The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 295

Jeong Hae-Woon was an unstable person.

He knew it himself. He hated and distrusted far too many things. The fact that an exception had once occurred was just a fluke. Even now, as a “Symbol of Eternity,” that tendency remained unchanged.

He didn’t just distrust people—he kept his guard up against anything capable of interacting with him.

That’s why Jeong Hae-Woon couldn’t trust the “teacher.”

“......”

“Pleased to meet you, Hunter Jeong Hae-Woon.”

Jeong Hae-Woon grinned faintly at the white-clad priest wearing a black cloak.

“Starting a conversation with bullshit? Sounds like signs of an evil god.”

“You look healthy. I’m glad.”

“Are you always this bad at conversation?”

That part, at least, was befitting of a primal being. It looked like communication, but it wasn’t. The other party was just mimicking a human. A mystery being with a large data pool.

‘Not much different from an AI following its programmed script.’

That’s why it didn’t respond to his words. Why it gave such absurd answers. Extracting a response was, after all, an act of influence.

‘The one assigned to this being at the Collector’s Guild was Yoo Seong-Woon, wasn’t it?’

He’d have to contact him later if time allowed.

“Well, anyway...”

Jeong Hae-Woon kept his smooth smile in place.

“I heard our brother here was just dying to see me. Is that right?”

“That’s creepy.”

He hadn’t expected that.

“...I must’ve misheard, right?”

“...My apologies. Did that hurt? It wasn’t intentional.”

“I’m not particularly offended.”

No, honestly, it was a bit unpleasant.

‘It’s rare for a primal being to find humans creepy.’

Probably because very few had the cognitive capacity to even hold emotions. Still, yeah—it was off-putting. Unexpected reactions like that always got on his nerves.

“May I ask why you found it creepy?”

“......”

The “Sergio” with blue eyes smiled gently at him.

“I’ll respect your feelings.”

“Oh...”

Jeong Hae-Woon felt a lump rise in his throat.

‘That’s supposed to be my line.’

That benevolent look, like he understood everything. Because of who it was coming from, it was hard to brush off. Maybe it was some latent reflex from memories erased by the “Promise.”

Even from a gardener’s standpoint, it wasn’t pleasant. Because it was always him who had to “understand” and “respect” the primal beings that brought ruin to Earth.

“...You don’t have to go out of your way to respect me. I can manage just fine on my own.”

“Are you telling me to be rude to an elder? I never expected Guildmaster Jeong Hae-Woon to lack such basic manners.”

“Why do you talk like this? Are you divine? No, even gods don’t run their mouths this well. I didn’t think of you this way, but you’ve got quite the talent for provocation.”

“I only stated an obvious truth. If you were provoked by that, doesn’t it imply your personality and mindset are quite antisocial?”

“Did you call me here to fight?”

On the verge of snapping, Jeong Hae-Woon felt a hand on his shoulder—Seo Seo-Hee.

“You know if you make a scene here, the Collector’s Guild will file a complaint.”

“Whose side are you even on?”

“Haven’t I always said I’m on Earth’s side?”

“Then what, am I an alien, you bastard?”

Just then, a heavy gaze fell upon them.

“......”

“...What.”

“Bastard?”

“Wait, is he—”

“Such coarse language.”

“Why do I feel like I’m being scolded?”

“Did you think insulting a friend in front of others wouldn’t warrant a reprimand?”

“What—no, haah...”

Jeong Hae-Woon’s smile faded as irritation crept up. Getting talked down to like some kid by a mystery he barely knew—his dulled pride from social fatigue kicked up in protest.

“What gives you the right to—!”

He was about to explode—

“......”

“What the hell are you—!”

“......”

“...Are you—!”

“......”

“...like—!”

Silence hung thick in the air.

“......”

“......”

A moment later, Jeong Hae-Woon smiled again.

“What was I just saying?”

And Gio smiled too.

“The survival skills of a society-worn adult.”

“Thank you for the excessive compliment, teacher.”

“Such graceful growth.”

“Ah, really now?”

He didn’t know what it was, but it gave him a bad feeling.

‘Why did I suddenly get chills?’

It wasn’t fear of danger. If it had been, he would’ve noticed—and Seo Seo-Hee wouldn’t just be standing there.

But Seo Seo-Hee only watched him with melancholic eyes.

And Jeong Hae-Woon realized.

‘Before losing my memories, I must’ve been in an overwhelming position of submission.’

It happened sometimes. Even with relationships forgotten by “Promise,” the body and soul remembered.

He’d been through this before—he recognized the symptoms.

Of course, realizing it didn’t solve anything. Jeong Hae-Woon wasn’t the kind of good kid who respectfully treated elders or teachers. It stirred a faint inner turmoil.

‘Me, in complete submission to a teacher...?’

Where exactly had he been defeated?

“...What should I call you, Hunter Sergio?”

“You can just call me Hunter Sergio as you are now.”

“But Seo Seo-Hee calls you ‘teacher.’”

“That’s because he wants to.”

“I see.”

At least this being didn’t seem the type to force anything.

‘With that gentle demeanor, he’s not the violent kind either.’

Anyway, simple violence wouldn’t work on someone like him. He’d grown up getting beaten—he was immune to that sort of thing.

So then what was it?

‘When human souls become corrupted and turn into primal beings, they often mimic their former selves. That means... I submitted to someone this soft?’

Was it really food?

“......”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“...You enjoy feeding others, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I see.”

He found the answer.

‘It was the food.’

He’d been lured in by food.

That made sense. He’d just tasted it—Sergio’s cooking was the real deal. If a kind adult cooked great food for the younger him, he’d have had no chance.

‘But I’m not that kid anymore.’

Jeong Hae-Woon smiled confidently.

“You seem to think you can still tempt me with food, but that’s a big mistake, Hunter Sergio. I may look like this, but I’m one of Earth’s adults now. I don’t fall for that kind of bait.”

“If you were lured by a mere cube steak, maybe you were just hungry?”

“I wasn’t hungry. Sure, it was good—but not enough to control me. And are you insulting cube steak right now? You don’t put ‘mere’ in front of food. Besides, if we’re being practical, I’m the elder now.”

“Of course.”

Hunter Sergio smiled brightly.

“Senpai.”

“......”

Chills.

“...Whoa, hang on...”

“Are you alright, Senpai? Is there anything this junior can help with?”

“Okay just—give me a moment.”

How could every word out of his mouth make him feel so deflated?

‘How much did I worship him that my body reacts like this?’

Brushing the goosebumps from his arms, Jeong Hae-Woon tried to calm down. Sergio was starting to feel like too much. He took a step back.

“I think we need some distance between us. Don’t you?”

“Of course. I agree completely.”

Hunter Sergio nodded smoothly.

“Are you eating well?”

“I get at least one proper meal a day.”

“One?”

“......”

Jeong Hae-Woon corrected himself.

“Should I increase it to three?”

“Excellent.”

“What kind of rule is this?”

“Wishing for someone to eat well isn’t that uncommon.”

“But you’re not like those people. You’re a being who probably had a hand in Earth’s systems.”

For someone of that weight to suggest something as mundane as three meals a day—if the junior gardeners heard this, they’d think it was a joke.

And Jeong Hae-Woon finally admitted it.

“...Haaaah...”

He’d already been reeled in.

‘It’s too late to deny it now.’

He accepted it. They must’ve had a good relationship in the past. Even if he couldn’t remember, he’d come this far—he couldn’t just flat-out deny it.

Whatever had happened, it must’ve been something good.

But as always, that was all.

“...Hunter Sergio.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“Thanks for the meal.”

Jeong Hae-Woon nodded.

“It really suited my taste. When this bastard Seo Seo-Hee kept going on about galbi stew and lunchboxes, I thought it was just some skill or mystery at work—but this is something else. It was clearly made with me in mind.”

As a gardener, he could feel that difference even more clearly.

“So now I get it. What a good ‘teacher’ you must’ve been for us. I do understand. I do, but...”

“It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“......”

“Seems like all those bad habits you worked so hard to fix are coming back.”

The face of “Sergio” as he said that was expressionless. Not even a trace of a smile.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Those eyes that stared into him. That voice—calm and cold like a corpse.

“To you, I’m something that didn’t exist—an anomaly forced into your world. A harmful organism appearing on this precarious Earth you’ve worked so hard to protect. You can’t understand my motives, and even if you could, it wouldn’t change anything. You wouldn’t even feel moved to try.”

A gaze that looked down, as if teaching.

“Because I’m a ‘nonexistent being.’”

“......”

Jeong Hae-Woon bit his lip, then spoke.

“...If that’s true, what will you do?”

“Nothing changes.”

He spoke like a teacher explaining the most basic truth.

“I thought you didn’t know, so I wanted to tell you.”

Calm words continued, gently.

“It doesn’t matter who I was or what happened in the past. You’ve grown far too large, clinging to what’s gone.”

“So?”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to. Whatever happened is already over—don’t try to recall it. Just look at me as I am now. What do I look like to you?”

“A ticking time bomb.”

“Then are you going to kill me? Seal me away like an evil god? Stop me from functioning in society—maybe go to war with the Collector?”

“I couldn’t even if I tried... I’m not capable of stopping a mystery like you.”

Some people forgot it, but Jeong Hae-Woon was still human. Not omniscient. Not omnipotent. Just the first gardener of Earth. Experienced. Someone who knew how to coexist.

That was what he did—find ways for different beings to live together. Adjust. Adapt.

How could he possibly imprison and suppress “Hunter Sergio”?

“It’s impossible.”

And that terrified him. He was always afraid of mysteries. Fucking time bombs. The kind where you had to yield a thousand times just to get one concession in return—filthy and petty.

‘And this one’s even worse.’

He felt a strange disparity.

This thing was alive—but also dead. Whether in sunlight or shade, its pupils didn’t change. And from within its shadow came voices of life, death, and mystery. Sometimes quiet as a desert. Sometimes chaotic like a jungle.

Human. Forest. Life. Ocean. Death. Screaming. Desert. Love. Fear. Underground. Affection. Compassion. Sky. Rage. Heaven and Hell. A sea without water. A soft thorn field. Gentle cruelty...

It was contradiction itself. Not human, and not not-human.

You couldn’t tell how many breaths were layered in that voice. How many voices split off and rejoined into one.

His eyes ached. His ears throbbed. His tongue burned. His nose stung. His skin prickled. His heart pounded. Human. Monster. Painting.

“......”

And again—human.

“...Appearing in front of me with such an eerily uncanny form, you didn’t expect me not to be wary, right?”

“Am I really that grotesque?”

“You’re terrifying. It’s the uncanny valley—but so perfect it’s worse. Do you know how your presence registers on my senses? Do you even realize how much mystery is tangled up inside you?”

“Sure, that’s possible.”

“Your reactions are so damn consistent. That’s why I can’t trust you. But I also can’t just sit back and watch you. You’re too dangerous. And you’re trying to be harmless. That’s why all I can do ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) is stay on guard.”

“So what changes, then?”

He waved toward the noisy street beyond.

“I’ll keep existing like this. Sometimes I’ll come out and play until I’m tired. Then I’ll go back into a painting and rest. I’ll give gifts to good people I like, eat meals with friends, fall asleep while painting... and then wake up again.”

Sergio lowered the pale hand he’d been gesturing with.

“I’ll live as I want. And none of you will stop me.”

“As long as you’re not a threat to peace.”

“Right. That’s how it should be. If my disappearance made you who you are now, then you should live accordingly. I affirm all that time.”

“What do you want, exactly?”

“Just remember—past ties mean nothing in the present.”

Pitch-black eyes met his.

“Live as if you forgot.”

“...Is that really enough?”

“You want that too, don’t you?”

The black eyes slowly closed.

“I’ll always be here.”

That was where the conversation ended.

***

“......”

Seo Seo-Hee, who had been silently watching Jeong Hae-Woon after Sergio left, finally spoke.

“Got your thoughts in order?”

“...What about you?”

“I sorted them out long ago.”

“With what conclusion?”

“I’ll treat that being as our ‘teacher.’”

Seo Seo-Hee shrugged lightly.

“Because it helps me—and this peace.”

“You insufferable bastard...”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Guess you’re right.”

Jeong Hae-Woon leaned against the alley wall and lit a cigarette.

“...I’m going to keep my guard up against Hunter Sergio for the rest of my life. I won’t keep him close like you. I won’t try to use him. I’ll treat him as a mystery to be observed and analyzed—just like I always have.”

That was what it meant to be a gardener.

“I didn’t expect him to bring it up first, but we’re on the same page. Whatever happened in the past—if it’s gone, it’s gone. What matters is now.”

“You won’t regret it?”

“That’s a luxury I can’t afford. I don’t have time to cling to erased memories. I can barely handle my life as it is. If there’s no certainty or proof from our connection, then it’s just someone else’s story.”

There was no time for sentimentality after watching a sad movie.

“It’s just someone else’s world.”

“Even if it might have once been ours?”

“But it’s not. What’s left now is the damn ‘Symbol of Eternity’ we’ll never outlive—and ‘Hunter Sergio,’ the biggest variable in between. What else do we need?”

“What if your memories return?”

“Then Earth’s probably ending anyway...”

Jeong Hae-Woon chuckled and let out a long, slow laugh.

“If that day comes, I’ll sit back and watch the world collapse, savoring my regrets. A fitting end for me, don’t you think? Well, as long as we’re holding on, that day won’t come... Anyway, I agree.”

Live as if they were strangers.

“That’s enough for me.”

“That’s your bad habit.”

“Hunter Sergio said the same thing earlier. What habit?”

“Refusing to even look at the fruit you can’t have.”

“I’ll admit it...”

Jeong Hae-Woon shrugged.

“But at least I’m not calling perfectly good fruit rotten like some people. Aren’t you treating Hunter Sergio that way?”

“The world doesn’t run on truth alone.”

Still—despite everything—his conversation with “Hunter Sergio” had calmed Jeong Hae-Woon.

The storm of anxiety, suspicion, and loathing settled, even just a little.

‘I owe him one now... but still...’

He let out a sigh.

“...This is right.”

At least—for himself.