The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 229
“We’ve found the place with the highest probability.”
The crow brought good news.
“There’s nothing in the forest that could summon you, and up above, the false world is no longer habitable. We searched what little space remains... and concluded that only your tomb is a viable location.”
“My tomb?”
“The place known as the Tomb of the Evil God. It’s said you once resided there.”
“Ah...”
Gio looked baffled.
“Why would it be there, of all places?”
At best, he expected it to be somewhere in the black forest he hadn’t fully explored, or hidden in that fake world above. Any of those would have been far more comfortable and safe than Argio’s so-called “home.”
“You’re certain it’s there?”
“If not there, then we judged it would be impossible to summon you at all.”
“I see.”
Then chances were, whoever was there hadn’t chosen to be.
“Thank you for the answer, Valf.”
“...It is an honor.”
“You didn’t go there yourself?”
Valf answered cautiously.
“It was not a space that lowly beings like us could dare enter. If you desire it, we could attempt it... but it would mean turning the impossible into possible. It may displease you, but I had no choice but to prioritize the safety of the crowfolk.”
“So you ran?”
Wise.
When it’s no good, you run.
As always, Argio let out a light chuckle.
“Well done.”
“...I’m sorry the result may not be satisfactory.”
“I’m not going to eat you over it, no need to be so afraid. Since you brought a good result, I’ll give you a gift in return. What would you like?”
“With your mercy, may I dare ask a question?”
“As many as you like, my friend.”
“......”
After a pause to organize his thoughts, the crow spoke.
“Do you like this world?”
“A unique question.”
Gio stroked his chin.
“It is my homeland. How could I not love it? I have loved it for a long time, and I will still love it even after an eternity. Is that answer sufficient?”
“Then... would you become this world’s god once more?”
“Our beast friends are truly fearless.”
Even while seeing him as the ‘evil god,’ they would so easily entrust their fate to him. The wolves did so because once they trusted, they trusted forever. The foxes because they had been driven to the brink and were forced to grovel.
But the crow’s choice was unexpected.
“Why did you make that choice?”
“It’s the same answer Gargar, chieftain of the wolves, gave.”
“You ask for the future? Even knowing what I might do with it?”
“...You...”
Trailing off, the crow confessed his perspective.
“You showed us something very different from the wrath recorded in history.”
“Could be an act.”
“All life acts—to survive.”
Whether Gio’s kindness and affection were real or fake wasn’t important to the crow. What mattered was whether his embrace was falsehood or truth.
And the crows concluded it was truth. Because he was simply too different from the fury recorded in history. The very fact that he could even pretend such a thing gave them hope.
“I remember more of the black forest’s history than any other beast. I know more about the ‘erased wrath’ than anyone. In the records, you were a cursed evil spirit, mad with hate. A monster with hundreds of arms, a calamity devouring the world with tens of thousands of mouths.”
But the evil god they saw in person was nothing like that.
“You are not an evil spirit, but a living being. Those hundreds of arms formed from rage—I see none. And that small mouth, no bigger than a human’s... perhaps it expresses cruel amusement, but it has not torn anyone apart alive.”
“My apologies, but you would taste awful. All thick fur and scrawny underneath—what nonsense are you spouting?”
“Even such jokes are unlike the records. Perhaps it’s a shred of mercy toward lowly beings, but I imagine you want me to think of you with affection.”
“......”
Gio mused internally.
...Our beast friends have grown quite sharp with their jabs...
It reminded him of the way Joo-Hyun and Yoo Seong-Woon laughed off his nonsense. It was endearing. And strangely touching.
Maybe they didn’t start resembling those two. Maybe I’ve been shaping them into that image.
While Gio was caught in that casual thought, the crow continued.
“You showed that you are capable of kindness and affection, and that those things are real. We have seen and heard that with our own eyes and ears. That alone was enough for us.”
If he was anything other than a god of endless death, pain, and wrath, then that alone offered far more hope than the bleak future before them.
“So please, govern us. Return to this barren and twisted land of rebellion. Even if you came home because someone invoked a name I no longer remember... now, it is we who beg for your mercy.”
“You are brave. And wise.”
He wanted to ruffle the crow’s soft, plush feathers out of sheer affection. This crow was larger and more luxuriant than any on Earth.
But I mustn’t. He’s the 114-year-old chieftain, after all.
Because of his instinct to treat every beast as his ‘child,’ Argio was always filled with the urge to dote, regardless of age or title. With miraculous self-restraint, he maintained their dignity.
“...A sealed evil god shunned by the dimensions is now asked to be a patron deity. What a curious tale. I love this homeland too dearly to refuse. You need not fear.”
“Then... will you be our god?”
“I already am. You were born from my death.”
“......”
Chieftain Valf blinked.
“...We were born from your death, not your footsteps?”
“Yes.”
“You truly were human.”
“I was.”
“...That is a great sin.”
Valf was indeed wise. From just that short statement, he seemed to understand what humans had done. He bowed his head.
“I see a father.”
“Yes, my son.”
So precious.
“You may see me however you wish. If you desire a friend, I shall appear as one. If a father, then that too. If a god who will reshape the world—then so be it.”
Because Gio was exceptional. So gifted that Joo-Hyun praised him and Seong-Woon applauded. He could do everything himself from start to finish, so his image changed depending on the viewer.
And so it would for them as well.
“See me however you like.”
“I shall.”
The crow saw the greed behind the evil god’s amusement. How boundless and vibrant this being was. Chieftain Valf did not doubt Argio’s omnipotence.
“What should I call you?”
“I am Gio.”
“...‘Gio’?” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com
The crow tilted his head.
“You call yourself a beast.”
“Did you know? I don’t have a name.”
The name he was born with—he discarded it. Since then, no one had given Argio a new one. He had lived his life as a brutal beast, and Gio was content with that.
“So whatever you call me becomes my name.”
It was the pinnacle of convenience. This unparalleled uniqueness brought Gio much joy. He loved his own versatility.
“Isn’t it easy?”
“How can a living being have no name?”
“No, anything in existence can be my name.”
“I see. The same logic as before.”
“You are a very clever crow.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“That’s fine too.”
Gio let his imagination fly.
“Yes... in that case...”
“......”
“...Wonderful.”
Then he smiled.
“I like it.”
He finally grasped what he had to do.
Or rather, he’d had a plan for some time. It just took longer than expected to adjust to his changed homeland and factor in the new variables.
“Would it be alright if I overturned this world however I like?”
“I believe it will be better than now.”
“You don’t believe. You know. And I affirm that rationality of yours.”
“May I ask... what exactly do you plan to do?”
“I’ll do what I do best.”
It was simple.
“I’ll paint. And receive their rage.”
Gio would turn this place into a dungeon—and become its Demon King.
“By the way, do you like amusement parks?”
***
“Meow.”
When Argio returned to his ‘home,’ Dana was sitting at the entrance.
“Meow.”
“Yes, good work.”
He cupped his daughter’s face and gently stroked it.
“How many strays did you find?”
“Mmmmmmmm...”
“A lot, huh? Probably because the world ended.”
What to do with all those strays was now Gio’s responsibility. Many of the remaining creatures in this narrow and barren land had agreed to follow him, and he would have to answer that trust.
But first, I should meet the one who called me.
Though he was already here, the voice that had first summoned him no longer echoed. As Joo-Hyun suggested, maybe the caller had died in the meantime—but anyone who knew the name “Argio” wouldn’t die so easily.
What it meant—he’d have to see for himself.
“Dana, go back to the house. There are probably more strays inside than you think. And some of them you won’t like, so there’s no need to exhaust yourself.”
“Mngmng...”
“Alright, we’ll have a delicious meal when you return.”
Gio grasped the hem of the black cloak and opened a shadow. Dana slipped right in. She would probably return to her father, snuggle up with affection, and enjoy a lovely meal once Gio laid out the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) table.
So cute.
Perhaps cuteness really did scale with size. Dana, now as big as an Earth wolf, offered unmatched hugging joy. The plushness of her fur, maintained by the Sun God’s teddy bear, made it feel like sinking into bliss itself.
Feeling proud of his daughter’s fur, Gio called out.
“Honey, I’ll need you.”
“Rrrrrr...”
Honey popped right out of the hood and perched on Gio’s shoulder as if it were the most natural thing. Touched by the majestic presence, Gio stepped into his “home.”
“...It’s been so long. And no one’s been maintaining it, yet it still remains after the world’s end. How curious. I don’t recall doing anything special...”
Now called the Tomb of the Evil God, this place was riddled with curses, toxins, and traps—making it the most dangerous location in this dimension. Yet Gio felt only fondness.
Because it held memories.
“This is nice.”
He was happy.
Back when I was consumed by rage, I couldn’t even think of it as a home.
Formed from the cries of saints, from the world’s wrath and pain—he had become the evil divine being known as Argio. Sometimes taking human form, but more often monstrous and demonic, with no reason left—only fury and hatred.
So it was only natural that Argio, now recovered and whole again, would find joy in feeling nostalgia.
“......”
The “home” was silent.
“......?”
And far more ruined than he remembered.
“What the hell, what happened to my house?”
Rumble rumble...
“What wretched bastard did this? Did tectonic shifts reach here too?”
Why had my sweet home turned into a demon’s lair?
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