inserting things into their bodies."

Having had quite a few conversations by now, Gio spoke without hesitation.

"I’ve made about 100 birds so far, but each of them had different preferences. Some preferred gems, some wanted flowers, some searched for branches or stones. Sometimes they went for small fish or fruits from trees."

Gurgle!

When the portrait waved its hand, the bird sitting atop it flew away, making the sound of water.

"They don’t move according to my aesthetic sense. They have their own distinct preferences. That may have been influenced by me, but... now I can’t force it."

"That’s just like a real bird."

"This is a painting. What I, the owner of the painting, paint becomes real. If they wish, they can live and breathe. It’s possible."

"......"

"Does this answer suffice?"

Yoo Seong-Woon, after a brief silence, spoke again.

"This bird doesn’t seem like a simple painting. It feels alive. Could it, like you, leave the portrait?"

"Well..."

Gio didn’t give a clear answer. He seemed either unsure or unwilling to share. Yoo Seong-Woon didn’t push it, moving on without much concern.

He cautiously asked.

"Here..."

"......"

"Is there a soul inside?"

Since the dungeon appeared and 31 years had passed, people had acknowledged the existence of 'souls'. Skills targeting souls had emerged, making this an inevitable trend.

Though not a rare occurrence, it was certainly uncommon.

"Did you just create a bird with a soul?"

"Well..."

Another vague answer.

'I can’t tell what he means.'

The portrait remained as stoic as ever.

It wasn’t a face one would associate with someone who had just created life. This made it all the more strange and unsettling.

'It’s like he performs actions that don’t seem human, but his eyes, nose, and mouth all resemble a person’s. Is that why it feels so eerie?'

There was a dissonance unlike anything he had seen with monsters or similar beings.

The portrait responded calmly.

"I don’t know."

"If you, the owner, don’t know, who would?"

"No one might."

His voice was clear.

"I just painted. And I’m the one who entered the painting."

"......"

"I can decorate this painting, and the things I decorate become real within it. Just like when you, Yoo Seong-Woon, painted an apology for me..."

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

"......"

"Because, after all, it’s a painting."

A trivial-sounding remark, but it wasn’t untrue.

‘A painting inside a painting is indeed real.’

Yoo Seong-Woon paused before asking again.

"You created a bird inside the painting. You painted a gem for me and then delivered it to me."

"Correct."

"Gio, you’re certainly a painting, but also a human, and can affect reality."

He asked.

"Then, can you paint true life here?"

"......"

"Not just leaving and entering the painting like before, but could you paint a fate, past, or memory? Or perhaps..."

"......"

"A real person."

Gio eventually responded.

"It may be possible, or it may not."

"......"

"But I don’t wish to do that."

"...Why? Isn’t being inside the painting lonely or boring?"

"I don’t feel lonely here."

His tone was still stoic.

"I am comfortable here. The weather is always pleasant, the spring wind blows, and the scent of the forest fills the air. Nothing is cumbersome or tiring."

"......"

"If I ever feel bored, I can just create a new friend like this. That’s enough."

Yoo Seong-Woon was a bit surprised.

"Are you satisfied with your peaceful painting world?"

All the other beings he had encountered had always sought something from reality. Whether or not they had a self, their actions were instinctual, like the stems of plants reaching for sunlight.

"Don’t you have the urge to leave?"

"I’m tired."

"That’s... understandable, but..."

"I don’t want to leave. This is my home now."

"......"

He clearly said 'now'.

'...So there was a time when you didn’t live in this portrait.'

The portrait claimed to be human and said there was a time it didn’t stay in the painting, but there was no guarantee that place was Earth.

'It could have been another dungeon or dimension. No, considering Gio’s usual remarks, the probability of it being this world is higher.'

Regardless of Yoo Seong-Woon’s thoughts, the portrait continued.

"I cannot create creatures that threaten me."

"...Threatening creatures?"

"Humans are always capable of causing harm to others. The only creatures I can create are those that are friendly towards me. That’s the rule of this portrait."

"......"

"I didn’t know at first, but after trying several times, I realized. Because I am the owner of this portrait, I can’t create a being that could erase me. Therefore, I cannot paint humans."

The portrait murmured.

"A portrait without an owner cannot exist."

After saying this, Gio looked at Yoo Seong-Woon.

"I find it uncomfortable to create humans."

"Why?"

"Because it’s too special."

"Isn’t special a good thing?"

"I’m not special enough for it, so no, it isn’t."

"......"

"My specialness is enough to be a talking portrait."

That was certainly a profound thought that couldn’t be attributed to just a painting with a self.

'It’s clear this is no ordinary monster or item.'

And that made it even more chilling.

"......"

"Is this sufficient as an answer?"

"Today, yes."

If it’s neither a monster, item, nor ghost, nor human...

"I’ll see you next time."

What on earth is this?