chapter 85

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons - Episode 85

Kang Seo-dam, who was checking the curriculum for the probationary priests who would soon be coming in, received a phone call.

“Yes, Hunter Yoo Seong-woon.”

“Is there, by any chance, someone among the gods who can be summoned by drawing a picture?”

“I don’t know what you suddenly mean, but I’m busy too, so if I answer first—yes, it’s possible.

Characters or patterns often used in rituals are also a kind of drawing, after all.”

“It wasn’t a very professional drawing, though.”

“How unprofessional was it?”

“About the level a kid would draw?”

“Even then, it’s not impossible.

Even if it’s very crude, as long as the purpose is clear.”

With the phone wedged between his shoulder and chin, Kang Seo-dam continued speaking as he typed up a document.

“The will of what the target intended to do through the ritual is the most important thing.

If the will of the person conducting the ritual is strong and clear enough, and the one receiving that offering has a broad enough tolerance to accept such an insufficient ritual, then it’s possible as much as you like.”

“Why would that work?”

“In most cases, it’s wicked gods in situations like this, but...

In cases like summoning rituals, I understand it can often be possible even without specifically targeting a god.

Because mysterious existences that have their own summoning rituals exist everywhere.

If it’s an existence with very good tolerance, you can receive the target’s attention just by calling its name.”

“No, why?”

“It’s difficult to understand from the standpoint of a mere human, but those close to gods can know where they are being called and seen.

Even if believers all over the world pray simultaneously, a god is an existence that can respond to each one of them.”

Rolling his eyes as he checked the document, Kang Seo-dam continued.

“Even if it isn’t a god, there are also cases where a mysterious existence of a lower rank spreads its own summoning ritual here and there.

Either way, there is nothing like the faith of one’s followers when it comes to raising one’s status and strengthening divinity.”

“What if it’s an existence whose status is already markedly strong?

To the point it doesn’t need faith.

And it probably doesn’t even want its status to rise any further.”

“I was so busy I was going to keep ignoring you, but is this about that person after all?

That pitch-black person?

That cloaked person?

The one who evaporated the dungeon’s seawater to make stairs and then cleaned it up with a single gesture?

That one?”

“Thank you for finally acknowledging it.”

“There’s no calamity quite like it.”

An existence called fate and nature, with a will, is referred to as a ‘god.’

And they clearly know what they exist for and what they want to do.

That means they also know what kind of existence they are to humans.

But the ‘Black Cloak’ is not like that.

“If faith piles up without him realizing it, he won’t learn how to handle his own status.

It seems his summoning ritual is easy and simple enough that even a child drawing a picture could do it, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“Then all we can do is pray that he never gets angry in his life.

At least when he isn’t angry, he’ll collect himself and be considerate of fragile humans, so then it won’t be a big problem.

He likes humans so much, to begin with...”

“What if he gets angry?”

“As Hunter Yoo Seong-woon knows well, it’s nothing but ruin.

Just as someone who’s tasted meat knows how to eat it, someone who’s gotten angry before knows how to get angry.

If a god doesn’t know how to get angry safely without anyone getting hurt and just vents emotion recklessly, it would truly be a calamity.”

After thinking for a moment, Kang Seo-dam asked further.

“Most gods have a clear raison d’être.

If they didn’t inherit divinity from an existing god, then the one who created a god’s summoning ritual is, from the start, that very god corresponding to the summoning.

The reason summoning rituals and sacrificial rites came into being in the first place was to raise their status.”

“But the one we’re talking about isn’t like that.”

“If they inherited divinity from an existing god, they could have received the corresponding rituals together, and then it could be like that.

Is the mysterious existence you’re speaking of now one that falls under such a case?”

“I can’t say there are no such traits, but it isn’t entirely that.

Because it’s a being qualitatively different from a god.”

“...”

Kang Seo-dam, who had briefly taken his eyes off the monitor, soon continued.

“Very rarely, there are also those who, simply by existing as a mysterious being that corresponds to some rule, naturally rise in status within the laws of nature.

To give a simple example, even the act of people breathing could itself be an act that raises the faith of some mysterious existence.”

“Sorry, but I still don’t really understand—what does that mean?”

“To put it more simply, there are those who grow stronger just by existing.

Like how, as time passes, it is a natural rule that the past time—history—grows deeper.”

Kang Seo-dam’s fingers started typing again.

“In our Sun Church, we do not call such beings gods.”

“Then what do you call them?”

“Just nature.

A rule, and fate.”

“Other gods are also willful...”

“They are nature and fate, yes, but it’s a different context.”

The reason was simple.

“As you said, those beings have will and goals.

But the kind of mysterious existence I’m speaking of now has nothing like that.

It didn’t want to become a god, it doesn’t even know it has been defined as a ‘god,’ and it just... exists, flows along, and grows stronger.”

“It’s a calamity.”

“From the human standpoint, even an earthquake caused by tectonic shifts of the Earth’s crust feels like a calamity.

They simply exist.

They may have a self or preferences, and they may or may not have perceived humans.”

“Hm...”

After a moment, Yoo Seong-woon asked,

“The Sun Church can say something like this because you’ve observed such a mysterious existence, right?

Something mighty that can’t even be called a god?”

“That is classified information.

Just as the Collector has some classified information as well.”

“For now, I understand.

May I come see you later with a gift wrapped up, Priest?”

“Do not come. I’m busy.”

“I’ll send it by courier.”

The call ended.

“...”

Well, even if he said that.

“...If it’s that person, it doesn’t seem like it will become a great calamity.”

Kang Seo-dam certainly felt divinity from the Black Cloak.

Judging from the aura he had felt and various circumstances, it seemed he had inherited it from a previous-generation god, and if so, it meant he had a parent who could teach him how to act as a god.

Even if there were no parent god, wasn’t there the sun god of this Earth.

His goddess had been quite favorable toward the Black Cloak, so she might provide a bit of help.

“In the end, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.

Tsk, in the middle of being busy.”

Muttering softly, Kang Seo-dam soon quietly resumed checking the curriculum.

Overtime he had gotten used to lately.

* * *

And here was another hunter continuing yet another overtime.

“Yes, Gio.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You’re really active.”

Naturally, it was Yoo Seong-woon.

“So our Cha Isol went and summoned Gio?”

Cha Isol, who had more or less grasped the situation, voluntarily paid his taxes.

“I’m sorry for making you work overtime.”

“If you apologize like that, what am I supposed to be, Cha Isol.”

In truth, it wasn’t a situation with that big of an impact.

“Well, anyway, even normally, the time I talk with Gio is around 4 a.m., so...”

“Were you tired?”

At that, the Black Cloak, Gio, made a gesture as if propping his chin.

It seemed like he was imitating human surprise, but perhaps because his face couldn’t be seen, there really wasn’t any emotion to be felt, and it made the back of his neck ache a little.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Since you often came then, I thought you liked that time.

If you wish, I will reschedule our conversation.”

“No, because I have a lot to do before and after anyway, even if we move the conversation schedule, it’s not like the time I sleep gets earlier.

It’s just the order of what I have to do around that time changing.”

“That is regrettable.”

“So do I...”

Anyway, it was now 7:41 p.m.

“Has everyone eaten dinner?”

“W-we were just in the middle of trying to make bulgogi...”

“So that’s how it turned out.”

Even if she was a hunter, how much experience could Cha Ara, an F-rank, really have.

She had a face that didn’t even understand why this happened, so Yoo Seong-woon turned to Gio.

“Before we get into a proper conversation, Gio.”

“Please speak.”

“I’d like you to ease the atmosphere a bit.”

To say it outright, it meant “lower your status a bit,” but if he said that, Gio, who considered himself human, would feel displeased.

Having gained even more alertness through his conversation with Priest Kang Seo-dam, Yoo Seong-woon had no intention of doing that.

He planned to treat it as dealing with a god who lacked awareness as a god.

But perhaps this, too, was a difficult thing to say, because Gio showed confusion.

“I did not understand what you meant.”

“You’re really scary right now. You don’t feel human.”

“I understand.”

Then Gio flipped his hood back.

“...”

“Will this do?”

What emerged inside was Giovanni with vivid platinum-blond hair.

“In my experience, doing this makes the atmosphere a bit better...”

“That’s correct, for now.”

“Is it the cloak’s color that’s the problem, then.”

“That’s part of it, yes.”

Yoo Seong-woon secretly swallowed a sigh of relief.

‘...It’s a relief there’s a way to lower his status even like this.

And it’s a relief that Gio doesn’t feel displeased about lowering his own status.

If he were an ordinary god or a child of the source, he would have felt displeased and torn me to pieces on the spot...’

He didn’t know what a huge stroke of luck it was that Gio of this status was human-friendly.

“I want to explain this phenomenon a bit—would that be all right?”

“Do as you wish.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

Yoo Seong-woon finally began.

“It seems Cha Isol summoned Gio.”

“...I did think that might be the case, but how is that possible?”

“Mr. Cha Eun-hyeok’s question is valid, and I also didn’t really understand it, so I asked Priest Kang Seo-dam, who has more experience than I do in this area, and he told me it can sometimes happen.”

Of course, he omitted the parts about status and gods out of consideration for Gio.

“I’m told that, extremely rarely, there are mysterious existences that have their own summoning rituals even though they didn’t intend it.

In Gio’s case, the condition of that ritual would have been ‘drawing Gio.’”

Yoo Seong-woon turned to Gio.

“To begin with, Gio, why did you come here?

What did you know when you came?”

“I knew I had been drawn.

I also naturally came to know that the one who drew me was the Cha Isol brothers.

And in the midst of that, he said something cute about wanting to be friends with me...”

“So you appeared like this?”

“I was also curious about how you’ve been lately.

I thought it was a good thing, since I was worried about the Cha Isol brothers after leaving the dungeon without even saying goodbye.

And weren’t you even kidnapped?”

The platinum-blond Gio smiled with his characteristic kindness and asked,

“Have you been well, Cha Isol brothers?

Nothing hurts, right?”

“Th-th-the Black Cloak was Gio hyung...?”

“Ah.”

Giovanni turned to Yoo Seong-woon.

“...”

“...Even if you look at me like that, there’s no way an answer will come out, Mr. Black Cloak.”

“I wanted to protect the child’s innocence in this harsh world, at least.”

“It probably protects innocence better than the fact that Santa doesn’t actually exist.”

Cha Isol was shocked.

“Santa doesn’t exist?”

“It seems the two Chas raised you very tenderly.

I’m sorry I ended up being the one to break your innocence first, but...?”

“I was going to give Grandpa Santa a massage when I met him...!”

“Oh dear, how kind.”

“I was going to ask if he could live at our house when he retired...!”

“That’s a firm sense of self.”

Anyway, Cha Isol wasn’t as shocked as expected that Gio was the Black Cloak.

“But why is it like that?

Does Gio hyung really give presents to good people?”

“If it is someone who needs it, I am making an effort to be as considerate and respectful as possible.”

“Why?”

“I have the leeway and ability to do so, and those who receive my goodwill will want that gift, so there is no reason not to grant it.”

“Woooow...”

Cha Eun-hyeok thought to himself,

‘With that much innocence, where is he going to get sold off to.’

As the eldest, it seemed he had no choice but to keep a clear head.

“Th-then... so did we do something wrong...?”

“Hm?

No, no.”

Yoo Seong-woon turned to Cha Isol.

“Cha Isol, you were drawing it because the Black Cloak looked cool, without any intention, right?”

“Yes, they said it’s really famous these days.”

“Is that so?”

The Collector who made that ghost story famous had nothing to say.

“If this ritual hasn’t been spread around, then it’s fine.

Gio, if someone draws you, do you necessarily have to know it or be summoned to that place?”

“I can know it, but being summoned... seems to be my choice.”

“If it’s to that extent, then it really is fine.

This incident is so absurd, and there’s also a lot of room for misuse, so I came running urgently.”

Cha Isol lowered his head once more.

“I’m sorry I caused trouble.”

“It’s nothing like that.

If you apologize that much, I get too embarrassed.”

“But...”

“It’s really fine. Gio also seems like he wanted to see you anyway.

Even if nothing happened to you, you were kidnapped by monsters, so everyone was worried.”

“I’m fine, though.”

“You look it, which is pretty impressive. That’s a good mindset.

With that kind of mindset already, it’s pitiful to think what a great figure you’ll become, but anyway, everything is fine and there’s no problem, but...”

Yoo Seong-woon was simply dumbfounded.

“...I just hope you won’t go around spreading this summoning method somewhere.”

Then a whole lot of people would get tired.

And with 100% probability, Yoo Seong-woon would be included among them.

The Painter Who Draws Dungeons

Fantasy, Modern,