Painter Of Worlds

Before this all begins, first off, check the story tags before deciding whether or not you want to read this story. Second of all, all the paintings, or worlds, will be based on existing stories, mythologies, and other things as well. There will also be some that I make up myself, and even some that are inspired by anime and games. If you have any suggestions, please do tell.

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Within the streets of Mondstadt, a simple yet captivating building could be seen standing. Similar to the other buildings that surrounded it, the building itself was built using wood. However, amongst the other buildings, something about the building really stood out.

Perhaps it was the polished and clean shining wood that structured, or maybe with was the captivating sign that stood tall at the front of the building. Whatever the case, the building seemed to garner anyone's attention that happened to walk by.

Whoever stopped curiously to see what it was about had to turn away upon seeing the sign that still read 'CLOSED', though there were a few that continued to gaze at the building in wonder. The sign is what caught their attention the most, having read out 'Strokes of Reality'.

The building looked to be located in a rather busy street, and more specifically, beside a certain tavern that had multiple customers sitting at the tables set up outside. All of them drinking or eating as they also spared the strange building curiously.

Inside, however, there was a certain young man who looked to be sitting down in front of a blank canvas. The young man was sitting on a black cushioned seat that was made of polished black wood and had a red comfortable cushion as the seat.

From the looks of it, the canvas was seated atop the black wooden desk that acted as the back reception desk that he sat behind. As he sat silently staring at the canvas, the reincarnated young man was holding a paintbrush in his mouth as he held his chin in thought.

You heard that right, reincarnated. This young man was none other than Colt Andilet, someone who had recently reincarnated into this world during his graduation. Tragic it was, on his own graduation from high school, and that tragedy was probably shared by multiple other graduates as well...

Wherever they are, he sends them his deepest regards. Perhaps they're reincarnated in other worlds as well, just like he'd been.

In any case, you might be wondering, just how did Colt here come to own this strange yet endearing establishment? That answer can be simplified into a single word, and that was System. You heard that right, just like in those fictional novels, a System.

Not just any system, but the Painter System. It was strange, that's for sure... Though, while he was someone who was looking to become an engineer in the future, he had an incredible talent for painting. So, perhaps this system was chosen for a reason.

Anyway, the name of the System alone is enough to tell you why he was here sitting in front of a painting canvas. He was currently trying to complete a mission that the system had just given him, and that was simply to, quoting the system, 'Paint a new reality'.

From what the system had explained to Colt, his paintings would become far more special than he'd ever imagined. Whatever that meant. He didn't entirely understand what the mission meant by a 'new reality', but he'd probably figure it out at some point.

As of right now, Colt was having a bit of a hard time deciding on what he wanted to paint. Before the creation of any painting, most artists should have a clear image of what they want the painting to look like, as well as the story that lays behind its brush strokes.

This was a new world, and he wanted to paint something that could have an impact on the audience who may view this painting of his. From what he had observed, this was a world that wasn't nearly as technologically advanced as his own.

'Paint a new reality...' Colt closed his eyes as he repeated those words in his head. He went completely silent for a bit longer before slowly opening his eyes, a small smile creeping onto his features. "I think I know...let's do this!"

Taking hold of the brush in his mouth, he quickly began painting using the paints that were squeezed out onto the large palette he had resting on the desk beside the canvas. With one tongue sticking out slightly, he performed quick strokes with the brush.

When he was a kid, he had read many different kinds of stories, though there was one in particular that his mother read to him, It was a very famous story, and that was none other than the story of King Arthur. However, he didn't want to just paint a king sitting and standing.

He wanted to add a bit of a twist...

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Hours went by as the people walking through Mondstadt still sent the building curious looks before ultimately walking away. These hours were spent well on painting as Colt didn't lose focus for even a single second, and he had to really appreciate the system, he didn't feel the need to sleep nor eat.

Honestly, it made him feel a bit like a machine.

He wasn't going to complain though, this at least made it possible for him to continue working on his painting. Before he even knew it, the sky was already beginning to darken as people who ran shops began closing and the citizens all began returning home from wherever.

"And... finished!"

With a sigh of satisfaction, Colt fell back and rested his back against the back of his chair. His face was smiling widely as he looked at the finished piece in front of him, and while he didn't want to brag, he had to admit that he had some decent painting skills.

Now occupying the blank canvas was a beautiful spectacle, a painting that depicted a young blonde child standing in front of a tall figure who wore a blue padded uniform that had an attached black hood, though you could see strands of blonde hair falling down.

However, what really made the painting shine was the beautiful shining sword that hovered behind the hooded figure. It released a golden glow that enveloped the entire pure white background behind the figures with golden rays of light.

The painting he had just finished was something he painted with the inspiration of Arthur's journey to becoming king, from starting as a simple child in training to becoming a full-fledged king. Behind them, the sword was obviously none other than the legendary Caliburn.

Often mistaken, the sword that Arthur pulls out from the stone was not Excalibur, but Caliburn. Excalibur was later received by Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after having had Caliburn destroyed during a battle.

Arthur's design in this painting was based on the male Arthur Pendragon from the Fate series, a handsome young blonde male.

『Analysing...』

『Generated Title: King of Camelot - Sword In The Stone [Part 1]』

『Description has been made based on Host's memories』

『'King of Camelot - Sword In The Stone [Part 1]' has been added to Paintings』

"Part one? Well, I was thinking of painting the future events of Arthur's life at some point." Colt tilted his head a bit when he read the notification he had received. This was just a painting that depicted Arthur as a child, so maybe he'll paint the Round Table in the future. "Description, huh? Let's see here..."

With a swipe of his hand, Colt opened up his menu.

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『Painting System』

● Statistics

● Paintings

● Current Quest

● Inventory

● Store Products [Locked]

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Colt ignored the other options and went into Paintings.

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『Paintings』

● King of Camelot - Sword In The Stone [Part 1]: [Description: Arthur Pendragon, an aspiring young knight finds his own fate intertwined with a sword that symbolizes the very image of the Kingdom of Camelot. Under its golden brilliance, he shall shine just as lustrous] [Total Visits: 0]

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Colt had to admit that just reading the description made the painting look even more amazing. Having the story held within the painting told to you, you can better understand just what was being portrayed. The painting itself was a beauty, but knowing the story behind it gave an emotional flux.

Though, what the hell did it mean by visits?

『Would the Host like to display the painting in the shop?』

"Go ahead."

『Displaying now』

Colt blinked when his painting suddenly vanished from its place, which he soon noticed it materializing back into existence on the wall of his shop. It was being displayed in a fancy large display case, and the description could be seen underneath it.

Standing up from his seat, Cold walked on over before admiring the painting again. The system had enlarged the canvas, which was now more than twice as large as it was before, making it that much more impressive to look at.

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『Quest Completed』

Objective: Paint a new reality

Rewards:

● 1,500 EXP

● 100,000 Mora

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Seeing this notification, Colt quickly went back into his menu and clicked on his Statistics. He had already looked through this when he initially found out about the system, though it had gone through some minor yet obvious changes after the quest completion.

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『Statistics』

Name: Colt Andilet

Vision: None

Battle Power: 120 - [Average Human: 100]

Level: 2 - [EXP: 500/2000]

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There wasn't much to the Statistics, so he could see the clear difference from the first time. The first thing was his Battle Power, which had risen from 100 to 120 after leveling up. From what he could understand, this Battle Power was pretty much just Dragon Ball Power Levels.

Whenever he went outside and saw other people, he noticed how he could not only see above their heads their names but also their Battle Power. The people that he did see, their Battle Powers all ranged from 40 to the highest he's seen of 150, including children.

He had indeed become aware of the fact that this world didn't seem to be normal, obviously by the fact that this land was 'ruled' by a god, which he had heard some people praying nearby about someone called 'Lord Barbatos' or whatever.

Since there were apparently gods and all that in this world, that probably at least meant there might be some people with supernatural abilities. At least that's what he's assuming since it's a typical trope with fantasy worlds like this.

They're probably out there, he probably just hasn't run into them yet.

Another thing, he had no idea what the fuck a Vision was, though it says that he doesn't one. Whatever it is.

'System, what exactly does Battle Power entail?'

『Question Confirmed: Battle Power is the calculation of power based on physical strength alone』

'I see... then if someone has some kind of fucking hax, then I wouldn't be able to know since it wouldn't change their Battle Power. Good to keep note of.' Colt nodded in understanding upon getting the notification. "Oh yeah... system, what were you talking about my paintings having more to them than meets the eye?"

『It is better for the Host to explore this on their own, please jump into the painting』

"...What?"

『Please jump into the painting』

"You're... joking."

Not hearing a response from the system, Colt stared with uncertainty at his own painting as he scratched the back of his head. From a logical point of view, he'd just face plant and risk destroying his work. But, considering everything that's happened, maybe something else will happen?

Taking a deep breath, Colt began backing up before cracking his neck. He took a quick glance towards the windows to see that it was now dark outside, looking back, he stared at his painting again before running towards it.

"Here we go...!"

On instinct, just as Colt jumped at the painting, he closed his eyes bracing himself to slam into the painting. However, that didn't happen. He went straight through as if he had jumped through a thin wall of water, he suddenly felt a slightly chilly breeze brush up against his clothes.

"Huh...?" Colt blinked once he opened his eyes. Since he was looking down, he noticed his sudden change of clothes. He was no longer wearing his usual modern outfit, instead donning a more ragged set of clothing of brown and white coloration. "What the?"

His new set of clothes consisted of a cream-colored shirt underneath a brown open short vest, along with brown slightly-baggy pants and a pair of brown boots. On each of his hands were also brown fingerless gloves, his main body features remained the same though.

"What the fuck?!" Colt couldn't help but curse as he looked up and noticed the luscious forest that he now stood in. One second he was in his new shop, and now he was in the woods who knows fucking where! 'System, can you please explain?! I have a feeling I might know, and I'm not sure how to feel about it!'

『You are inside the painting. More specifically, the story that is portrayed by the painting』

"So, it is what I thought..." Colt honestly had no idea how to think about his situation. He had been reincarnated, and that was honestly crazy enough. Now he was in his own painting? "What's the point of this? I mean, it's cool and all... but is this what we're selling to customers?"

『Correct. Customers can pay to experience first-hand the stories that you create through the paintings, but they won't only be doing so for the experience. By going through these instances, the customers will be rewarded with Tokens』

"Tokens?"

『Tokens will be used to exchange for various prizes, all of which will be unlocked as the Host continues running the business as well as completing quests』

"Huh, that's neat..." Colt did see the advantage of this, it gave the people more of a reason to continue paying to 'play' through these instances of his. It was literally just like an arcade where you can win tickets to get prizes. "How many do they earn exactly?"

The shop didn't have any prizes to give out yet though, so the Tokens were essentially useless as of right now. Though he did see the Shop Products menu that was locked, and that was probably the prizes. There was probably some quest or something he needed to do before that unlocked.

『The amount varies depending on the individual's influence. However, they will automatically receive 100 Tokens for every hour they've paid for that they haven't used to play through the paintings』

"Uh... please elaborate?"

『The number of tokens can change drastically depending on how much the individual influences the original story, such as if they have a major impact on the story as a person then they will receive more than someone who has stayed as a background character』

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. What about the second part?"

『Customers can only enter any number of instances for a total of eight hours, and each of those hours cost 10,000 Mora. For every hour that the individual has already paid for but hasn't used, will be automatically exchanged for 100 Tokens each at the end of the business hours』

"Okay, that makes sense. Also, business hours?"

『All will be better explained later, please explore this instance for now. As the Host, you can play through the instances for eight hours each day without paying. Do keep note that as the owner, you will be notified whenever a customer arrives and will be expected to attend to them even if the Host is in the instance』

"Yeah, understood. I have to run the business after all." Colt shrugged at the last part. He wasn't going to complain since he could play without paying, plus he wanted to see how others would react to the story. "Time to get exploring I guess..."

"Excuse me. Who are you, mister?"

"What?"

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Well, there's the introductory part of the story. Hope you enjoyed it! Anyway, regarding stories that are based on things, such as this one of the Arthurian Legends. I am writing my own versions, so they won't 100% reflect the events of the King Arthur story, mine will be simpler for the story's sake.