"I became a painting."

"......"

Not a memorial portrait but a real painting.

"......"

And I've landed right in the middle of a cabin in the forest.

"…Guess I've retired to the countryside."

Though I’m ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) alive, being treated like a haunted portrait is interesting, so let it be.

Seojio was an art teacher.

A respectable member of society, the reason he became a haunted portrait was because he didn’t escape from the school fire in time and fell into his own painting while trapped in the art room.

"......"

It's real.

"If I was going to die anyway, I wanted to die at my favorite place."

That was the art storage room, the place that ultimately turned him into the painting he's talking about.

"Living brings such experiences."

Jio sat on a bench, taking in the landscape within the painting.

"......"

The air was mild.

Birds singing in harmony as if in a choir. A spring breeze as soft and light as silk.

Sunlight like scattered jewels through dense leaves. The right temperature and the dewy scent of a deep forest....

"Hmm."

It was peaceful.

"Nice."

About a week had passed since he regained consciousness in this cabin within the painting.

"The flow of time is erratic, so I'm not sure how long I've been here, but..."

It’s natural for a new tenant to scope out a few simple rules of their new home. Jio discovered a few such rules in this painting.

Firstly, everything he painted here became real.

"......"

While observing an apple he had drawn, Seojio put it down. It smelled of a well-ripened apple.

He was proud.

"I've freed myself from food expenses."

Indeed, I am commendable.

Haunted portrait or not, it was very welcome news for Seojio, a gourmet and a glutton.

An apple drawn became a real apple. A packet of salt drawn became real salt. The same was true for kitchen utensils like pots and spatulas, and even plants like flowers and trees.

"A question everyone might wonder at this point."

Humans cannot be drawn.

Though he attempted to mold humans out of paint, hoping to become the first human to do so, they only resulted in warm corpses, never becoming living, moving beings.

"Thankfully, the limitations are clear."

Jio nearly got cold feet. For him, who values friendship, peace, and love, the ability to create humanity would only be a curse.

Above all, Seojio's dream was closer to that of a landlord than a creator.

"I'm relieved that I haven't gained powers that could harm my charming and cute life."

And the second rule.

"......"

Jio’s gaze landed on a framed picture hanging on a wooden pillar.

"Is that like a front door?"

Through the frame, Jio could see the scenery outside.

"It might be there to emphasize the importance of communication, telling me not to age alone."

Interaction with reality was possible, allowing him to step out of the painting if he wished. Compared to the many haunted portraits in ghost stories Seojio knew, this one had a higher degree of freedom.

"Typical me."

Even as a painting, there's no way I’d follow the same path as others.

Jio was greatly satisfied with his own uniqueness in human history. It seemed unlikely that there was another like this in the world. If there were, it would be fate, which would be even better.

"......"

Anyway, moving on.

"...There really is no need to go out into society, where the air is filled with exhaust, to start anew."

Why leave this pristine area?

"In just a few years, much has changed from what I remember...."

At the prime age of 29, it was a bitter thing to mutter, but that was the reality. It had been about 30 years since the fire accident.

"Exactly 31 years."

Having learned this, Jio peacefully returned to the painting. This speaking potato had no confidence in adapting to a new society.

"I’ve been declared dead a long time ago; why would I go out and subject myself to some biological experiment?"

He had no intention of suffering unnecessarily, leaving behind this peaceful home where he didn't have to pay for food, rent, or electricity.

"I am a bit worried about my students... The world has changed so much, I have no idea how they are all doing."

It had been 31 years since the fire accident, and it seemed like the Earth had been turned upside down.

"They called it a 'great catastrophe.'"

Since that day, the world had seemed completely changed.

When Jio saw a business man in a suit fighting a monster the size of a house with a bow, he was tremendously startled and readily accepted his identity as a painting.

"Such things can happen in life."

This body has died and died again a hundred times over, neither becoming dust nor its spirit fading, but still, a life as a haunted portrait was better than dealing with monsters in modern society.

"There are various ways to live, and life as a portrait is one of them...."

And at this point, let's discuss the third story.

"...Hmm."

This forest is another ecosystem.

"Maybe I should go gathering."

Jio grabbed a sturdy basket. He intended to gather enough to eat.

"I only painted a two-story cabin and the surrounding forest, but as I wandered around, I found plants and landscapes I hadn’t drawn."

It seemed as if they had been created based on Jio’s imagination.

"......"

Rustle.

"Hello."

"Squeak."

"Right."

Jio watched as a rabbit that had popped out of the bushes rubbed against his foot.

'It's small.'

Much smaller and rounder than the rabbits commonly known in Korea, it seemed to reflect Seojio's preference for small and harmless things.

'I like it.'

Mainly because it seemed it couldn’t harm him. He seriously thought he could win if it came to a fight.

"Maybe it's because I, the owner of the painting, am harmless that only harmless creatures are placed here. A plausible guess...."

From then on, creatures slightly different from those in reality occasionally passed by Jio.

A squirrel with puffy cheeks. A sparrow with fluffy feathers as if it were winter. A deer with clear jewel-like eyes and a slender neck....

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"......"

Jio thought.

Fourth rule.

"...Even though it's our first meeting, it's so friendly it must recognize me as its father."

Everything in this painting showed kindness to Jio.

"Is it because I painted this place?"

Though he had become a painting, Jio was still a painter, and this world too was his creation.

"It's natural that the creatures living in such a work would be friendly to me, their creator."

Jio walked in the opposite direction of the stream.

"...As a jobless person, maybe I should find a sunny spot and take a nap."

He was on his way to find the source of this vast forest.

'It would be even better if I could gather some things along the way.'

Seojio was still a gourmet and a glutton. Though he had become a painting and no longer felt hunger or sleepiness, he could eat and sleep whenever he wanted.

'Still, if I eat too much, I feel bloated, and right after a long sleep, I can't sleep again... It seems that basic living patterns are still observed.'

Anyway, being able to eat as much as I want is a great advantage.

"...Ah."

As Jio walked along the stream in the opposite direction, he found bright red, round berries.

"They'd make a perfect snack."

A tree not quite 2 meters tall, its branches drooping like an overturned dish, thin. The slender branches were covered in berries the size of marbles sold in stationery stores.

The berries, fluffy and clustered along the elongated branches, resembled cherries more than grapes.

"I wonder if they could have a texture similar to raisins if dried in the sun...."

At that moment, Jio's 'system' described the small red berries.

Mangdung Berries

They are red. Sweet and sour, mostly sweet. The berries are spherical, ranging from 1cm to 2cm in diameter.

Processing method: Grind the thoroughly dried berries into powder and mix with the juice of Lurufu to make a dough. Dry it in a dark place for more than a week to make a medicine good for bleeding and recovery.

"...Could have given me a heads-up...."

Fifth rule.

"...Yeah, this will take some getting used to. Time is the medicine."

Actually, it’s hard to call this a rule of the forest... But it seems Seojio had awakened. It was a phenomenon that manifested among the superhumans who appeared after the 'great catastrophe.'

Now, people on Earth referred to these superhumans as 'Hunters,' which was fascinating.

'I've become one of those superhumans.'

It's like.

"A game."

The feeling of being dropped into a healing game where you gather and cook.

'It's fortunate that I can accept this unfamiliar environment so easily because of that feeling.'

It wasn't that he was escaping reality by pretending it was a game. It simply meant that being in a harmless and convenient environment like a game made it easier to adapt.

"...Hmm...."

After re-reading the system, Jio checked his basket. There was still plenty of room left.

"...Should I gather more?"

He plucked the berries until the bottom of the basket turned red, then neatly arranged a large, clean leaf to separate the space for other foraged items.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Creating a space for other potential finds turned out to be useful, as he soon found another herb.

"What is this?"

A small flower resembling an orchid.

Bybamunil

It emits a pale blue light. Smells like soft vanilla cream. It is edible after boiling in hot water for 10 minutes. It blooms where the forest butterflies of 'The Forest of Oblivion' die. The petals resemble butterfly wings.

Processing method: Boil in hot water to remove toxins, then dry in a dark place for 10 days. If dried on the leaves of the Dorongdorong tree, its medicinal effects increase. A day-long infusion on low heat with dried flowers makes a fragrant medicinal tea that is excellent for blood clotting and boosting immunity.

'It might taste quite different, but it seemed to have a texture like well-cooked spinach.'

Vanilla cream-scented spinach might sound strange, but it was surprisingly good to eat. Boiled and eaten as a snack, it was great when feeling peckish.

'The texture is fun too, soft enough to mush on the tongue like well-cooked chestnuts.'

Dorongdorong refers to a type of tree in this forest, similar to a baobab but much shorter.

The round, rolled-up leaves are thick and have a chewy, balloon-like texture. Such Dorongdorong trees were near the cabin, so Jio could easily collect their leaves.

"Just in case."

Jio diligently continued his gathering. Not just food, but also medicine for emergencies, so a wide range of gathering was necessary.

As he continued his gathering, Jio arrived at the source of the stream.

"......"

Tock.

Gurgle...

"......"

Spring water trapped by white tree roots that seemed to gather sunlight and moonlight.

Between the glass-like sparkling spring, delicate and beautiful flowers bloomed, resembling lotuses in their lushness.

"This will do...."

Lurufu

A flower with a lush bud. Only grows in clean water and blooms from that water. A fully bloomed Lurufu maintains its shape even when plucked. However, its petals can only produce juice when touched by warm water. While edible, it has no taste other than a strong scent.

Processing method: Place the petals in warm, edible water and wait until they dissolve and juice emerges. Never interfere during this process. The juice obtained can be used with various other medicinal ingredients.

Possible processing method: Blood dumplings made with Mangdung berries and Lurufu juice.

"Making medicine might come in handy someday."

Plop.

He set the basket down.

'Not that I'll likely need to use it, but I was bored anyway....'

He thought it was very suitable content for his new life, and after washing his hands in the spring water, Jio reached for a Lurufu flower.

Jio, with his typical stoic and somber face, cleanly snapped off the flower stalk. Despite his gloomy expression, his hands were delicately handling the flower.

'It might be fun to take the whole plant, but since it’s not a type I usually grow... I'm not sure where the roots start and end in a water-based flower. It would be upsetting if the population decreased from my experiments, so I must be careful.'

The Lurufu he plucked was already fully bloomed, and no water flowed out, meaning Jio had harvested the flower correctly.

"It smells nice."

Jio carefully placed the flower buds into the basket.

There were about 20 flowers blooming in the spring, but just to be safe, he only gathered three. The petals were so large and lush, like lotus flowers, that taking more seemed wasteful.

'The stem feels quite sturdy too. I wonder if there’s another way to use it. It feels fibrous, almost like it could be peeled into threads if torn vertically....'

After Jio had packed all the flowers,

"That should be enough."

He would slowly figure out the correct dosage when making the medicine, and set the basket with the flowers back down.

Then he admired the spring.

"......"

Drip,

Gurgle....

"......"

The shallow sound of clear water flowing.

The pure scent emanating from the clean spring.

The moist air of the forest.

"...Nice."

This spring, though he hadn’t painted it, was more beautiful than he imagined.

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The dead but steadfast tree shone white, resembling expensive Carrara marble.

Complex veins allowed the sky to subtly penetrate through them, and between those veins, transparent spring water flowed out, scattering sunlight like gold.

'It looks like pearls were thinly spread out.'

The sap of this tree had turned into gems as it solidified. Whether it secreted sap before dying or not, light blue, dish-shaped wide and winding gems sprouted like mushrooms all over the tree.

The transparent turquoise gems resembled large jewel dishes, holding the sunlit spring water and embracing a gentle light.

"......"

Drip...

The spring water sequentially flowed down these jewel dishes.

From the highest point, one by one, making a clear sound like morning dew pearls. If you listened closely, it felt like hearing the song of butterflies.

The scattered sunlight illuminated the tree that resembled marble, making it seem as though he had entered a temple.

"......"

The water that flowed down formed a shallow well at the roots of the dead tree.

The overflowing spring water spread throughout the forest, and butterflies with sun-like wings illuminated the area. It was like seeing fireflies during the day.

"Marvelous."

The spring, taking root in the giant tree, also appeared like a vast pond.

'...There’s a saying that good water carries a fragrance, but I wonder if that applies to such clean water as well.'

The air wrapped around this place was nutty and sweet, as if lying above a flower bed. Perhaps the scent of Lurufu petals was infusing the spring water.

"......"

Indeed....

"People should retire to the countryside."

Jio was pleased with this place.

He nestled himself among the soft moss, which felt like a fluffy blanket, and slowly closed his eyes for a nap.

"Here."

The forgotten art storage of an abandoned school.

There, a man in a portrait, quietly closed his eyes.

"Look at this painting."

"Wow, how did it survive the fire intact?"

"It's in good condition... Wonder if taking it will count as a success?"

"Does it have a name?"

"Is there a name too? It was an item then."

Then the final rule.

Jio had become a painting.

"......"

"'Jio’s Portrait,' it says."

That was an undeniable fact.

"It’s convenient to travel with someone who has the appraisal skill... But is this really from Earth?"

"A normal portrait in such an abandoned school, deep in the mountains, and still this clean? No one's taking care of it?"

"Yeah, that’s probably right."

"It must have drifted in from some dungeon. There are many dungeons around here."

"Anyway, collectors would love this. They’re crazy about this kind of stuff."

As Jio slept,

The entrance to the painting was changing on its own.