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Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament (5) ༻

It was said that silence speaks louder than words.

Although feeling such a heavy and dense atmosphere in a silent space didn’t really make sense…

In reality, that was exactly what was happening right now.

The number of young prodigies gathered in the banquet were in the double digits…

And due to the sheer amount of people, the building should’ve been filled with voices.

But what was this silence then?

The reason for that was simple.

It’s because they witnessed a sight that shocking.

“What the…”

“What was that just now? Did anyone see that?”

“…Who is that boy?”

I started to hear some people talking.

Judging by their actions and how they spoke carefully, it was evident that they were utterly dumbfounded.

Crack. Crack.

With each twist of my wrist, the sound of cracking bones could be heard.

‘I didn’t intend to take it this far.’

I got into a bigger mess than I expected.

I, at least, planned to stay quiet during the banquet.

But I didn’t expect that fucker to cause more trouble.

‘…Sigh…’

Because of that, I got into this hassle.

I didn’t really mind all the young prodigies’ eyes that were on me.

I knew why they were looking at me.

And my emotions had long withered away for me to feel anything from them.

I instinctively sought out Jang Seonyeon.

‘I would’ve just watched, if that guy didn’t try to interfere.’

Even without my interference, Gu Jeoylub would’ve won anyway.

I intended to use him strategically since he was under my charge.

‘He’s also more useful than I expected at first.’

Gu Jeolyub belonged to a category of geniuses who were widely recognized around the world.

It meant that if you taught him one thing, he could grasp five more things.

‘Though I did push him harder since I wasn’t fond of that.’

How narrow-minded I was.

At least that would be what Elder Shin would’ve said to me if he was here right now.

‘He tried to aim for the chin, huh.’

Gu Jeolyub’s decision wasn’t a bad one.

Though it obviously wouldn’t have worked. That pig, Hwangbo, who collapsed next to me as if he was a corpse, was an abhorrent individual.

But he certainly wasn’t weak.

It was true that a martial artist’s power depended on their training and skill level…

However, the most important thing was the basics.

Gu Jeolyub’s sword was too sluggish to reach him.

It was as simple as that.

Even if Hwangbo Cheolwi was weaker than Gu Jeolyub…

Gu Jeolyub lacked the power to finish him in one blow, so it wouldn’t have ended swiftly.

Jang Seonyeon, who was watching from the back, had a different look on his face.

His smile had disappeared, replaced by a calm expression.

Whatever emotion he was feeling, I did not and could not know.

‘It seemed like he was about to charge in.’

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes, the movement of his feet, and the way he flowed his Qi.

When I noticed these signs, I couldn’t help but step in first without thinking.

I wondered what would’ve happened if I wasn’t the one who stepped in.

If it was him, what would he have done?

All the mutters that surrounded me.

All of the eyes that were on me and all of the attention I was getting.

Would it have gone to him instead?

Just like back then?

It was only a brief moment that we looked at each other.

To others, it was a fleeting instant, but in that moment, I was able to smile at that bastard.

It seemed like he noticed my smile.

After all, Jang Seonyeon’s eyes widened slightly.

‘This much is enough.’

There was no need for further provocation. Because slowly but surely…

Until the very end…

‘I will take it all.’

I would take everything, one by one.

That was what I had decided.

I spoke while kicking the pig, Hwangbo, who was seemingly lifeless beside me.

“Hey.”

I directed my words toward the pig’s group.

Their shoulders visibly tensed as I called out to them.

“What are you doing? Clean this up.”

Their expressions were distorted, probably because they didn’t like how I was talking to them.

Was it because a boy much younger than them was speaking to them informally?

Even if that was the case, I had no intention to show them any respect.

Besides, I had no interest in crafting a good image for myself.

“Aren’t you guys gonna clean this up?”

They started to move only after I repeated myself. It seemed like they had no intention of confronting me directly.

Fortunately for them, they weren’t that stupid.

Hwangbo Cheolwi, who was being dragged away, drooled saliva from his mouth.

It was his first appearance in the Dragons and Phoenixes tournament as well.

‘But now he’s gonna be remembered as the guy who drooled.’

I felt bad, but what could I do?

Guys like him needed to learn how reality was the hard way by getting humiliated once.

Just like me.

After Hwangbo Cheolwi disappeared from my sight, I turned my attention to Gu Jeolyub.

Gu Jeolyub, for some reason, looked a little nervous.

What’s up with him?

“Jeolyub.”

“Y-Yes!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

He flinched when I took a step toward him. After seeing that, I spoke with a sour face.

“What’s with that reaction? You’re making it look like I was going to hit you.”

“…”

“…”

Well, I guess I did hit him before.

To break the awkward silence, I let out a fake cough.

Well, that’s that.

“But why do you keep causing trouble?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What kind of dude stirs up trouble on the day of the gathering, especially while using Qi?”

…Wait, didn’t I do something similar in the past?

Well, no one knew about it anymore, right? So that means it never happened.

My words left Gu Jeolyub looking disappointed. It annoyed me to see a handsome guy wearing that expression.

Bonk!

“Uugh!”

I clenched my fist and struck down at his head. I didn’t use Qi, but it seemed like I hit a particularly critical spot, as Gu Jeolyub staggered and fell to the floor.

“You think you’re the Second Elder or something? Why is charging into trouble always your first choice! Are you also planning to do that with the carriage later?”

“N, No sir…”

“No, my ass… Didn’t you come here to keep me in check? Then why are you the one causing all the trouble?”

“Well… no.”

“Do you have anything else to say other than no?”

“…N…”

For some reason, I felt like Gu Jeolyub was taking all the spotlight.

To be more specific, it felt like I was just doing cleanup.

Gu Jeolyub seemed aware of that as well since he kept avoiding my eyes.

‘Was he always like this?’

While I acknowledged my personal growth since our first encounter, the situation always seemed to take an odd turn.

Thankfully, I was able to stop them before the fight began, so it shouldn’t escalate too much.

It would have been disastrous if they had destroyed the building.

So I guess it could be considered fortunate that didn’t happen.

Though, of course, Gu Jeolyub would be the one dealing with such a problem if it had actually occurred.

As I continued to scold Gu Jeolyub, I started to hear some whispers.

“He’s the son of the Tiger Warrior…”

“That just now…”

“The Sword Phoenix…”

I looked around in response to the voices I heard.

I noticed that everyone’s gaze had changed significantly since the incident. Just moments ago, they had no intention of coming to me.

But it seemed like the recent incident made them notice.

‘Now they are cautious about me.’

Their eyes showed shock and cautiousness.

Was I a little too rough?

To be honest, I thought I showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Perhaps there were fewer people who had the ability to discern what had transpired, given that these young prodigies had not yet reached higher martial realms.

‘To count, it’s like around… four, five?’

Only around that many. At least, that was all I could see.

“It really is a hassle.”

I couldn’t believe I had to use strength in a kids’ playground. What did that make me, a bully?

A twinge of guilt nagged at me.

But I knew I had to do what was necessary.

That was the easiest route to take, after all.

With all eyes on me, I returned to the corner where I had stood before.

“Y-Young Master Gu.”

When I returned to my spot, Tang Soyeol was clutching her shoulders with her hands, for some reason.

Did she get a cold or something? What’s with her?

“What’s wrong?”

“…I can’t stop shaking because of how cool you are.”

“What?”

Tang Soyeol spoke with a bright red face, but I took a step back unconsciously since I was flustered by her statement.

Then, Tang Soyeol was equally taken aback by my reaction.

“Young Master Gu?”

“Uh, sorry, I was just surprised for a second…”

You were making such a strange face, so how could I not feel scared and back off?

I was worried about Tang Soyeol because she looked so pitiful, but I couldn’t undo what I just did.

Namgung Bi-ah, who had been enjoying the breeze near the window, walked over to Tang Soyeol and rubbed her shoulders.

Was she trying to make her feel better?

As I was watching that, someone tugged at my clothing.

Then I smelled a fragrant floral scent.

“Young Master! You were cool…!”

Right as I was wondering who it was, I saw Wi Seol-Ah, still playfully draped in her cover.

Her smile revealed a slight dimple, and I couldn’t help but smile in response.

At the same time, I playfully squeezed her nose.

“Ough…”

“I told you not to lift up your cover.”

“But… it’s uncomfy.”

It was understandable.

“But it’s still a no.”

Wi Seol-Ah made a sulking face after my cold denial, but obediently lowered her cover.

“Just bear with it for a few more days.”

“…Kay.”

I did feel sorry for her.

I made her wear a cover partly due to her appearance.

But it was more so because of my uneasiness.

‘…As much as possible, I need to ensure she doesn’t attract that bastard.’

I doubted that anything would happen…

But there was still no guarantee.

‘Just a little more.’

A few more days.

I wanted to ask Wi Seol-Ah to bear with it for just a few more days, driven by my own selfish desires.

In other words…

A few days would be sufficient for me to ease my concerns.

I still felt his gaze from behind me.

The bastard was certainly looking in a different direction.

He’s probably talking to other young prodigies right now, just like earlier.

But even so, the fact that I kept feeling his gaze on me indicated he still had me in mind.

‘Doesn’t feel too bad.’

It wasn’t the worst feeling, considering it was what I wanted all along.

I hope you keep looking at me that way.

So that you can feel your despair far more clearly later on.

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

After Hwangbo Cheolwi left the scene and Gu Yangcheon returned to his spot…

“…What happened just now?”

“Isn’t the person who just collapsed a blood relative of the Hwangbo clan? How could he so powerlessly…”

The faces of the people who were chatting and smiling had changed completely.

Their smiles disappeared and their conversations turned serious.

The incident had indeed been shocking.

Since a giant like Hwangbo Cheolwi went down that easily.

Furthermore, he was defeated by a boy who was barely half his size.

“I believe he’s a blood relative of the Gu Clan.”

“Gu Clan… the Tiger Warrior’s clan?”

All eyes turned to the boy standing near the corner of the building.

A boy with black hair, subtly glowing red eyes, and a terrifying smile that emitted a sharp and fierce aura.

It was completely different from before.

To be more precise, the whole atmosphere of the building seemed to have changed.

Just a few moments ago, he didn’t seem to have much of a presence in the building,

Him being less noticeable than other famous young prodigies made it more shocking,

As no one expected that he had such a talent.

“I couldn’t even see him move.”

“…Well, that’s likely because we were focused on the other two that were fighting…”

“True… And there is no way he avoided our sights, so it’s more likely that he succeeded in his surprise attack thanks to a lucky miracle…”

Even though they had witnessed the event with their own eyes, it was difficult for people to believe what had just happened.

‘These imbeciles.’

That was what Jang Seonyeon thought while listening to the other young prodigies with a smile on his face.

‘Do they really think it was a surprise attack?’

‘And you said there’s no way that he avoided your sight? These trash of human beings who don’t know their place.’

‘It was simply him being that fast.’

So fast that their eyes couldn’t keep up.

Surprise attack?

Even though he so blatantly went up to him and struck his chin? Jang Seonyeon was able to see what happened.

Gu Yangcheon’s flawless movement.

And his unbelievable accuracy.

Even after seeing those movements, these dumbasses were making excuses just how lower beings usually would.

“What does Young Master Jang think about this?”

Then the arrow turned toward Jang Seonyeon.

They were practically pleading with their expression for Jang Seonyeon to agree with them.

Jang Seonyeon then responded with a forced smile.

“…I’m not sure, I didn’t get to see it clearly myself.”

He couldn’t see it. It was just like he said.

Jang Seonyeon couldn’t clearly see how Gu Yangcheon moved to reach his target.

Although he had his attention primarily focused on Hwangbo Cheolwi…

‘I completely missed his movement when I even noticed the movements of Dragons and Phoenixes.’

Jang Seonyeon thought that he only had to worry about the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes when he came here…

But this was quite out of his expectations.

He had already heard about Gu Yangcheon from his father beforehand.

– He brought a recommendation letter from the Dishonored Venerable.

The recommendation letter given by a Heavenly Venerable. He wondered if Gu Yangcheon was the student of the Lord of the West, the Dishonored Venerable.

But after listening, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Jang Seonyeon then thought about earlier, when he grabbed Gu Yangcheon’s hand. It was a peculiar sensation.

‘He seemed to be hostile towards me.’

It was just an instant, but Jang Seonyeon was able to feel it. That Gu Yangcheon seemed to be against him.

‘I wonder why.’

‘I didn’t do anything to make him see me any differently.’

Jang Seonyeon knew that he was better at acting than anyone.

Even his father, the Harmonic Sword, didn’t know Jang Seonyeon’s true self, which was why Jang Seonyeon felt more bothered by this fact.

‘It’s probably just a mistake.’

It had to be. Because if it wasn’t…

‘I will look more into it, just in case.’

It was better to do that than feel bothered the whole time.

While Jang Seonyeon was thinking deeply, the others continued discussing Gu Yangcheon’s actions.

“Or maybe the Hwangbo Clan’s blood relative is just that weak?”

When one person brought that up, the others stayed silent for a moment, then nodded their heads.

Rather than genuinely believing it, they seemed more inclined to accept this as an explanation.

“Like Young Master Bi said… It’s probably that.”

“Yeah. I heard the rumors about that blood relative of the Gu Clan and that he was a total troublemaker. Apparently, he is lazy, weak, and has no talent in martial arts…”

Tsk-

Jang Seonyeon couldn’t bear to listen any longer and accidentally let out a disapproving sound.

But thankfully, it went unnoticed as the others continued their conversation.

‘How pathetic can they be?’

Were these really the people that would represent the Orthodox Faction in the future?

‘If that’s the case, I’ll be rather disappointed.’

Not only were they clueless, but even their eyes were utterly rotted.

‘Now I’m starting to feel pathetic for putting on a smile in front of them as an act.’

‘How disappointing.’

‘Fine, I can understand them being ignorant. It’s actually better that way.’

‘That means that I can shine brighter. I hope that they will remain this stupid until the end.

‘But I wonder what his true power is.’

While talking to others with a smile on his face, all he had on his mind was Gu Yangcheon.

Not being able to read him clearly meant that Gu Yangcheon was either stronger or on par with him.

‘But how is that possible?’

Which made it harder for Jang Seonyeon to understand.

‘I could’ve sworn that the Gu Clan wasn’t part of Meteor.’

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes began to gleam quietly.

After scrutinizing Gu Yangcheon’s body, he sensed no enhancements and found it hard to feel his Qi as he seemed to be hiding it. However, it certainly felt like an ordinary Qi.

Did this mean that Gu Yangcheon had reached his own martial arts wall purely through his own strength?

‘He probably hasn’t overcome the wall yet.’

‘I doubt he is at the peak realm, since there is probably no martial artist in history who has reached and overcome their wall at such a young age.’

So did that mean he was currently in the process of facing his wall?

But even that was astonishing.

‘I need to look more into it.’

Behind his smile, Jang Seonyeon began to make plans.

Since he was better than anyone at doing this sort of thing.

“Haha, so…!”

-!

Jang Seonyeon, who began to put on an act, suddenly stopped talking.

It was as if all the hairs on his body were standing on end.

A sharp, prickling sensation pierced the back of his neck. And a chilling coldness seemed to radiate from multiple directions, immobilizing even his fingers.

‘Killing intent?’

Jang Seonyeon moved his eyes to look around, but judging by how no one else reacted, it seemed like he was the only one experiencing it.

‘Who is it?’

Could a single person exude such precise and potent killing intent at just a single person?

Thankfully, the killing intent pressuring Jang Seonyeon disappeared right away.

To put it in terms of time, it lasted around two breaths that a normal person would take.

Immediately, Jang Seonyeon placed his hand on his sword and scanned his surroundings.

However, around him, there were only young prodigies engrossed in their conversations and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He briefly checked on his hands because of a sudden moist sensation.

His hands were soaked with cold sweat already.

He inspected his surroundings once more, but there was no trace of the killing intent he had sensed.

As if the entire sensation had been just his imagination.

While Jang Seonyeon was looking around so nervously…

Wi Seol-Ah was observing him secretly from far away.

And her face was chillingly emotionless.

“What are you doing?”

After hearing the voice that came from beside her, Wi Seol-Ah’s expression immediately brightened.

As if absolutely nothing had happened.

“Umm…! I didn’t do anything!”

Upon hearing Wi Seol-Ah’s cheerful voice, Gu Yangcheon smiled and stroked Wi Seol-Ah’s hair.

His touch was rough yet caring, and Wi Seol-Ah left her head in his hand.

The first day ended with the name, ‘Gu Yangcheon’ etched into the minds of all the young prodigies.

And with that, the next day came.

The day of the Friendly Martial Arts Competition, considered as the highlight of the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament.