The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 82

Identification Number:

0S-761-SS

Response Level:

SS

Entity Type:

Humanoid_Mermaid (Female Form)

Entity Name:

Aria

Abilities:

Kingdom of the Deep

The 175th exploration team under the authority of the Collectors’ Guild first discovered this humanoid entity.

Unlike the bloodline entity "Mermaid Iser," Aria's hair is so long it touches the ground, and it is dark navy. Over a blue dress, she wears a white coat that appears to be a doctor's or researcher's coat, though it is too large for her, suggesting a connection to the "Kingdom of the Deep" story.

The entity revealed herself to be a mermaid and introduced herself as "Aria." No deception was detected, as per the report. Her entity name is confirmed as "Mermaid Aria."

A peculiar trait was observed where both her eyes and hair change color depending on her physical and emotional state. The entity has made several statements equating herself with the sea, which suggests that not only the "Kingdom of the Deep," where she is the master, but also the sea of any arbitrary dimension could be influenced by her.

First Encounter:

It was inferred that Aria came outside the dungeon to abduct a preparatory priest (of the Sun Church) in order to observe human reactions. The exploration team, authorized by the Collectors’ Guild, observed her at the entrance of the "Temple of the Deep." She did not display any aggressive tendencies and requested to converse but was reported to have a strong aversion to humans.

It has been determined that "Aria" is the master of the "Kingdom of the Deep," while "Iser" is a false master created to deceive humans. Both entities have repeatedly engaged in acts of physical and mental torture, transforming humans into monsters out of hatred for them.

It is believed that she set a target that she finds attractive in the dimension of Earth. Until that target is achieved, it is expected that her active attacks against humans will cease. It is necessary to be extremely cautious not to provoke her or cause disturbances, such as visiting the dungeon and causing a commotion.

Due to the humanoid nature of the entity, the response level has been set to SS.

The Guild's Collectors have not yet found a method of dealing with her. They have requested the basic response strategy be "avoidance." Accordingly, the Hunter Association plans to extend the exploration period indefinitely, advising all hunters to exercise caution.

Comments (1,043 Total):

"Has an S-rank Hunter not attempted to take her on?"

"Please clarify the exact duration of the exploration season."

"Recheck the response level."

"Need confirmation of attack type..."

...

...

In the end, the "Kingdom of the Deep" remained unconquered.

“Are you telling me that even with three A-rank hunters, it couldn’t be conquered?”

“I heard the Collectors purchased the 'Kingdom of the Deep.' Is that true?”

“Can you confirm the monster information from this exploration?”

“What resources does the Collector want from the 'Kingdom of the Deep'?”

One of the exploration team members, Yoo Seong-Woon, had to face the reporters.

“Yes, the conquest failed. And yes, the Collectors did purchase the S-rank dungeon 'Kingdom of the Deep,' and the monster information we reported to the association is confirmed.”

“Then what about the resources...”

“For further inquiries, please contact the Collectors' administration team directly.”

“No, hold on...”

“Hold on or not, please don’t block my way.”

The reporters tried to catch Yoo Seong-Woon, but after nearly a week of working around the clock for the dungeon exploration, his exhausted ears barely heard them. His dark circles were almost touching his chin.

Yoo Seong-Woon was a very busy man.

“I’ll say it again—please contact the administration team directly.”

For the reporters, Yoo Seong-Woon was probably the easiest person to approach.

The top priest of the Sun Church, Kang Seo-Dam, was based in Seoul, but it was difficult to get a chance to ask questions. As for Chara, the Hunter Association and the Collectors’ Guild had been protecting her identity.

‘But approaching another hunter like Seo Ji-O would have been pointless—he wouldn’t have been anywhere to be found.’

That’s because the “Seo Ji-O” they were looking for was sleeping inside Bisa Beul’s gallery.

‘So, they’re naturally targeting someone like me, who’s commuting to work.’

Though understandable, it was exhausting. He had to report to the guild and association, check the state of the sea, hide Gio’s information, and still had to delay his work as a curator for a whole week.

“Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon!”

“He’s not here.”

“But he’s right there!”

“I told you, I’m not here.”

Though the reporters were all awakeneds, none of them could compare to Yoo Seong-Woon, an A-rank hunter. Yoo Seong-Woon smoothly slipped away and escaped to the guild lobby.

A staff member from the administration team was waiting for him.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“If you were watching, you could have dealt with them.”

“If we deal with reporters like that, the guild’s reputation would be damaged.”

“True, the guild image is important...”

“We can’t really respond unless they get too aggressive.”

“Since I handled it well, it’s fine for now.”

The staff member nodded.

“If the attention increases too much, we’ll take action.”

“For now, I’ll stay in the guild. Is the break room empty?”

“We haven’t had any new recruits recently, so the dorms should have some vacancies. I’ll find you an empty room.”

“Anyway...”

Yoo Seong-Woon sighed.

“I don’t get why everyone’s so obsessed with the ‘Kingdom of the Deep.’”

“Maybe it’s because it’s the first humanoid monster dungeon to officially appear in Korea in a while?”

“Actually, humanoid monsters have appeared many times unofficially. But they’ve always been kept secret.”

“And the dungeon was purchased by the Collectors.”

“......”

As Yoo Seong-Woon was pondering, he asked, “Has it been attracting a lot of attention?”

“It’s an S-rank dungeon, and it hasn’t even been properly documented, so people must be curious about what the Collectors know.”

“People might be suspicious about whether they’re monopolizing any special resources. There have been cases of that before. Are ants starting to gather now?”

“The stock price is going up.”

“But it’s not the kind of thing they’re expecting.”

It wasn’t about special resources. The dungeon had been bought because it was linked too closely to the “Black Cloak” to be left in the wild. It would be good for the Black Cloak too.

The staff member shrugged.

“If it gets conquered, it could be turned into a tourist attraction.”

“It’s definitely a great selling point that it’s a sea that resonates even within the dungeon.”

“So in the end...”

The staff member glanced at Yoo Seong-Woon and then asked.

“What connection did the 'Kingdom of the Deep' and the 'Black Cloak' have?”

“......”

“Based on what we know, the monsters from the 'Kingdom of the Deep' don’t really seem to fit with the Black Cloak. The sea blue dungeon doesn’t match the Black Cloak at all.”

“...Sometimes, monsters appear from completely different dungeons.”

It wasn’t uncommon to see monsters or creatures identical to others from completely different dungeons. Gardeners called them “children of the origin,” but hunters just considered them unusual monsters.

“I’ll have to look into that part.”

“You must be busy.”

“Would you like to take over?”

“I’m not a curator.”

“I see.”

Yoo Seong-Woon clicked his tongue and headed for the elevator.

“Then please take care of it.”

“Don’t worry, go check on the artwork’s condition.”

“Right, I haven’t checked it in a while.”

Once he finished the urgent matters, Yoo Seong-Woon went straight to Bisa Beul’s gallery.

He swiped the staff card at the elevator, pressing the button for the basement 5th floor. Thanks to the Collectors’ building, known for its lavish facilities, it wasn’t long before he reached the deep floors.

“Hmm...”

The Bisa Beul gallery, which he hadn’t visited in a while, still carried a heavy air.

‘It’s suffocating in here.’

Even an A-rank hunter like Yoo Seong-Woon couldn’t find the space refreshing. It was eerie, maybe even oppressive.

A strange atmosphere filled the gallery, which chilled his bones like muscle pain and scratched at the deepest human instincts.

‘Especially the artwork on the 5th basement floor—most of those works are unfriendly.’

Yoo Seong-Woon stood in front of a portrait.

“....”

His face was obscured by thick black paint, making it hard to tell if his eyes were open or closed.

‘...Even his face is sometimes hard to remember.’

He had seen “Seo Ji-O Hunter” just a week ago, but even though he didn’t have bad memory, he couldn’t recall his face. All that remained in his mind was the black paint in front of him.

‘Is this the influence of the portrait obscuring the face?’

With that thought, Yoo Seong-Woon called out to the portrait.

“Gio, are you here?”

“Yes.”

“Oh...”

The response was quick.

“It’s not dawn, so this is rare.”

The current time was 3 PM.

It was unusual for "Gio's Portrait," who always insisted on being awake at 4 AM, to be awake at this time. Yoo Seong-Woon felt relieved, worried that perhaps Gio might be disregarding the rules.

‘If there hadn’t been a quick answer, I would’ve just left and come back at dawn.’

Of course, it was still a bit odd.

‘Wasn’t it a rule to talk only at 4 AM? But Gio has often appeared around that time... it’s mysterious.’

Anyway, now that Gio was awake, it seemed like a good opportunity to have a conversation.

“Have you been awake this whole time?”

“I heard you coming, so I’ve been waiting.”

“You can hear that?”

“I can detect when someone approaches the frame.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s been a while since we last spoke.”

The portrait, in its usual blunt tone, asked:

“Have you been well?”

It had already been a week since Yoo Seong-Woon visited the "Kingdom of the Deep" to rescue the young priest Chaisol. Gio, who existed as a painting rather than a living entity, seemed to recall that fact.

“I’ve been worried since you didn’t show up.”

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“There’s no need to worry. Normally, if I’m not around, it just means I’m overworking somewhere.”

“That sounds like something to worry about.”

“I’m just being dramatic.”

Though Yoo Seong-Woon had left the management to another curator, he couldn’t let his guard down. He had to check on Gio’s condition and make sure the valuable portrait was in good shape.

He asked:

“How about you, Gio?”

“Please clarify your question.”

“It’s hard to ask directly, but... about the # Nоvеlight # mermaid siblings...”

“They’re still not leaving the sea, but they seem to be doing well.”

He had heard that the mermaid siblings hadn’t shown their faces after hiding in the "Kingdom of the Deep." Gio explained that they probably felt awkward after being scolded.

“......”

Yoo Seong-Woon paused for a moment.

“You call it scolding.”

“Was it too harsh?”

“I can’t say it wasn’t.”

“It was the natural thing to do for Giovanni.”

“Yeah, it’s expected for a teacher to scold their student, but... it’s not like that...”

Would regular teachers scold their students like that, Gio?

‘I thought Giovanni’s personality became strange after he died and became a portrait, but maybe it was just that Giovanni was already a bit odd as a human.’

The eerie indifference often caught Yoo Seong-Woon off guard.

‘After all, the one who suffered the most in that situation was Gio himself, but he seems completely unaffected by it. His indifference is unsettling. I can tell for sure he has no intention of imitating a human.’

Yoo Seong-Woon remembered the unforgettable image of Giovanni, whose body was scorched so hot that even the sea water evaporated, but still smiling that eerie smile.