Chapter 94

It seemed like some deep conversation had passed last night, but.

“…….”

Tada.

Jio's ultimate positive mindset was not bound by such things.

‘It seems Aria has hit puberty.’

It was also a time when one worried about all sorts of things.

‘I should respect that.’

It wasn't that I didn't know Aria was worrying a lot due to my identity and the surrounding environment.

However, to me, it wasn't a very serious problem and I just hoped that Aria could get used to my situation.

But even for someone like me, worries were bound to arise.

“…Hmm….”

“Teacher, is something wrong?”

“It seems I've created a dungeon.”

“Oh.”

Aria, who hadn't gone home yet even though the sun had risen, let out a heartfelt exclamation and spoke politely as if she were a gentleman.

“So you did possess a desire for revenge against the sources of your pain and death, my human teacher.”

“I don't have anything like that.”

“If it wasn't for the purpose of tormenting humans, why did you create a dungeon?”

“I painted it because I wanted to.”

“Aha.”

Aria nodded.

“If it's you, Teacher, that's possible.”

“I'm not sure what kind of being you think I am.”

“There's just something about you.”

In many ways, Jio was an unpredictable being. Even for Aria.

He could have created a dungeon from fragments of hatred and resentment towards humans, driven by his subconscious, or a dungeon could have just popped into existence after he engaged in his hobby with truly no thought or worry.

Aria's gaze joined Jio's on the picture frame he was looking at.

“Are you talking about this painting?”

“It's something I painted a while ago, but no matter how I think about it….”

“You're saying it seems like a dungeon?”

Aria asked, looking at the painting of a city filled entirely with achromatic colors.

“Its name?”

“…….”

Jio answered.

“City of the Void.”

The System definitely said so.

“Though it's not the name I gave it.”

“Then we'll have to assume the structure gave it the name.”

“What is a structure?”

“Ah… on Earth, they call it the Source.”

“The Source, you say.”

It was a name I had heard from Yu Seong-un from time to time.

Unlike how he called himself a Gardener, Yu Seong-un didn't readily share knowledge related to it, but I knew at least a little about the Source.

‘The boss of the Systems….’

I had understood it to be the parent body of all systems and the manager of all fates.

“I see.”

“What do you want to do with this, Teacher?”

“I didn't want to do anything.”

Jio felt a little wronged.

“I just painted it because I wanted to.”

What kind of painter paints a picture hoping for practicality?

“A painting on a canvas is for viewing, not for chewing, tearing, tasting, and enjoying.”

For example, one doesn't paint a picture to beat someone up.

While it might be traded here and there for its monetary value or additional factors, a painting fundamentally existed for appreciation.

Aria, who had been silent for a moment at Jio's words, asked.

“Are you trying to say you created a dungeon without any intention?”

“Is there some problem?”

“There are quite a few….”

A dungeon could not be created without intention.

It was the act of creating a world, a set of laws, nothing less.

No matter how diverse the methods of a dungeon's formation were, it was thought that one could not be created without the will of the dungeon master.

‘But he created this just because he wanted to paint it.’

The shimmering gray city enters her vision.

“…….”

Soon, Aria showed her characteristic languid smile.

It was a smile so perfect and beautiful that it could capture the hearts of many ladies if she were to enter high society right away.

“Well, that could happen.”

“Right?”

“Of course, of course.”

Wasn't this the same Aria who had already given up on fully understanding Jio?

‘I thought he wasn't ordinary even when he was human, but to think his essence was like this.’

If it was the incomprehensibly high-statured Jio, he could create a world with a single brushstroke.

After all, it was perfectly natural for a painter to create a world called a painting.

“So what exactly is the problem?”

“I was wondering if it's okay to just leave it like this.”

“Hmm….”

“I don't want to throw the painting away.”

“Why would you throw this away? What a waste.”

A dungeon is, after all, a dungeon, a world that is bound to draw something in.

‘If left like this, people from Earth might get eaten.’

What could be done even if Jio had no such intention?

When a human steps on a bug while walking down the street, do they intend to do so?

Even if it was a world Jio painted meaninglessly as a hobby, someone was eventually bound to be pulled into the dungeon.

‘But I don't think I need to tell him this right now….’

This painting, too, was ultimately a world that Jio had painted.

‘Which means a world like this is unlikely to do something that displeases the Teacher, who can be called its master and parent.’

What kind of laws and tastes it possessed would become known naturally over time.

“…I think we'll have to leave it be for now to find anything out.”

“Is that so?”

“It's also a dungeon that was made not too long ago.”

Aria scanned the gray painting up and down.

“You haven't created any separate children of your own, right?”

She was referring to the dungeon's monsters.

“A dungeon that was just born doesn't work actively. Unless you personally egg it on, Teacher, its growth will be slow as long as you leave it alone, so you don't need to worry too much.”

“…….”

“Teacher?”

“…Am I a parent?”

Jio's heart sank.

“Is this painting alive?”

“…It wouldn't be wrong to see it that way?”

Aria explained lightly.

“Not all dungeons are like that, but the more closely a dungeon is connected to its master, the stronger its tendencies as a living being become. It has a sense of self, in its own way, and it grows….”

“Is the ‘City of the Void’ that closely connected to me?”

“Its appearance as a living being also becomes clearer depending on the master's capabilities, and from what I can see, this is more than enough to be in that situation.”

“How could this be?”

I had become a shameless parent who gave birth without a single thought and didn't even know they had a child.

“I am trash.”

“I understand what you're thinking, but calm down, it's not like that.”

Looking at it broadly, one could call it a living being, but strictly speaking, it would be a stretch to say a dungeon was a true life form.

“In Earth terms, it's like artificial intelligence. It's a vast nature, so if you look closely, you can see its detailed flow and structure, and it's just that such an emotionless system looks like a single life form from a distance.”

It did not possess life in a practical sense.

“I'm saying you don't need to be so shocked.”

“I understand, but still, a corner of my heart aches.”

“It's amazing that a corner of your heart can still ache even after becoming like that.”

Jio was of a stature that was ambiguous to be called a complete human anymore.

The fact that he maintained this unique sensitivity was a miracle that was difficult for even Aria to explain.

“Hmm….”

Aria, who had examined the painting a little more, continued.

“…It's definitely a recently created dungeon, so it's immature in many ways.”

“How did you raise your dungeon, Aria?”

“I'm telling you, it's not a child…. Let's see, should I say I raised it? It's closer to creating contraptions here and there.”

“Creating contraptions?”

“Creating a game board.”

Aria, having observed various dungeons until now, could explain a little.

“In the case of my dungeon, it grew naturally as I simply stayed inside it. The environment was created according to my mental image, monsters came into being as I conducted research inside, and at some point, foreign substances came in, and in the process of finding ways to deal with them, various traps were installed….”

It meant that they grew together over a long period of time.

To Aria, her dungeon was closer to a dear friend than a child.

“I've also seen a dungeon master who set out to build the board with a clear purpose.”

“If they set out to build the board, for what purpose?”

“He was a fellow who prioritized how to express his hatred for humans in the most systematic way.”

Aria nodded.

“What's most important in managing a dungeon is ultimately the master's sense of purpose and their mental image. When what the master wants from the dungeon is clear, these things will grow more naturally.”

Of course, this dungeon had many exceptions.

“I'm not sure if your dungeon, Teacher, will be the same as the others. Originally, a world like this has a strong emotion towards something as its foundation and the dungeon master naturally has some kind of purpose….”

“I have no thoughts whatsoever.”

“That, I guess you could say, is the problem, if it is a problem.”

In many ways, it was different from the situation of other dungeons.

“Unless you intend it, Teacher, this dungeon will likely be different from any other. There might be no rules, there might be no monsters, the possibilities are diverse.”

“Does that become a problem?”

“Whether it becomes a problem or not, I don't know for sure, but it's a clear fact that how you utilize it is entirely up to you, Teacher. If you've created a world, it's bound to be that way.”

No structure exists that would try to go against the will of its creator.

“It's the same with Honey, whom you created, Teacher.”

“Ah, is he a child of the same case?”

“Come to think of it, on Earth, they see things like this and call them children of the Source….”

“Honey is Jio's child, though.”

“…….”

Suddenly, Aria realized.

“…Then I guess you're the Source, Teacher.”

This person could be the Source.

“Isn't that right?”

A pitch-black drawing paper that could become anything.

“…….”

“If that's the case, I won't have to worry about food expenses anymore.”

“…You really have no sense of tension….”

“Above all, being able to escape from the shackles of taxes is a great stroke of luck.”

“Is that really all you have to say?”

And so, she felt a little relieved.

“You really don't change.”

Perhaps because he has changed so much and can change further, it seems as if he is staying in the same place.

Aria felt a foreboding sense of peace and slowly tilted her head.

“So how do you plan to utilize this?”

“A vacation spot?”

“Are you serious?”

“Wouldn't that be nice?”

“…Well, it is up to you, Teacher.”

She had thought that among emotions, the most intense and vivid were anger and hatred.

That was why numerous monsters with deep hatred for humans could create worlds like this, and because they were its masters, a world that suited their tastes was created.

‘So if it's a world not made from such emotions at all.’

However he utilized it, it was up to Jio.

“…….”

However, a thought did cross her mind.

“If you've created a proper world that isn't a game board, can you still be called human?”

Jio answered with his characteristic blunt face.

“These things can happen in life. Aria, you have too narrow-minded a way of thinking….”

“Right, I knew you'd say that. I was a fool for asking, knowing the answer.”

He was so consistent it was almost creepy.

***

Jio visited the ‘City of the Void’ for the first time.

“…….”

“I see, so this is the world you created, Teacher.”

“…Isn't Iseur busy?”

With his disciple Iseur, who had grown up so much since he last saw him.

“Is it okay for the master of a dungeon to leave their post so freely?”

“In reality, I am the second master, so my presence or absence doesn't have a big impact.”

“I see.”

Well, a homeowner can be away from home, of course.

In the first place, Jio, the master of the ‘City of the Void,’ was visiting for the first time now; to think that a dungeon master must always be busy might have been Jio's own narrow-minded thought.

“…….”

But the feeling was a bit strange.

“…Is this the heart of a concerned parent whose children of marriageable age just stay cooped up in the family home…?”

“Since when do merfolk have a marriageable age?”

“I feel restless. I certainly wanted you to visit home often, but now that you seem to be settling in too much, my heart is complicated.”

“And what about the time you came to fetch me, saying your neighbor never comes to visit….”

“That is true, but.”

Still, I was a little worried.

“A dungeon is also a workplace that doubles as a home, so you won't be leaving it empty all the time, will you?”

“We also thought that it would be a bit of a problem for both of us to be away at the same time….”

Iseur nodded his head.

“We decided to take turns coming home.”

“I hope you don't feel the burden of having to visit your parents' home.”

“We come because we want to, so you don't have to worry about that.”

Iseur, having said that, smiled bittersweetly.

“I'm also a little scared that the place where you are, Teacher, might suddenly disappear.”

“Even though the door is wide open.”

But Jio didn't say any more. Separate from the fact that he was still resentful, weren't they students he had raised with plenty of affection?

‘Above all, the longer Iseur stays at my house, the more peaceful his heart will be and the peace of mankind will be protected.’

In many ways, there was no reason to dislike them visiting his house often.

“As long as it doesn't interfere with your own lives, I don't mind either.”

“Ah, then we will see you often.”

“It would be even better if you could bring some clams when you come.”

“Clams… How about fish?”

“That is also good. Since the place I live is a forest, I find myself craving seafood.”

Jio, who had nodded, turned his head to look at the gray world.

“So.”

“…….”

“What are your impressions?”

Iseur, who had taken in the City of the Void, slowly opened his mouth.

“…There's nothing here.”

It was, true to its name, an empty city.

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