chapter 110

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 110

Gio’s cabin was arranged as an environment that anyone human would find comfortable.

“The air is incredibly gentle.”

“I think it’s because it’s always spring weather.”

“That could be, but...”

It had a sense of stability, like being held in a parent’s arms.

“...I feel like I’d sleep well if I slept here.”

“That is true.”

Gio nodded, then asked,

“Is there a meal you would like?”

“...Ah, you’re going to treat me to a meal?”

“That is why I invited Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“That was the purpose.”

For Yoo Seong-woon, who had accepted the invitation in order to analyze Gio’s identity, it was a bit embarrassing.

‘Well, this grandma-like guy wouldn’t treat a guest carelessly, I guess.’

Whatever the purpose, Gio had received Yoo Seong-woon here as a guest.

A Gio who scattered gifts to everyone he met wouldn’t fail to treat Yoo Seong-woon to something.

“Anything is fine, but if I say that, you’ll dislike it.”

“There is no food called ‘anything’ in this world.”

“But I really don’t have anything I avoid.

I don’t have preferences either.”

“Then I will set the table as I please.

Is there any food you cannot eat?”

“No, I don’t have allergies or anything, so it’s fine.”

“Understood.”

When Gio nodded, something approached from the kitchen with a ponponpon sound.

What is that?

Yoo Seong-woon’s eyes were caught by a white cotton bundle.

“Thank you for helping welcome the guest, Father.”

“Coo.”

A teddy bear holding a teacup...?

“...”

No, a teddy bear?

‘...A teddy bear brought a welcome drink?’

Yoo Seong-woon fell into confusion.

Yoo Seong-woon, who often encountered existences of the source, was particularly sensitive to the aura of things that weren’t human.

That much, he could usually grasp what kind of being the other party was, but as he saw it, the teddy bear before him carried an aura close to divinity.

‘...Wait, if it’s divinity power resembling the sun...’

Having finished his judgment, Yoo Seong-woon turned to Gio.

“...Your father?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Then is it the previous-generation sun god?”

“That’s right.”

“Thanks to that, I understand.”

An aura on par with divinity even though it wasn’t divinity itself, and the prickling warmth unique to the sun that he’d felt from Gio time and time again.

This teddy bear seemed to be the sun god who had passed divinity on to Gio and kept the remaining power.

“Even so, do you usually go into a teddy bear...?”

“He says he is accustomed to this body, so I could not change it.”

“I don’t really understand that either.

Why would a god be accustomed to a doll’s body?”

“Because he became used to eating with this body...”

“In the end, you’re the cause.”

“That’s right.”

“...”

With awkward movements, Yoo Seong-woon accepted the teacup the sun god offered.

“...Thank you.”

“Coo-coo.”

Did it just laugh?

‘To think I’d live to see a god laugh.’

Of course, the fact that a sun god was inside an old teddy bear was shocking to begin with.

“It’s interesting. Usually, the previous god and the next god don’t get along.”

“Is there any reason for me not to get along with Father?

We are family.”

“Mm...”

There are plenty of reasons, but.

“...I’m guessing it’s because the difference in their way of thinking is huge.

A god who has to govern the life, death, and dimensions of living things—no matter if they inherited the same divinity, the scope of their thoughts is different.”

Because it took an extremely long time for one era of gods to end, it was similar to how it’s hard for a primitive man and a modern man to get along.

“Especially if it’s someone who was human and became a god, all the more so.”

“...”

Gio asked,

“Then am I a god?”

“...Oh... th... um...”

“There are gods who have nothing to do like this too.

Gods aren’t as big a deal as I thought.”

“...Just think what you want.”

“I think I am human.

Because nothing much has changed.”

“Then I guess that’s what it is.”

It seemed Gio thought of himself as ‘a human who inherited a divinity certification.’

If that isn’t a god, then what is, but since he said so himself, Yoo Seong-woon kept his mouth shut.

‘It’s true that the self called Gio hasn’t been devoured by divinity.’

Becoming a god meant seizing the qualifications of nature and fate, and abandoning the thinking of a living creature.

Even so, Gio still enjoyed meals, cooked well, and found fulfillment in sharing with others, so it was indeed hard to call him a god.

No matter what happened, the existence called ‘Gio’ would not change.

“...”

Because he is the source?

‘...How can such an existence exist?’

Yoo Seong-woon watched Gio go into the kitchen, saying he would prepare the meal.

‘I don’t think he isn’t the source.

I wouldn’t mistake that, as a gardener.

This portrait is the source in a form humans can perceive, and in a format close to a personality.’

But he couldn’t understand the process.

‘That isn’t simply living atop the source.

If it were, this space and Gio should have been separate objects.

But the fact that it isn’t, and is stuck together like bone and flesh, means...’

As Yoo Seong-woon was thinking, the teddy bear approached with ponpon, squishy footsteps.

“Hm?”

“Coo-oo?”

“...I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Coo-oo, coo-coo-coo.

Coo,”

“...”

At the sight of the teddy bear waving its cotton paws in front of him, Yoo Seong-woon felt awkward.

‘Is it blasphemy to find a god cute.

Religion isn’t my specialty.’

Even if it was in a state without divinity that could be called the god’s heart, it was still true that he was an existence close to a god.

Worried he might make a mistake toward the teddy bear stuffed generously with cotton, Yoo Seong-woon watched him carefully.

“...Ah.”

Soon, Yoo Seong-woon lifted the teacup.

“You mean to drink it?”

“Coo.”

“Thank you.”

Yoo Seong-woon was briefly surprised by the teacup that fit snugly in his hand.

“...Oh...”

This texture is good.

‘Smooth, but soft.’

Should he say it felt like touching a silky fur hide?

It was certainly a hard teacup, but it was soft enough that it felt like powder might rub off onto his hand, and despite its stable thickness, it was fairly light and easy to hold.

‘The grip feels good too.’

Even though it wasn’t made to fit Yoo Seong-woon’s own hand, it was shaped comfortably to hold.

“It feels kind of plush...”

It was like a teacup made of clouds or whipped cream.

“As expected, Gio doesn’t use even a single teacup carelessly.”

“Coo-oo-coo.”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know.

What did you say?”

The teddy bear, white with a golden-brown color like lightly toasted rice, soon pointed at something.

“...Ah.”

It was Honey.

“Gurrr...?”

“...We met earlier too, right?

I’m invited?

I’m a guest?”

“Koong-uk.”

“It feels like you’re letting it slide.”

He’d wondered why the teddy bear pointed at Honey, but it seemed he wanted to let him know that this teacup too was something Gio drew and created.

Yoo Seong-woon understood without realizing it.

“No wonder the texture was different.”

The pale-pink tea inside also smelled good.

“...This is...”

A fresh sweetness similar to vanilla bean, yet completely different.

There was a bit that tingled somewhere, and it had a savory side like milk mixed with honey, yet with a plant’s lightness added, making it not burdensome.

Yoo Seong-woon narrowed his eyes.

‘Is this really tea a person can drink?’

Without realizing it, he used an emotion skill.

[Silk Where Tears Bloom]

[Grade: - ]

Flower tea made by aging Weeping Fringe that grows wild on the fate’s ley line.

A faint remnant of the tingling fragrance unique to unheated Weeping Fringe remains, adding variation to the sweetness.

Gio, the forest’s owner, personally processed it so that even the human body can accept it.

The moment you drink it, heat gathers in the eyes and the optic nerve is restored.

Effective at nullifying mental-type skills.

“...”

Whatever.

‘It says it’s edible.’

Yoo Seong-woon poured the not-large amount of tea straight into his mouth.

“...Sweet.”

Usually, with tea, only the aroma would be sweet, but this tea, which didn’t look like it had any sugar in it, was sweet enough to make the mind hazy in an instant.

It felt like it was packed tight to the very limit line of pleasant sweetness.

‘It also has a tingling fragrance like pepper.’

Sweetness and pepper sounds odd, but after drinking it, he could feel the two scents didn’t separate and instead blended well.

With the vivid sweetness and the prickling fragrance stabbing at his brain, his head felt full.

There was a joy that made it hard to take it slow, like an endless course meal.

‘This would be hard to enjoy leisurely...’

Around then, Yoo Seong-woon furrowed his brow.

“Ugh.”

He felt his eyes grow bright, like a tongue after eating something spicy.

It was a strange sensation that was hard to call pain, similar to how it feels to put in mint-scented eye cleansing solution.

After waiting about three seconds, the sensation that had heated up his eyeballs vanished in an instant.

“...Maybe that’s why it’s called ‘Silk Where Tears Bloom.’”

Perhaps because heat had risen in a sensitive organ, tears came out a little.

‘It definitely feels like my vision got clearer.’

Once again, Yoo Seong-woon thought it would be hard to enjoy it with a comfortable heart.

With a flavor and aroma so packed it made your mouth feel blank, then making your eyes bright enough to bring tears, and on top of that raising your eyesight—how could you drink that tea with an easy mind?

“...”

So I’m getting free eyesight from one cup of tea.

“It feels complicated...”

“Gurrr...?”

“...Have you tried this too?”

“Koong.”

“It was tasty.”

Yoo Seong-woon smacked his lips.

‘It feels like I’ve come to a space I shouldn’t be in.’

The source’s goodwill was too excessive.

Even on Earth, stories of ‘people who stepped into the world of gods and had their identity as a human threatened’ were common.

‘A representative one in the East is the story of Peach Blossom Spring.’

It was hard to say it was exactly the same situation, but it couldn’t be helped that it felt like that much of a sense of crisis.

‘It’s burdensome...’

If I stay here for three days with room and board, it feels like I’d leave as an immortal.

* * *

Meanwhile, the homeowner, who knew nothing of Yoo Seong-woon’s heart.

“Hmm.”

Gio was picturing the meal he would treat Yoo Seong-woon to.

‘Koreans run on rice.’

That’s right.

“What’s needed is rice, side dishes, and soup.”

By coincidence, there was freshly cooked rice from dawn, and since it was rice cooked with water boiled from various vegetables and medicinal herbs, the aroma was outstanding.

The rice grains tinged with a faint light green were especially sweet and savory.

‘Next is side dishes...’

For fish, there was one salmon caught from ‘The Breathing Sea,’ and in the underground storage there were ham and sausage kept with care, and behind the cabin, in the kitchen garden, all kinds of vegetables were growing robustly.

“Grill the fish, steam the meat, and stir-fry the vegetables, then.”

As if he heard Gio’s muttering filled with strange resolve, Yoo Seong-woon spoke from the living room.

“Gio, I can walk out as a human, right?”

“You will walk out healthily on two legs.”

Though you should be prepared to become a pig.

‘I’ll send that skinny office worker back full and satisfied.’

Gio decided to stake his grandmother’s honor, who had been the village’s generous big spender.

For soup, he prepared bone broth he had simmered earlier.

The broth made by boiling wood-horned deer bones had incredible savoriness, and even if he just sliced in scallions on top, it would sufficiently fulfill the soup’s role.

‘They aren’t dishes that take that long, but...’

Gio called Dana, who had been sprawled in the kitchen.

“Daughter.”

“Meow.”

“Are you crying roughly because it’s bothersome.”

“Mreowk.”

“You’re back to normal.”

Gio gave Dana a basket to hold in her mouth.

“Could you go to the kitchen garden and pick some eggplant and bok choy?”

“Mmmmmmng...”

Thankfully, Dana didn’t refuse the errand.

“What a good girl.”

Dana, whose body had grown to about the size of an ordinary cat lately, stretched long like an arched bridge, then sauntered out the back door with the basket in her mouth.

Honey followed after her younger sibling’s errand.

‘With Honey going too, she’ll handle it well on her own.’

Reassured, Gio served the rice.

It was a mountain of rice filled generously with the countryside grandma generosity.

The light yet deep fragrance unique to vegetable stock stimulated the taste buds from a thousand li away.

And it would stimulate Yoo Seong-woon’s taste buds too.

‘Become a pig, yah...’

Having spent his childhood in grandmothers’ arms, Gio had been taught to share food in generous amounts.

Fantasy, Modern,