Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Ssshhh…After the sudden situation ended, only cold air lingered above the ground.

Left alone, I stood there with a blank expression, murmuring quietly to myself.

"Was it a dream?

"Perhaps it had been just a dream?

It was such a bewildering thought that I couldn't help but entertain it.

"...

"But as I looked at the scene before me, I knew—this was no dream.

The land, shattered and reduced to ashes, bore testament to the aftermath of some overwhelming force that had swept through.

Feeling the lingering heat in the area, cold sweat dripped down my back.

‘I didn’t see it clearly.

’I should have witnessed what kind of power had unleashed such devastation.

But the light had been so blinding that I instinctively shut my eyes.

That was my eternal regret.

‘I should have seen it.

’I should have observed it all and imprinted it in my mind.

But instead, I foolishly closed my eyes.

Damn it.

Grinding my teeth in frustration, I surveyed my surroundings.

The chaotic mess was one thing, but understanding what had just transpired took priority.

Especially the sudden appearance of my father, his brief conversation with me, and his abrupt disappearance—it was all a mystery.

‘And…’It felt like he had been about to tell me something about Mother.

Of all times, why did he disappear just then?

“What the hell…”He had left me curious and vanished—where had he gone?

More importantly, how had he even arrived here?

As I pondered over my father, who had come and gone like the wind, an unexpected sound broke my thoughts.

Crunch!

"Huh?

"Feeling a sensation in my chest, I reached inside and pulled something out.

“What…?

”Seeing what I held in my hand, my eyes widened.

It was a bead.

Specifically, the red jade bead Lady Mi had given me earlier—the one I had examined not long ago.

Although it wasn’t unusual to see it again, there was a problem with it.

“It’s broken.

”For some reason, the bead was shattered.

Not only that, but it had lost its color and become transparent.

The first thought that came to mind upon seeing this was none other than:“…I’m screwed.

”This was far more alarming than encountering a beast.

The fact that the bead, given to me by none other than Lady Mi, was broken was the problem.

“What do I even say to her…?

”How was I supposed to explain that the bead she had given me was now ruined?

As I stupidly contemplated this, something else about the bead caught my attention.

“…Huh?

”Upon fiddling with the broken bead a few more times, I noticed it.

‘It’s hot.

’The bead was radiating heat.

‘Is it because of my body?

’No, that couldn’t be it.

Although my body was warmer than most due to practicing fire techniques, it wasn’t enough to heat an object like this just by carrying it.

More importantly—‘I can feel energy.

’The bead contained a faint trace of energy, separate from its heat.

At first, I wondered if it was my own energy, but I quickly dismissed that thought.

This energy was unmistakably…‘Father’s energy.

’The warmth emanating from the bead was closer to his than to mine.

…Which meant, could it be…“Was it because of this thing?

”Could this bead have been the reason my father suddenly appeared in the North Sea?

It seemed absurd, yet no other explanation came to mind.

After all, wasn’t there something Lady Mi had said when she gave me the bead?

“…‘Use it when you’re in danger,’ she said.

”She had told me to use it when I felt endangered.

And she had also mentioned that the bead itself had come from my father.

Staring at the shattered bead, I nodded.

“This thing.

”It had to be this.

This bead was likely the reason my father had appeared in the North Sea.

‘I knew it was a mystical object, but…’Given that Lady Mi had given it to me, I had naturally assumed it was no ordinary item.

‘But to think it had such a power.

’The ability to summon someone from afar.

Who would have thought such a mystical object could exist?

‘…Well, considering there’s a lunatic who can open the Magyeong Gate with their own hands, this isn’t too surprising.

’I suddenly thought of Cheol Ji-seon, who was probably struggling with the task I had given him, and felt a strange sense of relief.

With my mind a little more at ease, I examined the bead closely.

‘How did it activate?

’Regardless of its effects or mystical nature, I had never intended to use it.

Although Lady Mi had told me to use it in dangerous situations, she hadn’t explained how to activate it.

How had it worked, then?

As I thought about it, one incident came to mind.

‘Was it during that wager?

’I had used a spiritual technique to pick it up instead of touching it directly.

At that moment, I recalled the bead emitting a faint glow.

In other words—‘It activates when energy is directly infused into it.

’If that was the case, the activation method wasn’t complicated.

It seemed like the incident had occurred because of this.

‘And it seems to have a time limit as well….

’[Time is up.

]Those were my father’s words just before he disappeared.

This suggested that the effect wasn’t permanent but had a duration.

‘And given that the bead is now broken…’Was it a one-time use item?

Or…‘Was it simply at its limit?

’That much I couldn’t determine.

What mattered now, though, was that—‘This mystical object can no longer be used.

’That much I could sense instinctively.

The mystical object’s effectiveness was spent.

To be honest, it wasn’t just instinct; anyone could tell by looking at it.

With it shattered and its color faded, it was clearly finished.

‘Hmph.

’It was a shame, really.

‘It was quite a useful item.

’The ability to reach someone’s location just by channeling energy into it.

Even if it wasn’t perfect teleportation, there wasn’t another tool like it.

If I had it, I could have…‘Prevented situations like this from happening.

’Just knowing that would have brought peace of mind.

I already had plenty to worry about.

Being able to eliminate even one of those concerns would have been a relief.

I gathered the remnants of the bead—or what was left of it—and put them back into my pocket.

The mystical object was no more.

Dwelling on it now served no purpose.

‘Fortunately…’I knew someone capable of overturning such rules.

Someone who could not only repair broken mystical objects but also create ‘artificial’ ones.

“I was planning to visit anyway.

”Now I had a clear reason to seek them out.

The good news was that finding them wouldn’t be too difficult.

‘Especially since…’Cheonma.

I had confirmed that she was in Hanam.

And the person I was looking for would undoubtedly be by her side.

As I prepared to revise my plans, a voice called out.

“Lord of the Palace!

”Turning toward the voice, I remembered—‘Ah, right.

’There was that as well.

The sudden chaos had made me temporarily forget.

The natural disaster my father had caused had left behind a creature’s remains.

The monster’s corpse, reduced to ashes, showed no signs of regeneration.

It seemed definitively dead.

‘If it wasn’t, that would be absurd.

’Its charred body was in such a state that if it managed to rise again, it would be beyond reason.

Near the remains of the beast, the Black Lion, who had been the palace lord’s guard, was approaching cautiously.

“Lord of the Palace…!!

”With trembling hands, the Black Lion reached out toward the monster’s remains but hesitated, as if afraid to touch them.

I approached him and spoke.

“Didn’t you gleefully swing your sword earlier?

What’s with the hesitation now?

”“…!

”The Black Lion flinched at my words, his body trembling slightly.

But no answer came.

I half-expected him to explode in anger, but that didn’t happen.

Curious as to why he was acting this way, I stared at him—just as someone slipped in beside us.

It was Paejon.

He glanced at me and spoke.

"I knew you lacked tact, but I didn’t expect you to be this thoughtless.

"Tsk tsk.

Clicking his tongue repeatedly, Paejon didn’t seem to like what I had said.

“…I didn’t teach you basic human decency in your training, but now I’m wondering if I should’ve included it.

”"Hey, come on.

Isn’t it a bit much to talk about teaching manners to an elder?

That’s—ow!

"A sudden smack to the back of my head nearly made my eyes pop out.

It was clear he was telling me to watch my mouth, but I still didn’t fully understand why.

Perhaps it showed on my face, as I caught Paejon letting out a faint sigh.

"Disciple.

""Yes, Master.

""If you were born human, you ought to develop a sense of empathy.

""I do understand that, but don’t you think you’re not exactly the best example, Master?

""…"I had prepared myself for another smack, but this time, it didn’t come.

Instead, Paejon turned his gaze toward me, his expression unreadable.

"…In any case.

"Seeing that he was about to drop the subject, I decided to let it go as well.

"Where did your father go?

""…Who knows?

Probably to Shanxi.

""…Shanxi?

"Paejon’s eyes were full of questions.

The idea that someone who was just here in the North Sea could already be in Shanxi was clearly baffling.

But I couldn’t be bothered to explain, so I brushed it off.

"Yeah, that’s it.

""…Lord of the Palace….

"The Black Lion was still staring at the remains of the monster.

Seeing his expression, Paejon and Seong Yul, who had quietly approached, didn’t look too pleased either.

The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh and a somber mood.

What a pain.

"It’s not even dead yet.

What’s the fuss…?

"Thunk.

"Hm?

"I froze and turned my head.

I had spoken thoughtlessly, but something felt off.

Everyone around me was staring at me now.

Had I said something wrong again?

I didn’t think I had.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?

"Even the Black Lion, who had been fixated on the ashes, was now staring at me.

He asked cautiously,"…What did you just say?

""What do you mean?

""You said it’s not dead.

What did you mean by that?

"The urgency in his voice made me nod slightly, realizing what the issue was.

‘Ah, so that’s the problem.

’I had wondered why they were reacting like this, but now it made sense.

They didn’t know.

‘Of course, if they knew, they wouldn’t be hesitating like this.

’I placed my hand over my heart.

Thump.

Thump.

The beating sound was steady, but there was something more interwoven with it.

Feeling this, I turned my gaze back to the ashes of the monster.

Thump.

Thump-thump.

The heartbeat grew stronger, more pronounced.

It was telling me—something was still alive.

With a slight motion, I raised my hand and swung it lightly.

Boom!

The energy from my motion created a gust of wind, bursting outward.

The fierce wind swept over the monster’s remains.

Fwaaa—!

The charred body crumbled into dust, scattering in the gust.

"What are you doing—!

"The Black Lion roared at me angrily, but I cut him off.

"Don’t get mad.

Just watch closely.

"Ignoring his outburst, I pointed forward with my finger.

Fwaa….

The ashes danced in the air, dispersing quickly.

To reduce a body to this state, the heat must have been extraordinary.

I couldn’t fathom how hot it must have been to destroy that monstrous form.

Well, that aside…"…!!

"As the ashes cleared, the Black Lion seemed to notice it too.

Where the monster’s body had been, now lay a human figure on the ground.

"Lord of the Palace!

"It was the Ice Palace Lord.

The body of the one said to have been consumed by the Ice Essence and turned into a monster was there, intact.

The Black Lion rushed over, inspecting the Palace Lord urgently.

"What the…!

"Astonishingly, the Palace Lord’s body showed no visible injuries.

Despite having been repeatedly torn apart and mangled, his body now appeared completely unharmed.

‘How fascinating.

’Even I hadn’t expected this outcome.

But—‘His body may be unscathed, but there are plenty of other problems.

’For one, his skin had undergone significant changes.

The scales that had already emerged now covered his entire face.

The resonance I sensed from him was still that of a half-dragon, but his breathing was shallow, barely enough to sustain life.

‘Is this the aftermath of being consumed by the Ice Essence?

’I was curious about what had happened.

With his condition as it was, I doubted he would wake up anytime soon.

‘Hmm.

’Looking at the Palace Lord, I wondered if I could use my own heat to heal him, as I had done for Moyong Hee-ah.

The thought crossed my mind, but—‘I don’t feel inclined to.

’Even if it were possible, one crucial question remained.

‘Why should I?

’There was no compelling reason for me to go out of my way to help the Palace Lord.

There was nothing more to gain from him.

It wasn’t worth the trouble of using my energy for his sake.

With that realization, my interest waned.

Unlike me, the Black Lion supported the Palace Lord, his expression urgent as he scanned the surroundings.

"We need to get him to a physician immediately…!

"Watching him, I tilted my head slightly.

Such loyalty.

I found it curious, wondering what could inspire such dedication.

I, on the other hand, found all such attachments meaningless.

And besides—‘Even if they take him, I doubt there’s anything they can do.

’The Black Lion’s loyalty was admirable, but reality was harsh.

Still, I didn’t bother to point that out or interfere.

Not out of respect for him, but—‘I’ve lost interest.

’Having lost any fascination, I couldn’t be bothered anymore.

That was all there was to it.

Shifting my gaze away, I thought to myself.

‘I should head back.

’I needed to return to my group anyway.

Namgung Bi-ah and Tang So-yeol, who had been injured, were far more important than the Palace Lord.

Turning to Seong Yul, I addressed him.

"You helped them escape, so you should know where they are—"Before I could finish, something felt off, and I stopped mid-sentence.

Thunk.

My head snapped toward the source of the strange sensation.

There, where only the Black Lion and the Palace Lord should have been, someone else was standing.

"What?!

"The Black Lion noticed it belatedly as well, his movements frantic.

"Stop.

"At the sound of the figure’s voice, the Black Lion froze in place, his body rigid.

Though he obeyed, his expression showed that even he didn’t understand why he had complied.

The figure spoke again, addressing the Black Lion.

"If you don’t want your lord to die, it would be best to stay still.

"The voice was cold, chilling.

I hadn’t even noticed when this person had arrived.

And yet—I knew who he was.

Judging by the Black Lion’s reaction, he recognized him too.

His expression twisted in an instant.

The man’s black hair had turned white, and his dark eyes now gleamed an icy blue.

But his striking features were unmistakable.

The Black Lion spoke, his voice trembling.

"Vioe-gun…!!

"Indeed, the one who had appeared was Woo Hyuk.

For a moment, I thought perhaps he had returned on his own, as I had instructed.

But—‘No.

’One look at him, and I was certain.

My brow furrowed deeply as I addressed him.

"…You.

"At my words, his gaze shifted toward me.

The moment our eyes met, a shiver ran down my spine.

Those blue eyes carried a cutting sharpness, as though they could slice through me with a glance.

It only confirmed my suspicion.

"Who are you?

"This wasn’t Woo Hyuk.