Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ What Is This Hobo-Like… (1) ༻

The medical room within the Murim Alliance.

The room was filled with many people due the injuries that occurred in the tournament.

“Ugh…!”

And among those wounded, Namgung Cheonjun gasped for breath as he opened his eyes.

“Huff… huff!”

His breathing was rough and Namgung Cheonjun’s body was drenched in sweat.

As if he just experienced the most horrifying nightmare in his life.

Namgung Cheonjun, who woke up while panting, immediately lifted up the blanket and checked his lower body area.

“…W-Was it a dream?”

Everything he had experienced, it all felt like a dream to him.

Especially at the end; The chilling sensation he felt in his lower body right before he lost consciousness.

It was a nightmare.

But thankfully, it seemed like it wasn’t real.

“Are you okay…?”

Namgung Cheonjun’s head turned quickly after hearing a voice.

Next to him was the Snow Phoenix, Moyong Hi-ah.

“…Lady Moyong?”

Namgung Cheonjun fixed his mask which nearly cracked just now.

He then felt pain in all parts of his body.

“…Ugh…”

His body ached as though he had been beaten like a drum.

Namgung Cheonjun then realized the truth.

That the duel wasn’t a dream.

That he, the next Lord of the Namgung Clan…

Was defeated.

“…Impossible…!”

He immediately mustered his Qi along with his anger,

The searing pain in Namgung Cheonjun’s body forced him to flinch.

“Ughh…!”

“Young Master…!?

As a result of the duel, his abdomen throbbed painfully, joining the chorus of aches that encompassed his entire body.

The counterattacks that landed on him after deflecting all his sword strikes.

His Qi, which he had condensed, ended up scattering away,

And his abdomen, the center of his Qi flow, was left to bear the brunt of the pain.

Thanks to that, his body, which had writhed on the floor, was having a seizure and his abdomen was screaming in pain.

‘…How humiliating…!’

His resentment for Gu Yangcheon only increased.

What kind of trick did he use this time?

Even if it wasn’t a trick, it was already a kick in the balls for Namgung Cheonjun to lose to such a bastard.

‘I see…You will only be satisfied after bothering me for all eternity.’

He resented him, to the point that he wanted to kill him.

‘What do I do… what do I need to do in order to- ‘

“…!”

Namgung Cheonjun’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted as his shoulders began to tremble.

It was because of the two eyes that bore down on him at the last moment.

The fiery red eyes that looked like they could set the world ablaze.

Namgung Cheonjun curled up involuntarily, clutching his shoulders.

‘…Hoo…haa!’

It was fear.

The emotion that made him breathless was undoubtedly fear.

The blood relative of the almighty Namgung Clan, Namgung Cheonjun, was fearful of that young boy.

“This… this is…!”

Inside those eyes, that seemed to set the world ablaze…

Namgung Cheonjun saw the darkness that seemed to have no end.

Yes, just like the ones Peng Woojin had-, no, perhaps, it was even deeper.

“Young Master Namgung…what is wrong- “

Slap!

Right before Moyong Hi-ah’s hand touched him, Namgung Cheonjun fiercely slapped her hand away.

“…D-Do not touch me.”

Namgung Cheonjun knew that Moyong Hi-ah wanted something from him.

He wasn’t sure what that something was.

And it was harder for him to guess since she wasn’t making an effort to conceal her intentions.

But Namgung Cheonjun remained guarded behind his mask.

As he had a good chance of gaining many things if he had Moyong Hi-ah next to him, given her noble lineage.

Moreover, it looked like she shared a similar interest, leading him to believe it wouldn’t harm either of them.

However, Namgung Cheonjun couldn’t keep up his fake persona in this current situation.

It was because of the fact that he was humiliated and defeated in front of his beloved sister.

Additionally, his opponent was the very same person who took his sister away from him.

And lastly, the fact that he felt fear in the presence of such a bastard infuriated him.

“How… I was even… said to be the chosen one.”

‘Yes, it must have been because I didn’t have the chance to use my new power fully.’

‘That’s the only reason why I lost to him.’

Namgung Cheonjun’s shoulders continued to tremble, but he managed to regain some of his composure.

Namgung Cheonjun believed that he was just a little shell-shocked.

Previously, they had told him to not use the new power until he had complete mastery over it.

‘Not that it was something I could command at will.’

Namgung Cheonjun tried to use it many times, sensing a different energy within him, but he couldn’t control it.

Just like now…

‘…Huh?’

Namgung Cheonjun’s body, which had been shaking for what seemed like an eternity, finally stopped.

It was because he felt something incredibly strange.

‘W-Where did it go…?’

Namgung Cheonjun couldn’t feel the energy that previously resided within him.

“Where… where the hell did it go…!”

Moyong Hi-ah continued to watch Namgung Cheonjun but withdrew her hand.

‘…Sigh.’

She erased the concern from her face, returning to her usual cold and impassive demeanor.

‘He wasn’t always like this.’

He had always been a bit arrogant, but he used to exude confidence and self-respect.

Even last year, he looked fine when he came to the banquet.

‘But why did he have to change so drastically this year…’

‘I can’t believe he changed this much, especially when I had decided to approach him this year.’

‘Do I have to describe this as him being ruined? I can’t really describe it any other way.’

– There is no way to cure it now.

– …Just pray for a miracle to happen.

– Or maybe you should burn away the cold Qi inside your body…

Moyong Hi-ah pushed aside the memories she hated to be reminded of.

Then she channeled Qi through her body.

Only then did it feel like the cold went away.

‘Burn it away? How.’

‘It’s not like a disease or an object that can be merely burnt away.’

She was suddenly reminded of the boy who summoned engulfing flames, but quickly dismissed the thought.

As she knew fully well that Flame Arts couldn’t burn away her condition.

Those words had likely been said out of frustration.

Despite knowing that, Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t help but feel drained.

She knew that she didn’t have much time left.

Which was more of the reason why she needed help from the Namgung Clan.

To be more accurate, she needed assistance from the Lord of Heaven.

Her father wanted to gain many things for the clan while risking much, but that wasn’t her desired path.

To her, that seemed like a last resort.

She didn’t want to see her clan falling into ruin.

‘I still should be fine.’

She reassured herself, trying to banish any uncertainty.

Moyong Hi-ah made another attempt in reaching out to Namgung Cheonjun, but stopped midway.

It was because someone appeared.

“I’m glad that you are in a finer state than I expected.”

“…!”

The man, who appeared in a black uniform, was the young lord of the Peng Clan.

Peng Woojin.

He spoke to Namgung Cheonjun after suddenly appearing.

“Young Master Namgung, if you are feeling fine, how about we have a conversation?”

He looked like a kind person with that smile on his face.

However, Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t shake her unease.

******************

Rumors were akin to storms.

They swept through anything and everything, without any intention of stopping,

So while it was unnerving not to know where they would end up, it was also marvelous.

For those experiencing it for the first time, it could be quite unsettling.

But personally, I didn’t feel much.

– I heard that the Lightning Dragon lost, yeah?

– I heard that he lost to a young boy much younger than him.

– Who? Perhaps, it’s the blood relative of the Taeryung Clan that beat the Poison Phoenix?

– You idiot, it’s been a while since the rumor spread, yet you are still saying something like that?

– I mean, you could just tell me if I don’t know. What’s with the insult?

– If you’re mad, maybe you should buy some info from the Beggar’s Sect too.

The defeat of the Lightning Dragon, Namgung Cheonjun, had a far more significant impact than when the Poison Phoenix, Tang Soyeol, lost her first fight.

It made sense, as this match was part of the quarterfinals and the arena was packed with even more spectators.

Which meant that there were naturally more eyes and mouths.

As a result…

All eyes were on me as soon as I descended into the arena.

– Like, does it really make sense that he beat the Lightning Dragon? It’s the Lightning Dragon we are talking about! The one from the Namgung Clan.

– So that doesn’t make sense for you, but the Poison Phoenix losing in the first round does?

– But that’s the Taeryung Clan. He’s the son of the Alliance Leader.

– …Do you know who the Lightning Dragon’s opponent was?

– Hmm? Who was it?

– Gu Clan of Shanxi. The little brother of that famous Sword Phoenix.

– Oh.

Wait, why did that convince you?

“What did that crazy woman do, for them to be convinced like that…”

I briefly heard that she burned not only the arena stage, but also half of the banquet hall.

There were even stories about her burning off the hairs of people who bothered her, as well as other similar tales that were just as scary.

The unsettling part was that I had a gut feeling Gu Huibi had really done those things.

“…With her personality, it makes more than enough sense.”

My head ached.

It was beyond absurd that merely being ‘the younger brother of Gu Huibi’, could convince everyone of what I just did.

“You were so cool, Young Master Gu!”

When I returned to the barrack after the duel, Tang Soyeol welcomed me as if she had been waiting.

“You watched all of that?”

“Of course! I watched every single bit without missing a moment!”

She looked so bright while she waved her hands around, as if she was bragging about how hard she watched my fight.

Despite her early loss in the first round, Tang Soyeol was in high spirits. However, her hands were red, a bit paradoxical considering her heated demeanor.

It was most likely from watching the duel in this cold weather.

I contemplated warming up the air with my Qi.

“Hmm.”

But I decided against it.

I was more concerned about the new energy twitching inside my abdomen.

‘This pig of a bastard…’

The energy I absorbed from Namgung Cheonjun.

To be more precise, the energy that chose to be absorbed was the problem.

At least get permission from me if you’re going to take it… Why is it that devouring is the first thing you do?

Especially because this wasn’t Demonic Qi this time.

‘…That’s the problem.’

Pissing Dragon… no, the Lightning Dragon containing such an energy was a problem as well.

But the bigger issue was that I had been able to absorb such energy.

How? How was I able to absorb this energy?

Tang Soyeol kept speaking to me, but I only responded briefly as I was busy scrutinizing my body.

‘It is certainly similar.’

The energy I absorbed from Namgung Cheonjun resembled the energy I felt from Wi Seol-Ah in my past life.

It was more akin to Taoist Qi than ordinary Qi, but it wasn’t quite the same as Taoist Qi either.

Although it was hard to say that they were the same…

One thing I knew was that it was not Demonic Qi.

Instead, it felt like the opposite of it.

‘The problem is that my body is absorbing such energy while savoring it.’

Just like how Demonic Qi was purified in my body, my Flame Qi was devouring up the new energy that entered my abdomen.

It appeared to be receiving a similar treatment as Demonic Qi.

Tap.

“Hmm?”

As I was trapped in my thoughts, someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

It was Namgung Bi-ah.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

When I asked her what was wrong, she slightly frowned her expression as if she was mad about something.

What was up with her

‘Did I ignore her by accident or something?’

However, that didn’t make sense either. Namgung Bi-ah was usually the one who spaced out and it took multiple calls to get her attention.

As I was standing in confusion, Tang Soyeol approached me and whispered in my ear.

“Young Master Gu…”

“Hmm?”

“…Um, in a little bit, Sis’s duel is about to… Ubff”

Tang Soyeol, who was delivering this information, was pushed away. Namgung Bi-ah was the one who shoved Tang Soyeol aside.

Tang Soyeol, who was pushed away suddenly, spoke to Namgung Bi-ah while frowning.

“Sis! Do you know how unfair you’re being!?”

“…No.”

“I’m trying to help you! You should let this pass…!”

“Even so… no.”

“Ugh…!!”

What were these two doing?

As I watched the current situation with confusion, Tang Soyeol let out a fake cough and started to speak.

“…Since you are done, it’s Sis’s turn for her fight.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe she wants you to cheer for her?”

I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah after hearing Tang Soyeol.

Namgung Bi-ah wasn’t looking my way though. More accurately, it looked like she was intentionally avoiding eye contact.

I noticed her slightly reddened ears and couldn’t suppress a smirk.

“So that’s what you wanted?”

“…No…”

Yeah, right.

I thought she didn’t really care about such things, but I guess she did a bit on the inside.

‘Even though I literally just beat her little brother up.’

I began to wonder if all older sisters were like this.

Namgung Cheonjun’s complex feelings for his sister made him the real weird one, though.

“Good luck.”

Despite my short response, Namgung Bi-ah nodded her head, seemingly satisfied.

Her face was covered by her hair, but her reddened ears gave away her true feelings.

I didn’t tell her to go win her fight.

After all, she would win even if I didn’t tell her to.

…I felt bad for Gu Jeolyub, who was her opponent, but there was little that could be done.

They were in different leagues.

I was reminded of Gu Jeolyub’s sobbing face after seeing the bracket.

I did see them duel each other a few times during our trip.

Gu Jeolyub couldn’t even touch Namgung Bi-ah’s clothes back then.

And Gu Jeolyub probably fell in despair after seeing the bracket because he already knew that.

‘Though he would also gain some things from this.’

It seemed like this trip wouldn’t only benefit me.

Namgung Bi-ah might gain some things as well.

Whether in name or fame.

She did appear indifferent to such matters, though.

In my past life, some time after she earned the title of Demonic Sword…

She asked me what that was when I addressed her by that title.

Namgung Bi-ah was someone who cared even less about the world than I did.

And in this life, with many things already changed, it seemed that Namgung Bi-ah’s name would spread sooner rather than later.

I did happen to hear that there were people who served as her followers.

‘…But that’s just a false rumor, right?’

That sounded a little scary.

What even was a follower, for fuck’s sake!… if they did truly exist, I had to wonder what they even did.

Just the thought of it gave me goosebumps.

“Young Masterrrr!”

Someone rushed inside, through the barrack entrance.

It was Wi Seol-Ah, who I barely got to see today.

Hongwa entered after her and bowed her head to me.

“We are back.”

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry… it’s my fault.”

Hongwa didn’t even give an explanation for their tardiness.

In essence, it meant that she was willing to accept any punishment.

‘Not that I intended to punish her anyway.’

They must have had good reasons for being late. I heard that Muyeon went along with them.

As such, if someone caused trouble, it would have to have been Wi Seol-Ah.

“S-Sis did nothing wrong. Young Master… I got lost… and- “

As expected, I gave Wi Seol-Ah a bonk on her head as she confessed.

“Ough…!”

“You were sent for errands, but you got lost?”

“…I’m sorryyyy…”

Judging by her expression, it seemed like she was genuinely remorseful that she had messed up.

Or maybe she wore such an expression because she felt guilty that Hongwa was getting in trouble because of her.

I sighed and withdrew the hand that had been poised for a second bonk, before starting to pat Wi Seol-Ah’s head.

“But that means nothing happened.”

“…Yeah.”

I wondered if I could really let this incident slide.

But when I looked at Wi Seol-Ah’s face, I couldn’t bring myself to scold her any further.

I felt this with even greater intensity when I considered the fact that I didn’t know if I could even dare to lay my hands on this child.

“Sisss!”

When I let her go, Wi Seol-Ah ran into Namgung Bi-ah’s arms.

Namgung Bi-ah who seemed to be used to such a reaction, hugged Wi Seol-Ah and brushed Wi Seol-Ah’s hair.

They looked like sisters in a good relationship.

Wi Seol-Ah, who was rubbing her face in Namgung Bi-ah’s arms, suddenly turned her head toward me as if she just remembered something.

“Oh…! Young Master!”

“Hmm?”

“Someone was waiting for you outside!”

“Who?”

Someone was waiting for me? Who could it be? Was it Gu Jeolyub? Or Peng Ah-hee?

There wasn’t anyone who would visit me at such a time.

Before I could dwell on it further, Wi Seol-Ah told me the answer.

However, her response wasn’t something I expected.

“A hobo man!”

“…What?”

I frowned after hearing Wi Seol-ah.

It sounded way too absurd.

I scolded her, telling her not to joke around,

“Oh! Hello! I am Chuwong from the Beggar’s Sect! Woah woah… I can’t believe I get to meet a famous noble clan’s blood relative…! What an honor this is for a poor man like me!”

But just like Wi Seol-Ah said, a hobo really was waiting for me outside.

This really was an unsatisfactory situation.

You can rate/review this series here.