Chapter 80
Whoooosh─!
The moment the spatial distortion stabilized, a gust of wind that could tear eardrums struck Doyoon.
Compared to the warm winds of the vast grasslands he had just been in, this was an unbearably harsh and deadly cold.
A chill that seemed to freeze the very lungs.
A blizzard that cut into bare skin.
In the middle of the pure white snowfield, Doyoon’s body stood alone.
[‘Tower Mission’ is starting.]
[Mission Name: ‘Survive in the Land of Frost’]
[Mission Details: The frost of Frostland instantly drains the warmth of life. Survive in this frozen land of death for ‘1 hour’.]
[Time Remaining: 00:59:59]
[Longest Survival Time: Fredrik Johansson (05:14:10) – Northern Europe League]
‘So, speed runs are temporarily on hold.’
Doyoon’s eyes narrowed.
The mission’s requirements completely overturned the existing meta. Until now, speed was everything. The faster you moved, the further ahead you got.
But from the 11th floor onward, the fight was of a completely different dimension.
‘…Here, neither strength nor speed is more than a secondary factor.’
What this frozen hell demanded was simple: pure ‘survival ability’.
With no armor, no cold-weather gear, fully exposed to the freezing wind, Doyoon didn’t even flinch.
He wasn’t enduring it forcibly.
Warmth surged naturally through his body as his internal energy circulated.
Perfectly balanced, neither too much nor too little.
The penetrating cold was gently pushed away by his rising internal heat.
Having reached the peak, Doyoon had surpassed mere resistance to cold or heat—he had attained a state of immunity to water and fire.
“Quite a view.”
He simply observed the snowy scenery. While for other Awakened beings, every second in this cold would have been a countdown to death, it posed no threat to him.
‘…Hmm, this could be a good opportunity.’
A faint smile appeared on Doyoon’s lips.
‘Time to focus entirely on myself without any bothersome interruptions.’
Amid the fierce blizzard, he sat cross-legged in the middle of the snowfield.
A single black dot on the white canvas.
Though Frostland’s freezing energy seemed poised to engulf him, Doyoon’s inner mind remained utterly calm.
-‘Heart of the Manticore (Rare)’
He immediately took out the reward for top contribution on the 10th floor.
A monster’s heart, pulsating with weak warmth yet carrying an unpleasant vitality.
[Use item? Y/N]
There was no need to hesitate. Doyoon had handled not only hero-grade but also epic-grade energy sources before.
‘Use it.’
The moment he grasped the heart and began absorption:
[Absorbing ‘Heart of the Manticore (Rare)’]
[No penalty on failure]
The wild magical energy within poured into his palm like molten lava.
It felt very different from breaking open his internal core or consuming elixirs.
It was the same foreign energy sensation as when absorbing the ‘Heart of the Barrier’.
A normal martial artist would have had their meridians twisted or fallen into madness from the surging energy. But Doyoon didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
[MuGuk Divine Scripture (Mythical)]
└[Internal Energy Volume]
└[Principles of Harmony]
The intricacies of the MuGuk Divine Scripture, even the unfamiliar energy, began to integrate.
Whoosh!
His dantian sucked in the energy like a black hole. Not a drop wasted. Not even the shell remained.
The rough, chaotic wild energy was refined by the principles of harmony, transforming into pure internal energy.
And so, one hour passed.
[‘11th Floor’ cleared!]
[Tower Mission Reward: ‘Essence of Frost (Rare)’ x3]
[Domestic Ranking: 921st]
[League Ranking: 23,115th]
[World Ranking: 87,331st]
An effortless conquest.
But this was only the prologue. Frostland’s true, brutal face was about to reveal itself.
[Time Remaining to ‘Longest Survival’ 04:14:10]
[The cold of the snowfield intensifies explosively.]
“Whoooosh~” wasn’t enough.
Kraaaaaaa──!
A snowstorm capable of swallowing the world surged. Sharp icicles rained from the sky.
Cold judgment poured down on the ground.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Snow piled endlessly on Doyoon, trapping him.
What remained was a massive snow mound.
For ordinary humans, this would lead from searing pain to sensory loss and cardiac arrest. But for Doyoon, whose level surpassed even superhumans, ‘freezing to death’ did not exist.
In fact, the more the cold weighed on him, the deeper his consciousness sank into the abyss of calm.
How much time had passed?
‘…!’
A sudden realization.
-
Yin and Yang
-
Cold and heat
-
Magic and internal energy
Handling opposing energies was now Doyoon’s specialty. He had overcome the cold with balance, harmonized conflicting energies, and tamed wild magic into unity.
Yet now, his consciousness glimpsed something beyond the existing dimension.
A higher law, surpassing harmony and unity.
The distant, lofty fragment of it.
‘Ah….’
The brief enlightenment dissipated like a mirage, but left a spark within Doyoon.
At the same time:
Krrr-krk-krk!
The snow mound began cracking from within.
Kraaaaaaaang─!
Condensed heat blew up the snow prison.
Heat waves burst outward.
Steam boiled from the melted snow.
In the middle of the snowfield, wet ground revealed a circle of earth.
And at the center stood Doyoon, his gaze even deeper than before.
[‘Domestic Longest Survival’ record updated.]
[‘League Longest Survival’…]
[‘World Longest Survival’…]
[11 consecutive record update bonus (Domestic)! 7,375P obtained.]
[11 consecutive record update bonus (League)! 14,750P obtained.]
[11 consecutive record update bonus (World)! 29,500P obtained.]
[Continue ascending? Y/N]
‘I can handle much more.’
Even if the cold clawed sharper, it would be no problem. If he stayed as long as possible, he could set an immortal record no one could touch.
But Doyoon wasn’t particularly concerned with records.
‘Extending survival time doesn’t really benefit me. I’ll leave room for future challengers to break the record and enjoy the bonus.’
He decided without hesitation.
“I’m going up.”
This time, there was no dazzling flash, no spatial distortion.
Unlike previous floors, the concept was entirely different. The world itself shifted, not just his body.
Gugugugugung─
The snow beneath swelled as the horizon extended infinitely.
A mysterious sight of the Tower expanding to create the next stage unfolded.
[Entered the 12th Floor of the Tower of Transcendence.]
Shaaaarp!
The environment grew even harsher. The cold now threatened to freeze the soul. To make matters worse, baseball-sized hail fell like bombs.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!
Tiiing!
His protective device repelled all incoming attacks.
Shattering hailstones fell apart into fragments, unable to touch even a single hair.
With a calm gaze into the void, the status window appeared:
[Acquired] – [Martial Arts]
[MuGuk Divine Scripture (Mythical)]
Before him was a glowing, ancient book.
The legacy of MuHwang obtained through conquering the Sealed Tomb. A mythic martial arts tome!
Its greatness was evident from its grade alone.
But the true value of the MuGuk Divine Scripture wasn’t just its grade.
It surpassed all other martial arts tomes in scope and depth.
[MuGuk Divine Scripture (Mythical)]
└[Sword Techniques Volume]
└[Dao Techniques Volume]
└[Fist Techniques Volume]
└[Staff Techniques Volume]
└[Earth Techniques Volume]
└[Joint Techniques Volume]
……
……
Including various weapon skills and wrestling techniques:
-
[Internal Energy Volume]
-
[Stepping Techniques Volume]
-
[Protective Device Techniques Volume]
-
[Force Techniques Volume]
……
……
A complete collection of martial knowledge, consolidated by MuHwang over his lifetime.
Each ‘Volume’ contained countless ‘Principles’.
For example:
[Sword Techniques Volume]
└[Principle of Strong Sword]
└[Principle of Flowing Sword]
└[Principle of Swift Sword]
……
……
Each principle had three meanings:
-
The theoretical foundation of the field.
-
An advanced concept for application.
-
A combat move condensed into a single action.
Knowledge, concept, and practice worked in a trinity.
‘…That’s why the MuGuk Divine Scripture isn’t just a collection of techniques.’
All martial arts lead back to the tightly woven system of MuHwang.
Doyoon focused on one martial art from the [Martial Arts] window:
-[Diamond Heart Sutra (Rare)]
A pure internal energy meditation of the Buddhist tradition. He had already acquired it once, so the knowledge was fully engraved in his mind.
[Absorb the principles of ‘Diamond Heart Sutra (Rare)’?]
‘Absorb.’
Following Doyoon’s will, the understanding merged into the MuGuk Divine Scripture system.
[The understanding of ‘Demon-Subduing Principle (3-star)’ slightly increased.]
[The understanding of ‘Principle of Harmony (5-star)’ slightly increased.]
The previous knowledge now integrated with MuHwang’s insights, creating new enlightenment.
Flarrrrk.
The newly awakened understanding sparked another flame within him.
The faint glimpse he had on the 11th floor when absorbing the Manticore’s Heart flared again.
‘…The enlightenment of MuGuk (No Limit).’
At that moment, a wave of past dialogue crashed over his consciousness.
Six months ago.
With the master of the Sealed Tomb, the greatest martial artist of 3,000 years past—MuHwang.
Their final conversation.
“Half a season remains… Within that, what do you wish to learn?”
Sword techniques?
Lightness skills?
Or perhaps a supreme internal energy meditation beyond the highest level?
Countless choices flashed through his mind, but Doyoon sought only one thing:
“The MuGuk Divine Scripture is truly immense. But the grandeur of the King of Fists can’t even compare, right?”
MuHwang chuckled lightly.
“Did you think someone claiming to be Emperor would be humble? It’s not my place to say, but I am one who has reached the pinnacle of martial arts.”
“I acknowledge that.” Doyoon nodded calmly.
“If we call that MuGuk (Martial Extremity), then what about MuGuk (No Limit)?”
“…!?”
MuHwang’s smile vanished.
The expression of the absolute was replaced by astonishment.
And by his look, it seemed to silently ask, ‘How do you know that?’
“What I want to know… is the teaching you left behind.”
Doyoon’s eyes pierced through MuHwang as if seeing into his very soul.
“…Does its ultimate path lead to MuGuk (Martial Extremity) or MuGuk (No Limit)?”
