The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 234
And then, it was time for a meal.
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“I think I’ve asked you at least ten times if you were hungry.”
“...I’m sorry. I got lost in thought...”
“Eating will help you think better. I’m sure of it.”
“......”
Ather let out a sigh.
“...Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
Gio smiled brightly.
Now I can finally turn this walking skeleton into a pig.
***
“Huh.”
Yoo Seong-Woon blinked as he looked at a picture frame he hadn’t seen in a while.
“What brings you out to the hallway?”
“I thought I saw you passing by, Yoo Seong-Woon.”
“Me? Yeah, it’s been a while since I came back.”
After a long night shift, he’d barely managed to return home.
“You been resting well at the hut lately?”
“No, recently I’ve been in the ‘Kingdom of Animals.’”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I think Joo-Hyun told me you were making friends over there.”
“That’s right. I’ve also started building a dungeon.”
“...Ah, a dungeon.”
Yoo Seong-Woon, silent for a moment, nodded.
‘So there was a reason you were out in the hall.’
It was time for a hallway conference.
***
As always, the hallway conference members gathered, and Yoo Seong-Woon was the first to ask,
“So what do you mean you’re building a dungeon? If you’re about to cause an incident that’ll definitely require cleanup in the future, you should let me know so I can prepare.”
“You really do sound desperate...”
At Joo-Hyun’s murmur, the Sankallut coiled around her neck tilted its head.
“A dungeon?”
“Yes, a dungeon.”
“I too once possessed one.”
“I was under the impression it hadn’t been destroyed yet.”
“I’ve been driven from that house and now dwell here. Humans are wicked. I want to go home. Do you feel the same, Gio?”
“Home is always a good thing.”
Joo-Hyun asked,
“So what kind of dungeon are you trying to make this time? Didn’t you already create something dungeon-like before? Like ‘The Breathing Sea,’ ‘City of Void,’ and the ‘Diary’?”
“This one will be quite different.”
“How exactly?”
“I’ve built a Demon King’s Castle there.”
When Argio smiled, filled with joy, Yoo Seong-Woon fell silent.
“......”
Yeah, I figured this day would come eventually.
“...I’m ready.”
“Are you crying?”
“Never seen a crying curator before?”
“I believe I’ve seen you cry before, Yoo Seong-Woon.”
“Wasn’t the cause you that time too? Don’t remember?”
“I remember.”
“Of course you do...”
With a deep sigh drawn from the pit of his gut, Yoo Seong-Woon asked,
“So this is what you mean? A Demon King’s Castle?”
“I’m pleased that you understood.”
Gio gave a double thumbs up.
“I once thought about it.”
“You could’ve thought a little less.”
“I desire infamy. But in truth, the wrongdoings committed under the name ‘Argio’ are, from your perspective, nearly nonexistent. Isn’t that right?”
“Oh, please...”
“So I considered fabricating new infamy under ‘Argio,’ but Joo-Hyun strongly opposed it. She said that would make us both guilty.”
“Nice.”
Yoo Seong-Woon and Joo-Hyun bumped fists.
“I believed in you, Joo-Hyun.”
“I don’t think this is over yet, but I’m proud to say it’s in my top five life decisions.”
“Not number one? Now that’s surprising.”
Then Gio said,
“There are more surprising things yet to come.”
“Right, I could’ve sworn you said you’d hold back, but you went and built a Demon King’s Castle? My heart already plummeted to the Earth’s core. Let’s hear it.”
“I plan to become the Demon King.”
“...Oh, I see!”
Joo-Hyun smiled brightly.
“Come here, let’s have another talk.”
“Please remain calm, Joo-Hyun. I haven’t dismissed what you said last time. In fact, I found your advice to be completely valid.”
“So?”
“I’ve decided to bring in Evil God Argio.”
“......”
Joo-Hyun quickly realized what Gio meant.
“...You don’t plan to fabricate a new infamy. You plan to utilize the existing one? Since you were indeed once active as an Evil God in another dimension?”
To be precise, it wasn’t the slandered infamy of “Argio,” but the genuine atrocities of “Evil God Argio” that he intended to make use of.
Gio nodded.
“I’m glad we communicate so well, Joo-Hyun.”
“I didn’t want to be this well understood...”
Yoo Seong-Woon smiled wistfully and looked at Joo-Hyun.
“I won’t go far.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“If we’re already communicating this clearly, I guess it means you’re drifting out of the realm of humanity. When you become a bishop someday, make sure to accept my greeting.”
“It’s not that serious, and I have no plans to go that far, but if it ever happens, I will absolutely not leave you alone. Let’s see how well you live after abandoning your comrades.”
“Despite how I look, I serve the Snowfield, so juggling two lives is tough.”
“You know it’s not okay to just say anything that comes to mind, right?”
Joo-Hyun turned back to Gio with a composed smile.
“The infamy of Evil God Argio is largely exaggerated. Even if he committed worse deeds than ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) human Argio, a lot of that reputation was forcibly added on during the spread of the myth, wasn’t it?”
“...It’s not like I did nothing wrong.”
“Why the delayed response? Feeling guilty, are we?”
“Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that this vile divinity wreaked havoc on the world.”
“I’m saying the process is very questionable.”
“Our Evil God really did do some terrible things.”
Yes, it was true that humans had framed him to some extent—but he was still called an Evil God for a reason. Formed from the wrathful souls of saints, “Argio” cursed the world and committed massacres.
“Of course, the plague, the Demon King’s Army, the cannibalism—none of that was me.”
“See?”
“Still, setting aside the parts blamed on me like disasters and misfortune, Evil God Argio was indeed a grand butcher. That part hasn’t changed.”
Although the Argio standing before them now was closer to a man who had shed all those vengeful saintly souls, it was also true they had once shared the same body.
“I did commit those crimes, and they are my sins.”
So it wasn’t false advertising.
“It’s not 100%, but it’s a solid 81% authentic product.”
“Kinda ambiguously full, isn’t it?”
“These days, 81% is a great deal.”
“Well... I guess...”
It was hard to say whether they should be happy about an 81% pure Evil God. Maybe for Argio, infamy and all, it was a good thing—but it was still a weird feeling.
Joo-Hyun seemed to share the sentiment and wiped her face. Sankallut asked,
“Are you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“It feels a little different.”
“Feels like I left a baby by the river...”
“......”
“Yeah, this is definitely fear.” novelbuddy-cσ๓
Sankallut slithered silently back around Joo-Hyun’s neck like a normal snake. He couldn’t understand what this sturdy vessel was saying. He’d have to ask for a translation later.
Joo-Hyun, not at all concerned with Sankallut’s confusion, removed her hand and looked up.
“...You really understood and accepted what I said before, didn’t you?”
“Ah, of course.”
Just as Joo-Hyun had said—those past events in the Kingdom of Animals hadn’t exactly been commendable.
If it had been truly just to frame an innocent being and paint them as a monster beyond all truth, then those countless saints wouldn’t have returned as the wrathful Evil God.
“Letting Earth repeat that same path would be too wicked.”
“I’m truly glad you think that way.”
Sankallut blinked in confusion at the conversation. What exactly was too wicked, and why was that a good thing? Another thing to ask for translation.
Unconcerned, Gio continued explaining.
“However, I still enjoy high-quality combat. You might call it irresponsible pleasure, but to shoulder at least a minimum of responsibility, I’ve chosen not a fabricated lie but a grounded history.”
“So you’re making a dungeon, too?”
Yoo Seong-Woon smiled as he always did.
“What exactly do you plan to do with that dungeon?”
“A holy war...”
“Okay, stop right there.”
He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
“Yoo Seong-Woon?”
“......”
“......”
“...Okay, I’ve got it now.”
Yoo Seong-Woon let out a sigh of full resignation and replied clearly.
“So you really do want to destroy the Earth.”
“Oh come on, that’s harsh.”
Argio chuckled.
“No need to worry.”
“About what, exactly?”
“This Earth now has a reliable pillar.”
“Wait... are you talking about yourself?”
“Correct. Specifically, the Black Cloak will serve that role.”
“Your self-love is truly something else.”
“That’s just how I am.”
Argio was the Evil God of wrath, war, and pain. For such a being to dull in peace was unthinkable. He longed for war with those of rare and genuine value.
Still, Gio understood how selfish that was. He didn’t want to act like the petty beings he scorned. So he compromised.
“Incidents that cause a little chaos but no real damage to Earth, me, or those around me. Accidents with inflated consequences that raise my infamy. And settings that allow battles with hero-caliber opponents...”
“You keep circling back to religion, huh?”
“I can’t exactly stir trouble from start to finish, can I?”
Even if he tried, it would fall apart halfway. Even the God of Death had said Argio was born an Evil God, but not meant to be evil.
“So I thought about it.”
“I get it. You’re trying to revive an old infamy and start a fight on Earth.”
“I judged it harmless. As a god, I can tell you—blasphemy isn’t that serious. I already know multiple Earth religions that would never tolerate a god of rage and greed like me.”
“Always with the ‘I’m human’ talk, but suddenly you’re a god again? Whatever, I get it. We’ve got the Sun Church, the Moon Sect...”
“So we conduct a subjugation war against the Evil God Argio. A justified crusade. The actual fighting will take place in another dimension—the Kingdom of Animals—so Earth won’t suffer any harm.”
“...If a dungeon’s deemed dangerous anyway, hunters always get assigned.”
“But that would attract randoms. I don’t want that. What I want is a fight with heroes.”
“Heroes...”
Yoo Seong-Woon looked at Joo-Hyun. She smiled firmly.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Well, we’ve got a hero right here, recognized by Gio and the Guild Master.”
“Sorry, but can’t you tell I’m non-awakened? I’ll die if you so much as breathe wrong around me. You should be protecting the weak civilians.”
“You don’t sound that weak. For a non-awakened civilian, you’re awfully brave.”
Anyway, Yoo Seong-Woon nodded.
“So you’re planning to wrap it all in religion.”
“Yes, they’re blind in their devotion.”
They knew how to rage purely.
“I want that blind faith.”
A true war of rage.
“Because that’s what defines my existence.”
“...So just using the dungeon for battle isn’t enough? You’re not planning to go as far as you did with the mermaids, right? You’re not going to end it all? A divine being doesn’t die like that anyway.”
Even with Sankallut, humans could barely manage a seal. Mortals couldn’t kill the immortal. That was law and nature.
“What kind of ending do you even want?”
“I’ve never reached an ending. What I see now is merely the process. As you once said, Yoo Seong-Woon, I’m an immortal being, am I not?”
“...Then what will you do once your war is over?”
“I think I’ll rest for a while.”
The current Gio wasn’t just Argio. There was Sergio, drained from public appearances, and Giovanni, who found bloodshed distasteful.
“So if there is a goal, then yes.”
The only true ending he could see through this process—
“I want complete fusion with Argio.”
“What, you mean like ascending to the afterlife?”
“Ahaha...! You could say it’s quite similar.”
He hoped that, as the present Argio, he could bring the Evil God’s war to its end.
***
Argio’s Quest
Argio’s Quest
Evil God’s Restraint (1/1)
Rain to the Withered Forest (1/2)
Today’s Status — ‘Kingdom of Animals’
“Come at me o(｀ᾥ´)o”
Today’s Status — ‘Diary’
“Another peaceful day! ✧⁺⸜(•⌄•)⸝⁺✧”
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om
