Chapter 123

The bunker that Viktor promised to pay for in advance fell into Jinseong’s hands in just a few days.

Of course, it wasn’t completely in his possession. Legally, it still belonged to Viktor.

But what did that even matter?

In any case, Viktor intended to give it to Jinseong, and the moment Jinseong became an adult, it would wholly become his.

What mattered was the fact that the bunker was Jinseong’s. And that it was in a very good position.

“What a wonderfully cool air it has.”

Jinseong gazed at the lake, reflecting the sky, a bright blue color. The lake seemed to boast its vastness with ripples shimmering far into the distance, adorned with numerous islands, as if proclaiming itself not just a lake but a petite sea. Moreover, beneath the shimmering surface, fish resembling salmon swam, while a seal busily chased the fish, darting to and fro.

Perhaps having missed its prey, it shook itself in frustration, then surfaced, dipping its head in and out repeatedly as if trying to calm its anger before diving back down in search of food.

It was a peaceful sight.

Jinseong approached Lake Baikal, scooping water with a plastic cup.

He had thought the water in Lake Baikal would be a clear blue color, but it was utterly transparent. The sunlight passed through it, showcasing its purity, reminiscent of the Alpine waters that remain frozen in time, retaining their innocence.

Additionally, the cold was invigorating enough to jolt one’s senses awake, and as his wrist moved, the water rippled enticingly, like a seductive dance beckoning to be consumed.

Unable to resist that temptation, Jinseong let the water spill from his mouth.

Instead of savoring the lake’s water like a gourmet, he hurriedly scratched his body with his fingers, as if using them like a brush to write on his skin, leaving sharp red marks that formed words on his body.

No.

Could this even be called writing?

It was more like arranging ice sculptures in a systematic way—could that be called writing?

The crimson scratches etched on his body rose and fell with the flow of the water, painting a picture on him. It resembled the bizarre-shaped scars one might receive from a lightning strike or the frozen appearance of a tree suddenly hit by a cold wave, as well as similar to the intricate patterns of snowflakes viewed under a microscope.

It was writing, yet not writing.

Close to a painting, yet carrying meaning.

It appeared and disappeared from Jinseong’s body, continually generating meaning.

Confirming that he was marked with countless red scratches all over, Jinseong walked towards the lake.

His manner resembled that of ancient saints who walked on water.

Splash!

Unlike those who performed miracles, Jinseong ended up falling helplessly into the lake.

His feet sank into the cold water, then his legs, then his waist, and eventually up to his neck.

With each step, Jinseong’s body submerged deeper into the water.

Yet his steps remained unimpeded, and as his head submerged, the pressure of the water began to choke him. However, he navigated through the water as if he were on land.

Was it perhaps the lake that felt mischievous?

The lake began to torment Jinseong.

With tightly shut lips, waves surged in, trying to drown his lungs, while water threatened to rush into his nostrils, only to hesitate at some unseen barrier, lingering at the opening.

Failing to drown him with its own body, the lake seemed to sulk as it reduced the light pouring down from above, stirring sediment in the water to cloud his vision and attempting to insert foreign substances into his glaring blue eyes.

But Jinseong incinerated all the foreign particles that dared to disturb his sight, moving with the clarity of his magically-enhanced eyes as if strolling through daylight at the bottom of the dark lake. And as the mesmeric light of the sparks ignited in his eyes, the curious fish that approached him were chased away with weak electrical magic, as he continued to walk.

How long had he been walking?

Before him emerged a giant cliff.

A colossal structure unimaginable at the lake’s bottom.

Could this be the shrunk version of an underwater oceanic canyon?

It held a beauty so magnificent that it was hard to believe it was shaped by nature. Yet it was a majestic and colossal canyon that seemed only possible by nature’s hand.

Below the canyon, a horrific darkness reigned.

Bizarrely shaped deep-sea fish darted through the gloom like defiled creatures, while the white sea snow, strikingly similar to winter’s snow, lay waiting to drop to the bottom while holding onto nutrients that the corpses once possessed.

A space filled with the white snow falling through darkness.

A space where some bizarre thing might dwell.

Jinseong gazed quietly at it and plopped down at the cliff’s edge.

As he sat, the sediments piled on the cliff’s edge stirred slightly, muddying the water, which blended with the sea snow and slowly sank to the depths of the abyss.

“—–.”

Jinseong quaked as he looked at it.

The vibration began from his throat, resonating through his belly, and as his lungs, shrunk from the deep-sea pressure, moved with the vibrations, air bubbles erupted inside him. This was proof of life for a land creature, yet it was something that must not remain inside him if he were to maintain consciousness at the lake’s bottom.

As all the air in his lungs escaped, Jinseong felt a daze come over him.

If he lingered like this a moment longer, his consciousness would entirely fade, and the unbearably cold water of the lake would fill his lungs, drowning him. And his deceased body would become prey to fish, part of it would become a fish carcass, and the remnants would decompose over the ages to transform into the marine snow falling into the deep sea, becoming sustenance for another life.

Yes.

That will surely happen.

So he had to do what must be done before death approached.

Puff!

Jinseong plunged the syringe he had tucked away into his arm.

Then he kept pulling it out and inserting it into various parts of his body, each injection leaving ugly scratch marks. Even without breathing, the syringe provided oxygen to his blood, resonating with the vibrations he was continuously producing, sharpening his senses.

Jinseong crossed his legs and subtly raised his head to gaze at the water’s surface.

The darkness, debris, and the faint light from the fish approaching, enchanted by the flames flickering in his eyes.

That scene resembled a star swimming in the sky.

The eyes of the fish became stars.

Everything floating in the water became clouds.

The lake’s water turned to air, and its flow became the wind.

This was akin to clouds being pushed by the wind, continually changing shape and position.

The fish moved like stars traveling through the sky.

Jinseong gazed at it as though it were the will of the heavens he needed to decipher, interpreting the bursts of sparks from the approaching fish as shooting stars revealing auspicious times for himself.

As the fish ceased to approach, he seemed satisfied and lowered his head, quietly staring at the snow-falling hole.

The hole beneath the canyon, reminiscent of the mouth of a gigantic deep-sea monster, was snowing, and watching it gave Jinseong the illusion that he was sitting atop the clouds, watching the snow fall.

There were no fairies scattering snow or scissors sculpting clouds into snow that dropped to the earth.

Only the place where snow fell could be called clouds, and sitting atop those clouds meant he could control the snow.

At this very moment.

Jinseong had become a body capable of bearing cold.

“—–”

Jinseong closed his eyes gently and created vibrations.

This vibration was unlike the earlier ones that resonated from his throat and belly; it targeted the ends of his limbs.

Along with this vibration, the coldness that the water held began to seep into his body.

This entry of cold into him did not only happen once.

Like it was something that had to be, the cold repeatedly entered and exited his body time and again.

And as it repeated several times, Jinseong’s ears began to feel as cold as ice.

They hadn’t turned bright red, yet they appeared so cold, one might think they could shatter at a mere touch.

Starting from his ears, a chilling sensation crept into his bones, as if his marrow was freezing solid, enveloping his body in horrifying agony.