[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-313":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1240289,1667,"Chapter 313: The Dragon's Diary (4)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-313",313,"\u003Cp>It was a dark path, devoid of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only noise breaking the silence was the splash of puddles beneath my feet as I stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I attempted to illuminate the path with my flames, but ironically, they provided no light at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like some special power was blocking all light sources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t see anything, huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like the Water Dragon also couldn’t see anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long have we been walking?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this even the right path to the secret vault?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why are secret vaults I visit so annoying like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d dealt with this before in the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s vault, and now it was happening again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t even sure if this was a vault at all, since all we did was break through the Formation somewhere in the Heavenly Dragon Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t get to ask yet, but what are we looking for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon spoke up. Took him long enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by ‘we’, I’m the one looking for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it a bit unfair for you to set a boundary now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon spoke with a chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t bother asking how I knew about this place, why I was going, or what my goal even was. The bastard had always been like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d jump straight into anything that caught his interest, never bothering to understand it first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing intrigued him, he’d look half-dead from sheer boredom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He either looks sleepy or lazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is that he barely gets interested in anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His nickname is the Sleepy Dragon for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, I was more familiar with his current look rather than his other demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I ventured further, it felt like the ground was becoming even wetter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it even water?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered my body and touched it, it felt like water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear and odorless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have the balls to taste it, so I concluded that it was water for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just a little bit curious about why the water was flowing here, and where it came from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking for what felt like an eternity,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see the end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint light appeared at the end of the long path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like that was the end of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank goodness, it wasn’t that deep of a basement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I continued toward the light, I glanced around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How far did we come down?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t quite tell, but it certainly felt longer than I anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it because of the distortion of space?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be the Formation making it feel this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I went through the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s vault, the path had felt unnaturally long too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This too must have been the same phenomenon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I can’t believe a Formation is capable of such a thing…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting that aside, I was curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but wonder who could have set up such an advanced Formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, what do I do about this guy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was concerned about the Water Dragon trailing behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this path really led to the secret vault, then could I really bring the Water Dragon with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That might be a bit of a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe I could offer him something in there to keep his mouth shut?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that thought, I shook my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why would I give it to him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I find it, it’s mine. Why should I share?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think it’d just be best for me to knock him out for now and go by myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he even thinks about telling anyone later, I could just put a Shackle on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are friends, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friends weren’t necessarily meant for things like this, but I’m sure he’ll understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I think about it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard was like this in the Frontlines back in my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-You fucker…! I told you not to put a Shackle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-If you don’t like it, then break out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever I tried to go into dangerous areas, he’d slap a Shackle on me and force me to stay behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew his intention, but I was rather infuriated since I was forced to stay behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the Shackle I use was actually made by the Water Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he created it much later in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’ll break out of the Shackle even if I put it on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was my own version, he was the one who made it originally, so I’m sure he’ll break out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though of course, it’ll take him a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I guess I should first knock him out and-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was about to ambush him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slam, slam!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon swung his fist through the air, yet it made a loud noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, noticing something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Oh, we are fucked. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon responded with a hollow smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His response made my eyes widen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood what was briefly happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second Formation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They put a Formation inside a Formation?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then how was I able to walk through it just now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like either only one person could pass, or there was some other mechanism at play, but I had no way of knowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I know nothing when it comes to Formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I had to ask the Water Dragon in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Can you not break through? Do what you did last time. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed even the sound was blocked, so I had to mouth my words to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talking to him telepathically didn’t work either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon gave me a speechless look after reading my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ You think it’s that easy? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ It seemed easy to me. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ How about you try it then? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ If I knew how to do such a thing, would I have brought you all the way here? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ … ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t hear it, but I knew the Water Dragon was laughing in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried hitting the wall that prevented the Water Dragon from entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem that thin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Back off a little. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Hmm? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ …! ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my fist tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon stepped back in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed what I was about to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then immediately twisted my hips and swung my fist towards the barrier,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slaaam-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my fist made contact, a monstrous sound echoed, and the ground began to shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitter-patter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by how dust fell from the ceiling, it seemed like there was an impact for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ It didn’t break. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the barrier remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by this, it seemed impossible to break it by sheer strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ You are crazy, you really thought hitting it was a good idea? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Dragon’s shocked reaction was a rare sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was wrong with it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ We should first see if it’s possible to break it. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ …If you knew a little more about Formations, you wouldn’t have chosen such a crazy idea. Especially with a Formation at this level, we need to be more careful. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ I told you earlier, didn’t I? I wouldn’t have brought you here if I knew anything about them. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tapped the barrier again, but it didn’t even crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one reason I wanted to test my strength against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t because I wanted to bring the Water Dragon with me after breaking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it doesn’t break with this much force, then that bastard won’t be able to break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just testing to see if the barrier was strong enough to stop the Water Dragon from entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it broke with this much force, then the Water Dragon would’ve easily been able to enter as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Can you not do what you did last time? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like earlier when the Water Dragon used his trick to break through the Formation, I asked if he was able to do it again, but he shook his head in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ I can’t. I don’t hear anything. This is a different formation than the last one. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered what kind of a crazy person could hear anything from a Formation, but I couldn’t argue, he really could do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ …So you can’t enter it, huh? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like I could just leave him here, then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After realizing my thought, the Water Dragon suddenly sat down on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t the ground filled with water though…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ What are you doing? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ This is better than you knocking me out, so I’ll just be waiting here. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to hide my shock after hearing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard… He knew I planned to knock him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How sharp of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was better for me, since he was going to wait for me without me having to do anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ Can’t you just wait outside though? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, puzzled, but the Water Dragon glanced back the way we came before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ I can’t leave. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ What? ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ It’s blocked, for now. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilted my head upon hearing his response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entrance is blocked? As I processed the shock, the Water Dragon continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ It’ll open once again after you do something inside. That’s how this type of Formation works. ]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard his explanation, and it felt like the situation was becoming stranger as time went by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much time do I have?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Queen must be stalling the Qinghai Sword right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was already on borrowed time, but now I had to complete something inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a shitty situation this was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Fine, I never had good luck anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just once or twice that things had gone wrong due to my bad luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to give it a shot, so I left the Water Dragon behind and ventured further in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was concerned about the Water Dragon who was left alone, but I couldn’t do anything about it since he wasn’t able to leave or follow me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to first go further inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only solution to this, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of puddles continued to echo, growing louder as I approached the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like the water level was getting deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s all the way up to my thighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water had only been at my ankles before, but now it was all the way up to my thighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to learn what this liquid was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as I knew, there wasn’t any lake around the Heavenly Dragon Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it some kind of groundwater?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, I made my way closer to the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t see what lay beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this because of the Formation too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out with my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Woong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When my hand touched the entrance, it caused a ripple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hand passed through the entrance without touching anything solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like there wasn’t another Formation here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One strange thing though,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It feels like I’m entering through water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation of entering through this door felt as if I was going through water, so it didn’t feel the best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Woong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fully stepped through the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, the uncomfortable sensation vanished as soon as I was through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering, I had to close my eyes for a moment against the sudden brightness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It only took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust before I forced them open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight inside was so shocking it made me gasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive tree root was covering the entire room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t dark like the path I came from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, it felt strange that I was able to see everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…There isn’t even a torch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing in the room to light it up, so why was it so bright?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water from the outside hadn’t seeped into this room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was strange here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling uneasy, I splashed some water with my foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like water droplets were splashing for a second, but it stopped midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this perhaps?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same sensation I’d felt before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled when it happened last—it was in Henan, just like this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though that was further away, in Shaolin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the same sensation I felt when I met the hero of the past, a friend of Elder Shin, the Light of Might, Cheolyoung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That eerie sensation of time coming to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt just like back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does that mean,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That this place also relates to them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t certain, but this was far too rare to be a coincidence, so it was a reasonable assumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It appeared that time was only frozen within this room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is the room like?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the path where water reached my thighs, this room had only shallow puddles that barely touched my feet, there were mysterious cloth covering objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems like this is a secret vault after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could it not be a secret vault, looking like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s secret vault had nothing but a giant snake, and they still called it a vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, the cloth coverings were clean, as if they hadn’t been here long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be because time is frozen here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t bad at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that the condition of treasures here were most likely in good condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After calming myself down, I moved closer to the covered objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t able to bring all of them back with me, so I had to choose what was needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I need, huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I likely needed rare herbs to strengthen myself, but without knowing what was here, I had to take a closer look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…If time’s frozen here, does that mean I have time to spare?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might be possible, but I couldn’t know what was happening outside, so I couldn’t afford to waste any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it like this back then too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Heavenly Demon found this place in my past life, I don’t remember it feeling like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just what happened here between the time I found this place, to when the Heavenly Demon found this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also need to find what the Sword Queen asked for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was it again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Stone of Mount Hua?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know what it looked like, but she said it was Mount Hua’s treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure why the Sword Queen believed it was here, but did that mean her goal was to retrieve Mount Hua’s treasure from this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I thought about it that way, it totally seems valid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was still hard to be certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Queen didn’t seem like someone who’d go this far for a treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What even is a treasure anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It may have been a symbol of one, but it was still just an object in the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it’s not exactly like that if I thought about the Thunder Fang…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some treasures directly aided martial artists, while others were more symbolic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The treasure I delivered to Mount Hua, or the one back in my clan, were examples of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t be judging, considering I snuck in here searching for treasure myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t feel great about it; it was like I’d become a thief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, maybe I actually had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one owns this place, so whatever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to think about it that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better I take them than the Heavenly Dragon finding them later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, I need to check what’s even here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out to the nearest object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I need to first take off the cloth to see what it is after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right as I was about to grab the cloth,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice sounded from behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a heavy deep voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately flowed my Qi and turned around towards the voice that came from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stood there, one I hadn’t noticed until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Could I even call this a person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately, it was a human-shaped figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was difficult to consider it human since the figure was half-transparent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…What is this, a ghost?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was shaking my body in fear, the mysterious creature in front of me started to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-What… are you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They appeared to be just over thirty, with golden hair that reminded me of Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by their hardened physique, it seemed like they were a close combat martial artist like me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that they weren’t ordinary person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man with golden hair had a strange expression as he stared at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who am I?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I should be the one asking you that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was more curious than him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I debated whether to ready myself for a fight, the man spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-You are…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After observing me closely, he spoke with a cold gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Not Shincheol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar name came out of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>",2905,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","5a54f28b87b7f850c8d34be2d9edaa247df587cc08febf91a6ade26b303f8158","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-314","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-312",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]