Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Side Story: No Entry
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"Sip, haa~"
Park Yong-ha, a 67-year-old resident of Seoul, loved the mountains.
"Nothing beats this air compared to the city, huh?"
The fresh air and nature you couldn't get enough of in the city, and gazing down at the world from a mountaintop—it all made everything feel small and insignificant, washing away the stresses accumulated from society's endless pressures.
"Goseong ain't half bad either."
He hadn't even started climbing yet, but he was already in high spirits.
'All the stress from getting here just melted away.'
He'd been hiking his whole life. The rugged trails, towering peaks, and branching paths always felt fresh no matter how many times he climbed them, and scaling steep inclines made him feel like a great explorer.
"Still, nothing tops Seoraksan."
Seoraksan had restricted zones, unofficially called secret trails. His favorite was Yongajangseong, infamous for claiming at least one life every year. The danger only fueled his sense of adventure and the triumph of summiting.
"Wanna hit Yongajangseong."
Unfortunately, he couldn't now. After repeatedly getting caught on that route over the years, he'd been fined repeatedly, with the penalties piling up until he'd lost his drive and quit hiking altogether. These days, even if he wanted to, he lacked the old instincts and stamina.
"This mountain's perfect for rehab training."
That's why he'd chosen Unbong Mountain in Goseong, Gangwon Province. It had a manageable height, few hikers, and let him climb leisurely on his own.
"Plus, I can go sea fishing after. Perfect."
After climbing for a while, he reached a fork and leaned against a tree.
"Ahh, feels good."
He pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, lit up casually, and took a deep drag. A pleasant dizziness swirled through him.
"Tastes even better with this view."
Even as he smoked, he kept scanning the surroundings. Mountain smokes hit different, but nosy busybodies were everywhere.
'Why's everyone so damn nosy?'
Fires could start, what kind of lunatic smokes in the mountains— just thinking about it pissed him off. He'd been reported a few times and even fined for it.
"People these days, always sticking their noses in others' business. I've smoked on mountains my whole life and never once caused a fire."
He finished the cigarette, dug a shallow hole under some dry leaves, and buried the butt. As he stood to resume hiking, he belatedly noticed the sign on the tree he'd leaned against.
[Warning – This direction is an extremely dangerous section with constant safety incidents every year. Risking your life brings misfortune to your family. Use the official trails.]
'No entry?'
There was no path visible behind the sign. Just a bare ridge with no trail.
'Whoa, a secret trail here?'
He smacked his lips. It meant an untouched, perilous route right in front of him.
'How dangerous can a piddly mountain like this be?'
Ignoring the sign, he pushed through the leaves toward the ridge. Being a secret trail, he stayed cautious, of course.
'Not that dangerous after all. People these days make a fuss over nothing.'
Back in my day, we risked our lives protesting for a better country.
We busted our asses at work for our families.
We ran and ran without slacking, all for the nation's honor.
'That's how we built modern Korea.'
All thanks to us!
But these kids today?
'Always bitching about everything.'
They won't work unless it's a big corp.
Quit at the first sign of hardship, whining about work-life balance.
So fragile-minded, calling anyone who gives straight talk an old fogey.
"Ugh, it's all because the country's too soft on them. We need to bring back Samcheong Reeducation, crack down on long hair, make military service three years—then they'd toughen up."
A country that hypes up safe spots like this unmarked path as "dangerous" is the real problem.
'Why hasn't the summit shown up yet?'
Park Yong-ha sensed something off two hours after passing the sign.
'This isn't that tall a mountain.'
Two hours should've gotten him to the top and back. Yet the peak still shimmered distantly, and the surroundings remained rugged wilderness with no paths.
'Lost?'
His pace quickened. Thoughts of getting stranded and the chilly early autumn weather swirled in his head.
'Can't let it get late.'
Darkness meant hypothermia and death. Anxious, he pulled out his phone—only to see "No service."
"What the hell?"
KakaoTalk, texts, calls—nothing worked.
"Huff, huff."
How long had he wandered? After what felt like an eternity lost in the mountains, a new sight finally appeared before Park Yong-ha.
'A valley?'
A valley here? At least it offered shelter from the wind, and since he'd never seen it, it might lead to the summit.
"Hello?"
Entering the valley, Park Yong-ha encountered a young girl.
"Nice to meet you. The second human to come here."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'Am I dreaming?'
A little girl in a dress in this rugged terrain?
'Maybe a mountain spirit?'
He recalled childhood tales: mountain spirits lived in the peaks and helped lost hikers.
"I'm not a mountain spirit."
"G-G-Ghost!"
She read my mind! Startled, Park Yong-ha backed away.
"Don't freak out. It's my first try. That rascal made me think maybe I should get chummy with humans too. You're the second encounter, first attempt."
"......Attempt?"
"Yeah. An attempt to bless you humans."
Like the gold axe, silver axe fairy that helps folks? His fear eased a bit.
"What blessing?"
"Touch my hand, and your dexterity improves. Hug me, and your body gets healthier. Carry me on your back, and your insight sharpens."
His ears perked up.
"And look into my eyes... and you'll know all things in the universe."
Park Yong-ha pondered seriously.
'Dexterity? Insight? Physical prowess? Omniscience?'
Normally he'd dismiss it as a joke, but her voice made it ring true instinctively.
'This must be what getting possessed feels like.'
Anyway, he decided.
"Then, omniscience."
He wanted better fitness, but curiosity about grasping all worldly knowledge won out.
"Alright, come here then."
Park Yong-ha approached the girl. Her closed eyes slowly opened.
'Huh?'
His first impression: her eyes were pitch black. Like the night sky, all pupil, as if painted entirely with ink.
'Ah.'
No fear. Instead, the moment he peered into her eyes, everything about her clicked into understanding.
'This girl is a higher-dimensional being.'
She's using this body like a terminal to observe us lower beings. He couldn't explain how he knew, but it was instinctive, like a baby crying on reflex.
Fear gone, he dove deeper into her pupils. With that, vast cosmic knowledge fused into his consciousness.
'Atoms, quarks, neutron stars, bananas, black holes, quantum fluctuations.'
Park Yong-ha, who'd lived far from science, instantly grasped the latest theories.
'Oh.'
Even secrets science hadn't uncovered.
The nearest life-bearing planet to Earth: Enceladus.
Baldness cure: Bake bananas, guacamole, salt, pepper, and genetically modified peanuts in perfect ratios at 180°C.
'Oh, oh.'
Not just knowledge—it harmonized. He now understood the world's principles, solutions to every problem.
Earth's climate crisis: Wake the ■■■■■ in Antarctica.
For humans to conquer death and achieve immortality: Build three altars at Uluru, dance the ■■■■ ritual facing Polaris.
To recall past lives: Drink booze mixed with ■■ and perform ■■■■.
'Oh, oh oh oh!'
Further secrets unveiled.
The afterlife exists. Many of them.
The universe has an end, and that end is infinite.
Civilizations in this universe: ■■■■■■■. And growing.
'Oh oh oh oh oh!'
He knew the universe's secrets, the world's truths. His consciousness rewound through time.
'More, more!'
Deeper into the past: forgotten, lost knowledge absorbed.
Solar system formation.
Why our galaxy has unique traits amid others.
Sloane Great Wall's origin.
Canis Major Overdensity's cause.
'More, more!'
Supermassive black hole mechanics.
Things dwelling beneath neutron stars.
Dark matter's true nature.
Dark energy's identity.
'More, more, more!'
Reversing the expanding universe solo.
Events in the first second post-Big Bang.
His mind raced back to the Big Bang itself.
'What lies beyond?'
What happened before, what knowledge awaits? His consciousness slipped pre-Big Bang.
'Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh!'
And......
And
there
was
noth
ing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Oh dear."
Park Yong-ha's body vanished.
"Your consciousness, drawn by the gravity it gained, crossed spacetime?"
The girl closed her eyes again.
"Omniscient info gathered around a human mind takes on physical form."
Should try more. One time's not enough.
"Wish another would come."
The next day, the astronomy world erupted.
[Supermassive black hole, seemingly born in Big Bang's infancy, discovered.]
[Estimated at least 1.6 trillion solar masses—some suspect measurement error.]
[Appeared suddenly where none existed. Advanced tech finally spotting it?]
No one knew why the black hole had formed.
Or who was inside.