LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 201: Chapter 201
["The Snow Mountain King likes to target lone travelers. When it encounters someone, it doesn't attack immediately but instead removes its goggles and asks for eye contact."]
["Once someone locks eyes with it, they are hypnotized, feeling an intense warmth and an irresistible urge to approach the Snow Mountain King. Once they do, they follow it willingly. No one knows where the Snow Mountain King leads its victims, as those who follow it are never seen again."]
["The Snow Mountain King doesn't stop at hypnotizing just one person. If it encounters more lone travelers, it will expand its 'group,' leading them all back to its territory. What it does with them remains a mystery. What we do know is that those who follow it are never found alive."]
["If a companion nearby calls out to a hypnotized person, the hypnosis can be broken. However, the Snow Mountain King can only hypnotize one individual at a time. What happens if it encounters a group of climbers remains unknown, as none of those groups have ever returned from the mountain."]
["There are local legends of spectral guides leading the souls of the dead from snowy mountains to the afterlife. These tales may have originated from people witnessing the Snow Mountain King's hunts."]
["When the victims disappear, their frozen bodies are usually found within one to two hours near the base of the mountain, all frozen to death due to extreme hypothermia. However, that's not the end—after several dozen hours, their corpses mummify, appearing as if they've been dead for years."]
["Containment efforts have been ongoing to capture the Snow Mountain King, but Mount Everest is like its private sanctuary. Despite using advanced equipment and sending in numerous task forces, we've been unable to locate it. Many task force members have been lost in the process."]
["After exhaustive efforts, we finally found a survivor, code-named L, who escaped the Snow Mountain King's grasp. We hope to learn more from their account."]
Interview with L
█████: Tell me what happened after you encountered the entity.
L: It was around 1 PM. I'd left the summit, and I was maybe ten minutes into the descent. This part of the climb is the hardest. You're elated from reaching the top, proud of yourself for conquering one of life's greatest challenges, only to realize you must endure it all again to survive. The others were about five or six meters ahead of me. I'd fallen behind adjusting my hood. That's when I saw it coming over the ridge.
█████: What was your first reaction?
L: Honestly? Surprise. We'd been told no one else was climbing today. I thought it might've climbed up from another route or been left behind by its group. I should've waved to get its attention.
█████: What happened when you got its attention?
L: It looked at me, and that's when it started. Suddenly, I felt… happy? Relaxed? It was like all my pain, sadness, and cold disappeared. I couldn't feel the blisters on my feet anymore. My nose, which had been numb, felt warm again. It was like being back at ██████████ with my feet up by the fire, completely carefree. But...
█████: But?
L: You've heard of paradoxical undressing, right? When your body gets cold—really cold—your blood vessels dilate, and you feel warm. You think you need to cool down, so you start removing your clothes. Everyone knows what happens next: you freeze to death, curled up in the snow. A friend of mine died that way back in '98.
█████: So, you thought it was an illusion?
L: Of course. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't take my eyes off the thing. It kept crawling toward me. And then everything went to hell.
█████: What do you mean?
L: The warmth and comfort vanished. Suddenly, I was freezing—colder than I'd ever felt before. My fingers and face went numb. My lips cracked. Breathing felt like drowning in ice water. My legs gave out, and I collapsed. My group was 30 meters ahead, but I couldn't shout. I could barely whisper. And it kept coming.
█████: How long did it take to reach you?
L: An hour? I don't know. I couldn't check my watch or feel anything. I tried to move my arms, but only my legs twitched. By then, I knew I wasn't making it back to camp before nightfall. I thought I was going to die there. But worse than that… I was terrified of the thing itself. The closer it got, the heavier the weight in my mind—something repressed, threatening, hateful.
█████: What happened when it reached you?
L: It grabbed me with its arms and pulled me closer. I stared straight into those goggles… or eyes.
█████: Goggles or eyes?
L: Both? Neither? I don't know. It felt like I could see something inside them—but also like I couldn't. Images and sensations filled my mind. Anger, joy… chaos.
█████: Chaos?
L: I don't think it's used to resistance. It asked me a question.
█████: It spoke?
L: Not in words—not exactly. I heard it, but not with my ears. I saw images of people—sitting by a campfire, soaking in a bathtub, sunbathing on a beach. Warm, happy people. But I recognized their faces. I'd seen them in books and photos. They were the ones who'd climbed the mountain and never returned. I saw Green Boots—the one lying in the Death Zone. And then I heard its question.
█████: What question?
L: "Do you reject my gift?"
(L falls silent for a long moment, visibly distressed.)
█████: Please continue.
L: It was hard to process… but I knew this thing was more dangerous than any storm or avalanche. Moving my lips was the hardest thing I've ever done… but I managed to say, "Yes."
(End of Chapter)
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