The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 221
“Hey, Gio?”
Yoo Seong-Woon called out to Gio.
“What are you up to these days...?”
“I’m making friends.”
“I can hear those ‘friends’ praising you from all the way over here.”
“Being loved is a good thing. It’s only natural.”
“Looks like a religion’s about to pop up soon.”
To that, Gio tilted his head.
“I understand it’s a club.”
“Uh, yeah. A religion in club disguise.”
“I’ve heard religious groups don’t form so easily.”
“As long as there’s a trigger, they can form at any time...”
Especially if divinity is already prepared.
“Even an ordinary person can start one with just a silver tongue.
Sure, it’d be classified as a cult, but you?
You charm people easily, you’re divine, and you give generous rewards.”
“Is that wrong?”
“So you did all this knowingly, huh?
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s wrong exactly...
But thinking about how far your followers might end up going is...
It makes me feel uneasy.”
“I only borrowed the form of a religion for myself,
But all I want is family and friends—not fanatics.
I’m confident this won’t head in a bad direction.”
Gio declared this proudly.
“The world is too cold these days.”
“Well, to me that’s normal.”
Still...
“...I’ll admit, it’s a pleasant thing to witness.”
It felt like watching neighbors become a close-knit community.
Of course, it wouldn’t erase all the cruelty of the world,
But still—better to have it than not.
“So why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“As I’ve said repeatedly, I wish to have many friends.”
“Weren’t me and Joo-Hyun enough?
Ugh, I’m kind of hurt.”
“But eventually, you’ll leave me too, won’t you?
Of course, if you were willing to be my friend forever,
I’d gratefully draw up a contract, but I don’t think that’s what you want.”
“I’m going to die a human.”
Joo-Hyun would be the same.
“So you’re building a religion because you don’t want to be alone?
That’s bold, you know.”
“To add another reason—
I wanted to reward those who support and cherish me with good deeds.”
“...Ah, that.”
Yoo Seong-Woon recalled Black Cloak’s one-to-one rule.
Gio had always enjoyed giving rewards to humans who made him happy,
So subjectively and objectively, this was bound to happen eventually.
‘Still... the timing is tricky.’
Now that Black Cloak’s divinity had been revealed,
The number of fan groups admiring him had surged.
Especially the one focusing on sincere good deeds—
Gio often looked their way.
Emboldened by that, the club had begun acting like medieval knights.
‘They’re all a little... unhinged.’
Isn’t that what people called “bright-eyed madmen”?
They seemed kind and upright—but also carried an eerie madness.
“...You could call this a form of management.
Letting the ripple effects from your influence go unchecked isn’t really your style.”
“You are correct, Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon.”
Gio, speaking from inside the frame, spoke in his usual blunt tone.
“There will never come a day when the fact I’ve gained divinity changes.”
“...Yeah, probably not.”
“There’s a saying: if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.”
“That too.”
Yoo Seong-Woon chuckled helplessly.
“So you’re enjoying it now, huh?”
“I am.”
“Then have you fully defined yourself as a divine being?
You used to deny it, saying you weren’t a god.
You know how frustrating that was to watch?”
“? I am not a god.”
“...Why are you like this again?”
“Gaining divinity and being a god are different.”
Gio maintained his usual stance.
“In life, you might inherit divinity,
Or become a portrait.
That’s all.”
“Can an ordinary human do that?”
“I won’t say I’m ordinary—I have some self-awareness.
But if we pretend I am,
Then I’m simply a regular person who acquired a set of traits and abilities.”
“You’re really stubborn...”
Then again, if a primal being changed position just because a human said a few words—
That’d be even stranger.
Ultimately, Yoo Seong-Woon accepted Gio’s decision and sighed.
“So to summarize—this is it, right?
You’re going to do it all yourself?”
“Excellent summary.”
He would be human and divine, both.
“Isn’t it admirable?”
“You’re seriously something else.”
“That’s me.”
There was nothing he couldn’t do.
***
A god can be defined in many ways.
As an enormous force of nature, too vast to contain within one’s eyes.
As fate—approaching inevitably, never held but always certain.
As a parent—one who creates all things and raises them with love and providence.
And sometimes, simply as an enormous mystery.
“......”
They cannot distinguish good from evil.
Because human morality was born beneath their gaze—
So it has nothing to do with beings that soar far above humanity.
Like trying to apply human laws to drifting clouds.
That is why so many divine beings casually destroy dimensions—
As naturally as breathing or blinking.
“......”
They brought pain to humans, played with them like toys, and enjoyed it.
Do not summon the gods.
Do not look at them.
Do not speak their names.
Do not listen to their voices lest you go mad.
That’s what every human who knew gods always said.
They are disasters too massive to comprehend.
And so humans can only hold their breath.
They must hide.
Do not see.
Do not call.
Do not hear.
That is how it must be.
“......”
But in the end, humans learn everything and still cry out to gods.
“...P-please...”
To be saved.
“...Please, s-save... me...”
To be helped.
“I-it... h-hurts...”
Because they are too afraid to bear it.
“...Please...”
His whole body had been pierced and he gasped for breath.
The pain was so great, he couldn’t stay conscious.
He didn’t even know how much time had passed.
Imagining what he might look like now was agony in itself.
It hurts.
He was alone in this place.
It hurts so much.
But was he truly alone here?
Probably not, he thought.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this silent.
Otherwise, the grave of so many heroes wouldn’t be this cold.
The loneliness turned to terror.
The prolonged pain to delirium.
The groaning to thirst that gnawed at him.
He didn’t know if he was rotting, burning, or tearing apart.
Please save me.
He had endured for a very long time.
Please save me.
Alone, in pain, in darkness—for an unimaginably long time.
Please save me...
He didn’t even want the pain to be healed.
He didn’t care if his grotesque body stayed broken.
After enduring what felt like eternity, he wished for one thing:
To not be alone anymore.
He knew this wasn’t right.
“...Argio.”
He no longer wanted to be alone.
“Argio...”
So the ragged, broken hero called the dark god.
“...I see you...”
He saw, he called, he listened.
“Have mercy...”
And if not mercy, then greater pain.
Even that now would feel merciful.
***
“...?”
In the cabin, Gio blinked as he ate his 41st dumpling.
“...I feel like someone called me.”
“Coo?”
“If it had been from the sea or the city,
It wouldn’t have sounded this faint.
And if it were from Earth, I would’ve heard it clearly.
So only one candidate remains.”
“Coo...”
“It’s been a while since I left that place alone.”
Gio quietly put down the dumpling.
“You all know that 23 of the remaining dumplings are mine, right?”
“Cooooroooo.”
“Mmammmammammamm...”
“Why does no one ever listen to me?”
He could see their impure intentions plainly—
They’d scarf it all down the moment his eyes were off them.
Is this the power of divinity?
No—it was pig instinct.
“In any case, calling my name is synonymous with wanting to be friends.”
“Coo...?”
“Calling my name without even knowing me?
That’s practically a proposal.
Once you say my name, you should be prepared to be my friend.”
“Coo??”
“Then I shall go.
Everyone, let’s go.
I trust you’ll choose me over the dumplings.”
The teddy bear seemed like he wanted to object, but instead, he waved his cotton-stuffed hand gently as if telling them to come back safely.
Buoyed by that warm love, Gio climbed to the second floor.
There, he pulled the black cloth off a piece stored in the storage room.
“......”
The painting of the desolate plains.
“...I always wondered why animals kept appearing here.”
Time to get answers.
Gio reached his hand into the painting and, once again, melted into it—
Becoming another painting himself.
***
“......”
“......”
What Gio saw was not a person.
“...? A deer?”
It was a deer.
“A graceful-looking one.”
“Squeeek...”
“Even its cry is graceful.”
He’d heard deer cry like that before—
But this one was different from the flower-deer he’d seen.
It wasn’t small, and its antlers stood firm and majestic.
Aside from the unique shape of its antlers,
It was a deer one might still expect to see on Earth.
“A deer, in a place like this?”
Suspicion rose.
“Come here.”
“Squeeek...”
“Good, what a nice one.”
Whether it understood his words, gestures, or just wanted to come—
The gentle-looking deer walked delicately like cherry blossoms, came up to Argio, and leaned its head against him.
“You’ll make a good friend.”
Deer.
A small, young deer.
Too simple a description to trust.
“I don’t know what about it is ‘small’ or ‘young’...”
It was definitely suspicious.
So far, every animal that had come out of this “Animal Kingdom”
Had been hulking, twisted, foul-tempered beasts.
So even if this deer was just putting on a docile disguise—
Gio wouldn’t be surprised.
Still, he didn’t mind.
If it were smart enough to pull that off, even better.
Better that than the rampaging, mindless ones who don’t understand speech.
Gio gently stroked the deer’s jaw and cheek.
“Oh... soft.”
“Squeeek...”
“Even the cry is so adorable.”
“Squeee...”
“Cute.”
It even cried in an extra cutesy way when he called it cute.
Or maybe it was just his imagination—either way, it was fine.
In one case, it was innocent and lovable.
In the other, clever and biteably cute.
“......”
Still—what was going on here?
“There’s nothing here.”
“Squeak.”
“Yes, friend.”
Gio petted the deer that stuck close beside him and asked,
“Has anyone called the name ‘Argio’ here recently?
Someone definitely called my name—but the voice cut off again.
It was faint, barely audible.
It’s troubling.”
No matter where he looked,
There was nothing in the desolate plains—
No sign of life that could have clearly called his name.
He even considered that it might have been a hallucination.
“But still... it couldn’t have been a hallucination.
Hey, friend.”
“Squeak.”
“Have you seen a person here?”
“......”
The deer tilted its head slightly.
“Hmm, I see.”
Gio broadened the question.
“Then any creature besides you?”
“Squeeeeek.”
The deer proudly began to move.
Even after scanning the surroundings,
There was no trace of any animal—
Not even a single blade of grass.
But Gio decided to follow it anyway.
“...? Aha.”
And Gio realized something.
“It was underground.”
“Squeeeek...”
“Good one.”
Hidden beneath dirt and shriveled weeds,
An underground entrance revealed itself.
Gio handed over some jerky to the deer just in case—
It sniffed it a few times, then carefully took it into its mouth.
Leaving the deer to enjoy its treat, Gio descended deep below and surveyed the area.
“......”
The beasts he had eaten so far were given one name.
Ruined Abilas Rainforest.
A “Black Forest” Argio was familiar with.
“...But why did it sink underground?”
“Squii?”
“I wasn’t talking to you—keep eating.”
It was just... baffling.
That kind of disaster doesn’t just happen casually.
What kind of tectonic shift had occurred while he was away?
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