The Artist Who Paints Dungeon

Chapter 141

Meanwhile, Ju-hyeon.

“…….”

“Kkuu.”

“…I'll get it.”

He was being treated to snacks by the teddy bear.

“Is this fruit tea?”

“Kku.”

“It has a nice scent, thank you for your consideration, it must have been a bother.”

“Kkukukku….”

“And from next time, I'll get my own food. If that's alright.”

He added.

“I have no intention of carelessly using the kitchen that the owner of this house seems to cherish. But couldn't I at least fetch the food that's already made like this?”

Being careful not to get on the nerves of the great mysteries here if possible, Ju-hyeon gave his characteristic friendly smile.

“It doesn't seem right to only receive help from an elder.”

“Kku?”

“If there's anything else you need me to do, please don't hesitate to ask.”

At that, the teddy bear tilted its head but nodded as if it understood.

‘I thought it might get angry, thinking I was refusing its kindness, but fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.’

Even if it looked like an ordinary teddy bear, he knew that what dwelled within it was not ordinary.

Wasn't it a being the Black Cape called father?

His heart was too uncomfortable to just be served by such a great elder.

‘It’s a relief that it’s possible to interact to some extent with a being that resides in a place like this, but….’

Ju-hyeon fell silent for a moment, the brilliantly sparkling fruit tea before him.

“…….”

He wasn't sure if he should consider even this a relief.

‘Is it okay to drink this?’

He had been eating and drinking well so far, but it wasn't that he wasn't worried.

‘No matter how I think about it, this place is too far removed from the human world.’

Among dimensions, there are dimensions where humans can inhabit, and dimensions where great beings like gods can reside.

‘It's quite surprising that it takes the form of a forest cabin that an ordinary person like me, not even a Hunter, can perceive, but even so….’

In Ju-hyeon's opinion, this place was definitely closer to the latter.

A dimension where a mystery, not a human, resides.

‘And the act of ingesting something has been treated as a ritual since ancient times.’

Legends of experiencing wondrous mysteries after eating the food of the divine realm were common.

That’s how much the act of eating something meant dipping a foot into the dimension to which that food belonged.

“…I think I've eaten quite a lot….”

“Kkuu?”

“I’ll be able to walk out as a human, right?”

This was what Ju-hyeon was worried about.

The favor of a god corrupts a human.

‘I don't know what size and direction it will show, but such a thing can't be safe for a human.’

Just as most of the saints and saintesses on Earth live on because they cannot die, there was no telling how Ju-hyeon might be swept away by the goodwill shown by the Black Cape.

‘Of course, it’s better than earning its enmity, but….’

After hesitating for a long while, Ju-hyeon finally drank the fruit tea.

It wasn't simply a matter of manners, that he shouldn't carelessly refuse what was offered.

Ju-hyeon laughed emptily.

“…It's still delicious.”

It was a taste so enchanting that he felt he could understand why the humans in all those countless legends were bewitched by food and couldn't make proper judgments.

Combined with the gentle spring breeze that seemed to have steeped flowers in it, the sweet fruit tea softly melted on Ju-hyeon's tongue.

‘Yes, I'm still human.’

Here, there was an Anticat named ‘Dana’.

Being particularly averse to humans, it was busy avoiding Ju-hyeon and hissing whenever it saw him.

That was an indicator that Ju-hyeon was still human.

‘For some reason, as time passes, that rejection is gradually subsiding, but….’

He didn't want to think that it was a sign of something.

‘We’re probably just getting used to each other from seeing each other for a long time. I haven't found anything strange when I checked myself either, so I want to believe there won't be any major problems.’

Ju-hyeon blinked.

“…….”

Although Ju-hyeon had been on the verge of giving up, now that things had come to this, he had no intention of giving up on being human.

“…I will leave as soon as I am ready. I have to.”

“Kku.”

“An ordinary human like me can't stay here forever.”

Humans had to live among humans, like humans.

That was Ju-hyeon's thought.

“The truly funny part is that I probably won't be able to live like a human even if I leave this place….”

Ju-hyeon, who knew the time before the Great Catastrophe, was someone who remembered what it meant to ‘live like a human’.

There was the right to live with people who loved and cherished me, and the opportunity to grow naturally while experiencing the good and bad luck that came to each of us.

Humans form the most ideal structure when the strong cooperate to protect the weak.

“…Hmm.”

As if finding his own thoughts ridiculous, Ju-hyeon gave an awkward smile.

“I'm aware that the future I want is too idealistic.”

“Kkuu?”

“Mr. Jio asked if I wanted to achieve world peace, and I think that's probably right.”

“…….”

“If I could bring even a part of that, I feel like the world would be much better than it is now….”

A dream is a dream.

Humans called it a ‘dream’ because they knew they couldn't achieve it perfectly, but believed they could at least imitate it.

The future Ju-hyeon wanted was no different.

To grasp even a part of something so mirage-like required a fitting mental strength.

Passion, conviction, hope. Fuel was needed to make humans burn their short lives.

“But right now, I don't feel motivated. That's probably why I'm lingering here, unable to leave readily. It's pathetic.”

He had lost too much, and felt too much doubt.

“I don't know what I want to do.”

He already knew well that effort wasn't always rewarded.

If it were a world where good children received respect and good fortune, Ju-hyeon would not have had to abandon his family name.

If those who bore fruit could receive a worthy reward, Ju-hyeon would have been at a rank higher than at least Assistant Manager.

But it was all okay.

The pace of progress was slow, and sometimes he went backward or stood still, but he thought he was still walking forward, bit by bit.

“…I feel so empty inside….”

And just like that, he lost everything.

“…….”

“…….”

“…That wasn't a very interesting story.”

Ju-hyeon shrugged.

“I think I need time to think.”

In truth, Ju-hyeon knew well.

To do that ‘thinking’, he first had to do something about this hollow feeling inside.

Having been miserable and having overcome it a few times already, Ju-hyeon knew the order to get back up again.

‘But I still don't even have the energy to walk out of here on my own two feet….’

With his characteristic smile, Ju-hyeon asked the teddy bear.

“May I do that?”

“Kkuu.”

The teddy bear, having climbed onto the table, patted Ju-hyeon's head and then got down.

“Kkukkuk, kku.”

“…I can't quite understand.”

“Kkuu.”

It patted Ju-hyeon's thigh once more and then left the cabin with the Anticat.

Seeing the bag of snacks held in the cat's mouth, it seemed they were planning to spend time on the cabin bench again.

It felt so much like it was guaranteeing Ju-hyeon his time.

“…….”

Suddenly again, he felt a sense of doubt.

‘…Even a non-human being is showing me this much consideration.’

Why did I dream?

For whom, and for what.

***

Having arrived at the Temple of Death, Jio blinked twice.

“…It's more modest than I thought.”

“It's not a very popular religious order.”

“More than that….”

Jio tilted his head slightly.

“It has strong Korean characteristics.”

When one thought of a temple, wouldn't one somehow imagine something in the Renaissance style?

Both the Seoul branch of the Solar Cult and Giovanni's Solar Cult came to mind as buildings made of white marble, so this was a bit novel.

“Isn't this a Hanok (Korean house)?”

“Like I said on the way, this God of Death is an endemic god of Earth. There's at least one Temple of Death in each country. Korea is no exception.”

“So you emphasized regional characteristics? To show that it's an endemic god of Earth in the form of a Hanok (Korean house)?”

“Among the Temples of Death, the one in Korea is one that puts a lot of effort into its exterior. Maybe it's because it's the only temple with an incarnation of death. It probably wasn't a requirement from the God of Death's side, but….”

Locking the car door, Yu Seong-un continued.

“This place is the world's first case of officially recognizing an evil god as a religious order. As such, there was a lot of public backlash at first, and the protests from the residents around here were intense. It was basically an unwelcome facility.”

“An unwelcome facility, I see.”

“It’s the God of Death, of all things, right? The people of that time, who had been so tormented by the gods, had no room to consider providence or anything.”

“That's surprising.”

Yu Seong-un's words sounded as if there was a time when the gods directly tormented humans. Jio, who was once a priest himself, asked.

“Tormented by the gods?”

“It hasn't been that long since we started distinguishing between traditional gods and evil gods. Before, there were many disasters, big and small, because the gods interfered so much in human lives.”

“Disasters big and small.”

“Like a god striking someone down for saying something they didn't like, or forcibly building their temple on Earth. Well, they were beings with no reason and no will to be considerate of humans, so those things were natural.”

“Is it not like that now?”

“We succeeded in preventing excessive interference from the gods, centered around the Symbols of Eternity. It's like we artificially expedited what would have naturally been sorted out over time.”

Yu Seong-un waved his hand.

“The story gets too long if I explain that, so to put it simply, it's like this. Now, even the gods have to make a big investment to intervene in the human world.”

“Those who dislike the investment wouldn't dare to intervene. I understand what you're saying, Mr. Yu Seong-un.”

Jio nodded.

“My father also couldn't easily interfere in the lives of humans and I wondered why, but I didn't know there was such a measure in place.”

“It was a time when gods from dead-end dimensions were snooping around, so proper measures couldn't be taken. The Symbols of Eternity stepped in to solve the problem, but….”

Yu Seong-un shrugged.

“They stopped the excessive intervention of the gods, but it's not like those great mysteries disappeared. The mysteries among those who were very interested in Earth continued to show interest even after that.”

“Is the God of Death one of them?”

“Being an endemic god of Earth, he probably wouldn't have wanted to look at other dimensions anyway. In any case, among those gods, there were many mysteries that were helpful to humans.”

“It must not have been easy for humans to accept that.”

“You seem to understand well. But it's not like the existing gods would disappear, and in the end, coexistence with mysteries is a destined future. So the government took some measures.”

A prime example is the Temple of Death.

Yu Seong-un pointed to the not-so-large Hanok (Korean house) and said.

“They reduced the size of the building and added a Korean touch.”

“Was it effective?”

“It certainly made it clear that this god is our Earth's endemic god. Not that the God of Death is an endemic god only of Korea, but….”

“Still, it must have felt special to Koreans. Like meeting a friend from your hometown in another region.”

“You could say it's similar.”

The unexpectedly shaped, moderately sized Hanok (Korean house) momentarily bewildered the people who had been vehemently protesting.

In the meantime, the government turned the atmosphere around by giving various benefits to the local residents.

“You could say it was a success in a kind of marketing. At that time, so many people were dying and the aftermath wasn't handled well, but the Temple of Death directly presided over those funerals.”

People who had lost family or friends.

People who were on the verge of death, or in a similarly dangerous environment.

For them, having the funeral conducted directly at the temple where none other than the God of Death resided was a huge merit.

“When you yourself are desperate and your heart is torn, the officially recognized God of Death by the government and the Association is presiding over the funeral. They couldn't help but wish for mercy, evil god or not.”

“They could have continued to dislike it, but it seems the government and the Association had a good reputation. The initial trust in the facility, which they declared safe, must have been high for such a business to succeed.”

“You're right, the government and the Association have earned great trust from the people. It was difficult to not believe in the God of Death that such organizations were promoting in various ways.”

Yu Seong-un nodded.

“The God of Death's cooperation was also a big part of it. Perhaps because he is an endemic god of Earth, he fundamentally cares a lot for Earthlings. He's also not the type to meddle in human affairs….”

“I heard there's an incarnation?”

“After the Great Catastrophe, a suitable environment for creating an incarnation was formed, and death was so frequent back then. I think he thought it was the right timing for an endemic god to reveal himself.”

“The right timing.”

“I don't know the exact facts either. Nor why he stays in Korea of all places. The stories of the gods aren't my specialty, and the God of Death is such a quiet one… he doesn't react much other than to observe the world through his incarnation.”

Smiling nonchalantly, Yu Seong-un guided Jio.

“Shall we go in then?”

“Sounds good.”

As they approached the temple entrance, the temple's gatekeeper, holding a spear, asked.

“Are you Hunter Yu Seong-un?”

“Yes, I reserved a private prayer room for today.”

“I will escort you inside.”

Soon after, a priest in pure white priestly robes came out from inside the temple.

His hair was tied into one, his two eyes were covered with a white cloth, and in his left hand, he held a white, round lantern.

The priestly robes, with their Korean feel, made it difficult to tell the gender of the person wearing them.

The priest spoke in an androgynous tone.

“I will guide you.”

“Then, if you please.”

The inside of the temple was very dark, and the floor was covered with shallow water.

It wasn't just lying there, but was flowing quietly here and there like a living creature.

The priest moved his feet as if communicating with the flow of the water.

“Please follow me.”

It was so dark that ordinary people could hardly see an inch in front of them, which was why almost no one knew the internal structure of the Temple of Death properly.

Visitors could only move by looking at the guide priest's lantern and white clothes.

Perhaps because he had officially come out through the portrait frame, unlike at the ‘Vein of Jewels’ before.

Jio, in the middle of synchronizing, also could not secure his vision in the darkness.

“…….”

However, the procession of priests moving through the darkness holding white lanterns looked like paper lanterns floating on a dark lakeside at night.

“This is the prayer room assigned to you today, Brother Yu Seong-un.”

“Thank you for your guidance.”

“And for a moment… would you permit me an indiscretion?”

“…….”

Yu Seong-un glanced at Jio and then nodded.

“What is it?”

“The Bishop requests an audience.”

The priest bowed his head deeply and continued.

“The Father has opened his eyes.”

“…Do you mean an oracle has been delivered?”

“He wished to converse with the guest who arrives today.”

“I don't think I'm the guest he wishes to converse with.”

“That is correct.”

“You’re more proactive than I thought.”

Yu Seong-un asked Jio.

“What do you want to do?”

“Well.”

Then Jio asked.

“Does he wish to become my friend?”

“…….”

After a moment of silence, the priest opened his mouth.

“…I am sorry, O nameless divinity. I was not told.”

“You fear me.”

“If my humble reception has displeased you, I deeply apologize.”

“I wish you wouldn't be scared.”

A vivid red smile graced Jio's lips.

“Making friends is a truly difficult thing, isn't it?”

The priest dared not answer.

***

“…….”

“…I will guide you.”

“Do so.”

Everyone is scared of me.

‘Isn't this also a type of nuisance?’

Jio became distraught.