The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

“That was dangerous.”

Yoo Sung-woon said with a sigh.

“Although I agreed to it, seeing the employees gossiping about the 'ghost story' made my heart flutter. It could have easily led to an internal strife.”

“Our guild members aren't so narrow-minded that they would cause internal strife over a mere ghost story. Curator Yoo Sung-woon seems to have little faith in his colleagues?”

“It was too much of a gamble, trust and self-confidence. This was not a matter to be reassured simply based on trust among colleagues.”

Though things had turned out well, it didn't change the fact that it was a dangerous gamble.

“It's like we completely let loose an existence of origin whose identity we haven't even properly grasped….”

They still didn't know what Gio's identity was. Really, somehow it still was. No matter how much Yoo Sung-woon searched through books, he couldn't find anything similar.

If they left it to the association for investigation, they might get an answer, but the probability was uncertain, and Bi Sa-beol wouldn't allow that in the first place.

What was certain, however, was that the ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was clearly a being strongly influenced by the origin.

Gardeners and some humans who knew their existence called such monsters, items, skills or phenomena ‘beings of the origin.’ It was a vague term used because they were hard to define specifically.

Although it’s a bit embarrassing to admit as a professional in this era, 'Gio's Portrait' was exactly such a case.

“We almost released a catastrophe.”

“Well, Curator Yoo Sung-woon, what do you think Gio's true identity is?”

“Are you changing the subject….”

“It’s an ordinary question.”

Yoo Sung-woon shrugged.

“I don't know. Just like it's always been.”

Gio was different from the usual beings of the origin.

“First of all, it’s highly likely that it’s not a monster.”

“Indeed, they are hostile to civilization outside the dungeon.”

“Their hostility is instinctual. Like how humans freak out or want to kill a cockroach on sight, it's a reflex. It's not something that the monsters themselves can control…..”

“Even if they could, with that level of patience and judgment, they'd already be beyond the level of ‘monsters.’”

“For that reason, I judged it unlikely to be a monster.”

Gio's goodwill comes from his affection for the species itself, so while it may sometimes feel indifferent or even merciless, that doesn't mean it isn't genuine.

So it couldn't be a monster.

“It's showing a completely different pattern from monsters.”

Yoo Sung-woon nodded.

“Of course, there are monsters that are friendly to humans, but strictly speaking, it’s more of a love-hate relationship than affection. If the deformity incident eleven years ago had been out of pure goodwill, they would have observed the humans’ terror and helped to settle things.”

“But didn't they say that they enjoyed it?”

“Some of them have no intention of understanding humans, and perhaps they just found the humans’ reactions amusing. Though regarding this, since the incident was hastily resolved and left unsolved … I can't say anything for certain.”

“That's not what's important right now, so let's move on.”

“Um, and….”

Yoo Sung-woon rolled his dark blue eyes and continued.

“It’s not an item either.”

“But there are items with consciousness.”

“The consciousness imbued in items is clearly created by humans. It has limits.”

He added.

“You can’t determine it with how human-like they can think… it’s about their essence.”

“Essence?”

“Gio created life, even if it was only in the portrait.”

Yoo Sung-woon tilted his head after thinking for a moment.

“Perhaps the life created that way can come out of the painting. Although I haven’t asked Gio for an answer, seeing as he himself can come out freely and can easily smuggle objects out of the painting, the possibility is high.”

“What if Gio draws a monster and it comes out?”

“That seems possible. Even if it doesn’t work, the fact that Gio himself can come out freely is already confirmed. Even if it was just an item instead of a monster, or if Gio were to bring out a contract creature he had subjugated with his soul, those alone would already be impossible to handle.”

“And mere items can’t do that?”

“All items are created by humans. No matter how much we set aside our biases, only a highly intelligent monster could create them. Creating life is impossible for either humans or monsters, and the fact that its soul’s level is incomparable to that of humans has already been testified by numerous witnesses. It’s not an item.”

“Aha.”

Bi Sa-beol chuckled, as if finding it amusing. It was a really immature expression for his age.

“Then what about a type of skill? As for skills, it was proven long ago that souls can be handled. Although there is only one, there exists a user of a resurrection skill that can even bring the dead back to life.”

“That too is just manipulating an existing soul, not creating a new one. Even if a skill capable of creating souls exists somewhere in the world … from the start, skills are intangible energy that can only be handled by intellectual beings.”

“You are saying Gio, who has form and consciousness, can’t be a remnant of a skill, right? But what if he’s just a kind of awakener who gained a skill that can turn himself into a portrait?”

Bi Sa-beol said, waving his finger.

“Gio also called himself a 29-year-old young man and said he once lived in human society. If so, he could simply be an undiscovered type of awakened person.”

Yoo Sung-woon shook his head.

“It’s impossible.”

“Why? Mr. Yoo Sung-woon, who was the head of the association’s research team, did you see something?”

“As one would see it, the guild leader would likely see it better than me … I just know a bit, that's all.”

“Then what do you know?”

“Do you know why people with supernatural abilities are called ‘Awakeners’ in the first place?”

“Hmm….”

Bi Sa-beol shrugged.

“It’s not a field I’m very interested in.”

“Seems like it’ll damage your high self-esteem if you simply say you don’t know.”

“It’ll damage a lot, considering I'm the head of one of South Korea's top 3 guilds. Can you even imagine how expensive this tiny bit of pride is?”

“Of course it is.”

Yoo Sung-woon let out a dry laugh and continued.

“It’s easy if you consider the meaning of the word ‘awakening.'”

“1. To wake up and come to one’s senses. 2. To realize and understand. 3. To come to one’s senses, carefully and be vigilant.”

“…You say it’s not a field you’re interested in, but you sounded like a Korean dictionary….”

“If I don't even know the meaning of the word, then what’s the point of becoming a guild leader with just one appraisal skill?”

“Ah, yes. Of course it is.”

“So which one is it?”

“Well… Anything is fine.”

Yoo Sung-woon continued nonchalantly.

“The important point is the essence.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Regardless of what it means, awakening is a new composition from an existing state.”

He propped his chin on his hand.

“Whether wake up and come to one’s senses, straighten out an unfortunately twisted mindset, or mature internally to reflect on one’s younger days… it’s a change happening within the originally existing person.”

“Aha, so?”

“An awakened person’s skills are not a newly received ability, but rather abilities that were originally buried within their nature have awakened. Dungeons appeared, and new energies and resources not originally on Earth emerged, and along that, the environment changed, and humans evolved to adapt to these changes.”

“I think I read something similar in the centre’s materials. So can I understand that it’s like realizing the stone you originally had is a diamond, thanks to the new era?”

“More or less.”

Yoo Sung-woon scratched the back of his neck.

“In that sense, Gio can’t be seen as an Awakener.”

“Hmm….”

“Even if he is an Awakener, it’s just the awakening of the original level of his existing soul, not a newly bestowed one.”

“As expected.”

These two didn’t know it, but Yoo Sung-woon’s statement had a flaw. Seo Gio had very, berry, crazily, unexpectedly merged with the origin during Earth’s rebirth process, raising the level of his soul.

This was a mutation with miraculous probability that is difficult to observe in such a small dimension as Earth.

“It's a headache.”

“It’s a troubling.”

Of course, since at this point it was just 30 years after the Great Catastrophe, these two couldn’t have figured it out.

To those who were ordinary humans, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was simply a non-human being from the start.

Bi Sa-beol, who was blinking his bright yellow eyes in thought, opened his mouth.

“Then what about calling Gio ‘child of the origin’?”

“I think that too … is a bit strange.”

“Please explain in what sense it is strange.”

“Most children of the origin can’t be called rational. No, without even needing to consider the children, this applies to almost all beings born from the origin ….”

Yoo Sung-woon spoke with a reluctant expression.

“In short, beings of the origin can be described as ‘living stories.’ So they can’t think. Even if they appear to think, it’s an illusion; they aren’t truly thinking.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Not entirely… no. Even though I may be a gardener, this field hasn't been fully understood yet.

Yoo Sung-woon, who had been hesitating, continued again.

“However, I said this because all the children of the origin I’ve seen so far could be viewed as nature itself.”

There are often cases where humans with strong thoughts create a dungeon based on their own rules and become the boss monster there.

But they couldn’t be called ‘children of the origin’.

“Monsters are one of two things. Either they were born in a dungeon, or became monsters because they created a dungeon.”

“Hmm….”

“It’s different from ‘children of the origin’, beings created directly from the origin or accidentally aligning with its veins and appearing randomly in various dimensions.”

“It’s always fascinating to hear about that.”

Bi Sa-beol laughed, his eyes narrowing like a snake.

“From my perspective as a hunter, the biggest secret in the world seems to be all about dungeons.”

“That’s good. There are still many people who can't adapt just to the existence of the dungeons, but if they hear that dungeons are formed from a cosmic concept called the origin … their mind would shatter.”

“Even so, I'm always grateful to our gardeners. Shall I get you some coffee?”

“No thanks. I’m fed up with caffeine.”

Yoo Sung-woon openly grimaced. Already busy and frequently working overtime, but he recently had to consume all the caffeine he could find to converse with Gio, who only wakes up at dawn, to the point where he felt nauseous.

“Anyway, well, that’s right. If anything, it would be much easier to explain Gio as a child of the origin. Besides that, there is no other way to explain it… The origin is not a concept narrow enough for mere Earth beings to grasp in just 30 years.”

“Indeed, given that we haven’t even fully grasped dungeons yet, we couldn’t afford to explore deeper knowledge.”

“The association president still seems to be very interested, but I’m not sure. It’s still hard to say anything definite about Gio’s true identity.”

The origin is an ecosystem and nature. Just as nitrogen in the atmosphere can’t understand humans, children of the origin inherently lack understanding of humans. They simply survive in their own way, cultivating their own ‘stories.’

However, Gio was different.

“How that’s possible… I don’t really know. But if he said he was human in the past, perhaps focusing on that point for investigation might reveal something….”

“Even so, I don't understand how a human could become a child of the origin. Even if he was human, it's possible that he wasn’t a human from Earth.”

Many novice gardeners confuse ‘monsters’ and ‘children of the origin,’ but just because the two were formed under the great influence of origin doesn’t mean they are the same.

“Monsters are born in dungeons, children of the origin are born from the origin. They can’t be the same when they are born from different wombs in the first place.”

“Roughly like the relationship between an uncle and nephew?”

“Hmm… I guess it should be somewhat similar.”

The order is that from the womb called the origin, 'dungeons' and 'the children of the origin' are born, and monsters are formed from those ‘dungeons’. Usually, this is the flow that follows.

“If it’s a humanoid monster or something similar, they would first create their own dungeons and then establish new rules or create monsters there, but such cases are rare….”

The terms uncle and nephew aren't so wrong.

“There is also a talk that from the beginning, dungeons itself is one of the children of the origin.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“This part still requires more research. I can’t say for certain. Anyway….”

Yoo Sung-woon looked at Bi Sa-beol.

“So, was it okay?”

“We decided to let such an unknown existence roam freely.”

In response, Bi Sa-beol shrugged his shoulders.

“… Didn't we already discuss the answer to that earlier?”

How on earth do you intend to not let that uncontrollable, unknown existence be free?

“It's not a monster, not an item, not an Awakener. But it's too strange to be called a child of the origin.”

“It creates life, has a high level of soul, and there's nothing it can't do. It does everything by itself. As for coming out of the portrait, it would be understandable if there were any limitations or conditions, but he does that freely and easily.”

“…That’s right.”

“How do you plan to stop it? Is it even possible? We can't handle even the gods we've gotten friendly with, so how do you plan to stop 'Gio's Portrait' whose identity is even more unknown?”

Bi Sa-beol laughed and waved his hand.

“Ah, maybe if we took a human he cares about hostage, it might be possible.”

“Are you insane?”

“Naturally, I expected that kind of response. It’s not to the taste of good-hearted people like us from the perspective of humanity, and from the start, we don’t even know how effective this method would be. With Gio's abilities, he could easily rescue any hostage … and that would only provoke his anger.”

“Do you understand?”

He smiled pleasantly.

“We can’t stop it.”

“…I know.”

“What’s the difference with trying to stop a tidal wave with a very small child as a meat shield? If we can't stop it anyway, we should at least avoid making it angry.”

He smiled thinly. It was a smile that seemed to be comforting a child who was upset, with also a somewhat elderly gaze.

“And as much as possible, it would be better to win his favour.”

In the greatest fortune amidst misfortune, 'Gio's Portrait' is very gentlemanly, values politeness, and is also fair.

If he receives something as a favour from someone, he’ll return it with the same favour but with an even greater value. Perhaps that is Gio’s ‘rule’.

“This incident was a kind of vaccination. A preliminary warning for coexisting with entities we can never handle. Fortunately, I know my employees very well, and they showed the indifference that matched my expectations.”

“… The numerous ghost stories that have occurred in the guild so far must have played a part. They must have thought that there's no need to tremble over a ghost story now when nothing had happened so far.”

“That's exactly it.”

“This is 'Collection’.”

A place managed by Bi Sa-beol, filled only with employees chosen by Bi Sa-beol, and brimming with works loved by Bi Sa-beol.

That was South Korea’s third-largest guild ‘Collection’.

“Remember, Mr. Yoo Sung-woon. 'Gio's Portrait' is not something we can control.”

Thinking of fighting it was foolish.

“It's a natural disaster, and fortunately, it communicates with us and bears goodwill. That's a truly incredible fortune, an unbelievable miracle beyond words.”

“Don't foolishly waste this miracle thinking the fate of the earth is in your hands. We must be cautious, must be bold, and must always be kind.”

“…Did you buy Gio knowing this would happen? Since once he's out of the auction house, he'll be revealed to the world, did you preemptively prepare for the potential disaster that might occur in the process?”

“I see quite a lot.”

“I didn't think it was an ordinary piece.”

Following that, Bi Sa-beol smiled with a childish and playful expression. Dressed like a gentleman, it seemed out of place, yet instead he actually seemed lively.

He said,

“Because it was the only work I couldn't read.”

He was right.

“…I trust you, guild leader.”

“It would be difficult if you trust me too much.”

“To be exact, I trust your judgment.”

He trusted those eyes.

Since it was a successful gamble in the end, Yoo Sung-woon decided to hold back his words.

“Even so, I still feel uneasy because I'm just a mere human.”

“How could you not, when you're holding a talking disaster?”

“It's like the feeling …. just before a horror movie starts.”

Ah, right.

It’s like that.

“…Maybe because it's so huge in front of me….”

What can be done about a heart that shrunk in front of a giant?

Humans are inherently such small beings.

***

On the other hand, Gio, who had subconsciously merged with the origin and evolved into a haunted portrait on that day which was supposed to be Earth’s last, which was something truly unbelievable, beyond shocking, and utterly impossible, a miracle among miracles—

“This is the taste.”

—Was farming.

That means he had no thoughts.