The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 122



Only Noblemtl

Episode 122

Argio is not a name.

“beautiful”

cruel.

『Geo』

beast.

“Am I a monster?”

It meant ‘cruel beast’.

* * *

“There are evil spirits in quite a few dungeons.”

Inside the dungeon, which was heavily colored with the colors of primitive religion, the priest of the Solar Church, Kang Seo-dam, explained.

“There are so many of them compared to the traditional gods who value peace and mercy. Does any of you know the reason for this?”

“Because, unlike traditional gods, evil gods can be easily created artificially.”

“That was a good answer, Sister Iruda.”

Bam.

“I put my wand on the mossy marble floor,” said Kang Seo-dam.

“It is not difficult to make a white garment that has been stained with black paint even blacker. You can smear it with charcoal, you can crush it with dirty shoes, you can put it in a mud pit. However, from the moment a white garment is stained with black paint, it can no longer be called a ‘white garment.’”

The corpses of monsters were burning around Kang Seo-dam and the prospective priests.

“It is much easier to make a garment black than to keep it white. It is much easier to degrade than to maintain a noble mystery. There are more ways to become dirty than ways to become pure.”

As the monsters’ corpses completely turned to ash, Kang Seo-dam looked around.

“I’m sure this place is safe. Let’s take a short break and continue our conversation. All prospective priests, please take your seats.”

“Yes, Father.”

A group of young priests, about ten years old, sat huddled together near an old altar. There was blood and bones here and there, as if it was a place for offering sacrifices, but there were no children here who would be frightened by such things.

Kang Seo-dam continued speaking while standing after confirming that all the priests were seated.

“Similarly, there are many ways in which evil gods can be created compared to traditional gods. For example, the dungeon we visited was a place where living sacrifices were made to evil gods.”

“Isn’t that what happened on Earth?”

“Yes, the Sun Cult understands it to be a history from another dimension. The name of this cult is Sankalut, and they torture newborns and the elderly in creative ways, tying them to altars and leaving them there until they die.”

It was a terrible story for children to hear, but while some children were horrified by it, none were afraid. It was proof that people on Earth today are living lives very close to death and suffering.

Kang Seo-dam also continued his explanation gently.

“The interesting thing is that the evil spirits worshipped by the Sankaluts were created beings.”

He looked over the prospective priests.

“Is there any brother who can explain to me how God came into being?”

“There is a monotheistic god who has existed since the beginning of a dimension, and there are traditional gods who are not monotheistic but were born in nature and destiny after the existence of the dimension.”

“What other gods?”

“You can escape your mortal fate and gain divinity, becoming a being called a god. I heard that you can either become a descendant of an existing god or walk the path of an evil god.”

“Thank you for your answer, Sister Iruda.”

Kang Seo-dam nodded.

“We call the gods who maintain the providence of dimensions and pursue coexistence ‘traditional gods.’ The one and only god who has existed since the beginning is one of them. All gods who are not mortal but born from nature and fate can be called ‘traditional gods.’”

He said, looking at the girl with her hair tied low.

“Also, as Sister Iruda said, there are cases where people escaped their mortal fate and attained divinity. More than 99% of those who twisted their fate and attained divinity in this way become evil spirits.”

“Why do beings who gain divinity from mortality become evil gods?”

“First, beings who have attained divinity by going against the natural order are likely to have wild and rebellious wills. Considering that most traditional gods value obedience and harmony, it is easy to see why they become evil gods.”

There was another reason.

“Second, mortals cannot understand immortals. Unlike traditional gods who are born immortal because they do not change and are eternal, those born mortal are prone to corruption by negative emotions because they change and think.”

That is why in this vast dimension there were more evil gods than good gods.

“Third, as Sister Iruda said, it is possible to create evil spirits artificially. What kind of artificial process is being referred to here?”

“It refers to the gathering of faiths of thinking creatures in one place.”

“That’s right. There are beings that are not worshipped as gods because they originally existed that way, but who acquired divinity or were born because they were worshipped as gods. This is the case with the Sankalut religion.”

Kang Seo-dam pointed to an old but splendidly decorated marble hall.

“If you look at the murals, you can see that the Sankaluts worshipped the red jewel that they could not even think of as a god, and praised the redness of the jewel, offering the blood of newborns and the elderly to maintain it.”

“Did that jewel really become an evil spirit?”

“Because it was a religion of the nation and its beliefs were also dark, the jewels truly became evil spirits. This dungeon was discovered and conquered early in the Great Calamity, and now remains as a resource for learning about the origins of the existence of gods and their influence.”

The girl with the low tail asked him again.

“If the conquest is complete, where is the evil spirit in the form of a jewel?”

“The level of risk has been determined and is currently stored in the Hunter Association Research Institute in Korea.”

The prospective priests were in an uproar at the Gangseo Dam.

“Association Research Institute…?”

“There was a place like that.”

“I thought it was in the collector’s gallery.”

“Isn’t a research lab a warehouse?”

Kang Seo-dam explained as if he was familiar with the reactions of such prospective priests.

“The collector’s gallery is open to outsiders who meet certain conditions, and even allows for purchases, but the association’s research center is not like that. Only the association’s staff manage the items, and sales are prohibited, and even information leaks to the outside are strictly prohibited.”

Kang Seo-dam said as if he understood.

“The gallery of the collectors will be familiar to you, the prospective priests.”

“Yes, and when spring comes, there’s a parade… isn’t it great?”

“If you become a full-fledged priest and belong to a denomination, you will become more familiar with the Association’s research institute.”

“Why is that so?”

“Because dangerous and sensitive items related to God require strict management and storage.”

It was difficult to expect such seriousness from the collection in the ‘Gallery’, since the guild leader himself was talking about ‘loving the work’.

“Do you have any other questions regarding the storage of evil spirits?”

“… … .”

“Yes, there isn’t. That’s good.”

Kang Seodam moved his body and stepped back to get a better view of the marble altar.

“It was here that the sacredness of the Sankalut religion was created. Do you feel it?”

“I felt that I should not have faith lightly.”

“Thank you for your proactive attitude, Sister Iruda.”

Kang Seo-dam nodded as if he had done well.

“I don’t know what kind of god you will worship in the future, or what religion you will join. But you must never forget that even gods are ultimately swayed by faith.”

The novice priest who was to be renamed raised his hand again.

“I have a question, Father.”

“Please speak.”

“Have there been instances where a human, rather than a jewel, was worshipped as an evil spirit?”

“It is not uncommon for this to be confirmed.”

Kang Seo-dam rolled his eyes as if remembering something.

“As I said before, there are evil spirits in quite a few dungeons. This is why evil spirits are classified as a type of monster, unlike traditional gods. They are easy to create, but they are also easy to seal and destroy.”

Unlike traditional gods, who were difficult to destroy because they were nature and destiny itself.

“Most of those who have become evil spirits in human form have physical forms. Beings born immortal and beings born mortal have different roots, and because they can think as humans, they face various limitations.”

“… … .”

“That is why those who have become evil spirits in human form are all subdued or sealed and are kept on Earth. Most of them have vague thoughts, feelings, and desire to eat and drink something. This is also a limitation that holds them back.”

A bound person cannot become a true god.

“We call them gods because they can encompass anything. If they don’t have the capacity to encompass at least one dimension, they are nothing more than monsters that have been subdued at some point. So in reality, the distinction between evil gods and monsters is blurred.”

“… Then what if I could become a god with a mortal body and embrace everything?”

“There are only two cases discovered so far, but they are of course real. Both of them gave up their rationality as living beings and wished to become a single system that coordinates nature and destiny.”

“Then there is no God with will and self?”

“There is. There is a God with will and self, so even now on Earth, we often find gods enjoying play. Just remember that they are just ‘will’ and ‘self’ in human terms.”

God was nature and fate.

“What we see as will may have been but a single breath to God, and what we think of as the affectionate personality as self may have been but a single strand of hair to God.”

“I don’t understand.”

“This is a very dangerous statement. As a person who has entered the bosom of God, there are some things that we must bear in mind. We must not understand God, we must not calculate, and we must not expect anything from Him.”

That was God.

“Don’t try to measure them.”

Even analyzing it didn’t work.

“If that’s possible, then it means you’ve already become something other than human.”

“…Was I rude?”

“There is no problem as a prospective priest. However, please keep in mind that even if you just look and follow the gaze to understand, you can suffer a disaster like divine punishment.”

“Am I being punished by heaven just for looking at it to try to understand?”

“It is not a punishment from heaven, but a disaster of that kind. Even though God had no intention of punishing you, it will come to pass in the end.”

“Thank you for your advice.”

“I’m glad you accepted.”

Kang Seo-dam continued speaking.

“There is a saying that says not to look into the eyes of God.”

“If you look at it, you’ll go crazy, so don’t do it… .”

“It is a problem beyond the realm of human perception.”

There are photographs that capture the entire landscape of the Earth without any omission. It is impossible to capture all of them at once, which easily exceeds hundreds or thousands, and if you try to do so, your eyes will burst and your brain will rot.

That was what it meant to see God.

“Are there any other questions?”

At Kang Seo-dam’s words, a boy with curly hair, Chae Sol, raised his hand.

“Are evil spirits that harbor pure evil treated as monsters?”

“… pure evil… .”

He spoke at length.

“In our Solar Church, we do not treat pure beings as monsters.”

However, this was interpreted differently depending on the religion. This is because it is still an era where the distinction between gods and monsters is vague.

“Some religions say that the results of evil cannot be pure.”

“ah….”

“The standards of justice and nobility are similar for everyone, but the standards of evil are different for everyone.”

“… … .”

“I wonder if there can be such a thing as pure evil in the first place.”

It was a difference of perspective.

“That is why there are so many evil spirits.”

It may be an obvious ‘evil’ to the vast majority, but it may be a ‘good’ to a small minority.

Who can set absolute standards for good and evil?