The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

After finishing his meal, Yoo Sung-woon led Gio to Cheonggyecheon.

But as expected, it was quite different from the Cheonggyecheon in Seoul that Gio remembered.

“Here, this is Cheonggyecheon.”

“It's a very natural scene.”

“Isn't it?”

“Even though it's winter, flowers are blooming.”

What is this craziness?

'Has Earth finally started breaking down after putting up with humans for too long?'

“I don't know what you're thinking, but they've taken special measures to make it like a greenhouse.”

“What kind of measures?”

“There's a department in the city that manages urban landscaping. They make sure to leave a certain amount of plants when constructing the city.”

“So, they make it a greenhouse even in winter?”

“Yeah, look. The air is really mild, right?”

Yoo Sung-woon pointed at Cheonggyecheon, waving his hand in the air.

“It's handled with magic, so anyone can enter except for criminal fifth-class citizens or threatening monsters. It blocks the cold winter air and only lets sunlight through, like a real greenhouse system.”

“Wasn't it pretty warm in front of our company, too? Places near companies that make a lot of money or public places where people gather often have this kind of spell. In the case of companies, the owner installs it privately, and in the case of public places, the government funds it….”

As Gio was processing Yoo Sung-woon's words, he asked.

“When you say threatening monsters… does that mean non-threatening monsters can enter?”

“Ah…”

Yoo Sung-woon pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Well, they kind of have to. Even monsters are now part of Earth's ecosystem, contributing to the natural cycle. We can't just exclude them.”

From those words, Gio realized that monsters were treated like stray cats or chicken pigeons.

“It seems monsters aren't only seen when dungeons break open.”

“Hm? Oh, no matter what, humans aren't that capable.”

Yoo Sung-woon continued explaining.

“When I was young, there were a lot of arguments that all monsters should be eradicated. But even if there are many hunters, it's not enough to protect all of humanity, and even if there's an extremely strong hunter, it would be inhumane for them to chase down and handle every monster.” 𝘙

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Besides, how would we handle it if such a strong hunter causes a terrorist act out of stress? Even if it's not a strong hunter, the same applies. Hunters are people too, how could they only work?”

“I see.”

“They say that most of the native monsters that have settled on Earth now are because they weren't dealt with in the early days of the Great Catastrophe.”

“In the beginning?”

“Back then, hunters were much weaker than now, the system was loose, and there weren't many people with tracking skills, so it was inevitable.”

“Then the monsters that were left behind because they weren't killed back then ….”

“Have become part of Earth.”

Yoo Sung-woon said, nodding toward the river with a clear flowing stream.

“Like that one over there.”

Flap—

In the middle of the river, a round bird was grooming its feathers.

“That one's also a monster.”

Indeed, it was a bird Gio didn't know.

But the system knew.

Cotton Bird

Named by Koreans for its resemblance to cotton. Its wings, body, head, and neck are indistinguishable, forming a round shape, but its actual physique is similar to an ordinary bird except for the puffed-up feathers. If you boil the egg of a Cotton Bird and pull threads from it, you can make bandages.

A silkworm cocoon?

'It almost looks like a ball.'

Anyway, Gio understood.

“The Cotton Bird isn't threatening.”

“…Do you know that bird?”

“I just found out.”

According to the system, it was almost like a bird-shaped silkworm cocoon, but watching the slightly larger cotton balls grooming their feathers in the river brought a sense of peace.

After observing Gio, Yoo Sung-woon soon spoke again.

“…Um, yeah, those kinds of creatures. They're numerous and have small body sizes, but it's been judged that they don't cause significant harm to humans or the ecosystem, so most of them have settled as native monsters on Earth.”

“They're cute.”

“They don't look cute at all, but you like things like that?”

“If it's small and round, it looks remarkably harmless, so I like it.”

“No wonder your waterfowl is so round too…”

Yoo Sung-woon laughed helplessly.

“Even so, the current native monsters have already been integrated into the ecosystem, so we leave them alone, but all the recent invasive species are being dealt with. To begin with, monsters have a strong hatred toward Earthlings.”

“Is that so?”

“Usually, that's how it is. Even if they don't have hostility, they can still pose a significant threat to humans. The native monsters that remain have already passed safety inspections by the association and are managed by the government.”

Yoo Sung-woon pointed at the Cotton Bird again.

“Those creatures have probably adapted to living on Earth for so long, so their hostility toward humans has mellowed down to the level of regular wild animals. They were said to be monsters dangerous enough to eat human flesh during the early days of the Great Catastrophe, but now they're as harmless as pigeons.”

“Aha.”

“Since they're monsters, it's illegal to touch them or keep them personally, but… coexisting with them is possible. Dungeons and Earth are inextricably linked, so they've probably concluded that this approach is better than outright rejection.”

Coexisting with monsters? It seemed Earthlings had grown considerably tough since he last saw them.

“That's the end of the explanation. Do you want to walk around for a bit? The water quality is thoroughly managed, so it won't cause any harm. The monsters and animals here are all harmless, too.”

Gio, who had been looking at the clear, flowing river, soon moved his feet.

'It's as clear as liquid glass.'

Up close, the river with sunlight reflecting off it, looked even more beautiful.

In this weather as mild as spring, the large trees, vines, and flowers filled the area like a giant greenhouse. Pastel-toned butterflies perched on petals, and creatures resembling squirrels gnawed on the fruit of the trees.

Why were birds resembling sparrows plucking the flowers off the trees? It could be for fun, or maybe they were trying to eat the nectar inside the flowers.

“…Won't changing the seasons as people want it like this cause problems for the ecosystem?”

“There used to be a lot of debate about that, but apparently now they said they've managed to adjust everything somehow. More importantly, there are many cases where seasons are intentionally created to prevent the Earth's native animals from going extinct due to monsters.”

“I see.”

In many ways, it was different from the time Gio lived in.

“If you'd like, why don't you dip your feet in the water?”

“Is that allowed?”

“There are rules like not picking fruit or plucking flowers, but there's no specific regulation on that. In the summer when there are lots of people, many  come here to enjoy the water.”

“For something like that, there's no one here today.”

“It's work hours, and it's neither vacation nor a holiday. Who would come to play in the water? Besides, in winter, most people don't want to get wet.”

“What Mr. Yoo Sung-woon said is right.”

Gio took off his shoes and socks, just like that.

He then stepped into the running water.

It was cool.

'Soft.'

There was a sweet scent.

Whether it was scent from the flowers, the trees, or perhaps the monster residing in the water, he couldn't tell. Maybe, unlike the colourless, odourless water of the past, the river water had evolved.

But the way pebbles roll smoothly in the water, like in the summer valley…

Like small creatures, moving minutely.

Made Giovanni happy.

“…It's beautiful water.”

His black eyes contained the colour of water.

“Clear, and deep.”

“It's deeper than I thought.”

“Why does it smell like the sea here?”

Yoo Sung-woon sensed something changing.

“…Gio?”

“It smells like the sea. A little fishy like the surface of iron, cool like pine needles, and resembling the strong wind that scatters sand….”

“Gio.”

“It resembles that place.”

A soft yet emotionless voice.

“The colour of the sea.”

At that moment.

“The colour of a mermaid.”

At Giovanni's feet, various underwater creatures gathered silently.

“The deep sea watches over….”

Before anyone knew it, his feet had turned into a transparent colour of water….

“―Gio.”

The voice of a 'friend.'

He blinked twice.

“…Yes.”

“Did you call?”

Gio turned back to Yoo Sung-woon.

“…You're Seo Gio, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

He nodded.

“My name is Gio.”

Yoo Sung-woon's face twisted strangely.

***

Sometime later, in front of the hotel rooms.

Yoo Sung-woon handed the key card labelled 'Room 4501' to Gio.

“Here, this is yours.”

“Thank you.”

“I'll be in the room next door, so call me if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

“Dinner is reserved for 6:30, so… seems we can just meet around 6.”

Gio asked in response.

“What's for dinner?”

“French. It's a restaurant with a set course, so we can just go and eat.”

“I understand.”

“Then, rest well.”

As Yoo Sung-woon entered his room alone.

He was sweating coldly.

“…Earlier, for sure….”

Back at Cheonggyecheon.

“…That wasn't 'Gio.'”

Something had changed.

Whether he was aware of himself being in Korea, Gio would usually introduce himself as 'Seo Gio.' Even though Yoo Sung-woon had pointed that out, he had defined himself as 'Gio' in Cheonggyecheon.

'So what exactly changed?'

Yoo Sung-woon still remembered the black cloak at Cheonggyecheon.

It began from the moment Gio's bare feet touched the stream's water. An inexplicable sense of discomfort appeared, something oddly rippled, and Gio's eyes—which had been plain black the whole time—transformed into the colour of the sea.

When Yoo Sung-woon spoke to him after realizing the change, Gio, who had smiled slowly, seemed as if his entire personality had changed.

'What colour was his hair…? Was it silver? Or platinum blonde? I couldn't see clearly because of the hood.'

Slowly here and there, he began to get dyed, and soon his body transformed to the point where his feet were indistinguishable from the water. His form remained the same, but those were clearly not human feet—they belonged to the water.

When a minnow naturally climbed up his transparent ankle, Yoo Sung-woon couldn't help but call out to Gio.

That was.

Not human.

It didn't seem alive, but he could tell that it wasn't dead either. It wasn't breathing, but it had life.

What had been a human he could talk to and touch a few minutes ago had transformed into something more… akin to nature, and was certainly not something that could be handled with a clear mind.

“…

How foolish.

'Did I lower my guard just because his aura seemed weaker?'

A being of the origin could never become human. Especially for someone like Gio, who couldn't even be defined as a monster.

'No matter how similar he made it to appear humans like us, it can never be the same.'

However, Gio was too human and kind to be wary of.

“I need to get a grip.”

At this rate, he'll going to lose his status as a gardener.

“…Still, well, it went much smoother than I expected.”

He exhaled for no reason.

Yoo Sung-woon threw the bag of basic supplies onto the bed and sat down next to it. Then he reviewed everything from the start of the day until just now.

There were no problems.

'…Though a few things felt awkward, perhaps it's because he has human memories. Gio is skilled in the rules of human society. He's at a level incomparable to other monsters.'

Most monsters, no matter how intelligent, wouldn't understand why they had to give something to receive something in return.

'Actually, that's normal. When a human observes an anthill, do they spare the ants any consideration before digging it up?'

It was the same logic. From the monster's perspective, it made sense to simply take whatever food or items that were openly available.

If it didn't exist, they wouldn't notice, but if it existed, there was no reason not to take it. That was their natural everyday life and rule.

So, from Gio's perspective, Yoo Sung-woon's act of paying for food must have been incomprehensible.

“But since it went smoothly, it seems like he's trying to imitate humans in his own way ….”

Strictly speaking though, there were still many immature aspects.

“He's clearly curious about a lot of things.”

Things humans would either already know or just pick up on intuitively. Gio asked Yoo Sung-woon about each and every one of them.

What is this, what is that, can I have this, how was that made….

“Though it's hard to call Gio a monster, he's definitely similar to humanoid monsters in this regard.”

They were always curious about human objects and rules.

“…Hmm, another reason was probably his lightness compared to that of a human.”

Though he had lowered his aura to almost human levels, it didn't seem like his body had completely transformed into that of a human. On the way to the hotel, Gio had almost been blown away by the wind.

'Even if he only floated for just a moment, it made no sense for someone of his height and build.'

Originally, Gio had always been so light that one couldn't hear his footsteps. Today, perhaps thanks to his shoes and clothes, he seemed a little heavier—but even then, he was still too light to be considered human.

Even though it was indeed a bit windy, recalling how Gio was nearly blown away by the wind for a moment….

Honestly, it was a little eerie.

“…He really isn't human.”

Gio wasn't human.

'His usual lightness, and also that at Cheonggyecheon.'

Humans couldn't be that light.

The weight of the clothes worn, the weight of one's internal organs and bones, and the weight of blood circulating inside. If one were human, they wouldn't be as soundless as a leaf falling softly, like Gio.

And tiny minnows couldn't have climbed up his body, either.

The sight of his pale skin slowly turned into transparent water as his feet touched the stream.

The scene of fish and air bubbles slipping through him was such a mystical and bizarre moment that it was hard to process with his mind.

“But he's not even a monster….”

Nature imitates humans.

That seems like a more accurate description.

“…Scary.”

Though beings of the origin were considered as nature with consciousness, for some reason—something about Gio felt different, evoking a baseless sense of fear.

It felt like he was receiving kindness from a being that shouldn't exist.

***

Meanwhile, Gio.

“It's the 45th floor.”

“Coo coo!”

He was enjoying the top floor of the five-star hotel with Honey he had secretly smuggled in.

Indeed, he had no thoughts.

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