The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 121

"......"

"......"

In the space where only the two of them remained, the first to speak was Yoo Seong-Woon.

"Gio."

"Yes, Yoo Seong-Woon-ssi."

"You no longer have a shadow."

"......"

At Seong-Woon's comment, Gio's head slowly dropped.

"Ah, this is bad."

It was a very contrived reaction.

'Did he think that such a reaction was appropriate for the current situation?'

Before Seong-Woon could finish his thought, a shadow began to appear beneath Gio's feet.

Seong-Woon couldn’t help but admire it.

‘It’s like he’s alive.’

He thought that "appeared" was the perfect word for it.

It wasn’t just a shadow cast by an object blocking the light—it had a vivid, dynamic form that couldn't be simply called a shadow.

The shadow spread across his retina. freewebnøvel.coɱ

‘...A school of fish?’

Small fish swimming in groups, the wind causing waves to sway, and he thought he saw a long-horned deer or a beast with thick claws walking across the ground. Or perhaps it was the large wings of a gliding bird.

In an instant, the diverse shapes that passed by became a dense, giant forest, only to neatly settle into the shape of a human.

"......"

The long shadow, which had stretched out, now seemed to settle into a ‘realistic’ position, dark and small beneath Gio’s feet.

It was the process of something becoming a complete shape, as if being painted. Considering that Gio had traits of an artist, it was an intriguing transformation.

‘So, can Gio outside the frame still be considered a painting?’

Soon, Gio spoke.

"I should have paid more attention, but I showed you an unsightly sight."

"Sometimes things like that happen."

"I thought there would be no problem, but to think such a flaw existed..."

Gio drew out his words.

"I'm embarrassed."

"Why be embarrassed about something like that?"

He had definitely said, "I thought there would be no problem," which was essentially no different from admitting the possibility of something going wrong.

‘In other words, Gio is aware that he's imitating a human.’

Having organized his thoughts to that point, Seong-Woon muttered inwardly.

‘Surprisingly, he seems to be capable of objectivity. I thought Gio would consider himself human, but now I have to wonder how I should approach this situation.’

Were his previous statements about considering himself human also part of the imitation? If so, it was closer to Gio being able to mimic humanity at a level unimaginable to humans.

‘This is something that even gods who indulge in play sometimes show. From our human perspective, what feels like the truth can often be false. Gio thinking of himself as human might just be one of those imitations...’

When humans truly believe something, it becomes faith, but for beings of a different caliber, even that could be an act. Despite intending to keep multiple possibilities open, Seong-Woon couldn't help but feel like he’d been caught off guard.

Was this surprising, or what? Seong-Woon suppressed a reluctant laugh.

‘We shouldn’t measure the existence of the origin by human standards.’

And if Seong-Woon was dealing with the origin itself, it would only be more evident.

"......"

After quietly calming his breath, Seong-Woon asked in a steady voice.

"It seems like there are a few clumsy parts now, compared to before?"

"What parts are you referring to? It would be of great help if you could let me know."

"Well, if I have to say..."

Is he curious about what humans can perceive?

The difference in perception between the origin's existence and a human's point of view was vast. Perhaps the flaws Gio had shown just now were due to that difference, or maybe it was also part of his act.

‘It might be similar to how humans send in robots to study the behavior of monsters.’

Monsters or beasts that are wary of humans sometimes send in robots mimicking their own kind to observe them. Humans know they are robots, but to the monsters, it may feel like an odd member of their species.

‘The situation between Gio and humans probably isn’t much different.’

Seong-Woon nodded.

"It’s not that hard."

As a curator and a gardener, he could easily explain the difference in perception.

"As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised that you didn't have a shadow."

"Of course, it should have been there, but I forgot for a moment."

"After all, the light is coming down from above our heads."

Bisa Beul's gallery was exceptionally clean, with bright lighting.

It wasn’t just to help visitors appreciate the artwork; it also allowed curators to quickly notice strange phenomena like the one earlier.

"I had a shadow at my feet, as did the new curator."

It was only Gio who didn’t have one.

"Next, the strange part would be the weight."

"The weight?"

"When you move, I don’t hear any sound."

"Isn't that the case?"

"If I had to point it out, it’s the sound of dry grass rustling."

In fact, this had been a chronic issue with Gio’s attempt to mimic a human.

"I remember you were quite light when we toured Seoul before."

"I thought I had become heavier."

"Even so, no normal person would just fly away because of a little strong wind."

"I don’t remember flying away."

"Right, your body just floated."

"Wasn’t the wind unusually strong?"

"Earthly winds don’t blow people away based on their choice."

Seong-Woon, standing right next to Gio, was fine, but Gio nearly flew away.

"Similar to that, even now, the sound is very light."

"It is light."

"When I walk, there’s no sound."

"It’s certainly a part I didn’t pay attention to."

Thud...

Gio, barefoot, tapped the floor and tilted his head.

"This is hard to fix."

"It’s hard to fix all at once, so don’t rush."

The less detailed Gio became, the quicker humans would notice the situation.

"And one more thing..."

"Is there more?"

"I’m not sure if this will be interpreted correctly, but..."

Seong-Woon pointed to a painting hanging on the wall of the corridor where they were standing.

It was large enough to embrace a standing person, and like most of the displayed works, it seemed to mirror the viewers.

"You look a little strange."

On the pristine glass, something that could be called nature reflected.

"The gallery's lighting is so bright that we can even see ourselves reflected on the glass."

"Why does that look strange?"

"Do you think you appear as a human figure in your reflection?"

"Yes, I do. I understand that you're saying I don’t appear that way to you."

"Now that you point it out, it’s embarrassing, but it’s true."

The "portrait of Gio" reflected in the glass was not a human form.

"I see a forest."

In reality, it couldn’t just be called a forest.

Rich trees, grass, and flowers that symbolize a forest. Life forms like wolves and rabbits playing in it. And those who are eaten and survive within that ecosystem. It wasn’t just an artistic representation of nature, but a giant figure with will and destiny...

It was very similar to what he had seen in Gio's "shadow."

‘I can't just call this a forest.’

It was clearly gazing at Seong-Woon and the world. It was the "eye" of something very vast.

‘I can feel the gaze.’

Despite standing right next to him, Gio wasn’t looking at Seong-Woon through the frame’s glass.

‘Does Gio not realize this?’

Or is he pretending not to know, in order to keep up the "imitation"?

From the human perspective, distinguishing truth from falsehood was impossible. So, in reality, it didn’t matter which it was. There was no meaning in distinguishing it.

Seong-Woon, as if he hadn’t seen the giant form, said calmly.

"I guess I can feel that there’s a difference in scale."

"I don’t quite understand what you mean, Yoo Seong-Woon-ssi."

The blonde portrait smiled gently.

"In my view, I appear quite human in the glass reflection."

"...Really?"

"Do I still appear that way to you, Yoo Seong-Woon-ssi?"

"......"

When Seong-Woon checked the glass again, he could see the figure of "Giovanni."

There was no "forest" anywhere.

"...Oh."

So, this is how it is.

"Yeah, I can see that it {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} looks like a human to me, for sure."

"Could it be that the painting stored beyond the glass confused you about my figure?"

"It could have been. The works here are all very assertive."

Seong-Woon didn’t bother trying to convince Gio that he wasn’t human.

‘If Gio already knows and is acting this way, it’s probably best not to dig into it further.’

He had no intention of making the artworks he managed feel resentful.

‘If Gio wants to appear human, it’s better to leave it as is.’

The origin didn’t wish otherwise.

Gio himself was trying to act human, and he knew that, so there was no reason not to accommodate him. Gio could be human, but he just wasn’t one.

"Hmm..."

Running his chilled neck, Seong-Woon asked.

"I asked this earlier, but when we toured Seoul before, wasn’t it less strange than this? Have some flaws appeared since then? Was there a change in your mindset?"

"I’m not sure if it’s correct to express it this way, but there has definitely been something like a change in mindset. It was me becoming perfect as Giovanni, and these flaws seem to have come from that."

Gio smiled and continued.

"I don’t think I can offer any more help as Giovanni."

What a unique way of speaking.

‘Speaking like this makes it seem like Gio has no intention of imitating a human.’

Maybe he hadn’t thought that his way of speaking was strange, or perhaps he was just showing his true feelings because Seong-Woon was someone he felt comfortable with. Either way, it wasn’t a bad situation.

Seong-Woon asked again.

"What do you mean by you can’t offer help as Giovanni anymore?"

"It’s as I said. Giovanni was not a portrait, so I could offer help before, but now I can’t anymore."

"Because the Giovanni before me has become a complete portrait?"

Is this the "perfecting Giovanni" part?

"I see. So when Gio wasn’t a complete portrait, he was able to provide that help."

He was giving what should be naturally given to a human, to something that could not be considered human—a "portrait."

‘...I had once speculated that this portrait’s identity was tied to countless deaths and lives.’

The portrait constantly revisiting Gio’s life and death across countless dimensions. Now, with the knowledge that he was the origin, Seong-Woon was sure.

This "Gio" was the "eye" through which the origin experienced, understood, and ultimately applied humanity.

‘Then it becomes possible to explain how the massive origin assigns systems to match human standards.’

So, the many "Gios" Seong-Woon still didn’t know...

"......"

When the origin, a massive being, behaves as a human in one dimension, it helps them adapt and function smoothly among other humans. Hearing about the use of this "Giovanni" personality, that seemed to be the case.

‘...Though, over time, it seems that it eventually becomes tainted by the portrait's status.’

Just like a bowl turning darker when a piece of paper is placed inside, the "Giovanni" that could once be called human eventually gets swept into the origin’s status. Losing its point of reference, Gio would no longer be able to affirm the conditions of being human.

This was the way the vast origin mimicked tiny humans.

"...So then..."

Seong-Woon asked.

"What will you do now? Will you discard your current status as an A-class Hunter?"

"No, I still find great appeal in living as a proper resident of this world."

"But with so many glaring flaws like this, it won’t be easy to live comfortably."

"Then I guess I’ll have to rely on another 'Gio' for help."

The portrait was still smiling.

"If there are results, I’ll send a letter."

"Sounds good."

Seong-Woon suddenly noticed another flaw.

‘...The expression is the same.’

Just like an unchangeable portrait, Gio was always smiling with the same expression.

‘It feels like he’s been mummified while still alive.’

Such a romantic situation.

"Groan."

"......"

"Groooan?"

"...I thought there were no problems."

"Groooan."

"There were more flaws than I thought."

Back in the hut, Gio was squishing a soft honey.

The plump bird had become plump, mixing easily in Gio’s large hand. Feeling the soft, bouncy texture of the bird, Gio openly confessed his mistake.

"If Seong-Woon-ssi hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have known until the very end."

He thought it was fortunate that the new curator hadn’t noticed his flaws.

The new curator had probably noticed Gio’s "flaws," but he had kept quiet about it, and Gio thought their previous conversations had been successful.

"I was too complacent, thinking that even as a fully integrated Gio, I could still function without problems."

"Groo?"

"No, this father won’t give up. No matter how scary it gets, my hometown is Earth, after all."

"Grooo."

"Sometimes I’ll sleep in the portrait, but I should still feel some of the stimuli from my hometown."

Proper stimulation to the brain helps prevent dementia.

"I’ll live a long and healthy life."

"Grook."

"Then I’ll have to find another Gio..."

Just in time, a suitable friend appeared.

The list of suitable candidates

Kingdom of Animals_Arzio

Fairy tale compatibility 0%

"...Looks like it’s time to bring out 'Kingdom of Animals' from storage."

It was time to merge with the second suitable candidate, 'Arzio.'