The Artist Who Paints Dungeon
Chapter 176

After the meal, inside the hollow of the tree.

“You weren’t joking when you said you wouldn’t eat bad food.”

“Why should I eat bad food?”

Having just finished organizing the ingredients, Sergio responded with a serious tone.

“As long as I’m in charge of this team’s meals, there will be no such thing as a lousy dish.”

“You’re kind of scary when you don’t smile, Sergio Hunter. I didn’t realize.”

“That’s why I smile a lot, isn’t it?”

“I also didn’t expect you to be such a big eater. I mean, you pulled out a pot the size of a person’s torso.”

“And who was it that scraped the bottom of that pot clean?”

“I meant to say it was amazing. Really, thank you.”

“I’m just glad you enjoyed the meal.”

Gio looked past the vine-covered entrance.

“Anyway, looks like morning came again.”

“It was evening when we were eating...”

Just as the rumors said, the dungeon’s environment was erratic. As Sanarae complained, Healer Jeong Yeong-Won added while cleaning the hollow.

“They really weren’t kidding about the fake sun and moon appearing randomly.”

“You were observing even while we were eating. Did you figure anything out?”

“It seems the daylight period is significantly longer than the moonlight period.”

“And when the moon comes out at night, the temperature drops a lot, right?”

“It’s not exactly a typical day-night difference, but yes, the temperature swings are extreme in this dungeon.”

“Weak people would catch a cold in here.”

“Likely, yes.”

Though, a weak person wouldn’t be in a dungeon to begin with.

‘...His way of thinking is definitely not human. Too strange—it’s almost eerie.’

It was just some outdated nonsense from someone who didn’t fear dungeons, but as a gardener, she didn’t think that far. After finishing all the cleaning, Jeong Yeong-Won called everyone over.

“Using what I observed briefly before the meal and what Honey scouted during our meal, I’ve organized the information. Most of it aligns with what was in the Temple of the Sun’s previous raid data.”

One key example was the behavior of dungeon monsters.

“There are monsters that move under the sun and those that move under the moon. Monsters active during the day fall into a dazed state at night, and vice versa—those active at night grow violent once it’s dark.”

“I think I saw that in the materials the temple distributed.”

“Yes. But here’s what we additionally discovered. Day monsters never group up. They each wander around busily, searching for something. On the other hand, night monsters—once it gets dark—they gather and move as a group toward a specific location...”

She pointed proudly to Honey, who puffed up with pride.

“Honey found that for us. And Sergio helped interpret it.”

“Kurrururururur.”

“I think he’s asking for praise. Let’s give him a hand, everyone.”

“Kuuuk.”

Clap clap clap clap...

A half-hearted round of applause followed.

“So, Sergio Hunter, can you understand the language of monsters? I’ve heard some veteran tamers can do that. If you interpreted what that waterbird brought back...”

“We communicate. Like a couple at a restaurant exchanging glances to ask for a napkin.”

“Ah, so it’s a bond. I’ve only heard about tamers before—seeing it in person is quite the experience. And I didn’t expect such a cute monster to actually exist.”

“Our Honey is indeed adorable.”

After a bit of small talk, Jeong Yeong-Won continued.

“Honey is impressively capable. I was worried due to his small size, but that turned out to be unnecessary. He managed to track where the night monsters were heading. I think we should investigate that location first.”

“Oh, so they were heading to a specific spot?”

“That’s what it looks like so far. And in a place like this, with dense vegetation, only a small flying monster could really track them. With Sergio’s help, it worked out. But for ordinary humans, it would’ve been near impossible.”

She turned to Garasani, the eldest among them.

“Should we inform the other teams about this?”

“We should deliver the information, but have our team act alone.”

“If whatever it is is sensitive to human numbers, bringing a crowd would only backfire.”

“On that note, maybe we shouldn’t inform Haryeong at all.”

Sanarae, from Haryeong, grinned.

“Ouch. That’s discrimination, huh? Just because you're the big corps, now you’re flexing your power?”

“Haryeong members tend to charge in the moment they think a good fight’s available. If they assume there’s a dangerous monster, someone might act rashly.”

“We’re not that much of a wrecking crew. That’s a pretty narrow view.”

“It may be narrow, but Haryeong has given us plenty of reasons to think so. Still, I agree it’s not entirely fair, so I’ll leave the decision to you, since you’re from Haryeong.”

“Well now, how am I supposed to raid in this oppressive atmosphere?”

Sanarae turned to Sergio.

“What do you think?”

“Telling them might be fun.”

“...Fun, huh?”

“Give it a try.”

“......”

“Go on, try it.”

After hesitating, Sanarae averted his gaze.

“I’ll pass.”

“That’s your decision, Sanarae Hunter.”

Gio smiled.

“I plan to follow Garasani’s judgment completely.”

“Why, that’s an honor,”

Garasani replied with a soft laugh, like a grandpa hearing his grandchild say they’re the best in the world.

“We don’t know when the sun will vanish again. When night falls, the poisonous plants become harder to avoid. And while the number of monsters decreases, they become far more aggressive. We should move to the location Honey confirmed while visibility is still good.”

Thus, the proper exploration began.

***

The A-rank dungeon Quadrupedal Underground Rainforest showed surprising signs of human presence.

“Is that... a villa?”

“More like a mansion, maybe?”

“I guess this was a dimension that collapsed, too.”

Jeong Yeong-Won muttered,

“Well, I suppose just because a dimension collapsed doesn’t mean humans had to be here...”

“I don’t think this was in any of the documentation.”

“You’d have to look really hard to even find this place.”

“Thick trees and vines make it feel like it’s hidden deep inside.”

“And it’s in such ruins that it’s hard to recognize the original shape.”

One teammate asked,

“Should we go take a look?”

“It’s better to move faster while it’s still daylight...”

“If humans lived here, there might be useful items.”

“Good point.”

Hunters always kept an eye out for loot. Sure, you could sell monster parts, but you could make real money by scavenging relics or gear from other dimensions.

“Let’s just hope there aren’t traps or curses.”

Their main healer, Jeong Yeong-Won, said with her typical porcelain-doll expression.

“Poison, you can flush out of the body. But curses often cling to the soul, so they’re more troublesome. Be cautious—night could fall at any moment.”

“Don’t worry. You know our guild. Daecheong likes safe paths.”

“If anyone was poisoned during the approach, please let me know now. You all said you were fine earlier, but some poisons have delayed effects.”

“So far, so good. Though I’m a bit thirsty...”

“Alright, then let’s carefully go in. It’s heavily damaged and unstable. And something dangerous might be lurking.”

As her sentence trailed off, Gio sent Honey ahead.

“Honey.”

“Kurruk!”

The small-bodied Honey slipped inside the ruin and returned quickly. Flapping his tail feathers, he signaled everything was clear.

“No traps, it seems.”

“What about toxic plants?”

“There are weeds and trees growing through the cracks, but that’s unavoidable.”

“That’s manageable. Let’s head in.”

The ruins, estimated to have been five stories tall at one point, clearly belonged to someone wealthy. Among the vegetation, gold and gems peeked out. The team scavenged bit by bit while exploring.

“Most of it’s collapsed. Only the first and third floors are accessible. Second floor has totally caved in, and the third looks ready to crumble too... Are we really going up there?”

At that, Sanarae wrinkled his nose.

“Why does it smell so awful here?”

“Huh? Are you okay, Sanarae Hunter?”

“It’s stinging my nose...”

“Wait—do you think it’s poison?”

“Doesn’t smell like it... Probably just a lot of dust.”

“Might not be a bad idea to step out.”

One member suggested,

“Let’s send only a few lightweight people up.”

“Lightweight, huh...”

Sanarae looked at Jeong Yeong-Won.

“Are you light?”

“In actual mass, I’d weigh less than the rest of you.”

She was small-framed and the only woman in the team.

“But I’m not exactly agile. I can protect myself, but climbing those unstable hallways is probably out of the question.”

“Hm, I see.”

“Sanarae Hunter, you’re much more physically adept. I imagine you could go up and come back down without trouble.”

“If I go up, the whole thing will come crashing down.”

At his sulky expression, Gio smiled brightly.

“You’re very talented at nonsense.”

“Oh, you picking a fight?”

“That was pure admiration.”

“People don’t usually admire like that.”

“People also don’t usually lie as easily as they breathe.”

“Why assume I’m lying?”

“I suppose you might not be. My apologies.”

“...No, wait—”

“I’ll go.”

Gio stepped onto the broken staircase.

“I’m good at things like this.”

And... there wasn’t even a creak from the stairs.

“See?”

“...How did you do that? It’s completely silent.”

As the Daecheong hunter stared, another teammate muttered,

“He’s probably using a skill.”

“Ah, like some kind of lightweight passive.”

“Sorry, he’s new to the business.”

“If I offended you—”

Gio waved his hand.

“It’s fine. I’ll check quickly and come right back.”

“Yes, please do.”

And soon, Sergio vanished from sight.

“......”

“......”

A strange quiet fell over the group.

“...There’s not even a single sound.”

“No presence at all.”

It wasn’t just the Daecheong hunters who felt that way.

“......?”

Sanarae wrinkled his nose.

‘...No scent.’

He hadn’t consciously noticed it before, but the cool, sweet scent he remembered from the hotel ballroom was gone.

Even with stealth skills, hiding ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) a scent was odd.

‘Especially so suddenly?’

Or... had his nose finally gone numb?

“......”

“...Hmm...”

Glancing at the unreadable faces of Garasani and Jeong Yeong-Won, Sanarae suddenly grinned.

“Guess I’ll go up too.”

“Didn’t you say earlier you wouldn’t?”

“Since Garasani Hunter put it that way, now I have to.”

“That’s quite the twisted mindset.”

“I just don’t like leaving a teammate alone.”

Without waiting for a response, Sanarae climbed the stairs.

Creak.

“Whoop.”

They really were badly decayed.

“Sorry, stairs are falling apart.”

“Gah! Cough cough!”

“Watch the dust.”

“You already kicked up all the dust!”

“Poor guy. Should’ve been more careful.”

He waved lightly and soon reached the third floor.

‘This area’s in better shape than the stairs.’

The floor might still collapse with one wrong step, but it was better than those crumbly stairs.

He looked around.

‘Where’s Sergio Hunter...?’

And then—

“......”

A waterfall of blood.

“...Uh...”

“......”

“...?”

No—platinum hair.

And a picture frame behind the man’s back.

“...Sergio Hunter?”

“You came.”

He didn’t turn to show his face.

“There’s an interesting painting here. I was admiring it.”

“Interesting painting?”

“Yes.”

He turned, and what looked at him—

Smiled.

“There’s a peaceful landscape painting, you see.”