The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 159

There were a few people here who recognized "Sergio Hunter."

– That’s Sergio Hunter

– Sergio Hunter ㅠㅠㅠ Are you finally going to show your face?

– Our hunter is official now. That’s that then.

They were civilians who had been helped during the time of the S-Class dungeon, "Temple of the Deep Sea."

– That hunter’s name is Sergio?

↳ Yeah yeah yeah yeah, he called himself a tamer back then too

– Kssa, come check if it’s really him

– Is it fair to post just one photo of that face?

↳ If you're going to tell us, tell us everything

– Hey, why doesn’t anything come up when I search?

– Unofficial hunters... Once their faces are out, it’s like they think they’ll die or something

– Isn’t Sergio Hunter part of the Collector’s Guild? Isn’t there any response from their side?

↳ Oh the Collector’s Guild??? Collector’s Guild????

↳ ?? That sunshine pretty boy is with the Collector’s Guild??

↳ Did Bisa Beul’s taste change or something

↳ Nono, maybe it’s just the face that looks like sunshine

↳ How could that smile not be sunlight pouring straight from the soul

– Why is everyone losing it over someone’s face

– Korea’s standard of praising people just because they look good tsk tsk

↳ ojjlr

And soon after.

A new post appeared: Sunshine Necromancer Hunter joins Collector’s Guild.

Title said it all.

The Collector’s Guild’s official homepage had uploaded the personal profile of “Sergio Hunter.”

– What’s “Sunshine Necromancer Hunter”?

↳ Gssa they say he’s a sunshine pretty boy, but he’s also the one who stirred up a ghost incident, so they didn’t know what else to call him

↳ LOLLL maybe it’s not that they had nothing to say, but way too much

↳ It’s not “descent,” it’s “necromancy”? That’s oddly funny

↳ SunshineNecromancerHunter lolol

↳ Don’t give our hunter weird nicknames

↳↳ ?What the hell. You're acting like he’s your hunter

↳↳ Like you’ve even met him before

People who read the post quickly rushed to the Collector’s Guild homepage and confirmed it was true. The photo posted was as clear as the one previously uploaded by the certified witness, Choi Raon.

And some people were baffled.

– Hey, why did they only release this much info?

– I’m new to hunter stanning... is it usually like this? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

↳ No it’s not;;

↳ Ignore the reply above, it’s usually like this. Hunter info is always sparse

↳ That’s right. It's standard practice to keep hunter details under wraps

The only info released was his name, height, and age. Since it’s a long-standing Korean tradition not to disclose hunter identities in detail, most people understood and moved on.

But still, some got excited.

So now it’s officially okay to stan him?

The state just recognized my stanning??

It was considered good manners not to mess with unofficial or underground hunters, but once official activities increased, those lines were easily crossed. Those who had been watching Sergio since “Temple of the Deep Sea” were thrilled.

Among them was Choi Raon, who had been teased all day at work for being the “splat girl.”

“I’ll never get another face like this in my life.”

After getting off work and returning home, her itchy hands twitched.

“Fan café... If I start a fan café... then I could get access to photos and his schedule...”

On Choi Raon’s battered old computer screen was a two-shot with Hunter Sergio. The image had a distinctly gloomy vibe for this late hour, but she was earnest in her longing.

“It’s rare to see a face like this, but a face like this with that kind of personality? Even rarer.”

The reason Korea still had some semblance of law and order wasn’t because Koreans were inherently good people, but because a slew of stringent laws and innovative punishments kept them in line. It was an era where dehumanizing others had become the norm, and average moral standards had dropped drastically.

As such, even public figures who became stanning targets no longer had the same kind of integrity as before the Great Catastrophe. Especially among hunters, it was common for someone to kill a person in broad daylight and still be brushed off as “Well, it happens.”

Of course, many hunters put on a fake gentle act and suppressed their nasty personalities just to maintain popularity, but Choi Raon was confident.

“I know a thing or two about physiognomy. And this one’s real... This one’s a pure wellspring dragged up from deep underground.”

Her gut, sharpened by years of stanning celebrities and hunters, was screaming that this was the real deal. A one-in-a-million gem. A kind of calling was forming in her.

“Wasn’t it fate that I met him that day?”

Though it was a fate hand-crafted by Gio, 100% handmade, pure and deliberate, Choi Raon had no way of knowing that.

His platinum-blond hair looked silver under the dingy streetlamp ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) glow. His curly locks looked as soft as silk, and the smile, radiating warmth just by looking at it, truly resembled sunlight.

“An absolutely f*cking insane face...”

Choi Raon recalled seeing him up close. That cool atmosphere with a subtle forest scent, and the cheerful, dashing smile he gave her when they parted.

“Yeah, that’s the key.”

She had thought he was just a calm, priestly type, but hidden beneath that was the citrusy freshness of a sports team captain.

“Ha...”

Life was already so damn exhausting. Everyone needed a little light and salt to survive.

“The last light and salt got ruined by a major personality scandal.”

Given how brutal a hunter’s life could be, many ended up with their personalities exposed sooner or later. Sometimes it was exaggerated, but either way, being dragged into a scandal would leave fans emotionally exhausted.

“I know I’m kind of intense compared to other people... But when I get disappointed in my baby’s personality, my heart just cools off, what can I do?”

Choi Raon was the type who’d fall out of love the instant she noticed any flaw in her “baby’s” personality. Whether they bullied someone, or killed someone for no good reason.

Before the Great Catastrophe, even the idea of ordinary people doing something like that was ridiculous. But now, in this new era, her expectations for morality were unusually strict.

“...I mean, it’s not like I committed a crime, right? Right? A person can be a little picky, can’t they?”

So naturally, Choi Raon had a long list of former stanning targets. The second she spotted a red flag in their character, her feelings cooled instantly.

In fact, the last “light and salt” had been taken away by none other than the Black Cloak. That guy still had plenty of devoted fans waiting faithfully, but no matter how popular he was, Choi Raon couldn’t bring herself to stan someone a literal monster had judged as a bastard.

“......”

Eyes glued to her monitor, Choi Raon mumbled quietly.

“...But with a face like this...”

Even if his personality had some flaws, she might just get a little thrill and move on.

“...Yeah. Being a hunter must be insanely hard. Stuff happens in life.”

Most hunter stans didn’t lose interest over a few scandals. In truth, Choi Raon was the exception. With the way the job worked, it was impossible for hunters to always speak and act like saints.

But the point where Choi Raon drew the line for “my baby” was their face and mannerisms. More precisely, mostly their face.

“Which means...”

Even if this “light and salt” got involved in 66 consecutive scandals, she probably wouldn’t be able to let go. If someone with this face had that kind of personality, then it meant God was being fair.

“But what if he even has a good personality?”

That would be a once-in-a-lifetime, national treasure.

“I hope they drop some juicy content soon.”

Choi Raon smiled contentedly in front of her monitor.

***

Meanwhile, Joo-Hyun, who had just been handed over the role, was slightly overwhelmed.

“Of all times, you're handing this off to me now?”

“I’m already too busy managing just the ‘Black Cloak.’ And as you know, ‘Sergio’ is your responsibility, Joo-Hyun.”

“You started all this at the Collector’s Guild—why are you dumping it on me?”

“If you were part of the Collector’s Guild, you'd be busier than this. What a shame.”

“No, Yoo Seong-Woon—”

“It can’t be helped.”

Yoo Seong-Woon expressed his regrets as he handed over a stack of documents, full of collected online community reactions.

“This rollout needs extensive handling, so I stepped in for this one time. But from now on, whenever ‘Sergio Hunter’ makes a public appearance, you need to be at his side.”

“Because a hunter and their manager need to come as a set. I get that, but...”

“Seems you learned well from the secretary’s office. And as you know, now is when the buzz is loudest, and attention is focused. Besides, I’m an unofficial underground hunter.”

An unofficial hunter is one who doesn’t publicly reveal their identity. An underground hunter is one who doesn’t operate publicly at all.

“I can’t exactly become ‘Sergio Hunter’s’ official manager under those circumstances.”

And he already had more on his plate than he could count.

“If it comes to that, I’ll basically become a sleepless human being.”

“...Just how much work are you doing exactly?”

“The more capable a hunter is, the more they're split apart for tasks—never forget that.”

“I’m not even awakened.”

“Sergio Hunter is, though.”

“Oh.”

“The Temple’s been showing interest as well... Before long, there’ll be collaboration requests pouring in.”

High-profile hunters attract work even when they’re doing nothing.

“As you probably learned too.”

“Yes, that part was definitely part of the training.”

Because of his screen-ready face, media contacts might come calling. And since he was one of the rare beast tamers in Korea, strategy or joint mission requests would likely follow.

Yoo Seong-Woon gave a stiff smile.

“The minor inquiries will be filtered out by the secretary’s office. Anything that’s not even worth passing to Sergio Hunter will be stopped there. But for everything else, it’s your job to deliver it directly.”

Joo-Hyun asked,

“I’ve been wondering... how exactly am I supposed to find ‘Sergio Hunter’?”

“That part’s already been discussed with Gio.”

“Could I ask what exactly you two discussed?”

“Gio drops by our apartment hallway exactly at midnight every day...”

“......”

Joo-Hyun gave a resigned smile.

“So the Guildmaster really has decided to get rid of me.”

“No, no! That’s not what this is. Please calm down. There are reasons for all of it.”

“I’d really like to hear those reasons.”

“For starters, humans don’t have a way to contact Gio.”

It would be absurd for mere humans to expect to reach a god whenever they pleased.

“Put simply, you can’t exactly install a telephone in Gio’s house.”

“Well, that’s true. It’s practically another dimension.”

“That’s why I just fixed a time to meet him. Around 4 AM, typically.”

“And if Gio wants to call on me, he usually sends a letter.”

“I did receive a letter too, but I couldn’t even interpret it. More than that, I doubt I could even get into the Collector’s Gallery...”

“As a non-awakened, the aura of the underground fifth-floor gallery would probably overwhelm you.”

“So this setup was put in place so Gio would come here instead?”

Joo-Hyun asked with a characteristically polite smile.

“Or is it that the Guildmaster still hasn’t let go of the dream of a roommate situation?”

“I really don’t have a defense for that one.”

Yoo Seong-Woon laughed bitterly.

“I’m in Unit 1, you’re in Unit 2, and Gio shows up in the hallway in between... It’s perfect.”

“Is it really okay for the Collector’s Guild to just occupy the 46th floor like this?”

“All the residences on the 46th floor were legally purchased. So no issues there.”

“And now there’s either a dark god or a monster living between these units.”

“Gio’s always gone wherever he likes. That’s not something law can control.”

“Ugh, well... you’re not wrong.”

Joo-Hyun was starting to feel a little stifled.

“I feel like I’ve been assigned a role in overturning the world order...”

“It could be a positive sort of overturning.”

“You’re not denying that it’s an overturning, though.”

“It’s just a possibility—it might never happen, so don’t worry too much.”

“You’re making me more anxious.”

“It’ll be fine.”

Yoo Seong-Woon gave a composed smile.

“Honestly, no one’s going to be in the 46th-floor hallway at exactly midnight.”

There were only two households on that floor. Anyone visiting at that time, and to a unit they didn’t live in, would seem suspicious.

“So if something happens, we can chalk it up to self-defense.”

“What exactly are you planning to chalk up...?”

“This is the power of a major corporation.”

Yoo Seong-Woon chuckled.

“And anyway, even if you tried to use the stairs, you can’t visit a floor unless you’re a resident.”

“Oh, so it’s like the elevator system? I didn’t know the stairs worked that way.”

“Most people don’t unless they’ve tried it. But yes, even the stairs require a resident’s keycard to access that level.”

“Then there won’t be any poor soul fainting after accidentally running into the Black Cloak, huh.”

“That was no accident. That was straight-up BS. No way someone got up here unintentionally.”

Of course, building staff or inspection workers could enter, but never at exactly midnight. The apartment complex was tightly managed, and wouldn’t allow even minor disruptions to its residents.

“So again, no need to worry too much.”

“Hmm, okay. I understand.”

“Thanks to that, I also got my meeting time with Gio moved earlier.”

“Oh, you’re also meeting him at midnight?”

“The Guildmaster said it’d be more convenient to get everything handled at once.”

“...That’s...”

“Total BS, yes.”

Bisa Beul was a superior whom Yoo Seong-Woon respected deeply, but there were still some things that needed to be said.

“Seems like he wants the three of us to form a tighter bond.”

“Would it be okay if I resisted with all my strength?”

“I still think you’ll be fine. Let’s do our best together.”

And so, without the man himself even being present, the life of Hunter Sergio was quietly being constructed.