The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 348

The Collector’s Guild staff nodded as they listened to Cha Eun-Hyeok’s circumstances.

“In times like these, it’s only natural to grow anxious if a family member goes missing like that.”

“We don’t exactly recommend civilians entering a dungeon, but we understand the urge to do something—anything.”

“Still, your brother’s disappearance hasn’t been confirmed as a result of the Clown incident, so please try to stay calm for now.”

Cha Eun-Hyeok nodded at that.

“I’m... relatively calm.”

“Coming all this way in a civilian’s body doesn’t exactly scream ‘calm,’ though.”

“That’s true for when I first arrived. But now it’s been about three days since I got here. I’ve screamed, collapsed crying, gone through every possible outburst, so I figured I’ve calmed down enough.”

“Ah, I see. About three days, then.”

A civilian who could be blown away with a breath still remained fairly rational inside this dungeon. The collector, quietly satisfied, noted this. As long as someone they were required to protect stayed that composed, their job became much easier.

Then Cha Eun-Hyeok asked a question.

“But are you sure it’s been three days? It’s always bright and glittering in here, so there’s no clear distinction between day and night... and the clocks flicker weirdly too. I thought it had been three days, but I’m not certain.”

It was “Hunter Sergio,” who had remained silent until now, who answered him.

“We can’t say for sure either, but we believe roughly a week has passed. That’s how long we think it took to enter the dungeon and arrive here.”

“Ah... a week?”

“There’s a pretty big gap between your three days and our one week, Mr. Cha.”

“...I might be disoriented, but I wouldn’t confuse three days with a whole week. There's still the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) sense of time passing...”

“Is that so.”

Gio nodded and looked over to Yoo Seong-Woon.

“It seems time really is twisted in this space.”

“So that’s why the communications we’ve received from the other guilds are all jumbled.”

“Would it be alright to share information with Mr. Cha?”

“If that’s what you want, Gio, then by all means.”

To hunters, a civilian caught in a dungeon incident was usually an object of unilateral protection or control—especially from a corporate guild like theirs. But if Gio wished otherwise, that rule became nothing more than an unspoken convention.

“Besides, Mr. Cha isn’t exactly a typical civilian. He’s unawakened, sure, but he could’ve easily worked as a gardener. Not to mention, he’s one of the co-owners of the food stall in the Garden.”

“So it’s hard to categorize Mr. Cha as just a normal civilian. He’s the only person capable of operating a mobile safe zone, isn’t he? That alone is a huge asset for strategy...”

“I think so too. If we can help each other, there’s no reason to act hostile. He also seems fully aware of the dangers that can arise in a dungeon.”

Recognizing Cha Eun-Hyeok not as a “subject of control” but as an “ally.” Yoo Seong-Woon made that statement to explain to the guild members the minimum justification behind this stance. And the guild members nodded.

Of course, they were competent yes-men, always ready to follow the Guild Master, their comrades, or even a painting’s will. But even so, confirming silent consensus like this was important—especially in a dungeon like this.

Once it seemed the opinions had aligned, the guild members all turned toward one person.

“Is that alright with you, Guild Master?”

“You’ve gone ahead with everything and are now leaving the final decision to me?”

“But isn’t that how it always is? We do all the paperwork, and you just decide.”

“Our Yoo Seong-Woon’s gotten a little cheeky lately.”

Bisa Beul smiled with satisfaction. Ever since he’d started spending time with “Gio’s Portrait,” Yoo Seong-Woon had been showing more charm, and it was a good look. In the past, he wouldn’t have bothered saying such things just to play along.

“I’m fine with it. Sadly, I don’t really run dungeons anymore, and I’m not a gardener with access to the Garden either... so I don’t get to visit Mr. Cha’s food stall. I can’t let go of such a valuable experience.”

Then Gio stepped in.

“If you’re thinking of stealing someone’s business, that could be a problem.”

“Oh dear, my son, what’s the issue? Are you displeased at me meddling in your beloved human’s workplace?”

“There are several issues, but first and foremost, your personality, Guild Master. I’d be embarrassed to walk around with you.”

“My goodness, we can’t have that. I’ll try to restrain myself.”

It was said jokingly, but everyone—Gio and the guild members alike—knew it was sincere. Only Cha Eun-Hyeok showed a faintly confused expression, thinking, What a weird joke. After all, it wasn’t like anyone could or would want to steal the food stall inside the Garden.

Anyway, thanks to all this, Cha Eun-Hyeok was able to receive a full briefing on everything that had happened so far. An unusually rare situation for a civilian encountered during a large-scale raid, but it was possible because he was treated as a quasi-hunter, not an ordinary civilian.

“As I mentioned earlier, the Collector’s Guild has been inside this dungeon for about a week. Since we hunters tend to have fairly accurate internal clocks, we assume it’s roughly correct despite some margin of error.”

It was “Hunter Sergio” who began the explanation. The other guild members, clearly unwilling to interfere with the fun of this living artwork, focused entirely on organizing the area around the safe zone, not even sparing him a glance.

As a result, only Cha Eun-Hyeok, Sergio, and Bisa Beul remained nearby. Gio confirmed that Cha Eun-Hyeok was fully focused before continuing.

“We entered as part of the advance party.”

“Don’t tell me it was only the Collector’s Guild in the advance party...”

“Oh, of course not. The advance party also included hunters from Justitia, the Association, and priests from the Moon Sect.”

“Moon Sect... I heard they had closed their doors?”

“That’s right. But they opened them temporarily at the Association’s request. Altogether, fourteen guilds participated.”

The quieter guilds like Eunwol and Haryeong, who had previously joined the Gangwon Province raid, also took part.

“The advance party entered the dungeon on the 26th. When did you arrive, Mr. Cha?”

“...I’m not sure if my entrance really qualifies as a dungeon entry, but I moved on the 19th. As soon as I heard about the disappearance...”

“Right, you said you came right after seeing the news that the dungeon had opened. That would line up. In that case, your time being distorted seems likely. The gap between us is pretty large.”

“You keep mentioning time distortion... is that one of this Garden’s features?”

“To be exact, I’d say there’s nothing we can say for certain.”

Severe uncertainty—that was the real feature. Gio rubbed his cheek and blinked.

“I painted this place, but I still don’t get it...”

Bisa Beul lit up at his words.

“Oh? Are you quitting?”

“Pardon?”

“Hm... not yet?”

“Whatever you’re talking about, you’re misunderstanding.”

“If my son says so, it must be true.”

“Of course.”

Anyway, the conversation continued.

“This dungeon’s distortions aren’t limited to time. The space itself is warped too. And even people’s words and actions... don’t always come across normally.”

“What do you mean by that? I don’t quite follow...”

“It can make your intentions sound far worse or better than you meant. We’ve confirmed that a speaker’s attitude or the content of their words can be twisted.”

“......”

Seeing Cha Eun-Hyeok fall silent, Giovanni smiled faintly.

“Oh dear, don’t worry. Everything you see and hear right now is as it is—unaltered.”

As it is... The phrasing was chilling, befitting a man whose very identity was a sacred portrait. If anyone else had said it, it might’ve been fine. But coming from the Black Cloak himself—it was terrifying. Cha Eun-Hyeok ran a hand over his face.

“...How can I believe that? Please, help me a little.”

“It’d be better if Yoo Seong-Woon explained this part.”

“Oh, not you, Hunter Sergio?”

“Well, I’m involved too, but still.”

Sensing Gio’s gaze, Yoo Seong-Woon stepped closer.

“What? Why are you calling me?”

“I didn’t call you. Are you experiencing mental contamination? Is the snowfield effect wearing off?”

“As if I’d be hearing voices now. But I’d recognize your stare anywhere. What is it?”

“Please tell Mr. Cha about your achievements.”

“...You make it sound embarrassing.”

Yoo Seong-Woon rubbed his neck, then looked at Cha Eun-Hyeok.

“You’ve probably heard that this Garden has a mind of its own.”

“I have... but why the polite speech again?”

“Well, there’s only one power that ignores all of that.”

“...Another Garden’s power?”

“Exactly. And to a lesser degree, divine power works too.”

They’d figured this out shockingly early—just one hour after dungeon entry. But that was only thanks to “Hunter Sergio” and the Collector’s Guild.

“Thanks to the revelation Hunter Sergio received from the Black Cloak, we figured it out quickly. Unfortunately, the other advance teams didn’t seem to.”

Didn’t seem to?

“You’ve seen how only the Collector’s Guild is moving together, right? We entered the dungeon at the same time, but once inside, everyone got scattered. Fortunately, at least the members of each guild stayed together.”

“Hm, but still...”

“It’s likely a trick of this dungeon—or its boss.”

If everything had been mixed at random, that would’ve made sense. It could’ve just been part of the dungeon’s “uncertainty” theme. But for everything else to be a mess while the team compositions remained intact?

“We think the owner of this Garden is playing a sort of game. As for what kind... maybe a survival game? Last team standing wins in this utterly insane dungeon...”

“That’s... pretty intense.”

“Just a theory. This isn’t a normal dungeon. It may have dungeon traits so that hunters can enter, but at its core, it’s more of a Garden. And not an ordinary one, either. Normal Gardens don’t operate this deliberately.”

“True enough.”

A Garden was nature imbued with mystery. It might express intent in vague ways, but never act truly human. At least not according to Earth’s current understanding of gardeners.

But perhaps because the master of this Garden had a human form, there were too many variables. Gio gave a soft, knowing smile as Cha Eun-Hyeok’s expression turned uneasy.

“A strange friend, isn’t he? He fooled me more than once.”

From the moment the “Garden of Pleasure” revealed itself as a series instead of a single work, Gio should’ve known something was off. Unlike Giovanni and Argio, who embedded their hometown in one piece, this bipedal Garden had multiple origins.

Yet Gio had let himself be tricked, assuming that wasn’t so unusual. After all, if one insists on being human, one should have only one hometown.

Zeorge had come to Gio with only mischief in mind from the start.

“In a world with so few certainties, it’s easy for hunters to lose their minds and fall under a spell. And once that happens, they become part of the dungeon.”

“I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

“Well, it’s a Garden. And humans enchanted by Gardens tend to meet similar ends. But even that isn’t certain—because every method we tried to communicate with the other guilds has also been distorted.”

Communication tools still functioned, but now even time discrepancies were confirmed.

Fortunately, once the distortions became apparent, the hunters made an agreement: teams without gardeners or priests would refrain from contact and proceed individually.

“The Collector’s Guild’s primary goal is to make contact with guild teams that include gardeners. So far, the only successful agreement has been with Eunwol, which has many devout members—but given this dungeon’s layout...”

“...Is it even possible to meet anyone?”

“It’s a vast dungeon, so it’s unlikely. Realistically, this raid must proceed individually. We’ve already sent word beyond the dungeon.”

“For the sake of the next wave, I suppose. I hope the message got through.”

“We borrowed what power we could from the Garden and divinity. We have to hope for the best.”

“...Um...”

Cha Eun-Hyeok, running his hand over his face again, asked,

“...In this past week, have you encountered any other teams?”

“Ah—no.”

“......”

He fell silent, then hesitated before asking again.

“Then, uh... have you identified any raid points... or key features? I know I’m not in any position to ask, but... as someone operating a mobile safe zone, I just thought maybe...”

“You don’t have to say it like that. Of course we’ll share what we can. Anyone who can manage a mobile safe zone is practically a quasi-hunter. Though, I’m afraid the answer won’t be very satisfying.”

“...Why do you say that?”

“It’s hard to pinpoint any clear features in this dungeon. You can’t even tell what’s real or fake, and there haven’t been any notably distinct monsters either.”

“Ah...”

Cha Eun-Hyeok let out a pained groan.

“...Then what even is this place...”

“We’ve settled on this definition, for now.”

Giovanni answered, with his usual clear expression.

“A war of revelations.”