The Artist Who Paints Dungeon-Chapter 58

As he looked at the figure draped in the pitch-black cloak, the blonde priest, Kang Seo-dam, thought to himself.

‘I never expected a god to appear at an event I was unintentionally pushed into overseeing.’

This event wasn’t his responsibility to begin with.

After the priest originally set to preside over it went missing, Kang Seo-dam had taken charge. Yet, he could never have imagined encountering a god in such an unexpected guise at this event.

‘But for an occasion attended by a god in person, it’s remarkably quiet.’

The Sun Goddess he served was like that, and so was this god who disguised himself as a human—mingling among the crowd to enjoy the festivities. Yet, despite such an extraordinary situation, there was not a single hint of chaos.

‘…Well, the goddess didn’t descend, so it’s understandable people didn’t notice. But for a god who openly took human form to remain this quiet is astonishing.’

This god must have a profound understanding of humans.

“……”

Then again, gods who enjoyed festivities were mostly human-friendly.

‘Unlike the Temple of the Sun, the atmosphere here is chilly and desolate—could he be a god related to death or disease? Given the cool energy, he might even be a deity associated with the deep sea.’

Gio had received a ‘certification’ from the Sun God, but that was merely one of the elements that made Gio. Fundamentally, Gio exuded a gloomy aura reminiscent of a funeral.

Unless he confirmed it up close or made contact, Kang Seo-dam had no way of knowing which kind of divinity he possessed. Making rough guesses, he glanced around his surroundings.

“…Hmm….”

Pretending to know a god who enjoying the festivities would only provoke his displeasure.

‘There’s no sign he intends to unleash a calamitous miracle. Given how he’s actively interacting with other humans, he likely has no intention of ruining this event. Let’s just let this pass quietly.’

Perhaps he was a lesser-known god or one who values quality over quantity and had come to this event personally to find his followers. Though rare worldwide, he had heard such incidents occur covertly within religious circles.

“…This batch is quite fortunate.”

The god in the black cloak might choose someone directly, and even if not, the Sun Goddess had already set her gaze here. The interest of other gods would likely increase too, raising the chances for the prospective priests to be chosen.

“…….”

Suddenly, Kang Seo-dam realized the black cloak was staring intently at him.

For a moment, his mind went blank.

“…….”

The moment he recognized his situation, Kang Seo-dam promptly lowered his gaze without defiance.

‘Nothing is as foolish as trying to directly withstand a god’s gaze.’

Though uncertain whether out of consideration for other humans or to elevate the quality of his enjoyment, the black cloak had suppressed his status to an almost human level, rendering his divinity barely perceptible. Yet this did not diminish his unfathomable essence.

A god was still a god, and Kang Seo-dam was a priest particularly sensitive to detecting the rank and divinity of beings. If someone like him were to directly meet a god’s gaze, he might lose consciousness.

“…….”

“…….”

Perhaps the black cloak knew that too, for he withdrew his gaze.

‘…Was he showing his consideration?’

It was truly fortunate that he was a god who understood humans were fragile beings.

Most gods, oblivious to this and delighting in their games, harmed humans without malice.

“…….”

Kang Seo-dam quietly swallowed a sigh of relief and checked the time.

“…In one minute, prospective priests should finish their farewells to their families and gather before me. I will guide you to the dormitory where you will learn the main ceremony etiquette.”

God or not, Kang Seo-dam himself only needed to fulfil his duties as a priest.

***

“I guess I have to go now.”

At Cha Yi-sol’s words, Cha Ara solemnly nodded.

“Right. If it’s too hard, just run out.”

“Can’t you ever say anything proper?”

“Ugh, why? He can live farming like the village chief.”

“Why are you encouraging him to give up before he even starts? Are you trying to break the kid’s spirit?”

“Just, it’s better to focus on what you’re good at than cling to what you can’t do.”

“That’s true.”

Cha Eun-hyuk nodded in agreement.

“If you really feel it’s not for you, you can just leave.”

“Okay, I will! But I’m going to work hard and become a super strong priest to be the head of the Cha family someday!”

“I’m the head.”

“I’ll become the pillar of this family!”

“The pillar is also me.”

“See you tomorrow!”

With an innocent and pure smile, Cha Yi-sol turned his attention to the other guests.

“I’m going now.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sure you’ll do well, Cha Yi-sol, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you!”

Having extracted praise and encouragement from the white-haired hunter, Cha Yi-sol glanced at the black cloak with sparkling eyes.

“Hyung!”

“…….”

“I’ll do well, right?”

“I think so too.”

“Hehe.”

Cha Yi-sol managed to get encouragement from the black cloak as well.

“If I’m chosen by the Sun God, will I have a scent like yours?”

“Do I have a scent?”

“I’m not sure, but you smell like blankets dried in the sun.”

To describe it more precisely, it was akin to a ‘sun-dried blanket freshly tucked into a closet’. His scent evoked the feeling of building a dark cave with blankets that had been aired out in the yard and hiding snugly inside.

It was dark, warm, and cosy.

“…….”

After staring at the black cloak for a while, Cha Yi-sol suddenly made a bold request.

“Give me a hug, just once!”

“Yi-sol, please.”

This insanely energetic brat.

Cha Eun-hyuk was appalled by his younger sibling’s disastrous friendliness, but Gio didn’t pay it much mind.

“If that’s what you want, I can give you a hug.”

“Wow!”

“Come here.”

The black cloak spread his arms.

‘So cool’.

Perhaps because the light was coming from above, the inside of the cloak was filled entirely with black shadows. The black cloak, as dark as the night sky and as cosy as the inside of a closet, welcomed Cha Yi-sol as he skipped over and threw himself into his embrace.

And surprisingly, his body temperature was cool. Given the gentle warmth he exuded, he expected him to be warm—this was unexpected.

“It’s been a long time since I held a child about the size of Student Cha Yi-sol.”

The soft, measured voice falling from above sounded almost like a lullaby.

“That child was also as small as you, Student Cha Yi-sol.”

“I’m not small.”

“You are smaller than me. Of course, Student Cha Yi-sol will soon grow into a splendid adult.”

“Hehe….”

“May the sun shine upon you.”

“…….”

Cha Yi-sol raised his head and gazed at the face beneath the black cloak that only he could see.

Gentle eyes resembling the sea entered Cha Yi-sol’s view.

“…Wow.”

Those eyes were,

extremely large,

and comforting.

“… Hyung, you’re really handsome!”

“I hear that often.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Is that so?”

The face beneath the cloak, invisible to everyone else, smiled with a gentle radiance.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ah….”

Cha Yi-sol let out a sigh of regret.

Parting with him was regrettable, but what was truly heartbreaking was the sight of his platinum hair and blue eyes darkening as if a lightbulb had flickered out.

He had looked so cool just moments ago.

‘Doesn’t that colour suit Gio hyung much better?’

But Cha Yi-sol didn’t press further.

“Then I’m really going now!”

The other prospective priests had already gathered in front of the actual priest. The blonde priest was saying something while checking the number, names, and faces of the gathered children.

As he drew closer, he could hear the blond priest’s words.

“Cha Yi-sol?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Cha Yi-sol, you will be partners with Eun-ha from now on.”

“Partners?”

“A detailed explanation will follow once all students have gathered. For now, please pair up with Eun-ha and line up. The student over there with blue hair is the Eun-ha I mentioned.”

“Okay!”

Cha Yi-sol approached the child the priest had pointed out.

The friend introduced as ‘Eun-ha’ by the priest had blue hair tinged with a warm turquoise hue. When Cha Yi-sol moved closer, the boy smiled softly, his expression kind and gentle.

“You’re Cha Yi-sol, right?”

“Yeah, you’re Eun-ha? They said we’re partners.”

“I think it’s because there’s a rule for priests to work in pairs of two.”

“So two people form a team?”

“That’s right.”

Eun-ha’s pearl-coloured eyes curved. It was a benevolent smile reminiscent of priests.

“Partners might change after the main ceremony, but they say many who meet during the initiation ceremony stay paired until the end. We might remain partners for a long time… so let’s work well together.”

“That’s totally awesome.”

“You think so?”

As he said that, Eun-ha let out a small smile, and Cha Yi-sol felt a sense of déjà vu from that smile.

‘Huh, he looks like Gio hyung.’

Cha Yi-sol instinctively sensed the difference between ‘Seo Gio’ and ‘Giovanni’.

The change in Gio’s hair or eye colour wasn’t merely a superficial matter—he had realized it signified a fundamental change in his personality and nature.

And Eun-ha’s smile bore an uncanny resemblance to ‘Giovanni’s’.

‘Why?’

Of course, Cha Yi-sol didn’t know the platinum-haired, blue-eyed Gio’s name was ‘Giovanni’, but he at least understood it was strikingly similar to Eun-ha’s.

“You have a really cool smile!”

Cha Yi-sol concluded simply.

“A hyung I know smiles like you.”

“…Smiles like me?”

“Yeah!”

“People like that aren’t exactly common.”

Eun-ha rolled his eyes to the side and seemingly muttered to himself.

“How strange.”

“…Yeah….”

Cha Yi-sol felt something was off.

‘He’s smiling, but it feels like he isn’t.’

Eun-ha’s smile was strikingly similar to ‘Giovanni’s’, but unlike Gio, whose warmth could be felt even without seeing him, it carried an inexplicable chill. It had the coldness of a snake or a riverside pebble he had touched before.

Unaware of Cha Yi-sol’s thoughts, Eun-ha asked with his faint smile still in place.

“Is the ‘hyung you know’ that person over there?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

Eun-ha was referring to Gio.

“It’s Gio.”

“……”

Blinking silently, Eun-ha asked again.

“Gio?”

“His last name is Seo. Seo Gio.”

“Ah, I see.”

Glancing at the black cloak whose face was completely hidden, Eun-ha remarked.

“He has a unique aura.”

“Right? He’s super warm, isn’t he?”

“Is he someone chosen by the Sun God? Or…”

“He said he’s a follower of the Sun God.”

“A follower.”

Eun-ha muttered in a faint voice.

“That’s not the extent of it.”

“Huh?”

“He seems like a very devout person.”

“Super warm, right?”

“He is.”

Yet also cold, as if not quite human.

Hearing the small mutter, Cha Yi-sol opened his eyes wide, unable to interpret Eun-ha’s words, but Eun-ha did not speak further about Gio. Instead, he asked about his family.

“Then, those black-haired people next to the black cloak… are they your family?”

“Yep. They look like me, right?”

“You do look very similar. I can tell you’re family at a glance.”

Eun-ha smiled faintly.

“I also resemble my older sister very much.”

“Really? Then she must be super pretty.”

“She’s someone as beautiful as a princess, I’d say.”

“Huh? Oh… really?”

Do people normally describe their older sisters as ‘someone as beautiful as a princess’?

‘Seems like a really educated person.’

Having picked up Cha Ara’s habit of speech, Cha Yi-sol concluded that Eun-ha was indeed an ‘educated person’. Something about his smile and even his tone of speech—calm and measured, like Gio hyung—made him seem incredibly refined.

And he liked that.

“Let’s be friends!”

“…Shall we?”

“We can take it slow.”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Since this friend seems to have trouble trusting people, I should be considerate.

“I’ll wait.”

Cha Yi-sol was a perceptive child.

***

The little mermaid always wanted to know about humans.

On the water’s surface where sunlight rippled like a net—what kind of life did they lead there?

Why did they, who couldn’t even breathe underwater, sometimes throw themselves into the sea? Why did they rot away like that?

What thoughts did they have, what did they eat, and in what way did they laugh, cry, and rage?

The mermaid swam upward.

Continued upward, until.

She saw the prince.

“…….”

It’s warm.

The warmth spreading across the water’s surface symbolized sunlight.

Platinum hair, filled with the net-like rays she had gazed up at from the deep sea, flowed in waves like the tide, shimmering like silver on the water’s surface. Despite bearing the color of the sea, the warm light-filled blue eyes exuded a sense of warmth.

The mermaid princess who ruled the sea was curious about humans.

Curious about the limits of humans.

“…….”

Would that human, who resembled sunlight, still be warm even in the depths of the sea?

So she took his hand, and just like that…

“…….”

Splash.

“…….”

Into the sea.

“…Ah….”

It seemed like she had fallen.

Eyes filled with pearls hazily blinked.

Her blurred focus soon sharpened, and her red lips curved into a languid smile. Before she knew it, she had already awakened from her sleep.

“My, my.”

The beautiful princess clad in a loose doctor’s coat, spoke.

“I had a pleasant dream.”

Isn’t that right, Giovanni?

Sprawled on the water’s surface, the little mermaid smiled.