Chapter 95
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95
Gio had created three such paintings in the past.
“One of them was the 'Breathing Sea',” Gio said.
Iser nodded in understanding.
“Ah, the space connected to the 'Deep Sea Kingdom'.”
“It also serves as a door, framed like a painting.”
“Though calling it a door feels like an understatement, considering how actively it moves…”
A landscape painting titled the 'Breathing Sea' currently hung within the 'Deep Sea Temple'.
An ordinary visitor might not notice the shifting landscape right away. But Iser, who was technically the master of this dungeon—despite this being only his second visit—could clearly sense its presence.
“In any case, that was another one of the dungeons you painted, Teacher.”
“Yes. Is it causing any problems? I didn’t expect them to connect like that.”
“It doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
Visitors kept throwing themselves at the 'Deep Sea Kingdom' like moths to a flame, but they were so insignificant that they posed no real threat.
Those outsiders were too frantic to even notice the door’s existence, so it really wasn’t an issue.
“Above all, it doesn’t feel out of place.”
“Perhaps it’s because I was unconsciously thinking of the village where we used to live.”
“Are you referring to Edlen Village? It certainly does have a similar atmosphere.”
Even though it was ‘Seo Gio’ who had painted it, the 'Breathing Sea' bore too close a resemblance to the atmosphere of Edlen Village, where ‘Giovanni’ had lived.
Perhaps Giovanni’s soul had possessed Gio’s body while he was painting, as if in a trance. Of course, there was no way to be certain.
Ever since he became a portrait, Gio’s life had completely deviated from common sense, and he wasn’t diligent enough to analyze every single detail.
To put it simply, Gio didn’t think too deeply about it.
“I wouldn’t say they’re completely identical. I simply wanted to paint, and a dimension that fit the painting just happened to exist.”
The world Giovanni once lived in had been destroyed and, under Aria’s guidance, had become the dungeon known as the 'Deep Sea Kingdom'.
Gio had simply happened to paint a scene that perfectly matched the 'Breathing Sea'—a location within a dungeon so vast it had earned the title of a ‘Kingdom’.
“In any case, the 'Deep Sea Kingdom' and the 'Breathing Sea' are practically the same space.”
“Perhaps that’s why, even though it’s a new addition, it doesn’t feel out of place,” Iser murmured, continuing his thought. “It’s also reassuring to have a space where I can visit you at any time, Teacher.”
“I felt a little bad for messing with your interior design, but I’m glad it doesn’t bother you.”
“Interior design.”
“Ah, is it because it’s an Earth word? You don’t know it?”
“Earth words are automatically translated for me, so I understood.”
Iser simply thought it was a remarkably modest word to use, considering the sheer scale of what Gio had pulled off.
“Anyway, that’s how the 'Breathing Sea' is currently being used.”
The 'Breathing Sea,' where the Sun God had once been imprisoned, had more than proven its worth. It allowed them to welcome new family members and bring in as much seafood as they wanted. The fatty fish from that place tasted divine no matter how it was cooked.
“The other two paintings were the 'Animal Kingdom' and the 'Void City'.”
It had been quite a while since he painted them.
“Among them, the 'Animal Kingdom' sometimes connects to the forest where I live, and creatures from there occasionally cross over.”
“Creatures? You mean they weren’t monsters? Some monsters take the form of ordinary beasts…”
“They definitely weren’t monsters. Just like the clams you can find in the 'Deep Sea Kingdom'.”
“Then it’s highly likely that a pre-existing world was already there, and a dungeon was overlaid on top of it.”
“That’s what I suspect, too.”
To visit such a place, he would need the help of the other ‘Gio’. But that would trigger another synchronization, and feeling it would make him lose his mind again, he was refraining from visiting for now.
“Unlike those two, 'Void City' feels like a world I created entirely from scratch, so I can’t help but worry about it. It’s been weighing on my mind—I feel like abandoning it after creating it would make me a bad parent.”
It was a completely new type of child—or non-child, rather—and he had no idea how to treat it.
“As you can see, it’s completely empty…”
“…Indeed, it is.”
Iser had no choice but to agree.
“It is very empty.”
The dense urban jungle was starkly visible, yet it was so empty it could make one’s mind go blank.
Is it a characteristic of the dungeon?
For high-status beings like him or his sister, it might only cause a slight feeling of emptiness. For a human, however, it would be unendurable unless they were exceptionally strong.
…A dungeon heavily reflects its master’s mental state.
And at that, Iser jumped to a massive misunderstanding.
This must be the state of Teacher’s mind.
But that wasn’t actually the case.
While a dungeon usually reflected its master’s mental state, the dungeons Gio painted were more like simple ‘paintings’ than extensions of a shared destiny. He might have been immersed in certain emotions while painting, but his actual mental state wasn’t reflected in the final work.
Except for Gio, such a case was unheard of. The vast experience Iser had accumulated by following his sister now backfired, forcing him to observe Gio with deep concern.
“Are there no monsters here at all?”
“As far as I can tell, there are none.”
“I can’t even sense the smallest of living creatures…”
“That’s because this painting depicts a city, not living things.”
“I see.”
As long as a dungeon’s master was a sentient being, it was difficult to create one with absolutely no life inside. Even dungeons ruled by the undead crawled with related monsters.
…But this is far too empty.
Iser gazed at the world filled only with monochromatic colors.
The towering buildings were a stark, uniform gray. Even structures made entirely of transparent glass appeared monochromatic, as the entire world was devoid of color. The sky, shrouded in thick fog, allowed only a faint, dim light to filter through.
There were dull, rectangular buildings alongside others with the sweeping curves characteristic of a bustling metropolis, yet despite the diverse shapes, one could feel nothing from them.
“…”
He didn’t care if the space was hazardous to humans. He was, however, worried about Giovanni, the master of this world.
“…Do you like this space, Teacher?”
“It’s my child. How could I not like it?”
“I see. I understand.”
The fact that Gio possessed such a mental state was deeply concerning.
Is this only natural for someone who still regards himself as human despite possessing such a high status?
Even a dungeon created by a god would feel more filled than this. But Gio wasn’t a god, not in that state. An exception was bound to occur.
Whether he created it consciously or not, my sister said he is a portrait that can become anything… That’s probably why an absurd void like this could be born.
It was worrying.
“…”
“Iser?”
“…This might sound a bit strange to bring up out of nowhere, but…”
Iser hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Are you happy right now?”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer came immediately.
“Of course.”
“Really?”
“Because I don’t make choices that would make me unhappy.”
“…I see.”
Then back then… on the day you died… that choice must have been for your own happiness, too.
I already suspected as much, but hearing it still hits hard.
Iser, at a loss for words, forced himself to speak.
“…So, why did you visit this dungeon?”
“Because I didn’t want to be a bad parent who creates something only to ignore it.”
“You’re probably the only one who treats a dungeon that way, Teacher.”
“Aria told me that a dungeon shares a common destiny with its master. Doesn’t that make them family?”
“So that’s what family means to you, Teacher… a shared destiny.”
Pursing his lips, Iser asked, “Then how about creating some monsters?”
“Ah, so I should expand the family first?”
“…It amounts to the same thing.”
Dungeons were normally created to kill humans, born from an immense hatred for a single race. But because Gio was far from normal, this dungeon lacked the fundamental hostility and murderous intent it should have possessed.
“How you choose to cultivate this dungeon is up to you, Teacher. But if you want to care for it, increasing the number of residents is for the best. After all, the thing a god cares about most after creating a world is its inhabitants…”
At Iser’s words, Gio tilted his head.
“Aren’t there a few too many issues with me to be called a god?”
“Well… you may not be a traditional god, but, um, it was just a metaphor.”
It seemed Gio was severely underestimating himself.
He really hasn’t changed at all from the past.
However, Iser had no intention of correcting Gio’s misunderstanding. The more indifferent Gio remained to his own extraordinary nature, the further his limits would recede, allowing him to spend more time with them—the mermaids.
Though it means the period he considers himself human will be prolonged…
That didn’t matter much either.
And it’s not entirely wrong, either.
According to his sister, his teacher was a blank black canvas. No one knew what he could become.
“Have you thought about what you’ll do with this place?”
“I still need to think about it a bit more, but…”
“Yes.”
“It would certainly be nice to have more family members.”
* * *
Painting family members was nothing special to Gio.
“But the family member I’m going to paint this time will be living apart from us.”
“Kkurureuk?”
“I want them to be someone who doesn’t feel lonely even when alone.”
The water birds Gio had painted before were social creatures. The lake where they lived was now even more crowded—perhaps they had bred among themselves—prompting the thought, Wow, so this is what group living is like. Honey, too, hated being separated from his family.
“So, I want a highly independent friend this time.”
Still, he didn’t want to just paint anything.
“I have my pride as an artist, you know…”
“Kkoong?”
“Calling myself a painter might be a bit grand, but anyway, the 'Void City' is still one of my works.”
“Kkureu.”
“I want it to have a resident that suits it.”
But what kind of resident would suit the 'Void City'?
“…”
Sitting quietly in his studio chair, Gio soon spoke.
“…An invisible man?”
An invisible office worker.
“That fits.”
“Kkureuk?”
“Don’t you think so?”
To Gio, who was a country boy at heart, the city was exactly that kind of place.
The air was dusty, and people swarmed everywhere. They all looked the same as they crowded onto subways and streets, their faces inorganic and emotionless.
“When I first moved to Seoul, it was almost creepy.”
It was practically a living, breathing horror movie. For Gio, who possessed a delicate, sensitive nature despite his appearance, it was far too desolate.
Now, he could look at them and think, Ah, the exhausted cogs of society are heading home again today. But he couldn’t do that when he was younger. Back then, he had felt outright terror.
“But even so, it’s not like I can paint actual humans…”
“Kkoong-kkoong?”
“What do you take your dad for, son? Your dad can’t create humans.”
He had no desire to be that special. Even if he could create humans, he never would have. And since he knew he couldn’t, there was no reason to even worry about it.
“In that sense, an invisible man.”
To be precise, a man in a suit.
“If it’s just a suit floating around…”
“Kkureu.”
“Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t be considered human.”
It was closer to a doll.
“…”
Just like the city people had looked to him when he first saw them.
“…Let’s see…”
Gio placed his brush on the 'Void City' canvas resting before him.
“But it would be too lonely if there was only one.”
“Kkurureureu.”
“It would be nice to have a lot of them, but it would be too hard to paint them all myself, right?”
“Kkoong?”
“It would be fun if they just spawned on their own.”
It would be incredibly fun.
The scale was far too massive for something done purely for amusement, but the size of the project was the last thing on Gio’s mind when faced with new content.