The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 368

“I don’t think Zeorge hates people.”

“...Is that because he said he ‘loves’ humans?”

Dan Haera, walking down the path, asked this of the platinum-haired Hunter Sergio.

“More than that, it’s because I see some similarities between Zeorge and myself. I just imagined something.”

“What sort of imagination?”

“I thought—what if it were me instead?”

“......”

Dan Haera’s expression twisted ambiguously.

“...That sounds like a conclusion only you could reach, Teacher. You’re not someone who knows how to resent or be angry—so would you really hate humans, just because they turned on you?”

“Well, even I harbor some degree of like and dislike... and I’m not that thoughtless. I considered Zeorge’s terrible personality quite thoroughly before coming to this hypothesis. At the very least, his love isn’t fake.”

“It’s not something easy to understand with ordinary sensibility. From what I can tell, the owner of this dungeon clearly hates humans. And you’re saying that’s all part of love?”

“His love and hatred are completely separate concepts. But they coexist.”

Gio muttered seriously.

“Like wanting to eat jjajangmyeon, but also craving pasta at the same time.”

“......”

“Even if they don’t go together, if circumstances allow, someone will eat both. That someone is Zeorge. He’s greedy enough to afford that sort of indulgence.”

“...That’s some metaphor...”

“But it’s a pretty fitting one, don’t you think?”

He loves humans—but part of him wants to see them utterly ruined. He wants to enjoy only good things, yet part of him longs to be wrecked. Giovanni found Zeorge’s inner world frankly pathetic.

“In a way, it’s like having decision paralysis and dumping your fate onto others. He probably feels like, ‘whatever happens, happens’—but the poor souls who die because they made the choice for him, what crime did they commit?”

Gio blinked slowly.

“Besides, it’s not like there are only bad people in the world.”

“...That’s true.”

“Then he must know there are people worthy of being loved.”

No one knew how long Zeorge had lived.

But he must have walked many lands and lived many lives, seen more human faces than anyone. Surely, within that mass of humanity, there were plenty of bad ones—but just as surely, there were people good enough to make him forget the rest.

“His love isn’t flimsy enough to overlook that fact. Which is why, I believe, he went mad even more easily.”

In the end, he must have abandoned his own right to choose.

Torn between love and hatred for humans, unable to lean either way, he must have felt like a tree or a gemstone—stripped of the right to choose anything at all.

“I understand what he’s going through. But that doesn’t mean I condone the absurdity of it.”

“Not many people would, when there’s this much blood involved.”

“In any case, what I want to say is—if you want to summon Zeorge, you need to show him a human archetype that suits him. Either truly provoke his hatred, or genuinely evoke his affection.”

“Neither sounds easy, but if I had to pick, provoking him would be faster. It’d make the raid harder, but at least we could summon him sooner.”

Dan Haera lifted her head and looked out at the world of the garden. Despite being called a “garden,” the scene resembled modern Korea more than anything idyllic. After a moment, she spoke.

“...I don’t think this dungeon belongs to any of us. From what I can tell, this garden isn’t one that was built to expose truths—it’s just a passing space.”

“Are you preparing to part ways?”

“Yes. I’ve been away from my position for too long. I never intended to let this drag out so much. I just hope my staff haven’t been wiped out in the meantime.”

“Being the Association President seems like a very difficult position.”

“I’m just now starting to feel the weight of that responsibility. It’s been a long time since I felt this way. I’m worried—can I still play the role of President like this?”

Gazing at the garden shaped like a city, Dan Haera turned back toward Gio.

“...Teacher.”

“Yes.”

“I still feel desire.”

Though wearing the form of a priestess, to Gio, she was a student. But Dan Haera spoke like a person confessing in a way she’d done many times before—it was no longer difficult.

What could she do? Human desire was, at its core, ugly in its honesty. It wasn’t much of an excuse, but that was how Dan Haera thought. She was already an adult, a wicked one, twisted beyond repair.

“Now more than ever, I’ll be swayed by my emotions and follow my desires. You may end up regretting sparing me. I can’t imagine you regretting anything, Teacher, but still...”

“I do regret things, sometimes.”

“That makes it even more dangerous. I still think you should have killed me. Not just for the past, but for the future.”

Dan Haera smiled like someone wincing.

“...Don’t you think Mr. Zeorge and I are quite alike?”

It was contradictory. Her guilt toward her teacher already made her a sinner—and she wished for either redemption or a second chance. Yet at the same time, she still wanted to use her teacher, who had become more than a god.

She wanted to die—and live. She wanted to repent—but also remain filthy. She wanted to atone—but also felt, deep down, that she had been right. Maybe she should stop here—but she also wanted to go even further.

“But you still have no intention of becoming Earth’s... master, do you, Teacher?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I thought so.”

Dan Haera nodded.

“...Well, I suppose karma really does exist in this world.”

And it was about time that karma caught up to her. That’s what Dan Haera decided. All across Earth and its many dimensions, the balance between good and evil had always been kept that way.

She lifted her head and looked her teacher in the eye.

“See you later.”

“Don’t cause any incidents.”

“Of course.”

“I’m not just saying that. Don’t take it lightly, Haera.”

Gio smiled.

“The reason I treat you this way is... because I understand you—but I have no right to forgive your sins.”

Even now, she wanted to kneel at his feet and ask for punishment.

“...Yes.”

But because she was far too greedy—she didn’t.

***

“President...!”

“Everyone, assemble.”

Dan Haera called her subordinates together.

“Remember this.”

“......”

“The Korean Association’s top priority is the subjugation of Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon.”

“Yes, President!!”

Whatever the end might be—it was time to finish it.

***

Meanwhile, Gio had also returned to his original team.

“Gio...!!”

“Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon.”

“Gio, why did you take so long?!”

“Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon, people are staring.”

“What if even a strand of your hair got damaged—do you know how much I worried?!”

“I’d prefer you not stress over something like hair.”

Yoo Seong-Woon was the most visibly agitated, but unfortunately for Gio, he wasn’t the only one. The guild members were visibly relieved to see the piece from Basement Floor 5 of the Gallery return safely after acting independently.

“We’re so glad you returned unharmed.”

“You weren’t hurt anywhere, were you?”

“Did you encounter anything unpleasant?”

At a glance, it sounded like they were worried about a colleague who had come back from a dangerous mission—but the Moon Cult priests weren’t so easily fooled. Aram and a few others whispered among themselves.

“...Did someone just say ‘damage’?”

“I’d heard the Collectors treat Hunter Sergio as a kind of artwork, but still, this is a bit much.”

“The atmosphere feels... strange. Is it really okay to leave this be?”

“But commenting on how another guild handles its members could be misinterpreted... It might be seen as improper.”

“Still, I don’t think it’s great that they’re acting this openly...”

Through it all, Bisa Beul simply smiled. It was the kind of look one gives when watching their young child take their first steps.

“You seem amused, Guildmaster.”

“I am.”

Watching these clumsy, adorable human relationships—it made him smile without even realizing it.

“Coming into the dungeon myself in this frail body was worth it.”

“You’re not frail, sir.”

“I used to worry how I’d manage in such a delicate state...”

“You’re not delicate, sir.”

“Well then. Time to share intel. Bishop?”

Bisa Beul called for Aram to refocus and settled the group. In the now-calm atmosphere, they shared all the information they’d learned while Hunter Sergio was away on his solo action.

Gio’s response?

“...I see!”

“Did you catch that from Mr. Joo-Hyun?”

“I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“You’ve all worked hard.”

In any case, that was the tone of things.

Gio then shared what he had experienced. And the group’s reaction?

“Ah, amazing. To think you helped the President in her time of crisis...”

“? I didn’t say anything of the sort.”

“Truly, you are a saint beloved by the Black Cloak.”

“Are ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) none of you hearing me?”

In any case—this was the mood.

Gio didn’t share the parts about “Teacher Sergio” or “Student Dan Haera,” but the priests were already looking at him with a mix of reverence and intense curiosity.

After the info exchange, Gio sought out the Cha family. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“I walked around, wondering if I might run into another clown or Zeorge, but it seems the garden’s flow is being tightly controlled. I may have failed. Perhaps Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon has a hand in this.”

“...Gardener Jeong Hae-Woon? Why would he...”

“Maybe he’s going through a late rebellious phase. But piecing the story together—it seems we may be able to summon Zeorge soon. Also...”

If possible, Gio really didn’t want to get any more entangled in this.

'Judging by how things are going... that seems unlikely.'

Not the kind of thing to say out loud right now, so Gio just smiled instead.

“Considering how much attention he usually demands, it’s a miracle he hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Uh... about that...”

“While I was moving on my own, I learned something.”

For a long time—through many versions of Gio—he’d always liked kind people. He preferred stories where those people were rewarded. After all, who enjoys tales of sincere, hardworking young men ending in tragedy?

Gio smiled slowly. It was not the smile of Giovanni.

“Thankfully, Ms. Cha Ara was a truly good person. She once gave her cherished scarf to someone slowly freezing to death on a cold winter day...”

“......”

“And that day, she received a gift from me. I was so struck by her pitch-black hair that I drew her a black jewel in that color.”

“...Yes, that’s right.”

“That jewel belongs to Ms. Cha Ara. Since no one can take it from her, I’m sure she still has it.”

So—

“Everything will be fine.”

...Gio really was a strange one.

He had been so deep in the life of a painting, he must’ve forgotten it for a while.

***

“Gio.”

“......”

“You’ve changed a little.”

At Yoo Seong-Woon’s remark, Gio blinked.

“Is it that obvious?”

“It’s hard not to notice. I know the ‘Promise of Eternity’ was broken.”

“Then are you aware that the broken system merged with me?”

“Oh... So the system Bishop Aram saw—that wasn’t another bug?”

“A gift should come with a letter, after all. But I don’t particularly like systems without blood or tears.”

It only measured right and wrong. Even if it heavily referenced Sergio’s values, it was still overwhelmingly inhuman. The system wanted to remain on Earth indefinitely as a teacher and textbook.

Gio found that a little unsettling. Not for his own safety—but because he couldn’t be sure it would be a good teacher. It judged good and evil by calculation. And it never hesitated in execution.

“But I suppose we each had something to learn from the other.”

He had only realized this after healing from his identity fracture.

“Is it wrong for me to just do what I’m capable of doing?”

“...Not necessarily.”

“Right?”