chapter 129

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 129

Unlike most traditional gods, with whom contact and exchange themselves are difficult, most wicked gods were not hard to summon, and the probability that they would respond was also high.

That was because wicked gods actively went out in search of their fallen believers.

“Or they may plunge a human they like into intentional misfortune in order to make them their believer.

Some humans are loved by wicked gods because they have fallen, while others fall because they are loved.”

If it is a god who watches humans, then there exists a method to call them.

Because of that, in the countless dungeons made from ruined dimensions, there were many cases where an intellectual who took the wrong turn of mind brought calamity upon themselves.

“The most common case is for the purpose of revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Rarely, there are also those who summoned a wicked god wanting only simple destruction.”

In the probationary priests’ classroom, Kang Seo-dam continued his explanation.

“Do you know the Seven Deadly Sins?”

“Pride and greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.”

“Good, Sister Iruda.

This is a concept that existed even before the Great Catastrophe, when it was not closely tied to gods.”

Kang Seo-dam nodded.

“After the Great Catastrophe, there were many changes in awareness on Earth.

Even so, if that concept still remains intact to this day, you can take it to mean it demonstrated value commensurate with it.”

In religious circles, these seven deadly sins were such a thing.

“The proud do not try to learn.

The greedy do not share.

The envious lose the chance to grow, and the wrathful do not endure.

Lust easily blinds a person’s eyes, gluttony makes one forget how to respect, and sloth becomes the act of rotting one’s own worth.”

Kang Seo-dam looked around at the students.

“Humans are social creatures that cannot survive alone.

Especially, the humans of Earth before the Great Catastrophe belonged to the quite weak side compared to other living creatures on Earth.”

“...”

“Even so, at that time, the seven deadly sins still existed.

Is there a sibling who can speculate why they were made into sins regardless of before and after the Great Catastrophe?”

The Lowtail girl, Iruda, raised her hand.

“I can explain.”

“Please explain in front of your siblings.”

“As you said, because humans are weak social creatures, they must form a community, and for sustainable survival and development, they must not commit the sins above.”

“It was an exemplary answer.”

Kang Seo-dam swept his gaze around again.

“Is there anyone who understood Sister Iruda’s words?”

“Me.”

“Yes, Brother Cha Isol.

I would like to hear your view.”

“It sounds like if you’re selfish, everyone can’t live together, so you should live kindly.”

“It was an accurate summary.”

He expressed approval.

“Just as good and evil are, the world is wide and humans are diverse, so if someone acts according to their own desire, someone else is bound to become unhappy.

Resources are limited, and not everyone has the same temperament and desires.”

This is the method humans, as social animals, chose for survival.

“There may be siblings who want to say this.

When dungeons overflow and monsters pour out, in that urgent situation, is it truly right to protect others without preserving yourself, and to put others first?”

Kang Seo-dam shook his head.

“We are not judging the good and evil of human actions.

Because humans originally exist, think, and act for themselves, such human actions can easily face evil.

Because choices that can satisfy everyone are extremely rare, in the end, someone will criticize even your good deed.”

That was why what was important was not human good and evil.

“If I had faced the Great Catastrophe, I would have said this.

That each of you should live well on your own.”

“Uh... uhh...”

“Does it sound strange?

But a priest is also human, and humans exist for themselves.”

“...”

“If even preserving oneself is called evil, then humans should not have existed in the first place.”

Even the selfishness when life is threatened, he would not brand as sin.

Only, acts of giving when there is leeway help support humanity’s continuation.

So, now.

“In today’s lesson topic, good and evil are not important.”

They had to look at the world.

“Look at the flow of the world.”

Only by widening their view could they.

“Is it the Great Catastrophe now?

Are you at a site where monsters are overflowing right now?

The world is gradually building a system and running toward peace, and the faster that speed becomes, the people who receive the grace of life will, on average, also rise.”

“...”

“For priests who serve traditional gods, the most important thing is the balance of dimensions.

Because the dimension, the world, the nation must be maintained for them and for us to enjoy the grace of life for as long as possible.

So do not be stupid, but you must 고민 good and evil.”

Kang Seo-dam rubbed his chin.

“I know how absurd it will sound to tell you to do good in a world like this.

But if you want to live and enjoy more, if you are one of those ordinary people, then it would be good to become a faithful servant to a god’s words.”

He looked around at the students again.

“Then another question will arise.

If you become a priest of a wicked god that loves destruction and imbalance, not a traditional god?

If you are not an ordinary person who wants to enjoy daily life by desiring not the grace of life but the grace of death, by chatting with friends and enjoying delicious meals... then is it acceptable not to be a faithful servant.”

Kang Seo-dam nodded.

“In this way, we return to the first topic.”

He took the students into his eyes.

“In the dungeons of countless ruined dimensions, hunters see the result of the calamity that an intellectual with the wrong heart brought upon themselves.

Because quite a lot of gods can be brought in with very light qualifications and simple knowledge.”

Even a very frail scholar can call a wicked god.

If they only know what the wicked god they want to call desires and the procedure, no, even if they only want a calamity that will grant their twisted wish, a wicked god responds to them.

“Some wicked gods even respond to deals with humans through very simple materials and rites.

Someone succeeded in summoning one by offering only a single rat as a sacrifice, someone drew a simple picture and summoned one, and someone recited only a short prayer and brought in calamity.”

Even to a human’s feeble groan, a wicked god responds quickly.

“Because hatred and disillusionment reach gods faster than gratitude and praise.”

Wicked gods speak to humans when they are at their weakest, and calamity comes in an instant.

“Traditional gods were born within providence, so many of them are unskilled in responding to such negative prayers.

Most gods do not even perceive the trivial individual called a human—how could they understand their wish, and would that understanding even be proper?

The probability is low.”

“Then how can we receive a god’s response?”

“The easiest way is, as I said earlier, to call a wicked god.

Most wicked gods that want to use humans’ negative emotions or raw greed have a lot of experience and, thanks to that, are also adept at responding toward humans.”

Kang Seo-dam pointed at the many 자료 floating on the screen as he spoke.

“That most gods who enjoy amusement are wicked gods can also be explained for that reason.”

Wicked gods, who have the most experience directly colliding with humans, were highly likely to be adept at understanding and imitating such humans as well.

Therefore, they can respond immediately to a human’s call.

Kang Seo-dam clicked his tongue.

“Most of all, as I said before, in Korea, all wicked gods except for some acknowledged by the government and religious circles are designated as subjugation targets.”

“Ah, so wicked gods are monsters...”

“That is correct.

So even if a wicked god appears very docile and benevolent to you, you must not easily contract with and rely on them.

They are very knowledgeable about humans.”

In particular, they also enjoyed corrupting such young priests.

“Quite a lot of wicked gods enjoy corrupting humans.”

“Why is that?”

“We are speculating that it is literally because it is fun.”

“...B-because it’s fun...”

“Do not forget that to a god, humans are, at best, toys.”

Even if the grace they bestow can objectively be called ‘love’ in humans’ eyes, that ‘love’ could, in the end, be only a single glance from a god.

The standards of gods and humans were clearly different.

“Even if they cherish and love you greatly, when you die, they will not cry for you like family.

They will not build your gravestone, and when you are tired and sad, they will not set out a warm meal even once.

That is something you can only hope for from fellow humans.”

Kang Seo-dam looked at the siblings with somewhat weary expressions.

“That does not mean you need to fear serving gods.”

“But then, in the end, aren’t we being used?”

“If you judge it that way, we humans are also using gods.”

“Isn’t it a little different...?”

“What would you do if a passing ant followed you?”

At that, the priests opened their mouths one by one.

“I think I’d take it and raise it.”

“Wouldn’t you feed it?”

“I think I’d run away because I’d wonder why it’s following.

It’s weird.

It isn’t even human.

I’d be afraid someone’s up to something sneaky.”

“It’s so small, couldn’t you just not see it?”

“I think I’d look into whether there’s a problem.”

Kang Seo-dam asked in turn.

“How would you take an ant and raise it?”

“Uh... wouldn’t you give it a house?

There are ant-raising kits, you know.”

“What kind of food would you like to give it?”

“...I’m not sure, but a grain of rice?

Star candies?

Wouldn’t you give it something like that?”

“Why did you think you would run away?”

“How would an ant even recognize me and follow me, it’s weird.

It isn’t even human.

I’d be afraid someone’s up to something sneaky.”

“Would it bother you that you couldn’t see it because it was small?”

“That... wouldn’t you not know in the first place?

You wouldn’t even know it’s there.”

“How would you check if there’s a problem?”

“Just catch it...?

Like looking over its body, or...”

Kang Seo-dam asked one last time.

“Are you confident you would not crush the small ant when you hold it in your hand?”

“...If you’re unlucky, it feels like it could be crushed.”

“Please express the emotion you would feel then.”

“Kind of... sorry?

Gross?”

“I see.”

He told the priests.

“This is how gods feel you.”

“...”

The children who hadn’t known turned white in the face, and the children who had been guessing such words let out sighs.

After examining their faces, Kang Seo-dam spoke again.

“If a god loves you and takes you in, you will be confined in a safe and peaceful shackle.

If a god misinterprets your cry and gives you power and wealth you cannot bear, you will break easily.”

“...”

“Some gods may think it unbelievably disgusting and hateful that a human came to find them.

And some gods, no matter how desperately you call, will not even perceive it.

That can happen.”

He looked at the child who had answered last.

“If there is a god who tries to understand and be considerate clumsily, you can die by that god’s touch.

And no god will be saddened even if a human dies like that.”

If that incident made them interested in humans, they would go out to find other believers, and if it made them feel aversion instead, they would not even cast their eyes toward humans for their entire life.

That was what a god was.

“In very rare cases, there are humans who receive a god’s normal affection.

We call such beings saintesses and saints, and they become mediators that connect the enormous existence called a god and humans for their entire life.”

“I heard the Moon Church’s saintess communicates with the god!

They said she’s a living god, the next Moon!”

“Yes, she is a very important person.

And because of that, the Moon Church’s saintess will be unable to leave the church for her entire life, and will always live confined within the god’s touch and gaze.

Because she is the only person with a vessel so large that she can treat a god as ordinary.”

“...”

“That is far from what we commonly call human happiness.”

Kang Seo-dam said firmly.

“Do not try to understand gods.

Do not expect anything from them, and do not try to use them.

A god’s hostility is an easily understood calamity, but a god’s goodwill is also a calamity comparable to it.”

“...”

“A god is nature and fate with will.

Just as we humans find food in nature and do not question the coming fate, do so.

Then you will avoid calamity.”

He added,

“That is the way to coexist with gods.”

“...I’m even more scared...”

“A priest can, by the fact of existence alone, open the possibility of communication with a god.”

“But...”

“Someday a god that fits you well will come to you.”

Kang Seo-dam said with his characteristic blunt face.

“But if you end up serving a god that does not fit you, there will be no greater calamity than that.”

“...Yeees...”

“So what I want to say is, keep your heart as gentle as possible.”

“What?”

“As I keep saying, what responds fastest to humans’ negative emotions is generally wicked gods.”

And wicked gods are also gods.

“In that case, you will face a calamity you never even imagined.”

Up to now, hadn’t he told them about the danger of gods until his lips wore out?

“One day you may come to want something you desire, even at the cost of your entire life.

It could be gold and jewels, it could be some ideal lover, or it could be revenge against those who made you miserable.

Or you could be swept by a simple impulse and fall into the thought of wanting to ruin everything.”

But.

“When you hear a god’s voice then, do not respond.”

The very god could have been the one who plunged you into the pit of misfortune.

Humans who easily feel temptation before sin and then break, grab on without even knowing it is a rotten rope.

In the first place, a god that speaks when humans are most tormented and exhausted, a god that offers opportunity, can never be called a god of benevolence and abundance.

There was a high probability it was a wicked god that had been waiting for that person to collapse completely.

“Rather, vent your wrath with your own power, use someone else to throw society into confusion, and make madness held in human hands and wielded.

Kill passersby, set fire to the house of someone asleep, and pull out their intestines while they live.”

“...Th-that is too...”

“That is cheaper than responding to a wicked god.

A person who vents their desire using a wicked god will not even be able to properly resolve their own desire, and will lay waste to their surroundings.

Rather, if you step forward yourself, your own heart will feel clearer, and it becomes the path with less collateral damage.”

If a wicked god skilled at dealing with humans intervenes, no one will be saved.

Whether the instigator, or the surrounding people who are not.

Whether they have sin or not, that will not be such an important perspective to a wicked god.

“If you get caught up with a wicked god, no one can be satisfied, and no one can become happy.

That is why the intellectuals who called a wicked god for revenge were each and every one confirmed dead after writing words of regret.

The summoners who wanted only destruction were the same.”

Their souls would still be left abandoned in the wicked god’s grasp.

“Be wary of gods, and reject wicked gods.”

“...”

“Then you are halfway there.”

At that.

“...”

“...”

Cha Isol was sweating cold sweat profusely.

Kang Seo-dam and Iruda looked at that 모습 with very subtle eyes.

Fantasy, Modern,