The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 223

Even after all that, Gio had to spend quite some time convincing the wolf that he was, in fact, human.

“Do I still look like a ghost to you? I don’t reek of death, my heart’s beating, and even though you can’t see it now, if you stabbed me, I’d bleed. Do I really not look human to you?”

“...Sort of.”

“So resolute, huh.”

In the end, the wolf never fully believed him.

“...Well, if it’s that hard to believe.”

Gio was a diligent adult who respected the full spectrum of life’s diversity. Judging by the reaction, it had been quite a long time since humans had gone extinct, so he could understand the skepticism to some extent.

In return, he wanted an explanation.

“I’m curious—what happened here, leading up to the downfall of this place? If you agree to be my conversation partner, I’ll make sure you’re compensated. Just asking, do you like food?”

“You mean... your idea of a reward is food?”

“I know this forest well—it used to be called the Avilas Rainforest. Some parts seem to have changed while I was away, but if you’ve got food, that’s always helpful, isn’t it? What do you think?”

“Well... I guess that depends on what you’re offering.”

“For someone I thought was young, you sure know how to haggle. Admirable.”

Argio grabbed the wolf’s massive head with both hands and gave it a thorough scrubbing. At first, the wolf had stiffened at Gio’s touch, but quickly melted under the masterful strokes.

“Oh, there. That’s the spot. Wow, that feels good.”

“That’s the touch of a human, my dear wolf.”

“How do you know exactly where to scratch? Is this magic?”

“I’m just that talented.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Even as a child, Argio had lived under the same roof with his beastly family. He was more than an expert in knowing how to hit just the right spots to make animals feel good.

And this one talks, making it even easier to read...

After a bit more petting, the wolf pulled back with a satisfied face.

“I’m not counting this as part of the reward, just so you know. You offered first.”

“You say that with such conviction, but that relaxed face really isn’t helping your case.”

“Ahem. Anyway, no means no.”

“Very well. Strip my bones with your words, then.”

Argio was very fond of clever beasts.

“So, can I hear your explanation now?”

“You mean the story of the extinction, right?”

Having calmed down a bit after the touch and the chat, the wolf sat in front of Gio, visibly more at ease. Even with its enormous body settled, the Black Forest remained still.

This place was never this polite before...

Whether the wolf knew Gio’s thoughts or not, it began speaking.

“To be fair, I don’t know everything about the fall. What I know was passed down from my ancestors. Honestly, I’m not even sure what exactly counts as the ‘extinction.’”

“Sounds like it happened more than once?”

“The first one was probably when beastfolk like us came into existence.”

Most likely, it referred to the time when Argio—once human—died, and beasts gained equal intelligence and reason.

I think some of the heroes who visited me back then mentioned something similar...

But those memories were a bit foggy for the current Argio. He had been consumed by rage and hatred—barely sane. Maybe it felt hazy because he hadn’t fully assimilated those memories yet.

Besides, I have no idea what happened after I was sealed. I only remember hearing that they tore each other apart and brought about their own downfall...

This might be his chance to learn the details. Argio was genuinely curious about the history his descendants could recite.

“They say wolffolk like me were born around that time. But to me, it never felt like some sudden change. Even in my ancestor’s ancestor’s ancestor’s day, we were still wolffolk, more or less like this.”

“You distinguish between ordinary wolves and wolffolk?”

“Yes. If we compare it to humans, it’d be like the difference between humans and monkeys. Of course, there were monkeyfolk once, but that’s just another extinct race now. I heard they died out after a lot of wars with humans.”

“Oh dear. Then how many races are left now?”

The wolf paused a moment before replying.

“Only three.”

Wolffolk, crowfolk, and foxfolk.

“My mother said wolffolk survived because we value family, crowfolk survived thanks to their wisdom, and foxfolk survived by being deceitful.”

“That last one sounds a little off.”

“If you ever meet a foxfolk, be careful. They’re total con artists.”

“You’re even baring your teeth now. And your tone’s gotten a bit... colorful.”

At least it was clear that the wolffolk didn’t think much of the foxfolk. Judging from the tone, it seemed wolffolk and foxfolk clashed frequently, while the crowfolk maintained a kind of neutral ground.

The wolf scoffed.

“It’s not like we bite first. They always start with their snarky crap. Those smug bastards think they’re the smartest creatures alive. No honor whatsoever...”

“Seriously, watch your mouth.”

“The next extinction was probably the birth of the evil god.”

“Hm.”

“They say it was a god of rage and war, but there’s barely any information about him. That era was supposedly too horrifying and gruesome to leave any written records.”

Argio’s form back then was likely well-known—red braided hair, body adorned with jewelry and bone ornaments, beast fur, and striking features. Hard to forget.

And yet, here this wolf was, talking about ghosts.

So records of me—of Argio—were erased after all.

A wise choice. If it became widely known that humans had brought catastrophe upon themselves, the chaos might’ve been worse than what already happened. Not that it stopped them from self-destructing anyway...

“I’ve heard of the evil god. Caused plagues, kidnapped the innocent, devoured people alive. Gave beastfolk power equal to humans, throwing the world into chaos.”

“Well, that last part gave birth to our race. So we’re actually pretty grateful. We don’t have much aversion to the evil god. He’s our parent deity, after all.”

“Parent deity, huh... That’s a unique perspective.”

Suddenly, paternal pride surged within him.

Maybe it was part accident, part fate that gave rise to this new species... but hearing the word ‘parent’ like that—feels kind of nice. That’s right. I am their father, too...

Argio smiled faintly.

“Do you still feel no aversion to the evil god today?”

“Well, I suppose if I met him in person it’d be different... but right now, he’s just part of an old tale.”

“I see.”

Now the story of the evil god Argio had become myth. The wolf didn’t seem unaware that he was real—but his presence had lost all realism.

“But wasn’t the evil god sealed?”

“There was another downfall tied to that.”

The conversation dragging on must’ve tired him out. The wolf lowered his huge body and rested his head on the ground. Argio sat beside him and gently petted his head.

The wolf closed his eyes, soothed by the touch, and continued:

“Even after the evil god was sealed, the wisdom and power given to beasts didn’t vanish. Humans, who thought everything would return to normal after the seal, panicked. They’d thrown in all their resources without thinking.”

“Fools.”

“Exactly. Who was the idiot who said, ‘As long as we seal the evil god, it’ll all be okay’?”

The wolf wrinkled his nose in disgust, and Argio idly stroked the fine fur along the bridge.

“They said the good and strong humans died during the sealing process. The survivors were branded monsters and shunned. The heroes scattered—some were found dead, others went missing entirely.”

“Tragic, isn’t it?”

“I just think they were stupid.”

Those who gave everything to seal the evil god, then were abandoned by the very humans they saved. And the humans who couldn’t even rally around such strength—they were doomed from the start.

“Worse still, even with the evil god gone, the plague from the Black Forest didn’t stop. It kept spreading. Life was poisoned, shriveled, and the world turned into a desolate wasteland with nothing to eat.”

To the wolf, this environment was familiar. But to most creatures at the time, it must have been catastrophic. Tensions rose, and humans and beasts finally waged war.

“A war?”

“To eat each other, apparently.”

“Even though you spoke the same language?”

“Yes.”

“How amusing.”

It sounded like the beasts had finally realized they weren’t human after all. He wished he could’ve seen that moment—the absurdity, the comedy.

“What happened next?”

“The war continued endlessly. So many battles, big and small, that it was impossible to record them all. Eventually, both humans and beasts realized—they couldn’t live here anymore.”

“The environment had deteriorated that badly. The poison from the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Black Forest, the resource depletion from war...”

“Right. So...”

The wolf opened his eyes and looked up.

“They said they killed God.”

“...God? You mean the evil god?”

“No. The Creator. The one who made the earth and sky.”

“...I never imagined such a thing possible.”

“Well, I don’t know the details. I only heard there was such a history.”

“And why would they kill the Creator, of all beings? Should’ve begged for salvation, not slaughtered Him.”

“They said they begged—and when no salvation came, they figured they’d force it through death. As a result, the sky and earth were split.”

Humans had taken the Creator’s power and tried to build a new world.

“He was the god of life and creation.”

They believed it was possible.

“They buried the broken, filthy world underground and tried to build a new one above it. They couldn’t erase the old dimension entirely—without it, they’d have nowhere to stand while building the new.”

“So instead of erasing it, they hid it underground?”

“That’s right.”

But they failed.

“As you can see, the world above is incomplete.”

The wolf didn’t know how humans had killed God or stolen that immense power, or how they tried to wield it to rebuild the world.

He only knew: it happened. It failed. And now, here they were.

“With the Creator dead, the true sun and moon vanished. Humans tried to recreate them using the stolen powers—but failed. They couldn’t even make a new moon. So now there’s only a fake sun.”

“That explains the fake sun.”

“The one above us isn’t the old sun. That one made life bloom just by existing. This one just mimics it—it’s an empty shell. Sometimes warm, sometimes freezing. It’s not an environment anything can live in.”

“No wonder not a single plant grows up there.”

“They probably froze or burned to death long ago.”

The wolf snorted.

“Those without the right to wield divine power grabbed it anyway. That was the sin. The world started crumbling. They say all that’s left now is this forest.”

Gio knew what that meant.

The world is becoming a dungeon.

A gameboard was being laid across reality.

“Everywhere else is gone?”

“Yeah. Now it feels like this place is underground and the world above is the surface.”

“So aside from your three tribes, there’s truly no one left?”

“There are some creatures that used to live in the Black Forest.”

The wolf closed his eyes again.

“There was no choice.”

......

Now Gio understood why creatures from the “destroyed Avilas Rainforest” had come through his frame. The three tribes had driven out—or killed—the original beasts to protect themselves.

Those that got chased out, or fled, must’ve stumbled upon my cabin. That explains their feral, crazed behavior.

They’d been exiled, robbed of their home, and starved under the false sun. No wonder they were half-mad when they found the frame.

“...Hmm...”

Still, Gio had killed them in one clean blow. That had to count for something.

That’s nature’s way, poor beasts.

A sudden surge of Gio’s softer personas—Sergio and Giovanni—bubbled up.

Wait... did I just kill and eat some poor refugees who lost their homes and barely made it to a safe haven?

But what could he do? He’d already eaten them.

Besides, I’ve always lived this way in the Black Forest. What’s there to apologize for now?

And the ones that attacked his home were clearly too far gone to be saved. Maybe, maybe he could’ve healed them if he’d tried—but really...

Why should I?

They weren’t his family. Not his friends.

“...Ha.”

“...Why are you laughing?”

“I’m justifying myself.”

“...Suddenly?”

He was rambling internally because it all made him feel a little guilty. Argio thought, Why should I care?—but also, Ugh, poor bastards.

This split... is probably only going to grow worse.

He hoped that the “Gios” he’d meet in the future would be able to sort it all out peacefully.

“......”

Still.

Then who was it that called me here?

There were two possibilities. Either one of the beasts who had learned the language had summoned him... or some tiny remnant of humanity still lingered, barely avoiding extinction.

“...By the way, aren’t you curious about me?”

“......”

“Silence is a wise answer too.”

Gio nodded, then turned back to the wolf with a sudden thought.

“Oh, there’s something else I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Have you seen a deer?”

“...A deer?”

The wolf blinked.

“I’ve never seen one.”

“It was an ordinary deer, only made animal sounds.”

“Then I really don’t know. I’ve heard the deerfolk existed once, but they’ve been extinct for ages. I’ve only seen deer in this forest.”

“Are there any among your tribes who can’t speak?”

The wolf thought for a moment.

“...There are. Language is something you learn. Even if the beast has intelligence, it won’t speak unless someone teaches it.”

“So young beasts can’t speak yet.”

“That’s no different from human kids, is it?”

The wolf stood up.

“Now give me food. I won’t ask for much—it’s just an old tale I told. But my children will eat with me, so be generous.”

“...You have kids?”

“Why are you excited about that? Of course I do. If we don’t have offspring, our race can’t continue. Even in this toxic place, we have to protect them. Reproduction is our duty.”

“No need to worry, my friend. As you can see, I have very generous hands. Who would’ve thought you were the young head of a household—my heart’s pounding!”

“Who said I was the head of the household?!”

“So how old are you?”

“......”

“...Seven...”

“Good heavens!”

Gio was deeply moved.

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