The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

Suddenly one day, a strange rumor began to circulate.

“They say there’s a ghost.”

A curator who was just about to head to the basement frowned at his coworker’s words.

“… Pardon?”

“There’s a gallery on the fifth basement floor.”

“Ah, yes. I know.”

It was impossible not to know.

“The new piece I’m in charge of is also on the fifth basement floor.”

Collection’s gallery only allowed entry to about 300 curators, including the owner, guild leader Bi Sa-beol, and guests who came to purchase the artworks.

The gallery had a total of five floors. Each floor housed different types of collected works, and among them, the last fifth floor was home to Bi Sa-beol’s most beloved pieces.

For reference, Bi Sa-beol’s affection for a piece was proportional to its danger. The fact that the curator this time was in charge of just a piece on the fifth floor meant that.

“What happened on that 5th floor? It should be a floor that is well-managed due to its high level of risk.”

To that question, the colleague replied.

“I told you earlier. They say it’s haunted.”

“… I’m not saying that I heard that rumour for the first time. So what I mean is, I’m asking if that rumour originated from some kind of incident or accident.”

The curator, who laughed awkwardly, naturally scratched his neck perhaps out of habit.

“There have been several ghost disturbances in this gallery before, haven’t there?”

Bi Sa-beol’s gallery, which collected all sorts of bizarre and beautiful works from around the world, had always been prone to accidents.

Bi Sa-beol didn’t care about the true identity of the items, even if they were essentially monsters, as long as they were considered ‘art,’ he collected them.

And so far, most of the ghost disturbances in this gallery had been caused by monsters.

“What kind of monster is this piece? Judging by the fact that they’re calling it a ghost, it seems close to human form.”

“They said it’s a human.”

“That’s even more puzzling. Are you saying that a humanoid monster has entered our gallery?”

In such a situation, if it could be evaluated as ‘human,’ then naturally, there were humanoid monsters.

“Why would such a dangerous monster be in a gallery like this instead of a dungeon? Especially if it’s humanoid, it would have high intelligence and strong pride.”

Humanoid monsters were not only rare but typically possessed intelligence beyond that of average humans, and their hatred towards the outside of the dungeons was intense.

Humanoid monsters, equipped with both intelligence and power, would usually reign over their own dungeon, toying with any hunters that visited.

“If that were true, why would the guild building be so quiet? It would have rushed out and killed everyone by now…”

“That’s why it’s strange. Every situation we can assess is contradictory.”

The coworker continued.

“We’ve already received 17 complaints.”

“17 times already?”

For curator Yoo Sung-woon, the first time he heard the rumour about the ‘ghost’ was two weeks ago.

If there were 17 complaints in just two weeks, it would be difficult to dismiss it as mere rumour.

“That’s quite frequent. If it’s to that extent, it seems like it wouldn’t have stopped at just rumours.”

“The HR department is controlling the information. As you know, it wouldn’t be good if rumours of a problem in the guild leader’s gallery spread outside.”

“That’s true. If there’s a problem with Collection who handles South Korea’s finances, even the president would have to jump into action immediately.”

“It’s not a joke though, so I can’t laugh. Fortunately, the scale of the incident was small, so it wasn’t difficult to control.”

The HR employee sighed after saying that.

“But if it’s serious enough for them to file a formal complaint, it means it’s not something to be overlooked.”

“The fact that complaints have been filed even though the curators are not such easygoing hunters ….”

“They must have judged that they couldn’t handle it on their own.”

“This is a bit troublesome.”

Unlike regular curators, curators with hunter licenses were erudite beings. Even if they weren’t very powerful, their ability to appraise and respond to monsters and items was far superior to ordinary hunters.

Among them, Bi Sa-beol employed some of the world’s most talented individuals. The fact that such talents couldn’t resolve the issue on their own and had filed complaints with the HR department representative in front of him meant the incident was not to be taken lightly.

“…This is really…”

At this point, curator Yoo Sung-woon seemed to understand why the HR department had called him.

“What should I do?”

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re already busy.”

“No, it’s my duty to respond if an incident occurs.”

He was an employee whose abilities were recognized even among the curators directly employed by Bi Sa-beol. He was already an A-rank hunter and had countless certifications related to alchemy and barriers.

Yoo Sung-woon was often called upon when additional work arose, so he was used to taking tasks like this.

“You’re so reliable.”

The HR department coworker continued speaking with his characteristically cold expression.

“We’ll be grateful if Mr. Yoo Sung-woon could be in charge of administrative management.”

“I appreciate the favourable opinion, but still, that’s a bit…”

Yoo Sung-woon shook his head.

“Isn’t it odd for someone who was an association researcher to take on administrative duties?”

“I remember that you were not just a researcher, but a research team leader.”

“Yes, that’s why. I received enough glares when I left the association. I don’t want to stand out.”

“If that’s how you feel, I won’t insist any further.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Scratching his neck, Yoo Sung-woon asked.

“Anyway, if there have been seventeen cases, doesn’t that mean the monster has no intention to hide its appearance?”

“If it was a monster that had excellent concealment ability to pass our guild’s inspection and be safely displayed in the gallery, it could have hidden itself as much as it wanted.”

As if waiting for this, the HR employee nodded.

“I was just about to inform you some information about this ghost.”

“That’s good news.”

“Of course, it’s a strange phenomenon witnessed seventeen times. We can’t be negligent in gathering information.”

The employee continued.

“Although not as much as Mr. Sung-woon, thanks to the other curators also being competent, we’ve fortunately been able to hear various stories about the ghost.”

The HR department employee handed the documents to Yoo Sung-woon.

“You’ll see when you read it…”

“Is there a picture?”

“Based on testimonies of the witnesses, we’ve added illustrations.”

“Hmm.”

As Yoo Sung-woon looked at the illustrations, the HR employee explained.

“In all 17 sightings, the ghost’s attire did not change. He wore a large black cloak that covered his entire face and body, and his inner clothing was said to be a black shirt and suit. The height was about 188cm, quite tall for a humanoid.”

“Then is the physique somewhat robust?”

“Due to the large cloak, detailed confirmation was impossible, but the general consensus was that it wasn’t a thin build. However, there were no comments about it being overly muscular, though.”

“If it’s that hard to see the inside, seems like no one really knows if it’s truly humanoid. It could be an undead type. What’s the reason for determining it as a humanoid monster?”

“There was only one curator who saw the face.”

“Oh.”

“To describe it…”

The HR employee continued.

“He said it was handsome. He was a curator with high standards.”

“… It may sound absurd, but if someone who meticulously examines others’ appearances says it’s handsome, then the facial features must be very distinct and well-defined. And we’ve classified it as human.”

“No… Handsome or not, what about the features?”

Yoo Sung-woon asked with a grim expression.

“Like the colour of the hair, the shape of the eyes, the condition of the skin, or if there are any moles… Those kinds of features. It seems that there was no facial illustration, so there were no testimonies regarding this part?”

“Unfortunately, it was only seen briefly, so the curator couldn’t confirm its features properly. However, during that fleeting moment, the thought ‘handsome’ came to mind, but this was only after proper reasoning returned after the escape, so there is nothing to say about its external features.”

The representative added.

“For some reason, everyone finds it hard to make eye contact. So it’s difficult to describe the facial features, and naturally, if you can’t see the eyes, you wouldn’t know what the face looks like.”

“Maybe there’s a skill related to the eyes, or perhaps that’s the main body. Then what about parts other than the face, like the hands or feet?”

“Luckily, I guess I can tell you that.”

The HR department employee nodded.

“The skin was said to be extremely pale. It was so white like someone who had never been exposed to sunlight, and there were testimonies that it was particularly noticeable amidst its entirely black attire.”

“Is that so? Then it might be a monster with a story… It could have drifted in from some dungeon.”

“And it was said to be barefoot.”

“Is it to avoid making noise?”

At Yoo Sung-woon’s murmur, the HR department employee firmly denied it.

“That’s not it.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“‘When the ghost walked, it made no sound at all.’ All 17 curators testified unanimously. Even if it was barefoot, there would have been some noise, so there was no need for it to take off its shoes.”

“Then the lack of sound when walking is probably just an individual characteristic of the monster.”

In this case, it’s usually one of two things.

‘A monster with a skill to hide sound, or a monster so light that it makes no sound…’

Since it was judged to be humanoid, the former is more likely.

Yoo Sung-woon soon frowned.

“Did you report this to the guild leader? If it’s really a humanoid monster, it’s not just a matter of interest, but a research subject.”

“I’ve already reported on the matter, but I was only told to check internally as much as possible and not to disclose it externally. He said he didn’t want it to be taken away by the Hunter Association for research.”

“…I understand what you meant. If it’s the guild leader, then that’s possible.”

Yoo Sung-woon nodded. The words 'and what if someone dies' did not come out.

In today’s world, the life of someone who dies while working is treated as trivial as a pebble on the roadside.

‘At least Bi Sa-beol is a person who cares a lot about his employees, so I can trust that he took measures in this aspect. He’s not a boss who recklessly assigns dangerous tasks….’

At that time, the HR department employee said.

“Starting next week, we plan to begin enhanced safety training for curators. All trainees will be given an artefact, so please make sure to receive it, Mr. Yoo Sung-woon.”

“Aha.”

Indeed. It made sense.

“As expected, our guild works really hard. They also know how to save people's lives.”

“That’s kind of you to say. But these are all orders from the guild leader.”

The HR department employee continued the explanation.

“The first ghost sighting was 15 days ago, at 4:32 AM.”

“If it was 4 AM, it must be when there were hardly any people around. Our gallery’s day and night operate the same way, so it would be a time when it’s quiet with no one around.”

“That’s correct. It’s also one of the characteristics of this ghost. I’m not sure if it’s conscious of people’s gazes or if there’s a condition, but it usually insists on showing in early morning hours when not many employees visit.”

“It sounds either timid or cunning, but ….”

Yoo Sung-woon flipped through the documents, tilting his head. The data that should be there was not provided. It didn’t seem like an oversight.

“… There were no casualties.”

It wasn’t like a humanoid monster.

No, it just wasn’t like a monster.

‘…Even if humanoid monsters are adept at schemes, just watching people for two weeks is definitely unusual. Even if it used other mental skills for a delayed attack like a time bomb… This secure guild can’t be unaware of it.’

Then if that was the case, it really means that this ‘ghost‘ has been just watching people for two whole weeks.

“A monster without malice doesn’t exist, does it?”

Yoo Sung-woon, who was once an association researcher, knew how much malice monsters held against Earth’s creatures. It was at an unbearable level, even for humanoid monsters with high intelligence.

Even if that were possible, monsters lacked knowledge and understanding of humans. Even if they approached humans with goodwill, it could never have a positive influence.

‘Is this why it was evaluated as a ghost?’

At least ghosts would have a high level of understanding of humans.

Yoo Sung-woon thought to himself as the employee’s explanation reached his ears.

“The locations where it’s been sighted are getting closer to the ground the more recent it is.”

“Starting from the first sighting, it wandered around the fifth basement level for a total of seven times, then the next four times on the fourth floor, and the following two times on the third floor. Then the second floor for another two times. And once it was witnessed on the first floor. It came up one floor at a time.”

“…Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

“But the last sighting, the seventeenth, was set on the 5th basement floor.”

“Ah, it went back?”

“After that, there were no sightings for five days.”

“Then…”

“It seems its exploration has been completed.”

“What a headache.”

Finding a monster that had already hidden in its home was an even more difficult task.

“Are there any other peculiarities? Like its behaviour. Usually, monsters like this set their own rules and try to force other humans into their rules. Especially if it’s humanoid, it seems even more likely that it would have its personal rules.”

The employee nodded.

“As you said, there was a peculiarity.”

“What is it?”

“It gives gifts.”

It doesn’t seem like he had lived that long, but to think that in his lifetime, he had even heard of monsters giving gifts.

‘…The works in the gallery often show such behaviour, but if we consider that, it becomes quite difficult to classify this guy as a simple monster….’

Yoo Sung-woon asked after organizing his thoughts.

“…Gifts, you say?”

The employee, empathizing with Yoo Sung-woon’s sceptical voice, made a subtle expression, coughed once, and then returned to his poker face.

The employee continued the explanation.

“When you first encounter the ghost, it approaches pretending to be human.”

“Who would believe that…”

“Maybe it really believes it’s human. Anyway, after that, it asks the employee it meets for a conversation. What’s your name. How old are you. What do you do. Where is this place. Why are you here.”

“….”

“The content is mostly mundane and nothing special. It doesn’t ask for deep personal information, and even if you’re reluctant to reveal your identity, it doesn’t pry further. If you successfully complete the conversation, the ghost gives a gift.”

The HR department employee gestured to flip through the documents. As Yoo Sung-woon flipped through with a nervous expression, he saw photos of the ‘gifts’ the employees had received.

“…T

“Yes, as you can see, it’s food.”

“What kind of domestic monster is this?”

The photo showed snacks like cookies, chocolates, and candies that were easy to take in one bite.

Considering the neat and modest packaging, no matter how much he thought about it, it was definitely homemade. A homemade snack made by a monster was something that would get criticized for lying too much if it was published in an article.

“Have you done a component analysis?”

“It was conducted under the guild leader’s orders, and the test results came out a week ago.”

“Like poison or…”

“No, on the contrary, it was medicine. Types like iron supplements, digestive aids, pain relievers, fever reducers, antidiarrheals.”

“The research team couldn’t figure out how on earth ordinary cookies or chocolates could have such medicinal properties. After all, both taste and ingredients were just normal snacks.”

Yoo Sung-woon asked while flipping through the documents.

“Then how did you detect the effects of the ingredients?”

“As you know, with the full support of the guild leader…”

“Did he bring them from prison again? Somehow, that does seem to be the cleanest way.”

“It’s a place full of useful test subjects.”

“That’s true. But even with the help of prison, wasn’t the research done quickly?”

“I don't know why, but there happened to be prisoners that the guild leader had prepared.”

In an era where the lives of healthy employees are treated like pebbles, the human rights of criminals are nonexistent.

The leader of the Collection guild was someone who was very good at utilizing this aspect, and it was roughly guessed that this experiment probably also used such criminals.

The HR department employee continued.

“What's even more surprising is that the gift was just the right medicine for the employee.”

“… Are you saying that it gave snacks with digestive ingredients to employees who felt nauseous, and snacks with fever reducers ingredients to employees who had a fever?”

“That’s correct.”

Yoo Sung-woon rubbed his face.

“If it has an appraisal skill that can be used against living beings, then it must be of a high rank.”

“It’s a troublesome opponent since it’s showing goodwill towards us.”

“It would be easier to fight a rampaging monster, but we can't subdue or appease this one.”

Yoo Sung-woon let out a long sigh and nodded, seemingly accepting his fate of soon taking on additional work.

“I’ll take care of it. This is my speciality.”

“Thank you. And there’s one more thing I’d like to tell you…”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the date when the incident started.”

“This sounds ominous.”

“It started after the guild leader displayed ‘Gio’s Portrait’ in the gallery.”

“

The HR department employee looked at Yoo Sung-woon’s exclamation with pity.

It makes sense, because ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was the piece that Yoo Sung-woon had recently been assigned to.

“… Another night of overtime, I guess.”

He couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“Stay strong.”

“I have to.”

He was already tired.