The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 95

They, as outsiders, would likely be too distracted to notice the existence of the door, so there was really no problem at all.

"More than anything, there’s no sense of incongruity."

"Perhaps it's because, unconsciously, I drew it recalling the neighborhood we once lived in."

"Are you referring to Edlen Village? It certainly does have a similar atmosphere."

It was indeed Sergio who had drawn the painting, but even with that in mind, 'The Breathing Sea' bore an uncanny resemblance to the atmosphere of the village where Giovanni had lived.

It was possible that Giovanni’s spirit had somehow possessed Gio's body while he was painting, though it wasn’t certain.

Since becoming a portrait, Gio’s life had completely departed from ordinary logic, and attempting to interpret it would be fruitless, as Gio was never particularly diligent in his human life.

To reiterate, Gio wasn’t thinking about any of this.

"I wouldn’t say it’s exactly the same. I just wanted to paint a picture, and by chance, a dimension matching that image existed."

Giovanni’s world had perished, and under Aria’s guidance, 'The Kingdom of the Deep Sea' became a dungeon.

Gio had simply drawn a place that coincidentally matched the scenery of 'The Breathing Sea,' a location that was large enough to be called a 'kingdom.'

"Anyway, 'The Kingdom of the Deep Sea' and 'The Breathing Sea' are not entirely separate spaces."

"Perhaps that’s why, even though it’s newly created, it doesn’t feel out of place."

Isser murmured, continuing the conversation.

"I felt reassured knowing that there was now a place where I could always visit you."

"I’m sorry for unintentionally messing with the interior, but I’m glad it doesn’t bother you too much."

"Interior?"

"It’s an English word; you might not know it."

"The words from Earth are generally translatable, so I understand."

The word seemed rather modest for the scale of what was being done.

"Anyway, 'The Breathing Sea' is being used in this way now."

The 'Breathing Sea,' where the Sun God had been trapped, had gained a new family, and just the fact that they could freely bring seafood made its existence meaningful. The rich fish there tasted amazing, no matter how they were prepared.

"Next are the remaining two paintings: 'The Animal Kingdom' and 'The City of the Void.'"

They were works that had been created some time ago.

"Among them, 'The Animal Kingdom' is occasionally linked to the forest where I live, and sometimes the creatures from there cross over."

"Creatures? Not monsters? There are indeed ordinary beasts that take monster forms, though..."

"They were definitely not monsters. They were like the shells you can find in 'The Kingdom of the Deep Sea.'"

"Then, it’s likely that after the existing world was created, the dungeon was layered on top of it."

"I expect that’s the case."

And in order to visit such places, another 'Gio' would need to be involved. The synchronization process would start again, but Isser hesitated to visit yet, as it would likely leave him mentally exhausted.

"In contrast to those two dungeons, 'The City of the Void' feels like a world I created from scratch, so it’s hard to ignore. I can’t just leave it abandoned after creating it. I’ve been thinking about {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} whether it’s acceptable for a parent to neglect their child."

It was completely different from 'The Breathing Sea,' which had already been explored, or 'The Animal Kingdom,' which had yet to be visited. It was too much of a strange, non-childlike creation for Isser to even know how to approach it.

"As you can see, it’s completely empty..."

"...That’s true."

Isser couldn’t help but agree.

"It’s very empty."

Despite the dense urban forest, it was eerily vacant to the point of leaving one numb.

‘Is this the nature of a dungeon?’

For someone like his sister, a powerful being, it would have felt a little empty, but for a human to enter, unless they were exceptionally strong, they wouldn’t be able to endure it.

‘...Dungeons strongly reflect the owner’s mindset, don’t they?’

This was where Isser made a significant misunderstanding.

‘This must mean that the teacher’s mindset is in this state.’

That wasn’t exactly the case.

While a dungeon generally reflects its owner’s mindset, the dungeons drawn by Gio were more like 'paintings' than shared fates. Gio may have become immersed in a feeling or fantasy while painting, but his actual mindset wasn’t reflected.

However, Isser had never heard of such a case, and having shared so many experiences with his sister, he couldn’t help but pay close attention to Gio’s condition.

"Is there not a single monster here?"

"I don’t sense any."

"Not even a small creature..."

"This painting depicts a city, not creatures."

"I see."

Since the dungeon’s owner must also be something with self-awareness, it was hard to believe that there would be no creatures inside. Even dungeons where undead creatures were the masters typically had monsters related to them.

‘...But this place is way too empty.’

Isser stared at the world filled only with monochrome shades.

The tall buildings were sharp and clear, all in gray. Even though the entire body of the buildings was made of transparent glass, everything was so colorless that even the glass appeared that way. The sky was covered by thick fog, with only faint light filtering through.

There were both angular buildings, devoid of life, and the curved structures typical of busy cities, but despite the variety of shapes, nothing could be felt.

"..."

It was a space that was vulnerable to humans, but that didn’t bother Isser.

However, he couldn’t help but worry about Gio, the owner of this world.

"...Do you like this space, teacher?"

"It’s like my child, so it’s hard not to like it."

"I see. Understood."

Gio having such a mindset was something that needed to be taken into consideration.

‘Even though he still sees himself as human, he’s managed to attain that level. I suppose that’s somewhat understandable.’

Even if gods themselves created a dungeon, it would still feel fuller than this, but Gio wasn’t even close to being a god, so there had to be exceptions.

‘Whether he consciously or unconsciously created this, according to my sister, he’s in a portrait state, so... it makes sense that such absurd emptiness could be born from him.’

It worried him.

"..."

"Isser?"

"...This might sound a little strange, but..."

Isser hesitated before asking.

"Are you happy right now?"

Perhaps predictably, the answer came immediately.

"Of course."

"Really?"

"Because I never make choices that wouldn’t lead to happiness."

"...I see."

Then, even on the day you died. That choice was also for your happiness.

‘It was something I had already suspected, but it’s still a heavy blow.’

Isser, who had lost his words, forced himself to speak.

"...So, why did you visit this dungeon?"

"Because I didn’t want to be a negligent parent who creates something and ignores it."

"No one else would treat a dungeon like you do."

"Aria said that a dungeon is a community of fate with its owner, so isn’t it a family?"

"You see family in that way... a community of fate."

Isser mumbled, then asked.

"Then, how about creating some monsters?"

"Oh, increase the family?"

"...It’s somewhat similar."

Dungeons were typically created to kill humans.

Fueled by the intense emotions of hatred for a certain race, that’s what typically gave birth to dungeons. But Gio was different from the norm, so there wasn’t any hostility or murderous intent felt in this dungeon.

"What kind of world you create here is up to you, but if you want to take care of something, increasing the population would be a good start. After all, when a god creates a world, the first thing they take care of is the people..."

Isser’s words caused Gio to tilt his head.

"I’m a bit of a problem to be called a god, don’t you think?"

"...You may not be a traditional god, but, well, if I were to compare it..."

It seemed that Gio was underestimating himself.

‘Really, nothing has changed.’

But Isser had no intention of correcting that misunderstanding.

The more indifferent Gio was to his unusual traits, the further his limits would recede, and eventually, he would spend even more time with his mermaids.

‘Although that would only extend his belief that he’s human...’

That didn’t matter much.

‘It’s not wrong, though.’

According to his sister, his teacher was a blank canvas. What it could become, no one knew.

"Have you thought about how to use this space?"

"I still need to think a bit more..."

"Yes."

"It would be nice to increase the family, definitely."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Creating family members was nothing special for Gio.

"But this time, the family members will live separately from us."

"Cluck?"

"I want them to be children who won’t feel lonely even when they’re alone."

The waterfowl Gio had drawn before were creatures that lived in groups.

When looking at the bustling waterfowl lake, it was clear that ‘this is collective living,’ and Honey didn’t like being apart from his family.

"So this time, I’d prefer one with strong independence."

But he didn’t want to just draw anything.

"As an artist, I have my pride..."

"Cluck?"

"Though I wouldn’t call myself a great artist, 'The City of the Void' is one of my creations."

"Cluck."

"I’d like to have residents that match it."

But as for the type of resident who would match 'The City of the Void.'

"..."

After sitting quietly and thinking, Gio finally spoke.

"...Invisible person?"

An invisible office worker.

"That fits."

"Cluck?"

"Doesn't it?"

For Gio, a true country person, a city was like that.

The air was polluted, people were swarming. They all looked alike, and they would rush around in subways and streets. Their inorganic faces showed no emotion.

"When I first came to the city, it was even somewhat terrifying."

It was a living, breathing horror movie. For someone like Gio, who had a delicate sensitivity despite appearances, it was just too bleak.

Now, he could think of it as 'Ah, the cogs of society, tired and heading home,' but during his younger years, he couldn't. He even felt actual fear.

"But even then, I can’t draw people..."

"Cluck?"

"What do you think of your father, son? Your father can’t make people."

Even so, Gio had no particular wish to be that special. Even if he could, he certainly wouldn’t do it. Since he couldn’t, there was no need to dwell on it.

"In that sense, an invisible person."

More precisely, a well-dressed invisible person.

"If it’s just clothes wandering around..."

"Cluck."

"Yes, that certainly can’t be called human."

It was closer to a mannequin.

"..."

Just like the people he had first seen in the city.