chapter 96

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 96

At some point, the ‘Black Cloak’ disappeared.

“H-h-hey, you said it was here...!

You said the Black Cloak was here!”

“Fuck, look for the frame!

Isn’t there a frame anywhere?!”

“They said it’s usually hard to see...!

S-so if you look for it, definitely...!”

“UAAAAAAAGH!!!”

Hunters who visited the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ relying solely on the ‘Black Cloak,’ who was said to help humans unconditionally, died helplessly one after another.

As resentment poured in toward the Black Cloak, who had suddenly vanished, and toward the Association that had provided information about him, an official statement was released.

“The Association has not included, in any public information whatsoever, any wording telling you to rely on the ‘Black Cloak.’”

Rather, they emphasized it.

“Even if it shows unexpected behavior, in the end it is still a monster.

The Association consistently maintained the stance that you should be cautious, and not even once has it said the ‘Black Cloak’ is a safe and helpful monster.”

From the start, a large part of it was that the rumor had been strangely distorted.

“What monster in the world would help humans?”

“However, there are cases in which the ‘Black Cloak’ has assisted humans in escaping dungeons multiple times.”

“Nevertheless, the ‘Black Cloak’ classified and limited the humans it would help.

This means it cannot be a monster that helps humans unconditionally.”

With a proper, emotionless face, as if it were utterly ridiculous, the Association employee said,

“It seems many hunters have forgotten that the ‘Black Cloak’ is a monster.”

It was a remark mocking the hunters’ absurd judgment.

When the Association responded to such an extent, the hunters could no longer protest.

Leaving aside the Association’s considerable authority, there was nothing wrong with what they said.

“No, but still...”

“You said the Black Cloak helps humans?”

There were still many people who remained dissatisfied, but.

“Didn’t you even read the official notice?

There’s nothing wrong with what the Association said.”

“The Association kept saying to keep a close watch on the Black Cloak.”

“Aren’t the idiots the ones who got swayed by baseless rumors and went looking for an S-rank dungeon?”

Soon, the situation calmed down.

“If it weren’t for that rumor...”

“What are you talking about—it's the morons who tried to raid it without even reading the official notice who are at fault.”

“Keuk...”

Because the conclusion became: “The hunters who tried to arbitrarily use a monster from the start were stupid.”

“Don’t they teach you when you get your hunter license, to be wary of monsters?”

“A monster isn’t some vending machine drink...

What the hell were they thinking, going into a dungeon trusting only one monster?”

“Older hunters weren’t like this—these days you can really feel how much the newer generation’s level has dropped.”

“What kind of hunter doesn’t even know monsters are scary and goes around acting like they’re something?”

“These idiots are running wild calling themselves hunters.

This is the end times.”

If it had been no more than expecting a chance help by relying on a monster’s characteristics, the criticism wouldn’t have been this severe.

But wasn’t the problem that the majority were hunters who rushed into a dungeon rated S-rank, trusting only the ‘Black Cloak’s’ mercy?

Even hunters who had long taken the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ seriously showed negative reactions.

“Raiding a dungeon while trusting only a monster makes no sense.”

“Aren’t they taking the raid too lightly?

Even if the exploration season has been long, still.”

“Interest concentrated because the Collector bought the entry rights, but honestly, this is a bit...”

As the atmosphere seemed to be wrapping up like that—

“...”

Yoo Seong-woon was watching.

‘...It’s getting more or less sorted out.’

It wasn’t a bad flow.

‘Things were starting to go a little strangely.

At least it ended around here—maybe we should consider that fortunate.’

Watching the hunters, and the ordinary citizens chattering about this incident, Yoo Seong-woon pulled a candy from his chest pocket. Running around here and there to see how the aftermath of the ‘Black Cloak’ would conclude, he’d been seriously short on sugar.

“Haa...”

“...”

“So what is it?”

At the presence felt from the bench behind him, Yoo Seong-woon asked.

“Seems like you have business with me.”

“You look tired.”

“If I’ve been working overtime for more than a week and I’m not tired, I’m not human.”

“I agree.”

The Association employee, nodding, was dressed in a black padded jacket and made up to look like an ordinary citizen.

Sitting behind Yoo Seong-woon’s bench, he looked at the park—given a spring-like appearance despite winter due to government measures—and said,

“I do not intend to take up much of the time of Hunter Yoo Seong-woon, who is busy with public duties.

There are a few questions I would like to ask—would you be able to answer?”

“Mm... I’d appreciate it if you could finish within fifteen minutes.

After that, I need to catch a train to check the state of the sea.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The Association employee’s questions flowed naturally.

“The Collector seems to know about this ‘Black Cloak’ situation, as you do.”

“There are a lot of things that snag, but what’s your basis for saying that?”

“It seems the source of that interesting ghost story—‘The Black Cloak gives gifts to good people’—is the Collector.”

“That’s right.”

Yoo Seong-woon answered calmly.

“A fair number of our employees have encountered the Black Cloak.”

“Then it seems we should revise the information on the website—could you have the first witness give testimony?”

“If there’s time, I’ll ask around.

You’re not going to drag them off by force, right?”

“Of course not.

We simply felt there was a need to revise the information about the Black Cloak.”

“Anyway, our side has run into the Black Cloak a few times, so we know that guy’s rules.

He really hates rude and bad people.”

Though he said this, Yoo Seong-woon had no intention of telling the exact details about the ‘Black Cloak.’

Because if it were made openly known that the creature was ‘Gio’s Portrait’—something even the Association head had coveted—there was a high chance the Association would approach for research purposes and become a public nuisance.

‘Gio probably wouldn’t want that either.’

Since he lived in a peaceful cabin, he wasn’t the type who liked bustle.

“And we may need to consider whether it should be called a ‘gift.’

The Black Cloak is said to give gifts to good people, but that isn’t some material object—it’s closer to a kind of goodwill...”

“May we take it that it has a rule of showing goodwill toward polite and good humans?”

“Yes, well.

Sorry we didn’t report it in advance.

But we don’t have the authority to order our employees to report immediately about a monster they happened to encounter, do we?”

At that, the employee asked,

“Is it a monster?”

“...”

“I’m asking you, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon the gardener.”

“...If that’s the case, then I’d have to answer no.”

“I see.

Do you have any intention of returning to the Association’s research institute?”

“It seems like the Association head’s instruction, but tell him I have no intention.”

“Understood.”

The employee returned the topic to its original track.

“May we understand that you did not intentionally spread the rumor about the Black Cloak?”

“It was half intentional, but...”

Yoo Seong-woon mixed in an appropriate amount of truth.

“Separate from that, I had absolutely no intention of causing confusion like this incident.”

“Then for what purpose did you amplify the rumor?”

“Since the Black Cloak hates rude and bad people, I wanted people not to do something stupid in front of him and stir up unnecessary trouble.”

“The Collector wanted to emphasize the ‘good person’ part, but the hunters got bewitched by the ‘gift’ part.”

“Even the Collector didn’t know hunters would be that stupid.”

“Understood.”

“...”

Even so, he didn’t expect the Collector would be able to completely hide ‘Gio’s Portrait’ with just this.

‘...The fact they didn’t summon me directly and only checked like this means they’ve already figured out a certain amount on their side, but don’t intend to dig deeply.’

The Association head was a renowned hunter said to be hiding an S-rank or higher grade.

If someone like that saw ‘Gio’s Portrait’ and coveted it directly, he might have already guessed that this ‘Black Cloak’ had a strong connection to it.

‘There was also the big common point of it being a portrait, to begin with.’

That the Black Cloak is witnessed in the form of a portrait was already a revealed fact.

At this point, they likely knew everything they needed to know and were only asking formally.

So the purpose of this “covering eyes and pretending” conversation was only two things.

‘Whether, with this rumor and the resulting confusion as a turning point, the Collector intends to misuse the Black Cloak.

And if not, whether they intend to hand Gio’s Portrait over to the Association for research...’

Well, he denied both.

“...”

Yoo Seong-woon opened his mouth.

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Have you identified the Black Cloak’s true nature?”

“...No.”

If only he had, that would have been great.

“I don’t know.”

“...I see.”

“So I ask that the Association exercise special caution as well.”

“Are you saying there is a need to raise the response grade?”

“That might be better.”

It was an existence of the source that even Yoo Seong-woon could not grasp.

Even if the Black Cloak had no malice, the probability that he would become a calamity to humans in some way was high, so from the standpoint of fragile humans, being extremely cautious would be advantageous for survival.

“If there is anything determined on our side as well, we will pass a report.”

“...I’ll be in your care.”

As if he had never spoken with him at all, the employee naturally moved away.

“...”

Feeling the presence recede, Yoo Seong-woon closed his eyes.

‘It’s been quite a long time since I’ve gotten the Association’s attention like this.’

Still, whether he hadn’t responded awkwardly, the park looked no different from before.

There was no one pretending otherwise while focusing on him, either.

‘Seems I didn’t act awkward.’

As he quietly kept his eyes closed, he heard the noise of people gathered in the park’s gentle air, chattering.

“So what was the Black Cloak in the end...?”

They, too, were confused.

“They said from the start it was a monster that didn’t suit the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea.’”

“They say sometimes monsters from other dungeons cross over—could it have been that kind of case?”

“The Black Cloak might have its own separate dungeon.”

“But they said it’s a humanoid monster.

Do boss monsters ever cross over between dungeons?”

“I heard sometimes you can even see it outside the dungeon...”

“No way—then it would mean it’s a monster that wanders around freely without a designated area.”

“That’s too much.

That really does sound like a false rumor.”

At the voices that came like the flapping of small bird wings, Yoo Seong-woon soon opened his eyes.

It was all talk about the Black Cloak.

“...As expected, it turns out like this.”

It was a scheduled confusion.

‘Still, at least this is a decent defense.’

Gio was an existence that could go anywhere.

Because he was a painting, he could become anything, and because he was a painter, he could create anything.

There was no way to stop such ‘Gio’s Portrait,’ so for the nation’s stability, what the Collector chose in the end was information control.

‘If people can slowly get used to the existence of the Black Cloak like this...’

It would certainly be less confusing than putting ‘Gio’s Portrait’ out front.

The ghost story that the Collector spread that wasn’t quite a ghost story, and giving Gio a hunter ID as a human—everything was in that context.

Trying to classify and control the source’s ‘story.’

“...”

Even so, Gio’s true nature was still a question.

‘What kind of existence makes all of this possible.’

Even gods could not repeatedly carry out such bold acts in this way.

“Not a god, not a human, and even less a monster...”

And yet an existence that could become all of them.

“What am I supposed to define this as?”

It’s too contradictory.

Even Yoo Seong-woon, who had stepped into the garden from a very young age, could not properly explain that existence.

Because even compared to the existences of the source he had seen and studied up to now, the specifications themselves were entirely different.

“...”

Letting out a sigh, Yoo Seong-woon stood up from his seat.

“Time to work.”

It felt like he’d lost his sight and was groping for the road with his hands.

That strange chill toward an existence that remained unknown despite all he had seen and heard crept quietly up the back of his neck.

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons

Fantasy, Modern,