The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

If there is a most important place in the Collection building, it is Bi Sa-beol’s gallery.

Since only dangerous and sensitive items are gathered, accidents frequently occur. On top of that, there are those who target such rare artworks. Therefore, to prevent any human casualties, the security guards patrol inside the building even at the latest hours.

That day was just another ordinary day patrolling the building at dawn.

“Huh?”

Pure white walls.

Pure white lighting.

A pitch-black man standing alone in a long, clean corridor.

He was draped in a black cloak from head to toe.

One could only tell that he was wearing a black suit through the open front.

“Who is it?”

“Excuse me, but please identify yourself.”

There are a total of eight members in the dawn patrol team, and the floors from 1 to 10 are their responsibility. No other guard is assigned on the same floor.

Therefore, that black cloak must be an employee who stopped by the guild for a while because he had something to do at dawn, or an unknown outsider.

But something felt strange.

“…Please identify yourself.”

Really, something was strange.

Yet he couldn’t explain exactly what was strange.

An eerie chill ran down his spine.

‘…What is this?’

The guild’s building is always brightly lit for the patrolling guards or overtime employees. The corridors are cleaned frequently, so it was spotless, and the pure white marble walls are elegant and beautiful, as per the guild leader Bi Sa-beol’s taste.

So there was nothing to be afraid of. There is no shadow anywhere under bright lights like daylight, but that particularly pitch-black being that stands out….

“…Who are you?”

—Felt as if it shouldn’t exist.

“If you’re an outsider, please show me your pass.”

“What brings you here at this hour? We haven’t been informed of any other guests coming from the first floor. Unauthorized intrusion into the guild is considered a serious crime and…” �

“…In the trial, it may be disadvantageously applied … you may experience inconvenience in appointing a lawyer, and may be suppressed by force without a separate process, so please note this point and answer the questions… I ask of you.”

Isn’t it strange? The initial tiny oddity gradually grows bigger.

The longer he observed, the more visible he looked, the greater the sense of incongruity, and soon, the guard realized.

‘Why?’

Why did he think that shouldn’t exist?

‘No, why in the first place?’

Why did he think that was ‘that’ while looking at a human-shaped being?

The thought that something was wrong wouldn’t leave his mind, and the confusion clung all over his body, making his consciousness disoriented.

An eerie sense of alienation crept up his spine and slowly tickled his heart. It was a very slow and natural pace, like breathing in sleep.

Under the hood of the pitch-black cloak. As if nothing should be there under the pitch-black cloth, a voice flowed out.

“Hello.”

“My name is Seo Gio.”

A clear voice that seemed to be etched to his brain, and a distinct pronunciation that was impossible to misunderstand. Without even being able to resist, he thought it was a good voice.

It politely asked,

“What is your name?”

“I’m curious about your name.”

He couldn't answer that good voice.

“Would you like to talk to me?”

Because he could tell.

“… I.”

This is not a human being.

“

It was neither a monster, an item, nor an illusion.

‘…What should I do?’

His breathing became heavy as if he had never had a way to breathe.

The Collection guild had numerous incidents and accidents, and he was an experienced guard, but he had never encountered such a being until now. A huge inhuman thing wore human skin while mimicking humans.

If only the imitation had been clumsy, it would have been better. Like bizarrely moving ball-jointed dolls he had seen before, or a monster with a significantly low level of comprehension babbling nonsense due to imitation.

“Sir.”

“What is your name?”

But that.

It was perfect.

“My name is Seo Gio.”

It looked like a perfect human being.

Even so, paradoxically,

He knew it could never be human.

‘What nonsense is this…’

He was so sure that the other party was not human, even though they looked completely human. Without any evidence, he defined the other party as neither a human, a monster, an item, nor an illusion.

So, what on earth is that?

“Can’t you hear me?”

“…Why are you asking my name?”

“The basic courtesy in a conversation is introducing oneself.”

“I’m just being polite.”

Polite?

Exactly what human politeness it was imitating wasn’t known.

“

“It’s Park Na-gil.”

He spat out his name like he was possessed, but he didn’t feel his soul being taken away. However, the black cloak seemed to be satisfied.

That was the most chilling part, but he didn’t even have the energy to show it. His breath was caught in his throat.

“Nice to meet you. I am Seo Gio.”

Does that being know it just introduced itself as ‘Seo Gio’ several times?

‘As if emphasizing that it is a human like us…’

Soon after, the black cloak pulled out and showed an unexpected item.

“I have an access card.”

“… This is… a guest’s access card.”

“I have received permission to tour by Bi Sa-beol, the guild leader here.”

“…Is that so.”

At least the guild leader knows about its existence.

‘And he’s condoning his actions.’

But why on earth?

The guard raised his head and looked at the black cloak again.

“Is this a sufficient answer?”

“…Of course.”

The voice was extremely businesslike.

The typical rhythmic voice seemed to have an appropriate pitch, but when listening closely, it seemed to go back and forth between high and low notes.

‘Even if he has an access card, I should verify his basic personal information….’

Clearly, it was a male voice he was hearing, but as time passed, it became ambiguous to guess its age and gender.

Even though it was right in front of him, he couldn’t recognize it. All he could see was just a pitch-black cloak and a figure of a body that was neither thick nor thin.

Is there really something with a human form inside that black cloak’s shadow?

“Mr. Park Na-gil.”

“…Yes.”

“May I look around here?”

The guild leader allowed it.

So, as a mere guard, he too should give a positive response, but his mouth couldn’t easily move. It was because of the ominous feeling, as if promising the devil to be allowed to cause disaster.

In the face of the gloomy, heavy, or chilling figure, the guard nodded with difficulty.

“…Of course…yes.”

“Thank you.”

“If the guild leader has given permission, there is no problem with visiting as much as you want.”

“I see.”

“…How long are you planning to stay?”

The black cloak answered after two seconds.

“Until the sun rises.”

It was a chilling answer.

“…I see.”

He felt like vomiting.

He couldn't understand why it was so creepy, where exactly the bizarreness was felt, and where this indescribable silence came from despite how they were currently having a conversation.

This feeling of his cognitive abilities breaking down and his judgment getting buried in fog shook as if causing seasickness. It felt like he was facing something he couldn’t handle.

‘No, I am indeed failing to handle it.’

It felt bothersome, as if he was interacting with something that he 'shouldn't' recognize.

“Mr. Park Na-gil.”

Every time it called his name, his spine trembled.

How should he describe the feeling of his body temperature dropping one degree every time, the feeling of all his blood vessels being grasped in someone’s hand?

“Yes, yes.”

“Thank you for your kind response.”

“… It was something I had to do.”

“You have a strong sense of responsibility.”

“It’s a commendable deed, I think.”

It was strange.

The black cloak highly praised me, and despite that nauseating level of fear, he was so happy as if he could fly away.

‘Am I crazy? Or is it driving me crazy?’

Despite it being in an absolutely inappropriate situation, he was moved and felt proud of himself. He couldn’t even figure out why he was feeling this way.

Seeing him like that, the black cloak extended its hand.

“It’s a gift.”

“Please accept it.”

The black cloak handed over a small envelope, neatly wrapped in paper.

It smelled intoxicatingly sweet.

“It’s yours.”

The bizarrely businesslike voice felt strangely friendly.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Oh, no.”

“Then, see you next time.”

Is it leaving?

The moment he raised his head with that intuition, his eyes—

—Met its eyes.

Those eyes.

Eyes.

Eyeball.

Iris, pupil, that round sphere. Inside that. That. That round thing. That. That. Black and white colours.

Pitch-black, or pure-white. Was it black? Or was it white? Dark or bright. Shadow or light. Death or life. Connection or fate.

The inside was too deep. Too deep. Too deep. It was so deep, it was scary, so deep inside. Deep. It felt like falling. Falling. Is it possible to get out? It’s impossible. It won't work. That’s not an eye. It’s not an eyeball. It's not an iris, it’s not a pupil

No, it's not, it can’t be. It shouldn’t be. It was clear that it wasn't. It's not. It's not. It's not, it's not.

It isn't.

“Mr. Park Na-gil.”

The moment he heard the extremely businesslike voice.

“Keep up the good work.”

… He was dragged out.

For a long time, he stood in place.

Even as the pitch-black cloak moved, not a single rustling sound was heard, and even the bare feet without shoes didn’t make a sound when they touched the smooth floor.

It was strange that only the rustling sound of small creatures was heard. Even though that black thing cannot be called a small creature….

Soon after, the sound subsided.

Only silence remained.

“…

Where did it go?

The guard moved his feet.

Following the corridor where the black cloak had moved, he headed to where the sound had stopped. It didn't take long for him to reach the ‘place where the sound had stopped.’

A portrait he had never seen before was hanging in the corridor.

“Ah.”

It was a painting of a man with a serene face as if he were asleep, set against the background of a forest with a peaceful cabin.

But his insides churned.

He fled with slow steps.

With exactly the same speed as usual.

—He didn't have the courage to touch it. If he had to fulfil his duty as a guard, he would have reported and handled the unidentified work, but he couldn't even think of that. As if he was bewitched, the guard simply left the spot.

And the next day, the portrait was gone from the same place.

***

“Have you heard?”

Collection guild was originally a place with a lot of ghost stories.

It was all because of the guild leader Bi Sa-beol, who had a habit of collecting and picking up so many strange things, causing various incidents and accidents.

As a result, employees who have worked at Collection for over two years were not surprised by such ghost stories.

“Black cloak?”

“Yes, there's a rumour going around these days.”

“It's probably one of the guild leader’s works causing trouble again.”

“That's what I thought too.”

It is a world where most ghost stories can be explained by monsters or items.

In an era where fellow humans were scarier than ghost stories, rumours about ‘black cloak’ were just a topic of conversation to pass the time.

“I heard he's really handsome, I'd like to see him.”

“But they say you can't see his face well because of the cloak?”

“For a work brought by the guild leader, he sure is shy.”

“At least he's not causing trouble. No one's been hurt, right?”

However, as time passed, such a light atmosphere gradually became heavier.

“They say that the witness this time also took a vacation.”

“…Is it that scary….”

“I heard he was originally going to resign, but the guild leader coaxed him into just taking a vacation.”

“If even the guild leader had to step in, isn't the situation more serious than we thought?”

Usually, this kind of ‘ghost stories’ were mostly resolved within a week.

After all, the identity of these kinds of ghost stories was usually due to monsters or items that popped out from Bi Sa-beol's artworks or mental skills triggered by them. It would be strange if it wasn't resolved within a guild swarming with hunters.

But now, that ‘strange thing’ was happening.

“No, why isn’t this monster being suppressed like this?” What are the curators doing?”

“There's talk that they couldn't handle this monster either.”

“Then we should just throw it outside the guild….”

“…I said something stupid.”

Collection Guild operated a special gallery that could never be replaced by any other place.

Dangerous items gathered from all over the world are regulated enough to require direct intervention from the government. Where in the world could they throw away things Collection cannot handle? Another disaster was sure to occur.

Until now, all incidents and accidents had stopped at the level of ‘ghost stories’ before becoming such catastrophes.

“But being unable to suppress it to this extent…”

“There were also rumours that it wasn't being suppressed in the first place.”

“Why is that? Wouldn't it be better to destroy or seal it?”

“They know they won't succeed anyway, so they're trying not to provoke it….”

“Does it even get upset? That means it has that level of intelligence… does it also have a consciousness?”

“The most credible rumour is that it's a humanoid monster, so it probably has a consciousness.”

“Wow, this is driving me crazy. To do so much and then bring in a humanoid monster.”

“How many years ago was the last humanoid monster seen?”

Bi Sa-beol had never once neglected a ‘ghost story’ like this before. He was someone who knew well how much efficiency increased when the employees felt secure.

Yet, such a situation had arisen.

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“Not really….”

And as this situation continued.

“…Then there’s no problem, right?”

The employees began to understand on their own.

“There were no injuries, no deaths. Then why on earth is it a ghost story?”

“Essentially, ghost stories are strange tales … if it's really just a rumour, then it makes sense.”

“Was it just a rumour? Since there are witnesses, it seems to exist, but it's really strange.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

This is the ‘Collection’ guild. Every guild employee was a collection gathered by Bi Sa-beol himself.

The realistic and cynical employees who matched his taste gradually calmed down on their own.

“Hey, seems like it was a lie after all.”

“There was someone who saw it, though?”

“Then it must have been an illusion skill or something.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway, it's not dangerous, right?”

“Maybe the guild leader secretly brought in a new employee.”

“Yeah, we don't know all the employees. Didn't something similar happen before?”

“It was just a quiet employee, but there was a rumour he was a ghost. Considering that, it seems like a possible story.”

“For things like this, it’d be nice to give notice in advance, right?”

“The guild leader has a very unique personality, right? Let's all understand.”

“That's true. When will the new employee be introduced this time….”

The guild leader Bi Sa-beol was someone who cared deeply for his employees. If it's a ‘ghost story’ that such a person would leave alone, it was certain it wasn't that dangerous of an existence.

Whether it existed or not, regardless of what its identity is, the employees trusted Bi Sa-beol.

Bi Sa-beol himself knew that too.

“…Did you anticipate this?”

“What do you think?”

Collection regained its peace.

Even though nothing had been resolved.