Chapter 36

It wasn't that I hated playing, but the energy permitted to me was rather limited.

“…….”

“…….”

“…Honey, if your dad is sprawled out, you should at least nag him.”

“…Kkungkungkungkung….”

“There’s no hope if we’re both sprawled out, you know.”

The ‘busy, busy modern society’ that I had met again had completely drained my stamina.

‘I wouldn’t be this tired even if a vampire sucked my blood.’

I think it wasn't exactly a peaceful and gentle country to begin with.

But after 31 years, the Republic of Korea had turned into Hell Korea.

A frail person like me got scared.

Sprawled on the bed like a 29-year-old rag, I kneaded Honey, who was spread out like a liquid monster.

“As far as I know… I should still be synchronizing with Giovanni.”

“Kuruk?”

“That feeling is much less pronounced when I’m inside than when I was outside.”

“Kururu?”

“The synchronization speed has slowed down too.”

Synchronization Rate 14.8%

“I think I filled up about 6% when I dipped my feet in Cheonggyecheon.”

“Kkuk.”

“And it was almost 4% when we moved to the restaurant through the waterway….”

They had the commonality of being water-related actions.

“I wonder if it’s because he has a strong connection with water.”

It was Giovanni’s story.

Anyway, the synchronization speed was much faster when I was in reality than when I was just sitting still inside the painting.

“It must be a characteristic of the world inside the portrait.”

“Kurururu….”

During synchronization, I felt my old life patterns exactly.

I would get hungry at the right time, I had to sleep after working hard, my body that had been strangely light became heavy….

But I felt this after returning from sightseeing in Seoul; inside the portrait, that sensation became a little duller.

“It might be because even during synchronization, inside the portrait I’m treated as a painting, not a human. Here, even the emotions I feel are treated as a ‘painting’.”

When I was the subject, even if the object was something formless, it seemed to be judged as a ‘painting’ for now.

Just like it wasn't a problem for the 1:1 system when I felt grateful to Yu Seong-un and arbitrarily gifted him fruit cheong.

“…….”

Do I go back to being a ‘portrait’ once the synchronization is over?

“I wonder what a human who can only be a portrait unless they synchronize with someone else would be like.”

“…….”

“That’s just so cool.”

“Kuruu….”

“There probably isn't a portrait like me anywhere else in the world. I shall be confident.”

Today, too, my self-esteem soared to the sky.

“As expected, I’m amazing.”

My humanity did not yield to the mere identity of a haunted portrait.

My sense of self was too strong for such a trivial problem to cause confusion in my identity.

“Let’s just get something to eat.”

“Kururuk.”

The topic of their conversation eventually shifted to food.

They were no different from pigs.

“Heave-ho.”

It was only after exactly 29 hours and 36 minutes had passed that I lifted myself from the bed.

Honey, however, seemed to have no intention of doing so and was still sprawled out.

He was a precious young master who knew very well that I would pick him up and carry him.

“Do you have any idea how annoying and cute you are when you act like that?”

“Kkung.”

“You think being cute is everything? You’re right, that’s all that matters in this world.”

“Kururururururu.”

“You have already fulfilled your purpose with your cuteness.”

In my opinion, there seemed to be no emotion that brought more peace to humanity than cuteness.

“I shall be in charge of today’s meal.”

As always.

“Should we go to the garden after a long time and check how much it has grown?”

“Kkungkungkung….”

“To think you’re too lazy to even fly there, your laziness has reached the heavens. I’ll put you in a basket, so just stay still.”

“Kkuuuuungkururu!”

“Where do you think you’re sending me alone, hey. Tsk. No, we go together. Dad will be lonely.”

I swept the slithering liquid monster into a basket.

Honey cried out with a dissatisfied ‘kkungkungkung’ but was poured in and with a satisfied face, I carried the basket and left the cabin.

And witnessed Mother Nature.

“What is this?”

Where did my humble garden go and has the Amazon moved in?

“Where on earth did my small and precious garden go?”

“Kku, kuru….”

“My garden wasn’t like this.”

I had expected to see some sprouts at most, but far from cute sprouts, only the cherry tomatoes had grown to be about 3 meters tall.

“No, wait, can you even call a 3-meter-tall cherry tomato a ‘cherry’ tomato.”

No.

“Is it even a tomato in the first place?”

The tomatoes I knew weren’t the size of a small watermelon.

I, who had tried my hand at all sorts of farming, was thrown into confusion by a result I had never experienced before.

Not only had I not neglected the garden for that long, but they were definitely normal seeds and seedlings when I planted them, so why was a monster patch, not a garden, born?

“The state of the lettuce is….”

“…….”

“It is the second coming of Cthulhu.”

“Kururuk?”

“There’s such a thing.”

There’s an octopus monster god that can make even a perfectly sane person who can buy Bungeoppang for 5,000 won go insane.

“It looked just like that.”

And I knew that this was the spot where I had planted the lettuce.

“I must have planted an octopus, not lettuce.”

“Kuruk.”

“Don’t agree, Honey. Your dad gets hurt easily.”

The lettuce, with leaves more substantial than autumn cabbage, had shot up to the sky.

Its appearance was so majestic that I felt like I had been rejected without even confessing.

“A reality I couldn't have imagined.”

And the corn.

“…….”

“…….”

“I’m scared.”

I got scared.

“Is it a tree?”

The stalk was too thick, and the kernels were even thicker. It was very scary.

The horror of the potatoes and sweet potatoes hiding their forms underground was even greater.

Even though they hadn’t revealed their full form, the stems that had crawled out above the ground were like watching a horror movie.

“This strong life force… it’s alive.”

“Kuruk.”

“Don’t be a buzzkill by saying it was originally alive, Honey. Your dad knows that much.”

“Kkuk?”

“I meant that it looks like it’s about to start crawling on its own. It’s not supposed to do that.”

What was this if not a horror movie?

“The peas are….”

“…….”

“…Even a zombie that crawled up from hell wouldn’t be this obsessive.”

The pea vines, which had attached themselves almost parasitically to the nearby plants, were long and thin, doubling their grotesqueness.

They looked like they would start eating insects soon. Like spiders.

“So what on earth is this?”

What have I done?

“As expected, I’m amazing.”

No, not this.

“At this point, it’s just funny.”

“…Kkuk?”

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to say.”

When such an unexpected situation arose, it was simply amusing.

“I doubt the taste would have changed.”

Then it’s fine.

“It’s become a garden so mighty it looks like it could start a conversation with me soon, but….”

“…….”

“Still, let’s call this place a garden. I was embarrassed saying it myself, but we who know its humble beginnings must protect its identity.”

“Kuruu…?”

“Think carefully, Honey. Those things look like they’re about to start moving, and we need to make a good impression beforehand so we don’t get eaten.”

Half of it was a joke, and half was serious.

‘In a world that evolves even a human into a portrait, wouldn’t a plant with a sense of self be about average?’

My grandmother used to say, a mere human cannot know when disaster will strike, so one must always live humbly and wisely.

Today, too, I became a good grandson and faithfully followed the wisdom of my elders.

“…….”

But it is human instinct to want to blame someone else when an accident occurs.

“…Could it be that Mr. Yu Seong-un gave me monster seeds from the start?”

“Kkung.”

“Right, the seeds themselves looked normal even when I saw them. It must be a problem with this world.”

So I was very curious about how they would taste.

“Let’s have a taste….”

“…….”

“…….”

“……?”

Entering the monster patch, I doubted my eyes.

‘Are my eyes getting old?’

Or is this a hallucination?

“If this is reality, wouldn’t our safety be in danger, Honey.”

“…Kurururuk….”

“Why is there a dead deer here?”

I was very scared.

“Oh, gods of heaven and earth.”

Please look after this pitiful portrait.

“So really, why is it here?”

“Kururuk, kuruk, kuruk.”

“You can do it too? No, don’t compete. So who on earth caught this and put it here. Where did this deer even come from? Dad is very confused right now so please, Honey, don’t come out of the basket and do your self-PR….”

The monster patch was so overgrown that I hadn’t seen it well, but upon going inside, a clearly dead deer was lying there in a very fresh state.

Judging by the deer’s mighty and dependable appearance, it was not one that originally lived in my cabin forest.

The animals here were small and cute to suit my taste.

“…….”

Tree-Horned Deer

An herbivore that camouflages itself by blooming flowers or autumn leaves on its horns according to the season.

It usually avoids fights with other animals, but if its camouflage is discovered, it falls into a state of extreme excitement and rampages.

Its metallic horns, teeth, and hooves can easily break animal bones. As part of its camouflage, it emits the scent of nuts, flowers, or fruits.

Elixir Recipe: The processed meat, deboned and dried in the sun, gives a strong sense of satiety and heals minor abrasions.

Habitat: The Ruined Abilas Rainforest_Animal Kingdom

I shuddered.

“I’ve finally gone and done it.”

In this life of ours where we can’t know what a single moment ahead holds, I had expected the final day to come someday if I lived so thoughtlessly, but that end came sooner than I thought.

“The day of ruin will come soon.”

“Kkung?”

“An invasive species has entered.”

I, who had no means to protect myself other than the ability to draw a potato, was sure not to last.

“Kururuk, kururururururu.”

“Honey?”

“Kkukkukkuk. Kuruu, kkuk.”

“…….”

At Honey’s appearance, who seemed to want to tell me something, I carefully examined the situation and realized.

“…This….”

“Kkuk!”

“It has a hole in its forehead.”

And I confirmed that there was blood on a nearby sweet potato vine.

“…….”

“Kururuk?”

“Are you trying to tell me that the sweet potato vine came to life, pierced the forehead of an invasive species that popped out from beyond the dimensional gate I made, and killed it instantly.”

“Kkuk.”

“I see.”

I pondered.

‘Which one should I be afraid of?’

A violent invasive species that flowed in from an unknown dimension

VS

A sweet potato that moves on its own and pierces a hard skull in one go

“Good heavens.”

Both were scary.

This was the third time today I got scared.

“Honey, can a frail being like me survive in this wilderness?”

“…….”

“Don’t be so serious, Dad is being serious. I think I am too weak a person to survive in this great nature.”

“Kkung.”

“Where do you think you’d find a person as pitiful and insubstantial as your dad?”

After a long conversation, I was assured that all the life in the monster patch would be favorable to me.

Just as all the plants and animals in the forest are to me, the crops I raised were similar, he said.

It was a story without any concrete evidence, but….

“Then that’s settled.”

My ultimate positive mindset allowed me to escape from a paltry fear.

Above all, I wasn't just about to prepare a meal.

“We’ve got meat.”

“Kururuk.”

“Meat….”

Come to think of it, the Elixir Recipe did say ‘processed meat.’

“…Nice.”

And so, today’s content was decided.

For reference, I have learned how to butcher.

***

Clack, clack….

“…….”

Thud.

“…That’s strange.”

A quiet alley in a slum.

A woman with indigo hair that swayed leisurely like the deep sea muttered.

“For the trace to be cut off here.”

She was so worried that the presence of her dear human collaborator had been cut off, but what an absurd thing this was.

“There are no signs of a battle.”

She had carefully selected a suitable fellow and sent him under the sun.

He was supposed to be a guy whose infiltration and combat skills were not bad, but it was unacceptable that there was not even a trace of escape, let alone a battle.

But she did not deny what had already happened.

“He was taken down.”

She didn't know by whom.

“I’ll have to investigate that further.”

The woman hummed and recited as if singing a song.

“The temple seems to be in a tight spot, it hasn't been reported to the press, and it happened in a slum yet no one knows the details, just how ridiculous this situation is….”

She understood the temple’s position.

“Where would the caution of those who have always loved to hide things go. So sly.”

The event was about to take place soon, so it was understandable that they would be in a difficult position.

“I was planning to ruin the Festival of the Sun.”

“…….”

“But the person who was supposed to ruin it has disappeared.”

The woman said to the child.

“Iseur, my only galaxy by my side.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll need you to do the job.”

“I will not disappoint you.”

“Don’t be like that.”

The woman smiled, revealing teeth like a shark’s.

“This is for all of us to have fun.”

A dress that resembled the sea fluttered.

“…….”

Soon, in that spot, only a child with blue hair remained.

The child was wearing a benevolent smile.

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