Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 022
Chapter Title: Two Fortuitous Encounters (4)
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📋 Hunter Association Database 📋 Dungeon Identification Code: HB-ER-0305-A (Commonly known as: Heaven Lake Dungeon) Dungeon Type: Erosion-Type Rank: A Occurrence Location: Hamgyongbuk-do Province, Musan County, Baekdu Mountain Heaven Lake area, Republic of Korea (Center coordinates: 42°00'31.3"N 128°03'36.8"E) Occurrence Time: Around 07:19 on July 12, 1991 (UTC +9) Raid Attempts: 7 Raid Success: X Explanation: Identification code HB-ER-0305-A, commonly known as the "Heaven Lake Dungeon," is an erosion-type dungeon that appeared around 7 a.m. on July 12, 1991, in the Heaven Lake area of Baekdu Mountain in Hamgyongbuk-do Province. Its scale and shape form an east-west elliptical area with a diameter of 3 km, and the gate's location has not been confirmed to this day.
Investigations have confirmed that, unlike other erosion-type dungeons, there is not a single monster inside the Heaven Lake Dungeon, and the existence of a boss monster beyond the gate remains unconfirmed.
The dungeon's most prominent feature is the powerful blizzard accompanied by cumulonimbus clouds raging across the entire area, with maximum wind speeds reaching 85 m/s. The average internal temperature is -25°C, causing all lakes inside the dungeon to be completely frozen.
Additionally, this blizzard carries a strong electromagnetic pulse, restricting the use of electronic devices without EMP shielding inside the dungeon. For this reason, investigations within the Heaven Lake Dungeon are extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, the snow inside the dungeon adversely affects superhumans' bodies through an unknown mechanism. Symptoms start with fever, sweating, and mild headaches, worsening deeper inside to vomiting, muscle spasms, loss of equilibrium, severe pain, bleeding, and acute organ failure. These symptoms are confirmed to be more severe in stronger superhumans.
For the above reasons, the Heaven Lake Dungeon is considered nearly impossible to raid. However, since no monsters exist inside and the blizzard does not affect the outside, damage from the dungeon remains minimal even after nearly 30 years.
Discussions to lower its rank have arisen multiple times, but the Association decided to maintain the A-rank, citing that raiding is currently impossible and the internal conditions are unpredictable.
The Heaven Lake Dungeon has seen a total of 7 raid attempts to date, all failures. The guilds (and individuals) that attempted raids are as follows.
1. Sea of Stars (1991.07.15 / A-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 23 members) 2. Zelkova (1991.07.16 / A-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 25 members) 3. Wind Forest Fire Mountain (1991.08.21 / S-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 49 members) 4. Royal Knights (1998.05.08 / S-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 5 members) 5. Winter Alliance (2016.05.06 / S-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 11 members) 6. Black Dragon Society (2018.04.28 / A-Rank Guild at the time / Raid Party: 17 members) 7. Seol A-hyeon (2018.05.01 / Black Dragon Society Guild Master) The following are records of past Heaven Lake Dungeon raid attempts.
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[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/I]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/II]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/III]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/IV]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/V]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/VI]
[Raid Record: HB-ER-0305-S/VII]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📄 Appendix: Rumors of an Eccentric Living in Heaven Lake Dungeon In May 2018, Seol A-hyeon, then guild master of the domestic 7th-ranked guild "Black Dragon Society," attempted a solo raid of Heaven Lake Dungeon. Afterward, she claimed, "An eccentric with exceptional skill and knowledge lives in Heaven Lake Dungeon, and thanks to that eccentric's teachings, I overcame the wall I couldn't surpass before and gained greater power." Regarding this, Seol A-hyeon claimed she overcame the dungeon's blizzard through some method and reached the center, but she kept that method strictly secret. Hunters Sung Yu-jin and Jin So-wol later made similar claims, but none have been officially verified to date.
Meanwhile, several superhumans who believed her and headed to Heaven Lake Dungeon were frequently injured, leading to the area being designated a restricted zone on June 17, 2019. Legal entry requires approval from a Hunter Association or higher authority official of administrative officer rank or above. Unauthorized entry will result in punishment under relevant laws.
-Excerpt from "Document: HB-ER-0305-A" in the Republic of Korea Hunter Association Database-
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the Era of Superhumans world, North Korea was annexed by South Korea in the early 1980s during the late Cold War era. Thanks to that, I could head straight to Baekdu Mountain without the hassle of going through China.
I arrived at the foot of Baekdu Mountain via train and bus at 5 p.m.
Admiring the stunning scenery of Baekdu Mountain for the first time in my life, I boarded the cable car heading toward the summit.
Even with an A-rank dungeon in the Heaven Lake area, Baekdu Mountain remained a tourist hotspot. If anything, the dungeon had made tourism even more popular.
The pale white blizzard eternally swirling along the crater's rim was a spectacular sight for tourists. And since it didn't affect anywhere outside the dungeon boundaries, safety was proven.
Above all, for ordinary people who weren't superhumans, just seeing a dungeon up close was thrilling enough.
"Whoa."
Standing at the summit soon after, I instantly understood the tourists' feelings.
Under the sunset sky, Baekdu Mountain's majestic peaks sprawled out. Below, gray cloud masses swirled, enveloping the crater and lake entirely.
Despite the fierce wind roaring in my ears and the occasional blue lightning shooting into the sky, the scenery outside the dungeon was utterly peaceful.
That surreal landscape—like two mismatched photos composited together—left me, like the other tourists, completely entranced.
'Snap out of it. I'm not here to sightsee.'
Avoiding the other tourists' gazes, I scanned for a spot to descend into Heaven Lake.
'This should do.'
A gently sloping area close to the dungeon boundary. Hiding in the shadow of nearby rocks, I waited for the sun to fully set beyond the clouds.
Soon, dawn twilight arrived, and the crimson sky deepened to dark navy.
'Time to go.'
Mindful of the few remaining tourists, I began descending the slope toward the crater.
Though Heaven Lake Dungeon entry was prohibited, security wasn't tight—just a nominal chain-link fence. At only 2 meters high, any superhuman could hop it easily.
-Whooooosh.
The wind grew fiercer as I neared the boundary.
Finally, at the edge, a massive wall of clouds loomed before me. The raging blizzard cut off sharply right in front of me, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
Testing it, I dipped in just a fingertip. A razor-sharp gust sliced across my skin.
'The wind is bad enough, but the real threat is that blizzard.'
The blizzard harmed superhumans' bodies through some unknown principle. But having read the original novel, I knew the reason.
To cut to the chase: that blizzard was just ordinary snow and wind. What affected superhumans wasn't the visible blizzard, but an invisible high-concentration mana storm.
All superhumans harbor mana in their bodies. Thus, their condition is influenced by ambient mana density. Higher density boosts physical abilities and superpower efficiency.
However, just as high oxygen concentrations can poison humans, high mana density is toxic to superhumans.
Raw, concentrated mana reacts adversely with the mana inside a superhuman. This reaction starts as mild dizziness or nausea but can escalate to irreversible bodily damage.
Naturally, stronger superhumans with more internal mana suffer worse reactions. Weaker ones like me are relatively immune.
'Of course, even that wouldn't let me last inside.'
No matter how mild, the intensifying mana density toward the center would eventually overwhelm my body.
But I had a way to overcome it.
'...Here goes.'
-Shooooosh.
Activating the talisman, surrounding mana surged into my body through my right arm.
'Focus.'
Concentrating, I regulated the absorption rate. Absorbing too much too fast would just trigger backlash like last time.
The precarious absorption speed I'd found through days of practice—one my body could just barely handle.
Slowly absorbing ambient mana at that rate, I simultaneously activated my superpower.
-Fwoosh!
Black smoke erupted from my right hand, swirling to envelop my body. This wall of smoke, under my control, would shield me from the blizzard.
But smoke couldn't block the mana storm.
'Focus.'
I poured more mana into my superpower. The smoke wall thickened, but mana consumption outpaced absorption, depleting my reserves.
The moment my internal mana hit zero, the smoke's momentum faltered sharply.
'Now!'
At that instant, I balanced the mana drain from my superpower with the talisman's intake.
Mana absorbed through my right hand flowed right back out. With my heart empty of mana where it should pool, I maintained the superpower through sheer focus.
If the mana storm reacted with internal mana, just leave none inside.
Enveloped in swirling black smoke, I leaped into the blizzard with all my might.
-Kwaaaaa!!
The moment I entered, an deafening roar incomparable to before assaulted my eardrums.
"Urk!"
I barely gathered the scattering smoke against the gale. Patching the eroding wall with fresh smoke, it still thinned visibly. I bolted toward the center.
Despite the bone-chilling cold from tension, cold sweat beaded in my palms.
Balancing mana intake and output while controlling my superpower—it was like tightrope walking over a cliff. One slip, and I'd plummet.
From practice, I could maintain this for just over 2 minutes.
The center was 1.5 km away. To make it in time, I'd need 45 km/h speed.
Impossible with my pathetic physique—especially under this focus.
-Bang!
But the next instant, the Breath of the Morning Star on my left hand glowed red.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Activating 'Breath of the Morning Star' (1/3).] [Body movements accelerate to double speed for 3 minutes.] My body shot forward like a gale slicing through a canyon.
Deeper in, the blizzard intensified, consuming the smoke wall faster.
'Increase absorption? No, that risks backlash breaking my focus. Better to activate Breath of the Morning Star again if it's dangerous.'
Gauging the remaining distance, I kept pushing. Black smoke obscured vision, but the frozen lake meant no obstacles.
However, that judgment proved wrong.
"Huh?!"
-Splash!
The supposedly solid ice gave way, plunging me into the lake. Icy water soaked me through.
My maintained superpower slipped momentarily.
'Damn!'
Stopping the superpower let talisman mana flood my heart. Recognizing it, a splitting headache hit.
"Guh?!"
Climbing back onto the ice, I reactivated my superpower.
But incoming external mana clashed with rampaging internal mana, preventing precise control. Delicate balance like before was impossible.
"Kuh?!"
Dull abdominal pain. Followed by vomiting blood.
Superpower fully ceased; the smoke wall collapsed, and the flesh-cutting blizzard hammered me.
'How far to the center?'
Through blurred vision, I peered ahead. Over a minute of running—shouldn't be far.
'No time to refocus for the previous state. Then—'
No time to think. I burned all remaining Breath of the Morning Star uses.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Activating 'Breath of the Morning Star' (2/3). Body movements accelerate to double speed for 3 minutes.] [Activating 'Breath of the Morning Star' (3/3). Body movements accelerate to double speed for 3 minutes.] [All uses of 'Breath of the Morning Star' consumed. Activation restricted until midnight passes.] Triple-stacked effect. For the next ~2 minutes, my speed would be 8x normal.
Crouching against the wind, I kicked off the ground with everything I had.
-Bang!!!
A sharp sonic boom propelled me forward. Headwinds and side gales battered my face.
"Urgh!"
Realizing I couldn't make time like this, I activated talisman and superpower together.
No fine control. Thick smoke enveloped me, then agony struck.
Each step felt like tearing muscles. Ground impact shook my organs via my legs.
Fever. Sweating. Headache. Nausea. Vomiting. Spasms. Disequilibrium. Agony. Bleeding.
The symptoms listed in the Heaven Lake description ravaged me instantly. Even with near-empty mana, this was bad. A strong superhuman would've collapsed from organ failure on exposure.
But I couldn't last long either.
Would I reach the center first, or collapse?
A life-or-death chicken race. Facing this gamble, I just kept kicking the ground.
"Raaagh!!"
The moment I roared in fury—
-Pop!
The blizzard stopped. A clear night sky greeted me.
-Thud roll crash!
Unable to halt my momentum, I tumbled awkwardly. Regaining posture half-propped up, I panted raggedly.
"Hah! Hah! Kuhk!"
I survived. Somehow reached the center.
Swallowing bloody saliva, I surveyed around.
As if the blizzard was a lie, it was a perfect windless zone. Towering cloud walls encircled me like a typhoon's eye.
The ground was hard dirt, not ice. Looking up, a flickering blue gate appeared far off, beside a small cabin.
"Hah! Hoo. Hoo..."
Identical to the novel's description. Fighting drowsiness-like exhaustion, I slowly approached the cabin.
If unchanged from canon, the "eccentric" lived there.
But unease grew with each step. Even yesterday's Breath of the Morning Star had nearly been stolen by the angel behind my back. Was the eccentric still here?
Ignoring creeping anxiety, I reached the door and knocked weakly.
-Knock knock.
No answer. I knocked harder.
-Knock knock knock.
Still nothing. Dread resurfaced.
-Bang bang bang!
Pounding like hitting, no response.
Opening cautiously, a cold, lifeless interior greeted me.
"Ha."
My mind went blank.
Faced with harsh reality, I collapsed there.
"...Fuck."
Boiling rage and chilling despair twisted my face oddly.
I thought a person-based opportunity would be safe unlike items, but to think it'd reach here too.
Damn Blissful Heavenly Demon. Pulling every trick.
Realizing the trip was for naught, a deep sigh escaped. Overwhelmed by bitter frustration, I leaned against the cabin wall and pulled out cigarettes.
But then—
"Sorry, but this is a no-smoking zone."
A sudden voice from the side. Turning, an elderly man with white hair carried a bundle of firewood, staring at me.
Scarred armor covering his body. Two longswords at his waist. Long trailing beard and three long scars across his left eye.
Exactly as described in the novel. Overwhelmed with emotion, I couldn't speak. Seeing this, the old man smiled kindly.
"Weather's chilly. Come inside first."