Chapter 95

There were three paintings that Jio had drawn before.

“One was the ‘Breathing Sea’.”

Iseur nodded as if he understood.

“It’s the space connected to the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’.”

“It’s also a door in the form of a picture frame.”

“Though I feel it moves too actively to be called a door….”

Currently, in the ‘Temple of the Deep Sea’, one could find the landscape painting named ‘Breathing Sea’.

A visitor wouldn't be able to find the flowing landscape painting at once, but Iseur, as a master of the dungeon in his own right, albeit the second, could clearly sense its presence.

“Anyway, that too was one of the dungeons you painted, Teacher.”

“Yes, is it not inconvenient? The part where they connected was a situation I hadn't expected either.”

“It didn’t seem to be much of a problem.”

Visitors, like moths to a flame, continued to challenge the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’, but they were of a truly insignificant level and not a very threatening variable.

As outsiders, they would be too disoriented to notice the existence of the door, so there was really no problem at all.

“Above all, it doesn't feel out of place.”

“Perhaps it’s because I was subconsciously thinking of the neighborhood we lived in together when I painted it.”

“Are you referring to Edlen village? It’s true that the atmosphere is similar.”

The one who painted the picture back then was ‘Seo Jio’, but even considering that, the ‘Breathing Sea’ was too similar to the atmosphere of the village where ‘Giovanni’ lived.

Perhaps the soul of ‘Giovanni’ had actually possessed Jio’s body as he painted the landscape as if entranced.

Of course, it wasn't certain.

Since becoming a portrait, Jio's life had completely deviated from common sense and Jio wasn't a diligent enough person to interpret it all one by one.

To say it again, Jio had no thoughts.

“I can't say it's exactly the same. I just wanted to paint, and it was just a coincidence that a dimension fitting it existed.”

The world where Giovanni lived was destroyed and under Aria's lead, it became a dungeon called the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’.

Jio had simply happened to paint a place that coincided with the scenery of the ‘Breathing Sea’ within that massive dungeon, large enough to be called a ‘Kingdom’.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’ and the ‘Breathing Sea’ aren't practically different spaces.”

“Perhaps because of that, it didn’t feel foreign even though it was newly created.”

Iseur continued as if muttering to himself.

“I was also relieved that there was now a space where I could visit you at any time, Teacher.”

“I was sorry for unintentionally meddling with the interior, but it’s a relief if it doesn’t bother you that much.”

“Interior.”

“You don't know it because it's an English word?”

“Words from Earth are basically translated, so I understood.”

He just thought that for the scale of the things he did, Jio used a rather modest word.

“In any case, the ‘Breathing Sea’ is currently being used in that manner.”

The ‘Breathing Sea’, where the Sun God had been trapped, was well worth its existence just by the fact that it had brought in a new family and he could bring in as much seafood as he wanted.

The oily fish from there was absolutely delicious no matter how it was cooked.

“The two remaining paintings after that were the ‘Animal Kingdom’ and the ‘City of the Void’.”

They were ones that had been painted quite a while ago.

“Among them, the ‘Animal Kingdom’ sometimes connects with the forest I live in, and occasionally, creatures from there cross over.”

“Creatures, you say, not monsters? There are monsters that take the form of completely ordinary beasts….”

“They certainly weren't monsters. Just like the clams that can be found in the ‘Kingdom of the Deep Sea’.”

“In that case, it’s highly likely that an existing world already existed, and a dungeon was overlaid on top of it.”

“I’m expecting that’s probably the case.”

And to visit such a place, I would need the help of another ‘Jio’. In that case, the synchronization would proceed again, and I felt like I would get disoriented again, so I was refraining from visiting for now.

“In contrast to those two dungeons, this ‘City of the Void’ seems to be a world I created from scratch, so I couldn't help but be concerned. I'm worried because I feel that creating something like this and then leaving it neglected is a sign of an unqualified parent.”

It was completely different in nature from the ‘Breathing Sea’, where I had already played to my heart’s content, or the ‘Animal Kingdom’, which I hadn’t visited yet.

It was such a new type of child-that-wasn't-a-child that I didn't even have a clue how to treat it.

“As you can see, it’s empty….”

“…That is true.”

Iseur couldn't help but agree.

“It’s very empty.”

Even though the dense urban forest was so stark, it was empty to the point of making one's mind go blank.

‘Is it a characteristic of the dungeon?’

For beings of a strong stature like him or his sister, it would only make their hearts feel a little empty, but if a human were to enter, they wouldn't be able to endure it unless they were considerably strong.

‘…A dungeon greatly reflects the master’s mental image.’

Here, Iseur completely jumped to a wrong conclusion.

‘This must mean that the Teacher's mental state is like this.’

That wasn't particularly the case.

A dungeon, by principle, follows the master's mental image, but the dungeons Jio painted were closer to just ‘paintings’ than such a community of fate.

He might have been deeply immersed in that emotion and delusion at the moment of painting, but his mental image itself was not reflected.

However, no one had ever heard of such a case, except for Jio.

The vast experience he had gained following his sister became a poison and Iseur had no choice but to pay close attention to Jio's condition.

“Are there no monsters here at all?”

“As far as I can feel, there are none.”

“I can’t even feel the slightest creature….”

“This painting is of a city; I did not paint any living things.”

“I see.”

As long as the master of a dungeon was something with a self, it was actually difficult for there to be no living creatures inside when the dungeon was created.

Even in a dungeon mastered by an undead, it was filled with related monsters.

‘…But this is too empty.’

Iseur looked at the world filled only with achromatic colors.

The towering buildings were a neat and clear gray.

Even though their entire bodies were made of transparent glass, the glass was also gray because the whole world was achromatic and the sky was obscured by thick fog, with only a faint light barely falling through.

There were uninteresting, rectangular buildings, and there were also buildings with the characteristic curves of a bustling city, but… despite being filled with such diverse shapes, nothing could be felt.

“…….”

He didn't care that it was a space vulnerable to humans.

However, he couldn't help but worry about Giovanni, the master of this world.

“…Do you like this space, Teacher?”

“It is like my own child, so how could I not like it.”

“I see. I understand.”

The fact that Jio had such a mental image was something to be wary of.

‘Considering he has that much stature while still thinking of himself as a human, perhaps this is only natural.’

If the beings called gods were to create a dungeon themselves, it would feel more filled than this, but wasn't Jio in a state where he couldn't even be called a god?

Exceptions were bound to occur.

‘I don’t know if he created it consciously or subconsciously, but according to my sister, he is a portrait that can become anything… so even this nonsensical void could have been born.’

He was worried.

“…….”

“Iseur?”

“…It might sound a little strange for me to say this all of a sudden, but….”

Iseur hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Are you happy right now?”

Perhaps as expected, the answer came immediately.

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Because I don't make choices that won't make me happy in the first place.”

“…I see.”

Then, on the day you died. That choice, too, must have been for your happiness.

‘It’s a fact I had already guessed, but it hits hard.’

Iseur, who had been at a loss for words, forced himself to speak.

“…So why did you visit this dungeon?”

“Because I don't want to be a terrible parent who creates something and doesn't even pay attention to it.”

“You are probably the only one who treats a dungeon that way, Teacher.”

“Aria said that a dungeon is a community of fate with its master, so isn't that a family?”

“So that’s what family means to you, Teacher… A community of fate.”

Iseur, who was muttering with his lips, asked.

“Then how about creating some monsters?”

“Ah, increase the number of family members first?”

“…It would have a similar meaning.”

In the first place, dungeons were usually created to kill humans.

This was because they were born from the powerful emotion of immense hatred towards a single race, but since Jio was not ordinary, this dungeon lacked the hostility or killing intent that should have been there by default.

“How you will cultivate this dungeon is up to you, Teacher, but if you still want to care for it in some way, then it would be good to increase the number of residents. Because after a god creates a world, the thing they care about most is the residents….”

At Iseur's words, Jio tilted his head.

“Don't I have quite a few problems to be called a god?”

“Well… you’re not a traditional god, but, hmm, if I were to use an analogy.”

It seemed Jio was underestimating himself.

‘He really hasn't changed from the old days.’

But he had no intention of correcting Jio's misunderstanding.

The more indifferent he was to his own extraordinary aspects, the further Jio's limits would recede and in the end, he would be able to spend a longer time with them, the merfolk.

‘The period he thinks of himself as human will lengthen by that much, but….’

That didn't matter much either.

‘It's not like he's wrong.’

According to his sister, her teacher was a black drawing paper.

No one knew what it could become.

“Have you thought about how you will utilize this place?”

“I still need to think about it a little more, but….”

“Yes.”

“It would be nice if the family grew, for sure.”

***

Painting family members wasn't a special task for Jio.

“But the family member I'll be painting this time is going to live separately from us.”

“Kurururuk?”

“I’d like it to be a child who doesn’t feel lonely even when alone.”

The water birds Jio had painted before were creatures that lived in groups.

Looking at the water bird lake, which had become even more crowded as if they had bred among themselves, you could tell, ‘Wow, this is what group life is,’ and Honey also quite disliked being separated from his family.

“So this time, I hope it’s a friend with strong independence.”

But he didn't want to just draw anything either.

“I have my pride as a painter, you know….”

“Kkung?”

“It's a bit grand to call myself a painter, but anyway, the ‘City of the Void’ is one of my works too.”

“Kururu.”

“I hope a resident that suits it comes into being.”

But a resident that suits the ‘City of the Void’.

“…….”

Jio, who was sitting in his workshop chair and thinking quietly, soon opened his mouth.

“…An invisible man?”

An unseen office worker.

“That fits.”

“Kuruk?”

“Don't you think so?”

To Jio, a born-and-bred country person, that was what a city was.

The air was murky, and people swarmed about.

They all looked similar, and they moved in herds on the subway and the streets.

No emotion was visible on their inorganic faces.

“When I first came up to Seoul, it was a little creepy.”

It was a living, breathing horror movie.

For Jio, who had a delicate sensibility contrary to his appearance, it was excessively bleak.

Now he could think, ‘The cogs of society, weary from another day, are heading home,’ but he couldn't in his younger days. He had even felt fear.

“But that doesn't mean I can draw a person….”

“Kkungkung?”

“What do you take your dad for, son? Your dad can't create people.”

No matter what, he had no desire to be that special.

Even if he could have, he never would have, but since he couldn't do it anyway, there was even less need to worry about it.

“In that sense, an invisible man.”

To be precise, a man in a suit.

“If it's just the clothes floating around….”

“Kuru.”

“Yes, that certainly couldn't be called a human.”

It was closer to a doll.

“…….”

Just like how the people in the city he first saw had appeared.

“…Let’s see….”

Jio placed his brush on the ‘City of the Void’ in front of him.

“Still, it would be too lonely with just one.”

“Kurururu.”

“It would be nice to have a few more, but it would be too hard for me to draw them all by myself, right?”

“Kkuk?”

“It would be fun if they could come into being on their own.”

It would be very fun.

The scale was excessively large for something done for simple pleasure, but for Jio, who was facing new content, the scale of the project was not a very important issue.

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