chapter 128

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 128

The gallery at 4 a.m.

“Gio.”

As usual, Yoo Seong-woon called the portrait.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes, I am awake.”

“I came because you sent a letter.”

“...”

The portrait, its eyes hidden by black paint, looks at Yoo Seong-woon.

Its bloodless lower face spoke.

“Were you able to read it this time?”

“Nothing’s really changed. It was the same as the ones you sent before.”

“I see.”

He didn’t look disappointed.

As usual, the portrait’s tone was blunt and hollow.

The calm tone was certainly pleasant to hear, but its weight was not light, so it was hard to chew on for long.

Yoo Seong-woon let that voice, from which he could not read any intent at all, flow past as it was.

Then the portrait spoke to him again.

“I can show you something interesting.”

“If you say interesting...”

As if he had a guess, Yoo Seong-woon nodded.

“Don’t tell me you succeeded in finding another ‘Gio’?”

Even though he possessed an enormous rank, the reason he had been able to imitate a human well until now, he said, was because he awakened another ‘Gio,’ another old personality of his.

Until the human ‘Gio’ was stained by the portrait, it would be easy to act as a human.

At Yoo Seong-woon’s question, Gio affirmed it and added an explanation.

“That is not something I found; it is something I drew.”

“In the end, that’s a painting too?

Then how is it any different from a portrait?”

“More precisely, I am asking the Gio beyond the painting.”

“Asking, huh...”

That was quite a mild expression.

“...”

Yoo Seong-woon steadied himself without showing it.

He had finished preparing to face a calamity.

“So what kind of person is this ‘Gio’ this time?”

“One of the wicked gods.”

“Ah-ha, so in other words, is it time for Earth to be destroyed?”

“I will not destroy Earth.”

“I’m grateful, but it’s a bit scary.”

Of all things, a wicked god.

“...No, if it’s a wicked god... then to begin with, isn’t he not human?

Is it okay to receive help from such a ‘Gio’?”

“Because he is, in the end, human, it is possible.”

“Truly merciful.

I always feel this, but it seems your standard for what counts as human is really loose.”

He’d known ever since he preached to those terrifying mermaids, ‘You are human too.’

‘And the way you think of yourself as an ordinary human, too...’

In truth, that seems like a kind of joke or acting, but anyway, the thing he “believes” in isn’t false.

It seemed Gio’s standards for treating someone as human were quite... inclusive.

“So did you call me to tell me that?”

Yoo Seong-woon still couldn’t interpret Gio’s letters, but he did at least know that Gio had something he wanted to tell him.

That was why he visited at dawn on the day he received the letter.

“Or is there something you want to discuss with me?”

“Rather than that...”

Clatter—.

The portrait’s ringed hand gripped the frame.

“...”

The ‘Gio’ covered in black paint popped out as if embracing Yoo Seong-woon and—

“Peekaboo.”

—played a prank.

“...”

“...”

“Why no reaction?”

“...Uh...”

As Yoo Seong-woon stumbled back, pale bare feet landed in that space.

Before he knew it, ‘Gio’ had slipped completely out of the portrait, and Yoo Seong-woon clutched his heart.

“...Oh, right.”

“What does that mean?”

“I was scared for a second.”

“I did not intend to frighten you.”

“I see.”

This time, he really thought he was going to die.

‘The eyes...’

The moment he met those golden eyes looking down at him head-on, his mind went distant.

Yoo Seong-woon had once suspected that ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was the source’s ‘eye’ meant to gather a database of humans.

After that, he tried even harder not to meet its eyes, but seeing them straight on like this made his breath catch in his throat.

It truly was...

“...”

Yoo Seong-woon took a short deep breath and returned to his usual expression.

“You’re still the Gio I knew, right?”

“I still remember you and affirm you, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“Mm...”

It was certainly a favorable reaction like before.

“...Feels like you’ve changed a lot.

Even back with Giovanni, you really change from one extreme to the other.”

From the blunt ‘Seo Gio,’ where you couldn’t find an expression, he became the priest ‘Giovanni,’ characterized by a bright and gentle smile.

‘And now he’s become a wicked god who can smile darkly...’

Gio had always seemed to maintain basic kindness, but seeing he’d become a wicked god of all things, could even that disposition change?

‘Well, Gio himself couldn’t really be called kind by human standards.

His taste for liking the good and polite is probably fixed, but his unique courtesy and his favor toward humans might also be able to change.’

Even after organizing it like that, there still wasn’t enough information.

Unlike the previous ‘Gio,’ who had been generally tame, this one was flashy from appearance to personality at a glance.

As the first difference, you could point to color.

“Is that this ‘Gio’s’ color?”

“Quite splendid, isn’t it?”

“It really is, it’s very flashy.”

His eyes were gold that felt cold in temperature, and his hair was a deep red like aged blood.

Yoo Seong-woon could quickly recall a similar color palette.

Gio seemed to think so too.

“The guildmaster here seems to have a similar color to mine.”

“Ah, right.

That person also has red hair and golden eyes.”

It wasn’t exactly the same color.

Visabel’s hair and eyes were slightly higher in saturation than Gio’s now.

His hair resembled freshly squeezed blood, and his eyes were closer to lemon than to gold.

Even so.

“They really are quite similar.”

At a glance, you might think they were relatives.

‘If I say this much, will he find it unpleasant?’

Since the other party introduced himself as a wicked god, he needed to be careful.

Introducing him as nothing but human could be felt as an insult from a god’s perspective.

It was better to avoid that.

But Gio’s reaction was quite cool.

“Similar enough to be thought family?”

“...Maybe.”

“Are you good at fighting?”

“Uh, absolutely not. If you poke me, I’ll go flying.”

“Oh dear.”

“...”

Yoo Seong-woon bit his tongue inwardly.

‘This type of wicked god, huh.’

Among wicked gods, there were twisted schemers, and there were berserkers who swept everything away cleanly.

This Gio seemed, if you had to say, closer to the latter.

“...So you’ve come to enjoy fighting, then?”

“If they are not an opponent worth it, I do not rampage, so do not worry, my friend.”

“Riiight...”

For him to call him ‘friend,’ it seemed the favor they’d built up so far hadn’t been erased.

‘So you had been thinking of me as a friend all along.’

He was grateful, but more than that, it was burdensome.

To be considered a friend by an existence that’s the source’s eyes—it was a tremendous honor as a gardener, but at the same time it felt like a position where he might never be able to die as a human.

‘Could it be I won’t be able to live out my lifespan as it’s supposed to be.’

Well, anyway, good is good.

It was obviously better to earn favor than to earn enmity.

“...”

Scratching his neck, Yoo Seong-woon spoke again.

“...You can speak comfortably, you know?”

“To a good human like Mr. Yoo Seong-woon, that sort of treatment is necessary.”

“It’s the same honorifics, but it definitely feels different.”

Black Gio’s honorifics were blunt enough to be chilling, and Giovanni’s honorifics were mild and courteous.

The honorifics this flashy Gio spoke carried a sharp laughter in them, and even sounded a little like he was mocking.

‘And yet he doesn’t feel like a common thug—maybe it’s because of that dignity.’

Yoo Seong-woon swept the inside of this Black Cloak.

He knew, at a rare probability, that each time ‘Gio’ changed, his outfit changed too.

The black cloak that covered him from head to toe made it impossible to see what was inside, but if he revealed it, you could see inside.

When he was Seo Gio, he wore a black suit; when he was Giovanni, he wore white priestly clothes.

‘Details like hairstyle and fashion seem to change depending on Gio’s mood at the time, but this one definitely stands out.’

This Gio’s attire was filled with bones and jewels.

“...”

If he goes out like that, how am I supposed to handle cleanup.

‘Explaining all of that as artifacts doesn’t feel right—the atmosphere is ominous.’

As if he noticed Yoo Seong-woon’s thought, Gio smiled.

“Do you think I would walk among people like this?”

“If not, then that’s a relief.”

“If it is necessary, I will dress in a suit. Because it is neat.”

“Then what is this outfit now?”

“Isn’t it to show it to you, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon?”

His speech really changes back and forth.

‘A very capricious type...’

He had to be careful.

Even if he spoke like that, he might still walk among people in that outfit.

These days, there were many hunters with unusual concepts, so it might not be a huge problem, but since he introduced himself as a wicked god, being careless would be foolish.

“...So, anyway.”

Feeling a bit confused, Yoo Seong-woon spoke first.

“I’m starting to get a grasp of the situation.”

“Is that so?”

“Do you want something from me?”

“There was something I wanted to ask.”

“Something you want to ask?

Is that the main point?”

“That is right.”

Gio asked.

“Am I still frightening now?”

“...”

It was surprising.

‘...Even now, does this Gio also consider humans?’

Though he was a Black Cloak that didn’t treat evil seeds as human, Gio basically showed a fair affection toward humans.

So fair that it sometimes felt like indifference, but Yoo Seong-woon knew that was this portrait’s consideration.

‘But even for a Gio who is a wicked god, that was possible?’

He had been prepared for many things because he introduced himself as a wicked god.

It felt like truly seeing something unfamiliar.

“...”

After carefully sweeping him with his eyes, Yoo Seong-woon shook his head.

“No, not frightening.”

“Truly?”

“To be more precise, I am a little pressured by your presence itself.”

Yoo Seong-woon smiled mildly.

“But that can’t be helped.

You’re much taller than other humans, your colors are intense right now, and your gaze itself is oppressive.

Your expression, too... has a ferocious side.”

But.

“You still seem human.”

Of course, it was still hard to meet Gio’s eyes directly.

But the reason Yoo Seong-woon could quickly recover even after meeting them head-on at such close range was probably because this Gio was clearly staying within a human rank.

At Yoo Seong-woon’s calm reaction, Gio’s lips twisted ambiguously.

It seemed he was smiling.

“It is a very strange feeling to hear.”

“To that extent?”

“Being told I look human is unfamiliar.”

“Is that... a change because of you right now?”

“It is.”

After thinking for a moment, Gio curved his eyes.

“Everyone called me Argio, but Mr. Yoo Seong-woon may call me as you wish.”

“Argio?

Is that the word that refers to you?”

“In my homeland’s ancient language, it means a cruel beast.

It is a kind of derogatory term.”

“...Then I’ll just call you like usual.”

There was no need to praise a wicked god as ‘cruel’ by calling him ‘cruel beast.’

‘And it would also feel bad to call someone who doesn’t show hostility a derogatory name.’

As if he knew Yoo Seong-woon’s thoughts, Gio drew a thin smile.

Only then did Yoo Seong-woon realize Gio’s eyes were sharper than he expected.

‘With that smile, he really resembles the guildmaster even more.’

Usually, because his eyes sat calmly lowered, he hadn’t thought of them as sharp.

It was so out of nowhere that he didn’t say it.

Then Gio opened his mouth.

“Today’s business ends here.”

“So you were checking whether there are side effects from becoming one with another Gio?”

“Something like that. I was satisfied.”

He pulled the cloak’s hood down deep, and covered his whole body with the dark black cloak.

Only pale bare feet, above them, showed black formalwear again.

From within the cloak’s pitch-black shadow, Gio spoke to him.

“Thank you for answering my letter.”

“...”

That was clearly ‘Seo Gio.’

“...Wow.”

This is going to get harder and harder to adapt to as time passes.

‘Seeing as I still find this chilling, I guess I’m still human.’

As he felt a chill at everything about ‘Gio’ switching in an instant, Yoo Seong-woon smiled.

For this portrait, ‘Gio’ was like clothing.

‘It’s an attempt to find clothes that suit the situation and mingle with humans without incongruity.’

Yoo Seong-woon understood the attempt, and the consideration.

In its own way, ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was trying to get along with others by using countless memories and personalities.

‘So calling me this time was like showing off to family or a friend, asking whether the new outfit suits him?’

It was a little funny. These actions of ‘Gio’s Portrait’ had a cute side somewhere, like looking at a source-being newly born, immature and passionate.

“I’ll accept your thanks.”

“I may be able to help you on another day.”

“That’s even more appreciated.”

As a gardener, the source’s help could become a lifeline.

‘Since there’s no historical precedent, I don’t know what shape that help would take.’

As Yoo Seong-woon was about to leave, the portrait held him once.

“If you are tired, would you like to stay a night at my cabin?”

“Mm...”

It was true he was tired, but.

“...It’s not like I’m not interested.”

“Yes.”

“If possible, I want to visit in a more dignified appearance.”

“I see.”

“If I put off the consideration you’re showing now to the next opportunity, will you be displeased?”

“I am always waiting for your visit, Mr. Yoo Seong-woon.”

“That’s a truly splendid invitation.”

It was an invitation like a ghost luring a lonely, exhausted traveler.

“I like things like that.”

Yoo Seong-woon curved his blue-gray eyes into a smile.

* * *

At that time, an abandoned building in the boundary district.

“...”

In a place filled with ashes and soot, a man who had lost everything sat quietly.

In his hand was the mark of the wicked god called Sankalut.

Fantasy, Modern,