The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 158

The city allowed only two citizen classes to live within it: Class-1 and Class-2.

But the gap between them was immense.

Class-3 citizens, who lived separately in rural areas, were treated like people from another world.

Meanwhile, Class-2 citizens were constantly compared to the Class-1s, made to feel inferior.

They mockingly referred to themselves as “bums” or “hicks.”

Unable to afford the insane urban rent, Class-2 citizens were pushed to the outskirts—and the further they went, the closer they got to the slums.

“...Ugh, come on.”

A man sat up and flicked on his phone screen. It was past 1 a.m.

“Ah, crap, the laundry... fuck...”

It was probably all wrinkled by now.

“I think my alarm went off, why the hell couldn’t I wake up?”

Grumbling, he trudged out to the communal laundry room to retrieve his clothes.

If a Class-1 citizen saw him, they’d probably sneer at him for “trying to act clean.”

But the man thought to himself:

“Sure, we’re broke—but we still have our pride. They already say we’re filthy. I’m not going to give them a reason to be right.”

His apartment was one of those old, tall villas near the red-light district.

The walls were thin as paper, and everything creaked and rusted.

It was the kind of place Class-1s would openly call “disgusting.”

Still, he had to look decent for work.

The ancient washer had done a crap job spinning the clothes dry, so the laundry weighed a ton with all the water it held.

“Urgh.”

The stairs creaked with every step.

Back home, the man headed straight for the balcony.

It was still chilly—he wondered what the temperature was and pulled out his phone.

“...”

1:24 a.m.

“...Huh.”

While checking the screen, his eyes caught something—a couple standing below, just beyond the edge of the balcony.

“What the hell? At this hour?”

His voice dropped instinctively.

Being near the nightlife district, it wasn’t uncommon for drunk scumbags to drag their business into deep alleyways.

But these two... they didn’t give off that vibe.

The man looked closer—two figures, a man and a woman. Surprisingly normal.

“The guy... is he a Hunter? Isn’t that the Gita Orphanage over there? What the hell would they want with an empty, burnt-out building like that?”

And then—he saw it.

“...”

A jewel-toned feline, meowing with a voice too beautiful to be real.

“...Uh...”

That bell-like cry...

And then, the children—faint, young spirits—began emerging from the ruins.

“W-what...”

And presiding over it all—

“—...”

A priest.

No—a tamer?

Before he could finish processing the scene, the man realized—his eyes had met the platinum-haired Hunter’s.

He couldn’t breathe.

“...”

It wasn’t until much later—after everything had vanished like a dream—that the man found himself collapsed on his balcony.

“...Wh-what the hell was that...”

He couldn’t recall it clearly.

He was sure their eyes had met—but the memory between that moment and now was blank.

“Goddamn... people say Hunters are scary, and yeah... I nearly pissed myself just from eye contact.”

It must’ve been some kind of panic reaction.

He’d heard of it before—when ordinary people faced extremely powerful Hunters.

So he accepted it without much doubt.

He grabbed his phone with clammy, trembling hands.

It was old and sluggish, but even accounting for that—his hands were shaking too hard.

“What the hell... ghosts are real?”

When the phone lit up, it was full of silent notifications.

Local community posts.

And instinctively, he knew—it had to be about what he just saw.

“I wasn’t the only one.”

It hadn’t been a hallucination.

With shaking fingers, he began to type a new post in the neighborhood forum:

"I saw it with my own two eyes (photo attached)"

That was the start of the massive fireball launched into the sky... by "Mr. Sergio."

***

One of Korea’s eternal traditions, dating back before the Great Catastrophe:

- ??? What the hell did I just see??

The Internet never dies.

- Ghost spotted in Gwanak-gu at dawn

- Anyone else see the ghost in Daehak-dong??

- What’s with the meowing??

- WTF I saw a ghost

Even in a world destroyed and reborn, Koreans’ SNS and community forums thrived.

- That place already had bad rumors...

- Wait, are we talking about Gita Orphanage??

↳ Just call it Gita, the censor’s pointless now

- Why are we all talking ghosts right now??

- What a mess, and it’s only morning...

Perhaps because /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ society had been flipped once already, residents of a given district viewed themselves as an extended family.

When something happened, sharing the details became a kind of social etiquette.

That’s why Gwanak-gu’s forum exploded when "Hunter Sergio" paid it a visit.

“Hey, apparently a ghost showed up in Gwanak.”

“You serious? What the hell.”

The story spread through the neighborhood fast.

I saw it with my own two eyes (photo attached)

Yes, I’m the one who saw the ghost, you Gwanak-gu hicks.

Too many of you keep messaging me so here’s a proper write-up.

Time of sighting: 1:24 a.m.

Why do I remember so clearly?

Because I was hanging laundry like an idiot.

I set my alarm for 1:00 and still overslept.

I looked at my phone at 1:22 when I finally got up.

Went to the balcony to hang the laundry, it was cold as hell,

so I checked the weather—1:24.

So don’t even start with “this is fake” crap.

I’m not dropping my full address, but if you’re local, you already know—

Yes, I live in Daehak-dong.

Anyone who’s even visited knows it’s a crammed shithole.

And you know that narrow 4-way alley between the buildings?

If not, just imagine a backstreet slum filled with broke Gwanak folks.

There’s an orphanage there.

“Gita Orphanage.”

I think it’s government-run or maybe under the Association, but if they were getting proper support, there’s no way they’d build an orphanage there.

I love my neighborhood, but let’s be real—it’s a depressing place.

Not a place for kids. And yet, there were so many of them.

Poor, unwanted kids everywhere.

But then it caught fire.

Everyone died.

Our building got hit too, by the way.

The kids were the only bright spot in this whole moody neighborhood.

After the fire turned that place into a ghost house, the mood got so much worse.

Like... 360 times darker.

Now here’s the important part.

I told you—I went out to the balcony to hang my laundry.

I knew no one would be out at that hour.

But there were two people.

A woman and a man.

My first thought: Oh god please don’t be here to do gross crap in our alley.

You never know with this place.

But they didn’t look like that kind of crowd.

Then I heard the woman calling him “Hunter.”

Okay, so the guy’s a Hunter.

And then—what the hell is this cat?

Was it even a cat? It sparkled like a damn gemstone.

And it meowed.

I don’t even know how to describe it.

It wasn’t just a sound—it shook my soul.

Like... that chill you get down your spine.

Not from fear, but from witnessing something vast, beautiful, otherworldly.

Forget last summer’s banshee shriek—this was on another level.

Yeah, I was scared shitless.

And then—more meowing.

And then the kids started crying.

What kids?

The ghost kids, you idiots.

At first it was just weird.

Then the “meows” started getting varied.

Something in my gut screamed wrong wrong wrong.

I hid and peeked down—

And I saw them.

Children. Clean, living-looking kids.

Walking out of a ruined orphanage.

With my own two eyes, I saw it.

That... was a ghost.

You hear Class-1s talk about “souls” and whatever, and you think it’s bullshit.

But now I know.

Those kids... looked alive.

But I knew they were the ones who died in that fire.

And that cat... had called them out.

And the blonde Hunter was their master.

I couldn’t breathe.

I was shaking—but not from the cold.

It wasn’t creepy or wet like you’d expect.

It was... majestic.

Like being overwhelmed by something divine.

Like being possessed—but gentle.

Entranced.

I didn’t get any photos of the kids.

They vanished quickly.

But I don’t think they “disappeared.”

It felt like... I had been allowed to see them for just a moment.

That time simply ended.

I think the cat did something.

No idea what—it’s not like us Class-2 folks understand that crap.

The woman standing next to the Hunter looked like a hick like me.

She collapsed from shock.

But so did I, honestly.

lololololol

By the time I came to, I was sitting on the balcony floor, hands and feet shaking uncontrollably.

I swear we made eye contact.

Anyway, it was scary as hell.

I totally get what that woman was feeling.

And I only saw it from a distance—if I’d been right there? I’d be pissing myself.

That cat looked like a monster... was the Hunter a tamer or what?

I couldn’t see clearly from that far, but I took a picture. Take a look.

His face isn’t in it, so don’t come at me with “invasion of privacy” crap.

Yeah, okay, go off, fake-news police. Whatever.

A photo was indeed attached to the post.

Just as the author had described—whether it was due to his trembling hands or the poor camera quality—it was a very blurry shot.

But even so, the blond Hunter and the collapsed woman could be clearly identified.

Taken from a higher angle, the image stirred the community into another frenzy.

Comments (149):

How is this not fake?

So... a Hunter with soul-related abilities?

↳ A Hunter with skills like that in Gwanak-gu...? For real...?

↳ Right? That kind of power isn’t some rookie-tier stuff.

That cat is insanely cute.

↳ Look at the size. That’s not “cute,” that’s “we’re a snack” cute.

Is that... Anti-Cat??

LOL the way the woman just collapsed.

↳ Fr fr. Plop Woman...

↳ Plop Woman has me crying 😭😭😭

↳ She really plopped huh LOL

Is that thing Anti-Cat or not??

↳ Sorry, what’s “Anti-Cat”? Is that the name of the cat?

↳↳ Bro, it’s a cat-type monster from the Gem’s Waterway Dungeon or whatever

↳ You can tame Anti-Cats now???

↳ Nah nah, Anti-Cats are kitten-sized, stop pretending you know everything

↳ Tired of all these fake experts crawling out the woodwork

↳ Acting like they know stuff SMH

If he has soul abilities, maybe he’s a priest? Getting Temple of the Sun vibes...

Why would such a rare Hunter be in a dump like this...???

Blonde Priest has me feral

↳ Chill, perv

↳ Even if he’s a Hunter, isn’t that kind of comment just... ew?

↳ There’s a line, even for celebs.

↳↳ Who cares lol

↳ He radiates hot guy energy. Can’t even see his face and I know he’s fine

↳ Is he as tall as a lamppost or something? What the hell

If he’s a priest, isn’t walking around with a monster illegal??

Doesn’t seem like a priest—cat’s too well-behaved. Gotta be a tamer.

↳ Yeah if it weren’t tamed, Gwanak would already be on fire

What is Anti-Cat??

Does anyone know the priest’s name please 😭 someone help 😭

Can “Plop Woman” verify herself? LOL

25 years of being a face-fan and this Hunter has me needing his name and résumé

Why the hell aren’t journalists doing their job

↳ Maybe he’s an unofficial Hunter? Came outta nowhere

↳ Classic media, silent when you actually need them

↳ Are there even any blond tamers? Not many tamers in Korea, and never seen a blond one

↳ Isn’t that silver hair??

But seriously—if he’s a new tamer, this is some elite-tier national pride

Why is a tamer dealing with ghosts...? What the hell even...

Can a real Hunter please come explain what we just saw

lol so are we saying it’s fake or not

↳ Of course it’s not

↳ Comments like yours are why the OP’s pissed

↳ Anti-fake police OUT

By the time the story spread beyond Gwanak-gu and into Seoul’s broader online community—

“I think it’s fine now.”

“Uh... um...”

“Would you post it?”

“Can I really...?”

“The Collector’s Guild has approved it.”

“Wow...”

The woman at the center of the ghost incident posted a new thread.

“Hi, I’m the so-called ‘Plop Woman’ from the Gwanak ghost incident. Here’s the story...”

Attached was a photo—a two-shot of her with Hunter Sergio.

Unlike the first post, this one had clear, high-quality resolution.

Her face was covered with a sticker, while Sergio’s was fully visible.

The caption was simple:

“Beauty That Ruins Kingdoms.”

And that was it.

Comments (1,623):

Did... did Beauty That Ruins Kingdoms just HAPPEN??

Why so handsome? Why so handsome? Why so handsome? x100

↳ Breathe, dude

The future of this country is looking REAL bright

↳ Seriously, I just got forcibly enlightened

The post was so short, but what more needs to be said

I feel cheated that I didn’t know this face for 28 years

Valid

He looks like he walked out of a Joseon painting

↳ Right?! The kind of face you’d just... follow

↳ (Comment removed due to violation of community guidelines)

He’s... really handsome.

Beauty That Ruins Kingdoms... yeah, no exaggeration

So that’s the kind of face that ruins nations

↳ Honestly, fair trade

↳ Are we talking... rolled up like sushi?

↳↳ Please, y’all need therapy

Hunters are still human. Please stop crossing the line

This comment section is a hot mess

Mods, please clean this up

How is a human being this kind-looking AND that handsome

↳ How do you even know he’s kind??

↳↳ The face looks kind

The comment section exploded.

“...”

“The response is... overwhelming.”

“Looks like it.”

Yoo Seong-Woon thought:

Nothing disrupts the narrative quite like visual shock.

As a proud curator, even Seong-Woon had to admit the portrait-level beauty that "Gio" carried.

And judging by how smoothly everything was flowing, he allowed himself a rare, relaxed smile.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“N-no, I’m just glad I could help.”

“As we discussed, all of your personal information will remain private.”

“Still, people always find a way...”

“We’ll make sure this doesn’t cause you any problems.”

“Th-thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“You’ve signed the contract. Do you have any other questions?”

“...Actually.”

The woman now infamously known as “Plop Woman”—Choi Ra-On—spoke with surprising seriousness:

“Can I make a fan café?”

“...That’s well within your rights as a citizen.”

“I mean... if Hunter Sergio wouldn’t like it, I won’t.”

“I’ll ask him and get back to you.”

“If he approves... can it be an official fan café?”

“I’ll ask about that, too.”

“Thank you...!”

“No trouble at all.”

Yoo Seong-Woon mused inwardly.

Maybe it’s time we scheduled some public activities.

Striking while the iron’s hot was always best.

Still not sure what level of exposure would suit Gio best...

He had no intention of throwing Gio into media appearances.

The man seemed averse to fame, uninterested in celebrity.

If possible, Seong-Woon intended to keep him underground.

Though... at this point, staying unofficial might be impossible.

Then again, perhaps Gio had always expected this much.

“...”

A dungeon campaign might be a decent first move.

Wasn’t there a promising raid coming up? Some guilds or temples had dibs on it already...

In any case, it wasn’t Seong-Woon’s problem anymore.

Time to go delegate.

The thought of dumping all this onto Joo-Hyun warmed him pleasantly.