[{"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-40":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},1239966,1667,"Chapter 39: Way Back (2)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>༺ Way Back (2) ༻\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain cascading from the sky was a tempestuous and forceful shower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon was hidden behind dark clouds, and the droplets that fell from the sky felt heavy to touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We ran like crazy through the forest engulfed in darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I’d empowered myself with Qi, my feet still felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought to myself after running for so long,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much did I run for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long has it been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long… how long...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long did I survive…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My legs that had been scraped and were screaming in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telling me to stop running, to rest, but I didn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something trickled down my hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it the rain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was trying to be optimistic with my thinking, but of course I was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The liquids flowing down my hands were too warm to be rain droplets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my teeth. I couldn’t afford to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Wake up!｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouted, but there was no response from behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, I used even more Qi to boost my speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was running out of time. I felt like more and more blood was flowing down my hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Fuck… Wake up!｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouted again, but the response remained the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I held onto her more tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To never let her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell am I wasting so much energy for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought to myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How come I wasn’t able to just leave this girl?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew that she would only be a burden, so why did I carry her all the way here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why was I still doing the same while running as if I was dying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I kept running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes had started to bleed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a pain from my lower abdomen, and my body was signaling me that I used up all of my qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart was beating like crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I felt something else escaping my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I’d run out of qi, I was burning my life energy. The feeling of it escaping me made my lips quiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢…God dammit.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breathing behind me was getting lighter and lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart was only beating faster, the complete opposite of what was happening behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The presence that was chasing me was gone, but I couldn’t stop running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure if I’d really escaped that monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where is this? How far did I run?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My trembling legs had already gone numb a while ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a cave in the forest entered my sights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t even see where I was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had no other choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I went deeper into the cave, the sound of the rain got further away, leaving the quiet stillness of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Struggling with my exhausted body, I managed to arrive at a wider part of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant I released my qi, I almost collapsed on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All my bones were screaming in pain, but I first carefully laid down the person I was carrying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The straight scar on her chest was bleeding profusely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was still breathing, but it was faint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I placed my trembling hand near her injury and channeled my Qi around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was practically out of Qi, I was using my life force, but that didn’t affect my actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Shit… Why isn’t the blood stopping…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, even after all my efforts, she kept bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suddenly wobbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d used too much Qi in a short amount of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Why, just why…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone lightly grabbed the hands that were trying to stop the bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢S… t… o… p…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was almost out of life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouted in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢What do you mean by stop!? Just shut it!｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢…At this rate… you will die… I… m… oka…-｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Shut up, so why did you do such a thing when I never asked you to!? This all happened because of you, so I’m gonna do whatever the fuck I want!｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So please just shut up and think about living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t say that last line, because she had already fainted once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She can’t die in a place like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could not let her die in a place like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢But then what am I supposed to do… God dammit…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using more energy meant that I would also faint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she would inevitably die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my teeth and pushed myself further to continue, but my heart wasn’t listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Please…Please…!｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shitty world had never given me anything good in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was the same right now, we’d been pushed to the edge of a cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Just once… Just once you can help me. Can’t you help me just once…?.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’ve been so cruel up until now, so surely you can help me just this once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I get that I’m unlucky, but not even helping me once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a futile thought, complaining to heavens didn’t get me an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they weren’t even on my side in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long has it been? And how much life do I have left in me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as my life force was about to be extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢How pathetic.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My Qi froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of my own will, but someone else’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice that came from behind me left my body frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one entrance to the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I was using my Qi on something else, it should’ve been impossible for me not to notice the intrusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢…It wasn’t all that fun. I’m not really a fan of hide-and-seek after all.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I struggled to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just because of it being nearby, all my muscles had started to scream in pain; it felt like all the air in the world had disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shivering, I turned my neck, and looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despair stood where I looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢There is nothing more pathetic than a human chasing for a meaningless hope.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢You, what are you…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢You are better at running your mouth than I expected…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a monster. There was no other way to put it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing looked at us, and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, to be precise, it was smiling at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t tell what it looked like, nor could I make out its voice, but I was weirdly able to see that it was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢How amusing, that even while you are in your current situation, you can still show your fangs.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cave that was filled with darkness suddenly brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No… It wasn’t actually lighting up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The already prevalent darkness was simply swallowed by an even stronger darkness, and now it didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢…Fuck.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I accidentally cursed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to resist it, but the feeling that was slowly invading my body was definitely fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t something that should’ve been possible for humans to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing spoke to me while watching me shiver in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢You asked who I was.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cave whose space had begun to narrow in size, a strong current of raven winds suddenly kicked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wind swallowed the little hope I had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And completely destroyed the little courage I had left inside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After only one step, I was able to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That if that thing wanted to, it could take everything away from me with just one finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that it was just being generous because it thought it was entertaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢I am…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought my heart had stopped to the slow voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My spirit that had been barely holding up finally started to darken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think it was around then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢The Heavenly Demon.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the world around me stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think it’d been around two hours since I started running while carrying Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the increased amount of Qi, I was able to run at great speed even while carrying someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a bit fast, you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked Wi Seol-Ah who buried her face in my back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did you not hear me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked again as I thought she didn’t hear me the first time, but there was no response again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought something was weird, so I stopped running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought that she couldn’t hear me because of all the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you think, is it too fast or-”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>–Snore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On stopping, I heard a weird noise from behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I looked back, Wi Seol-Ah was sleeping while snoring blissfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that she couldn’t hear me, she’d just been too busy sleeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You must have been that comfortable, huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said it in a teasing voice, but Wi Seol-Ah didn’t answer as she was busy snoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a twinge of spite and thought about waking her up, but eventually I smiled it off and continued my run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after running for so long, I was still full of Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rate at which my qi recharged was even faster than the speed at which I was spending it, which was surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had heard that the Doe clan was known for having clean but dense qi,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I felt that this kind of qi really didn’t fit someone like me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I’m complaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I honestly didn’t mind anything so long as it wasn’t demonic Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as it wasn’t the qi that slowly turned humans insane, I was probably fine with anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I increased my speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already passed by the Tang clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I had achieved what I came here for, I prioritized reaching my destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh… I should probably have at least introduced myself to the Lord of the Tang Clan who would appear on the day of the Military Exhibition of Tang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that I only remembered his appearance now that I’d put a considerable distance between us…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would definitely be getting a scolding from the General for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at least I got what I came here for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was successful in stopping the Gaecheon clan from acquiring the secret vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that I had time and thought about it, the item that the Lord of the Gaecheon clan got was probably the marble that the snake spat out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t exactly sure if the Qi that the marble held was enough to make the lord of Gaecheon reach the fusion rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it seemed most likely to be the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I guessed that it was probably quite impressive of me to even absorb that much energy from the marble, even though I wasn’t able to extract it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guess it’s better than not absorbing anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moonlight marbles on the other hand… Sigh, let’s just not think about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My Qi had shook for a second due to my thinking about the moonlight marbles and I felt like I would rage if I thought about them any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometime later, I saw a town afars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt like I should start to walk from here, so I stopped and put Wi Seol-Ah on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wake up, we’re here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah rubbed her eyes, struggling to keep them open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to wake her up quicker, so I bonked her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the surprise attack, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes quickly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A servant that sleeps on their master’s back, and even worse; snores while doing it!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I snored!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah stood in shock following my comment about her snoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled after looking at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, you were really good at it too. I thought that it was a tiger for a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li-Li-Lies!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I swear to heaven that I’m being serious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the part about her sounding like a tiger of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah put on a sad face after I told her I swore to the heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard her mumble the words of ‘No way… no way…’ while she followed behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t the one who asked to be carried in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We entered the town while Wi Seol-Ah was still in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had to find the people from the Gu clan in this town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a hard task to accomplish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the increased amount of my Qi, my range for detecting presence had also widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I had to do was just find Muyeon’s Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what do you know, it was closer than I thought. Even better, it seemed to be getting closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From far away, someone dressed in the iconic clothing of the Gu clan was running towards us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know how he knew, but it was Muyeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muyeon ran up to us. His relieved expression harbored a tint of grudge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh… Where were you for the past few days-”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muyeon suddenly stopped talking; he seemed to have noticed my changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then asked confusedly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did something happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Muyeon’s words, I responded while scratching my cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guess I could say that, uhh… How do I put this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t the only one that was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was now able to know better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Muyeon was a very skilled martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What the hell, he’s at the peak of first rate at that age?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think Muyeon just barely reached the age of 20.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To see that such a martial artist never spread his name even till the day I died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was even stranger that I wasn’t aware even though he was a part of the Gu Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered what was up with that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I had something to do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-But even so, you should’ve just taken me with you. What would happen if something were to happen to the Young Master, do you know how much I was worried about you!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry… but hey, nothing happened right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was certainly true, as nothing did happen to us; whether on our way to or back from the secret vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the fact that I ran away for three days without saying anything was still my fault in the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, putting that aside, there remained one question I needed to ask Muyeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I ask you a question?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… What do you want to know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are there two more useless presences here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the place that I’d picked for us to reunite, I could feel two presences that weren’t welcomed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muyeon stood silently for a second, seemingly confused as to what I was talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought that the Young Master called them…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You thought I called those thing- those guests?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what they told me, so I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I massaged my forehead upon hearing that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From far away, I was able to feel two familiar presences in the guest rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those guests were Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chdildhood Friend of the Zenith\u003C\u002Fp>",2483,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","9e517e3a9d682c05284932d716e29dd614a39a3a2dfb46b69b7574db908d1014","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-41","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-39",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]