The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 136



Only Krnovel

Episode 136

“so.”

Yoo Seong-un smiled with a resigned expression.

“Are you turning that guy into a pig?”

“I’m glad you know.”

“I couldn’t help but know, I almost became a pig too….”

“I apologize if this came across as rude.”

“No, the food was really delicious.”

He continued with a carefree smile.

“I did feel a bit of a crisis though.”

This is a crisis that could change the human race itself.

‘Or die of a stomach explosion.’

Perhaps because they had gone through such a difficult time of great disaster, the elders of that generation were particularly sensitive to the idea of ​​fattening their children. Geo also had a similar vibe.

‘Mostly in the part where they constantly give you food….’

Perhaps if he hadn’t encountered the Mermaid Princess back then, Yoo Seong-un would not have been able to escape the cycle of repeated meals and snacks. Most hunters felt that way even though they had large stomachs.

“… I know you’ll do fine, but he’ll eat less than I do. Just don’t make him overeat.”

“I didn’t mean to make you overeat either… but I made a mistake, you overeat.”

“It’s surprising that you can still get sick after eating such heavenly food, but then again, eating too much of anything isn’t good for you.”

“It’s too much praise to say it tastes heavenly. But I think I pressured you a little because it was so nice to see you enjoying it so much.”

“In reality, they probably ate deliciously without even realizing that they were full. Even though they were researchers at the association, most of them were just civilians, so they probably didn’t have much self-control.”

I understood what the situation was. Geo, who liked the sight of fat humans, would have continued to offer food, and the person would have lost his senses from the ecstatic taste, or he would have felt pressured by Geo and couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

‘It was too delicious to refuse, and it must have been a meal in Geo’s stomach.’

Even if he was a civilian with no skills, he was a researcher for the association. There was no way that Joo-Hyeon didn’t know that the flow of time and the weight of the air in this portrait, which changed depending on Geo’s mood, were literally on the dungeon master’s tongue.

‘But seeing as Geo doesn’t seem to be upset, I guess he has great worldly skills.’

I don’t know how much chaos there must have been inside, but it was a bold attitude for a civilian. It’s not easy to act so cool in front of someone like Geo.

‘If it were easy, Geo would have succeeded in making a pen pal a long time ago… .’

Well, it could just be that I was in a state of despair.

“… … .”

It looks like things are a bit messed up.

“I looked into that person named Ju-Hyeon separately.”

“Thank you for always helping me.”

“Never mind. But in this case, your team leader… seems to have done something.”

“Does that mean that his superior intervened in Ahn Joo-hyun’s circumstances?”

“An Joo-hyun?”

Yoo Seong-woon found out that Joo-hyun was from an orphanage affiliated with the association. Since the orphanage is a place where children leave their last names when they enter, he didn’t bother to check that part, but it seemed like Geo even knew Joo-hyun’s last name.

‘Well, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Geo to find out the identity of a mere human in some way.’

Whether he had a separate emotional skill and used it, or he used his unique social skills to pry, it wouldn’t have been strange if Geo knew the last name of the researcher from the orphanage.

The meteor passed by without a trace.

“That’s what I saw. Most people don’t know each other, but some of them are a bit…”

Yoo Seong-woon, who was at a loss for words, continued speaking.

“It felt like a hush.”

“You know but you’re hiding it.”

“I don’t really know why.”

Yoo Seong-un shrugged.

“I’m not that person anymore.”

In particular, the research institute of the association could be considered a single country under one team leader. Other than the minimum system, the rest of the policy was held by the team leader in charge of the research institute, who enjoyed absolute power.

“Anyway, I wonder what the team leader was thinking, he must have ruined the situation for that guy named Joo-Hyeon.”

“Why does the team leader, and not the director of the research institute, have that much authority?”

“Perhaps it’s because the director doesn’t actually go to work at the research institute. Usually, the director of an association’s research institute manages multiple buildings.”

In the association’s research institute, within that one building, one team leader is assigned. However, that does not mean that the research institute itself belongs to the team leader.

“The research institutes of the association are divided into Seoul Branch 1, Seoul Branch 2, and Seoul Branch 3… and the one who manages all the research institutes in Seoul is the research institute director. The research team leader works within one branch.”

“How many branches are there in Seoul?”

“There were up to Branch 184 when I started working, and now there’s Branch 221. Seoul isn’t that big of an area, but most research institutes are built using space expansion magic. That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”

Since there are so many research institutes to manage, the research institute directors are not actually able to participate in the work. They are already busy checking the experimental reports and permission requests that are piling up.

Yoo Seong-un smiled awkwardly.

“Of course you won’t understand why such an inefficient structure was formed.”

“Honestly, is there any reason why we shouldn’t have one research director and several research team leaders within one research institute?”

“There are various reasons, but the main reason is… the problem is that there is no reliable manpower.”

The association’s research institute was located in that location.

“It’s still full of information that citizens find difficult to accept and dangerous information that can be exploited in various ways. So we’re trying to sort out the information appropriately, but there are dozens or even hundreds of such research subjects coming out every year… .”

It is a space filled with extremely dangerous information that would make anyone’s eyes roll around.

“Didn’t Joohyun say that he felt the same way? If it’s as you said, then that person created the Sankalut’s sign, of all people. A good person who has never done anything wrong in his life made such a bold choice.”

“okay.”

“The association’s research institute is overflowing with information that can be easily exploited in that way. Therefore, the research institute director must first of all not be greedy for such information, secondly, he must have the ability to handle incidents in his jurisdiction, and thirdly, he must stay far away from the scene.”

“Why do I have to stay away from the scene?”

“Even if you’re not greedy, humans are creatures of adaptation. If you only see each other in person through documents or occasionally go to the scene to see each other, well, the weight is lighter, so the probability of exploitation may increase… If your body is far away, your heart is also far away, so the possibility of being deceived is lower.”

The association’s research institute was a place that was more than just a den of evil. It was a dangerous place where even a healthy person would come out mentally and physically broken, and even the most talented research institute director would likely lose his faith if he was exposed to such an environment for a long time.

“And it’s not something that can be done just by having a strong will of one’s own. Quite a few project subjects have their own will, and the field workers at the research institute have to endure the temptations and accusations of such strange mysteries every hour.”

“Why are there so many people working in places like that?”

“Some people are brought in because the association did a great job promoting it, and some are supported by orphanages sponsored by the government or the association. So at first, they are usually given chores that are not mentally demanding.”

But it won’t be long before you face reality.

“And above all… .”

Yoo Seong-un hesitated for a moment, then continued speaking.

“To become the director of a research institute, you have to go through some kind of procedure.”

“Is it a procedure?”

“If I were to put it badly, I would call it brainwashing, or training… .”

“It’s an unexpected method.”

“I think it’s a problem from an ethical standpoint.”

Yoo Seong-un smiled awkwardly.

“The first step is to find a Hunter with the ability to become the head of the research institute in the Association. We will find Hunters who are at least Class A, close to Class S, and among them, we will select those who already have an abundant environment or are not naturally greedy, and among them, we will select those who have administrative and human resource management skills and….”

“… … .”

“In addition to that, you have to select and choose people who are capable in various ways. No matter how many A-class people there are, it’s hard to find a hunter who is close to S-class. On top of that, they have to be not greedy and be a jack of all trades… There can’t be many such people.”

Even if you find it that way, there are still problems.

“Even in the final stage, there is a kind of brainwashing process where you have to castrate your greed and absolutely obey the orders of the association president. However unethical it may be, it is not done by force.”

“Isn’t that turning people into document processing machines called research institute directors?”

“It’s more of a problem because it’s not just about processing paperwork. Anyway, it’s really hard to find someone who agrees to this process, so we can’t assign a research institute director to each research institute.”

“Is the reason you insist on hiring such high-quality personnel to ensure the security of your research materials?”

“You could say that. Of course, if we lower our sights, we could deploy more personnel to each research institute, but that would only lead to the rebirth of a giant, uncontrollable den.”

From the beginning, the association’s research institute could be seen as a symbol of human arrogance.

“There are many disasters concentrated in Korea right now. The Association’s research institute is the center of them all. If even one of them explodes, this planet called Earth will be destroyed in an instant. That’s why we can’t lower the quality of our personnel even after going through such a difficult process.”

Yoo Seong-un, who was once the research team leader of the association, said, trying hard to hide his skepticism.

“The only fortunate thing is that, as long as there are such research institute directors and… the association president, who is the symbol of eternity, those countless caves are under perfect control.”

“… … .”

“In other words, you’re taking too many risks by relying solely on the chairman of the association, but well. After all, you’re putting more effort into the development of humanity and the analysis of its origins.”

Geo asked after a moment of silence.

“What is the symbol of eternity?”

“…ah.”

Yoo Seong-un nodded and explained.

“Tell me about the three immortal beings known only in the Republic of Korea.”

“Immortal.”

“Not only is he an Awakened being of exceptionally strong abilities, he also does not die or age.”

Geo told him.

“You must be lonely.”

“… … .”

Yoo Seong-un was speechless for a moment.

“… I don’t know because I’ve never thought of the symbol of eternity in that way.”

“It seems like a blessing in disguise that the three of us are together.”

“There is a rumor that they were close friends before the great disaster.”

Yoo Seong-un continued speaking with a small smile.

“Anyway, as long as such a symbol of eternity exists, no matter how much risk we take, it will never go to the worst. So experiments become more daring, and more people are being cut off, but since there are too many people compared to the capacity of the population… they die, break, and twist, and in the process, humanity progresses.”

He finally let out a small sigh.

“That is also the reason why Korea has been able to develop so rapidly.”

“Because you boldly threw people in only believing in the symbol of eternity?”

“In summary, that’s probably how it’ll turn out. It’s high risk, high return.”

However, no matter how great the risk, as long as the symbol of eternity exists, the damage will not go beyond the laboratory. No matter what kind of research is done, the maximum damage will be limited to the laboratory building, so the experiments are conducted even more boldly.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but they say failure is the mother of success, and that kind of data ultimately becomes the foundation for avoiding another failure.”

“I understand.”

“If one research institute is completely destroyed, then you think, ‘Oh, that’s how it reacts if you do that. Then, what about this method?’… It’s a structure that can be developed further.”

“It’s a scary world.”

“It’s a world where human rights and such are just empty words. Since this is a country with such a strong culture, the instrumentalization of people basically happens. It’s not a good look.”

But thanks to that, the development itself could be rapid.

“The Association is trying to research and dig into as much of the root as possible, in order to shorten the time people suffer as much as possible. If things continue this way, this planet will still be suffering in its primitive state for 500 years… The intention is to shorten that time.”

It was a thought and judgment that could be made because it was a symbol of immortality and eternity.

“I came out because I didn’t want to see that sight.”

“okay.”

“It may be a worthwhile sacrifice, but there’s nothing you can do about it being unpleasant.”

“I agree.”

“… Well, that aside.”

Yoo Seong-un cleared his throat.

“Anyway, I feel like it’s hard for me, who has already quit the company, to find out the details of what’s going on inside the research lab that’s still running smoothly. The people there are basically tight-lipped.”

“I think so.”

“But the atmosphere back then was a little bit strange. From what I saw, it seemed like they were trying to cause some kind of accident through that researcher named Joo-Hyeon. The research team leader, that is.”

Yoo Seong-un lowered his hand and smiled at Geo.

“You stopped it in advance.”

“I’m glad the results were good.”

“I’m always grateful, from my perspective.”

It may be just a coincidence, but Geo often appears out of nowhere before an incident or accident gets worse, abruptly cutting off the flow.

‘Should I say that the tension that had been building up was suddenly released in an unexpected way? In the case of the mermaid siblings, it wasn’t something that could have been absurdly swept under the rug like that… .’

Yoo Seong-un was still investigating the whereabouts of the mermaid siblings, and traces of them were recently discovered in Gyeongbokgung Palace. It seemed that they were planning to overthrow not only the Sun Bridge but also Gyeongbokgung Palace.

‘I’m not sure because there aren’t many comparison groups yet, but in any case, it’s a truly welcome move from a human perspective.’

I couldn’t help but feel grateful that such overwhelming disasters were prevented in advance.

“… … .”

In that sense, Yoo Seong-un thought that researcher Joo-hyun could have been the beginning of a disaster.

I’m so glad Geo found me before things got too serious.

“… So, what about Joohyun?”

“I’m eating well and sleeping well.”

“How are you feeling?”

“He still looks a little tense and a little confused.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Still, it was almost a miracle that it had become that stable.

“Please be a little nicer.”

“I will make it healthy and send it out.”

“I hope you are moderately healthy.”

If a new species other than Hunters appears, it will be very difficult.