The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 201
A place slightly removed from the coast.
“D-Do bosses normally come outside...? This doesn’t seem like a standard dungeon break...”
To the young priest’s question, Kang Seodam, leading the team, responded.
“Rarely, this happens with humanoid monsters. Monsters with intelligence beyond humans can act far beyond their nest. Since the scale of their authority is vast, they can do many things even outside their own dungeon.”
“Then, what if the submarine we’re supposed to board is attacked as we descend...? I just heard that mermaids are surging up from the deep.”
“Thanks to the ice-type hunters freezing the area, that shouldn’t happen. And we’ve brought telekinetic-type hunters for exactly that. We, Children of the Sun, can also perform ranged attacks, so all we can do is remain alert and watch our surroundings carefully as we move.”
They were heading to the mermaid’s dungeon, seizing the brief opportunity created when the dungeon boss emerged from its nest. One team targeted the boss outside, while the other aimed for the heart of the dungeon.
But in such conditions, they couldn’t move unprotected. They had to use a submersible. Following a staff member from the Association, they moved forward. Kang Seodam let out a soft sigh.
“I wish Sister Iru Da was in the rear...”
“That’s already been arranged. She’s staying put.”
“She has to. It’s not safe back there either.”
“She’s a girl who keeps her promises.”
“I believe so too, but...”
It was presumed that Cha I-Sol was inside the mermaid dungeon, the “Nation of the Deep Sea.”
Iru Da had forced herself into this war to find her partner, Cha I-Sol, but as a priest-in-training, she couldn’t be taken into the dungeon. It was an S-class dungeon that had already claimed the lives of many.
“...Well, worrying like this won’t change anything.”
For now, they could only hope Iru Da would maintain control over herself.
“How much farther to the submersible?”
“Sorry, movement-type hunters can’t work properly in crowded places, so...”
“No, I was just asking how far we still have to go. I already understand how much effort it takes for movement-type hunters to concentrate.”
“Thank you for your understanding. We’re almost there.”
Just then, the Association staff received a message.
“...What?! N-No, what do you mean—?”
“What’s wrong? Has something gone wrong?”
“They’re saying the movement-type hunters and the submersible are under attack.”
“What? If we go now—”
“In a situation like this, movement-type hunters prioritize retreat.”
“...Right.”
Simply put, teleportation-type hunters had fragile bodies. They had neither offensive nor defensive power, but their evasion skills were unmatched.
They typically operated from safe locations, and even in emergencies, they were legally permitted to retreat if their lives were threatened. That rule was created after many hunters had been exploited as transporters and died.
“What happened to the submersible?”
“They said mermaids crawled out of the sea and attacked. We can’t expect much from that one now.”
“But there should still be another submersible, right? They wouldn’t have prepared only one...”
“Judging by the number of mermaids, the situation doesn’t look very hopeful.”
A hunter frowned at that.
“So what, we’re just supposed to turn back? After coming all this way, now you’re saying we don’t go into the dungeon?”
“No, we have to. If we don’t raid that place, this damn war might never end. The dungeon might produce an endless number of them...”
“That’s why we’re here. But if there’s no submersible and teleporters can’t take us directly into the dungeon, then what are we supposed to do?”
The Association staff, looking troubled, offered an alternative.
“We have a backup submersible. But it’ll take a while to bring it here. The movement-type hunters are already worn out from transporting the large one, so we’ll need to reassign manpower...”
“That’s going to take a while.”
Sanarae of Haryeong asked,
“Should we just go back?”
“Uh...”
“Hm? Should we?”
It was a rude and uncooperative question, but not wrong.
The hunters gathered here for the raid had no role left, and until the new submersible was ready, they had no way of knowing how many more would die at the shoreline where the boss still roamed.
“Sitting around wasting time here isn’t it.”
“Hunter Sanarae is right.”
The faces of the Association staff darkened.
“......”
“...Wait, that—”
“A frame?”
The hunters noticed something strange.
“Since when was there a picture frame there?”
On the concrete wall along the coast, still marked by pre-catastrophe ruins, a frame was hanging. The hunters approached it, sensing something from it.
Sanarae’s expression turned grim.
“The smell of the sea.”
“Huh?”
“......”
“...Ah, you’re right.”
It was a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ painting of a shrine that looked strangely familiar.
“Black Cloak...?”
At someone’s murmur, the painting inside the frame shimmered.
“What the hell?”
“W-What’s going on now?”
“That picture inside... I think it’s the ‘Shrine of the Deep Sea’...”
“So what, what’s the point? What does it mean?”
“Isn’t it telling us to go in?”
“No way—what, is it helping us?”
The hunters were baffled.
“Why would a monster help humans?”
“But even before, Black Cloak liked giving gifts to good people...”
“Are we good? No way. We haven’t done anything good.”
“Does a raid count as a good deed?”
Kang Seodam felt conflicted as the others kept labeling Black Cloak a monster.
“......”
“...Why, what is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
It seemed the staff didn’t know the truth. Kang Seodam understood.
‘Well, not every piece of information gets shared down the ladder, even in the Association.’
Even though this staff member was on the frontlines, that particular “information” was too risky to spread freely.
Kang Seodam ran through hundreds of thoughts in an instant but ultimately chose to follow the will of the divine. To go against it would be to forfeit his right as a priest.
“...This may be difficult to say in the current situation, but it’s precisely because of this situation that I must speak. The Church of the Sun has recognized Black Cloak as a form of divinity, having taken in a very small number of apostles.”
“...Wh-What?!”
“No, what are you saying...!!”
Not only the hunters but even the Association staff were shocked. Kang Seodam silently cursed the world for forcing him to say this, but he did what he had to as a person.
“And those apostles are believed to be Hunter Sergio of the Collector’s Guild and the Church’s trainee priestess Cha I-Sol.”
“If—if that’s true...”
“It’s not confirmed, but within the Church, it has been accepted as fact. I personally felt the presence of the sun when I first met Hunter Sergio, and Cha I-Sol has testified to this connection multiple times.”
“...Ah, so that’s why...”
Now they understood why, of all times, Black Cloak had opened this “door.”
“To save his children, perhaps.”
There had been previous cases of divinity asking humans for help, unable to exert power directly due to interference from the dimensional system. Black Cloak, in particular, was already rooted in Korea. Opening a gate like this wouldn’t be difficult for him.
“I’d love to dig deeper into this topic...”
“There’s no time for that. We’ll think about Black Cloak later. If this isn’t a door opened by a monster, then it should be safe to use, right?”
“It could still be an evil god. We don’t know if this gate is truly safe.”
“But with the shoreline hunters distracting the boss, we need to make a quick entry. We can’t just sit here.”
“If we rush in, we could all die.”
“There are hostages still trapped in the dungeon—are we just going to stand here and do nothing?!”
“If Hunter Sergio and the trainee priestess Cha I-Sol are truly apostles of Black Cloak, this makes sense. But that doesn’t guarantee our safety!”
“Still, look at the situation—!”
At that moment, something popped out of the frame.
“Goo.”
“...W-What.”
“Goo-oo?”
“......”
One of the hunters squinted at the plush object now draped over the frame like laundry on a rack.
“...A teddy bear?”
Its fur was a bit faded, but clearly well cared for. Soft and plump, small enough to hold in both hands, its limbs short, its color warm and cozy—it was unmistakably a teddy bear.
“What the hell is this?”
“Wait a minute. That...”
“...I-I feel the power of the Sun.”
The priests of the Church of the Sun murmured.
“Yes, it’s definitely the Sun’s power! I don’t feel divinity exactly, but the traces are clear...!”
“Could it be one of Black Cloak’s apostles? I know it looks like that, but I really do feel the Sun!”
And Kang Seodam realized.
‘If Sergio is trapped in the dungeon, then who opened the frame...?’
Having never been invited to the hut, unlike Yoo Seong-Woon or Joo-Hyun, Kang Seodam didn’t know about this teddy bear. But the sacred trace and solar aura made it clear the bear had a deep connection with Black Cloak.
‘Or perhaps...’
It reminded him of the feeling he had once sensed in the “Shrine of the Deep Sea.”
“......”
Having made up his mind, Kang Seodam looked around.
“I vouch for this. From this teddy bear, I feel the unmistakable power of the Sun. And the Sun has never once sided with disorder in any dimension. This is not the apostle of an evil god.”
“S-Still...”
“If you’re not convinced, we of the Church of the Sun will go in first.”
The Church members looked almost elated, as if reassured by the idea of another Sun aiding them. Not purely out of faith, but out of shared kinship. The priests, who had long walked in harmony with various Suns across dimensions, responded with warmth.
“I never imagined Black Cloak was a manifestation of the Sun...!”
“I’d heard stories, but to think there was such an adorable apostle too.”
“The gifts he gives feel similar. Maybe he likes cute things?”
“Black Cloak himself too... he’s always been a gentle and kind mystery to humans.”
“For a divine being to care so much for humanity... how fortunate we are.”
The murmurs of the priests seemed to ease the tension among the other hunters.
“...Yeah, Black Cloak was always kind.”
“...Anyone here ever been betrayed by him?”
“They say unless you’re utterly rotten, Black Cloak doesn’t even attack.”
“Honestly, if you’re scared here, aren’t you just admitting you’re trash?”
“Damn right. I won’t be the one confirming I’m garbage.”
Though still anxious, the hunters seemed reassured by the priests’ calm.
“...Still feels weird, but—”
“Let’s go in.”
And so, one by one, the hunters entered the painting with Black Cloak’s aid.
“......”
“...Uh, team leader.”
“I’m confused too. Don’t talk to me.”
The Association staff stared in disbelief at the hunters’ “painting” moving inside the frame.
“This is no time to freeze up—get the upper comms now. I need to ask the higher-ups what the hell this is.”
“A-Alright, I’ll bring the movement-type hunters immediately. This place is still relatively safe, so they’ll arrive soon.”
“This is insane. I don’t get any of this.”
There was far too much to report.
***
“......”
“...Where are we...?”
Splash.
Shallow water covered the marble floor.
“...It’s definitely the inside of the ‘Shrine of the Deep Sea.’”
“But doesn’t it feel different?”
The hunters scanned the surroundings, wary.
“I’ve been here once before, and it wasn’t like this.”
It was dark.
Brilliant.
Dreamlike.
“Something feels... ominous.”
“Feels like we’ve fallen into the trap of an evil god.”
“I feel the same...”
One of the hunters turned to Kang Seodam, the team leader.
“These dungeon mermaids—were they evil gods?”
“No.”
But—
“They simply built a legacy equivalent to one.”
Kang Seodam gazed upon the world of the mermaids with a sense of dread.
“......”
The shrine they returned to was chillingly serene—and beautiful.
‘...I can tell who influenced this.’
It resembled a funeral.
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