The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 97

‘Still, if we just wait a little longer...’

From the perspective of a 4th class citizen, the situation where the woman was staying was not too bad. First of all, it was a city, so it was safe from the threat of monsters, and especially, the people in this neighborhood were kind, so I could sometimes receive help.

‘Now that spring has come, I won’t have to worry about freezing to death, and since food will grow, whether it’s weeds or something else, I can somehow survive. If I’m lucky, I might even get a meal that the city provides... .’

Growling.

I was hungry.

“.......”

Should I eat snow?

Winter was really harsh for the poor. Unlike other seasons when they could even find the roots of plants, there was nothing to eat, and it was even cold.

The only consolation was that the snow was everywhere, so they could at least get drinking water.

‘If my body was really cold, it would have been hard to eat... .’

I was lucky this winter, so I was able to maintain my body temperature in various ways.

“...Is it because of the scarf?”

After receiving a scarf from a stranger, small fortunes came to me.

The woman raked up clean snow that no one had stepped on and put it in her mouth. Since it was snow on the ground, she occasionally chewed on dirt, but it was still good. Fortunately, the woman was quite resistant to the cold.

“.......”

As she went a little further into the alley to find a place where the wind was not blowing, she saw other poor people.

“Did you hear that?”

“What did you hear? It’s freezing to death....”

“No, it’s the black cloak.”

The black cloak?

‘... Now that I think about it, even the city people talk about that.’

Usually, poor people hide in the alley to avoid the contemptuous gazes of city people, but the woman often hid outside the alley because she liked the clean and neat atmosphere.

The story of the poor people that I just heard was a name that people who were walking in the park also mentioned.

‘The black cloak was also a monster, right? Did they talk about that?’

It was an unfamiliar name to the poor who were bound to lack information, but it was interesting because they had heard it once or twice. The woman carefully sat down in the alley and listened to the conversation of the poor.

“Why the black cloak all of a sudden? You said it was a monster.”

“But from what I’ve heard... it grants wishes and stuff.”

“That’s ridiculous. Where are the monsters that are beneficial to humans?”

“But there are also harmless monsters that live in places like parks... there could be beneficial monsters too. Right?”

“So why did you bring that up?”

“I was thinking of looking for the black cloak.”

The other poor man snorted.

“Arthur, I’m going to get eaten in one bite by the monster.”

“I said it’s a type of monster that doesn’t eat people....”

“Then I’ll just tear it apart. How can a monster leave people alone?”

“I-Is that so...?”

“It’s been noisy lately.”

The poor man continued, not even noticing the woman’s ear.

“Hunters died in droves because they believed that it was the Black Cloak or the Red Cloak?”

“Huh? That happened?”

“I heard that. There was an S-class dungeon that opened, and I heard that a guy called the Black Cloak often appeared there. He would even save people in danger....”

“Then, isn’t it a monster that is beneficial to humans?”

“They suddenly disappeared. And then, somewhere else, someone else who saw the Black Cloak showed up in another alley.”

“The monster that was in the dungeon suddenly appeared in the alley...? Does that make sense?”

“That’s ridiculous.”

The poor clicked his tongue.

“It must be a rumor made up by a city dweller or a 4th-class maggot like us. If not, then it’s a dangerous monster that can pop out anywhere.”

Monsters basically had a set range of movement. The poor didn’t receive any special education, so they didn’t know much, but they at least knew that monsters had set rules.

But Black Cloak is a monster that doesn’t even follow those rules.

“It may have saved the hunters a few times. But when you suddenly disappear, don’t you get the feeling? That’s just an evil monster that doesn’t care about human life. Or was it a ploy to trap the hunters?”

“But you said you’d grant my wish....”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even the gods only choose the believers who help them and show mercy. If it were a traditional god, they would show favor without any price... but this is a monster.”

The poor shrank, telling him not to have hopes that wouldn’t come true. The cold wind whipped the alley, and the poor shivered and huddled together with those they knew.

“Ugh, it’s cold. Don’t say anything weird and just try to stick together.”

“Ah... I was going to ask Black Cloak for a set of clothes when I met him.”

“You keep talking nonsense.”

It was a common sight in winter to see poor people huddled together like penguins. The larger the group, the more powerful the group was, but the woman didn’t even have friends like that left.

Her only poor friend had died during the winter.

“.......”

If that guy had been alive, it would have been warmer than it is now.

“Ugh....”

The woman curled up, holding onto her scarf a little tighter in the chilly winter wind.

It seemed like it would be nice to make new friends when spring came. It was hard to move around in the winter, but as time passed, she would make new friends.

‘... Black Cloak.’

That was the guy.

‘I wondered what it was because people were gossiping about it these days.’

I heard that it was a humanoid monster that had appeared for the first time in several years. I also vaguely heard the absurd story that Black Cloak would give gifts if you did good deeds.

‘I don’t believe it, though.’

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

The poor man was right earlier. There are no monsters that are beneficial to humans. The woman who fled to Seoul after losing her village, family, and friends to monsters knew this very well.

Monsters were an object of fear to many.

“.......”

The skinny woman quietly slipped out of the alley and walked into another alley close to the brightly lit city.

There was no other reason. If she was lucky, she might find some leftover food from the city people.

Just sitting still wouldn’t solve this terrible hunger. Even if her body got tired the more she moved, if she didn’t act, she would most likely starve to death.

After wandering around for a bit, the woman ran into a poor man.

“.......”

“...Uh....”

He was much smaller than her, so he looked at least 18 years younger.

‘Is this a child born here?’

If it was this young, it would usually be a child born between people in the slums, but there was no guardian anywhere. No matter how unkind the slums were, it was rare for such a young slum dweller to be left alone.

‘But it’s a bit much to pretend to know...’

After being demoted to a 4th-class citizen, the woman who had continued to live an individualistic life did not want to pretend to know the child.

The woman knew very well that pretending to know the child during such a difficult time would only result in more mouths to feed.

People in the city may be dirty and lowly, but what made her the woman she was now was something she had scraped together to survive. If she had given it away so easily, she wouldn’t have been able to last even a single season.

“.......”

But.

“...um....”

At least this scarf wasn’t something she had scraped together.

“T-want to use this?”

“......?”

“Use this. This....”

It was a stroke of luck.

“You.”

It had been a long time since she had spoken to someone, so she couldn’t speak properly, but the meaning itself was clearly conveyed. The young resident glared at her with wary eyes, but she must have been cold, so she took the scarf.

Her neck was a little sore, but it was okay. The woman was good at enduring the cold, and she wouldn’t have died without a scarf. She didn’t regret it, because it was a fleeting stroke of luck that wasn’t her original purpose.

“Yeah.”

“.......”

The young resident didn’t seem to understand the situation, so she held onto the scarf tightly without answering, and the woman who saw that blushed in an inexplicable embarrassment and hurriedly left the place.

She couldn’t speak at all because she had tried to talk to someone after a long time. The woman who had come a long way away soon felt proud and thought to herself.

‘You did well, though.’

Her parents had taught her to share when she had extra money. Those people were gone now, but she felt quite good after doing good deeds according to her parents’ instructions.

‘When I meet Mom and Dad later....’

I might get complimented, right?

That was when she raised the corners of her mouth with that thought.

“.......”

“.......”

A pitch-black frame caught the woman’s eyes.

The frame, which looked like it was carved from gold wood, was neatly and luxuriously carved.

Inside it was a painting of a green tree with calm colors, but when she wondered where she had felt it was ‘black’, she saw its true nature.

“.......”

A portrait of a man wearing a pitch-black suit, his face hidden by soft, dark paint like ink.

A black portrait.

“...Huh?”

She instinctively knew that it was a ‘black cloak.’

“Uh, uh... uh....”

“.......”

“M, monster....”

Her breath caught in her throat.

‘It’s a monster.’

The monster that had taken everything from her was right in front of her.

My breath was suffocated as if I had been hit by a bullet. My heart was pounding loudly as if it was struggling right before it died, and the blood flowing along with it made my whole body tremble.

There are many organs that move like this.

Why is my brain not working? As I hesitated in the face of the gloomy and heavy disaster, the bright red lips in the frame opened.

“.......”

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

What should I say about this?

It was an extremely polite voice that I, a poor and coward, had never heard before.

“I apologize.”

“.......”

I was creeped out by that kind voice.

There was no emotion in the voice of the black cloak.

It was just as quiet as if it were a funeral, and it was so quiet that it couldn’t even be called a ‘voice’, and it was as clean and clear as a machine’s voice.

In that kind of voice, in that kind of voice, in that kind of speech without any emotion. This strange and beautiful cloak was imitating kindness in the shadow of the hood.

‘... Uh, what should I do?’

My feet were frozen and I couldn’t move.

‘I’m scared... .’

The woman was a natural coward, and was originally afraid of monsters, and even more so after the village was destroyed. It was natural for her whole body to tremble when she encountered a humanoid monster that she had only heard of.

She hid alone in the chaos because she didn’t want to die. That’s how she came to the city alive. She had been living like a beggar in this huge city.

“Ah, ahh....”

“.......”

“...Oh, don’t come, don’t come... don’t come....”

“.......”

“Ugh, shoo....”

She was so sad.

“I, I did something good today....”

Even if she had bad luck, it wasn’t so bad.

She suddenly remembered all the good things people had said about the black cloak, but it was really just a fleeting moment. Even so, for a woman who knew what monsters were, this situation of encountering the black cloak was truly terrifying.

‘How am I going to die?’

Will I be swallowed by a large mouth like my parents were that day? Or will I be pierced by countless teeth? Or will I be trampled to death, or, or, or... .

As she continued to cry sadly, Black Cloak asked.

“Did you do something good?”

“Ugh, hueuh....”

“I think you must have been very surprised by the scary situation.”

“...Cough....”

“I promise not to hurt you.”

She thought as she cried that her voice had a strange resonance, yet was full of mercy.

No, in fact, her crying had stopped at some point. The woman herself did not realize it.

“.......”

“Here.”

Black Cloak reached out and handed her something.

A normal woman would never have accepted something given by a monster.

She must have been too surprised to say a word or too busy crying, but as if possessed by something, her heartbeat slowed down and she listened to the steady voice.

She unconsciously reached out and received something.

“.......”

“Cookies.”

Rustling.

A delicious smell emanated from the thin envelope made of Korean paper.

“I apologize again for surprising you.”

“.......”

“I affirm your good deeds.”

Black Cloak bowed with his hand on his chest, like a gentleman in a fairy tale or a nobleman in a faded movie.

Black Cloak’s soft voice followed his short and slow greeting.

“Thank you.”

What?

“.......”

When she raised her head, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the picture frame was nowhere to be seen.

Only freshly baked cookies remained.

“...Uh...?”

It was the day that the name of ‘Black Cloak’ spread among the poor.

* * *

The portrait, which had yet to make a new friend, cried bitterly.

“I still haven’t found anyone to be my pen pal....”

“Oh, if that’s true, can I catch one for you?”

“How dare you try to take away this teacher’s joy?”

“.......”

... If that’s what you’re saying, then it must be so.

Isser nodded seriously with a benevolent smile on his face.

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons