The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

The initiation ceremony consists of three stages in total.

“The first is preliminary briefing, the second is preparatory training, and the third is main ceremony.”

“…….”

“…That's what I understand.”

Sizzle-

While flipping the pork belly, Yoo Sung-woon asked.

“ls that right?”

“Ah, yes, that's correct.”

Cha Eun-hyuk-the prospective priest's guardian who had been momentarily distracted by the meat-nodded his head.

“What we'll hear today is the preliminary briefing. It's said to cover the characteristics of the priest profession, the training we'll receive moving forward, and what kind of priest one can become.”

“Then, the preparatory training would be where the prospective priests receive a separate training before the main ceremony?”

“lt would be difficult to conduct the main ceremony right away with young children who know nothing, after all. They'll learn things like the etiquette to follow during the main ceremony and the roles they'll need to play…1 believe that's how it is.”

Cha Eun-hyuk looked at his younger sibling, Cha Yi-sol, and asked.

“You said that right after the preliminary briefing, they enter the temporary dormitory and learn the main ceremony etiquette, right?”

“Yes, they said it takes about a day.”

After saying that, Cha Yi-sol turned to look at Yoo Sung-woon and Seo Gio with a bright smile.

“…Sir.”

“Ahaha, if it's uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself to use formal speech.”

“I'm good at using formal speech.”

“ls that so? That's impressive.”

Yoo Sung-woon laughed while playing along.

“So, the entire event takes two days in total?”

“No. The preliminary briefing and preparatory training take one day, and the main ceremony takes two days, so I heard the total is three days.”

“The main ceremony takes two days? Since it's not my field, I didn't know, but it's quite long.”

“lt's likely because to receive god's gaze, the main ceremony must be as lengthy as possible to gain an advantage.”

“Then that makes sense. Come to think of it, most well-known denominations generally have long initiation ceremonies.”

Gio, who had been quiet until then, asked.

“ls god's gaze absolutely necessary?”

“…Well, the thing is, priests who aren't chosen by God cannot perform significant duties.”

Cha Ara, who had been cautiously observing due to the unusual situation of eating pork belly with Gio, who may or may not be a monster, continued speaking. ꭆἁɴÖβÈ𝐒

“Just because you become a priest doesn't mean you'll always have the chance to receive god's gaze. The biggest opportunity is said to be during the initiation ceremony when you're first recognized as a priest, and the rest is… what was it again?”

“Either way, during events-or if you gain an opportunity in a dungeon or prove your capabilities as a priest, the probability of receiving god's gaze increases, right?”

“That's what he said.”

While the older sister and older brother were exchanging conversation, Cha Yi-sol-with his fluffy, puppy-like hair-stuffed a large amount of meat into his mouth.

“This is tasty.”

“Eat a lot.”

Yoo Sung-woon smiled as if finding him cute. Countryside residents probably don't get many chances to eat at restaurants, hence why he's eating so deliciously, but even considering that, Cha Yi-sol was eating quite heartily.

'lt makes everyone watching feel good.'

Perhaps Gio felt the same way, as he kept placing the meat in front of Cha Yi-sol.

“Thank you.”

“You eat well.”

“I eat well.”

“That's admirable.”

“Hehe.”

The three adults who knew Gio's identity watched the scene with a peculiar feeling. Especially the two Chas.

'Aigoo, Yi-sol….'

'What should we do about this friendliness…'

They had clearly discussed the 'Black Cloak' over dinner before coming to Seoul, but seeing this, it seemed their younger sibling hadn't realized that the 'Seo Gio' before his eyes and 'Black Cloak' were the same person.

“…….”

“…….”

As the Black Cloak openly took care of Cha Yi-sol, Cha Ara, Cha Eun-hyuk, and Yoo Sung-woon exchanged glances.

'Does he usually like kids?

'I don't know either.'

Yoo Sung-woon shook his head, but upon reflection, Gio had also been fixated on feeding Cha Ara when they first met. He had always gifted food to Yoo Sung-woon and others as well.

Considering all that, it seemed he simply had a strong interest in filling people's stomachs.

“Hmm….”

Well, what's good is good.

“Gio, what do you want to do?”

“Are you asking about the initiation ceremony?”

“lt seems to be taking longer than expected. Are you okay with that?”

Gio showed signs of struggling when he was outside the frame.

'He's suppressing his status to the level of an ordinary human-how could it not be hard?

Even now, Gio was maintaining the level of an A-rank hunter while suppressing his usual status. It would probably take a toll on something like his soul or essence, and he wasn't sure if he could endure it for three days.

“I'm worried it might be difficult.”

“That much is okay.”

“Then, that's a relief.”

In contrast to Cha Eun-hyuk and Cha Ara who seemed to understand what was going on from their conversation, Cha Yi-sol, who had been busily picking up and eating meat asked with a puzzled expression.

“Hyung, can't you stay outside for long?”

“…….”

“ls your body weak?”

While Cha Eun-hyuk and Cha Ara were silently horrified, Yoo Sung-woon was only slightly surprised and decided to observe the situation. He was curious how Gio would respond to the young human's question.

After a brief pause, Gio answered.

“l don't think my body is weak.”

“Then why?”

“ln my case, I think my mind is weak.”

“You don't look like it though?”

“I'm trying hard to appear as if there's no problem.”

This answer was unexpected even for Yoo Sung-woon.

'…I'm not sure if it's right to say Gio's mind is weak….'

But he could guess why he blamed his mind rather than his body.

Lowering one's status would cause more mental pain than physical pain. But by human standards, it was like enduring pain equivalent to having limbs cut off and being beaten, which couldn't be described as 'weak'.

Looking at it that way, unlike other beings of origin, Gio didn't seem to consider himself a strong being.

'No, it's more like he can't.'

Since he showed signs of disarrayed personality and fragmented memories from time to time, it was understandable that self-objectification would be difficult. Like an elephant with poor eyesight, unaware of its own enormity.

“Hyung, what god do you serve?”

“God?”

“Yes, I feel something warm….”

Yoo Sung-woon's eyes widened at Cha Yi-sol's words as he stared at Gio-seemingly gauging something.

“You can feel that?”

“Huh? Um, yes. It's really warm, isn't it?”

“Oh….”

“ls it wrong to feel something like this?”

“lt's not wrong, but priests who can sense others' divine power are rare.”

Yoo Sung-woon fiddled with his chopsticks.

“Especially young priests like you, who have no divine affiliation yet.”

At those words, Gio muttered.

“When you say 'divine affiliation,' it sounds like belonging to a faction.”

“lt's probably similar? Even gods squabble over influence and vie for shares of power. The more followers a god has, the greater their influence becomes, making it easier to act…”

“Though they're called gods in name, they don't seem to receive the divine treatment as their title suggests.”

“lt seems that up until recent times since the Great Catastrophe, they've developed a somewhat more secular image.”

Having said that, Yoo Sung-woon lightly clapped his hands while still holding his chopsticks.

“Congratulations, guardians. If Cha Yi-sol does well, he might be chosen by a God at this initiation ceremony.”

“Uh… really?”

“Any god covets good talent. Since I'm not a priest, I can't say for certain, but he seems talented.”

Yoo Sung-woon added an explanation.

“To begin with, divine power is a force borrowed from gods, so unlike magic, it's difficult for others to sense.”

“Ah….”

“See, even though I'm an A-rank hunter, I didn't know Gio could use divine power or what kind of energy it was.”

“Oh, I see….”

Cha Ara looked at Gio with a subtle gaze.

Tm not sure if it makes sense for a monster to use divine power…'

As if understanding Cha Ara's thoughts, Yoo Sung-woon nodded. However, he let it slide since he couldn't openly say it in front of Gio who believes himself to be human.

Meanwhile, Cha Yi-sol remained steadfast.

“So, which god do you serve, hyung?”

“l don't serve any particular god.”

Yoo Sung-woon whispered with a stiff face and an awkward smile.

“Gio.”

“Yes.”

“lt would be better to say there is.”

“Why should I say there is when there isn't?”

“Because usually there is.”

Whether one was a believer chosen by a god or a devout priest, wielding divine power inherently meant being selected by a god. Given that he had even healed Cha Eun-hyuk with divine power before, it made no sense for him to serve no god.

From the humans' perspective, at least.

“…….”

“…….”

“lf you use divine power without serving a god, then that's just…”

“Shut up, flower pig.”

“Sorry.”

At her older brother's wise rebuke, Cha Ara closed her mouth.

The only beings who could wield divine power without serving a god were the gods themselves. At the very least, it meant a being of an equivalent rank.

'Loose lips…'

She could control herself well in front of other hunters, but for some reason, her tongue became unruly only in front of the Black Cloak.

While Cha Ara's pupils were quietly trembling in shock, Cha Eun-hyuk was also struggling to compose his mind.

'…Completely different from the image or atmosphere of the gods I know, so I thought no matter what, there's no way … But at this point, wouldn't introducing the black cloak to Cha Ara as a talking monster too blasphemous?

Was his suspicion, which was almost delusional last night, actually correct? Cha Eun-hyuk felt great shock and was disillusioned by the state of the world that seemed to be going off the rails.

'There was no need for me to know the truth about this immense being.'

Though utterly exhausted, Cha Yi-sol-the youngest here-remained bright-eyed regardless.

“Wow, so it's possible to have divine power even without serving a god!”

No, it's not.

'He's the strange one.'

Why are you pretending to be human and acting like this here?

Cha Ara, an experienced porter hunter who had seen it all, and Cha Eun-hyuk, who had seen strange beings since childhood, skillfully swallowed their inner thoughts.

Still, they didn't panic and fled in terror. After all, the 'gods' of this era were little better than dragons amusing themselves in medieval fantasy games. Eccentric gods who disguised themselves as humans or monsters to dabble in earthly life frequently made headlines, after all.

“…….”

Unlike the two Chas who had somehow accepted this situation, Yoo Sung-woon had his own complicated feelings.

'…I knew Gio was a being closely related to the origin, but even so, for him to have divine power…'

Yoo Sung-woon inwardly swallowed a sigh.

'It's a bit strange. Simply having a high status doesn't mean one can possess divinity.'

Could this problem was also related to Gio's personality?

'I still don't know what kind of being he is.'

Yoo Sung-woon scratched his neck.

It had long been clear that Gio was clumsy at imitating humans. Given that Cha Ara-who'd been dragged to Gio's dungeon himself-and even Cha Eun-hyuk seemed to have roughly figured it out, was there any point in trying to hide it further?

“…….”

As if sensing the awkward atmosphere that had formed in an instant, the black cloak also seemed to become visibly uncomfortable.

'Don'tfeel awkward.'

If even you act like that, the atmosphere will worsen.

After hesitating, Gio spoke.

“…I also have a god I serve.”

“Now you say that?”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, no, I was just saying.”

Yoo Sung-woon, who had dealt with capricious and stubborn children of the origin, smoothly smiled and played along with Gio. He did not want to anger an unidentified being whose identity was still unknown.

“So, what God?”

“The Sun God.”

“Right, that is the most common god…”

Even on Earth, the sun religion was a religion that had appeared in various parts of the world. Just in this small country alone, there were over 50 temples of the sun. To the point where many assumed it was a religion that had existed since even before the Great Catastrophe.

And because of that, it was just the perfect setup for bullshiting by saying, 'Hey, I'm a sun god follower'.

“Ah, so that's why it felt warm.”

Only Cha Yi-sol fell for Gio's words.

“l like the Sun God too.”

“Thank you.”

Why are you thanking him?

'Does he really have no intention of hiding his true identity?

Cha Eun-hyuk nearly choked. For the first time in his life, he was eating at a restaurant but couldn't taste the food.

In fact, the reason Gio's expression of gratitude was because he was thinking of the elderly person resting in the inner room of his cabin.

'Father would be pleased.'

As a son, it was only natural to feel grateful towards Cha Yi-sol who had said he liked the Sun God, especially when he had been feeling sorry for the teddy bear that had become gloomy due to the lack of believers.

“May I introduce you to a Sun God I know?”

“Wait a moment, Gio.”

Yoo Sung-woon put on the brakes.

“We should give Cha Yi-sol a chance to catch the eye of other gods as well.”

“But I was just going to introduce him….”

“Why are you making that introduction in the first place?”

“lsn't it good to have more friends?”

“Can a god and Cha Yi-sol become friends?”

“Why not?”

“Oh….”

Gio had intended to introduce the lonely, ageing teddy bear, but to the adults unaware of the circumstances, his gesture came off as tantamount to declaring, Tm practically the Sun God, and I want to befriend you.'

'He really has no prejudices whatsoever.'

This was definitely not a conversation to be had in a pork belly restaurant.

“…Gio, you really have a big heart.”

“Thank you.”

“AIright, let's eat.”

It seemed they should quickly show him the initiation ceremony and send him back into the frame.

***

“…….”

Bi Sa-beol blinked at the text message from Yoo Sung-woon.

“…The Sun God, huh.”

He hadn't particularly considered that possibility.

'From the beginning, there was no sense of divinity in Gio's Portrait. It must be accurate to say that it's not something that could be felt unless he shows it himself.'

Moreover, it was still too unstable to definitively label Gio's identity as a 'god.'

“That can't be all.”

His divinity was merely one of the many characteristics Gio possesses.

It remained a perplexing entity. Sometimes, it bore the traits of a monster, at times it had ambiguous aspects akin to children of the origin, and-if Yoo Sung-woon's words were true-he was also a being possessing divine status.

“At the same time, he resembles humans.”

At times he becomes a monster. At times he becomes a human. Then, at times, he could also become a god. As if everything in the world were his derivatives.

'…But, if we consider it that way….'

In other words, it would mean that Gio could be referred to as the 'origin' of everything in the world.

“…….”

Origin, huh.

“…Hmm.”

Is there a possibility that it is another personality?

If Gio stirred up a bit more trouble, he would be able to figure it out for certain, but it's a pity that his own kindness was holding him back.