LNCrawler

22 chapter

The Artist Who Paints Dungeon — novelight.net · All chapters

22 chapter

Yoo Seong-woon asked the guild leader for help.
“Help.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“I came to practice sharing.”
“I’m a neighborhood bookworm, right?”
As soon as 9 a.m. arrived at Bisabal, Yoo Seong-woon was holding a large glass jar in his hand. It was a jar so large that even Bisabal, who had been unexpectedly visited, was immediately drawn to it.
“You have unique tastes, Curator Yoo Seong-woon. It’s a rare item.”
“Oh, you already know, so don’t poke me and help me.”
“Should I?”
Bisabal immediately realized that the jar, which had a sweet scent even though the entrance was sealed, contained fruit juice. And he also knew that Geo had given it to him.
“Did you appraise it?”
“I did it as soon as I got it from Geo.”
“What’s the grade?”
“It’s still unknown.”
“Oh.”
Dal-gak.
Bisabal stared at the fruit juice on the table.
“…….”
“Do you see anything?”
“It’s very good for your body.”
“It doesn’t seem to be very good, but I understand.”
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t finish the cookies last ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) time?”
“If you eat too much, you won’t be able to sleep. No matter how much you’re a cog in a capitalist society, slaves are also human and need to sleep.”
“If you give it to employees who work overtime or guards at dawn, your reputation will be very good.”
“Then our portrait association will steal it. No matter how tight-lipped they are, information could leak out somewhere.”
“I know, I’m holding myself back.”
Bisabal laughed softly.
“More than anything, you shouldn’t treat Geo as an item dispenser.”
“That part….”
Yoo Seong-woon, who had been chewing on Bisabal’s words, nodded in satisfaction.
“I’m glad you’re paying attention.”
It was the ‘Portrait of Geo’ whose identity was still unclear.
It would be a way to extend the lifespan of humans to not be too scared, but to be as alert and conscious as possible.
“Even if the effect is secondary, it looks divine even when it’s created, so if you donate it to the temple, it will be very well-received.”
“Yes, well, I heard it’s especially good for malnutrition. I’m not in that condition, so I don’t know how much it feels.”
“If it’s nutrition, the Temple of the Sun would be especially good. With this much, even the poor on the verge of mummification could be saved.”
“Since it’s welcomed by the Sun Church, I can definitely tell that it’s an item that gives off a warm vibe. Is it that effective?”
“Since it’s a concentrate, wouldn’t it be a great help to the dungeon exploration team if we each took just a spoonful?”
The exploration team is not sent to conquer the dungeon, but rather to find missing people or figure out the dungeon’s structure. Since it was impossible to escape in a short period of time, a lot of food was consumed.
The problem was that since the dungeon was the environment, you couldn’t take too much. Because of that, it was common to take mostly tasteless nutritional food or potions.
“This looks tasty, and since it’s a concentrate, a small amount is enough, and since it’s in the form of fruit tea, it’s easy to consume like a potion.”
“…….”
“If it were known to the world, it would be burdensome to enjoy privately, to the point that the government would regulate it.”
“I guess so.”
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“However, it’s really unfortunate on a human scale, we have to enjoy it privately.”
Bisabal laughed like a young man.
“You can’t sell it, right?”
“Oh, absolutely not.”
It was a gift from the source. If he finds out that it is being auctioned without permission to sell, the hatred and resentment that Yoo Seong-woon will have to endure will be unbearable.
That was the ‘rule’.
“I think this every time, but the government is too low-vigilance toward the source.”
It’s been 31 years since the great disaster. It’s not a short time, but it’s not that long.
Unlike the dungeon, where abnormalities can be easily detected, the government’s understanding of the source, which is indifferent to humans, may be significantly lacking.
“This president is paying quite a bit of attention, and there are probably people who don’t know about this source… but in reality, nothing is reflected in society.”
Yoo Seong-woon let out a frustrated sigh.
“It would be good if safety prevention education was implemented not only for the dungeon, but also for the source. It’s heartbreaking to see a child of the source die without knowing the cause or their bereaved family. The gardeners have their limits in what they can do.”
“It’s not even a part that has been properly revealed yet, and isn’t the dungeon on the surface the biggest threat right now? It’s inevitable that we pay more attention to the dungeon that causes trouble than the source that doesn’t cause any trouble if left alone. We also lack manpower.”
“It’s like just chewing on the watermelon rind.”
“The fact that there are few people who can detect the source also plays a part.”
Unlike the dungeons that can be recognized by anyone, and the monsters that make their home there, the so-called ‘Children of the Source’ are difficult for most people to detect.
Various theories have been put forth so far, but the theory that it is because it is an ‘area that cannot be recognized by human physical ability’ is the most supported. That’s why only a small number of humans who have evolved or changed as the Earth’s environment changes can see the ‘Children of the Source.’
“I think it was said that even the right people can’t see all the Children of the Source.”
“Yes, this is also a kind of talent. Just like everyone has different hearing abilities, there are children that all aptitudes can see, and there are children that cannot.”
“That story is always fascinating to hear.”
“There is even a hypothesis that the fewer aptitudes a child has that they can see, the closer they are to the source. There must be a child that even I cannot see.”
“It is certainly a creepy story that there is danger right around the corner, but no one can see it.”
“If you can’t see or sense it, you can’t even touch it in the first place, and if you don’t touch it, it won’t get angry….”
Yoo Seong-woon sighed.
“I was whining because I was anxious, but honestly, even if the citizens don’t know about the source yet, it won’t be a big problem. They are indifferent to humans.”
“Didn’t you say there are exceptions last time?”
“Yes, of course there are exceptions… but since they aren’t as active as monsters, the damage will be less.”
This rarity was also one of the reasons why the Origin Child was not known until now.
“Well, anyway.”
“Yes.”
“We should eat this.”
“Of course.”
“It’s a strong concentrate and there’s a lot of it, so why don’t we just eat it among ourselves?”
“…Are you thinking of calling in another scapegoat?”
“We’ll have to call in the HR team.”
The HR team, like the secretary team, is made up of the most vocal members of the guild. They had to take care of everything from the overall guild members to carrying out the secret orders of the guild leader, Bisabal.
“At least it won’t spread to other teams.”
“That’s true, but….”
“I’ve been working overtime lately and I’m a bit out of it.”
“You even crack my cookies.”
“I’ll lie and say that this is an item I bought separately.”
“Thank you for that. I don’t know if that’s an excuse that’ll work for those smart people.”
“Hey, everyone is aware of it, so they’ll just keep quiet. They’re employees who hate extra work more than dying.”
“Well, since we’ve gathered only those kinds of people….”
Yoo Seong-woon sighed in relief.
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‘… Geo won’t mind that you shared it with your colleagues.’
Of course, the rules of the source aren’t something you can just gloss over like this. There were often cases where it became poisonous when consumed by someone other than the designated person.
‘But Geo…’
He definitely wanted to share it with ‘you all,’ he said.
‘I said that.’
He meant all the employees of this guild.
“…….”
“I guess that’s okay?”
“Yes, I thought back, but it’s a gift for all the employees, including me.”
“Well, I guess that’s why they gave you such a large jar. It’s too much for Yoo Seong-woon to eat alone.”
“Actually, I think I just gave it to him without thinking about it….”
He’s such a big guy.
“It’s funny how he knows what amount of Origin’s existence is appropriate for a human.”
“But didn’t Curator Yoo Seong-un say that he has memories from when he was human?”
“He does, but I expect it to be incomplete.”
The staff who met the so-called ‘Black Cloak’ testified that Geo introduced himself as ‘Sergio.’
Geo, a young man who died at the age of 29 or was set to die that way. That’s probably the memory that ‘Portrait of Geo’ has.
“But the thing to think about here is, if that’s the case, why is the portrait defined as ‘Geo’?”
That wasn’t something that a human gave him.
“It’s a name defined by Origin.”
The skills used by the Awakened, or Hunters, are all aided by Origin. This time, it was the same.
The Source, which could be a kind of god or a dimensional system, named a portrait in the basement of a building in a country, on a planet, like that.
“So the name of the portrait is not ‘Sergio’ but ‘Geo’. Then isn’t that different from what you said?”
“Maybe… does it mean that what the Source judged and Geo’s memories don’t match?”
“That’s right. The name we’re talking about here isn’t something we ourselves or another human named another human. It’s a name for our essence.”
This could be called the ‘true name’ given by the Source, our father.
“In other words, the name written in the system is the essence of the object evaluated by the Source, so it’s not something that a mere human can easily ignore.”
“So that name is attached to Geo?”
“That’s written so that anyone can interpret it. Whether it’s a low-level emotion skill or a high-level emotion skill like the guild master, it’s a name that everyone can recognize….”
“The problem is that we can’t find out more than that.”
“That’s right.”
Yoo Seong-un waved his hands as if cutting something with scissors.
“Geun-won said, ‘This is something you can’t read.
It’s like blocking it, saying ‘No.’ I only told you one thing, the name ‘Geo.’”
“It’s almost like a story about God.”
“They say that people who receive God’s gaze go crazy.”
Yoo Seong-woon didn’t deny it.
“The source is generally friendly to humans. No, it’s friendly to everything it holds. That’s why it seems indifferent.”
“… … .”
“If it was only friendly to humans, Dungeon, one of its children, wouldn’t have been born. However, he helps all of its children fight equally.”
Such a distant arrogance is definitely worthy of being called a ‘god.’ The gods of today’s generation are far from omnipotent.
“It’s a portrait of an ego that the source itself defines as not to delve into, as dangerous.”
“… … .”
“… It could really be a god. Or it could be something more. “A mere human cannot define it.”
A ‘something’ that is mistakenly believing itself to be human.
“… … .”
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“… I wonder how surprising it would be to say that there is something with the characteristics of a god in this day and age, but anyway…”
Yoo Seong-woon sighed deeply.
“It’s just one of my guesses. It’s not a monster, it’s not an item, and it doesn’t seem to be one of the children of the origin, so all sorts of strange hypotheses can come to mind.”
“I thought it was a realistic hypothesis. Priests already worship gods, and there are gods in this world who enjoy playing. It’s possible that they are gods who enjoy interacting with humans.”
“If that’s true, then Earth is in danger, so let’s stop. The moment Geo realizes that he’s not human, a miracle beyond a disaster… a disaster will occur.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“We should think of Geo as an ordinary human. The source is a ‘living story’, so the level of danger changes depending on how people think about the subject.”
“That’s really surprising.”
Bisabal was very interested.
“Don’t you think that kind of origin child appears mostly in Japan? Since it’s a country with so many shrines, the origin children that influence reality are diverse. What kind of changes will happen if we believe in a god called Geo?”
“That’s why I’m telling you not to think like that. Don’t add the scary oil of a god story to an already dangerous guy.”
“Living stories are scary, after all. It’s just that the moment you learn more about them or add additional settings, they become even scarier… Accidents are especially frequent in cultures that like mythology, right?”
“Don’t think strangely. What kind of disaster is this guy trying to cause… .”
Yoo Seong-woon muttered with a tired face and returned to his usual indifferent expression.
“Anyway, I think Geo’s memories are incomplete. His essence related to the origin is this and that… Aside from that, the fact that he thinks he is human but has no change in his state and abilities proves it.”
No. Geo just didn’t think about anything.
However, his ridiculous indifference that was enough to conclude his change as ‘I was human but I died and came back to life after 31 years and evolved into a portrait’ supported Yoo Seong-woon’s argument. Normal people wouldn’t be so insensitive to their own bodies.
“If he was a proper human, he would have felt fear in his state. He must have felt strange or disgusted by the fact that he had become a portrait from a human in the first place. And the fact that he wasn’t intoxicated by his omnipotence that he could create everything except humans… That’s absurd for a human.”
And that ridiculous story actually happened. Geo’s miraculous insensibility shone through in such an absurd way.
“This is a situation that cannot exist with human sensibilities.”
“It is definitely not ordinary.”
“Well, I don’t know much about the origin either. I’m not sure if he was a human and then belonged to the origin, or if some being from the origin took on a human form.”
“Hmm….”
“However, Geo doesn’t tell his own story well, apart from answering questions obediently.”
Again, Geo had no thoughts. He was not a person who brooded over things that had already passed, and in a similar context, he never even thought that Yoo Seong-woon would be curious about his past.
“Even though he calls himself human, Geo naturally accepts things that humans cannot do.”
This is also a misunderstanding. He just hasn't fully grasped the situation because he's been living so thoughtlessly. Geo, who is enjoying his life like a hurricane, didn't have any headaches. He was busy just enjoying his life.
Of course, even if he had grasped the situation, Geo would have been shocked for about 5 seconds and then immediately thought about what to eat for lunch. He was a man of this era who didn't give his refreshing and soft brain any room to be splashed with cold water.
"Usually, he's not that calm."
"That's true."
"Isn't it strange that he doesn't care when he has the power to commit mass murder and cause a natural disaster right now?"
He keeps repeating the same story, but he just didn't think that far ahead. For Geo, the trials and tribulations of life were nothing more than the menus for his three meals a day.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Geo originally thought that his superhuman abilities were just the power to 'make food with pictures'. He never even thought that this power was a threat to humanity.
Geo was a great man who could say, 'Why would you do something like that when you can make sweet potatoes with this?'
"I don't think humans are that generous."
That was big. Geo’s clear-headed way of thinking, which never let in anything wrong, had the talent to only let in ‘information’ out of ‘serious information’.
Geo didn’t really care about anything other than the fact that he had evolved into a portrait and that he could live like this if he did this. He was just living a bumbling life.
Of course, it was an unimaginable situation for ordinary people, so they were still serious.
“You don’t know a lot of information that you should know as a human.”
“…….”
“Then there must be a gap between your thoughts and reality in many ways….”
“And yet Geo claims to be a human?”
“He may know reality, but he may be trying to deny it.”
It was just that he wasn’t used to the current world 31 years later. Just like a 90-year-old might stutter when using a kiosk.
However, Yoo Seong-woon came to his own conclusion.
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“In that case, it would be a hint at the level of self-brainwashing, so either way, it’s not good for us to be the first to ask about Geo’s identity.”
“That’s interesting.”
Bisabael looked at Yoo Seong-woon as if he was jealous of him. He spoke in a sly tone, like a child who wanted to eat more ice cream from the freezer.
“I’d like to talk to him too….”
“I see.”
“Please arrange it.”
“That’s a bit too much.”
“Oh, why?”
“Geo hates it.”
“You don’t hate me, do you?”
“It’s stressful.”
Yoo Seong-woon shook his head firmly.
“The guild leader was the one who entrusted Geo to me. I have a duty to protect Geo’s condition. Geo needs sufficient care as long as he thinks of himself as a human.”
“Am I a human who doesn’t fit that kind of care?”
“Then would I fit in?”
“As expected, Curator Yoo Seong-un. He never utters nonsense.”
“… Ha… .”
In the end, he doesn’t refute it either.
‘It’s fortunate that he has a conscience.’
Yoo Seong-un smiled bitterly.
“It’s the same as before that we need to know more about Geo. We still don’t know his true identity, and we don’t know if he has any specific way of thinking or other rules.”
“Since he’s someone I brought here, please treat him well. All I want is for ‘Portrait of Geo’ to be satisfied with the service at my gallery.”
Bisabal nodded.
“Please continue to treat me as a human.”
“It’s very burdensome, but I’ll try my best for the peace of humanity.”
That’s why Yoo Seong-woon had an idea.
“…I’m thinking of taking Geo out for a tour soon.”
The portrait where Geo was staying was too alien a space for a human to live in.
Geo doesn’t want to break away from his human image, so he says that he’s just ‘remaining a portrait’… but if he continues to stay in it, he’ll eventually realize his true nature.
“It’s very fortunate for us that Geo is deluding himself into thinking he’s human. If possible, we should make sure that he continues to have that delusion. To do that, we have to put Geo among humans.”
“If you want to hide a tree, go to the forest?”
“…Isn’t it a little different? Anyway, if a human-like environment is created, that delusion will last a long time. In that sense, I’m thinking of showing Geo around the inside of the city.”
“How dangerous?”
“…….”
Yoo Seong-woon averted his eyes.
“… We should be careful.”
“Is that enough?”
“What can we do? It would be better to try something than wait for Geo to realize his true nature and explode.”
“It’s an incredibly bold choice that I can’t believe is the judgment of Curator Yoo Seong-un. Of course, I agree.”
“I also realize that I’m taking a dangerous gamble. I just thought it was necessary.”
I haven’t seen Yoo Seong-un properly yet, so I don’t know, but isn’t he the kind of portrait that can make people faint just by making eye contact?
“Geo is very considerate of people. He’s gentlemanly and polite. None of the employees I’ve met have died so far… There are few hunters in reality who are as intimidating as Geo.”
“If an S-class suddenly appears out of nowhere and it’s revealed to the media, it’ll be a headache. These days, with celebrities and idols, the pride of hunters in each country has grown stronger, so once a rumor gets out, it’ll spread like wildfire.”
“That might be better. It would be easier to disguise yourself as a hunter.
Anyway, we can fit Geo into human standards.”
“… … .”
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“The risk level of the child of the origin varies depending on the size of the story he holds. If Geo’s ‘story’ is reduced to human level, the safety level increases.”
Yoo Seong-woon sighed.
“… That’s the situation when Geo allowed it.”
“What do you think?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Don’t ask. My head is about to explode.”
“That’s why I gave you extra allowance.”
“It’s like a fucking capitalist society.”
Yoo Seong-woon thought for a moment and said.
“Can’t you tell your employees not to be so afraid of Geo?”
“Will that work? Is their brain melted by caffeine? Is it canned and not functioning?”
“Why are you being so harsh? I was asking you to at least make some rules.”
He looked embarrassed.
“Geo felt uncomfortable because everyone he met stiffened so much. He judged them to be rude.”
“…….”
“There is a limit to telling Geo not to be uncomfortable, so we humans should try our best to be ‘polite’ to him.”
“…um….”
Bisabal nodded.
“If we just regulate behavior, it should be possible.”
“Is it possible?”
“There is nothing he can’t do.”
This is a collector’s market. Since this is a country of collectors, there is nothing he can’t do.
This is the power that a guild leader in modern society can enjoy.