The Artist Who Paints Dungeon
Chapter 36

Gio didn't hate having fun, but the energy allotted to him was quite limited.

“…Honey, if Dad collapses like this, you should at least nag him.”

“…Coo

“If both of us are sprawled out, there's no hope.”

The busy, busy modern society Gio had returned to drained every ounce of his stamina.

'Getting drained by a vampire probably wouldn't be this exhausting.'

He never thought it was a peaceful and gentle country to begin with. But after 31 years, South Korea had become ‘Hell Joseon’, and frail Gio couldn't help but be intimidated.

Lying on the bed like a 29-year-old rag, Gio idly fiddled with Honey, who had spread out like a liquid monster.

“As far as I know… I should still be synchronizing with Giovanni.”

“Cooor?”

“I feel it much less inside here than I do outside.”

“Cooorrr?”

“The synchronization speed has also slowed down.”

Synchronization rate: 14.8%

“When I dipped my feet in Cheonggyecheon, it filled about 6%.”

“Coor.”

“When I went to the restaurant using the waterway, I gained about 4% more….”

The common factor was those actions related to water.

“Is it because he has many connections to water?”

It was Giovanni’s story.

Anyway, the synchronization speed was much faster in the real world than when he stayed still inside the painting.

“It must be the characteristics of the world inside the portrait.”

“Cooooo….”

During synchronization, it felt like going back to his old lifestyle patterns. He got hungry at the right times, had to sleep after working hard, and his body which felt unusually light, would become heavy …. Ɍ

However, after returning from his tour in Seoul, he realized that sensations like those had dulled a bit within the portrait.

“Even though I'm synchronizing, it might be because, I'm treated as a painting rather than a human inside the portrait. Here, even the emotions I felt are treated as 'paintings.'”

When Gio was the main subject, even intangible things seemed to be judged as 'paintings.'

Just like when he felt gratitude toward Yoo Sung-woon in the past and randomly gifted him fruit syrup, the 1:1 system didn't seem to have any issues.

Will he return to being a ‘portrait’ after synchronization ends?

“What kind of person is an individual who's nothing more than a portrait unless they synchronize with someone else?”

“That’s downright impressive.”

“Cooor….”

“There's probably no other portrait like me anywhere in the world. I'll take pride in that.”

Today, Gio's self-esteem soared sky-high.

“I’m truly amazing.”

Gio's humanity wasn't swayed by the identity of being a mere haunted portrait. His sense of self was too strong to let such trivial matters doubt his own identity.

“Let's eat.”

“Coooo.”

As always, the conversation eventually shifted to food. They were practically pigs.

“Alright.”

It was only after 29 hours and 36 minutes had passed that Gio finally lifted himself from the bed.

Honey, still sprawled out, showed no intention of doing the same. He was clearly a spoiled young master who knew very well that Gio would take care of him.

“Do you even know how annoying and cute you are when you act like that?”

“Coo.”

“You think being cute is everything? That’s right. That's all there is to the world.”

“Cooooooooorrrr.”

“You've already fulfilled your purpose just by being cute.”

In Gio’s thought, there was no feeling more capable of bringing peace to humanity than cuteness.

“I'll handle today's dinner.”

As usual.

“It’s been a while, should we check how much the garden has grown?”

“Coocoocoo….”

“You're too lazy even to fly there? Your laziness has reached the sky. Stay put, and I'll load you into the basket.”

“Cooooooong…!”

“Where are you trying to send me alone? Hmph, nope. Not happening. You’re coming with me, dad feels lonely.”

Gio swept the jelly-like liquid monster into the basket. Honey grumbled but slid into it, and Gio left the cabin, carrying the basket with a satisfied expression.

And then he witnessed Mother Nature.

“What is this?”

Where had his modest garden gone? Was this the Amazon?

“Where on earth did my precious little garden go?”

“Coo, coong….”

“My garden wasn't like this.”

At most, he expected to see some tiny sprouts, but instead of cute seedlings, the cherry tomatoes had grown to about three meters tall.

“No, can you even call a 3-meter cherry tomato a 'cherry' tomato?”

No.

“Is it even a tomato in the first place?”

The tomatoes he knew weren't supposed to be the size of small watermelons?

Having grown every kind of crop at least once before, Gio was utterly baffled by the results he'd never seen before. It hadn't been that long since he'd left the garden unattended, and he was certain he'd planted ordinary seeds and seedlings. So how did the garden turn into a monster patch instead of a vegetable one?

“What about the lettuce….”

“It's the incarnation of Cthulhu.”

“Coorr?”

“There is something like that.”

There's an octopus monster god that can drive even a perfectly sane person—someone who could calmly buy fish-shaped buns for 5,000 won—out of their mind.

“It looks just like that.”

And Gio realized that's where he'd planted the lettuce.

“I planted octopus instead of lettuce.”

“Cooor.”

“Don't agree with that, Honey. Dad's feelings are fragile.”

The lettuce, with leaves even sturdier than autumn cabbage, was towering sky-high. Its commanding presence was so overwhelming that Gio felt as if he had been rejected even before confessing.

“This reality is beyond my imagination.”

And the corn.

“Terrifying.”

Gio was scared.

“Is it a tree?”

The stalks were so thick, and the kernels were even thicker. It was genuinely frightening.

The potatoes and sweet potatoes, hidden underground, were even more terrifying. Though they hadn't fully revealed themselves, the vines crawling above the ground were straight out of a horror movie.

“This overwhelming vitality… they're alive.”

“Coo.”

“Of course, they're alive—Honey, don't state the obvious. Even Dad knows that much.”

“Coor?”

“What I meant is they look like they'll start crawling on their own any moment now. That's not supposed to happen.”

If this wasn't a horror movie, what was?

“The peas….”

“…Even zombies crawling out of hell wouldn't cling this desperately.”

The pea vines, thin and long, clung to the plants growing nearby as if they were parasites, making them even more bizarre. They looked like they might start eating insects soon, like spiders.

“So what on earth is this?”

What have I done?

“As expected, I'm amazing.”

No, that's not it.

“At this point, it’s funny.”

“…Coong?”

“Yeah, that's what I wanted to say.”

When such an unexpected situation arose, it was just fun.

“Surely, the taste hasn't changed.”

That's good enough.

“It has turned into an intimidating garden, as if it could soon start talking with me…”

“Still, let's call this place a garden. Even though I felt embarrassed saying it, we, who know its humble beginnings, must preserve its identity.”

“Coor…?”

“Honey, think carefully. Those guys look like they might start moving soon, so we need to make a good impression on them before they do, or we might end up as their meal.”

It was half a joke and half sincere.

'In a world where even humans can evolve into portraits, wouldn’t it be normal for plants to have consciousness?’

His grandmother always said that we should always live humbly and wisely, as we couldn’t predict when disasters will strike.

Today, Gio the good grandson faithfully followed his elder’s wisdom.

But when something goes wrong, the instinct to shift blame to someone else is just human nature.

“… Could it be that Mr. Yoo Sung-woon gave monster seeds from the beginning?”

“Coo.”

“Right, the seeds looked normal when I saw them. It must be this world's problem after all.”

So, he was very curious to see if they would taste good.

“Let's see how they taste….”

As Gio entered the monster field, he couldn't believe his eyes.

'Am I getting farsighted?'

Or was this a hallucination?

“If this is real, wouldn't our safety be at risk, Honey?”

“…Coooorrrr….”

“Why is there a dead deer here?”

Gio was very scared.

“Oh, God of Heaven and Earth.”

Please take care of this pitiful portrait.

“So why is it really here?”

“Cooor, coo, coo.”

“You think you can do it too? No, don't compete. So who the hell caught this? And where did the deer even come from? Dad is so confused right now, Honey, so please come out of the basket and stop self-promoting…”

The monster patch was so overgrown that he couldn't see well, but when he went inside, there was a deer that was clearly dead, lying there in a very fresh state.

Judging by its large, sturdy appearance, this wasn't one of the animals originally from the forest around Gio's cabin. The local animals were all cute and small, matching his taste.

Treehorn Deer

A herbivore that camouflages itself by blooming flowers or leaves on its antlers according to the season. Usually avoids fights with other animals but enters an extreme frenzy when its camouflage is exposed, causing rampages. Its metallic antlers, teeth, and hooves can easily crush the bones of other animals. Emits scents of nuts, flowers, or fruits as part of its camouflage.

Refinement method: processed dried meat made by hanging and sun-drying provides strong satiety and heals minor scratches.

Habitat: The destroyed Avilas Rainforest_Animal Kingdom

Gio shuddered.

“I inevitably caused trouble.”

In this unpredictable life of ours, he always suspected that living thoughtlessly like this would eventually lead to doom—but he didn't expect the end to come so soon.

“The day of doom is near.”

“Coo?”

“An invasive species has entered.”

As his only means to protect himself was the ability to paint potatoes, it was clear that Gio wouldn't endure.

“Coooor, coooooooor.”

“Honey?”

“Coo coo coo Coooo, coo.”

Watching Honey, who seemed desperate to convey something, Gio who was examining the situation closely realized.

“

“Cooo!”

“There's a hole in its forehead.”

And on a nearby sweet potato vine, he noticed blood stains.

“Coooo?”

“Are you saying the sweet potato vine moved on its own, pierced the forehead of the invasive species from beyond the dimensional gate I created, and killed it instantly?”

“Coo.”

“I see.”

Gio pondered.

'Which should I be more afraid of?'

The violent invasive species entering from an unknown dimension

VS

The sweet potato that moves on its own and can pierce through even solid skulls in an instant

“Goodness, Gods of Heaven and Earth.”

Both were scary. As of today, Gio was frightened for the third time.

“Honey, can a fragile being like me survive in this wild?”

“Don't give me that look. Dad's serious. I think I'm too weak to survive in this grand nature.”

“Coong.”

“Where else would you replace someone as pitiful and helpless as your dad?”

After long communication, Gio was assured that all living things in the monster field would be friendly to him, just as all flora and fauna in the forest had been friendly to Gio, his cultivated crops were similar.

There wasn't any concrete evidence, but….

“Well, that's okay.”

Gio's ultimate positive mindset pulled him out of his ridiculous fears.

And more than anything, he was just about to prepare a meal.

“There's meat.”

“Cooor.”

“Meat….”

Come to think of it, the refinement method mentioned 'processed meat.'

“…Nice.”

And that’s how today's menu was decided.

For reference, Gio did know how to butcher.

***

Clack, clack….

Thud.

“…How strange.”

In a quiet alley of a slum.

A woman with dark blue hair resembling the calmly rippling deep sea muttered.

“The traces end here.”

She had been very worried since her beloved human collaborator’s energy had suddenly vanished, but what the hell was this?

“There are no signs of a fight.”

She had carefully selected someone appropriate and placed them under the sun.

He was a guy with decent infiltration skills and combat abilities, yet considering there were no signs of an escape, let alone combat, it was hard to accept.

Still, it didn't deny what had already happened.

“He got caught.”

By whom, she didn't know.

“That requires further investigation.”

Humming a tune, the woman spoke almost like singing.

“It seems even the temple is troubled, it hasn't been made public in the media, and even though it's an incident that occurred in the slum, no one knows the details. How absurd is this situation….”

She understood the temple's stance.

“So much cautiousness for those who have always liked hiding things tightly. Truly insidious.”

However, with an upcoming event, it could have indeed been troublesome for them.

“I was trying to ruin the Sun Festival, you see.”

“But the person who was supposed to ruin it is gone.”

The woman turned to the child.

“Iser, the only galaxy by my side.”

“Yes.”

“You'll have to handle this.”

“I won't disappoint you.”

“Don't push yourself too hard.”

The woman revealed her shark-like teeth as she laughed.

“This is all for fun, after all.”

Her dress which resembled the sea fluttered.

And soon, only the child with blue-green hair remained at the scene.

The child was showing a benevolent smile.