The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 314

Most gardeners have deep-seated distrust toward humans.

“I-I want to go back to the tree...! Huuuuh...!!”

“Please calm down, sir. We just need to ask you a few simple questions and then you’ll be free to go.”

“Lies! You’re going to feed me to monsters! You’re going to use me for human experiments! Sell me off to slave traders!!”

“We’re not doing any of that, so please stay still.”

The ‘talents’ chosen by the garden appear randomly.

And within a country, cities are small.

The countryside is vast.

Thus, most ‘talents’ are born and raised in the countryside.

Many of them grow up in closed-off, suspicious communities—villages teeming with grand conspiracy theories.

Even if such people were treated politely, there was no way they’d be able to remain calm inside the Association.

“Are you feeling a little more composed now?”

“Y-You’re really not going to eat me...? Right...?”

“If you’d like, we can even sign a soul contract. Please trust us just a little.”

“...Y-Yes, I’ll do that. I’m sorry.”

“Can someone bring over the contract?”

But the Association’s staff were experienced.

Especially the veterans who dealt with mysticism—they were good at calming the nerves of rookie gardeners.

It wasn’t even that difficult.

They simply needed to be consistent and polite.

In an open space where the person could see their surroundings.

With the door left wide open.

As long as they made it clear the other could act of their own free will, trust would come.

Before long, the rookie gardener began to speak.

“I-I was in the village when... suddenly this painting appeared...”

“Was it perhaps similar to the landscape painting in this photo?”

“Huh? Oh—yes, yes. That’s exactly what it looked like.”

What they saw was definitely one of the Black Cloak’s new series: the “Landscape Paintings.”

His works were the only ones that could evoke the same feeling through a photo as when seen in person.

“But the feeling it gave off was... really nice. I—I mean, compared to those monsters...”

“It’s okay. We’re also aware of the existence of those monsters. You’re not crazy.”

“...Yes. The feeling was completely different from them.”

“If you’re comfortable, could you describe how it felt? We know of their existence, but we don’t know what someone like you experiences. We’d love it if you could share.”

“Ah, it was like... when you see a really beautiful flower or an amazing tree? So refreshing and... it was like... the kind of feeling you get when you stand on a mountain peak and look down at the world.”

“I see. Like the emotion evoked by natural scenery...”

That matched the accounts of other new gardeners who were “spat out” onto mystic veins.

Even people who weren’t “talents” said the same thing about the Black Cloak’s series.

It felt like standing before vast nature.

But the “talents” went even further.

“And... there was this incredibly sweet scent.”

“Would you say it was floral?”

“Maybe like honey? Hmm. It wasn’t overpowering... it was gentle?”

“So at least not an artificial scent.”

“Yeah, like... the kind of smell you’d get if you were lying in a flower bed. I—I’m sorry, I don’t know many metaphors...”

“What you’ve shared is already very helpful. Were there any other sensations?”

“...I felt like something was calling to me.”

Like...

“Like someone was whispering right beside me.”

“Was it like telepathy?”

“T-Telepathy? That’s real?”

“It’s a skill that some hunters possess.”

“Whoa, that’s incredible...”

Growing up in a closed village, the “talent” didn’t know much about awakened people either.

Even when they heard stories, they couldn’t trust the source.

After all, they grew up in an environment where truth and lies blurred.

And then came the “Landscape Painting,” a beautiful work of art.

The youth, completely entranced, had drawn close to it.

And the painting, they said, had gently whispered.

“It asked if I could come inside.”

“The painting did?”

“Y-Yes, the tree in the painting...”

“It talked to you?”

“I don’t know, really. It felt like it did... but if you asked me what language it used, I couldn’t answer. But it felt like that. I swear.”

“We’re not doubting your words. We’re just checking if we understood correctly. You’re doing great—this is truly fascinating.”

The researcher skillfully coaxed more information out of the subject.

“So you went into the painting, yes?”

“It’s like... my head went fuzzy, and after blinking a few times, it felt like morning had come? And when I came to, the tree I saw in the painting was right in front of me. It was so majestic and incredible...!”

“Amazing. So you were chosen, then?”

“Yes, I felt like I belonged to that tree. And then... my hair turned brown like this, and my eyes went green... Is this going to stay forever...??”

“To our knowledge, yes. Though it may change slightly depending on the state of the ‘tree’ you mentioned. It can be dyed using skills or items, but the natural state will remain. We can lend you dyeing items if you wish.”

“...Ah, no, I like this color...”

The new gardener smiled shyly, brushing their hair.

“Um, excuse me...”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Is there... maybe somewhere I can... work? I-I mean...”

“Ah, I understand what you mean.”

The researcher nodded.

“Is it uncomfortable to return to your village?”

“...To be honest, yeah...”

It was already superstitious, and people looked at her harshly.

Since childhood, she’d been called a cursed child who saw spirits.

And now, with her hair and eye color changed...

“If I go back, they might beat me to death...!! Please, don’t send me back!!”

“We’ll make sure that won’t happen, so don’t worry too much. We can find you a home in an open-minded village. Of course, it won’t be free—you’ll gradually pay it back by working.”

“W-What kind of work can I do? I’ll do anything! Just tell me, and I’ll do my best!”

“Then please listen carefully.”

From here, the Association staff explained the gardener’s identity to her.

“You are now a gardener. That giant tree you saw was a ‘garden.’ And having been chosen by that miraculous mystic nature, you are called a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ‘gardener.’”

“Uh... yes, okay...?”

“Let me be clear. To repay the housing and support we’re providing, the best and fastest way will be to continue your work as a gardener. It also suits your aptitude.”

“O-Oh...”

“No worries. I’ll explain it to you step by step.”

And so, the Association slowly educated the bewildered new gardener.

They recorded her basic personal information by mutual agreement—name, age, residence.

“This record is for your benefit. We won’t use it to monitor or control you. But if you need help through the Association or the government, we need to know who you are in order to assist.”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

“If you’d like, we can introduce you to other gardeners. Here’s a list of people who’ve agreed to share their phone numbers with fellow gardeners. It’ll help you adjust.”

“Then... could you recommend one person...?”

“Would you prefer another woman? In that case, I think this person would be a good match—same age and gender, but has more experience.”

Naturally, a new department to manage gardeners had been created within the Association.

Since they were already closely observing the movement of the Black Cloak’s “Landscape Paintings,” the transition happened quickly.

And the happiest person about it all was, of course, Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon.

“Haera, I’m crying.”

“Go ahead.”

“No, I mean, I’m really crying.”

He was overwhelmed.

“Oh my, you really are crying?”

Director Dan Haera watched with amusement.

It was rare to see her sharp and rebellious colleague like this.

It was worth setting work aside just to witness it.

After watching for a while, Dan Haera nodded and asked,

“I heard your rapport with the Black Cloak is going well?”

“I didn’t recognize that noble person and dared to act arrogantly. But now I see... There was a reason I once served under the teacher.”

“Did you really serve under him?”

“Of course. After receiving his mercy, there’s no way these cheap knees didn’t bow. I believe in you, Teacher.”

Jeong Hae-Woon reflected.

How had he forgotten such a noble being?

He vowed, again and again, never to falter.

Having slept six full hours for the first time in ages, he was in a fantastic mood.

“Can you believe it? Six hours. Straight. Without waking up once.”

“That really is something...”

“When I saw those gardens—just scattered across the world—I thought it was madness. But of course, such a powerful mystic being wouldn’t do something meaningless. I, a lowly sparrow, just couldn’t understand the phoenix’s will... yet the noble Portrait watched over the world’s peace all along...”

“Could you save that cult-sounding speech for your own guild?”

“Oh, woe is me. So many still fail to recognize the innocence of my guild... Anyway, Haera.”

“I already created the department. You agreed too, didn’t you?”

“Let us send a few of our gardeners in as well. Having active gardeners will help the new ones settle in. Your department’s doing intake and logistics, not field experience.”

“...That’s true.”

Dan Haera nodded.

“You’re really full of energy now.”

“Now that I can finally see a path forward, how could I not be motivated? I thought I’d have to pull all-nighters for centuries before retirement.”

“Retirement’s definitely closer than a thousand years.”

“I’m so touched.”

Jeong Hae-Woon held his nose with a teary face.

“I’m crying. We can finally provide real welfare for our poor gardeners...”

“Until now, the system was barely functioning.”

“It wasn’t that we didn’t manage it—we couldn’t. You try smashing your head into raw earth.”

There were few gardeners.

No way to find them.

So training was hard.

Gathering them in one place, even harder.

Each had a wildly unique personality, so without kidnapping, they rarely socialized.

No wonder Jeong Hae-Woon had over fifty identities.

But not anymore.

A wave of young, energetic gardeners had entered the system.

This was the moment.

Now was the time to row, while the waters were high.

Jeong Hae-Woon was determined to build a real structure.

“I’m not trying to dump work on the Association. Gardener stuff was always our guild’s domain. You just keep doing intake, okay? Just intake. Soothe the dazed newbies and hand them off.”

“That’s not hard.”

“Once they’re with us, we’ll train them properly. I’m so moved. I thought I’d have to wait eight hundred years to try this. I already wrote up multiple curriculums, you know.”

“Maybe you do have a teacher’s gift.”

“Mm, not quite.”

Jeong Hae-Woon shrugged.

“Don’t call me a teacher.”

It was still an awkward word.

***

And a few days later, the garden's “food stall” began full operations.

The concept of a “garden” began to spread... in a completely unexpected direction.

“...Why?”

“Because of the food stall.”

“No, seriously—why?”

“Uh... didn’t we already have this conversation, like, recently?”

“Fish buns or food stalls—it’s all the same, isn’t it?”

Gardeners were facing increasingly ridiculous situations these days.