After hearing Gio’s explanation, Yoo Seong-Woon double-checked.

“...So you’re saying the original creator of the ‘Dream Amusement Park’ was cast out... and then created the ‘Four-Legged Rainforest’ underground?”

“In summary, yes.”

“I always thought those spaces felt oddly similar...”

They were both forests. They both held all kinds of dangerous toxins and creatures. They both mirrored human selfishness. And many more elements one could point to and say “yeah, that’s the same.” But their histories were completely different.

That’s why Seong-Woon had always considered them separate worlds, even if they looked alike.

I’m pretty sure Gio even said back then... ah.

Gio had never said they were unrelated—he’d only ever said things like “a separate dimension” or “not my hometown.” Maybe even Gio’s portrait had only recently figured it out.

Either way, it was surprising—and a little awkward.

“...So how do you feel about this, Gio?”

“I feel a certain... responsibility.”

“Responsibility? Why?”

“I need to prepare to welcome a new family.”

“So that’s why you called it your sibling.”

“At the time... I didn’t recognize them.”

“Because you hadn’t fully merged with Argio yet?”

“But... I think they may have recognized me.”

“Oh, yeah...”

Seong-Woon blinked. He thought of the wisteria sea dragon, who had shown an unusual fondness for Gio. That had been during a time when the ‘Argio ratio’ had been high—so maybe Gio was right.

“Uh...”

But he didn’t really know what to say.

“...Take care, I guess?”

“I will.”

As always, the portrait responded stiffly.

...Something about this...

Seong-Woon’s eyes shifted sideways.

It feels like nothing happened.

It felt like daily life had returned.

Not long after that, sightings of the Wrath Dragon began appearing in the Four-Legged Rainforest.

***

“And so, today, I’m thinking of having a meal.”

At Gio’s announcement, the teddy bear sitting in the dining chair tilted its head.

“Ku?”

“It’s a happy day. We’ve welcomed new family members.”

“Kukuku...”

The bear clapped its cottony paws. It clearly didn’t mind—if Gio was happy, that was enough. The same went for the other residents.

Honey was watching Gio with eyes that plainly asked, “So where’s the food?” Dana was rubbing against the baby wisteria sea dragons, clearly fond of them. The sea dragons were busy sniffing around the unfamiliar house.

It was, in every way, an adorable scene.

Leaving the house always turns out to be a hassle.

If only Mr. Argio weren’t so damn stubborn...

Time to finally rest for real.

In truth, Gio had been busy because he’d brought this all upon himself. But after the whole Argio incident, Gio had realized that “if I’m not careful, my precious lazy life could fall apart.” He resolved to be more cautious.

No more merging for a while—sealed.

Who could say the next Gio wouldn’t be a workaholic?

“Ku? Ku?”

“Yes? Ah—yes.”

In response to a question from the teddy bear father, Gio nodded.

“The parent is also here. No need for concern.”

For reference, the massive sea dragon that sustained the entire Four-Legged Rainforest dungeon was now also present in Gio’s cabin.

Gio reached into his cloak and pulled out a small potted plant.

“...? Ku?”

“Yes.”

“Ku...”

“This is Ulimi.”

“Ku.”

“My naming sense has always been terrible, Father. That can’t be helped. You already know this, given that your first grandchild’s name is Honey. It’s a painful truth, but please accept reality.”

“Ku...”

“With the wisteria dragons and Ulimi here, I think we should dine outdoors today. This table is too human-centered—it’ll be uncomfortable. The weather’s lovely. I think we’re in for a fantastic lunch.”

To facilitate conversation, Gio placed Ulimi on the table.

“......”

Ulimi looked... uncomfortable.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Ulimi?”

“......”

“I don’t quite follow. Why would I eat you?”

“......”

“Just because I put you on the table doesn’t mean you’re dinner.”

Just like with Sankallut. Ulimi was wondering if he’d been placed on the table to be eaten. Gio emphatically denied it. He was not that kind of person.

“I’m not the kind of scoundrel who eats delicate trees like Mr. Ulimi.”

“......”

“Mr. Ulimi? Why the silence?”

“......”

“...You’re asking if I eat non-delicate trees, then? That... that was just a figure of speech, I swear.”

“......”

“Larger trees sometimes make good medicine or tea, that’s why I said that—it doesn’t mean I’m going to chew on your tiny newborn body like a snack...”

Currently, Ulimi—planted in the flowerpot—was closer to a sprout than a tree.

“Above all else, I would never eat family.”

But Ulimi didn’t drop the suspicious gaze. Well—he didn’t have eyes, but still. He clearly didn’t trust Gio.

Argio wasn’t a traditional divinity. He could lie all he wanted.

“I’m so heartbroken you don’t trust your family. It makes me want to water you out of grief.”

“......”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay with that. Today’s meal for Mr. Ulimi will be spring water from the forest.”

“...! ...!!”

“What’s wrong?! It’s sweet, it’s cold—this water is amazing! I swear on my three daily meals, you’ll be healthy in no time!”

“......!!!”

“In this cruel world, you need to grow strong to protect our little friends, Mr. Ulimi...!!”

Dana watched with fascination as the baby plant twisted its whole body in a frantic protest—a rare sight she could never have seen in her plant-less cavern.

Eventually, Gio and Ulimi compromised: his meal would be iced tea instead. Made from melted pearls stored in the ice cellar.

Gio was terribly disappointed he couldn’t serve a proper meal.

“I could feed you so well...”

“Koongkoongkoong.”

“You too? You don’t trust your own dad either?”

“Koong...”

Honey looked up at him with affection... but no faith. That hurt Gio deeply.

He had once wanted to turn the whole world into pigs.

“...Alright, open to food suggestions.”

Thankfully, the wisteria sea dragons had mouths—they could eat.

“Mr. Ulimi could eat too, if we just opened one. But he refused.”

“Kukuku.”

The teddy bear laughed like it made perfect sense. Beings born of providence resisted change. Like humans, who suffered both physical and mental agony when a limb was cut off.

It was no different for trees once beloved by gods. That’s probably why his creator had cursed him to become a sea dragon.

A very effective punishment, no doubt.

“Let’s see... stew’s probably out.”

“Ahng.”

“Dana, you agree? Right, we’ve had it too often. Sure, your dad could make 340 varieties of stew and never tire of it, but that sounds... absolutely terrible.”

“Ahng.”

“Thanks for agreeing, sweetheart.”

Stew was a fine dish—but making only stew again and again, when you had options? Even Piggy Sergio would call that a sin.

“Then how about dongpo pork, made with Father’s divine power...”

“Koong.”

“Right. We gave that to the Moon last time.”

Surprisingly, the Moon had quite an appetite. Probably because of all the beings housed inside him.

“Which means we don’t really have anything left to eat.”

The Moon treated cuisine and flavor as sweet knowledge—he constantly pestered Gio to offer more. And Gio had to cook every dish he knew.

The Moon becoming small enough to carry came at the cost of a terrifying trade, after all.

That’s why there was no food left Gio hadn’t already offered him.

“But dongpo pork was fairly recent. Maybe we could go back a bit. How about tacos? Wraps made with corn tortillas, meat, and veggies.”

“Mnnng.”

“Yeah, that might be hard for Dana to eat. She’s lost weight while I wasn’t paying attention... so she needs something hearty. Smaller portions won’t do. Maybe meat, then...”

Gio tilted his head in thought.

“Whole roast?”

Not bad.

“Your dad can roll pulled pork like nobody’s business. Sure, roasting whole is different from slow-cooked pulled pork, but as the Sun’s son and the Sea’s benefactor, you can trust me. I’ve got temperature and juice control down.”

“Koorrrooo.”

“You can look forward to meat so tender it melts like tofu.”

And with that, Gio headed toward the Animal Kingdom.

***

“So you’re here to hunt, sir?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not!”

Chieftain of the Fox Tribe, Laami, rubbed their hands and smiled.

“I just wondered if you needed extra workers. Thankfully, things have stabilized a lot since the war, thanks to your mercy. Look—beautiful, isn’t it?”

Just as Laami said, the Dream Amusement Park was still mesmerizing. The ground floated like clouds, suspended in the air. Each cloud-island held its own unique flora and fauna.

That wasn’t all. Shards of the once-luxurious amusement park drifted through the sky. Carousel horses, candy and chocolate, shimmering ivory rails weaving everywhere.

“Oh, of course—we’re maintaining the surface and the underground realms too. The Black Forest, the ruins... Even the wild beasts seem calmer. They don’t leave their territories anymore.”

“Hmm... then what should I hunt...”

“Anything but one of us foxes, sir!”

The fox wagged their tail and smiled brightly. Laami, mimicking human mannerisms again, pointed toward a wolf.

“They’re just as big-bodied as we are. What do you think of them?”

“...Hey.”

The wolf who’d come to greet his long-absent master now looked like he’d bitten a lemon.

“Don’t offer others as tribute out of nowhere.”

“Oh? So you lack even that much loyalty?”

“How are you still immature after all these years?”

“Isn’t that a wolf thing? Small brains?”

“That bite-sized thing keeps running his mouth...”

Wolf Tribe chieftain, Gargar, gritted his teeth—then sighed.

“...If it’s alright with you, I’ll go down and bring back some suitable prey. If word gets out that you’ve asked, all beasts will help. How much meat do you need?”

“...Hmm...”

Argio thought, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} then answered:

“Five plump sheep should do.”

“? Who’s going to eat that?”

Wolves the size of houses usually needed more than that.

“Not to argue, but I do have a question.”

“Go ahead, friend.”

“What happens to this world now?”

“It’s yours. Don’t you remember our promise?”

“I do. I just wondered if you had any plans to use it again.”

“This place won’t be used as a battlefield anymore.”

“That’s reassuring... but also, a little sad.”

“I’m not leaving forever. What’s there to miss?”

This was Argio’s birthplace. It couldn’t be separated from him.

“Still... thinking about it makes me worry about Ather...”

“...Ather? Wasn’t he dead?”

“Oh, not quite. But he still needs rest. Let him be.”

“...Understood.”

Gargar nodded.

“I’ll go hunt, then.”

***

And so, Gio returned with 58 sheep, 42 cows, 10 pigs, and 95 chickens.

All alive and well.

“......”

“...Ta-da.”

Gio added, half-defensive:

“It’s fine. Most of them will be used to create us. Or we’ll release them into the forest.”

“...Kuu?”

“Yes, they’re a bit large, I know. Even one yields a lot of meat, but we still need to eat, right? We can do it.”

“Ku.”

“If there’s too much, we’ll share with Mr. Seong-Woon and Joo-Hyun.”

As always—a peaceful ending.