Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Descent of the Avatar (4)
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "The part I felt that most intensely was the girls' appearances when they're fighting that thing called Corrosion here. With such dynamism that it feels like they're about to leap into motion any second, they're trying to break free from those square panels, aren't they?"
"Y-Yeah...?"
"In other words, these square panels represent time itself. That's why, when capturing a fleeting moment, they feel so unstable that they strain to escape the frame."
It's not that at all—it's just that breaking out of the panel creates a stronger optical illusion of motion, that's all.
But it feels like some massive misunderstanding is unfolding here.
Why on earth are you reading such profound meaning into comic panels?
"And to make viewing these time-infused, extended works more convenient, they came up with books."
"Uh..."
So, if they tailored their drawing methods to fit those books, the intricate connections in that system must stem from sheer genius.
Not building them separately, but unveiling the whole seamless structure in a single work—that alone shows its perfection.
From that, you could see how the artist Siu stakes his life on these details, and the praise just kept pouring out.
This is seriously making my head spin.
"At first, I couldn't figure out why they put text on the images, but the more I looked, the more those words intuitively enhanced the visuals."
"Ah, right...?"
"Exactly. Isn't this an attempt to infuse sound and sensation into the pictures?"
Why does it turn into that?
Anyway, he went on raving that the work's techniques were an effort to capture everything beyond basic visuals.
Listening to him, it started sounding plausible, and I felt like I might actually get convinced.
I'm getting scared of myself.
"Look here—the letters in this 'KABOOM' effect have transcended ordinary text, becoming part of the image itself, haven't they?"
"Uh..."
Definitely, the way sound effects are rendered changes the feel completely.
Later on, people would buy fonts for them, but to match the artwork, hand-drawing effect text is usually best.
"But the dialogue seems to use typewriter output, probably to differentiate it intentionally. The emotional gaps in the speech are conveyed through the shape of the white speech bubbles instead."
I hadn't agonized over that or hunted down a typewriter with any deep intent.
I just did it that way from the start, so it felt right here too.
I remember borrowing a typewriter, typing the text, and pasting it in with a copier.
"Ahem, sorry about that. I got so moved that I pushed you too hard."
"Haha... No problem. I'm just sorry I couldn't be a proper match for you, since I'm not your actual student."
"Your master has no intention of ever meeting anyone?"
"Yes, they seem determined to keep their identity hidden."
Sharon the Elder looked genuinely regretful, his face full of disappointment.
But since it was the anonymous artist's own rule, he didn't pry further or make any requests.
No matter how I thought about it, a world managed by someone like this was truly blessed.
"That's the overall impression of the work. It's like a guidepost showing new paths for how we might approach painting."
"I see."
At least I could relax knowing my core message had gotten through loud and clear.
Ultimately, I wanted comics to take root as a legitimate cultural genre in this world.
And while I was at it, since the reference point was a lewd comic, I hoped it'd normalize that stuff too.
"Right, that's just about the work itself. There's more on the artist."
"The artist...?"
"Doesn't it start with a familiar piece when you first view it?"
"Ah, yeah."
For Descent of the Avatar, we used Su Baek Hwa as the cover, so it opens with that.
He said that part shocked him the most, and from there, the artist's plans laid bare themselves, leaving him in awe.
Oh, so there was some grand scheme here after all.
News to me.
"This artist conceived these two as one from the very start. But showing them that way upfront would've confused people or caused headaches even for the exhibition."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"So, they first built up their reputation with other works, ensuring that reputation seamlessly led to this ultimate goal: Descent of the Avatar."
It was just that Su Baek Hwa happened to be the first one that turned out fine by chance while drawing various pieces.
Then, when I thought of trying comics, reusing the previous work Su Baek Hwa seemed like a no-brainer.
All coincidences turning into this terrifying master plan?
"I-Isn't that reading too much into it?"
"But how else can you see it? This work came out in just a month—way too fast. It must've been prepped in advance."
"Uh, actually, my master drew this in one month?"
"In one month? With skill like this, their main job as a mage must be top-tier too, yet they carved out that much time...?"
Oh no, I answered without thinking about that part.
Come to think of it, in this world, painting is just a mages' hobby, right?
I keep getting confused because all I see are these maniacs who treat it like life itself.
"As you know, they hand-drew every tiny pattern in these images. How much time do you think that took? Only possible by skimping on sleep for a whole month, I'd say."
I actually worked that way to produce it, so rebutting was tough.
But now that I think about it, everyone believes the master Siu is a grand archmage.
Spending a full month on a 'hobby' like painting would be hard to fathom.
Even Sharon the Elder, who seems to have dropped work to rush here, is normally swamped, as you can infer.
He barely sees his granddaughter Rozaria, and that's why he barely knew me last time.
This is my mistake.
"Ah, I think my master used something called 'screentones' for that."
"Screentones? First I've heard of it. A tool?"
"Seems like something my master invented."
I'd anticipated this topic coming up with the material.
Or if not, I'd bring it up myself.
Honestly, it doubled the luggage coming to the capital, and it'd be a shame to lug it back unused...
Perfect timing to reveal it now.
"My master doesn't draw those patterns every time. They draw a pattern once and reuse it indefinitely."
"Reuse? A painting?"
"Using separate images as tools."
With that, I pulled out the pattern sheets made for screentone use.
These were copies, not originals, but that doesn't change the screentone content.
Anyway, my last goal for today was commercializing this screentone technique.
"This is...?"
"Look closely—you'll see familiar patterns."
"Heh..."
"No need to redraw the same ones; just use these directly."
"But this is a different image—how does it go there...?"
I demonstrated using the copier myself, and he nodded in admiration.
"Indeed, working this way would be much faster than drawing every pattern from scratch."
"My master seemed to treat it like a custom brush or painting tool."
"Paintings as tools for more paintings... It's such an unimaginable concept, it's hard to wrap my head around."
Even for him, so open to new challenges, this seemed disorienting.
A hint of contemplation crossed his face.
Seeing him like that felt oddly fresh.
"So, my master plans to release all their screentones for free."
"What?"
"They said it'd be great as a reference for everyone."
"Make them free to use? Their own paintings?"
"Yes. Anyone can buy screentones cheaply and use the patterns on them. And if my master's varieties fall short, it might be good to let anyone create and sell their own at a fair price they set."
"Ha ha, this is truly baffling."
He let out a genuinely stunned, hollow laugh.
The mindset of letting others use what could be called his art—rebranded as tools—was beyond comprehension.
Yeah, no wonder it doesn't go down easy...
"I thought I was pretty wild in this field, but your master is on another level. I can't just let it slide—let's proceed."
"Really?"
"Of course. When an artist is this sincere about revolutionizing painting, blocking it would make me the villain."
"...Huh?"
Sincere about revolution? What crazy talk is that?
I just wanted to foster a sharing culture so everyone could freeload off others' screentones!
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