The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 363
Inside the quiet cave, the quill pen that had been dancing across the long sheet of paper in search of the “correct answer” came to a halt.
For quite some time.
“......”
“Bishop?”
“...Ah.”
When Aram, who had suddenly stopped calculating for some reason, didn’t move, Cha Eun-Hyeok called to her, prompting her to lift her head and look at him. With a slightly embarrassed face, Aram gave a small cough.
“I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. But when you say you’re thinking...”
“Things have gotten complicated in many ways. At first, I thought we’d just be dealing with a slightly unusual dungeon structure. But then, aside from the damage, so many secrets have come to light.”
Aram spoke with the gentle smile characteristic of a priestess.
“But you don’t need to worry on my behalf, Mr. Cha Eun-Hyeok. I’ve always been prone to overthinking anyway. Still, thank you for your concern.”
“I haven’t done anything much, really.”
“Just enduring this situation so well is already impressive. You’re a bit of a special case, Mr. Cha Eun-Hyeok, so even as a civilian, you’re able to act in a dungeon. But that doesn’t mean you’re not tired, does it?”
“...I don’t want to be a burden in a situation like this.”
Cha Eun-Hyeok smiled awkwardly, as if unsure how to respond.
“My younger sibling caused trouble too, so I’m being extra careful.”
“Ah, your sibling’s...”
Aram briefly wondered which sibling he meant, then noticed the slight ease in his demeanor. He wouldn’t be talking about the sibling who had become a “happy clown” with that kind of face.
Aram continued.
“Hmm, I heard Priestess Cha I-Sol asked Hunter Sergio for help? She’s young, so I think it’s perfectly reasonable.”
“But because of that... Hunter Sergio went off on his own.”
“That part surprised me too. It’s not something one can easily decide in a situation like this. But I suppose the Collector judged it was safe enough to allow him to act independently.”
“...That may be so, but...”
“......”
“...No, I’m sorry.”
“I understand that it’s a burdensome situation.”
Aram gave a small nod.
‘At least Mr. Cha Eun-Hyeok seems to have calmed down a lot. That’s a relief.’
Even in an era where people die easily and familial bonds have faded, the siblings seemed unusually close. If someone like that had something happen to their family, Aram wouldn’t have been able to fault them for breaking down far more than this.
After a moment of thought, Aram said,
“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve seemed a bit more at ease since Hunter Sergio began acting independently. Did you perhaps have a conversation with him?”
“...Unlike me, no. Our youngest went to ask him for help, and that was it. But even that alone seemed to be enough comfort.”
“I understand what you mean. I’m sorry if my question was out of line. Did it make you uncomfortable?”
“No.”
“Thank you.”
So then, was it because Hunter Sergio hadn’t turned away from the pain of their family, but rather responded with direct action, that Cha Eun-Hyeok felt reassured?
Reassurance... yes, it did seem like that kind of reaction.
‘But to feel reassured by just that?’
No, she understood too—having listened to the prayers of countless believers.
Aram had once been a Saintess. People could be comforted by earnest prayers and sincerity, but they wouldn’t be truly reassured unless there was a tangible outcome.
‘In other words, Mr. Cha Eun-Hyeok and Priestess Cha I-Sol believe the teacher will bring a good result. But it’s hard to explain such a deep level of trust based on their relationship alone.’
Maybe Cha I-Sol, but Aram didn’t see the relationship between Hunter Sergio and Cha Eun-Hyeok as close enough to be family or friends. More like acquaintances. So where had this absolute trust come from?
“...You must trust Hunter Sergio quite a bit.”
“...More precisely, I believe in his mercy and capability.”
“That’s a rather unique answer.”
In a way, she could understand.
‘The teacher is a Saint, after all.’
A Saint, as known to the world, was a child of God, an apostle. Someone who stood with one foot in the divine. So maybe it was natural to believe in him the way one believed in a god.
“......”
With a smile still on her face, Aram pressed her lips together.
‘...There are definitely parts that remain a mystery.’
But the conclusion to all those questions always ended with: Because Sergio is special.
That he was a special being—Aram also knew. He seemed like a Saint, like her, but it wasn’t just that. He gave off a presence that didn’t feel entirely human.
‘Is that why he can hold the divinity of wrath? I also hold the moon, but that’s something else entirely. That was an evil god. And wrath... is a concept humans can’t easily bear.’
Aram had a few lingering doubts.
Why did the Collector treat Hunter Sergio like a work of art?
Why did the teacher accept that so naturally?
How had he grown into such a strange, unique existence?
And then suddenly, she noticed a pattern.
‘Every time something went wrong on Earth... he stepped in.’
It hadn’t happened often, but when the mermaid monsters appeared, even if it was technically an abduction, he had entered the heart of that dungeon. When the evil god of wrath appeared, he had absorbed him into his body and tried to purify him.
‘Come to think of it, during the mermaid incident, they found something resembling Hunter Sergio inside the dungeon... It wasn’t widely known, but he must’ve done something back then too.’
Around that point, she finally understood the Collector’s perspective.
“......”
Hunter Sergio seemed like a tool crafted by a god to save Earth from threats. His abilities, the timing of his interventions, even his innate disposition—everything seemed to have been made that way.
He resembled a servant who took the punishment in place of others. Like a seawall blocking the waves before they touched the land. Or like an artifact sealing a curse. Or water diluting poison.
‘If I’m this affected, the Collector, who’s stayed by his side, must be even more so.’
Was that why?
‘Is that why they see the teacher not as a human, but as a work of art? They say once you become S-rank, you stop being human... maybe it’s something like that? Or maybe it’s really something I don’t know...’
The religion that appeared during the Great Catastrophe—the Portrait.
‘Maybe there really is something unknown about this person called Sergio.’
The Black Cloak was likely the god of portraits who had been famous at the time. Sergio was the priest who served the Black Cloak. A Saint. But maybe that wasn’t all.
“......”
“......”
Aram looked at Cha Eun-Hyeok, who had his hands clasped together like in prayer, staring at the floor. Feeling that desperate yet dry gaze meet her own, Aram asked:
“...Are you close with Hunter Sergio?”
“I think we have some connection, but I wouldn’t dare say we’re close.”
“You treat him almost like a god.”
“Well... who knows...”
“......”
She had thought about this for a while. Maybe Sergio really was a child of a god. Or a replica, or an incarnation. Or perhaps simply a visible embodiment of divine benevolence. A part of a god, borrowing the form of a human.
‘The Collector, having experienced it directly, is more ethical than I expected. They’re not a group that treats people as tools or disposable pieces. But if they act that way only toward the teacher...’
Then perhaps the anomaly wasn’t the Collector. It was Sergio.
“Well, it’s not something I should be wondering about.”
“......”
“It’s not important.”
Even as she said that, questions lingered. Was he truly not human? A divine mystery molded by godly intention? But this man would sincerely smile just for being offered a clumsily made snack.
To Aram, Sergio was human. He could smile, show kindness, and engage with others. Maybe that was why it bothered her more—as someone who had lived a life meant to be sacrificed any day to the Moon’s Mortar.
‘...This isn’t something I should be saying to Mr. Cha Eun-Hyeok.’
Aram let out a breath inwardly.
‘If anything, this kind of talk should be had with the teacher himself or someone close to him. If the teacher likes living that way, then it becomes even harder for someone like me to interfere.’
Was that why Sergio had cared for her so much and helped her become more human? The more she thought about it, the more it weighed on her—but right now, those questions weren’t the priority.
“I just hope there won’t be any sacrifices.”
“...I hope so too.”
“Really is a damn troublesome place, isn’t it?”
Aram resumed her calculations.
“It should be about time for the location to show up...”
But every time it seemed the coordinates would solidify, they scattered again. Over and over.
The particles in this place, which resembled the Gem’s Waterway, were unusually chaotic. Maybe it was too vast, or maybe the pattern was too subtle.
‘I’ve been unsure since earlier, but it really feels like someone’s interfering.’
No, it was more than a feeling.
Though not her specialty, it felt like two hackers were battling. An invisible artisan, skilled in gardens and mysticism, was working in secret.
Maybe it was the owner of this garden.
Or maybe...
‘Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon?’
As her thoughts reached that point, Aram suddenly felt the pain and rage she’d been putting off come flooding in.
‘Ha.’
Some people had been crunching calculations until their brains boiled for months—meanwhile, the so-called hero of Earth had been leisurely strolling through gardens?
She couldn’t help but fume.
‘No, no. Maybe both of them are messing with me. The gardener and the dungeon master—just taking turns making life miserable.’
While the Moon Sect priests calculated, the Collectors were searching the field. But so far, there were no results.
All she’d learned firsthand was that this “Gem’s Waterway”-like zone was horrendously vast.
“...Phew...”
Still, blood runs thicker than water.
Having experienced the garden herself, her hatred leaned more toward the dungeon master than toward Earth’s first gardener. Now she understood: Yeah, after all that, anyone would lose their mind.
Thus, humanity’s enemy was clear. Aram imagined grabbing the dungeon boss by the collar and smiled.
‘If I catch you, I won’t let you die easy.’
And then—
Pop—!
“?!”
Something responded to Aram’s enormous rage and suddenly popped into existence.
“A-Ah, what is this...!”
“What is that!!”
“Sorry, I’m not sure ei—oh...?”
It was... a dragon. Something shaped like a dragon she’d seen before.
A dragon?
“Uhhhh?”
“Peep.”
“Did it just chirp??”
It even cried like a chick, as if it had swallowed something wrong.
Aram, who had always been calm since becoming a bishop, was genuinely flustered for once.
For a moment, she even wondered if it was the resurrection «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» of the evil god—but the long-furred dragon looked up at her meekly.
And in front of Aram, the system appeared and asked:
Did you call for a baby dragon?
“I didn’t!!”
Your baby dragon is here!
“I said I didn’t call it...!!”
Permanent Summon
Reason: Resonance from Rage
Please raise it with care!
“...Th-This...!!”
And so, Aram became the first person on Earth to summon a baby dragon through rage.
“...Why does this man never like anything I do―!!”
Aram roared, and the baby dragon loved it. Truly, a match made in chaos.
***
“Ooh.”
“......?”
“No, just felt like someone was talking about me.”
Argio smiled.
“Honestly, she’s adorable.”
“...What are you talking about...?”
“There’s someone like a niece to me. Her reactions are hilarious. So precious.”
“......”
“Even with closed eyes, I can sense things like that. Truly a mystery.”
Dan Haera, seated on the sofa, made something like a smile.
“...I don’t know the details, but you’ve really changed.”
“Well, some things should change, right?”
“I never imagined I’d see you smile like this.”
“Why? Isn’t this face familiar?”
“If you say it like that, it just makes you seem like an evil god who stole the teacher’s body...”
“More of a fusion than theft, really.”
Gio pointed at the cup in Dan Haera’s hand and asked,
“Is the tea to your taste?”
“...Yes, it’s good.”
“Feeling calmer now?”
He’d brewed everything rumored to be good for mental strength. There was a moment when she received the cup and asked, “Am I about to die?” But in the end, it was proven to be harmless to humans.
“Then shall we have a conversation now?”
Like civilized people.
“......”
“......”
“...Why are you handing me a knife?”
“...Is this not what you meant?”
“You think it is? Do you not know what ‘conversation’ means?”
“I thought... this was a fine conversation.”
“The world really has changed, huh.”
It was more absurd because she was serious.
‘I know this is wrong but... it’s kind of funny.’
With her usual expressionless face, Gio half-covered his lips.
Normally, he’d just say “it’s funny so whatever,” but something told him that wouldn’t fly in the current situation.
He focused his brain. I’m a teacher. This is a serious moment. But God, everything she did was just so funny. Can’t I let it slide this time?
...No, I can’t. Gio knew that. He knew...
He knew. But—
“You know, I always knew this day would come.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“I tried to hold it in, but it’s still hilarious. The pacing is just so perfect. This is fated dopamine from the heavens, so before you die, make sure to write an autobiography. Remember when you locked me in a room and snuck in offerings while making your disciples pray for me?”
“......”
“I asked at the time, right? ‘Are you sure you won’t regret this?’ You were all so sure. I figured you were just building up a dark past at your age. This is the price you pay for teenage immaturity, isn’t it? As a former high school teacher, let me tell you: getting a teenage phase during your teens is a blessing.”
“...Um...”
Dan Haera hesitated and asked,
“...Are you teasing me?”
“Don’t make me out to be such a bad teacher.”
“......”
“...Okay yeah, I’m teasing you.”
“......”
“Why is your face making me laugh too...?”
But seriously, is it just me who finds this funny?
Grrrk.
Ha... it’s unbelievable.
