

She didn’t believe the monster.

“...”

But she couldn’t easily refuse kindness so plainly offered—just as ‘Seo Gio’ said, perhaps Cha Ara herself was still young and weak.

“...Please.”

She was exhausted of being left alone.

Fantasy, modern,