The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

“Gio.”

4:29 AM.

Yoo Sung-woon called the portrait.

“Gio, are you awake?”

“I’m awake.”

“That's great.”

Although he called knowing he usually woke up around this time.

'Even if there are days when he skips, the time we can communicate is usually between 4 and 5 AM …. I’ll have to watch the situation more, but it's better to think of this too as a rule.'

This 'Gio's Portrait' is friendly to humans, but no being of origin shows mercy to a human who breaks their rules. Even if it looks gentlemanly enough to seem almost human, one has to be careful.

“Do you have any business with me?”

“I heard you’ve been wandering around the company building lately. There are a lot of rumours.”

“I’m curious about what kind of rumours it is.”

“I'm not sure if you'll like it… but they call you 'Black Cloak.'”

Yoo Sung-woon continued with his characteristic easygoing smile.

“I heard there's a rumour that 'the Black Cloak gives gifts to good people.'”

They were guild members personally recruited one by one by the sharp-eyed Bi Sa-beol. Regardless of their combat abilities, their thinking skills weren't bad.

They have figured out 'Black Cloak's' rules in their own way.

“It seems you gave gifts to other people again this time?”

“I did not give them to everyone.”

“I know, you gave them to those who were particularly polite or kind, right?”

There was a commonality among those who received gifts from Gio.

'Either too weak, or too strong.'

He could guess it to some extent.

The very weak people trembled in fear at the sight of him, so Gio probably gave them gifts as an apology, and the strong ones communicated relatively well in front of Gio's presence, so Gio would’ve probably judged them as 'polite.'

Gifts of apology or gratitude. It was a result that fit the 1:1 rule.

'On the contrary, those who were neither received no gifts.'

Those who were moderately strong enough not to shed tears with runny noses but not tough enough to communicate properly in front of a great presence did not receive gifts.

“Hmm…”

To prevent possible accidents in advance, he thought an explanation was necessary for this part.

'Since Gio is imitating a human, he's not so rough that communication is impossible.'

Well, how could one define a being of origin as gentlemanly?

'This much should be okay.'

Yoo Sung-woon opened his mouth after mentally preparing himself.

“If someone among our employees doesn't answer you properly, runs away, or avoids answering… it doesn't mean they're bad people. They're just a bit scared.”

“Wouldn't anyone be afraid if a big, unidentified person wearing a black cloak suddenly appeared in the corridor at dawn when no one was supposed to be there?”

Yoo Sung-woon deliberately described Gio as if he were an ordinary person.

Since Gio thought of himself as an ordinary human, there seemed to be no good in revealing his soul's level or his true nature.

“Of course, it may feel rude to you. But I’m saying that those people didn't intend to be rude to you on purpose; they might have just found it a bit overwhelming because they were timid.”

Soon, a calm voice was heard.

“I understand what you mean.”

“Really? Then thank you.”

As a curator and gardener, Yoo Sung-woon couldn't help but worry.

'It's natural for a rabbit to shrink in front of a wolf, but if that's judged as rude and evil, things can get pretty difficult. If not careful, innocent people might end up dying.'

To a being of origin, human standards are meaningless. In particular, since 'Gio's Portrait' is sensitive to good and evil and manners, the problem was that Gio's standards might differ significantly from those of humans.

Someone not particularly wrong or even good from a human perspective could be a severe evil from the perspective of a being of origin like Gio.

It was terrifying considering how Gio had expressed his dislike for rude and evil people multiple times.

'When I found out that there were people who didn't receive gifts, it really sent shivers down my spine.'

Doesn’t that mean Gio was 'distinguishing' humans?

“You, right. You said that Bi Sa-beol, the guild leader, wasn't a bad person, right?”

“Yes, that's correct.”

“All employees in this company were handpicked by that person. Not just through job postings and select them through large-scale interviews, but they were carefully scouted one by one.”

“That must have taken a lot of time and effort, it’s amazing.”

“I wanted to say that even though our guild employees aren't necessarily kind, they're competent and good people.”

In a world like this, it's hard to find someone who hasn't committed any crime, but at least those handpicked by Bi Sa-beol were not evil enough to be called villains.

“Even if they don't have particularly good personalities, they're just ordinary people.”

“Yes.”

“…Would it be too presumptuous to hope that you don't view them negatively?”

No one knows exactly how Gio distinguishes good and evil in humans.

'But just as humans have appraisal skills… Gio certainly has his own criteria for judgment. Otherwise, he wouldn't have outright decided that guild leader Bi Sa-beol, whom he hasn't even talked to, isn't a bad person.'

Contrary to Yoo Sung-woon's thoughts, Gio had no way of determining the 'safety' of the other person beyond the frame yet, unless he was in the portrait.

The reason some received gifts this time and some didn't was simply because Gio gave gifts as a concept of reward whenever he thought 'Oh, thank you' or 'Oh, I'm sorry.' There was no particular value judgment involved.

However, unaware of such circumstances, Yoo Sung-woon couldn't help but suspect Gio's appraisal skills.

'I hope the criteria for his skills aren't too harsh.'

Bi Sa-beol said that this ghost story commotion was a kind of vaccination.

It is to give the human beings of this world a chance to understand and care for him so that the natural disaster known as 'Gio’s Portrait' that can neither be dealt with nor controlled, can adapt to this world and respect its members.

Therefore, Yoo Sung-woon had no choice but to try various methods.

“What do you think?”

Fortunately, or perhaps naturally, Gio replied with a blunt face as always.

“I didn't think of them as bad people.”

“Did you?”

“The only reason I didn't give them gifts was because I judged they wouldn't need them, and some people ran away before I could do anything. I didn't think they were evil.”

“I simply thought there was no need to give them gifts.”

That was a really fortunate story.

'At least he didn't judge those people as rude and evil. There was a reason why there were no casualties despite the increasing eyewitness accounts.'

Just as he was about to feel relieved, Gio continued.

“I do have a bit of resentment towards those who ignored or ran away without answering my questions.”

“Ah.”

“But I understand. As you said, an unidentified man in a black cloak appearing suddenly in a deserted corridor could certainly be quite terrifying. It would be a lie to say I wasn't displeased, but I don't intend to get angry.”

Gio, who said so, added an explanation.

“But as I am also a person, I can’t help but feel negative emotions.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“I’ve tried to converse politely, but it hurts me when such things keep happening. I really hope the employees here don't ignore or avoid 'Black Cloak' like this.”

“I'll talk to the guild leader about that.”

Yoo Sung-woon swallowed his awkwardness with difficulty.

'…So he was angry after all.'

It was just at the level of 'not a bad person,' not that 'they weren't rude.'

Even an ordinary person would be angry if people around him rejected him, moreover Gio, a being of origin who thought of himself as a human.

Even if he mistakenly thought of himself as a human, there was no way he wouldn't be angry at humans who violated his clear rules.

'No matter how much … we can't completely subdue the fear of the ghost story. Since his soul level is so high, it's natural for the humans standing in front of him to be intimidated. Then at least we should create new rules within the company building to regulate the employees' behavior.'

After a brief contemplation, Yoo Sung-woon nodded.

“…We have a close-knit relationship centred around the guild leader. Since the guild leader personally brought each and every one of us, the employees have a strong attachment to him.”

“Yes.”

“To ensure that the discomfort you felt does not continue, I will try to improve it as much as possible by talking to the guild leader. If the guild leader insists strongly, I believe other employees will understand.”

“If you could do that, I would be grateful.”

As he said that, Gio was holding a glass bottle he had never seen before.

No, that’s not right. Wait a minute.

‘A jar?’

It was a jar, not a bottle. It was so large that it had to be held with one arm rather than one hand.

“…What is that?”

“I would say it’s a thank-you gift for listening to my complaints and requests.”

“I haven’t even finished the cookies you gave me last time.”

“Why is that?”

“Ah….”

“I’m not angry. I was just curious as to why there is still some left when it’s such a small amount. Can you answer me?”

If he were an ordinary human, he might think, ‘Is he being sarcastic and actually angry?’ but Gio was clearly a being of origin. It seemed like a pure question, so Yoo Sung-woon answered with an apologetic face.

“I’m sorry, it's just that when I eat it when I'm tired, it's so effective that I've been eating it sparingly bit by bit. I didn’t finish it not because your gift was uncomfortable or didn’t suit my taste.”

“There’s no reason to apologize to me. I gave you a gift, and it is now Mr. Yoo Sung-woon’s. You don’t need to make excuses for me. I’m just glad that it gave you strength when you were tired.”

“Since you said it that way, I actually feel honoured instead….”

Yoo Sung-woon looked at the glass jar in the portrait.

“So, what is that?”

Gio took his hand that was wrapped around the jar and showed it to him.

“It’s fruit syrup.”

“…That?”

“It’s clearly fruit syrup to anyone who sees it.”

“Ah, I see….”

Anyone can tell that it's not fruit syrup.

‘…Is that really fruit syrup?’

Although fruits and sugar were expensive ingredients and not commonly eaten, Yoo Sung-woon was a capable hunter. With his considerable income, there was no way he had not tried the fruit syrup that even second-class citizens could buy.

‘But it’s … very different from the fruit syrup I know.’

It had the colour of twilight. Should it be called scarlet, which is close to orange?

The transparent and clean liquid shimmered like the surface of a gem, and inside it, reminiscent of the evening glow, was a deep colour so vivid that it was almost dazzling.

‘Something similar to fruit is settled inside, but….’

The colour was so enchanting that it didn’t seem like it could be eaten.

“This is ice that goes well with it.”

“…It looks just like pearls.”

“It’s called ice pearls. Mr. Yoo Sung-woon seems to have the insight to get the name right on the first try.”

“Oh, yes. Insight….”

“It’s ice that doesn’t melt unless it’s at a high temperature, so if you want to consume it, I recommend melting it in hot tea.”

Wow.

He can feel it.

‘I don’t think I can handle this.’

The first time he received tea leaves from Gio and asked him to ‘refrain a little,’ he got cookies in exchange for the seeds. That too was not ordinary. The immense fatigue recovery effect made it impossible to eat them all at once, resulting in the current situation.

‘But this time, there’s a lot more.’

Gio seemed to enjoy cooking and seemed to be quite generous. It seemed that this entity of origin didn’t know how small a human stomach was.

“Please take it.”

“…Isn’t this too much?”

“Please eat a lot. It would be good if Mr. Yoo Sung-woon gained more weight than now.”

“As for me, I’m on the sturdy side.”

Although he had never seen his body directly, judging from the outline of the cloak, Yoo Sung-woon had more muscle mass than Gio.

But to tell him to gain more weight here? Yoo Sung-woon found it hard to understand.

‘…Wait a minute, does he mean ‘flesh’ when he said weight?’

Was Gio a monster that ate humans?

“I’m not tasty.”

“That’s a funny joke.”

“I meant it.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he had the mindset of a cookie house witch fattening humans up before eating them.

‘It’s not for humans to judge what kind of aesthetic tastes an entity of origin has.’

Perhaps Gio liked the look of slightly chubbier humans.

Despite having such a perfectly balanced body himself, it was a bit odd that he preferred to see plump people. It was hard to understand what kind of background story this entity of origin had.

‘…Come to think of it, all the gifts he’s given are food, and he said he enjoys cooking or eating when he’s bored. He seems to really like food in various ways. He also likes seeing people with a bit more weight… and he has an unusually large hand… and he likes giving gifts….’

This guy, is he a grandmother?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about something else for a moment.”

“I see.”

Fortunately, Gio didn’t ask further.

“This is a gift in response to your kindness, so I do not require anything in return. More than anything, the newly combined fruit syrup seemed to have ripened deliciously, so I wanted to share it with all of you.”

“Hmm… I see.”

While nodding calmly, Yoo Sung-woon thought to himself.

‘…Does he know he’s bound by some rules?’

Gio's words just now seemed to imply that ‘If I'm going to give you a gift, I must receive something.’ Perhaps that one-to-one rule wasn't something Gio himself had created.

'Or maybe he had created it but had forgotten.'

At that level, if only the memory of a 29-year-old young man exists, it was a plausible hypothesis.

“…I’ll take it since you’re giving it to me….”

Yoo Sung-woon used his appraisal skills while looking at the fruit syrup.

Honey of the Water Vein

Rank: –

Fruit syrup made with Goby fruit and drought jar that grew on the water veins of fate. It has a scarlet hue and a characteristic sweet and sour flavour with a deeply savoury taste. Processed directly by Gio, the owner of the forest, it can even be consumed by the human body. Drinking it after diluting it in water can restore human physical abilities to their limit. It is particularly excellent for malnutrition.

If the ice pearls that naturally grow in the glacier beneath Gio's cabin are added, it’ll have an excellent effect in restoring physical and mental functions.

“Doesn’t it smell good?”

“You’re really good at cooking.”

It would be okay if it was a little less good.

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