The Artist Who Paints Dungeon
Chapter 194

“So what did you say...?”

At Yoo Seong-Woon’s trembling question, Gio calmly answered even as his shoulders were being gripped.

“I refused, of course.”

“I’m really glad you have enough common sense to call that ‘of ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ course’...”

“What exactly do you think of me?”

“A portrait that charges in the moment it finds something interesting.”

“That’s not entirely wrong, but I feel wronged.”

Even Gio had basic preferences like anyone else.

“Who in the world enjoys being kidnapped?”

“There might be some. The world’s full of crazies.”

“I can’t argue with that, but I don’t think I’m that kind of crazy.”

“You saying that puts me at ease more than I can explain.”

Only then did Yoo Seong-Woon exhale deeply and let go of Gio’s shoulders.

“Those mermaid friends of yours sure are something. Who asks permission before a kidnapping?”

“They’re not exactly normal friends, are they?”

“So why did they want to kidnap you in the first place?”

“They didn’t explain in detail.”

“And you have no guesses?”

“I think they just don’t want me directly involved in this fight.”

Though he had platinum hair and blue eyes, Gio continued in his usual flat tone.

“This isn’t my battle.”

“Not your battle?”

“I’ve never been directly involved in the mermaids’ affairs.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit of a ridiculous thing to say?”

“To be precise, my connection with my mermaid disciples ended on the ocean planet.”

It ended the moment ‘Giovanni’ died.

“To put it simply, I’m like a side character in a spinoff now. The mermaids grew to resent humans after Giovanni’s death, and ever since, they’ve been destroying planet after planet. Earth isn’t any different.”

Only this time, things had momentarily diverted after meeting ‘Gio’s Portrait.’

“They seem to believe they should take responsibility by doing the same things they’ve always done.”

“So they’re trying to exclude you from the conflict? Because your presence would muddy their sense of accountability?”

“Or maybe... they just wanted to try kidnapping me once, for the fun of it.”

“Don’t say that so casually...”

“I don’t think my tone was that casual. Your voice is trembling, Mr. Yoo Seong-Woon.”

“Can you blame me?”

His precious Origin had almost been kidnapped by some thugs from the ocean. Even if he knew it wouldn’t truly harm Gio, he couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“The ocean’s been in chaos lately anyway. It’s been stressing me out.”

“Is the sea really that noisy?”

“Looks like those mermaids really can affect the ocean. We’ve been detecting big and small tremors from the deep sea, and it turns out a massive native monster that had been sleeping is starting to move.”

“Oh dear. Should we be worried about tsunamis?”

“That’s part of what we’re preparing for. Damn, I don’t even like the ocean that much...”

“Yet I recall you were dispatched there quite often.”

“Well, ice-type hunters do have the advantage in water.”

At the very least, he could keep himself alive.

“The eastern coastline’s been going crazy.”

“That’s where the entrance to the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ was, right?”

“I already relayed the mermaids’ declaration of war to the guild leader. Other guilds must be making preparations too. Judging by how noisy the Association and Justitia are, they must be bracing for civilian casualties.”

“Did they officially declare not to engage the enemy?”

“Not a declaration, per se... more like, they’re watching things closely, waiting for the worst.”

They were certainly keeping a close eye on the situation.

“The sea level’s risen a lot. Not many people live near the shoreline anymore, so evacuation isn’t too hard. The real problem is what exactly the mermaids are planning to do to the ocean.”

Yoo Seong-Woon glanced at Gio.

“Don’t you have anything to say, as their old teacher?”

“Well... back then, my disciples were still immature...”

They hadn’t been fully synchronized with the sea like they were now.

“But mermaids are known as children of the sea. More precisely, descendants of the deep. They possess many ocean-related powers.”

“Like what kind of powers?”

“Becoming one with the ocean, for example.”

“That already sounds like a headache.”

“Or altering ocean currents...”

“They’ve lost their minds.”

Even one of those powers would be enough to doom the planet. Shifting currents alone could destroy Earth’s climate and systems.

Gio rested his chin on his hand.

“With all this commotion in the deep sea, tsunamis aren’t unlikely. The ocean is fundamentally a vessel of natural disaster. It’s perfectly suited to sweep away crowds of people.”

“Can they do that so easily, like breathing?”

“No, not exactly. Earth’s ocean isn’t their family. No matter how hard mermaids without divinity try, they can’t just dominate a foreign ocean like it’s their own.”

“Then?”

“It’ll take time. But they’ve built up plenty of divine authority, so I don’t think it’ll take long. Mentally, they seem to be fully prepared.”

“So basically, it’s a race against time.”

They had to act before Earth ended up like the mermaids’ previous planets.

“We should start gathering a raid team, fast.”

“Like last time in the quadruped rainforest, with hunters from different guilds?”

“It’s a risky situation, and the rewards are uncertain, so I don’t know how many will participate—but it won’t be zero.”

Koreans had a particular national trait.

“They bicker all day normally, but the moment a national disaster strikes, they band together. That’s just how it is here...”

As Yoo Seong-Woon predicted, quite a few guilds expressed interest.

Big-name guilds, especially, had no choice but to join—if only for public perception. The Church of the Sun in Seoul, along with the Moon Temple, had already pledged participation, and Justitia announced it would assist in rescue operations.

“We’ve already issued evacuation orders to coastal regions.”

“Justitia will be standing by in those zones, apparently.”

“Hopefully the chaos can be contained near the coast...”

“What about public backlash?”

“Thanks to extra support from the Association, there haven’t been major problems aside from general anxiety.”

“Tell people to retrieve important items or family members now. Once this progresses any further, it’ll be hard to return. Let’s avoid later complaints.”

“We’ve secured land use agreements. Once the houses are demolished, we’ll set up defensive barriers. Did we get full cooperation from nearby districts?”

The confusion from the Great Catastrophe hadn’t faded that long ago. Even historically strong guilds hadn’t completely recovered from the fear of dungeons, so they’d all been preparing carefully.

That’s why they could respond so quickly to a sudden disaster like this. Honestly, they were almost grateful that the monsters had made an official declaration of war.

“But seriously, why did that monster even bother to speak first?”

“I heard it approached some collector staff on vacation in Jeju Island...”

“I heard that too. Apparently, Sergio the hunter and Yoo Seong-Woon had previously been dispatched as a rescue team to the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom.’”

“Maybe it recognized them from back then and gave a heads-up? You can never guess what monsters are thinking...”

“Maybe it figured they were worth giving a warning to.”

That’s when talk of ‘Sergio the Hunter’ began.

“Is Sergio participating this time too?”

“The Collector’s Guild hasn’t given a definite answer, but come on—he wouldn’t skip it, would he?”

“I heard he really likes helping people. It’d be weird if he didn’t show up.”

“Unless the guild leader locks him down, he’ll participate.”

“Wait—why would a guild leader lock down their own guild member...?”

“You haven’t heard? Rumor has it he’s a blood relative of Bisa Beul, raised in captivity by the Collector’s Guild.”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Must you say things that cause division during times like these? Are you trying to start a fight with the collectors?”

“I’m just saying, isn’t it weird?”

Then the Collector’s Guild made it official.

“Sergio will be participating too?”

“Apparently in the rear lines.”

“Well, he is a tamer. Makes sense.”

“Actually, I heard he can really fight...”

“This guy? You want to send a tamer to the front lines? What are you, a demon?”

“No, I mean seriously—”

“He’s a healer too! Are you insane? Who puts a tamer and a healer on the front lines?”

In this era, tamers and healers were mainly support roles in the rear. Both were perceived as fragile.

Those who didn’t know the truth about ‘Sergio the Hunter’ assumed it was only natural he’d be stationed in the back. And even those who did know didn’t object too much.

“Well, he is a tamer.”

“Putting a healer up front would be insane.”

That’s just how the world saw things. No matter how strong he was, the idea of placing a rear-position class up front was unacceptable. Thanks to that, Gio was safely assigned to the back lines.

Argio was slightly displeased.

“......”

“Mr. Gio, this isn’t your battlefield.”

Before he left for the safe zone, Joo-Hyun came to check on him and gently reassured him. Gio nodded.

“I know.”

“Then why are you grumbling so much?”

“I haven’t said a word. What grumbling are you talking about?”

“It’s all over your face.”

“You know me too well. That’s uncomfortable.”

“I know that’s not what you really mean.”

Being the 24-year-old personality, Argio grumbled more than the other versions of Gio. A temperament used to running wild would find it unbearable to be shackled to the rear lines.

And then, some exciting news reached Gio.

“An... an attack...!! It’s an assault! All combat-capable hunters, report to your stations!!”

“What?! There hasn’t even been a front-line alert from the coast yet!!”

“Hail is falling from the sky—and monsters are emerging from it! We don’t know what’s going on...!!”

Hunters who had been guarding the perimeter quickly called for backup. Those stationed in the rear scrambled for their weapons and gear. They soon understood the meaning of the phrase monsters are emerging from hail.

“What the hell...!!”

The moment they stepped outside the tents, they were met with a bitter, freezing wind. Amid the violent gusts, large and small hailstones pelted the ground.

Crash!

One especially loud hailstone hit and began to melt—turning into a grotesque monster.

“S-Slime?!”

“Slimes don’t look like that!!”

“What is that...?! It’s horrifying!!”

The creature, as if made from melted flesh, slithered and lunged at people.

“Request support from the front lines!!”

“Comms are down! We’ve sent teleport-capable hunters ahead!”

“There weren’t any monsters in the ocean—so why are they falling from the sky?!”

Amid the hunters’ confusion, battle had already begun.

“Whoops.”

Crunch!

Yoo Seong-Woon awkwardly smiled after skewering a monster with an ice spear.

“This is a mess.”

“A surprise attack?”

“Yeah, you could call it that. I feel embarrassed—so focused on the sea, I forgot the sky.”

“I didn’t expect the mermaids to attack like this either.”

“Gio, how long can you hold out?”

Shrrrk!

Pulling out his spear, Yoo Seong-Woon continued.

“How far can your current body go?”

“It’s not quite the same as when I’m at home.”

He meant inside the portrait. Yoo Seong-Woon nodded in understanding.

“There must be restrictions. Just don’t overdo it. If you get hurt, my heart will literally shatter.”

“So it’s not like it’ll shatter—it’s already determined to?”

“That’s how curators are. Even a faint scratch on their precious work feels like the end of the world. They sob and curse everything. Understand?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“I am dramatic.”

But that was better than creating an irreversible disaster.

“So please be careful. Got it?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

And whether he truly did just keep it in mind—

A few days later, news spread that Gio had gone missing.

Yoo Seong-Woon’s cries of despair echoed like a wail across the battlefield.