The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 115

Park Eun-gyeom wasn’t the only one who was dragged into the ‘Empty City’.

“Huh...? Uh, uh, where am I....”

A C-class hunter who tried to kill his teammates and take their items.

“Huh? Huh... What is it? What kind of punk... Huh?”

A civilian who was drunk and assaulted a passerby without asking.

“...Is this really the ‘Empty City’?”

A B-class hunter who was moving forward while throwing out his party members as bait.

It didn’t matter whether they were hunters or civilians. They all followed the same path as Park Eun-gyeom and floundered in the ‘Empty City’, and since they didn’t meet the master of this dungeon, Black Cloak, they just became a painting.

“I, I was invited to the ‘Empty City’!!”

And someone returned safely, having received a thrilling experience as a gift.

“I met Black Cloak while I was walking down the street at dawn. I was throwing my trash in the trash can....”

“You did something small and good? You don’t usually do that?”

“Fuck, yeah, honestly, I’ve been doing that a lot lately because I wanted the snacks Black Cloak said he’d give me.”

“You crazy bastard, you made it back alive. Should I report this to the association or not...? So?”

“Instead of the snacks, I asked if I could get an invitation to the ‘Empty City’, so I went.”

The pedestrian who received Black Cloak’s help was able to safely enjoy the ‘Empty City’ and escape. It was an incredibly brave challenge for a pedestrian who wasn’t a Hunter, but thanks to it, he gained something to brag about for the rest of his life.

“It was really cool. Sometimes, a black suit guy pops out and looks at me... Do you know Hunter Lee Sung-jin?”

“I know, you’re the B-rank Hunter who was supposedly dragged to the ‘Empty City’ this time. You couldn’t possibly....”

“I saw that hunter there? No, he was covered in black spots... I actually didn’t even know he was human.”

At that moment, the black suit with the voice of Lee Seong-jin Hunter spoke.

“That’s him.”

Unless it was necessary, the black suit didn’t imitate the human he had robbed. He just asked for communication with a cool black suit figure, with a heavy and respectful gesture like a gentleman, and with a human voice and face.

“I was really creeped out. You’re crazy, you’re amazing...!”

“You, you... You did something so crazy? Who would crawl into a dungeon on their own, you brat?”

“But you said it was worth risking your life for? It’s almost a work of art!”

Cases like this would pop up every time they were forgotten, causing people to murmur.

Some people were dragged away by force. Some people escaped from the painting at the behest of their families, but some of them committed evil deeds again and became paint, and others reflected on their actions and lived honest lives.

“I want to visit the ‘Empty City’ too.”

“They said not to do anything that would hurt you. Are you clean?”

“No, I’m average, average.”

The safest way to get invited was to ask Black Cloak for an invitation instead of a gift. If you asked for an invitation in front of the ‘Empty City’, you could enter, but if you were judged to be a villain, you would be forcibly dragged out on the spot.

This wasn’t something that only happened among those who enjoyed danger.

“It’s a work of art that you can enter yourself, not just look at. That’s amazing.”

“They say there’s a lot to feel just by appreciating Black Cloak’s work. They say it’s small but huge.”

“Have you heard about the safest way to get invited to the ‘Empty City’?”

“If you’ve done good deeds and come across Black Cloak, you can exchange a gift for an invitation....”

Even decent people who enjoy art talked about it.

“Who can enter the interior of a work and appreciate it?”

If you could enter Vincent van Gogh’s representative work, “Starry Night,” and observe the world of the work, who would refuse? Those who pride themselves on enjoying art were excited about Black Cloak’s work.

“I heard that the style of the painting changes depending on the subject of the work.”

“Isn’t that absurd? An artist should definitely have his own style.”

“Well, if there is a lot to appreciate when you look at a work, can you say that the person who painted it isn’t an artist?”

“Black Cloak is a good artist. The moment you see his work, you can tell what Black Cloak is trying to say.”

“That could simply be because he is a monster.”

“In an era where countless gallery painters use their skills to create works, what does that matter?”

“That’s right, that could actually be an advantage.”

“If Black Cloak has a style, it would be that his paintings are a real world.”

“If you think about it that way, it’s definitely.... It’s a work that clearly expresses what it wants to say.”

As the ‘Empty City’ was completely revealed to the world, even that world changed a little.

“Uh... What are you doing now?”

“Looking for trash.”

“Why are you looking for trash with such bloodshot eyes?”

“This is the place where ‘Black Cloak’ often appears.”

“Ah, Black Cloak.”

It was hard to find trash in places where Black Cloak was frequently seen. This was because street cleaning was the easiest and most frequent good deed.

“I came out today because I didn’t know when Black Cloak would appear....”

“Well, what, please work hard.”

“Yes, thank you. It’s cold, so be careful when you go back.”

Some people did small acts of kindness to get a taste of the snacks Black Cloak gave them. Some people did it to get invited to the work called ‘City of the Void’. And some people did it to interact with the famous monsters these days.

When they were tired, someone cheered and bragged.

“Hey, look at this! It’s a gift from Black Cloak?”

“Black Cloak? This is crazy, this isn’t a snack? What is it, it smells really good.”

“Flower tea, flower tea. Am I the first person to receive something like this?”

A woman who secretly bought a bungeoppang for Carnation Ai out of pity ended up receiving a ‘flower tea’ as a gift.

“What, it wasn’t just a snack?”

“So Black Cloak’s gifts had tiers....”

“They said it was almost like a potion.”

“This is too good of a gift for a civilian.”

“Fuck, I’m so jealous.”

Even some who heard that the flower tea was so good that they approached women with bad intentions, but they soon stopped after being watched by the ‘Empty City’ for a month. In particular, those who almost harmed women were dragged into the frame.

“The aftermath is also clean.”

Whether they were civilians or Awakened, there was no reason not to try.

Of course, on the other hand, some of those who had been habitually doing evil things were discouraged. They had to constantly check their own actions because they had to worry about the ‘Empty City’ that could appear anywhere.

“...Fuck, what the hell are monsters....”

“I can’t do it because my pride is hurt, you piece of shit.”

But they couldn’t let themselves run wild. It was because of the habit ingrained in their bones of being strong to the weak and weak to the strong.

They knew how terrible the situation was for several people, starting with Park Eun-gyeom.

The association, sensing this flow, displayed something.

“Huh? Hey, that thing in front of the association....”

“What is it? Is it paint? Is it food?”

“No, the color is a bit strange.”

Park Eun-gyeom was the first villain in the ‘Empty City’.

“...Why does that thing look alive?”

“Dog, don’t be so mean. Is that thing alive?”

“Is the association really crazy... Isn’t this a violation of human rights?”

“If you want to end ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) up like that, keep being a jerk.”

“...Wow... It’s creepy....”

Those who didn’t read the association’s post didn’t know the exact circumstances, but it was obvious that it was living paint. For some reason, you could tell just by looking at it.

It was a clear demonstration of how horrible a life one would have to lead if they were branded a villain in the ‘Empty City’.

“Can the association use the power of monsters to come out like this?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We just wanted to let you know about the dangers of the ‘City of Void’.”

It was a trick that anyone could clearly see as ‘The current trend created by the Black Cloak is not bad, so let’s keep it that way.’ However, the association evaded the idea, saying ‘We just wanted to warn you that there are more people who are approaching the Black Cloak these days.’

The few who knew of the existence of the source and the gardeners realized that this was the association’s intention to limit the ‘story’ of the Black Cloak to something that would benefit human conscience and rules.

“I wonder what they’re going to do if the story of the Black Cloak becomes too big because the association acknowledges it.”

“It’s not a monster that’s stuck in a corner, and it’s a being that’s quite close to the source to be considered a simple monster. It’s better this way.”

“Yeah, if it keeps appearing in the gaps between people, the story will become huge anyway.”

“So, should we try to make the image of Black Cloak moving in a direction that is beneficial to humans?”

“If we can use this gap to restrict the direction of the active Black Cloak, it would be beneficial. I understand.”

“Even for that, it is a bold move. It must have been impatient because it is a rare existence that directly affects humans.”

“It would be better to prepare before something happens rather than trying to deal with it after it happens. Especially when it comes to story issues.”

“It could be a strong stimulus to monster haters. Some people might strongly oppose it.”

“Well, wouldn’t the association handle that well? There are many capable people there.”

Also, even if that wasn’t the case, there was no one who could strongly oppose the association.

“If you are dissatisfied with the operation of the association, please contact me.”

It was because Dan Hae-ra, the association president, stepped forward herself.

In a world where human rights were treated as empty words to begin with. The citizens who were living a safe life in the city with the help of the association did not think of rebelling against them.

Only a few who had been secretly doing things that could be called criminals were grumbling.

“.......”

There was another person who benefited from that trend.

“What the hell.”

It was F-class hunter Cha Ara.

“Oppa, I just earned some money.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The people who abandoned me in the dungeon last time paid me compensation.”

“How much?”

“Uh... enough to replace the electric blanket?”

“It’s almost spring, so they’re talking about electric blankets.”

It wasn’t that common, but there were times when the Black Cloak would judge the good and evil of a human based on the victim’s appeal. As a result, there were a couple of times when the Black Cloak judged the perpetrator to be evil, and bad things would happen.

That was the reason why Cha Ara was only now receiving compensation for something that happened a long time ago.

“Then let’s fix the ceiling. It’s leaking.”

“Let’s save some. I won’t be selling bungeoppang anymore, so I need to save some money for the time being.”

“That would be better. Oppa, you’ll be staying home for a while, right? What are you going to do?”

“I should start taking care of the garden. The weather is getting warmer... .”

“If oppa says he’ll try to make money by farming, I’ll help him with the farm work for a while.”

“Okay, a hunter should be a hunter. Why are you touching dirt?”

“What are you going to plant?”

“Um... I’m thinking about potatoes and lettuce for now.”

While they were chatting away, the topic changed to the youngest.

“What’s Chae Sol doing?”

“I bet he’s eating well.”

“Does he have a girlfriend these days?”

“No... He’s a real friend.”

“Kkabi, I thought the youngest learned love too.”

“What kind of love does something the size of your palm learn?”

Cha Eunhyuk clicked his tongue.

“I heard you’re going to do an internship soon.”

“Huh? Why didn’t I hear it?”

“I got a call the day before yesterday, but you weren’t home.”

“Oh, I heard the youngest’s voice too... I also talked to the youngest....”

“Stay home, whether you talk or not.”

“Our youngest is cotton candy, but he’s already going out for an internship.”

“That’s just a bean pod, not cotton candy.”

“It dissolves in water.”

“That’s the same for us.”

The Cha family has been melting in stagnant water for generations. They were people who had a hard time staying submerged for long periods of time.

“Anyway, I told you to summon Black Cloak when you felt like you were going to fail.”

“Is this guy crazy, ruining a child’s life? It’s like summoning a demon?”

“It’s more moderate than a demon... Hey. It’s better to have a messed up life than to die.”

“Honestly, it’s hard to tell the difference between a clean death and a really messed up life.”

“No, last time I saw him, Black Cloak cared for our youngest.”

“That... That’s true, but...”

“You might get annoyed that I called you for personal reasons, but it’s better than losing, right?”

“.......”

Cha Ara, who had been keeping her mouth shut, asked.

“...So what’s that gentleman doing?”

“From what I’ve seen on the news, he seems to be having a good time.”

“I heard he hasn’t been appearing much lately?”

“I heard there have definitely been fewer sightings than in the winter.”

“I guess everyone’s starting to calm down.”

“It’s more like he’s settling down, which gives me goosebumps.”

“What is it, like a mandatory national vaccination....”

“That’s right, that’s it. That’s exactly what it feels like.”

The city that had been noisy with the story of the black cloak was gradually returning to its usual appearance.

There were still people running around to meet the black cloak, and there were people holding back so as not to be labeled as villains, but it felt much calmer and more like they had returned to their daily lives.

“This planet will be with the black cloak until it dies....”

“Fuck, when you say it like that, it’s twice as scary.”

“It just feels like everyone’s gotten used to it, and Black Cloak is also less active.”

Cha Eunhyuk, who had even had a meal with him, asked.

“But ‘Sergio’ doesn’t do much?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking me that, but Sergio?”

“Black... that... that person... has a status. He came from the ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’....”

“Ah, ahh....”

Cha Ara nodded.

“...I see?”

Did Black Cloak have no intention of using his human identity?